Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Wednesday, May 4th

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I didn't go to any shows. I am sick, yo. Anyways, here are the shows that look good to me tonight:

Laurelthirst is having a show with Michael Hurley. Michael has been around for a while. He has made a name for himself around the folk music scene. Like many of his current Portland contemporaries he is not afraid to mix a little rock and roll or pop music with folk traditions. He has been doing it for quite a while. This is the first of his month long residency every Wednesday at Laurelthirst. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Battles (NYC) and 1939 Ensemble. Battles are an extremely technical band. Their music is straight up mathy. That being said it is also poppy and fun. Their latest single is called "Ice Cream" from the about to be releasedGloss Drop. The band truly fits as much as they can within the confines of a pop song stretching boundaries. They no longer have Tyondai Braxton on Vocals, but then again it never was about the vocals. 1939 Ensemble is a new group that I have yet to see, but really want to. I think it may be a duo. Regardless it is all about the vibes and drums. They make instrumental music, so that mixed with the vibes will obviously lead to Tortoise comparisons. Not a bad thing. The music is cool. It is engaging and the beats are just great. I am not sure if they have officially released any music, but I want what they have. The show is $15 and starts at 9 PM.

Crystal Ballroom is having the third in several days of celebrating the grand opening of The Crystal Hotel. There will be several days of M. Ward. Tonight he will be joined by David Bazan, and The Lord's Own Choir. I love M Ward's music. I listened to a lot of it while writing yesterday's post. It is just so good. Instantly classic. Eternally timeless. David Bazan is also one of my favorites. He is about to put out a new record called Strange Negotiations on Barsuk. You can hear/download the track "Wolves At The Door!" here. I am not sure if he will be playing with a band or not, but I hope so. "Wolves At The Door!" would not be as bad ass with out a full band. It could be me, but it seems that Mr. Bazan has stopped writing about God and started addressing America. Though he started doing this way back in 2001 with his song "Backwards Nation". Speaking of which, have you been paying attention to the news? Anyways, the show is $25 and starts at 9 PM.

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

Ben


1939 Ensemble plays Doug Fir Tonight!