The seasons are changing—this week marks both the Portland Fire’s final regular season game of the year and the Winterhawks home opener. We’ve got some unusual musical guests coming into town, too, like English art-rockers Everything Everything and Japanese synth-pop queen Poison Girl Friend. Hispanic Heritage Month revs up with a Latin American film festival at Hollywood Theatre, and this weekend’s Portland Juggling Festival at Reed College delivers what’s on the tin.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
Julia Schwartz: Your Sap Runs Through Me
California artist Julia Schwartz’s first exhibition at Nationale is a certified banger, and also deeply felt—the series of paintings reflects upon her daughter’s death and wraps the gallery’s three-show series on “loss, absence, and devotion.” Schwartz’s compositions feel ephemeral and naturalistic—stylized blue faces layer over suggestions of flora and sunlight. The show’s most interesting component is “Continuous Web,” a wall-sized installation of over 2,000 of Schwartz’s late daughter’s Magic: The Gathering cards, each painted over with soft patterns and portraits. (Nationale, 15 SE 22nd, Thurs-Sun through Oct 10, hours vary, FREE, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Keith Rosson
Portland horror author Keith Rosson loves to make Oregon a spooky setting for his novels. In his latest, Crone, he fills a fictional town on Oregon’s coast with clashes between a biker gang, a corrupt sheriff, and the titular cool-as-hell witch. For the Mercury, Joe Streckert says Crone, “speeds forward like the motorcycles that dot its pages.” Read his review and/or hear Rosson read at this author event! (Broadway Books, 1714 NE Broadway, 6 pm, FREE, more info, all ages.) SUZETTE SMITH
Portland Fire vs. Golden State Valkyries
You know what’s worth braving all of the I-5 hoopla this month? Heading down (or up!) to the Moda Center to see the Portland Fire play the Golden State Valkyries. Not only is this the Fire’s final regular season game this year, it’s also the last time to see the team play before the 2027 season—and who knows what the roster will look like then? The Valkyries are one of the toughest teams around, but the Fire is always motivated by fans who show up and support them. Whether you’ve been to a game before or not, you should definitely add rooting for the Fire to your to-do list. (Moda Center, 1 N Center Ct, 7 pm, $20-126, more info, all ages) STEPHANIE KALOI
Everything Everything
Everyone has a friend who’s into the weird, undersung UK bands that never quite cracked the American code, and will breathlessly beg you to embrace The Joy Formidable or Super Furry Animals. Every once in a while, though, that friend is completely right. Make that friend happy and join them at the Aladdin, where the deliriously fun English art-rockers Everything Everything will be playing their incredible third record, Get to Heaven, front to back. If you can make it to “Spring / Sun / Winter / Dread” without joining the cult with the rest of us, you can eat my Yuppie Supper. (Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $52.35-$123.18, more info, all ages) HOLLY HAZELWOOD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Portland Latin American Film Festival
For 20 years, this festival has brought greater visibility to Latin American films and filmmakers while amplifying emerging voices. The anniversary lineup features films from 16 countries and explores themes of Indigenous identity, migration, and human connection, among other topics. Expect new releases, animation, documentaries, and tributes to groundbreaking filmmakers Pedro Almodóvar and Guillermo del Toro. Opening night kicks off during Hispanic Heritage Month with a pre-screening gathering at Bar Hollywood, where guests can enjoy botanas (Mexican snacks!) from La Casa de Mamá and music by DJ LISSEX, followed by a double feature of boxing drama For the Opponents and biopic Leonora in the Morning Light. Elena Poniatowska, author of Leonora, the book that inspired the film, will introduce the latter via a special video message. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, various showtimes through Nov 18, individual tickets $10-$15, more info) BRI BREY
Orville Peck
Masked cowboy Orville Peck continues his trend of naming projects with equine terms; his forthcoming album is called Mule. Peck calls it a “chronological account of the year I lost my way,” so I’m hoping to hear tracks of a similar vibe to “Curse of the Blackened Eye.” A teaser released in July offered a glimpse of Peck’s Mule era, featuring Americana legend Emmylou Harris, frequent collaborator Noah Cyrus (yes, as in Miley’s sister), and Canadian folk singer Allison Russell lookin’ like some country goth version of the Fates. Peck stops in Portland early on in his Man Turned Mule Tour, so we’ll have to wait and see what new tricks he has up his fringed sleeve. (Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey, Troutdale, 6:30 pm, $63-$75, more info, all ages) JANEY WONG
Also worth it:
Sharada Shashidhar, Jack London Revue, more info
