Ben Meyercord's Live Picks for Thursday, March 31st

Hello Dear Readers

Last night I had Y La Bamba band practice followed by a Y La Bamba band meeting. I am stoked to say that we now know exactly where we are going to record and who with. There was a bit of doubt earlier this year. By them time it was over though, I was spent. Also it is difficult for me to spend money right now. But thank goodness people sometimes have free shows. And sometimes they even give away their music for free too. That is what Hosannas, one of my favorite bands, just did, yesterday. They have an EP of heavily rewritten and rerecorded old songs to make something new. It is called Thug Life Nicole EP and is it is FREE RIGHT HERE. Anyways, here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Together Gallery is having a show with Orca Team and Future Twin (San Francisco). I really like the Together Gallery. They always have art that I like and have had several shows that I have been into. This is one of those shows (obviously). Orca Team is one of my favorites. They make pop perfection with the smallest tinge of surf music. Future Twin is a band from from the Bay. If I am not mistaken these two bands are doing a NW tour together. Also it should be noted that the first song on Future Twin's myspace player is a cover of Orca Team's "Shane". I am sorry, but I think that is one of the cutest things ever. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Rotture is having a show with Pegasus Dream, RYAT (Philidelphia), CC Swim, and Nucular Aminals. I beleive that I have gushed about Pegasus Dream to you guys before. The sugary sweet vocals, the great melodies. I am all about them right now. I think that I will save my energy by just saying that they are gush worthy. Ryat is lead by the multi instrumentalis/ electronic music maker Christina Ryat and composer/ multi instrumentalist Tim Conely. Together they have made music that spans the vast genre of electronic music but always based around Christina's vocals. C.C. Swim is an interesting take on rock music with electro elements added. I can't say it is my thing. But Pegasus Dream is so awesome so I could not not list this show. The show is $6 and starts at 9 PM.

The Saratoga is having a show with Jeremy Faulkner, Sgt. Dunbar & The Hobo Banned (NY), and Autopilot is for Lovers. Jeremy Faulkner had a really interesting year last year. Basically he life completely changed. His band, Ah Holly Fam'ly, dissolved at the peak of their popularity. I am not saying that that band is no more. I am just saying this is the second show that I have seen him listed as playing solo. I was at a show that he played the other week, but sadly had to leave early due to intense hunger (note: always eat before the show). I was bummed. I really like the delicate playing and vocal delivery that Jeremy has mastered. If you have not, you should pick up Ah Holly Fam'ly's excellent album Reservoir. I have never heard of Sgt. Dunbar & The Hobo Banned before, but I only had to listed to a few seconds of the song "Who Do You Love?" to know that I would really like it. It starts with a driving picked guitar and then the drums and singing saw drop in. I was sold. The band has six members and way more than six instruments which they cull to make music that you can tell they have a great time playing. Autopilot is for Lovers on the other hand usually sounds miserable and longing for something that is just out of reach. That being said, I think it is great. Adrianne Hatkin voice carries it all backed by her guitar, or accordion, or piano and sometimes a full band. The show is $3 and starts at 9 PM.

Langano Lounge is having a show with The Galt Line (Poolsville, MD), Lola'suko, and Team Evil. Langano-Lounge is a fun place to see a show. It is small which makes all shows there immediately intimate. The Galt Line is not my cup of tea. I could not find out any information of Lola'suko. The show is not listed on Team Evil's myspace page, but I really like them. So if you are a gambling type person, you might consider stopping by the lounge to see if you can catch the lite jazzy indie rock of Team Evil. It will be worth it if they play. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". Please.


Jeremy Faulkner plays it alone tongight at The Saratoga.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Picks for Wednesday, March 30th

Hello Dear Readers,

I didn't go to the shows last night. Instead my body decided to sneeze myself into a snotty heap of a man. I felt it was in the best interest of myself and everyone else if I just stayed in and had a tea party for one. It was just me and Netflix instant watch. Anyways, here are the shows happening tonight:

Holocene is having a show with White Fang, The Mean Jeans, Boom!, Therapists, and DJ E*Rock. It is the release show for White Fang's newest album "Greatful to Shred". They continue to make high energy and youthful punk. I write that and feel like an old man. The Mean Jeans also make punk, but theirs seems to be a natural extension of what the Ramones did. Basically if the Ramones were stoners. Boom! is the BFF band of White Fang (or is it the other way around?). They sound like a sloppy and fun party punk band (kinda like their BFF's). Therapists aptly listed their genre as crunk punk. Then there is DJ E* Rock who is not really punk at all. He mixed are super awesome and will make you want to umm…party? Yes. The show is $5 and starts at 8:30 PM.

Laurelthirst is having a show with Mike Midlo and Shook Twins. Mike Midlo is the guy from Pancake Breakfast. He started the band as a solo recording project. While he has put together a great band. I think it would be really cool to see him play solo. I talked to him the other day and he told me that he is also going to be recording for four days in a cabin next month to record a record. I am jealous. That sounds like an awesome thing to do. Shook Twins are actually twin sisters. Identical ones at that. This of course means, unnaturally good harmonies. But I guess they do a lot more than that. They play along with the expected instruments of a folk duo (guitars, banjos etc..) they also incorporate looping and beatboxing. I saw a video. They can actually beatbox. Check out Mr. Midlo every Wednesday this month as part of the Laurelthirst residency series. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

The White Eagle is having a show with Midlo, Mike Coykendall, and Evan Way. I bet that Midlo is Mike Midlo is the guy from Pancake Breakfast pulling double duty (you probably saw that he is playing earlier at Laurelthirst). Mike Coykendall has made a name for himself by producing and recording sow great records. But the man could just as easily made a name for himself just playing music. He has a voice that is perfect for the music he writes. His songs are well written and well played (see the video I posted below. Evan Way is a member of the excellent psych country band Mississippi Studios is having a show with The Seedy Seeds (Cincinnati), Milagres (Brooklyn), and Wild Ones. The Seedy Seeds sound pretty cool. Many of the songs have up beat lite beats and catchy synth lines. I would say that they are in the same ballpark as Au Revoir Simone. Milagres on the other hand, are more traditional bass guitar and drums. They sound good. The band that drew me to this show was Wild Ones. They are a post-post-Eskimo & Sons band. They are a keyboard based indie pop band. The secret weapon of the band is vocalist Danielle Sullivan. Her voice is great. I love it. Once you hear it you won't soon forget it. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Backspace is having a show with Towering Trees, Michael the Blind, and Padriac Finbar Hagerty-Hammond. Towering Trees have transformed into a very fine pop rock band. They have their a really fun five song and free EP at the link I provided earlier in the post. I suggest you get it. Michael Levasseur aka Micheal the Blind is legally blind. I guess that is why he came up with that name. He is classically trained and it shows in his crazy finger picking and percussive guitar playing. Then there is Padriac Finbar Hagerty-Hammond. He is one of my favorite songwriters in Portland. I love his songs. I have seen him play solo and I have seen him in a band setting. They are both equally as effective. Because ultimately it is up to the songs. My favorites are the sad ones. Or the cute ones. Hmm…or maybe the ones that are both. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be nice, no?

