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SUNNOV 15
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
💰 $34 - $615PunkIndiePopHip-HopMetalPerforming Arts

Sueco

Platinum certified singer, songwriter, producer, and multi instrumentalist Sueco has established herself as one of alternative music’s most versatile independent artists, amassing over 1 billion global streams and billions of views across social platforms. Since breaking onto the scene in 2018, he has been at the forefront of a new generation of internet native artists, leveraging viral storytelling, digital marketing, and direct fan engagement to build a global audience. By consistently creating moments that resonate both online and on stage, Sueco has cultivated a loyal worldwide fanbase while establishing himself as one of alternative music’s most recognizable voices.

Known for seamlessly blending rock, punk, metal, hip hop, and pop into a sound entirely his own, Sueco has built a catalog that refuses to be confined by genre. Equal parts songwriter, producer, and performer, his ability to pair massive hooks with raw emotion and explosive energy has earned him a reputation as one of the genre’s most exciting crossover artists while maintaining an unmistakable artistic identity.

That momentum has continued through 2026. Sueco returned with “REARRANGING SCARS,” featured in the latest installment of the Scream franchise, before joining forces with blackbear on the explosive single “ENEMY.” He followed it with “ARE YOU ENTERTAINED?” alongside longtime friend and collaborator Jeris Johnson, delivering one of the year’s standout alternative collaborations and further showcasing his versatility as both a songwriter and artist.

Now fully independent, Sueco continues to build momentum through major film placements, high profile collaborations, and a growing international audience while maintaining full creative control over his music and career. His fearless songwriting, genre bending creativity, and instinct for connecting with fans have positioned him among a new generation of artists redefining what an independent career can look like.

WEDNOV 11
8:00 PM
Hip-HopIndieMetal

Lucy Bedroque

Wonder Ballroom128 Northeast Russell Street

Los Angeles-based nineteen-year-old Jeremiah Mark (they/he) released their first full-length endeavor under the moniker Lucy Bedroque, their debut on deadAir Records. With no prior singles, the breakneck seventeen-track shotgun blast of Digicore and Hardcore Hip Hop, titled “Unmusique,” has established them as a bastion of these underground sounds. The release date coincided with their first show on the Jane Remover and Dazegxd tour “TURN UP OR DIE”, along with a full west coast run.

Leading up to this moment, Lucy Bedroque gained a cult following in the shadowy sectors of the online underground, with a breakout debut LP, “Sisterhood,” as Lostrushi. This is the name that raised them to notoriety alongside peers 9lives, prettifun, and egobreak. The new material continues further down the same path, combining cutthroat rage with the eclecticism and sensitivities of Stereolab, Radiohead, and Deftones.

While forging their distinct multimedia surrealism, Mark also developed a penchant for customized linguistics and for contorting the English language. Most notably, the title “Glutmother” (the name fans chose for a hyper-active Subreddit) graces the cover art of the debut and the packaging of “Unmusique. “The role of motherhood here is representative of a superiority to everything around it. But beyond humans, it’s a reference to Mother Nature and creation.” They explain. As for why it’s juxtaposed with gluttony, that’s because “People want more than anyone can handle, and I’ve responded to it with a perfectionist’s mindset.” They combine into a deep resonance of identity that’d easily evade a new listener.

Multi-day events

2
WEDNOV 25
7:00 PM · Doors 6:00 PM
All agesAdvance ticket requiredPunkIndieMetal

Saosin: 20 Years of Self-Titled

Saosin celebrate 20 Years of their Album “Self-Titled” & more, featuring their iconic line-up: Cove Reber, Beau Burchell, Phil Sgrosso, Chris Sorenson, Alex Rodriguez.
MONNOV 2
7:00 PM
World MusicRockIndieCultural Heritage

Mdou Moctar

A Tuareg singer/songwriter and guitarist who is known for his innovative and intense playing style, Mdou Moctar rose from a small village in Niger to earn viral success among West Africa's cell phone-trading network. An appearance on an American compilation in 2010 led to international recognition and further exploratory releases on the Sahel Sounds label. After starring in a Tuareg-language homage to Purple Rain, Moctar's sound continued to evolve as he pushed his musical boundaries as a multi-instrumentalist on 2017's Sousoume Tamachek. Subsequent albums like Ilana: The Creator (2019) and Afrique Victime (2021) found him infusing his African influences with wild electric psychedelia and full-blast rock and roll to widespread acclaim. 2024's scintillating Funeral for Justice saw Moctar take a stronger political stance on the injustices faced by Niger and the Tuareg people. A reimagined, all-acoustic version of the album was released in early 2025 as Tears of Injustice.

WEDNOV 4
7:00 PM
PopIndie

The Aces

So far evolved from who they were when they first began releasing music in 2017, The Aces deserve the sense of celebration they feel in their new music. With 3 albums, over 250 million streams, and countless other milestones under their belts, sisters Cristal and Alisa Ramirez (lead vocals/guitar and drums), Katie Henderson (lead guitar/vocals), and McKenna Petty (bass) are in full form on their 4th LP, Gold Star Baby. Continuing to reach new pop heights, the band is rapidly becoming one of the genre’s most exciting and authentic voices.

The Aces have toured with the likes of 5 Seconds of Summer, X Ambassadors, The Vamps, COIN, Goth Babe, and have played at festivals all over the world, including NY Pride, Lollapalooza, Firefly, Bonnaroo, OUTFEST, Sziget, Pukkelpop, All Things Go, Summerfest, and more. After an exciting run supporting Louis Tomlinson’s 2026 North American arena tour, the Aces are ready to hit the road again on their own fall headline tour and are steadily continuing to release new music.

SUNNOV 1
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
💰 $18+FolkIndieJazzPerforming Arts

Songwriters in the Round

Artichoke Community Music2007 Southeast Powell Boulevard

“When we travel down those old back roads, that’s when we finally find our way,” sings Portland songwriter Richard Colombo — and that spirit of discovery runs through every note he plays. For over four decades, Richard has been a beloved songwriter, performer, teacher, and community builder whose heartfelt songs blend timeless storytelling with themes of love, courage, and joy. Known for his clear tenor voice, masterful guitar work, and playful energy, Richard’s performances move easily between the profound and the delightfully whimsical — especially when he breaks out his banjo ukulele. A night with Richard leaves audiences feeling uplifted, inspired, and connected.

Inge Hoogerhuis is a singer-songwriter, but that is not how she started out - a lounge and cabaret singer from way back when, who traveled up and down Highway 75, to Las Vegas, and then found a home on the West Coast. She has sung in grange halls to fancy hotels, for 20 people from the back of a pick-up truck to 500,000 in San Francisco's Gay Pride. But her favorite thing to do is to write songs that capture both the humor and melancholy of the West, and that ruminate over love and justice, lost and gained. You can catch her on Spotify or at local watering holes around Portland.

Wendy Emerson is a folk jazz guitarist and vocalist whose music is influenced by ballads and show tunes from the swing era, as well as folk and rock music from the 1950s on. Her repertoire consists of jazzy covers and originals about love and loss served up with a generous helping of speaking truth to power.

Brent Calderwood is a Portland-based singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist inspired by indie-folk, Americana, and the American songbook.

SUNNOV 1
6:00 PM
All agesIndiePop

Taylor Bickett Fairhazel

Taylor Bickett is a storyteller at heart. Hailing from Indiana, she's been writing music since before she can remember. Taylor's intimate lyrics and outstanding vocal range gracefully overlay organic indie pop production to create introspective singer/songwriter tunes. After her wistful, Gen Z anthem "QUARTER LIFE CRISIS" hit the internet in 2022, the track compelled a generation struggling with their newfound adulthood to share their own photos and stories on TikTok soundtracked by her song. The trending audio amassed nearly half a million fan-made videos, and celebrities including Drew Barrymore and Kevin Jonas showcased their own transformations since age sixteen atop Taylor's track, which features the lyrics, "I swear 16 was yesterday, but now I'm closer to 28."

Taylor's subsequent 2023 EP grown up and lonely demonstrates her knack for writing honest and unfiltered songs that resonate with an entire generation. She kicked off 2024 with her single "I Like Mondays" which resonated with fans when she quickly wrote and posted the song on the 1st of January (a Monday). After spending the spring on the road, Taylor released her second EP, This Isn't Me Missing You, on September 19th.

Taylor spent 2024 touring with artists like Ron Pope, Blü Eyes, Andi and Áine Deane, which took her all over the US and UK. Her new song "The Crime," based on a traumatic incident that sparked a passion for ending violence against women, will come out in honor of Women's History Month in March of 2025. She is currently writing new music for her debut full length album.

SATNOV 21
8:00 PM
21+MetalRock

Fear Factory – Cybernetic Domination Tour 2026

w/ Darkest Hour, Brotality, Ligature Marks Saturday, November 21st, 2026 8:00PM Hawthorne Theatre 21 & Over Only w/ Valid Photo ID No refunds or exchanges. All sales final. If you need any ADA accommodations, please reach out to...

FRINOV 6
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
💰 $32IndieFolkClassicalArts & Media

Sight Reading: Musical Dialects with Jimmie Herrod, Nick Jaina, Black Belt Eagle Scout and 45th Parallel Universe

Musical Dialects with Jimmie Herrod, Nick Jaina, Black Belt Eagle Scout and 45th Parallel Universe

Music is more than just an aural language – it is a multitude of communication modes and literacies. Sight Reading features world-renowned songwriters translating between dialects in real time: the written language of music (usually expressed on staff), oral / aural traditions and “playing by ear” come together to work with Oregon Symphony musicians as they perform newly-created arrangements of songs by musicians who write their music in a variety of ways.

FRIDAY NOV. 6

Jimmie Herrod

Jimmie Herrod is a singer, songwriter, and performer celebrated for his radiant tone and emotional depth. Hailed by The Seattle Times as “a voice like a beacon of hope,” Herrod brings striking expressivity to performances across stage and screen.

He rose to international prominence as a finalist on America’s Got Talent, where he earned the coveted Golden Buzzer from Sofía Vergara. He later returned to compete on AGT: All-Stars, further expanding his global audience.

Since 2017, Herrod has toured extensively with Pink Martini, performing throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He is also a frequent guest with major orchestras across the United States and has collaborated with artists including Renée Fleming, Lalah Hathaway, Brian Blade, and Vince Mendoza.

Equally at home across genres, Herrod is known for performances that combine technical precision with warmth, clarity, and a powerful sense of connection.

Katherine Paul

This land runs through Katherine Paul’s blood. And it called to her. In dreams she saw the river, her ancestors, and her home.When the land calls, you listen. And KP found herself far from her ancestral lands during a time of collective trauma, when the world was wounded and in need of healing. In 2020 she made the journey from Portland back to the Skagit River, back to the cedar trees that stand tall and shrouded in fog, back to the tide flats and the mountains, back to Swinomish.

It is a powerful thing to return to our ancestral lands and often times the journey is not easy. Like the salmon through the currents, like the tide as it crawls to shore this is a story of return. It is the call and response. It is the outstretched arms of the people who came before, welcoming her home.The Land, The Water, The Sky is a celebration of lineage and strength. Even in its deepest moments of loneliness and grief, of frustration over a world wrought with colonial violence and pain, the songs remind us that if we slow down, if we listen to the waves and the wind through the trees, we will remember to breathe.

There is a throughline of story in every song, a remembrance of knowledge and teachings, a gratitude of wisdom passed down and carried. There is a reimagining of Sedna who was offered to the sea, and a beautiful rumination on sacrifice and humanity, and what it means to hold the stories that work to teach us something.

Chord progressions born out of moments of sadness and solitude transform into the islands that sit blue along the horizon. The Salish Sea curves along her homelands, and when the singer is close to this water she is reminded of her grandmother, how she looked out at these same islands, and she’s held by spirit and memory.

The Land, The Water, The Sky rises and falls, in darkness and in light, but even in its most melancholy moments it is never despairing. That is the beauty of returning home. When you stand on ancestral lands it is impossible to be alone. You feel the arms and hands that hold you up, unwilling to let you fall into sorrow or abandonment. In her songs Katherine Paul has channeled that feeling of being held. In every note she has written a love letter to indigenous strength and healing.

There is a joy present here, a fierce blissfulness that comes with walking the trails along the river, feeling the sand and the stones beneath her feet. It is the pride and the certainty that comes with knowing her ancestors walked along the same land, dipped their hands into the water, and ran their fingertips along the same bark of cedar trees.

This is a story of hope, as it details the joy of returning. Katherine Paul’s journey home wasn’t made alone, and the songs are crowded with loved ones and relatives, like a really good party. And as the songs walk us through the land it is important we hover over the images and the beauty, the moments that mark this album as site specific. The power of this land is woven throughout, telling the story of narrow waterways, brushstrokes, salmon stinta, and above all healing. Let it take you. Move through the story and see the land through her eyes, because it is a gift, awelcomedsʔabadəb.

