[GOOD-TIME COUNTRY] W.C. Beck and the Valiant Swains' Kansawyer is a gorgeously recorded disc. It sounds warm, lively and inviting, like a swell field recording of a particularly good back-porch country jam session. It helps that Beck fronts a group that includes many of Portland's finest players, including singer-guitarist Lewi Longmire and accordion-harmonica master David Lipkind. And while Beck's lyricism doesn't always stop the listener in his or her tracks, he puts thought and heart into his songwriting and occasionally haunts the listener by telling short stories of hope in a hopeless world (see "Poor Man" and "Lullabies"). Of course, this show—which also features the excellent Caleb Klauder Country Band—ought to have audiences stomping too loud to hear the words anyway.

Where: Secret Society Lounge
Phone: 493-3600
Address: 116 NE Russell St.
Website: myspace.com/thesecretsocietylounge