Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Sunday, August 28th

Hello Dear Readers,

It has been awhile since I have seen a show. It has been crazy having to get up early in the morning. That being said, I have had plenty of time to blog about shows. Here are the ones happening today:

Doug Fir is having it's Sunday patio series with Denver and Kyle Morton. Denver is the country rock band with about five singers all in harmony. There is mandolin and guitar solos. Kyle Morton used to play under the name White Lighter. Oh, and he front Typhoon. I would imagine he might play some Typhoon songs, but the more exciting thing is that he might play new songs. I saw him play a few months ago almost solo (he had Danielle Sullivan singing harmonies). He is a great songwriter and it truly shows in these stripped down sets. The show is FREE and starts at 3 PM.

Bar Bar is having a show with Death Songs and Rememomry. Nicholas Delffs made a name for himself in The Shaky Hands. Not much has been done in that band since they played New Years. On the other hand Death Songs seems to playing out a lot more. It is good stuff. And one of the members of the band, Justin Power, is Remomory. I think. I mean when I clicked on the link from Mississippi Studios it went to Justin's myspace page. Sadly, his music is no longer on there. You can hear some of his songs backed by The Portland Cello Project on the Thao & Justin Power sessions.The show is FREE and starts at 4 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Oh Captain My Captain, Monoplane (Salem), and Gay Ghost. Oh Captain My Captain is one of Portland's most under appreciated bands in Portland. It is lead by Jesse Bettis. I used to think that hose voice sounded a lot like David Bazan, I often described the band as sounding like David Bazan fronting Dr Dog. I still think that will get you close to what they sound like. Monoplane is aindie rock band that seems to have been raised on the indie rock classics ie circa 1998 bands. Gay Ghost is a pop band formed by Joe Mormann who used to front The Glib. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Rontoms is having a show with Monarques and Real Diamond. Monarques is a great throw back pop band. I haven't seen the current line up, but I think it no longer includes female backup singers. But I bet it still really fun. You don't get much more fun that early 60's pastiche. I am not sure but Real Diamond might be a Neil Diamond cover band. I can't confirm this but when I searched for Real Diamond this came up. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be the cool thing to do.

Ben


Kyle Morton will be playing this afternoon at Doug Fir

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Saturday, August 27th

Hello Dear Readers,

I played over seven hours of Monopoly while babysitting. Kids these days are crazy. I missed all shows that happened last night. Though I heard from a very credible source that the Blue Cranes show was really good. Anyways here are the shows happening tonight (not including Huey Lewis & The News at the Zoo). Check it out:

Hotcakes And Powell is having a show with Jordan O' Jordan (Olympia), Firs Of Prey, The Ocean Floor, Osito (Seattle), and DJ Selector Edmund. At first I did not see thread that connect these bands together. Then I saw that on the Electricity & Lust that Jordan o'Jordan, Girs of Prey , and The Ocean Floor all have records on that label. I heard of Jordan O'Jordan a long time ago. I have never seen him solo , but I have seen him perform as part of the excellent Polka Dot Dot Dot (also has records in Electricity and Lust). I met him too, he seemed a nice fellow. His is a nice mix of banjo and gentle crooning. Firs of Prey makes sweet songs that would do any of the Elephant Six proud. Plus I have seen footage of him doing some awfully sweet harmonizing with himself by way of looping pedal. I just wrote about The Ocean Floor the other day, but I will say it again. They are amazing. The ALL AGES show is by donation and starts around 8 PM.

Doug Fir is having a show with DoublePlusGood, XDS, and Wild Ones. This is part of Jack Daniels' "Black & Blue" series. It is also the CD release for DoublePlusgood's CD, Here They Come, The Birds of My Youth. If you have not heard it, you should click on that link. They are so poppy. In such good way. Much more than most bands who get pegged as electro-pop. XDS is a highly impressive art rock duo. If you have never seen a guitar with six outputs to six different amps while a drummer holds down a beat and a cassio at the same time, this is your chance. And I love Wild Ones. They are a great band who have been doing a great job of soundtracking my summer. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

The White Eagle is having a show with Jared Mees & the Grown Children. Jared Mees is a busy man. He helps run a store, a record label, and fronts a band. It is incredible that he gets anything done. But he does get stuff done. Including playing some of the most fun shows ever. The songs are al anthems and the energy is always high. The words are smart and the music makes you smile. The show is $6 and starts at 9:30 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be the nice thing to do.

