Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, September 3rd

Hello Dear Readers,
I ended up doing back to back practices from 4:30 to 9:30. I then was too pooped to have any more music. I watched a little bit of that Bob Dylan movie I'm Not There (it was weird but beautifully shot) and then fell asleep. For shame really. I am requiered to go out tonight, though. Check out these shows:

Obviously the biggest show tonight is at Edgefield with Pavement and Quasi. Both of these bands are bands that I loved in highshcool. I didn't get into Pavement until Terror Twilight (written mostly in Portland). I was like, "Man, what a cool band. Oh, your breaking up? Lame." I got into Quasi because my friend told me that they used to be the backing band for Elliott Smith. I loved Elliott Smith's music so of course I checked Quasi out. Brilliant. I even once drove from Denton, TX to Austin, TX just to see them play. If you are not familiar with either of these bands a) what is wrong with you and b) CHECK THEM OUT NOW! Quasi's latest is pretty awesome. Pavement's latest, Terror Twilight, is pretty great too. The show is $39 and starts at 6 PM.

The White Eagle is having a show with AristeiA, Helical, and Bruxing. AristeiA is the loud-ish heavy-ish instrumental rock band that I am a part of. We used to have a lot of people write nice things about our band and how good we were. Now that I think we are actually good people have stopped writing about us. Except for me. I write about us. If you are a fan of Mogwai or perhaps Neurosis. If you dig loud tones and their subtle changes, if you are a fan of many many guitar pedals, or of vintage tube amps, then you will find something to love in our band. The show is being described as a post-rock show, while the other bands definately could easily be placed in that genre and do a fine job at doing it, we are trying to distance ourselves a bit from it. We are a rock band that just happens to be missing a singer. On purpose. The show is $6 and starts at 9:30 PM.

Disjecta is having something called Video Musics II. It will feature a performance by Alexis Gideon. Check this out: "“Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong” is a one-hour multimedia video opera based on the 16th-century Chinese novel “The Journey to the West,” and is the result of two years of dogged research and collaboration with the brightest lights of contemporary animation and music." That sounds incredible. Plus if you have not heard the quirky flow that Alexis is capable of, then you are missing out. His songs are weird and awesome in equal measure. The show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

Holocene is having Strength, Fake Drugs, DJ Copy, and DJ Patricia Furpurse. Until the PDX Pop Now! 2010 CD came out this year, I had not heard from this band for a long time. I thought for sure they had broken up. Wrong! They were just readying their new album, Mind-Reader to come out. Which is coming out tonight at the show. This band is a dance rock band and they are the best at it. In a town full of dance rock, they started doing it first and are just the best at it. They have other people on the bill like Fake Drugs who will also get you dancing and DJ Copy is a knows how to work a crowd, but as I mentioned Strength is the best. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

The The Mission Theater is having a show called Homegrown Doc Fest. It is several short documentaries about many different subjects. One of those subjects is the local band No Kind of Rider who I have written about a few times in this here blog. There will also be a rare performance by Loch Lomond lead man Ritchie Young. I like documentaries. Escpecially when they are short. Like my attention span. Also seeing Richtie play solo is a treat. He generally switches between a vionlin and an acoustic guitar and gets all storyteller between the songs. The show is $7 and starts at 7:30 PM.

Black Rose Infoshop is having a show with Motorbikes (Anacortes), Takhoma (Tacoma), Kusikia, and Fabi. I basically know nothing about these bands except that Kusikia is rad. The two peice is originally from Takoma, whoops I meant to say Tacoma. They play with huge dynamic shifts and keep things intersing by way ofa killer drummer and inventive guitar technique. I love it. The ALL AGES show is $3-$5 and starts at 7 PM.

Mudai Lounge is having a show with Wet Paint DMM (Seattle), Why I Must be Careful, Total Bros, and Besties (this band?). Why I Must be Careful rule it. Assuming that you are down with spazz jazz. If there is a better drums and rhodes duo, I do not know of them. Plus the music of Total Bros is Total sweetness. That is all. The show is $2 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at The White Eagle please say, "Hi". I will give you an AristeiA button or sticker. Maybe even both.

-Ben


Quasi open for mother lovin' Pavement tonight!