Taste of Latinoamérica
The Portland Mercado is always an excellent place to spend a Saturday, and that goes double today when the vibrant Latino market hosts the third annual Taste of LatinoamĂ©rica festival. The all-day celebration of Latin American culinary and culture: more than 25 vendors, all representing different countries with unique-to-the-region food, drinks, and crafts, along with kid friendly activities and live music for dancing. While youâre visiting, be sure to pick up a container of carrot habanero salsa from Kaah Marketâthe flavorful paste-like salsa is destined to become your latest and greatest craving. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Sept 9, noon, Portland Mercado, free, all ages
Mdou Moctar, Galaxy Research, SĂĄvila
Tuareg guitar hero Mdou Moctar is bringing the sounds of Saharan Africa to Portland on his first American tour. Moctarâs workâwhich he describes as âmusic for desert picnicsââfuses traditional Tuareg guitar riffs with transfixing drum machine loops and pop melodies. Youâll want to experience those reverberations live. CIARA DOLAN
Sept 9, 8 pm, The Know, $10
Tallwomen, Mujahedeen, Dim Wit, Toxic Slime, AnaĂŻs Genevieve
A range of local rock, folk, and experimental acts get together at the Black Water Bar to raise money for the Immigration and Refugee Community (IRCO).
Sept 9, 7 pm, Black Water Bar, $6, all ages
Benoit Pioulard, Ilyas Ahmed
Former Portland denizen Thomas Meluch, AKA BenoĂźt Pioulard, first garnered notice about a decade ago as a Nick Drake-like figure for the post-IDM set, shading his delicate songs with the sort of muted faded-rainbow gauze favored by electronic dreamweavers like Fennesz and Tim Hecker. In the last couple of years, though, songs (in the traditional sense, anyway) have receded into the background in exchange for crackling, calmly assertive instrumental miniatures inspired by sounds from the natural world. Surprisingly, this more abstract approach has made for some of the most engaging shows of Meluch's career. DUSTIN KRCATOVICH
Sept 8, 8 pm, Beacon Sound, $5
Chuck Westmoreland, Mission Spotlight
Westmoreland plays songs from his self-titled debut album, a definite departure from the psychosexual pop of the Kingdom, focused on piercing examinations of loss, love, and surviving tragedy.
Sept 9, 9 pm, Bunk Bar, $5
Eyelids, Echo Echo Echo, Lonesome Heart Radio
Eyelids are no longer the parts of their sum, they're just the kind of killer all-star group that sometimes serendipitously springs up here in Portland. BEN SALMON
Sept 9, 9 pm, The Fixin' To, $5
LiquidLight, Hollow Sidewalks, Down Gown
LiquidLight is Anthony Medici, Cory West, Zackary Rodrigues, and Gage Dean, and together the four men create a mesh of gentle psych, strummy indie-rock, and buzzy pop music that aims for the sugary universe inhabited by bands like Sloan, Superchunk, Zumpano, and Guided by Voices. BEN SALMON
Sept 10, 9 pm, Bunk Bar, $5
Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments
The August Wilson Red Door Project is bringing back the revered Hands Up, a monologue set commissioned in the wake of Michael Brown and John Crawford IIIâs murders. Each of the seven testaments were created by individual Black playwrights. Past runs have sold out quickly, so get your free tickets in advance. EMILLY PRADO
Sept 9-10, Sat 7:30 pm, Sun 2 pm Wieden + Kennedy, free w/ rsvp
Music for Everyone Day
City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly and Friends of Noise join forces to turn City Hall into a concert hall, with performances from The Woolen Men, Sama Dams (heyyy), BLK + IVY, Ryan Nakano, Maurisa Destiny Golden, JoJo Scott, and DJ Max, all helping raise awareness for Portland's need for all-ages venues and spaces for the city's creative youth.
Sept 8, 4 pm, City Hall, free, all ages
Ezza Rose, Kelli Schaefer, The Wild Body
An evening of musical adventure with one of Portland's strongest singer-songwriters.
Sept 10, 8 pm, Rontoms, free
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
