What follows is one of the many articles in the Mercury‘s 2026 Music Issue. Find a print copy here, subscribe to get a copy mailed to you here, and if you’re feeling generous and want to keep these types of articles coming, support us here.—eds.
Carlos Niño & Friends
MAY 16
(MUSIC) Carlos Niño came to town on André 3000’s New Blue Sun tour, where he played, among other things, a tree branch. It made sense within the context of André’s ascent into a jazzy, spiritual realm, and makes even more sense when you consider Niño cites Alice Coltrane, the Sun Ra Arkestra, and Pharoah Sanders as inspirations. Niño and his band pack their flutes, gongs, and leaf bundles for two shows in Portland, describing their new album Bubble Bath for Giants as “a reverence for Oceans, for the Mighty Magnificent Power of Fairies, to the energy that we are all everything, whole, well, but in different sized and shaped vessels at times.” Multiinstrumentalist Aaron Shaw opens; grab your corporeal vessel and fill your cup. (Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th, 8 pm, $25+, jacklondonrevue.com, 21+) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Monét X Change
MAY 17
(PERFORMANCE) If you’ve seen drag superstar Monét X Change’s quick reads on Drag Race or The Traitors or heard her witty banter with bestie Bob the Drag Queen on their podcast Sibling Rivalry, you know she’s got a knack for comedy. We love a comedy queen in this house! And while most drag queens are multitalented, Monét is a classically trained opera singer. How’s that for Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve, and TALENT?! My fingers are crossed she incorporates an opera number into her latest comedy tour, “High Heels, Bad Knees,” which promises “unhinged and filthy stand-up about adulting and coming to terms with the fact that most of her joints are serviceable.” (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 7:30 pm, $29.50+, revolutionhall.com, 18+) JANEY WONG
Dry Cleaning
MAY 17
(MUSIC) It may catch your attention that Dry Cleaning’s new record, Secret Love, was produced by angel diva of the avant garde Cate Le Bon. But the no wave-influenced Londoners bring something singular to the table, too: Singer Florence Shaw’s spoken word witticisms stand out, as does the album’s unexpected catchiness and caustic response to the violent political atmosphere. Take the lyrics to “Blood,” par exemple: “I’m in an underground bunker with my computer-controlled flying bomb / It’s numbness without end or change.” If that sounds like your thing, you already know it—and if not, get into it. YHWH Nailgun was originally slated to open Dry Cleaning’s Portland show, but after tour rescheduling due to “hostile economic forces,” Hotline TNT has slotted in instead.(Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8 pm, $39.25+, wonderballroom.com, all ages) LC
Rex Marshall with Michelle Kicherer
MAY 19
(BOOKS) Trying to categorize Mattress, the long-running music project of “the man in the gold suit” Rex Marshall, has always been a little tricky. It’s funny, but is it comedy? There are beats, but should you dance? Marshall’s memoirella All the Work I Never Wanted may be the easiest concept he’s ever floated: It’s a “fantastic, enthralling, hardly-embellished” collection of stories about all the minimum wage jobs he held between 1987-2002. Within the 100ish page volume—published by local press Banana Pitch—you’ll find tales of the McDonald’s grill, quality control at Columbia Sportswear, and a gig that started out with an old man on SE Hawthorne waving his arms at him and asking: “Hey! Hey you! You need a job?” Marshall will be joined in conversation by Michelle Kicherer, founder of Banana Pitch and author of Sexy Life, Hello. (Literary Arts, 716 SE Grand, 6:30 pm, FREE, literary-arts.org, all ages fit for minimum wages) SUZETTE SMITH
Ballets Jazz Montréal: Dance Me—Music by Leonard Cohen
MAY 20
(PERFORMANCE) With all there is to know and love about the life of Leonard Cohen, you’ll be forgiven if you kinda forgot he was Québécois. The fifty-four-year-old dance company Ballets Jazz Montréal remembered, though. Presenting Dance Me—Music by Leonard Cohen, a full-evening performance inspired by the singer-songwriter’s oeuvre, the troupe’s twirls will be framed by “vivid lighting design and videography.” The show’s multimedia approach crafts a series of vignettes that reflect on Cohen’s poetic preoccupations—transience, intimacy, and so on. Expect and embrace light corniness in the form of fedoras and microphone props. (Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 7:30 pm, $29+, portland5.com, all ages) LC
American Football
MAY 20
(MUSIC) I consider American Football vocalist Mike Kinsella a good friend. We both love Danzig, me a little more than him. I once took a few bucks off him throwing snowballs at a Vail, Colorado ski resort. Not to make him sound like some kind of coastal elite—Mike is Midwest nice. I’ve never seen him wear socks. The rest of the guys in the band are also great, I just don’t know them as well. One time I crashed into Mike’s nice new car and broke the mirror and he didn’t even get that mad. Great guys and pretty good music.(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $53.25+, mcmenamins.com, all ages) JAMES DEELEY
Marisa Anderson
MAY 21
(MUSIC) Marisa Anderson’s American primitive fingerstyle continually transforms, but it’s always infused with bluesy, folksy, drony spirit. A longtime Portlander and longer-time adventurer, Anderson’s albums act as reactions—2018’s Cloud Corner responded to Trump’s America, for instance–but also feel timeless. She’s full of subtle contradictions like that. The experimental guitarist-composer’s latest Thrill Jockey release, The Anthology of UnAmerican Folk Music, keeps plucking at strings with tunes responding to musicologist Harry Smith’s expansive folk archives. Expect Southeast Asian, Soviet, and Islamic world influence at this album release show; Anderson deliberately chose to interpret music from “places that the United States has been in conflict with since 1970,” per her Bandcamp. (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $17, mississippistudios.com, 21+) LC
Melody’s Echo Chamber / Strange Lot
MAY 22
(MUSIC) When the debut self-titled album by Melody’s Echo Chamber came out in 2012, it was played on repeat at Heart Coffee Roasters’ Burnside location, to the extent that owner Rebekah Yli-Luoma told the baristas to stop playing it. It’s thanks to Reebs that I still love this album and Melody’s Echo Chamber period. That 2012 album was produced by Kevin Parker at the height of Tame Impala’s power; Parker’s fingerprints are deeply felt all over the LP. Melody released Unclouded last year, the prompt for this tour. Unclouded is just that, a beguilingly stripped-back album by an artist intimately familiar with texture. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $35, revolutionhall.com, all ages) NOLAN PARKER
Purity Ring
MAY 24
(MUSIC) When I first listened to the track “Ungirthed” back in 2011, I was immediately hooked by Purity Ring’s singular sound. Corin Roddick’s production pairs with macabre lyrics performed with vocalist Megan James’ childlike delivery, coalescing into a futuristic sonic signature. Their live show features custom-built light rigs synched to Roddick’s Ableton Live, and the lighting and sound work in tandem for an enrapturing, otherworldly experience. Longtime Purity Ring fans are in for something new at the band’s “Place of My Own Tour,” during which James will debut her solo project mmj, opening each show with an acoustic set. Wear a high-filtration mask for this one; the band is committed to creating a safe space for immunocompromised fans. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $36+, revolutionhall.com, all ages) JW
Kristina Wong, #FoodBankInfluencer
MAY 26-JUNE 7
(PERFORMANCE) Artist, writer, activist, and former elected official Kristina Wong brings her one-woman karaoke musical comedy to Portland Center Stage. Wong loves food banks and their bountiful harvests, but hates the oppressive systems that created the wealth gaps that make food banks necessary. It takes a particular type of talent to handle heavy issues like food justice with a balance of humor and anger at the system, but Wong, a 2022 Pulitzer Prize drama finalist, just might be the one to do it. (Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th, Wed-Sun at 7:30 pm, 2 pm matinees on Sat, Sun, and select Thurs, $25-$98, pcs.org, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Carte Blanche: Michelle Zauner
MAY 27
(BOOKS) Fans of writer/musician Michelle Zauner and her musical project, Japanese Breakfast, should jump on this chance to see Zauner read her work live, reflect on her career, and participate in an audience Q&A. She’s fresh off the release of her 2025 album For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) and is currently working on her second book. If you’ve ever listened to her music or read her memoir, Crying in H Mart, you know how devastating yet beautifully poignant her prose and lyrics can be. (Tomorrow Theater, 3530 SE Division, 7 pm, $65, tomorrowtheater.org, all ages) KCH
Live Wire with W. Kamau Bell, Lindy West, and Okaidja Afroso
MAY 29
(BOOKS/MUSIC) At this edition of Live Wire, prolific essayist (and beloved former Stranger writer) Lindy West, author of the think-piecey new memoir Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane, will chat with W. Kamau Bell, who hosted the CNN docuseries United Shades of America for seven years. The event’s musical act is worth your attention, too: Ghanaian percussionist, dancer, and singer-songwriter Okaidja Afroso pulls from the traditions of Ghana’s Indigenous Ga-Dangme ethnic group to craft a range of ambient and percussive tracks he calls “Afro-Zeng.” The results are layered with vibrant instrumentation and ecological wisdom. (Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 SW Crescent, Beaverton, 7:30 pm, $24.50+, livewireradio.org) LC
Sierra Ferrell
MAY 30
(MUSIC) Getting ready for the second day of Redmond, Oregon’s FairWell Fest last year, I asked my host, Howl Goods head haunch Alicia Renner, if she knew any artists playing that day at the now-defunct country music festival. Her biggest shout for the day was Sierra Ferrell, an artist I had never heard of, an artist that is now, hands down, one of my favorites—country or otherwise. Ferrell’s lyrics and music are so infectious you might be shushed in your own office for singing her songs. You might fall in love with her smile, her stage outfits, and the fact that she’s mad religious but loves the gays. Sierra, if you’re reading this, I’d love to take you to the dollar bill bar. (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey St, Troutdale, 6:30 pm, SOLD OUT, edgefieldconcerts.com, all ages) NP
Rhododendron
MAY 30
(MUSIC) I’m a sucker for a beautiful band name, so Portland’s post-everything rockers Rhododendron had my heart in their talons long before I heard “Like Spitting Out Copper” off their tense and heavy forthcoming album, Ascent Effort. Just don’t Google “Rhododendron Portland” and try to find them. You’ll be redirected to information on the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Actually, I take that back—the garden rules. Go there with some headphones and zone in. Rhodo hits Aladdin with noisy duo Sea Moss to celebrate their album release. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $18, aladdin-theater.com, all ages) LC
Holocene’s 23rd Birthday Party
JUNE 4
(MUSIC) Holocene fills an essential niche in the city’s experimental, indie, and queer-centric music scenes. Don’t we owe them, like, the best birthday ever? Bring a gift (yourself) and dig DJ sets by indie-synth heroes STRFKR and Troubled Youth (Judy on Duty’s resident DJ), plus Kiwi & Fifi’s album release performance—that’s Keil Corcoran of STRFKR and Ian Anderson of Guidance Counselor, IYKYK. The venue turns 23, so nothing’s stopping you from pretending it’s 2003 again. Wear a Juicy tracksuit for me, mmkay?(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, FREE with RSVP, holocene.org, 21+) LC
Therapy Gecko
JUNE 5
(PERFORMANCE) You might have caught him at a music festival—he’s performed at Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, and Beyond Wonderland—or heard one of his podcast interviews with Doja Cat, Lil Yachty, or Danny Brown. But while Therapy Gecko often taps into musical scenes, he’s also devised an entirely singular schtick as a soft-voiced, wholesome counselor version of Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile. It’s understandable if you haven’t considered that a man-sized, anthropomorphic gecko might be the answer to your problems, but you should take a chance on Therapy Gecko, a dude who is, coincidentally, also named Lyle. He grants an empathetic, reptilian ear to all manner of odd questions from anonymous callers on his podcast. I’m assuming he’ll offer a lending hand (do geckos have hands?) to the audience at this performance. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth, 7 pm, $25+, polarishall.com, 21+) LC
Hunx & His Punx / Slippers
JUNE 9
(MUSIC) “Do you ever get the feeling that you wanna hold me? / Well do it now, cause I want everyone to see / I wanna take you, take you way down / To my favorite place in town / Lovers Lane / I wanna go to Lovers Lane / I wanna run my fingers through your hair / My whole life would pass and I wouldn’t even care / Just gotta touch you and squeeze you, make you mine / I wanna hold to the end of time / Lovers Lane / I wanna go to Lovers Lane / And when you left I was doing fine / I wish I woulda kissed him one last time / What happened next no one woulda ever have known / My boy was killed and now he’s gone / And I could never go back / Now I’ll never get to see him ever again / But I won’t forget the time we got to spend / At Lovers Lane”—Hunx (Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $30, mississippistudios.com, 21+) NP
Gamera vs. Zigra
JUNE 12-13
(FILM) Noriaki Yuasa’s Gamera vs. Zigra (1971) is considered a cult classic in the world of kaiju (giant monster) movies. Massive turtle-like Gamera is a benevolent monster, a protector and friend of children, but will he be able to defend them from colossal shark-esque Zigra and a bunch of evil aliens? In this House of Scordatura production, watch the action go down to the tune of a live score written by Portland composer Justin Ralls, played by a full ensemble. Foley sound effects join the chaos along with live voiceovers. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, June 12 7 pm, June 13 1 pm and 7 pm, $25-$35, hollywoodtheatre.org, all ages) KCH
Hedwig and the Angry Inch with the Clinton Street Cabaret
JUNE 13
(FILM/PERFORMANCE) One cannot call themselves a true Portlander until they’ve attended at least one of the Clinton Street Theater’s biweekly midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, presented with help from the always excellent and fun Clinton Street Cabaret. Performing live alongside the film—what they call “shadowcasting”—the Cabaret cuties dress in full Rocky regalia and perform their chosen characters with endless enthusiasm. Now you can see members of the Cabaret step into different roles, as they shadowcast John Cameron Mitchell’s 2001 classic, Hedwig and the Angry Inch—an off-the-rails musical extravaganza about a gender-queer punk rocker who tours America singing autobiographical numbers while stalking the ex-boyfriend who stole her songs. Expect wild costumes, infectious music, and the over-the-top fun you’ve come to love and expect from the Cabaret. (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 7 pm, $15, cstpdx.com, rated R) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
