WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8

MUSIC—Name-dropping may be tacky, but it's hard not to mention the New Pornographers without the relevant information that its members include people like A.C. Newman, Destroyer's Dan Bejar, and some bird named Neko Case. They're all back to play off their latest, the upbeat "celebration record" Brill Bruisers. MS
w/the Pains of Being Pure at Heart; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $26.50-30, all ages

PERFORMANCE—Design Week Portland's kicked it up a notch for 2014, taking up at Pioneer Courthouse Square with a headquarters fashioned out of geodesic domes. It's there you'll be able to see many of the week's most experimental events, like today's danced/written/projected/shouted performance by the Black Portlanders' Intisar Abioto. MS
Pioneer Courthouse Square, SW 6th & Morrison, 2 pm, $15, designweekportland.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9

READING—People get tattoos for all occasions—weddings, funerals, getting serious about pizza—many of them captured in Pen and Ink, Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton's collection of lovingly illustrated stories about tattoos and their owners, introduced by Cheryl Strayed and ranging from just brutal (Roxane Gay makes you cry in three sentences) to my favorite (a dinosaur). MB
w/Cheryl Strayed, Carson Ellis, & more; Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

MUSIC—Christopher Owens made a big splash with his band Girls a few years back, and now he's two albums into a solo career that picks up where Girls left off. The brand-new A New Testament incorporates gospel and country sounds into his soaring, vintage rock 'n' roll, which he'll be delivering with a seven-piece band tonight. NL
w/the Tyde; Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 9:30 pm, $13-17

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10

MUSIC—Earlier this year, mysterious immigration troubles stymied Yasiin Bey—who you know as Mos Def—from re-entering the US (the Brooklyn-born emcee now lives in South Africa). No word on what the hell happened, but Bey's apparently been granted passage at last. Seize the opportunity to see one of hiphop's true luminaries while you can. DVH
w/Lilla, Raz Simone, STRUGGLE; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 8:30 pm, $27.50-40

FILM—To list just a few of the music-centric films we're stoked to check out at the 32nd Reel Music Fest: opening night's documentary about Elliott Smith, Heaven Adores You, featuring interviews with his nearest and dearest; a revealing day-in-the-life film about Nick Cave; Todd Haynes' killer glam-rock flick Velvet Goldmine; and a portrait of recently passed jazz great Jimmy Scott. CF
Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, Fri Oct 10-Wed Oct 22, $9/movie, see Movie Times for showtimes

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11

PETS—PETS! PETS PETS PETS! Dogs! Cats! Lizards! Guinea pigs! Snakes? Ferrets! Fish! Birds! Today the Portland Pet Expo offers all kinds of exhibitors, adoptions, and stuff you'll probably like but your pet will probably fucking hate, like free nail trims, discounted vaccinations, and humiliating costume contests. EH
Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine Drive, 10 am-6 pm, FREE, and yes, your pet can come

SEXY STORIES—It is assumed you like "sex" and it is assumed you like "stories," so don't miss the latest installment of the Mystery Box Show, which always includes local and national luminaries (as well as just regular folk) telling true funny/sad/serious/crazy stories from their pasts. True tales about porn addiction, polyamory, and botched threesomes! Whoopee! WSH
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 7 pm, $14-16

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12

BOSS—It's Sunday, and you're hungover. Resist the urge to hide 'neath your covers and study your pain! A better idea is to check out the release party for Springsteen: Album by Album, the great new book by Portland music critic Ryan White. In nearly 300 photo-splashed pages, a fresh shine gets thrown on the Boss' journey into our red-blooded American hearts. There will of course be music. DVH
w/Casey Neill, Rebecca Gates, Jim Brunberg, Sarah Gwen, Mark Orton; Mississippi Pizza Pub, 3552 N Mississippi, 6 pm, FREE

MUSIC—Sundays don't have to be sad affairs with boxed wine and a pirated HBO Go account. Instead, have a drink and go see singer Casey Dienel, performing and recording for years now as White Hinterland. She boasts some succulent beats and an even better voice, big and dynamic, yet still soft. It's the perfect way to coast into another Monday with a hangover you actually enjoyed obtaining. DCT
w/Wildcat! Wildcat!, Superhighway; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $10-12

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13

FOOD READING—If your kitchen skills need a swift kick in the ass, check out Saveur's Best New Food Blog of 2013, Thug Kitchen and their official cookbook, Thug Kitchen: Eat Like You Give a F*ck. The makers have been in the news as of late, and there's no denying that they really like making grilled peach salsa and roasted beer and lime cauliflower tacos. WSH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

MUSIC—You know who gives the Flaming Lips a solid run for their money when it comes to sheer spectacle at a live show? Of Montreal, that's who. The Athens collective is a confetti-dropping wonder and exuberance incarnate, with a wild collage of trippy and marvelous visuals, soundtracked by some pretty great songs. These guys have flair for miles. CF
Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8:30 pm, $15-17, all ages

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14

MUSIC—If you're heading out to soak in the barefoot, carefree, mellow jams of Bahamas, don't you dare miss the spectacular Basia Bulat, a Canadian singer/songwriter/autoharpist whose warm, exquisite tunes are stop-you-in-your-tracks good. Her recent Tall Tall Shadow was shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize, and will undoubtedly make the shortlist to your heart. NL
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12-14

FILM—Tonight, the Hollywood's Kung Fu Theater series presents a rare, 35mm screening of 1977's The Hot, the Cool, and the Vicious, featuring albino assassins and secret ninjas! And extra bonus: The print is on loan from the personal collection of some martial arts fanatic named Quentin Tarantino. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $8