Plus Portland Music News and New Music Portland!  by Nolan Parker Wow y’all, who was at Mavis Staples over the weekend? The diva—at 86 years young—is still a firecracker on stage, doing little dances and hitting her notes bet ter than any imitators could ever dream. A heartfelt congratulations to the Portland Jazz Festival for holding it all the way down again in 2026. Looking forward to next year!  And Jesus Christ Portland, loosen up! We were watching one of the last of her kind absolutely belt it in one of Portland’s finest houses at a sold out show, and the entire audience was stiff as boards (excluding one twink beautifully letting themself express joy). The show was seated and the audience was largely white, yes, but come on! Move your hips, bob your head, for God’s sake join me!  Clipping. played Wonder a few weeks back and the same deal. At one point, frontman Daveed Diggs—right before one of the hip-hop trio’s hardest tracks—said, “Alright Portland, it’s now or never,” to which the sedate crowd barely reacted. Clipping. ruled, but the audience was 50 Shades of Milquetoast.  Portland is internationally known for being a tough room to work (just ask The Hives’ lead singer Pelle Almqvist). Let’s change that reputation! Let’s become a city touring bands are dying to play and a hometown artists are proud to represent—a better future is possible… now!  Get into it, Portland. Let yourself feel and express joy. You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to dance! Shit is so rugged right now, let’s get with it! Love and community and joy are all right there if you want it.  Thursday, March 19 Bijoux Cone / Starly Kind / Lucia Luna / Kye Alive  For fans of Surgery Season, Kim Gordon, Sada Bonaire  Back from a Brazil tour and right before heading out to play Europe with Gossip, Bijoux Cone is in Portland for a hometown show. If that’s not enough, 1) Yes it is, and 2) Bijoux has a new single. You know her and you love her for the benzo-pop anthem “Don’t,” but have you been holding yourself back from “Don’t Hold Back”? Well, don’t. The track continues Bijoux’s stoned musings and absolutely addresses the sentiments of this column’s intro. Noise-pop princesses and princes and jesters open the homecoming ceremonies in the form of Starly Kind, Lucia Luna, and Kye Alive—Kye being the multidisciplinary jester behind Club Alive! and Special Interest. (Mississippi Studios, 8 pm, more info here, 21+) Rose Colored Moon: An Evening Tribute to Elliott Smith in Film and Music For fans of Kurt Cobain, troubled '90s boys, that one scene in The Royal Tenenbaums Here’s my pitch: Elliott Smith’s song “Rose Parade” should be declared Portland’s official anthem. Smith’s soft spoken authenticity and tragically endearing songs grew straight from the mossy cracks of Portland sidewalks in the '90s, and his influence on music and the history of our city is still felt today. This special night honoring one of Stumptown’s favorite sons screens two rarely seen short films that feature him—Steve Hanft’s Strange Parallel and Jem Cohen’s Lucky Three—and invites a slew of Smith’s pals and collaborators to speak on his legacy. (Tomorrow Theater, 7 pm, more info here, all ages) BRI BREY Friday, March 20 The Parson Red Heads / Spooky Mountain / Michael Rowan ft. Luke Beckel  For fans of Lee Hazelwood, Hannah Glavor, Matt Dorrien After their fabulous return to the stage late last year, The Parson Red Heads are back again, this time playing as part of the resurgence of live music happening at Bunk Bar as of late. In the wake of so many venues shuttering, it’s lifegiving to see shows in a space no one thought would be used for music again. The Parsons’ updated take on indie-folk is refreshing in times such as these, a perfect accompaniment to the changing seasons from winter to spring. And, if literal members of this very real band are to be believed, there is an EP or possibly an album in the works—the band’s first in six years. (Bunk Bar, 8 pm, more info here, 21+) Saturday, March 21 Mt Fog / Iroiro / Rayon For fans of Kate Bush, Yoko Ono, Lithics Friends from the north country, Mt Fog enjoy the extremely rare distinction of being compared to Björk… and deserving the accolade. The vocals on their new album Every Stone is Green are delivered in that hushed whisper-sung vocal styling Björk really leaned into on her 1990 foray into jazz, Gling-Gló. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say, but the band is more than that, they’re a conscious mycelial network, or so they say. (The Six, 8:30 pm, more info here, 21+) Related: Read our sister publication, the Seattle Stranger’s love letter to Mt. Fog. Piss / Nonbinary Girlfriend / Hound / Starly Kind For fans of Necking, Gouge Away, Cerce Not to be confused with Berlin’s Pisse, Vancouver, BC’s Piss ain’t interested in playing nice. They’re tired of that bullshit. They’re tired of men and bosses and “the system” and the bloated sexualization of women. All they’ve got online is their three demos EP and that’s all you need to hear to understand what Piss is about and what they’re gonna do about it. Rounding out the bill are a trio of Portland’s uncontested champs: NBGF (friends of Piss, friends of the Mercury), Hound (ruff ruff mother fucker), and