LIVE
REVIEW
DUTCH TREAT
Instant Composers Pool Orchestra,
Aladdin Theater,
Saturday, Sept. 9
Looking like a chipper Max von Sydow in mountaineering
shorts and red jackboots, Han Bennink, drummer for the Dutch
free-jazz armada ICP, bounded on stage alone. Dropping down
on all fours, Bennink shoved one stick in his mouth and
proceeded to rattle both his teeth and the floorboards for
a drumstick-in-cheek solo turn. The moment both mocked the
self-indulgence of heavy-handed drum-solos and took percussionist
egotism to the hilt.
Such shtick-happy deconstruction was de rigueur
for much of ICP's first set. Each of the group's nine musicians
took turns as tyrannical conductor, dictating who played
and who cut out with a merciless sweep of the arm. Although
the group freely improvised, there were solo moments of
intensity and beauty.
Yet there's only so much fiddling about an audience can
take before the joke gets old. Mengelberg and company know
this, and the second set was a different show altogether.
The ensemble gelled into a uniform sonic vehicle fueling
up on the dizzying swing of Mengelberg's arrangements. Tunes
by Ellington, Charles Ives and Herbie Nichols were given
wild yet elegant runs. "Caravan" featured an East-meets-West
sparring match between Oliver and trombonist Wolter Wierbos.
"The Spinning Song" burst from the cocoon of Nichols' original
trio recording as a colorful, multi-voiced classic.
The latter piece reminded the audience of just how valuable
ICP and fellow risk-takers are to jazz. Less revisionist
than visionary, they played Nichols' music as the composer
had dreamed it would be played--full-voiced and full throttle.
As one over-exuberant fan yelled between tunes: "Thanks
for bringing American music back to the United States."
Bill Smith
bluegrass
Danny Barnes and Thee Old Codgers
Barnes is best
known as the banjo man in the Bad Livers, but with the Codgers
he steps out of that role for a brief trip into straight
Bluegrass Land. Still, this is more than your standard crypto-hippies-with-mandolins
pick-up group: Barnes has recruited none other than Bill
Frisell for help, with Jon Parry and Zony Masher Keith Lowe
also along for the ride, so expect virtuoso plucking all
around. (JG)
St. Johns Pub, 8203 N Ivanhoe St.,
283-8520. 8 pm Saturday, Sept. 16. $12 advance, $14 door.
blues
The Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
From World Championship Wrestling's
Monday Nitro house band to a headlining gig in St.
Johns--now that's what I call the American goddamn Dream,
people. The multitude of godless music fans in PDX should
not let Wirtz's faux-holy honorific scare them, since the
gospel preached by this lowdown boogie woogie piano revivalist
seems entirely tongue-in-cheek. In addition to his wrestling
gig, this retro-R&B laffbringer also recently acted
in a flick alongside Bret Michaels from Poison. Every rose,
etc. (ZD)
St. Johns Pub, 8203 N Ivanhoe St.,
283-8520. 8 pm Wednesday, Sept. 13. $13 advance, $15 door.
celtic
The Paperboys, Higher Ground
The 'Boys--who have
at least one Y-chromosome-challenged member--liven up Celtic's
familiar trad style with contemporary flourishes and an
allegedly infectious energy that gets people dancing like
spider-bite victims. Unfortunate lapses into handcuffed
vocal pop won't stop the rug-cutting, though: with Higher
Ground opening, the room is sure to be packed with hippies,
and everyone knows they'll dance to anything. (JG)
Crystal Ballroom-Lola's Room, 1332 W Burnside St., 778-5625.
9 pm Thursday, Sept. 14. $7 advance, $9 day of show.
electronica
 Moby, Hybrid
See story.
Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-2038. 9 pm Thursday,
Sept. 14. $27.50 advance (Fastixx). All ages.
experi-/
mental
 Rollerball,
SIL2K Ensemble, Rob Kohler, Beds
See WW Picks.
Medicine Hat, 1834 NE Alberta St., 460-3514. 9:30 pm Friday,
Sept. 15. Cover.
folk
Portland Folk Festival
The sweet, bluesy soul of Linda
Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins highlights an outdoor folk
spectacular. Feel the power. See Headout for full listing.