**The word “gift” in Lushootseed, the language of the Coast Salish people“

Nick Jaina

Nick Jaina is a Portland-based musician and writer whose work bridges music, literature, and performance. Originally from Sacramento, he has lived and worked in Portland, New York, and New Orleans, shaping a multidisciplinary creative career.

Jaina is the author of the memoir Get It While You Can, a finalist for the Oregon Book Award and now in its third printing. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, and Oregon Humanities.

As a musician, he has released numerous albums under his own name, including 2025’s The Monster Mash, blending literary sensibility with adventurous songwriting. His work often crosses artistic boundaries, reflecting a deep engagement with narrative and form.

He co-founded and served as music director for the New York-based ballet company Satellite, collaborating with dancers from Juilliard School and New York City Ballet, with performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Jaina has also composed scores for films and documentaries including All Sorts, Cement Suitcase, and Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire.

45th Parallel Universe

45th Parallel Universe is a collective of musicians dedicated to celebrating great chamber music through intimate, imaginative performances. Comprised primarily of musicians from the Oregon Symphony, the ensemble brings exceptional artistry and a spirit of collaboration to every project.

Since 2009, 45th Parallel has blurred boundaries between old and new, classical and contemporary, bluegrass and jazz, fiddle and folk. Their programming reflects Portland’s vibrant creative community, drawing together diverse audiences through unexpected and thoughtfully curated musical experiences.

Known for its “360-degree” approach to programming, the ensemble seamlessly weaves Bach and Beethoven alongside adventurous repertoire and cross-genre collaborations. These projects often feature artists from a wide range of traditions, embracing the richness and diversity of the region.

At its core, 45th Parallel Universe believes in music as a powerful and shared human experience—one that is both timeless and ever-evolving.

SATNOV 7
8:00 PM
PopIndiePerforming Arts

Sienna Spiro: My House Tour

London-born singer and songwriter SIENNA SPIRO announces the “My House” tour, including an extensive North American fall run followed by dates in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, UK and Europe.

Just last week, SIENNA released the official music video for her enthralling single “The Visitor.” Written and produced by SIENNA with Omer Fedi (SZA, Lil Nas X) and Michael Pollack (Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus), the song draws its power from a spellbinding vocal recorded in one take, lyrics that cut to the bone, and a 20-piece string orchestra led and arranged by Academy Award-winner Peter Rotter (Oppenheimer, The Last Repair Shop). While SIENNA’s poetry and the video nod to matters of the heart, by the song’s end, we sense that she’s singing about something more: a strong awareness of impermanence — of things ending and people leaving — that can quickly turn into paralyzing fear. That sentiment is the driving force behind the concept that powers Visitor, the album.

Of course, SIENNA is very much here to stay. Her music has amassed over 1.2 billion global streams so far and, in late March, she had a trio of singles climbing the Hot 100 all at once: “The Visitor” (which so far peaked at #43), heartwrenching UK Platinum smash “Die On This Hill” (#19), and the enduring “You Stole The Show” (#55). All three are set to appear on Visitor, which was executive produced by Fedi with additional production from an elite crew including Blake Slatkin, Yakob, and Pollack, plus composers like Larry Gold (Al Green, Silk Sonic) and Rotter. SIENNA and her hand-picked collaborators brought her vision to life in an array of legendary spaces like Electric Lady Studios in New York, Abbey Road Studios in London, and Valentine Recording Studios in Los Angeles.

THUNOV 5
8:00 PM
All ages💰 $34FolkIndie

Jake Xerxes Fussell

Jake Xerxes Fussell is a North Carolina-based musician and thoughtful interpreter of folk songs, drawing on nineteenth- and twentieth-century vernacular music and archival field recordings. He has released five studio albums, including his latest, When I’m Called, produced by James Elkington and featuring a range of guest musicians. Fussell and Elkington also collaborated on the soundtrack for the film Rebuilding. Dougie Poole is also featured.

TUENOV 3
7:00 PM
RockIndie

Big Star Quintet

Mississippi Studios & Bar Bar3939 North Mississippi Avenue

After many years celebrating the music of Big Star via the collective known as Big Star’s Third, Jody Stephens (the last surviving member of the original Big Star lineup) had an idea.

“I truly loved touring the world and performing Big Star’s Third with a core group, a variety of special guests, and a chamber orchestra playing the beautiful orchestrations created by Carl Marsh and Chris Stamey. But when the idea of celebrating the 50th anniversary of #1 Record came up, it was time to pare the production down to a five-piece rock band. So I called a few close and like-spirited musical friends.”

Enter some of the legendary group’s biggest fans, who have long been associated with Big Star and related projects. The band now includes Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Jon Auer (The Posies), Pat Sansone (Wilco), Chris Stamey (The dB's) and Stephens. Dubbing themselves the Big Star Quintet, it’s a lineup that is both personal and close in spirit to #1 Record and Radio City.

SUNNOV 1
4:00 PM
IndieRock

Federale - Album Release with Cockaphonix and Swedey

Founded in 2004, Federale has released seven cinematic records inspired by obscure spaghetti westerns, folk-based murder ballads, '60s and '70s European soundtracks, and stylishly dramatic vocalists such as Lee Hazelwood and Nick Cave. Federale's music has appeared in films, including A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The Bad Batch, and The Lego Movie, while the band has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe.

Federale's newest album Love & Other Lies (2026) teems with a dark sentimentality and a pronounced gloomy sensibility drawing from British new wave, post-punk, goth, and 1960s rock n 'roll. Strains of The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Tears for Fears, and even The Beatles abound. Here, lead singer and primary songwriter Collin Hegna's emotive baritone is swathed in period-perfect Prophet-5 synthesizers and glistening counter-melody guitar lines, and supported by intricate but lyrical basslines and coldly mechanical drums.

Love & Other Lies picks up where Federale's previous album, Reverb & Seduction, left off. That album was a radical departure from the band's previous releases which featured mostly instrumentals. "There are a lot more similarities than you think," Hegna says of the group's seemingly two distinct aesthetic periods. "When we were referencing the obscure influences, we liked the drama and darkness. Those elements are in new wave, goth, and post-punk. I just grabbed another couple of colors from the Crayon box."

