Every Nite is Emo Nite

Well, I didn’t get out to much since last time. I was tired and annoyed that I was no longer on vacation and bailed on the Moon Duo show. I’ve heard that it was real good, but I was in no mood for a crowd. The only thing I did see was Battle Trance and Blue Cranes at The Old Church last week. Battle Trance is 4 saxophones, kinda arty and lightly noisy (coulda been a little crazier, IMHO), they were pretty good, check em out https://battletrance.bandcamp.com/. Blue Cranes. Whew, I was really not into them. Too restrained, too smarmy cute/smart. I wrote a few snide comments about them that night that I’ll mostly spare you from, but the one that sums up my feelings best is “this could be the soundtrack from an ‘edgy’ 80’s movie”. Maybe I caught them on a bad night or, as definitely happens, I was just in the wrong mood. So it goes. But, again, saxophones, right?! Damn, can’t get away from them. And that’s okay. Anybody go see Ty Segall a couple nights ago? We saw him the last time he did a solo tour and it was great. I don’t have a lot lot else to report. Comin’ up...

Slender Gems, Tues 11/8, High Water Mark. Friend of a friend’s band. I gather their show at Kenton Club last month was real good. Not totally remembering what they sound like (I think I’ve listened to a song or two?), but I do loves me some HWM. The Paranoyds, Wed 11/9, Polaris Hall. Pop punky garage gals from L.A. (ok, I think there’s one dude, but…), their songs are surprisingly good. Some light social commentary amongst the lyrics, I bet they’d be real good live. https://theparanoyds.bandcamp.com/track/lizzie-2 And Spoon Benders open, I’ve wanted to see them for a bit. Local band, they mine some similar acoustic terrain to Paranoyds but lean heavier into psych and light stoner rock. https://spoonbenders.bandcamp.com/track/dichotomatic Did I just talk myself into going to this? Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds, Thurs 11/10, Mississippi Studios. Semi-legend Kid Congo Powers, early member of The Cramps, The Gun Club, sporadic Bad Seed, and generally interesting character. I actually haven’t listened to much of what he’s doing these days, but what the fuck, I bought a ticket anyway, I’ve wanted to see him for ages. And as a bonus, an old Portland fave, XDS, has apparently been resurrected and is opening. See ya there. John Wiese, Fri 11/11, High Water Mark. Noise artist Wiese has been around for quite a while but I’ve never listened to him much, I think he might be great and I’ve just missed the boat, we'll see. Openers include Portland noise maestro Daniel Menche and Caustic Touch (Andrea from Vice Device solo electronics). Shit yeah. Kick off birthday weekend in style. https://www.treetix.com/event/198429/highwatermark No Age, Sat 11/12, Mississippi Studios. Damn, I loved L.A.’s No Age when those first few kinda noisy, artsy records were out; I think I put "Everybody’s Down" on just about every playlist/mix tape I made for a few years after I first heard it. And saw them here at AudioCinema maybe 7 or 8 years ago and they were fantastic. But that’s also kind of around when I lost touch with them. I don’t know why, I think they’ve been making records all along. Anyway, you know I love a two piece so I might just go see what they’re up to these days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPAwMAlTF_Y Gogol Bordello, Sat 11/12, Revolution Hall. I know, some of you hate them, but I’ve always been upfront about being a sucker for those gypsy/klezmer sounds. I’m not going, but I’m gonna put money on it being a great show. (Or completely terrible, but not possibly anything in between. Ha!)

Os Mutantes, Sun 11/13, Aladdin Theater. Brazil’s legendary, Tropicália-infused, psych rock band. I guess one of the original main dudes is still involved, but as much I’ve always enjoyed the records I’m not sure I’m tempted to go this. Anybody else going? I could probably be persuaded...

The Flaming Lips, Tues 11/15, Crystal Ballroom. A band that at this point is kinda worn out at a venue I don’t like yet I still thought for a second, "oh, look, the Flaming Lips at Crystal!”. Well done, Wayne. Usnea, Sun 11/20, High Water Mark. Solid local doomsters. I’ll be at this. Helen, Mon 11/21, Polaris Hall. Quasi super group (although I think I’m only familiar with Liz Harris and her work as Grouper), all shoegaze, all day. Was excited to see them at Dundee Lodge but I thought they were kind of a dud. I’d certainly give them another chance, would be good to see them indoors and not in the daylight sometime.

