Later this week, I will take a brief summer vacation to go to Florida for three days. I’ll be visiting family in the Sarasota/Tampa area, on the Gulf Coast.

I’m hoping to take advantage of this time away from Portland to check out a different local scene, and maybe catch a regional band that would never tour to the Northwest, far away as we are from their sunny Florida home. So I’m doing some research on bands and venues in the Sarasota area, figuring I can go as far afield as Tampa to catch a show… and I’m coming up empty-handed. Can’t find anything worth a damn. I know that we’re in a comfortable position to easily look down with disdain at virtually any other music scene in the country, but surely there’s got to be one band worth seeing. The only things that seem to be happening are a whole bunch of cover bands.

There is a Tampa band called Zillionaire who have some passable songs on their MySpace page. Sadly, they will not be playing any shows during my brief stay.

So, if you have any tips on some cool Florida bands who play the Gulf Coast, let me know. Meanwhile, I’ll be combing through Creative Loafing to find something to occupy myself.

The Mac Store’s Portland location is having an opening celebration of sorts (they’ve been open for a while now, but hey, whatever), with FREE music by local bands. You already missed Weinland and Clampitt Gaddis & Buck last weekend. BUT!!! It’s not too late to check out this weekend’s action, with the following folk performers playing for FREE. Which is pretty rad.

Tractor Operator plays this Friday, May 30 at 5 pm.

Laura Veirs plays this Saturday, May 31 at 5 pm.

Mighty Ghosts of Heaven play this Sunday, June 1 at 3 pm.

This is pretty cool news for those of us whose weekend nights are already booked up—a good way to squeeze a little more music into each day, without dropping any more cash. And if you’re not 21, or just really like computers, here’s a cool way to check out some live performances.

Mac Store, 700 NE Multnomah, Ground Floor, FREE

Today’s band: The Heavenly States
From: Oakland, CA
Scheduled appearance: Sunday May 25 at 2:35 on the Wookie Stage
Evidenced gathered:

“Pretty Life”

One of the few national acts I haven’t heard before, the Heavenly States play soulful pop-rock, with dynamic shading and clever arrangements. Ted Nesseth’s voice has a husky quality, and Jeremy Gagon’s drums are hard-hitting. Like Spoon meets the Black Keys or something. I dig it. I also dig a tune on their MySpace called “Lost in the Light.”

Will I make a point to see them?
I think so! I’d really like to see J. Tillman on the smaller stage, whose set overlaps with theirs, but this looks like it will be worth seeking out.

As Sasquatch! quickly approaches, I examine the line-up and check out bands I’ve never heard before.

Picture courtesy of Line Out.

Today’s band: The Moondoggies
From: Seattle (pretty much every band unfamiliar to me is a local band from Seattle)
Scheduled time: Monday, May 26 at 2:10 pm on the Yeti stage
Evidenced garnered: Three songs from their MySpace page

“Ol’ Blackbird” is dopey groove-rock, with a heaping side of sticky hippie jam. Tambourine shaking and LOTS of electric piano makes this track sound awfully dated, not really in a retro kind of way, either. The lyrics are pretty asinine: “Ol’ Blackbird way up in the sky/Ol’ blackbird keep on flyin’ high/Ol’ blackbird way up in the tree/Ol’ blackbird don’t bother me.” Fucking brilliant. Cough.

“I Want You to Know” sounds like ’70s soft-rock played by an all-male Fleetwood Mac. It gets rockin’ for a couple bars here and there, but never fully blows up. Plenty of piano, too, though, both regular and electric. Do these guys have seven keyboardists or just the one, who’s calling all the shots? As the song goes along, it solidifies, gaining momentum, but a false ending and reprise overinflate the song a bit, considering how easygoing it started off.

“Night and Day - demo,” however, is a peaceful acoustic song with appealing harmonies atop bluegrass fingerpicking. It feels like a small, puffy cloud floating along a blue sky on a summer day. Perfect for Sasquatch, right? It’s almost like a madrigal, but then the drums stomp on and that barrelhouse piano kicks in with the rest of the band. There goes that piano again, filling in every last bit of space with pumping groove. Someone please hand the pianist a Xanax, please? Soon, though, a slower “Heart of Gold” drumbeat picks up, and we’re off on a spacier vibe. The small, puffy cloud is rising higher, and growing.

