Ben Meyercord's Live Music for Wednesday March 31st

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I ended up being to tired to go to a show. I actually went to bed pretty early after recording a podcast thing that lasted longer than I had anticipated. But man there are a lot of great shows going on tonight. These are the shows I want to check out:

Wednesday, March 31th

Ella Street Social Club is having a show with And And And, Archers, The Charts, and Total Bros. I have played a show with And And And and I they reminded me of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. At least the guys vocals did. They are pretty good. I can see good things for them. The Archers are a rock band. Not too shabby. The Charts only have live tracks on their myspace. It is kinda hard to tell what they sound like. Total Bros is an awesome and crazy band. Very hyperactive and fun. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Holocene is having something called called My Favorite Things. This is a multimedia event curated by Sam Adams. What did he pick? Soft Tags, Rev. Shines and DJ Hwy 7. There will also be a screening of the latest of the W+K series Don't Move Here. This episode features Holocene. Sam Adams has pretty good taste. I have written several times a bout Soft Tags. Who knows? Maybe Sam reads the blog (hi Sam). Anyways, I read that all of the proceeds will benefit: CAN (Creative Advocacy Network) and Right Brain Initiative. The show is $5-$15 at 8 PM.

Ducketts Public House is having a show with Hornet Leg, Agatha (Seattle), and Orca Team. Hornet Leg is a band that I have never seen but have heard evolve over the years. They currently, at least judging by the music they have posted, reminded me of the Velvet Underground. They used to be more punk. Whatevs. I think they sound better now. Agatha is kinda of a louder rock band from Seattle. They kinda seem to be in the ballpark of a Blood Brothers type band or something. Then there is Orca Team. They are great. They have had a bit of trouble lately but they are still musically on target. They have a sense of pop that is greater than most bands will ever have. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Rotture is having a show with Wax Fingers, Yeah Great Fine, and Duck Little Brother Duck. I like these bands a lot. Wax Fingers are an innovative pop band. I have not seen them but I really want to. Check them out. Yeah Great Fine is also a...wait.. all of these bands are innovative pop bands. Yeah Great Fine mixes mathy stuff and some electronics. Duck Little Brother Duck is a mathy type band too. I love them. You need to see them. The show is $5 and starts at 9M.

Doug Fir is having a show with World's Greatest Ghosts, Tempo No Tempo, and Monarques. Funny story. The other day I was in Ashland playing a show with Y La Bamba. There was a guy who was at the show. A friend of one of Luzelena's brother was there. I asked him how often he went to shows. He let me know not very many. He did say that he had seem an indie band a few weeks back. World's Greatest Ghost. I told him that I had just been listening to them in the van ride to the show. He was like... "Yeah I am not sure about that band. They were kinda weird. They had a song about a Tyranasaurus...". He did not seem like a music fan. But I can assure you that they are really great. I love them. Keyboards, guitars, dinosuars, they got it all. Tempo No Tempo is a band from the bay that sounds really good. They kinda have a Les Savy Fav vibe to them (Rock with drumming that makes you want to dance?). Which is to say really cool angular guitar type stuff mixed with a really tight rhythm section. Monarques take it back to when pop was pure. They last time I saw them was on Valentine's and they covered a bunch of oldies tunes. They were the perfect band for that considering I feel like that is the ascetic they seem to be shooting for. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I like to say it, maybe you will to?

-Ben


Wax Fingers play at Rotture tonight. Possible with more light.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday March 30th

Hello Dear Readers,

I am back. California is beautiful and sunny and warm. Portland is cold and rainy. But I am glad to be back regardless of the temperature. I played many shows in many cities and noone has as many good shows on any given day like Portland. Or maybe they do and I just didn't research enough. In any case, I am glad to be back. I returned from a West coast tour with Y La Bamba and Sean Flinn & The Royal We (playing bass and singing in both) yesterday. Last night I had an AristeiA practice for a podcast we are recording this evening. So I didn't attend a show. But the podcast we are recording tonight is pretty early so I might be able to take in a show tonight. Here are some fine looking shows that peaked my interest:

Tuesday, March 30th

The Barn is having a show with Tall Grass (Oakland), Firs of Prey, and Captn Shirt. Tall Grass is a band from Oakland thatmake pretty good post indie folk music. It is obviously infuenced by those who did male female harmonies before them armed with acoustic instruments, but it is not afraid to add newer elements. Take the programmed beat on "For a Good Time Call" , for instance. I like it. It kinda reminds me of The Moldy Peaches. Firs of Prey is the project that Andrew Miller uses to make music. The recordings I have heard generally consist of classic pop arrangements with well above average melodies and super tight three part harmonies. I have not seen him live but I have seen this video of him with a looping pedal that is just brilliant. I think I will include it at the bottom of this post. I could not find any info on Captn Shirt. Oh well. The show was originally scheduled to take place at The Skidmore Bluffs but as you may have noticed,it is currently raining and really cold outside. So they moved it. The ALL AGES show is by donation and starts at 5:30 PM.

Burgerville (SE 12th and Hathorne) is having a show with Droni Mitchell, Eternal Tapestry, and Jeffrey Jerusalem. Droni Mitchell is a mix of a lot of different elements. I have come to expect this form anything that Travis Wiggins touches. He seems to have dedicated himself to exploring new sounds of psychedelia. Also, as one might expect from a band called Droni Mitchell, there is a hint of drone to the music. Eternal Tapestry is one of those bands that is hard to describe with out using that word psychedelic. But they are more of a tripped out rock band with loud riffs and walls of sound. Cool stuff. Then there is Jeffrey Jerusalem, the one man disco party. You may know him as the drummer from Inside Voices, but I assure you this is nothing like that amazing band. This project is also rad, but in a totally different and fun way. If you love to dance, this is for you. If you happen to be at this show and you don't love to dance, be prepared to learn how to love to dance. That is a confusing sentence, but I assure you it makes sense. Have a burger. Perhaps a shake. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

The Parlour is having a show with The Kris Special (LA), Kelli Schaefer, Destroy Nate Allen, Mike Hex, and maybe more. The Kris special is a duo from LA. They list themselves as Americana and Punk. I listened to their first song on their myspace and I was like, "yes, this is kinda punk-ish". Then I listened some more and I was like, "Woah, is that pedal steel? That sounds good. Americana!" So rare to have people be un-ironic in their genre listing for myspace. Kelli Schaefer is amazing. She is why I listed this show and one of the many musical reasons you should be glad you live in Portland. If you do not live in Portland and are reading this, do not move here. It is cold and rainy and unpleasant always. But Kelli Schaefer makes music that showcases not only her incredibly stong voice but her talent as a songwriter as well. She initially caught my ear from her song "Lasso the Moon" a while back. It seems every song she writes she gets better though. Check her itunes singles and you will see what I mean. I have never seen Nate Allen play, but you can read a review of one of his CDs that was posted on CIMTB last summer just by clicking this link. Mike Hex writes coutry songs that are inspired by whiskey. His playing appears to be inspired by it as well. Not in all too bad way though. It might just be a certain asthetic. I don't know. The ALL AGES show is $4 and starts at 7 PM.