The Los Angeles vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer blends alternative R&B, jazz, and Indian classical music on her new album, A Foot on the Ground.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
Scott Losse
During these trying times, do you ever just want to sit back and laugh with a Pacific Northwest guy? This week, Seattle-based comedian Scott Losse stops by the Siren to treat comedy fans to a chill evening of quirky yarns about chihuahua choices, millennial anxieties, and classic all-weather beanie fashion. Cred report: We watched a video interview with this guy and 1) he was disarmingly funny 2) had a bike mounted on the wall behind him. Checks out! (The Siren Theater, 3913 N Mississippi, 7:30 pm, $20, more info, for all ages that feel cannabis peer pressure.) SS
George Saunders
Literary mainstay George Saunders has earned praise and prestigious awards for his satirical short stories since the mid-1990s, drawing comparisons to Kurt Vonnegut along the way. Critiquing consumerism and corporate culture while highlighting the absurdity of mass media, Saunders may have been a few years ahead of the rest of us in recognizing the flaws of the mainstream. His novel Vigil, released earlier this year, was dubbed “a scorching portrait of modern America” by Time magazine and was named one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of the summer. The story follows a boisterous shithead oil executive as he is ushered into the afterlife and forced to take stock of his immoral life’s work. (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7: 30 pm, SOLD OUT, more info, all ages) BB
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Mid-Autumn Market and Nights Out
The Mid-Autumn Festival is a weekend-long affair at the Lan Su Chinese Garden, with a market taking place during the day and a Nights Out event happening after hours. At the market, grab food from vendors including HK Cafe and Excellent Cuisine, check out the traditional Chinese medicine demos and get a free consultation, and chill at the family craft area during the earlier part of the day. Nights Out will feature illuminated dragon ribbon and fire sword performances, plus a traditional Lotus Dream dance. Monday’s event is sensory friendly, offering a quieter way to celebrate. (Lan Su Chinese Garden, 239 NW Everett, Sept 25-27, 10 am-5:30 pm (market) and 7:30-9:30 pm (Nights Out), Sept 28 6:30-8:30 pm, market FREE-$18, Nights Out FREE-$65, sensory friendly FREE-$34, more info, all ages) KATHERINE CHEW HAMILTON
Kwaidan
Greek ethnographer Lafcadio Hearn is best known for his research and collections of Japanese cultural legends and folktales. His 1904 folk story collection Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things serves as the basis for Masaki Kobayashi’s anthology film Kwaidan (1964), which pulls its four weird tales from the book. At roughly three hours long, Kwaidan makes its presence felt with hallucinatory hauntings, reckonings with dark feminine forces, and a shivering score by Tōru Takemitsu. (Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, various showtimes through Sept 30, $10-$12, more info, not rated) LC
Hasan Hates Ronny | Ronny Hates Hasan
Finally, a cage match I want to watch—except that comedians Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng won’t be in a physical cage. They’ll be sweating and straining, hurling insults at one another from the respective prisons of their onstage personas. Casual comedy fans will recognize both from their Daily Show days as political satirists. Minhaj also hosted the award-winning Patriot Act Netflix show. Chieng and Minhaj have deftly played inside the prejudice of Asian stereotypes before, engaging in tongue-in-cheek arguments with one another about whether Indian and Chinese people can equally share Asian diaspora. This tour promises to touch on politics, economics, and family values, among other hot button issues. However, reviewers have called the show “heartwarming,” so it’s fair to anticipate moments of unmasked shared humanity. Natch. (Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 7 pm, $50.90+, more info, 13+) SS
Jakki and the Pink Smudge
Shows that are real love letters to Portland music often get relegated to much smaller venues than the Crystal Ballroom, which is why this triple-header feels extra special. Last year saw the release of Niacinamide, the 20-minute debut LP of local dream-poppers Jakki and the Pink Smudge, and Jakki Wise has decided to do the extra thing and throw a blowout at the Crystal to belatedly celebrate. Who better to fill out the bill than the weirdo crew that is Jonny’s Day Out (themselves fresh off a truly killer debut) and Portland noise-rockers OGRE (not to be confused with Ogre, the doom-metal act from the other Portland)? Both Jakki and Jonny should already be playing stages this big; this show is the scales finding a way to level out. (Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $21.25, more info, all ages) HH
Also worth it:
Oktoberfest, Oaks Park, Oct 25-27, more info
Sip beer from a stein, listen to polka music, and watch the weiner dog races amidst Portland’s favorite riverside amusement park.
