Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 8th

Hello Dear Readers,

There are like a million good shows happening tonight. These are the ones I endorse.

Saturday, August 8th

Backspace is having a show with BOAT (Seattle), New Century Schoolbook and Ron Hexagon (LA). BOAT and New Century Schoolbook are both gleaming examples of modern indie-pop. I love both. Rex Hexagon is uh...well, remember when you were a kid and would make up songs. He is like that. The ALL AGES show is $6 and starts at 9 PM.

Worksound is having a show with Pelican Ossman, Rickshaw, Ages and Rush-N-Disco. It is apparently the Record Release (actual vinyl) show for Pelican Ossman. They claim to be a family band. They range from Silver Jews-esque country to lo-fi rock. Rickshaw plays with a similar lo-fi rock aesthetic. Rush-N-Disco performs YouTube videos. Live. Acapella. It is pretty weird, and but even more so hilarious. The show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with Portland Cello Project and Jared Mees & The Grown Children. This a night dedicated to dance covers. It is essentially if you took a bunch of Portland "rock stars" and had them doing karaoke with a bunch of cellos instead of a karaoke machine or whatever. That being said it will probably be a lot of fun.

Mississippi Studios is having a SMYRC Benefit with: We're from Japan, Swallows, Southerly and Jon Garcia. It is a good cause. Plus if you have never seen the awesome instrumental post-rock that is We're From Japan!, then you are missing out. Swallows is pretty fun. And I have yet to see a bad Southerly show. The show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

Rotture is having another installation Supernature: Bobby Birdman (LA), Deelay Ceelay, and resident DJ's: DJ Copy, DJ BJ (one of the dudes from Atole and E*Rock. Bobby Birdman used to live in Portland. I think he is really good. He mixes electronic music and old school crooning. Deelay Ceelay are a very visual band. If you are blind you will still enjoy it but you are not getting the full dry ice/projections experience. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Mississippi Pizza is having a show with All My Pretty Ones (Berkeley/Oakland) and Sam Cooper. All My Pretty Ones makes very good folk pop. Extremely good. I only listened to a little bit of it but I really want to see the shoe. I am also a fan of Sam Cooper. His music is all good and his songs are often very verbose and well written. He has a very awkward stage presence that I find endearing. The show is early and starts at 6 PM.

The Waypost is having a show with Invisible River (Olympia), Eleanor Murray (Olympia), Arrington de Dionyso and Ohioan. Invisible River and Eleanor Murray are both cool indie folk groups from Olympia (one led by a boy, one led by a girl). They both sound pretty good. Arrington, of Old Time Relijun, is crazy. Or at least his music is. Just crazy. Ohioan is really good indie experimental country (or something like that). The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 8 PM.

Kelly's Olympian is having a show with M. Bison (Seattle), Yeltsin and Grey Anne. I have heard of M. Bison before. I don't remember when or where. But listening to their my space page they sounded pretty good. Sometimes kinda like classic pop, sometimes a bit noisey, sometimes three part harmonies. Yeltsin is a really good rock band. Straight up very little amount of chords and a lot of melody. Grey Anne is an entertainer through and through. Her songs are good and often clever. Her voice is beautiful. Her stage presence is way above average(not that she goes crazy or anything, she just knows how to engage an audience). And she can use a looping pedal like nobodies business. The show is $5 and starts at 10 PM.

The Artistery is having a show with Guidance Counselor, Tunnels, Jeffrey Jerusalem. This is a show for your ass. Specifically for it to shake to and frow and all about. I have seen both Guidance Counselor and Jeffrey Jerusalem and they are both so fun to see. It is very upbeat, positive, and dancey. Tunnels is one that i haven't seen but what I heard was kinda darker almost Joy Division-esque dance music. The ALL AGES show starts at 8 PM.

14th Place is having a show with Nomenclature, Dinner and the Main Course, Monochrome, DJ Appleseed, and Pardee Shorts. This looks like a classic house show. All the bands are really pretty upbeat and fun. Nomenclature make indie-rock that is sometimes reminiscent of Pavement, sometimes of Animal Collective (if I recall correctly). Dinner and the Main Course are screamy female led punky band with saxophone (or some sort of brass instrumentation). Pardee Shorts are a pop band with really crazy drumming. Again I cannot stress how fun this looks. The show is FREE and starts at 9:30 PM.