Posies Cafe will be having a show with The Moon In Light. I heard about this show through my buddy Perry. He has started booking shows at Posies every Tuesday. Pretty good stuff ususally. I have not seen The Moon In Light but have heard good things and written about those good things before on this very blog. It is the musical vehicle for Tim Emerson. Sometimes it seems kinda folky sometimes it is more a indie rock type thing. Both of these genre tags are pretty useless though, so I would suggest you go ahead and click on the link I provided and see for yourself what it sounds like. It will be FREE and starts at 7:30 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I am the one you have not seen at shows in a while welcome me back.

-Ben


I know I have posted this video of Firs of Prey before, but I don't really care. He plays at The Barn tonight. Check it out.

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Newish Music Roundup

I am so so sorry for not blogging more. Some of my excuses are cool- like having a couple of novels coming out- but most of them are not. At any rate, I will try to pick up the slack. There is so much music coming our way, it's spilling into our ears and out of our asses, and we will do our best to share it with you. Here are some standouts that I would like to talk about.

GREATS- untitled ep







Maximum enthusiasm. That's what these kids have. Also, talent. It's fun stuff, and honestly they could be singing Cannibal Corpse type lyrics, but it's in Indonesian. So you'd never know. Regardless, they seem to have missed the memo about how music should make you miserable. I wish they would have opened up at the Efterklang show I saw recently, instead of the shit nightmare of Portland bands that supported the gleeful Danish indie popsters. You should enjoy music! Not endure it, or try to stay awake through it. But here are the Greats in their own words:

Greats was formed in mid-November 2005, by a bunch of teenagers who passionately want to find a more aesthetic time immemorial music is unpretentious, with a simple instrument that is played outside the window at night. Behind the bombastic-sounding name, "Greats" are really just our way a little too far to read the tone: 6-1-2-3-4-7-5 (la-do-re-mi-fa-sol-si). This method we can from the typical fad of young people trying to put their identity on the car plates. But, a name will be an echo selallu not be easily lost when we call something, thus we, are inevitably tied in this name.

Yeah!

ROLLA OLAK- LP














Deep apologies also to Rolla. He sent us a track, "Highway Patrol", that was one of the most beautiful tracks that's ever come our way. I ended up in conversation with the enigmatic Canadian, and got the rest of the album from him, and it's all just as good. Somehow it managed make its way onto regular rotation on my ipod and not into review on the blog. Well, let's rectify that. Here's what Rolla himself had to say about his debut, after I used some uncharacteristic threats of interviewer violence on him:

It's less a structured album, than a collection of songs. The tracks vary a lot. I didn't consider making an album that flows from start to finish but instead just focused on each song as individuals. I guess there's no right or wrong way. There may even be a thread that runs through it all that I haven't discovered yet.

He's right. This is a record that rewards multiple listens. Initial comparison to Neil Young is easy, and apt, but incomplete. There are a few songs here that seem slight, but everything ties into a series of deep spaces and mysteries. The production value is stellar, as well, serving to maintain the intensity over varying cascades of reverb and distortion and slide guitar, as well as Rolla's highly expressive voice.

ALAMEDA- "The Floating Hospital"













We all know that Portland only has 2 degrees of separation. That is just a stone fact, brothers and brotherettes. Alameda features Jessie on cello, which she also played in Tchotchkes, which I saw at the Langano when they opened up for my friend Anthony's band. Anthony grew up in Bellingham with David Kyle of Secret Codes, who has been known to play in some projects with Ben Meyercord of Crappy Indie Music fame... you see what I mean. Well, it doesn't stop there. But that's just a teaser, first the review of Alameda.

I stated at first that Alameda's music is clean and nice. I stand by that. Stirling Myle's vocals have a potential fluidity that is just begging to be let out- were the music a tad more dynamic and the lyrical range extended, I think Alameda would easily crowd out any well-known Portland bands named after failed Russian revolutions. It's not bad for a first go round.

Here's where it gets hairy, though. Stirling is also in Autopilot (Is For Lovers). They're working on their next disc "Not Now, Apocalypse", as he informs me, and he shared a rough version of the song "Workhorse" with me. It's going to be very good. So if we take the previous example, and work backwords from the blog, you've got me, Ben, David, Anthony, Jessie, Stirling, ADRIENNE HATKIN of Autopilot... and then, my lovely wife who was in her social scene back in the day and sang on a Builders and Butchers album. So then it's back to me. But of course, instead of a wheel, you can cross some spokes through... add Goldie at an Aristeia and Stabbity show and it's starting to look like macrame. Add my daughter and, ah hell. Then again, that's why Portland is awesome. Great music, great people.

So, to recap, have a listen to Greats, Rolla Olak, Alameda, keep an eye out for the new Autopilot disc, and our old friend Mike Kirkland just informed me that he'll be sending me the next New Evils disc hot off the presses next week, so expect a review of that. WOOT!!!

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Listen to new Broken Social Scene tracks, then get terribly excited.

Broken Social Scene has three of their tracks up for previewing now. I'm so excited about this record, I have to check into a mental hospital until my LP arrives. C'mon May 4th!

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HOLY SHIT! The Goldie Edition

I just heard Joanna Newsom for the first time. I am horrified. This is the audio equivalent to the Saw movies:



With out getting into the whole "ethics of music" thing, I want to tell you how I feel about this woman's voice.

I hate her voice.

Joanna Newsom's voice has clearly inspired the bulk of all the singers I strongly dislike. All this time, I thought Conor Oberst was solely to blame,but it turns out he has a female counterpart in vocal crime.