Ben


Mike Coykendall is playing The White Eagle tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Picks for Tuesday, March 29th

Hello Dear Readers,

I didn't go to the shows last night. I was doing this and, to a certain extent, that. It had me busy all night. But I looked, and there are plenty of shows happening tonight:

Holocene is having a show with Miniature Tigers, Pepper Rabbit, and And And And. I will admit that I have not really heard of Miniature Tigers before, but apparently they have some hype behind them. And to my surprise, they actually sound pretty good. It is indie pop, for sure. But it is seems pretty fresh. I can never really put my finger on why something sounds good, but this does. I guess if I had to say one thing, I would say that they have great pop melodies that sound classic. They are on tour with Pepper Rabbit, a band that I have not heard but heard of. Just listened to them. They are also real good. They have a sound that seems to have roots in both classic pop and newer indie pop. A very nice place to be. And then there is the band that drew me to the show, And And And. They have garnered a lot of attention in recent months. Probably because they are good. They have higher energy then both of the former bands put together. Though they are definitely poppy, I have a hard time calling them and indie pop band. I would just say a rock band. They are super prolific. Probably because they have two main songwriters. One has a voice that is very dramatic along the lines of a David Byrne or something. The other has a voice less distinctive but his songs are no less infectious. I though it was kind of funny that while last year they put out a "mixtape", this year they actually put out a real cassette that was sent out digitally as more of a mixture format than they have ever done before. It is a half hour mp3 called Life Ruiner that is actuality anything but ruin one's life. There are some weird moments for sure, but it never gets boring and flows really well. The show is $11 and starts at 7:30 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Wye Oak (Baltimore), Callers (Brooklyn), and Aan. Wye Oak is awesome. They are based around the duo of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Though as the main vocalist and guitarist she sticks out a bit more. Though Andy is very impressive handling the drums and some sort of bass synth proving he is a more than capable one man rhythm section. I have seen them before and was really impressed. They are currently on tour with Callers. Callers are a female led band of kind of easy going music that has a lot of subtle rhythmic things going on with the guitars and drums. Check them out. The main thing that attracted me to this show, however is Aan. They are one of my favorite local bands. They do a lot of rhythmic things that are not subtle but are really cool. They perhaps are the most dynamic band around now. Plus Bud Wilson's voice is a wild beast that just won't let you ignore (but it's a good thing). The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with White Hinterland and friends. Casey Dienel of White Hinterland is constantly changing her "sound". On the latest album there is a a tiny touch of dub while maintaing a separateness from that genre. I just found out via text message that at least one of the friends is David Kyle and The Invisibles. You best know David as the leader of Secret Codes. The Invisibles are the instruments and effects pedals. One instrument that sets him apart is the toshikoto. He does a lot of looping. He has promised some new songs. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Ella Street is having a show with Zoogirl, Hazel's Wart (San Francisco), and Kotten Dik. Zoogirl is a band that reminds me a lot of some emo bands that I used to listen to. But not terrible emo but good stuff (if you can believe it). Hazel's Wart is a rock band. Nothing else I can say about them. Kotten Dik have a name that I would never use. I watched some you tube videos of them, they look like a pretty chaotic loud rock band. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be nice, right?

Ben


And And And play Holocene tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Picks for Monday, March 28th

Hello Dear Readers,

I went to a dinner party last night that prevented me from seeing the shows that I wrote about yesterday. Also I played an alternative high school with Y La Bamba and mixed some Meyercord tracks this afternoon. I do want to let you know about a couple shows though:

In Other Words, feminist community, is having a show with Broken Water (Olympia), Kusikia, Magic Johnson, and Nucular Aminals. Broken Water is pretty cool. They play fuzzy shoegaze -esque rock that sounds way bigger than the three piece that they are. They feature members of other Olympian band Sisters and CONGATULATIONS. Kusikia are the duo Nsayi Matingou (guitar and vocals) and Peter Ryan (drums). Both play their instruments like extensions of their hearts. It's dramatic. It's Dynamic. Drynamic? Think Julie Dorion if her backing band was Slint. They put out a great record last year, Brown Town, available on Talking Helps Records or Gnar Tapes. But if you want it for FREE check this out. Magic Johnson is a punk band. They have a pretty great energy. They kinda stick out in my mind too because they have a lot of songs in Spanish (kinda like that band I play in). Nucular Aminals are a great pop band who make great use out of organ sounds and great melodies. They have a record out that will be re-released by the famed K Records later this year. The ALL AGES show is on a sliding scale from $3-$10 and starts at 7 PM.

The Know is having a show with Pluvial and Animism. Drum and Bass! It's not just for electronic music lovers anymore, thanks to the inventive duo Pluvial. They really push what can be done with the drums plus bass equation. No overdubs. No Looping. No vocals. Just bad ass-ery. You can get their For Cast For Give EP here. Anisism is a band that I had not heard of, but like. They have a nice mix of kinda lighter indie rock and cool post-rock. I find it very nice. I want to see them. The show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.
If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be nice, right?

