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, DEC. 10

Spoon, Future Islands, A Giant Dog 

[VICTORY LAP] Now that it's December, and we've all had a few months to digest the wonderful new Spoon record, let's put an old cliche to rest: There is nothing boring about consistency. When They Want My Soul dropped in August, the narrative focused on how Spoon are often overlooked because, well, they didn't really have any great story—no inter-band turmoil, no tragic loss, no drastic reinvention—to tie around another stellar set of memorable, bright rock songs. But in a year without one big defining record, it's time we stopped overlooking Britt Daniel and co. for always being good and started recognizing them as the best (yes, the best) rock band of the past decade. Tonight's show is a victory lap for a landmark group, complete with opener Future Islands, who captured America's hearts with a few meme-worth dance moves on Letterman and also tout an Album of the Year contender in Singles. Merry Christmas, music fans—this might be the show of 2014. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Crystal Ballroom. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages. 

A Swingin' Affair: Dex @ 90

[JAZZ GIANT TRIBUTE] The great tenor saxman Dexter Gordon was one of the giants of jazz, and not just because he stood 6 and a half feet tall. One of the early beboppers inspired by Charlie Parker, Gordon, who died in 1990, also pioneered the subsequent hard bop era with a series of classic Blue Note albums in the early 1960s that sound just as magnificent today. After decamping to Europe, the refuge of so many American jazzers, for 15 years, he returned to the US, and even scored an Oscar nomination and a Grammy for his acting and performing in the film Round Midnight. In this PDX Jazz concert, a passel of Portland jazz titans—David Evans, Charlie Porter, George Colligan, Tom Wakeling and Alan Jones—will celebrate the sophisticated giant. BRETT CAMPBELL. Jimmy Mak's. 7:30 pm. $15 general admission, $20 reserved seating. Under 21 permitted until 9:30 pm.

A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Hildur Gudnadottir

[COMPOSITIONAL TRANQUILITY] Adam Wiltze's connection to the ambient Stars of Lid and Dustin O'Halloran's composerly background combine for A Winged Victory for the Sullen's ethereal second album, Atmos. The disc, which came together over several months and was recorded in various European studios, was initially spurred to existence by a commission from Wayne McGregor, founder of the British Random Dance Company. The choreographer had been using AWVFTS' first self-titled recording as warm-up music for his troupe, apparently finding the music's openness rife for gestural improvisation. Atmos, which is divided into 12 distinct pieces, comes off as more than slight, wavering, piano-dominated droning, though. It's something like pianist Erik Satie's work, if bolstered by subtle electronics and occasional strings. Released by the venerable noiseniks at Kranky Records, also home to some of Wiltze's earlier work, AWVFTS dismisses some of neo-classical music's complications in lieu of stately swells and meticulously developing statements, balancing heady intellectual music with minimalism's tranquility. Icelandic cellist Hildur Gudnadottir, who contributed to the duo's first album, is set to open the show. DAVE CANTOR. Mississippi Studios. 8 pm. $15. 21+.

THURSDAY, DEC. 11

TV on the Radio, Natasha Kmeto

[ART ROCK] See our profile on TV on the Radio here. Crystal Ballroom. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.

Load B, Naturally Grown Misfits, Mikey Fountaine

[NASTY RAP] Read our profile of Load B here. Kelly's Olympian. 9 pm. $5. 21+.

Phone Call, Purse Candy, Fringe Class

[CASUAL SEX] Synth-pop romantics Phone Call’s official Facebook page describes the band’s sound as “nu soul,” but a more applicable tag for anyone who lived in Portland between 2005-2011 or so might be “nu-Strength.” This is a selling point more than a genre thing: Strength was possibly our finest party band, a trio who took their love of Michael Jackson’s Off the Wall and cheap drum machines and Mick Jagger strut straight to many a basement, living room and legit venue, singing about lust and sexual attraction in a way that was inviting and not the least bit corny. When guitarist Patrick Morris left to become a full-time member of Starfucker, singer Bailey Winters and keyboardist Johnny Zeigler continued on as a duo, and Phone Call’s urgent R&B conjures images of both Chromeo and the boys’ beloved Elvis Costello, who they pay homage to with a spirited cover of “Pump it Up.” MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Mississippi Studios. 9 pm. Free. 21+. 

FRIDAY, DEC. 12

The XRAY FM Holiday Dance Party featuring Vinnie Dewayne and Modern Kin (Dec. 12)

[RADIO RADIO] Community radio station XRAY FM puts the Santa cap on one hell of a good year for them with a show featuring rapper Vinnie Dewayne, alt-rock firebrands Modern Kin and sets from a slew of the station's DJs. Rotture. 8 pm. $5 for XRAY members, $10 general admission. 21+.   

Tune-Yards, Cibo Matto

[ART-FUNK] See our Mic Check with Tune-Yards' Merrill Garbus here. Roseland Theater. 8 pm. $25. All ages.

SATURDAY, DEC. 13

Say Hi

[FUTURE TWEE] Goth-lite journeyman Eric Elbogen faced a peculiar recession-era conundrum that ended up capturing far more of the era's zeitgeist than most critics will give him credit for. After being priced out of Brooklyn in 2008 because his home-recorded synth-pop ditties about vampires weren't paying the bills, the artist formerly known as Say Hi To Your Mom de-snarkified his stage name, moved to Seattle and graduated to an undulating sound that's somehow lighter on the Buffy fan fiction themes and heavier on the wry navel-gazing that one would expect from a dude who's not likely to age out of Casio-flavored diary-pop any time soon. PETE COTTELL. Bunk Bar. 10 pm. $12. 21+.

