You know how there are some people when you are around them you suddenly feel underdressed and drab? That is how I feel around local singer/DJ Cheetah Finess.

She radiates style, confidence and a huge glowing smile. And if being gorgeous wasn’t enough, the girl has mad skillz. She single handedly does the synth/segmentor/samples/vocals and keys for her own one-woman show. A mix of hip-hop beats, experimental grooves, girlie vocals and a slew of electronics, makes Miss Finess more than a DJ and makes her music hella fun to dance to.

Her songs “Quit It” and “The Hue is You” make you want to slap on some leg warmers, a headband and work out some aggression on the dance floor. Reenact your own Flashdance scene tonight with Cheetah Fitness (I mean Finess) at 8 p.m. at The Parlour on 2628 SE Powell. $4.

My advice is to keep an eye on your man!

- Denna Uutela

There's a cool cheap show tonight at Dunes, one of Portland's void-of-sign hipster hideouts nestled in the industrial area of NE not far from the Wonder Ballroom.

Fake Drugs has two members from Pyramiddd (formerly Starfucker), Keil Corcoran and Shawn Glassford, as well as Ian Anderson of Guidance Counselor. The trio produce fuzzy and dark electro/disco jams that I can see fitting nicely into the dark corners of the stage at the venue.

Tunnels is fronted and ended by Nicholas Bindeman who produces and plays his own breed of dirty and electro-pop. I expect these two artists to complete the bill nicely.

Kick back a couple of cold ones, and don't be to surprised if after a couple more the head-nods evolve to dance-party status.

Check out the above live vid of Fake Drugs. The audio is tolerable, though not perfect, but you'll still get the idea. 

 - Joel Sommer

My friend turned me on to Bombs Into You a couple of years ago. I remember thinking at the time that this Portland band had a unique electro sound, and an enormous amount of potential; but as a music reviewer, it's easy to let bands slip from your mind as you move on to the next review. That is why I am so excited to cross paths with them once again and to see that they are not only living up to their potential, but that they have exceeded my expectations with their album Metaphorically Yours (Vol. 2).

There are some bands that you only have to hear once and you are in love. Bombs’ music gives me that same teenage crush feeling I got when I first heard The Cure. They make me nostalgic for the '80s new wave sound, but happy that they have brought that sound into the 21st century.

A combination of electro-savvy tunes on one track and raw, organic mixes and catchy upbeat chorus lines on another make these guys an explosive force, and my new favorite Portland band. As good as they sound blaring out of my laptop, Bombs’ music is best heard live. I picture them playing in a darkly lit club, where everyone would be smoking (if Portland didn’t have that fabulous no-smoking-in-bars law), and androgynous showgoers would be jumping around to Bombs’ mind-blowing beats.

A place, perhaps, like Dunes (1905 NE MLK Blvd.) on March 6th at 9 p.m. with Amber Voltaire and Post Harbor.

- Deanna Uutela

The organizers of the Tech Mashup Party have selected the 3 artists that will play at their show in Austin during SXSW. The lucky ones are LA alt rock band Voxhaul Broadcast (in the picture), Austin indie rockers Red Leaves, and NYC singer Songwriter Dion Roy - congrats to them and thanks to all the bands that submitted through The Deli!

2010 is shaping up to be a good year for Blue Horns. In fact, as far as I can tell, they've played somewhere around 1,000 shows since January. This is in no small part thanks to the boatloads of talent these fellows possess.

It's no surprise that the wild, stylish sound of Blue Horns has become so popular in a city where hipsters strive to look like lumberjacks and you're as likely to party in nature as you are in a nightclub. They make the kind of music that should have accompanied Max Records on the big screen if Max had a leather jacket on and Karen O wasn't so literal in her translation of "Wild Thing."

The band brings a teenage energy to the music, without letting it become angsty or obnoxious. Their talent lies not just in making raucous, joyous sounds, but in knowing where to bring them back and tone them down before they lose sight of the song. Nowhere is this surprising restraint more obvious than in their new single "Daughters," available on their MySpace page.

Not only can you finally hear what Park is singing, but the sound in general has mellowed and matured. Needless to say you should probably check it out, and if their recent schedule is any indication you will have plenty of chances to.

- Emilie Clark