Fertile Ground Festival
Get ready for SO MUCH THEATER, because Portland’s annual festival of new performance, Fertile Ground, is here! Fertile Ground is delightfully uncurated, which means it can be insane. More importantly, it’s one of Portland’s most accessible and affordable arts festivals. Don’t know where to start? I recommend Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s new production of Uncle Vanya; Rosa Red, Laura Christina Dunn’s play about socialist activist and philosopher Rosa Luxemburg; and sex-positive performance from Eleanor O’Brien. MEGAN BURBANK
Various Locations, click here for a complete list of shows and venues
Frankie Simone, DoublePlusGood, Tents
Start your weekend early with Frankie Simone, the Portland singer/songwriter making glittery, danceable indie pop with empowering lyrics, like her 2017 anthem “Queer.” Simone’s releasing her debut LP early this year, but tide yourself over with this Holocene show featuring local openers Doubleplusgood and Tents. CIARA DOLAN
8:30 pm, Holocene, $8
The Mynabirds, Lenore
Laura Burhenn brings her politically-charged indie pop project back to Portland for a headlining show supporting their latest Saddle Creek-issued full-length, Be Here Now.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14
Esham, Krazy K, Knocturnal, Day Dreamer, Grinch Mobb
The longtime Detroit-based hip-hop artist comes back to Portland with a fat dose of his acid rap style in support of Scribble, his 16th studio album.
8 pm, Hawthorne Theatre Lounge, $11-15
Reel Music
The NW Film Center’s Reel Music Festival returns for its 35th installment in a much humbler fashion than before: There are a mere 17 films screening this time around, a far cry from the 30 documentaries and concert films offered last year. With that shrinkage comes a narrowing of focus: Aside from a few notable films, the selections this year represent middle-of-the-road fare made to appeal to artists’ existing fanbases. ROBERT HAM
NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, see nwfilm.org for titles and showtimes
Haley Heynderickx, Sufer Rosie
Portland singer/songwriter Haley Heynderickx’s 2017 single “Oom Sha La La” was one of last year’s best songs, local or otherwise. Catch her tonight when she heads down to PSU’s Parkway North Project for a free headlining show supporting her upcoming full-length debut, I Need to Start a Garden.
6 pm, Parkway North at PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union, free
Carpe Diem String Quartet
The renowned string quartet out of Columbus, Ohio make their way back to the Winningstad Theatre stage where they’ll tackle Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Piazzolla’s “Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas” (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires).
7:30 pm, Winningstad Theatre, $35
Møtrik, Ferns, Trace Amounts
Portland four-piece Møtrik leave little to the imagination with their name, and the Portland krautrock unit drives straight down the autobahn with their excellent self-titled release. MARK LORE
8 pm, The Know
Reverend Horton heat, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Voodoo Glow Skulls
A night of rowdy-ass rockabilly rave-ups on the cheap from one of the masters of the genre.
8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $5-10
Cambrian Explosion, Sól, Lasagna Palace, Urchin
Everywhere else, Cambrian Explosion refers to a significant evolutionary event. Here in Portland, it means a massive blast of psychedelic, doomy drone-rock. Catch them tonight when the headline the Doug Fir along with support from like-minded locals Sól, Lasagna Palace, and Urchin.
8:30 pm, Doug Fir, $8-10
Don’t forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!