THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
IT'S TIME! (BASED ART)—The annual binge on international art known as the TBA Festival kicks off today, with the first roll-out of performances and installations, including a free peek at the Works, a fancy-pants dinner party, the debut of a promising sounding "snack office," and a booty-quaking DJ set from Venus X. And don't forget to consult tba.portlandmercury.com for more! MSVarious locations and prices, full schedule at pica.org
GREAT CRAP—If you don't know art zine Craphound, lucky you to have something new to fall in love with. For local small press emporium Reading Frenzy's 18th birthday, old-school Portland artist and the Merc's first art director Sean Tejaratchi hosts an alphabet art show, C Is for Crap, packing letter-themed pages with crazy clipart carefully culled from his crafty collection. SMReading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 6-9 pm, through Sept 30, FREE
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
LET'S GET NUTS!—Before Spider-Man, before The Avengers, and certainly before The Dark Knight, there was Tim Burton's 1989 Batman—a wild, dark, weird blockbuster starring Mr. Mom as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker. Nicholson's wild-eyed scenery chewing on the big screen? Yes. EHBagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 11 pm, $3, $21+
GET FUCKED—Toronto's Fucked Up composed their magnum opus with 2011's David Comes to Life, and tonight they perform the rock opera in all its hoary, heavy, magnificent glory. It's a work of remarkable depth, reinventing and recontextualizing hardcore punk into something more accessible but just as revolutionary. NLw/Poison Idea, Sons of Huns, Bison Bison; Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 9:30 pm, $15
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
A REAL LIVE WIRE!—Radio/variety show Live Wire! goes all out with this performance. They've crammed in a plethora of great guests, like This American Life contributor Mike Birbiglia, fresh from his success with the film Sleepwalk with Me. Portland thriller writer Chelsea Cain and the Corin Tucker Band are also on the guestlist. Ooo-eee! CFAlberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 7:30 pm, $18-34
WHIP IT TO SHREDS—The pairing of Blondie and Devo fills my heart with warm, fresh-baked-cookie happythoughts. I defy you to think of two bands you'd rather see bopping their way through their back catalogs than Debbie Harry & Co. and the jumpsuit-wearing weirdoes of Devo. Hah! You can't. CFSleep Country Amphitheater, 17200 Delfel, Ridgefield, WA, 8 pm, $29.50-65, all ages
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
HOT IN HERE—Kiss summer goodbye with the extremely fun all-day event, Hott Summer Nights, featuring 14 great bands, awesome DJs, and "beer that flows like a river"! And you'll need that beer river after shaking that rear to such great bands as Pure Bathing Culture, Lost Lander, Kelli Schaefer, plus tons more on two big stages! No MFNW wristband is required, this fun is free! WSHRontoms, 600 E Burnside, 2 pm–midnight, FREE
MR. SUBLIMINAL—There's a generation who knows Kevin Nealon as a degenerate stoner fuck-up on Weeds, and a generation who knows he was responsible for many of Saturday Night Live's greatest sketches. Both are in for a set full of catch-you-by-surprise moments, littering the stage like punchline landmines. BRHelium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, Sun 7 pm, $30-35
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
BLADE SWITCH—Jazz drummer Brian Blade has come up with something new: Mama Rosa, a mellow but heartfelt album of soulful folk, in which the well-respected drummer plays acoustic guitar and sings. With Portland's own Scout Niblett on the bill, it will be an evening of unconventional but gripping music. NLMississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $15
ADVENTURE HAS A NAME—Not only the finest action film ever made, but probably the most flawless piece of cinema Steven Spielberg ever created, Raiders of the Lost Ark is coming back to the big screen, blown up to IMAX size, as God intended it. Gaze upon the ark, and enjoy having your face melted off. BRLloyd Center 10, 1510 NE Multnomah, Fri Sept 7-Thurs Sept 13, $13.75-17
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
PLAGIARIST PAGES—Quentin Rowan, AKA Q.R. Markham, is kind of a liar. Not only did his novel Assassin of Secrets cause a furor in the literary community when it was discovered to be plagiarized, but his whole career is littered with the practice of stealing words. Never Say Goodbye, put out by Portland's Yeti Publishing, is his confession of all the theft. Presumably it's true. MSReading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 7 pm, FREE
YEAH RIGHT—Waiting for Bleeding Rainbow's first full-length release is grueling. It is a nail-biting thrill ride all hopped up on bated breath. Thankfully, we can get a taste of the much-hyped garage-punk band's Yeah Right. They'll be playing with pop perfectionists Eternal Summers, who are definitely worth a listen. ZPDoug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 8 pm, $10
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
LET 'ER BUCK—It's rodeo time, motherbuckers! It's easy to forget that friendly-and-fleeced Oregon is, at its heart, the Wild West. So slap on some ass-gripping Levi's and head east, friends, for bronco bucking, barrel racing, Indian relay races, and funnel cake at the best rodeo in all of America, the 102-year-old Pendleton Round-Up. SMPendleton, Oregon, Wed Sept 12-Sat Sept 15, $15-25
001011100001—If you're one of those people who complains about how terrible and unoriginal movies are these days, shut up and see Robot and Frank—a hilarious, sad, sweet film about a grumpy, elderly ex-con (Frank Langella) who tricks a friendly robot into helping him pull off a heist. EHSee Movie Times for theaters and showtimes
