WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
MUSIC/FILM—Soul Train was one of the most joyous television shows ever produced, bringing glorious African American music (and dances) into living rooms everywhere. Tonight the Portland Black Film Festival spotlights the show's greatest diva guests with Soul Train Express: The Sisters, including performances from Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, and more! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $8
BOOKS—I haven't had this big of an author crush since reading Joe Hill's Locke and Key series—Kelly Link writes brilliant, fantasy- and horror-tinged short stories. Her newest collection, Get in Trouble, contains nine perfect tales of evil twins, vampires, fairies, robots, and superhero romances. She's a wonderful distillation of Neil Gaiman and Ray Bradbury, mixed with Buffy the Vampire Slayer! COURTNEY FERGUSON
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19
COMEDY—His Fox sitcom might get
cancelled soon, but don't let that deter you from seeing the great John Mulaney. His work with SNL was exemplary (you can also catch him on Kroll Show), and his stand-up is a hilarious combo platter of adorableness and acerbic comedy. He's one of those few comics who can be funny without being a jerk about it. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 7 & 10 pm, $27-30, all ages
BOOKS—I'm still mad that Claudia Rankine didn't win the 2014 National Book Award after her incredibly deserving Citizen was snubbed in favor of more traditional fare. Rankine writes poetry that doesn't seem like poetry, and she writes about race in America better than anyone. Soak up her brilliance while you have the chance. MEGAN BURBANK
Eliot Hall Chapel at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock, 6:30 pm, FREE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20
MUSIC—First we got a Dead Moon reunion, now Pierced Arrows is back on the books. Fred and Toody Cole's howling garage punk is downright inspirational, with Pacific Northwest rock 'n' roll history ingrained in every bar. People use the phrase "living legends" far too cavalierly, but Pierced Arrows are the real deal. NED LANNAMANN
w/Mean Jeans, Exacerbators; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 9 pm, $10-12
FILM—In the bygone era of VHS, kids would wander the aisles of their local video store, taking in the trashy allure of Invasion USA and American Ninja. PIFF After Dark presents Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films, celebrating the kind of sweaty neon fun only Cannon could provide. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 10:30 pm, $12
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21
WOMEN & DRUMS—Tom Tom magazine—the publication dedicated to females of the percussive variety—celebrates its fifth birthday tonight. Look for thunderous performances from the Last Regiment of Syncopated Drummers, HITS (featuring members of Explode into Colors), LKN, and more. It will be, and should be, a loud one. MARJORIE SKINNER
Beacon Sound, 3636 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $10, all ages
FILM—Easily the best Iranian vampire western you'll see this year, director Ana Lily Amirpour's stunningly original A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is garnering rave reviews and jaw-dropping buzz. This weekend, it's finally playing in Portland—don't miss your chance to experience it on the big screen. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, see portlandmercury.com/movietimes, $6.50-9.50
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22
MUSIC—Carrying high the tradition of New York City cool, Kevin Morby's leather-clad tunes evoke Television, Sonic Youth, and the godheads themselves, the Velvet Underground. Morby's two solo albums, Harlem River and Still Life, deserve shelf space alongside Ramones, Bookends, and The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan as part of any proper collection of New York classics. NED LANNAMANN
w/Jessica Pratt; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12
SOCCER—The Portland Timbers have apparently deflowered their annual preseason tournament, dropping Rose City from the name in favor of the Simple Invitational. The six-match tourney has double-headers against international clubs (from Norway!) and Major League Soccer rivals (Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Chicago Fire). DENIS C. THERIAULT
Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison, Sun 2:30 & 5 pm, see providenceparkpdx.com for days, times, and prices
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23
MUSIC—Al's Den, the dim, many-hued nook below the Crystal Hotel, is as intimate and enjoyable a place to see live music as this city offers. The Den has a wide variety of acts that play its weekly residencies, and it's got a real treat this week. Eugene's fantastic, folksy trio the Harmed Brothers are gonna fill that nook with twang. DIRK VANDERHART
Al's Den, 303 SW 12th, Sun Feb 22-Fri Feb 27, 7 pm, FREE
FILM—Remember when the "meanness" of San Francisco's streets didn't refer to entitled Twitter employees? Check those streets out through the early '70s filter of SFPD toughie "Dirty" Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood, the way you want to remember him) in the first of the Dirty Harry series—inspired by the true crimes of the Zodiac Killer! MARJORIE SKINNER
Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, see portlandmercury.com/movietimes, $4
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24
FOOD—Alton Brown's good-natured food knowledge is a gift to unskilled cooks everywhere, and perhaps the only thing keeping those of us with abysmal veggie-chopping skills from having bloody stumps where our fingers used to be. Tonight's appearance is a muddling of gently goofy food-related commentary, stand-up, and live music. MEGAN BURBANK
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $35-110 (good luck finding tickets!), all ages
FILM—Do you like your horror movies stuffed with wack-a-doodle and crazy-gory death scenes? Well, say hello to Pieces, a chainsaw serial-killing grindhouse flick from 1982. This thing's bizarro, hilarious, and bloody insane to the very end with a cringing affront to the eyes and mind... in the most entertaining of ways. In other words, you have to see it to believe it. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $8
