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PREVIEWS
SET LIST
Upcoming Live Music
music that shaped their lives wash away amongst a
sea of substandard rock revival acts. An astonishing
live show is sure to deliver. —KR
A Silver Mt. Zion, Carla Bozulich
Doug Fir
August 19, 9pm
Possessing one of the sweetest, most alluring—and
at times most erratic—voices in the music world,
Carla Bozulich falls into the realm of the “must
see.” She’s become known for her sexy, fiery
performances that either leaves an audience pleasantly
stunned or scratching their collective heads.
With Montreal’s A Silver Mt. Zion (which features
members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor) this
time around, expect to see Bozulich’s less appealing
tendencies reigned in. The former’s swelling mix of
noise and melody leaves the theatrics of Godspeed
behind and focuses more on tight, rhythmic structure.
And for Bozulich, this is a coup. Having made
is beautiful, compelling and capable of communicating
the entire spectrum of human emotions: happiness,
sadness, anger, nostalgia, optimism, etc.
All of this is readily evident on the band’s excellent
new self-recorded and self-released debut album,
48 Minutes, 07 Seconds, Then the Open Air (available at
jackpotrecords.com), which features seven extended
jams. The album’s standout track—the melancholic
“When I Destroy An Animal”—repeats itself slowly
and quietly at first, tension building at every moment.
Restraint gives way to excess at the six-minute
mark, however, when the song hits a crescendo and
implodes under waves of guitar hiss and distortion,
each note of squalling feedback falling off the guitar
like a dealer flipping cards at a poker game. As if
you needed extra incentive, tonight’s performance
jumpstarts a five-week national tour for WFJ, one
that will see them gigging from sea to shining sea.
This is your chance to help send them off in style.
—TG
with discounted tickets for kids. The serious party
starts at 9:30pm when the Lions, in full-force and
costume, will be joined by musicians from Rio de
Janeiro like Bateria Mestre Jorge Alabe. According to
Brian Davis, co-founder of the Lions, a “‘bateria’ is
a person who is respected as a master of all instruments
and aspects of a Brazilian music and drum
ensemble.” Alabe has recorded with Pink Martini
in the past. More info on the other musicians and
tickets can be found at lionsofbatucada.com.
But first, just what is “batucada,” and how
did this magical troupe come to be? Davis, also a
member of Pink Martini, explains, “It came to be
from someone calling John Brodie, the manager of
Pink Martini, and asking if someone in his group
could put a samba thing together for the [Portland]
Oregon Visitors Association.” POVA wanted to
name the band and link it to the sponsor for the
event, Red Lion Inns. “‘Batucada’ means samba
on percussion,” Davis adds. “It was just on a spur
of the moment. We had, like, a ten-foot tall Lion
Carla Bozulich Comets on Fire Lions of Batucada
a name with the Geraldine Fibbers, kicked around
like a bad ass cowgirl with Nels Cline, opened for
Wilco and covered an entire Willie Nelson LP, Bozulich
is finally getting her due. Go pay your respects.
—BS
We’re From Japan, Aristela
Doug Fir
August 30, 9pm
The truth, we’re afraid, must be revealed: Instrumetal
aesthetes We’re From Japan (hereafter WFJ)
actually formed here in Portland circa 2003/4, having
no real direct connect to the land of the rising
sun. This misnomer aside, we can’t much fault the
local quartet or their terrific brand of epic, sprawling,
vocal-less songs that sport dramatic swings in
tempo, texture and volume. Influenced by the work
of other like-minded instrumental shape-shifters
like the Dirty Three, Mogwai and Explosions in the
Sky, WFJ understands the importance of pacing,
restraint and patience, fashioning songs from
guitar loops, cul-de-sacs and other found-sound
fragments to realize an ebb-and-flow dynamic that
Lions of Batucada
Wonder Ballroom
August 12, 2pm & 9:30pm
Has it already been ten years since we were first
shocked and awed by the sight of 20–40 drummers
blasting out infectious syncopation along with
gorgeous dancers in full
Brazilian costume, coming
around the corner at
us and instantly making
our rumps shake? Yes,
The Lions Of Batucada,
Portland’s own Brazilian
marching band, is ten
years old and will be celebrating
their birthday
in typical fashion with
a day-long party at the
Wonder Ballroom this
month. The day starts
with a family matinée
performance and
Brazilian lunch at 2pm
in tails and top hat with us on the very first gig.” A
few years ago, the Portland police put a stop to the
Lions’ popular impromptu street marching, so if
you want to dive into the sauce of the samba, and of
Brazil, the Wonder Ballroom tenth anniversary party
is a delicious way to do it. —TD
August 2006 / PDXmagazine.com 45