Ben


Kusikia will be playing In Other Words tonight. Nice.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, March 27th

Hello Dear Readers,

I have had a bit of a vacation week folks. That is to say that the woman I love has been in town and we have been hanging out all week. I went and saw Like a Villain on Tuesday which was great. But other than that have skipped all shows and blogging. But I am back and happy to report that there is some good music going on tonight. See:

The Woods is having a show with Ruby Feathers, Brush Prairie, and Duover. I am listing this show because of Duover. Nathan Jr and Rebbecca Rasmussen are a duo that make sweet sweet music together. After be the secret weapon for many of Portland Folks (most notably M. Ward) it was nice to see him in the forefront with his lovely partner and wife. Together they have penned two albums worth of great folk pop and sometimes rock songs. You should check them out. I see that they have recently changed their debut album to "pay what you want" status. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

Rontoms is having a show with The Hugs, Rocky & The Proms, and Charts. This is a great rock show. Not any thing heavy. Nothing with absolute shredding solos or anything. Just fun high energy rock. The Hugs were really hyped at the beginning of their career. They were flown over to England and got put through the hype machine and have now been spit out intact back home to Portland. They apparently have new members and new sound and basically a new lease (literally?) on life as a band. Rocky and The Proms is a band that I heard for the first time relatively recently. I think that their brand of pop sounds really fresh. It is like if Monarques and The Strokes accidentally had a love child. Which is to say it sounds like throw back pop with fronted by a guy with a distorted croon. I love it. Pay attention to them. Charts are another of the younger breed of new Portland rock bands. What out, we are no longer a folk town. Pop is on the rise again. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi".

Ben


The Hugs play Rontoms tonight.

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BAT COUNTRY, THE TOWER EDITION

Hey kids, thanks for sending your videos! I love all of you.

Let's start off strong!

I love me some fuckin' spring reverb.

So does Gleam!

Research Turtles is a great name for a band.

I bet Research Turtles are glad they named their band that!

I don't really know what the hell is going in this awesome video.

But why only a teaser? Just give us the fucking video already.

Listen to your friend K Records. They're a cool dude.

I L.I.K.E L.A.K.E. Does that make me a N.E.R.D.?

Somewhere an earnest young man is dying on the microphone.

Not here, tho.

Oh, hey, did I ask for more spring reverb? No? You'll give me some anyway?

Dead Man's Sister from Tea Cozies on Vimeo.

THAT'S MORE LIKE IT! More bands need to be this band.

"writing on behalf of my band Dangerous Ponies. We are a 7 piece queer and allied band from philly."

Good stuff, but I'm starting to question their dedication to SparkleMotion.

And just so you don't think I'm a tease...

I didn't even know there was a video for this song. They didn't have the fancy intarwebs when I was in high school!

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There is nothing doper than public safety raps

That is all

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, March 20th

ello Dear Readers,

Last Night I didn't go out again. I went home and started on this here post thing. I knew that I would be unable to blog in the morning. There are some really good ones tonight. If I get out of band practice at a reasonable hour, I am going to have to make some tough choices. These are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Rontoms is having a show with Yeah Great Fine and The Golden Hours. I would say that Yeah Great Fine are a near perfect band. They are totally a pop band, but they incorporate a lot of quirky and somewhat math rock based elements that makes the whole thing super phresh. The Golden Hours are a band that I have wanted to see for a long time. They don't play ever, so this is kind of a big deal. They remind me of pop music in the vein of Orca Team. Any band that covers The Shirelles and The Wipers is bound to sound pretty cool. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

Mudai Lounge is having a show with Michael Cantino (of Archers), Jonathan Magdaleno (of Support Force), Trudgers (Murrieta, CA), and Sea Cats (Kelso, WA). Apparently Michael Cantino used to record all by his lonesome. When he did that it was called Orange Jam. Like his new band, it sounds pretty great. I am kinda stoked to find this out. I really like Archers and Orange Jam is definitely of the same cloth. It looks like there is an out of print Orange Jam full length that I now want to try to track down. Damn. Oh and check it out: there is a new FREE song from Archers on their band camp. Listening to those projects, it is hard to imagine it translated into a solo performance. The same can be said about Jonathan Magdaleno. Support Force sounds like a band (they have a release out on High Scores). You know how some bands sound like a songwriter that is backed by a band? Support Force is not one of them. They have a lot of cool rhythmic starts and stops that I am not sure would be as effective if performed alone. I would be very interested in finding out though Also I just found out that Support Force with Trudgers. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Ella Street is having a show with On The Stairs and Painted On. Just in case, like me, you missed On The Stairs at FXFU last night, they are playing again tonight. Nate Clark, the man behind the band, is a pretty prolific songwriter and according to the newsletter I got, they will be debuting some new stuff tonight. I used to think of on the stair as kinda folky. Now I see it is more 60's soul oriented. At least it does on the horn songs on his latest album, A Muted Dawn. You can download that sucker for FREE right here. you really should, it sounds great. I couldn't find anything about the band called painted on. But the google image search was pretty entertaining. The show is $6 and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with New Century Schoolbook, Sea Caves, and Future Historians. It has been forever since New Century Schoolbook or Sea Caves have played. My friend Johnny plays keys in both. I wonder if he was on strike or something and finally got his demands met. Regardless, it will be good. New Century Schoolbook is an exceptional indie pop group. For reals. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi".

Ben


Yeah Great Fine will take a break from the pool to play Rontoms tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for

Hello Dear Readers,

Last Night I didn't do jack. It felt pretty good. After working for 14 hours I thought better than to try and go out. Then this morning I worked with out the Internet available to me. I did start the blog post last night though. Here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Eagles Lodge is having a a show titled FXFU with an ass load of bands. Here is the line up: Stiffwiff, Pigeons, Mike Coykendall & The Golden Shag, Old Light, What Hearts, On the Stairs, Yes Father, DJ Black Sandwich, and DJ Nicholab. "FXFU is a ramshackle affair celebrating music here in Portland, a kinda anti-SXSW but too lazy to be too overtly political, though that is the dominant ethos. That and a love for community. There’s also a bar, DJ’s, food and a colossal eagle soaring over Mt. Hood". Well put. My suggestion. See Pigeons and Mike Coykendall ane What Hearts, and On the Stairs. I really like all of those bands. Plus there are bands that I don't know so well. And really, at $5 you don't stand to loose much. You can just leave if you don't like the scene. But I suggest you you stay. I mean these are most of the good bands that didn't go to SXSW. The show is $5 and started at 5 PM (it's happening right now!).

Bunk Bar is having a show with Handsome Furs and Breakfast Mountain. Dan Boeckner has a very distinct voice. You probably recognize it as one of the guys from Wolf Parade. This band is with his wife who plays keyboard. They have already put out two great albums on SubPop and from what I understand are working on a third. I don't think they use a drummer, but rather rely on pre-programed drum beats. It still sounds rock and roll to me though. Breakfast Mountain on the other hand, does use a live drummer despite his otherwise programmed beats. He uses Peter of the tall Typhoon drummer to liven up his live show. It is pretty crazy post-Girl Talk mix-everything-together electronic based music. I like it. The show is $10 and starts at 10 PM.

Tony Starlight's Supperclub & Lounge is having a show with Blue Cranes. This is sponsored by PDX Jazz and Oregon Music News. I hadn't really heard of either. I guess PDX Jazz puts on the Jazz Festival. Oregon Music News covers a lot of stuff that isn't crappy indie music at all. But the important thing is that I love Blue Cranes. The are just great live. It often makes me feel funny to watch them play. I still want to pick up their new covers EP. You should go support them before they head out on their Tour by Train tour next month. The show is $15 and starts at 8 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". *

Ben


Blue Cranes play Tony's Starlight tonight.

* You are not going to see me tonight.

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Regulate (Introducing myself) by way of an obituary of sorts.

Hello,

My name is Blaine Peters, I'm new here. The immaculate Ms. Goldie invited me here after she read a recent post that I made on the evil book of faces regarding the recent passing of the master of the G-Funk hook, Nate Dogg. I've been working in the entertainment business in some capacity my entire adult life. Running nightclubs, booking, promoting, occasional dj'ing, bars, restaurants, etc.. I hope you all enjoy what I have to say.

Anyway, here's a repost of the post that caused my invitation into this situation. It's shamelessly stolen from a message board: http://soulstrut.com (a great place for record nerds, for what it's worth.) Original author is unknown to me.

Cheers,

BP

REGULATE

On a cool, clear night (typical to Southern California) Warren G travels through his neighborhood, searching for women with whom he might initiate sexual intercourse. He has chosen to engage in this pursuit alone.

Nate Dogg, having just arrived in Long Beach, seeks Warren. On his way to find Warren, Nate passes a car full of women who are excited to see him. Regardless, he insists to the women that there is no cause for excitement.

Warren makes a left turn at 21st Street and Lewis Ave, in the East Hill/Salt Lake neighborhood, where he sees a group of young men enjoying a game of dice together. He parks his car and greets them. He is excited to find people to play with, but to his chagrin, he discovers they intend to relieve him of his material possessions. Once the hopeful robbers reveal their firearms, Warren realizes he is in a less than favorable predicament.

Meanwhile, Nate passes the women, as they are low on his list of priorities. His primary concern is locating Warren. After curtly casting away the strumpets (whose interest in Nate was such that they crashed their automobile), he serendipitously stumbles upon his friend, Warren G, being held up by the young miscreants.

Warren, unaware that Nate is surreptitiously observing the scene unfold, is in disbelief that he is being robbed. The perpetrators have taken jewelry and a name brand designer watch from Warren, who is so incredulous that he asks what else the robbers intend to steal. This is most likely a rhetorical question.

Observing these unfortunate proceedings, Nate realizes that he may have to use his firearm to deliver his friend from harm.

The tension crescendos as the robbers point their guns to Warren's head. Warren senses the gravity of his situation. He cannot believe the events unfolding could happen in his own neighborhood. As he imagines himself in a fantastical escape, he catches a glimpse of his friend, Nate.

Nate has seventeen cartridges to expend (sixteen residing in the pistol's magazine, with a solitary round placed in the chamber and ready to be fired) on the group of robbers, and he uses many of them. Afterward, he generously shares the credit for neutralizing the situation with Warren, though it is clear that Nate did all of the difficult work. Putting congratulations aside, Nate quickly reminds himself that he has committed multiple homicides to save Warren before letting his friend know that there are females nearby if he wishes to fornicate with them.

Warren recalls that it was the promise of copulation that coaxed him away from his previous activities, and is thankful that Nate knows a way to satisfy these urges.

Nate quickly finds the women who earlier crashed their car on Nate's account. He remarks to one that he is fond of her physical appeal. The woman, impressed by Nate's singing ability, asks that he and Warren allow her and her friends to share transportation. Soon, both friends are driving with automobiles full of women to the East Side Motel, presumably to consummate their flirtation in an orgy.

The third verse is more expository, with Warren and Nate explaining their G Funk musical style. Warren displays his bravado by claiming that individuals with equivalent knowledge could not even attempt to approach his level of lyrical mastery. There follows a brief discussion of the genre's musicological features, with special care taken to point out that in said milieu the rhythm is not in fact the rhythm, as one might assume, but actually the bass. Similarly the bass serves a purpose closer to that which the treble would in more traditional musical forms. Nate goes on to note that if any third party smokes as he does, they would find themselves in a state of intoxication daily (from Nate's other works, it can be inferred that the substance referenced is marijuana). Nate concludes his delineation of the night by issuing a vague threat to "busters," suggesting that he and Warren will further "regulate" any potential incidents in the future (presumably by engaging their enemies with small arms fire).


REGULATE

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, March 18th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last Night was St. Patty's day. I played a show as part of Y La Bamba at Doug Fir. I honestly was kinda dreading it because I thought that surely by the time we played at 11:15 that the room would be full of super loud, super rude people. I was surprised. While there were a few that did some minor heckles. Really, someone called out for "Freebird". Luzelena heckled right back and I guess quelled other people's urges to do so. I finally saw Prairie Empire play as they opened up the show. I like where that band is headed. Currently they have Brittain Ashford singing Britain Ashford songs backed by cello, violin, and drums and some male backing vocals. On the last song, however, they had an addition of trumpet. I would love to see more horns or any brass for that matter. Denver killed it. I think that hipsters love country. I told Denver that they should make t shirts that say so. Anyways, here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

The Woods is having a show with Great Wilderness, Come Gather'Rounds Us, and Harlowe & The Great North Woods. Have you ever heard of Great Wilderness? Up until very recenetly they were not on my radar. But they sent me a nice email with a link to their new "Rest EP" and Bam! They are on my radar. The EP was recorded by Victor Nash of Point Juncture WA and it sounds great. Figures. Looks like Skyler Norwood, also of Point Juncture WA and producer of many bands, better watch his back. And if you like slower gentle indie pop led by soft female vocals, then you better get Great Wilderness on your radar too. This is a very promising debut. I have heard good things about Come Gather'Round Us. It is led by married couple Catherine Freeny and Sebastian Rogers. They have fine tuned their minimal folk pop by touring mostly houses across North America and Europe. Harlowe & The Great North Woods seem like a really good fit for this show. They are a collective of folky pop musicians who trade off instruments and some of who played last night as Prairie Empire. This is well arranged folk pop at it's finest. The show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with The Mother Hips and The Parson Red Heads. I have a The Mother Hips 7" that I got for free a few years back at a Music Millennium Customer Appreciation BBQ for FREE. I remember thinking that it was alright. Then didn't think about them for years. Then the other day I was talking to my friend who spent some time in Chico, CA about Chico music and he mentioned The Mother Hips. I had no idea. Then yesterday I saw their name on the Doug Fir marquee. Then today I saw they are playing with Parson Red Heads. It seems like my destiny to write about this show. I think that the Parson Red Heads are pretty good. They take some of the elements of classic country and mix that with some psychedelia like it was 1964. From what I understand The Mother Hips rock like it was 1994. The show is $15 and starts at 9 PM.

