Late August tends to produce a certain ennui, a clammy malaise that’s difficult to cast off. If you’re feeling it, you might be dehydrated, or simply drained by the existential burden of another long evening to fill. That’s why we’re here! This week: Jane Schoenbrun’s new film finds the pleasure points in slasher cinema, and tomatoes and pickles continue to prove they’re very delicious. Plus, contemporary art triennial Converge 45 has a packed opening weekend planned, and did you know Elliott Smith had a solid sense of humor?
MONDAY, AUGUST 24
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Jane Schoenbrun has done it again! Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma is burning a storm across indie movie houses, as audience clamor into seats and sell out shows of the writer-director writer-director’s high-concept metatextual fantasia. Mercury critic Dom Sinacola hails Schoenbrun’s third fictional feature as both a celebration and bloodletting of the slasher genre. Sinacola always wants you to see it in a local movie house, but as of August 21, the movie hit wide release, so it’s even playing the soulless multiplexes now! (various theaters, various times, 112 minutes, rated R) SUZETTE SMITH
TUESDAY, AUGUST 25
TomatoFEST
This charming little St. Johns wine bar serves seriously good wine alongside an impressive selection of snacks, from cheese to vegan charcuterie. On Tuesday, their seasonal food pop-up features a menu full of all things tomatoey: tomato carpaccio, tomato salad with feta and watermelon, gazpacho with blue cheese bread, spaghetti pomodoro, tomato tartine with anchovy, and tomato pie with ricotta and basil. Expect expertly paired wines as well as special cocktails, beer and cider, and N/A options to complement those juicy tomatoes. (45th Parallel Wines, 8527 N Lombard, 4:30 pm until sold out, à la carte pricing, more info, 21+) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Jamie Fisher in Conversation with Larry Crane
We’re not being contrarian when we say that Portland music icon Elliott Smith had a quick smile and good humor. A new biography, Nobody Broke Your Heart, presents a more comprehensive look at the singer-songwriter than we’ve seen before. Author Jamie Fisher drew from over 140 interviews, along with unseen letters and photographs, to sketch a well-rounded portrait of one of indie rock’s most revered songwriters. (Powell’s City of Books, 12005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SS
Bill Callahan
Bill Callahan is one of those musicians who is so supremely talented as a songwriter, it feels unfair. Both as Smog and under his own name, Callahan has written some of the most beautiful, affecting, and often hilarious music about the human condition, capable of making you contemplate the meaning of God just as easily as it makes you contemplate what it might be like to watch The Late Show in Australia or to pare your vocabulary down to the words “Beer” and “Thank you.” His new album, My Days of 58, is no exception, offering an honest and charming look at getting old while raising children through the lens of a man trying to let a little bit more of himself seep into his already deeply empathetic, emotionally rich songwriting. Few people do it better. (Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 8 pm, $34.41, more info, all ages) HOLLY HAZELWOOD
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26
OMSI After Dark: Pickle It!
Yes, science has saved so many lives and skyrocketed our society forward—but it also makes our world more delicious. This adults-only event focuses on fermentation, from kombucha to kimchi to dill pickles, with speakers, demos, and food vendors. You’ll also get a pack of dill seeds and a jar of pickles to take home. All the regular OMSI exhibits will also be open (without any little kids getting in the way), and for an extra $7, you can also add on access to the Titanic exhibit, which is only in town for another month or so. My heart will go on and on… for pickles. (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), 1945 SE Water, 6-10 pm, $35-$42, more info, 21+) KCH
Hip-Hop Week Close Out
Hip-Hop Week was founded by beloved Portland DJs DJ O.G. One and the late DJ Star Chile in 2015 as a means of unifying the community in the face of governmental tension at hip hop shows and clubs. While hip hop can and should be celebrated year-round, Hip-Hop Week offers a particularly special blend of all-ages events, workshops, and local spotlights. It’s sad the party has to end, but at least it’s a wrap at Trap Kitchen PDX with all-vinyl sets featuring DJ O.G. One (official DJ of the Trail Blazers), DJ Klyph (XRAY.FM host, co-founder of Roses and Bridges Radio), and DJ Ambush (also co-founder of Roses and Bridges Radio). (Trap Kitchen PDX – the East, 850 SE 3rd, 7 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) STARLY LOU RIGGS
Steve Law
You’ve probably heard that the Ku Klux Klan once considered Oregon a stronghold, especially during the 1920s when the violent terrorist group experienced a resurgence in membership. With his new book Peddlers of Hate, Oregon journalist Steve Law digs into published accounts from the era, along with new research and records, to illuminate the Klan’s path into local politics and power. As harrowing as the promises of burning crosses in Tabor Park and “escaped nuns” sound, Law’s look into how the Klan fell apart may prove to be actual news readers can use. (Powell’s City of Books 1005 W Burnside, 7 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 27
Converge 45: Here, To you, Now
If you don’t consider yourself an “art person,” Converge 45 might be the best way to become one. Curated by Frieze New York’s Lumi Tan and inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing this time around, the triennial slides Portland contemporary art onto the national map with a packed opening weekend of arts programming that extends into fall. Among the participating artists are many of our favorites for their intrepid material experimentation, like Meech Boakye, Morgan Ritter, and Ricky Bearghost, among dozens of others. Organizations like Barn Radio, Elbow Room, Movie Madness, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, and Open Signal Community Access Network are involved, too, so expect cross-medium works that engage with virtually every arts niche the city has to offer. (Various locations through fall, FREE, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY, AUGUST 28
Robinson’s Garden
As city pop gloss and financial prosperity took hold of ’80s-era Tokyo, Masashi Yamamoto’s Robinson’s Garden (1987) instead drew from underground No Wave aesthetics to tell an anticapitalist story. The film centers a drug dealer who discovers an abandoned building lush with vegetation, but Robinson’s Garden isn’t interested in conventional narrative. Its slippery, drifting style is in line with its punk ethos; loose vignettes follow a shifting cast of characters with no particular destination in mind. Tom DiCillo’s 16mm cinematography deepens the ethereal, alienated quality—he later lent his lens to Jim Jarmusch’s Stranger than Paradise. (5th Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall, showtimes vary through Aug 30, $7, FREE for Portland State University students, faculty, and alumni, more info, not rated) LC
D&D Presents Technically Alive
Lovers of local sketch comedy are likely familiar with the hilariously quirky and smart duo of David Burnett and David Wester—who perform under the moniker D&D. Unafraid to turn your average sketch comedy tropes topsy-turvy, these two Davids (who have been ordained as past Mercury Geniuses of Comedy) consistently produce excellent, brainy, and reliably funny shows that never fail to please. In this outing, the pair take on the theme of technology, exploring “new ways of sleeping, getting lunch, figuring out who (or what) they are, and more.” But fret not, the subject of AI will not be uttered or broached during this production, because… boring, right? Check out what these tech-savvy guys are cooking! (Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi, Aug 28-29, Sept 4-5, 8 pm, $20, more info, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Johnny Franco and His Real Brother Dom With Their Six Buds
Prolific wildman weirdo Johnny Franco is also known as the Portlander voted most likely to become a cult leader, if he really wanted to. While these votes take place in my mind, he and Dom Franco (his real, actual brother) have managed to take over the Showdown every Friday night for their troubadour-style music and crowd work routines since the beginning of May. All good things must end, though, and this particular show is set to conclude the summer run with a twang. If you’re a longtime Francophile, it’s time to toss back a shot of cucumber vodka before the tank runs out. If you have no idea what this is—it’s still a FREE SHOW. Come join our cult. What do you have to lose? (The Showdown, 1195 SE Powell, 11:45 pm, FREE, more info, 21+) HH
SATURDAY, AUGUST 29
The Big Portland Bake Show
Is The Great British Bake Off your comfort show? You can watch the friendly, flour-y competition IRL as Pix Pâtisserie raises its own tent for six amateur bakers to compete in a two-day competition. While contestants impress the judges with showstopping creations that have style and substance, making sure there are no soggy bottoms in sight, spectators can cheer on their faves, participate in their own challenges, and perhaps even be called upon as a guest judge. The festivities also include trivia, raffle prizes, taste testing, live music, Shake and Bake happy hour, desserts from the Pix-O-Matic, and some surprises along the way. On your marks, get set, bake! (Pix Pâtisserie/Can Bar, 2225 E Burnside, Aug 29-30, 10 am, FREE, more info, all ages) JANEY WONG