Rebecca Kilgore

[FAMILY JAZZ] Ezra Weiss isn't only one of Portland's most impressive jazz composers and pianists. He is also devoted to making the music accessible to more than the usual audiences. Along with a different Portland jazz eminence each month, Weiss's new concert series includes normal lighting, spacious seating and other features designed to make the concerts welcoming to listeners on the autism spectrum or who have other sensory needs. Anything that lets more Portlanders hear the divine singing of this month's star, local legend Rebecca Kilgore (with veteran colleagues David Evans, Randy Porter and Tom Wakeling), is a gift to the community. BRETT CAMPBELL. Cedar Hills United Church of Christ. 3 pm. $5 suggested donation. All ages.

Usnea, Lord Dying, Cold Blue Mountain

[DOOM METAL] See our review of Usnea's Random Cosmic Violence here. White Owl Social Club. 8 pm. Free. 21+.

Sallie Ford, Old Light

[RETRO ROCK] A year after Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside broke up, Ms. Ford has her dream band, in which she's backed by an all-girl lineup and gets to play lots of loud guitar. Though it's sad to see the end of the Sound Outside's swinging punk, Ford's debut solo album, Slap Back, shows Ford is as versatile as ever. While there's still plenty of nostalgia in the band's sound, Ford no longer seems confined to her old band's niche. Slap Back branches out to include a bunch of different brands of rock: surf rock, garage rock and good ol' '50s rock'n'roll. They'll always be the Sound Outside's two albums to remember them by. Hopefully, we'll end up with way more Sallie Ford in the end. SHANNON GORMLEY. Wonder Ballroom. 8 pm. $14 advance, $15 day of show. All ages.

SUNDAY, DEC. 14

Devin the Dude, Clemm Rishad, Dubble-OO, Stevo the Weirdo, DJ Fatboy 

[KUSH OG'S] With the steady and stoned guidance of Snoop and Dre, many commercial rap mystics anticipated Devin the Dude to emerge from the early 2000s as the heir apparent to Nate Dogg's empire of feature appearance omnipresence. While his silky-smooth flow and striking resemblance to Outkast's earlier hotbox bangers gained Devin a strong cult following amongst hip-hop enthusiasts with a taste for the kushy stuff, a perch outside the mainstream has suited him well, as he's spent the past decade lining the fringes with album after album of heavy-lidded grooves with more bounce to the ounce than your average stoner rap careerist. PETE COTTELL. Alhambra Theater. 9pm. $17 advance, $20 day of show. All ages. 

Shadowhouse, Lunch, Papal Order

[GOTH PUNK] See our review of Shadowhouse's Hand In Hand here. The Know. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket information. 21+.

Cotton, Toyboat Toyboat Toyboat, Raymond Anderson

[D.I.Y. FOLK] See our review of Cotton's The White Eagle here. White Eagle Saloon. 7 pm. Free. 21+.

MONDAY, DEC. 15

Haas Kowert Tice, There Is No Mountain 

[HAUTE AMERICANA] Fiddler Brittany Haas (Crooked Still), bassist Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers) and virtuoso guitarist Jordan Tice clearly aspire to ends beyond soundtracking the odd hootenanny. But the instrumental prodigies' combined powers unfurl such hellzapickin' ferocity that the resulting master class should still captivate jam band devotees unaware Flatpicking Guitar Magazine even exists. You Got This, the trio's debut, reveals a roots tradition transplanted to the conservatory and granted such expanse as to nudge adventurous classical, orchestral jazz and the sorts of world music earning both the appreciative nod and ecstatic slap. JAY HORTON. Doug Fir Lounge.  9 pm. $13 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.

TUESDAY, DEC. 16

Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Rio Grands, the Fur Coats 

[VOODOO ADELE] Jessica Hernandez could win American Idol hands down, but she's too cool for that. The Detroit musician possesses a rich and resounding voice, which her sizable band, the Deltas, skilled as they are, struggle to keep up with. Hernandez has every right to be a diva, but she's preoccupied with knitting old soul, country, jazz and blues into a textured tapestry of dark and twisted pop. The group is coming off a strong debut full-length in Secret Evil, an album akin to Adele after making a deal with the Devil. MARK STOCK. Doug Fir Lounge. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.

Saves the Day, Say Anything, Reggie & the Full Effect 

[EMO 101] Whatever your preferred soundtrack for doing doughnuts in your ex-girlfriend's yard may have been a decade ago, the powers that be have assembled a veritable Voltron of early 2000s emo ascendancy that's yet to be matched in pop appeal and headbanging urgency. Be sure to check the hoodie and the current significant other at the door—the opportunity to hear Saves the Day's Through Being Cool and Say Anything's Is a Real Boy in their entirety is guaranteed to whip the inevitable flock of thirty-somethings in to a white-hot frenzy. PETE COTTELL. Wonder Ballroom. 7:30 pm. $21.99 advance, $25 day of show. All ages. 

WWeek 2015