Mufassa is not dead!! At least for tonight, Portland's soulful garage rock band is alive once more. However we can’t undo the wildebeest stampede from The Lion King, as much as we might like to.

Don’t miss out on this delightfully unexpected Mufassa reunion show at Kelly’s Olympian. If you’ve seen them before you know this is going to be a monster of a set. If you haven’t...well, it’s going to be a monster of a set! Think classic rock meets psych, done in a dirty basement by total beefed out dudes. Reminiscent to the smooth sounds of King Kahn, these boys croon. Check out the song “Tyrone” from their 2014 debut album Pride, then listen to the next track, “Down,” for a totally different side of their musical spectrum. Mufassa had been making quite a name for themselves over the past couple years before taking an indefinite hiatus after their lightning-fingered bassist Stephen Moore ran off to architecture school in San Francisco. Moore heads back to sunny California tomorrow, so don't hold your breath for more opportunities to catch this band again anytime soon.

Also playing tonight are stoney psych-shredders Cambrian Explosion and new guys, Lightning Rules. All brought to you by Jeremiah from Eyez Front booking.

- Chandler Strutz

Photo by Todd Walberg

There's an unnecessary push to party sometimes. During certain holidays, people expect you to GET OUT THERE and UNLEASH THE BEAST. Well, now there's an appropriate reason to do both of those things at the very least this upcoming weekend.

Sometimes we are offered glimpses into what Portland, Oregon used to be. These fleeting moments are often brought back through people born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Jackson Boone fits all of the above and is ready to share his perception via his newest album, Starlit. 

Despite the arguably volatile conditions that have developed around the Portland music community as of late – hyper increased development in inner urban areas displacing low-income artist types and forcing venues to close; increased noise curfew enforcement; obtusely racist police interference with hip hop shows – there is still one beautiful, unalienable force that is overflowing throughout our tired and artistic collective: FRIENDSHIP.

PALS FEST 2014, taking place August 9th through 15th, is the perfect celebration of the friendship that ties together Portland’s musical community, and back for the festival's third year, the lineup couldn’t include any better best-bud-bands. This year, the celebration offers seven crazy nights of music, each at a different venue across town and curated by different local tastemakers, and all free or $5 entry. However, if you’re like most day-job slaving humanoids and don’t have the stamina to take in seven nights of live music in a row, here is our abridged list of shows you probably don’t want to miss:

On June 7th, Noble Firs will release their fourth EP since just 2013. Opening title track "Floating Fortress" is a warm, dancy pop number that gives playfull nods to the ofttimes drabness of reality - I'll likely never own a vacation home in the woods with a big ass tv, and my college debt isn't going to take care of itself. Immediately following, "Elephant Suit" boasts  verbed-out surfy guitar riffs suitable for a summer day on the beach. "Arcane Books" is a strong indy rock number number with powerful drums, harmonizing vocal melodies and a twangy guitar solo finale.

Join in the celebration this Saturday at the Firkin Tavern as Noble Firs release Floating Fortress. Sharing the stage with them are local favorites and friends of the Deli Portland, Hands In, Psychomagic and Cambrian Explosion. The show begins at 9pm and is free, so you'll have more money for tall boys and band merch.   

- Travis Leipzig