Events

MUSIC—Hiphop must’ve gotten too easy for Talib Kweli. The Brooklyn emcee’s sensitive, politically deft lyrics have been making underground heads swoon for almost two decades. But lately Kweli’s also taken on the mammoth job of shaming errant trolls on Twitter. He’s relentless on that thing, just like the mic. Tonight, he’s playing with skilled rapper […]

MUSIC—If you judge the quality of your music by how likely it would play in the smoky dungeon of a vampire disco, A Place to Bury Strangers is probably among your go-to bands. They persevered through the early ’00s crowd of similarly influenced indie bands, who simply couldn’t do it—or add their own stamp to […]

MUSIC—You can’t carve wood into something beautiful without a jagged blade and a pile of splinters, and that’s how I think of the hard-won beauty of Ghost to Falco, which lands somewhere between rock and folk and not-folk and not-rock. Eric Crespo’s indefinable project plays at Al’s Den all week long, with some incredible guests—like […]

FRIDAY, MARCH 13 MUSIC—A few weeks ago, AC/DC announced what’s probably their last-ever tour—and we got fucked, with the closest show to Portland being in Vancouver, BC. Tonight, find solace in this cruel injustice by pounding a few beers and catching Hell’s Belles, the all-woman AC/DC cover band. Not only have they been breaking balls since […]

FILM—Now in its eighth year, the Portland Oregon Women’s Film Festival—better known as POWFest—features films made by women, from documentaries to dramas to shorts and cartoons. The booking is usually excellent—and tonight, things kick off with a party followed by The Sisterhood of the Night, a modern-day take on the Salem witch trials. ERIK HENRIKSENHollywood […]

MUSIC—One-woman show Natasha Kmeto has been steadily gaining traction in Portland (where she joined the Dropping Gems family) and beyond, as people catch on to the soulful strength of her voice, slow-jamming production, and powerful presence onstage. Her latest record, Crisis, is boosting her to the next level, so get it while you can. MARJORIE […]

FILM—It’s not enough to just own the albums; you want to be a real killer bee, you gotta know the inspirations. The Hollywood’s Kung Fu Theater series presents a double dose of 35mm classic Wu Tang swordplay, with 1983’s Bastard Swordsman and 1976’s The Magic Blade. You can’t join the swarm if you don’t know […]

MUSIC—Swervedriver’s first album in 17 years, I Wasn’t Born to Lose You, pretty much picks up right where the Brit shoegazers left off. It’s another mass of blurry, dreamy songs that still manages to hook and catch your ears—a lick here, a word there—while thickly rushing by. Go remind yourself that the ’90s weren’t as […]

FRIDAY, MARCH 6 MUSIC—One of the many reasons to love Prince is his habit of tacking on secret shows whenever he tours, compacting the formidable power of his pop kingdom into tiny, tiny venues full of lucky, lucky people. Seeing fully on-point tribute act Erotic City at the homey Spare Room is the closest thing to […]

BLAZERS—Messing with Texas is (supposedly) a no-no. But it’s so fun! Even the Dallas Mavericks know it—they’ve been messing with themselves the past week, what with all the locker-room discord and public shouting matches between coach and player. Sounds like a perfect opportunity for the Blazers to steal a win from a Western Conference powerhouse. […]

MUSIC—The stars are brighter in Canada, at least when it comes to great indie pop band Stars. With their lush boy-girl vocals, infectious melodies, and sad-sack edge, this band of five is lovely incarnate. Their newest album, No One Is Lost, is just as poppy as their past synth parties, so wear your sparkly dancing […]

MUSIC—Are you having a terrible week? Enter Caribou’s (AKA Dan Snaith) easy-to-love electro-pop. He has built entire albums around learning how to swim, and his latest, Our Love, continues Swim‘s reliably ecstatic drum machines, jaunty synths that bob along like light reflected in a swimming pool, and some discordantly melancholy lyrics. He gets you! MEGAN […]