THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

FAIRY TALES—A collection of modern fairy tales featuring writers like Aimee Bender, Neil Gaiman, and Chris Adrian? Yes, please. Tonight's release party for the creepily titled My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me features editor Kate Bernheimer as well as the brilliant Lydia Millet (seriously: read Love in Infant Monkeys), and music from Willy Vlautin, Liz Brown, and more. AH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

MAIS OUI—Everyone's favorite Canadians Arcade Fire are making a rare appearance in Portland tonight, and if tickets haven't sold out by the time this paper hits the streets, you'd better secure yours fast. Seriously. Swear on a neon bible you'll do it. MS
w/Calexico; Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way, 8 pm, $40, all ages

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1

BLAZERS—Last we saw our beloved Portland Trail Blazers, they were sent packing in the opening round of the playoffs. Now that our tears have dried, check back in with Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum, and probably not Greg Oden, as Fan Fest ushers in the forthcoming season. It's not a "real" game—just a scrimmage—but it's all we have in these basketball-barren months. EAC
Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct, 5 pm, FREE (w/Wells Fargo check/credit card at any entrance, or FREE tickets at local Wells Fargo branches), all ages

GAY CELLULOID—The Portland Gay and Lesbian Film Fest howls into life tonight with James Franco on the screen as Allen Ginsberg, living, writing, performing, and defending his masterpiece in Howl. The party continues at Art Department with booze, food, and more animal noises, surely. PAC
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, 7:30 pm, $9; afterparty at the Art Department, 1315 SE 9th, 9:30 pm, $10, plgff.org

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2

ZUM WOHL!—The Biergarten at Prost's weekend-long Oktoberfest celebration will incorporate the entire Mississippi Marketplace for over 6000 square feet of space, with three bars and 10 food carts open all day. Plus, Sunday's Bier Challenge pits nine Oktoberfest-style beers from local breweries against each other. MJS
Prost!, 4237 N Mississippi, Sat 11 am-2:30 am, Sun 11 am-11:30 pm, FREE

FREE YOUR GEEK—Electrons, electrodes, and electric thingamajigs are going to be spinning out of control tonight as Dat'r and The Beauty take the stage to celebrate 10 years of Free Geek, your friendly neighborhood technological non-profit. Plus, a recycled fashion show with Junk to Funk! ND
w/DJ Ted Thieman; Bossanova, 722 E Burnside, 8 pm, $10, all ages

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3

SOUL MAN—If you've witnessed the wonders of Jamie Lidell in concert before, surely you can attest that the man is a site to behold. Touring in support of this year's Compass, Lidell combines beatboxing, crooning, and enough slinking soul jams to keep the dance floor sizzling throughout the night. Warning: Tonight you might freak a total stranger. EAC
w/Zeus; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th, 8 pm, $16-18, all ages

SWORDSMITHS—A concept album of epic proportions, the science-fiction/apocalyptic western Warp Riders showcases Austin metallers the Sword at their finest, and tonight they bring their full-throttle, rampaging rock to town. NL
w/Karma to Burn, Mount Carmel; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $16-20, all ages

MONDAY, OCTOBER 4

CORNY NIGHT—Why would you pay $7 to get lost in a cornfield? Trust me: When you head out to Sauvie Island and plunge into the Maize Maze, it feels far more fun and far less stupid than it does when you try to explain it to your friends a day later. Also, you can ride the cow train! And starting October 8, the maze is "haunted" on Friday and Saturday nights. SM
The Pumpkin Patch, 16511 NW Gillihan, Sun-Thurs 10 am-6 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am-10 pm, $5-7

LIKE—You use Facebook. Your friends use Facebook. Your mom uses Facebook. But chances are you don't know the fascinating, fucked-up story behind the site. David Fincher's latest—the harrowing, gripping The Social Network—tells that story, and tells it extraordinarily well, and it's one of the best films in recent memory. Bonus: Justin Timberlake plays the guy who invented Napster! EH
Various theaters; see our full review and showtimes here

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5

MELODY DAY—While Dan Snaith handles most of what you hear on the albums, in concert Caribou is a full-on band to be reckoned with. Their mindblowing, dance-trance-rock live show is steadily becoming the stuff of legend—their Portland date back in May was one of the best shows of the year—so don't miss out. NL
w/Emeralds; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $14-16, all ages

FELICITATIONS—The rambly, jangly, mountain-folky songs of the Felice Brothers will grace the basement of the Doug Fir tonight. Their gravely and twangy vocals sound something like old Kings of Leon (remember Youth and Young Manhood?) and Bob Dylan. Rumors even abound about a studio made from a chicken coop. CP
w/Adam Haworth Stephens; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15-16

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6

SHHH!—If a librarian with her own action figure doesn't strike you as the height of badassery, you might be living in the wrong city. Librarian Nancy Pearl is smart, witty, and... well, she has her own action figure. Tonight she reads from Book Lust to Go, which collects book recommendations for the literate traveler. AH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm

CHEAP LAFFS—Celebrating its first birthday with a $1 retrospective show, Comedy Is OK brings back some of the best comedians and videos from the past year, with a return to the show's origins at the Clinton Street Theater. See "SE Portland's most local comedy showcase" before host and ex-Mercury intern Andrew Michaan leaves Portland for the Big Apple. (Quitter.) MJS<
Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 9 pm, $1