How will they fare at Sasquatch?
They’re up against the Hives, so they might do pretty well. They should definitely attract the hippie contingent, who won’t be into the Hives. (Who is into the Hives? What demographic do they serve? Wanna-Swede white-suit-wearing hipsters?)

Will I make a point to see them?
I might. Their set overlaps with the lovely Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, so they won’t have me for the first few songs, but if Pela doesn’t do it for me, it may be Moondoggie time.

Listen to the Moondoggies here.

Nuggets was originally a compilation double-album released in 1972, assembled by Lenny Kaye who went on to play in Patti Smith’s band. It was a collection of American garage pop singles, and it sparked a series of follow-up Nuggets records, not to mention the Pebbles series, the Rubble series, and countless other garage rock comps, all of which collected rockers and other ’60s oddities, the best of which were prized for their obscurity.

Rhino Records, who rarely—if ever—fuck anything up, released a 4-disc Nuggets box set in 1998, taking the original Nuggets album and pairing it with three other discs of American fuzz-toned gems, many of which were originally overlooked when they were released, but had probably since been rediscovered on Pebbles, or Rubble, or Green Plastic Ties, or any number of similar-minded comps. Anyway it was a terrific box set, one of the best ever.

Taking it one step further, Rhino released a SECOND box set, Nuggets II, which collected similar singles from the UK and the rest of the world. It contains mod classics, freakbeat jams, nascent psychedelia, tropicalia gold, and plenty of good ol’ shitkickin’ pop ‘n’ roll. It IS the best box set ever.

Saturday night, over a dozen bands are hitting the stage at Slabtown to pay tribute to the Nuggets compilations. They did one last year, which was a benefit for ? (yeah, that’s his name. He was in a band called ? & the Mysterians and sang the song “96 Tears”). This year, the benefit’s for School of Rock. To get you warmed up, here are a couple YouTube clips I found that are soundtracked by some very choice Nuggets. You can ignore the unrelated video, although some of it is kind of amusing. Enjoy:

The Eyes - I’m Rowed Out, with period fashion footage from London.

The Wailers - Out of Our Tree, accompanied by plenty of Nugget-y album covers. Incidentally, the Wailers hailed from Tacoma, WA.

Nuggets Tribute Night, Sat May 10, Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th, 9 pm, $7
Bands include: School of Rock, Mike Coykendall, Blue Skies for Black Hearts, The Family Gun, The Sugarlumps, The Pink Snowflakes, Giant Bug Village, Benjamin Starshine, The Strange Effects, The Brilliant Channel, Paper Cameras, The Dregs, The Wolfman Fairies

There’s an article on the Mae Shi in this week’s paper (which you can check out here), and the guys in the band gave me a lot more information than would fit in the article. You can read all about it after the jump.

In the meantime, you can listen to the Mae Shi:

MP3: Run to Your Grave

And another song is on this week’s Easier Than Reading podcast here.

The Mae Shi play Saturday, April 26 at East End, 203 SE Grand, with Pre, Panther, and Fist Fite.

Picture by Kelly O, courtesy of The Stranger.

I had a chance to interview Robin Pecknold (center) from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes, and the article appears in this week’s Mercury (you can read it here). Their campfire-meets-sacred-harp folk/rock often sounds like it’s echoing through a forest of trees, or out of a subterranean cave; it’s epically homegrown, if that makes any sense, and you’ll get a chance to see for yourself when they hit town tomorrow night. Pecknold told me about lots of stuff that didn’t make it into the article, so you can read more of the interview after the jump.

Fleet Foxes play with Blitzen Trapper and Au, Saturday, April 19 (that’s tomorrow!), Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $8

Really? OMG!!! This is too good to be true. Deuce Bigalow sings? World-renowned thespian Rob Schneider is performing at the Doug Fir tomorrow night? America’s own pint-sized Laurence Olivier? Will he do his famed “Tiny Elvis” routine? Will he bring to the stage his hilarious turns in The Animal and The Hot Chick, in which he convincingly took on the roles of, respectively, an animal and a hot chick? Perhaps he’ll recreate the racist stereotypes he’s played in every Adam Sandler movie ever!

