Dear readers,

I have just returned to Portland after a weekend in New York City, spending a few beautiful days catching up with old friends and making new ones. I made the trip over to catch a set by Pratagy, a Brazilian artist from the city of Belém. I had not heard the artist before, but I so genuinely teared up at the familiar sound of indie-laced MPB (Música Popular Brasileira AKA Popular Brazilian Music) that I often heard in the scene, living in São Paulo. I watched as the New York crowd interacted with both new and familiar sounds, curious and asking questions, and I ended up full-on crying as Pratagy expressed gratitude in playing his first show outside of Brazil and sincerely invited everyone to “come to Brazil.”

This simple kindness transported me to my time living between two countries, feeling both whole and torn to never be able to exist in both spaces at once and always yearning for the other. Yet, music has these powers of transportation. Portland is one of my homes, and one I do and will always return to. And at the same time, it is freeing to remember that we are all united, even in our differences, by the common language and love of music. 

Each week, I aim to feature both Portland-local artists, and those from around the globe. Our communities are unique, dynamic, and full of life. I’m always so genuinely proud to see so many people show up so passionately. This week comes a host of music from Japan, Mexico, and various corners of the U.S., with some stellar local acts sprinkled in. 

Thursday, November 12

CITY POP! Japanese Boogie, J-jazz, & New Wave Night

For fans of Junko Yagami, Yurie Kokubu, Tomoko Aran

City pop’s mid-’70s origins offer a dreamy soundtrack for today’s mechanical malaise, bringing a retrofuturistic kind of hopefulness to the forefront. This somewhat niche genre, inspired by disco, soft rock, and jazz fusion, has origins in Japan and is defined by its chic style and buoyant sound. Coming from an age of high-tech optimism, city pop was popular in Japan’s economic boom of the 1980s, though it got quiet in recession years. Ironically, the rise of TikTok brought the genre back in style, creating a charming juxtaposition between the music’s soothing sound and the technological futurist hellspace we’re now forced to navigate. A must-see for any city pop fan, Holocene hosts DJs SEASIDE.FM and Joe Ball, alongside an incredible live set by Japanese city pop legend Reiko Takahashi (高橋玲子), followed by an autograph session and meet-and-greet.

(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, $25.82, more info, 21+)

Saturday, November 14

The Jazz Room: Marvin Gaye in a Night of Soul

For fans of Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Al Green

Join this vivacious night of live music performed in the honor of the Prince of Soul, Marvin Gaye. Live at the Alberta Abbey, the Jazz Room pays tribute to the legendary Motown artist who shaped the sound of a generation with classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Let’s Get It On,” and “What’s Going On.” Gaye tragically passed in the mid-’80s, in the prime of his career, and was later inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His work has since gone on to inspire a new age of R&B, soul, and jazz.

(Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta, 6:30 and 8:30 pm, $18.40-$32.40, more info, 21+)

Portland Opera Presents The Crown Maker

In a unique look at Oregon history, The Crown Maker examines the life of artist and activist Eva Castellanoz. After immigrating to the U.S. from Mexico, Castellanoz crafted paper floral crowns, becoming a healer and community figure in Oregon, where she lives to this day. This free event is part of the Our Oregon series, Portland Opera’s collection of youth operas spotlighting historical, impactful women throughout Oregonian history. Composed by Jesse J. Sanchez, The Crown Maker is set to premiere in Hillsboro before the December debut at the World Trade Center Theatre in Portland.

(Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center, 527 E Main, Hillsboro, 11 am and 2 pm, FREE, more info, all ages)

Sunday, November 15

A Defiant Voice: Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

For fans of Stravinsky, Béla Bartók, Gustav Mahler

Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 came as a subtle act of defiance in the 1930s Soviet Union. Under a dictatorial regime, music and art were censored or skewed towards the favor of the powers that be, forcing revolt to come in very small and masked ways. Shostakovich’s symphony came as one such act, delicately displaying compliance, all the while weaving sounds of terror, grief, and war, masked as a celebratory triumph. Conducted by Raúl Gómez-Rojas, the MYS Symphony Orchestra will take on Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, alongside Leonard Bernstein’s Candide Overture, and student composer Skye Neal’s world premiere, created in partnership with Fear No Music’s Young Composers Project. 

(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $27.80, more info, all ages)

Wednesday, November 18

Agriculture

For fans of Deafheaven, The Body, Sunn O)))

Agriculture doesn’t just play black metal—they transcend from it. The LA-based outfit made up of Dan Meyer, Leah Levinson, Richard Chowenhill, and Kern Haug, found each other serendipitously through the city’s noise music scene. All classically trained in their own musical crafts, the group fits the heaviness of the world into a wall of sound that sits mindfully in spirituality, Zen Buddhist practice, and queer history. Their 2025 release The Spiritual Sound dropped on indie dark music label The Flenser, flinging the band into a community of heavy hitters and offering a space for them to grow within their already hypnotic chant-like sound. Joined by seasoned local hardcore band Dry Socket and Bay Area shoegazers Pure Hex, this set is a surefire symphony of cacophonous sound. (Bring your earplugs.)

(Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 7 pm, $34.38, more info, all ages)

Dev Lemons – Eat The Pavement Tour

For fans of Remi Wolf, Still Woozy, SOPHIE

I’ll admit it, I found Dev Lemons through social media. An early admirer of her delightfully unsettling mock-video-game horror videos depicting unhealthy relationships as creepy, campy, comedic gold, Lemons has turned her online comedian-meets-performance-artist personality into a wildly successful musical career. Maintaining her unique performance style, Lemons’ music is poppy, dreamy, dancy, if not a little tongue-in-cheek. Her sound is sincere, often singing about the plights of relationships and that sadness or anger that comes from letting someone in, only to be let down. Paired with brightly colored, highly produced music videos, Lemons’ performance adds another element to the experience, showcasing a lighthearted and playful demeanour, intertwined with authentic moments of anguish, juxtaposing the realities of social expectations to stay upbeat while encountering the every day let downs of a lonely dating culture.

(Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 8 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, all ages)

But wait, there’s more!

Friday, November 13

Houndmouth

For fans of Mt. Joy, Nathaniel Rateliff, Caamp

Soft, crooning, alternative country sounds that’re sure great for a November gloom.

(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $46.50, more info, all ages)

Coffintexts, Binh

For fans of Sister System, Ultrathem, SATURNSARii

With Coffintexts from Miami and Binh from Berlin, Barn Radio is offering up gritty, grimey, late night grooves to grind to.

(Barn Radio, 215 SW 1st, 10 pm, $20-$25, more info, 21+)

Saturday, November 14

Dog Daughter, Ray Ramano, Mean Sun

For fans of Hell Nancy, Thelma & The Sleaze, Frankie and the Witch Fingers

Playful and powerful grunge rock.

(Swan Dive, 727 SE Grand, 8 pm, $12.26, more info, 21+)

Sunday, November 15

Bonobo

For fans of Tycho, Odesza, Com Truise

Deep, dark, dancy nu-jazzy electronica trip hop.

(Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $57.50-$62.75, more info, all ages)

Tuesday, November 17

Rodrigo y Gabriela

For fans of Paco Peña, Las Migas, Estrella Morente

Grammy-award winning duo Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero perform flamenco flawlessly, fused with heavy rock for a unique and spectacular listen.

(Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 7 pm, $54.25-$195.94, more info, all ages)

Wednesday, November 18

Babehoven

For fans of Squirrel Flower, Big Thief, Oh Rose

Sweet indie alt-country with a sentimental heart, lead by New York-based Maya Bon and Ryan Albert.

(Show Bar, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $23.38, more info, 21+)

Dead Butterflies

For fans of Your Arms Are My Cocoon, gingerbee, idialedyournumber

Fun mosh-y screamo all the way from Texas.

(High Limit Room, 720 SE Hawthorne, 7 pm, $17, more info, all ages)