Footlaos Benefit / Wednesday, December 1
Def Jam Records
Genuine U.S. Curren$y.
Temporary Residence Limited
Soundscapists the Books.
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Footloose was a movie about a powerful, profound cause—the freedom to dance. But dancing is kind of hard to do without a floor. When Rachel Flotard of Visqueen joined a friend on a trip to Laos in 2008, bringing medical supplies and visiting village schools, Ban Na Mouang Elementary School wasn't asking for a prom. They were asking for a floor (that, and a soccer ball). Last year, a night of music funded a cement floor for the school. This year the kids want walls, and tonight's two-venue event can help fund them. The cover gets you in to see DJs at Sole Repair and local rockers covering '80s tunes at the Comet. With Robert Roth of Truly, Rachel Flotard, Brian Naubert of Ruston Mire, Airport, Kimo Muraki, Lesli Wood of the Redwood Plan, Michael Lee of Mal De Mer, Matty & Mikey of Curtains for You, Mike Squires of Duff McKagan's Loaded. Comet Tavern, 922 E. Pike S., 323-9853. 8 p.m. $10. MARY PAULINE DIAZ
Curren$y / Thursday, December 2
After watching him drop two mixtapes, two independent records, and two proper studio albums since only last year, it's easy to respect Curren$y's work ethic. But the grind would be nothing without his effortlessly nimble verses and airy, instrument-rich beats—two things the New Orleans MC has in spades. Last year's Pilot Talk II was almost exclusively produced by Ski Beatz, and stands mostly chorus-less with an increased focus on the melody and verse. Following a path similar to that of friend and frequent collaborator Wiz Khalifa—heavy on the three W's (wealth, weed, and women)—Curren$y is an equally talented if less radio-friendly proponent of unassuming, everyday-dude stoner rap. With Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Smoke DZA. Neumos. 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442. 8 p.m. $25 adv./$28 DOS. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Dyno Jamz / Thursday, December 2
The EMP Sound Off! Competition has been responsible for adding fuel to the fire of some great winning acts, and failing to do so for others (yeah, I've never heard of the Gruff Mummies either). But while one of the competition's recent low-profile victors, Dyno Jamz, hasn't been in your face with new music, that's about to change with the outfit's eponymous debut record. In the vein of Digable Planets, the seven-piece band, filled with brass and fronted by MC Turtle Toes, seeks the commonality of jazz and hip-hop. Combined with an infectious stage energy, the instrumental layering sets the stage for an entirely different level of rocking the mic. With Theoretics, Flying Sneakers Crew. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005. 8 p.m. $8. All ages. NICK FELDMAN
Lemolo / Thursday, December 2
Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox's breathy, downtempo folk project Lemolo is pretty and sleek—sort of the way a nice silk dress feels between your fingertips. Though Lemolo is a young band with one single ("Whale Song"/"Open Air") and a few kinks to work out, snags are barely noticeable when you look at the whole picture. Piano, percussion, and guitar serve as a mere backdrop to Grandall's moody, sumptuous lead vocals. For the most part, this is quiet-time music, but when Grandall surprises you and belts it out, the ambient, Beach House sound gives way to a titillating pop sensibility that's hardly fit for naptime. With Drew Victor, Jacob Fossum. Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave., 784-4880. 9:30 p.m. $6. SARA BRICKNER
The Dandy Warhols / Friday, December 3
Surprise to those who knew them in the '90s: The Dandy Warhols are all grown up. Courtney Taylor's ego is as firmly in check as Zia McCabe's boobies are under wraps, and they seem to have matured into the semi-elder statesmen of Portland's scene. Whereas other notables of that era sustain public consciousness by remastering and endlessly re-releasing whatever record put them on the map, The Dandy Warhols: The Capitol Years celebrates the back catalog of a band who successfully parlayed themselves on to a major with addictive pop hooks and a love of all things edgy, freaky, and glamorous, and who stayed there for a respectable decade-plus run. With Blue Giant. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$22 DOS. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR
The Ironclads / Friday, December 3
Because one of the Ironclads' frontmen, Jamie Cotton, is currently living in a different state, Ironclads shows are a somewhat rare occurrence these days. At least the band didn't break up entirely, which is what it looked like when they played their "final show" and Cotton left for graduate school in Colorado. Obviously, the melodious post-punk magic that happens when the Ironclads get together is powerful enough to transcend distance and a time zone or two. The band traffics in emotive rock with hard, discordant edges similar to so many of Saddle Creek's turn-of-the-century offerings: If you're new to the band, this can be heard most clearly in one of their standbys, "Cape Canaveral," which is available as a stream on the band's MySpace page. With M. Bison, Joseph Giant. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S., 722-3009. 9 p.m. $8. SARA BRICKNER
Kylesa / Friday, December 3
If you take your sludge metal laced with a dash of psych rock, Kylesa could very well propel you to a state of nirvana within two mildly math-y measures (an impressive feat for a band that takes its name from a Buddhist term for a delusory mental state). Spiral Shadow, the Savannah, Ga.–based band's most recent release, is a slightly more polished affair on the surface than earlier ones, but no less blistering underneath that serene sheen, with dueling drums and a triumvirate of vocalists alternating leadership roles that lead down paths both doom-laden and celestial-minded. With Lesbian, Book of Black Earth. Funhouse, 206 Fifth Ave., 374-8400. 9:30 p.m. $12. HANNAH LEVIN
