Wednesday Jul 2top

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis (7:30 pm)

[JAZZ CLASSIC] Wynton Marsalis, that most hallowed member of jazz's first family, recently made news by attacking hip-hop for becoming a caricatured urban "safari." Devastating for Marsalis' legion of young fans, we're sure, but one could argue the trumpeter's transformed the American art form into an impeccably tailored zoo by divorcing the music from a living context and declawing all that was once wild and fierce. He's greatly talented, to be sure, but the scads of Grammys (and, weirdly, a Pulitzer) have only fueled criticism that, by removing all connection to popular culture, he seeks to make jazz another form of classica. Still, when your brother collaborates with Sting and Jay Leno, we may see the point of that mission. JAY HORTON. 7:30 pm. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway., 248-4335. $30.50-$125.25. All ages. Map

Neil Masson Trio

  Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

DJ Robb

  C.C. Slaughters, 219 NW Davis St., 248-9135. Map

DJs Atom 13, Soil

  East Chinatown Lounge, 322 NW Everett St., 226-1659. Map

Hate of the City: DJs Keebler, Jonny P Jewels

  East End, 203 SE Grand Ave., 232-0056. Map

Mystical Spatula (6 pm)

  edge of Belmont, 3350 SE Morrison St., 971-230-3343. Map

Odessa Chen, Carcrashlander, Millions of Birds

[SWIRLING] Pianist Cory Gray has a voice that buzzes like hummingbird wings with the warmth of an old neon sign. It's a bit like hearing a softspoken narrator read your life aloud. Better still, said narrator sings about city blocks like Killingsworth without sounding tacky. Such shout-outs can be lost in the piano-led madness that often circles above Gray. So strong is this madness, thinks label Parks and Records, that Carcrashlander is the subject of its first release. A sustainable one at that, made entirely of recycled packaging. MARK STOCK. 7 pm. Rererato Artspace, 5135 NE 42nd Ave., 732-407-4418. Cover. All ages. Map

Skarp, Superbad, Retard Riot, Transient, Fogatron

[CRAZY METAL] As parents get younger and hipper, it's important for kids to find new ways to rebel against them and freak them the fuck out. May I recommend Skarp? The tempo-schizophrenic Seattle grindcore outfit has vocals that sometimes sound like the lord of darkness and sometimes like U.K. joke-punk outfit the Toy Dolls (hip young parents might catch that reference). Portland's Superbad does that same high/low vocal split, but they're even more intense about it and they put James Brown on their album cover, a ballsy move. I just can't figure out what the hell PDX beatboxer Fogatron is on this bill for—though I reckon he probably has a pretty rad scream. CASEY JARMAN. 8 pm. Satyricon, 125 NW 6th Ave., 231-1606. $7. All ages. Map

Rebecca Kilgore & Dave Frishberg

  The Cave, 636 SW Jackson St., 274-4294. Map

Michael Barnes (noon)

  The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., 222-2031. Map

Thursday Jul 3top

Krachaus, Mannequinhead, Dead City Soundsystem, Monody

[CRACK-ROCK NEW WAVE] Psychedelic bands and their acidic undertakings can cause time travel of the memory, but Krachaus offers a different kind of flashback—or relapse, if you will. Synth-heavy and loaded with guitar solos and reverberated vocals, Krachaus is a throwback to old New Wave (confusing, no?), meshing gothy songs with robotic noises, pulsating beats and throaty vocal accents. Krachaus updates its sound with sampling, but at its core it’s an impeccable salute to ’80s outcasts. AP KRYZA. 9:30 pm. Ash Street Saloon, 225 SW Ash St., 226-0430. $5. 21+. Map

Jean Ronne, Lee Wuthenow

  Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

Rootz Underground, Katt-I and Roots Revolution, DJ Cansaman

[REGGAE] There's something a bit rock ’n' roll buried beneath the Rastafarian overtones of Rootz Underground frontman Stephen Newland's voice. And while the Kingston, Jamaica-based outfit clearly has its "rootz" in the universal music of Bob Marley & the Wailers, the band isn't afraid to rock out with mellow-harshing guitar riffs or driving percussion every now and again, either. The word "relevant" comes up a lot in discussions about RU, and it's because this is one of only a handful of non-Marley Jamaican groups forsaking the big-beat dancehall craze for roots-inspired reggae, and doing it with the fire and passion of the music's originators. And I dig it! CASEY JARMAN. 9 pm. Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny St., 248-4579. $12 advance, $15 day of show. 21+. Map

DJ Alex Hollywood

  C.C. Slaughters, 219 NW Davis St., 248-9135. Map

Trash Thursdays

  Dunes, 1905 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., 493-8637. Map

Jon Koonce

  Eugenios, 3584 SE Division St., 233-3656. Map

Cabaret Babylon: Werner Fincke, Sadie Laguerre, Shoehorn and the Hat Band, and more

  Fez Ballroom, 316 SW 11th Ave., 221-7262. Map

J*Malem

  Gemini Bar & Grill, 456 N State St., 636-9445. Map

Everyday Prophets

  Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. Map

Terry Robb

  Halibut's, 2525 NE Alberta St., 808-9601. Map

Ninjas With Syringes (CD Release)

[POP-PUNK] On Ninjas With Syringes' MySpace site, you’ll find the following options in place of the usual "Add to Friends" and "Message ME" buttons: “Nady Ice” [sic], "Bro Me!," "Gamecube" and "Cockblock." It’s obviously a little satirical, but given NWS’ sound—which falls somewhere in between Enema of the State-era Blink 182 and pop-punk jokesters Fenix TX—it’s not totally convincing that the frat boy ethos is just a joke. Still, it's always refreshing to have a little comic relief in an act (even if it does harken back to the worst of preadolescence). Tonight celebrates the release of NWS’ latest self-amused ejaculation, Premature. CHANDLER FREDRICK. 8 pm. Hawthorne Theatre, 3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-7100. $8. All ages. Map

Bill Beach (6 pm)

  London Grill, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

DJ I Love You

  Matador, 1967 W Burnside St., 222-5822. Map

Dat'r; Brother, Sister; The Beauty

[ELECTROFUN] Dat'r might not intend to have a world-beat sound, but when the Portland duo's fans go wild with band-provided percussion or bump and grind to the polyrhythmic clatter, one can't help but think this is a group the late Joe Strummer (an avid world-music fan and rave attendee) would have played on his radio show. Onstage, Dat'r has both the wild unpredictability of a rock band and the juice to make it happen like your favorite DJ. I've yet to catch Brother, Sister live, but its recordings showcase simple digital beats layered with guitar riffs and synths (New Order style) to match stirring, breathy female vocals. And the Beauty is kind of like N'Sync, but with three grown-up Justin Timberlakes. CASEY JARMAN. 9 pm. Rotture, 315 SE 3rd Ave., 234-5683. $6. 21+. Map

Steve Christofferson Trio

  The Cave, 636 SW Jackson St., 274-4294. Map

White Hinterland, Baptist Arms

[TORCH POP] Casey Dienel has a voice to fall in love with—no, it's more than that: She has a style to fall in love with. Equally smart and playful, intimate and quirky, Dienel's ’06 Hush Records release, Wind-Up Canary, knocked my socks off with its blend of torchy, jazzy love songs and upbeat ’n' sassy piano pop character sketches. Now, she's got a fancy new band (featuring ubiquitous PDX bassist Dave Depper, among others) and a fancy new moniker, White Hinterland. The Boston native's still belting out charming lines like, "It's funny/ I like me best with a broken heart," and crafting infectious melodies, but now she's got a bit more noise infusing her adorable tunes: lots of percussive racket, squealing strings and, of course, heavy doses of ebony and ivory. Wispy, lo-fi folk here, cacophonous breakdown there, rich and honeyed vocals everywhere. Hard to beat that. AMY MCCULLOUGH. 9:30 pm. Towne Lounge, 714 SW 20th Place., 241-8696. $8. 21+. Map

A&E Front Porch Stage: Fred Wesley & Groovesect, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Joe McMurrian Quartet, Colin Lake & Wellbottom Blues, Moreland and Arbuckle, Mark Lemhouse and the Hollars, Crossroads Youth Blues Ensemble (starts at 3 pm)

[PICKIN' AND SOUL] What better way to kick off this year's Oregon Food Bank-benefiting Independence Day bluesathon than with some down-home finger-pickin' over at the A&E Front Porch Stage: Local lapslide guitarist Colin Lake (6 pm) plays everything from gently aching solo-style acoustic blues to amped-up roots-rock jams with his band, Wellbottom; and fellow Portlander Joe McMurrian (who hops aboard a "blues cruise" at 10:15 pm, after playing the A&E at 7 pm) lights up the frets on both banjo and guitar—delivering rollicking, progressive blues-rock backed by fierce, smoky vocals (imagine a beefier-sounding Kelly Joe Phelps). Meanwhile, a slew of notable locals—from bold and beautiful soul maven Liv Warfield to longtime PDX blues stalwart Norman Sylvester—warm up the stage (starting at 3:45 pm) for the one and only Black Moses: funk-soul legend Isaac Hayes (9 pm). Can you dig it? AMY MCCULLOUGH. 3 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Credit Union Blues Stage: Joe Bonamassa, Carolyn Wonderland, David Vest, DK Stewart, Leon Blue, Ty Curtis Band (starts at 3 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

