FRIDAY, APRIL 24
COMEDY—Last December, Jeremy Eli and Jason Lamb launched Minority Retort, Portland’s only monthly stand-up showcase for comedians of color. Now it’s one of Portland’s most reliably funny comedy fixtures. Tonight features Jeff Oliver (“Meet a Black Guy” at Corvallis’ farmers’ market), Alex Rios (Ventura Comedy Fest), Adam Pasi (very nearly Portland’s Funniest Person), and more. MEGAN BURBANK
w/Jamie Boyd, Neeraj Srinivasan; Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE MLK, 9:30 pm $7-10
MUSIC—Sylvan Esso must be doing something right: They’ve only been a band for less than two years and they just played Coachella last week. Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn met one another in a “small club somewhere,” and Meath asked Sanborn to remix a track of hers. Sanborn did and gave it back to Meath, and POOF!, an indie pop duo was born. Sounds like serendipity. Hope you have tickets! SHELBY R. KING
w/Naytronix; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 9 pm, sold out (hit up your fave scalper), all ages
SATURDAY, APRIL 25
MUSIC—The volume that emits from Cleveland duo Mr. Gnome is more than impressive—it’s immersive, swirling together their mind-trippin’ psychedelic rock and haunted-house nursery rhyme folk into explosive doses. Tonight they play tunes from their recent full-length, The Heart of a Dark Star. NED LANNAMANN
w/And And And, There Is No Mountain; Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9 pm, $10
VARIETY SHOW—It’s time for more comedy and intelligent chitty-chat with host Luke Burbank and the always fun Live Wire! This outing features smarty-pants author Jon Ronson (So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed), musical guests Ivan and Alyosha, and verrry funny guy (and Conan sidekick) Andy Richter, who is worth the price of admission for anything, ever. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, #110, 7:30 pm, $20-35 , all ages
BLAZERS—It hasn’t been the easiest regular season, has it? And Blazers vs. Grizzlies is one of the toughest match-ups that Portland could have pulled. But you know what? Nothin’ worth having ever came easy, and if the playoffs are gonna be this kind of slugfest, might as well throw a few haymakers out the gate. BOBBY ROBERTS
Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 7:30 pm, $65 & up, all ages
SUNDAY, APRIL 26
IMPRISONMENT—You’ve time-thieved countless hours at your stupid desk playing online “escape the room” games—discreetly fuming over superfluous keys, quietly scoffing at over-obvious safe combinations. Maybe bring that fun to real life? 60 Minutes to Escape offers an actual, physical room-escape puzzle for you and your friends, so that mouse-clicking finger can rest for a change. DIRK VANDERHART
134 SE Taylor, Fri-Sun through June 14, $30, 60minutestoescape.com
FILM—Next month, Mad Max: Fury Road smashes into theater screens—and if early buzz is any indication, it’ll be one of the best, weirdest action epics of the year. To help you prepare, this weekend the Hollywood Theatre is kindly showing a digital restoration of 1979’s first Mad Max—the surreal, intense, and fun movie that gave then-low-budget director George Miller his jaw-dropping start. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, screens Fri April 24-Sun April 26, see Movie Times on pg. 41 for showtimes, $8