Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, October 22nd

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I had a busy night. I started at Alberta Rose as part of the Royal We at Live Wire! It was cool. Plus Willy V. of Richmond Fontaine read a bit from his novel. He is pretty good. I am gonna get that book. After that I stopped by Together Gallery and found out I missed Neal Morgan and John Niekrasz of Why I Must Be Careful playing a special solo set. Both of those guys only use drums. I heard that John's set was really intense and included a part where he dropped marbles and balls into a steel drum that he was handling. I am sorry I missed it. Then I caught my room mate in his first show as the drummer of Diestro. They were pretty awesome. It was loud and riff centric. It was a blast. Anyways, here are the many many shows that look good to me:

Satyricon is having Quasi, Pond, and M99 play a show. I guess they will be shutting its doors for good. Again. So why not party like it is 1993? Two of these bands, Pond and M99 are reforming especially for tonight. I never listened to either, but I have seen Pond 7"s around town. They were a grunge band on Sub Pop. I read that M99 were a punk blues band. Quasi is a rock band. They are an amazing rock band. Back in the day you they were a duo. They mix some blues, pop, and rock all together with the lyrical genius of Sam Coomes. Quasi is still putting out great records. The ALL AGES show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

The Waterheater Benefit show continues at Waterheater. Tonight they lined up Ezza Rose, Boy & Bean, John Vecchiarelli, Michael the Blind, On The Stairs, Leonard Mynx, A Gentleman's Picnic, and Vanimal. From their website, "We are a non-profit communal arts space, dedicated to the communities that bore us, that helped and fed us, that watered us and watched us grow." But mostly I am saying that you should check out all theses artists. You have probably seen me write about the majority of them. The show starts at 5 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Born Ruffians (Canada), Meligrove Band, and Aan. Born Ruffians are a Canadian Indie Rock band that have a sound that is full of energy. They are touring with fellow Canadians Meligrove Band that have perhaps even more tightly packed energy. I'll go ahead and say it. I like Meligrove Band better than Born Ruffians. The reason I am writing about the show though, is the amazing Aan. They are constantly getting better. I saw them recently at the Hosannas CD release show and they just killed it. They have a way of arranging and using dynamics to make you "feel" the songs. The lyrics are so good. The music is so good. You need to see this band. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

The Woods is having a show with Breathe Owl Breathe (East Jordan, Michigan), Little Wings, and Graves. I saw Breathe Owl Breathe a few times now. They make very cute, fun, and good music that often incorporates the crowd. It is a fun experience. Little Wings is actually a guy named Kyle. He used to live in Portland. I don't know that he does anymore. His records kind of have the same feel of early Microphones. His voice isn't the best, but he has a way with words. I have heard that lots of people are into him. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

The Knife Shop is having a show with Ohioan, Weaver & The Birds, and The Lords Own Choir. Experimental Country. That is what Ohioan claims to make. He tends to occupy the space between Neil Young and Will Oldham's more eccentric endeavors. Weaver is the name that Andrew Joseph Weaver makes. The songs I have heard have been minimal and sound melancholy. The Birds is probably a backing band. The Lords Own Choir is a country band that sounds like an indie band. Lo-fi Country, perhaps? The show is $5 and starts at 10 PM.

Tonic Lounge is having a show with Furniture Girls (Seattle), Secret Codes, and The North Wind. I cannot explain Furniture Girls. The North Wind sounds like a band in its infancy trying to figure out it's instrumental rock sound. I am writing about this show because of the great band Secret Codes. Think along the lines of something along the lines of Tortoise of Efterklang. They are awesome. Everyone in the band is really good at their instruments. I love the music. The show is at 9 PM?

The Art Department is having a show with Annie Bethancourt and Thuggage. "Join My Voice Music (MVM) for its 2nd Annual Anniversary Party on October 23, 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The annual celebration will be held at the Art Department in Southeast Portland and supports MVM in its mission to empower Portland’s youth though music. Come and listen to live performances by Portland’s Annie Bethencourt and hip-hop duo Thuggage, participate in a silent auction and raffle, and more". This is an odd pairing, but I honestly like both. Annie's songs are great and deal with heart felt emotions and grand melodies. Thuggage's songs are hilarious and not too deep but not too shallow. The show is $10-$20 and starts at 7 PM.

Bar Bar is having a show with Want aka David Bow, Fabi Reyna, and Like A Villain. Like a Villain is Holland Andrews of Meyercord, The Ocean Floor etc… She is an amazing musician. Like a Villain is her project that is very clarinet and vocal heavy. She uses looping to create very lush and dark tunes. It honestly gave me chills the last time I saw her play. The show is $5 and starts at 7 PM.

Backspace is having an event called Room Full of Speakers Poetry Slam. This is what the Backspace website said about the event. "6 teams of the best slam poets and spoken word artists from Seattle, Oakland, Vancouver B.C., Boise, Spokane, and Portland converge on downtown pdx to battle it out for superiority and the right to claim the title of Queen poetry city of the northwest. This is going to be badass." Oddly enough they will also have musical guests. This is why I am listing it. They are having Wax Fingers and Hollywood Tans. Wax Fingers is on my short list of bands I need to see. Their new album is excellent. If you are a fan of progressive pop music, you will want to check them out. The ALL AGES show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Seabear (Reykjavik, Iceland), Grandchildren, and John Heart Jackie. Seabear make some of that fleshed out an pretty folk music that is played by a large band. I will admit there are a lot of bands like that right now. I will also say that I still like their music. They are on tour with the super good band Grandchildren who are very impressive with their spin on music. John Heart Jackie is one of my favorite local folk duos. They are definitely something special and should be looked into. I do not have their ep or full length regrettably. I want them very badly. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Fringe Vintage is having a show with Westfold and Fathers & Sons. This same exact show Occurred on August 28th of this year. I guess it was such a success that they did it again. I could not find any information on Fathers and Sons. I am writing about this because I am a fan of Westfold. The show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I am the one with the beard and shoes on.

-Ben


Aan is at Doug Fir tonight! Also you can see the back of my head bobbing in this video. Plus I love the dialogue.