DME Portland Spirit Blues Cruise: Joe McMurrian Quartet, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Carolyn Wonderland, Alex Weed, Canned Heat (starts at 10:15 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

FedEX Workshop Stage: Moreland and Arbuckle, David Vest, Mark Lemhouse, Colin Lake (starts at 3:45 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Marriot Hotel: Kirk Fletcher, Chris Miller & Kid Ramos, Harmonica Blowhards, Lynwood Slim, Randy Chortkoff, Boyd Small & Johnny Dyer (starts at 9:30 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Miller Stage: Isaac Hayes, The Portland Soul All-Stars, Liv & The Warfield Project, Norman Sylvester Band (starts at 3:45 pm)

[PICKIN' AND SOUL] See A&E Front Porch Stage listing. 3:45 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Rafati's Encore 310: David Vest, DK Stewart, Leon Blue

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. All ages. Map

The Long Winters, The Builders and the Butchers

[INDIE-ROCK PERFECTION] It's not often that a band releases such consistently great work as Seattle's Long Winters—so it doesn't worry me much that singer/smartass John Roderick recently told Spin.com that the band's upcoming album (set for early ’09 release) will have "a much looser feel." The as-yet-untitled record will be based on a collection of one-minute loops (with names like "I Don't Want You to Feel Comfortable, I Want You to Come Here") that Roderick's been messin' with over the past year, an approach David Bazan apparently recommended to him. Whether Roderick's complaining about unsalted butter, ribbing high school students or wearing his heart boldly on his sleeve—and exploring drawn-out indie rock epics, punchy pop numbers or acoustic balladry, respectively, in the process—he's always been brilliant, singing with a perma-smile and looking like Yellow Brick Road-era Elton John (you know, before he resembled your grandma). So loop it up, buddy. Drift from your "folk songwriter" methods. Do whatever the hell you want. We'd expect nothing less (except, maybe, to hear a few newbies tonight; pretty please?). AMY MCCULLOUGH. 9 pm. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 284-8686. $12 advance, $14 day of show. All ages. Map

Friday Jul 4top

Neil Masson Quartet w/ Lee Wuthenow

  Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

The Legendary Shack Shakers, Cicada Omega, Seven Signs

[AMERICANA GOTHIC] The Legendary Shack Shakers are viciously meticulous, not the intentionally sloppy stuff we’ve come to identify as dirty country rock. Yes, it’s dirty. Sometimes it’s even psychotic, particularly on storytelling anthems like “Ichabod,” wherein sickly-skinny frontman J.D. Wilkes howls like a maniac. The Shakers do for Americana what the Pogues did for Celtic music—inject it with a breakneck vigor that makes music more than 100 years old sound fresh. AP KRYZA. Dante's, 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630. $12. 21+. Also at Waterfront Blues Festival, 4:45 pm. Map

DJ Kenoy

  Devils Point, 5305 SE Foster Road., 774-4513. Map

House Party: Joee Irwin, Bryan Zentz, 31 Avas

[DJ SEIZURES] If only the Vancouver fireworks display lasted four hours and was this seizure-inducing. A local electronic trio hits the decks tonight to make Holocene's windows vibrate with heavy, repetitive beats and thumped-up, even heavier bass. Tonight’s tribal techno tunes will come with a side of diva, pulsing lights and bodies, empty shot glasses, screenprint tees and shaking what your mammy gave you. SARA MOSKOVITZ. 9 pm. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. Free. 21+. Map

Little Sue (6 pm)

  Imbibe, 2229 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-4002. Map

'80s Video Dance Attack: VJ Kittyrox

  Lola's Room at the Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. Map

Bill Beach (6 pm)

