High Notes: The Best Live Music in Portland This Week, Feb. 24

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

John Chandler, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Jerry Joseph Courtesy of Response Records

Artists come in all shapes and sizes, from an American Idol to a seasoned veteran with less name recognition, but a rocking resume that’s downright impeccable. And let’s not forget the guy that’s helped shape the sound for some of the biggest stars in the world, who happens to be flying solo this time around.

Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons

Feb 24-Mar 1 @ 9pm

Around these parts, Jerry Joseph is a well-known commodity; a top-shelf singer-songwriter usually accompanied by his road-hardened band the Jackmormons. He’s also served as frontman for regional jam-band faves Little Women, written a half-dozen songs covered by Widespread Panic, and collaborated with the likes of Steve Kimock, David Lindley, Woody Harrelson, and assorted members of the Decemberists. His weeklong residency at LaurelThirst Pub is a golden opportunity to soak up 30 years of Joseph’s sturdy songs and stories, not to mention keeping your eyes peeled for special guests who will undoubtedly pop in for a few tunes. Probably not Woody, though.

$10. LaurelThirst Public House, 2958 NE Glisan St.

ENuff Z’ Nuff

Feb 25 @ 8pm

They were shamelessly marketed as a Pastel-Attired Twinkie Metal band for indecisive youth. Even after being named ‘Hot New Band of the Year’ in 1991 by ‘Rolling Stone,’ it was blindingly obvious that Chicago’s Enuff Z’Nuff was a bunch of glam-pop, power balladeers that were also capable of gnarly guitar solos. They dented the charts with “New Thing” and “Fly High Michelle” from their self-titled debut album in 1989, and 26 years later they’re touring behind ‘Covered in Gold,’ an album of songs made famous by other artists, including Nirvana, Queen, and David Bowie.

$10. Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd.

Crystal Bowersox Courtesy of crystalbowersox.com

Crystal Bowersox

Feb 25 @ 8pm

According to her twitter site, Crystal Bowersox, the runner-up from Season 9 of ‘American Idol,’ currently calls Portland home, though I’ve yet to run into her at Pilates. With a gale-force voice and the nerve to play an original song on a network television show that’s typically a showcase for wedding singers and half-baked celebrity knockoffs, Bowersox is legit, a confident and polished performer. ‘Promises,’ her most recent seven-song EP, is a crowd-funded affair that flutters from the horn-driven soul workout “Sunshine Brighter” to “Eventually,” a giddy-up country number that’s probably way too good for the suits currently in charge of Nashville Corp.

$22.50-25. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave.

Howlin Rain

Feb 26 @ 9pm

Singer and guitarist Ethan Miller used to light up the galaxy with Bay Area psychedelic ramblers Comets on Fire. Since taking up the moniker Howlin Rain, Miller, along with a rotating cast of players, has gradually evolved from spirited offhand jamming in the style of the Black Crowes, or even SF ancestors the Grateful Dead, to more of an honest-to-goodness roots act—less trip and more hip? Yet the unfettered hoot, stomp, and slide rapture summoned up on appealing new numbers like “Meet Me in the Wheat” from their latest record, ‘Mansion Songs,’ would seem to indicate that even a lateral move can be the right one.

$12-15. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave.

Daniel Lanois

Mar 1 @ 8pm

The mental image conjured by the mention of Daniel Lanois is mostly likely that of a stooped-over Dumbledore, muttering arcane incantations over a mixing board, while Brian Eno and Bono hover nearby with teacups and encouragement. His marquee value is derived from his studio work with the rich and famous (throw in Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young, if you need additional big names), but Lanois does occasionally ply his trade as a recording artist. In concert, you’re likely to hear energetic and esoteric instrumental soundscapes from last year’s ‘Flesh and Machine’ album.

$25. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St.

John Chandler has been writing about rock and/or roll for 25 years with The Rocket, Portland Tribune, Portland Monthly, Magnet, Dagger, No Depression, and Puncture. He also writes about beer, booze, and bars for Portland'sBarFly website and plays in a couple goofy bands when the mood strikes him. He can most often be found at the wheel of horrificflicks.com, a review website dedicated to horror movies.