A notorious hermit, lyrical jester, and reluctant performer, Silver Jews frontman David Berman seemed quite relaxed and confident onstage last night at Portland's historic Wonder Ballroom, sporting a casual get-up of a simple blue tee, denim blue jeans, square spectacles, and an oversized belt buckle that appropriately read, "Joos."

Like a menacing wave, Brooklyn noisemakers A Place to Bury Strangers washed into Portland's Doug Fir Lounge Saturday night and won over a small but devoted audience of goths and post-punkers with an impressive combination of mangled, industrial-grade sounds and visually arresting, black-and-white video clips projected against the club's backdrop.

Friday:

"We want to thank SPIN. We've been on the cover six times, but we've never been part of a showcase," joshed Adam Selzer, lead singer/guitarist for Portland's Norfolk & Western.

Portland, OR's indie rock upper crust -- including members of Spoon, Sleater-Kinney, the Thermals, Quasi, and many more -- packed the air-conditioned confines of Valentine's Saturday night (Au

"I really appreciate you guys being here. It's an honor to play for you," Liars' towering lead singer Angus Andrew generously remarked last night (Jan. 28) at Portland's historic Wonder Ballroom.