Pitchfork

Photos by Nilina Mason-Campbell

The first of two homegrown headline bands to take the stage Friday night at Portland's Cleveland High School auditorium-- as a part of a benefit to raise funds for music programs in Portland public schools (which, to maximize the geographical confusion, was organized by student government at PDX's Lincoln High School)-- Menomena played a rousing set, alternating between laptops and live instrumentation-- including that signature saxophone.

The Thermals closed out the evening, entering with a "Good evening, Cleveland!"-- the irony seemingly lost on the majority of the predominantly teenage crowd. Keeping things PC, they performed tracks from a set list that stretched over two taped together sheets of paper and spanned much of their catalog.

The bands then mingled with students, faculty, and other concert-goers in the hallways of the high school to cap off a unique, slightly surreal, one-off charity night.

The Thermals hit up ATP vs. the Fans this weekend to kick off a hefty overseas trek, while Menomena's summer escapades have them romping across the U.S. and Canada, destination: the Pitchfork Music Festival.

THE THERMALS




MENOMENA






BONUS: THE THERMALS REFLECT ON THEIR HIGH SCHOOL YEARS


Thermals:

05-18 Minehead, England - Butlins Holiday Centre (ATP vs. the Fans)
05-21 Keele, England - Keele University *
05-22 Kingston-Upon-Hull, England - The Adelphi Club
05-23 Newcastle, England - Newcastle University *
05-24 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowlands *
05-25 Liverpool, England - Carling Academy *
05-27 Nottingham, England - Dot to Dot Festival
05-28 Manchester, England - Ritz *
05-29 London, England - Astoria *
05-30 Brighton, England - Oceam Rooms
05-31 Newport, England - Le Pub
06-05 Bristol, England - Carling Academy *
06-06 Portsmouth, England - Pyramids *
06-07 Wolverhampton, England - Wulfrun Hall *
06-08 Manchester, England - Islington Mill
06-09 Leeds, England - University of Leeds *
06-10 London, England - Water Rats
07-07 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-08 Flensburg, Germany - Volksbad
07-09 Dortmund, Germany - FZW
07-10 Bremen, Germany - Lagerhaus
07-13 Gräfenhainchen, Germany - Melt! Festival
07-14 Herk-de-Stad, Belgium - Rock Herk Festival
07-15 Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
07-17 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
07-19 Tromso, Norway - Buktafestivalen
07-20 Tonsberg, Norway - Slottfjellsfestivalen
07-21 Rüsselsheim, Germany - Phono Pop Festival
07-27 Chicago, IL - Subterranean

* with the Cribs

Menomena:

06-01 Seattle, WA - Neumos
06-02 Vancouver, British Columbia - Red Room
06-06 Eugene, OR - WOW Hall *
06-07 Sacramento, CA - Blue Lamp *
06-08 San Francisco, CA - The Independent *
06-10 Visalia, CA - Cellar Door *
06-12 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour *
06-13 Pomona, CA - Glass House *
06-14 San Diego, CA - Casbah *
06-15 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture Gallery *
06-16 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse *
06-19 Austin, TX - The Parish *
06-20 Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington *
06-21 Dallas, TX - Granada *
06-22 Lawrence, KS - The Bottleneck *
06-23 Omaha, NE - Waiting Room *
07-13 New York, NY - Seaport Music Festival
07-15 Chicago, IL - Union Park (Pitchfork Music Festival) #
07-22 Troutdale, OR - Edgefield ^

* with All Smiles
# with Stephen Malkmus, De La Soul, the New Pornographers, Of Montreal, Jamie Lidell, the Sea and Cake, Klaxons, the Ponys, Deerhunter, Nomo, Craig Taborn's Junk Magic, Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra
^ with the Decemberists