WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13
What Does It Mean to be White in America?
PCC's "Whiteness History Month" has been getting a lot of heat lately (usually by angry right-wing bloggers ranting about "PC culture"), so why not check it out? Today's eventâWhat Does It Mean to Be White in America?âfeatures readings and discussions by Northwest writers featured in an eponymous anthology, which "breaks the white code of silence." DOUG BROWN
w/Tereza Topferova Bottman, Anne Mavor, and more; PCC Cascade, Moriarty Arts Room #104, 705 N Killingsworth, 1 pm, FREE, all ages
SZA, Joyya Marie, Risky Star
Since dropping Z two years ago, SZA's been busyâthe singer/songwriter collaborated with Rihanna, BeyoncĂ©, and Nicki Minaj. Now she's announced her forthcoming follow-up album, A. SZA's soulful croon is wrapped in layered, shimmery productionâher music lives on some dreamy island between alternative hip-hop, pop, and chillwave. CIARA DOLAN
Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $23, all ages
THURSDAY, APRIL 14
Laura Gibson, Dave Depper, Daniel Charles Hunt
Oregon native Laura Gibson's recent release, Empire Builder, takes its name from the Amtrak train that crosses America from her former home of Portland all the way to Chicago. Gibson sounds like she's looking out the window, saying goodbye to "1,000 lonely pines that bend their backs against the sun." Don't miss the beloved musician tonight. CIARA DOLAN
The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th, 8 pm, $15-17, all ages
Lady Rizo
Blessed with a dump truck full of charisma, gargantuan eyelashes, and lungs that can blow out the back of any theater, the amazing cabaret superstar Lady Rizo sings standards in a way that never fails to hilariously entertain. And in her newest show, Multiplied, the new mom (congrats) will delightfully skewer the topic of parenthood. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Star Theater, 13 NW 6th, 8 pm, $18
FRIDAY, APRIL 15
AU, Camas High School Choir, Luz Elena Mendoza, Edna Vazquez
Tonight, Luke Wyland's experimental pop outfit AU returns after a two-year hiatus with an explosive collaborative project. Joining the band is the Camas High School Choir, whose 155 voices will ring loud and clear throughout the halls of the Yale Union as they breathe life into Weyland's compositions, all framed against the backdrop of the Portland horizon. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Yale Union, 800 SE 10th, 7 pm, $10-12, all ages
Paul McCartney
Money is fleeting, but Macca is forever. Sir Paul McCartney is coming to Portland on his current One on One Tour, and while there aren't enough pennies on "Penny Lane" (get it? He wrote that!) to pay for a ticket, let's prove the man who sang "You Never Give Me Your Money" wrong by giving him all of ours. What else are you going to tell your stupid grandkids? NED LANNAMANN
Moda Center, 1 Center Court, 8 pm, $49.50-250, all ages
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
The Fly
People think of David Cronenberg's The Fly in all sorts of ways: as a classic, as an '80s AIDS allegory, as a celebration of all things Jeff Goldblum, or as one of Cronenberg's finest. It's actually all of those things. Tonight it screens in 35mmâwith The Fly's special effects wizard Chris Walas (who also worked on Gremlins and Dragonslayer, and directed The Fly II) in attendance! ERIK HENRIKSEN
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $9
Record Store Day
Could this be Portland's finest Record Store Day yet? The annual reminder that there's more to music than streaming services is packing a wallop in 2016, with special events at the city's music purveyors. Our picks: Head down to Everyday Music's killer day-long mini fest, but not before getting your Stratocaster signed by Bonnie Raitt at Music Millennium. DIRK VANDERHART
Pretty much every record store (check recordstoreday.com for more info), all day long, all ages
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
GanjaCon
Now that cannabis is legal, there's no reason to miss Oregon's best weed expo, GanjaCon! Vendors and dispensaries will be on hand, samples will be available from growers, there'll be live music, and it all culminates in the granddaddy of Oregon cannabis competitionsâthe GanjaCup, which awards our canna industry's finest specimens in multiple categories. NED LANNAMANN
Castaway Portland, 1900 NW 18th, 12:30 pm, $45-55
Portland Thorns vs. Orlando Pride
With the preseason behind them, the kickass women of the Portland Thorns will undoubtedly come roaring into their first game of the season against Orlando Pride, who are brand new to the NWSL. Our Thorns may have slipped to sixth place last season, but with new coach Mark Parsons at the helm, things are looking bright for these former champions. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison, 7 pm, $13.50-40, all ages
MONDAY, APRIL 18
Portland Pizza Week
It's finally fucking here. The Mercury's long-awaited Portland Pizza Week kicks off TODAY across our fine cityâwith special, one-of-a-kind slices available for only TWO GODDAMN DOLLARS EACH from more than 20 of the best pizza joints Portland has to offerâfrom Roman Candle to Via Chicago to Sizzle Pie to, oh, about 20 more. Embrace Pizza Week. Embrace your destiny. ERIK HENRIKSEN
See portlandpizzaweek.com for more info
Eskimeaux, Frankie Cosmos, Yowler
The powerful and introspective bedroom pop of Eskimeaux is like comfort food for the busy mind. As the recording project of New York-based songwriter and producer Gabrielle Smith, Eskimeaux's songs are tender and delicate one moment, and bursting at the seams with cathartic noise and raw emotion in the next. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne, 6 pm, $12-14, all ages
TUESDAY, APRIL 19
Lush, Tamaryn
Lush's name has always been a perfect encapsulation of their dreamy, sparkle-washed music. The '90s British band reunites after a 20-year-long hiatus, and it's been a long time coming. They can do no wrong, but we're hoping the setlist is full of songs from their stellar albums Spooky and Split. Wear pretty shoes to gaze upon. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $25-30, all ages
Newsies
It's the musical that paired a doe-eyed young Christian Bale with a slew of hardscrabble newspaper-slingers who can't be more than 12 and yet look and sound remarkably like Bernie Sanders. That's right, the musical Newsies lands in Portland today, providing a tuneful, high-kicking lesson in journalism history with heartfelt dance numbers about organized labor! MEGAN BURBANK
Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay, 7:30 pm, through Sun April 24, $50-105, all ages