WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8

MUSIC—Those Wainwrights just keep coming! Lucy Wainwright Roche (brother of Martha and Rufus, daughter of Loudon III, along with musician mother Suzzy Roche). It will shock nobody that this Wainwright traffics in soothing, acoustically arranged songs, but the crystalline quality of her voice and earnestness of her lyrics will perk you up. MS
w/Shelley Short; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $10-12

MUSIC—Drive-By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood makes no secret of his admiration for Portland writer/musician Willy Vlautin. He even wrote a song about a character from Vlautin's forthcoming novel, The Free. Tonight, with Hood starting a three-week residency at the Doug Fir, their musical worlds collide—Hood's beloved alt-country twang, Vlautin's more rock-centered sensibility, and some hardscrabble tales. DVH
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12-14

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9

MUSIC—The tumbledown, cinematic records of Chicago's Califone feed folk music through a rusty bandsaw, pulling shreds of gorgeousness out of the tatters. See Tim Rutili & Co. as they play songs from last year's subtly winning Stitches, and probably throw in a wild card or two. NL
w/the Luyas; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $13-15

COMEDY—When he's not shopping for sweatpants or trying to start Twitter battles with salsa companies, stand-up Kyle Kinane is busy being insanely hysterical. The gruff-voiced beardo's a bit blue collar, decidedly misanthropic, and he will most assuredly make you cry tears of joy into your Hamm's. CF
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $15-25

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

MUSIC—If you're looking for the best in Portland punk, it would behoove you to turn to local producers Hovercraft Records—whose love for the genre and vinyl is legendary. And tonight you can catch much of their ear-splitting roster in this sure-to-be-rocking Hovercraft Records Showcase, featuring LA Drugz, Hornet Leg, Oakland's Burnt Thrones Club, Honey Bucket, and more! WSH
Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 8 pm, $5

MUSIC—Maybe you missed them this summer or maybe you can't get enough of Portland's favorite folksy rockers, the Builders and the Butchers. Well, they're back for a stacked bill with Tiburones and Old Age, which promises a calorie-burning good time and a dancing sweat that'll feel all the better in these frosty days. CF
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

MUSIC—I first saw folk rockers Thao & the Get Down Stay Down at laidback hippie-fest Pickathon, and I was not prepared. There's verve and soul in Thao's music, but there's a twisting, vibrant energy, too—and that's why seeing her live is so goddamn fun. EH
w/Sonny and the Sunsets; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $15-30

(ANOTHER) NEW YEAR—If you can't get enough of that new-year smell, take the multicultural route and celebrate them all. For the eighth year running, the Eastern European-inspired Chervona is celebrating Russian Old New Year with music, Russian food and vodka, an awards ceremony that highlights the most bizarre Russian headlines of the year, and more. MS
w/Darka Dusty, Miri Stebivka, DJ Zhena; Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9 pm, $20-45

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

TV—It's gonna be a great year for television, and it's off to a bang-up start with tonight's debut of HBO's True Detective, starring a brilliant Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as a pair of complicated cops. The series jumps back and forth though time as the two try to capture a serial killer—while battling demons of their own. Highly recommended! WSH
Followed by the season premiere of Girls, your TV, HBO, 9 pm

DRUMS—The collaborative spirit of Portland is embodied in tonight's Secret Drum Band show: Lisa Schonberg (formerly of Explode into Colors) has assembled a new lineup for her percussion ensemble that includes members of Sun Angle and Unwound. They'll perform songs based on Schonberg's new book, created with artist Aidan Koch, about bees. Drums, books, art, bees. Got all that? AH
w/Dubais, Marisa Anderson, DJ Allan Wilson; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $6

MONDAY, JANUARY 13

MUSIC—Portland keyboardist/composer Ben Darwish holds down the fort this week at Al's Den, performing nightly with a variety of special guests dropping by (including a secret guest band on Saturday, January 18). One of Portland's most adventurous musicians, Darwish will play jazz, pop, funk, and R&B (sometimes all at once), plus material from his recent multimedia project, The Lonely Night. NL
Al's Den, 303 SW 12th, Sun Jan 12-Sat Jan 18, 7 pm, FREE

FILM—Besides some of the best short films and music videos ever, director Spike Jonze has a bulletproof feature film record: Being John Malkovich, Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation. His latest, Her, stars Joaquin Phoenix as a man who falls in love with his phone's OS (voiced, as all OSes should be, by Scarlett Johansson). Everyone is very excited for this movie. That's because it's probably going to be great. EH
Various Theaters, see Movie Times and our review

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14

FILM—August: Osage County is unabashedly over the top, anchored by Meryl Streep in full-on monster-diva mode. If mean-spirited theatricality bums you out, give this one a pass—but if you can get behind a tawdry, foul-mouthed, knock-down family melodrama, it's awesome. AH
Various Theaters, see Movie Times and our review

LECTURE—Lawrence Wright, the decorated New Yorker writer who took on Scientology in his book Going Clear, will regale Portland with fascinating tales. The bad news is that to secure tickets you may have to purchase a four-event "subscription" at a minimum of $100. If you don't have the scratch, you can always wander into the downtown Scientology center and draw your own conclusions. DVH
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $100-244 for a four-show subscription (individual tickets will be announced if available)