Sunday November 8

Ghostland Observatory, Support to Be Announced

[DOING HOMEWORK] The members of Austin's Ghostland Observatory wear their love of Daft Punk so blatantly they might as well dress like robots and perform atop a giant pyramid. The band even called its last record Robotique Musique, for criminy's sake. But when has unfettered hero worship been a reason to write a band off—especially when there's an entire generation of indie electro-dance outfits worshiping the same heroes with equal amounts of shamelessness? And it's not like vocalist Aaron Behrens and beatsmith Thomas Turner don't bring anything unique to what is now a fairly common sound. For instance, name another group in the genre with a singer who wails like he's auditioning to front Buckcherry? It's not a particularly good idea, yes, but it's more original than crooning like a lovesick android. MATTHEW SINGER. Crystal Ballroom 9 pm. $22. All ages.

Tuesday November 10

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, The Ascetic Junkies, The Winebirds

Crystal Ballroom 7 pm.

Wednesday November 11

They Might Be Giants, The Guggenheim Grotto

See listing, coming soon. Show is 16+. Crystal Ballroom 9 pm. $20 advance, $23 day of show.

Sunday November 15

Blues Power: Lloyd Jones Struggle, Curtis Salgado, D.K. Stewart Band, The Strange Tones, Norman Sylvester Band, Terry Robb, Bill Rhoades, Jim Mesi and more

[BLUE-GOODERS] One tradition that nurtured the growth of the blues was the phenomenon of rent parties, where folks would get together at a friend or neighbor's house, listen to hot music, and chip in for the host's monthly nut. Another important tradition is that of the independent blues DJ, who provides crucial exposure to local or little-known artists in a genre oft neglected on the airwaves. Today's event joins both these traditions, as many of Portland's—nay, the Northwest's—finest blues artists (Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones, D.K Stewart and a couple dozen others) gather to help ease the hard times for ailing KBOO DJ Tom Wendt, whose Blues Junction show has been a vital conduit between artists and fans of the genre for decades. JEFF ROSENBERG. Crystal Ballroom 4 pm. $10 suggested donation. All ages.