On May 15th Jack Ruby Presents released Over Wires and White Plains, their debut LP on Homeskillet. It’s an album that channels the intense complexity of their namesake.

The band, with members hailing from Montana, Alaska and Oregon, formed in the Willamette Valley in 2007. By 2008 JRP had self-released a 5 track acoustic EP packaged in duct tape, “hello-my-name-is” stickers, and cereal box sleeves. The Cardboard EP made the  rounds locally, on campus and online. At first listen the album seemed legitimate. But there was something missing: After a few minutes with each song the arrangements sounded as flat as the EP’s name. There simply was no energy. Not long after The Cardboard EP the band signed to Homeskillet Records and rumors of a debut LP began to circulate.

Watching JRP at the Satyricon two years later it was instantly apparent that this was a different band. A couple local acts bumbled through their sets, but Jack Ruby Presents took the stage with smiles plastered across their faces and launched into their first song. The energy that was so lacking on their studio recordings came across ten-fold, filling Satyricon, pushing its way into everybody’s psyche and bubbling up in the spaces between. But would JRP be able to capture that energy and put it on a disc?

On Over Wires and White Plains, JRP has. The album spans 12 songs of haunted legends, late night drunken blues, heartbreak and home. The band seems to float through the upbeat tunes with a welcoming elegance and sink to the dirty depths of the soul on the more sorrowful numbers. The ability of the band to inhabit these polar opposites with such sincerity is equal parts fascinating and rare. Lead vocalist Jesse Hughey’s voice is the one you want singing you to sleep at night. His deep and homey vocals are those of a soul much older, one well versed in the cigarette smoke and whiskey tunes he often sings.

Christopher Hernandez’s song’s are complex tales of lives loved and lost complimented by emotional vocals and fabulous guitar playing. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Melissa Davaz  is similarly dark, but her beautiful and soaring vocals seem to lift her up and away. The remarkably tight and technical drumming of Aaron Owens has the rare ability to round out each song without overpowering it. When all three harmonize and croon together over Owens’ drum lines the band is at its strongest. It is during those moments that you realize Jack Ruby Presents is much more than the sum of its parts.

Over Wires And White Plains shows that Jack Ruby Presents is not a small time band from a small town on a small label. Each of the 12 songs holds its place on the album in way no other song could. There is not a wasted chord, or a spare moment, and you wouldn’t want one. It’s a rare album in a sea of collections. As soon as it’s over you’ll pray you can give it another hour of your undivided time. It is a powerful album that could compete with anything on the market if given the chance.

It carries with it the story of a band growing, learning and loving every minute of it. In a sense, Over Wires And White Plains is everything it could have been, should have been, and always wanted to be. Everybody wants to bottle that feeling you get when you first get home, that overwhelming sense of comfort and joy and sincerity.  Jack Ruby Presents has done just that.

WHY? began their set with two songs from their latest studio LP, Eskimo Snow. They quickly followed with a slew of tracks from 2008’s critically acclaimed, Alopecia. An energetic rendition of “The Vowels” bled perfectly into “Good Friday” and then into a fantastically ambient version of  “The Fall of Mr. Fifths.”

The group worked quickly through new and old songs alike but leaned mostly on Alopecia. After the encore break front-man Yoni Wolf complemented the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm before the band launched into the often requested, “The Hollows.” WHY? concluded the night with a Hymie’s Basement song, “21st Century Pop Song”. Hymie’s Basement is a former side project of Yoni Wolf and current WHY? member Andrew Broder.

WHY? sounded great and brought a rawness to the songs that gave them an interesting dimension. Yoni Wolf is an excellent front-man and he commanded the crowd from the beginning.  However, their set was scarcely an hour, which was disappointing. All in all it was a solid night featuring three great artists.

Typhoon took the stage first having arrived in Salem only hours before after a 48 hour van ride from Austin, Texas. If that band was exhausted, they refused to show it as they played through much of their upcoming album, Hunger and Thirst. The group’s easy rock tunes provided an excellent backdrop for the evening as the sun began to emerge one last time from the clouds.

