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  "path": "/mercury-music-picks/2026/03/18/48387160/mercury-music-picks-bijoux-cones-homecoming-and-canadian-piss-and-brazils-sessa-are-in-town",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-18T21:30:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.portlandmercury.com",
  "tags": [
    "Mercury Music Picks",
    "Music",
    "Calendar",
    "more info here",
    "the Seattle Stranger’s love letter to Mt. Fog",
    "friends of the Mercury",
    "the Mercury’s review of La Isla Electronica’s EP",
    "I am a new convert to the cult of Pickathon",
    "flyerescape.dad",
    "Trigger Object",
    "Trash Report column",
    "announced via Instagram",
    "our initial writeup of the festival",
    "SSNW's website",
    "Spin Cycle",
    "the first Spin Cycle"
  ],
  "textContent": "Plus Portland Music News and New Music Portland!\n\nby Nolan Parker\n\nWow y’all, who was at Mavis Staples over the weekend? The diva—at 86 years young—is still a firecracker on stage, doing little dances and hitting her notes better than any imitators could ever dream. A heartfelt congratulations to the Portland Jazz Festival for holding it all the way down again in 2026. Looking forward to next year!\n\nAnd Jesus Christ Portland, loosen up! We were watching one of the last of her kind absolutely belt it in one of Portland’s finest houses at a sold out show, and the entire audience was stiff as boards (excluding one twink beautifully letting themself express joy). The show was seated and the audience was largely white, yes, but come on! Move your hips, bob your head, for God’s sake join me!\n\nClipping. played Wonder a few weeks back and the same deal. At one point, frontman Daveed Diggs—right before one of the hip-hop trio’s hardest tracks—said, “Alright Portland, it’s now or never,” to which the sedate crowd barely reacted. Clipping. ruled, but the audience was _50 Shades of Milquetoast_.\n\nPortland is internationally known for being a tough room to work (just ask The Hives’ lead singer Pelle Almqvist). Let’s change that reputation! Let’s become a city touring bands are dying to play and a hometown artists are proud to represent—a better future is possible… now!\n\nGet into it, Portland. Let yourself feel and express joy. You are allowed to take up space. You are allowed to dance! Shit is so rugged right now, let’s get with it! Love and community and joy are all right there if you want it.\n\nThursday, March 19 Bijoux Cone / Starly Kind / Lucia Luna / Kye Alive\n\n_For fans of Surgery Season, Kim Gordon, Sada Bonaire_\n\nBack from a Brazil tour and right before heading out to play Europe with Gossip, Bijoux Cone is in Portland for a hometown show. If that’s not enough, 1) Yes it is, and 2) Bijoux has a new single. You know her and you love her for the benzo-pop anthem “Don’t,” but have you been holding yourself back from “Don’t Hold Back”? Well, don’t. The track continues Bijoux’s stoned musings and absolutely addresses the sentiments of this column’s intro. Noise-pop princesses and princes and jesters open the homecoming ceremonies in the form of Starly Kind, Lucia Luna, and Kye Alive—Kye being the multidisciplinary jester behind Club Alive! and Special Interest. _(Mississippi Studios, 8 pm, more info here, 21+)_\n\n__\n\nRose Colored Moon: An Evening Tribute to Elliott Smith in Film and Music\n\n _For fans of Kurt Cobain, troubled '90s boys, that one scene in_ The Royal Tenenbaums\n\nHere’s my pitch: Elliott Smith’s song “Rose Parade” should be declared Portland’s official anthem. Smith’s soft spoken authenticity and tragically endearing songs grew straight from the mossy cracks of Portland sidewalks in the '90s, and his influence on music and the history of our city is still felt today. This special night honoring one of Stumptown’s favorite sons screens two rarely seen short films that feature him—Steve Hanft’s _Strange Parallel_ and Jem Cohen’s _Lucky Three_ —and invites a slew of Smith’s pals and collaborators to speak on his legacy. _(Tomorrow Theater, 7 pm, more info here, all ages)_ **BRI BREY\n**\n\n****\n\nFriday, March 20 The Parson Red Heads / Spooky Mountain / Michael Rowan ft. Luke Beckel\n\n _For fans of Lee Hazelwood, Hannah Glavor, Matt Dorrien_\n\nAfter their fabulous return to the stage late last year, The Parson Red Heads are back again, this time playing as part of the resurgence of live music happening at Bunk Bar as of late. In the wake of so many venues shuttering, it’s lifegiving to see shows in a space no one thought would be used for music again. The Parsons’ updated take on indie-folk is refreshing in times such as these, a perfect accompaniment to the changing seasons from winter to spring. And, if literal members of this very real band are to be believed, there is an EP or possibly an album in the works—the band’s first in six years. _(Bunk Bar, 8 pm, more info here, 21+)_\n\n__\n\nSaturday, March 21 Mt Fog / Iroiro / Rayon\n\n _For fans of Kate Bush, Yoko Ono, Lithics_\n\nFriends from the north country, Mt Fog enjoy the extremely rare distinction of being compared to Björk… and _deserving_ the accolade. The vocals on their new album _Every Stone is Green_ are delivered in that hushed whisper-sung vocal styling Björk really leaned into on her 1990 foray into jazz, _Gling-Gló_. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery they say, but the band is more than that, they’re a conscious mycelial network, or so _they_ say. _(The Six, 8:30 pm, more info here, 21+)_\n\n**Related: Read our sister publication, the Seattle Stranger’s love letter to Mt. Fog.