Holiday Dan (drums) and Rayko Stanislav (piano) started a cacophony of curious clanging helter skelter sounds in 2017. Using a 100 year old upright Meister piano which has travelled across the west and a rickety Pearl drum set they were joined by equally dysfunctional horns: a thrift store tuba (Tubano), knock off Indian valve trombone (Tom Bone) and street find trumpet (Roly). Together they make (mostly) wordless sound eruptions that have only best been described as "if Danny Elfman and Eliot Smith had a baby and if fell down a spiral staircase in New Orleans"

Come try and describe the ear twisting music yourself! See ya on the asphalt!

THUNOV 5
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
💰 $34 - $56PunkIndie

Celebrating 50 Years of Buzzcocks

In a darkening musical landscape where viral fads and AI-generated fakery share chart-space with the self-absorbed products of the nation’s stage schools, Buzzcocks shine out as a gleaming beacon of hope.
A constant, ever-evolving presence over the last 45 years of pop culture, the band’s legendary status will be set in stone — literally — with their inclusion in the Music Walk Of Fame in September, joining an illustrious roll call including David Bowie, The Who, Madness and Amy Winehouse.
The band’s never-better live shows, meanwhile, are electrifying reminders of rock music’s power to inspire, educate and inform. All delivered with an energy and conviction of a band half their age.
“It’s my lifeblood,” says Steve Diggle — 68 years young — of a non-stop touring schedule which over the summer will see them play to thousands of fans across Europe and the UK.
“I’ve still got the fire in my belly. Some musicians get bored of being on the road, but I’m institutionalised. I’ve done 50-odd years of staying in hotels. It’s what I signed up for. Ever since I saw Bob Dylan in the back of a black taxi in (D.A. Pennebaker’s 1967 documentary) Don’t Look Back, I always wanted to live this kind of life — being interviewed in the back of a black taxi on the way to the studio.”

While most of their punk peers are content to traverse the globe in jukebox-style revue shows, Buzzcocks continue to move with the times, attracting new fans wherever they go. A case in point being the huge all-ages crowd the band pulled at the Iggy Pop-headlined Dog Day Afternoon in July.
“There’s not a lot of intellectual or emotional thinking in music these days,” observes Steve. “People are being controlled. They’ll watch a video of someone falling over a banana skin and think they’re being entertained. They don’t realise the beauty of words, and the power of music. I’d like to think young kids who come to see us feel the same excitement I got from Little Richard and Chuck Berry. It goes back to the punk thing. It was about attitude and a way of thinking. We had the questions, but we didn’t have the answers. But the questions are the important thing.”

WEDNOV 11
8:00 PM
MetalRock

Nekrogoblikon

McMenamins Crystal Ballroom1332 West Burnside Street

The self-proclaimed "Kings of Goblin Metal," Los Angeles, California's Nekrogoblikon are melodic hard rock pranksters who deploy gnarly death metal earworms filled with crafty hooks, claw-pumping choruses, lightning-fast riffs, and over the top, EDM-style keyboard flourishes. With their ostentatious costumes and goblin hypeman, the band takes cues from hyperbolic horror-metal enthusiasts like GWAR, Finntroll, and Dethklok, while maintaining an affable, self-referential sense of humor. The group's early outings, like 2007's Goblin Island, were largely low-fidelity affairs, but by the early 2010s Nekrogoblikon were operating at a far higher technical level, and employing a rotating cast of talented players.

MONNOV 2
8:00 PM
All ages💰 $34RockIndie

King Buffalo

King Buffalo, a heavy psych trio featuring vocalist and guitarist Sean McVay, bassist Dan Reynolds, and drummer Scott Donaldson, shares the bill with L.A. Witch. The Los Angeles trio of Sade Sanchez, Irita Pai, and Ellie English blends reverb-draped rock with a sound that ranges across broader sonic territory on its latest album, DOGGOD, while exploring existential and cosmic themes. This is an all-ages event.

SUNNOV 22
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
💰 PaidFilmMuseumsIndieFolkSoul

Station to Station: A Roadtrip Through Modern Creativity

Station to Station: A Roadtrip Through Modern Creativity, Directed by Doug Aitken. 62min. Not Rated.

The Station to Station feature film is made-up of 62 one-minute films including conversations, performances and unrepeatable moments from the journey, bringing together an amazing cross- section of people and places, from icons of culture to a hitchhiker found on a desert road. With each changing minute the film explores creativity through a different artist, musician, place or perspective, ultimately revealing a larger sense of modern expression transcending the individual voices.

Station to Station is a journey through our evolving creative culture.

Featuring: Beck / Jackson Browne / Thurston Moore / Patti Smith / Ed Ruscha / Doug Aitken / Giorgio Moroder / Mavis Staples / Cat Power / Lawrence Weiner / William Eggleston / Mark Bradford / No Age / Urs Fischer / Olafur Eliasson / Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti / Dan Deacon / Christian Jankowski / Ernesto Neto / Thomas Demand / Sasha Frere-Jones / Cold Cave / Stephen Shore / Suicide / Lucky Dragons / Eleanor Friedberger / Gary Indiana / Paolo Soleri / Scott Dadich / The Congos / Savages / Aaron Koblin / Sun Araw / Liz Glynn / Yoshimio Trio / Theesatisfaction / White Mystery / Sam Falls / Black Monks Of Mississippi / Cornbread Harris / Bloodbirds / The Conquerors / Destruction Unit

We do not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, and films exhibited don’t necessarily reflect the views of PAM CUT or the Portland Art Museum. In addition to the synopses, trailers, and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on sites like Common Sense Media, IMDb, and DoesTheDogDie.com.

SATNOV 7
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
💰 $45 - $67IndieRockFolkPop

JOSEPH – 10 Year Anniversary of “I’m Alone, No You’re Not”

JOSEPH is the Oregon-bred sister trio of Natalie, Allie, and Meegan Closner, known for
their powerful harmonies, emotionally honest songwriting, and genre-blurring blend of
indie pop, folk, and rock. Since releasing their breakout debut I’m Alone, No
You’re Not in 2016—which featured their hit single “White Flag” and landed them
on The Tonight Show, TODAY, and the Billboard charts—the band has steadily built a
devoted following through gripping live performances, national tours, and appearances
at major festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury, and Bonnaroo.

Over the years, JOSEPH has released a string of critically acclaimed records
including Good Luck, Kid (2019) and The Sun (2023), praised for their rich vocal
arrangements andsoul-baring lyricism. Their most recent release Closer to Happy (2026)
marks their boldest and most personal work to date. Co-produced with Luke Niccoli (Carly
Rae Jepsen, Miya Folick), the project explores themes of grief, self-trust, and radical selfacceptance.
Whether through triumphant anthems like “I Believe In Myself” or gut-punch
ballads like “Bye and Bye,” JOSEPH continues to turn lived experience into songs that
resonate far beyond the surface.

FRINOV 6
6:30 PM
FolkIndieArts & Media

Jimmie Herrod, Black Belt Eagle Scout and Nick Jaina

First Congregational Church1126 Southwest Park Avenue

Part of the Portland Book Festival, ‘Sight Reading - Musical Dialects’ features world-renowned songwriters performing newly created arrangements alongside musicians from 45th Parallel Universe. Night one features Jimmie Herrod, Black Belt Eagle Scout, and Nick Jaina.

THUNOV 5
9:00 PM
21+Electronic & DJIndieDance Clubs

DOSS (DJ Set) + CFCF (DJ Set)

DOSS (DJ Set) + CFCF (DJ Set) at Holocene, Portland, Thursday, November 5, 2026 · 9PM · 21+ · $28.18 – $31.99. Over the past ten years, the mononym “ Doss ” has come to represent something increasingly rare in the world of dance music: not just a...

SUNNOV 8
8:00 PM
All agesFolkIndie

The Tallest Man on Earth

The Tallest Man on Earth is known for animated, expressive performances and songwriting that critics have compared to Bob Dylan. Influenced by Dylan and early American folk artists, Kristian Matsson describes his music as shaped by what feels natural to him. His 2023 album, “Henry St.,” was his first recorded with a band and brings together a range of musical ideas and sounds.

With Andrea von Kampen. All Ages

THUNOV 12
7:00 PM
IndieRock

Alex Cameron

In New York City on his thirteenth birthday, planes fell from the sky and crashed into the World Trade Center. This had nothing to do with Alex Cameron. He wasn’t there. He was in Australia. By the time the planes hit, it wasn’t even 9/11 anymore. It was 9/12.

This has been the secret rhythm of his art. One day ahead of a most terrible, but inevitable truth.

Alex Cameron’s new album is called “Late to Set.” “Late to Set” was born of 9 forgotten long form screenplays written between the year 2022 and 2025. Rejected by the studios, lost to the LA wildfires, the charred remains fragmented and saved in songs of deep confusion and regret.

“Late to Set” is Al’s fifth album. Production credits include Mark Perkins, Zach Dawes and Maxim Ludwig among others.

WEDNOV 18
7:00 PM
IndiePunkStand-Up

WHITMER THOMAS

A Los Angeles-based comedian, avid skateboarder, filmmaker, and actor, Whitmer Thomas added rocker to his credentials in 2020 with the release of the soundtrack to his HBO musical/comedy one-man show, The Golden One. It was followed by a stand-alone music EP, the Jay Som-produced Can't Believe You're Happy Here, in 2022.

A native of Gulf Shores, Alabama, Thomas first found success in 2014 with Stone Quackers, a surreal FX adult animated television series. Power Violence, a popular monthly show Whitmer hosted with friends, helped to secure his status in the upper echelons of the Los Angeles independent comedy scene, as did his numerous short films like Blue Line and Fast and Loose, and appearances on The Walking Dead and Glow. In 2020, Whitmer released his one-man show, The Golden One, on HBO. Featuring pop-punk songs composed and performed by Whitmer (a longtime fan of blink-182), which covered everything from millennial anxiety and sex to abandonment and addiction, the special spawned the companion LP Songs from the Golden One. Between guest spots on series like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Search Party, he followed it up with a music EP titled Can't Believe You're Happy Here in 2022, also on the Hardly Art label. Led by the sincere acoustic track "Don't Have a Cow," the EP was produced by Melina Duterte, better known as Jay Som.co

WEDNOV 11
7:30 PM
+1 dates
RockIndieClassical

Portugal. The Man with the Oregon Symphony

November 11 & 12, 2026

Portugal. The Man with the Oregon Symphony

Special Concerts

Overview

Portugal. The Man takes the stage at the Schnitz for the first time with the Oregon Symphony, delivering amped-up orchestral rock to close out their U.S. tour. Celebrate the 15th anniversary of In the Mountain in the Cloud alongside their newest album, SHISH, with live performances featuring music from both albums. They’ll be joined by artists Quinn Christopherson, May Arden, Onry, Redray Frazier, and Sarah Clarke for a one-of-a-kind performance created just for Portland.

About the Show Info

This concert is part of the Special Concerts series, and is eligible for the Choose Your Own Series (Portland only).

Concert begins promptly at the time listed.

Loading... Select a Date Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland Wed, Nov 11, 2026, 7:30 PM Thu, Nov 12, 2026, 7:30 PM Promo Code Buy Tickets
MONNOV 2
7:00 PM
IndieRock

Slothrust

Revolution Hall1300 Southeast Stark Street

Forging a muscular sound out of contrasting sonic vistas that include pop hooks, theatrical melodies, jazz-influenced chord voicings, rock rhythms, and sludgy guitars, Slothrust ("sloth-rust") offer a unique spin on the angsty sounds of the '90s. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Leah Wellbaum, the group's label debut, 2014's Of Course You Do, included a track that was adopted as the theme song to the FX series You're the Worst. They continued to build and expand their sound with ambitious albums like The Pact and 2021's Parallel Timeline as well as the unpredictable EPs I Promise (2023) and Wildcard (2025).

THUNOV 5
6:30 PM · Doors 5:30 PM
All agesAdvance ticket requiredMetalRock

Periphery – A Pale White Dot US Tour

Thursday, November 5th, 2026 6:30PM Roseland Theater All Ages General Admission Floor | 21 & Over Reserved Seating Balcony No refunds or exchanges. Tickets are non-transferable. Will Call name changes not permitted. Print at home tickets can be...

THUNOV 19
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
💰 $40 - $56SoulIndieR&BCultural Heritage

Jamila Woods: 10 Years of HEAVN

Jamila Woods is a musician, poet, and multidisciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago. Her critically acclaimed debut album HEAVN – an ode to Blackness, girlhood, and home – was released by JagJaguwar Records in 2017. Her sophomore project, LEGACY! LEGACY!, features twelve tracks named after writers, thinkers, and visual artists who have influenced the creator’s life and work – including James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni and Frida Kahlo. Her most recent album, Water Made Us, is a genre-blending song cycle on love and the wisdom of surrender.