So if you see a man that looks like me, say "Hi". You never know, it might be me.

-Ben

Guidance Counselor 7-4-09 from Andrew Sloan on Vimeo.

Guidance Counselor advises you to dance. They will be playing tonight at The Artistery.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday August 7th

Hello Dear Readers,

I love the combination of Summer and not working three days in a row. It often makes me feel like a kid. Like I can do anything. Which for me would be to see a lot of shows. Which I do. I ended up making two shows last night. Though to be fair one of them might not have counted because it was only one band and I played in that band. But after Y La Bamba played I hung out for a bit mainly because there were too many people to comfortably maneuver gear around. I initially planned on headed over to see Black Heart Moon. But because our set started later than I thought I missed their set and instead headed straight over to Holocene to catch the Nurses release show. That was such a good show. The Slaves opened up playing gorgeous slow ambient pop. You know how Grouper makes slow ambient folk. It is pops equivalent. Then Inside Voices played an amazing set in the entrance room with the audience encircling them. They lighted themselves with a series of construction lamps they place on the floor. Then Nurses played the most ambitious and best sounding show that I have ever seen them play. They had their friend form Explode into Colors design their stage which was covered in white sheets including some that sloped down to make an inverted arch which had some very cool, dare I say psychedelic, corresponding images projected on them from two different projectors. They also had matching costumes that were made by the same person in Explode into Colors (I don't remember which one). Actually members of Explode into Colors joined Nurses on stage for a more rhythmically advanced rendition of their song "Lita". Pretty cool. It honestly felt very special show. I am very glad I was there. NEways, here are the shows happening tonight.

Friday, August 7th

Ella Street Social Club is having a Ezra Carey, Oh Captain My Captain, and Montaghue Post. The show is a Bladen County Records related. They tend to do good work over there at Bladen County. They put out recordsfor all the bands playing (except Monarques cause they don't have one yet) and they will be putting out Alan Singley's new album "Feelin' Citrus" very soon. This will debut the new line up of Oh Captain. I heard that it is very different but very good. Plus it is the debut of former Oh Captain My Captain's guitarist Josh Spacek's new band Monarques. I have yet to see Ezra Carey, but I like what I have heard on his myspce page. The show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

Worksound is having a show with Hot Victory, Mustaphamond and Paper/Upper/Cuts. I have wanted to check out Hot Victory for a while. From what I understand it is two awesome drummers and a knob twidlin' keyboard player doing some very cool music that a reasonable person could get down to. I have been meaning to see Papi aka Paper/Upper/Cuts for a while too. He performs really a mixture of really cool live electronics and drums (solo). It looks really awesome from the footage I have seen. The show is for the opening of The Future in Retrospect show at Worksound which features the art of E*ROCK, RYAN JACOB SMITH, AIDAN KOTCH, CASSIE ADAMS-HARFORD, TARA JANE O’NEIL, ADAM BAZ, NAS CHAMPAS, VALENTINE FALCON, ROBERT KHASHO, AND PETER LAVIGNE-CHALEK. The show is FREE? It starts at 9 PM.

The Artistery is having a show with The Ocean Floor, Bad Weather California (Colorado) and Twig Palace. I have only seen The Ocean Floor perform once but it was really good. You may recognize Lane as being the drummer of Church but make no mistake he is much more than a drummer. his music is really good modern non-top 40 pop. The show is $6 and starts at 8 PM.

Doug Fir is apparently having a last minute show with Leonard Mynx and Haley Bonar. It is not listed on the website and I heard of it via a text message. It will be a rare solo set by Leonard which probably means more of his folky side as opposed to the more rock/poppier side I have been seeing lately. On the other hand I feel that Haley Bonar leans on the pop side of the folk-pop tag. It is good though. Especially considering this show is FREE. It supposedly starts at 8 PM. Sharp.

If you are at a show tonight and see a dude with a beard who answers to Ben Meyercord, please tell him "Hi".

