Protest a Year of Trump
A year ago, we had no idea precisely how bad things were going to get. Oh, we knew some shit was approaching, but when it arrived—in the form of torch-bearing white supremacists, hate-inspired murders on public transit, xenophobic immigration policies, attacks on the country’s health care system, and far more—we learned how awful our situation truly was. Back in January 2017, though, Portland just knew something was coming, and it wasn’t happy. So on January 20, hours after Donald Trump was sworn in in front of a tepid crowd, this city demonstrated. A peaceful rally in Pioneer Courthouse Square led to clashes with police in the street. Before the night was over, tear gas was choking downtown Portland. Well, here we are a year later, and things haven’t gotten better. It’s time to demonstrate again. A host of local groups are organizing events—from impeachment demonstrations to standing in solidarity with the #MeToo movement—in order to let the bastards know Portland is still not having it. DIRK VANDERHART
Impeachment March—12:30pm, Terry D. Schrunk Plaza; #MeToo March & SpeakOUT—2pm, Pioneer Courthouse Square
Emily Heller
Are you an adult woman who grew up weird and identifies perhaps a little too strongly with Frasier Crane? Do you wish that it were socially acceptable for women to call themselves confirmed bachelors? Get ready to meet your new imaginary BFF: comedian Emily Heller, who gets it. Her first album, Good For Her, has accompanied me on long car journeys like a true friend, making me chuckle into my drive-thru fries. Sound good? Then get yourself to Heller’s latest album recording posthaste! MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm & 9:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $12
J20 Party
NXT LVL PDX and She Shreds magazine are hosting an all-day blowout to raise money and supplies for local organizations like Brown Girl Rise, Queer Rock Camp Portland, and Portland Menstrual Society. At noon there’s an all-ages J20 rally with speakers, a WOC marketplace, workshops, and a raffle. The evening’s party features a phenomenal lineup of all-WOC musicians and DJs: Los Angeles punk band Fuck U Pay Us, Seattle rapper Guayaba (check out her 2016 debut EP Black Trash/White House, it’s amazing), Portland’s own Sávila and Blossom, plus DJs Lucha and Mami Miama (Mercury writer Emilly Prado). CIARA DOLAN
7 pm, PICA at Hancock, $15-20
Portland Trail Blazers Vs. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks might not be in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race like the Trail Blazers are, but they do share a penchant for getting mixed-up in fourth quarter nail-biters this season. The prospect of an exciting finish alone makes this game worth checking out, and with Dirk Nowitzki possibly set to end his legendary two-decade career at the end of the season, catching what could be his final trip to Portland makes attending a no-brainer. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
7 pm, Moda Center, $19-238, all ages
St. Vincent
For more than a decade, Annie Clark—AKA 23rd century guitar goddess St. Vincent—has stood at the forefront of avant-pop and -rock, her profile rising steadily all the while. Clark’s first five records (including her 2012 collaboration with likeminded oddball David Byrne) synthesize serrated guitars, fuzzy electronics, right-angled rhythms, and her unique sense for melody and drama in songs that are both busily arranged and tightly wound. No one makes wiry, animatronic funk-pop feel more approachable than Clark. Her latest album, Masseduction, is every bit as strange as Clark’s previous work, but catchier and less guarded—and that’s a good thing. Most importantly, it’s reflective of an artist with outsized skills, incredible vision, and restless creativity. BEN SALMON
8 pm, Keller Auditorium, $35-55
Sallie Ford
Last year, Portland’s own Sallie Ford released her second solo album, Soul Sick, since parting ways with her band the Sound Outside in 2013. The retro-rock songwriter’s latest fuses all the elements that made her earlier work so popular: earnest lyrics about seasonal depression and loneliness, doo-wop harmonies, warm organ tones, and Ford’s powerful, Winehouse-esque voice. Soul Sick is a record I overlooked in 2017, but thankfully, songs like “Failure” and “Unraveling” go great with January’s grey skies. Ford’s lived in Portland for more than 10 years now, but this hometown show at Mississippi is still a bright spot on this month’s calendar. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $15-17
Delgani String Quartet
Opening night of the inaugural Spontaneous Combustion New Music Festival brings Eugene’s Delgani String Quartet to the Old Church stage, where they’ll be performing works by Lou Harrison, György Ligeti, and Benjamin Krause.
7:30 pm, The Old Church, $20
Plastic Weather, Star Club, Nick Normal, Lost Nerves
Portland’s premiere “death disco” band Plastic Weather is finally unveiling its self-titled debut EP, a four-song testament to the power of synth-pop. Add a dash of post-punk, a sprinkle of dark distortion, and a smidge of glam rock, and you’ve got the ’80s-inspired goth dance party of your dreams—the perfect spooky soundtrack for the afterlife, when we’re all ghosts partying together. Noelle Magia channels Kate Pierson of the B-52’s with her dissonant, reverb-heavy vocals against thick synth and thrashing drums. Plastic Weather’s love of the bizarre is obvious, but it’s oddly inviting, carving out a space and sound for those of us on the fringes of traditional hyper-masculine punk. DELANEY MOTTER
7 pm, Black Water Bar, $6, all ages
Lithics, Abronia, The Woolen Men, Mr. Wrong
This city’s been feeling pretty crowded lately, but fret not—the second installment of Get Outta Town is here to remind you that there are escape routes. The idea behind the concert series is to take local bands out of the metropolis to perform at a destination within an hour of central Portland. The first Get Outta Town was headlined by Divers at a farmhouse in Estacada, and this second excursion is at the rustic Skyline Tavern. It’s technically within Portland city limits, but anyone who’s bellied up to the roadhouse bar knows it feels like you’re out in the sticks. Enjoy its intimate confines with heavy hitters Mr. Wrong, Woolen Men, Abronia, and Lithics. RYAN J. PRADO
9 pm, Skyline Tavern, $5-10
Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
Roger Corman, notorious schlock-schlepper, wanted to go back to his teen movie roots at the tail end of the 1970s. First he was gonna make Disco High, but the genre was already dead. Then he tried to lock down Cheap Trick and Todd Rundgren, but—amazingly—they decided against getting underpaid by Roger Corman for two weeks of making disposable cash-in cinematic garbage. You know who didn’t say no? The Ramones! And with the help of Clint Howard, P.J. Soles and one motherfucker of an explosion (which was probably half of the film’s $200,000 budget), Rock ‘n’ Roll High School was born. Revel in its idiocy. BOBBY ROBERTS
8 pm, Revolution Hall, free
Mcmenamins Wassail Cider Fest
Oh, you thought the wassailing ended with the holidays, huh? Wrong. Wassail it up in McMenamin’s style, with a daylong celebration of music, merriment, and over 35 different ciders. Admission is free, commemorative glass and drink tokens available on site.
2 pm, Cornelius Pass Roadhouse, free
Bit O’ Soul Dance Party
An all vinyl night dedicated to unearthing the best soul 45s in existence and giving them the dancefloor shine they deserve.
9 pm, Bit House Saloon
Tahirah Memory
Until a year ago, vocalist Tahirah Memory was on a relatively small radar, keeping to the edges of the often overlooked Portland soul jazz scene, known more for her famous Grammy-winning father (Thara Memory) than for her own music. This changed following a fateful meeting with Portland musician Jarrod Lawson. Memory calls to mind artists such as Jill Scott and early Emily King, while keeping to a more classic-jazz backbeat, accented by lush vocal harmonies. While Portland may never really be ready for jazz, Ms. Memory is continuing proof that something special is going on here. JENI WREN STOTTRUP
9 pm, Jack London Revue, $15
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!