Stream The Week

Want to see some live music? Below, you'll find our picks for the best concerts coming through Portland this week, along with a Spotify playlist of representative songs from each artist.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 27

Jack White, Curtis Harding

[BIG BLUES] See our feature investigating the origins of Jack White and Loretta Lynn's "Portland, Oregon" here. McMenamins Edgefield. 6:30 pm. Sold out. 

Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks, Raleigh Moncrief 

[HALLUCINOGENIC ROCK] Of Animal Collective’s many talented parts, Avey Tare might be the strangest and most gifted. Which is saying something, given the storied Baltimore group’s longstanding quest to redefine experimental indie-rock. His newest outfit, Slasher Flicks, is an all-star ensemble, made up of former Dirty Projector Angel Deradoorian and Ponytail drummer Jeremy Hyman. The trio already has a single of the year candidate to its name in “Little Fang,” a memorable mix of acid jazz and spooky freak-rock. The band’s one and only record, Enter the Slasher House, offers a wonderfully mysterious, animated sound—a dark comic book come to life.  MARK STOCK. Mississippi Studios. 9 pm. $15. 21kknd.

THURSDAY, AUG. 28

Slint, Tropical Trash 

[POST ROCK PROGENITORS] Long before Mogwai and Explosions In the Sky were scoring films about football and zombies, something was bubbling in the metal and hardcore muck of Louisville, Kentucky. Slint wasn’t exactly an ironclad member of either of those genres, but the lack of a better way to peg what we now call “post-rock” was a massive boon for these early masters of the slowly creeping, sludgy payoff. To sum it up succinctly—an approach Slint was uniformly opposed to—their mysterious debut Spiderland is as close to patient zero in the 90’s instrumental guitar rock epidemic as we’ll ever find. PETE COTTELL. Crystal Ballroom. 9 pm. $29 advance $35 day of show. All ages.

Strand of Oaks, Christopher Denny 

[FOLK NO MORE] It's a bit astounding to think just how far Timothy Showalter's music has diverged from the first collection of Americana he issued in late 2009 under the Strands of Oaks moniker. The Philly-based artist was known more for his skeletal blend of acoustic guitar and unconventional storytelling than the melancholic current flowing amid the clashing guitars and raucous Casio keyboards of his most recent record, (HEAL). The album is brimming with harsh self-assessments and candid laments for fallen idols, vividly recounting his teenage years, which he spent blasting Songs: Ohia in his basement. It's a damaged record, with pre-grunge guitars and featuring J. Mascis's manic soloing on high, but it's by no means a dud. BRANDON WIDDER. Doug Fir Lounge. 9 pm. $12. 21kknd.

FRIDAY, AUG. 29

The Both, Telekinesis 

[MOM & DAD ROCK] The Both pairs two indie-rock stars whose best work is probably behind them. That said, it is an intriguing match, as likable as anything either has done before. Ted Leo released The Tyranny of Distance in 2001, while Mann released the remarkable concept album The Forgotten Arm in 2005, and his jumpy, punk-inspired ways mingle nicely with her signature melancholy. You might expect these near-opposites to cancel each other out, but the duets are dynamic, especially vocally. If anything suffers from this yin-and-yang relationship, it's the music, which can be a bit too middle-of-the-road. The duo's debut self-titled record does stray into adult contemporary territory, but the good tracks jump out, suggesting this newish relationship is offering more than enough material for a sophomore release. When Leo's foot-tapping riffs are brought to the fore, the Both is at its best, reminiscent of his excellent band, the Pharmacists, with the soothing counterpunch only Mann could provide. MARK STOCK. Aladdin Theater. 8 PM. $25. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian. 

Naomi Punk, Broken Water 

[EXPERIMENTAL SHOEGAZE GRUNGE] Although the band refuses to create a Facebook page and its Web site is out of date, Naomi Punk's sophomore album, Television Man, is all over the internet. Pitchfork gave it a good review. Rolling Stone says it's worth risking tinnitus for. After gushing over the Olympia natives' 2013 South by Southwest performance, Stereogum premiered the album's title track. Television Man, released on Captured Tracks, went public in August, displaying the band's signature, minimally tense grunge. The syncopated and downtrodden sound is achieved by sparse-yet-hard-hitting drums that dissipate into driving guitar work and Ty Segall-esque vocals. This is the kind of stuff I moved to the Pacific Northwest for. Tonight, Naomi Punk is paired with the ever-evolving raw power of fellow northwesterners Broken Water. LYLA ROWEN. Bunk Bar. 9 pm. $8. 21kknd

EyeskkndEdge Presents Futro Records, Epp, Mic Capes, Maze Koroma, Jon Belz, D Worthy, YUNG ROB, Soar Losers 

[PDX HIP-HOP] As Portland's hip-hop scene continues to garner acclaim (finally!) within the city and nationally, it's about time a proper all-star collective came together to change the game. Soar Losers combines the talents of a few of PDX's best MCs—Stewart Villain, Tre Redeau, Myke Bogan, Manny Monday and Spoon—and though each rapper offers his own style the crew is united by its logo (thumbs down) and a love of weird, corkscrew beats. Villain's production, which hints at trap and cloud rap but is definitely its own thing, moves this crew outside the world of backpackers and into the future. Tonight's show celebrates the release of the debut print issue of EyeskkndEdge, a new magazine focusing on lifestyle, streetwear, music and Pacific Northwest living. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Hawthorne Theatre. 7 pm. $8 advance, $10 day of show. 18kknd. 

Chuck Israels Orchestra

[BASS LEGEND] He may have toured with Bill Evans, backed up Billie Holiday and recorded with John Coltrane, but even now, bassist Chuck Israels isn't content to rest on his laurels. He remains one of Portland's most eccentric musical personalities, posting incendiary blog posts about the state of modern music and cranking out tasty arrangements for his eight-piece, Birth of the Cool-style orchestra that features top local musicians like Chris Brown and John Nastos. He's bringing his band to Jimmy Mak's to celebrate his 79th birthday, but it's likely he'll also be whetting Portland's appetite for the band's next CD, a tribute to jazz giant Horace Silver. TREE PALMEDO. Jimmy Mak's. 8 pm. $12. Under 21 permitted until 9:30 pm. 

SATURDAY, AUG. 30

Corrosion of Conformity, B'last!, Brant Bjork and the Low Desert Punk Band & Lord Dying 

[ALL KINDS OF METAL] With a lineup like this, it's tough to pick one band to spotlight, because every last one on them is worthy of a headline spot. First, you've got the legendary sludge-punkers Corrosion Of Conformity, who have three decades of legendary riff-based heavy rock'n'roll under their belts. Then you've got Bl'ast, the iconic L.A. hardcore punk band who recently picked up ex-Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri. There's also Brant Bjork, ex-Kyuss drummer, with his new solo project, the Low Desert Punk Band. And of course, opening the whole thing is Portland's own thrash-doom up-and-comers Lord Dying, who bring the teeth-gnashing riffs even harder on their home turf. CAT JONES. Dante's. $20. 8 pm. 21kknd

Mission of Burma, The Woolen Men, Chris Brokaw

[POST-PUNK LEGENDS] Is there a better indie-rock comeback story than Mission of Burma? After releasing a few landmark records in the early ’80s—notably the seminal Signals, Calls, and Marches EP and the equally great follow-up full-length, Vs.—the band broke up before getting back together in 2002, before it was the cool thing to do. Burma aren’t simply in it for the money, either. Last year's excellent Unsound was the band’s fourth new album in a decade, as Burma are far from the kind of dudes willing to play the same old hits set every night. In 2009, the band’s hometown of Boston declared October 4 “Mission of Burma Day,” but that designation should really extend to every other day of the year as well. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Doug Fir. 9 pm. $16 advance, $18 day of show. 21kknd. 

The City Nightclub Reunion

[BACK ON THE DANCE FLOOR] See our feature on the City Nightclub here. Rotture. 9 pm. $12. 21kknd.

Cappella Romana 

[RENAISSANCE CHANT & CHORAL] When the capital of the old Byzantine Empire fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, political boundaries couldn't stop musical mixing and matching, as demonstrated by this concert of 15th century Greek and Latin church music, including a pair of deeply poignant laments for the fall of Constantinople by the great Franco Flemish composer Guillaume Dufay, then working in Italy, and Manuel Chrysaphes, the last cantor of Hagia Sophia. The plangent mixture of Byzantine chant and Renaissance polyphony, all written at the volatile crux of Europe and Asia, East and West, in a troubled time of turmoil and transition, should win new fans for the Portland vocal ensemble Cappella Romana, as it takes this powerful program to Chicago, Boston and the most prestigious of early music festivals, in Utrecht, the Netherlands. BRETT CAMPBELL. St. Mary's Cathedral. 8 pm. $22-$44.

SUNDAY, AUG. 31

Ana Tijoux, Magic Mouth 

[GLOBAL BOUNTY] Vengo, the latest album from French-Chilean singer-rapper Ana Tijoux, is a boundless, worldly collection, weaving together everything from hip-hop to cumber to jazz to folky funk in support of her soulful vocals. It's expressive enough to cross the language barrier—though given Tijoux's social consciousness, shooting the lyrics through Google Translate isn't a terrible idea. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $15. 21kknd.    

Porter Robinson, Giraffage, Lemaitre 

[EDM] At age 22, North Carolina's Porter Robinson has been an EDM star long enough that his new album, Worlds, is already being called "a departure"—despite the fact that it's his first full-length release. Rather than trading in his peers' Sturm und wub, Robinson has drawn back and damn near made a neo-trance record. New-jack ravers might be confused, but Robinson manages to communicate an emotional depth beyond "sick drop, bro." Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., (971) 230-0033. 7 pm. $31. 18kknd.    

WWeek 2015