Got a great weekend in store for you! Including some amazing bands who will be playing in Chicago at/during the Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend and a wonderful evening of salsa.

THURSDAY NIGHT: PS I LOVE YOU and UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA (9:30 PM start time) -

Kingston, Ontario’s quick-rising duo, PS I Love You, unleashed their brilliant debut album on October 5th, 2010. The ten-track album titled, Meet Me At The Muster Station, is a relentless listen that grips and pulls the listener through just under thirty-minutes of squalling Marshall feedback, searing solos, soaring melodies and rock-steady beats and will surely be considered one of this year’s finest debuts.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra will also be performing, they first dropped into the world in late 2010 as a bandcamp account carrying a single, sweet little dose of ear candy called ‘Ffunny Ffrends’.

‘Ffunny Ffrends’ was everything you imagined it might be – alien beatnik pop music that echoed 60s psychedelia and krautrock minimalism with just a hint of gentle weirdness that suggested its roots might equally lie in the verdant indie of the equally distant New Zealand scene.

‘Ffunny Ffrends’ was immediately feted on hundreds of blogs worldwide. By the time a self-titled UMO 7” EP was then released from behind a veil of secrecy on the UK label, Sounds of Sweet Nothing, ‘who is Unknown Mortal Orchestra?’ was more than just a question on people’s lips, it was a full scale clamor for the unveiling of one of the most exciting new bands of the moment.

Check out this jam:

Ruban Nielson is a New Zealand native who had transplanted to Portland with his band Mint Chicks. UMO was a project conceived as Ruban’s escape hatch to a new musical dimension where his vision of junkshop record collector pop could be realized in a sound that recalled Captain Beefheart, Sly Stone and RZA jamming on some kids tv theme too dark to ever be broadcast.

Out of the home studio, Ruban was joined by local Portland producer Jake Portrait on bass and teenage prodigy Julien Ehrich on drums. They have been on the road all year, sleeping in ditches and running drunkenly from venues when needs be, curling ears and turning heads with their intoxicating sound all the way.

The eponymous UMO debut album was released on June 21st. It’s probably something you should listen to, both on record and on the Terrace!

FRIDAY NIGHT: MADISALSA (9:30 PM start time) -

MadiSalsa, an 11 member ensemble devoted to the musical traditions of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and The Dominican Republic has been serving the Midwest from its home base in Wisconsin’s capital since 1992. Its members bring a diverse wealth of experience to the group from their previous Latin music activities in such centers as San Juan, Los Angeles, and New York. With a repertoire ranging from traditional island classics to original material from within the band, each performance offers a wide variety of musical expression. From mambo to merengue, bolero to bomba, MadiSalsa’s exciting array of moods and grooves is guaranteed to please.

Vamos a bailar en la terraza!

MadiSalsa

SATURDAY NIGHT: MADFORK 3! – BATTLES w/ THE FRESH AND ONLYS and DELICATE STEVE (8:00 PM start time) -

Battles are an amazing New York based experimental rock-band who has put out some of the most progressive, unique and enticing music of the past decade. This is one of our most exciting shows of the summer, and we are honored to be bringing them to the Terrace! Despite the loss of vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tyondai Braxton, the band really brought it with their second long-anticipated album, Gloss Drop. Don’t let the pile of silly string on the cover fool you, this stuff is tight and technical. It was tough to follow the critically acclaimed debut, Mirrored, but the amazing drum, guitar, and keyboard compositions which are the core to their music has only become more diverse and interesting. I dare say I much prefer their instrumental music to those with vocals.

Check out their video for the track “Ice Cream”. It really will blow your mind and is extremely visually stimulating, one of the best videos of the year due to that quality:

San Francisco’s The Fresh & Onlys  will be joining Battles on the Terrace. They play their own impressive brand of shimmering pop. Truly not to be missed, get out to the Terrace early! If you need any reason at all, check out this fantastic track and video! Perfect Terrace tunes:

Delicate Steve will be starting the show off at 8 PM, come for him as well! Another great act who you shouldn’t miss. He will dazzle you. Check out what Chuck Klosterman has to say about Delicate Steve.

Delicate Steve

“Steve Marion, a.k.a. Delicate Steve, is not your average 23-year-old musician. His complex tunes flirt with tropicalia, polyrhythms and pop, but the overall instrumental sound is not quite as straightforward. With waves of sound effects and electronics, Delicate Steve’s music is far more dense than it is delicate” -NPR

This is an absolutely unmissable show (an amazing value too), and remember that all 3 of these shows are out on the Terrace and FREE! Rain location is Der Rathskeller for all 3 shows. Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!