JUAN WAUTERS, ST. EVEN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) I don't say this lightly: Juan Wauters is the heir apparent to Jonathan Richman. Like Richman, Wauters appears charmed from on high, able to make the best from the worst and the best even better. Wauters carries a similar message, too—of being present, inclusive and loving amid life's struggles. And he shares it in a similar way: on nylon-stringed guitar, in minimal arrangements reminiscent of '60s Greenwich Village folk, with language so deceptively simple it turns cliché to profundity. A one-time member of the Beets, Wauters has released two records on Captured Tracks in the last two years, and they're equally marvelous. Touring with a bongo player, another guitarist, and a homemade light show featuring pulsing bulbs housed in cardboard boxes, Wauters' performances are direct, joyous, and affirming. Originally from Uruguay and singing some of his songs in Spanish (again, like Richman), Wauters' profound, edifying philosophies will buoy the likes of anyone struggling to live a life in the arts. Now residing in New York, Wauters is the rare flower that somehow sprouts from a crack in the city sidewalk. ANDREW R TONRY


CHRISTOPHER OWENS, OZARKS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) There's no doubt that Christopher Owens is prolific. Since releasing the first Girls album in 2009, Owens has put out a full-length album every year, with only a one-year gap between disbanding Girls and recording under his own name. After the critical and financial disappointment of his last two solo albums, Owens decided to return to the stripped-down, catchy pop songs that made Girls so great. Chrissybaby Forever is touted as a return to form for Owens, but after so much shape-shifting and reinventing, it's difficult to know exactly what his true form is. As you would expect of an album jam-packed with 16 songs, some are excellent and contain moments of "Lust for Life" brilliance, while others sound like unfinished, throwaway demos. Owens clearly still has great music in him, but perhaps he would benefit from taking some real time off and regrouping. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY


TYLER THE CREATOR, TACO
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) Maybe you remember Tyler, the Creator rapping about ultra-violence with his droogs in Odd Future as his character "Wolf Haley"—essentially the Alex DeLarge of hip-hop. Or maybe you remember Tyler's heavy bass vocals over simple distorted beats, rapping to a fictional therapist about his struggles with depression. Or perhaps you remember Tyler eating a cockroach in a music video, or his hatred of lettuce... Now that Odd Future has gone in separate directions with solo projects, Tyler's drastically deviated from his past with his latest release, Cherry Bomb. Instead of coming from a darkly surreal place, it puts positive lyrics with classic R&B and jazz influences, and collabs with Kanye and Lil Wayne. For those still hoping for the thrashy horrorcore jams, though, "Deathcamp" is some mosh-worthy material. CAMERON CROWELL


MELT-BANANA, TORCHE, HOUSE OF LIGHTNING, NASALROD
(Dante's, 350 W Burnside) The world needs more bills like this, where you're treated to different sides of the many-sided musical die that is modern heavy rock. Headlining the show tonight is the deliriously unrelenting assault of Melt-Banana, the Japanese duo that massages some pop elements into otherwise spiky, high-energy blasts of hardcore punk, grindcore, and prog rock. Joining them on the bill is Torche, a Florida-based foursome that churn out equally weighty riffs, but with slower tempos and even more melodic tendencies that owe as much to British post-punk (there's a touch of Killing Joke in front man Steve Brooks' vocals) as heavy metal. ROBERT HAM


LUBEC, HAVANIA WHAAL, ALIEN BOY, SLEEVELESS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) At the release show for their new concept album 13 A.D., Havania Whaal pulled out all the stops and enlisted a handful of friends to act the parts in a play they adapted from the record. It was a strange and unique display, and I can't think of a more fitting goodbye to the recently shuttered Habesha. Even without the elaborate stage show, Havania Whaal's live act is not to be missed. Paul Billy Sobiech's vocals have an alluring, off-beat twee-ness to them, although he and his bandmates have left their woolly sweaters at home in favor of fuzzed-out distortion and warped textures. Tonight the band pair up with fellow experimental noise-pop outfit Lubec before they kick off a joint East Coast tour. CHIPP TERWILLIGER


SUNDOWN AT ECOTRUST: PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT
(Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th) See My, What a Busy Week!


WATERFRONT BLUES FESTIVAL: GREGG ALLMAN BAND, JAIMOE’S JASSZ BAND, DEVON ALLMAN’S HONEY TRIBE & MORE
(Waterfront Park, 1020 SW Naito) See My, What a Busy Week!