(ZD)
Artichoke Music, 3130 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 232-8845. Noon
Sunday, Sept. 17. All ages.
hip-hop
Lyricist Lounge Tour w/  Mos
Def, Talib Kweli, Slum Village,  Bahamadia,
Master Fuol, Major Figgas
See story.
Pine Street Theater, 215 SE 9th Ave., 232-7861. 9 pm Thursday,
Sept. 14. $25 advance (Fastixx). All ages.
 Maroon
Colony,
Acroyear
Seattle's Maroon Colony achieves the oft-sought-after fusion
of jazz and hip-hop, welding those two kissin' cousins with
potent soul and brain. With the Northwest almost missing
from the hip-hop map, one almost dares hope that these rainland
rockahs would be the next big thing. Talk about representing
well. (ZD)
Ohm, 31 NW 1st Ave., 223-9919. 9 pm Friday, Sept. 15. Cover.
jazz
Michael Kaeshammer
Everyone loves a prodigy, so 23-years-young
pianist Michael Kaeshammer already has a certain degree
of popularity locked up. Fortunately, he chooses to express
himself in less-popular genres (like boogie-woogie blues
and barrelhouse jazz), rolling his frenetic fingers across
the ivories with vertiginous energy. But he should keep
the singing to a minimum--Kaeshammer's tender vocal cords
only reinforce the freshness of his age. (JG)
Jazz de Opus, 33 NW 2nd Ave.,
222-6077. 9 pm Wednesday, Sept. 15.
No cover.
Rob Scheps Salon des Refuses
See story.
Medicine Hat, 1834 NE Alberta St., 460-3514. 9:30 pm Wednesday,
Sept. 15. $5.
oktoberfest
Uncle Otto's Oktoberfest
Three days of suds and silliness
begin on Friday, as Bob Wills' ghost guides the headlining
Original Texas Playboys through a reunion set of vintage
Western swing. Saturday sees the Derailers try to get their
own ol'-timey honky-tonk on track; squeezebox heroes Those
Darn Accordions, Samsonite & Delight-Ya and Polkacide
keep the Oktoberfest theme closer in mind. Sunday is kids'
day, when the tykes chow down hot dogs while Mom and Pop
gawk at art cars and listen to Spigot, the new Appalachia-misted
project of ex-Mad Hattie singer Nann Alleman. (JG)
Portland Brewing Co., 2730 NW 31st Ave., 228-5629. 5 pm
Friday, noon Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15-17. $5 per day,
children under 12 free.All ages.
rok
roc rawk rock!
Bush and Gore 2000 Tour:  Rorschach
Test,  Bile,
N17, Snake River Conspiracy
This package tour's self-conscious spectacle of excess
is a gauntlet thrown at the feet of our nation's Great Leaders,
a proclamation made through bloody teeth: "Censor this,
s--theads!" But while the industrialized NeoMetal carnival
offers a vicious barrage of blistering guitars and blipvert
synth sequences, it's not that radical. It's more
like Dee Snider's Strangeland--gratuitously "extreme"
acts meet electronic-thrash throwdowns to entertaining (but
mostly unthreatening) effect. (JG)
Pine Street Theater, 215 SE 9th Ave., 232-7861. 8 pm Wednesday,
Sept. 13. $10 advance (Fastixx). All ages.
Spirit Caravan,  Men
of Porn,  Witch
Mountain, Useless ID
"Stoner rock"? Pah! Scott "Wino" Weinrich practically
invented the sound. OK, so Tommy Iommi invented it,
but Wino formed the Obsessed way back in the '70s--the '70s,
man!--and has been instrumental in replacing the roach clip
on rockers' lips with lopsided smiles ever since. Wino's
new band, Spirit Caravan, will surely show up these piddling
"stoner-rock" kids with the seriously heeeavy shite. Or,
as one fan website proudly trumpets: "Much like BEETHOVEN,
MOZART, BACH and CHOPIN were geniuses in the Classical field,
SCOTT was to be a genius in his field better known as DOOM!"
Amen! (JG)
Satyricon, 125 NW 6th Ave., 243-2380. 10 pm Wednesday,
Sept. 13. $6.