Japandroids followed hot on the heels of Typhoon. As the two-piece began setting up their equipment, concert personal alerted the band that they were going to have to cut their set short due to problems during the previous group’s sound check. Japandroids hastily finished their preshow set up and launched into thirty plus minutes of non-stop garage rock. Because of the time constraint, the band played the set as though it were a race against time and with a ferocity that fed the eager fans, who instantly began moshing, crowd surfing, stage diving, and singing along. The band hammered out the last US show of their current tour as if it were the last show of their lives.

The Dodos took the stage as the stars began to lazily emerge from the Salem sky. The temperature began to drop quickly, but people continued to arrive, many wrapped in the complimentary blankets supplied by concert staff. The crowd remained invested in The Dodos, dancing and singing along in an effort to show support and keep themselves warm. Halfway through their set, multiple beach balls began circulating throughout the crowd and continued to do so for the rest of the evening. The Dodos provided a solid transition from the intense garage rock of the Japandroids to the psychedelic sounds of Portugal. The Man.

The crowd erupted as Portugal. The Man took the stage. The battle cry seemed to draw even more people to the field as the crowd size increased dramatically once again. Amidst a flood of colorful lights, Portugal. The Man began their set with a slew of non-stop prog-rock tunes. The crowd was fixated on the lights and sounds filling the crisp night air. The band didn’t stop until the entire PA system failed during the middle of their set, forcing the band to put on the brakes and regroup. This technical hiccup lasted only a few seconds and Portugal bounced back with double the intensity. The crowd responded and held tight with the band until the final notes of the evening.

When all was said and done, this year’s Wulapalooza could not be labeled anything but a stellar showcase of several underrated bands. All of the bands performed well and showed their appreciation by hanging around the stage chatting with fans, signing autographs, and sharing stories. The crowd slowly began to trickle off, undoubtedly to talk of a day well spent in the sun.  Undisputed.

The outdoor event is sponsored by several Willamette student groups and encourages a horde of local creatives to participate.  With over 30 student artist groups performing, there will be Taiko drummers and fire dancers as well as an overabundance of appropriately christened collegiate bands like Rock The Quad and Boner Jams.  Student acts will play across campus from 11 AM to 4:30 PM.  See the full schedule here.

“The festival is both a showcase of student talents and a chance to bring exciting musicians to campus,” says Willamette Music Committee Chair Cliff Batson. “We encourage different clubs on campus to run booths with different activities ranging from a flea market to a giant bubble pool. There is also a craft fair where students will be selling items that they made, which was a new addition last year.”

This includes a variety of activities like games, student acts, booths, food, art, and more until the main stage show starts.  OMN spoke with main stage openers Typhoon and closers Portugal. The Man before Saturday’s extravaganza.

Young indie rockers Typhoon from Portland have seven core members but on their upcoming studio LP, Hunger And Thirst due out May 4th on Tender Loving Empire, a total of 17 total contributors gave their voices and hands to the album playing the expected fare as well as upright bass, toy and real piano, and a crumpled plastic bag.  All friends since high school or before, the members are just 21.8 years on average, but their large size gives their music a unique sound that fans of baroque pop acts like Grizzly Bear and Arcade Fire will find pleasing. Oregon Music News caught up with singer Kyle Morton to discuss Typhoon’s upcoming album as they drove to a show in Santa Cruz… and which artists are good for car karaoke.

Listen to Typhoon’s “Starting Over” off Hunger And Thirst.

You have a new album, Hunger And Thirst, coming out really soon, are you guys about to hit the road in support?

Typhoon

We were in the middle of booking our spring tour when it fell into our laps to do a tour with Yann Tiersen, which is what we’re doing now. We kind of just canceled the May tour to embark on this last-minute tour with Yann Tiersen down to California, Arizona and Texas. So this is our spring tour.

Have you guys been playing material from the new album at these shows?

Almost exclusively material from the new album, we have one song that’s a kind of miscellaneous piece. We’ve basically been playing the album through in different orders.

How did the title Hunger And Thirst come about?

It came in a couple different ways. A lot of the material I wrote with this idea in mind of music as food, or something you’re hungry for. So many of the songs on the album are about desire, and in a way hungry and thirsty. And the album is broken into doubles. The first two songs go together, the third song has two distinct parts, the fourth and fifth go together, and so I wanted a name that would touch on the diptych theme of the album.

Sounds like you guys thought a lot about the song order?