Red & Black Cafe is having a show with The Taxpayers. Red & Black Cafe is run by some pretty cool people it would seem. They do not hide their politics. They are and have been members of the communist party. Some of them are also anarchist. They recently bought the building that they are in. They are beating the system. It makes me happy to see places like this doing well because well...they do it for the people. The Taxpayers are also doing it for the people. In fact I believe they have made all of their music available for free at various places over the Internet. Their lastest album, To Risk So Much For One Damn Meal is also available on tape and vinyl. Musically they seem to come out a punk foundation with a lot of pop influences. The ALL AGES show is at 7 PM.

Foggy Notion is having a show with Old North, Westfold, and Abajo. Old North have some silly quotes: a revolutionary approach to the medium of sound let alone rock" - San Francisco Quilters Monthly . "a sort of aural therapy that cannot be dismissed or easily forgotten" - Juniper Elementary School Bugle. "a shimmering vessel of hope afloat a sea of sound" - Pet Lovers Magazine. "Pretty good" - Jeff. Would Jeff lie to you? They have a live track of a rock band that I assume is them on the website I linked to. The reason I list the show is because of Westfold. They are one of the original rock bands that Crappy Indie Music covered when it was just Goldie. The other bands being AristeiA and We're From Japan!. They have gone through many changes and I would expect are still changing. The show is $3 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows, it will be surprising because I just found out I am working until 10 PM. I will be a tired old man by then.

Ben


Harlowe & The Great North Woods play ummmm...The Woods tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Thursday, March 17th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I played in Seattle in Y La Bamba and actually…more on that later. I guess what I am saying is that I didn't see any shows in Portland. Anyways, here are the shows that look good tonight:

Doug Fir is having a show with Y La Bamba, Denver, and Prairie Empire. This is a very similar show to the one I played last night. Y La Bamba played with Denver at The Triple Door in Seattle. If you are not familiar with Y La Bamba we are a very vocal-centric folk pop indie band infused with some Latin flavor. Denver is a country band through and through. They specialize in three to four part harmonies and sad songs. Many times he Prairie Empire is the new vehicle for Britain Ashford. I have written about the auto harp playing lady before but this is her new band. It features members of folk collective Harlowe and The Great North West. It should be a great show. The show is $10-$12 and starts at 9 PM.

The Woods is having a show with Alexis Gideon, White Hinterland, and Plastic Pussy. This is Alex Gideon's release show DVD/Vinyl release show if "Video Musics II: Sun Wu-Kong". Basically this is the second time around that Alexis has made a multimedia animated concept album. I am not sure that his previous concept album was released in the DVD format. Or vinyl for that matter. This is perfect. I mean, sure it is cool to take the live show to the next level. It would be nice to be able to experience it from your own home. White Hinterland is the every changing vehicle for Casey Daniels. I have no idea what to expect. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at Doug Fir, please say "Hi".

-Ben


Praire Empire will be playing tonight at Doug Fir.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Wednesday, March 16th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night the and the night before that there were not any shows that I was really all that compelled to write about. I think that maybe everyone is at SXSW? Anyway there are some shoes tonight. But I will be gone to Seattle today. In fact I am leaving in about 30 minutes. So I won't have time to write a lot. Anyways, here are the shows that look good tonight:

Laurelthirst is having a show with Mike Midlo and Garth Steel Klippert. Mike Midlo is the leader of Pancake Breakfast. Garth Steel Klippert is the leader of Old Light. Plus if you stick around there is a second show that will feature a Casey Jarman-less version of The Morals. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Branx is having a show with Marine Stern, Tera Melos. and Duck Little Brother Duck. All of these bands can be celebrated for pushing what can be done with guitars in the context of pop music. Also I love Duck Little Brother Duck. The show is $10-13 and starts at 9 PM.

Rotture is having a show called Nightshift. It features DoublePlusGood, Pocket Knife, Magic Fades and DJ Gwizski. I really like the really pop leaning electro pop of DoublePlusGood. They are on the same label as Pocket Knife. They are also supposed to be really good. I have not seen them. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows you are mistaken. It is probably that other Portlander with dark hair and a beard.

-Ben


DoublePlusGood play Rotture tonight.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, March 12th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night the house show I played was great. The show started with a band that I hadn't heard of called Your Canvas. They were good especially when playing laid back pop songs like the one they have on their myspace, "Telephone". Then Feral Child played. If you had seen Eric Benick before as Tender Bear, then you probably were not surprised. He explained that he felt he was too old to play as Tender Bear. That being said he has not decided to play as Feral Man yet. Anyway, his songs are literary overflows of words stuffed into simple yet hooky pop structures. Then I played. It was pretty nice for me because Sam Cooper (most recently of Horse Feathers) jumped in to play violin on several numbers. Maddy one of the girls who lived at the house also played a bit. I had never really played with strings on my songs. It felt good. Then at the end Michael Kitson (Arch Cape, Y La Bamba, etc…) jumped in on some vocals and drums (thanks Jermey). Then sadly most of the people left which made for a very intimate Grey Anne set. She started the night with a song I had not heard. Then ended in a requests session. The highlight, I felt was when she made and controlled the loops for her song "Chinese New Year" which was song by Padriac Finbar Hagerty-Hammond. It was a real good time. Anyways, here are the shows that look good tonight:

Globe is having a show with Lynnae Gryffin and Hazel Rickard, Full Moon Radio, William Carpenter, and Padriac Finbar Hagetty-Hammond. I heard about this show last night at the house show I attended last night. Lynnae was there. She mentioned it in passing. I had not heard her music before. I looked it up to write about. I mean I was going to mention the show. Padriac Finbar Hagerty-Hammond is one of my favorites. He songs are beautiful and sweet and sad and funny and just great. But anyways, I checked out her song on the Apes Tapes Mixed Ape 2 and thought it was very unique. It is not traditional by any means. Yet it is also not wildly experimental. Sometimes it recalls some of the vocal work of The Dirty Projectors. Sometimes the guitar work is a mix of noodly and folky. She has a strong voice. The tack I listened to "Maker's Hands" was an intimidating six minutes long. But it didn't seem like it. She mentions Hazel Rickard playing with her. I never had heard of this Hazel, but after listening to her website. I think she is good. I hope that she plays her own stuff as well as collaborating with Lynnae. William Carpenter used to play folkier stuff. But lately his stuff is on the verge of the kind of pop that Alan Singley makes. I think he is playing solo tonight, so he may play the older quieter stuff. Or maybe not. Either way it will be good. The shows is FREE and starts at 7:30 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having something called Train Whistle Fest. Basically it is a show put on by the Train Whistler Test podcast. The thing will be split in to an acoustic section with Jon Gary Williams with Brian Kunkel, Jared Miles, Huck Notari, and Sea Bell and a band section with Kelly Blair Bauman and On the Stairs. The show like the podcast is created to showcase some of the more under appreciated Americana artists here in Portland. You probably recognize some of the names from this blog. Especially those bands. Kelly Blair Bauman and On the Stairs. I really think they are good. Click on their links please. Plus their are lots of the acoustic acts that I don't know too well. The show is $7 and 7:30 PM.

Rontoms is having one of their shows with Pigeons, Joseph Giant (Seattle), and Wild Ones. Pigeons is a great band that I have written about ever since I found that out. It is full of energy. I hate to say Arcade Fire when describing because that seems to be the go to band to describe other bands, but honestly if those Canadians were more country it would probably come across like Pigeons do. Joeseph Giant makes Americana usually with a driving rhythm. I like it. A good fit with Pigeons. Wild Ones is the band started from former Eskimo & Sons members Danielle Sullivan and Thomas Himes. It soon added fellow former Eskimos & Sons bassist Clayton Knapp and former Eskimo & Sons former new Eskimo & Sons band Congratulations! drummer Andy Parker. Basically it is pop music with keyboards as the central instrument. It is not the epic arranged pop of those former bands, but once you get over that, you will find that it is pretty good. This is only their second show. I really like Danielle's voice and I am glad to see that there is a vehicle for it. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". It would be wonderful.

-Ben

PACIFIC | WILD ONES from Calvin Waterman on Vimeo.

Wild Ones plays tonight at Rontoms for not money!

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, March 11th

Hello Dear Readers,

I had a great time at the Google Hotpot show last night. Typhoon played their new EP A New Kind of House and it sounded even better than the record. I love that band and wish them the best as they head out to SXSW. The Dandy Warhols set kind of washed over me in a haze of smoke light show and loud shoegaze. It was nice to see them doing what they do. Anyways, here are the shows that look good tonight:

The Artistery is another closing week show with Eternal Tapestry, Mt Eerie, White Fang, O Paon, and Pete Swanson. It is kinda crazy to me that they are closing. But is nice to see some people wanting to play there before it is over. Eternal Tapestry have been around for awhile. I have not taken too much notice of them because it isn't really my cup of tea. They pretty psychedelic music. Then they got signed to Thrill Jockey and I started paying attention. They are obviously good at what they do. The only competition they may have in Portland is Grails. I have been listening to Phil Elvrum for what seems forever. I really like it. There is a quality to his voice that for whatever reason I can't seem to get enough. And believe me he tries to give people to much. He writes at an unreal pace and tends to put out a good chunk of all those songs. He uses nature imagery and metaphor. A lot. But it still seems honest and worthwhile. White Fang is a band that I liked when I first saw them. I have not seen them play in a long time. But I know that those guys are always busy. Putting out all the Gnar Tapes and all. They have a very special connection to The Artistery. It is where they grew up as a band (if you can say they grew up as a band). O Paon is Geneviève Castrée she used to play under the name Woelv. She recorded with some of the A Silver Mont Zion/Godspeed people and very much has some of the epic and dark feel of those bands. The words are sung in French, she's Canadian. I could not find many places to hear her music but this Stereogum article has a 7 minute piece you can listen to or download. Pete Swanson was on half of the deceased noise duo Yellow Swan. He has been playing solo around town since. I have not seen him solo though. I would imagine it to be similarly noisy though. The ALL AGES show is $7 and starts at 8 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Balmorhea (Austin), Benoit Pioulard, and Helios. Pretty Music. All of these acts make unapologetically pretty music. I am a sucker for delicate music. This looks good to me. Austin has changed a lot since the phenomenon that is Explosions in the Sky. Instead of kids growing up and buying distortion pedals and starting rock bands. Now it seems like they are buying elbows and taking string lessons. Do not get me wrong. I am all for it. It has served Balmorhea well. Their last tour was with post rock giants Mono. Benoit Pioulard music actually isn't as delicate as these other artists. It is by no means hard. But he regularly has drums and uptempo drums and percussion maintaining a dreamy feeling all the while. Helios I first heard of because he toured with Peter Broderick. His music is very very pretty in the same realm as Eluvium. He has put out a lot of it on Unseen-music. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Tonic Lounge is having a show with Dirty Mittens and Strong Killings (Seattle). Okay here is the deal. I don't normally think of the Tonic Lounge as having good shows. My old band played our first show there. And played another one years later. A Weather played there once and I was there. Other than that I have never had a desire to go there. Dirty Mittens however are a great band. I missed their beach party with And And And. They make indie pop music with way above average soulful vocals. They even put out a 7" on indie pop staple Magic Marker Records. Strong Killings are a punk band from Seattle. So the Mercury had this show listed but Dirty Mittens didn't. But I see that the two bands played together on Wednesday in Seattle so that makes me feel a little better about this show happening. The show is at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "Hi". It would be wonderful.

