Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, October 2nd

Hello Dear Readers,

I think I have become a bit of a hermit. Or maybe tour just kind of wore me out. I have yet to see a show since I have been back. That's five days with out shows folks. Pretty Nuts. Today is pretty frustrating, but will be fine. Basically I had the chance to play three times today, but instead I am going to play only once. You see what I am talking about right here:

Music Millennium is having an in store with Y La Bamba. I normally preface Y La Bamba shows by saying that I am in the band. And while it is true that I am in the band, today I cannot play with them. I was unable to get off of work. But the rest of the band will be doing a striped down set. As you may or may not know we put Lupon, out our first major release, this week and it will be available at the store. I have always been a fan of Luzelena's music. In fact if you look back to when I first started doing these blog posts you can see me raving about her before she had a band. Her voice is haunting and has amazing range. It is the center piece of the album. Plus there are loads of extra instruments that create a lush environment for her songs to thrive. Did I just review a CD I am a part of? Whoops. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 2 PM.

The Press Club is having a show with Sean Flinn. This is a rare solo show for Sean. He is usually backed by his revolving band The Royal We of which I am usually a part of (back up singer extraordinaire). His songs are well crafted and will stand strong on their own. He has a very interesting sense of melody and song structure which is very immediate and yet kinda weird when you examine it. I like that kind of music. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.
The Woods is having a show with Old Light, Mike Coykendall, and Meyercord. Old Light are releasing their debut album, The Dirty Future, on Arena Rock. The songs are rock songs but really what stands out to me are all of the sweet three part harmonies. Check out the video that I posted at the bottom of this post for a better example of what I am talking about. Mike Coyendall has a great voice that sounds weary and experienced. His folk rock is not too far off from some of those he has recorded (M. Ward etc…). I have never seen him play, but I am looking forward to it. Then there is my band. It is looking like it will be a four piece tonight. This is will be the second show with the new line up that includes drums. This is kinda of a big step for me. Drums kinda take things to the next level. I will also have clarinet and stand up bass (with some extra stuff thrown in here and there). I will try some new stuff tonight. Lets see how it goes, no? The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Bossanova is having Free Geek's 10-year Anniversary with performances by Dat'r, The Beauty, and DJ Ted Thieman. Free Geek is a technological nonprofit by the way. Do you know Dat'r's music? It is electronic based and pretty great. You can dance to it and well...you most likely dance to it if you hear it. The Beauty creates glitched out soul music. It is made by self-proclaimed (I think they proclaimed it) pretty boys. They do not play so often, so this is pretty cool. Plus there will be a fashion show by Junk to Funk. You should really click that link to see some crazy fashions. The show is not free but a reasonable $10. The show starts at 8 PM.

P:ear is having the KZME FM launch party. There will be performances by Boy Eats Drum Machine, Celilo, and The Hugs. KZME is the radio station that is going to be devoted to all Portland music all the time. They have already done a heck of a job so far promoting shows and such. I know that I have been a part of shows that they presented. They have all gone well. Boy Eats Drum Machine is the hybrid/mash up whatever of Jon Ragel's talents and influences. If you know another person who is the DJ sax player, guitarist, and singer of a group (of one), please let me know. Celilo is one of the many fine Americana bands Portland has to offer. They make use of the wonderful pedal steel of Tucker Jackson (who also plays in The Royal We with me). Then there are The Hugs. They are a band that were "discovered" by the British guy who "discovered" The Stokes. They also make insanely catchy British garage rock influenced pop music. The ALL AGES show is $10 donation and starts at 8 PM.

If you see me at The Woods please say, "Hi". I am the one fronting the opening band.

-Ben


Old Light will have different instruments but will just as good as this tonight at The Woods.