Portland Juggling Festival and Vaudeville Extravaganza, Reed College, more info
We’re pro-extravaganza here at the Merc, particularly when promotional materials recommend attendees “drop everything and juggle.” See you there!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Winterhawks Home Opener vs. Kamloops Blazers
Hockey is back, baby! And it’s really having a moment. Between both the US men’s and women’s Olympic teams capturing gold earlier this year, the overwhelming success of the gay hockey love story Heated Rivalry, and the explosion in popularity of women’s hockey teams across the nation, including the nearby Seattle Torrent, it’s hard to deny that hockey fever is here. The Portland Winterhawks return to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum for their first home game against the Kamloops Blazers (hey!). Winterhawks games are a blast for diehard hockey fans and romance-loving converts who are only there to heckle the players to kiss. So join the fun and support our boys on the ice! (Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 300 N Ramsay, 6 pm, $43.50+, more info, all ages) BB
Jim E. Brown & Friends
We don’t know who Jim E. Brown really is, beyond what he’s told us. He’s 19 years old; he was born on 9/10/2001 (please don’t do the maths); he’s an obese alcoholic with several degenerative diseases (his words, not ours). He’s written many seriously relatable songs, including “I Have an Anxious-Avoidant Attachment Style,” “I Dreamed That You Liked My Instagram Post,” and “I Bought an Air Fryer.” If you’re desperate to know more—and how could you not be?—Brown and his so-called “friends” will be doing two almost certainly bizarre and hilarious nights at Swan Dive. Just make sure that youngster stays away from the bar! (Swan Dive, 727 SE Grand, Sept 26-27, 8 pm, $34.95, more info, 21+) HH
Also worth it:
Diabolique, Cinema 21, more info
Those who support women’s wrongs will appreciate the duo of Christina and Nicole, an abusive man’s wife and mistress who team up to murder him. Henri-Georges Clouzot’s film noir (1955) stays twisty into its final minutes, wherein one of its central characters is revealed to hold even deeper secrets than initially suspected.
Shelley Turley: , Helen’s Costume, more info
Shelley Turley’s gentle, refined oil paintings pulled from some surprising inspirations: panty hose, Hamburger Helper, and Ram Dass.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
Poison Girl Friend
Onetime Tokyo DJ Noriko Sekiguchi has released albums sporadically under the solo moniker Poison Girl Friend (stylized as POiSON GiRL FRiEND) for 35 years, but she still flies slightly under the radar, populating NTS Radio mixes with leftfield dance music and embarking on her first-ever US tour in 2024. She’ll scoot back to Star Theater with groovebox in tow, delivering dreamy ambient techno that sounds a little like Cocteau Twins, Cibo Matto, and French yé-yé converging at a ’90s nightclub. (Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 7 pm, $37.57, more info, all ages) LC
Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!
