THURSDAY, JANUARY 8
After canceling his September performance in Portland, Neil Diamond
is back and ready to blow us out of our seats! Fine, maybe he won’t
“blow us,” but I bet he’ll come to the stage locked and loaded with
hits such as “Cherry, Cherry,” “Sweet Caroline,” and “I’m a Believer.”
And does anybody remember “Heartlight”? I do! WSH
Rose Garden, 1 Center Court, 8 pm, $55-120, all ages
Portlander Jon Raymond wrote the short stories on which the films
Old Joy and the recent Michelle Williams vehicle Wendy and Lucy are based. The stories in his
collection Livability are, like those films,
understated and captivating, full of quiet insights. Forget Chuck
Palahniuk-Raymond is the local author you should be reading. AH
Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
E*Rock wears many hats, and tonight sees an opening of his drawings
as part of Universal Blobhand, and he’ll switch into
music mode at the after-party. Double dip! MS
Art opening at Stumptown, 128 SW 3rd, 6 pm, FREE; after-party at
Valentine’s, 232 SW Ankeny, 9:30 pm, FREE
FRIDAY, JANUARY 9
If People magazine goes out of business, no
problem. Same goes for Rolling Stone. But magazines
like Bitch-the intensely readable feminist
quarterly-need to stick around, so show ’em some monetary support by
attending this wildly eclectic show featuring Kimya Dawson
(Juno soundtrack!), Mirah (K Records!), and Anomie
Belle (Seattle electronica!). WSH
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $18-22, all ages
Dwarves are back in town, with Suicide Girls dripping off every arm,
and a catalog of punk rock stretching out behind them to the mid-’80s.
It ain’t pretty, but this is living history, my friends. MS
w/Zeke, Blackout Radio, LSD&D; Dante’s, 1 SW 3rd, 9 pm,
$15-18
The Northwest Film Center’s annual celebration of all things musical
and cinematic, the Reel Music festival this year includes films about
Patti Smith (Patti Smith: Dream of Life), the Gits
(The Gits), and legendary jazz label Blue Note
(Blue Note: A Story of Modern Jazz), as well as
stuff like tonight’s kickoff films, the Bob Marley portrait
Bob Marley: Exodus ’77 and Anvil!: The
Story of Anvil, a look at the Canadian “demigods of death
metal.” EH
Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, click
here for showtimes, $7-8
SATURDAY, JANUARY 10
It’s locals only at the Doug Fir tonight, with hometown heroes Quasi
leading the charge, accompanied by the excellent Eat Skull and the
charming the Golden Bears. Come appreciate the beauty of your city’s
natural resources. MS
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $13
The 1973 French/Czech animated Fantastic Planet surreally tells the story of a race of blue giants and their human-like captives. There’s political allegory aplenty, but the movie’s breathtakingly bizarre visuals and progressive rock score will mesmerize you. You’ve never seen a cartoon like it. NL
Fifth Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall, Fri Jan 9 & Sat Jan 10 at 7 & 9:30 pm, Sun Jan 11 at 3 pm, $3
On their own, Sleep and Josh Martinez hold down the roles of two of
Portland’s finest emcees, but together they form the mighty duo
Chicharones. With a new record set for release, and a DJ who rocks a
frightening pig mask behind the decks, get ready for a night you might
never forget.
w/Braille, Raise the Bridges, Nightcrawlers, Jon the Baptist, Erd;
Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd, 10 pm, $8-10
SUNDAY, JANUARY 11
Today is the final day of the RiverCity Bluegrass Festival, and the
legendary Ralph Stanley closes out the weekend with a set this
afternoon. You’ve heard his well-worn singing in Brother,
Where Art Thou?, but Stanley has been pickin’ and singin’ for
over half a century, and you can hear every mile in his haunted,
haunting voice. NL
Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, Fri Jan 9, 5-10 pm, Sat Jan
10, 10:30 am-11:45 pm, Sun Jan 11, 11 am-4:30 pm, $36.50 & up
(weekend pass $132), all ages
Musee Mecanique & Co. originally teamed up for this benefit
concert for local musician Kele Goodwin whose unexpected hospital bills
were financially daunting. But due to a good turn of fortune Goodwin’s
medical bills are no longer looming. Instead join this stellar lineup
as they raise funds for uninsured peeps and MusiCares, an organization
that provides financial assistance for musicians in dire straits.
