Even though Portland hip hop troupe the Lifesavas has only released two albums in the past six years, those two records were good enough to cement these guys’ status as some of the most innovative purveyors of rhyme, not just in the Pacific Northwest, but in the entire country. Like their labelmates Blackalicious, the Lifesavas—Vursatyl, Jumbo the Garbageman and DJ Shines— combine sharp witted-rhymes spat in unusual cadences and musically diverse production that’s sometimes unorthodox, but never, ever boring. In fact, it was Blackalicious’ Chief Xcel who discovered the group and offered the Lifesavas their current record deal on Quannum. Unfortunately, if the gap between 2003’s Spirit In Stone and 2007’s Gutterfly is any indication, it may be a while before the Lifesavas release another record; that said, whenever that elusive third release does drop, it’ll more than make up for a couple years’ worth of lag time.

Sat., April 4, 9 p.m., 2009