Tonight In Music: Ballard Extravaganza feat. The Tea Cozies

The Tea Cozies with Finn Riggins and World’s Greatest Ghosts at The Sunset Tavern | 2/3 | $7 ADV | 9 pm | 21+

The Tea Cozies

For those of you unfortunate enough to have missed the recent emergence of The Tea Cozies, tonight is your chance to get a taste of some seriously fun garage-rock. The band is brimming with catchy riffs and chilled out rock and roll tunes, fitting for both the smallest of house parties and the largest of stadiums. Lucky for you that they are playing at the intimate Sunset Tavern this evening. The show should be loud, the crowd sweaty, and the beer warm but hopefully not too warm or else I’m asking for my money back. I really hate throwing out comparisons for other bands, because I always end up pissing someone off (mainly the band), but The Tea Cozies really remind me of The Breeders, notably for the bubbly lyrics, but with a more surf-inspired guitar sound.

Opening up this show is Portland’s World’s Greatest Ghosts, always a treat to see. I had the good fortune of catching this band do an Audioasis fundraiser at The Sunset last year and they killed it. Each song seems more energetic then the last, and the band rocks out with such enthusiasm that you’d think they were part of the stunned audience.

Noah Gunderson & The Courage with Sea Fever and Pablo Trucker at The Tractor Tavern | 2/3 | $7 ADV | 9 pm | 21+

Pablo Trucker (photo by Rosemary Wagner)

If The Tea Cozies aren’t really your thing, or maybe you’re just not a fan of loud rock shows, then you should head down the street to The Tractor Tavern for what will also be a killer lineup of a slightly more subdued brand of rocker. Headlining tonight is Noah Gunderson & The Courage. Gunderson’s fantastic vocals and relaxing alt-rock songs will surely be something to admire if you manage to hang around the venue late enough to catch his set. The Tractor will be a perfect venue for these talented musicians doing what they do best.

Although I’d highly recommend catching Gunderson’s band, local group Pablo Trucker is opening tonight and will definitely be worth showing up early to catch. The music is in the vein of Pedro the Lion, with a very Bazan-esque lo-fi feel and the dour lyrics to accompany their often dark melodies. Unlike Bazan, though, Pablo Trucker manages to hit that level of rock that seems more closely associated with local acts like The Globes and the now-defunct Don’t Tell Sophie. It’s a real shame that both this lineup and the show at The Sunset are being held on the same night, as there will likely be many fans torn between which venue deserves their hard earned $7.