THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4
BUILD IT!—You don’t have to be a Spandex devotee to support the 2030 Bike Plan that city council votes on today: Less car traffic and healthier (sexier) bodies are good for all Portlanders. Join the families, suited commuters, and tall-bike-riding clowns at the rally, and help steer city council toward not only approving the plan for 600 miles of new bikeways, but actually building it. SM
Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th, 1:30 pm
JAM LAW!—The goal of Jam for Justice is to raise some much-needed cash for Lewis & Clark Law School’s Public Interest Law Project, which provides volunteer legal assistance to nonprofits. In addition to assisting a good cause, you’ll get an earful from the likes of Evan Churchill and the splendid IOA, the excellent side project from Point Juncture, WA’s Amanda Spring. EAC
w/AAN, Bazillionaire; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 7 pm, $10
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5
GET BENT—Once a year, dozens of garage bands convene at the Slabtown Bender, the rawkingest weekend in Portland. Tonight’s the kickoff, so from now ’til Sunday the tunes will flow like cheap beer, from pristine pop to the skuzziest punk imaginable. Leave your fancy pants at home. NL
w/Head, Bare Wires, the Coconut Coolouts, Ty Segall, & more; Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th, 6 pm, $12 ($25/three-day wristband)
SWAYZE—Tonight, local podcasters Cort and Fatboy present a loving tribute to the man—nay, the legend—that was Swayze. One of His greatest films—Road House, which some people feel is even better than Point Break—will be screening this evening, which means plenty of fun, plenty of Cort and Fatboy, plenty of beer, and plenty of Swayze. R.I.P., Patrick. EH
Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 11 pm, $3, 21+
ART/PARTY—Jenny Hoyston and Sarah Gottesdiener were already knee-deep in the art and club scenes when they decided to invent Art Party, a new monthly happening kicking off tonight with music (Tara Jane O’Neil), guest DJs (Mike McGonigal of YETI), video installations by Melanie Valera (AKA Tender Forever), dance from Allison Halter, and more. MS
w/Marisa Anderson, DJ Gottesfinger, Permanent Wave; Branx, 320 SE 2nd, 9 pm, $5
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6
HOOPS—The Los Angeles Lakers are easily the best team in the NBA, but that hasn’t stopped the team from dropping nine straight at the Rose Garden. Tonight, the Portland Trail Blazers go for 10 in a row, and with any luck, we all might see Kobe cry. EAC
Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct, 7 pm, $35-225, broadcast on KGW
SAINTS PRESERVE US—Brooklyn-based virtuoso St. Vincent lures you in with her sweet voice and girlish looks, building a tower of catchy melody… but beware! Her songs could explode at any moment into a whir of experimental cacophony, leaving you disoriented and unsure of what will happen next. She plays two shows this evening, including an all-ages early show. RN
w/Wildbirds & Peacedrums; Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside, 5 pm, (all ages) & 9 pm (21 & up), $13-17
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 7
PIGSKIN—If there was ever an event that screams “MEAT!,” it’s the Super Bowl. Join Saraveza for a traditional Midwestern meat raffle benefiting Ethos Music Center, while you cheer your favorite team to victory and drink from their generous beer selection. PAC
Saraveza, 1004 N Killingsworth, game starts at 3:30 pm
SUPER MARKETS—Skip the commercial blitz and go shopping! Check out super-discounted clothes, art, furniture, and more from over 50 local and indie retailers at Bargain Hunting 101. And remember your lovely valentine at the Heart of Craft gift fair. JC
Bargain Hunting 101, Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, noon-5 pm; Heart of Craft, The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 1-6 pm
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8
RETREAT—I could talk you to death about how fucking great Wells Tower is—about how he’s one of the best authors writing today, about how you should read his short-story collection Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned—but don’t take my word for it. The Paris Review, the New York Times, and McSweeney’s all love the dude, too. Head over to Powell’s tonight to find out why. EH
Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE
HERE COMES THE BRIDE—Quentin Tarantino is the Girl Talk of trash cinema, mixing all his favorite bits into a delicious bouillabaisse of violence. Instead of whinging about originality, can’t we just appreciate what a beautifully constructed revenge epic Kill Bill is? A beautiful epic with skintight jumpsuits? Volume 1 this week; Volume 2 next week. DB
Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, see Film Times for times, $3
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9
ROGER THAT—It’s sold out, but if you’ve already got tickets to the Wilco show—or feel like hunting on Craigslist—you can expect a professional, high-caliber rock concert of which your dad would approve. Bonus! Excellently weird folk-rockers Califone are opening! (Your dad might not like ’em so much.) NL
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 8 pm, $35, all ages
DANCE—Question: How do you fit a dance performance into the tiny downtown bar Valentine’s? Answer: Come to Through the Lens tonight and find out, courtesy of local choreographers Tahni Holt, Linda Austin, and more. And keep your eyes peeled, because tonight’s show explores the notion of “found performance”—it could turn up anywhere. AH
Valentine’s, 232 SW Ankeny, 9 pm, FREE
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10
VERY NICE NIGHT—Bands. (Typhoon, Breakfast Mountain, and more.) “Film-poems.” (From utterly entertaining local poet Zachary Schomburg.) Spudnik. (Potato Champion’s new mobile french-fry cart.) This well-rounded event, sponsored by literary and arts journal Poor Claudia, promises to be a very nice night indeed. AH
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $6
ROVE ‘N’ DEAN—How about seeing the most ruthless Republican strategist on earth face off with that Democratic candidate who screamed that one time? Karl and Howard, on “America’s Role in the World.” It probably won’t be pretty, and it ain’t cheap either. MD
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7 pm, $47.25-68.25