… Wait, what? BOB Schneider? Who the hell is Bob Schneider? A mild-mannered Austin folkie with a wide sentimental streak, whose songs sound like Jay Farrar and Adam Duritz sharing a hot tub, you say? Who typically stays in lyrical folk mode, but has a couple ill-advised lite-funk G. Love-type numbers, and even posted a god-awful rap on his MySpace page? I see. Well, I highly doubt his talent is the same caliber as that of Sir Rob Schneider, but there’s only so much genius to go around, I suppose.

w/Tina Dico, Jay Thomas; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, Sat March 29, 9 pm, $15

Yeah, it’s Easter weekend. But instead on stuffing yourself with chocolate rabbits, you might want to gorge on the feast of live music that’s hitting town this weekend. Last night, you faced the brainwracking dilemma of too many good shows to go to (School of Language, Boredoms, Builders and the Butchers, etc.) and tonight is no relief. You’ve got a very difficult decision ahead of you. Amongst lots of other choices, tonight sees the following notable shows:

Berbati’s Pan (10 SW 3rd) - March Into Darkness Metal Fest w/Middian, Indian, Red Fang, SubArachnoid Space; 9 pm, $10
Dante’s (1 SW 3rd) - Grand Archives, Adam Shearer of Weinland; 9:30 pm, $10
East End (203 SE Grand) - CD Baby 10th Anniversary Party w/AristeiA, Seti; 9 pm, FREE
Holocene (1001 SE Morrison) - Born Ruffians, Cadence Weapon, Nurses; 9 pm, $10
Someday Lounge (125 NW 5th) - The Velvet Teen, Crosstide, Aloha, Carcrashlander; 9 pm, $10
Wonder Ballroom (128 NE Russell) - Black Moth Super Rainbow, Dengue Fever; 8 pm, $10, all ages

Saturday’s not much easier:

Audiocinema (226 SE Madison) - Benefit for Shadyah Mustafa w/The Shaky Hands, Brothers of the Baladi, Power of County, Diamond Tuck & the Privates, Dahlia; 8 pm, $10
Berbati’s Pan (10 SW 3rd) - March Into Darkness Metal Fest w/Agalloch, Red Sparowes, Grayceon, Russian Circles; 9 pm, $10-14, all ages
Doug Fir (830 E Burnside) - Kaki King, Matt Sheehy; 9 pm, $14
Towne Lounge (714 SW 20th Place) - Headlights, Evangelicals, Southerly; 9:30 pm, $6

I suggest nibbling at the ears for starters, then switching to the opposite end and biting off the tail. You could then go for the hind legs, although I’d probably chew off the head. But really, to each his/her own. (Oh, and I’ll be at East End tonight and Towne Lounge tomorrow night.) One thing’s for certain, though—YOU CAN’T STAY HOME.

SMUT (So Many Unique Treasures), the vintage store located at 28th and E Burnside, is having their annual record sale this weekend! Starting tomorrow, they’ll have thousands of long-playing vinyl records for the measly low price of $1.00, so now’s a good time to stock up on some cheap listens. I’ve found lots of good stuff there in the past, from Talking Heads to Willie Nelson to the Music Machine, so you can be sure I’ll be flipping through their bins this weekend.

SMUT, 7 SE 28th. Record sale is from 11 am to 7 pm on Sat. March 15 and Sun. March 16.

Yesterday, we posted a clip of “Sick as a Gun,” from Weinland’s new album. Here’s what singer/songwriter Adam Shearer said about the making of this song:

I had the guitar part, so we just recorded that. We were almost done with the whole record, and I hadn’t written a single lyric or a single melody and we were already mixing all the other songs. It was, like, we have to put vocals on this song or we’re fucked. We didn’t have money to do extra days [in the studio] or anything, so I just asked everybody to leave and I drank some whiskey and just wrote some stuff, and people came back and gave me feedback on my ideas, and we just laid it down and that was it. It was like, we’re gonna try this and see what it is, so out popped “Sick as a Gun,” which I think is one of the better tracks on the record. But that was very much, the whole song was recorded and done before I’d even written a lyric.

MP3:
Weinland - Sick as a Gun

La Lamentor comes out Tuesday, March 4.

Weinland plays a CD release show this Saturday, March 1.
w/Death Songs, Musee Mechanique; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, $10

Keren Ann joins Dean & Britta at the Aladdin Theater tonight. They’re doing a co-headlining tour, alternating who closes the show each night. Tonight, Dean & Britta play first and Keren Ann closes. There’s a Dean & Britta preview in this week’s Up & Comings.

Keren Ann, meanwhile, is an Israeli-born singer-songwriter, with a chanson-type voice and a pop mentality that keeps things from getting too strange. Her latest self-titled record is a mostly gentle, pleasant wave that reportedly incorporates a more Americana-bluesy vibe, but coming from an Israeli-Dutch-French popstress it’s almost unnoticeable to my American ears. There’s some really nice music on there. There’s also a piece of utter dogshit, an electro vamp called “Caspia” which closes the album. But I really like the sound of “Lay Your Head Down,” and the clarity of her voice, and the simplicity of the song’s message. You know, I DO kind of feel like laying my head down, now that she mentions it.

Okay, I admit it. Keren Ann makes me feel a little funny. Not to mention Britta (of Dean & …), who definitely makes me feel funny. And my date tonight is someone who makes me feel REALLY funny. Um… I guess it’s just going to be a funny-feeling evening. Wheeeee!

MP3: Keren Ann - Lay Your Head Down
Stream Dean & Britta’s Variations remix EP here.

Don’t forget… you can always find more listings on Found It!

Friday
The Artistery–Michael Griffen Memorial Concert: Eric Ostrowsky, Arrington de Dionyso, Leif Sundstrom, Lars Holmstrom, Kelvin Pittman, Kathleen Keogh, Caroline Buchalter, Gabriel Saloman, Corey Brewer, Mark Kaylor, Paul Hoskin, Doug Theriault, 8 pm, $6, all ages
Crystal Ballroom–Rodrigo y Gabriela, 8 pm, $30-35, all ages
Doug Fir–Talkdemonic, Tu Fawning, Starfucker, 9 pm, $12
East End–Expressway to Your Skull: DJ Misprid, Cityrocker, 9 pm
Holocene–Party & Bullshit: DJ Hannukah Miracle, DJ Pretty Please, 9 pm, free
Hotel–Ovo, The Better to See You With, Silentist, Moodring, 8 pm, $5, all ages
Rotture–Neon: Atole, DJ Koolaid, Pocketrock-it, Tre Slim, 10 pm, $3
Satyricon–Limp Wrist, Lebenden Toten, PRF, Social Graces, 8 pm, $7, all ages
Slabtown–Paper Brain, No Go Know, Love That Dress, 9 pm, $5
Someday Lounge–Chores, Klickitat, H Is for Hellgate, Ferocious Eagle, 9 pm, free
Towne Lounge–Davis Redford Triad, Eternal Tapestry, White Rainbow, 9:30 pm, $6

Eartha Kitt on Saturday at the Schnitz: Meow!

Saturday and Sunday listings after the jump…

Slabtown’s not the only kid in town with a birthday. Portland’s best-situated club turns eight years old, and to celebrate, they’ve packed the weekend up with a solid lineup of shows. Here’s what’s in store:

Tonight’s show features:
- The Nice Boys, who ape ’70s pop music that was aping ’50s pop music
- The Family Gun
- The Rebel Drones, Matt Hollywood’s new band
- and, uh, this guy.

However, the real excitement comes from Saturday night’s line-up, which includes:
- Portland’s beloved Richmond Fontaine
- and the great John Doe (formerly of X).

And it doesn’t end there. Sunday night will see a show by Alaska’s Whipsaws, who seem to have a bit of a Neil Young fetish. Not only do they cover “Mr. Soul,” but they also have a song called “Ode to Shakey” – Shakey being a well-known nickname for the illustrious Mr. Young. Listen to ‘em here.

And here are some MP3s to whet your appetite for the weekend.

MP3:
John Doe with Kathleen Edwards - The Golden State
The Nice Boys - Johnny Guitar
Richmond Fontaine - Making It Back (live at the Doug Fir)

Another weekend of the Reel Music Film Festival, and Sunday’s movie is worth noting:

Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback
In the mid ’60s, five American GIs stationed in Germany started a rock band with the idea of being the anti-Beatles. They wore black and shaved tonsures in their hair; their music was loud, robotic, and violent. This excellent documentary focuses on the Monks’ sensation of being far from home at a time when America underwent drastic change. It also captures the artistic climate of Germany during the ’60s, with a particular eye on the distinct design of the period. The world wasn’t quite ready for the Monks then; in many ways, it still isn’t. NED LANNAMANN

It’s a hell of a story. And there’s a (sad) denouement. Monks’ banjo player (banjoist?) Dave Day just passed away January 10th. He has some of the best moments in the film, especially towards the end, where he speaks about how hard his life had been after the Monks. Thankfully, in their music being re-evaluated and reappraised many years later, he was able to finally reach some peace. After their reunion show, he talks at length about how satisfied he is with life. It’s pretty moving.

Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback, NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, Sunday January 27, 7:15 pm

It’s time to plan your weekend business. What better way to start than planning your nightly shows. There’s always more to browse on Found It!

Friday

Ash Street Saloon–The Slants, Renegade, Hello Lobster, 9:30 pm, $5
Backspace–Ultimate Reality, Dan Deacon, DJ Hoop Dreams, 9 pm, $10, all ages
Copper Monkey Restaurant–Guidance Counselor, Starfucker, Fleshtone, DJ Gray Matter, 7 pm, free, all ages
Dante’s–Eek-a-Mouse, 9:30 pm, $18-20
East End–Spindrift, The Upsidedown, Highway, $6
Holocene–And Justice for All…: Boy Eats Drum Machine, The Antecedents, Atari Tuesday, 9 pm, $7
The Know–Sad Horse, Hungry Ghost, Night Mechanic, 7 pm
Olympic Mills Commerce Center–Paint-Off: Atom 13, Homonym, 5 pm
Rotture–Juicy: DJ Beyonda, DJ Ninjah, DJ Linoleum, 10 pm, $3
Twilight Cafe and Bar–The Curious Mystery, No Go Know, Widower, Late Night Curly, 9 pm, $5

Saturday and Sunday listings after the jump…

The Reel Music Film Festival keeps truckin’ along this weekend (see nwfilm.org for deets), and Bogdanovich’s epic documentary on Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers screens tomorrow.

RUNNIN’ DOWN A DREAM: TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS

This four-hour, Peter Bogdanovich-directed documentary is most interesting during the early, hungry years, but there are plenty of full-length live performance clips throughout Petty & Co.’s three decades in the business. Record company trouble, band squabbles, divorces, drug overdoses, arson, Stevie Nicks—it’s all here, and so are some pretty damn great songs. The thing’s far too long to watch in the theater, but if you’re a Heartbreakers fan, you’ll probably want to get the DVD. NED LANNAMANN

It would be accurate to say I’ve been a Petty fan since I was 11 and heard “I Won’t Back Down” on the radio. He’s never been my favorite musician, but he’s provided a lot of simple, nourishing sustenance over the year. Kind of like hot dogs. While I never would say hot dogs are my favorite food, they are at the very least enjoyable, sometimes downright awesome. I don’t think I’ve ever turned one down. Sometimes you get ketchup, sometimes mustard, sometimes relish (if you’re a freak), and sure, they’re not necessarily good for you — but they’re dang easy to cook, they’re cheap as fuck, they’ll fill you up and they’re all-American.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Refugee (live)

Let’s face it. Petty’s got some fucking fantastic songs. “Even the Losers”? “You Got Lucky”? “The Waiting”? Are you kidding me? Sure, these songs have been played a bazillion gillion times on classic rock stations, but they still kick ass. But in thinking about his music, I keep arguing with myself. I mean, his music is so… ORDINARY. They’re just your basic guitar-based rock songs, no different from what Bob Dylan and the Byrds and the Beatles and the Animals did a million times over, many years ago.

Still, I admit I have great affection for this music, and despite his massive popularity I feel an individual connection to some of the songs. I mean, put on “American Girl” and I am THERE, singing along to every word with my heart in my mouth. And he kept his winning streak for a LONG time, I’d say more than 20 years (individual results may vary). That’s part of the reason I was so disappointed with his last two albums, The Last DJ and Highway Companion. These records aren’t just ordinary, they are boring. Oh well. I’ll just throw on Southern Accents and rock out to “Rebels,” digging the simple pleasure of a well-cooked tube steak.

Runnin’ Down a Dream: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers screens at 2 pm on Saturday, January 19 at NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park. It will be shown with a brief intermission because it’s really fucking long.