It’s something we spent a lot of time on. It’s not so much that it’s a concept album but in regards to order, the sequencing was hugely important. The first song is a poppy song about starting over and the second song is a darker song sort of about not being able to start over. I hope these songs kind of stay on their own, but at the same time, when the first single came out, I felt like it by itself didn’t truly represent the album.

You guys are playing Wulapalooza with Portugal. The Man, Japandroids and The Dodos. What are you looking forward to?

We are really excited to play with these bands. We’re great friends with Ryan Neighbors of Portugal. The Man and we’re excited to see those guys. Then various members of our band are fans of The Dodos and Japandroids, I’ve never seen either of them but it should be fun.

You guys are going to be in the van for a long time. What kind of music do you guys have on rotation?

It really depends on who’s DJ-ing. We’ve got Lil’ Wayne, Notorious B.I.G. and some Christian death metal CD that I think the last people that had this van left in here.

What about sing-a-longs?

Yeah, actually, as a way to practice when we’re in the van for a really long time, each of our 12 members will do the a capella of their instrument.

*****

Portugal. The Man also hail from Portland and are in the latter stages of touring behind their LP American Ghetto, released in March on Equal Vision Records. The album finds the band trying on different sonic personas, all of which are worn with bluesy rock style. Much of the instrumentation sits on top of sampled drum loops, many Hip-Hop influenced. The result is arguably their strongest and most intriguing.

Oregon Music News spoke with keyboard player and vocalist Ryan Neighbors about American Ghetto, his creative process, and living with your bands mates.

Portugal. The Man

You guys are just about to hit the road…

Yeah, we’re playing shows in Eugene, Santa Cruz, and Coachella and then flying up to Anchorage for a show and then flying down to Salem [for Wulapalooza].

Sounds like you’ll be spending a lot of time in close quarters with your bands mates.

Yeah, we’ve been living together, all renting a house and actually living together for the first time.

Has that made bouncing ideas off one-another and practicing easier?

It’s made recording and practicing much easier. We have a place we can call homes. But it’s also pretty bizarre coming home from tour and still being with those same people.

American Ghetto just came out, what makes this album different from your previous efforts?

It’s all sampled beats, electronic drums. We’ve heard people say it’s kind of like all our albums combined. That wasn’t necessarily the goal, but I think old influences are going to come through no matter what you do.

The album’s title, American Ghetto, immediately conjures a lot of interesting images. How did you guys come up with the title?

Well the name came before the music did, that’s how all our records have been. It obviously brings a lot of odd imagery to mind. It doesn’t necessarily seem fitting for a Rock group, just using the word ghetto automatically brings Hip-Hop to mind and a lot of the beats on the record are Hip-Hop influenced.

You just called Portugal. The Man a “Rock” group. Is this a pretty accurate characterization or your sound?

I usually say we’re a Rock band with touches of psychedelia and obviously Pop. Plus a bunch of other stuff thrown in there, but you can only stretch the genre so far.

“The Dead Dog” is a fantastic opening track. Did you guys spend a lot of time determining the track list?

It’s something we spent a lot of time on. It’s important to hear all 12 songs on the album in a row. It’s why we put so much care into the artwork and packaging.

You guys will be hitting Wulapalooza in Salem where you will share the stage with Typhoon, Japandroids and The Dodos. What are you experiences with these bands?

I’ve heard The Dodos and I like them, I’ve heard good things about Japandroids but I’ve never listened to them, and we’re actually really good friends with Typhoon.

What other music are you guys into these days?

Of course there is the stuff we can all agree on like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and then personally I’ve been really into Swedish electronic artist Fever Ray lately.

*****

Japandroids are a garage rock band from Vancouver B.C. riding hot on the release of their critically acclaimed debut, Post-Nothing, released last year on Polyvinyl Records. The band is currently in the middle of a massive world tour consisting of no less than 100 dates from Stockholm to Salem.  Prior to Post-Nothing’s release, Japandroids released two five-song EPs on CD-R. The EPs were limited to 500 copies and quickly fell out of print, however, these two EPs have since been compiled for an upcoming release, aptly titled No Singles, due out May 11th. This two-man wrecking ball of a band is already famous for their ferocious live performances.