-Ben


Papi aka Paper/Upper/Cuts plays at Worksound tonight. sweet.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 6th

Hello Dear Readers,

There is a lot of good music going on tonight. For real. I am planning on trying out the whole show hopping prospect again. I went all right last time I tried it. Anyway, here are the shows I am interested in seeing.

Thursday, August 6th

Spectre is having a First Thursday show with Y La Bamba. It is in The Goldsmith Building. I think most of you know that I play in Y La Bamba. I think we are pretty good. We kinda have a folkish wound. But we mix pop and some old timey arrangements (including many three part harmonies) in there as well. But I think I should mention what will be on the walls around us. First Thursday is an art event after all. There will be photographs by Leah Verwey, Gregory Lancaster, and Kelly Goode. These are all associate photographers for Campbell Salgado. This is a show of what they do on their free time. Speaking of which, I think the show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Tender Loving Empire is having a First Thursday show with art by Edward Juan and Santiago Uceda. The reason I am writing this is because Gratitillium and Come Gather 'Round Us are playing the event. Gratitillum plays crazy weird music that is fun to watch. I have not hear of Come gather 'Round Us until recently. But I have heard good things. They are originally from another place other than USA. They make music reminiscent of 60's folk music. A lot of harmonies. The show is FREE and starts at 7:30 PM.

Nest Lounge is having a show with Rian O'Hara, Gregory Miles Harris and Tommy Suitcase. I think this same show happens every on a regular basis. Though I don't remember what that schedule might be. I know that I have never made it out to the event but I want to. I like all their songs, though Gregory seems to stand out a bit more (in one man's opinion). It is FREE and starts at 8 PM.

The Artistery is having a show with Kelli Schaefer, Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives, No More Train Ghosts and Ted. I have been very impressed with Kelli and Drew since I first saw them play. Honestly I don't know why they aren't huge. Or at least bigger. And from what I hear they often collaborate. Neat. The ALL AGES show is $6 and starts at 7:30 PM.

Hotel Deluxe is having a The Fabulous Stains screening: Black Heart Moon. I think that the Top Down series is such a cool series of shows. I love seeing bands play live. I love seeing movies outdoors. This series of shows provides me with both. What a combo. Black Heart Moon play very pretty music which includes Horse Feather's cellist Katherine O'Dell, Meyercord bassist Perry Pfister, Carcrashlander guitarist David Dyas, and tonight Hello Loneliness drummer Dan Galucky. The ALL AGES show as I recall costs some money ($8?) and starts at sometime after 8 PM.

Holocene is having a show with Nurses, Inside Voices and Slaves. It is the CD release show for Nurses new album "Apple's Acre". I love Nurses. I also love Inside Voices. I have heard good things about Slaves. These would be peculiar loves were they not all bands. I think that this is an exceptional show. I am going to try with all my heart to be there. The show is $7 and starts at 8:30 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Scott Kelly, Dragging an Ox Through Water and Bird Costumes. This is a weird line up. Scott Kelly is from the heavy band Neurosis. Under his own name he plays Neurosis-esque music on an acoustic guitar. It is weird.Dragging an Ox Through Water is really good experimental music that normally juxtaposes noises and weird sounds with traditional song structures. I love it. Bird Costumes is a guy who makes experimental music whilst sometimes wearing a bird's head mask. I have wanted to see him play for quite some time. The show is $12 and starts at 8 PM.

Ash Street Saloon is having a show with From The Petrified Forest, AAPOAA, X Ray Press (Seattle) and With Eyes Abstract. This is a show that represents some of the other kind of rock that Portland has to offer that is not folk based or indie rock based , but rather instrumental based or mathy music, or kinda heavy even. The show is $5 and starts at 9:30 PM.

So if you see me at any of these shows, please let me know that you see me by saying "Hi".

-Ben


Dragging an Ox Through Water plays tonight at Mississippi Studios. Cool.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 5th

Hello Dear Readers,

Here is the scoop for today's shows. Peace.

Wednesday, August 5th

Music on Main Street is put on by Portland Center for Performing Arts every Wednesday. Today they have Stolen Sweets. I beleive that I have seen their name around. They play that kind of western swing jazzy kind of music. It is pretty fun and I would imagine fun to watch. Especially when it is FREE. Which it is. It starts at 5 PM right outside the Schnitz.

