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PREVIEWS
SET LIST
Upcoming Live Music | by Tom D’Antoni, Angelo De Ieso II, Travis Greenwood, Kamran Rouzpay & Brian Smith
Blitzen Trapper
Sleater-Kinney
photo: Alexander Warnow
The Coup
The Coup, Common Market
Berbati’s Pan
August 2, 9:30pm
Politically radical in their philosophy, but grounded
in their probity, Oakland’s The Coup are electronically
driven hip-hop beats of Pam The Funkstress
encomiumized by the cynically humorous spits
of communist emcee, Boots Riley. In their 2006
release, Pick a Bigger Weapon, the group’s sixth studio
album, Riley perseveres with familiar sentiments
exhibited in The Coup’s previous endeavors. Except
this time, the part-comedic, part-militant assembly
unveils some of its richest audioscapes to date. On
the punk rock label Epitaph, which put out music
from groups like NOFX and Rancid, and with the
enlistment of Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave’s
Tom Morello, as well as crew members of
Toni! Tony! Toné!, Parliament-Funkadelic and the
Gap Band, Weapon is a triumphant culmination
of prior releases, and the live presentation is one
not to miss. Also on the bill is Seattle’s Common
Market, who have been highly touted by the mighty
KRS-One, and feature the Northwest’s own DJ Sabzi
alongside Kentucky native Ra Scion. Scion gathered
influence from his years in Africa, and like Sabzi,
is of the Baha’i Faith, which explains his conscientious
and quest-for-enlightenment mark of ownership
in the modern hip-hop world. —AD
Peaches, Eagles of Death Metal
The Roseland
August 7, 8pm
Did you ever think a woman would front a cockrock
band? Well, imagine no more, because it’s
being done—by Merrill Nisker, who created the
moniker “Peaches” in 2000, a manifestation that’s
become notoriously vulgar. On Peaches’ first album,
Teaches of Peaches, some song titles included “Fuck
the Pain Away,” “Diddle My Skittle” and “Suck and
Let Go.” Obscenity and shock are all part of her ultimate
plan, but underneath the offensive—and often
hilarious—raps, is a beat heavy, electro-pop dance
party. Last month, Peaches released her third fulllength,
Impeach My Bush, and the overall aesthetic
is the same: charmingly nasty lyrics rapped over
stripped-down, simplistic beats. With Peaches, you
won’t get a transcendent listening experience, but
you will get a straightforward, entertaining rockyour-body
show from cock-rock’s leading woman.
It only makes sense that she recruits Jesse “The
Devil” Hughes and his outfit, the Eagles of Death
Metal, to open for her tour. “The Devil” formed his
rump-shaking, garage-rock band with friend and
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme
back in 2003. Part Elvis, part Rolling Stones and
part Stooges, the Eagles of Death Metal are a swaggering
collection of musicians who, like Peaches,
embrace transparent, sexual lyrics over danceable,
clever rock n’ roll. This show will undoubtably rock
your socks off. —KR
Blitzen Trapper, The Parson Red
Heads, Schroder
Towne Lounge
August 11, call for time
Hillbilly two-tooth swing meets modern day big
city life quandaries in Blitzen Trapper’s world
of multi-instrumental rock. Like a 21st Century
soundtrack for Dukes of Hazzard (had their been no
terrible Hollywood remake), Trapper is the twisted
genius of guitarist/songwriter Eric Earley. Alongside
his cast of talented and zany friends, Earley plays
irration-ally infectious honky-pop and proffers
modestly precocious themes with sick jams for the
true heads. Hippies, hicks and hipsters unite for a
nonpareilled hoedown that gives hope to a city full
of bands and partygoers often too afraid to stomp
and dance. —AD
Sleater-Kinney (Farewell Shows)
Crystal Ballroom
August 11 & 12, 9pm
Sleater-Kinney has been a critical cornerstone
for women in rock n’ roll—and Portlanders in
general—for over a decade. When the Riot Grrrl
scene broke out in the early 1990s, Sleater-Kinney
was there to greet it with the true spirit of rock.
Since the trio’s inception in 1994, members Corin
Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss have
risen to the top of the indie-rock scene, and made
their final offering with 2005’s spectacular Sub Pop
release, The Woods. Tremendously loud and superbly
written, The Woods marks the band at its height.
Sadly, in July, the women of Sleater-Kinney decided
to call it quits while they’re on top. “We could not
have made our music without your enthusiasm,
passion, and loyalty. It is you who have made the
entire journey worthwhile,” read a message left on
the band’s official website. After a career of critical
and commercial success, the band returns home to
Portland to say their final goodbyes at two Crystal
Ballroom shows. These final hometown performances
are guaranteed to be riveting and electric, as
Sleater-Kinney’s live acts have never slowed down
throughout their career. Come see one of Portland’s
best bow out for the last time. —KR
Comets on Fire
Holocene
August 18, 9pm
Rock revival bands always risk sounding too much
like their influences, thus coming off as second-rate
hacks. Santa Cruz’s Comets on Fire may proudly
wear their influences on their respective sleeves,
but they somehow manage to avoid appearing like
uninspired wannabes. The band’s 2004 Sub Pop
release, Blue Cathedral, was a critical smash, and
featured eight songs of dirty, loud, garage psychedelica.
Actually, loud and dirty doesn’t fully capture
the band’s sound; no, chaotic and spastic might
be more accurate. Inaccessible to many, Comets
on Fire has returned in 2006 with their August 8th
release, Avatar, this time with a fresh new sound,
while maintaining their roots and embracing their
influences. Blending psychedelica, rock, garage
and punk, the Comets boldly and equally mix the
Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers
and Mudhoney, resulting in a sound that is fully
their own. Avatar is nearly flawless and exposes the
band’s more melodic, coherent side; songs aren’t as
loud, distorted or spastic. The ‘70s might be in our
rear window, but Comets on Fire refuses to let the
44 PDXmagazine.com / August 2006