Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for February 2nd to 5th

Hello Dear Readers,

I love playing music. I love watching live music. lately I have been able to combine the two. A lot. But I want to say that this past Saturday and Sunday night were amazing for me. Saturday while playing the show as part of Y La Bamba, I got to see Oh Captain My Captain for the first time in a loooong time. I had forgotten how good they are. They are really good (you can see a show of theirs later this week). And then last night I played with Black Heart Moon who recently added an amazing Lap Steel guitarist, David. It took them to the next level. It was beautiful. Any way, here are some shows to check out this week.

Monday, February 2nd

Happy Groundhog day! If you want to see a show instead of netflixing Bill Murray's best performance ever, then you might want to look into these shows.

• Kelly's Olympian is having a show with local rock band Ferocious Eagle, Short Hair (Reno/Seattle), Over Vert (Reno). I was unaware of the Reno/ Pacific NW connection but I guess this show is proof. The show is $4 and starts at 9 PM.

• The Maiden (used to be called Maiden in the Mist) is having a 1,000 words pdx reading! 1,000 words is a bimonthly reading series by portland writers. We Play Quiet will be playing during the intermission. We Play is one of the only good bands I know of that are based out of Vancouver, WA. If you know more please leave a comment stating who they are and where they play in Vancouver. This ALL AGES event is FREE and starts at 7 PM.

• Valentine is having a show with Sea Caves and Dear Ether. Both are bands or groups I have not seen. I have heard good things about Sea Caves. I actually met Tom, who is Dear Ether, just the other night. He is a really nice guy and seems to be really stoked about all the music in Portland (recently transplanted from Seattle). This show is FREE and starts at 9PM.

Tuesday, February 3rd

I got a couple of shows for you to check out. If you do it right or feel like it, you can see them both. Look!

• Mississippi Pizza is having a show with newly added CIMTB Dr. Something & The Poppin' Fresh Love Engines donations? This is an early show starting at 6 PM. Which leaves you plenty of time to check out any of the other shows happening on Tuesday. Like...

• Painted Cakes (Oakland), Better Homes & Gardens and Bird Costumes. I have been wanting to see Bird Costumes for a while. I once went to a show where he was playing but my ride was tired and we left before he went on. Maybe I will catch him on Tuesday? This show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Wednesday, February 4th

There is a bunch of stuff going on on wendnesday including a sold out show of Broken Social Scene and Grand Archives. Even with that show sold out you still have some difficult decisions. Look!

• Holocene is having a show with Flaspar, Breakfast Mountain and Wax Fingers. I have not seen Flaspar, but I have enjoyed what I have heard. What I have heard has also lead me to believe that it would be super fun to see live. The exact same thing goes for Breakfast Mountain. This show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

• The Press Club is a show with Super XX Man and Reclinerland. These are two bands that I still have yet to see despite all the amazing things I have heard about both of them. I mean I know that Super XX Man is good. I have been listening to him since I was a young man in Texas. This ALL AGES is FREE and starts at 8 PM. Apparently it will happen once a month. Just like when he used to play once a month for FREE at PIX Patisserie.

• Roadside Attraction (1000 SE 12th) is having a show with Blue Horns and St. Frankie Lee. Both of these bands are fantastic. Especially in a live setting. In fact, I remember playing as Meyercord with the same line up. It was awesome. At that show I found out that these bands are neighbors. Or at least they were at the time. That's so cute. Neighbors playing a show together. St. Frankie Lee is also really fun to see because they always have a theme which they research and often spew information at the crowd instead of banter (or maybe in the form of banter?). It's a learning experience! I have no idea if there is a cover or not. But I will start somethime at night (most shows start at 9 PM).

• Mississippi Pizza is having a show with the whiskey influenced, harmomica infused music of The Goodwill River and Blackberry Road. I could not find any information of Blackberry Road. But if you are looking for a FREE show in the Mississippi Neighborhood. Why not check it out? The music starts at 9 PM..
  

So if you see me at any of the above shows, please say "Hi". I will say it back and see what happens form there.

-Ben


Flaspar to play Holocene on Wednesday. It will something like this.