Jamila has been featured on NPR’s Tiny Desk, CBS This Morning, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. She has shared stages with Corinne Bailey Rae, Rafael Saadiq, Bonobo, Common, Chance the Rapper, Brittany Howard, Macklemore, and many others. An award-winning poet, Jamila’s work often blurs boundaries between poem and song. As cultural critic Doreen St. Felix writes, “It makes you wish all singers were poets.”

SATNOV 7
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Metal

Exhumed

Star Theater and Starlight Lounge13 Northwest 6th Avenue

Since the early '90s, San Jose's Exhumed have honed their brand of gore-obsessed death metal with a tongue-in-cheek flair and an overall musical approach often reminiscent of Carcass, a band that they have frequently acknowledged as a primary influence. Diligently led by founding guitarist Matt Harvey, they have endured constant lineup changes over the years. Their brutal riffs and horrifically grotesque lyrical themes only intensified over the years, culminating in uncompromising efforts like 2003's Anatomy Is Destiny, 2011's All Guts, No Glory, and 2022's To the Dead.

WEDNOV 4
7:30 PM
+1 dates
21+IndieFolk

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE – HOKA 10TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

Nahko returns to North America this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of HOKA, the landmark album that helped define a movement rooted in healing, empowerment, and connection. In honor of the anniversary, Nahko has re-recorded the entire album — revisiting, reimagining, and breathing new life into the songs while keeping the medicine at the heart of them intact. The re-recordings will be released in conjunction with the tour dates.

Audiences can expect an evening of community, storytelling, healing, and musical time travel, featuring renewed versions of fan favorites like "Tus Pies," "Love Letters to God," "Make a Change," "Runner," and other beloved deep cuts from the album.

As the voice behind Nahko and Medicine for the People, Nahko has built a global following through music grounded in resilience, accountability, and collective restoration. Drawing from Native, Filipino, and Puerto Rican heritage, his work channels lived experience into songs that continue to inspire growth, truth, and transformation. Now fully independent, Nahko continues to revisit and reclaim his catalog while forging a new chapter defined by authenticity, renewal, and the enduring belief that music is medicine.

VIP TICKETS AVAILABLE VIA LINK BELOW:
https://tix.soundrink.com/tours/NisGSMYG4gysHZjlUnl4ELaN88e9yqDW

GENERAL VIP/FAN SUPPORT CONTACT: [email protected]

VIP TICKET DESCRIPTION:
- 1 General Admission ticket
- Meet & Greet with Nahko
- Photo with Nahko
- Signed Limited Edition Poster
** VIP does include GA Ticket**
THUNOV 12
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
💰 $35 - $157FolkIndie

Allison Russell

Montreal-born, Nashville-based Allison Russell is a Grammy, Juno, Americana, SOCAN, and Folk Award–winning artist and Polaris Prize–shortlisted singer-songwriter, producer, author, actor, and human rights advocate.

Her acclaimed solo debut Outside Child (2021) was followed by The Returner (2023), released via Concord/Fantasy. Prior to her solo work, she co-founded and toured internationally with Po’Girl, Birds of Chicago, and Our Native Daughters, and remains an active collaborator with OND and a member of Joni Mitchell’s Joni Jam.

In 2024, Russell joined Hozier’s Unreal Unearth tour across the U.S. and Europe, with their duet “Wildflower & Barley” earning her first Billboard Hot 100 entry. Her Rainbow Coalition ensemble and All Returners tour continued through 2025 across Australia and North America. She also co-wrote “Human Mind” with Hozier for Mavis Staples.

Russell has received eight Grammy nominations and one win, alongside multiple honors including Americana Award nominations and Album of the Year, a Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year, International Folk Music Awards, Canadian Folk Music Awards, and UK Americana Awards. She was also named Billboard Women in Music Canada’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year and shortlisted for the Polaris Prize.

She made her Broadway debut as Persephone in Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown in November 2024 and has since completed a second run in the role. Offstage, Russell is a powerful advocate and organizer, curating the historic Once and Future Sounds set at Newport Folk Festival and co-founding Love Rising, which has raised over $550,000 in support of LGBTQIA+ communities.

Her forthcoming memoir will be published by Little, Brown, and her third album is slated for release in 2026.

TUENOV 3
8:00 PM
All ages💰 $33Stand-UpIndie

Greg Freeman

True West Presents Greg Freeman Trinity Ace Tue, November 3rd, 2026 Doors: 7PM / Show: 8PM Aladdin Theater

FRINOV 6
8:00 PM
All agesIndie

Lilyisthatyou

Lilyisthatyou Meet & Greet VIP Package – One General Admission ticket – Early entry into the venue – Exclusive Meet & Greet with Lilyisthatyou – Personal photo with Lilyisthatyou – Access to an intimate new music listening party – Pre-show Q&A with Lilyisthatyou – Specially designed The Flowers Have Feelings sticker set – Official Meet & Greet laminate and lanyard signed by Lilyisthatyou – Priority merchandise shopping – Limited availability

If you need any ADA accommodations, please reach out to [email protected].

TUENOV 10
8:00 PM
RockIndie

Beck

Eight-time Grammy winner Beck has built a singular career by drawing on many eras and styles of music, blurring boundaries between them and pairing musical exploration with unexpected turns. From his breakthrough with “Loser” and the debut album Mellow Gold to the influential Odelay and later releases including Mutations, Midnite Vultures, Sea Change, Guero, The Information, and Modern Guilt, each record has taken a distinct direction.

SUNNOV 1
7:00 PM
All agesIndiePop

Taylor Bickett

All Ages // 6 PM Show // Tickets $24

Taylor Bickett

Taylor Bickett is a storyteller at heart. Hailing from Indiana, she's been writing music since before she can remember. Taylor's intimate lyrics and outstanding vocal range gracefully overlay organic indie pop production to create introspective singer/songwriter tunes. After her wistful, Gen Z anthem "QUARTER LIFE CRISIS" hit the internet in 2022, the track compelled a generation struggling with their newfound adulthood to share their own photos and stories on TikTok soundtracked by her song. The trending audio amassed nearly half a million fan-made videos, and celebrities including Drew Barrymore and Kevin Jonas showcased their own transformations since age sixteen atop Taylor's track, which features the lyrics, "I swear 16 was yesterday, but now I'm closer to 28."