 Kristy
Thirsk
Best known for her work with Rose Chronicles and Delerium,
Canadian chanteuse Thirsk sings like an angel--albeit a
slightly darkened and medicated one--and her voice can convey
the type of gorgeous fragile sorrow and joy that can make
any beating heart weep like a little babe. Wear black and
bring your maple-leaf hanky. (Scott D. Lewis)
Cobalt Lounge, 32 NW 3rd Ave., 225-1003. Early show at
8:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 14. $5.
 Last
of the Juanitas, The Nearly Deads, Made for TV Movie,  Black
Angus, Machine That Flashes, King Louie One Man Band
Check out Portland's next cultural warzone--Alberta
Street, where races collide!--this Saturday and see the
area's new white punks playing the Chez What? cafe band
showcase. All groups feature members who work at the little
funked-up eatery, except for King Louie, a resident of St.
Johns (a.k.a.: Destination 2005). Beer-garden PBR is a buck,
and the music stands to be all kinds of loud, including
the Juanitas' dissonant instrumental stabs, MFTVM's ice-melting
indie-rock jabs or King Louie's solo swamp-thang blues-punk.
Bring the noise. (Sam Soule)
Chez What?, 2203 NE Alberta St.,
281-1717. Noon Saturday, Sept. 16. All ages.
 The
Owners,  Heavy
Johnson Trio,  Bluebottle
Kiss, Larry Yes & David Parks
Ex-Gern Blanston man Jeff Schroeder returns to punky
low-end plunderings with his latest group, the Owners; for
those who welcome a redux of the amp-damaging power and
dissonance of early '90s post-punk, it's a smile-stimulating
treat. The Aussies in Bluebottle Kiss shift between shoegazing
indie and angular, bootstomping rock without seeming like
traitors to either cause. (JG)
Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash St., 226-9430. 9:30 pm Saturday,
Sept. 16. $5.
 Dead
Unknown,  Himsa,
 Thirty
3,  One
Last Thing
An all-ages venue with more than just the bottom line
in mind, Ethos Inc. uses its proceeds to support much-needed
music education for low-income kids. Which rocks as hard
as any band ever could. But this bill puts up a mighty tough
fistfight itself, with hardcore/ whiplash-thrash screamers
Himsa providing some Revelation Records street cred to the
otherwise new-ish lineup. (JG)
Ethos Inc., 2 N Killingsworth St., 241-8824. 8 pm Sunday,
Sept. 17. $5.
All ages.
Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise
Bradley has lived one of American music's archetypal
sagas, logging years on Greyhound as a intinerant singer
and bard. Through a fortuitous Detroit hook-up, he started
doing business with the much younger and whiter gentlemen
of the Blackwater Surprise. The lucky pairing has thus far
resulted in at least one unlikely MTV hit and one killer
album, this year's Time to Discover. Bradley is the
sort of singer you'd be delighted to find holding forth
at a corner tavern, and while the Aladdin seems like a somewhat
stilted environment for Bradley's straight-up pop-soul to
get down, its size does justice to a man who's paid his
dues in full. (ZD)
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 233-1994. 8 pm
Sunday, Sept. 17. $15 advance, $17 door.
 Eyehategod,
 Suplecs,
Witch
Mountain
Embracing pain and suffering like junkies who can't
give up the needle's sting, Eyehategod helped birth the
earthquake sludge sound of grindcore in the late '80s. EHG's
sinister vibe has been out-eviled in recent times, but when
they grind it right, they're still nasty and nice.
Suplecs features ex-EHG members doin' that hot stoner-rock
thing, though in a rather pedestrian, forgettable way. Portland's
Witch Mountain gets extra credit for mostly avoiding the
slo-mo string bends that are stoner-rock's most obvious
calling card. (JG)
Pine Street Theater, 215 SE 9th Ave., 232-7861. 8:30 pm
Sunday, Sept. 17. $9 advance (Fastixx). $10 day of show.
