-By Avril Carrillo

 Helvetia has been a Pacific Northwest gem for some years now. At times experimental, Helvetia's chill take on alternative and indie has been one thoroughly enjoyed since the band's inception back in the mid-2000s, though none of their sounds would have come to light if it weren't for the dissolution of another prevalent group. Helvetia came from Duster drummer Jason Albertini after the band broke up and tonight, he and the rest of Helvetia will be doing a little bit of a tribute to their catalyst act.

Though they've only a couple releases under their belt, Duster's slowcore sound was a fairly important part of the late 90s. Helvetia's set tonight, which will include participation from original Duster member Dove Amber, will include some of Duster's tracks, though it's not entirely confirmed which ones made the cover set cut.

Playing along with Helvetia will be Floating Room's moody shoegaze and the goth-pop of Deathlist. 

It may not seem terribly obvious, but Portland loves basketball. We rep Rip City's team the Blazers to no end and when the suns out, a great deal of Portland residents flock to parks and playgrounds to partake in said blacktop court games. There's one instance in the year that blends two of the city's loves, music and basketball, together. That event is Rigsketball, and they're hosting their kickoff party tonight.

The actual Rigsketball tournament isn't happening yet, but those that head to the Doug Fir tonight will get to peep the premiere of the Rigsketball video, a 30 minute promo video pulling inspiration from old school Sports Center, Yayoi Kusama and WWE episodes. It'll also include clips from 2016's festivities, as well as some specially created ad breaks from the band Heavy Breather.

Rigsketball's kickoff party will also feature performances by Deathlist, Nasalrod and tournament creator Bim Ditson's band And And And. Bands that wish to participate in the Rigsketball tournament this summer have a chance to sign up for early registration at the show, as long as they get there early!

Music starts at 9pm but the premiere of the promo video is at 8:30pm, so be there on time with $5 in hand for the cover. There will even be some extra special announcements before the video screening, for those that want in on some secret info.

With the way the world has been going lately, it's pretty obvious that we're all incredibly tired. That's why this track by Deathlist, "Never Been So Tired," is perfect for these feels. 

From their self titled EP from just over a year ago, "Never Been So Tired" echos a depressive exhaustion collectively felt by many, expressed in a few lines worth of lyrics. "In one life I've never been so tired/In this one life you never get so tired/and words don't make me safe, I want a cheap death/Because in this one life I've never been so tired."

Relevent in every way possible. You can hopefully catch Deathlist play this song along with some new ones from their upcoming full length (due out in April) tonight at the Fixin' To with Sunbathe, Polygris and Bohr, or at the new Know on March 3rd with Hurry Up and Panzer Beat.