Ben


DoublePlusGood will be releasing their new CD tonight at Doug Fir.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Friday, August 25th

Hello Dear Readers,

So I am babysitting tonight. Apparently being a rock star is not as glamorous as I thought it would be. But hey, I get my meals for free. Anyway here are the shows I will be missing tonight. Check it out:

Elizabeth Caruthers Park is having a show with Blue Cranes. This sounds really cool. First of Blue Cranes is one of my favorite live bands. They play music that is hard to not describe as jazz. That being said they all listen to a lot of indie rock. You can tell because they aways covering it. They even put out an EP of covers called Cantus Firmus which features covers of Blonde Redhead, David Bazan, and Mark Kozelek. The show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Langano Lounge is having a show with Purple & Green, Dirty Mittens, Pocketknife, The Golden Hours, The Definite Articles (San Francisco/Sacramento), and Leroy Jerome. That is a lot of music. Explanation: It is a Mini Festival. Purple & Green is Adam Forkner and Justin Leon Johnson. Adam makes all the music and Justin is the one doing all the singing. apparently they "experiments in r&b soul-hop psychedelic digital funk party music". Dirty Mittens is a great soul pop act. I have seen them a number if times. They are great. Pocketknife is one of the better electro pop acts. I have not seen them yet. The Golden Hours is a good indie pop outfit. The Definite Articles is a indie pop group from California that I am not familiar with. Leroy Jerome is a guy who has made a bunch of music on his computer. I am not sure how he will do it live. The show is only $3 and starts at 6 PM.

Edgefield is having a show with The Decemberists, Okkervil River, and AgesandAges. The Decemberists are pretty popular. You know about them right? You also probably know about AgesandAges. I mean you should. They have made a near perfect album. Actually maybe it is a perfect album. Regardless it would be cool to see them in such a nice venue. Their vocal arrangements are great. The hooks will not leave your brain for days. The show is $38 and starts at 6 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Au, Operative, and Archers. Au is the duo of Luke Wyland and Dana Valaltka. Together they make a cacophony of artful music. There is a new album that has been finished and I am sure they would love to play your songs from it. Operative is band that I don't know. Archers is a band that I do know. They are great. It sounds 90's indie rock. you can get all of their music, and should, here. The show is $7 and starts at 9 PM.
Backspace is having a show with Brianstorm, Religious Girls, Kotten Dik, and Moon Pearl. Brainstorm is a great band in the tradition of great duo's. They have very pop oriented music that is offset by interesting structures and subtle pro tendencies. Religious Girls is a band that keeps popping up on shows I right about. The album that they have for download is very good and can be had for the cost of being on a email list (it is worth it). It is post-indie rock pop. There are a lot of cool almost choral to animal collective type vocals. and nice cool keys and synths through out. Kotten Dik seems very noisy. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Alberta Rose Theater is having a show with Celilo, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, and Carcrashlander. This is the CD release show for Celilo. They are one of the better Americana bands in town. Sean Flinn is one of the better song writers in town. He always has a great band and always puts on a good show. Carcrashlander is a great band. They do not play out enough. You should see them if you can. I find myself listening to the reggae influenced Born in a Hospital often. Like a lot. It is great. The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Place Gallery at Pioneer Place Mall is having something called Harmonic Series. The site said this is "An exhibition of sound artists and modern electro-acoustic music. Curated by Adam Bailey, Palma Corral, and Will Justice" Tonight White Rainbow and Zac Nelson are going to be highlighted tonight. Both of these guys make pretty and somewhat droney music. It is good if you are in the mood. It is soothing and not at all what you would expect from a mall concert. I am not sure is Adam Forkner aka White Rainbow is pulling double duty tonight. I know that Purple & Green (another one of his projects) is playing tonight too. Regardless it will be good. The show

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". But seeing as to how I won't be attending any that would be difficult.

Ben


Dirty Mittens will play tonight at Langano Lounge with many many other bands

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Thursday Ausgust 24th

Hello Dear Readers,

So I am scheduled to work tonight until 1:30 am. That means that I can't see any shows tonight. The thing is that I will be working at Wieden & Kennedy. Tonight Daniel Johnston is doing a performance there for his Space Ducks art show in their lobby. Anyway here are the shows going on tonight. Check it out:

Hotel deLuxe is having the Top Down: Rooftop Cinema. Basically this is a series bands playing on top of Hotel deLuxe followed by the screening of a movie. It is a great idea. I have only been to one, but it was a lot of fun. Tonight they have Hosannas play a set followed by a screening of Goldfinger. If you have not seen Hosannas before, you are missing out. They are really cool. They are always tweaking old songs and playing new ones. They are currently a duo of brothers Brandon and Richard Laws. They make use of a few keyboards, sampler, guitar and great use of vocals. They have amazing sense of dynamics and a aesthetic that seems very honed. They have a hint of chillwave with their programmed beats and cool guitar tones. And you can't much cooler that James Bond. The show is $9 and starts at $9 and starts at 8 PM.

