It's pretty decent outside right now, but the feelings Souvenir Driver's latest video for "Sunsets" gives are much more lovely.

A dazed visual entry of a tour diary recounting a day gone awry, "Sunsets" follows the band on an adventurous journey following the breakdown of their video vehicle. The band then have some unexpected encounters at a small town dive bar, where the band actually used real locals and regulars from the location. It's a story of compassion among strangers and offers a bit more beauty we could all definitely use right about now.

See Souvenir Driver perform "Sunsets" and the rest of the songs from their recent, self-titled release tonight at the Fixin' To with Leading Psychics and the Verner Pantons.

Big news for all you paisley-wearing, ‘60s-loving, long-locked garage-psych fanatics: now you don’t have to travel all the way to Austin, Texas for the psych festival of your dreams. Introducing, A Beautiful Thing: Portland Happening and Psych Fest, including The Sellwoods, The Verner Pantons, The Mirrors, The Dandelyons, and The Pynnacles--the best plural noun pop acts this grand city has to offer. All right, so the Portland rendition of Psych Fest is technically not curated by The Black Angels and doesn’t feature an international spectrum of psychedelic rock bands, but the the festival that we know and drool over each year started from the same humble beginnings.

The magic is happening August 9, 9pm at The Analog Cafe & DRD Records Theater (720 SE Hawthorne). Starting the night off will be The Sellwoods, the distinctly more punk-inclined band of the lineup, who will drop fuzz bombs into your ear canals with their snotty garage rippers. Later on, The Dandelyons will melt away your woes with their beachy flower-pop. Each tune begs for your feet to do the Twist and your hands to clap to the beat. At the end of the night, The Pynnacles will induce a 13th Floor Elevators-laced trip with psychedelic keyboard textures, reverb-smothered guitar, and frontman Sean Croghan’s hoarse soulful vocals.

Come be a part of this Beautiful Thing and it may end up Happening again.

- Bryce Woodcock

Photo of The Pynnacles by John Keel

Resurrection Records is showcasing three of their forthcoming VIBs at a FREE show this Sunday July 6 at Rontoms. And get this: the first 20 people on the patio get a free Resurrection release.

As if you need more convincing, the actual bands performing will ensure the quality of the night. We got The Verner Pantons, a 60s influenced bubble-gum psych pop outfit whose jangly, candy-sweet guitar hooks will get your feet tapping and heart swelling. They keep their The Byrds influence on their sleeves and aren’t above a G-C-D chord progression, but I’ll be gosh danged if they don’t seamlessly slip into the pocket and add a spunky flair of their own to boot. Lunch are one of the premiere Portland post-punk bands, venturing into darker sounding, hard-edged musical stylings. Their driving Wipers and deathrock influenced brand of punk will get you out of your seat, wired and ready to shake your head around. Jollapin Jasper are another garage-psych band conducive to The Verner Pantons’s sound, but a little heavier on the psych aspect. Where The VPs funnel their creativity into sunshiney melodies, Jollapin Jasper channels their energy into fashioning more spacey hooks akin to Au Dunes or Still Caves.

- Bryce Woodcock

Among selfies, teenage twerking and insincere social networking, there's authenticity left in modern day culture. On March 16th,  The Verner Pantons will be performing at Valentines with The Cry and Chantrelles (members of Modern Kin and Tiger House). The Verner Pantons have been creating engaging rock n roll since 2010, with generous influence from  60s pop art and the underground. Their recordings present clean and flowery lullabies, but their live performance asserts rowdiness and far more energy than what could be experienced without the band members standing right in front of you. Stand-out single "Melancholy Girl" could easily entice the aforementioned twerking teenagers while simultaneously charming your sweet grandma. Bands with that type of power demand attention and this show demands your attendance. This show will also serve as the record release party for The Cry's newest album Dangerous Game. - Colette Pomerleau

The Verner Pantons play with a style that’s rooted in ‘60s psychedelia, venturing through fluid compositions to make the sonic splashes that can be heard on their debut EP, Melancholy Girl. Each song on the release has a different flavor; from the reverberating hooks complemented by driving beats on the title track to the surfy lead lines and lo-fi spanish vocals on the closing track, “Dejame”. The EP is well worth a few listens, as would be catching these guys live at Club 21 this weekend for a free show with Psychomagic and Hollow Sidewalks. Be there for a most  rocking psychedelic party. - Benjamin Toledo