Thursday, July 10, 2008

Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks Weekend Edition: July 11th to July 13th

Hello Dear Readers,

Sorry I had to break up the post again this week. Sometimes I actually do work at work and that messes up my blogging schedule. Anyway, there are so many great shows to go to this weekend. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Friday, July 11th

I could only find a few worthy shows for you this Friday.
  • The first show I will mention is really awesome and really diverse. The Crown Room will be having Hockey, AristeiA, Locke, and The Repair all play on the same night. That line up goes new-wavey-indie-rock, kinda heavy post-rock, indie hip-hop, and acapella hip-hop. Sound Crazy? It is crazy. But is should also be be crazy awesome to see a show so diverse for so cheap. The show is $5. and starts at 9 PM.
  • Chaos Cafe is having a rock show. Specifically a PDX-power-pop-indie-rock show with The Neat, Midnight Callers, and Tiger House. This is your second chance to see Tiger House this week. The Neat describe themselves as "Jangle as fuck". Sounds good to me. The show will be ALL AGES and FREE.
  • Artistery is having an event on Friday. They will be screening three documentaries: Farewell, KabelvĂ„g (dir: Karsten Meinich, Norway), Austin Highway: Twilight of an American Street (dir: Trey Barth, USA), and Children of the Great Lake (dir: Nastia Tarasova, Russia). The theme of all three is places that out lived their glory. Afterwards, Ah Holly Fam'ly will be playing some music. Cool. The ALL AGES event has a cover of $5 and starts at 8 PM.
  • Berbatis's Pan is having a showcasing of the Oregon School of Rock on Saturday. It, as you might have guessed, will be ALL AGES. I could not find any mention of a cover charge, but the show starts at 5 PM.

Saturday, July 12

There are so many AMAZING shows on Saturday. Its ridiculous. I want to go to them all but as it turns out I can't. Sigh.