WTF Bikes is having a show with The Ocean Floor, James Rabbit (Santa, Cruz), Zach Jammin', and Shelby Sifers. The Ocean Floor is one of my favorite bands. Lane Barrington has made some great music over the years. In the past year he has also assembled a great band. It includes Shannon Rose Steele (violin and vocals), Holland Andrews (clarinet and vocals), and William Wienert (stand up bass). James Rabbit is a very fun sounding guy from Santa Cruz. I think I met him along time ago when he was living with Rachel Williams (Birds Fled From Me and Sleepy Suns). Shelby Sifers is someone who writes very good songs and who I have not seen in a very long time. I know that she has been making music of a more electronic variety as part of Peacock Dreams. But I first fell in love with her songs as just her and an acoustic guitar. The show is by donation and starts at 7:30 PM.

Holocene is having a show called Intuitive Navigation. The bands are Midday Veil (Seattle), Swahili, Golden Retriever, Billions & Billions, and Black Science (Seattle). I have written about most of these more experimental bands before. But this is more than just a music performance. Here is what the website said about the event, "INTUITIVE NAVIGATION invites like-minded performers from Portland and Seattle to transform the atmosphere of Holocene into a hypnotic, self-reflective zone. Five bands will showcase the spectrum of possibility found in psychedelic music while focusing on one central goal: to unite concertgoers in a similar consciousness of meditative bliss. Bands will pair up with at least one dancer and one visual artist for costumed performances which celebrate the act of ritual -- a mode of expression as symbolically cathartic as it is aesthetically pleasant. Drawing inspiration from philosophers of mythology such as Joseph Campbell, C.G. Jung, and Alan Watts, performers will explore the ways in which decisive physical actions, when imbued with the intentions of their authors, can become healing and transcendent acts." Neat. The show is $5 and 8 PM.

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Grass Widow, Blood Beach, XDS, and Nature. Grass Widow is a band that I have kept hearing a bout for awhile now. I just listened to them. It sounds really cool. There are female vocals and it is rock music. It touches on early 90's indie-pop but still manages to seem fresh. Blood Beach is a bout as psychedelic as a band can get. XDS is a cool art rock duo that packs quite a punch. Think lots of amps and one guitar. Nature seems to make proto-rock with vocals buried underneath several waves of reverb. Cave person rock? The show is $12 and starts at 9 PM.

Edgefield is having a show with The Decemberists, Okkervil River, and Point Junture, WA. Say what you will about The Deceberists, but they do have some good songs. I know I would love to see them play some of the old stuff. I have not really gotten into most of their recent output, but I am glad to see a Portland band do as well as they have. Plus they always seem to support good local bands by having said band support them. Case in point. Point Juncture WA. This is a great band. I love them and they deserve any break they can get. They have a new album out, Handsome Orders out now. They have a very sweet sounding indie rock sound. It keeps getting refined with every album. I have heard of Okkervil River. They are supposed to be good. The show is $38 and starts at 6 PM.

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

Ben


The Ocean Floor play tonight at WTF Bikes. Be amazed.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Wednesday, August 24th

Hello Dear Readers,

I haven't seen any shows recently. But the good thing is that they happen everyday. There is an abundance of them. Especially here in Portland. Anyway here are the shows going on tonight. Check it out:

Mississippi Studios is having a show with Nick Jaina, Dovekins (Denver), and Run On Sentence. This is the CD Release show for Nick's new album, The Beanstalks That Have Brought Us Here Are Gone. I remember hearing about this album a long time ago. It sounded like a great concept. Take a great songwriter, Nick Jaina, then get a group of lovely female voices to sing his new album. There is a lot of great local talent including Luzelena Mendoza (Y La Bamba), Annalisa Tornfelt (Black Prairie), Johanna Kunin (Bright Archer), Amanda Spring (Point Junture, WA), Corrina Repp ( Tu Fawning), Audie Darling, and Laura Gibson. There is also some other women from other places as well. Take Jolie Holland and Kaylee Cole. I am not sure if he is having any of these ladies to sing the songs tonight, but regardless it should be a great show. I mean someone who has toured as much as Mr. Jaina knows how to perform. Plus Dovekins will be playing. I have written about them before. They make really good music folk based music. But they do more than just that. I mean they backed AU before. Run On Sentence is Nick's Hush Records label mate and has in the past shared members. But they also sound very different. I feel like Dustin Hammond of Run On Sentence is something to be experienced. The music flows though him. Unlike Nick Jaina's carefully crated songs. I really like both but feel they come from opposite sides of the songwriting spectrum. The show is $10 and starts at 9 PM.

Holocene is having a show with Mattress, Religious Girls, The Crow, and Jizz Wisard. Mattress is one of the musical outlets of Rex Marshall. He also does time in The Reservations. But Mattress is where I first became aware if him. He made very minimal techno with Nick Cave-esque soulful vocals. He used to back himself with a tape cassette. He has a new tape out today called Lonely Souls. And his first release is being put out vinyl. Religious Girls is a crazy experimental group. The Crow makes electro influenced pop music. Jizz Wisard is a mix of a few different kinds of more aggressive electronic genres. The show is FREE and starts at 8:30 PM.