Built to Spill, Wed and Fri 11/23 and 25, Revolution Hall. Yuvees, Sat 11/24, Turn! Turn! Turn!. Been curious about these guys for a while, kinda art/punky, I bet they really love Devo. I should go to this. A lot of times local bands like this, artists that I’m curious about but don’t really know yet, I say, eh, they’re always playing around, I’ll check them out next time. But then I never do. Gotta work on that. The Soft Moon, Tues 11/29, Wonder Ballroom. Yeah, there seem to be a lot of these moody post-punk, darkwave bands around, but he’s been doing this for a while and he’s particularly good at it. There will probably be a light show. So, maybe? Kristen Hersh, Wed 11/30. Throwing Muses was a looong time ago, but she always seemed like an interesting artist. Did you know she and Throwing Muses bandmate Tanya Donelly were step sisters?! I had no idea! Volcanic Pinnacles, We 11/30, Doug Fir. Local jazzy, noise rock two piece, I believe Scott saw them at one of the old 2 Piece Fests and liked them a lot (yeah?). Just drums and sax I believe (sax!!). Thrill Jockey’s having a 30th Anniversary show at Mississippi on Friday Dec 12th with The Body, Marisa Anderson, Rose City Band and a bunch of others. I have a ticket, you should too. Metz, Mon 12/12, Doug Fir. Another anniversary show, this time it’s Metz’s 10th. The Toronto three piece's brand of Nirvana influenced neo-grunge works just right and damn, they are a furiously good live band.

Okay, that’ll do I guess. Halloween has passed, we’re entering the enjoyably fractured calendar of the holiday season, although I feel like typically the show calendar dries up a bit in December and January, we’ll see. (Speaking of Halloween, I"m still ridin’ the DLR high, his force is infectious!) As always always, additions, corrections and/or subtractions welcomed.

