Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, October 18th

Hello Dear Readers,

So I normally get off of work at 6 on Sundays, giving me ample time to get to where ever I need to be to catch a sweet show. Today is not normal. Today I will get off at 11 giving me ample time for me to get to a show that is almost over. But you know what they say. "The show must go on". I just wish it would wait a few hours for me. Here are the shows that look good to me.

Sunday, October 18th

Rontoms is having Oh Captain My Captain, The Skinnyz, and Typhoon play there Sunday night showcase. Oh Captain My Captain is an awesome band. They used to be more of a rock band, They recently had a major lineup change and are now more of a pop rock band. And a really good one at that. Jesse Bettis' voice is a dead ringer for David Bazan. And while Mr. The Lions' songs have been getting more pop lately, Mr. My Captain is sometimes almost Beach Boys pop. He always has really good chord progressions and his band has developed some very fine arrangements (kudos to Mike Kitson the multi-instrumentalist who often employs his toy piano and bell set at the same time). I love it, apparently there is an ep on the way with this new line up. The Skinnyz myspace proclaims, "The Skinnyz play straight up, seventies power-pop rock and roll, taking an up all night, foot stomping, ever living, never stopping, booze fueled approach to making music. " With song titles like , "Hot Tuna" it is hard to argue the statement (something about the words hot and tuna combined seems so 70's to me). Typhoon is an incredible band. They just be the most dramatic/epic band in Portland. It has several members often singing in unison sometimes in rounds not unlike what A Silver Mt. Zion has been known to do. But even at their loudest there is a sense of the fragility of the music. It is like the music is a giant glass mountain. Is that a dumb thing to say? Maybe. Would you be dumb to not check out this band? Definitely. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Ryan Montbleau Band and Drew Grow and The Pastors' Wives. What happens when you fuse rock, soul, blues, jazz, Americana, folk and funk? You get Ryan Montbleau's music. A cup of tea that I don't particularly want. Drew Grow, on the other hand, brews up a cup of tea that has many flavors as well but over all just goes down a whole lot easier for me. Drew could probably do his stuff solo, but I am glad he doesn't. I have only been able to see his band once, but I remember how much I really enjoyed it. I knew that I had seen something special. There were three part harmonies with the other two members that were playing that night and arrangements that seemed perfect for the song. The show is $10-$12 and starts at 9 PM.

Ace Hotel is having a something called Content. It appears to be a independent fashion show It will feature Dirty Mittens, Nucular Aminals, and Ezra Carey. The show is FREE (?) at 5 PM. Over are the Ace Hotel's Cleaners section, Guidance Counselor, Blue Horns, and Dr. Adam will be playing this is event. I have seen most of these bands before and think they are great. The only ones I cannot vouch for, because I have not seen them, are Ezra Carey and Dr. Adam. But I think this is mostly about fashion and art. I don't anticipate that this will be like a normal show. It will probably be fun though. The ALL AGES event is from 5 PM to 10 PM. Tickets are available at their Brown Paper Tickets.

So if you see me at one of these shows, say "Hi". But honestly, chances are very slim that you will.

-Ben


Drew Grow and Pastors' Wives plays tonight at Mississippi Studios.