THURSDAY, JANUARY 27

DEMENTED—I know it sounds dorky as all hell, but the Dr. Demento Reed College lectures are an absolute blast. The maestro of wacky music, Dr. Demento (Barry Hansen) is a Reed alum, and his four-night stand focuses on various musical subgenres—from country music to songs about drugs—including tonight's punk-themed show. Music nerds, and just nerds in general: The doctor will see you now. EAC
Vollum Lecture Hall, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock, Wed Jan 26-Sat Jan 29, 8 pm, $5, all ages

WOODSY—The first episode of Into the Woods went up exactly one year ago, pointing the way for over 75 videos from the sparkling online music documentary series, all boasting sterling sound and picture. To celebrate their anniversary, they're hosting a party including music from Tu Fawning, Skeletron, And And And, and Guantanamo Baywatch, and if you donate $5 to their Kickstarter campaign, you get in for free! NL
w/DJ Snakks; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $5 (FREE w/$5 donation to Kickstarter)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 28

FLICK OFF—What's better than seeing a weekend of folk music in the woods during Pickathon? Seeing a big-screen reel of the highlights in the refuge of a warm movie theater stocked with beer, food, and plenty of clean, non-Honey Bucket bathrooms. Oh, luxury! The Flickathon screening raises money for Buckman Elementary School. SM
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 8 pm, $10, 21+

ROOTS—For the final weekend of the Fertile Ground festival, Lunacy Stageworks partners with Street Roots to present Stories: From the Streets, featuring poetry, stories, music, and visual art by the homeless. Challenge your preconceptions, open your mind, and get to know their real stories. VT
Sellwood Masonic Lodge, 7126 SE Milwaukie, 6:30 pm (also Sat 8:30 pm), $12 suggested donation

SATURDAY, JANUARY 29

MESSLOAD OF DJS—Dance, mothereffer, dance! Join Holocene and a passel of great DJs (I'm no mathemagician, but there are 8.5 of them to be exact) for this second iteration of the all-star DJ dance party. Wear your glad rags, 'cause tonight you're going to dance 'til you can't dance no more. CF
w/DJs Beyondadoubt, Linger & Quiet, Copy, & more; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $3 (FREE before 11 pm)

THERE CAN BE ONLY MORE THAN ONE—Like Scottish beer? Then prepare yourself for one hell of a hangover! The first-annual Scottish Ale Fest hits the Cascade Brewing Barrel House today, featuring no less than nine regional Scottish ales from great breweries like Coalition, Fearless, Migration, Rock Bottom, and more. Plus: live Scottish music, Scottish food, and live bagpipers. Ugh. I can feel the next morning's headache already. EH
Cascade Brewing Barrel House, 939 SE Belmont, 3-11 pm

SUNDAY, JANUARY 30

HAPPY B-DAY, CRYSTAL!—If there's one place that knows how to throw themselves a party, it's the Crystal! Which is exactly why you should attend the Crystal Ballroom's 97th Birthday Free-for-All, featuring four freaking floors of FREE fun, including musical guests Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, the Parson Red Heads, Elizabeth Cook, as well as tours, Irish dancing, beer tastings, and... oh jeez, I'm exhausted already! WSH
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 2 pm, FREE, mcmenamins.com for full schedule

LIT—The Nervous Breakdown (thenervousbreakdown.com) is an unusually literate corner of the internet, stocked with witty and thoughtful reviews, interviews, and essays. Tonight, the website takes corporeal form for an evening of readings from PDX-based contributors including Gloria Harrison, G. Xavier Robillard, and more. AH
Hall of Records, 3342 SE Belmont, 6:30 pm, FREE

MONDAY, JANUARY 31

NIGHT SOUL—Powell's hosts Joseph McElroy as he reads from his collection of short stories Night Soul and Other Stories. Keep your thinking caps on for his broadly complex and rewarding tales. SY
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

WINTER SAFARI—The colorful, daffy sounds of LA's Lord Huron are enough to bring heat to the chilliest winter night, dropping a safari dance party into the middle of Portland's wettest months. Excellent local band Ocean Age also make harmony-rich, inventively lush art-pop, and they'll be previewing brand-new material from their upcoming album. NL
w/Sea Bell; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $8-10

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1

EVANGELION—Years ago, Hideaki Anno's ambitious, surreal, apocalyptic Neon Genesis Evangelion introduced the beautiful weirdness of anime to a generation of nerdlings. Now, the film series is revamping Evangelion's mind-warping story for a whole new audience. The second, Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, should do an excellent job of fulfilling your monthly quota of giant robot fightin' action. EH
Living Room Theaters, 341 SW 10th, see Movie Times for showtimes, $5-9

TIMMY!—Even if the Portland Trail Blazers can avoid yet another catastrophic knee injury between now and tipoff, they'll have their hands full with the first-place San Antonio Spurs. Led by Tim Duncan and a cast of players who play basketball the right way (read: boring and efficient), the Spurs are the NBA equivalent of the missionary position: They won't rock your world, but they always seem to get the job done. EAC
Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct, 7 pm, $15-170

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2

BLOW POP—It's a fact: No one can dance like Khaela from the Blow. Her strange shimmies turn her low-key electro-pop shows into what feel like intimate performance art pieces. Though the Blow hasn't released an album in three years or so, Portland welcomes the Northwest native to town anytime she pleases. SM
w/Sonny Smith; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $13-15

SO OK—After a three-month hiatus, Comedy Is OK makes a triumphant return! Rejoining hosts Mikey Kampmann and Paul Schlesinger is erstwhile host/Mercury alum Andrew Michaan. The show promises sketch comedy, videos shot in exotic locales, and stand-up by Ian Karmel and other Portland comedy heavyweights. VT
Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 9 pm, $5