JPNSGRLS
Normally I'm against removing vowels and unnecessary letter capitalization in band names (I'm talking to you Strfkr and tUnE-yArDs), but after taking a good hard listen to JPNSGRLS, a Queens of the Stone Age-esque crew that includes exactly zero people from Japan and zero women, I've concluded that the Vancouver, BC, band's loud, danceable rock forgives the vowelless name. The fact that their debut EP was named The Sharkweek EP indicates they don't take their guitar noodling too seriously, and their new full-length album, Circulation, sounds like a garageier version of Cage the Elephant. 9 pm. Sat., Aug. 16. Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr. $5.
Emby Alexander
When Phoenix, Ariz., band Emby Alexander played in Bend just over a year ago, music editor Ethan Maffy described their "Wildly aggressive baroque music," as "An ill-supervised field trip of feral urchins scattered through the Louvre's halls with abandoned wonder."
Since their last visit, Emby Alexander has released the Frontispiece, album, made several mind-bending videos and have centered themselves squarely in the art rock genre.
"I think we are art rock. I think it means we are self-aware and we have a hand in every single aspect of what the audience is bombarded with," said singer Michael Alexander. "The sound comes from being obsessed with all things dramatic, all things extreme. Louds aren't loud unless you're quiet sometimes. Softness isn't soft unless you scream and bleed and lose your voice sometimes." 9:30 pm. Wed., Aug. 20. Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr. $5.
