Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Thursday, August 19th

Hello Dear Readers,

I have had a few busy days. Mostly I have been having to work at seven in the morning at a place with out blogging capabilities. Stupid I know. Anyway there are some shows going on tonight. Check it out:

Refuge is having the Conflux Beer Release Party. I have not ever heard of a beer release party, but I think this is a good idea. I mean I probably never heard of Conflux beer where it not for my love of Portland music. The show will feature Monarques, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, Good Night Billygoat, and The Commodorks. I have not seen Monarques with the current line up. In fact I don't really know what the current line up is, but I know that they make pop music that would make the early 60's proud. Sean Flinn is another group that I know have made some line up changes. I used to sing back up vocals in this group because…well, because I think the songs are really great. It is pop song-craft at it's finest. Good Night Billygoat is the multimedia attack of some dudes animation and the band they formed to back it up with a live and intricate and fitting cinematic live soundtrack. It should not be missed. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with The Parson Red Heads, Dolorean, and Jeremy Benson (NY). I know that I am a sucker for most things that fall in the roots music or folk music cannon. This is a good line up of some bands that play music that touches on those genres. I wrote about The Parson Red Heads on Tueday when their new album, Yearling, was released. This is your chance to see them play songs from it before hitting the road with Portland favorites Viva Voce. Dolorean makes music that is less sunny and harmony centric. Theirs is a music more somber an often is focused on Al James vocals and guitar. But the band makes a very tasteful sound to encase this singer-songwriter. The show is $5-$7 and starts at 9 PM.

The Press Club is having a show with Ezza Rose. I played a show with Ezza last Sunday and was way impressed with the way her music sounded in the former church. The Press Club is hardly a church. The acoustics are not as majestic, but to be honest you don't need much when your band is as good as hers is. They are mostly acoustic and probably wont need to mic much in a space the size as Press Club. I also want to mention that the women that she has on violin and cello have voices that blend with Ezza's in a way that is sweeter than anything that I have heard in a long time. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.

Backspace is having is show with Beware of Safety (LA), You May Die in The Desert (Seattle), We're From Japan!, and Amos Val. This is a show for those of you who love instrumental post-rock music. All of these bands are fine examples of the genre. Also it is nice to see them all next to each other to exemplify how different bands can sound and still fall under the post-rock tag. Fans of epic music with major dynamic shifts take note, you should see this show. The ALL AGES show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

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

Ben


This is exactly what Amos Val sounds like live. I mean it is a live recording. Come see them at Backspace tonight.