WEDNESDAY, JULY 2

MUSIC—Eric D. Johnson, formerly of Fruit Bats, has some damned impeccable taste, so let him curate your evening at A Few of My Favorite Things. The recurring event enlists a local shaker to pick their favorite artists to showcase, and EDJ signed up Corrina Repp and Rebecca Gates, alongside films and DJ sets—all to benefit XRAY.FM. CF
w/Ryan Francesconi, DJ sets by Andy Cabic, Pure Bathing Culture, & more; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $7

MUSIC—Auto-Tune should be as dead as the Doors by now, but Atlanta rapper Future brought new life to it. His album Honest is a wide-ranging, ambitious record that ties hiphop, rap, R&B, pop, and much more into a soulful, immersive experience—perhaps it's redundant to say Future's the sound of the future, but he might very well be. NL
w/Rico Love; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $27.50-30, all ages

THURSDAY, JULY 3

COMEDY—Portland's prodigal son of comedy, Ian Karmel, returns to the land of his birth for a three-night headlining gig at Helium. Currently living in LA as a staff writer for Chelsea Lately (as well as continuing his heeelarious column in the Mercury), Ian is both a class act and a very funny smarty-pants, who's sure to bring a U-Haul full of laffs to town. (See our interview with Ian.) WSH
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri 7:15 pm, Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $15-29

MUSIC—Sub Pop scored big last year, at least for music nerds, when it signed German indie geniuses the Notwist, who dropped a new album, Close to the Glass—the group's eighth overall and first since 2008. The Notwist have been laying electronics over poppy melancholia since well before Radiohead made it cool. And these days, any tour might be their last. DCT
w/Jel; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $18-20

FRIDAY, JULY 4

RODEO!—It's a Fourth of July tradition (for me, anyway). The St. Paul Rodeo is a scant 45 minutes out of town, and jam-crammed with quaint, fun, and decidedly AMERICAN events... such as the annual (and adorable) parade, carnival, BBQ cook-off, plenty of buckin', ropin', and ridin'—AND fireworks at night! Love it or leave it, commie! WSH
St. Paul Rodeo, 20025 4th NE, St. Paul, OR, 10 am to close, $16-24

FIREWORKS!—Let's blow some shit up! Bring on the sky explosions with this grand ol' day of DIY hand maiming. Or! Go watch the pyrotechnic pros at Oaks Park (rides 'til midnight), the Waterfront Blues Fest down on the river, or trek on out to the 'Couv. With these fireworks, you can oooh and aaah your face off, not your fingers! CF
Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park, about 10 pm, $5; Tom McCall Waterfront Park, SW Naito, 10 pm, $10; Ft. Vancouver, 1001 E 5th, Vancouver, 10:05 pm, $5-7, parking $10

BLOCK PARTY!—East End's annual block party always knows how to bend your hair back, and this year's no exception, with two days of beer-crushing volume from bands like Hirax, Cryptic Slaughter, Litanic Mask, Wampire, and Cleveland's legendary "first African American metal band" Black Death. MS
East End, 203 SE Grand, Fri 3 pm, $10, Sat 3 pm, $5

SATURDAY, JULY 5

COMEDY—Every year around Independence Day, four performers at the delightful Brody Theater plunk a star-spangled dredge deep into their souls to tackle the age-old prompt: "What America Means to Me." Then they read those answers on stage, to be acted out by a cohort of improv specialists. It's the eighth annual My Country 'Tis of ME, and it'll be funny. DVH
Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway, 8 pm, $9-12, all ages

MUSIC—Prepare to throw some panties: Nick Cave is at the Schnitz! The sexy, slinky, suave motherfucker is still as sexy, slinky, and suave as he's been for the last three decades. The incredible singer and songwriter of dark and dreadful tales is joined by all the Bad Seeds and opener Mark Lanegan, another renowned baritone. CF
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SE Broadway, 8 pm, $37-76, all ages

SUNDAY, JULY 6

MUSIC—The complex beauty of Typhoon's arrangements might swirl your brain as its name suggests, and it's best to let it when you can. Frontman Kyle Morton's health led to a rescheduled doubleheader tonight, so get it while everyone's in good health (and before they skip town to tour with Portugal. The Man later this summer). MS
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 5:30 pm (w/St. Even), 9 pm (w/Sama Dams), $20

MUSIC—Pretty much any day of this year's Waterfront Blues Festival will deliver something good, and maybe even excellent. But if you've only got one day to spare drinking at the river alongside the hordes, then the closing day ought to be it. Nostalgists can sway their rumps to Boz Scaggs and Lee Fields. Or, better yet, wake up early and catch Ural Thomas and the Pain. DCT
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, SW Naito, Thurs-Sun 11 am-close, $50 (Thurs-Sat $10)

MONDAY, JULY 7

FILM—Bong Joon-ho has made some great movies (The Host, Mother), but with the eagerly anticipated Snowpiercer—set on a train barreling across an ice-encrusted Earth—he might have outdone himself. And he's brought Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt, and Chris Evans along for the ride. EH
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, $7-9, and Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, $8, see Film Times

FILM—The nostalgia for Reagan's decade is befuddling. It was a largely gross, mean-spirited era. One of the few pieces of '80s culture worth saving is Back to the Future, the simple story of a time-traveling boy and his scientist, inventing rock 'n' roll and saving lives by getting his parents to bone hard at the prom. BR
Academy Theater, 7818 SE Stark, $4, see Film Times

TUESDAY, JULY 8

MUSIC—Not all rock 'n' roll can be as evergreen as the warm, in-the-pocket garage jangle of Greg Cartwright's Reigning Sound, who might very well be sitting on the album of the year. Catch the Memphis/Asheville group and their killer, R&B-informed sound as they play future chestnuts from the splendid Shattered, which comes out July 15 on Merge. NL
w/the Tripwires, Thee Headliners, Audios Amigos; Dante's, 350 W Burnside, 9 pm, $14

MORMONS—You know how everybody won't shut up about how amazing The Book of Mormon is? You know how it's always sold out, and there are lotteries for tickets, and how there'll be a line around the Keller tonight just for the chance of getting in? And you know how you think, "It can't possibly be that good"? Well, here's the thing: All those people are right. It is that good. EH
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, Tues-Fri 7:30 pm, Sat 2 & 7:30 pm, Sun 1 & 6:30 pm, through July 20, $51 & up, all ages