MUSIC—Despite their generic-seeming name, the Barr Brothers are anything but. Embracing Delta blues, African rhythms, and every speck on the map in between, the Montreal-based group’s daring, devilish spin on global folk makes for one of the most hair-raising live shows around. Did I mention they have a fucking harpist? NED LANNAMANN
w/Leif Vollebekk; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12-15
BOOKS—I don’t even know why the rest of us bother to write anything so long as Mallory Ortberg is around. The founder of the fantastic site the Toast and one of the smartest and funniest people online, Ortberg’s hilarious new book, Texts from Jane Eyre, imagines text messages between beloved literary figures, from King Lear to Cormac McCarthy. Tonight’s reading is going to be great. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE