THURSDAY, APRIL 22

GONERS—Portland gets all atwitter when the Reverend Jesse Jackson drops in to chastise the city for its handling of police shootings, but I dare say the notoriously controversial political hiphop heroes Dead Prez will have something a lot more... how do I say... inspiring to say about the state of things. MS
w/Mic Crenshaw, Illmaculate; Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd, 9 pm, $18-22, all ages

HAITIAN LIT—Edwidge Danticat's lecture in Portland was scheduled long before an earthquake hit Haiti, but there's no denying that the appearance of the acclaimed Haitian author (she wrote Breath, Eyes, Memory) has more resonance now—a fact Portland Arts and Lectures acknowledges tonight by donating proceeds from all single-ticket sales to Mercy Corps. AH
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $30-100

FRIDAY, APRIL 23

TEAM COCO—This weekend's Bridgetown Comedy Festival promises a can't-miss lineup of standup comedy, plus a panel featuring Conan O'Brien's writers! As Coco travels around the nation warming up for his TBS show, the writers and performers who made Late Night so great will be dishing on what it's like to work for Conan—and they might even talk about "recent events that, for legal reasons, couldn't be discussed on television." Suck on that, Leno. EH
Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 8 pm, $25, weekend pass $60 (see Feature for more info on Bridgetown Comedy Fest)

SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE—For the launch of the new Cascade Community Radio channel, Radio23 has assembled a pretty amazing lineup. Panther's new project Ylang Ylang will perform, along with Sun Ship (members of Akron/Family and Au doing John Coltrane), and Heavy Nova, the all-star Robert Palmer cover band! NL
w/Billygoat, Dragging an Ox through Water, and DJs; Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne, 7 pm, $7 ($5 if you are unemployed)

SATURDAY, APRIL 24

"FUN"RAISER—The LEP High School (Leadership & Entrepreneurship Public Charter) was on shaky ground, but they had a stellar year last year, sending 32 of their 33 graduating students to post-secondary education. But they still need your help, so do your part while taking in matinee sets from Cali singer/songwriter Jackie Greene, plus local acts Dirty Mittens, Hurtbird, Point Junction, WA, and Boy Eats Drum Machine. EAC
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 11:30 am, $15 ($10 w/student ID), all ages

FAREWELL—Since 2002, DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid have hosted Andaz, but the turntables packed with treats from Bollywood and beyond stop spinning tonight. Portland's longest running monthly dance party is going out in style, so take one more trip to the dance floor in their honor. EAC

Fez Ballroom, 316 SW 11th, 9 pm, $8

SUNDAY, APRIL 25

SCOT POP—After Coachella and before Sasquatch!, Scottish indie pop darlings Camera Obscura drop by Portland to play one of the few shows of their spring tour that doesn't require you to buy a festival ticket. BT
w/Princeton; Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd, 8 pm, $16, all ages

BEST FEST—People in superhero costumes crashed a city council meeting last week, which can only mean one thing: It's Comics Month in Portland! The annual pinnacle of comics nerddom happens this weekend at Stumptown Comics Fest, the city's biggest gathering of everyone from Dark Horse to DIY zinesters. Shop, swap, gawk, and stick around for the afterparty at Bossanova Ballroom. SM
Lloyd Center Doubletree, 1000 NE Multnomah, Sat & Sun 10 am-6 pm, $6 ($10 weekend pass)

MONDAY, APRIL 26

WORLD VOICES—New York's PEN World Voices Festival is dedicated to celebrating and promoting international literature. Tonight, PEN sponsors its first-ever event in Portland, a reading with American Book Award-winning poet Rigoberto González, co-sponsored by invaluable local organization Miracle Theatre Group. AH
Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark, 7:30 pm, $10

HIT THE JACKPOT—Following Thursday's fundraiser screening of The TAMI Show, the Jackpot Film & Music Festival kicks off in earnest tonight with a week's worth of free music flicks. Tonight watch the hidden history of the Windy City in You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk, and later in the week check out documentaries on Rough Trade and the Mellotron, a live show by the legendary Jandek, plus the always worthwhile Psych Night! NL
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Mon-Wed 7 pm, Fri 7 pm, FREE (Jandek and Thurston Moore on Thurs April 29, 7 pm, $20)

TUESDAY, APRIL 27

ISLAND TIME—Salt air and volcanic sulfur permeates Shearwater's island-inspired release The Golden Archipelago. Their aired-out, vaulted sound, peppered with moments of electric intensity, will turn the Doug Fir into a sonic island all its own. PAC
w/Wye Oak, the Hospital Ships; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $10-12

SADFACE—Next time you're whining on Facebook about how hard life is, just be happy you're not a character in a Willy Vlautin novel. The Richmond Fontaine frontman's latest aw-shucks/oh-fuck tale, Lean on Pete, follows a 15-year-old boy whose only friend is a horse. It does not talk. JV
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28

SARCASM X—Obama's election means we can pretty much declare the whole "racism" thing over. Author Damali Ayo (How to Rent a Negro) helps us navigate our fabulous newtopia with a reading from her guide to America Obamistan! Land Without Racism. Yes, we can! Yes, we did! Yes, this is completely sarcastic! JC
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

GREASE MEGAMIX—Seeing your ex-boyfriend sing Carl Sagan on a vocoder is one of two things. Possibly: fun. Likely: a terrible, awful nightmare from which you will never wake. How fitting that the weekly Baby Ketten Karaoke brings their unrelenting song collection and bag of tricks to the Woods, a former funeral home-turned-venue. JV
The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 9 pm, FREE