San Francisco rockers The Dodos round out the solid group of headlining acts. This trio has been on tour supporting their latest studio LP, Time To Die, released in 2009 on Frenchkiss/Witchita Records. The record is laced with soaring melodies and sing along choruses despite its somber title.

The Dodos

The band is set to tour all summer with the New Pornographers, making two more stop in Oregon in July at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland and the Britt Pavilion in Jacksonville. Check out their MySpace for a full list of dates and ticketing info.

Wulapalooza is an event that could easily charge, but the festival is absolutely free for all ages–a deal that seems too good to be true.  But if you appreciate Willamette University’s efforts, they are also accepting donations–a small sum of money for their charitable organization.

The festivities begin at 11 AM on Brown Field. Directions can be found on the Wulapalooza homepage.

XDS took the stage first and powered through a short set. The crowd went along for the ride, feeding off the bands carefree nature and roaring percussion. The vocals were very difficult to hear, but the Portland two-piece was clearly enjoying themselves. Explode Into Colors followed XDS but where slow to get onstage. The audience grew weary and started stomping and clapping.

After more than a half hour, Explode Into Colors came onstage and began their set. Unfortunately the vocals were much too quiet, prompting the audience to yell “Vocals!” between each of the first three songs. Instead the bass was cranked up and the band continued their set. The bass was so deep and resounding that it completely drowned out the vocals, supplemental percussion, and noticeably dimmed the sound of the drums. When the crowd realized that the poor mixing was not going to change, they seemed to give in to the moment and enjoy the pulse-pounding rock of Explode Into Colors.

Spoon was even slower to get onstage. There was more than 45 minutes between bands and the audience was clearly loosing interest. People were laying along the sides of the theater, some were even sleeping. When Spoon finally did take the stage the audience forgot their annoyances and everyone rushed to the floor. The McDonald was near capacity as Spoon began their set. The band was visibly excited and the crowd fed off this excitement.

The band pulled songs from their entire catalog, even playing a few songs from past EPs. This variety was welcomed from a band that just released a new album, Transference, in January. The band played energetic renditions of “The Way We Get By,” “Cherry Bomb,” and “Who Makes Your Money.” They also played covers of The Damned and Wolf Parade. The musical highlight of the night was easily “Don’t Make Me A Target.” The band seemed to lose themselves in the energy of the moment much to the audience’s pleasure.

The light show during Spoon’s set was phenomenal. It very effectively created an individual atmosphere during each song. At times the lights burst with pastel blues, pinks, purples, reds, yellows and greens. Other times the lights would all dim, leaving only 20 or so tiny bulbs attached to the band members equipment illuminated, giving the illusion of candlelight.

Though both opening bands were difficult to hear, the crowd was able relax and enjoy the Portland acts while Spoon’s fabulous performance drew the audience in for more than an hour of crushing indie-rock. Weary at times, the crowd was able to enjoy the music, making the night a success.

Bachelorette took the stage first and with little fanfare began looping her voice to create the layers of “Little Bird Tell Lies,” the last track from her 2009 LP, My Electric Family. The small crowd began to quickly consolidate around the stage, lured by the crooning vocals and ambient samples spilling from the speakers. She marched quickly into each song, saying very little and instead let her music do the talking. As her set continued the Doug Fir quickly filled up. Bachelorette played through most of My Electric Family before escaping quietly backstage.

Beach House emerged more than a half-hour later and the crowd erupted, creating the most sonically abrasive moment of the evening. The band, flanked by five large rotating confetti covered diamonds, briefly thanked the crowd and launched into “Walk in the Park” from Teen Dream. The crowd began to swing and sway lazily as the beautiful melodies filled the air.

Leader singer Victoria Legrand’s voice floated angelically up and completely away from anything in the room, disassociating itself in the most heartfelt and beautiful way imaginable. The reverberating guitars seemed to chase lazily after her while the pulsing percussion kept the songs grounded. Beach House played through much of Teen Dream but drew songs from both of their previous releases as well. The group played fantastic renditions of “Norway,” “Silver Soul,” “Zebra,” and “Take Care” before the encore break.

When the band returned they played an absolutely flawless version of “10 Mile Stereo” and escaped into the Portland night. The dream was over. The crowd appeared devastated as the night of melodious pop music came to a lazy halt.

