Nick Jaina’s got a busy month ahead of him. He’s wrangled up 11 musicians, some from the likes of bands such as Loch Lomond and Laura Gibson, to play with him on his West Coast tour. And what better way to say Bon Voyage than with a record release show? The alt-folk bandleader’s celebrating the release of A Bird in the Opera House, his fifth album on Portland-based label HUSH Records at Doug Fir on April 2—a little early for its April 13 release, but necessary considering it is also his tour kickoff.

The record was conceived when Jaina’s friend, Lee Howard, offered the musician not only the opportunity to record in his basement studio, but a room in his home to stay in as well. The two gradually recorded the album in the studio’s in-between times, allowing Jaina to sit in his room and have time with his songs, to think about the direction they were taking, to deconstruct them and put them back together.

“Sleep, Child,” the first single off A Bird in the Opera House, is a gleaming example of the importance of time and intimacy in the recording process. The song’s structure begins simple—guitar chords accompanied by faint percussion and Jaina’s strong, smooth vocals—but the absence of a chorus allows the track to build on itself, swelling with intensity and ending in a beautiful orchestra of vocal harmonies, pounding drums, and soaring violins.

With this taste of the album, I cannot wait to hear more.

Listen to “Sleep, Child”:

 

Check out the video for “Days in My Room,” also off A Bird in the Opera House:

 

TOUR DATES

4/2 -Portland, OR – Doug Fir (CD Release Show!)

4/7- Eugene, OR – Sam Bonds

4/8- Davis, CA – Sophia’s

4/9- Modesto, CA – Cafe Deva

4/10- Merced, CA – Partisan

4/11- Santa Cruz, CA – Crepe Place

4/12- San Francisco, CA – Elbo Room

4/13- Chico, CA – Cafe Flo

4/14- Los Angeles, CA – Echo Curio

4/15- Joshua Tree, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s

4/16- San Diego, CA – Lestat’s

4/17 -Flagstaff, AZ – Mia’s

4/19- Torrey, UT – The Patio

4/20 – Salt Lake City, UT – State Room

4/21 -Provo, UT – Velour

4/22 -Boise, ID – Early show @ the Modern/Late show @ the Linen Building

4/23- Kennewick, WA – Red Room

4/24- Pendleton, OR – Great Pacific

-Katrina Nattress

 

Forget the tribulations of hump day this week. No one ever ends up humping anyway. And what better way to forego your reproductive duties than to indulge in a psych-pop haze at Rotture this Wednesday? I’m willing to bet the guys from Wax Fingers would support you zipping it up for one goddamn night.

With one foot planted firmly in an experimental psychedelic stew, and the other tippy-toed on a tight wire of spastic instrumental noodling, Wax Fingers succeed in injecting their plunky pop with depth, but without the pretension. Case in point would be "Sticky Bees," the band’s single off of their debut EP Ones and Threes (available for free download here). The tune emerges cleanly, steeped in bright chords, tinkly piano, lots of guitar effects, and reverb-washed vocals during the lengthy intro and first verse, only to bust open into a tantrum-laced chorus. The surprises don’t end there, and you’d be foolish to listen to only a snippet to decide if their worth your tutelage.

The Portland trio will be holed up in the Southeast Industrial District this Wednesday at Rotture along with math-y PDX dudes Duck, Little Brother, Duck! and Yeah Great Fine. 9 p.m. $5 at the door.

– Ryan J. Prado

 

Everyone knows that the reason for starting a band is to get chicks/dudes and party with your friends. Many bands will try to sound more sensitive and “deep” by claiming their musical inspiration came from a dead grandpappy or from some higher source, but when it comes down to it they all just want to live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. So it is refreshing when a band like Pure Country Gold just comes out and says, “We write songs to make people dance and to impress women!”

Raw talent and pure originality drive this drum-and-guitar duo of Jake Welliver and Patrick Foss. You won’t hear any fancy gimmicks, bass players, or even country music from this band, but you will find an unexpected punk, rock and Chuck Berry blues sound.

The pair never intended to be a twosome, in fact they set out in 2005 to find others for a larger ensemble. But after no luck finding suitable partners, they decided to take their stuff on the road as a duo. Luckily for these guys, their decision has paid off.

The band was asked to play at the Deep Blues Festival in both 2008 and 2009, and their loud, booty-shaking rhythm has impressed reviewers from Portland to the UK. I know they impressed me.

It can sometimes be hard to find something new and daring in the Portland music scene, so coming across a band like Pure Country Gold is like a breath of fresh air. So I guess they have achieved both their goals: Their music is definitely danceable, and they impressed at least one woman… ME.

Check out this live video from the 2008 Slabtown Bender for a taste of the duo:

 

You can see Pure Country Gold at 9 p.m. this Saturday the 27th with Junior’s Gang, and The Love Dimension at Ducketts Public House on North Killingsworth. 21+ and totally free!

– Deanna Uutela

 

 It’s been two years since we last heard from Jon Ragel, but boy was it worth the wait. The multi-instrumentalist’s one-man band, Boy Eats Drum Machine, released its fifth album (second via Portland-based record label, Tender Loving Empire) earlier this month, and it very well may be Ragel’s best to date.

Hoop + Wire encompasses the avant-garde, hip-pop staggering that sets BEDM apart from his Portland electro-pop counterparts, but this release is a bit more accessible than the rest. The first, and title, track begins with a catchy guitar riff atop tinny drum machine beats that seamlessly mesh into electronic blips with Ragel’s breathy vocals soaring over the music. And whereas most of BEDM’s tunes possess a poppy air, they tend to have too much going on to make them traditionally danceable, but “Hoop + Wire,” is a hard song not to dance to.

The third song, “ABQ,” illustrates Ragel’s hip-hop influence, as well as his talent on the turntable. The track is a 2:20 minute-long sample mash-up of crunchy drums, pounding synths, and opera-like vocals that the turntable-ist somehow manages to spin into a smooth, coherent tune. The track flows effortlessly into “Syncopated,” which features yet another of Ragel’s musical talents, the baritone sax.

The album takes a turn back to BEDM’s abstract, experimental art-pop with “Gold in the Hills,” a jumbled mixture of surf-rock guitar riffs, fluttering keys, saxophones, and manipulated vocal samples. Ragel’s voice makes its first appearance halfway through the song and adds a layer of darkness to the track with its deeply sung, minor key.

The album continues as a series of emotional and musical ups and downs, but each song shares a theme—the thoughts, feelings and experiences of a road trip. Ragel dreamed up this album on a cross-country drive.

With this in mind, it only makes sense the album ends with a track entitled, “70 Miles an Hour.” This song is more fluid and lucid than its predecessors, with beautiful flowing keyboard blips in the vain of The Postal Service, and Ragel pleading, “Look out, the hills you see, I’m only on the other side, will you be faithful to me?” The answer is yes, Jon, as long as you continue releasing albums like this.

-Katrina Nattress

 

Portland DJ duo Linger and Quiet have just released their fourth podcast mix, which you can grab over at their blog, along with other rad posts including (a highly recommended) January 11th post of a live recording of a Miracles Club DJ set.

Miracles consists of Rafael Fauria and the prolific Honey Owens of Valet and various other projects. The audio was captured during their monthly "Nightclubbing" party, which they host at Holocene. Pick up an MP3 of Miracles Club’s nifty Portland-style house single "Light of Love" over at GvsB.

