Ben Meyercord'sLive MusicPicks for December 4th

Hello Dear Readers,

One of the reasons I was late for blogging yesterday was because I was being filmed for the cooking with bands series that Brennan Novack has been posting for Potlatch Presents. It was pretty fun you should check it out.

Friday, December 4th

Wonder Ballroom is having a show with Blind Pilot, Laura Veirs & The Hall of Flames, and Mimicking Birds. Blind Pilot is band that I really like. A lot. I can't really put a finger on why. For all intents an purposes they are a normal indie folk pop band. But their melodies get stuck in my head all the time. Laura Veirs is not too shabby herself. She has a new album out next month. She has a good band now that, last I checked, included members of Old Believers. Mimicking Birds is one of the bands that Issac Brock took under his wing. Since then I have not really heard much from them. So I guess this is a rare show for them. The ALL AGES show is $15 and starts at 8 PM.

East End is having a Children of The Revolution and East End Anniversary show with Magic Johnson, Fuck You Safari, Nucular Aminals, Total Bro's, Jeffery Jerusalem, ASSS, Best Supporting Actress, The Whines, The Intelligence, Eternal Tapestry, and Macrocosm. Children of the Revolution puts on a festival once a year and sometimes they fo one off shows. This is one of those shows. But with the amount of bands on this bill, it might as well be a festival. All this week East End is celebrating it's two years of existence. Plus there will be new art in every room. And the bands, did I mention the bands? They are pretty good. I am partial to the dance grooves that Jeffrey Jerusalem. The show is $3-$10 and starts at some time.

Rotture is having a show with Fist Fite, Grayceon, Mongoloid Village, Hot Victory and Lost Lockets. The show is $7 and starts at 7 PM.

Someday Lounge is having a show with John Craig and Oh Captain My Captain. I don't really know how this bill got put together. John Craig makes slightly electro-rock pop music. Oh Captain My Captain, on the other hand, makes excellent music. Like they are one of the best bands in Portland excellent music. I have said many times that two bands that could be used as reference points would be Pedro the Lion and Dr. Dog. I cannot get enough of this band. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Aladdin is having a show with Portland Cello Project, and Portland Ukulele Project, The Robinsons, Panther, and Leviethan. Portland Cello Project has a pretty good concept. Arranging Portland artists for the cello. Brilliant. They do a good job. Sometimes I feel they could lay off the covers, but over a they pretty good. I think they inspired the group Portland Ukulele Project (P.U.P.). They do strictly covers. The other day at Sean Flinn practice, Scott McGee (of Sean Flinn, and P.U.P., and many others), played a bit of David Bowie's "Major Tom". It sounded surprisingly good on a uke. The ALL AGES show is $15 and starts at 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Brothers Young, and Marty Marquis (of Blitzen Trapper). Sallie Ford and Co, are great. They make somewhat throwback pop music. The Brothers Young are an experiment in unison voices in pop music. It is a pretty cool trick. Especially when it is done by brothers who have similar voices. Marty Marquis is the dude in Blitzen Trapper with the red hair. I have seen him play and he is very good. A solo guy and a acoustic guitar and a really awesome raspy vocal. And a penchant for writing narrative tunes. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Laughing Horse Books is having a show with Swim Swam Swum, What Skulls can Tell Us?, and Glass Teeth. This is also related to Potlatch Presents. They put on good shows. Swim Swam Swim is a great band they have interesting sense of rhythm and nasally vocals. I love it. What Skulls Can Tell Us? is a "Thanksgiving"-esque feel. Glass Teeth is has a very strong voice and has songs that remind me of the blues, though I am not sure why. I like it. The ALL AGES show might cost money and starts at 8 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi".

-Ben


Blind Pilot play night 1 of 2 tonight at Wonder Ballroom. Nice.