Both groups captivated the audience from the opening chords until their final notes resonated in the air above the crowd. Beach House and Bachelorette provided a deep and meaningful escape for the sold-out crowd present Saturday night. It was an experience that could only be understood from below as the crowd tried to grasp the music filling up the space above their heads. The ambient energy the groups provided dissipated slowly into the weekend air as the audience grudgingly came to terms with the concerts commencement–a show no one wanted to end. When they do eventually return, both groups will find a welcoming, Oregon crowd waiting to greet them.

Explode Into Colors are a self-described experimental, minimalist band who blend heavy melodies with droning percussion and floating female vocals. At times the group sounds like Animal Collective, Venetian Snares and MIA–sometimes within the same track. Each song is an intricate and unique sonic experience that translates into a bombastic, energy-filled, rumbling live performance.

Spoon, a band that needs little introduction, has toured the world with great success behind their studio albums Kill The Moonlight, Girls Can Tell and Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Spoon formed in Austin, Texas in the 1990’s and began their career on fabled indie-rock label Matador Records before finding a more permanent home on Merge Records. Spoon has always maintained a loyal and devoted fan base in the USA.

Spoon is on the road supporting their newest studio LP, Transference, which was released in January. The record finds the band experimenting a little with their sound and wandering down previously untrodden paths. The straightforward snappy pop songs are nowhere to be found. Instead, many of the album’s songs are constructed as a series of layered loops. The vocals seem to meander in and out, often times ending abruptly with silence or off-kilter chord changes. The resulting album is almost angular in sound and exhibits a different and interesting side of the band.

Both Spoon and Explode Into Colors are renowned for their strong live sets. Expect nothing but the best when the two perform this Monday night at the McDonald Theatre. The show is all ages and the doors open at 7pm with the show starting at 8pm. General admission tickets are still available for $25. Start your week off right with Spoon and Explode Into Colors this Monday at the McDonald Theatre!

Beach House released their third LP, Teen Dream, to wide-spread critical acclaim this year. Since the album’s release on Sub Pop in January, the group has appeared on Jimmy Fallon, played a Daytrotter session, and toured incessantly.

Teen Dream is a sonic experience where lead singer and keyboardist Victoria Legrand’s Nico-esque voice floats through the airwaves just above guitarist Alex Scally’s thin but reverberating guitar lines. Together they create a beautiful wall of melodic and surreal sound. Legrand’s lyrics are deep and at times somber, however, the darker themes are often masked by the playful sound of the band. This contradiction is one of the most fascinating things about the group.

In addition to Teen Dream the duo will release a new EP titled Zebra EP on Record Store Day, April 17th.  The release will feature the track “Zebra” from Teen Dream as well as three b-sides. The song “The Arrangement” was played on the Sirius Satellite Radio show XMU (below).

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Doug Fir is a 21+ venue and while tickets are sold out in advance, there will be a few made available at the door for $15 on Saturday, April 10th. Those still seeking tickets are advised to arrive early. The doors open at 8 pm and the show starts at 9pm. If haze is what you crave, don’t miss Beach House with Bachelorette.

Dirty Mittens opened the show impressively. Lead singer Chelsea Morrisey has a phenomenal and unique voice. She was surrounded by six others playing everything from drums to trumpets. This wide range of instruments gave their songs a sound all their own. The drumming was absolutely astounding, and the band swelled and subsided like tidewater, the audience loving it. Reminiscent of a fresher faced Arcade Fire, they were a stunning opening act nicely setting up the night for the two bands to follow.

Turbo Fruits, a surf-rock-punk group from Tennessee, were a total change of pace. Like a twisted version of The Vines and old Kings of Leon, lead singer Jonas Stein mumbled something into the mic after their second track and the band launched into a great cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising.” Equal parts punk and surf-rock the mustached trio jumped off the bass drum, swilled beer and generally rocked. At the end of the set, Jonas Stein jumped into the crowd with his guitar and microphone to sing the last verse of their final song. After an energetic set, Jonas hung around the audience exchanging words and shaking hands.

In the shadow of the midnight hour, Surfer Blood took the stage. With their boyish good looks and casual demeanor, the group immediately bounced into “Floating Vibes” the first track from Astrocoast. After thanking the crowd they began an excellent rendition of “Take It Easy.” They were very loose but sounded great and managed to make everything they were doing look effortless with guitar tones ringing especially clear in the acoustically superb Doug Fir.

