Portland Retro Gaming Expo
Every year, the Portland Retro Gaming Expo seems to get bigger: The annual event, once a cozy gathering in a weird hotel banquet room, now takes up a chunk of the Oregon Convention Center. This year's PRGE will, of course, offer countless old-school video games to gawk at and buy, from hard-to-find rarities to nostalgic classics. Plus, there'll be the sprawling âRetrocadeââfeaturing a huge amount of top-notch arcade cabinetsâalong with workshops, auctions, cosplay contests, and the Classic Tetris World Championship. And there's even more, including special guests and speakers like Portland's own Nina Freeman (creator of Cibele, Kimmy, and how do you Do It?), Pitfall! creator David Crane, and podcaster and former Nintendo World Championship contender Chris âBSG4000â Bidwell. There'll also be tournaments (hope you've been practicing Super Smash Bros. and Super Puzzle Fighter II) and panels that'll dig into the history of Atari, reveal the best ways to hack pinball machines, and examine the resurgence of psychical media in an era that was supposed to be all digital. If you've picked up a controller anytime in the past few decades, there's a lot of fun to be had. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Oct 20-22, Fri 3 pm, Sat 9 am, Sun 10 am, Oregon Convention Center, $10-35, all ages
Lose Yr Mind
The lineup for the fourth annual Lose Yr Mind Fest is bananas. There are the PBR-soaked party ballads of Twin Peaks, the professional brain-melters of Wand, Seattle punks Tacocat and Chastity Belt, and excellent Portland bands like Lithics and the Ghost Ease representing the hometown. CIARA DOLAN
Oct 20-21, 8 pm, The North Warehouse, $15-45
Bob Mould, Moon Tiger
Alt-rock/post-punk icon Bob Mould, the former frontman for the legendary 1980s band HĂźsker DĂź whoâs followed up with a great solo career, is coming back to town and you wonât want to miss it. Heâs still going hard. His show last year at the Wonder Ballroom was one of my favorites and itâs going to be awesome to see him in a smaller, more intimate venue. Mould seems to dig Portland: He released a dope music video last year (âHold Onâ) that was filmed around town. DOUG BROWN
8 pm, Doug Fir, $22-25
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile (and the Sea Lice)
It seems like weâve reached a consensus that Courtney Barnettâs âDeprestonâ is the best indie rock song of the past decade (suck it, Vampire WeekendâNeo Yokio was just okay). What could happen if the Australian singer/songwriter and pun-master teamed up with Philadelphia's aggressively mild rock star Kurt Vile? Some pleasant blues melodies and decent wordplay, as proven with their collaborative debut, Lotta Sea Lice. Itâs neither artistâs best work by a longshot (Vileâs best song is âBabyâs Arms,â for the record), but thereâs no denying how easy it is to latch on to their music. The sweet, bright guitar riff of âOver Everythingâ is so laid-back, you wonât even realize the trackâs over six minutes long. CAMERON CROWELL
8 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $30-45, all ages
Sallie Ford, Dead Men Talking
Sallie Fordâs second solo record, Soul Sick, arrives at a crossroads of her rockabilly yesteryear and a newly refined focus on rollicking rock ânâ roll. Born from a therapeutic period in the songwriterâs life, the recordâs â60s-rock edges lay bare Fordâs insecurities, wrapped up with tales of waking up sour on sweet summer days, being misunderstood, and screwing up. RYAN J. PRADO
9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $15
Fighting for the Dream Caravan
Whatâs more powerful than calling your state representatives? Stopping by to say hello in person. Travel to the office of Republican Greg Walden Bend in Bend with this caravan organized by Portlandâs Resistance and Milenio.org. The caravan will depart after the ICE rally and urge the representative to support the Dream Act. EMILLY PRADO
8 am, 4310 SW Macadam, free
Yumi Zouma, Chad Valley
Until the rise of Lorde, much of the music from New Zealand that made an impression on American ears bore hallmarks of the famed âDunedin Soundââa scrappy, jangly, collegiate tunefulness that littered the records of such marvelous bands as the Clean and Sneaky Feelings. Thereâs none of that in Yumi Zouma, whose members are from New Zealand but live scattered across the globe. (They donât sound much like Lorde, either.) Started as a long-distance recording project, Yumi Zoumaâs buffed-smooth dream pop is all Instagram-filter gloss and magic-hour romance, but there are human, beating hearts beneath these ridiculously gorgeous sounds, transforming their placid surfaces into something pretty darn irresistible. Yumi Zoumaâs sophomore full-length, Willowbank, was recorded amid the rubble of earthquake-stricken Christchurch, and itâs the kind of record you fall hard in love with on first listen. Its universal appeal makes perfect sense no matter what part of the globe youâre standing on. NED LANNAMANN
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14
A Celebration For Andrew Massett
Over the summer, Portlandâs music community suffered a devastating loss in the passing of Andrew Massett, who played drums in Two Moons, Clovver, Caregiver, and most recently Hemingway. Andrew was one of the best drummers I have ever been fortunate enough to witness, but heâll be remembered most for his warmth and driving passion. Moving forward is always the hardest partâas time passes, we hope to find comfort and healing. But I find that turning to others who also feel the weight of this loss is a great source of support, love, and strength. Friday night, a collection of bands from his communityâParty Apartment (featuring members of Caregiver), Lee Corey Oswald, Lubec, and Gardenerâwill gather to perform and celebrate the life of Andrew Massett. All proceeds from the event will directly benefit his family. DELANEY MOTTER
7 pm, Clinton Street Theater
Zola Jesus, John Wiese
I interviewed Nika Roza Danilova in 2011 before her performance at Mississippi Studios, and was struck by how down to earth she was. All I knew of Zola Jesusâas sheâs better knownâprior to that was what Iâd heard on her album Conatus, which is otherworldly, to say the least. She mentioned having stage fright, and talked about her songwriting: âMy music is a little compulsive⌠I find release in the things I have to deal with.â That sentiment couldnât hold truer on Zola Jesusâ new record, Okovi, which she wrote after escaping Seattleâs eternal grayness to return home to Wisconsin. The result is her rawest and most personal album yet, coming on the heels of 2014âs more accessible Taiga. Danilova deals with her depression and mortality through a shroud of strings and synths, showing growth and maturity without compromise. Itâs easily Zola Jesusâ best work. MARK LORE
9 pm, The Old Church, $15, all ages
Iron & Wine, John Moreland
Fresh off releasing a collaborative album and touring with Jesca Hoop, whispered indie-folk singer/songwriter Sam Beam jumps back into his Iron & Wine moniker and returns to the Aladdin Theater for an all ages show supporting his new Sub Pop-issued album, Beast Epic, the first new Iron & Wine album since 2013's Ghost on Ghost.
8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $39.50-40, all ages
Rllrbll, The Wild Body, Dolphin Midwives, Plankton Wat, The Tenses
Rllrbll relishes in experimentalism, crafting weirdly catchy art-rock in expanses as varied as syncopated acid-jazz dust-ups and bat-shit loony tunes. RYAN J. PRADO. This show is a benefit for the Columbia Gorge Fire.
7 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Beth Macy
Beth Macy reads from Truevine, her bestselling book chronicling the true story of two African American brothers who were kidnapped off a farm in the Jim Crow South town of Truevine, Virginia, which led their mother on a 28-year struggle to get them back.
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free
The Aquabats
The shapeshifting pop punk, ska, and new wave band out of Orange County, California suit up and return to Portland for an all-ages headlining show at the Wonder Ballroom
7 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $23, all ages
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
