*pictured: Shannon Entropy

Going to shows can be stimulating in a social sense. Almost too stimulating, really. There's loud music, drunk people and long bathroom lines, all to be absorbed as the constant hum of numerous conversations drums on in the background. Tonight, though, there's an opportunity to enjoy the best of social show interactions while engaging in some collaborative visual and mental stimulation.

The inaugural Noggin Fest has arrived, mixing interesting art, research and music. Part benefit for NWNoggin, an educational art and neuroscience outreach group, and part birthday celebration for Shannon Entropy member Jesse Hamlin, Noggin Fest features research presentations from Katie Wallin-Miller PhD on the irrational economic behavior of rodents, Binyam Nardos PhD on racially based facial processing and Larry Sherman PhD on repairing damaged brains with stem cells and sugar. There will be art from all sorts artists and photographers, including Heather Hanson, Taylor Southern, Kanani Miyamoto, Showdeer and more, plus musical performances from Shannon Entropy, King Who and Cambrian Explosion. 

Noggin Fest is a 21 and over event, though minors are allowed if accompanied by an adult. It's guaranteed to be an incredibly interesting and interactive experience and for just a $12 ticket price, that's not bad at all.

*photo by John Keel

MOGO Fest wouldn't be a definitive Portland faction without a little bit of psychy garage. Veronica Booking is handing this arena for the festival, with one of her bills being one of our picks for today's festivities. 

On tonight's bill at Dante's, the self proclaimed dancey "trash jewel" output of '60s throwback band The Pynnacles headlines this night of psychedelic pleasantry. This is also somewhat of a "welcome back" show for progressive stoner rock group Cambrian Explosion, who have been on the road for much of February. Rounding out this nod of a classic night is some space rock from LiquidLight, who came out on top in our Best of 2015 readers' poll. 

Dante's is sure to transform into a land of trippy lights, so come prepared to be immersed in impressive soundscapes and colorful visuals. Music starts at 9pm, with tickets running $10.

Back for its second year, the Portland Psych Fest has made good with presenting what's finest in the psych realm along the West Coast. This is exactly what we can expect from this weekened's happenings as well.

Starting tomorrow night and running all day Saturday, Portland Psych Fest features 17 artists and 3 DJs from here all the way down to Mexico, with a couple hailing from Idaho and Chicago. Four artists are slated to represent good ol' PDX, with two performing each night of the fest.

The much adored Jacksoon Boone will be taking the stage Friday along with Zozma, whose witchy psych includes trippy elements pulled from Middle Eastern pop.

Hawkeye's lo-fi indie britpop will surely delight fans of Spiritualized, as their influence can be heard throughout Hawkeye's songs. For a band made up of members of Souvenir Driver and Hollow Sidewalks, the influence makes sense and has only been perfected by the members' all around mastery. 

Portland psych can't really be discussed without mentioning Cambrian Explosion, who even for being in the scene three years have already solidified their place in it. Internal changes within the band haven't hindered them in any sense musically. They'll be on a few slots before headliners Spindrift and will be helping properly close out an intense weekend.

To view the few lineup and purchase tickets, visit the Portland Psych Fest website. Howler opens up the fest at 7:30pm tomorrow, so make sure you come out early.

Walking in to Mississippi Studios last Sunday, it felt like the three band pairing of Cambrian Explosion, Jackson Boone and Wishyunu would be a strange one. Based on their recordings, it appeared that there was very little to tie all the music together aside from the fact that each band identified with psych music in some way. What seemed to be an evening of mismatched artists turned out to be an ideal sampler of all the variations that psych-rock can take. 

Cambrian Explosion played first, their set a dark dreamscape. Members of Cambrian Explosion appeared introspective on stage, incredibly invested in the music, which didn’t leave the audience with much to look at. However, the intricacy and unpredictability of the music gave the audience plenty to focus on: songs exploding surprisingly into sound, heavy distortion, and instruments blended so expertly it was difficult to decipher who was playing which part.  

Playing second was Jackson Boone whose take on psych is both dreamy and jazzy. Their set seemed like a fitting middle-ground between the dark vibes of Cambrian Explosion and the more pop-centric focus of Wishyunu. Jackson Boone’s specialty seems to be creating psych-pop lullabies that develop quietly into full psych-rock cacophony. “Open” was decidedly the most experimental song they played, straying away from the easy rhythms and soft melodies comprising most of their set. The crowd was receptive and seemed more willing to nod their heads along as the night progressed.

Wishyunu’s set started with some technical difficulty, probably in part because the duo is so busy on stage, with Bei Yan filling the role of guitarist, synth-player, and vocalist. As Yan sorted out her issues on stage, dropping in an out of sound, drummer Tony Bertaccini remained solid on the drums, helping the audience stay engaged as they waited. Wishyunu’s songs are progressive, layering beat on top of beat and then dreamily disintegrating melodies into new ones, catchy hooks giving way to unexpected drum fills. The energy of their set was frenetic, unlike Cambrian Explosion or Jackson Boone, their music made your blood move faster, catapulting you forward with them as they played.

Their new single “Photoplay” is a dark electro-pop song that seemed to show a new direction for the band, less ambient than their older songs and more driven. The other song off of their 7-inch, “Summer Suit” was ethereal and focused, especially compared to the older songs they played surrounding their new releases, again proving that Wishyunu has started refining their vision and sound. You can catch them next in Portland on June 21st at the Holocene. 

-Sarah Eaton

Photos by Lena Knofler

Foxy Lemon and Cambrian Explosion, two distinguished bands in the Portland music scene, will release a split Joint EP, on Saturday, March 14th. In support of the release, the two bands headline Kelly's Olympian Saturday night along with Moon By You and Spirit Lake.