  London Grill, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

DJ Trixie Doll & Sarafina

  Matador, 1967 W Burnside St., 222-5822. Map

Dan Eagen

  Produce Row Cafe, 204 SE Oak St., 232-8355. Map

Tom Grant

  Rafati's Encore, 310 SW Lincoln St., 221-0140. Map

Liberty Bang!: Them Jeans, Pase Rock, DJ Beyonda, Nathan Detroit

[BANG!] If you manage to stumble away from Liberty Bang! (a July 4 shindig sardine-packed with premier electronic mash-up DJs) sometime in the wee hours of July 5 without hair—maybe yours, maybe someone else's—sweat-pasted to your forehead, then something went terribly wrong. So stretch and drink water in preparation for MIA, Amanda Blank and Bloc Party mixes and cunt-carnage lyrics like, "She acting like she wanna be my lady/ I already fucked you, I love you, pay me," courtesy of Pase Rock. SARA MOSKOVITZ. 9 pm. Rotture, 315 SE 3rd Ave., 234-5683. $10. 21+. Map

A&E Front Porch Stage: Bill Rhoades' Harmonica Blow-off 2008, Lynwood Slim, Randy Chortkoff, Johnny Dyer, Mark Dufresne, Hawkeye Herman, Bill Rhoades & The Party Kings, Johnnie Ward, Terry Robb Band, Franco Paletta & the Stingers, Trampled Under Foot, Ty Curtis Band, Don Haupt, Franco Paletta & The Stingers, Mojo Madness, International Blues Challenge Winners/Finalists (starts at noon)

[BLUES] Ack! Too much blues! We’ve got Portland’s own expert picker Terry Robb at the A&E Front Porch stage (5:15 pm), local bar-blues outfit the Strange Tones at the Credit Union stage (8:30 pm) and a handful of Oregon Jazz greats both old and new—from the sultry Linda Hornbuckle (on National Anthem duty, 10 pm) to community pillar Mel Brown and young NOLA transplant Devin Phillips (9:15 pm)—over at the Miller stage. And of course, what West Coast blues festival would be complete without an appearance from legendary (like, since the ‘60s) blues-rockers Canned Heat (5:30 pm, Miller Stage)? CASEY JARMAN. Noon. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Credit Union Blues Stage: The Strange Tones, Boyd Small & the Souldiers, The Legendary Shack Shakers, The Insomniacs, Robbie Laws Bigger Blues Band, Trampled Under Foot (starts at noon)

[AMERICANA GOTHIC] See today's Dante's and A&E Front Porch Stage listings. 4:45 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Map

DME Portland Spirit Blues Cruise: David Vest, Reggie Houston and Mary Flower, Boyd Small & the Souldiers, Mannish Boys w/ Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Finis Tasby (starts at 2:30 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. All ages. Map

FedEx Workshop Stage: Gunnar Roads Band, Mary Flower, Lynwood Slim & Johnny Dyer, TJ Moore, Mac Potts, Kirk Fletcher, Kid Ramos, 

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Miller Stage: Linda Hornbuckle, Oregon Jazz Orchestra feat. Devin Phillips & Mel Brown, Mannish Boys w/ Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Finis Tasby, Canned Heat, Phillip Walker, Sherman Robertson and Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, Ellen Whyte Big Band, David Samuels Project (starts at 12:45 pm)

[BLUES] See A&E Front Porch Stage listing. 12:45 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Rafati's Encore 310: Reggie Houston w/ David Vest

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Rock 'n' Roll Juicebox: Jonny X and the Groadies, Fist Fite, Experimental Dental School, Sei Hexe

[BIRTHDAY PUNKS] For a dozen years, Jonny X and the Groadies have celebrated their birthday on Independence Day. While our country has been drug through mud, blood and oil, the Groadies still wave their flag of independence with morals intact (all ages or die!). The band plays good-time party black metal noise grind (did you even know such a thing existed?), sporting Spandex, laser lights, fog and a high-tech array of samplers. The show (the first in a two-day event put on by garage-punk collective Hovercraft) is a short, visceral experience that is fattened up considerably with several courses: a vegetarian barbecue and chili cook-off is the appetizer; sets from good-time synthpunks Fist Fite and Experimental Dental School serve as main course and early dessert. Also see Live Review of Explode Into Colors, playing day two. NATHAN CARSON. 9 pm. Work/Sound, 820 SE Alder St., . $5. All ages. Map

Saturday Jul 5top

Neil Masson Quartet w/ Lee Wuthenow

  Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

Night Moves w/ King Fader

  Berbati Restaurant, 19 SW 2nd Ave., 248-479. Map

DJ Alex Hollywood

  C.C. Slaughters, 219 NW Davis St., 248-9135. Map

Childhood Friends (CD Release), Marmits, Doctor Moss

[GOTH ROCK] Ilima Considine and Jake Rose, the duo that makes up Childhood Friends, will be the first to dispel the myth that they “go way back.” As a matter of fact, the two met just a couple of years ago, when Considine did the usual Craigslist searching for a fellow musician who’d be able to complement her dark, nasally vocals and goth sensibilities. Rose’s frustrated, fucked-up and fuzzed-out guitar lines impressed Considine and voilà! Marriage! No joke. Think of New Order's darker drum machinations, throw in a little Smashing Pumpkins and some atonal chaos and you’ve got Childhood Friends, which releases new album Key Party tonight. CHANDLER FREDRICK. 8 pm. Chaos Cafe & Parlor, 2620 SE Powell Blvd., 546-8112. Cover. All ages. Map

Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Professor Gall, Mute Socialite

[PERFORMANCE ART] The performance-art geniuses of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum bring their host of homemade instruments and costumes to Dante’s red-curtained stage tonight. Portland audiences have always enjoyed mind-expanding work from afar, and SGM never disappoints. Many bands look good or sound pro, perhaps write quality tunes. But this collective has mastered a sort of onstage interaction that any artist in any medium could learn from. Song lyrics are filtered into physical expression and interplay, the dynamics seeming like a well-executed play. But it’s a play in which gothic metal, progressive rock and earthy originality combine to make something dark, beautiful, new and essential. NATHAN CARSON. 9:30 pm. Dante's, 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630. $15. 21+. Map

Maria Taylor, Johnathan Rice, Nik Freitas

[SINGER-SONGWRITERS] Alabama-born, Nebraska-dwelling singer-songwriter Maria Taylor was half of shoegaze-folk duo Azure Ray, has sung on Bright Eyes albums and placed a song on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. Johnathan Rice, too, has a knack for making friends and finding himself in the right places, recently opening for R.E.M. after impressing Peter Buck at a random gig, not to mention parlaying his status as Rilo Kiley leader Jenny Lewis' main squeeze into a surprise gig singing and playing on Elvis Costello's new disc. Opener Nik Freitas' swell-sounding new disc, Sun Down, is on Conor Oberst's Team Love label. JEFF ROSENBERG. 9 pm. Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. $12. 21+. Map

Trinity: Klutch, Dan Ness, Jeremy Okai Davis (6 pm)

  edge of Belmont, 3350 SE Morrison St., 971-230-3343. All ages. Map

Norman Sylvester Band

  Gemini Bar & Grill, 456 N State St., 636-9445. Map

Jackstraw/Electric Jackstraw

  Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. Map

Jesse Samsell Band

  Halibut's, 2525 NE Alberta St., 808-9601. Map

Silversafe, Windowpane, The Adio Sequence, Stillfire, Panacea (Main Theater); Bradley Diriam (Balcony)

  Hawthorne Theatre, 3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-7100. All ages. Map

Little Beirut

  Imbibe, 2229 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 239-4002. Map

Happy Hour w/ the Crash (6 pm)

  Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., 228-3669. Map

Bill Beach (6 pm)

  London Grill, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

DJ Moisti

  Matador, 1967 W Burnside St., 222-5822. Map

Dusty Santamaria

  Produce Row Cafe, 204 SE Oak St., 232-8355. Map

Tom Grant and Shelly Rudolph

  Rafati's Encore, 310 SW Lincoln St., 221-0140. Map

DragonForce, Powerglove

[FANTASY METAL] Blistering melodic shred from the U.K., the dudes from DragonForce are forging careers as the undisputed masters of fantasy metal. This is music so candy-coated it shouldn’t even rock anymore. But it does. Triumphant choruses feature harmonies built from dozens and dozens of guitar and vocal tracks. My favorite thing about this band is its video for "Operation Ground and Pound," which features the band playing on a windy clifftop that is being shot with lightning by massive UFOs, culminating in a Guitar Hero-style battle during the dueling lead section. DragonForce is the kind of unadulterated fun that will rot your teeth and your brain. More power to them. NATHAN CARSON. 8 pm. Roseland, 8 NW 6th Ave., 219-9929 (Grill), 224-2038 (Theater). $23. All ages. Map

Modey Lemon, Eternal Tapestry, Bodhi

[RELOCATED GARAGE ROCK] See profile of Bodhi on LocalCut. 9 pm. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. $7. 21+. Map

Kenny Lavitz Kombo

  Tillicum, 8585 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway., 292-1835. Map

A&E Front Porch Stage: Rosie Ledet, Cedryl Ballou & the Zydeco Trendsetters, Chris Ardoin & Nu Step Zydeco, Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe, Zydeco Swamp Romp, Roland & Janine Jemerson (starts at noon)