Thank you to the angels who spared me of this pain for all these years. For all of those who protected me from Joanna Newsom's voice, those of you who knew I wasn't strong enough to hear it, I love you and hope you will see me through this new tear in my psyche. BUT TO THAT ONE CRUEL AND EDUCATING FRIEND I HAVE THIS TO SAY TO YOU:

You bitch.

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HOLY SHIT!!!

This is not a music-related post, but I just had to share the mighty revelation. On a road trip down I-5, my daughter was watching "The Lorax" on the portable DVD player on the headrest behind me. Suddenly it struck me...

Dr. Claw, of "Inspector Gadget" fame...
















...is one of Seuss' Oncelers!

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Swallows: Between the Sea and Sky Release

Hi folks,

As fate would have it, I'll be playing a bit part in a really cool show tonight, but let me tell you about the MAIN EVENT.

Powerhouse duo Swallows are having a CD Release show at Langano Lounge for their latest disc Between the Sea and Sky.

Their new work demonstrate a mastery of controlled intensity, with compositions meditating on a modality and building in force and intricacy into bold poetic landscapes.

The 8 track album, recorded by the late Kip Crawford, feels like a beautifully understated synthesis of the group's proggy, riot grrrl and queercore infuences. There's plenty of rock intensity, but it's balanced by poignant negative space. Em Brownlowe's vocals come across clear amid the intricate drum and guitar filigree, communicating heady lyrical concepts with skillful brevity .


The show will begin promptly at 9 PM with a Spanish class conceived ensemble Los Postmodernos, which also features Brownlowe. Also playing will be prog/minimalist group Form & Fracture (I'll be subbing on clarinet with them -fun!), and DJ Gaycondo will be providing some fine sounds to dance to. Langano Lounge is located
at 1435 SE Hawthorne.

"When They Come to Us" performed live at the Egyptian Club, 2-11-10. This song is featured on the new album Between the Sea and the Sky

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RIP Alex Chilton, 1950-2010

Since it hasn't been mentioned here yet, I just want to say..
Damn. Alex Chilton. Dead at 59. Big Star was one of my top bands when I was first getting into music and they are still near and dear to my heart. Let's have a moment of music.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Wednesday, March 17th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last I am about to leave you guys for a bit. Okay? Stop. Stop it. Dry your sweet little eyes. I am off to play bass in Y La Bamba and Sean Flinn & The Royal We in the land of California. I will be back in about ten days. Until then you will have to put up with the posts of the other bloggers (the ones that can actually write). If you want to know about shows I find the easiest site besides my own is PC-PDX. Here are the shows that look 'aight to me tonight:

Wednesday, March 17th

Holocene is having a show with DoublePlusGood, Ocean Age, and Hooliganship. This show will be awesome. Fist of all I really like the happy electronic pop that DoublePlusGood makes. They are releasing a remix ep tonight called Heart Drive Crash Vol1. It is said to have 4 remixes of songs from their forthcoming album and a remix of an Eskimo and Sons song. I always think it is weird to release remixes of unreleased material, but I bet it is good though. I have been jamming on that remix of Eskimo and Sons since way back when you could download songs off of myspace for free. I like it a lot. Ocean Age is another band I really like a lot. I bought their first ep a while back just based on a friends orders. I had missed their set at a Church show at Rontoms. I really like what I had and have since seen them a couple times. They have a good mix of acoustic, electric and synthetic. They have the only other Q-chord I have seen in Portland. Hooligan Ship is a band I only saw once at PDX Pop Now a few years ago. It was a multimedia experience for sure. They had animated versions of them selves projected while they played and I think most of it was in 3D beating the whole 3D craze by a few years. Their music is also happy and electronic based. A good match for this line up. The show is $5 and starts at 8:30 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with The Skinnyz, Tango Alpha Tango, and Keli Schaefer. Acoording to their myspace, 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." I saw them once at Rontoms and cannot make an argument against that statement. Tango Alpha Tango is a band that I have seen a couple times but sadly I cannot recall their sets. Their myspace songs seem nice enough, but I just can't remember what they are like live. Kelli Schaefer is the reason I am writing about this show. She is pro. Her voice is incredible, her songs are incredible, her performances are incredible. I have a copy of her first ep and it is great. I have been meaning to get the two digital singles that she has on her new incredible label amigo/amiga. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at either of these shows please say, "Hi". It may the last chance you get. Sometimes people go to California and don't come back.

-Ben


Come join this lone dancer tonight at Holocene when DoublePlusGood jams it out.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday, March 16th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I played I went and saw A Place To Bury Strangers at The Woods. They claimed at one point to be the loudest band in NYC. They started off not so loud but then slowly krept their volume up. They sounded like a punk band that was eaten by a shoegaze band. Or as my roommate put it, "Jesus Mary Chain". There was a live VJ that projected patterns on the band from a bunch of ipod nanos. I felt like I was inside Pitchfork. It was weird. Anyways, here is the only show that caught my eye today:

Saturday, March 13th

The Woods is having a show with Gratitillium and The Great Wilderness. The Woods seems like a perfect place for a band whose name roughly means "Gratitude for animals". Umm... cause a lot of animals live in the woods. The Woods is even more perfect for a band named The Great Wilderness, because the woods is nothing if not wilderness. Of course all of these acute insights have nothing to do with music and, if I am being honest with myself, are not really all that acute. Gratitillium is a band that Nick Caceres started a while back as an outlet for his more "experimental" psychedelic he wanted to play. I totally understand the want to rock out like you are on drugs. I personally don't use any, but I know it is fun to make music that sounds like you do. It was a big departure from the Victorian folk music Nick had been doing up until that point. But the exciting thing is that I have heard that there are animal performers in costumes (or is people performers in costumes?) who kinda run amok during the the performance. Great Wilderness is the new indie folk project of Emily Wilder who was the main person behind The Olive Grove which I was not too familiar with but sounds really good. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". Or "Hello" if that is more your speed.

-Ben


Gratitillium will probably have more stuff going on tonight at The Woods

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday, March 15th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I stayed in and played bass. It was relaxing but I still ended up staying up later that I probably should have. Oh well. There are two shows that peaked my interest that are happening today. One is not local but I think I will go see A Place To Bury Strangers at The Woods for FREE at 6 PM. Here is the local one:

Monday, March 15th

Valentine's is having a show with Repetitions (new project of Flaspar), Acre, and Romancing. Who likes electronic dance music? I believe that's what Flaspar makes. Who likes electronic non dance music? That is kinda what Acre makes. Who likes Panther? That band doesn't exist anymore. Sorry. But the main dude is in Romancing sounding quite a bit not like Panther. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at either of these shows please say, "Hi". I asked nicely. Don't make me ask again.

