THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Lydia Davis is a formal innovator and a thematic provocateur who's written several acclaimed books of stories and contributed a volume to the ongoing re-translation of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. Her lecture tonight is a chance to hear one of the finest short story authors writing in America today. Don't miss it. AH

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $30

Today kicks off the Siren Nation Festival, an annual affair honoring women—particularly Portland women—in the arts. Spanning the weekend with music, film, and visual arts, it begins at the gallery space with over 50 artists on display in a group show themed "The Journey." MS

Artist reception w/DJs Safi & Tender; Olympic Mills Building, 107 SE Washington, 6 pm, FREE, all ages, see sirennation.org for complete festival information

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6

KUFO fucked up, firing three of the best radio personalities in Portland: Rick Emerson, Bobby "Fatboy" Roberts, and Cort Webber. While the new, dumbed-down KUFO is now dead to all sane people, Cort and Fatboy refuse to go softly: They're continuing their monthly Midnight Movies series, and this month the film is the Coen Brothers' classic Raising Arizona! Expect plenty of Nic Cage ridiculousness, tons of beer, and two of the funniest guys in Portland as your hosts. EH

Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 11 pm, $3, 21+

The Nightclubbing party just got a triple-whammy of live additions: San Francisco's Windsurf, Portlander Honey Owens' new Miracles Club project with Rafael Fauria, plus Jonas Reinhardt. If you've got any synth left in ya after that, resident DJs Linger & Quiet will take it to the hoop. MS

Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, $5

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7

J Mascis' slurred vocals, guitar solos for days, enough volume to puncture an eardrum—Dinosaur Jr.'s sprawling sound has remained untouched for the past quarter century. Now reunited with their original and best lineup (Mascis, Lou Barlow, Murph) the band sounds reinvigorated, and their latest, Farm, is just as lively and exciting as you'd expect. EAC

w/Lou Barlow and the Missingmen, Violent Soho; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8 pm, $22-24, 21+

North Portland contemporary art space Disjecta is hosting an annual auction that, unlike other benefit auctions, promises to be raucous and well boozed. (Not to mention, it's hosted by always-witty emcee-about-town AC Dickson.) Tonight's the night to snatch the work of some of the most original and interesting artists in town. SM

w/DJ Chazz Madrigal; Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate, 7 pm, $20

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8

All-British, part-Portland band the Cribs are playing a free record release show to launch their new Ignore the Ignorant album. Next stop: a Letterman taping, then a world tour, so this is your chance to see them before they take over the planet. MD

Fabulous Jackpot Records, 203 SW 9th, 2 pm, FREE, all ages

Hot Little Hands is one of the more visually engaging dance groups working in the city today. At times incorporating masks and stunning stagecraft, their new show, a meditation on crisis and loss, may be what just you need as November settles. PAC

Interstate Firehouse Cultural Center, 5340 N Interstate, 2 pm, $12

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9

GLOBETROTTER—Bet you've never heard anything like Moomaw before. The Barcelona troubadour (he's originally from the US) plays simple country and folk ditties on Hawaiian ukuleles, sounding like an intimate travel journal come to life. NL

w/Sarcastic Dharma Society, Joel Kraft; Dunes, 1905 NE MLK, 9 pm

I may or may not be the teeniest bit gay for George Clooney. (It's cool; my girlfriend and I have discussed it, and it's not a problem or anything.) Clooney's latest, Men Who Stare at Goats, costars Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey; it's based on an ostensibly true story about the US government training psychic soldiers who KILL GOATS WITH THEIR MINDS. Does this have the potential to be the greatest movie ever? Yes. It does. (IloveyouGeorge.) EH

Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10

Heads up! It's the final entry in the Grindhouse Film Festival's Old School Kung Fu Masters series! In 1978's 7 Grandmasters, a kung fu teacher must kick the collective ass of seven different masters with wildly different styles—as well as an evil guy with a weird hat. Hilarious! Fun! Instructional. WSH

Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:45 pm, $7

KKKRRAAAOWWW! WAAOOOOOM! That's the sound of Roger Miller's guitar peeling the Doug Fir's paint. Now that they've released two albums post-reunion, it seems like Mission of Burma is back for good, but that's no excuse to miss out. DB

w/Erase Errata; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15-17

The most precious of the many delicate folk ensembles that call Portland home, Loch Lomond are celebrating the release of their latest EP, Night Bats. Ritchie Young possesses a majestic voice that he's not afraid to use, belting out intricate lyrics on this release that features four originals, plus a Bee Gees cover. EAC

w/Tu Fawning; The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $10-12

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11

They Might Be Giants' two Johns have earned the love of nerds and their spawn over the years, with literate humor and kidlet-friendly music. Sadly Portland misses out on 1990's Flood played in its entirety (suck it, Seattle), but we get a reading of their new children's book Kids Go!—alas, it's in the 'burbs (you can suck it too, Beaverton). CF

Reading at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 4:30 pm, FREE; show w/Guggenheim Grotto at Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $20-23, 16+

Choreographer Shen Wei has some pretty unimpeachable bonafides—he contributed to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Tonight his 13-person company performs two works based on Shen Wei's travels in China and Tibet. AH

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $20-50