Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, January 28th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I ended up working until 9 pm. That meant a 13 hour work day. I am used to 8 and that wears me out. I wasn't een close to seeing a show afterwards. I hope you guys did though. That Holocene show looked really promising. Anyways, here are some shows that look good to me tonight:

The Woods is having a show with The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger and Laura Gibson. GOASTT is a new band from Sean Lennon and his model girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. I know how that sounds. Son of a very famous musician? Model/musician? No way this can be good. Well, I have only seen one video and it was pretty good What's more is that the video is live. This is the easiset way to expose a musician's weaknesses. But nothing jumped out at me. I am just as surprised as you. They have some really sweet harmonies and both are usually singing and playing a couple things at once. Impressive. Plus they got Laura Gibson to open. I have not seen Laura Play in a long time. She will be releasing a record sometime this year, so hopefully she will play some new songs. I think this is a partially seated show. So come early if you want a good seat. The show is $15 and starts at 9 PM.

Someday Lounge is having something called Whiskey Songwriters Night. As you might suspect there will be a lot of songwriters and a lot of whiskey. Nate Clark (On the Stairs), Megan Spear (Jared Mees & The Grown Children), Ed Thanhouser (Ed & The Red Reds), Dustin Ruth, James McFarland (of Southpaw),Shawn Lawson Freeman. I am not a drinker, but the whiskey at this event is apparently is "good" and $3 a shot. So you have heard of drinking songs. Perhaps you have heard of drowning your sorrow. This will be a night of these sentiments. If you are already having a bad year, misery loves company. Come on out and take part in the country/singer-songwriting tradition of getting hammered. Radio Cab's number is 503-227-1212. You probably shouldn't be driving or biking after this show. The cover is $5 and it all starts at 8 PM.

Branx is having a show with The Thermals, Guidance Counselor, and Wampire. This quite a line up. I think White Fang used to be on the bill too. I am not sure what happened there. But regardless, this show will be fun and full of energy. The Thermals are poppy. They are kinda punk. They are are super fun. I think that The Blood The Body The Machine is one of the best albums ever. I have not heard their latest, but I bet it is good. It is also nice to see some of the younger Portland bands on the bill. Guidance Counselor are a great band. I haven't seen them in a long time. I think they have at least one more member since I saw them last. It is really dancey. Wampire has also added a member. While it is kinda dancey. It is more about a chill pop vibe that you can dance to. They also like to strip. Just letting you know. They have songs that will get stuck in your head. Much like the headliners. The show is $15 and starts at 8 PM.

The Know is having a show with Why I Must Be Careful, Raider, and Swahili. I haven't seen Why I Must Be Careful in a long time. I remember them being really crazy spaz jazz. I bet they have a completely new set that I haven't heard before. I think they made an LP sleeve from real honey comb. I just saying, they are pretty creative. Raider have a couple of demos on their myspace page. It sounds like psychedelic post-grunge rock. Swahili sound like the part of the movie where the protagonist has a spirit walk in the desert. It is psychedelic and dreamlike for sure. you can get their album for free at the link I provided. The show is at 8 PM.


If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". I would thank you kindly, to do so.

-Ben


The Thermals are playing Branx tonight!