It happens almost every August, right around this time. I see a single "back to school" ad, then I see another one...and then a perfectly good Sunday is ruined by a pre-season NFL game. It means that summer is almost over, and that's depressing, especially this year. I haven't even really had a chance to get sunburned yet. Uggg. Lame-o.
But, as I was putting together music coverage for the next several issues, I realized that the fall music lineup is looking STQS (strong to quite strong), starting off with punky indie rockers The Thermals on September 8 at the Tower Theatre as part of the PDXchange Program. The same group is bringing the quaint and folky sounds of Blind Pilot just a few weeks later on September 29.
The hip-hop scene gets one of its biggest treats in a long while with a return appearance by Minnesota rhyme kings Atmosphere on September 21. This could might be one of the biggest shows of the season -- don't miss it.
October brings legendary folk songwriter Greg Brown to the Tower Theatre on 10/8. There's also been some chatter about this show -- probably because of the fact that Brown has oodles of fans here. Then, just a few days later on October 10, bluegrass hero David Grisman plays the Tower.
Another rootsy act -- but with far more ass-kicking ability -- The Devil Makes Three are slated for October 5 at the Domino Room with locals Larry and His Flask opening the show.
I will continue to lament the waning days of summer and keep complaining about the stupidity of preseason football, but it's nice to know that we've got some nice music coming up.
