High Notes: The Best Live Music in Portland This Week

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Tuesday, October 07, 2014

John Chandler, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Decisions, decisions.

You can’t afford to take a pass on New Pornographers, who just might be the savviest pop combo in the business.

Or perhaps spend an evening with Blackalicious rhyming dynamo Gift of Gab, who, as his name implies, has plenty to say.

And if you support the home team, a formidable bill featuring Sallie Ford and Summer Cannibals should be hastily penciled into your social calendar. 

New Pornographers

Oct. 8 @ 8 p.m.

The New Pornographers are hands-down the finest pop band on the market. That’s a bold statement, but a few spins through this Canadian supergroup’s latest album ‘Brill Bruisers’ offers too much melodic evidence to ignore.

Boasting the collaborative talents of A.C. Newman, Neko Case and Daniel Bejar, the New Pornographers have the chops, wit and sophistication to deftly puree perky New Wave doodle-bop with pulsing Euro-beat insouciance, and top it off with guy/girl harmonies that border on Fleetwood Mac territory. “Champions of Red Wine,” “Dancehall Domine” and “Backstairs” are among the songs that will soon be dominating your mental playlist.

You have been warned. 

$26.50-30. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 

Gift of Gab

Oct. 9 @ 8:30 p.m.

The verbally dexterous, positive-tip MC from the Bay Area takes a solo turn through town before the imminent release of ‘Emoni,’ the new album by Blackalicious, a duo he’s fronted since 1999. Gift of Gab (a.k.a. Tim Parker) has positioned himself as standing apart from hip-hop boasters and gunslingers, opting instead to encourage spiritual development on songs like “Way of the Light” and “Rise.”

But he’s no softie. In addition to four albums with Blackalicious, GoG has three solo albums to choose from, so a set mix of oldies and newbies seems like a safe bet. 

$10-12. Alhambra Theatre, 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 

Sallie Ford

Sallie Ford, Summer Cannibals

Oct. 10 @ 9 p.m.

It appears songstress Sallie Ford has ditched the country duds for the time being, choosing to focus on a swaggering rock sound that affords her the opportunity to truly take center stage. It’s early days yet—her new album ‘Slap Back’ doesn’t come out 'til Oct. 14—but the few songs already released indicate that her rocking revival is a sound move. Do not overlook the gritty and gorgeous Summer Cannibals in the opening slot, who have their own fiery frontwoman in Jessica Boudreaux, as well as a new album recorded at Larry Crane’s Jackpot Studios. 

$15. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St. 

King Khan & BBQ Show

Oct. 10 @ 9 p.m.

Listening to the duo of King Khan and Mark “BBQ” Sultan is more like a cram session than a jam session, as they casually toss off riotous rough sketches from the rock ’n’ roll history book. Tackling each tune with the same care and thoughtful consideration as the guys who’ve come to fetch your old refrigerator, songs like “Invisible Girl” and “Fish Fight” are primitive and potent like a slug of moonshine; it’s rock boiled down to an essential syrup, peppered with doo-wop, rockabilly, soul and surf seasonings, and topped with lyrics scribbled by two goofballs with nothing better to do in study hall than crack each other up.

$12. Dante’s, 350 W Burnside St. 

David Grisman and Del McCoury

Oct. 12 @ 8 p.m.

Better known as Del and Dawg, these bluegrass titans have been buddies since shortly before the Beatles hit America, sharing the stage at festivals and hootenannies ever since. McCoury, a former frontman for Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, sings high and lonesome better than just about anyone, while Grisman’s fearless form on the mandolin led him to become a pioneer in his own field known as “Dawg Music,” an invigorating mélange of bluegrass and gypsy jazz.

They’ll play together and separately, with a set list likely culled from their 2012 album ‘Hardcore Bluegrass,’ a collection of time-tested tunes like “John Henry,” “The Tennessee Waltz,” and the Flat & Scruggs tearjerker “Come Back to Me Little Darlin’.”

Two legends, one night. 

$39.50-42. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie. 

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'sBarFly 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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