Taylor's subsequent 2023 EP grown up and lonely demonstrates her knack for writing honest and unfiltered songs that resonate with an entire generation. She kicked off 2024 with her single "I Like Mondays" which resonated with fans when she quickly wrote and posted the song on the 1st of January (a Monday). After spending the spring on the road, Taylor released her second EP, This Isn't Me Missing You, on September 19th.

Taylor spent 2024 touring with artists like Ron Pope, Blü Eyes, Andi and Áine Deane, which took her all over the US and UK. Her new song "The Crime," based on a traumatic incident that sparked a passion for ending violence against women, will come out in honor of Women's History Month in March of 2025. She is currently writing new music for her debut full length album.

Goldie

Goldie is a Portland-based artist creating alternative-pop that blends a sense of nostalgia with a distinctly modern sound. Drawing inspiration from artists both past and present, her music is rooted in honest songwriting, warm melodies, and an ever-evolving approach to pop. With four singles released, Goldie is currently working on her debut EP and carving out a sound entirely her own.

SATNOV 7
8:00 PM · Doors 7:00 PM
21+FolkIndieJazzPopSoulPerforming Arts

LILA FORDE AND ZAN FISKUM

Soul'd Out Presents: Lila Forde and Zan Fiskum.
Doors: 7:00pm
Show: 8:00pm
Ages 21+.

Special Note
: Ticket holders for this show receive free admission to Jack London's Burly Q Revue Cabaret after the music!

LILA FORDE
With a voice steeped in jazz, soul, folk, and old-school American songcraft, the Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter has always carried a deep sense of self through her music. But on Life Can Still Be Sweet, her sophomore album, that self comes into fuller focus: A little older, a little wiser, more instinctive, and more firmly in command of the world she’s building. Warm, whimsical, and full of growing pains, the record captures Forde in the thick of her twenties – chasing songs, learning lessons, finding her people, and holding onto beauty even when life gets hard.

“I think I have a really unique voice – not just my literal voice, but my proverbial voice,” Forde says. “In this day and age, and in this industry, there’s a lot of trend following, and there’s a lot of homogeny. I’m just really trying to be my own artist.”

That individuality has been there from the beginning. Raised in a spiritual, music-filled household in Seattle, Forde grew up without a television and with her feet in the dirt – the daughter of a musician and meditation teachers who encouraged her to stay curious, grounded, and creatively free. She sang in choirs, studied jazz in college, and steeped herself in the classics, from Bonnie Raitt and Carole King to Ella Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson, while developing her soulful California sound that feels unmistakably her own. https://lilaforde.com/

Zan Fiskum is a singer and songwriter from Maple Valley, WA, whose music blends folk, soul, and cinematic pop into emotionally vivid storytelling. Known for her commanding vocal range and a diversean diverse sound rooted in the Pacific Northwest, Zan has built a dedicated following through a series of independent releases that have amassed over a million streams. She has opened for artists including The Avett Brothers, Kingfish, Mon Rovia, and shared the stage with John Legend and Dave Matthews. https://zanmusic.net/

JLR Seating Map Notes: For this show, you may reserve individual tables on the map pictured. Note that some tables have limited sightlines as noted. General Admission ticket holders note that seating and sightlines are limted and may be standing room only. All table reservations include admission.

  1. For Table Reservations: Note the relative location of the stage and bar on the map. Then click a table number to see prices, or click "Show All Tickets". Click the + button to add a specific table to your cart.
  2. For General Admission tickets: click the "GA Standing" area. Click the + button to add additional tickets.
  3. Click "Agree & Checkout"
SATNOV 21
7:00 PM – 7:45 PM
💰 $15Performing ArtsIndieElectronic & DJFilm

Memory as a Rock Out of Reach by EMA & Tabitha Nikolai - 11/21/26 @ 7:00 pm

Tickets $15. A duet performance in which Erika M. Anderson (EMA) and visual artist Tabitha Nikolai use video game technologies to build out the psycho-sexual inner world of a girl-child in the '80s. Soundtracked by modular synth and guitar, a narrator searches for her shape amid commercial detritus, degraded 3D scans, and a Polly Pocket apocalypse.
FRINOV 6
8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
RockIndiePerforming Arts

Gully Boys

McMenamins Mission Theater & Pub1624 Northwest Glisan Street

The Gully Boys origin story begins in the aisles of a Minneapolis thrift shop. Vocalist/guitarist Kathy Callahan (she/her) and co-worker Nadirah McGill (they/them) spent their days sharing dreams and building a friendship amongst racks of forgotten treasures. When Kathy confided her desire to sing in a band, it set off a groundswell of events: Nadi grabbed a pair of drumsticks, and the two invited middle school friend Natalie Klemond (she/her) to join on bass. From there, a cover of Best Coast's "Girlfriend" marked the start of a journey fueled by undeniable chemistry, channeling the raw energy of legends like No Doubt, Garbage, and Hole into a sound that's galvanizingly Gully.

Grounded in a bond as fierce as their sound, Gully Boys' electrifying live performances have earned them spots on SXSW stages, Audiotree sessions, and tours alongside Nova Twins, Motion City Soundtrack, Destroy Boys, Bad Bad Hats, and more. From the iconic stage at Minneapolis' First Avenue to national gigs that defy expectations, Gully Boys capture an ethos of equal parts anger and tenderness-fueling a journey that feels like it's just getting started.

FRINOV 13
Hours not provided
21+MetalRock

METAL CHURCH / ARMORED SAINT with Livekill

Metal Church with Livekill Dante's , 350 West Burnside Street,
Portland, 97209, OR, US Fri November 13, 2026
Doors: 06:30 pm / Show: 07:30 pm PST Ages 21 and up $42.72 Buy Tickets Additional Info Artist Info Metal Church
Social Links
Livekill
Media Related Events SCHISM (TOOL TRIBUTE) with Guests November 20, 2026 @ 09:00 pm Buy Tickets BATTERY INC with FINN December 04, 2026 @ 09:30 pm Buy Tickets DEAD ANIMAL ASSEMBLY PLANT with At The Heart Of The World & a special performance by Cryptid Creek Suspensions December 05, 2026 @ 09:00 pm Buy Tickets
SUNNOV 8
8:00 PM
💰 $32IndieRock

Pedro the Lion (Night 2)

Pedro the Lion marks its 30th anniversary with a live performance centered on the band’s evolving three-decade catalog. Led by David Bazan, the group features longtime collaborator Erik Walters on guitar and backing vocals, with Andrew Rudd on drums. The music explores belief, doubt, guilt, faith, and the search for grace, bringing a sense of warmth and hope to deeply personal songs.

