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...
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/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.
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.
With whiplash-inducing guitar hooks and sing-along passages mirroring the volatile subject matter, Equipment shifts the spotlight toward the power-pop facet of the modern emo genre. Vulnerability is fully present, yet often shaded by gallows humor and danceable choruses. The Toledo, Ohio quartet has become known as a veteran of the DIY music scene, striving to challenge the medium, play with listener expectations, and champion radical optimism.
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Portland. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Metallica at The Old Church Concert Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Tentative Program
Senses Fail have been called any number of things across their near 25 years as a band – emo, screamo, post-hardcore, metalcore, pop punk. It’s testament to the band’s perpetual evolution as much as it is their steely endurance – a quality which frontman Buddy Nielsen has required bottomless reserves of along the ride. It’s through the songs of Senses Failthat Nielsen has forever made sense of and peace with life’s highs and lows; a journey that began in the leafy suburbs of Ridgewood, New Jersey with the iconic Gold-selling debut album Let It Enfold You, and which has since seen Senses Fail become one of rock music’s most cherished, celebrated names.
After spearheading the alt-country movement with Uncle Tupelo, Jay Farrar pursued his vision with Son Volt, who recorded three landmark albums in the ’90s before the groundbreaking artist put the band on extended hiatus and cut three solo LPs. Missing the free exchange of ideas and the surprises that inevitably occur when a group of simpatico musicians locks in, Farrar assembled a new Son Volt lineup in 2004 and has since released nine albums. The latest album, Sound Signal Serenades, was released as a special 2026 Record Store Day limited edition LP. Jay Farrar’s work often seeks out the ghosts of America's discordant or forgotten past, converses at length with them, and writes songs that stake a claim to a better future.
Portland heavy rock, speed metal and heavy psych with HÖG, Blade and Robots of the Ancient World at The Six Below Midnight.
HÖG - Dark, grimy rock & roll rooted in ’70s heavy rock, with punk and metal running through it. Their debut album BLACKHOLE was recorded entirely on 2-inch tape at Portland’s Arcane Amps.
Blade - Portland heavy metal power trio delivering classic speed metal and traditional metal. Sharp riffs, headbanging rhythms and songs made for raising a fist.
Robots of The Ancient World - Portland heavy psych and stoner rock with desert-rock roots and a dose of doom.
21+
DOORS 8:30pm MUSIC 9pm
John Bunzow’s mix of eclectic musical influences – melding blues, country, rock and even jazz – have helped establish him as an original artist of heartfelt depth, substance and style.
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...
Pinhead Gunpowder performs at Roseland Theater. General admission floor access is open to all ages, while reserved balcony seating is for guests 21 and over.
Bria Damage, fronted by Angelo Bria - proof that surviving the Sunset Strip in the '80s builds either character... or a bad credit score.
Formerly the voice of Aaronsrod, Angelo helped deliver the 1986 cult metal release Illusions Kill, produced by Rick Keefer at SeaWest Studios for RoadRunner Records, back when hairspray was flammable and guitar solos legally had to last six minutes.
After decades of touring, Angelo relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where he joined
Earth To Ashes as bassist and co-vocalist, being the chief lyricist for the first two releases, Cursed Invoked and their self-titled follow up.
In 2022, BRIA released Target Audience, followed by the 2023 single Stop Quality, Then in 2026, BRIA unleashed Optimus Masochist, the first single from their five-song EP produced by Dead End Bowie. The song blends classic Sunset Strip swagger with enough sarcasm to make the internet uncomfortable.
Channeling the spirit of David Lee Roth after three energy drinks and a midlife crisis, BRIA walks the fine line between ridiculous and brilliant - usually in leather pants.
Packaging (Seattle) + Dommengang + Gary V — Thursday, November 5, 2026 at Swan Dive, Portland, OR. Presented by Lonely God.
Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multisensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations in Portland like never before. Get your tickets now to discover the music of the '90s Unplugged at The Old Church Concert Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight.
Tentative Program
Performed by the String Quartet - Listeso
$10 at the door Cash Only, 21+, 7PM Doors/8PM Music
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Emotion Entertainment Presents
https://linktr.ee/Emotionent444
https://www.instagram.com/emotionent444/
B R Y 4 4 4 N
https://www.instagram.com/emotion_isnt_weakness/
MAJOR PAIN
LOCALBOYJOJO
https://soundcloud.com/user-38125941
https://linktr.ee/LocalBoyJojo_official
https://www.instagram.com/official_localboyjojo/
OZ
https://www.instagram.com/actualoz
XZETRA
Dr. Crüe - Motley Crue tribute kickstarts the good times, presenting the image, sound, and stage persona of vintage Crüe. Dr. Crüe's live retrospective journey through peak Mötley Crüe features album-perfect performances of the songs that made the band iconic and infamous, including "Live Wire," "Looks That Kill." "Home Sweet Home" and many more!