[ZYDECO/BLUES] Bluesfest marks one of the only times zydeco music descends on Portland (noticeably, at least)—though most of the acts playing the A&E Front Porch Stage, including headlining "Zydeco Sweetheart" Rosie Ledet, embrace a bluesier feel. While I suppose that's appropriate considering the occasion, more traditional acts like Lawtell, La.-based Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe—with their constant two-step beat; boatloads of accordion; washboard percussion; and upbeat, dance-inciting approach—are more fun, if you ask me. Charming local dance instructors Roland and Janine Jemerson head things off with a quick lesson (noon), so there's no reason to be shy (and zydeco fans are nothing if not encouraging and inviting). Once those dogs are barkin' and you're good and sunburned, head on over to the main stage 'round 7:15 pm to take in some shade and the cool, electric guitar-based sounds of flame-haired R&B wildwoman Duffy Bishop—whose voice pretty much defines the word "husky." Gristly-voiced harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite and his down-and-dirty Chicago blues sound ought to put a fine cap on the evening. AMY MCCULLOUGH. Noon. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Credit Union Blues Stage: Paul Thorn, Reggie Houston & the Manimals, Back Door Slam, Sherman Robertson, Andrew Jr. Boy Jones and Phillip Walker, Lara Price Band (starts at 12:45 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

DME Portland Spirit Blues Cruise: Sherman Robertson, The Galvanized Junk Band w/ Rollie Tussing, Back Door Slam, Eric Lindell, Charlie Musselwhite (10:15 pm); Lady "A" & the Baby Blues Funk Band, Lara Price Band, Ruthie Foster, Tahoe Jackson, Fiona Boyes (2:30 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. All ages. Map

FedEx Workshop Stage: Making a Music Documentary at Sea: Jay Curlee, Dikki Du & The Zydeco Krewe, Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones, Steve Kerin & Friends, Dave Kahl, Jeff Minnick, Fiona Boyes (starts at noon)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Miller Stage: Charlie Musselwhite, Duffy Bishop, Eric Lindell, Elvin Bishop, Classie Ballou and the Family Band, Creighton Lindsay (starts at noon)

[ZYDECO/BLUES] See A&E Front Porch Stage listing. Noon. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Rafati's Encore 310: Reggie Houston & the Manimals

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Rock 'n' Roll Juicebox: Explode Into Colors, Syrup, Kusikia, The Meat Sweats

[DUB-ROCK DANCE PARTY] See live review of Explode Into Colors on LocalCut. 9 pm. Work/Sound, 820 SE Alder St., . Cover. All ages. Also see Friday listings. Map

Sunday Jul 6top

Big Business, Red Fang, The Bugs

[M-M-M-METAL] It's safe to say that screamer/guitarist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis have a lot on their plates these days. The duo records and performs bugged-out, cartoon metal as Big Business, of course, but since 2006 it's also been pulling double-duty as full-time Melvins, joining forces with King Buzzo and Dale Crover to redouble the might of that legendary, friends-of-Kurt scrunge-core outfit. So how they're finding the time and energy for this tour is anybody's guess, but their particular energy drink-chugging brand of thrash is always welcome in our headphones and on our stages. RAY CUMMINGS. 9 pm. Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny St., 248-4579. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+. Map

Tilly and the Wall, Southern Belle, World's Greatest Ghosts

[INDIE-POP TAP DANCING] Tilly and the Wall’s first album, Wild Like Children, was really kind of magical. A few simple elements—in the case of “Bessa,” a single guitar; a piano; two singers; and a tap dancer keeping the beat in place of drums (the band’s gimmick/raison d'être)—arranged to make wonderful, touching (if somewhat twee) pop. The album endeared itself to us all the more for sounding like it could’ve been recorded in your friend’s bedroom studio. Fast-forward two albums, and the band’s new release, O (yes, it’s really one letter long), sees the lovely quirk replaced by recording-industry gloss and studio effects. Oops, there went the charm! BRANDON SEIFERT. 9 pm. Hawthorne Theatre, 3862 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 233-7100. $12 advance, $14 day of show. All ages. Map

Oceans, The Victoria

  Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., 228-3669. Map

Eli Reischman (5:30 pm); Jean Ronne (9:30 am)

  London Grill, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. All ages. Map

I Was Totally Destroying It, Tennis Pro, Autopilot is for Lovers, S. Brooks

[MELODRAMATIC POP] Aside from wearing one of the best name tags imaginable, IWTDI is a good student. The band’s influences come through in its jumpy, melodic sound, but it cheats nobody. The melodrama of Rivers Cuomo meets the hop and pop of the Anniversary in this cauldron of simple pleasures. Rachel Hirsh shares the mic (with singer John Booker), and when she does, it's borderline angelic. The producers of The O.C. would have salivated at the thought of finding a new emotional flashback song here. MARK STOCK. 9 pm. Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th Ave., 223-0099. $5. 21+. Map

