THURSDAY, AUGUST 25

FANTASY—Picard or Kirk. Alien or Aliens. Brooks or Grossman. It's a nerd Sophie's Choice tonight: In Beaverton, prolific fantasy author Terry Brooks reads from the newest Shannara book, while downtown, Lev Grossman presents The Magician King, his Narnia-for-grownups sequel to The Magicians. AH
Terry Brooks, Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 7 pm, FREE; Lev Grossman, Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

OREGON ROCKS—Three years in the making, the Oregon Rocks musical history exhibit launches tonight with a concert that reflects the depth of the project itself. The varied lineup of Ural Thomas, the Kingsmen, Pierced Arrows, Quasi, and DJ Hwy 7 kick off the most far-reaching exploration of Oregon musical history ever. AH
Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park, 5:30-11 pm, $7-10, all ages, see Music for more info

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26

BELL YEAH—Local laidback rockers Celilo started working on Buoy Bell way back in 2009, but the recording process took a devastating setback when drummer Kipp Crawford was killed in a hit-and-run accident. Now two years later the band has recovered the best they could and are prepared to share this wonderfully layered recording—with elements of spacious folk and dirt road Americana. EAC
w/Sean Flinn and the Royal We, Carcrashlander; Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 9 pm, $10-12, all ages

LAUGHS AND SNURFLES—Yay, ram-a-lam-a-Bamford's back in town! The cwazy-funny Maria Bamford is guaranteed to make with the funny voices and self-deprecating routines, littered with hysterical stories about her pugs and dysfunctional family. Let the Comedian of Comedy take you down a rabbit hole of delightful weirdness—relax, you're in strange and excellent hands. CF
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $20-30

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27

LOVE JAM—It's like making sweet, sweet love... in the late '90s! Your fave R&B artists from the last century return for the Northwest Love Jam, a sexified evening of hot, buttered soul featuring Ginuwine ("Pony"), Dru Hill ("In My Bed"), Jon B ("They Don't Know"), and Faith Evans ("Love Like This"). Don't forget your diaphragm! WSH
Memorial Coliseum, 300 Winning Way, 7 pm, $25-$165, all ages

STAYIN' CLASSY—The first-ever BurgundyFest aims to celebrate all things having to do with Anchorman—one of the funniest movies ever—and Our Lord and Savior, Ron Burgundy. There'll be dog punting, a '70s-tastic costume contest, trivia, "the ultimate jazz flute solo performed by woodwind virtuoso Daniel Bailey," and more. Time to musk up. EH
Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside, 8 pm, $25-30

SUNDAY, AUGUST 28

IDYLLIC SUMMER—Calling all loafers, slackers, and basement dwellers who have never said so much as "hello" to a neighbor: This is your day to change! The city blocks off six miles of streets around Southeast Portland to facilitate biking, walking, talking, and sharing of perfect summer popsicles. It's Sunday Parkways, so get out there. SM
Southeast Portland, 11 am-4 pm, route map at portlandsundayparkways.org

POWER TO THE PATIO—Lube yourself up in sunscreen and catch some rays while enjoying a cozy Pickin' on Sundays patio set from Denver and Kyle Morton. Denver is the rootsy supergroup with members of Blitzen Trapper, Alela Diane's Wild Divine, and more, while Morton is the leader of Typhoon, the massive in size (and sound) pop group that just so happened to appear on Letterman earlier this month. EAC
Doug Fir Patio, 830 E Burnside, 3 pm, FREE

MONDAY, AUGUST 29

ALIENATION—David Bowie stars in one of the best cult science-fiction flicks of the last century, the 1976 Nicolas Roeg-directed The Man Who Fell to Earth. Bowie is perfectly cast as an alien sent to Earth to retrieve water, and his downward spiral at the hands of human vice is as elegant and ethereal as only an in-his-prime Bowie could make it. MS
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, $9, see Film Times for showtimes

GONG!—Hosted by comedian Ian Karmel, the Video Gong Show enlists the audience to help program tonight's entertainment, with people—like you!—showing off their favorite film, TV, and internet clips. Some will be beloved and watched in their entirety, and some will be booed off screen... but only one will be crowned "Gong Champion." EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $5, go to hollywoodtheatre.org for info on how to participate

TUESDAY, AUGUST 30

HUNNY—Invading genre lines all over the map, Sons of Huns mash punk and metal together with lysergic, garage-psych delivery. Critic-speak aside, the trio simply makes badass rock 'n' roll, and tonight's show doesn't cost a damn thing, so there's no excuse not to blow out your eardrums tonight. NL
w/Motoplane; Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water, 10 pm, FREE

MS. JACKSON—The queen of the "Rhythm Nation" (AKA Janet Jackson, AKA Ms. Jackson—but only if you're nasty) brings her Number Ones, Up Close and Personal tour to the Keller, which not only means a night packed with her monster hits, but she'll be almost close enough to touch. Join me in squealing, "EEEEEEE!!!" WSH
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 8 pm, $64.50-95, all ages 

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31

IT TAKES TWO—With merely a guitar, a drum kit, and a ton of passionate energy, Vancouver, BC, duo Japandroids make music on a monumental scale, with waves of rock bliss pouring off their fuzzy, poppy anthems. They'll perform a bunch of brand-new tunes from their next record, due out next year. NL
Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water, 9 pm, $10

CHAINSAW—Brain De Palma's epic drug-crime movie starring Al Pacino, Scarface is almost 30 years old, but remains one of the most decadent, gratuitously violent, and occasionally hilarious icons of the genre. See Tony Montana's mountain of cocaine in all its voluminous glory on the big screen, where it was intended, for one night only. MS
Lloyd Center 10, 1510 NE Multnomah, 7:30 pm, $12.50