My, What a Busy Week!

THURSDAY, APRIL 9

Back in the beginning, punk had balls,
but its flair for Hollywood drama was somewhat clunky. X came and
changed all that, with a diva and a lyricism for the romantic end of
the spiked leather crowd; the ringing is still in our ears. MS

w/Steve Soto and the Twisted Hearts, Guns & Rossetti; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $20, all ages

On television, RuPaul’s Drag Race combines all the best parts of reality runway shows (style, bitchiness,
emotional outbursts) and then adds drag queens! And the Portland
edition, hosted live by Poison Waters, will be even better. For
12 weeks, eight local contestants will compete to become the
Northwest’s Fiercest Drag Diva. And each week, somebody will lip
sync for their life! Don’t miss the first round tonight. KP

Red Cap Garage, 1025 SW Stark, 9 pm, FREE

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

Remember The Gong Show? Well,
it’s back, and better than ever! This time the fast and furious talent
show is hosted by punk drag troupe Sissyboy, with a panel of celebrity
judges (including Mercury staff!)—all to benefit Outside
In! SM

w/Neopolitan Beard, Rude Dudes, Jimme Jamma; Rotture, 315 SE 3rd,
9 pm, $5-25 sliding scale

Before they were the house band for
Jimmy Fallon’s crappy late-night show, the Roots established themselves
as hiphop icons. Tonight, get a double-dose of Roots goodness, with a
Roots show at the Wonder Ballroom followed by an after-party with DJ
?uestlove at the Someday Lounge. EH

w/Pacific Division; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $29, all ages;
official after-party w/?uestlove, Rev Shines, DJ Kez, Starchile;
Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, 9:30 pm, $10

The last time Trevor Ariza came to town, he
sent Rudy Fernandez to the hospital. Tonight, Ariza and his fellow Los
Angeles Lakers better watch their step, since the Portland Trail
Blazers—and resident thug, Joel “Vanilla Gorilla”
Przybilla—won’t let up on the scoreboard… or the Laker body
count. EAC

Rose Garden, 1 Center Court, 7:30 pm, $10 and up

SATURDAY, APRIL 11

The Spring Beer and Wine Fest has quite a few
things going for it: It’s indoors, keeping weather out of your
beverage. It includes a “Tour de Cheese” to curb your overwhelming
hunger for salty dairy products. There’s a heated smoking tent. And oh
yeah, the beer! PAC

Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, Fri April 10 & Sat
April 11, noon–11 pm, $5 entry (FREE noon-2 pm)

Fans of the dance floor will not want to miss
tonight’s special guest turntablist DJ Spinderella! This gorgeous DJ is
most famous for being one-third of Salt-N-Pepa, and is guaranteed to
make your ass tap the floor with her hip-shaking selections of rap and
R&B pop. WSH

w/Starchile, Dun Diggy, O.G. One; Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, 9
pm, $10

SUNDAY, APRIL 12

Two of the biggest acts on the Sub Pop
roster, Seattle’s Fleet Foxes and Portland’s own Blitzen Trapper, team
up for a show that’ll bring rock, folk, and windswept harmonies.
Tickets are sold out, so get craigslist-ing—this is the kind of
show your grandkids will ask you about. NL

Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, $15, all ages

O sweet resurrected savior, Easter morning
brings a divine vision: hundreds of people in bunny costumes on bikes!
Wake up early and swing by either Pix Patisserie location for a
money-loaded egg hunt, then put on your Sunday-best ears for the sixth
annual Bunny on a Bike Ride. SM

Egg hunts at Pix , 3402 SE Divison, 10 am, and 3901 N Williams, 9
am; Bunny Ride begins at noon, go to shift2bikes.org for locations

MONDAY, APRIL 13

Innovative performance act Lucky
Dragons—the work of one Luke Fischbeck—offer electronic
music/dance/WTF pieces that can only be described as digital human
mixing magic. Never has a guy with a laptop been so awesome on stage.
SM

w/tune-YaRdS, Karl Blau; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm,
$7

Fresh off a Saturday appearance on Live
Wire!, physicist Michio Kaku reads tonight from Physics of the
Impossible, which explores whether the fantastical concepts that
currently exist only in sci-fi might one day become reality. You know,
like robot maids. And jetpacks. AH

Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

TUESDAY, APRIL 14

Hey, you with the NPR totebag! You’re a
fan of Old Testament piss-taking and This American Life, right?
Jonathan Goldstein, longtime contributor to Ira Glass’ show, reads
tonight from his latest book, Ladies and Gentleman, the Bible!,
which recasts tedious Bible stories as wryly hilarious anecdotes.
AS

Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

Based in Buenos Aires, Zizek lays
claim to being one of the hottest clubs on the planet. But since
airfare to Argentina isn’t exactly cheap, they are bringing their
finest emcees and DJs to us, along with a dizzying selection of
sweltering dancehall, cumbia, hiphop, and mashups like nothing you’ve
experienced before. EAC

w/Various Bass Crew featuring Monkeytek, Ryan Organ, E3;
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $10

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

The mixture of robotic beats, chilly synth, and
warm, soulful singing makes for a surprisingly good cocktail, and
Australian duo the Presets resurrects the cool-once-again sound of your
favorite ’80s band (Pet Shop Boys, Yaz, Soft Cell, et al.) in snappy,
durable dance-pop that never becomes a retread. NL

w/the Golden Filter, the Gentry; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th,
9 pm, $16-18, all ages

If White Bird’s Uncaged series hasn’t won you
over already, with spirited international dance performances in unusual
locations, it’s now or never. The series concludes with Two-Faced
Bastard, a production from Australian dance company Chunky Move
that features an innovative split stage. AH

10th Avenue Athletic Club, 1111 SW 10th, 8 pm (plus Sat-Sun 2 pm)
through Sun April 19, $26