In an alternate reality,
stars New Jersey's Titus Andronicus, and the show's title is taken from the title of a song on the band's last album, "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape With the Flood of Detritus." And every episode is a loud, sweaty, primal dance with fatalism.
Superchunk (10:30 pm Friday, Crystal Ballroom)
Because they put out a record called
the same year the Replacements, who put out a song called "I Hate Music" in 1981, got back together. Because it's Superchunk. And most of all, because seeing Superchunk means you get to watch Jon Wurster play drums.
As evidenced by its Aladdin Theater show in April, Ruban Nielsonâs onetime basement project is all grown up, and not just because heâs got a fog machine. Nielson and his band pack in festival-tested, big-stage chops. The prospect of that show in a smaller room is enticing.
Talking about âWhat Kind of Cool (Will We Think of Next),â from last yearâs Landing on a Hundred, Chesnutt says, âWe can sometimes become preoccupied with whatâs cool and whatâs trendy, and sometimes that can be a crutch.â Easy for him to say: Heâs cool, and so is that record, packed full of horns, soul and strut.
After recording and touring with Mirah, Thao Nguyen is back with her band, and a record, We the Common, filled with thoughts on the concept of community. The title track was written for a prisoner Nguyen met as a volunteer for the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. If that sounds heavy, it is. But you can still dance to it.
SEE IT: MusicfestNW continues through Sunday, Sept. 8. See musicfestnw.com for a complete schedule and ticket information.
WWeek 2015