Growing Gardens’ Chef In Your Garden Dinner with Alexa Numkena Anderson
For 30 years, the Portland nonprofit Growing Gardens has promoted food justice by helping people grow their own food in schools, correctional facilities, and their own backyards. Chef In Your Garden is the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser dinner, and this lineup looks particularly tasty. Chef Alexa Numkena Anderson will prepare a three-course dinner—at her restaurant Javelina, she serves modern Native comfort foods like bison chili frybread tacos alongside dishes made entirely from ingredients native to the United States, like tepary beans, blue corn, and duck. She’s in good company: Sunrice will provide welcome bites and cocktails, Palestinian chef Jawaher is making a mezze course, FOMO Rice will round out the meal with sweets, and much of the produce comes from Growing Gardens alum Mr. Farms. (The Redd on Salmon, 831 SE Salmon, 5-8 pm, $100, more info, all ages) KCH
The Rat Utopia Experiment
Step right up, get your tickets, and head on down to the Swan Dive where The Rat Utopia Experiment will claw at the patriarchy with righteous rage and a theatrical twist. Washington-bound since 2022, the band—also known as T.R.U.E.—are finally free from the confines of high school and will be hitting the road this fall with the Linda Lindas after a small stint in the PNW. Recently signed to Mom + Pop in NYC, it seems they’re about to hit the big time, donning delightfully demonic clown paint and a grinding out a positively gritty sound. Also on the bill are Fatal Femmes, making their Portland debut from Seattle, and hometown heroes Nonbinary Girlfriend and Shaylee. Girls to the pit! (Swan Dive, 727 SE Grand, 7 pm, $12-15, more info, 21+) SLR
Orquestra Pacifico Tropical Album Release Show
Psychedelic Northwest cumbia collective Orquestra Pacifico Tropical self-released their most ambitious LP to date in June with El Poder. Its eight songs come dripping in positive, party-ready sheen, taking cues from salsa, exotica, and psych along with a distinct twist on cumbia jams and experimental sonic adventures. On the heels of mind-scorching sets at the Waterfront Blues Festival, Pickathon, and Homie Fest (helmed by OPT’s musical polymath, Papi Fimbres), the explosive, can’t-miss 11-piece(!) band waited until just the right time to celebrate El Poder officially with this week’s album release show at The Den. Be prepared to shake your whole ass. (The Den, 116 SE Yamhill, 9 pm, $26, more info, 21+) RYAN J. PRADO
SUNDAY, AUGUST 30
Portland Fire vs. Golden State Valkyries
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, Sunday’s Portland Fire match against the Golden State Valkyries is the perfect time to head on down to the Fire Pit and take in a game of basketball. For the uninitiated, the Valkyries were last season’s expansion team, and the the two teams last met on June 2 in San Francisco. Golden State fans are known for showing up and doing the most to support their home team, so this game will give Fire fans the opportunity to offer the same, and probably more! Plus, it’s the team’s first home game in about a week—I promise they’ll be happy to see you. (Moda Center, 1 N Center Ct, 4 pm, $22-$138, more info, all ages) STEPHANIE KALOI
Portland’s Funniest Person Finals
Hear ye! Hear ye! After months of preliminary competitions, the annual Helium Portland’s Funniest Person finals are finally here. A whopping 200+ comedians (including many former Mercury Geniuses of Comedy) have been meticulously whittled down to eight to duke it out onstage in this final battle of laughs for a grand prize of $3,500, and to join the ranks of past winners Adam Pasi, Nariko Ott, Jordan Casner, and more. The finalists will be judged on on timing, stage presence, original material, and audience response—which means it’s imperative for you to attend. (Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, 7:30 pm, $29.99-$39.99, more info, 21+) WSH
Also worth it:
Merope, Maps Goodspace, more info
Lithuanian duo Merope brings Baltic folk to Maps, joined by multi-instrumentalist Shazhad Ismaily and DJ Spencer Doran (of Visible Cloaks) for an ethereal late summer set.
Soft as Snow, Holocene, more info
Berlin-based Norwegian experimenters Soft as Snow and Danny Perez (DPSD, Panda Bear, Black Dice) show up for a set of raw electronics, tingly whispers, and trippy audiovisuals—if you didn’t catch ’em at Virtua Gallery last year, make the time.
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