-Ben


This is how to romance? Romancing plays at Valentine's tonight.

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BAT COUNTRY!!!! Lonely island edition

Well, you expected to be "On A Boat", but more in the spirit of a dick in a box, I am indeed making a funny on you. Nope, not the darlings of comedy, I am instead speaking of that thrice-damned island from the hit TV series "LOST."

What does it have to do with music, you may ask? Well, we all know that actors and musicians tend to have a lot of overlap. In the case of the cast of Lost, there seems to be a nice concentration of musical talent behind the scenes. Let's take a look at what's there, shall we?

DOMINIC MONAGHAN.

Dom actually played a musician on the series, so this seemed like an obvious place to start. He gets a number of decent performances in, but perhaps the most touching is a backstory bit that we only get a little tease of...


ELIZABETH MITCHELL.

This one is quite the kick. 'Juliet' on the series has been popping up on the Raffi station on Pandora. And she's pretty damn good. The only problem I have is that I keep thinking of that scene in "Gia" where she makes sweet sweet sex to Angelina Jolie. Anyway, check out her collaboration here with Lisa Loeb:


JOSH HOLLOWAY:

Well, why not model and act and whatever else too. According to tales on set, there are fairly regular jam sessions, and Holloway is a capable guitar player. Unfortunately the one video I could find of him playing music clearly has some suspicious overdubbed vocals, but it was either that or the video to "Cryin'" where Alicia Silverstone delivers him a piping hot beatdown.


NAVEEN ANDREWS:

English actor Andrews plays ginormous badass Sayid, but it turns out he would have been just as happy to be a musician. There are of course videos of him rocking some Sex Pistols covers with Billy Morrison and that guy from Extra!, but I thought this little comp would be a nice contrast.


JORGE GARCIA:

Sorry, Hurley, but I'm not seeing anything that kicks you up past local karaoke.


TERRY O'QUINN:

The dour John Locke is reported to be quite the singer-songwriter, and I found a video that, while a bit dated, seems to prove that. I'm not sure if he looks more like James Taylor or Will Forte here.


MATTHEW FOX:

I have no evidence that this dude is a musician, but I found this and it's fucking funny. Just watch it.


LANCE REDDICK:

I had to save the best for last. Reddick plays enigmatic lurker Matthew Abaddon, and his deep scary voice graces several other shows as well. What greater surprise then, to find that he's a velvety-voiced jazz crooner. It's just so weird, and I'd wager he's probabaly the best of the bunch. His voice, especially on tracks like "Voices" recalls Ike Willis in his prime, but without the bombast. Alas, I don't have a video for you, but just go to Lance Reddick's site, listen to some tracks, and be amazed. But not to disappoint, here's a Beyonce music video starring Lance. Hmm...

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, March 14th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I played in Sean Flinn & The Royal We at The Woods. It was kinda ridiculous, other the several months, Sean has built up two bands to play his songs. Last night he combined the bands together and even added a member with John from Nick Jaina and Run On Sentence making the band nine members strong. It was awesome . There was pedal steel and three backing vocals and flugel horn and clarinet and all sorts of flourishes. Then there was the band that we opened for Breathe Owl Breathe. I saw then last year at a house show and was really impressed with the way they interacted with the audience. I was not sure how it would translate to a bigger audience. It translated very well. They had the audience clapping and making howling sounds and even the wave at one point. They were super fun. Anyway, here is a list of show that peak my interest tonight:

Saturday, March 13th

Holocene is having a show with White Hinterland, Alexis Gideon, Cole Milner, Gordon Shumway, and DJ Baba Booie. This is the CD release show for White Hinterland. I just listened to a few tracks off of the new album and it is different. Not different bad, but different good. There is a whole lot more beat driven elements and a whole lot less rhodes. I am particularly fond of the song "Icarus" and its pulsing synth bass line and reverby beat and catchy vocal hook. They will be heading out on an international tour after this show, so if you are into this band seem them now or you won't be able to for a while. Alexis Gideon is a cool dude that makes very strange hip pop. His flow is mid tempo and vaguely recall a dirty south flow like Nelly but way more surreal. The sounds that hang out in his songs are weird. I tend to like it. Cole is a dude that crafts quirky electro-pop nuggets. I like them. The way he layers his vocals sometimes reminds me of a less weird dude from Dirty Projectors. The show is $8 and starts at 8:30 PM.

The Knife Shop is having a show with Hosannas, My Dads, and Datura Blues. Hosannas is a name that I think I am finally accepting as a band instead of a band that used to be called Church. I think they are great and display some of the finest use of dynamics in Portland. They are serious about playing and a very tight band built around the brothers Richard and Brandon who sing very well together, but the band is helped enormously by the cool synth layers that Christof lays down and the drums from Lane provides to push the band to the next level. I cannot get enough of them and apparently they are in the midst of recording their next album. I am stoked. My Dads is a instrumental band that plays post rock. I have played a show with them before and thought they showed a lot of promise. They a little too much chorus on their guitars for my tastes but still sounded pretty good. Datura Blues is a revolving band/collective that Lane from Hosannas used to be a part of. I am unsure if he will be joining them tonight. From what I can tell, they sound like a psychedelic jam band that gets a little spacier than most bands. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Iretsu, Brothers Young, and The Moon in Light. Irestu play pop music that is spiked with prog tendencies that keeps things very interesting. I am not very familiar with them. They have collaborated with people as diverse as dance-performance partners and such. Sounds interesting. The reason I am writing about the show is because I was very impressed when I saw then play a house show last weekend. They always kinda reminded of Beta Band. Mostly in they way they uses a lot of unison vocals and create cool grooves. Check out the song "Would You Land" that is on the FREE downloadable for example. The Moon in Light is the musical moniker for Timothy Emerson. He makes well executed indie folk with a little help from his friends. He has a very unique voice. I think you might enjoy it. Please check it out. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I will say it back. Scout's honor.

-Ben


I not sure if the awesome dancer will make it out to The Knife Shop tonight, but Hosannas will.