The band was definitely enjoying themselves and they ran through many of the songs off Astrocoast before playing “Swim,” perhaps their most well-known song, just before the encore break. The band spilled positive vibes, but the sell-out crowd was not visibly into the music with little dancing or outward signs of enjoyment. However, after each song, the crowd betrayed this stoicism with roars of applause, whistling and yelling.

After Surfer Blood took their final bows, most of the sold-out crowd filtered up the stairs and out into the Portland night. Those that stuck around were lucky enough to talk with bassist Brain Black and lead singer and guitarist John Paul Pitts. The two stood near the stage talking with fans, shaking hands and signing autographs.

The late show at the Doug Fir proved well worth the late night. Dirty Mittens were electric and interesting, Turbo Fruits were bombastic and put on a great show while Surfer Blood could not have performed better. The bill had something for everyone and the combination of variety and energy proved positive for the Saturday night Portland crowd.

But Friday night the community of Eugene braved the winter temperatures and packed the WOW Hall to the brim for a glimpse of metaphorical sunshine in the form of Blue Scholars. The duo and their amazing lineup of guests sold out the WOW Hall with the promise of an electric show. The lineup, featuring artists Grynch, Bambu, Macklemore with Ryan Lewis, and Blue Scholars did not disappoint.

The Grynch opened with a solid but short set. Bambu came on quickly after and turned the energy up. By the time he took the stage, the WOW Hall was more than halfway full and it became clear that this show was going to quickly blow up. On the heels of Bambu, Macklemore and producer Ryan Lewis took the stage. Macklemore impressed with his level of skill and the beats Lewis was throwing down during a set lasted close to an hour. When he left, the crowd, which had reached maximum capacity, knew what was next.

Blue Scholars commanded the crowd’s attention from their opening track until the waning moments of the evening. Their set began with DJ Sabzi scratching records alone on stage; emcee Geologist was nowhere to be found. The beat dropped and a multi-colored umbrella opened in the middle of the crowd. Geologist emerged from the floor, umbrella in hand, to a deafening roar from the audience. Geologist grabbed the microphone and rapped the first song with his umbrella. This type of showmanship set the tone for the evening and ensured the audience’s full attention.

Pulling almost exclusively from their first album, Blue Scholars mashed through crowd favorites including “Blue School,” “The Ave” and “The Inkwell.” They performed the Crashed-Cop-Car remix of “The Inkwell” which features Geologist rapping over “Float On” by fellow Seattle act Modest Mouse. During the track “New People” from their most recent EP OFF!, Geologist and Sabzi began grabbing hands in the crowd and pulling people on stage. By the end of the song, there was more than twenty people dancing on stage with Geologist and Sabzi. The Scholars announced their intention to release their third studio album sometime this year and then quickly launched into a pack of new material. The new tracks sounded great and spoke volumes about the as of now untitled forthcoming album.

After playing for a little more than an hour Blue Scholars left but returned quickly for a massive encore incorporating every opening emcee on one enormous party track. Each emcee took a verse before the track finished. Scholars ended their set by thanking the amazing sell out crowd and performing one of their strongest and most beloved tracks, “No Rest For The Weary.” The crowd erupted as the beat dropped, pumping their arms in unison and rapping along with Geologist.

Blue Scholars and their guests put on a great show. The sell-out crowd and the Scholars fed off each other and the energy was unmistakably high. With temperatures dropping down near freezing outside, the temperature in the WOW Hall was hovering near what felt like 90 degrees. The Scholars gave Eugene a bit of sunshine during this time of climatic depression.

Surfer Blood consists of JP Pitts, TJ Schwarz, Thomas Fekete, and Brian Black. Together they form an indie surf-pop group riding the underground success and critical acclaim of their debut LP, Astrocoast. The album is guitar driven but maintains a light and jangly/surfy sound. At times the LP recalls the sounds of Pavement, Pixies, Weezer and Polvo. Similar to these indie rock god-heads, the instrumentation on Astrocoast has clear roots in classic rock and revolves around simple but hypnotically catchy hooks. The resulting songs are fun and enjoyable to listen to at any time. Astrocoast is a very solid debut from an up and coming force in independent rock music. Their infusion of surf-rock elements gives them an appealing niche that will ensure their place in the lexicon of indie rock for years to come.

