July 12
Funky fete
Holocene hosts a veritable mini-festival, called The Takeover, of funk, soul and hip-hop with this show, which features sophisticated Portland lyricist Champagne Duane backed up by six-piece brass ensemble Free Thought Takeover.
Meanwhile, Dope Kine plays hip-hop, reggae and funk, Murder Vibes plays synth-pop in the spirit of Depeche Mode, and Double B & Laces perform rap and hip-hop. Rounding out the bill is producer Jonny Cool, whos worked with John Legend, Astor Chambers, Kanye West, and Juan Harris, as well DJ Jupiter Williams.
The Takeover, 6 p.m. Sunday, July 12, Holocene, 1001 S.E. Morrison St. $5. Info: 503-239-7639, www.holocene.org.
July 14
Caught you dreaming
L.A. singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell has a lovely on-the-edge-of-husky voice that echoes Karen Carpenter and sounds especially wonderful when she sings about love, its promise, pitfalls and peculiarities. Her music would appeal to fans of the gentler side of Gordon Gano, Lou Reed, PJ Harvey or Tom Waits.
Mandells like that funny girl who all the high school boys took for granted while chasing other girls who disdained them. In the end, the smart guy finally figured out she was the real prize and decided to listen to what she was really saying in between the jokes.
Combining folk, circus rock, jazz, pop and country, Mandell has released several albums since she hit the scene back in the late 1990s, and has made waves with the folk group The Living Sisters, which includes Inara George (half of The Bird and The Bee and daughter of Little Feats Lowell George) and Becky Stark. The trio has released two albums. For the uninitiated, check out Mandells Right Side.
Eleni Mandell, Courtney Marie Andrews, 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N. Mississippi Ave. $12. Info: 503-288-3895, www.mississippistudios.com.
Space is the place
Can you dance to progressive rock? Dopapod certainly thinks so, combining prog rock and classic rock concepts with jazz, metal and other influences all wrapped up in a rolling electronic dance music approach that has earned the band kudos for reinvigorating the jam band scene.
Hailing from Boston originally and now based in New York, Dopapod is Eli Winderman on keyboards, Rob Comba on guitar, Chuck Jones on bass, Scotty Zwang on drums, and Luke Stratton on sounds and lights. You know its a tripindicular band when they include the sound/light guy as a member. Opener Vokab Company is a seven-piece indie electro hip-hop outfit (with a fiddle player) that uses catchy hooks and rhythm-based harmonic vocal delivery to create an alternate take on the MC approach.
Dopapod, Vokab Company, 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 14, Doug Fir, 830 E. Burnside St. $13 in advance, $16 day of show. Info: 503-231-9663, www.dougfirlounge.com.