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Suburban Home Records

Growing up as I did in the East End of Henrico County, Virginia I have had a complex relationship with country music. For most of my life it represented everything I stood against. Racism, ignorance and the leering macho horseshit of my fellow residents. The twang of the slide guitar was a surefire sign that I was about to be fucked with by a bunch of hormone addled teenagers in a pickup truck that were drunk on Budweiser and vicious pack mentality. There was copper in my mouth every time I heard a Southern accent in a song.

    You see, my parents are The Gay. I don't know if you're familiar with America or not but there's a large chunk of our population that has a problem dealing with the fact that gay people exist. It's one of those things I've just never been able to understand. Something about some old book or something. More than that, I was kind of a weird kid with too much book smarts and no sense of how to blend in or when to shut my trap. I was a teenage gladiator stuck in a suburban arena with country music as the backdrop to my own grapple with puberty. So I was left with this association of country music as being a harbinger of terrible things to come. Mind you, what I considered country at the time was just Pop With A Twang and the same mindless drivel that vapid morons use to fill in the spaces between mouth breathing and pummeling anything different than them. Alright, I can admit to some remaining prejudices. The illusions of memory and the bitterness of adolescence take a very long time to work past. It helps to have some contrast.

    Flash forward 5 years to the Tower Records at Willow Lawn. Here now is a young clerk stocking Jazz CDs late at night, all alone in the room. The shuffling playlist has been going on for about an hour, he hardly notices the time or the music as it floats around him. His hands reach into the understock and it happens. The rolling waves of spectral, haunting, tear inducing beauty roll over him. It's powerful enough to knock over a few CDs and he leans on the bin to steady himself. He looks around, wondering where this sound has come from, what confluence of powers led to something so gorgeous? Staggering under the weight of a thousand emotions he makes his way to the CD player and reads the name; Emmylou Harris: Wrecking Ball.

    I had my contrast.

    I had never heard anything remotely like Emmylou. No one ever spoke of her to me, no mention whatsoever from fans of country music. Nothing. Was it some deep mystery, reserved for this moment of transcendent beauty? I still don't know how I managed to avoid her works for so long. It was the beginning of a new perspective on country music. From that album I came to know what I had been missing. The giants like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn all the way to newer artists like Sleepercar, Mary Gauthier, Jim White and Tift Merrit. It was nothing less than a revolution in tastes. I felt like an ass for missing out on so much incredible music. But hey, you can't grow if there's nothing left to learn.

    So we've grown closer now, country music and I (I've had some damn good nights with Johnny Walker and Johnny Cash ya'll). Recently though, things had been a bit stale. I'd gone through the 30's forward, gotten familiar with Lost Highway, fell in love with Calexico and worn through my Neko Case records. It was almost time to move on, not forever but I could tell things were getting a little stale. Then the indomitable Ian Graham dropped Suburban Home Records in my lap. I discovered the G-Spot of country music. Suddenly things were hot again. I was excited every time she got near my ears. Thoughts of moving on vanished.

    The name Tim Barry rings clearly in every ear in Richmond. Avail was a big part of putting RVA on a map that didn't just say: Civil War Battlegrounds Hereabouts. "Dixie", shitty weed and PBR tallboys at the river made up a good chunk of high school for a lot of RVA kids my age. This isn't about Avail though. This is about Tim. He writes in a way that is so raw and personal that it's sometimes uncomfortable to hear. "Church Of Level Track" will drop you to the floor, pick you back up, slap a beer in your hand and send you home. The first time I heard him play it live I welled up with tears. It's serious shit and it has a physical impact on the listener. Is it country? Does that even matter? There's some recursive post-post-hardcore-post-folk-post-punk-retro-blah blah tag out there for what he's up to but it really doesn't matter. I call it country. He pours his blood into his songs, doesn't worry about complex arrangements and uses fiddles, dobros and slide guitars so I call it country. Tim isn't trying to impress you and I find that leaves a very large impression.

    If this wasn't enough then Suburban Home has another massive dose of reality for you; Austin Lucas. Austin pulls his entire life out of the murky depths of memory and filters it through a poetic asceticism that leaves nothing superfluous at the edges. "Go West" is an amazing song and is a good example of this ability. He reminds me that well written music can be intelligent without succumbing to the dangers of needless verbosity and overly complex schemes. Look at the arrangements and later work of Leonard Cohen. There is nothing inaccessible about his poetry; it's not glossed over with too many classical references, not so tied into his inner mythology that it's not available to the reader. This is the same way I see Austin Lucas. I'm interested to see how he evolves as a songwriter. If my instincts are correct then this man has a long and extremely influential future ahead of him.

    There's this perpetual struggle between artifice and authenticity in culture. I invariably find myself on the side of authenticity. How the hell do you know if something is authentic? Well, does it seem right? Do you look at the guy and say, "Yeah, I think he's being honest."? That's the best criteria there is. Why choose authenticity? Because it is the harder path, but much more rewarding. I see these guys, I listen to their music and I can feel their soul coming through the speakers. That's the personal connection I love about music like this. It's not relegated to one form, to one person, to one style or era. It's out there in every kind of music and it brings me no end of joy to find it in a style I have so frequently maligned and misinterpreted throughout my years. I love to be proven wrong.

    If country music is going to survive the endless barrage of clone stamped Nashville pop stars, orchestrated over produced $10,000 boot wearing assholes, fucking retarded music and every other plight that can befall a genre; it is going to need more people like Austin, Tim and the folks at Suburban Home. The best part about it is that they don't have to do anything out of the ordinary. As long as they continue to write, record and play their music they help us all fight the endless tide of committee approved culture. This is the true strength of indie music; it isn't here to change the world, but it does anyway.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, March 13th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I was going to check out the show at Laughing Horse Books, but then right as I got out of Meyercord practice I got a call to be part a Ramona Falls music video. Looks like Luzelena and I will make cameos in the video. As people standing in an art gallery. I am a rockstar! Anyway here are some shows that look good to me:

