Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for June 30th to July 6th

Hello Dear Readers,

Did you go to Kelly's Olympian on Friday? 'Cause it was seriously off the chain. All three bands (The Hand That Bleeds, Westfold, and AristeiA) played so well. I believed people were truly moved. I know I was. Highlights: a)Sarah, from The Hand That Bleeds, singing while wrapping her mic cord around Guitarist Orion's neck while he played on his knees as there set came to a dramatic close. b) Simon, of Westfold, using Brandon's, of AristeiA, Orange amp and 4x12 cab. He was so loud and the tone was so good. c)Debut of the Hanz intro for AristeiA. Imagine a smoke filled Kelly's (I realize the irony, but seriously it was even more smokey thanks to the smoke machine) pierced by beautiful soumdtrack music as the band members slowly crawl on stage in the haze. Sweet.

This week we got some more sweet shows going on. This is what I'm talking about.

Monday, June 30th

I only got one for you, but it looks pretty interesting.

• The Artistery is having Thanksgiving play a show with Grouper and O Paon (Canadian?). The "O" is supposed to have a "^" over it, but I don;t know ho to do type that. Adrain Orange aka Thanksgiving hasn't, to my knowledge, played under that name in years preferring variations of his own name (A.J.O.) or Adrian Orange and Her Band. I wonder if that means he will perform with just an acosutic guitar or something. The change of names intrigues me regardless. Grouper is the project of Liz Harris. 4AD’s Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil are often brought up in coversation when describing her music, so if you are into theat sort of dream-pop you might want to check this show out. O Paon is the new recording name of Geneviève Castrée aka WOELV (married to Phil Elvrum aka Mt. Eerie). Like all Artistery shows is $6, ALL AGES and starts at 8 PM sharp.
  

Tuesday, July 1st

There are a few things going on Tuesday.

• The thing that I really realy want to and probably will go to is the Shelby Sifers, Sarcastic Dharma Society, and We Play Quiet (Vancover, WA) show happening at The Grind Coffee House. I am absolutely nuts about both Shelby Sifers and Sarcastic Dharma Society. They are both kinda folky so if you are sick of the whole acoustic guitar thing I suggest you skip this. However, if you like that sort of thing, then check out Shelby's "Are you Devo?" and Sarcastic Dharma Society's "We Were". I have had both of these songs in my head for a while now and yet to tire of either of them. The show is part of their cross-country tour kick off. It is ALL AGES and starts at 8 PM. There is a requested donation of $3 to $5 (tour kick off ie collecting gas money).
  

• There is also the Incubator at Someday Lounge which is an open stage event hosted by CIMTB contributor Gabriel Darling. This is a FREE event. Some do your thing. It will be filmed and eventually be put on the Internet (no pressure though). It starts at 9 PM.

• Or you could go to the Zilla Sake open mic which happens every Tuesday night. It is hosted by Y La Bamba and there are usually some very pleasant surprises in who plays here. Plus they are now serving sushi. Very good sushi at that. The music gets started at 9 PM.

Wednesday, July 2nd

I could only two shows that are happening on Wednesday but they both look great.

• You know how I mention Shelby Sifers and Sarcastic Dharma Society before, well this time they are playing in Portland with their tour mate Jordaan Mason (Canadian) and Purrbot and Randy B (of Junkface) at the Green House. I played a house show with Jordaan like a year ago and was blown away. This show, in this man's opinion, is not to be missed. This is the final part of the tour kick off events for these people. They leave on Thursday for the cross-country tour. The show is ALL AGES and starts at 8 PM. There will be donations excepted (so please make them).

• The other show is at Rererato and features Carcrashlander, Odessa Chen (San Francisco), and Millions of Birds. It is cool to see Carcrashlander play live because they generally "rock out" a little bit more than they do on record. Millions of Birds list themselves as experimental indie-pop. The Willamette Week labeled them as post-rock. It would probably be fun to see where you think they fall on the music spectrum. The ALL AGES show is $4 and starts at 7 PM.

Thursday, July 3rd

Shows are happening on Thursday. Shows like these:

• It is first Thursday, which means there will be a lot of art stuff happening in the downtown area. One of the things happening is live music by the self-proclaimed "lyrical" band Almost Nearly at Tender Loving Empire. TLE is hands down my favorite store in Portland. They have so much cool stuff(local music, local prints, local clothes,local comics, etc...) that I don't beleive I have ever left without purchasing something awesome. There is no cover. The music gets started at 8 PM.

• Rotture is having Dat'r play with Brother, Sister and The Beauty. This should be a high energy show with lots of dancing and general "getting down". All three groups specialize in making people shake rumps. The show costs $6 and will start sometime after 9 PM.

