Dear Sugar Radio: The Writers Resist
When it comes to the podcast advice racket, you can't do better than Dear Sugar's good cop-bad cop duo Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond. They're essential listening for anyone invested in becoming less of an asshole. This special live episode benefits human rights and the environment, and features writers opposed to the Trump doctrine. Go. It'll make you feel better. MEGAN BURBANK
6 pm, Aladdin Theater, $30, all ages

Dear Nora, Stephen Steinbrink, Dragging an Ox Through Water
XRAY and Turn! Turn! Turn! present a rare hometown performance from musician and songwriter Katy Davidson and her influential and beloved indie pop project, Dear Nora.
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!

Susan DeFreitas
From Jonathan Franzen to small press titles, activist lit is having a moment right now, but Susan DeFreitas’ debut novel gets it right. While an author like Franzen might make bemusingly unexamined digs at his squatters and freegans, DeFreitas depicts social agitation as, really, what it is: a gradual, infuriating, complex effort performed by smart, dedicated, flawed humans to varying degrees of commitment and success. Hot Season’s world of political activism is one in which there are no shortcuts, and nobody is a hero. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books

King: A Filmed Record—From Montgomery to Memphis
A digital restoration of Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1970 documentary, using testimonials from well-known supporters (including James Earl Jones, Ruby Dee, and Paul Newman) to supplement the mountain of archival footage tracing the man’s arc from regional activist in the ’50s to leader of the Civil Rights movement in 1968.
7 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $9

Chrome, Soriah, Death of the West
Chrome was one of the most terrifying acts to emerge from the post-punk era. Formed in 1975 by the beautifully named duo of Damon Edge and Helios Creed, the group boiled together the dark side of psychedelia, the fury of punk, and the strange delights of analog synthesizers and tape music. The resulting soup, as heard on albums like 1977’s Alien Soundtracks and 1980’s Red Exposure, was black, viscous, and hallucinogenic. Chrome has since gone through various permutations, with Edge leading the charge through the ’80s and ’90s, up until his death in 1995. The mantle was quickly assumed by Creed, who has kept the spirit of the band alive through his solo work and new Chrome recordings, including the sexy beast that is 2014’s Feel It Like a Scientist, which sounds as sinister and intoxicating as ever. ROBERT HAM
9 pm, Star Theater, $12

Secret Drum Band, DoublePlusGood, Abronia
Anything Lisa Schonberg touches is gold. More than just a great drummer, she uses drums as compositional tools that have made bands like Explode into Colors and Kickball great. Always in demand, she's drummed for Mirah, Tune-yards, Tara Jane O'Neil, the Need, and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, just to name a few. But it's the rare Secret Drum Band performance that brings her into the spotlight. Composing with the space in mind, Schonberg brings together a surprise star-studded cast of five drummers and two noise/tone/sound makers to create an experience unlike any other. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $8-10

Reel Music
For more than three decades, the NW Film Center's Reel Music series has assembled some of the best contemporary and classic music documentaries. This weekend, Reel Music kicks off its 34th installment with 1972's Cocksucker Blues—which the Film Center calls "The best Rolling Stones movie you've never seen"—before moving on to such fare as Blackhearts, about Norway's black metal scene; One More Time with Feeling, about the creation of Nick Cave's latest album, Skeleton Tree; and Contemporary Color, about that time David Byrne rounded up St. Vincent, Nelly Furtado, Ad-Rock, and Ira Glass to create a "one-of-a-kind color guard extravaganza." Also worth checking out, Vince Giordano: T here's a Future in the Past, about the jazz saxophonist and band leader who's lent his talents to films from Scorsese and Allen; Bobby Womack: Across 110th Street, a profile of the soul icon; and a free screening of a NW Music Video Showcase program, offering a slew of music videos made in the Pacific Northwest. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Jan 13-Feb 5, NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, $8-12 per film, see nwfilm.org for complete schedule

Skipping Bedtime
Skipping Bedtime is a monthly dance party for parents and other tired people. Dance and mingle to your heart's content and still make it home by 10:30pm. This month, DJ Paul Donald will be holding down the tables, and all proceeds will go to the Baby Blues Connection.
6 pm, Holocene, $7-10

Pickathon XIX 2017 Kickoff Party
To kickoff the 19th iteration of Portland's premier local festival, Pickathon is throwing a party at Revolution Hall. The event promises live music from special guests, 2017 line-up reveals, Pickathon archive video highlights, raffles, prizes, and more!
7 pm, Revolution Hall, free w/ rsvp

Marriage + Cancer, A Volcano, Born a Lot
Once in a while, a power duo comes along that can shred on guitar and slay on drums hard enough to melt your face. Johnny Brooke and Jesse Chambers write thrashing, in-your-face songs that allow space to appreciate both the intricacies and rawness of metal. RACHEL MILBAUER
8 pm, The Fixin' To, $5

The Variants, Tallwomen, Sweeping Exits, Dogtooth & Nail
An evening with the local quartet who describe themselves as "Queer Frontier rock" and play a blend of alternative rock, spaghetti western, and soul.
9 pm, Ash Street Saloon, $5

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!