Saturday, March 13th

The Woods is having a show with Beathe Owl Breathe and Seaan Flinn & The Royal We. I saw Breathe Owl Breathe at my friend Perry's house last year and was impressed with how fun it was. They get the audience involved. Their songs evoke the kind of fun you normally only get from being a kid. I usually play bass and sing in Sean Flinn & The Royal We. Due to scheduling conflicts, I have been unable to so lately. but luckily I can still sing which is what I plan on doing tonight. It has always been a dream of mine to do back up singing. I am not even joking so this is awesome for me. Sean's song's are great. Many of them have really cool vocal arrangements and a classic pop sensibility that is undeniable. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Efterklang (Denmark), Helios, and Dragging An Ox Through Water. Efterklang is an awesome band that really pushes it self musically. They make incredibly arranged almost chamber-esque music. They usually have two Portland members along in the form of Peter and Heather Broderick. Peter can't make it. But they still will no doubt be great. Helios is a guy who I heard about because he played some shows with Peter Broderick. He makes very pretty modern compositions. Not unlike what Peter does when he is not singing his folk tunes. Dragging an Ox Through Water is an amazing mix between folk and experimental noise bits. One of my favorites. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with The Prids, Brainstorm, and Wax Fingers. I keep wanting to see The Prids and keep missing them. They have been consistently making guitar centric indie rock music for years. They have won over many people but have managed to stay at the same level. Weird. Brainstorm is another band that I have been meaning to catch for some time they make an incredible mix of math rock and bizarre pop that is infectious. Wax Fingers is a band that I have written about before but have not seen yet. But the music I heard on myspace is so good. I suggest you check it out. Basically what I am saying is that this is a show that I would love to see to quench some of my curiosity. The show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

Someday Lounge is having a show with Paschal Coeur, Ravishers, and Winterhaven. Paschal Coeur only has live tracks up on their myspace so if you are curious as to what they sound like you should check that out. If you want to know what I think, I would say that they are a pretty decent pop band. Ravishers surprised me, I had never heard of them but I really liked their songs. Very hooky. Winterhaven was a country folk band in the tradition of Graham Parsons (Winterhaven is the town Mr. Parsons was born). I am not sure what their line up will be tonight as I think there might have been a line up change. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

If you come out to The Woods tonight please say, "Hi". I am the male back up singer.

-Ben


Brainstorm will tuba the crap out of Mississippi Studios

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, March 12th

Hello Dear Readers,

Yesterday was really busy and kinda upsetting. I had most of my blog post finished the night before, but I slept late and ended up leaving the house and being away from a wireless network until 11 last night, thus there was no post. Frustrating. I helped a friend move last night (I seem to be doing this a lot lately) which was cool, but perhaps not as cool as seeing a show. Anyway, who went to the Blue Horns, World's Greatest Ghost, and Typhoon show last night? Was it as awesome as I imagined it? Here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Friday, March 12th

Jimmy Mak's is having a show with Blue Cranes and Sam Howard Band. Blue Cranes are an amazing Jazz band. But they do more than just straight up jazz. In fact they are admitted fans of Indie Rock. They have even covered the likes of Elliott Smith and Sufjan Stevens. I think they make incredibly beautiful music. I have not heard Sam Howard or his band, but I believe that they are Jazz as well. Tonight is a CD release show for them. The show is $10 and starts at 8 PM.
Laughing Horse Books is having a show with Duck. Little Brother, Duck!, Kidcrash, Ochre, and Zoogirl. This is a benefit show in order to buy a PA for this emerging ALL AGES space. I have not been to it yet, but I have listed some very good shows happening here. Tonight is no exception. Duck. Little Brother, Duck! is an amazing math pop group. I cannot get over how awesome their music is, they are soon to be done with or have finished a recording that I have not heard yet. I cannot wait. Kidcrash is a band that I have not seen but have heard very good things about. Then there is Zoogirl who I saw once and was very impressed. It reminded me of something off of Saddle Creek circa 2000 which probably sounds like something off of Discord records circa 1998. The ALL AGES show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Laura Veirs, The Old Believers, and Cataldo (Seattle). Laura Veirs lastest offering July Flame is hella good. Especially the title track. It has been stuck in my head since I first heard it in December. This line is a really cool thing too. Basically it is Laura's bandmates primary bands opening up the show. When your band mates are The Old Believers and Cataldo, this a very effectice way of filling up a bill. Both bands are great. The Old Belivers last release was one of my favorites from 2008. I cannot get enough of it. I have not seen Cataldo, but this line up has played before and I checked it out then. Good. This is the tour kick off show for these groups. They are about to tour the country in this incarnation. Awesome. Take that America. A little taste of Portland should go a long way. The show is $15 and starts at 9 PM.

Bamboo Grove Salon is having "Dance Class" with Reporter, Copy, Push n Play, and Maxx Bass. This is a warehouse show. There is a restaurant in NW with the same name sans the Salon part. Do not go there. At least not for music, I have no idea how the food is. But I am losing focus, what I mean to say is if you want to lose focus in perhaps a dance groove, you should check out this show. Reporter are an a really fun band to dance to. I think this is there first show they will play since announcing that they signed to Holocene Music. Come help them celebrate. Plus Copy always brings it, and he tends to spread it around. He is my favorite keytarist in Portland. Hands down. The show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

East End is having a show with Micah John, Michael Maker, Josh Spacek, and Donny Maker. I believe that both Michael and Donny are from the glamourous garage pop band, The Makers. It will be interesting to see how they fair outside their main project. I especially want to see Monarques front man Josh Spacek. He is rumored to be playing solo and acoustic. Maybe all of the acts will play solo acoustic. Crazy. The show is at 9 PM (I have seen no information regarding a cover charge).


If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I want to be your show buddy.

-Ben


Duck. Little Brother, Duck! will do a little more than practice tonight. They will play a full set at Laughing Horse Books.

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The Rock and Roll Metro Map

See full size

I found this fantastic map of rock music on reddit today and I thought you folks might appreciate it. Where do I buy tickets for this train?

I think the best part is how incredibly divisive this is to people. 

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Wednesday, March 10th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I did not make it out to any shows. A late night AristeiA practice made sure of that. Did anyone see any good shows last night? If not here's a few things you might check out tonight:

Wednesday, March 10th

KPSU is having The Mean Jeans is play on the radio. The Mean Jeans are a great punk pop band in the vein of The Ramones or any of the 90's Lookout Records roster. Except that they appear to be party loving stoner kids. Regardless, they write tunes that are really easy on the ears and will mostly having you singing along by the end of the song. They will be guest DJ's at 7 PM and then they play live on air at 8 PM.

