THURSDAY, JUNE 17

FOR THE KIDS—Local nonprofit PDX Music in the Schools has raised over $30,000 for Portland public school music education in just a few short years. Help them pad their coffers with another excellent local music benefit show, this time with the mighty Sandpeople hiphop crew, the spastic dance fury of Atole, and more. EAC
w/Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, Blue Horns; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8 pm, $10, all ages

FAVES—Holocene's guest-curated A Few of My Favorite Things series continues, this time with Kathy Foster of the Thermals! On her list: Y La Bamba, a dance/music collab between Kathleen Keogh and the Slaves, a group installation of visual art, her own new solo project (Love Always), DJs, and lots more, all benefiting Planned Parenthood. MS
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, $5

FRIDAY, JUNE 18

KNOCK ON WOODS—One year ago, Sellwood music venue the Woods opened its doors, giving new life to the former funeral home and becoming one of the most charming, intimate, atmospheric spots in town. Show the love at this weekend's one-year anniversary, with Mike Coykendall playing tonight along with Pancake Breakfast and Ash Reiter. Saturday night features music from Monarques, Black Whales, and Pink Widower. NL
The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 9 pm, $7

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND—Director Tommy Wiseau's The Room is more than a film—it's a legend. A masterpiece of the so-bad-it's-great variety, The Room has stunned and delighted audiences for years... and now the man behind it all, Wiseau himself, will be in attendance for two screenings of his opus at Cinema 21. Plus, the Mercury's own Wm. Steven Humphrey hosts a Room-themed costume contest at each screening—and Tommy himself will be judging! EH
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, 8 & 11 pm, $15

SATURDAY, JUNE 19

BIKE NAKED—The annual World Naked Bike Ride is not so much sexy as it is good, ridiculous, bare-as-you-dare fun, drawing everyone from normally rational office workers to the clowning tall-bike crowd. It even gets traffic help from the Portland police! (Who are clothed.) SM
starts at SE Salmon & Water, 10 pm, FREE

BASH BACK!—With recent violence against the gay community, Blow Pony encourages you to stay out and proud... and sweaty and sexy and fabulous. The haters can't stop the dancing. PAC
Rotture, 315 SE 3rd, 9 pm, $5

SUNDAY, JUNE 20

PRIDE!—Sorry, Rose Parade! You simply cannot compete against the super-fun Gay Pride Parade. Come out and support the people who—more often than not—make our city a livelier and much more bearable place to live. See the complete parade route in this week's feature! WSH
Portland Pride Parade, starts at Burnside & NW 13th, 11:30 am, FREE

BIKE CULTURE—The scrappy thespians at the Working Theatre Collective take performance to the streets with North! Saddle Up and Ride, a mobile "cowboy adventure" in which bike-riding audience members are invited to pedal along with the action. AH
Ride begins at Eff Space, 333 NE Hancock, Fri-Sun, 6:30 pm, FREE

TEAMWORK—Sound artisans Drew Daniel and Martin Schmidt—AKA Matmos—are cooler than you'll ever be. They push the boundaries of contemporary recordings; they've released a slew of adventurous albums on Matador; they know Björk (and you don't). Tonight is a rare live performance between them and So Percussion, the results of which will be unlike anything you've heard before. EAC
w/Lexie Mountain Boys; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $14-15

MONDAY, JUNE 21

LOUD MUSIC—Don't mistake A Place to Bury Strangers—holders of the title of New York City's loudest band—for simply noise; they make carefully organized, spine-tingling rock with an instantly familiar, cool vocal style. Also, they frequently perform in front of projected videos of explosions and stuff, so that's always fun. AM
w/Light Pollution; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12

LOCAL FOODGASM—Drop the kombucha and composting manual, everyone! This requires your complete attention! There is a new farmers market in town! The new arrival opens shop in Pioneer Courthouse Square just in time for Monday lunch hour. SM
Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW 6th & Morrison, 10 am-2 pm  

TUESDAY, JUNE 22

DESERT GUITAR—In the north Sahara of Mali, a band of Toureg musicians have been playing assouf—a blues-like but unique style of African music—for decades, toiling through oppression, discrimination, and obscurity. Tinariwen have started to receive the global recognition they deserve, and they roll through town for one of their celebratory live shows. NL
w/Dusu Mali Band, DJ Globalruckus; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8 pm, $20-30

SOUL SISTER—The ever-soulful Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings return to PDX with booty-shaking retro Northern soul. An evening of Jones' velvet vocals is like sipping a salty soul stew featuring the best of old-school Philly, Stax, and Motown. Miss at your own peril. WSH
w/the Heavy; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $23-25, all ages

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23

HUMAN GIANT—From his hilarious roles in Parks and Recreation and Funny People to hosting the MTV Movie Awards and giving out terrible advice in the pages of The Believer, Aziz Ansari has become one of the funniest and smartest comedians working today. Tonight he's doing not one but two stand-up shows at the Aladdin—and while both are already sold out, it'll be worth selling whatever bodily organs you need to in order to get in. EH
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 7 & 9:30 pm, $28-30

QUITE CONTRARY—Christopher Hitchens wrote a memoir (unfortunately titled Hitch 22), and it's sure to be a hell of a ride: heavy drinking, loud opining, atheism, socialism, and conservatism. His journalism is a performance (getting waterboarded in Guantánamo) and his commentary a blood sport (he's always good to liven up Fox News). SK
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE