It's an interesting week we got here! A lot of us just finished a four-day weekend and now there's this three day week before another three days of weekend hits, and this week has enough good stuff in it that it might as well be another weekend! Jen Kirkman is in town, which is fabulous. Nathan Fielder is bringing a special sneak peek of his amazing show to Portland, too. Thundercat's genre defying musical adventures have led him to Stumptown in the same week Haim's convention-defying pop sounds bless the City of Roses. SassyBlack & Blossom are teaming up for a night of Northwest soul you can't afford to miss, and oh yeah—everyone's about to catch an acute case of coulraphobia starting Thursday night. It's a big (but short) week ahead; hit the links below and float load your plate accordingly.

Jump to: Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

Tuesday, Sept 5

Haim, LPX
It’s amazing to me when siblings A) share the same talents and B) can tolerate each other long enough to make art. In that sense, the sisters Haim are a true miracle of nature. Este, Alana, and Danielle made an excellent first impression with the 2012 EP Forever, which was solidified the following year with the release of their glossy debut LP, Days Are Gone. Most Haim songs stick to a rigid (but foolproof) formula: They sing interweaving three-part harmonies over a heavily produced, bass-forward melody with percussive guitar riffs, R&B grooves, glittering synth, and stomp-clapped rhythms. The result sounds like Belinda Carlisle and Stevie Nicks collaborating over drum machine beats. Live, they perform choreographed dance moves with lots of synchronized hair-whipping. Haim just released their second album, Something to Tell You. It’s just as good as Days Are Gone, but in a completely different way—the appeal of the new, softer pop-rock sound is less immediate. Rather than soundtracking the heat of the moment, Something to Tell You deals with everything that surfaces in the days, weeks, and months after blowing an emotional fuse. Here’s hoping Haim continues to evolve, because Something to Tell You builds from Days Are Gone in all the right ways. CIARA DOLAN
8 pm, Roseland, $35-40, all ages

Save DACA PDX Rally
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grants children who immigrated to the US without documentation protection from deportation and the ability to go to school, get a worker’s permit, and get a driver’s license. This policy is now under threat from the Orange Administration. Gather with the community at this rally to show of solidarity for saving the DACA program. EMILLY PRADO
5 pm, Federal Building, free

So Pitted, Sleeping Lessons, Surfs Drugs
When a band’s introduced as a “grunge/noise rock outfit based in Seattle”, I rarely inquire further—those are a dime a dozen. But not So Pitted, whose live performance proves the trio’s ability to smash their way to the front of the crowd. They don’t prioritize melody, and instead focus on making music that’s as noisy and fuzzy as possible, marching forth into territory not yet explored by their contemporaries. So Pitted can switch up the energy, rhythm, and tone multiple times within the same song without losing momentum. Even the most accessible songs on their 2016 debut, neo, occupy a dark, loud space—and it fucking rules. EMMA BURKE
9 pm, The Liquor Store, $8

Stories & Food: Fundraiser for Tender Table
Tender Table is a food-focused storytelling event that amplifies the voices of women and gender nonconforming people of color. Support their next year of programming in good company as you hear from six Tender Table alums and a performance by the incredible Amenta Abioto. Get $2 off your entry when you show your student ID, EBT, or Food Handlers card. EMILLY PRADO
7 pm, Holocene, $10

Small Skies, DoublePlusGood, Small Million
Sway the night away to the sounds of Erik Carlson's long-running romantic pop project, DoublePlusGood, who co-headline Mississippi Studios along side Benjamin Tyler's experimental, electro-pop project Small Skies.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5

B-Movie Bingo: Above the Law
Your monthly opportunity to literally check off a bingo card full of B-movie clichĂ©s! This month features one of the very best B-movies the ’80s ever coughed up, Above the Law—but not the Above the Law you might be thinking of. There were two sweaty, low-budget Above the Laws that decade. The more popular one came out in 1988, starring world-class buttplug Steven Seagal. That one is trash. The good (relatively speaking) one came out in 1986, and stars bonafide badass Cynthia Rothrock as an inspector teamed with a disgruntled lawyer-turned-vigilante (basically Hong Kong’s Matt Murdock) to catch (and kick the fuck out of) a notorious murderer. You will be watching that one. You will be watching it on VHS. You will be better for it. BOBBY ROBERTS
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9

Rene Denfeld
Writer and investigative reporter Rene Denfeld reads from The Child Finder, her new novel about an renowned investigator and her search for a little girl who has gone missing in the Pacific Northwest.
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free

Wednesday, Sept 6

The I, Anonymous Show
It’s back! One of Portland’s funniest (and sauciest) comedy nights, the I, Anonymous Show, returns with more of the crazy rants, curious confessions, and hilarious secrets that has made this weekly Mercury column such a beloved part of our paper. Plus it’s hosted by no other than the recently crowned “Funniest Person in Portland” Caitlin Weierhauser, who will be joined by a slam-bang lineup of very smart and amusing panelists including Amanda Arnold, El Sanchez, and Tyler Schnupp. Together they will read true I, Anonymous submissions from the Mercury column and blog, and offer their very funny opinions on each and every one. It’s like if Judge Judy was really funny, and ruled on things that were even less important. Trust me, the I, Anonymous Show is a blast! Don’t miss it! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
7:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10

Thundercat, PBDY
Stephen Bruner is the audacious hero the modern generation of minority music needs. Bruner knows nothing of the categorical bounds of genre, and has done everything from playing bass with crossover thrash act Suicidal Tendencies to collaborating with queen of everything Erykah Badu. But it’s his solo jazz and R&B project Thundercat that calls for the most attention. CERVANTE POPE
8:30 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $22-25, all ages

