Live Music Roundup: Thursday, June 11

Pop princess Kate Voegele

Then, there's all this stuff from this week's Short List:

Shellac, Arcwelder at the Vera Project, 7:30 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, $13, all ages

Fair or not, most everybody that critiques music in any kind of a public forum is eventually met with retorts along the lines of, "You're probably just bitter because you're a failed songwriter" or "You're not a musician -- what qualifies you to talk about music?" Engineer/producer extraordinaire Steve Albini has skewered plenty of deserving bands over the years -- both in pieces he's written for various magazines and in interviews he's done -- but he's made himself immune to the aforementioned attacks because of the completely fucking awesome music he's delivered to the world over two-plus decades via his bands Big Black, Rapeman, and, since 1992, Shellac. A dynamic and forceful trio featuring Albini (guitar/vox), fellow recording engineer Bob Weston (bass/vox), and drummer Todd Trainer, Shellac makes a minimalist but exceptionally potent post-hardcore racket with loud, slicing guitars and a gut-punching rhythm section. Clearly, Albini knows what sounds good. No, you don't have to be a kickass musician - or a musician at all - to offer your opinion, good or bad, about music. But it helps. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Portland Cello Project with Justin Power, Thao Nguyen, Emily Wells at the Triple Door, 7:30 p.m., $17, all ages

For the Portland Cello Project, collaboration is the name of the game. Over the past few years, the traveling troupe of Portland cellists have created backing tracks for the Builders and The Butchers, Laura Gibson, Loch Lomond and pretty much every other buzzed-about band in the Rose City. The PCP writes few completely original tracks; instead, the 10-cello orchestra works to accompany other musicians live or on record, sometimes rearranging songs in the process. Lately, the ensemble has managed to expand its reach well beyond its eponymous hometown. The PCP signed to Kill Rock Stars last year and is pairing with Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (and a few other bands) on a new record. The combination has created a totally different sound for lead singer Thao Nguyen. A song like "Tallymarks" is slowed down to an almost lilting pace; Nguyen's sultry vocals are checked by the cello's sonic earful. It's proof that 11 heads can be better than one. PAIGE RICHMOND

Kate Voegele, Angel Taylor, Amy Kuney at Neumos, 7 p.m., $15, all ages

At the tender age of 18, Kate Voegele was performing alongside rock icons like Neil Young and John Mellencamp. And the Cleveland-bred talent collected several awards for her songwriting skills, including first place at the prestigious New York Songwriter Circle back in 2006, before signing with MySpace Records. Since then, Voegele's continued to do what she's best at: making catchy guitar-driven pop songs. On her recently released sophomore album, A Fine Mess, she swings back and forth, singing about both the joys and grievances love brings. Admittedly, the cute brunette with a guitar shtick is getting a little tired. And Voegele's girly vocals and eager strumming are easy to confuse with that of has-beens like Lisa Loeb and Michelle Branch -- remember them? The odds are against her, but here's hoping Voegele sticks around a little longer. ERIKA HOBART

1 comment(s) / Comment

Laura says:

great article! kate voegele is both talented and beautiful, and i love her work. here's an exclusive interview she did with cwbayarea.com during the San Francisco stop of her tour...Kate Voegele is more than just an actress with a guitar--the petite "One Tree Hill" star has a voice that will blow you away. Kate performed at Slim's in San Francisco a few weeks ago, and gave an exclusive interview with cwbayarea.com while she was at it! Check it out by following this link...

http://cwbayarea.com/entertainment/music

Posted On: Monday, Jun. 29 2009 @ 2:20PM

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