  • Artistery is having an event on Saturday too. In the interest of being lazy let me just copy and paste what they said on their website (to be fair to myself, I am adding links) ,"Come enjoy yourself at The Artistery during our truest portrayal of being an all-ages venue! Can’t guess what that could possibly be? I WILL TELL YOU! Jelly Jar Productions and The Artistery are teaming up to bring you: BENEATH THE BIG BLUE DOME: “A Creative Community Event for Families with music, theater, puppetry, craft tables, a parade, snacks from Tastebud Farms and more!” The best part? It’s totally, 100% and completely FREE! So bring yourselves and your families and join us for some good wholesome fun on Saturday, July 12, from 3-6 PM. In addition to that, there will be performances from members of awesome Portland locals like: Andy Combs and the Moth, Bark Hide and Horn, and Rainbow and the Kittens! This momentous occasion will be held, as the name suggests, under our dome in the backyard! In case you don’t quite know what I’m talking about, it’s that huge structure behind The Artistery that you all mistaken for a jungle gym and attempt to climb! The evidence is in the bent bars, my friends. No excuses! See you there! Sponsored by Tastebud Farm, SCRAP, & Trade-Up Music". So again its ALL AGES and FREE from 3 PM to 6 PM.
  • The Bagdad Theater will be hosting a showcase of the Rock'n'Roll Camp for Girls. According to the Bagdas's page, "All gate proceeds will be donated to Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls, a Portland non-profit whose mission is to encourage, engage and showcase the musical, artistic and individual talents of girls and young women ages 8-18, and to empower them with tools for self-reliance as a means to enhance and affirm positive self-esteem." The cover is a sliding scale of $7 to $10. The ALL AGES show starts at 5 PM.
  • The Aladdin Theater is hosting Hush Records 10th Anniversary show. It will be an amasing lineup of Laura Gibson, Loch Lommond, and Nick Jaina. All are really great in their both their sngwriting and arrangement of music. If you are not afamiliar with them, you really should give all of them a shot. This is a rare chance for the kids to see these artists who usual play 21 plus shows. The ALL AGES show will cost $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The music starts at 9 PM.
  • Also there is a performance of the Portland Cello Project at Doug Fir. A PCP show (ha) is pretty cool because they perform clasical pieces, pieces of local bands arranged for cellos, pieces from modern pop radio, orignal pieces, or whatever they feel like playing. It always sounds incredible. Tonight they will be collaborating/playing with with Horse Feathers, Sophie Lux, Blue Cranes, and Point Juncture, WA. There will also be a limited edition EP available (sweet!). The show costs $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The music starts at 9 PM.
  • There is another ALL AGES show at Backspace. This one features St. Frankie Lee, Blue Horns, Nick Caceres, and Meyercord. If you read this my blog posts at all you should reckognize all of these names. At the very least the last name (my last name). St. Frankie Lee puts on a very energetic live show of county duet balladry and debauchery. I've written about Blue Horns before, they paly a mixture of punk and psychedelic rock. Nick Caceres is a gifted songwriter whose tunes sometimes have the ability to sometimes remind me of old Of Montreal and The Decemberists at the same time. Meyercord is me playing songs I wrote and awkwardly addressing the audience in between them. It should be a lot of fun. The ALL AGES show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.
  • The Waypost is having a good show too. They are having Jeevan Singh, Ah Holly Fam'ly and Sublet play. You guys know I've been meaning to see Ah Holly Fam'ly for some time so it is upsetting that I can't see this show. But I am really upset that I can't see Jeevan Singh. I have gone nuts for her songs that are on her myspace page. Check out "My Chest is Full of Spring". I don't really know anything about Sublet. The show is ALL AGES and FREE. It starts at 8 PM.
  • Work/Sound, a space I have yet to visit, will have World's Greatest Ghosts, Reporter and Panther and Root Beer & French Fry all play a show. These are all quality bands I have not seen any of them but I am somewhat familiar with all of them and would definatly consider going were I not already playing a show. It will be action packed as I hear that they all put on a high energy performances. I could find no mention of a This ALL AGES show is at 8 PM.
  • There is another good show at Chaos Cafe ( A good week for them actually). This one is comprised of KW Pluckett (Eugene), New Century Schoolbook, Patterns, and New Faces (Port Townsend). It looks like a night of diverse inide pop rock music. The show is ALL AGES and FREE (though I would bring some money for the touring bands if I were you). The music starts at 8 PM.

Sunday, July 13th

After all of the goings ons of Saturday you probably want to take it easy. Like maybe take in a show or something. Heres what's happening.

  • The Hush ( 14 NW 3rd above The Tube) is having a show featuring Breakfast Mountain, Pan De Sal (Las, Vegas), DoublePlusGood, and Love Pentagon (Las Vegas). This might not be such a hushed show. These acts are all electric and or electronic (both in most cases). It looks like it will be a good time. I saw DoublePlusGood play Church's CD release show before they went on tour and I thought it was pretty cool. I really liked what I hear on Breakfast Mountain's myspace page. There is a $3-$5 cover. The ALL AGES show starts at 8 PM.
  • Valentine's is having Modern Garage Movement (Brooklyn) perform a show. Contrary to what you might think, they are not a garage rock band, but rather a modern dance groupWooly Mammoth Comes to Dinner and Friends will also be performing. I am not exactly sure what they do. I believe I saw them perform before at Holocene and they were doing some kind of dance performance all climbing on each other and stealing peoples coats to wear and such. I guess they do music too, because their myspace page has songs. The "Friends" are rumored to include Tara Jane O' Neil and Theo Angell. Regardless, it looks real interesting. It will be a pass the hat sort of situation (ie donations). The show will start after 9 PM.
So there you have it. Another week's (or weekend's) worth of shows. I hope you enjoy them. And as always, if you see me at any of these shows come say, "Hi".

-Ben

  • St. Frankie Lee to rip it up at Backspace on Saturday Night.

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