Among other things on a busy night tonight, it's an in-studio visit with The Dimes. The Portland quartet visits with opbmusic's David Christensen and plays songs from their latest, The Silent Generation, an album for which the band's frontman and chief songwriter Johnny Clay found lyrical fodder and inspiration in Despression-era newspapers. Titles like "New York 1930," "Chicago 1929," and "Battle of San Jacinto" offer an idea of the historical template at work, while the band's breezy pop often betrays the much graver subjects at hand. Clay sees a darkness, you might say, but tales of murder, rioting, war, lost love and permanent insomnia have never sounded so uplifting.

Also tonight, music from Jim White, a man who draws largely on his own life experiences for the stories his songs tell. That's not necessarily a novel idea as songwriters go, but when you've spent time at one point or another in your life as a Pentacostal, a New York City taxi-cab driver, a pro surfer, a fashion model, a photographer, a film-maker and, lately, a musician like White has, you're bound to pick up some interesting character ideas along the way. His fourth and latest album, Transnormal Skiperoo, is full of the kinds of subjects we've come to expect from White and his mystical-southern-Renaissance-man's songs: namely, plenty of Heaven (and religion), crazy men and searching drifters, and highways and child-like wonder, not to mention contributions from Olabelle, Laura Veirs, Tucker Martine, and Joe Pernice, among others. White plays Lola's Room in Portland tonight.

Finally tonight, the legendary Los Angeles punk band X return to Portland as part of their "13 x 31 Anniversary Tour." The band's original quartet-- John Doe, Exene, Billy Zoom, and DJ Bonebrake-- are reunited for the tour, which passes through Portland's Crystal Ballroom tonight. It's the second touring stint in recent years for the previously long defunct band, most of whom also participated in the comeback release for side project The Knitters back in 2005, called The Modern Sounds of the Knitters. One wonders if a new X recording can be far behind.

We'll also hear new music from Gnarls Barkley, The Raconteurs, Kathleen Haskard, Laura Cantrell, and more.

The thread is open. What's on your minds? Who saw Springsteen?

Posted by jpetersen on Saturday, March 29 at 9:13pm