WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24

MUSIC—Listening to singer James Blake, who's trotting out his fresh new album Overgrown, is like watching Frankenstein's monster learn to tie his shoes. Every release sees the electronic producer wield a little bit more soul and confidence. And his latest work is some of his most powerful, varied, and emotional stuff yet. DCT
w/FaltyDL; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $25 (tix are hard to get for this one)

COOKBOOKS—It's time to get stoked about food, and Deborah Madison's new Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with 12 Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with Over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes is as loaded with information as its title. Tonight she reads alongside Diane Morgan, whose Roots: The Definitive Compendium with More Than 225 Recipes is only slightly less expansive. MS
The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel, 403 SW 10th, 6 pm, FREE

THURSDAY, APRIL 25

COMEDY—We all know the folks at Mississippi Studios have good taste in music—turns out their comedy chops are pretty great too, and they've been putting together some fantastic lineups lately. Tonight's show features the awesome Mary Lynn Rajskub, veteran of Mr. Show and The Larry Sanders Show, and local favorite Christian Ricketts. AH
w/Steven Wilber, Jason Traeger; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 & 10 pm, $10-12

BRO BENEFIT—After Michelle Shocked delivered an anti-gay rant at a San Francisco show last month, the Alberta Rose cancelled her show. In Shocked's place comes BROmance, a benefit for Basic Rights Oregon with a solid lineup of local acts. And keep an eye out for Shocked, who staged a bizarre protest outside one of her cancelled show in Santa Cruz. DVH
w/Storm Large, Sneakin' Out, Ashleigh Flynn & Chris Funk, and more; Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 7:30 pm, $12-50, all ages

FRIDAY, APRIL 26

MUSIC—The anonymous Swedes who make up Ghost BC (formerly just plain Ghost) shroud themselves in robes and masks befitting a satanic liturgy, but despite all their evil iconography, their hard rock isn't as scary as all that. Skirting just shy of metal, these nameless ghouls set the mood with soaring guitars, churchlike organs, and arena-sized melodies. NL
w/Ides of Gemini, Lord Dying; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $18-20, all ages

BIKE RIDE—Why wait 'til June to dress ridiculously and ride your bike? Pedalpalooza, that festive bit of bicycle excellence that Portland revels in each year, is still months off. Fortunately there's the Pedalpalooza Mash-Up Ride, rolling all your favorite itinerant freak shows into one. Finally: A use for that naked Yoda Bowie costume you slaved over. DVH
Meet at SW Ankeny & Naito, 5 pm, FREE

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

COMICS FEST—Everyone's favorite feel-good comic book convention is back for its 10th round of making nerds happy. The Stumptown Comics Fest is host to a goodly number of publishers like Top Shelf, Dark Horse, and Oni Press, alongside great artists and writers like Fables' Bill Willingham, Becky Cloonan, and Greg Rucka. Not to mention all the awesome panels. Yay! CF
Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, Sat 10 am-6 pm, Sun noon-6 pm, $10 ($15 weekend pass), stumptowncomics.com

STAR TREK—Fin de Cinema takes on the classic 1968 Star Trek episode "Spectre of the Gun," combining it with a live score composed and performed by Federale and dialogue performed by Portland's very favorite Star Trek nerds: the performers of Trek in the Park! You may have seen this episode, but you've never seen it like this. MS
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 7:30 pm, $8-10

MUSIC—The Schnitz and backing from the Oregon Symphony seem like some pretty fancy trappings for a band as gentle and homespun as Blind Pilot. Watching the folk act overcome and transcend those cushy surroundings might be part of the magic. Besides, any band good enough for Ellen DeGeneres is probably good enough for you. DCT
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $21-95, all ages

SUNDAY, APRIL 28

BURGERS, ROCK—What better place for a Burger Records showcase than Burgerville? Three of the city's finest, sickest bands will pack your buns with meaty music, including the Shivas, Boom!, and party kings White Fang. It's all part of KPSU's Radio Revival series of shows and events to raise funds for a bona fide FM signal. Yes, you want fries with that. NL
Hawthorne Burgerville, 1122 SE Hawthorne, 4 pm, FREE, all ages

READING—You know him best as the author of the bestselling memoirs Running with Scissors and Dry, about his crazy childhood and adult life as a booze-addicted advertising wunderkind—but Augusten Burroughs has learned a thing or two over the years. He's in town to share his blunt, no-punches-pulled advice on life, love collected in This Is How: Surviving What You Think You Can't. AH
Powell's, 1005 W Burnside, 2 pm, FREE

MONDAY, APRIL 29

MUSIC—Bleep, bloop, bleepity. Crystal Castles beckons you to come dance your fool faces off with them. The Toronto band is touring on their 2012 album (III), so get lost in their butt-moving wash of synthy layers, which oscillate from dark and aggressive to warm soundscapes. Wear your party pants. CF
w/Pictureplane; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $32, all ages

THEATER FUN—Rad local theater company Action/Adventure really wants you to have fun when they take your money. Their annual fundraiser, Inspired By, pairs local writers (Chelsea Cain, Ian Karmel, Courtenay Hameister, more) with actors (like those Trek in the Park kids) and artists to create an evening of hilarity and delightful pandemonium. CF
Secret Society, 116 NE Russell, 7:30 pm, $12-15

TUESDAY, APRIL 30

FILM—Italian horror master Dario Argento's weird-ass horror flick Creepers (1985) features a creepy boarding school, mysterious murders, and, oh, you know, a JENNIFER CONNELLY WHO CAN COMMUNICATE WITH INSECTS. Finally, a film that we can all identify with. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $7

MORE FILM—Terrence Malick usually makes about one movie a decade, but apparently he's decided to make up for lost time: The Thin Red Line and Tree of Life director is already back with To the Wonder, a dreamy, gorgeous, melancholy study of romance. And Cinema 21's got it on 35mm. EH
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, see Film Times, $6-9