WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

MUSIC—Brilliant, underappreciated in his time, and dead too young: Discovering the work of songwriter/cellist Arthur Russell is like stumbling onto a secret you can't believe everyone else doesn't already know. Tonight, Portland's finest, including Shaky Hands' Nick Delffs and Parenthetical Girls' Zac Pennington, justly celebrate the musician's work with a tribute night. AH
Valentine's, 232 SW Ankeny, 9 pm, $3-5

MUSIC—K Records' dreamboats LAKE are a picturesque float on dreamy AM pop. They're catchy and fun and too adorably twee for words to describe. So catch the Olympia band do their charming, low-key thing before you inevitably hear their 2013 song "Perfect Fit" at every hip Portland wedding this summer. CF
w/Juan Wauters, the Ocean Floor; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $8-10

THURSDAY, MAY 22

COMEDY—He's a writer and performer on one of the funniest TV shows around (Inside Amy Schumer) and a co-host of one of the best comedy podcasts (Professor Blastoff, with the brilliant Tig Notaro). And, he sometimes does musical comedy and it isn't annoying. Kyle Dunnigan is simply one of the most idiosyncratic comedic voices around and you should probably experience him firsthand. AH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 9:30 pm, $15

MUSIC—Neko Case's incredible live shows are a goddamn treasure. Her rousing, chatty birthday concert in Pioneer Courthouse Square in September was a starry spectacular, so expect no less from her two-night show in the intimate confines of the Aladdin. But good luck getting tickets—everyone's been preparing for her clarion-voiced awesome for months already. CF
w/the Dodos; Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, Thurs & Fri, 8 pm, $45 (look hard for tix), all ages

FRIDAY, MAY 23

MUSIC—With a springtime rash of perfect-weather days, Portland can be forgiven for jumping the gun on summer. And now that we've started, why stop? Here's a beach-blanket rock 'n' roll show to kick off the holiday weekend, with Costa Mesa's prolific patio-party rockers the Growlers, Portland surf-rock torchbearers Guantanamo Baywatch, and the righteous snarl of local faves Summer Cannibals. NL
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $13-15

PYROTECHNICS—Portland's Fourth of July fireworks show is a cheap, sparkly bauble compared to the spectacle unleashed every year for the opening of the Rose Festival's CityFair. You've got the next two weeks to check out the calliope-tinged madness at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, but find a building or bridge or riverbank from which to watch tonight's explosions. DVH
Tom McCall Waterfront Park, show begins at nightfall

SATURDAY, MAY 24

MUSIC—Liars have never stayed in one place very long, but their arty adventurousness guarantees that, wherever they do end up, the journey is well worth taking. Their latest record, Mess, eschews the hard-won beauty of past triumphs in favor of harshly shambolic sine-wave dance music, but their live show remains a trip you don't want to miss. NL
w/Massacooramaan; Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9 pm, $16

FAIR—Memorial Day weekend is always a corny good time—but the corny fun just got cornier with the Multnomah County Fair at Oaks Amusement Park! Along with the always awesome rides at Oaks Park, the fair also boasts pony rides (!), cute animal petting zoo (!), an "alpaca pavilion" (!), AND "mutton busting," where kids get thrown on their ass while trying to ride sheep, bronco-style (!)(!)(!). WSH
Oaks Amusement Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, Sat-Mon, noon-7 pm, FREE (rides are extra)

PERFORMANCE—Action/Adventure Theatre is putting on a humdinger of a fundraiser: Inspired By... is a one-night show from Portland's best performers and visual artists "inspired by" local writers they love! Authors such as Chelsea Cain, Alexis Smith, and more submitted short stories that will be interpreted onstage by Portland Playhouse, Live Wire!, and others. Get inspired by their inspiration! WSH
The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell, 9 pm, $15-20

SUNDAY, MAY 25

PRINCELY MUSIC—Prince ain't been the same since the '90s. But now fans can scratch that classic purple itch thanks to Maya Rudolph (yes, that Maya Rudolph) and Gretchen Lieberum, whose band Princess explodes all conceptions of what a tribute band can be, with a stage show that feels like eighth-grade Pee Chee doodles come to life. BR
Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $30

MUSIC—Sure, you could check out tonight's benefit show, Music in the Schools, in order to help fund Portland music education. It'd be better, though, if you went for the pleasing intensity of watching three high school acts square off, Wyld Stallyns-style, in a battle of the bands competition. Then watch Grandparents show the youngsters how it's done. DVH
w/Castaway Kids, Dad Rock, Alex Whitney & MC Rose; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez, 8:30 pm, $5-7, all ages

MONDAY, MAY 26

HULK—Before Ruffalo, before Norton, before Bana; there was Bill Bixby, there was Lou Ferrigno, and there was The Incredible Hulk. Re-Run Theater resurrects the 1977 CBS TV pilot (complete with vintage commercial interruptions) that caused many a kid to go scurrying behind their couch when Mr. Bixby got angry—and you wouldn't like him when he got angry. BR
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $6-8

FILM—Given that the total number of people clamoring for another X-Men movie is somewhere around zero, nobody can blame you for being cynical about X-Men: Days of Future Past. But early word on the sci-fi blockbuster is actually pretty good—and if nothing else, it's guaranteed to feature adorable real-life BFFs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen... not to mention Tyrion Lannister himself, Peter Dinklage, as an evil mastermind. EH
Various theaters, see our review and Film Times

TUESDAY, MAY 27

MUSIC—Detroit punkers Tyvek stop in town for the second time this month as they make their way back up the West Coast, and this means double the pleasure for P-Town. Don't miss the splendid Woolen Men, whose deep catalog of lo-fi pop gemstones is one of our city's greatest natural resources. NL
w/the Bugs; Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water, 10 pm, $6

ROBOT DINOSAURS—If you, like me, wake up every morning depressed about Portland's depressing lack of dinosaur skeletons, get ready to live, because OMSI has something even better: ROBOT DINOSAURS. The traveling Dinosaurs Unearthed features fossils and science and robotic life-size dinosaurs that you get to control. I will see you there, every single day. EH
OMSI, 1945 SE Water, Tues-Sun 9:30 am-5:30 pm, $9.50-13