THURSDAY 6/11
The Portland Underground Film Fest (PUFF)
kicks off tonight with the world premiere of Clinton Street Theater
owner Seth Sonstein’s Summer of 69, and an opening bash
featuring Start Fires. MS
Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 8:30 pm, $8; afterparty
at Aalto Lounge, 3356 SE Belmont
Here’s Jane Austen’s Pride and
Prejudice: “Mr. Darcy is sooo dreamy
and—zzzzzzzZZZZ*SNORE*zzzz.” Thankfully, Seth Grahame-Smith has
made old-timey chick lit tolerable with Pride and Prejudice and
Zombies, a retelling of Austen’s novel—with added
“ultraviolent zombie mayhem.” EH
Reading at Powell’s Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar
Hills, Beaverton, 7 pm, FREE
Music in the Schools generates needed
income for music education in Portland Public Schools by organizing
stellar local music fundraisers. For their third year, the group has
assembled their best lineup to date—local heavy hitters Lifesavas
and Starfucker, plus a pair of high school acts—for a very worthy
cause. EAC
w/Starparty, Don’t Hurt Miles!; Cleveland High School, 3400 SE
26th, 7 pm, $10, all ages
FRIDAY 6/12
For their CD release tonight, the beloved
and always-ballsy Portland Cello Project promises “more Justin
Timberlake covers than you can shake a stick at.” PCP teams up with
Thao Nguyen and Justin Power to bring sexy back… and possibly a
Pantera cover. SM
Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 8 pm, $13-15, all
ages
An ice cream “social” is way too passive for ice
cream cart Junior Ambassador’s and their freaky flavors (asparagus
anyone?). That’s why they’re throwing an ice cream fest with the likes
of Grey Anne and Duo’ver on their grassy knoll. PAC
w/Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Petoskey; Junior
Ambassador’s, 4734 N Albina, 6 pm, FREE, all ages
SATURDAY 6/13
Before you take off your clothes and join the
World Naked Bike Ride, pump up your confidence at the Pedalpalooza
kickoff party with music, cheap beer, and semi-nude cyclists in
Where the Wild Things Are costumes. If getting naked in public
isn’t your thing, Cirque du Cycling on Mississippi comes complete with
parade of freak bicycles, circus performers, and, naturally, a beer
garden. RM
Kickoff Party & World Naked Bike Ride, 2181 NW Nicolai, party
at 9 pm, ride at 11:59 pm, FREE to those on bikes; Cirque du Cycling, N
Mississippi between Shaver & Fremont, parade at 3 pm, FREE
Writers and musicians get along famously,
and with good reason—they both like to drink and tell lies.
Oregon Word Jam 2009 brings together writers and musicians for an
evening of storytelling, music, poetry, and wicked guitar solos,
including novelist and songwriter Willy Vlautin, poet Tim Sproul, and
gritty balladeer Michael Dean Damron. NL
w/Matt Love, Lewi Longmire Band; Kelly’s Olympian, 426 SW
Washington, 8 pm, $5
SUNDAY 6/14
Forget errands—here’s your new
Sunday plan: Wake up and snuggle in bed and with a spouse or pile of
stuffed animals. Pry yourself away to see Wiener Takes All, a
“dogumentary” about competitive dachshund racing. With a heart full of
pet-love, head to the Armory for Cat Adoption Day. Then it’s back to
bed with your new kitty for more snuggling. JC
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, see Movie Times for
times, $6.50; Gerding Theater at the Armory, 128 NW 11th, noon-4 pm,
FREE (not including adoption fees)
The Splash Dance is your fourth annual chance to
dance with a crowd in many of our fair city’s iconic fountains. Get
drenched, then dry off by shaking your booty to bike-hauled tunes and
cycling on to the next fountain. Squirt guns encouraged. SM
Salmon Street Springs Fountain, SW Naito Pkwy & Salmon, 3 pm,
FREE
MONDAY 6/15
Possibly the only pop act that can appeal to
both your little sister and oddball filmmaker David Lynch (he’s a huge
fan), Au Revoir Simone return to town in support of their just-released
second album, Still Night, Still Light. The New York trio
incorporates twee adorability to a succinct pop music framework to
create songs that are both immediate and unforgettable. EAC
w/Findlay Brown, Leaving the Scene; Berbati’s Pan, 10 SW 3rd, 8
pm, $12-14, all ages
You need energy to ride a bike,
right? So fuel up on tacos—A LOT OF TACOS—with the
Umpteenth Annual Taco Ride. One of the funnest Pedalpalooza events,
this gregarious bunch rides, stops, and stuffs faces at a variety of
taco joints. But no burritos, got it?! Just… TACOS!! WSH
Starts at Olé Olé, 2137 E Burnside, 6 pm, bring small bills for taco money!
TUESDAY 6/16
A rock star since age 15, Ben Kweller pens
sugary-sweet jams that evoke the glory days of power pop. Check out a
singer/songwriter in the classic mold as he supports new album
Changing Horses. NL
w/Jones Street Station; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm,
$18
The latest from American Beauty director Sam Mendes, Away We Go stars The Office‘s John
Krasinski and SNL‘s Maya Rudolph, and it was written by
Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. If that dream team doesn’t get you amped
to see this comedy/drama, well—hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but something’s pretty wrong with you. EH
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for locations & times
WEDNESDAY 6/17
I, for one, do not do nearly enough
thinking while I’m drinking. Author and queen nerd supreme Ursula K. Le
Guin and OSU philosophy professor Lani Roberts will be on hand to stop
this awful lack of thinkin’ with a open discussion about moral
evolution, and collective and self-deception. Hmm, are they talking
about beer goggles? CF
Rontoms, 600 E Burnside, 6:30 pm, FREE
Every couple months, the Back Fence PDX
crew wrangles up a handpicked bunch of totally rad people to share
their best true stories on stage. June’s theme is Caught Red-Handed,
and speakers include stripper/author/Mercury contributor Viva
Las Vegas, comic artist and advice columnist Nicole Georges, and
others. WR
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 7:15 pm, $10-12
Tacooooooooooooos!!
#uprise Melissa Lion