Ben Meyecord's Live Music Picks for Thursday, September 16th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I did a nearly four hour practice with Y La Bamba that left me music overloaded. I did not end up making it out to any shows. Hopefully you guys did. It is starting to get all rainy and while that means it may suck a bit to go to shows. As a musician it sucks even more to play to empty spaces. So you should make an effort for show going this rainy season. I know I will. Anyway there are some good shows happening tonight. Including the Ratatat show that features former Portland resident E*Vax and will have ex-Portlander Bobby Birdman as well. I am a big fan of both of those and had I oodles of cash I might even go see the show, but as it is $25 is kinda steep. Here are the Portland centric shows happening tonight :

The Artistery is having a show with Grouper, Flaengegod, The Aliens, and Whale Signs. I like Grouper. There is something about music that completely washes over you. Which is exactly what Liz Harris' music does. It is folky with the reverb turns upped to ten. It is a special experience. I could not find any information regarding the other bands. I mean the was a link to the Aliens, but it didn't sound like a band that would play with Grouper. The show is 7:30 PM.

Mission Theater is screening Breakin'. And what's more is that there will be live musical performances by Hornet Leg, Soft Paws, Orca Team, and The Golden Hours. I don't know if you have ever seen this movie but along with it's sequel Breakin' 2 Electric Bugaloo it is one of the most celebrated break dancing movies of all time. The movies are fun. These bands are fun. Hornet Leg plays fun house show punk. Soft Paws play bouncy indie pop with tons of quirks. The Golden Hours play pop music that has enough grit and lo-fi charm to win over any indie-popster's heart. I almost immediately fell for their music. Orca Team play pop music that has little tidbits of surf rock components that make for a really fresh take on pop music. I love it. You really should take a listen. The show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Mnemonic Sounds, Iretsu, and Wishyunu. Mnemonic sounds may have a name that sounds like a cross between Menomena and Talkdemonic, but they make music that is totally different. The group makes engaging electro pop that incorporates live instrumentation. It sounds somewhat like a mix between Lali Puna and The Postal Service. But not in a crappy way. I think they are really good at what they are doing. Iretsu is band that recently got on my radar. I think they make some cool music. Indie music that have music that has a lot of cool parts. I like that there seems to be a movement of bands making efforts in progressing the pop format. Wishyunu is a band that I have written about several times. They are great. They play pop music. They play proggy music. They improvise music. They loop music. I guess what I am saying is that you will not be bored of this band. They are very interesting to watch. I think that duo's that attempt to do as much as they do are really cool. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Monarques, And And And, and The Shivas. Monarques are early 60's pop perfection. They are fun and will most like have you moving around and singing along in no time. They choruses are extremely catchy and easy to memorize almost immediately. And And And are a talented group of folks who have two main songwriters who make use of the large band and varied instrumentation to make very exciting music that has a very upbeat indie rock feel. Think along the lines of The Shaky Hands. The Shivas plays rock music that also draws heavily from the 60's. But they manage to put some of the psychedelic tendencies of that decade into their music. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

Washington High School is having Time Based Art show with Guantanamo Baywatch. Guantanamo Baywatch is the other surf band in Portland. Or is that Orca Team? I don't know. I think they are both great. I tend to think of Guantanamo Baywatch as having closer ties to surf punk. It is a lot of fun. I imagine that the TBA festival is a lot of fun. Art is awesome. The show is $10 and starts at 10:30 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". You win the prize of my company.

-Ben


And And And play Doug Fir tonight. Will they were shirts? You have to go to find out.