DW

I'm being forced to do whatever I please

Hiya! Ermagerd, this is so late, it’s already halfway through the month. And we’ve already had 8 days of temps over 80ºF. And more are coming? It’s October. In Portland, Oregon! Uh, okay. I’ll readily admit, I’m not much of a planner (news flash!), but there’s something about planning for the end of the world that’s particularly daunting. Like, how many pairs of shoes can I bring? At least for a dude, I have a lot of shoes! And am I planning for extended, unprecedented cold? Or maybe rain (is there an adjective variant of deluge?)? Or is it gonna be heat-dome level heat? I hope not, cuz that sucked! Does the same jacket that works for summer/fall work for spring/summer? I have no idea!! Fashionistas, please DM!!!! Fuck, will we need boats?!? I don’t have a boat. Or even a jet ski (yeah, alright, jet ski = sorry, I can only save myself. KThxBye). I mean, I’m a good swimmer- shit, I was a lifeguard once upon a time (true story, High School, yo)-, but I don’t want to tread water in perpetuity. Or is it the other way, like, will we need to ration water? And who will DJ? Will “punk” still be a loaded word (ya know, tired style and that clearly identifiable, equally tired sound, vs lifestyle/life choices and genuine anti-establishment attitude)? Will goth and doom still be first cousins (I hope so!)? As so often happens, I have so many questions! Phew. I’m tired. What were we talking about? Saxophones? It occurred to me, amidst what seems to be a recent proliferation of saxophones, that I failed to reference the late, and very great, Morphine. Damn. What an odd band. And so goddamn good. I know, I was in Boston most of those years yet the extent that I ever saw them live was a kinda down the street and practically out of sight view at the old Central Square World’s Fair in Cambridge. Oh, and Portland’s own, genuinely wonderful, Vice Device too. The occasional mix of sax in their songs is what seals the deal for me. Anyway. Did I already say anyway? I feel kinda fired up (I haven’t been drinking much vodka lately, is this the Smirnoff talking?), so let’s do a quick recap, shall we? Kim Gordon. I mean she’s almost a one name artist at this point, I probs coulda just typed ‘Kim’ and you’d have known what I meant (and had I, and you thought I was referencing a Kardashian, yr dead to to me). If I could explain what those pre-Goo Sonic Youth records mean to me in terms of my love and appreciation of music, well, then I’d be a much better writer than I am. And, sure, maybe Thurston and Lee drove the songwriting to a certain extent, but there’s no SY without Kim. She brought the art sensibility, the “coolness”, and was a critical piece of the sound and songwriting too. I quite like No Home Record, which is what she was playing. And it was great. Sure, she’s an awkward front person, but she made it work. It wasn’t merely seeing a hero on stage, it was actually really good too. I mean, who else is gonna make ancient, creaky ol’ me, feel so star struck just cuz they’re right there in front of me in this little club? Siouxsie, that’d be a given, but who else? Nez and Leonard Cohen are dead. Lydon? Bryan Ferry? Neil Young? Maybe DLR, but in a weirdly, wonderfully campy way. I dunno. (Well, also Bill Callahan, but he's still current. Don’t get me started, ya know what I think about him, especially that string of late 90’s Smog records. Absolute magic. If I could write a song half as good as a lesser Bill Callahan song I’d be a goddamned genius.) And Sea Moss opened and they were better than fucking ever yet they still get lost in the Kim Gordonness of the proceedings. Yes and more plz. (But if you see Scott, tell him the show was terrible.) Tinariwen got cancelled- visa problems I gather? Anyone want to supply an Of Monteal recap to help pique my interest? Sounds like Boris was awesome, no surprise there. Lions of the Interstate at TTT was fun, there’s something about that space that, while slightly awkward, just feels right. Help! and Uukwook at HWM. Let’s start with Uukwook. I thought they were really good! I know that they’re married and all, and that this is just a side project from their (also awesome) regular bands, but it would be rad to see them continue to do this. Help!. Huh Maybe I was in the wrong mood, but they seemed to me to just be rehashed hardcore (and hardcore was always a dead end). I guess really, it’s just the dude’s shitty hardcore bro vocals, the band isn’t all that bad otherwise. My notes from that night include "Wow. Help is lousy”. Sometimes, yr right, DW. I know a lot of people like them, maybe I’ll give them another chance at some point, they seem to play around a lot. Divide and Dissolve, also at HWM. Yeah! So good- with a caveat. The regular drummer is on a break, or maybe she too has visa issues, I can’t seem to find a real answer, but, as good as the temp drummer was, there’s something incredibly intimate about 2 piece bands, that’s part of why I love them so much, they complete each other’s sentences, there's no other focus, when its good, its amazing. And I’m sure we missed some of that. But it was still real good. Buy their records and their rad merch. Oh yeah, local opener, Amulets, who we’ve seen a number of times and has often been good, was actually terrific on this night. Let’s go check him out again soon. And finally William Basinsky and Methods Body at Holocene. We saw Methods Body at the Campout and some of “us" loved them while "I" thought they verged on too “musical” (which is probs code for jazzy, I admit). But this set was noise/ambient forward, not the jazzrock fest set that we saw in Gaston, they ended with some of that, but it was a perfect exclamation point to a wonderful set. Super good. Where do I start with Basisky. Clearly, I only know his records (and only some of them at that), because I was expecting a nerdy, professorial type who engaged with the audience only as needed. Nope! Chatty, flamboyant, funny, and sequined! The music was amazing, as expected, and he was a pleasant blast of fresh air. One of the better shows I’ve seen in a while. What else. I’m guessing the answer is “no”, but did anybody go see My Chemical Romance at Moda last week? Have we ever talked about how much I loved (and still do!) that song “Helena"? And it’s video? No? It’s not just that they’re fellow native Garden Staters, I actually can’t get enough of this fucking amazing cheesy emo song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCCyoocDxBA. Well, it’s the 14th already and there’s so much amazing shit out there, and lot of it's already happened this month, let’s get to what’s left... Earth and Iceage are touring together?! They were here last night, anybody go? The Body, Thurs 10/20, High Water Mark. Two nights of my faves The Body right down the street and I’m gonna be in Mexico. Not that I’m complaining about getting away, just, well, timing and all.