Holocene is having a show with A Sunny Day in Glasgow (Philadelphia/Sydney), BEACHES (Melbourne), Orca Team, and DJ Vision Quest. A Sunny Day in Glasgow is a band whose name I had seen a lot around the Internet. I have not listened to them until today though. They are pretty good. The most associated genre tag attached to them is dream pop. I think that is dead on. It is very poppy but it is encased in layers of guitars and effects that make you feel like you are not fully conscious, but rather in a dream like haze. I have not heard of BEACHES before today. They do not sound like a current band. They sound like a shoegaze band from the late eighties put through a garage punk filter. or maybe the other way around. The reason I am writing about this show is Orca Team, a band I still foolishly have not seen. The show is $8 and starts at 8:30 PM

If you see me at this show (I won't be going to the KPSU show, it on the radio silly) say, "Hi".

-Ben


Orca Team is the first band in this video and will be playing Holocene. Mattress will not.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday, March 9th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last Night I did not go to a show. For Shame! If you did please a comment about what show it was that you saw and how great and/or horrible it was. I on the other hand, got out of AristeiA practice at 9 and then helped a friend move until 11. I did not feel like seeing a show after that. But tonight might be different. Here are the shows that look good and or interesting to me (warning it was busy at work so I will be brief):

Tuesday, March 9th

The Woods is having a show with Drew Victor (Brooklyn), Passenger & Pilot, and Leonard Mynx. I like the recordings and usually the ever changing bands he arranges. Tonight he will be giving away digital downloads of a bunch of unreleased stuff. The show is $6 and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Lovers, Broken Water (Olympia) and Dusty Springfeelins. I love Lovers and their new electro-pop direction. Dusty Springfeelins has something to do with Emily Barker who has a lot to do with this. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Weinland, The Maldives (Seattle), and Or The Whale (San Francisco). Weinland some how turned into a rock band between records. I have played with and liked the rather large (member wise) band Or The Whale. Think epic country. The Maldives do country really well. I say them once and was blown away. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

The Know is having a show with Nucular Aminals and Play/Start. I keep hearing that Nucular Aminals are great live. I also really want to see a show at Burgerville. The show is probably FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Burgerville (SE 12th and Hawthorne) is having a show with Karen, Total Noise, and Paul Schesinger. Karen's and Total Noise keep popping up in my picks. Find out why and either clink on their links or go to the show. Just in case you are wondering, I think Total Noise and Total Bros are unrelated. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at the unlikely hour of 5:45 PM.


Ella St Social Club is having Cat Stalks Bird, I Love Cats! (MI), and Don Hellions. i really like Don Hellions and their Organ/Sax Croon soaked tunes. The show is $2 and starts at 9 PM.

Work/Sound is having a show with Derek M. Johnson (Olympia), Andrew Senna (Seattle), Dash!, and Greg Skloff. Dash! does an excellent job building up layers upon beautiful layers of gorgeous pedal effected viola. Very impressive. The ALL AGES show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows say, "Hi". I will buy you a glass of water.

-Ben


Dash! is Rad. See him at Work/Sound tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday, March 8th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I played a house show at Luzelena's House in NE. It was way fun. I missed one of the performance but caught many others including a set by my friends Misty and Seth. They were just drowning in reverb and it sounded beautiful, their instrumentation was an electric guitar and and an organ with some minimal drums. The music was very very soothing. I want to see them again. Then Brothers young played an awesome set. They always remind me a bit of Beta Band. Then Y La Bamba played a crowded set. There are seven of us now and in order for us to play a house show it gets tricky, but I think we pulled it off. Anyway, I could only find one show I am interested in tonight:

Monday, March 8th

Valentine's is having a show with Pigeons, Secret Codes, and Paper Brain. Pigeons is a band that I have been meaning to see for quite some time. They make indie Americana with voice that quivers like early Bright Eyes. I like it. Then there is Secret Codes. I saw them once at the Woods and was very impressed. These songs were written by David Kyle who used to perform them solo via an ipod and lots of looping under the name David Kyle and The Invisibles. I much prefer the live band to the looping. It has a warmer feel and the players are all very good at what they do. What is it they do? They make pretty post rock music. Though it is mostly instrument-centric, David has told me that he is working on adding in vocals so it would not surprise me if there was a whole lot more singing this time around. I know that he is very influenced by Efterklang So I anticipate some group vocal arrangements. Paper Brain rounds out the bill with there excellent indie pop tunes. I have not seen them play in a long time, but listening to them just now made me wonder why. Check out the video that I posted below. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at this show say, "Hi". It is not a bad why to spend a second of your time.

-Ben


Paper Brain will be at Valentine's tonight. I am not sure that it will be as bloody as this video, but I have my fingers crossed.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, March 7th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I played at The Knife Shop in AristeiA. It was the first time I have been in it since the new stage and sound system was installed. I was impressed. I thought we played well we were followed by a Clap Your Hands Say Yeah like band called And And And. Then came Thuggage who were actually really good. And way more entertaining than I thought they were going to be. I suggest that if you are into comedy or hip hop you check these guys out. Here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Sunday, March 7th

Burgerville (12th and Hawthorne) is having a show with Wampire and White Fang. This is the tour kick off. I think both of these bands are great. Wapmire make dance music that is chill and catchy as hell. White Fang makes the party punk music that I am sure other parts of the country will catch on soon enough. The cool thing is that Y La Bamba will be meeting them for the show in Dan Diego. I am stoked. I also haven't seen a show at The Burgerville yet. I bet it is cool, or really awkward. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Holocene is having a show with Explode into Colors and Janet Pants. This is also a tour kick off show. Explode into Colors is a good band. They make cool sounding songs based on the tight rhythm section. There is a lot of percussion in this band. Not only are they going on a tour to SXSW, but the first several dates are with Quasi. How cool is that? Also they want you to make them a mixtape, "Explode Into Colors are going on tour - and they need your HELP! Endless hours in the van need musical accompaniment! Bring a mixtape (yes, that means a good ol’, real-deal cassette) for the girls and you’ll get FREE entry into the show! Explode into Colors also went Into the Woods recently, and we’ll be screening the results tonight!" Oh right, the In To The Woods thing will be screened. Janet Pants does modern dance pieces. Those people do really good work. The show is $5 (unless you and starts at 8:30 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Ora Cogan (B.C.), Bird Costumes, Chelsea Wolfe (CA), and Galveston. I have seen Ora Cogan play once. It was at Valentine's. It was good. She plays quiet nice folky tunes. I don't know what her Portland connection is, but I have seen her on several Portland bands top friends on myspace. Bird Costumes is one of them, and actually I think he played the show I saw. He, not unlike his friend Dragging an Ox through Water, seems to bridge the gap between folk and experimental music. Though he seems to separate the two. Performing a singing song followed by a built up drone piece and so on.Chelsea Wolfe is a person on tour from California. She makes experimental folk or rock music. Actually I don't know what to call it. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Timmy Straw, Lovers, Lost Lockets, and Gottesfinger. This is a record release for Timmy Straw. I have not heard her before, but man does she sound good. Right off the bat I am reminded of Cat Power. I think that if people will take notice of this release. She plays like a million instruments and produces and mixes her own music which sounds great. Lovers is what drew me to this show. Last year they released one of my favorite local releases, O Am The West. I cannot get over the perfect electro-pop song "Igloos for Ojos". Lost Lockets plays dark piano music backed by sting and banjo parts. Seriously though, I was really impressed by Timmy Straw. The show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