Linger and Quiet mix #4 is eclectic and fun to listen to. Track list is as follows:

Nick Drake – Saturday Sun (Demo) [NICK]

Prince Buster – Julie [Fab]

Small Black – Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix) [Lovepump]

Happy Family – Cups [10,000hz]

Peaking Lights – Intro to Imaginary Falcons [Night People Records]

Run DMT – Money [CDR]

Jay Dee – U-Love [Stones Throw]

Banjo or Freakout – Archangel [CDR]

Chief Kooffreh – Tribute to Beyonce and Madonna (For Not Smoking Weed) [Chief Kooffreh]

Missing Linkx – Who to Call [Philpot]

White Days – It Hits Deep [White Days]

Omar S – Lift Him Up Feat. Don Q [FXHE]

Childhood ’87 – Caught Up [Aux]

Steve Miller Band – Journey to Eden [Capitol]

Linger and Quiet are spinning this Thursday, the 18th over at Valentines starting at 9 p.m.

– Joel Sommer

It’s a year of firsts for our little electronic duo, Nice Nice. Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi are probably currently soaking up the rays in good ol’ Austin, TX, gearing up for their debut SXSW appearance, and performing at not one, but four venues. The festival kicks off a nationwide spring tour for the psychedelic electronica outfit, and will be in support of a new album.

That new album, my friends, is Buehler and Shirazi’s debut effort on Warp Records, Extra Wow.

According to Nice Nice’s publicist, Extra Wow is an extremely apt title for an album that presents itself as a constantly unfolding collection of kaleidoscopic musical sediments. Each song effectively builds on the one before it to create the effect of an album-length crescendo that encompasses everything from forward-reaching psychedelia and neo-primitive electronic experiments to dub rhythms and learned lessons from the pillars of krautrock. From the acid-punk opening of "One Hit," it’s apparent that establishing your equilibrium within the world of Nice Nice will not be easy.

After playing together for nearly a decade, it’s about time Nice Nice gets the chance to gain exposure. The album drops April 6th, and I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty stoked on giving it a listen. Now if only they were playing in Portland…

Check out the video for "Everything Falling Apart":

 

TOUR DATES

03.17 SXSW 2 PM – Music Gym

03.17 SXSW – Warp showcase 8 PM – The Phoenix

03.18 SXSW – Hype Machine/Lose Control Party 12 PM – Vice House

03.21 El Paso, TX – Black Market

03.22 Phoenix, AZ – Trunk Space

03.23 Los Angeles, CA – Spaceland

03.24 San Diego, CA – Casbah

03.26 San Francisco, CA – Mezzanine

04.15 Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel

04.16 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brendas

04.17 New York, NY – Santos Partyhouse

04.18 Brooklyn, NY – Market Hotel

04.19 Cambridge, MA – Middle East Downstairs

04.20 Montreal, CANADA – La Sala Rosa

04.21 Toronto, CANADA – Legendary Horseshoe Tavern

04.22 Pontiac, MI – Crofoot Ballroom – Pike Room

04.23 Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle

04.24 Cincinnati, OH – Northside Tavern

– Katrina Nattress

 

Parenthetical Girls‘ new album Privilege is going to be released on five separate, limited-edition 12-inch EPs over the next 15 months, with the final LP coming out in May of 2011. The LP release will include a special collector’s box to hold all five vinyl discs.

Privilege, Part One: On Death and Endearments came out February 23rd on Slender Means Society, through which the vinyl EP and accompanying digital download can be purchased for $15. Make haste on that; they probably won’t be around for too long considering that the pressings come in batches of 500 for each EP released.

Just to add to the personalization factor (not to mention creepy factor), each release will purportedly be hand numbered in the blood of one of the band members. The first to lend his appendage to calligraphic phlebotomy is none other than vocalist Zac Pennington.

Their last album, 2008’s Entanglements, has been met with considerable praise, though often prefaced with warning to its at times overwhelming orchestration. If this first installment is any indication, they are returning to a compositional restraint that holds the mark of song writing experience.

The first track and chosen single, "Evelyn McHale," is named after the famously photographed 1947 Empire State Building jumper who appears to be resting peacefully atop the automobile that cushioned her rushing descent. This mid-tempo, catchy number makes a good starter and does well to cement the motif that is so unsubtly written into the EP’s title. You can check "Evelyn McHale" as a downloadable MP3 over at Sterogum or as a music video here.

