I don't want to alarm you, but autumn is almost here, people. September 15-21 is the last week before the equinox, and fortunately for us, Portland has plenty of creative and apparently candlelit events planned. On the docket are astral jazz, Sasha Fishman's slime sculptures, and vampire baseball set to a live orchestra. Plus, you'll find the latest from some locals, including novelist Leni Zumas, certified baddie Wynne, and Gaia lovers Making Earth Cool. Here's what not to miss.
Monday, September 15
Magic Luscious Spirit Sounds
Envisioned as an evolving collective fostering collaborative music-making among those with and without disabilities, Magic Luscious Spirit Sounds (MLSS) posts up at Turn! Turn! Turn! two Monday afternoons a month for heavy jam sessions. In any given MLSS performance, you might spy a saxophonist, a xylophonist, or a melodica player; their mood is dynamic creative freedom, their guiding light is Octavia Butler ("The only lasting truth is change"). (Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth, first and third Mon of the month, 2 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
Twilight in Concert
Look, I hate starting off this blurb in a defensive manner, but apparently some of you haven’t gotten the memo that the Twilight film series (at least the first three) is an absolute DELIGHT. Whether you’re Team Jacob, Edward, or Bella (I’m Team Jacob, because I am correct), you will flip ass over teakettle for Twilight in Concert, featuring a live orchestra on stage synced up with the film—which will be projected on a huge screen. Apparently, there will also be lighted candles in the theater to add to the ambience, though you won’t notice because you’ll be too distracted by Jacob’s abs. Come for the live music, stay for the vampire baseball game. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $50.40-$116.95, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Tuesday, September 16
Cosmic Tones Research Trio
Cosmic Tones Research Trio—AKA alto sax/composer Roman Norfleet, multi-instrumentalist Harlan Silverman, and pianist Kennedy Verrett—conjure unclassifiable astral jazz and healing tones with a bluesy, gospel flavor. Following the spiritual graces of Alice Coltrane, Sun Ra, and Laraaji, the sonic channelers also host a restorative NTS show of New Age twinkling and jazz fusion. It's a soothing lavender balm for the soul. The trio will celebrate the release of their new LP with a performance bookended by episodes of Coltrane's consciousness-expanding public access show Eternity's Pillar and a short documentary, Gratitude to the Mystery, which digs into their practice. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 8 pm, $14, more info, all ages) LC
Crumbling Empires
If you should find yourself living within the clutches of a fascist state, you may take comfort in the fact that all empires fall. Clinton Street's September programming explores this idea with its Crumbling Empires series, trotting out irreverent comedies, like The Death of Stalin (2018) and disquieting dramas, like La Ciénaga (2001). On September 19, audiences have a chance to see Spaces of Exception, a powerful 2019 documentary that draws a line between Native American reservations and Palestinian refugee camps. On September 20, the theater premieres Earth's Greatest Enemy, by documentarian Abby Martin. Everyone deserves a redemption arc, but it's still worth pointing out that Martin was, at one time, a passionate 9/11 Truther. Never forget. (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, through Tues Sept 30, various times and prices, more info) SUZETTE SMITH
Wolf Bells book release
Leni Zumas’ 2018 speculative novel Red Clocks hit at a time when the story's dystopic setting—a United States of America where the practice of abortion had been criminalized—was boiling over the not-too-distant horizon. Her new book Wolf Bells is less speculative about society and more about our empathetic potential. This time Zumas’ speculation is a nice idea about a house, an intentional community where young and old live together in a grand, three-story historic home. It’s not hard to imagine the novel’s characters leading quiet lives together, leaning on one another to fill in the gaps society does not. All might have continued quietly had the house not received two runaways. Read our full review here. Zumas discusses Wolf Bells with Lidia Yuknavitch. (Powell's City of Books, 1001 W Burnside, 7 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SS
Wednesday, September 17
Black Matter
This traveling exhibition features Black Oregonian perspectives you should make time to engage with—works by heavy hitters like Intisar Abioto, Jeremy Okai Davis, Sadé Duboise, and Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevens Jr. appear together, culminating in a diversity of perspectives that “challenge the expectation that Black art must be political.” Curated by Tammy Jo Wilson (who also curated this summer’s Terrain: A Land Art Experience), Black Matter’s programming includes an opening night sculptural sound performance by Sapata and Santigie Fofana-Dura, and spoken word by MOsley WOtta on September 18. (Patricia Reser Center for the Arts, 12625 SW Crescent, Beaverton, Weds-Sat 12-6 pm through Fri Nov 7, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Kyle Kinane
Portland should be proud that hilarious, top-notch comedian Kyle Kinane has made this city his own. Hailing originally from Illinois, his side-splitting hot takes cannot and will not stop, cracking wise on everything from drinking beer in the shower to his deep thoughts on Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” Charming audiences across the nation, he’s also been seen on The Tonight Show, Drunk History, has his own standup special on Hulu (Dirt Nap), and was also featured in the Mercury’s Geniuses of Comedy showcase. So it may surprise you to see this big name appearing in the intimate confines of Revolution Hall’s Show Bar—but it will give you the rare opportunity to witness his sharp hilarity up close and personal. Friendly warning: Get those tix quick! (The Show Bar at Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 7:30 pm, $26.05, more info, 21+) WSH