• Towne Lounge is having a show with a band that used to live here, White Hinterland, and a band that currently lives here Bapstist Arms. When Casey Dienel of White Hinterland lived in Portland she recorded an album under her own name for local-hip label Dead Oceans. Baptist Arms is the Southern Gothic project of Alicia Rogers, trumpeter of Evolutionary Jass Band. In this project she sings and plays piano while band mate Anna plays viola. There is a $8 cover charge. The show starts at 9:30 PM.

Friday, July 4th

Its America's Birthday (the important part of it anyway)! Why not celebrate by seeing some live Independent Portland music on Independence Day?

• There are a couple all day shows happening on Friday. For instance, The Coop is having an all day show that features Neckties Make Me Nervous, The Lost Boys (CA), Flat Out (CA), The Rainy States, Hockey, and Transformers Kick Your Kids. There will probably be a lot of fun things going on. I don't know what they are but for $4 (and FREE airhockey), I might be willing to find out. The ALL AGES event is happening ALL DAY.

• There is another ALL DAY event at Work/Sound for Johnny X and The Groadies 12th Birthday Party. Said band will be playing along with Fist Fite, Experimental Dental School, Sei Hexe, and Nicole Georges (a zinester, I'm not sure what she will be doing). There will also be a Veggie BBQ thing going on and a vegan chili cook off. I have even heard that there will be kiddie pools. Classy. This ALL AGES event did not have a cover listed. It was listed as being ALL DAY. The food is at 7 PM.

• The Waypost is having a show where Wooden Indian Burial Ground, Autopilot is for Lovers, and Run On Sentence will all play sets. I am not familiar with the two that are not Auto Pilot, but I remember liking Autopilot when I saw them play the one time I saw them play. I have heard good things about Wooden Indian Burial Ground from good people so there is probably some truth to those statements. This show is FREE. It is ALL AGES and starts at 8 PM.

• The Doug Fir is also having a show on the 4th with Nick Jaina, Fernando, and Wallen Pash. I like Nick Jaina's songs. I really do. But the last two times I have seen him they have been solo affairs. It will be nice to see the songs in their fully arranged splendor. There is an $8 cover. The music starts at 9 PM.

Saturday, July 5th

There are a couple of good ones on Saturday. Its kinda refreshing to only have to pick from two shows. Though they both look good.

• Exit Only is having a PDX indie-pop-rock filled show featuring Newspapers, The Morals, Paper Brain, The Rainy States, And Project Eldridge. I have like d what I have heard of Newspapers. I first heard them make music when they covered Starfucker's "German Love" on local cut. I then was impressed by what they have on the myspace, but I have yet to see them. I love The Morals. They write and sing songs with a passion that is missing in a lot of bands. And I don't mean that they scream. I mean, they sometimes wail a bit but its not with any heavy music. They mearly have two dudes, one with an acoustic guitar and one with a harmonica, who don't hold back when they perform. I am not really familiar with the otehr acts but it seems like The Rainy States play out quite a bit, so it is only a matter of time before I see them. The show is ALL AGES and $5. It will start at 8 PM.

• The other show is happening at Holocene. It too seems to be indie-pop-rock oriented. In fact is is part of a PDX Pop Tomorrow! Showcase. The line up for this one is New Century School Book, The Grokkers, The Gentry, Disgustion, and House of Badger. All of these bands for $6. Plus I beleive that CIMTB contributor, Amber Dawn, is in New Century School Book. The show starts at 9 PM.

Sunday, June 6th

I have three shows lined up for you to attend.

• Valentine's is having a show with all experimental music maker Adam Forkner (White Rainbow etc...), Pulse Emitter, Acre and DJ Scott. I can almost guarantee that this will be an ambient blissed out sound experience. So if you are in to that sort of thing (I sometimes am), then this show is for you. Its FREE!. It will begin sometime after 9 PM.

• Slabtown is having a show with I was Totally Destroying It (Chapel Hill, NC), Tennis Pro (Seattle), Autopilot is for Lovers, and Sean Brooks (of Minmae)I will be honest, I want to say that what grabbed my attention was Autopilot, but really it was the name I was Totally Destroying It. I am a sucker for a dumb name like that. I think they are totally awesome. This show is only $5 and starts at 9 PM.

• Hawthorne Theater kinda sucks. But on Sunday they are having Tilly and the Wall (Omaha, NE) play with our own Southern Belle, and World's Greatest Ghosts. I have seen Tilly and the Wall live before and I loved it. They are definatley a gimmick band but its a pretty good gimmick. Instead of a drummer, they tap dance. I know, Genius. On another note, I listened to World's Greatest Ghost at Tender Loving Empire the other day and really liked it. The show is a bit pricey at $12 to $14, but it will be fun. The ALL AGES show starts at 9 PM.

So have a great week, and say "Hi" if you see me.

Ben


World's Greastest Gnomes er... Ghosts play on Sunday at Hawthorne Theater.