Live! Tonight! Not Sold-Out!

Our top concert picks for Monday-Tuesday, Nov. 9-10.

Want to see some live music tonight? Here are your best options, curated by the Willamette Week music staff.

MONDAY, NOV. 9

Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody

[FEARLESS PIANO] Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein has his work cut out for him. A returning guest of the Oregon Symphony, Gerstein was picked to accompany them as they take on one of the hardest pseudo-concertos in all classical music: Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. It's blazing fast, and features clean two-handed runs and atypical harmonies that make it one of the piano world's greatest tongue twisters. A half-hour-long piece based on 24 variations of Paganini's 24thCaprice for Violin, the composition is so difficult that Rachmaninoff himself was nervous before its debut, and broke his own rule of not drinking before playing. PARKER HALL. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway. 8 pm. $29-$105. All ages.

Made of Oak, Tuskha

[DYSTOPIAN POP] Made of Oak is the side project of Nick Sanborn, half of electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso. Under this moniker, Sanborn's production wizardry is on full display in the form of haunting synth lines, clever beats and near-hypnotic repetition. There's a dystopian-arcade feel to it all—recreational on the surface with its electro radiance, but more sinister beneath. Made of Oak will release its strong debut EP, Penumbra, on this tour, a worthwhile grab at the merch table. MARK STOCK. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St. 9 pm. $15. 21+.

Like A Villain, Luke Wyland, the Crenshaw

[OPERATIC DRONE POP] If you haven't seen one-woman band Like a Villain live…well, it's an experience. Correct that immediately. Added bonus here: Au's Luke Wyland performing with members of Blue Cranes. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 9 pm. $5. 21+.

TUESDAY, NOV. 10

The Front Bottoms, The Smith Street Band, Elvis Depressedly

[CUTE OVERLOAD] Noise bands and metal dudes hog a lot of praise for pushing sound to nearly unlistenable extremes, but the Front Bottoms' chipper compositions are potentially more punishing than any basement-dwelling black metal. Marrying the adenoidal nerd-pop of They Might Be Giants to the oversharing tendencies of contemporary emo, the Front Bottoms twist twentysomething angst and apprehension into saccharine anthems that are often very annoying and almost always very catchy. The latter quality only makes the former more nerve-racking, but at least there is never a dull moment. Turns out music doesn't have to be ugly to be challenging. CHRIS STAMM. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE Cesar Chavez Blvd. 6:30 pm. $15. All ages.

Gesaffelstein (DJ set), Gener8ion

[DARK DJ] If Daft Punk were comic-book superheroes, Gesaffelstein would be their black-helmeted arch-nemesis. The French techno producer born Mike Lyon is perhaps best known for assisting in making Kanye West's "Black Skinhead" the best "Beautiful People" cover ever. On his own, he makes dark, throbbing EDM with an industrial clang. He's only doing a DJ set here, but it's bound to go hard. Plus, it's a great excuse to check out the Evergreen, Portland's newest, sometime electronic-music venue. MATTHEW SINGER. The Evergreen, 618 SE Alder St. 9 pm. $40-$60. 21+.

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