SassyBlack, Blossom, DNVN, VNPRT
An evening of psychedelic neo-soul, futuristic funk, and R&B with Seattle-based singer/songwriter and producer Catherine Harris-White, known by her stage name SassyBlack, and for being one-half of the acclaimed hip-hop and R&B duo THEESatisfaction.
8:30 pm, Holocene, $10-12

Nathan For You: Sneak Peek and Q&A
The force behind "Dumb Starbucks" and the excellent reality-based comedy series Nathan For You returns to Portland to provide a sneak peek at the show's eagerly-awaited fourth season. In addition to the screening, Fielder will host a Q&A promising "several off-the-cuff jokes," along with plenty of behind-the-scenes insight into the creative process behind one of the most absurdly fascinating shows on television.
8 pm, Revolution Hall, $35, all ages

The Doors
There was a strange period in the 1990s where Jim Morrison became a teen idol again. Oliver Stone’s very Oliver Stone-y 1991 biopic The Doors was a big part of that. But it was not Stone alone who resurrected the serpentine magic of Morrison for a new audience of dour teens thirsty for his disaffected nature and his shitty poetry. Val Kilmer had a lot to do with it, yes, but so did the screenwriter (everyone always forgets those guys!), Randall Jahnson, who will be in attendance at this screening to discuss the process of adapting the band’s history aura to the big screen. BOBBY ROBERTS
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre

Nancy Pearl
“America’s librarian” and NPR books commentator Nancy Pearl returns to Powell's to read from George and Lizzie, her debut novel about a marriage tested by a resurfacing secret.
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free

Derek Sheen, Dusty York, Seth Johnson
Comedian Derek Sheen knows how to put a funny new spin on Portland's eccentricities. He's self-deprecating, charming, and a hot mess of whimsy and nerdiness, who cracks himself up nearly as much as everyone else. He's pretty much the spiritual little brother to Patton Oswalt. COURTNEY FERGUSON
8 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $12

Thelma & the Sleaze, Lavender Country
Nashville power trio Thelma and the Sleaze plays dirt-punk guitar rock that blurs the line between sexy and vulgar. It's no wonder they've caught the attention of Burger Records, who are quick to scoop up bands that push and meld boundaries with tantalizing force. RACHEL MILBAUER
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $10-12

Thursday, Sept 7

IT
We all float down here. And you'll float too. You'll float too. YOU'LL FLOAT TOO! YOU'LL FLOAT TOO! WE ALL FLOAT DOWN HERE AND YOU'LL FLOA—
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations

Jen Kirkman
With jokes about the joys of divorce and the cultural expectation that every unwed lady who dies alone MUST own a cat, Jen Kirkman is the anti-Cathy "ACK!" comic. Her smart, mordant, vaguely existential brand of humor is a sad/funny reminder that we're all basically alone, right? But we might as well laugh during our stint in this mortal gutter. MEGAN BURBANK
8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $25, all ages

Anders Nilsen
Portland artist and author Anders Nilsen has been working up to this. An award-winning comics creator, Nilsen’s plumbed the philosophical depths of existence and meaning in every book he’s produced, most famously through conversations between small birds in Big Questions. Now, Nilsen is starting off on another long journey, a serialization which will one day form an ambitious book, Tongues. Issue #1 features a human-shaped but not human-looking being chained to a remote rock, a girl carrying a futuristic or magical weapon, and an ordinary-looking man with a teddy bear strapped to his back who previously appeared in 2004’s Dogs and Water. Early descriptions of Tongues characterized it as an adaptation of a work by Aeschylus, which is a bit of a spoiler if you’re into Greek tragedians. But though I theoretically already know what will happen, I still have plenty of questions. SUZETTE SMITH
6 pm, Floating World Comics, free

Enter the Dragon
"Don't think! Feel. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Don't concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory."
5 pm, 9:15 pm, Academy Theater, $3-4

Black Belt Eagle Scout, Blackwater (Holylight), Shortline
Portland-based musician Katherine Paul brings her post-rock solo project, Black Belt Eagle Scout, to the Fremont Theater stage to celebrate the release of her Good Cheer Records-issued debut album, Mother of My Children.
8 pm, Fremont Theater, $8

Alexandra Savior, MĂĄscaras
The up-and-coming singer/songwriter and Portland native who began turning heads after her demo appeared featured in True Detective’s second series brings her smooth-yet-haunting blend of pop music to the Doug Fir stage for a hometown show supporting her Columbia Record-issued debut album, Belladonna of Sadness.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $12-14

Best of Portland: Ladies Night
Helium's ongoing series celebrating the best of Portland's comedy scene turns its spotlight on the many women comics working the stage week in and week out. It'd be cool if they saw their way towards putting more women on their stage way more fucking often (as opposed to the non-stop run of scruffy bearded white college dropout types they keep shuffling on-and-off-stage), but this showcase is a pretty good start, including sets from Julia Ramos, Amanda Lynn-Deal, Kelly Richardson, Alayna Becker, Kate Murphy, Laura Anne-Whitley, Barbara Holm, Andie Main, Amanda Arnold, and JoAnn Schinderle. Hosted by Katie Nguyen.
8 pm, Helium Comedy Club

Get Weird: The Heavy Hustle, Karma Rivera, Courtney Noe, ADDverse Effects, Robot Jurassic
Heavy Hustle hosts this genre-hopping evening of local music, with visual art by Katrina Zarate on display as pop, rock, funk, and hip-hop all get blended together live on stage.
8:30 pm, Holocene, $8-10

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!