Fun. + Now Now @ Roseland Theater 05/29/12

“For the first time in a long time, I feel alive,” are some of the simple and succinct lyrics to Fun.’s song “Barlights.” If you want a verbal snapshot of what Tuesday’s impressive show at the Roseland Theater was like, go no further than that.

 

As if the long-held sold out ticket status wasn’t indicator enough, Fun.’s recent Billboard Hot 100 success “We Are Young” has garnered the New York outfit a large burst of attention. Fresh from playing Sasquatch Music Festival, and with youngsters Now Now slated to open, Fun.’s tour kickoff is something that many fans anxiously waited for.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 31, 2012 at 9:16 am, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

What’s Going On: 05/30 – 06/06

1. MFNW KICK-OFF PARTY: Gardens & Villa, Swahili & Grandparents
Where: Holocene
How Much: $10
When: Wednesday, May 30th – 8:30pm
Why: A little taste of what’s to come at MFNW this year with two of Portland’s finest local bands. Swahili’s tribal psychedelic sound, hypnotic drums, and krautrockian patterns will captivate you. Grandparents psych-pop shoegazy delicousness makes your body move without even realizing it. And then there’s Santa Barbara’s art synth-pop group Gardens & Villa, whose sweet Californian vibe will make you ache for summertime.

2. Gospel Music w/ Surfsdrugs & Fine Pets
Where: Ella St. Social Club
How Much: $5
When: Thursday, May 31st – 9pm
Why: Hailing from Jacksonville, FL, the last time we heard from Owen Holmes (aka Gospel Music and Black Kids’ bassist) was his collaboration with members of The Magnetic Fields, Camera Obscura, Vivian Girls, etc for the 2010 Duettes EP. The follow-up How To Get To Heaven From Jacksonville, FL is full of playful indie-pop tunes with friend Madeline Long providing the yin to Holmes’ yang. Show up early to catch Surfsdrugs (members of And And And/Glitter Express) and Fine Pets (members of Best Supporting Actress).

3. Crystal Fighters w/ Is Tropical & Tyler Tastemaker
Where: Wonder Ballroom
How Much: $12/$14
When: Saturday, June 2nd – 9pm
Why: If you leave this show without a stupid smile of pure unadulterated happiness and sweat-dampened clothes, you’re doing it wrong. Formed in London in 2007, the globally influenced electronic group released their debut in October of 2010 in the UK. A year and half later the dynamic, pulsating, electro dance-rock from across the pond was released in the US and has been making waves ever since. Get your ticket now and thank me later.

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 30, 2012 at 11:11 am, filed under Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Musicfest NW 2012 Lineup Announced!

The preliminary lineup for MusicFest NW is out and off the hook! Check it:

LINEUP:

Silversun Pickups
Passion Pit
Beirut
Girl Talk
A-Trak
Dinosaur Jr.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on at 9:42 am, filed under Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

What’s Going On: 05/23 – 05/30



1. Starfucker w/ Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Wampire
Where: Branx
How Much: $15
When: Thursday, May 24th – 8pm
Why: Taking a little break from hibernation/recording to play a few shows over the next month, Starfucker joins forces with Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Wampire for an all ages show. As a trifecta of such radness might suggest, advanced tickets are sold out. There will be a limited number of tickets available at the door so get there early if you wanna dance your butt off.

*1B. TYCHO w/ Active Child
Where: Doug Fir Lounge
How Much: $13/$15
When: Thursday, May 24th – 9pm
Why: If the show it Branx is maxed to the teeth, or if you want a little more subdued-but-still-dance-party action, San Francisco’s Scott Hansen (TYCHO) takes the ambient-electronic and visual-design arts factor up a notch. This one is likely to sell out also, but the Doug Fir usually holds some extra tickets for when the box office opens at 7:30.

2. Spiritualized w/ Nikki Lane
Where: Wonder Ballroom
How Much: $18/$20
When: Friday, May 25th – 9pm
Why: In support of his seventh studio album, Sweet Heart Sweet Light, J. Spaceman and company will grace our fair city for the first time in 5 years. I highly suggest picking up tickets if you haven’t already done so, unless you want to wait another 5 years. You can expect a couple of backup singers, swirling projections, and possibly floating in space.

*2B. Deer Tick w/ Turbo Fruits
Where: Mission Theatre
How Much: $20
When: Friday, May 25th – 8pm
Why: Deer Tick is coming to town in support of their acclaimed 2011 record, Divine Providence, and their EP Tim. The EP, released free in February, is four tracks from the same sessions as the full length. The Mission provides an intimate and historic setting for the roots rockers, and they will be accompanied by Nashville four-piece Turbo Fruits. Doors at 7pm

3. Dum Dum Girls w/ Young Prisms & Ghost Animal
Where: Doug Fir
How Much: $13/$15
When: Sunday, May 27th – 9pm
Why: Continuously building buzz over the last couple of years, the sultry garage-pop quartet stops by the Doug Fir their second visit. This time around the love ladies have snatched up the San Francisco dream-pop group Young Prisms for these spring west coast dates. Kicking off this dream party is Ghost Animal, who has recently added Cole Browning (Prescription Pills) to their live shows.

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 23, 2012 at 11:11 am, filed under Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Black Moth Super Rainbow @ Holocene 05/09/2012

Like the best psychedelic trips, Black Moth Super Rainbow induces a spiritual euphoria that reverberates through your consciousness, setting you afloat in a gently undulating melody on the sea of purring vocoders, dainty synths, and syncopated beats…and that’s just the studio stuff. Live-action BMSR transports you into their technical, color daydream, and leads you through a literal forest of sound orchestrated by front man Tobacco. The Holocene played host to a varied crew of head-nodders, foot-planted swayers, flat-out hyper-dancers, and butterflies, yes, neon-colored-body-suited tinsel-winged human butterflies (or maybe they were moths).

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 16, 2012 at 11:45 am, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

What’s Going On: 05/16 – 05/23

1. Ramona Falls w/ Incredible Yacht Control
Where: Doug Fir
How Much: $12/$14
When: Friday, May 18th – 9pm
Why: Spend the evening celebrating the second full-length release from Brent Knopf (formerly of Menomena). Blossoming in the midst of a delayed Menomena album, the side project turned full-time gig has given Knopf the time and space to expand his ever-growing talents as a musician–which is quite apparent in Ramona Falls’ latest effort, Prophet.

2. Strangled Darlings w/ Ezza Rose
Where: Secret Society Ballroom
How Much: $8/$12
When: Saturday, May 19th – 9pm
Why: Multi-instrumentalists George Veech and Jessica Anderly make up neo-folk duo Strangled Darlings. With an album recently released (Red Yellow & Blue on Mudfarm Records), you can be sure to hear new jazzy folk-pop tunes that will at the very least make your head bop and your feet tap to the beat.

3. Rontoms Sunday Sessions: The We Shared Milk & Log Across the Washer w/ Plum Sutra
Where: Rontoms
How Much: Free
When: Sunday, May 20th – 9pm
Why: Rontoms is at it again bringing the latest and greatest in local and touring performers. This week’s tasty treat is the 7″ split record release between The We Shared Milk and Log Across the Washer–13:33 minutes nearly split right down the middle. The first 6:54, “Annual”, is a quieter side of TWSM that flows gracefully into LATW’s beautifully layered “De Grasse/What in the World”. As always, the show is free so no excuses–be there!

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on at 11:11 am, filed under Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

What’s Going On 05/09 – 05/16

1. Ketamines w/ Night Beats, Cosmonauts & PinkSlime
Where: East End
How Much: $8
When: Wednesday, May 9th – 9pm
Why: Dubbed as a Calgary supergroup, Ketamines was formed from the demise of Myelin Sheaths and Endangered Ape. The energetic psych-pop will leave your head spinning for days with their infectious hooks. Seattle’s best psych trio, Night Beats, have new material to share as well as the mind-numbing tunes from their self-titled released last year. Cosmonauts, hailing from Fullerton, CA bring the fuzzed-out primitive garage rock and newcomers PinkSlime will give them all a run for their money.