The Pink Room is having a show with Mattress, ASSS, Summer Blondes (Oakland), and Guantanamo Baywatch. House shows! Mattress is the project of Rex Marshal. he used to sing over tapes of electo he made. Now it has grown to include guitar and live drums. Let's face facts, everyone wants to be a rock star. ASSS is the duo that creates weird synth and drum based music. Summer Blondes are a great post-surf surf band. They are apparently buddies with Portland's own post-surf surf rock band Guantanamo Baywatch. What a match up. It will be rad. The show is by donation and starts at 8 PM.

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

-Ben

Feels Like Home Ep #3 - White Fang "Feeling Shitty" from Into The Woods on Vimeo.

From Singing in the shower to singing in Burgerville (tonight), these guys will play anywhere.

ps If you know Luzelena there is a B-Day show at her house.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, March 6th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I stayed home despite some good shows. I actually cleaned my room which has been on my to do list for about 3 months. I am actually quite proud of myself. Tonight there are an ass load of good shows (like a big ass load). Check it out.:

Saturday, March 6th

The Knife Shop is having a show with The Taste, Thuggage, and ArtisteiA. This is part of the Dirty Dirty Street Records showcase. This is something that AristeiA got last minute. I play bass in AristeiA, the instrumental rock group. I think we are pretty awesome. But then again, I am biased. Thuggage is a comedy rap group. But they apparently were musicians first. So they should be good. I couldn't find much on The Taste ie anything. But I am kinda glad I am playing tonight because there are so many amazing shows tonight. So I won't have to choose. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Burgerville (12th and Hawthorne) is having a PDX Pop Now! Benefit show with Typhoon, Yeah Great Fine, and Ocean Age. This is an awesome show. I saw Typhoon earlier this week and I must say they are in top form. They are one of my favorite bands in Portland. Yeah Great Fine are recording an album with the same person who recorded Typhoon. It is supposedly really good. Ocean Age is also really good. I want to get the album that they just released. I haven't seen them since they put it out. But I suggest that you do. Plus all of the sales are going directly to PDX Pop Now! during the time that the show is going on, so get a shake or a burger or something. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 7 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a "Swellebration" with Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Dirty Mittens, Yeltsin, Tahoe Jackson, Matt Sheehy & The Menders, Run On Sentence, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, Adam Shearer (of Weinland),Holcombe Waller, Laura Gibson, and Justin Power. Hard to believe it has only been a year since Mississippi Studios reopened. It has become a staple in my show going like it was there forever. The show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.

Portland Playhouse is having a No PA in NoPo with St. Frankie Lee, Black Heart Moon, Walking Home, and Jana Losey. St. Frankie Lee is great. It has been too long since I have seen, them and theirs. Also I am saddened to say that this is the last show that Black Heart Moon will ever play. They are great and will be missed. Though Cat will continue to play in Horsefeathers and Perry will continue to play in my band, Meyercord, and David Dyas will still play in his own band and Carcrashlander. All great bands. The ALL AGES show is $6-$8 and starts at 7 PM.

The Artistery is having a show with White Fang, Juiceboxxx, and Savages. I like the punk that White Gang creates, even thought I haven't seen them in forever. I bet they are even better now. Juiceboxxx is like a live mixtape ie awesome. Savages is really weird and cool hip hop. This show is gonna be dope. The ALL AGES show is $6 and starts at 8 PM.

Backspace is having a show with Blue Skies for Black Hearts, Welcome Home Walker, Hey Lover, Electric Castle, and Hullaballoons. This is presented by Boogie Creek Records who are put out Welcome Home Walker and Hullaballoons. This is a record release show for the Hullaballoons. If you like pop rock in its purist form, I am thinking that you are going to like this show. I think that Blue Skies for Black Hearts has perfected their craft. And these other bands, though I have not seen live, seem to be quite capable of the genre as well. The ALL AGES show is $ and starts at 9 PM.

Mission Theater is having a show with Mimicking Birds, Tu Fawning, Ah Holly Fam'ly, and The Lords Own Choir. I have never seen Mimicking Birds, Ibut I do like what I have heard it reminded me of quieter Modest Mouse stuff which is probably why Issac Brock is putting out their record. I love Tu Fawning and I love Ah Holly Fam'ly so I highly recommend this show. Tu Fawning have some new material that I haven't heard yet. Ah Holly Fam'ly will debut it's smaller line up tonight. The show is $6-$8 and starts at 9 PM.

Reed College Student Union is having something called Dublab's Tonalism. It is an ambient music happening from 6 PM to 6 AM. It will feature Grouper, Golden Hits, Pharaohs, Golden Retreiver, Frosty, Ale, Nanny Cantaloupe, Katie Byron, Jimmy Tamborello, Ben Knight, Jeff Yarbrough, Sam Cooper, Lavenders, and Suzanne Kraft. In case you missed it, Jimmy Tamborello ie half of the Postal Service is playing this show. Plus I always love seeing Grouper play. This is gonna be chillll. It is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

The Parlour is having a show with Pardee Shorts, The Woolen Men, Archers, and Support Force. Another Bright Lights/ Potlatch Presents show. Rejoice. These guys usually have good taste. I have written about the mathy Pardee Shirts before. I have written about the indie rock of The Woolen Men. I have not written about Archers or Support Force before, but I am sure they are pretty good. I think Support Force played earlier today at an art walk in SE. Ask them about it. The ALL AGES show is $3-$5 and starts at 7 PM.

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

-Ben


You want fries with that? Typhoon play at Burgerville tonight.

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