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.
Agriculture is a Los Angeles–based band channeling ecstatic black metal into something spiritual, grounded, and definitely present. Emerging from the city’s noise scene, the band coalesced into its current form with Dan Meyer, Leah Levinson, Richard Chowenhill, and Kern Haug. Their music fuses the searing intensity of black metal with Zen Buddhist thought, queer history, and devotional songwriting. The result is a sound that resists algorithmic flattening and demands full attention. Their process is rooted in community and persistence: songs are written, dismantled, and rebuilt together. The Spiritual Sound, their new full-length, builds on the radiant extremity of their previous releases and pushes further: music not for escapism, but for confrontation and catharsis. This is not a vibe. It’s a demand.
Lewi Longmire has built a reputation as Portland's multi-instrumentalist "go to guy." In the years since relocating to Portland from Albuquerque, New Mexico, he's been included on shows and recordings by many of the Northwest's finest bands and songwriters. He's played with national acts Michael Hurley, Victoria Williams, Dolorean, AgesandAges, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Blue Giant/Viva Voce/The Robinsons, Dolorean, the Minus 5, Breathe Owl Breathe and Tara Jane O'Neill as well as local luminaries Denver, The Portland Country Underground, Midlo/Pancake Breakfast, Quiet Life, Fernando, James Low, Perhapst, Electric Ill, Little Sue, Casey Neill, Michael Jodell, the Freak Mountain Ramblers, and is an anchor member of Portland's all-star tribute to the Allman Brothers, Brothers and Sister.
Recently, though, Lewi has taken all the things he learned from working with these fine performers and has been spending his time leading a roots rock/americana band of his own, singing his own compositions. This group owes much to the American tradition of good songs played with high energy, deep roots, and an unpretentious sense of fun. Their sound finds the connection between the basement feel of The Band, the raspy blue-eyed soul of Joe Cocker, the desert space of Giant Sand, the "without a net" deep space improvisations of the San Francisco ballrooms, the punk abandon of The Stooges and the quiet contemplation of Neil Young playing solo.
House of Heavy is a night built for the fans who crave the pit, the riffs, the breakdowns, and the chaos, but are tired of waiting for the next metal tour to hit their city. Bringing the energy of a packed metal show to you all year long: the nu-metal nostalgia, the alt-metal anthems, the metal-core breakdowns. Come scream along, throw down with friends, and lose yourself in the heaviest night out your city has to offer.
Metallica fans a front row seat for a live performance of the highest level. With an ever-increasing repertoire of 50+ songs spanning across every album in their catalog, we aim to continue expanding our reach with the mightiest tribute to Metallica you'll ever experience!
Saturday, November 28th, 2026 7:00PM 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...
21 & OVER | $20 Advance/$25 Day Of | Shoot To Thrill – AC/DC tribute is Portland’s “balls-to-the-wall” tribute to the Australian legends, bringing the anthemic riffs, shouts, and antics to the stage with pure passion. Hail hail to the good times, ‘cause rock has got the right of way when Shoot To Thrill grabs you by the short & curlies.
Join the celebration as Shoot To Thrill marks their 15th anniversary of bringing AC/DC to the people!
Precious: The Pretenders Experience brings the cool, defiant spirit to life with sharp musicianship and real attitude. Fronted by Twig Sullivan channeling the iconic swagger and voice of Chrissie Hynde, the band delivers the hits with grit, soul, and zero karaoke vibes. Based in Portland, Oregon, Precious captures the raw energy, punk edge, and melodic punch that made The Pretenders timeless.
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GET TICKETSReserved Seating Available
Portland, Oregon · darkwave, punk, death rock, deathrock, goth, post-punk, Portland
Portland, Oregon · alternative, post-punk revival, alternative rock, darkwave, gothic rock, post-punk, Portland
Portland, Oregon · alternative, doom, gothrock, gothic, postpunk, darkwave, doom, goth, gothic, gothic metal, gothic rock, postpunk, Portland
Portland, Oregon · metal, rock, doom metal, hardcore, heavy metal, heavy rock, Portland
Portland, Oregon · rock, garage rock, hardcore melodic, metal rockabilly, punk, Portland
Portland, Oregon · post-hardcore, dumpster prog, Rock, noise rock
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.
For over two decades, Railroad Earth has captivated audiences with gleefully unpredictable live shows and eloquent and elevated studio output. The group introduced its signature sound on 2001’s The Black Bear Sessions. Between selling out hallowed venues such as Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO, they’ve been responsible for launching signature festivals Hangtown Music Festival in Placerville, CA and Hillberry: The Harvest Moon Festival in Eureka Springs, AR. Sought after by legends, the John Denver Estate tapped them to put lyrics penned by the late John Denver to music on the 2019 vinyl EP, Railroad Earth: The John Denver Letters. Beyond tallying tens of millions of streams, the collective has earned widespread critical acclaim from David Fricke of Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Glide Magazine, and NPR, who assured, “Well-versed in rambling around, as you might expect from a band named after a Jack Kerouac poem, the New Jersey-built jam-grass engine Railroad Earth has let no moss grow under its rustic wheels.”