CF
w/Sabertooth, Heather Broderick, Ritchie Young; Doug Fir, 830 E
Burnside, 9 pm, $10-15
Faythe Levine logged some miles (19,000, to be exact!) during the
course of writing Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY, Art,
Craft, and Design, which chronicles the punk culture and DIY
community aesthetics. Joined by contributing writer Susan Beal,
featured artist Jill Bliss, and book illustrator Kate Bingaman-Burt,
there’s bound to be enough glue-stick fumes at this reading to get even
the most veteran crafter high as a kite. CF
Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
MONDAY, JANUARY 12
Junot Díaz called Jayne Anne Phillips’ Lark and
Termite the best novel he’s read all year. And since Junot
Díaz wrote the best novel I read last year (The Brief
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao), I am prepared to accept
Díaz’s assessment of Phillips’ work, which takes place in Korea
and West Virginia during the Korean War. AH
Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
The elastic spacey rock of Glasvegas fills the Doug Fir tonight with
a big echoey sound. You are sure to indulge in a fair amount of swaying
with dreamy half-closed eyes. PAC
w/Carl Barat; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15
TUESDAY, JANUARY 13
I’ll fight you if you disagree with the following statement: Tim
Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are on the forefront of the modern
absurdist comedy movement, and you are certainly a jerk if you miss
their live performance of Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great
Job!, which (much like the hilarious TV show) features skits,
videos, musical numbers, and laffs, laffs, laffs! WSH
w/DJ Douggpound; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $25, all
ages
Part of the Hieroglyphics collective, Souls of Mischief hasn’t
released an album in nearly nine years, but at long last they’re
dropping Montezuma’s Revenge later this year. Their
soulful grooves and expert narratives are up close and personal tonight
as part of the Ice Cold Tour. NL
w/Bukue One, Alphabet Stew, Serendipity Project; Berbati’s Pan, 10
SW 3rd, 9 pm, $11-13, all ages
The only dilemma you might have about going to see the author of the
amazing in-depth rumination on sustenance, The Omnivore’s
Dilemma, is whether or not to pony up the dough for the
tickets. PAC
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $12-28
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14
Tired of music being so damn two-dimensional? SIX (“Portland’s only
multi-channel performance environment event”) is here to fix that with
an evening of three-dimensional music and performances. A vast array of
bands perform material tailor-made for the event, plus DJ Brokenwindow
utilizes a specialized tri-turntable, six-channel setup. 3D glasses not
required. EAC
w/Strategy, Grouper, cloudburst, & more; Holocene, 1001 SE
Morrison, 9 pm, $6
Tonight at the Reel Music film fest, you’ve got two choices: a look
at dub mastermind Lee “Scratch” Perry with The Upsetter: The
Life & Music of Lee “Scratch” Perry, or the batshit-crazy
Christmas on Mars, a seven-years-in-the-making
sci-fi epic featuring an original soundtrack by the Flaming Lips and
starring Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne as “a compassionate alien
superbeing.” EH
Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, The
Upsetter at 7 pm, Christmas on Mars at 9 pm, $7-8
Wrap your arms around the ’60s-inspired frenzied teen pop of the
Hugs, Portland’s favorite export to the UK. Their melodic, catchy tunes
are gracing an album later this year, and they’ve already captured the
ears of British audiences; it’s only a while before they capture yours.
NL
w/Black Pussy, Locke ‘n’ Load; Dante’s, 1 SW 3rd, 9 pm, $5