THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16
DIG IT—When Chuck D stopped trying to set the world on fire with every syllable he spit, Boots Riley took that torch and never stopped running. The Coup are legends at blending the high minded with lots of low end. BR
w/Buck 65, Busdriver; Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 9 pm, $18-20
GOOD CITIES—GOOD magazine plays host as Portland’s smartest people team up at Good Ideas for Cities to make quick pitches for innovative ideas to improve the city’s food system, schools, streets, and businesses. We’re such a planning nerd town, the event is already sold out! But show up at 6 pm for a shot at an open seat. SM
Ziba Auditorium, 910 NW Marshall, doors at 6 pm, FREE
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17
20 HARPS—YU and Fear No Music are celebrating the 100th birthday of John Cage with an evening of “Cageian” compositions and collaborations from a variety of responsible, capable musicians, wholly in the spirit of Cage. It’s thinky for a Friday night, but thinky is your brain’s bread and butter. SS
YU, 800 SE 10th, 8 pm, $12.50-25, all ages
AFTER DARK—The Portland International Film Festival’s PIFF After Dark boasts the fest’s most interesting-sounding films: Tonight, there’s Norway’s “violent and twisted” thriller Headhunters; tomorrow there’s the Hong Kong action flick Let the Bullets Fly, and next weekend brings Great Britain’s jarring Kill List and South Korea’s Invasion of the Alien Bikini. EH
Headhunters, Fri Feb 17; Let the Bullets Fly, Sat Feb 18; Kill List, Fri Feb 24; Invasion of the Alien Bikini, Sat Feb 25; all at Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, 11:30 pm, $9-10
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18
SHAKE THAT—If hot, sweaty queer action is your bag, throw your hands up for the sixth anniversary of Gaycation! Portland’s sexiest dance night for gays and gay lovers is celebrating its b-day with DJ Snowtiger, Mr. Charming, and internationally renowned DJ (and member of Brooklyn band Creep) Lauren Flax. Hot. WSH
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $5
HELP—Local promoter Anthony Sanchez recently fell down a flight of concrete stairs (OUCH!) and it’s a miracle he’s not dead or paralyzed. He still has some nasty medical bills, though, so the cream of Portland’s hiphop talent—the Chicharones, Cool Nutz, Vursatyl, and more—is throwing a benefit show to help Sanchez out. You help, too! NL
Ted’s, 231 SW Ankeny, 8 pm, $8-10 suggested donation
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19
OREGON MUSIC—All good things must end, like the Oregon Rocks music exhibit at the Historical Society, but it’s going out with a bang with the release of a compilation of current Oregon bands covering local legends. Throw some live music by Kelli Schaefer, Ancient Heat, and Napalm Beach on that party and you have a rager. CF
Oregon Historical Society, 1200 SW Park, 6 pm, $10 (includes CD), all ages
NUDNIKS—It’s time to watch the buck-naked spectacle of Red Light’s sixth annual Naked Shopping Spree. Two men and two women strip down and run around the vintage clothing store putting on as many items as possible, and the most clothed wins amazing prizes. Get there early to catch the naked-making tunes of Prince cover band Erotic City. CF
The Red Light, 3590 SE Hawthorne, 5 pm (band at 4 pm), FREE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20
GARAGE POP—Presenting a fresh spin on ’60s-style garage pop, the Fresh & Onlys combine the Beach Boys, Dick Dale (and maybe a touch of Hüsker Dü) to bang out infectiously fun San Fran jams. Rounding out the bill is the head-bouncing garage of Chicago’s Disappears—truly a Midwestern treasure. WSH
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12
ROCK IT, DON’T STOP IT—Hiphop has gone through many mutations in its short life, but Afrika Bambaataa’s influence has always remained strong. The Oregon chapter of the Universal Zulu Nation and a host of DJs and dancers join the Godfather of Hiphop Culture for a night of beat-backed dance. BR
Salmon Street Studios, 109 SE Salmon, Ste. C, 8 pm, $15, 21+
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
SCOUTED—Scout Niblett is one of Portland’s quieter musical residents, especially considering that her quirky soft-grunge is one of our best assets. Rarer still is an appearance by husky-voiced folk singer Laurel Knapp, AKA Privacy; this could easily be your one shot this year to catch her. MS
Valentine’s, 232 SW Ankeny, 9 pm, $3-5
MARDI GRAS—Promising the purest slice of New Orleans funk this side of the Mississippi, the 82nd Avenue Brass Band, junkyard folkster Professor Gall, and MaracaBOOM! invite you to throw on a feathered mask and dance your ass down to Russell Street for Mardi Gras. Plus, New Orleans-style food and drink specials, and free tambourines for all! AH
The Secret Society, 116 NE Russell, 9 pm, $8
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22
BEYOND FOLK—Seattle troubadour Damien Jurado’s latest, Maraqopa, comes out February 21, and it’s a staggeringly great album, full of sorrow, hope, strange sounds, and breathtakingly beautiful music. Jurado performs a very special in-store show today, so go and get your heart ripped out by one of the greatest songwriters alive. NL
Jackpot Records, 3574 SE Hawthorne, 6 pm, FREE, all ages
SEARCH ME—Stripsearchme.com is a start-up website that produces charming music-video commercials advertising Portland’s favorite strip clubs, and they’re throwing a party to debut the first batch, plus dancers and live music from a Ministry cover band (Thieves) and Mini Marilyn Manson, among others. MS
Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill, 8 pm, $15