1. The Black Angels w/ Hanni El Khatib & Wall of Death
Where: Wonder Ballroom
How Much: $18
When: Wednesday, May 15th – 8pm
Why: Hot off the heels of performing and curating the 6th Austin Psych Fest, The Black Angels continue on tour in support of their fourth full-length album, Indigo Meadow. You can expect a healthy mix of old and new, swirling psychedelic lights and sounds, and reverbed-drenched guitars. 

2. Steve Adamyk w/ Needles//Pins & Youthbitch
Where: The Know
How Much: $5
When: Thursday, May 16th – 8pm
Why: Inspired by 70′s punk, 80′s power pop, and 90′s garage rock, this Ottawa four-piece kicks out the trash-pop jams and they kick ‘em out hard. With Vancouver’s Needles//Pins and Portland’s Youthbitch you can bet your sweet ass you’ll be shimmying and shakin all night long!

3. The Shivas w/ The Beets, Older Women & Awkward Energy
Where: Record Room
How Much: $6
When: Sunday, May 19th – 8pm
Why: It’s a no-brainer, kids! The Shivas have one last show before heading out on a month-long tour with The Dandy Warhols, so come out and show ‘em some love! You won’t want to miss The Beets either! Representing Jackson Heights, NY, the trio features minimalistic drumming, a healthy dose of reverb, and vocals by all three members.

Written by elevenpdx, filed under Upcoming and tagged Awkward Energy, Eleven, ELEVEN PDX, Hanni El Khatib, Needles//Pins, PDX Live Music, Portland live music, Record Room, Steve Adamyk, The Beets, The Black Angels, The Know, The Shivas, Tour Kickoff, Wall of Death, Wonder Ballroom, Youthbitch.

KPSU rocks the boat with local-artist driven “kruises” on The Portland Spirit, in which passengers board for a party that helps to raise funds for the university station’s very own FM signal. Last Friday’s event came at the end of an 85 degree day, and a leisurely late-night cruise with a couple of Portland’s finest up-and-coming seemed an ideal way to cool down and start the weekend.

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Written by elevenpdx, filed under Live and tagged ELEVEN PDX, Grandparents, KPSU KRUISE, Live Music, Onuinu, Portland Music, Portland Spirit.

Last Tuesday night a circus rolled in to McMenamin’s Mission Theater.  Calling itself The Traveling Imaginary it was a two-show stop on a tour organized by ringmaster Julian Koster to promote his band The Music Tapes newest album Mary’s Voice.

Last fall Koster, probably best known as a member of The Neutral Milk Hotel, launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund The Traveling Imaginary.  The money raised was used to purchase a custom circus tent that the band is playing shows in across the country along with games, stories, films and amusements.

People arrived in the lobby of the theater to find games set up in front of the red and white striped tent.  Julian walked around banging a pan lid with a drumstick and announcing games through an electric megaphone: “The Penny and The Bell!” “Flooded The Sailor School!” “Traditional Bag Toss!”  Most required a blindfold and winners were promised prizes after the show.

After about 45 minutes of games the tent was opened and the roughly 30 people in attendance sat on the checkered floor in front of instruments and a seven-foot tall metronome.  It was the start of a surreal swirl of music, performance art, storytelling and even a magic trick.

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Written by elevenpdx, filed under Live and tagged Eleven, Eleven Magazine, ELEVEN MAGAZINE PDX, ELEVEN PDX, Eleven PDX Magazine, ELEVENPDX, Julian Koster, Kickstarter, McMenamins, Mike Herman, Mission Theater, Neutral Milk Hotel, Neutral Milk Reunion, PDX, PDX Live Music, PDX Music, The Music Tapes, The Traveling Imaginary.

Our favorite Party Boyz Rachel Milbauer and Liz Elder have released the first episode of their podcast.

Without further ado, Ep. 1 featuring Fanno Creek:

Written by elevenpdx, filed under Podcasts, Q+A and tagged Fanno Creek, Liz Elder, Party Boyz, Podcast, Rachel Milbauer.

1. Arrested Development Returns Party!
Where: Holocene
How Much: $6
When: Wednesday, May 8th – 8:30pm
Why: Holy moly, are you as excited as we are for the return of television’s most underrated series of all time?! Tonight!  Banana Stand Media presents: Arrested Development Returns Party! With Tango Alpha Tango, Animal Eyes, The We Shared Milk. Just remember: there’s always music in the banana stand!

2. The Dandelyons w/ The Laurels & Miracle Falls
Where: Kelly’s Olympian
How Much: $5
When: Thursday, May 9th, 2013 – 9pm
Why: Portland’s The Dandelyons team up with Miracle Falls, project from ex – Mercury Rev / Sparklehorse / Longwave member Paul Dillon, for a night with Australia’s The Laurels (fresh from Austin Psych Fest). Expect a night of psychedelic shoegazy indie rock goodness!

3. KPSU Presents: The KPSU Kruise 2!
Where: Portland Spirit
How Much: $10/$15
When: Friday, May 10th – 10:30pm boarding
Why: Presented by KPSU’s 2013 Radio Revival & PSPS–hop aboard the Portland Spirit for a midnight cruise with Onuinu & Grandparents! Proceeds benefit KPSU’s efforts to bring freeform, student-run college radio back to Portland’s FM airwaves. All ages and a full bar for those 21+. Tickets available online or call 503-224-3900

Written by elevenpdx, filed under Upcoming and tagged Animals Eyes, Arrested Development Returns Party, Banana Stand Media, Eleven, ELEVEN PDX, Grandparents, Holocene, Kelly's Olympian, Kim Baxter, KPSU, KPSU Kruise 2, Miracle Falls, Onuinu, PDX Live Music, Portland live music, Portland Spirit, Tango Alpha Tango, The Dandelyons, The Laurels, The We Shared Milk.

1. May Day Music Festival
Where: Alhambra Theatre (formerly Mt. Tabor Theatre)
How Much: $15/$20, $50 all-fest pass
When: Wednesday, May 1st – Sunday, May 5th
Why: May Day Music Fest kicks off tonight with RED FANG. Tomorrow is May Day Music Fest Day 2- Eleven Magazine and Deli showcase [FREE!], additional headliners: Day3 Black Prairie, Day4 Y La Bamba, Day5 Sage Francis. Discounted 5 day passes still available! Get more details here!

2. METZ w/ White Lung & WL
Where: Holocene
How Much: $10/$12
When: Thursday, May 2nd – 9pm
Why: Hailing from Toronto, this power rock trio brings it, and they bring it hard. I happened to catch METZ at a pre-Austin Psych Fest show last week and woah! Add Vancouver B.C.’s White Lung and hot damn, y’all are in for a treat–it’s a match made in music heaven!

3. Vietnam w/ Gap Dream & Small Arms
Where: Dante’s
How Much: $10
When: Saturday, May 4th – 9pm
Why: Mexican Summer’s Vietnam teams up with Burger Record’s Gap Dream for one heck of show you’re not going to want to miss! Here’s one of my favorite tracks from Gap Dream: 58th St. Fingers. Highly recommended! Definitely bring some extra dollars to pick up both of these bands’ records.

Written by elevenpdx, filed under ELEVEN, Upcoming and tagged Alhambra Theatre, Black Prairie, BURGER RECORDS, Catherine Feeny, Chris Pureka, Dante's, Deli Portland, Device Grips, Dog Shredder, Eleven, ELEVEN PDX, Eleven PDX Magazine, Gap Dream, Glass Bones, Holocene, Hook & Anchor, Hustle + Drone, Jollif, METZ, Mexican Summer, Old Light, PDX Live Music, Pheasant, Portland live music, Prolyphic, Red Fang, Sage Francis, Sams Dams, Small Arms, Social Studies, Sons of Huns, Sub Pop Records, Summer Cannibals, The Lower 48, Toronto, Vietnam, White Lung, WL, Y La Bamba.

