The five guys of Foxy Lemon  have been working hard on production, tightening and experimenting with sounds which largely encompass dripping bass, strong drums, and and classic rock guitar elements of rock and blues. They have oft been compared to doing some fresher, glammy Led Zeppelin or Jack White. Keishi Ihara’s voice is emerging, and the band’s work on their  XOXO EP- like that dirty guitar stretch on "Muscat" (oh, sweet wine),  is kinda hot. The fact that they are returning to The World Famous Kenton Club with Mufassa tomorrow night instantly garners my approval. Patrimony open the night at 8:30 followed by The Ex-Girlfriends Club. – Brandy Crowe

Check out the live photos from the Little Dragon and UMO show at Roseland Theater April 10th, 2014. All photos by Craig Williams. 

So what is a Havania Whaal? Havania Wall? Whale? Wail?

Ghost to Falco have been shaping and re-shaping their experimental psych/prog rock sound in Portland since 2001, under the guiding hand of Eric Crespo. Friday night at Bunk Bar, the band will release their fourth album Soft Shield through Itialian based Fooltribe Records. GTF will be joined by the brilliant experimental popsters Aan, whose February release Amor Ad Nauseum was featured as the Deli Portland’s last Album of the Month (view our current Album of the Month, Polyester Itch by Hands In here). Seattle’s Dragging an Ox through Water open the night at 9pm. The cover is $7 and worth every penny.

Check out GTF’s video for their first single, ‘Born to Win,’ off Soft Shield.

– Chandler Strutz

Stop by Holocene Wednesday night for a night of dancy electro pop and fancy guitarwork. Headlining the evening, Adventure Galley have fancy new stage lights and new jams to showcase along with tunes off their November ’13 debut LP Anywhere That’s Wild. Wishyunu are second on the bill with their low-fi blend of electro pop, and Just Lions open up the night with their mellow guitar centric indie rock. Just Lions also have a brand new music video for you to enjoy. – Travis Leipzig

Tonight SE Portland’s Bunk Bar plays host to raucous garage/psych rockers Psychomagic and Mister Tang. Mister Tang are the perfect opener for the night, sure to get the energy high in the room for the slightly tamer, swirling experimental surf pop sounds of Psychomagic. The show marks a tour kickoff for the two bands who are hitting the road for a week and a half west coast run together. Help them kick off tour with a stoney bang! Take a listen to Mister Tang’s freshly released single Sleep, then do whatever you need to make this your evening plan. Show starts at 9pm, cover is $3. – Travs Leipzig

Fanno Creek is one of Portland’s best bands. Unfortunately for the forseable duration of the calendar year, we will have to get along without the band’s live performances as they go on hiatus to catch up on real-life shit. April 2nd at Mississippi Studios marked their farewell (for a while) show. 

Tour-tight Animal Eyes opened to an already substantial Wednesday night crowd. Seattle’s Tomten followed with an exciting dream pop set, joined by Radiation City’s Matt Rafferty on guitar.By the time Fanno Creek started the room was ready. All night friends and fans poured into the crowd to send off the local folk-pop rockers in style. Tonight the band was joined by Ryan Neighbors of Hustle and Drone on synthesizers and Ryan Wiggans of And And And on trumpet, adding elements of grit to their pretty arrangements. Their sound thrives on driving beats and unexpected rhythmic deviations, paired with catchy melodies and tight pop harmonies. Whether you’ve seen them as a duo, trio, four piece, or ten piece, Fanno delivers–and tonight was no exception. 

The empassioned crowd added a huge layer of energy to Fanno’s live set–singing along, clapping when asked, dancing and screaming at all the right places. They ended the night with a fitting encore of “Don’t Go Away,” allowing fans to sing along their woes over the band taking time off.

 – Chandler Strutz

Photos by Todd Walberg

Though most of the city is still buried away underneath layers upon layers of rain, let the Firkin Tavern shelter you in the most captivating way this Friday night: through rock ‘n roll. A Happy Death is celebrating their album release amongst fellow psych rockers Mister Tang and Cambrian Explosion. The new release, entitled Introducing: A Happy Death, welcomes you into their universe full of polite aggression. The manners only go as far as proper introductions, as their sound never gives way for bowing or waiting for someone else’s turn. It sweeps you away on a provoking ride. 