The Body, Fri 10/21, Turn! Turn! Turn!. With Avola, super rad local elecrtronics gal. Usnea, Fri 10/21, High Water Mark. Damn. This’d be real good too. Portland’s own “blackened death doom” band, they’re quite good. If it weren’t for one of the two singers being a cookie monster metal singer, I’d be a bigger proponent. But this’ll be solid. Plains, Sat 10/22, Revolution Hall. Katie from Waxahatchee and another gal. I haven’t listened, but I bet its in that same Southern dipped indie folk rock. Which in this case, would be a good thing. Marisa Anderson, Sun 10/23, Mississippi Studios. Fantastic Portland based guitarist, I don’t really know how to describe her. Mellow, but a ton of skill and technique. No vocals. It’s the kind of mellow but challenging music I want to listen to as I get older. And Fronjentress opens! Go to this show! Moon Duo, Thurs 10/27, Polaris Hall. I have tix for this, been a minute since I’ve seen them. Its a record release or something like that. Off the plane and let’s get a drink at Florida Room before. Methods Body, Thurs 10/27, No Fun. I’d go to this except that I have the Moon Duo tix. Excited to see them again after the Basinsky show. Spelling, Fri 10/28, Dante’s. Death From Above, Fri 10/28, Doug Fir. Sorry, James Murphy, I refuse to add the 1979. I bet they’re still great live. Ty Segall solo, Fri 11/4, Dante’s. And I have a ticket for Kid Congo Powers at Mississippi in mid-Nov- with XDS opening! Okay, I just need to hit send already, this is ridiculous. Can’t really say this is a monthly thing anymore, huh? I’ll work on it. As always always, additions, corrections and/or subtractions welcomed. DW https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY1gOXk09Ko

The Queen Is Dead

Well, here we are, more than a third of the way through the month, a bunch of shows already behind us, I guess I really need to just hit send on this blatherfest already. Quick August recap. Animal Collective at Crystal. Damn, I forget how much I like them. Their kooky blend of psych, weirdo folk and pop, all infused with that hippy collective energy, somehow it just works. Then the Dundee Lodge Campout. First off, I wanna just say what a rad thing this is, to get that many artists together in that gorgeous backwoods spot is impressive. The vibe of the whole weekend was incredibly positive and charming. Second, the music was great. Like, nary a dud through the two days. Expected highlights Wolf Eyes, Space Lady, Sir Richard Bishop, and Avola were all some version of excellent. Surprise gems (for me, at least) were Cexfucx, Million Brazilians, and Jef Brown. And especially Pure Shit. Yeah, I kinda think it’s a dumb name, but they were fucking great. I didn’t know anything about them going in; great drummer, not showy, but just perfectly off kilter while also holding the whole thing together. And bass, sax and some faint vocals (and sometimes two saxes!). Inspired, check em out. https://pureshitinfo.bandcamp.com Well, really check out all of these bands if you can find them. As much as I love turning the lights down, putting headphones on and disappearing into some deep listening, there’s something about the communal experience that, when it goes right, is really amazing. Let’s all go next year. So good. A bunch of us saw Warpaint at Rev Hall. I admittedly was on the fence about going, I like them well enough, but I found them to be way better than I’d remembered, they were super good. And Shellac last week. Three aging dudes who just do it for fun at this point, with a schtick and an increasingly mellow setlist. Still good, but it might be the last time I go see them. Okay, we already missed some early September shows that might’ve been good (like Death Valley Girls, or Dolphin Midwives with Crystal Quartez, or Feed Fatigue last night), if anybody here wants to fill in the first half of the month for me, feel free! Like, I know some of you went to Bikini Kill! Okay, September, or what’s left of it... Kim Gordon, Mon & Tues 9/12 & 13, Mississippi Studios. Wow. A living legend, one of my heroes, at li'l ol' Mississippi Studios. I have a ticket for the Tuesday show (oh crap, that’s already tomorrow!). And Sea Moss opens! C’mon, too perfect. I presume she’ll be playing No Home Record material, but it doesn’t really matter, it’s Kim friggin’ Gordon. Gaythiest and The Mistons, Fri 9/16, Mississippi Studios. Gaythiest is always a good time and I still haven’t seen The Mistons. Tinariwen, Sat 9/17, Mississippi Studios. The grandfathers of the current wave of Taureg bands making inroads in Western circles, these dudes are incredibly good. I'd be there except I'll be spending the evening with a gorgeous woman who said okay to marrying me five years ago. Five years already?!? Sheesh. Time, yo. Of Montreal, Sat 9/17, Wonder Ballroom. I think I like them but haven’t heard enough to know for sure. I know some among us are big fans. Who wants my Boris ticket? Rev Hall, Saturday the 17th. Yeah, I bought this ticket late at night, a few drinks in, without looking at the date. As mentioned above, busy. https://youtu.be/M4prdI0-0Fo Hit me up if you want it. No $, just buy me a drink next time I see ya.