Plan B is having a show with Wax Edison, Grrlfriend, Vises, and Winter Ox. Wax Edison is an awesome band that makes very riff heavy music. It is really cool. Grrlfriend is messy and noisy shoegaze rock music. Vises is punk rock music. Winter Ox is heavy music with some schreeked vocals. The show is at 8 PM.

Backspace is having a show with Mystery Siblings, On the Stairs, Jon Gary Williams, Denim Wedding, and Jonah Luke. Mystery Siblings are a folk rock band that I am not too familiar with. It sounds pretty promising. You can get their album for FREE here by clicking the reel to reel icon. The reason this show caught my eye was because of On The Stairs. This group lead by Nate Clark is pretty good. His last album, At Muted Dawn, is sided with some soulful and sometime latin sounding brass and contains my favorite track of his "Stand" which seems to be a nod to 60's soul. Denim Wedding Wedding sounds like a bad idea, but it also sounds like what happens when Jennifer Faust and Brian Kunkel get together to make slower country tinged music. The show is $5 and starts at 9 PM.

Lola's Room is having a show with The Protomen and Airwar. Okay I have beaver heard of The Protomen but I am impressed with what I have learned today. They are a band that makes concept albums based on Mega Man. Crazy, I know. They have recently released their album called Act II and will be playing it along with Act I at Lola's Room tonight and tomorrow night. Apparently their performances are very theatrical. Cool. I a lsting the show because of Air War a band that is kinda sot rock kinda porgy and kinda underrated. The show is $15 and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be the nice thing to do.

Ben


Nick Jaina is gonna tear it up tonight at Mississippi Studios.

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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.

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Thank the gods for the Indie Bank

Hey there Crappy Indieland! I've been makin' them comix. Mr. Gulbranson thought you'd enjoy this and I bet he's right. Now I know how to spend all my Scene Points! You should all check out Sarah Becan. Do eet.

Also: This shirt is fucking amazing. If you see me biking around, repping courtesy; holler.

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Ben Meyercord's Live Music Picks for Tuesda, August 16th

Hello Dear Readers,

Yesterday instead of going to any shows, I went and saw X-men First Class. Man did I have mixed feelings on that movie. Anyway there are some shows going on tonight. Check it out:

Music Millennium is having an instore performance with The Parson Red Heads. They released their new album, Yearling, today. Yearling is usually a reference to a horse that has not quite reached maturity. This is a band that has been together for eight years. It is hard to imagine them getting their sound more mature than what I have heard of this album. They folk rock in the vein of when the Byrds were county influenced. It is also hard to imagine that the "Parson" in there name is not a s reference to Gram Parsons (the person who took The Byrds in their country direction). Anyway if you are a fan of really nice vocal harmonies and classic sounding songs, you should swing by this inshore. The ALL AGES show is FREE and starts at 6 PM.

Bunk Bar is having a show with Run On Sentence, Wooden Indian Burial Ground. I was so excited about this show that I accidentally wrote about it one week too early last Tuesday. This is what I said, "Run On Sentence is a band that is best appreciated in a live setting. I do not want to dissuade from their recorded material. But to see Dustin Hammond's voice fill a room is have his band take control of an audience is a magical thing. Speaking of his band the guitar player of the band, Justin Fowler, has his band Wooden Indian Burial ground releasing a new CD tonight. He used to play under this name a few years back. Then he started the band Hello Loneliness. Now he he is back to Wooden Indian Burial Ground with some help of the Run On Sentence/Loch Lomond rhythm section of Perry Pfister and Dan Galucki and some other friends. I could not be more pleased. It is rock and roll with some very Justin Fowler aesthetics. It sounds jammy and old and it is just really good." I stand by every word. The show is FREE and starts at 10 PM.

Valentine's is having a show with Denver and Hookers. I know what you are thinking. How can they fit the entire of state of Denver into that small of a space and still have room for call girls? Well sorry to disappoint but Denver is the name of a band of country rockers based right here out of Portland. They have many what I refer to as whiskey sorry songs. So as you may have guessed they lean heavy towards the country side of things. They often have four part harmonies. They have a sweet mandolin player and Eric Early (Blitzen Trapper) letting hot licks fly from his guitar. I honestly don't know anything about Hookers. I assume it is a band, but when I googled "Hookers Portland" nothing musical was found. The show is FREE and starts at 9 PM.

If you see me at any of these shows please say, "hi". That would be awfully kind of you to do.

Ben


I was at this show. Denver are pretty fun to see live. You can do so tonight at Valentine's.

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