**\n\nPiss / Nonbinary Girlfriend / Hound / Starly Kind\n\n_For fans of Necking, Gouge Away, Cerce_\n\nNot to be confused with Berlin’s Pisse, Vancouver, BC’s Piss ain’t interested in playing nice. They’re tired of that bullshit. They’re tired of men and bosses and “the system” and the bloated sexualization of women. All they’ve got online is their _three demos_ EP and that’s all you need to hear to understand what Piss is about and what they’re gonna do about it. Rounding out the bill are a trio of Portland’s uncontested champs: NBGF (friends of Piss, friends of the Mercury), Hound (ruff ruff mother fucker), and Starly Kind (who have killed Kill Michael, and now wear their skin as suits). _(High Limit Room, 7 pm, more info here, all ages)_\n\n__\n\nPuerta Negra / La Isla Electronica / DJ 666 Ways to Die\n\n _For fans of Heterofobia, Dark Chisme,_ Killed By Death Rock\n\nIt’s been a minute since we’ve gotten new music from Portland’s premiere goth-dark wave-post-punk-death rockers Puerta Negra. Good thing their two-album catalog rips. The Spanish-language duo is heavy beyond mortal comprehension—Puerta Negra, if you’re reading this, please release new music soon! Speaking of new music, La Isla Electronica is slated to release their debut album this year. The two bands are a perfect tandem—LIE’s post-punk pit will inevitably melt into the floor-filler dance party Puerta Negra always delivers. _(Black Water, 7 pm, more info here, 21+)_\n\n**Related: Read the Mercury’s review of La Isla Electronica’s EP from last year.**\n\n****\n\nMonday, March 23 Machine Girl / Sextile / LustSickPuppy\n\n _For fans of Femtanyl, Miss Luxury, Cyberplasm_\n\nIDK what it is but gabber has never been my thing, but hardcore—both digital and otherwise—deeply is. New York’s Machine Girl is the chaotic good flower being pollinated by so many different genres it’s hard to describe (and sometimes listen to). But a flower with such a potent scent must be smelt live in person. Do you like house, jungle, DNB, garage, UK hardcore, hardcore, collage, harsh noise, Y2K rave, or hard tech? Well great, you’ll find something to love in machin3gir1. _(Crystal Ballroom, 8:30 pm, more info here, all ages)_\n\n__\n\nTuesday, March 24 Sessa / William Alexander\n\n _For fans of Marcos Valle, João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim_\n\nThough I am a new convert to the cult of Pickathon, I am of the firm belief that São Paulo’s Sessa would glide through his two Pendarvis sets with that tropicália cool until now only reserved for the 1960s and ’70s originators of the form. And though I unfortunately don’t speak Portuguese, his new album _Pequena Vertigem de Amor_ is a shimmery-smooth texture of Brazilian jazz, samba, bossanova, and more, ushering us into spring and into love. _(Showdown Saloon, 8 pm, more info here, 21+)_\n\n__\n\n**_Also very worth it…_**\n\n**Beni Fest** at High Limit Room and Ethos Music Center - _March 19 and 20, more info here_\n\n**_Nosferatu_ live-scored by MLTZR** at Mission Theater - _March 20, more info here_\n\n**Nothing in-store** at Music Millennium - _March 21, FREE, more info here_\n\n**Nothing / Full Body 2 / Cryogeyser / Violent Magic Orchestra** at Revolution Hall - _March 21, more info here_\n\n**Railing / Whisper Hiss / Chained Heat** at Alleyway - _March 21, more info here_\n\n**White Reaper / Drug Church / Spy / Death Lens** at Aladdin Theater - _March 24, more info here_\n\nNew Music Portland:\n\nNew Music Portland has become such a force that it’s getting the breakout treatment! I’ll be compiling new releases from the region for an irregular _New Music Portland_ column. Send me all your new singles, music videos, EPs, LPs, V/A projects, live videos, tour diaries, etc. Once I’ve got a good number of releases, _New Music Portland_ will hit digital stands everywhere!\n\nPortland Music News:\n\nDue to last week’s atmo-river, Cement Studios has flooded, causing many thousands of dollars in damage. The popular practice and studio space is home to numerous bands and artists in the Portland area, including Alien Boy, Sunbathe, Trash Treasury Studios, and more. The _Mercury_ has reached out for comment from the Studios and is waiting reply.\n\nTrying or would love to get off social media but don’t know where to turn for music happenings in Portland and beyond? Me too, until now. Recently I was turned on to flyerescape.dad, are you familiar? Run by Vern Avola—AKA Trigger Object, Grilka, Roadhog Bitch, Messy Spaghetti—flyerescape.dad is kind of like Government Palace, PC PDX, and Freak Scene all rolled into one. AND NOT ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Thank Christ something of this ilk has popped up, holding it down outside the realm of the social cuck lords.\n\nComing in hot with a stacked lineup for a new SXSW-style Portland festival in 2026 is Soundscape Northwest. Almost immediately rumors started flying about the forthrightness of the festival and its organizers. While the _Mercury_ doesn’t trade in gossip—unless we’re talking about Elinor Jones’ fabulous Trash Report column—we do deal in news, and the latest SSNW news, announced via Instagram, is that the festival is being pushed back and scaled down. Initially scheduled to take place April 27 to May 2, the festival is now slated for September 2 to September 5, 2026. Read our initial writeup of the festival and check SSNW's website for more details.\n\n****There’s so much incredible music coming out of Portland right now it’s hard to keep up with, let alone keep tabs on all the fabulous records dropping outside our great biosphere. Being the problem-solvers we are, we’ve enlisted longtime _Mercury_ writer Ryan Prado to launch a new album review column! Launching last week, coming at you every other Friday, Spin Cycle reviews three new releases every two weeks: one local, and two of whatever Ryan wants! Expect anniversary albums, cutty underground drops, and chart-topping pop bangers. Check the first Spin Cycle and keep a good eye on that space.",
  "title": "Mercury Music Picks: Bijoux Cone's Homecoming, and Canadian Piss and Brazil's Sessa Are in Town"
}