UFO Challenge: Adam Forkner and Windy, Pulse Emitter, Acre, DJ Scott

[AMBIENT ROCK] I still remember it to this day. There I was, college dropout in the making, hanging on an autumnal New Jersey campus and skipping class to smoke cigarettes, play pinball and talk records: the quintessence of a ‘90s-era slack motherfucker. Before Allmusic and Wikipedia, there were dudes, and only by consulting as many dudes as possible could one figure out just what kind of music was out there. On that fateful day, Greg told me about the then-nascent Michigan space rock scene and its leading light: Windy & Carl. A husband-and-wife duo droning arcs of frozen sound across endless space, this was ambient through an amp, the most beautiful display of power I had ever heard. Windy Weber will be playing the fourth installment of Pete Swanson’s always excellent Challenge series at Valentine’s. Tune in, turn on and bliss out. ERIK BADER. 9 pm. Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny St., 248-1600. Free. 21+. Map

A&E Front Porch Stage: Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Lloyd Jones w/ DK4, Rory Block, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, Terry Robb & Lauren Sheehan, Hillstomp, Steve Cheseborough (starts at noon)

[WOMAN-POWER BLUES] See Miller Stage listing. Noon. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Credit Union Blues Stage: MarchFourth Marching Band, Arthur Adams, Linda Hornbuckle & Janice Scroggins Old Time Gospel Hour, Northwest Women Rhythm & Blues, "The Love Sisters" feat. Barbara Healy and Deb Cleveland (starts at noon)

[WOMAN-POWER BLUES] See Miller Stage listing. Noon. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

DME Portland Spirit Blues Cruise: Colin Lake & Wellbottom Blues, Alex Weed, Arthur Adams, Mac Potts & Ben Rice, Paul Thorn (starts at 2:30 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

FedEx Workshop Stage: Rory Block, Ruthie Foster, Robert "Wolfman" Belfour, Tommy Johnson, Jimmie Rodgers and the Blues Yodel: Steve Cheseborough, David Moore (starts at 12:45 pm)

[WOMAN-POWER BLUES] See Miller Stage listing. 12:45 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Marriot Hotel: Hawkeye Herman (4:15 pm)

  Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. Map

Miller Stage: Curtis Salgado, James Hunter, Phoebe Snow, Ruthie Foster, Red Hot Blues Sisters (starts at 12:45 pm)

[WOMAN-POWER BLUES] After the rockets' red glare and male-dominated bills of the Festival's previous days, Sunday is all about woman power. At 1:30 pm, the always-hot Northwest Women Rhythm & Blues showcase sets the tone, followed by—in the words of her '06 album title—The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster at 2:30 pm. The highlight here, though, is the thrilling return to performance of the incomparable Phoebe Snow (4:30 pm). Lavay Smith leads her Red Hot Skillet Lickers swinging into sundown on the A&E Front Porch Stage beginning at 7:30 pm, while the always-welcome Rory Block workshops at 8:15 pm. Meanwhile, decidedly non-female Curtis Salgado, a local staple who blends soulful vocals with harmonica-laden blues, provides the festival's main-stage closing set. JEFF ROSENBERG. 12:45 pm. Waterfront Blues Festival, Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Southwest Oak Street & Naito Parkway)., 973-FEST. $10, plus two cans of nonperishable food. All ages. Visit waterfrontbluesfest.com for full schedule. Map

Monday Jul 7top

New Band Night

  Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., 228-3669. Map

Pete Krebs Trio

  The Maiden, 639 SE Morrison St., 232-5553. Map

Tuesday Jul 8top

Todd Rundgren

[ECLECTIC DAD] Despite a career ranging from ‘60s psychedelic guitar work with the Nazz to delicate ‘70s power-pop solo albums to ‘80s New Wave novelty tunes (you'll have heard "Bang On the Drum All Day" after touchdowns) to early ‘90s attempts at interactive music, Todd Rundgren will probably always be best known to today's generation as Liv Tyler’s first father (she was Liv Rundgren, mistakenly, for the first nine years of her life due to some maternal fibbing). More depressingly, documentaries always imply Liv found him innovative and influential but something less than iconic. Such are the wages of eclecticism. Rundgren is touring on behalf of yet-unreleased album Arena, which we presume to be a return to rock—but for a man who recorded an album of bossa nova covers of his own past quasi-hits, one can't be sure. JAY HORTON. 8 pm. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 233-1994. $35. All ages. Map

