WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19

MUSIC—If you love modern R&B of the "barn-burning" variety, check out Portland's dance-tastic Magic Mouth, who layer experimental textures atop ridiculously FAT R&B bass lines. Vocalist Chanticleer Tru takes the handoff from the Isley Brothers and slams it into the end zone for a night of the sweatiest, sexiest soul you're likely to hear in this town. WSH
w/Phone Call, IBQT, & more; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $7

BASKETBALL—The beginning of this NBA season has (fittingly) smelled like roses, but lately there's been a bit of fertilizer stuck to the bottom of Portland's Nikes. Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs is a chance for the team to make a statement or two before the All-Star break. Also, a spur is a great implement for scraping dookie off your shoe, so there's that, too. BR
Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 7 pm, $29-193

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

FILM—Go get caught in a Love and Rockets comic book at the Hollywood's luche libre double feature. They're showing the 1967 riotous B-movie Santo vs. the Martian Invasion, complete with va-va-voom Martians and shirtless wrestling heroes. It's followed by the short documentary Viva Luche Libre, full of the sport's classic iconography and pop culture. CF
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7 pm, $8

MUSIC—A triple bill of shreddy rock, saloon-door country, and analog synth jams is just what the doctor ordered. Hookers offer riff-ready boogie rock that'll trigger acid flashbacks, while Denver's rusty-knife country will have you watering down your whiskey with your own tears, and Regular Music's cosmic electricity will warm your cold android heart. All for free? This is going to be a blowout. NL
Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick, 9 pm, FREE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

COMEDY—Richard Lewis is a comic mainstay, renowned for his neurosis and quick self-deprecating wit—it's no wonder he played Larry David's good friend on Curb Your Enthusiasm. The man is a legend of stand-up, so go see what myriad jokes his years of therapy and self-loathing have wrought. It'll make him feel good, and it won't be bad for you either. CF
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $25-30

DANCE—It's back! The always-entertaining Silent Disco—the fun-time dance party where you dance silently while wearing headphones—returns... and this time we're whooping it up on Rontoms' spacious patio! The heat lamps will be on, but you won't need them after a few minutes of shaking your ass to the hot spins of DJ TJ of Beatrox. Remember: You control the audio and when to dump the headphones to talk to your friends or that cutie across the bar! WSH
Rontoms, 600 E Burnside, 8 pm, $12

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

CIVIC COMEDY—This month, Portland's funniest live talk show, Late Night Action, will briefly annoy/delight you with politics. Quip-smart City Commissioner Steve Novick will join excellent comic Amy Miller and others in matching wits with co-hosts (and Mercury writers!) Alex Falcone and Bri Pruett. DCT
Secret Society, 116 NE Russell, 9 pm, $10-15

FOOD—Nothin'—and I say nothin'—is sweeter than feelin' sweet chunks of clam chowder chug-chug-chuggin' down your gullet! Today's the Eighth Annual Chowder Challenge, featurin' 12 brewpubs and restaurants offerin' up their finest chowders! In addition to chowder-guzzlin', there'll be beer, live music, and prizes, but the real prize is... mmm-mm-mmm! What's that smell? Why, it's clam chowder! EH
w/Leslie Lou and the Lowburners; Fifth Quadrant, 3901 N Williams, noon-4 pm, $10 for a sample tray of delicious clam chowder, all ages

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

COMEDY—Whether he's twirling an imaginary mustache as he explains how Transformers are the ultimate gay villains, or explaining just how much he'd love to fuck Peter Dinklage, comedian James Adomian is one of the funniest stand-ups working today, and if you miss this tiny show at Curious Comedy, you're gonna hate yourself. AH
w/Shane Torres; Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE MLK, 8 pm, $10

METAL—Ask anyone about proto-metal, and you'll get: "Black Sabbath." Lesser known is Pentagram, which blazed its own doomy trail through the '70s (their relative lack of credit is perhaps attributable to not producing a proper album until the '80s). If you want to touch on similar dark origins of the genre, you'll get a lot closer here than if Sabbath were playing the Moda Center. MS
w/Radio Moscow, Kings Destroy, Sons of Huns, & more; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E Chávez, 8 pm, $20-25, all ages

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

MUSIC—Few can whip a crowd up like the stomping-mad Langhorne Slim when he has a mind to. The Pennsylvania native's take on the sometimes cringe-y "alt-country" label is life loving and somewhat lawless, performed with an intensity that's near impossible to resist getting swept up into. MS
w/Ryan Sollee; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $13-15

STORYTELLING—Maybe you weren't paying attention, but rightly popular storytelling series The Moth held 10 local events in recent months, crowning 10 winners. So which one's Portland's finest raconteur? Find out at tonight's GrandSLAM Championship—titled "Fish Out of Water"—if you can find tickets. Even champions must have a champion. DVH
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $20, all ages

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

FILM—Starring the late, great Jim "Dragon" Kelly, 1974's Black Belt Jones is, without a doubt, the finest blaxploitation kung fu film ever made. When his karate school comes under fire from the mob, Black Belt (Kelly) fights back—with help from beach bunnies and Scatman Crothers! Don't miss your chance to see this under-appreciated epic on the big screen, courtesy of the Portland Black Film Festival. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $8

MUSIC—The observant, charming songwriting of LA's Tom Brosseau will win you over in seconds flat. And Seattle's Shelby Earl can go from heartbreaking intimacy to CinemaScope-sized emotion in the space of the same song. These two singer/songwriters are some of the best at what they do, making tonight's double bill a true knockout. NL
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $12