Waiting at the end of this weekend is a magical rabbit who shits colorful eggs full of candy and/or valuable prizes that hordes of small children will assault each other over as they greedily scoop them into wicker baskets before inevitably crying and/or vomiting, all to honor the resurrection of a horrifically murdered deity who (allegedly) pushed a big rock out of the way one morning about 2000 years ago. But on the way to that ham-filled, chocolate engorged holy day (and Dan Savage’s sex-filled, blasphemous celebration of it), there’s a lot of other fun stuff to indulge, like an indie games convention, a drag brunch, a chance to chop it up with an amazing director, the Portland Thorns season opener, the Portland Mercado’s birthday, and a chance to take to the streets and shame our fraudulent president into showing us his taxes. It’s an Easter weekend full-to-bursting with goodies. Hit the links below and load your basket accordingly.
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Friday, April 14
Dan Savage’s Easter Extravaganza!
No one loves Easter more than Dan Savage! And that’s why he’s bringing his top rated podcast, the Savage Lovecast, to Portland for a special Easter-themed live performance filled with comedy, sexy information, music, and… well, frankly? Stuff that will make your Aunt Flora clutch her pearls. Along with the Lovecast regulars, you’ll get music from Rachel Lark and the Damaged Goods, comedy gold from Nariko Ott, Dan will answer the audience’s sexiest questions, AND a special surprise appearance from… Sexy Jesus? Oh dear lord. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
8 pm, Revolution Hall, $30
Oh Rose, Little Star, Blackwater(Holylight)
The Pacific Northwest looks like was made for hiding secrets, with dense green forests, foggy valleys, and jagged mountaintops. Tucked away in Olympia, Oh Rose is making some of the region’s most captivating music. Listen to 2015’s Seven—the band’s primal folk reflects the surrounding landscape in guttural yowls, murky bass lines, and droning synth that hangs in that background of songs like something sinister lurking in the woods. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5
The Damned
While rock ’n’ roll history has yet to vindicate the Damned’s massive contributions, longtime fans will recognize them as one of the most important bands of all time. In fact, they’re one of the rare acts that can say that they pioneered two completely different genres. Their incendiary 1976 debut single “New Rose” is often cited as one of the very first examples of UK punk pressed to wax, while garishly named characters like Captain Sensible and Rat Scabies provided ample aesthetic influence to antiestablishment escapists the world over. Meanwhile, goth aficionados will claim that singer Dave Vanian’s ghostly face makeup, vampiric demeanor, and melancholy wordplay are the major foundations of their beloved dark medium as well. Whatever your ilk, when presented with the hellfire energy of classic sing-alongs like “Neat Neat Neat,” the Damned’s iconic status will not be up for debate. CHRIS SUTTON
9 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $23-25
The Fate of the Furious
The eighth chapter in the greatest saga of our age, The Fate of the Furious is finally here! This time, the Fast Family—Vin! Michelle Rodriguez! The Rock! Tyrese! Ludacris! Jason Statham! Kurt Russell!—face their greatest threat yet: super-hacker Cipher (Charlize Theron!), who not only seduces Vin but also has an army of robot cars. This film also features a car chase with a goddamn SUBMARINE, the Rock shouting, “I will beat your ass like a Cherokee drum!”, and Dame Helen Mirren. These movies are fucking magical. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Furious Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations
Golden Retriever, WL, Ilyas Ahmed
The sounds of Portland duo Golden Retriever can be hushed and delicate or rumbling and dramatic—the sonic possibilities posed by modular synth player Matt Carlson and bass clarinetist Jonathan Sielaff are endless. Tonight’s the perfect chance to crawl inside their thrilling world of avant-garde sound. NED LANNAMANN
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Kyle Kinane
Kyle Kinane’s beardy, sardonic yet cheerful stage presence is the cure for the grumps. He’s one of those comedians who skates by on charm, telling jokes about everything from unforgivable drink orders to gout (yes, gout) and making it look easy. My tolerance for bro-adjacent stand-up is low, but I always make an exception for Kinane’s laidback comedy wizardry. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $20-25
Hoop, Briana Marela, Brumes, Cave Cricket
Over the next few years, we’re going to start hearing a lot of Northwest artists under the influence of the roughshod and tuneful indie pop of the ’90s born from labels like K, Yoyo Recordings, and Kill Rock Stars, itself a scene marked heavily by the post-punk sounds of the UK. That could result in music suffering from literal and figurative generation loss, but hopefully we’ll get more bands like Hoop. This Seattle-by-way-of-Anacortes quartet has steadily built momentum over the past three years when it began as a bedroom recording project of Caitlin Roberts. In that time, she has fleshed out the sound from its slight and shaky but absolutely compelling beginnings to a gently powerful expression of her oft-vulnerable emotional state, complete with icy hot guitar tones and fragile vocals that express a multiplicity of ache and delight. ROBERT HAM
7 pm, Mother Foucault’s
Minus The Bear, Beach Slang, Bayonne
Minus the Bear’s debut LP, 2002’s Highly Refined Pirates, is one of the more enjoyable exercises in Jade Tree Records fetishism from the early ’00s. It captured the spirit of the genre’s forebears (the jangly, open tunings; the deliberately puerile lyrics; the obnoxiously long and esoteric song titles), while still carving out a unique identity for itself. Since then, Minus the Bear have evolved into perhaps the quintessential emo-dad band, and 2014’s Lost Loves—a collection of outtakes the spans the group’s entire history—is the perfect soundtrack for autumnal cuddle sessions and 2016 Honda Civic ads alike. MORGAN TROPER
8 pm, Hawthorne Theatre, $22.50-25, all ages
Horisont, Dirty Streets, Time Rift, Bewitcher
Since Sweden’s Horisont formed in 2006, the band has released five excellent full-lengths that fall right in line with Scandinavia’s throwback heavy rock movement. We’re talking rough and tumble riffage, groovy dual guitar harmonies, tasteful organ and synth work, and flawless falsetto vocals. While some of their contemporaries like Graveyard, Witchcraft, and Ghost B.C. enlist darker themes and Sabbathesque doom and gloom vibes in their hard rock, Horisont leans more toward bands like Kansas or Thin Lizzy. Their most recent effort, About Time, would’ve been an album-oriented rock classic if it were released in 1979. It’s a catchy, accessible pop record that doubles as a hard-strutting foot-stomper that would keep the squares at bay. You’d think since other Scandinavian bands have found great success touring in the US that Horisont would’ve been around the horn a few times by now. But they didn’t set foot here until late 2016, and they skipped the Northwest. Now’s your chance to see them in action for the first time. ARIS HUNTER WALES
7 pm, Bossanova Ballroom, $15
Spring Beer & Wine Fest
Featuring over 160 vendors, and over 70 different selections at the growler filling station, as well as the opportunity to take home bottles and cases from a whole bunch of Northwest wineries, breweries, and distilleries.
12 pm, Oregon Convention Center, $10
Ab-Soul, Little Simz
Acclaimed Los Angeles-based rapper Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, hits the Roseland for the Portland stop on his “YMH Tour.”
8 pm, Star Theater, $23-65
Ora Cogan, Johanna Warren, Red Steppes
Vancouver, BC, psych-folk musician Ora Cogan has been releasing hauntingly beautiful albums since 2007, most recently last year’s Shadowland. Its 11 Americana tracks aren’t earth-shattering—they might slip between your fingers if not for Cogan’s bright voice, which cuts through the spacy, slow-burning instrumentals like sharp glass. She sounds kind of like Portland’s own Alela Diane, the way her seemingly simple songs unfold and expand. Last month Cogan debuted “The Light,” the first single from her forthcoming release Crickets. It’s notably more up-tempo than her previous work, with heavy synth and multi-layered percussion weaving complex melodies like a spider tending to its web. Last time I went to a show at the small-but-cozy Beacon Sound the audience sat on the floor, which will be the ideal setting to see Cogan perform. CIARA DOLAN
8 pm, Beacon Sound, $10, all ages
Thursday, Touché Amoré, Basement, Cities Aviv
This is a seriously stacked bill, with noise-rap cool dude Cities Aviv sitting alongside melodic screamo faves Touché Amoré, and the post-hardcore pioneers of Thursday headlining. But don’t sleep on Basement, the excellent pop-rock band wedged into the middle of the night. Last year, the English quintet returned from a two-year hiatus with Promise Everything, an album packed with mega-catchy melodies and buzzy electric guitars worthy of pop-meets-emo’s glorious heyday. Yes, Basement sounds like a less pensive Sunny Day Real Estate, or Braid with actual hooks, or the Deftones with somewhere to be, or… well, Jimmy Eat World. They sound a lot like Jimmy Eat World! Some reviews of Promise Everything took Basement to task for being too derivative, but it’s 2017—just about all new music is derivative of something. If you’re going to sound like another band, best pick a good one. BEN SALMON
7:30 pm, Roseland, $23-27.50, all ages
J Names
A collection of all the improv talent in Portland that begins with the letter J. Amazingly, there’s a ton of it. With special guest Shelley McLendon.
7:30 pm, Siren Theater, $15-20
Buddy Wakefield
Award-winning spoken word artist Wakefield brings his “A Choir of Honest Killers” tour to Portland.
6:15 pm, Holocene, $12-15
Saturday, April 15
Lady Sings the Blues: A Tribute to Billie Holiday
The 11th annual tribute show for Lady Day is named after Sidney J. Furie’s 1972 film, Lady Sings the Blues, and will see 14 artists from various genres take the stage to honor the jazz singer’s legacy. Among them is charismatic vocalist/melodic looper Amenta Abioto, and soulful folk singer Moorea Masa. Proceeds from the event will benefit the 2017 Siren Nation Festival. JENNI MOORE
8 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $15
TEDxPortland: Spectrum
Last year’s TEDxPortland lineup included Black Portlanders photographer Intisar Abioto, Olympia Provisions’ Elias Cairo, and Timber Jim. This year will see Emma Mcilroy, CEO/co-founder of Wildfang (the retailer responsible for those famed “Wild Feminist” tees), music from songwriter Redray Frazier, and brilliant talks from 13 community builders, engineers, explorers, creatives, scientists, and entrepreneurs with “ideas worth spreading.” On top of all this food for the soul, TEDxPortland promises to feed your bellies as well. Depending on your level of ticket, you’ll get breakfast, happy hour, snack time, and a brown bag lunch from Whole Foods. (TEDx has a food cart pavilion as well.) Don’t miss out on this full day of enlightenment and goodies galore. JENNI MOORE
9 am, Keller Auditorium, $85-200
Betacon Game Expo
Portland: City of games. From players to artists to developers, we’re home to people who take their video games damned seriously. Which is why the Rose City’s the perfect place for the first-ever BetaCon—of which the Mercury is a proud presenting sponsor—a weekend-long expo showcasing the most exciting new developments in video game technology and packed with tons of career advice for wanna-be designers. There’ll be panels galore, competitions up the wazoo, and more demonstrations and battles than you can shake a controller at. Try out unreleased games in beta mode, check out the most intense new worlds virtual reality has to offer, and tell your favorite game designers what you think of their work. Better get those fingers ready—they’re gonna have a busy weekend. NED LANNAMANN
10 am, Oregon Convention Center
El Pueblo Unido: Portland Mercado 2 Year Anniversary
A daylong celebration of Portland Mercado making it to 2 years old, transforming 72nd and Foster into a bustling, busy community for neighbors and over 50 small businesses. Admission is free, but a $5 donation to Hacienda CDC and Causa of Oregon is suggested. Read our story on El Pueblo Unido.
noon, Portland Mercado, all ages
Tax March PDX
If you paid any taxes this year, guess what? You’ve paid more taxes to the federal government than Donald Trump probably did. We say probably because our President (who lost the popular vote by 2,864,974 votes) hasn’t released his fucking returns. Still. So Portland is joining the nationwide march demanding he do that.
1 pm, Terry Schrunk Plaza
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride
It’s the Thorns regular season opener in the National Women’s Soccer League so buy a ticket, wear red and black, and head to Providence Park to watch national team stars Tobin Heath, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long, Meghan Klingenberg, and the rest of the squad take on the Orlando Pride. If, for some reason, you can’t make it to the stadium, this will be the first NWSL game that the Lifetime broadcasts live on TV and online, which is cool. DOUG BROWN
noon, Providence Park, $10-55, all ages
The ‘Burbs
Charming and obsessive, filmmaker Joe Dante (Gremlins, Piranha, Twilight Zone: The Movie) hits the Hollywood to screen and discuss his 1989 comedy thriller starring Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, and the late Carrie Fisher. The ’Burbs is gonna be fun to watch with a sold-out crowd, for sure, but the real fun will be the Q&A—few film geeks are as knowledgeable and passionate as Dante, who’s worked alongside everyone from Roger Corman to Steven Spielberg. Chances Dante’s Q&A about The ’Burbs stays limited to The ’Burbs: zero percent. ERIK HENRIKSEN
7 pm, Hollywood Theatre
21 Savage, Young M.A., Tee Grizzley, Young Nudy
Though it’s the birthplace of Young Thug, Gucci Mane, and OutKast, it seems like Atlanta is perpetually fighting to earn respect for its contributions to hip-hop. From “Player’s Ball” to “Bad and Boujee,” Atlanta hip-hop has long stood apart—musically and geographically—from contemporaries in New York and California, taking advantage of its relative isolation to come up with innovative new sounds. Atlanta has gone through different waves of hip-hop, beginning in earnest with the Organized Noize/Dirty South era of the ’90s. But right now might be the city’s most exciting time yet, thanks to the freshman crew of eccentrics: Migos, Rich Homie Quan, Thugger, and 21 Savage. Despite representing the same area code, 21 Savage sounds like no other Atlanta rapper, past or present. His flow (if it can even be called that) is slow, murky, and vaguely sinister. With his icy stare and anti-club demeanor, 21 Savage may be an unlikely face of the new class of Atlanta hip-hop, but he goes to show that you can never know what to expect from the ATL. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
8 pm, Roseland, $27.50-130, all ages
Laura Gibson, Lenore.
Laura Gibson’s 2016 record Empire Builder is named after the Amtrak train that helped her move from Portland to New York City in 2014. Its 10 folk-pop songs reflect the strangeness of hurtling through time and space while watching the scenery change outside the train’s windows. She’s performing solo, and will be joined by Lenore, the brand-new collaboration between local musicians Joy Pearson (the High Water Jazz Band) and Rebecca Marie Miller (the Mynabirds). So far they’ve only got two acoustic songs online, “Dig” and “Pull the Reins,” both released last January as Living Room Sessions. Pearson and Miller’s voices seem like shadows of each other—they fit together perfectly, but remain distinct even as they meld. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm Mississippi Studios, $16-18
Stolas, Mylets, Icarus the Owl, Fighting Casper, Cascadia
Mylets is the solo recording project of looping pedal savant Henry Kohen. The preternaturally gifted Indiana native makes blistering, industrial-leaning rock, his dizzying guitar parts interlocking with the sort of precision that comes from both rigorous practice and a life of constant touring since he signed with Sargent House at just 17 years old. Fans of metal, math rock, the noodlier side of emo—really any technically driven guitar music—will find something to love about Arizona, his most recent full-length, but there’s a pop melodic sensibility to the best Mylets songs that sets them apart. If you’ve ever thought there might be an alternate universe in which Linkin Park is actually kind of great (and if you haven’t, fair enough), you’ll find something instantly gripping about leadoff track “Trembling Hands.” I saw Mylets last year at Los Angeles’ now-defunct venue Pehrspace, and like everyone else, I spent the whole set trying not to blink in case I missed something. NATHAN TUCKER
6 pm, The Analog Cafe & Little Theater, $12-14, all ages
Slay
Slay is a hip-hop party for LGBT, minorities, and open minded people, providing yet another safe space to twerk, blow off steam, and be yourself in our little sanctuary city. JENNI MOORE
9 pm, Holocene, $10
Tom Segura
A quick, cutting comedian, heard most often as a guest on The Bob and Tom Show and The Joe Rogan Experience, as well as his own podcast, Your Mom’s House. Tonight Segura hits Revolution Hall to preform a pair of shows on the Portland stop on his “No Teeth No Entry” stand-up tour.
8 pm, 10:30 pm, Revolution Hall, $29-50
Dreckig, Havania Whaal, Vog
Local music shop Mothership Music celebrates its 3-year anniversary with a stacked show headlined by Dreckig, the local psych-trip-hop duo comprised of Papi Fimbres and Shana Lindbeck.
8 pm, Mothership Music, $5
Intersectionality Workshop
Celebrate Global Youth Service Day by bringing your favorite teens and tweens to learn how to approach activism from an intersectional framework. Local orgs will be tabling to let the youth know how they can get involved and continue service work. EMILLY PRADO Admission on a sliding scale from free to $5
noon, TaborSpace
Community Easter Egg Hunt
King School Park gets visited by a pretty busy Easter bunny, with over 12,000 eggs hidden away for kids to hunt up, with other activities available even after all the candy and prizes have been loaded into everyone’s baskets, including face painting, crafting, and games.
11 am, King School Park, free, all ages
Ten Grands
The annual fundraiser benefitting Snowman Foundation, featuring performances by some of the world’s best pianists, led by Michael Allen Harrison.
7 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $25-150, all ages
Denver, Chuck Westmoreland
Put some shine on your best pair of boots tonight, and go howl at the moon with Denver, the band that made alcohol- and misery-soaked country music fun again. Sorry for all your heartache, boys, but maybe it was worth it for the harmonies. MARJORIE SKINNER
9 pm, LaurelThirst Public House, $8
Of Montreal
Kevin Barnes and Co. bring their experimental psychedelic pop and glam rock outfit back to the Wonder Ballroom to perform in support of their 2017 EP, Rune Husk.
8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $18-20, all ages
Speechless
The Siren Theater’s improvised PowerPoint presentation show Speechless is back, with the best kind of organized chaos: a delightful lineup of funny Portlanders making up lectures on the spot—”TED Talk, startup pitch, even a self-help seminar” are all fair game—to accompany surprise slides and placate a team of judges. Next slide! MEGAN BURBANK
8 pm, Siren Theater, $10-15
Easter Sunday
Drag Queen Easter Brunch
What better way is there to spend Easter morning than attending the Drag Queen Brunch? Obviously there’s no better way, but listen up! This brunch will be hosted by drag queen extraordinaire Sasha Scarlett (who’s skill in the areas of singing, dancing, and comedy are world renowned), and she will be joined by even more drag amazement in the form of Ivanaha Fusionn, Babie Valentine Knight, and Diva Dott. Plus there will be a buffet, mimosas, Bloody Marys, AND proceeds benefit the Gay Softball World Series! Now that’s an Easter. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
11 am, Doug Fir, $18-20
Banks
The cover of her latest album The Altar presents Banks unadorned by the trappings of the typical pop diva. It’s this starkness that permeates her complex, emotional songcraft, with startlingly raw concepts that push and embrace the incredibly intelligent production into a genius elixir of technology and human drama. Her mastery of poetic openness draws the listener inside modernist beats by sprinkling trembling ribbons of libido over every emboldened chorus. The resulting magic is both addictively accessible and introspectively enlightening. Some critics may try to tag her sound as “alternative R&B” because of her white skin, but this label is just an extremely glib interpretation of what Banks’ music represents—it’s an exciting expression of electronic soul injected with a warrior’s wisdom that breathes with an essential quality that is achingly absent from most mainstream avenues. CHRIS SUTTON
8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $29.50-35, all ages
The New Tale of Zatoichi
The Hollywood Theatre’s Samurai Sunday series continues with a 35mm screening of 1963’s New Tale of Zatoichi, the third chapter in the long-running, always satisfying series of films charting the stabby, slicy adventures of cinema’s favorite blind swordsman.
7 pm, Hollywood Theatre
The New Pornographers, Waxahatchee
I first heard Waxahatchee a few years ago, when a friend covered “Grass Stain” at an open mic. Upon hearing her sing Katie Crutchfield’s simple but cutting lyrics about an ill-fated relationship, I misattributed Crutchfield’s writing to my dear pal, and lashed out after the show thinking she’d written the song after observing my love life. Waxahatchee remains my always contemporaneous noise rock ally. The New Pornographers, who have been in my life much longer, always supplied me with realistic visions of the future. The feelings evoked by their album Mass Romantic—that trials and tribulations never cease, but maturing means learning to cope—still resonate. EMMA BURKE
8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $35
Mastodon, Eagles of Death Metal, Russian Circles
Atlanta progressive metal giants Mastodon return to Portland to play a stacked show at the Roseland with support from the Eagles of Death Metal and Russian Circles.
7:30 pm, Roseland, $42-52.50, all ages
Easter at Pix
Pix is hosting a lovely little tea party, that also contains a big fat Easter egg hunt, with eggs that contain golden tickets good for $50 in Pix treats, such as house-made marshmallow chicks, a wide variety of chocolate novelties, and Pix’s own take on the Kinder Egg.
2 pm, Pix/Bar Vivant, $34
Ian Sweet, Post Life
Ever since Boston’s Krill broke up, there’s been a vacancy of excellent, jagged-sounding guitar music that exists on the fringes of pop. But New York three-piece Ian Sweet is here to fill the Krill-sized hole in the hearts of modern indie rock fans with Jilian Medford’s shimmering lo-fi vocals and swelling psych-rock jams. (See “Slime Time Live.”) Last year Ian Sweet released a debut LP, Shapeshifter, on Sub Pop imprint Hardly Art. On tracks like “All Skaters Go to Heaven,” cataclysmic drumming expands and contracts like any good loud-quiet-loud Pixies song. Shapeshifter is a meditation on distraction, loneliness, contradictions, and parsing through it all to find pockets of youthful joy. CAMERON CROWELL
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
There isn’t much to do at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, but there’s plenty to look at: 40 acres of tulips lined up in orderly rows against the majestic backdrop of Mount Hood. Red! Yellow! Orange! White! Pink! Purple! They’ve got it all. The traffic can be pretty bad on weekends, but it’s worth the wait if your eyes were starved for color during this particularly gray spring; I, for one, forgot that the sky is blue. CIARA DOLAN
9 am, Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, $5, all ages
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!