The four songs unravel a theme, if not a narrative, of melancholy situation created out of past mistakes and losses. The tracks seem to draw beauty out of the sadness of  days gone bye, while leaving some room for hope in the future. The cuts should not be categorized as depressing, instead they’re better defined as mournful and nostalgic, although admittedly saturated in the idea of the mortality of the human life in past, present and future.

Though it may be hard to convince someone who is not already a fan to drop $15 dollars on a four-song collector’s edition purchase, as an EP, the songs are not only quality, but emerge as artistically coherent both musically and lyrically.

Should the Girls continue to be consistent over the next 13 months or so, Privilege will be something that cannot be contained on a vinyl limited release.

– Joel Sommer

 

The time for crushing monolithic stones with our bare hands is upon us.

The big-tone rock ‘n’ roll metal destruction crew Red Fang will be stuffing Italians back down sewer pipes, sending nudist tortoises shuffling back for their shells and chasing squealing piglets into the safety of mother sow’s sweeping tits this Friday at Dante’s.

Those of us who can stand on two legs in the blast of awesome will be graced with the acumen of acrid axes, as they gristle away on waves of pounding metal. The group has recently just finished mixing their new album and is reportedly playing most of their new material at this show for the first time!

Definitely check out their music video for the song "Prehistoric Dog," which is truly one of the best and humorous local videos I’ve seen.

They will be joined by local metal magicians Salvador, and San Diego’s The Long and the Short of It, the latter of which loves to devise speedy metal dripping with drones.

Show at 9:30 p.m, $8 in advance, $10 day of. 21 and older.

– Joel Sommer

 

Archeology band mates, Daniel Walker and Jason Davis, have had quite a busy year. The pair released five EPs in the last year, and are now celebrating the release of their first LP, Memorial, out March 16th.

The interesting thing about Archeology is not necessarily their sound, but the story they tell in their songs. The two vocalists met at an archaeological research site in Eastern Washington. They discovered that they shared not only a love of ancient artifacts, but of music. They also were surprised to find out how similar their backgrounds were. Both were sons of preacher men, suffering from what they describe as “hypocrisy and malevolence” at the hands of the Christian church.

They sing about their journey from men of faith to men of science in songs like “By the By” (which you can check out here) and “Altar Song.” They might have lost their faith, but they haven’t lost their altar boy sound, and many of their songs have an a cappella, solemn tone to them. The band shines when they steer away from the dreary, though, and show their fun side, like in the drum-heavy “White Walls” and the catchy “New San Salvador.”

These guys have impressive writing skills, and clearly enjoy discovering themselves and their musical style, but I’m not sure if they have quite pinpointed just what that is yet.

You can catch Archeology’s album release party on Saturday, March 20th at Backspace with Yarn Owl, The Ocean Floor, Oh Captain, My Captain, and Autopilot is for Lovers. $7, 8 p.m.

– Deanna Uutela

[Editor’s Note: The below live "review" is most likely addled with hyperbole due to the author’s unbridled passion for the subject of said "review."]

It’s probably a good thing I had been looking forward to last Friday’s reunion performance for country-punk rock pillagers I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House for nearly three months. Countless hours were spent listening to their 2006 live album, Live at Dante’s – with its impending trail of dirty allegory and largely armchair-leftist musings vocalized up front by singer/guitarist Mike D’s greeting “How the fuck y’all doin’ tonight?” The palpable measures of excitement were all in place. The bar would be open. The band would be there. The instruments and PA would work, and they would use them to parlay their ruckus.

What I forgot was how goddamn popular this band is.

