Looking for a way to avoid watching your family get drunk? How about catching some of the amazing music opportunities presenting themselves this break? Really, what’s better, watching Grandpa gum at rice crispy treats or rocking out?
Saturday, Dec. 4
The Dears, Robbers on High Street, The Sun
Dante’s Inferno, $8, 21+
Spend the evening with these French-Canadians and their cabaret-infused indie pop.
Sunday, Dec. 5
Karate, The Roots of Orchis
Berbati’s Pan, 21+
Between the kick-ass kick assness of Karate and the instrumental hip-hop of RoO you won’t find a more blunt-worthy lineup. Get it?
Wednesday, Dec. 8
West Indian Girl, Man Of The Year
Doug Fir Lounge, $8, 21+
Atmospheric pop band West Indian Girl comes to Portland to teach us that we can expect good things even from a band named after a strain of designer LSD.
Thursday, Dec. 9
Earlimart, Blues Goblins (featuring Sam Coomes of Quasi), Invisible
Berbati’s Pan, $8, 21+
California post-punk in the strain of The Pixies, and the pouty brilliance of Mr. Coomes in one night!
Friday, Dec. 10
Grails, Dolorean, The Evolutionary Jass Band (Jef Brown from Jackie-O Motherfucker)
Holocene, 10 p.m., 21+
Local heartthrobs Grails and Dolorean are both releasing CDs tonight. Go. Support. Be seen.
The Weakerthans, The Arcade Fire, Murder By Death, Fembots
Bossanova, $10, All ages
The Weakerthan’s strength is their clever poetic lyrics and stripped-down folky punk. Montreal’s The Arcade Fire have the raw emotion and layered sound to fill out the evening.
Saturday, Dec. 11
Iron & Wine, Sam Jayne
Meow Meow, $12, All ages
One-man band Iron & Wine manages to make haunting acoustic folk that is relevant and accessible to pretty much everybody who stumbles across it.
Sunday, Dec. 12
Leigh Marble
Meow Meow, All ages
Leigh is all over the place with his sweet folk ways and his new album Peep. See this kid before he explodes.
Monday, Dec. 13, Tuesday Dec.14, Wednesday, Dec. 15, Thursday, Dec. 16
Modest Mouse sold out, kiddies. Oh, and so did the tickets to all four of their shows.
Wednesday, Dec. 15
The Planet The, Point Line Plane, The Punks
Doug Fir Lounge, $7, 21+
Local prog-rock class clowns The Planet The share the stage with fellow Portland darlings Point Line Plane.
Thursday, Dec. 16
Crooked Fingers, The Joggers, Black Mountain Army
Dante’s Inferno, $5, 21+
Southern indie rocker Eric Bachmann’s one-band, Crooked Fingers comes to Portland to remind you how much you like both Tom Waits and Neil Diamond.