Friday, May 7
Division of Laura Lee, The Catheters, Run Run Run -Vanguard Pick
Dante’s
10 p.m.
$10, 21+
Although they suffer from the painful nickname Rx3, Run Run Runplays the kind of distortion-laden, shoegazing chord rock that weall hold so close to our stoned hearts. So just insert the genericcomparisons to Spiritualized and Jesus and Mary Chain here andenjoy the bliss-outs that only a droning fuzz pedal can deliver.Also on hand will be Swedish garage rockers Division of Laura Leeand the stripped-down punk-out of The Catheters.
Mo Phillips
Red And Black Cafe
6:30 p.m.
Experienced local rock/jazz musician Mo Phillips has struck outalone with the release of his solo album The Boat in January. IfPhillips and his lone guitar are your bag, then you should go andsee this free show in the comfortable environs of the Red andBlack.
Yob & Guests
Ash Street Saloon
21+
Yob is like a dump truck full of obscenely heavy riffs andthunderous percussion that fills the ditch in your soul that youthought only Black Sabbath could seal, and piles on extra “rock”for good measure. Now if only I could get a backhoe in themetaphor, too …
Rick Bain, My Regrets, The Out Crowd, Loris Lane
Berbati’s Pan
$6, $7 door, 21+
If you like your rock simple and filled with shredding organ andguitar riffs, then Rick Bain is a good bet for you. Add to that thealready mentioned My Regrets and Courtney Taylor-Taylor favoritesThe Out Crowd, and this night at Berbati’s is shaping up to be anascent good time.
Bachelors of Science
Portland State University
12 p.m.
Free
Funk is the ticket to this performance, as PSU is host to theBachelors of Science, who really aren’t as cool as theirname.
The Vagabond Opera Variety Show Featuring The Vagabond Opera,Wowee Zowee Cinema Shadow Puppetry, Bellydancing by Tiffany
Nocturnal
7 p.m.
$6-$10
One of the many wild events that seem to be popping up all overthe place lately, this one featuring bellydancing and eclecticopera performances and, of course, puppets. Hey, at least this onehas nothing to do with any mayoral candidates, so you won’t have tosee Francesconi’s unnerving face lurking around the stage.
Saturday, May 8
Fat Girl Speaks
Roseland Theater
7 p.m.
Celebrate your body, no matter what image you have of it, andhave a good time, too at the second annual presentation of Fat GirlSpeaks, which now needs the Roseland to contain the droves thatflocked to the woefully undersized Fifth Avenue Cinema thatcontained it last year. Get there early in the day and hit up someof the workshops that come along with the performances.
Spigot
Boon’s Treasury
9 p.m.
Free, 21+
Spigot consists of band members playing whatever instrumenthappens to be around, from guitar and bass to triangle and spoons.Come see them work their urban-country junkyard magic.
Pretty Girls Make Graves, Cobra High, ThePrids
Dante’s
10 p.m.
$8, $10 door
Energy, vitriol, and punk power are the trademarks of localdarlings PGMG. Cobra High has a song called “Awesomeology,” whichmakes me like them immediately. Even better, the song happens to bean instrumental King Crimson-esque prog-fest.
Monday, May 10
Hospital, Mister Metaphor
Meow Meow
8 p.m.
$6
Pavement’s first drummer Gary Young returns for action withHospital. If you’ve seen Preston School of Industry, now you’vecaught all the latest from the greatest slackers of the notoriouslyslack nineties.
Tuesday, May 11
Trilogy Tuesday: Mad Max Saga! – Vanguard Pick
Nocturnal
Yes! You can see “Mad Max and The Road Warrior” back to back,and a bar is only feet away! What better way to celebrate theirpost-apocalyptic glory than with some of your hip, happenin’ peers?At the very least, you’ll have someone to bitch to while you sitthrough that horrible “Beyond Thunderdome.” Who knows, pretty soonwe may be fighting each other for gas, and it might pay to bone upon Mel Gibson’s raider-evasion skills for when your Escaladebecomes a target.
Get Hustle, Open City, Burning Star Core
Berbati’s Pan
$6, 21+
As their name might suggest, Get Hustle is the kind of band thatyou just shouldn’t stand still around. So don’t, you nerd!Dance!
Wednesday, May 12
Sarah Harmer, Hayden
Aladdin Theater
7 p.m.
$14
Singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer conjures solitude, narrative, andloving detail to form her folk-pop songs. She also has reallyexcellent taste in guitars, with Gibson jumbos featuringprominently among the scattered electrics that the Canadianmusician plays.
My Morning Jacket
Crystal Ballroom
9 p.m.
$15
My Morning Jacket’s twangy alt-country rock has won them bunchesof fans and buckets of rock critic drool, not to mention a place inevery Rolling Stone magazine published for the last year and ahalf. The name is a little odd and emo-cheesy, but the members doindeed appear to be fond of jackets, and also of the kind of musicthat puts you on a mental porch in the warm daydream sun with aspectral beer and few, if any, cares in the world. That, mostassuredly, is worth $15.
-The Calendar Boy