DATES HERE the entire point of being Matisyahu. (Also, without his beard he looks weirdly like Jim Varney.) But we’ll always have 2006 (see pg. 23). Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. 8 pm. $30 advance, $35 day of show. All ages.
Galcher Lustwerk, Simic, Alex Harden and Bentactic
[ELEVATED HOUSE] The Brooklynvia-Cleveland producer known as Galcher Lustwerk first appeared on dance music’s horizon via a free hourlong mixtape titled 100% Galcher. With a string of EPs on the White Material label since, Lustwerk’s music is atmospheric yet propulsive—a nostalgic glance in house’s rear-view. It’s Galcher’s stream-of-consciousness rhyming, however, which elevates the classic formula to the 21st century, reinventing the concept of the globetrotting DJ as a modern MC. WYATT SCHAFFNER. The Liquor Store, 3341 Belmont St. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Party Boyz Vol. III Zine Release: Eyelids, My Body, Golden Hour
[ZINE RELEASE] Elizabeth Elder and Rachel Milbauer are the Abbi and Ilana of Portland music, except their empire isn’t restricted to just one medium. In addition to their podcast, the duo have also spun off their Party Boyz brand into a “lifestyle zine,” featuring essays, interviews and even recipes from various local bands. Tonight, they celebrate the release of their third issue, with sets from indie-pop craftsman Eyelids, synth-pop transplants My Body and young punks Golden Hour. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
SATURDAY, FEB. 20 Wussy, Rubella Graves
[PSYCHEDELIC NOISE] Cincinnati’s Wussy takes Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, builds it even higher and throws buckets of Technicolor paint on it. Blending Dinosaur Jr. fuzz, Stephen Malkmus wit, Sonic Youth noise and dream-yodel vocals à la the Cranberries, the group first became notable for its 2005 debut, Funeral Dress, which put it at the forefront of the Midwest psychedelic scene via a set of songs with such a high level of detailed storytelling that the album could’ve doubled as Ohio: The Musical. SOPHIA JUNE. Dante’s, 350 W Burnside St., 2266630. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
FRIDAY, FEB. 19 Diane Coffee
Emily Wells, Lorna Dune
[HIP-HOP, CLASSICAL] “Absence of genre makes the art grow fonder,” goes the line from Emily Wells’ “Symphony 3: The Story,” wherein the dynamic multi-instrumentalist recounts her musical and personal history in verse. Truly a genre-bending anomaly, Wells cites John Cage, Philip Glass and Wu-Tang Clan as equal influences. Her live show consists of an array of instruments and what might as well be a full band of cloned copies of herself while she uses looping and overdubs in real time to create dense, orchestral tapestries à la Jon Brion. CRIS LANKENAU. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 9 pm. 21+.
Quasi, Sally Timms and Sun Sam Foot, Sun Foot
[DYNAMIC DUO] Outside of Fred and Toody Cole (and Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter), has Portland ever seen a duo as great as Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss? For my money, Quasi is the most underrated Portland band ever, with one untouchable masterpiece (1998’s Featuring “Birds”) and a handful of other great records. Coomes’ soft croon, wild guitar solos and signature Rocksichord jam is the perfect complement to Weiss’ muscular drum fills. With the Sleater-Kinney reunion tour mostly finished, let’s hope this isn’t all we hear from Quasi in 2016. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 5 pm and 9 pm. $12-$14 advance, $14-$16 day of show. Early show all ages, late show 21+.
Famine Fest 2016
[TRUE METAL] There is metal, and then there is metal. Much of Famine Fest’s lineup would be considered unlistenable to the average concertgoer. But for those who want to dive headfirst into these brackish waters, it is a great opportunity to catch creepy tech-death acts like Mitochondrion and Auroch. I hope you have Excedrin to spare. WALKER MACMURDO. Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd., 238-0542. 6 pm Friday-Saturday, Feb. 19-20. $20 per night. 21+.
SUNDAY, FEB. 21 Sumac
[ZEST METAL] Aaron Turner, former frontman of the influential post-metal act Isis (who had the name long before the terrorist organization), has kept busy since wrapping up that project in 2010. One of his many contemporary projects is Sumac, a band that combines the post-hardcore elements that have long run through Turner’s music with the guitar experimentation that he works with more frequently in his Mamiffer project. Sumac’s 2015 album, The Deal, sounds like what would happen if you slowed down Converge’s technical hardcore to a third of its usual speed. WALKER MACMURDO. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 328-2865. 9:30 pm. $12. 21+.
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k Store e e W e t t me The Willa
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SPIN CITY CO U RT E SY O F L A M A R L E R OY
[PSYCHEDELIC DOO-WOP] Without a whole lot of fanfare, Diane Coffee turned out one of the best albums of 2013, My Friend Fish, a delightful mess of blue-eyed soul, sobbing R&B and psych-tinged rock ’n’ roll. Last year, Fleming moved from New York to Indiana, and processed the change in scenery via Diane Coffee’s latest release, Everybody’s a Good Dog. Grander, more nostalgic and rife with gospel influences, the record sports a horn section, backup singers and all kinds of groove. MARK STOCK. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 328-2865. 9:30 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Palehound, Genders, Little Star
[FRACTURED NERVES] Ellen Kempner knows adulthood is hard. As the 21-year-old force behind Palehound, she spent much of 2014 in transition, grappling with post-college instabilities and mental health. She’s translated those troubles to the music on Dry Food, a superb snapshot of an album fraught with spastic electric guitar and raw, woozy noodling seeped in ’90s fuzz. Like her live performances, the songs are ripe with unpredictability and skittish momentum. Discomfort is rarely laid quite as bare. BRANDON WIDDER. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Lamar LeRoy YEARS DJ’ING: I’ve been playing for 18 years, and getting paid for it for 10. GENRE: I used to get billed as a boogie-funk DJ, though at the time I was playing equal amounts of Italo disco and electro. Now I just play whatever feels right for the time. WHERE YOU CAN CATCH ME REGULARLY: Killingsworth Dynasty, Moloko, Dig a Pony, Jackknife, the High Dive. CRAZIEST GIG: There was the time I shared tables with the magnificent Jazzy Jeff last summer at the Do-Over, but that was just crazy for me internally. I’d have to go with the night my set ended with a fight between members of “the Real Gang Girlfriends of North Portland.” MY GO-TO RECORDS: I like to get at least one Bugz in the Attic tune in a set. The off-beat syncopation provides a little challenge in the mix and always sounds awesome coming out of a straight-beat track that people already know. There’s also a cover of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” that I play not so often anymore, but it’s awesome to see people questioning themselves before the beat comes in. “Do I know this?” or “What the eff is this guy playing?” then flipping out once the bass is back. DON’T EVER ASK ME TO PLAY…: Anything by Future or Fetty Wap. Not to mention that when I detect the start of the phrase “Do you have any...” my mind literally goes blank for a few seconds. SEE IT: Lamar LeRoy spins at Pulse at Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., with Rare Diagram, Blossom and Coco Columbia, on Thursday, Feb. 18. 8:30 pm. $6. 21+. Willamette Week FEBRUARY 17, 2016 wweek.com
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