Reverend Beat-Man - Friday @ Slabtown
This growling menace from Switzerland (pictured) has done most of the work for me - releasing three volumes of recordings as “Surreal Folk Blues Gospel Trash.” I could think of no better descriptor for his devastating and sexy sound. Leave the so-called blues to the pikers down at Waterfront Park and get thee to Slabtown for this rockin’ showcase.

Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth - Saturday @ Someday Lounge
If one fireworks show simply isn’t enough for you, perhaps some aural pyrotechnics will help satiate you. Might I recommend, in that regard, the blazing metal showcase happening at the Someday Lounge on the eve of the 4th. Not only is it free, but it also features the latest group formed and fronted by Tad Doyle, whose blistering outfit TAD was one of the first groups signed to Sub Pop Records. Word is that Doyle has lost none of his fire, his fury, or his girth. We can only hope his backing band can keep up with him.

Helios - Wednesday @ Holocene
If a dreamy, cinematic approach to instrumental music pleases you as much as it does me, look no further than this fascinating artist. Known to friends and family as Keith Keniff, this Portland native’s music evokes haunting memories, the kind that you either want to revel in for an eternity or that evoke lingering aches from deep within.

Bitch Magazine benefit - Thursday @ Mississippi Studios
Help support your local nonprofit magazine that comments on pop culture, feminism and media, and catch a fine quartet of local talent at the same time. The bill includes the one-man turntable attack of Boy Eats Drum Machine and the plaintive folk rock of Katie Sawicki.

Matt King, the booker at the Towne Lounge sent me a very concise list that covers a month of shows. If only other bookers and publicists would do the same, it would save hours of my day [I work alone here folks, c'mon!] Check out the list below and mark your calendars. Visit the Towne Lounge website for band links and more. All the show descriptions below are from Matt.

Thursday 7/3/08
White Hinterland, The Baptist Arms

“When Dead Oceans sent over “Dreaming of the Plum Trees,” I could’ve sworn I’d heard it somewhere before; maybe in some lost animated Christmas special I saw as a kid, or buried away on one of my parents’ dusty LPs. On “Dreaming” — and much of the wonderful Phylactery Factory LP, for that matter — White Hinterland recalls pieces of Guaraldi, Sufjan Stevens, and Joni Mitchell at once, as Ms. Dienel’s endearing voice skates over that instantly familiar bassline and playful, jazzy piano shuffle, resulting in one of the best songs of this young year” – GORILLA VS BEAR

$8 / 9:30pm

Saturday 7/5/08
The Globes, The Lonely Forest, Don’t Tell Sophie

“The sounds on Nuclear Winter [The Lonely Forest's debut album] are lush and epic. For such a huge sound you’d expect a symphony, but it’s really made by just three young men (two of who aren’t yet of legal drinking age). The piano is explosive—loud and nimble, and the driving force of each song. The bass is fluid and strong; the drumming is sharp and precise. From the pretty minute-and-a-half prelude to the droning, almost 20-minute-long end jam that accompanies the world’s demise, there’s no lack of drama. From the seclusion of Anacortes, the Lonely Forest have created a new world of their own, an alternate dimension sprouted from the imaginations of boys with a lot of space, time, and probably pot at their fingertips.” – THE STRANGER

$5 / 9:30pm

Sunday 7/6/08
Absent Minds, Groups of III, Wester Daywick

$5 / 9:30pm

Tuesday 7/8/08
Mostly Bears, David Kyle & the Invisibles, Kate’s Mirror

“Adventurous and never boring, Mostly Bears have stirred up a hornet’s nest of buzz since a SXSW showcase earlier this year. Although the vocals bring to mind Arcade Fire, there is plenty of oomph and jump to the opening “The Digital Divide” which is drenched in fuzz guitar. Mostly Bears shine on the lengthy, prog-leaning “The Pharmacist” which finds its groove early on while “Eclipse the World (Oh, My Brain)” is a dirge-ish, creeping kind of song that evolves into a spacey, psychedelic effort.” – POP MATTERS

$7 / 9:30pm
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