2. Willamette Week Presents: Best New Band 2012
Where: Mississippi Studios
How Much: Free!
When: Friday, May 11th – 8pm
Why: Featuring Willamette Week’s Best New Band of 2012: Radiation City! After taking 12th place last year, Rad City soars to the top and takes home the title with a whopping 165 points. This not-to-miss show also includes runner ups Pure Bathing Culture and Onuinu (4th place, respectively). Get their early to secure your spot, this free show will fill up fast! For more information and a comprehensive list of bands who made the Top Ten, check out Willamette Weekly’s Best New Band 2012.

3. Beach Fossils w/ Mac DeMarco & White Fang
Where: Bunk Bar
How Much: $12
When: Saturday, May 12th – 10pm
Why: Formed by Dustin Payseur in 2009, Brooklyn’s Beach Fossils have undergone plenty of line-up changes while constantly touring in their three years of existence. With a solid and devoted fanbase throughout the country, the self-titled debut immediately received favorable reviews in 2010 and the band continued the success with 2011′s What a Pleasure EP. Their dreamy summertime jams will make you yearn for those long lying-on-a-blanket-in-the-park kinda days.

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 9, 2012 at 11:11 am, filed under ELEVEN, Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

The Blue Angel Lounge @ Wonder Ballroom 05/04/2012

First rule of The Wonder Ballroom: get there early or have your tickets in hand. Waiting in line for will-call and jumping over to the main entrance line is no fun, especially when it’s a 21+ show and no one has their IDs ready. Now that I’ve had my peace, let’s get down to business.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 7, 2012 at 2:10 pm, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Ty Segall @ Star Theater 05/03/2012



Let me start off by saying hats off to the East End kids for booking this show at a larger venue—I can’t imagine the night would have been the same. It was a fantastic evening, bumping into a slew of old and new friends. I mistakenly assumed the show would be in true East End fashion and not start until after 10pm, but we managed to get there in the middle of Nucular Aminals set. The Star Theater was already fairly crowded, and the line to get in didn’t stop for another hour.

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This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on at 1:32 pm, filed under ELEVEN, Live and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

What’s Going On: 05/02 – 05/09

1. White Fence w/ Ty Segall, Nucular Aminals & Youthbitch
Where: Star Theater
How Much: $12
When: Thursday, May 3rd – 9pm
Why: California invades Portland this weekend and what better way to kick things off than with two of the Bay area’s youngest and brightest. With multiple releases already under their belts, Ty Segall and White Fence’s Tim Presley recently released an eight-song collaborative record last month, Hair. How they managed to squeeze out that little gem amongst their individual releases (White Fence’s Family Perfume Vol. 1 & Vol. 2; Segall’s tour split with The Feeling of Love and the upcoming Ty Segall Band release, Slaughterhouse) this year is ambitious to say the least. Get it while the going is good.

2. The Brian Jonestown Massacre w/ The Blue Angel Lounge
Where: Wonder Ballroom
How Much: $18/$20
When: Friday, May 4th – 9pm
Why: Eclectic psychedelic rockers The Brian Jonestown Massacre recently started somewhat of a world tour in support of their anticipated 13th studio album, Aufheben, released May 1st. Originally formed in San Francisco in the early 1990s, Anton Newcombe has been BJM’s only consistent member assisted by a revolving door of musicians. Currently based in Berlin, Newcombe has enlisted Hagen, Germany’s psychedelic experimental group The Blue Angel Lounge for the American leg of the tour.

3. ELEVEN PDX and Dig A Pony Present: The Official Delta Spirit Afterparty 
Where: Dig A Pony
How Much: Free
When: Saturday, May 5th – 12am
Why: Your Saturday should look like this: sleep in, brunch, appearance at your friend/co-worker/neighbor’s Cinco de Mayo party, nap (optional), and Delta Spirit at the Wonder Ballroom. But wait, that’s not all…after you’re done rockin to the tunes of this soulful San Diego multi-instrumental group, head over to Dig A Pony for a DJ set with Delta Spirit’s Brandon Young. Although this event is free, please consider a small donation to support Invisible Children/KARA (Kids At Risk Action). Come shake ya tail feather!

This entry was written by elevenpdx, posted on May 2, 2012 at 11:11 am, filed under Live, Upcoming and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.