High Notes: The Best Live Music in Portland This Week

Bob Dylan

With apologies to the Parrotheads, we’re picking Bob Dylan at Keller Auditorium over Jimmy Buffett at Moda Center in tonight’s geezer showdown, so no need to iron the cabana clothes. We also recommend Betty Who, an Aussie pop sensation in training, the indefatigable dude-rock of King Tuff, and Portland’s own Fernando, who’s been fearlessly following his muse for three decades. Oh! Tennis anyone?

Oct 21 @ 8pm

At age 73, Dylan is no longer the voice of a generation and one could cheekily argue that his continued relevance can be attributed to the increased life expectancy of his baby boomer constituents. Kindly stuff all that nonsense away. Dylan may have a spotty concert reputation of late (his voice has good days and bad days) but this should not diminish a lyric legacy that’s built upon a half century of decade-defining songs like “Hard Rain,” “It Takes a Lot to Laugh (It Takes a Train to Cry),” “Highway 61,” and “Visions of Johanna.” Mark our words, future kids will be singing the Dylan catalogue in Music Appreciation class—if the air is still breathable, that is.

$58.50-136. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St.

Tennis, Pure Bathing Culture

Oct 22 @ 8pm

Legend has it that the husband-and-wife team of Patrick Riley (guitar) and Alaina Moore (keyboards, vocals), better known as Tennis, wrote their first songs together during a six-month sailing sojourn down the Eastern Seaboard. Indeed, there is a serene “yacht rock” vibe that makes numbers like “High Road” and “Take Me Somewhere” giddy and irresistible with their panoramic views. Whether Moore is bursting with joy or revisiting heartbreak, her buoyant birdy voice can snatch you up and carry you away to a better place. Former Portland duo Pure Bathing Culture will dispense similarly evocative smart-pop minimalism in the opening slot.

$14-15. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St.

Oct 24 @ 8pm

In search of the next breaking star, that quirky girl that the radio will be playing morning, noon, and night for at least a week or two? Australian pop prodigy Betty Who—not to be confused with the Dr. Seuss character of the same name—would appear to have her credentials in order for mega-success. Her initial single “Somebody Loves You” hit Number One on Billboard’s Dance Club charts, while reigning commercial queen Katy Perry tapped the fledgling diva to open shows during her most recent tour Down Under. But there’s more to Betty Who than pipes and a pleasing profile. She attended the Berklee School of Music in Boston, is classically trained on the cello, and is equally at home with dance anthems as she is with breathless ballads. Consider this your chance to see Miss Who polishing her craft in a club setting instead of a screaming stadium.

$20-24. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave.

King Tuff

Oct 25 @ 6:30pm

This feisty Vermont rocker (born Kyle Thomas) prefers jeans torn at the knee and infectious bubble-glam jams that eschew deep thoughts in favor of surefire dude riffs, party time lyrics, and a sly Marc Bolan vocal approximation. ‘Black Moon Spell’ is his new album on SubPop Records, and it serves as a reliable jumping-off point for the King’s amiable head-banging proclivities and knack for catchy chords.

$15. Lola’s Room, 1332 W Burnside

Fernando

Oct 25 @ 8pm

Once you dig past the surface of Portland’s vast musical tundra, the name Fernando Viciconte should be displayed prominently on the “local treasures” list. For more than 20 years the fiery Argentine-born singer-songwriter has rambled from roots rock to mournful country to Rock en Español—always with dignity and determination. He’s just completed work on his eighth album, ‘Leave the Radio On,’ which includes contributions from the likes of Scott McCaughey, Peter Buck, Mike Coykendall, and assorted members of Richmond Fontaine.

$15. Star Theater, 13 NW Sixth Ave.

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