High Notes: The Best Live Music in Portland This Week, June 23-28

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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

John Chandler, GoLocalPDX Contributor

The restorative power of live music cannot be underestimated especially when coping with the anger and sorrow that accompanies (seemingly) relentless tragedy. Time spent in the company of artists we admire can put pain into perspective and inspire us to be better people. And we need all the help we can get. 

Bootsy’s Rubber Band

June 24 @ 8pm

Now is not a good time for humans to be funkless. Fortunately, former James Brown/Parliament bassist Bootsy Collins has made it his holy mission to bring everyone together under one partying banner. Irresistible groove rays like “Body Slam” and “Stretchin’ Out (In A Rubber Band)” will be beamed down from Bootsy’s orbiting satellite to a nation in need of some healing and unity. 

$35. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 

Natasha Kmeto

June 25 @ 8pm

The path to pop stardom has become choked with brambles and thorns thrown up by the success of TV talent-show gimmickry. So it falls to legit contenders like Portland’s Natasha Kmeto to hack their own way through the wilderness. Kmeto’s soulful ache on songs like “Last Time” and “Inevitable” meshes perfectly with her sophisticated EDM inclinations, resulting in some of the savviest techno R&B currently making the rounds in the club. She is, as they say, going places. 

$8-10. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St. 

Eyelids

June 26 @ 9pm

The five members of Portland psych-pop combo Eyelids belong to a family tree the size of a redwood. Fronted by John Moen (Decemberists, Dharma Bums, Minus 5) and Chris Slusarenko (Guided By Voices, Boston Spaceships, Svelt), they revel in the textured guitars and articulate harmonies of a bygone paisley underground, while using their collective wisdom to keep songs like “Everybody” and “Mile To Wave” firmly rooted in the present. Tonight, Eyelids are celebrating the release of a new EP, produced by Peter Buck. 

$10-12. Secret Society, 116 NE Russell St. 

B-52’s

June 27 @ 8pm

Like true love initials carved into tree bark, the B-52’s sturdy playlist of house-party hits are unlikely to fade away. Whether they’re plotting a course to “Planet Claire” or visiting their own “Private Idaho,” this legendary Athens, Georgia group will “Roam” freely through our collective memories, challenging us to once again “Dance This Mess Around.” Pro tip: Remember to stretch before attempting the “Rock Lobster.” Consult your chiropractor and stay hydrated.

$45-79. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd. 

The Family Crest

June 28 @ 9pm

No need to freak out at the sight of a cello, violin, and flute. This SF-based collective do indeed create dramatic pop music from a carefully arranged orchestral foundation, but this isn’t powdered-wig stuff. The music contained on last year’s ‘Beneath The Brine’ album (released on Portland’s Tender Loving Empire label), is consistently exhilarating, with bandleader Liam McCormick’s majestic vocals guiding the splendor like a theater-trained Freddy Mercury. On songs like “Howl” and “William’s Dirge” TFC trade the strings for horns and suddenly swing and swoon like a parade of New Orleans jazz cats. 

$12. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 

John Chandler has been writing about rock and/or roll for 25 years with The Rocket, Portland Tribune, Portland Monthly, Magnet, Dagger, No Depression, and Puncture. He also writes about beer, booze, and bars for Portland's BarFly website and plays in a couple goofy bands when the mood strikes him. He can most often be found at the wheel of horrificflicks.com, a review website dedicated to horror movies.

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