All ages.
sacred
cow
 Rickie
Lee Jones
For Jones--whose 1979 self-titled debut slapped pop
music silly--the challenge isn't one of talent (with which
her cup runneth over) but of control. At her recent Vancouver,
B.C., gig, Jones was so disorganized and amateurish that
the audience ran away with her show. In allowing the audience
to determine the set list, she left her bewildered band--already
a collection of brow-beaten namelessness--at a loss for
what to play. Finally, as the footlight heckling became
suffocating, she had a tantrum. "Don't yell at me!" she
shouted, like a lost child pouting at the results of her
naughtiness. We should demand more from our artists than
such diva egotism. We should expect a show. (BS)
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 233-1994. 7 pm
Saturday, Sept. 16. $29.50 advance, $32 door. All ages.
djs
& dancing
Most prices
listed are for advance ticket sales. At-the-door increases
and so-called convenience charges may apply, so it's best
to call ahead.
THE ALIBI: Vintage soul singles with Gabe Laggeson
(Mondays)
ANDREA'S CHA-CHA CLUB: Salsa DJs (Wednesdays-Saturdays),
disco (Sundays)
BAR 71: '80s retro (Wednesdays), current dance hits
(Thursdays-Saturdays)
BOXXES: Karaoke and DJs (Wednesdays), VJ Rod Gozinya
(Thursdays), Planet Q with DJ Rod the Bod (Fridays), ResErection
with DJ Rod the Bod (Saturdays), DJ Robbie (Sundays and
Tuesdays)
THE BRIG: Karaoke and DJs (Wednesdays), Hi-NRG with
DJ Doug (Thursdays and Saturdays), '70s disco (Fridays),
DJ Robbie (Sundays and Tuesdays)
COBALT LOUNGE: Jungle/drum'n'bass with Spincycle
DJs (Wednesdays), Xotica-Go-Go (Thursdays), Sunday School
(Sundays), Free Flow with DJ Hypothesis (Mondays)
DANTE'S: Sinferno: DJs and Debauchery (Sundays),
DJ Gregarious (Tuesdays)
EMBERS: Rehashed '80s mish-mash (Wednesdays), '80s
and '90s (Thursday-Saturdays)
JEZEBEL'S: DJ Magneto (Wednesdays), Vinyl Manipulator
LSJ (Tuesdays)
LA RUMBA: Salsa and merengue with dance classes
(Tuesdays, Thursdays-Saturdays)
LOTUS: Dance hits (Wednesdays), '80s classics (Thursdays),
top-40 dance (Fridays-Saturdays), disco (Sundays)
OHM: Soul Stew with DJ Aquaman and Brian Martin
(Wednesdays), Afterhours with various techno DJs (Thursdays-Saturdays)
PANORAMA: DJ Rod the Bod (Fridays), Hi-NRG dance
music (Saturdays)
PARIS THEATRE: Magic Wednesdaze: all-ages house/rave
(Wednesdays), Contagion Vector: all-ages goth-industrial
(Fridays), The Martyrium: all-ages '80s, industrial and
goth (Saturdays)
PINE STREET THEATRE: Blue Mondaze: all-ages trance
and drum'n'bass (Mondays)
QUEST: Current dance hits for under-21 boyz an'
girlz (Thursdays-Saturdays)
RED SEA: Rebel Dance: reggae in the mix with the
Good Vibe Crew (Wednesdays), reggae and the world beat (Saturdays)
SAUCEBOX: Acid house and the dub (Wednesdays and
Fridays)
SEGES: Salsa DJs (alternating Wednesdays), Caribbean
Night: reggae, soca and calypso DJs (Thursdays), reggae,
African, soca and world beat with DJ Felix (Saturdays)
TONIC LOUNGE: Old-school punk with DJ Matt Bastard
(Thursdays, Fireside Lounge), R&B, jazz and mellow grooves
with DJ O.G. One (Sundays)
1201: Lo-Fi Funk Grooves with DJ Saltfeend (Wednesdays),
Funk and Soul (Thursdays), Exodus with Direct Productions
(Fridays), DJ Big M (Saturdays), Jubilee (Sundays), Downtempo
Kaoss with DJ Saltfeend (Mondays)
THE ZONE: "Phenomenal cutz": old-school, hip-hop
and house with DJ Double D (Thursdays), DJ Reckless (Fridays),
DJ Shinez (Saturdays), DJ Z (Sundays)
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