Earlimart

THUNOV 5
7:00 PM
MetalRock

Periphery

Progressive metal band Periphery brings intricate riffs, explosive grooves, and a technically powerful sound to the stage. The performance features music from a band known for songs such as “Marigold,” “Scarlet,” and “Blood Eagle,” with complex musicianship, heavy breakdowns, and high-energy modern metal.

WEDNOV 4
8:00 PM
21+💰 $29Electronic & DJIndieNightlife & Social

Improvement Movement - Your Perfect Real LIVE '26

Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Mississippi Studios Presents Improvement Movement - Your Perfect Real LIVE '26 Adron, Languid Machinations (DJ Set) Ages 21 and up

SATNOV 14
8:00 PM
RockMetal

Russian Circles

Halfway through the four-year touring cycle for their eighth full-length record Gnosis, Chicago-based instrumental trio Russian Circles hit the two-decade anniversary of their formation. One might expect a band to capitalize on such a major milestone. Instead, guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook spent 2024 unceremoniously touring in support of their most recent album across Australia, South America, Europe, and North America. After all, this is the work ethic that built Russian Circles into one of the biggest heavy instrumental rock bands in the world. This is a band with no hit songs. No fan consensus on their best album. Just a reputation for consistency and quality.

Not that things haven’t changed in the last 22 years. The band is now spread out between Chicago, Los Angeles, and a rural island off the coast of Seattle. While the trio insists their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences-the formidable Touch & Go artists of the Midwest, the prog giants of late ’60s and early ’70s England, the hypnotic motorik and kosmische grooves of West Germany, the international underground’s most caustic strains of metal-it is fair to say Russian Circles’ adventurous diversity has evolved into its own distinct sound. As one of the notoriously press-shy members anonymously mentioned, “the music we make is a collective process of reconciliation, navigation, and reflection upon aging both as individuals and as a creative entity. Life has created very real distances between us, but the band continues to be at the center, and this creative collaboration is a way of charting the passage of time while also giving us a reason to look to the future.” On their latest album, Nine, the band triangulates their relative positions into singular seismic long-form album-oriented soundtracks to the trials and tragedies of life in the modern age.

For Nine, Russian Circles adhered to their strategy from Blood Year (2019) and Gnosis (2022) by teaming up with engineer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire). Basic tracking took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago while the finishing touches occurred at Ballou’s GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. Recording at Electrical Audio allowed the band to retain a thread to their earliest endeavors, with the band having recorded at Steve Albini’s exalted studio as far back as their debut album Enter (2006). The relationship with Ballou is a more recent development stemming back to the band’s sixth album Guidance (2016), owing to his ability to highlight the weight and entropy of metal and hardcore bands in their natural environment while enhancing the clarity and articulation often lost in walls of distortion.

Nine continues Russian Circles’ unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. Album opener “Borehole” offers what might be the band’s closest approximation of a traditional rock song schematic, with a structure of repeating parts that takes the listener on a journey promising hope only to bring them full circle to the dark, desolate, and dystopian futility of the song’s namesake: Russia’s abandoned Kola Superdeep Borehole. From there, the band launches into a ferociously concise overview of metal battle tactics with “Empath”-where a Godflesh-style bass crunch and tornado siren drone ushers in thrash-inspired guitars, venomous black metal attacks, d-beat forays, a deliciously knuckleheaded hardcore breakdown, and a final scorched earth war metal riff, all in just under five minutes. Side A closes with Nine‘s grand centerpiece-the patiently cataclysmic “Eluvial.” Centered around the kind of ping-ponging delayed guitar patterns that Brian Eno and The Edge developed for The Joshua Tree, guitarist Mike Sullivan slowly unfurls a winding, linear melody against the backdrop of drummer Dave Turncrantz’s Latin-rhythm-inspired groove and Brian Cook’s pairing of grinding bass and stuttering electronics. “Eluvial” slowly builds to an apex, leaving only the vaguest breadcrumb trail of obscured percussive and melodic motifs to the song’s final cleansing tempest.

The latter half of Nine builds on Russian Circles’ aural expansion. Side B opens with bottom-end synth pulses, dubby bass lines, serpentine finger-tapped guitar patterns, and nimble rhythmic shifts on “E2.” On “Meridian,” the band once again employs the slow-build strategies of their post-rock inclinations, with Turncrantz’s propulsive drums and Sullivan’s Steve Reich-esque arpeggios giving the song a sense of constant forward momentum, perfectly suited for gliding along the expressways of towering metropolises on neon nights. The album ends with the light and dark contrast of “Arletta” and “Seventh Seal.” Much like Cliff Burton-era Metallica’s penchant of pairing melancholic classical guitar passages with the blunt force trauma of their heaviest tracks, so does the stark beauty of Sullivan’s nylon string solo composition usher in the band’s most unapologetically straightforward metallic assault.

The album art for Nine consists of photographs of Snowpile for Chicago, a sculpture by Tony Tasset that’s been on display in the windows of Chicago Public Library’s West Town Branch since 2004-the year Russian Circles formed. Constructed out of cast bronze, brass, fiberglass, resin, and oil paint, Snowpile for Chicago is a convincing recreation of the mounds of dirty snow that occupy city streets throughout Midwest winters. The inclusion of this image is partially a nod to the band’s hometown, but more importantly serves as an analogy for Russian Circles’ music. It’s a meticulously crafted piece that documents a cold, harsh, and ugly reality. Even though this artifact captures something that is unpleasant, its rendering by human hands gives it a quality of striking beauty. There is a larger conversation to be had about transgressive art, ephemera, the devaluing of art in a cultural landscape that craves constant content, the advent of AI in creative realms, and the general sense of futility that looms over musicians in the modern age, but as an instrumental band, Russian Circles opt to plant these notions in the listeners’ heads through the image of a haunting sculpture in a stark interior space rather than through crafting online manifestos, social media rants, or topical lyrics.

Reinvention is unnecessary when the path forward has always been an open horizon. When it comes to Russian Circles, you can go back through their catalog and find a vast array of moods, stylistic shifts, and timbral experiments across any given album, yet there has been a noticeable progression in the overall experience of taking in any one of their albums as a whole. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.

BandCamp: https://russiancircles.bandcamp.com/ X: https://x.com/russiancircles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russiancircles Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RussianCircles/

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