Laurelthirst is having a show with Dolorean. One of the better americana bands. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Laurelthirst is having another show tonight. This time with Michael Hurley. He is an older dude that plays great folk music. The show is also FREE and starts 9 PM.

Berbati's is having a show with Inside Voices, Dallas County Potential and Weaver. Inside Voices are so good. Perfect hot summer music. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

If you see me say "Hi". Pleeeeease.

-Ben



Imagine this for Free. Dolorean plays for FREE tonight at Laurthirst.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 4th

Hello Dear Readers,

What's haddenin'? There is some good stuff happening. See:

Tuesday, August 4th

Rock Bottom Brewery is having a show with Meyercord and Grey Anne. This Heart Will Burn Right Out is a cool entity. It serves as a website that promotes good Portland bands by posting interviews and podcasts, and free mixes and such. In addition to that THWBRO creator Hoyt Emerson has started curating Tuesday Nights at Rock Bottom Brewerey. Guess what. Today I am playing one of them as Meyercord. So is Grey Anne. I am super excited as this gives me a chance to show off the new Meyercord "lineup" (Perry Pfister of Black Heart Moon on stand up bass). Plus I think the world of Anne's musical endevors as a writer and a performer. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

Aladdin is having a show with Frank Black (he was in that Pixies band). I will admit that I don't like Frank Black's solo output as much as the Pixies, but...I mean, he lives in Portland now, so it is now Portland music. The ALL AGES show is $20 and starts at 8 PM.

Worksound is having a show with Castanets (Brooklyn, PDX, San Diego), Evolutionary Jass Band, Adam Gnade and Ohioan. I know a lot of people like Castanets I think it's 'aight. But what I really like is Ohioan. I have never seen it live but every time I hear it, I am really impressed. The ALL AGES show is $ and starts at PM.

Holocene is having a show with Tara Jane O'Neil, Marisa Anderson and DJ Zach Reno. It will also be a screening of Dear & Yonder , a movie about girls surfing and such. It looks pretty cool. Rumor has it that there will be some art involved as well. The show is $10 and starts at 7 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Panther,123 Knife, and Tanning. I have heard of and could not find any information about the other bands. Panther always surprises me. Every album he puts out is really different. This last one has added the element of the piano. It sounds pretty good. The show is by donation and starts at 9 PM.

Say "Hi" to me if you go to my show,

-Ben


This is an example of the fun of a Grey Anne show. She is playing tonight at Rock Bottom Brewery.

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Ben Meyercor's Live Music Picks for August 3rd

Hello Dear Readers,

Last night I did what I always plan on doing, but rarely carry out said plan. I went to more than one show. I started the night at Local Cut's Portland Makes Music and was able to catch an awkward interview with Casey Jarman and Leonard Mynx and Audie Darling followed by some good performances by Eza Rose and Chad Palme (hats off to Chad for being the only person more awkward than Casey Jarman), followed by a great performance by Black Heart Moon. I will be honest. I am as usual pretty biased in my opinion. This time because Luz Elena and I (both from Y La Bamba) sang some backing vocals on Black Heart Moon's last song. Then we hurried over to Rontom's just in time to catch all of Church's set for their album release party. I picked up their new album "Song Force Crystal" on very very pretty colored vinyl LP. Stoked (but am kinda bummed I missed Ocean Age). Anyway I think it is a slow day as far as shows go today.

Monday, August 3rd.

Edgefield is having a show with Skip vonKuske ( of Cellotronik) and Justin Power. Let me break it down. Justin Power is great. I like his songs and he seems to be a cool dude. Edgefield is kinda far out there, but hey. Whatevs. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 7 PM.

East End is having a show with The Pink Snowflakes, Groggs (Santa Cruz/San Francisco, CA) and La Fiesta. I am only familiar with The Pink Snowflakes. But man the one time I saw them it was great. It is kinda like mid era Flaming Lips Psych Rock. Which is to say it is pretty cool. The show is $8 and starts at 9 PM.

So if you see me out and about. Say "Hi" and I will reply.

-Ben


The Pink Snowflakes play tonight at East End. Bubbles!