Bill Beach & Brasil Beat

  Benson Hotel, 309 SW Broadway., 228-2000. Map

Mike Ness and His Band, The Horton Brothers feat. Miss Lauren Marie

[PUNKABILLY] As rumors continue to swirl over a new Social Distortion album, vocalist and last remaining founder Mike Ness continues to tour his country project featuring a host of Cash and Hank classics and twanged-up originals. American hardcore is littered with nods to the outlaw fringes of Nashville, of course, but Ness and His Band (including Social D guitarist Jonny Wickersham and bassist Brent Harding–now on upright, naturally) barrel through a rigorously authentic brand of rockabilly that only ever hints toward Ness' day job during the frontman's still punk-as-fuck crowd banter. JAY HORTON. 9 pm. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. $29 advance, $32 day of show. All ages. Map

Trouble, Danava

[DOOM METAL] Doom legends abound in 2008. Swedish gods Candlemass recently graced us with the heavy; few acts in the style remain with as hoary and hallowed a reputation. But here comes Trouble, among the first acts on U.S. shores to dedicate itself to post-Sabbath heaviness. After years of building their temple of gloom, these five Chicagoans were rewarded with a Metal Blade contract, issuing what has to be one of the slowest recordings of 1984, going against the grain of the thrash revolution in more ways than one—especially since Trouble’s entire lyrical focus was Christian theology. Run for the hills, you devil worshippers: Trouble has come to seal your doom. NATHAN CARSON. 9 pm. Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. $15. 21+. Map

Ratatat (DJ set)

[SIESTA FIESTA] See today's Holocene listing. 10 pm. Dunes, 1905 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., 493-8637. $5. 21+. Map

Ratatat, E*Rock, DJ Hot Air Balloon

[SIESTA FIESTA] Other than a pair of performances opening for Björk last December, it's been a while since Brooklyn-based duo Ratatat has toured the States, peddling its spacey electronica. Fueled by guitar and synthesizer, the unlikely cult heroes retreated to the Catskills to record their third XL album, cleverly titled LP3. In fact, the pair plays Portland the exact day the disc officially drops (though it was leaked in late May). The 13 tracks off LP3 successfully paint a vivid dreamscape throughout 42 vocal-less minutes, a stark contrast to the outfit's most recent material, hip-hop/electro-rock fusion project Remixes Volume Two. Can we expect the Holocene show and Ratatat's subsequent DJ appearance at Dunes to turn into one big sleepover? A high-volume endless slumber party is more like it! NILINA MASON-CAMPBELL. 9 pm. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. $15. 21+. Afterparty DJ set at Dunes. 10 pm. $5. 21+. Map

All Girls Acoustic Show

  Kelly's Olympian, 426 SW Washington St., 228-3669. Map

DJ Donny Don't

  Matador, 1967 W Burnside St., 222-5822. Map

Curtis Salgado (7 pm)

  Music Millennium, 3158 E Burnside St., 231-8926. All ages. Map

Service Industry Night

  Produce Row Cafe, 204 SE Oak St., 232-8355. Map

Fortress of Amplitude, Flaspar, Frozen Body, Extreme Animals (7 pm)

  Rererato Artspace, 5135 NE 42nd Ave., 732-407-4418. Map

Hot Victory, Guidance Counselor, Rollie Fingers

[ELECTROFREAK] Making music the way the oft-mustachioed Ian Anderson (a.k.a. Guidance Counselor) does is as dangerous as trying to be a karaoke superstar: It's amazing when done right, but otherwise—well, you just look like someone doing karaoke. Luckily, Guidance Counselor creatively blends a plethora of electronic genres into something tasteful, bouncy and always danceable. Hot Victory shows off a minimalistic approach to songwriting and sampling with an overwhelming display of intense percussion that stays just on the safe side of pedantic. CHANDLER FREDRICK. 9 pm. Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th Ave., 223-0099. $5. 21+. Map

New Bloods, Softboiled Eggies, Experimental Dental School

[ARTFUL POST-PUNK] Plenty of bands these days cop to being influenced by the British post-punk explosion of the late '70s, but none capture the raw, slippery sound as well as the three bands sharing the bill at Valentine's tonight. The most fascinating of the bunch is Softboiled Eggies, a quartet from L.A. that swims in the beautifully murky (and dubby) waters shared by such cross-the-pond forebears as the Slits, PiL and the Raincoats. ROBERT HAM. 9 pm. Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny St., 248-1600. Donation. 21+. Map