Russian Circles, Wed 9/21, Revolution Hall. Saw them a few years ago at Wonder, went in only lightly familiar, came out a fan. Solid instrumetal (happy belated bday, Mike!). Lions of the Interstate, Fri 9/23, Turn! Turn! Turn!. Opening for Charts actually, who I will confess I’ve not heard real good things about, but Lions includes a friend of this thread an all around lovely human so let’s go, okay? Stereolab, Fri 9/23, Roseland Theater. Ironically, been having a little Stereolab renaissance lately. Those early records, at least through 1997’s Dots and Loops (and probably all the way to 2001’s Sound Dust, the last one with Mary Hansen before she died), are extraordinary. There just wasn’t anybody else that sounded like them. Krauty, loungy, artsy, with wonderfully Marxist tinted lyrics, they were great. Somehow, I never saw them live. Do I go even though their best was 20+ years ago? I'll probably pass but open to any of you good people trying to persuade me otherwise. William Basinski, Fri 9/30, Holocene. I don’t know most of his work, but his Disintigration Loops tapes from 2001 are a masterpiece of noise/sound collage stuff. Methods Body, who we saw at Dundee Lodge, and who were real good- but maybe a little too busy and musical for me- open. OM, Sat 10/1, Aladdin Theater. I don’t think they have any recent stuff, but 2007’s Pilgrimage was a big hit in my house at the time. Still love it too. Was someone telling me about Psychadelic Porn Crumpets? Should I buy Melt Banana tix? Anyone else? Moon Duo’s got some kind of record reveal or release in late October at Polaris Hall, I’ve got two tickets for that, they’re great. If you like them (or Wooden Shjips or Rose CIty Band or Vive la Void) you should get tix too! Okay, this is getting cut a little short cuz I just gotta be done with this... even though I want to talk about what seems to be the reemergence of the saxophone. There were hella saxes at Dundee Lodge. We saw JRGC last winter and they had two saxes! Is this some sort of natural pendulum shift away from every single band seemingly being all electronic or synth-based lately? Sure, the amazing Alex Zhang Hungtai’s been highlighting saxophone with incredible results for a dozen years, but he seemed the exception. I’m happy to report that, while I get the whole saxophones are a totally 80’s pop thing, for me they’re still first and foremost the wailing saxes on early Lydia Lunch records (usually played by either Jim Sclavanous or Pat Irwin) or some screaming John Zorn stuff like Painkiller (or more recently AZH), it sounds right to me to hear it brought back in that noisy, arty way, and I’m totally here for it.

It really sucks that Morrissey's proven to be such a garbage human because nowadays I feel funny when I remember how much I still love The Smiths. So yeah, really gonna stop now. I know someone was telling me about some show that sounded rad the other night and I already can’t remember what it was and in the name of ohmygod just finish this already I haven’t revisited all the listings so let me know what you know. Cuz, as always always, additions, corrections, and/or subtractions welcomed. DW

https://youtu.be/-yGdiXCwTVk