Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for September 3rd

Hello Dear Readers,

So last night I saw the first show in AAN's Residency at Berbati's. Honestly I was really glad I went. Though The Sarcastic Dharma Society had the misfortune of having a hard time with sound, there were true moments of beauty that came through. I feel that a noise laden bar is just not the right venue for their music. AAN on the other hand would probably work just about anywhere. I have not seen them as a band in quite some time. It allowed Bud, the leader of the group, to yell and get louder than usual. This proved more effective than one might think. I am going to try to catch some more of these shows. Anyways, here is what is happening tonight.

Thursday, September 3rd

WonderBallroom is having a show with Daniel Johnston, Scout Niblett and Gregory Miles Harris. What a bunch of Weirdos. That is what someone might say about this line up. Truthfully, that might be correct. But there is nothing wrong with being a weirdo, especially if you make great music. Daniel Johnston is the king of that sentiment. The characters in his music are not your usual fair, but tend to be kinda funny and kinda heart wrenching at the same time. I have only seen Scout Niblet once and it was strange. But the memory leaves me wanting more. I still have not seen Gregory Miles Harris, but I like his songs and I am curious to hear what they sound like live. He has said they often change. Gregory and his friends will also function as a back up band to Daniel. I would imagine that this is quite incredible for them. I would be so stoked. The show is $18-20 and starts at 8 PM.

There will be a First Thursday show at Tender Loving Empire with Y La Bamba and White Lighter (Kyle of Typhoon!). This will be a stripped down version of Y La Bamba. I am not sure how stripped down, but pretty stripped down. I have seen Kyle play solo before and it is just as effective with out the Typhoon!. I am not dissing the band, just that I find it just as captivating, but perhaps in a different sense. There will also be art by Jeremy Okai Davis, Julianna Swaney, and Ariana Harley. Fun fact Jeremy used to do a lot of photos for Y La Bamba before there was a band. The show is FREE and starts sometime after 6 PM.

Holocene is having a show with Extra Golden (Chicago?), Explode into Colors and Ohmega Watts. Extra Golden apparently Extra Golden play a mixture of "American Rock mixed with African Guitars". Sounds interesting. What sounds even more interesting is that they are on Thrill Jockey Records (home of Tortoise, etc...). Then there is Explode into Colors, a band that I have only seen once and I am still a little undecided on. I guess what throws me is there nomination of "Best New Band". I heard them and they were good. But personally I wouldn't pick them as number one. So I guess I feel it is unfair to have such expectations. That is why I am glad not to have been selected as the number one pick for "Best New Band". And of course there is Ohmega Watts who is just one of the best hip hop artists in the NW. The show is $10-$12 and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Carrie Rodriguez (Brooklyn), Cordeo (NYC), and Leonard Mynx. I must admit that I am not at all familiar with the two acts that are not from Portland. But I am familiar with Leonard Mynx and have subsequently listed this show. He always pulls together a fresh band of friends to play a new batch of songs. The guy cannot stop writing, which I guess I am very jealous of. I did not know about the show until Sam Cooper mentioned to me the other night that Leonard had asked him to play. So I know that there will be at least a fiddle in the band. The show is $14 and will start at 8 PM.

So if you see me out and about these here shows, please say "Hi".

-Ben


White Lighter is what Kyle from Typhoon! calls himself when he plays solo, which you can do for FREE at Tender Loving Empire today.