THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART, GLASSER, WEEKEND(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) See Read our article on Weekend.
KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS, THE SOFT PACK, PURLING HISS(Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd) This past June, the last time Kurt Vile came through town, he left his backing band, the Violators, back in Philly. Since the majority of Vile's back catalog—including his latest, 2010's Square Shells EP—is folky, solo bedroom psych, the set turned out just fine, buoyed by Vile's ever-sharp songwriting and lyricism. Still, you could be forgiven for pining for the fuzzy squall of the Violators—Vile's crew are featured on the best, boldest cuts from 2009's excellent Childish Prodigy LP, helping to transform their fearless leader from lo-fi troubadour to stomping, acid-spitting wolfman. Now back in town with the Violators in tow, here's hoping Vile plays us some full-band classics—the staggering, squalid blues of "Hunchback" and the krauty, punk-Springsteenisms of "Freak Train"—and has some new material fleshed out with the group as well. ETHAN JAYNE Also see My, What a Busy Week!
WOODSMAN, WHITE FANG, GAUNTLET HAIR(The Artistery, 4315 SE Division) When they desire, Denver band Woodsman are capable of harnessing a mammoth sound. While the recent Mystery Tape EP contains dewy, traipsing, ambient psych—the sound of Animal Collective picking mushrooms on a foggy morning—the forthcoming track "Insects," from next year's full-length Rare Forms, is a huge, thumping rock song. A repeated, crystallized motif locks in with hi-hat and snare, while a sonic boom falls on the downbeat. With two drummers and two guitarists/knob-twiddlers, Woodsman make definitively exploratory and exciting sounds, and tonight we'll get a chance to see if it's as interesting to watch as it is to hear. Gauntlet Hair, also from Denver, make similarly messy and effects-laden noises for their enormous, hollered pop songs, bridging the gap between the mossy psych of Woodsman and the hazed-out, good-time rock and roll of Portland's own White Fang.
NED LANNAMANN
Complete show listings can be viewed here.