-Ben


Youtube is not working for me. Weird. This is a myspace video. Helios will play live at Doug Fir tonight. Preeeetty.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Thursday, March 10th

Hello Dear Readers,

I almost was able to blog yesterday but it just didn't happen. Oh well. I am back in Portland and I have hit the ground running. I had a band meeting and practice that I was driven to straight from the airport. I dropped my band mate off at Jolie Holland who played Laurelthirst. I bet it was crowded. I was not in the head space required of a crowded show, so I passed. Anyways, here are the shows that look good tonight:

The University Chapel is having a show with The Dandy Warhols, Typhoon, and Y La Bamba. This is part of the Google Hot Pot "Best Ever" shows. Basically you need to figure out how to get a wristband by following @HotpotPDX on Twitter. The Dandy Warhols are really famous for making psychedelic rock music with enough of a pop edge to become ridiculously popular. They got all over the radio (remember that medium?) with "Bohemian Like You". Then they got more attention when they were the subject of the documentary Dig!. Their original drummer, Eric Hedford, will be drumming with them tonight. I also recorded some Meyercord stuff with him this past winter. I had no idea who he was. Crazy. Typhoon are an amazing band. They are so huge and have some epic choir like parts that it totally makes sense to see them in a church. Also, I have been listening to their new release, A New Kind of House, pretty much nonstop since I got it on Tuesday. I love it. Y La Bamba is a band that I am in playing bass, singing and clava-ing. If you have not seen us in a while we are now a six piece and we have new arrangements and at least one song you probably haven't heard. Hopefully we will be recording soon to document what we have been doing. A hint: there is a lot more percussion. The ALL AGES show is FREE with a wristband with doors at 6:30 PM.

The Artistery is having one of its last shows ever. That means they are pulling out all the stops. Liz Harris, The Tenses, JonnyX & The Groadies, Why I Must Be Careful, and Ghost To Falco. You probably know Liz Harris better as Grouper. She makes really blessed out looped based vocal and guitar drone based folk music? Or something along those lines. The Tenses has something to do with Smegma. I have not seen them since I moved here. I remember my friend who was really into experimental music talking about this band. JonnyX & The Groadies I have seen. It was pretty crazy. They had costumes, a light show, cordless mics and instruments allowing them to run around the venue. Their music is kinda metal. Very dramatic. Really worth checking out. Why I Must Be Careful are a spazzy duo that make jazz related music that is incredible to see live. Rhodes and drums do not generally command an audience like they do when they play. Ghost to Falco's dark dramatic and really cool sounding music is always a pleasure to see. It is hard to describe it, but easy to recognize as special. The ALL AGES show is $7 and starts at 8 PM.

Holocene is having Snack Attack 12011 with Guidance Counselor, Forbidden Friends, Unkle Funkle (Chris Uehlein of White Fang), and DJ Snakks. Snack Attack is an event which has live cooking shows with Wampire, Operative, and Ilyas Ahmed. Plus there will be FREE treats by local musicians and a poutine eating contest by Potato Champion. Guidance Counselor is a band that has an ability to get a crowd pumped with their vaguely new waviest dance rock. Forbidden Friends is the latest project of Hutch Harris of The Thermals. This project not only shares some members of his other band (in the live setting), it also sounds a lot like The Thermals. Not a bad thing at all. I like what I have heard of them so far. Unkle Funkle has a tape out on Gnar Tapes it is described as "an instant pop comedy classic. Self described as "Digi-Fi" and located somewhere between Ween, Weird Al and Miley Cyrus is our man Chris. With song titles like "Retarded Girls," "Japasneeze" and "Drunk Guy" and subject matter focused on masturbation, credit card debt, drunken persons, celebrities and diminishing your liver spots (whilst extended the size and length of up to ten digits or extremities on your body.) An operatically trained singer and music conservatory drop out, Chris' truly remarkable vocal prowess is the perfect instrument for his brand of self-effacing humor. Highly recommended and critically acclaimed; this one got leaked out here in Portland and has made fans of many of PDX's best musicians and artists. This one is for the nerds." That is all I could find about the band. DJ Snakks is Zach from Breakfast Mountain. It will be a delightfully delicious show. The cover is $5 and starts at 8:30 PM.

The Goodfoot is having a show with Blue Cranes and Indian Giver (Thousand Oaks, CA). Blue Cranes have a firm foot in indie music and the other in jazz. I love them. They are one of my favorite live bands in Portland. They have recently put out two CDs. One which covers songs of Blonde Redheard, Mark Kozelek, and David Bazan. I have heard it, but haven't had a chance to buy it yet. It is awesome. They also put out a remix CD of last years brilliant Observatories called Oversea Orbits. It has remixes by Ethan Rose, Gavin Castleton, Gulls and more. It also has some videos to boot. Indian Giver is a indie band that seems to have a lot of tricks up its sleeve. The main one: jazzy instrumental breaks that sound awesome. It reminds me of a lot of the lite jazzy guitar stuff that came out of Chicago in the late 90s. This is totally my thing. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Morning Teleportation, Yours, and The Pink Snowflakes. The long awaited debut full length by the Issac Brock produced release by Morning Teleportation, Expamding Anyway is finally out on the aptly titled Glacial Pace Recordings. The band has no shortage of musical ideas and energy. The same kind that was sometimes present in early Modest Mouse. It is kinda crazy but not really in a bad way. It seems like these songs took a long time to get together. I could imagine they wanted to make sure everything was just right. Yours is a great band led by Matthan Minster and Adam Tachsel. The music they make is just really great. True students of what pop music should be. The Pink Snowflakes "are like a psyche-delicate noodle to the sledgehammer." That is according to The Internet (specifically their myspace). Their rock definitely has the marks of a band that may partake in some sort of hallucinogens. Just saying you may feel like you are on something when experiencing this band live. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at University Chapel please say, "Hi". It would be awesome to know that people read the blog.

-Ben


Blue Cranes plays at The Goodfoot tonight. Nice!

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesday, March 8th

Hello Dear Readers,

What's up? I am still in California straight up chillin'. I have not seen a show in ages. It is starting to feel weird. How is Portland doing? Is it still cool? I bet it is. Anyways, here are the Portland shows that look good tonight:

Mississippi Studios is having a benefit show for Village Free School featuring Kimya Dawson and White Lighter. Village Free School sounds like an amazing place. The kind of school that I wish I went to when I was a kid. Check out their mission statements, "Our mission is to empower tomorrow’s leaders to become independent, creative, and conscientious citizens capable of thinking for themselves and collaborating with others to create a better world.
Our learning environments honor freedom, promote responsibility, and nurture the well-being of each student and the community. Students are supported and challenged to find meaning in their lives, adapt to the world as it is, and prepare for the world in which they want to live. Our School operates democratically, with the student body exercising considerable power over their daily life, and with parents and staff working together democratically to build the community we want to have. Our School is committed to restorative justice, honesty, self direction, and promoting and practicing values of life, liberty, and happiness." Sounds pretty cool right? Plus the musical acts are top notch. Kimya Dawson got her start as a member of The Moldy Peachers. Her songs are cute. Her voice is cute. They sound like kids songs. But man, there are some parts that are poignant, some parts that are not for kids, and homeports that are just plain dark. She has put out seven solo records and a split EP. So she has no shortage of material. It is usually performed solo on an acoustic guitar and it is usually a storytelling platform. I like it. White Lighter is the moniker Kyle Morton of Typhoon plays under when he plays solo. He is just as good in this incarnation. He maintains incredible dynamics and still has his signature voice. I just think he can do no wrong. Also I should note that the new Typhoon EP A New Kind of House is out today on Tender Loving Empire. It is an amazing companion to last years Hunger and Thirst. Hopefully Kyle has some for sale tonight. This ALL AGES show is a sliding scale between $10-$20 and starts at 7 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Karen, Forbidden Friends, and Erastz. Karen is band. A good band. They have not seen them in a long while. But I hope to change that soon. They have really catchy guitar and bass lines that sit well over the steady drums. Add some great vocal melodies atop and ta daa! Music that I like. That is not to say it is an easy task to make music I like, but rather a task that is made to look easy. I just found a live performance and interview from Frawg Pound from Karens' blog. From that interview I learned that there is another tape in the work and perhaps a 7" too. Also that two of the members are from Sacramento. That's where I am right now. Anyway, Forbidden Friends is the new project of Hutch Harris from The Thermals. This is actually the release of the 7" out on Kill Rock Stars. I downloaded the title track and really liked it. It sounds like a less electric Thermals. But it is every bit as catchy as that band. I read a review of Forbidden Friends first show from OPB Music right here. It seems like it will be a fun show to see. Erastz used to play under the name Glacier Park. I can't find much information about her. I was almost positive that I have written about her before, but I can't find it. She seems to write pop music with spacey guitars. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Holocene is having The Rumble with Orca Team, The Harvey Girls, and The Tellers (Belgium). Orca Team are great. They are pop perfection. They sound like they are the band in a 60s beach party movie. But better. I love them and think you just should check them out. They have a tape out on Eggy Records and are working on one for the indie pop label Happy Birthday to Me label (Marshmallow Coast, Fishboy and more). I suggest you check them out for sure. It will not be hard. They play all the time. The Harvey Girls, Melissa Rodenbeek and Hiram Lucke (married but not cutesy about it like Mates of State), are doing their own thing. That is to say they are really following any trends or cannot really be tied down to one sound. Where a lot of bands do this and sounds disoriented and awful, The Harvey Girls sounds interesting and awesome. You can check out a FREE EP right here. They also have lots of stuff you can download from their website or their latest I've Been Watching a Lot of Horror Movies Lately from Circle Into Square. The Tellers are a band that got really famous really quickly in Europe broke up and now are not so broken up (though a founding member is absent). After listening to some of their songs, I can see why they were famous. It is catchy as hell. Poppy indie rock at it's finest. The albums sound well produced and ready to take over the world, which I suppose is the plan. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows, then you are mistaken. There are several dark haired and bearded guys in Portland. I am currently not one of them.

-Ben


Orca Team plays tonight at Holocene!

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Monday, March 7th

Hello Dear Readers,

Greetings from California (again). I am on a college campus surrounded by college kids in the college library. There are several kids with ear buds blasting music loud enough for me to hear their music. Oh my god. I am an old man. Anyways, here are the Portland shows that look good tonight:

Valentine's is having a show with The Evolutionary Jass Band. I think I mentioned recently how much I missed this band. It was formed by Jackie O Mutherfucker founding member Jeffrey Leighton Brown. He switched from guitar to become an excellent saxophonist. With the Evolutionary Jass band he gathered a group of people that mixed a lot of styles together in a very organic way. I saw them play several times before several members including Mr. Brown moved away from Portland. I was always really impressed by them. It is fun and honestly just really good. It is very jammy and a lot of what they do is improvised as you would expect from a jazz band. They find a goof, lock in, and ride it out. Last I heard Jeffrey was in LA. This seems like a very special show, so I highly recommend you check it out. You can find The Jass band's records and at least one very fine Jeffrey Leighton Brown solo record on Community Library. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

The White Eagle is having a show with Joshua English, Pancake Breakfast, and Jon Koonce. So Y La Bamba played a show with Joshua English a while back. I didn't know much about him back then. I knew that he was a skinny tattooed guy playing songs on his acoustic guitar. It seemed like a good fit with out skinny tattooed band leader playing songs on her acoustic guitar. I now know that the native Oregonian moved to Boston and lead a band called Six Going on Seven for several years. I had actually heard of that band because at the height of its popularity I was CMJ junkie and they were covered in it's pages. His solo out put is a lot more country sounding with memorable melodies and hooks. I think he is usually plays it pretty simple with him on acoustic guitar backed by a rhythm section of drums and bass. I am sure that he will be playing several from his self released Lay Your Bare Bones Down rom last year. Tonight marks the beginning of a White Eagle residency during the month of March for Joshua. Tonight he has the fortune of having Pancaked Breakfast open up the show. If you have not seen them, you really should. They put on a lively show. They have a nine person band who all sing (I believe). The music is all over the place, but somehow all feels unified when played together. It is impossible to categorize them. But it is really really good. Their self title album was one of last years best. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.

Mudai Lounge is having a show with Colleen Green(LA), The Mean Jeans, and Nucular Aminals. Colleen Green ust put out a 7" on Hardly Art label (y'know that Sub Pop subsidiary). It sounds lo-fi as crap. It also sounds punchy and fun. They also have some free stuff on their bandcamp that includes covers by Blink 182 and Decendents. Pretty classic influences. They are on tour the 7" and are stopping here to play with some of our best fun and kinda punky bands (that aren't The Thermals). If you are a fan of the Ramones. I think that you will dig The Mean Jeans. If you are a fun stoner person. I think you will like The Mean Jeans. They seem to combine the best of both of these worlds (not that they are always exclusive by any means). I have never seen them, but I bet their shows are a lot of fun. Okay, Nuclular Aminals are not a very punk band. At least not in any genre specific way. They are however on K records which is a self-proclaimed punk label. In the sense they do whatever they hell they want. Whether is is singing in French or I don't know…whatever. They are a good pop band, regardless. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows, then you are a crazy person. I am not there.

-Ben


The Evolutionary Jass Band plays at Valentines tonight. One night only!

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