The show is being listed as a “late show” by the Doug Fir with doors opening at 9pm and the show starting at 9:30pm. The Doug Fir is a 21+ venue. Tickets are still available for $9 in advance and $10 day of show.

Blue Scholars consists of MC Geologic and DJ Sabzi. Together they have been instrumental in the use of hip-hop as a means to spread grass-roots political ideas and enact social change and have shared the stage with artists like De La Soul, Immortal Technique and Kanye West. With the underground success of their first two LPs, Blue Scholars have quickly risen as one of the powerhouses in West Coast, independent hip-hop.

Geologic’s lyrics differ vastly from the themes presented in mainstream rap and are focused on social and political awareness, change and positivity, especially with regards to young people. DJ Sabzi provides a range of backing beats and breaks to give the group a unique and fresh sound. The duo has released three EPs and two LPs with their third slated for release sometime in 2010.

These Northwest all-stars have a strong live set being very involved with their audience. Check out Blue Scholars with special guests DJ Phatrick, Bambu, and Macklemore with Ryan Lewis this Friday at WOW Hall and Saturday at the Hawthorne Theatre. Both shows are all ages and doors  open at 8 PM with the show at 9 PM. Tickets are still available for Eugene and Portland.

Nathan Fake, a young house artist out of Britain, will open for Four Tet who is on tour in support of his newest album, There Is Love In You, released January 25th on Domino Records.

The album is the first album in more than four years from the Four Tet camp, and it has been well received in the world of electronic music. Four Tet has been setting standards and moving the electronic genre forward since his debut album, Dialogue, in 1999.

There Is Love In You is a very melodic, and at times dark release, and shows similar characteristics to his previous works. Where There Is… seems to depart is the sheer weight of the tracks. Two thousand one’s astounding Pause is filled with seemingly light electronic songs that can be played at any party, while There Is… is not such an album. It needs some time to build and be appreciated.

If you’re in the Portland and you like dance music, post-rock or even just indie rock, Four Tet and Nathan Fake will surely deliver.

The show is 21+ and tickets are still available for $14. The doors open at 8 PM, show starts at 9 PM.

As lead singer Eric Johnson, began strumming the opening chords to “Primitive Man,” the lead track from the band’s most recent album, people began flocking in through the door, filling the space in front of the band and then assembling further away in an umbrella pattern around the stage. Johnson lazily continued strumming as more people got up from the benches on the side or threw down their cigarettes and rushed in.

Johnson kept strumming before turning to his band to ask if they were ready, but the backing track wouldn’t stop playing. When he received confirmation from his band, he turned to the mic and said in a kind of playfully aggressive tone, “Turn that music off, we’re gonna play now!” The crowd roared and nobody looked back.

The band began their set leaning on The Ruminant Band, their latest release, but dipped into their back catalog a few times to play some crowd favorites. At one point they crushed a version of Neil Young’s “Revolution Blues” sounding more like Young than he himself can these days.

The band was unmistakably ecstatic to be there, a sentiment Johnson echoed in-between numerous songs. They drew the crowd in quickly and by the second song the audience was yelping, stomping, clapping and singing along. People began dancing, took their air guitars out of their cases, and forgot about whatever was on their mind. There was not a soul in the building who wasn’t having a great time.

The most striking thing about Fruit Bat’s was the way they were able to command an audience–almost as if it would be your loss for not giving them your full attention. Eric Johnson and Co. had a stage presence rarely exhibited in modern rock, and the energy they were unmistakably emanating was gobbled up by the crowd and used to sing, dance and enjoy the music on an entirely different level.

Fruit Bat’s rarely took their foot off the accelerator, but when they did it was at the perfect moment. The ballads felt tender (a few lighters came out), the riffs felt heavy, and it all felt fun, personal and relaxed. Eric Johnson thanked his “newly adopted home state” and Fruit Bats escaped into the night.

Their brand of folk/roots/rock has something that everyone can enjoy and the energy they brought to the stage could pull the most determined wallflower to the dance floor.