Jeff Mangum has been on tour a bit the past couple years, including sold out shows in the Pacific NW. It appears nostalgia has got the better of him, as he and his mates have reformed the iconic Neutral Milk Hotel. Today just got a bit less Monday-y. No nearby dates yet, but more coming soon, so keep checking back here or at the band’s website: http://walkingwallofwords.com/tour.html

10/22 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club (with Elf Power)
10/23 – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club (with Half Japanese)
10/25 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolfe Auditorium (with Half Japanese, Daniel Johnston)
11/28 – Taipei, Taiwan @ Hostess Club Festival
12/01 – Tokyo, Japan @ Hostess Club Festival

Written by elevenpdx, filed under ELEVEN and tagged ELEVEN PDX, Live Music, Neutral Milk Hotel, Neutral Milk Reunion, Portland Music.

Sold out weeks in advance, there was restlessness in the air at the Crystal Ballroom on Thursday night as the crowd waited for headliner Local Natives to take the stage. So many fans have been waiting to get a piece of Local Natives but it’s been a while.  The five-piece indie rock outfit is known for their satiable live performances but haven’t been through Portland in nearly three years. Their debut release, Gorilla Manor, was received with praise but the band remained under the radar to the average fan.

Queue Hummingbird. Nearly three years after the release of Gorilla Manor, Hummingbird was perhaps one of the most anticipated albums of the 2012. Whether or not the album delivered and fulfilled the hype, Local Natives took the stage to one of the most uproarious crowds seen at the Crystal Ballroom in recent memory.

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Written by elevenpdx, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged 2013, Crystal Ballroom, Eleven, ELEVENPDX, Gabriel Granach, hummingbird, Indie, Live, live performances, Local Natives, McMenamins, PDX EVENTS, PDX Live Music, PDX Music, Portland, rock, Show.

Coming off of recent shows at Coachella, James Blake headed up to Portland Wednesday night for a sold out show at the Wonder Ballroom. The 24 year old Londoner had a minimalistic stage set up: a few white circle backdrops with a pseudo candle like flame/light brightly lit in front of them. Blake was joined by a live guitarist and drummer that rounded out his sound. It was a pleasure to listen to James sing acapella at times and to be soothed by his mature voice. The new album is definitely more attuned to vocals and sends the listener on a nice trip through the songs. The young kids were all nestled together for slow grinding action to the electronic, soul, dubstep jam session.

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Written by elevenpdx, filed under Live and tagged 2013, acapella, April's Overgrown, Coachella, Dubstep, Electronic, Eleven, Eleven Magazine, ELEVEN MAGAZINE PDX, ELEVEN PDX, Eleven PDX Magazine, ELEVENPDX, Gabriel Granach, guitarist, James Blake, Kelly Kovl, Live, London, music, PDX EVENTS, PDX Live Music, PDX Music, Portland, Show, Wonder Ballroom.

Canadian electronic/hip-hop duo, Purity Ring, played to a fervent crowd on Tuesday night at the Roseland Theater. Even though the group is relatively new (they formed in 2010) their draw was huge, with lines spiraling in and around the theater well before the band took to the sold-out stage. The theater was transformed into a bass-drenched dance club for the night, with an eruptive pulse propelling movement on the floor and in the balconies. Unlike many Roseland shows, there were signs encouraging photography from the audience, and there wasn’t a typical pit, which allowed front-row access to anyone who pushed their way in.

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Written by elevenpdx, filed under Live and tagged Eleven Magazine, ELEVEN MAGAZINE PDX, ELEVEN MUSIC, ELEVEN PDX, Eleven PDX Magazine, ELEVEN PDX. PDX Live Music, ELEVENPDX, PDX, Portland, Purity Ring, Roseland Theater.