Maybe some of you knew it was coming and maybe some of you didn't. Either way, our punk scene is about to lose one of its active and integral collection of members. As of Friday, we'll be saying goodbye to local melodic punks Steel Chains.

They dropped their demo tracks just a little over two years ago and an EP not too long after, instantly making them favorites without fault. Steel Chains render a more harmonious version of traditional punk, using a post-like execution of catchy, quickly paced riffs. On top of their talent they were also just enjoyable to see perform overall, so it's really quite the bummer to see them go.

Join Steel Chains for their last performance Friday at The Know with Macho Boys, Mr. Wrong and Petite. Every bit of the show's $7 cover will be donated to the Trans Lifeline, so they're going out on a charitable bang to boot.

Deli Portlanders,

It's been a months long road in the process of nominating and voting on who all of you feel are the city's best musicians for the year. After thinking back on all the shows played and albums released from 2016, we've finally got a solid list of Portland's finest. Take a gander at who you all fell for (and just how much you fell for them), while also showing some love to yourselves and the lovely jurors that participated.

Thanks to our jurors: Linneas Boland-Godbey (Next Northwest), Aaron Sharpsteen (Photographer), Tony Prato (Bunk Bar), Duffy Rongiiland (Gnar Tapes), Rob Cullivan (Portland Tribune), Leigh Belacic (PDX Pop Now), Jeni Wren Stottrup (Gritty Birds Podcast), Annie Ostrowski (Riot Act Media), Blake Hickman (Good Cheer Records), Clifford Prince King (Photographer), Mo Troper (Impose Magazine/Portland Mercury), Chad Davis (Musician), Jordan Stamm (Drunk Dial Records), Hunter Skowron (Dazzleships Records), Todd Walberg (Photographer), Yousef Hatlani (Faces on the Radio), Corbin Corbinn (Crush House/Photographer), and Andrew Olson (dr0ne PR).

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of what you all have been waiting for...

Lithics

Lithics exude mystery. From their experimental punk drone to their intentional lack of an internet presence, they're the band you may not have known existed until you saw them accidentally. They've been coasting in Portland's formerly under-appreciated but always DIY post/art punk scene for almost three years now with just two releases under their belt. Their three track, self-titled tape from 2015 gave us a taste, but it was their 2016 release Borrowed Floors that helped propel them into being Portland's best band of the year.

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2. Cat Hoch

This isn't the first success Cat Hoch and her band have experienced with the Deli. She came out on top entirely in 2015, when she was voted the Best Emerging Artist of that year and was the readers' choice for best in shoegaze and psych rock for this year. From opening up for Ride to commanding even bigger stages, Cat Hoch and her talented group of musicians aren't stopping anytime soon.

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3. Abronia

Ambiently soft yet broodingly heavy, Abronia have expanded their lineup to match their beautifully atmospheric and expansive sound. Our overall pick for best in electronic and experimental and perfect for moments of mental reflection (but easy to enjoy in damn near every other scenario), Abronia's dominanation of the experimental side of the poll makes total sense, and we can't wait to hear new releases from them.

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4. Ice Queens (Alt Rock/Metal, 7pts)

5. Fur Coats (Hip Hop/R&B, 6pts)

6. The Toads (Indie Rock/Post-Punk, 6pts)

7. Mr. Wrong (Punk/Garage, 6pts)

8. Shrine of the Serpent (Alt Rock/Metal, 5.5pts)

9. A Volcano (Alt Rock/Metal, 5pts)

10. dolphin midwives (Electronic/Experimental, 5pts)

11. Gold Casio (Electronic/Experimental, 5pts)

12. Chanti Darling (Hip Hop/R&B, 5pts)

13. Lola Buzzkill (Hip Hop/R&B, 5pts)

14. Laura Palmer's Death Parade (Psych/Shoegaze, 5pts)

15. Wave Action (Punk/Garage, 5pts)

16. Donte Thomas (Hip Hop/R&B, 4pts)

17. Little Star (Indie Pop, 4pts)

18. Candace (Psych/Shoegaze, 4pts)

19. Zozma (Psych/Shoegaze, 4pts)

20. On drugs (Punk/Garage, 4pts)

21. James Curry IV (Electronic/Experimental, 3.5pts)

22. Mini Blinds (Indie Pop, 3.5pts)

One of our largest polls yet has set so many great bands (and many of them, friends with one another) against each other in a fun battle to figure out the best in punk and garage for the 2017 year. After tallying up the votes, we've got your top two picks from the readers' poll and the overall (jurors' and readers') poll, so let's say a big congrats to:

Mr. Wrong

At barely a year or so old, the fierce power that comes from Mr. Wrong is undeniable. They scored the highest in our anonymous juror poll and if you've ever heard or seen them dish out their riot grrrl redux flavor then it all makes total sense. So far, we've only got their Distraction demo to enjoy along with their live sets, but hopefully we'll be seeing more from this collection of lovelies soon.

Wave Action

Second in line for our jurors' picks is Wave Action, whose relentless devotion to taking the stage has quickly garnered them much attention. If anything, they could go down in Portland's 2016 yearbook as "Band that Played the Most Shows," but there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, since they've got their hazy surf down pat. 

On drugs

With probably one of the best, straight to the point band names in town currently, On drugs embody what just about all of us Portlanders are all about - chillin' out, partaking in a substance or two, and listening to good music. They're gearing up to release their debut full length and from what we and the rest of you have seen of them, it's no wonder their weed rock was the top choice amongst our readers.

G*U*N

Everything about G*U*N, from their wild stage presence to their unapologetic in your face-ness, make them the perfect poster children for the modern hardcore punk movement. It might be hard to make out exactly what is conveyed through their savage screams, but what is known is how good their approach to the genre is.

Those these four took over our charts, much acknowledgement needs to be given to all of our participants!

	Dim Wit		7%	82 votes
	Macho Boys		6%	69 votes
	G*U*N		19%	208 votes
	EBT BBQ		5%	53 votes
	Kulululu		10%	109 votes
	Mr. Wrong		3%	36 votes
	Melt		3%	36 votes
	San Lorenzo		0%	6 votes
	Rambush		8%	94 votes
	On drugs		27%	288 votes
	The Goobs		4%	42 votes
	Wave Action		2%	26 votes

Dream punks Backbiter are leaving for an East Coast tour next week and with their tour kickoff show TONIGHT (along with Seattle's Vats, Mr. Wrong and Mini Blinds at the High Water Mark), tonight's Saturday Night Sounds is in celebration of them.

It's hard to choose just one track from Fvck the Bozos, so here's all of them. The six tracks blast right by you quickly, each with a runtime under two minutes, so feel free to play it on repeat to get your fill.

Hopefully we'll see more from Backbiter soon, but until then, good luck on your East Coast tour and with Plan-it-X Fest!