Before they were even a glimmer in the collective booze-soaked macula of the audience at Dante’s March 5th, SOB had already commanded a fever-pitch of some parts nostalgia, some parts anticipation, some parts anxiety. Would they be as good as they were? Of course they would be. It’s not as if the band had severed ties with society altogether, punishing their instruments into isolated time-outs in the corners of their basement. But there were a shit-ton of people there to find out first hand anyway.

Mike D has performed consistently in varying incarnations (solo as Michael Dean Damron, as well as with Mike D and Thee Loyal Bastards), all beginning and ending with his no-holds-barred lyricism and Southern-speckled, neat Jack Daniels gruff. Throw in the energy and obvious onstage camaraderie of guitarist Handsome Jon, bassist Mole Harris, drummer Flapjack Texas, and harmonica-genie David Lipkind, and the evening’s dense brood of patrons was only more understandable.

Coincidentally, the band kicked the evening off with the opener from Live, “Gone,” a rock ‘n’ rollin’ blues revue that showcases pretty much all the facets of SOB’s arsenal, including D’s willingness to cross the threshold into outright pissiness (a blurry, shaky, feedback-bedecked video is available here of the first moments of the show…eerily the amateurishness of the footage sums up the ambiance of the show better than were it stationed center-back and filtered through the sound board). “Westboro Baptist Church” resonated just as angrily as it did on 2004’s Menace with a spirited sing-along and plenty of raised fists…which translated into lots of spilt beer.

Lots of things happen at live shows; and it’s rarely interesting to read the details of them – that frail marrow of fact, set list, vibe, smell. In testament to that, I stopped taking notes at a certain point, and decided to hash out what it was that people wanted to see so badly, in such numbers, on this night.

I think it had nothing to do with which songs they would play; whether or not the convergence of bull-riding dive bar owners, rockabilly-slick Dry County Crooks fans, and Joan Jett retro-lite revivalists on hand to see Kleveland would get along; or even whether Handsome Jon would use a Budweiser bottle as a slide (he did). I think people wanted to remind themselves that the things that make you happy, once absent, are not gone forever.

The proof was right in front of us, if only for one night.

– Ryan J. Prado

 

Oft rocking Portland basements and warehouses, art spaces and rooftops, Reporter is a trio of cosmic groove makers, booty shakers, and bouncing rockers.

Crunchy electronics mesh with space-y smooth synths and Alberta Poon’s airy, spectral vocals. Reporter is a hot, sweaty mess. Fervent dance parties roar, pony tails get mussed, and spandex gets stretched every time they pack Holocene or house venues.

The drums kick, the guitars swing and soar while the samples are triggered. Rumbling, reverb lows and glittering, starry highs make Reporter’s rife, extended dance jams float endlessly into the nether universe and beyond.

Formerly the indie-punk Wet Confetti, the trio has spawned some amazing spin-offs including the dreary-dreamy May Ling (featuring singer Alberta Poon and Italian Stallion, beatmaster Dan Grazzini). But the most important thing you need to know about Reporter: Drummer Mike McKinnon is your Potato Champion! 

You can catch them on Friday, March 12th at Dance Class with Copy, Push-n-Play, and DJ Maxx Bass.

– Chris Young

 

You know how there are some people when you are around them you suddenly feel underdressed and drab? That is how I feel around local singer/DJ Cheetah Finess.

She radiates style, confidence and a huge glowing smile. And if being gorgeous wasn’t enough, the girl has mad skillz. She single handedly does the synth/segmentor/samples/vocals and keys for her own one-woman show. A mix of hip-hop beats, experimental grooves, girlie vocals and a slew of electronics, makes Miss Finess more than a DJ and makes her music hella fun to dance to.

Her songs “Quit It” and “The Hue is You” make you want to slap on some leg warmers, a headband and work out some aggression on the dance floor. Reenact your own Flashdance scene tonight with Cheetah Fitness (I mean Finess) at 8 p.m. at The Parlour on 2628 SE Powell. $4.

My advice is to keep an eye on your man!

– Denna Uutela