FRIDAY, MARCH 27
FOOTBALL—With rabid fans of the Timbers and the Blazers dominating the sports scene, it can be easy to forget that we’ve got an arena football team, too: the Portland Thunder. And tonight, they’re playing the LA KISS—Los Angeles’ arena football team that’s owned by (yep) KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Seeing this will probably be something you’ll want to tell your grandchildren about. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Moda Center, 1 N Center, 7 pm, $15-200, all ages
MUSIC—Brit family band Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are more than a gimmick; they have a huge fanbase (which includes David Lynch and Dustin Hoffman) thanks to a rollicking sound with roots deeply embedded in early rock, R&B, C&W, and… Hawaiian? Sure, why not. Because when Kitty, Daisy & Lewis are playing the room their energy is infectious. And they play nearly every instrument known to humankind! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
w/Gemma Ray; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
MUSIC—Need more cowbell? The “world’s first and only” heavy-metal mariachi band Metalachi has your cowbell, your guitarrón, and your vihuela. The Mexican band got its start when “what began as an innocent night of snorting horse tranquilizers in a hotel room with seven members of the village jai alai team went on to produce the greatest metal band ever to live.” SHELBY KING
w/Burn the Stage; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $15
VARIETY—Like a small-town answer to Saturday Night Live, Live Wire! mixes skits and music with live interviews with the cultural figures of our time. Tonight this includes the first openly gay member of Congress, Barney Frank (who’s also reading at Powell’s this afternoon), stand-up Aparna Nancherla, comedian and Mercury columnist Ian Karmel, Kevin Allison, Joe Pug, and more. MARJORIE SKINNER
Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, 7:30 pm, $20-35; Barney Frank at Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 4 pm, FREE, all ages
SUNDAY, MARCH 29
MID-CENTURY POTLUCK—Time to try out your grandma’s beloved recipes: tomato soup cakes, Jell-O-encrusted fruit salads, mayo-based everythings. From the organizers of the Bay Area’s popular event comes the Mid-Century Potluck Party, complete with dish judging, costumes, prizes, and cocktails from the Eagles Lodge bar. Tie on an apron and dress the part—think Betty Draper—and show off your bacon-wrapped marshmallow-cream pigs in a blanket. Yum? Yes, yum. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne, 4:30-9 pm, $7 ($5 w/food donation to Oregon Food Bank), all ages
MUSIC—British duo Public Service Broadcasting use found sounds, samples, and esoterica to make involving instrumental music that actually tells a story. Their latest, The Race for Space, uses audio clips supplied by the British Film Institute to provide a brilliant aural document of the American/Russian space race of the ’50s and ’60s. NED LANNAMANN
w/DoublePlusGood; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $10-12