THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13

BRAIN GALLOP—Following last year's welcome Pavement reunion, Stephen Malkmus and his merry band of Jicks have treated us to a sparkling, Beck-produced album of great new songs. Tonight you can hear tunes from the wonderfully tangled Mirror Traffic album, among others, in all their Jickiness. NL
w/Ty Segall; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $17-20, all ages

ITCHY—Polish your opera glasses and dust off your dress tails: Theater season is officially upon us. Of the packed calendar of shows opening this weekend, we've got a good feeling about The Pain and the Itch, a dark comedy about "lip-service liberalism" produced by the reliably good Third Rail Rep. AH
Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Thurs-Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm, through Oct 30, pay-what-you-will tickets tonight, $29.50-38.50 (half-price rush seats available 10 minutes before curtain)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14

BEYOND ART—Back for a third year, the cool people in PSU's art and social practice department have the popular Shine a Light event all figured out: a little bit of Portland (beer! Tattoos! Haircuts! Local chef recipes!) will make its way into the Portland Art Museum in the form of happenings, performances, and installations. Also, square dancing! WE
Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park, 10 am-midnight, $15

LOCAL LAUGHS—The very funny LA-based comedian Matt Braunger has highfalutin comedy credits like MADtv, the Aspen Comedy Festival, and Letterman. But the Grant High School alum grew up down the street from what is now the Alberta Rose Theatre, and tonight he returns to his old stomping grounds to record a live comedy album for Comedy Central. AH
Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 8 & 10 pm, $10

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

ETHIOPIQUE—With tight funk and horn-brimming soul, the local lads in Tezeta Band pay homage to classic Ethiopian jazz and soul. If you're looking for a dance party with tons of energy and grooves that just won't quit, this is where you need to be. NL
w/Toque Libre, DJ Lord Smithingham; The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 9 pm, $8-10

VERTIGO—Kicking off a new series at the Hollywood Theatre called "En Route," director Todd Haynes (Mildred Pierce, I'm Not There, Far from Heaven) presents two of the films that most influenced him. First up is Hitchcock's 1958 classic Vertigo, followed by 1970's crime drama Performance, starring Mick Jagger. Haynes will introduce and answer questions about both films. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Vertigo at 7 pm, Performance at 9:45 pm, $10 for both films

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16

ZOMBIE CLUB—Woot! The second season of the gross-tastic The Walking Dead premieres tonight on AMC—but don't stay home! Pre-party with the zombiphiles at Things from Another World (snacks and prizes), and then skip across the street to the Hollywood Theatre for a FREE screening of Dead, hosted by Cort and Fatboy! Pro tip: Bring a shovel. WSH
Things from Another World, 4133 NE Sandy, 7-8:30 pm; Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 9 pm, FREE, 21+

FRIGHT NIGHT—If you're looking to have the poop scared into your pants, you have two choices tonight: FrightTown, the annual big-budget, block-long haunted house at the Memorial Coliseum, and Ron Paul's Rock the R3volution Tour at Mt. Tabor Theater. One features people dressed up in ridiculous costumes, screaming incoherently, and the other... wait. WSH
FrightTown, Memorial Coliseum, 300 N Winning Way, 7-10 pm, $20, frighttown.com; Ron Paul's Rock the R3volution Tour, Mt. Tabor Theater, 4811 SE Hawthorne, 7 pm, FREE

MONDAY, OCTOBER 17

LONDON CALLING—Theophilus London is the best of all things. A little soul, a little hiphop, and a whole lot of everything else in between, the dynamic Brooklyn singer bridges the gap between the pop-rap of Kid Cudi or N.E.R.D. and the atmospheric arrangements of TV on the Radio. His Timez Are Weird These Days debut has something for everyone, a perfect fit for those who like music sans the pesky genre labels. EAC
w/Breakfast Mountain; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $13-15

CUT LOOSE—On one hand, this week's Footloose remake looks like one more soulless retread of an '80s classic. On the other, it was directed by Craig Brewer—the guy behind Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, two of the most entertaining, skeezy, smart, and captivating movies of the past couple of years. Which means maybe, just maybe? It could be awesome. EH
Various Theaters, read our review and check for showings.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18

ORC-ESTRA—Dwarfs in tiny tuxedos playing giant leather-bound drums! That's not what this is! The Lord of the Rings in Concert: The Fellowship of the Ring is the first in a three-year, globe-touring series of The Lord of the Rings orchestral concerts. A live orchestra plays along with the film, and you will love it because everyone flippin' LOVES Lord of the Rings. SS
Rose Garden Arena, 1 Center Court, 7:30 pm, $35-95, all ages

DIRT—Duff McKagan first entered our consciousness as the bassist for ultimate buttrock king-band Guns N' Roses, but his other skills include business, narrowly avoiding having his organs explode due to alcohol abuse, and writing. Tonight he pops down from Seattle for his juicy new tell-all It's So Easy: And Other Lies. MS
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19

BEST FRIENDS—An integral element of Portland's vigorous musical community is not merely the talent on display, but how well everyone interacts with each other: Friendships over rivalries, and this is on full display during the inaugural Event 1. This quarterly series curated by local label High Scores and Records focuses on collaborative performances, with tonight's lineup including members of Typhoon, YACHT, Loch Lomond, Y La Bamba, and plenty more. EAC
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $5

JUKEBOX HEROES—Journey. Foreigner. Night Ranger. Has there ever been a triple headliner more guaranteed to bring college students and their suburban parents together in beer-soaked tears? This is music that gets how you're feeling, and you know what it says? "We're gonna ROCK!... until probably 10:30 pm or so, because it's a Wednesday and we all have to be up in the morning. Whooo!" MJ 
Rose Garden Arena, 1 Center Court, 7 pm, $29.50-125, all ages