CityFair
Every year the Rose Festival crams the month of June with parades, concerts, dragonboat races, and beauty pageants—and it all starts with CityFair. Jam-packed with amusement park rides, corn dogs, and elephant ears, CityFair covers nearly the entirety of Waterfront Park and also offers two other things of note: concerts like the What Was Sound show, and sky-shaking, bone-rattling fireworks. So this is your official warning to either get into it, or get out of it. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
May 26-28, 11 am, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, $8, all ages
Federale, Cat Hoch
Portland’s own Federale carries the torch of Ennio Morricone high, with a swarming, psychedelic, orchestral sound that’ll splatter spaghetti sauce all over your cowboy boots. NED LANNAMANN
May 27, 9 pm, Bunk Bar, $10
Helms Alee, Thrones, Malekko & the Bunnyman Snakes
Seattle-based post-hardcore giants Helms Alee headline a benefit show to help support Anna Henry with her mounting medical bills. Thrones, Malekko & Bunny Man, and Snakes round out the bill.
May 27, 8 pm, Tonic Lounge, $10
Wrestling for Rock
A fundraiser for Portland’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls, the annual women’s arm-wrestling tournament, Wrestling for Rock, hits hard tonight, with proceeds benefiting girls learning how to play instruments super loud. Go on, challenge someone to a duel! MEGAN BURBANK
May 26, 6:30 pm, High Water Mark, $5-10
Mujahedeen, Sunbathe, Echo Ravine, Planet Damn
Ali Muhareb’s Mujahedeen serve up a night of melodic rock and groovy electronic psych-pop on Turn! Turn! Turn!’s cozy Northeast Portland stage.
May 26, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5
The Postcards, Melville, Body Academics
There’s not a whole lot of information available online about Portland-based baroque-pop band the Postcards. The “About” section of their Facebook profile includes no bio and no band members’ names, and there isn’t an official Postcards website. Their Bandcamp does, however, feature a full stream of the band’s new, debut LP, This Green Hill, which offers a peek at the Postcards’ interests. Namely: jangling, psychedelic, ’60s-style pop music, heavily influenced by Brian Wilson and his work with the Pet Sounds/Smiley Smile-era Beach Boys in the late ’60s. This Green Hill sounds carefully constructed out of hooky melodies, lush harmonies, layered production, and a toolshed full of instruments, some conventional to pop music and some not so much. Not only is This Green Hill the Postcards’ first album, tonight is their first-ever show. Intriguing, right? BEN SALMON
May 27, 9 pm, Kelly’s Olympian, $5
TWERK
Sometimes you just need to twerk. For me, this usually takes the form of me dancing pantsless next to a Bluetooth speaker, but here’s a chance to let resident DJ Ill Camino take over sound duties for once, with his HQ mix of hip-hop, R&B, and bounce music that’ll aim to get all the booties shaking. Plus it’s at the spacious and appealing Killingsworth Dynasty, a spot that’s become an experienced host to a slew of POC- and LGBTQAI-inclusive dance functions. JENNI MOORE
May 26, 10 pm, Killingsworth Dynasty, $5
Storytell Your Abortion
Hosted by local comedian Mary Numair and created in partnership with Shout Your Abortion (SYA) a Seattle-based group aimed at shutting down the stigma surrounding abortion, this event is poised to be unforgettable. The show will feature multiple comedians (Amber Clenaghen, Wendy Weiss, and more) telling their stories of abortions, because the best way to destigmatize this legal and normal act is to talk about it. CLAIRE HOLLEY
May 27, 8 pm, Black Water Bar, $5
Jackson Boone & the Ocean Ghosts, Golden Daze, Wave Action
Jackson Boone’s third LP, Organic Light Factory, is an album that masters gentle, sun-dazed lo-fi rock. Boone’s voice channels Bowie on songs like “Mystic Winds (From the East),” riding the mellow beat and doing figure eights around the meandering guitar line. “Don’t” rides the perfect wave, with an easy drum groove, a simple guitar riff, and a slight psychedelic sheen. He’s got a knack for subtleties: Myriad textures of unexpected horns, guitar, and doubled vocals weave together as one washed-out tapestry. Organic Light Factory is an easy album to sink into. ROBIN BACIOR
May 28, 9 pm, Bunk Bar, $5
VCR TV
Ever watch The Terminator and think “all this suspense and murder is fun, but you know what would be really cool? If this neon bar they’re dancing in was a place I could dance in!” Well guess what.
May 26, 8:30 pm, Quarterworld, $3