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