Also worth it:
HAIM, McMenamins Edgefield, more info
Thursday, September 18
Wynne: Tour Next Door
Buckle up, Portland hip-hop fans! It's been almost two years since hometown hero, rapper, and certified baddie Wynne packed Wonder Ballroom at the finale of her Hot On Their Heels Tour, and the artist announced six new September shows—all of them in Portland! Dubbed the “Tour Next Door,” the prolific Rose City rapper will headline a slew of dope local venues, starting at Speck's Records on September 18 and closing out the local run at Alberta Street Pub on September 27. (Various dates and venues, more info) JENNI MOORE
Also worth it:
Ricardo Nagaoka: Surrogates, Nationale, more info
Normal Gossip (sold out), Revolution Hall, more info
Friday, September 19
Ricky Bearghost: Rug Farm
Strung with pony beads and painted thread spools, Ricky Bearghost's weavings are exuberant and unyielding— the eye dances across them, never quite sure where to pause. His solo show Rug Farm feels much like that blissful, elusive flow state of creating: Super-colorful collages of butterflies and textural elements pair with striped weavings that stretch across walls and slouch with unexpected ephemera. Bearghost's works are available for purchase at Elbow Room, starting at $10-$20 a pop; drop by on Friday afternoons to familiarize yourself with the nonprofit studio, which supports artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities. (Elbow Room, 318 SE Main Ste 125, Fri 3-5 pm through Fri Oct 3, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Also worth it:
She's Like the Wind, Siren Theater, more info
Saturday, September 20
The Elixir of Love
Nicknamed POGO, Portland Opera's "to go" company travels around the state—with portable scenery and costumes—performing 50-minute opera productions for students in school gyms and neighborhood community centers. The shows are created to be approachable to youthful audiences, which also makes them perfect for anyone dipping their toe into opera for the first time and worldly fanciers looking for an opera snack. On an educational level, The Elixir of Love by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti is a textbook example of the bel canto style he was influential in popularizing; on a theatrical one, it's a messy little drama about snake oil salesmen and the strongest romantic love potion: affected indifference. (Winningstad Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, Sept 19-20, various times, $15, more info, all ages) SS
Sasha Fishman: Shad Mode
For Sasha Fishman, the extraction of marine biomaterials is both a research-driven investigation and a sculptural gesture, an inquiry shaped by the sea itself. The fittingly surnamed artist is a Columbia sculpture grad who has collaborated with laboratories on “salmon, fountains, and carbon capture materials.” She’ll show for the first time at ILY2; expect a slick, watery sensibility in Fishman’s Shad Mode, whose material explorations include hagfish slime, algae, and cicada shells. (ILY2, 925 NW Flanders, Wed-Sat 11 am-5 pm through Sat Dec 20, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Also worth it:
Nonsense Books pop-up with Fonograph Editions, Music History, Endless Wonders Books, and Paper Hours, While on Earth, more info
Sunday, September 21
Anna Buckner & Meredith Morrison: As Above, So Below
Side by side, Anna Buckner and Meredith Morrison’s artworks are visual ASMR: Buckner’s mounted textile pieces transform applique and log cabin quilt techniques into painterly compositions, while Morrison’s sculptural forms embody a synthetic, iridescent nostalgia. The title of this exhibition nods to a familiar phrase and charts the “slippages,” investigating “points where logic breaks down, where systems fail to contain emotion, and where abstraction begins to feel personal.” If you tend to get lost in the vocabulary of exhibition statements, this one’s still worth it for the elegant material exploration. (Well Well Projects, 8371 N Interstate #1, Sat-Sun 12-5 pm through Sun Sept 28, FREE, more info, all ages) LC
Son of the White Mare
Academy Theater’s monthly international series will screen a hallucinogenic swirl of Eurasian folklore and mythic archetypes with Son of the White Mare, Hungarian animator-director Marcell Jankovics’ cult masterpiece. The film (presented in a 4K restoration) draws from ancient steppe poetry and Freudian dream logic to illustrate a dark night of the soul, complete with a quest to the underworld and a hero who suckles a horse. Steadied by a cosmic oak, it's eye-poetry with a primordial sensibility; plus, stoned people online often proclaim the film to be the greatest they’ve ever seen. Who are we to doubt them? Read more of our repertory film recommendations here. (Academy Theater, 7818 SE Stark, Sept 19-25, various times, $6.50-$9.50, more info, not rated) LC
Sun Day
Not to be confused with any preexisting "Sun Day," environmental organizations 350 and Third Act dreamed up this day of action to celebrate wind and solar power. In response, local chapters and grassroots groups across the globe will hold climate-focused events and gatherings. But how many of them will have performances by Navouny Divine and Sophaura the Aura? Or hot tracks from DJ Lapushi, Plant DDJ, and Blue Horse Grandmother? Like anything Making Earth Cool is part of, Portland’s Sun Day aims to support climate-believers and serve up a side of fun. Speeches and a parade get going at noon, Sun Ball’s sick beats shine from 2-6 pm. Good costumes and ‘fits throughout. (Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Battleship Oregon Memorial, SW Pine and SW Naito, 12-6 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SS
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