Check out Fruit Bat’s covering Neil Young’s “Revolution Blues” in Scotland late last year.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fruit Bats

The Portland/Chicago-based group Fruit Bats will bring their unique brand of folk-rock to the WOW Hall in Eugene this coming Saturday. The band is a fusion of Dr. Dog-style alt-country jams and The Shins indie pop hooks.  They’re known to give a solid live performance full of energy, while maintaining the integrity of their studio recordings.

They will be accompanied by fellow Oregon indie rockers Tu Fawning who’ll bring a more experimental and contemporary Portland rock sound to the table that should contrast nicely with the classic sound of Fruit Bats.

Fruit Bats are on the road behind their latest studio effort The Ruminant Band released in December 2009. The concert will presumably lean on this release–an album that is equal parts elegance and lighthearted fun in the true spirit of the Pacific Northwest. Acoustic guitars shimmer over lead singer Eric Johnson’s beautiful singing voice for 12 tracks of folk-rock simplicity.

The doors open at 7 PM and the show begins at 8 PM. Tickets are $10.00 in advance and $12.00 at the door. You can get your ticket through the WOW Hall’s website, at the WOW Hall box office or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

The only concrete detail that Panda Bear gave away is that his next album will be very different from 2007’s Person Pitch, which provided the listener with a sonic layering of samples covered in reverb-heavy, yet disarmingly sincere vocals.

Panda Bear says that Animal Collective plan on moving away from the sample-based style that has been a staple in recent years and that his solo record will also reflect that change.

He discusses the major differences between his upcoming record and Person Pitch in this excerpt:

Ped. Tv: How’s that sounding? I know that you’ve mentioned being tired of the sample based stuff and the need to change your song writing process and sound by incorporating different instruments…

Panda Bear: Yeah, it’s going pretty good. It’s been a long process. I’ve thought about it for a long time while we were doing the Merriweather stuff, so I had a long gestation process in my mind but only really started cracking on it in September. It’s kind of scary doing something totally different, like I’ve been working in a sampler zone for five or six years now. It definitely feels like a new zone, its scary but also exciting as well.

I guess it’s liberating because you’re forced to approach it differently, what sort of sounds and instruments are you exploring?

The rhythms are really basic and kind of raw and simple and are electronic. It’s not live instrumentation, I’ve been playing guitar but I feed it through the same thing that the sequences are on. It’s a very electronic sound and very voice heavy. A simple arrangement of drums, the guitar and singing. Really there are only two or three elements to every song. It’s pretty raw sounding for better for worse.

What do you see as the main difference between what you’re writing now and Person Pitch?

The tone is a lot darker and it sounds sort of dramatic or romantic to me. But I’m in still in the thick of the thing so it’s really tough to be objective at this point. So I have no idea, but hopefully people like it. I hope its good.

Read the entire interview: Panda Bear Talks New Solo Album

With any luck we can hope to hear the new album sometime in 2010. The only constant with anything Animal Collective related is change, and they have yet to steer their listeners wrong. Until then, keep an eye out for Animal Collective’s upcoming EP, Fall Be Kind, set to be released December 8, 2009 on Domino.

Jack Ruby Presents

Many great bands come and go in Oregon, but there may be none more sincere in their intentions than Jack Ruby Presents, a self described “resurgence folk” band out of McMinnville. The band has performed a handful of shows in Oregon and Sitka, Alaska.

Hughey had this to say of the coming tour dates: “We’re really excited! I’m going to bed and getting that kid on Christmas Eve kind of feeling. It’s our first tour. We’ve played a lot of shows over the last couple years, but it’s cool for us to be able to play so many nights in a row.”

The band begins their road show this Friday, November 20^th with a televised performance at Oregon State University. The following night they head south for the California leg of their tour.

“It’s really exciting to take it somewhere else. We’ve never played in California and that brings a hope and excitement that maybe people elsewhere will be interested in what we’re trying to say,” Hughey said. “It’s going to be nice to really work on our sound, just go every day and be able to say, ‘You know that worked really well last night.’ And then just do that. We won’t have to wait two weeks to apply it.”

In addition to the tour, the band is in the beginning stages of recording and plans to have their debut full-length album out in spring of 2010 on Homeskillet Records (Sitka, Alaska), where they signed in the spring of 2007.

Here are the complete tour dates.