On May 1st the Alhambra Theater (formerly Mt. Tabor Theater) will be celebrating their hundredth year as a Portland venue. To commemorate the occasion they are throwing a five day music festival featuring the talent of Red Fang, Y La Bamba, Black Prairie and over a dozen more. For the second day of the festival The Deli Portland and Eleven Magazine worked together to put together a special showcase featuring 8 of the best bands our city has to offer. Social Studies, Hustle and Drone, Glassbones and Pheasant will be sharing the stage in the concert hall while Catherine Feeny, Sama Dams, Summer Cannibals and Jolliff will be gracing the lounge with their phenomenal range of sounds. Get to the Alhambra on Thursday, May 2nd at 7:30pm to take part in the best birthday party of the year for the reasonable price of completely free (seriously). I’ll see you there.  

If you are lucky enough to be at Backspace on March 1st, do yourself a favor: Show up early, grab a beer and get a spot at the front of the crowd because you are going to want to absorb this show in its entirety. Portland natives, Sama Dams, are simply electric on stage. Their avant-rock sound is deeply textured with digital goodness that is rivaled by front man, Sam Adams, haunting and controlled melodies. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing them live this is going to be a good night for you. Sama Dams will be sharing the stage with the upbeat and irreverent Walter Mitty and His Makeshift Orchestra, the pop-tackular hard rocking Tiananmen Bear, and the enchanting Amenta Abioto who weaves African folk music and loops so harmoniously she will get your ears high. Backspace will be alive with some of the best sounds Portland has to offer and all for a $5 cover at the door. - Joy Pearson

Sama Dams have recently launched a kickstarter campaign in order to fund their upcoming full length album. Click here to learn how you can help.