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 2nd

Hello Dear Readers,

It's Sunday. This means there is usually a ton of music (usually free on Sundays, as I recall). Let's see what we got.

Sunday, August 2nd

Doug Fir is having a show with Supper XX Man and Shoeshine Blue. This is part of the 'Firs "Pickin' on Sunday" series. It is kinda like that Pickathon thing that happened in Happy Valley this weekend. Except waaaaay smaller and FREE. I have liked Supper XX Man's music for a while now. Since we both lived in Portland. Shoeshine Blue I have liked for a considerable less amount of time, but that's just because I heard him a mere year ago. Anyways, this show is FREE and starts at 3 PM (so early, that I am still at work).

Rontoms is having a show with Church, Ocean Age, Orca Team and The Fall Colors. This is an amazing show. Rontom's usually does not let me down. Last time Church played Rontom's they played with Ocean Floor, I guess they must always have ocean related bands at this particular venue. Plus it is the "official" release party of their excellent new album "Song Force Crystal". The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with AAN, Ghosting, Jacob Olausson (Sweden), and Sus & Jakob (Sweden). AAN is amazing. That is all. The show is by donation and starts at 9 PM.

Someday Lounge is having a show with Audie Darling, and Black Heart Moon. True, I am friends with all of these people. But, the only reason I ever met these folks is because I really like their music. Last time I saw Leonard play it was way different than the folky stuff I remember him playing. he likes to mix it up I guess. Plus Audie is very solid. And of course, Black Heart moon makes beautiful tunes. This is part of the Portland Makes Music series put together by local cut. The Show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

Say "Hi". Like Daniel Johnston.


I was at this show. Black Heart Moon play for FREE tonight. sweet.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for August 1st

Hello Dear Readers,

S A T U R DAY NIGHT! Party! Ahem... I meant to say there are some shows. This is what they are.

Saturday, August 1st

Backspace is having a show with Atole, Jeffrey Jerusalem, Pan de Sal (Las Vegas), Kid Meets Cougar and E*Rock. I like dance music sometimes. Especially when it is fun and not totally dumb. I think that most of the bands playing this thing could fall into the "fun and not totally dumb" category, if that were a category of dance music (which it should be). I danced my ass off when Jeffrey Jerusalem played at PDX pop this year. It was so fun. The ALL AGES show is $6 and starts at 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Bowerbirds (Raleigh, NC), Megafaun(Durham, NC), and Run On Sentence. This is a high quality "folk" show. I guess North Carolina has a lot of that going on. I guess we do to. Whatevs. I was talking to Aaron of Nurses and he said I would probably like his label mates Bowerbirds. I just might. And apparently the people in Megafaun used to be in a band with that Bon Iver guy. They split and he got really famous, while they are still on the up and up. Ron On Sentence is pretty rad. I have only seen him play once but it was pretty rad. The dud lives out in the country with not much to do but get good at his music (or something like that. is that waht I heard? I don't know). Regardless, I like his stuff. The show is $10 to $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Berbati's is having the final day of First Fest: Purple Rhinestone Eagle, The Morals, Hawkeye, Yeah Great Fine, No Kind of Rider and Skip Roxy. I love The Morals. I also love all Portland billed festivals. Check it out. The show is $5 and starts at 8 PM.

The Woods is having a show with Nick Jaina and Graves. Both of these bands kill it. Especially Nick Jaina's band. No offense to Graves but they are all smooth and easy going, whereas Nick can rock it up a bit at times. The show is $8 and starts at 8 PM.

Ella Street Social Club is having a show with Ribbons, Chrome Wings and Slaves. I writeabout this show because I still haven't seen Chrome Wings. Plus I have heard a lot of good things about Slaves (the band, I am not into slavery otherwise). The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Blue Cranes will be playing a secret (whoops!) show at the Hawthorne food carts (SE 12th and Hawthorne). Their collaborative set was my favorite performance of PDX Pop. Just saying. The carts are always so much fun. I did karaoke there las Wednesday. It seem like there is always something happening at that spot. It is ALL AGES FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see Ben Meyercord at any of these say "Hi".

-Ben


Run On Sentence will do this at Mississippi Studios tonight.

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