Lovin’ and Listenin’
Thursday, March 16
Live Wire! with M. Ward, Dahoo Chorus
Aladdin Theater, 7 p.m. $9 adv. $10 DOS. All Ages.
This show, which will be a live taping of the OPB radio show “Live Wire!” is really only worth attending for Portland folk genius M. Ward. Since it’s going to be on public radio, it might be fun to yell out obscenities, though you’ll probably be escorted out by a pair of thin dudes in black turtlenecks.
Friday, Mar. 17
KMRIA, Casey Neill and the Norway Rats
Doug Fir, 9 p.m. $10. 21+
For St. Patrick’s Day, local Celtic band KMRIA (which features members of the Decemberists and Amelia) will be playing Pogues and Shane McGowan songs, which pretty much makes Doug Fir the place to be on St. Patty’s.
Saturday, Mar. 18
Black Rebel Motorcyle Club, Elefant, Voyager One
Wonder Ballroom, 8 p.m. $16 adv. All Ages.
The BRMC just can’t catch a break. Despite having the British press credit their first album with saving rock and roll, their second album championed by indie music-bible [in the form of a magazine] Magnet, the band still got dropped from their label and lost a member. Now they’ve released a country-tinged album, which probably means the band is coming to the end of the line. Welcome to the “Lost Highway,” dudes.
Satan’s Pilgrims, The Nebulas
Doug Fir, $10 adv. 21+
Who doesn’t love surf music? We’ve all seen “Pulp Fiction,” which means we all have a soft spot in our heart for Dick Dale’s “Misirlou.” Without surf music, there’d be no Velvet Underground or Modest Mouse, so pay your respect to Satan’s Pilgrims, Portland’s own purveyors of the legendary genre.
Wednesday, Mar. 22
Ghostface Killah, M1 of Dead Prez, Cool Nutz
Berbati’s Pan, $20. 21+
Ghostface Killah has got to be one of the coolest dudes alive. Not only is he a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, but he’s also released three amazing solo albums chock full of weird wordplay and hot-shit samples. And to top it all off, he’s friends with MF Doom, who produces one or two songs on Ghostface’s upcoming album Fish Scale. Rap fans are simply not worthy.
Death Cab for Cutie, Franz Ferdinand
Memorial Coliseum. $30. All Ages.
I hate to pull the hipster card and mention that I once saw Death Cab and John Vanderslice at Meow Meow for eight bucks, but I feel like it’s worth mentioning. For those of us who remember when Death Cab was a little indie band, it’s kind of weird to think anyone would pay thirty bucks to go see them. But I suppose when you have two radio hits, that’s the kind of ticket price you can demand. It’s just hard for me to imagine old school Death Cab fans willing to pay that much to see a band that probably sounds better in a club anyway.
Thursday, Mar. 23
Art Brut, Gil Mantera’s Party Dream
Doug Fir, $10 adv. 21+
Art Brut writes songs with titles like “Formed a Band” and “Moving to L.A.” and critics love them for it. Apparently the band’s lyrics concern all the silly dreams and frustrations musicians have when they’re in a rock ‘n’ roll band. Musically, the band plays pretty straightforward pop-punk that sounds like old Buzzcocks or Television Personalities. Personally, I’m not that impressed, but dozens of critics can’t be wrong. Oh wait, they can.
Kind of Like Spitting, System and Station, Horsefeathers, J. Blank
Berbati’s Pan, $3. 21+
Kind of Like Spitting is kind of like an emo litmus test. If you can listen to them without feeling the slightest tinge of emotion, you’re not emo. But, if you’re anything like me, the band brings back all those intense teenage emotions that you still haven’t completely gotten rid of.
Friday, Mar. 24
Sisters of Mercy, The Warlocks
Crystal Ballroom, $28.50 adv. All Ages.
Though I prefer Dead Can Dance, the Sisters of Mercy definitely qualify as one of the classic bands of the Goth genre. Like Dead Can Dance, Sisters of Mercy mix rock and roll, pop and industrial music into a haunting blend. Better wear black.
Saturday, Mar. 25
Rhett Miller, Nicolai Dunger
Doug Fir, $10 adv. 21+
Rhett Miller is movie star good looking, a decent songwriter and friends with at least six or seven people far more famous than he is, but mainstream success still eludes him. May it continue to elude him so that the rest of us losers can believe we live in a relatively fair world.
Vetiver, Michael Hurley, Corrituck Co.
Towne Lounge, $10 adv. 9 p.m. 21+
Freak-folk superstar Devendra Banhart has a song called “When The Sun Shone on Vetiver” that’s all about how much he loves Andy Cubic’s Vetiver, a band he sometimes plays with. Though Vetiver is not nearly as interesting an artist as Banhart, Cubic plays the kind of chamber folk fans of Nick Drake or Sufjan Stevens will love.
