Shows of the Week: “Dreamin’ Wild” Songwriter Donnie Emerson Returns to Portland

What to see and hear this week.

Donnie Emerson (Dan Faughnder)
By Daniel Bromfield

Saturday, April 19

Donnie Emerson is responsible for one of rock’s greatest lost classics: Dreamin’ Wild, the album of wounded pop soul he released in 1979 with his brother Joe, which took nearly 30 years to get its due (you may have heard its centerpiece “Baby,” especially if you went to a lot of shows or hip bars around 2012-13). These days, he collaborates more with his wife, Nancy Sophia, and they’re bringing their band to Portland with support from local swamp-rock ensemble/possible cult Family Worship Center. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 8 pm. $26.05. 21+.

Sunday, April 20

Remember the scene in the original 1940 Pinocchio that carries us across the sea floor, with all its colorful denizens? That’s the impression Japan’s Ichiko Aoba creates in her music: a surfeit of pelagic beauty, inspired by her free-diving habit and drawing from the sound of the most opulent hippie-era psych folk. Though her breakthrough Windswept Adan trilled with all kinds of orchestration, her new album, Luminescent Creatures, proves her music’s twinkling mystery can thrive even in a more stripped-down context. Revolution Hall, 300 SE Stark St. 7 pm. $50.17. 21+.

Monday, April 21

If you’re of a certain age and heavily invested in power pop, pop punk and emo, there’s a good chance you consider Cloud Nothings one of the best bands of their time. Founded in 2009 by a scarily talented Cleveland teen named Dylan Baldi, the band rapidly morphed into a inexhaustibly hooky post-hardcore beast. Though they’re usually light on weirdness and long on craft, last year’s Final Summer has a loose vibe and openness to experimentation that bodes promising things for this rising institution. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave. 8 pm. $35.49. All ages.

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