The first Tuesday of each month has never been more exciting in Portland, thanks to Red Bull’s new concert series Sound Select Presents: Portland. Each month, the concerts are curated by different local music aficionados, and showcase one national headlining act and two local up and comers. Past headliners of the series include Maps and Atlases, Portugal. The Man and Helio Sequence. This month’s showcase at Mississippi Studios features New Orleans’ Big Freedia, the undisputed Queen of bounce, supported by Magic Mouth and Thanks.

Main support of the evening, Magic Mouth are a hard hitting four piece that plays soulful funk music in the most rock and roll way possible. With an enthusiastic front man whose vocal range is off the musical map, the group delivers a raw and simple but huge sound. Thanks offer a soulful take on psychedelic rock. The erie, reverb soaked guitar hooks and thundering drum and bass lines are beautifully rounded out by lead singer Jimi Hendrix’s piercing vocal ability. Her jazzy voice reminisces the English soul scene (Amy Winehouse, Wayne Allen, ect.) making Thanks a truly exciting live band.

All this local music greatness leads up to one of the best rap acts in the country. Big Freedia has starred on Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and made herself famous this past summer by prompting a twerking feat that made the Guiness’ Book of World Records. Freedia’s unique musical styling ‘bounce,’ is like trap but more twerktastic and bouncy. 

April 1, the show starts at 9pm and costs $3 if you RSVP here in advance, or $15 at the door. – Colin Hudson

At the conclusion of our most recent Artist of the Month Poll I found myself completely transfixed watching a video from the enchanting victor, Swansea, for their track “No Blame”. The camera circles through a beautiful building, stopping upon the three band member playing a song that is simultaneously eerie and comforting with a unique instrumentation. These qualities hold true throughout their catalog of compositions as endearing vocals outline songs that are equal parts novel and familiar. I can keep describing their entrancing style to you, but a unique sound is worth thousands of words and you have the luxury of clicking the banner at the top of the site to listen for yourself. Congratulations to the Deli Portland’s new Artist of the Month, Swansea, we’re excited to share your music! -Ben Toledo

After four years of fine tuning and three self released EPs, Portland psych rippers Talkative have been busy hammering out their first full length album, Hot Fruit Barbeque, to will be released June 29th. The album is written, recorded and ready to go, but, they need help getting their masterpiece cut to wax. If you thought that recording a studio album might be expensive, you don’t want to look at the costs of pressing an album to vinyl–it’s an archaic technology that costs an arm and a leg… litteraly, Chad is giving a leg and Casun will be drumming like the guy from Def Lepard… that is if they don’t get enough fiscal support from good folks like you.

The boys set up an Indigogo fun-raiser where you can donate whatever funds you can afford to the cause in exchange for some real good stuff. For a donation of $7, you can get a digital download of the album. For $15, you can get a physical copy of the record on vinyl delivered to you in person within the Portland area, or for $20 they’ll mail you the record outside of Portland. $35 gets you the grand prize that includes the physical record, digital download, a band T-shirt, and a surprise bonus. Click here to support Talkative!  

Check out their video for ‘Hava Nagila’ off Hot Fruit Barbeque. – Travis Leipzig

Talkative // Hava Nagila from TALKATIVE SOUND on Vimeo.

It could be justifiably argued that Emancipator is the most influential musician to come out of Portland in the past decade. The calm, balanced approach to his electronic productions served as a precursor to the chill wave sound. But that’s not what’s important, what is important is that this Friday he brings the Emancipator Ensemble together for a homecoming show at the Crystal Ballroom. And regardless of importance, his music is as symbolic to Portland as apple pie is to America.

The base of Emancipator’s songs is an addictive and steady drum beat that makes a sturdy, yet tasty crust. The filling is an abundance of real, acoustic instruments looped into danceable melodies that are delivered hot on a cold plate. Before serving, he spreads a top layer of Ilya Goldberg’s smooth violin (cool whip if you’re into that) to make for the perfect late night snack. – Colin Hudson