THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, BLANK RANGE
(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell) As with Springsteen, I didn't understand John Darnielle until I got my driver's license. And like the Boss, the Mountain Goats' best material makes me homesick for an America I know I shouldn't understand. The focus of All Hail West Texas isn't explicitly geographical (it's about feeling horrible and heartbroken and the psychological instability associated with getting older, right?), but its essence is horrifically desolate in a way that seems to mirror its namesake perfectly—a quality undoubtedly attributable to the fact that it was recorded by Darnielle, solo, on a cassette boombox, not unlike Bruce's Nebraska. I've never driven down a barren Southwestern highway at 3 am, but I don't need to as long as I own All Hail West Texas. That's the point: A great artist is capable of universalizing a completely individual experience, and if John Darnielle isn't a great artist, then I don't know who is. MORGAN TROPER See All-Ages Action!


ALELA DIANE, RYAN FRANCESCONI, MARIEE SIOUX, KACEY JOHANSING
(Oaks Pioneer Church, 455 SE Spokane) The tiny Oaks Pioneer Church is a favorite venue for Alela Diane for exclusive reveals of new material. Tickets to its mere 75 seats are long gone, but if you're lucky enough to get inside you'll be among the first to hear songs from a forthcoming collaborative album with Ryan Francesconi. It's been under pretty tight wraps, but allusions have been made toward new age-y vibes, and surely happier ones than on Diane's last, the devastating About Farewell. The not-to-be overlooked forested magic of Mariee Sioux, and Kacey Johansing's upbeat tunes and Karen Dalton-esque vocals should make for perfect accompaniment. MARJORIE SKINNER


NUGGETS NIGHT: THE VERNER PANTONS, THE PYNNACLES, THE SATIN CHAPS

(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Portland's Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls is a cultural institution, secretly connecting the dots between our town's disparate scenes since 2001. Members of PacNW standards like LAKE, Dear Nora, STLS, and newer generations of bands like Golden Hour and Blind Lovejoy have all volunteered for or attended Rock Camp—the list of associated projects could fill this piece's word count alone—and countless Pacific Northwest music fans have benefitted from the institution's empowering effect on our music scene. To raise funds for the institution, a spread of Portland's most garage-indebted bands will play the music of Nuggets, Jac Holzman and Lenny Kaye's 1972 compilation of the then-burgeoning psychedelic and garage music scenes of the recent past. MAC POGUE

HOUSE PARTY PAJAMA JAMMY JAM: KID 'N PLAY, MIX MASTER MIKE
(Star Theater, 13 NW 6th) All other parties are judged against the famous Pajama Jammy Jam from the movie House Party 2 (1991). And tonight, following a screening of the first movie at the Hollywood (part of the Everything Is Fest), this iconic event will be recreated at the Star Theater with Kid 'n Play AND Mix Master Mike—and you in your flannel jammies. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY


LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS, MONGOLOID, MEAT HEAD, MPK
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Every generation has its Lumpy. Whether it be Flipper, Miley Cyrus, No Trend, or any other avatar for America's puerile fascinations, someone has to filter out all of the metaphors and double-entendre from art and make a song like "Sex Pit." Lumpy and the Dumpers' cassette-only releases come wrapped in grotesque Schiele-cum-Gremlins illustrations, looking like the work of a middle-school bully destined for the Rhode Island School of Design. If you catch them on a good night (bring your finest huffables) they might throw out the slime, or the fireworks, both of which earned them the title of "poseurs" from New York's Alright Festival Organizer Dan O and an appearance on Tosh.0, the television show that thinks you're too dumb to figure out YouTube. Catch them with fellow ignorance worshippers (and blood relatives) Mongoloid at the Know. MAC POGUE


FREEFORM PORTLAND RADIO BENEFIT: PALO VERDE, BAD CANOES, TSEPESCH
(Foggy Notion, 3416 N Lombard) The last time that Lauren K. Newman and Marissa Paternoster shared a stage, the result was a master class in shredding that nearly blew the roof off Holocene. Newman was playing as part of the Newman/Schonberg/Reyna Group, and Paternoster was in town with her own band, New Brunswick's Screaming Females. Tonight's bill, a benefit for Freeform Portland Radio, reunites the two, and while neither will be wielding guitars this time around, faces are guaranteed to be melted once again. You should already be familiar with Palo Verde, the psychedelic-rock duo with Newman on drums and guitarist Terrica Kleinknecht, who have been heavy-rock staples here in Portland since 2006. They are joined by Bad Canoes, an experimental punk outfit fronted by Paternoster's unmistakable vocals. The band has been honing their sound playing basement shows around the Northeast since late 2013, and here's a rare opportunity to catch them out west. CHIPP TERWILLIGER

THE MOTHER HIPS, PWRHAUS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) While Tim Bluhm's better half Nicki continues to garner more mainstream attention for the ramblings of her band the Gramblers (which Tim also plays in), there will likely never be a time and place where the importance of the Mother Hips to West Coasters can be overstated. Ensconced as they are in the traditions of California rock 'n' soul, Americana revivalism (before that was a thing), and the velvety harmonies of Bluhm and Greg Loiacono. The Hips have steadily re-entrenched themselves following the releases of two LPs in as many years: 2013's Behind Beyond and last year's Chronicle Man. The cult heroes return to Portland to share the stage with Pwrhaus, whose steady march of impressive live performances has finally carved a visible niche. RYAN J. PRADO