Starly Kind (who have killed Kill Michael, and now wear their skin as suits). (High Limit Room, 7 pm, more info here, all ages) Puerta Negra / La Isla Electronica / DJ 666 Ways to Die For fans of Heterofobia, Dark Chisme, Killed By Death Rock It’s been a minute since we’ve gotten new music from Portland’s premiere goth-dark wave-post-punk-death rockers Puerta Negra. Good thing their two-album catalog rips. The Spanish-language duo is heavy beyond mortal comprehension—Puerta Negra, if you’re reading this, please release new music soon! Speaking of new music, La Isla Electronica is slated to release their debut album this year. The two bands are a perfect tandem—LIE’s post-punk pit will inevitably melt into the floor-filler dance party Puerta Negra always delivers. (Black Water, 7 pm, more info here, 21+) Related: Read the Mercury’s review of La Isla Electronica’s EP from last year.  Monday, March 23  Machine Girl / Sextile / LustSickPuppy For fans of Femtanyl, Miss Luxury, Cyberplasm  IDK what it is but gabber has never been my thing, but hardcore—both digital and otherwise—deeply is. New York’s Machine Girl is the chaotic good flower being pollinated by so many different genres it’s hard to describe (and sometimes listen to). But a flower with such a potent scent must be smelt live in person. Do you like house, jungle, DNB, garage, UK hardcore, hardcore, collage, harsh noise, Y2K rave, or hard tech? Well great, you’ll find something to love in machin3gir1. (Crystal Ballroom, 8:30 pm, more info here, all ages) Tuesday, March 24 Sessa / William Alexander  For fans of Marcos Valle, João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim Though I am a new convert to the cult of Pickathon, I am of the firm belief that São Paulo’s Sessa would glide through his two Pendarvis sets with that tropicália cool until now only reserved for the 1960s and ’70s originators of the form. And though I unfortunately don’t speak Portuguese, his new album Pequena Vertigem de Amor is a shimmery-smooth texture of Brazilian jazz, samba, bossanova, and more, ushering us into spring and into love. (Showdown Saloon, 8 pm, more info here, 21+) Also very worth it… Beni Fest at High Limit Room and Ethos Music Center - March 19 and 20, more info here Nosferatu live-scored by MLTZR at Mission Theater - March 20, more info here Nothing in-store at Music Millennium - March 21, FREE, more info here Nothing / Full Body 2 / Cryogeyser / Violent Magic Orchestra at Revolution Hall - March 21, more info here Railing / Whisper Hiss / Chained Heat at Alleyway - March 21, more info here White Reaper / Drug Church / Spy / Death Lens at Aladdin Theater - March 24, more info here New Music Portland: New Music Portland has become such a force that it’s getting the breakout treatment! I’ll be compiling new releases from the region for an irregular New Music Portland column. Send me all your new singles, music videos, EPs, LPs, V/A projects, live videos, tour diaries, etc. Once I’ve got a good number of releases, New Music Portland will hit digital stands everywhere!  Portland Music News:  Due to last week’s atmo-river, Cement Studios has flooded, causing many thousands of dollars in damage. The popular practice and studio space is home to numerous bands and artists in the Portland area, including Alien Boy, Sunbathe, Trash Treasury Studios, and more. The Mercury has reached out for comment from the Studios and is waiting reply.  Trying or would love to get off social media but don’t know where to turn for music happenings in Portland and beyond? Me too, until now. Recently I was turned on to flyerescape.dad, are you familiar? Run by Vern Avola—AKA Trigger Object, Grilka, Roadhog Bitch, Messy Spaghetti—flyerescape.dad is kind of like Government Palace, PC PDX, and Freak Scene all rolled into one. AND NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Thank Christ something of this ilk has popped up, holding it down outside the realm of the social cuck lords.  Coming in hot with a stacked lineup for a new SXSW-style Portland festival in 2026 is Soundscape Northwest. Almost immediately rumors started flying about the forthrightness of the festival and its organizers. While the Mercury doesn’t trade in gossip—unless we’re talking about Elinor Jones’ fabulous Trash Report column—we do deal in news, and the latest SSNW news, announced via Instagram, is that the festival is being pushed back and scaled down. Initially scheduled to take place April 27 to May 2, the festival is now slated for September 2 to September 5, 2026. Read our initial writeup of the festival and check SSNW's website for more details.  There’s so much incredible music coming out of Portland right now it’s hard to keep up with, let alone keep tabs on all the fabulous records dropping outside our great biosphere. Being the problem-solvers we are, we’ve enlisted longtime Mercury writer Ryan Prado to launch a new album review column! Launching last week, coming at you every other Friday, Spin Cycle reviews three new releases every two weeks: one local, and two of whatever Ryan wants! Expect anniversary albums, cutty underground drops, and chart-topping pop bangers. Check the first Spin Cycle and keep a good eye on that space. ...read more read less