From Coldplay's emotional ballads to Imagine Dragons' anthems, experience two of the world's most beloved bands brought together in one extraordinary concert. Hear fan favourites like Viva La Vida, Fix You, Believer and Demons in a breathtaking candlelit atmosphere. This concert experience is a tribute. It is not associated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the artist, their heirs or their official representatives.
Tentative Program:
Performed by Listeso String Quartet
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/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.
Hotwax brings together disco, glam, metal, punk, and hip-hop.
Senses Fail have been called any number of things across their near 25 years as a band - emo, screamo, post-hardcore, metalcore, pop punk. It's testament to the band's perpetual evolution as much as it is their steely endurance - a quality which frontman Buddy Nielsen has required bottomless reserves of along the ride. It's through the songs of Senses Failthat Nielsen has forever made sense of and peace with life's highs and lows; a journey that began in the leafy suburbs of Ridgewood, New Jersey with the iconic Gold-selling debut album Let It Enfold You, and which has since seen Senses Fail become one of rock music's most cherished, celebrated names.
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.”
Join an intimate evening featuring a pre-show discussion and Q&A with Soccer Mommy and special Guest Interviewer, followed by a local opener and solo performance by Soccer Mommy. This event is hosted by Papertrees Creative, in partnership with Literary Arts and the Portland Book Festival 2026.
Sophie Allison has always written candidly about her life, making Soccer Mommy one of indie rock’s most interesting and beloved artists of the last decade. Allison has used Soccer Mommy’s songs as a vehicle to sort through the thoughts and encounters that inevitably come with the reality of growing up. After all, Soccer Mommy began as a bedroom-to-Bandcamp exercise with teenage Allison posting her plaintive songs as demos. Over the years, though, she has often enhanced that sound, using the endless production possibilities, newly at her fingertips, to outstrip singer-songwriter stereotypes. The records would start with songwriting’s kernels of truth, and she would then imagine all the unexpected shapes they could take. Every Soccer Mommy record has felt like a surprise.
On Soccer Mommy’s fourth album, the tender but resolute Evergreen, Allison is again writing about her life. But that life’s different these days: Since making her previous album, 2022’s Sometimes, Forever, Allison experienced a profound and also very personal loss. New songs emerged from that change, unflinching and sometimes even funny reflections on what she was feeling. (Speaking of funny, this is a Soccer Mommy album, so there’s an ode to Allison’s purple-haired wife in the game Stardew Valley, too.) These songs were, once again, Allison’s way to sort through life, to ground herself. She wanted them to sound that way, too, to feel as true to the demos—raw and relatable, unvarnished and honest—as possible. The songwriting would again lead where the production would follow. Nothing overindulgent, everything real.
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.
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.
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⭐ Candlelight concerts bring the magic of a live, multi-sensory musical experience to awe-inspiring locations like never seen before in Portland. Get your tickets now to discover the music of Coldplay & Imagine Dragons at The Old Church Concert Hall under the gentle glow of candlelight.
This is a tribute concert experience. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the artist, their estate, or official representatives.
Concerts:
Friday, September 4 at 8:45pm
Saturday, November 21 at 6:30pm & 8:45pm
Sunday December 27 at 8:45pm
Saturday, January 23, 2027 at 6:30pm
Saturday, February 20, 2027 at 6:30pm
General Info
📍 Venue: The Old Church Concert Hall
📅 Dates and times: select your dates/times directly in the ticket selector
⏳ Duration: 60 minutes. Doors open 45 minutes before the show. No entry once it starts.
👤 Age requirement: 8 years old or older. Anyone under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
♿ Accessibility: this venue is ADA compliant
❓ View the FAQs for this event here
🪑 Seating is assigned on a first come first served basis in each zone
🕯️ If you would like to book a private concert or buy regular tickets for a large group (+30 people), click here
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Tentative Program
Performers
If you want to rage out and turn this season into an eventful alternative bonanza, here's your opportunity to see the most fantastic act in the circuit. Smashing Pumpkins brings a top-rated showdown across the US this fall as they serve a brand new trek. This time, a new album brings different vibes, and Smashing Pumpkins is slated to promote this incredible work. Smashing Pumpkins brings The Rats In A Cage Tour to this city, and they're ready to conquer Moda Center at the Rose Quarter with their viral hits, including "1979," "Tonight Tonight," and the Grammy-winning "Bullet with Butterfly Wings"!
Doors: 11:30 pm / Show: 11:30 pm