My, What a Busy Week!

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9

WOODS—The ever-hustling documentary crew at Into the Woods coordinates a quarterly series showcasing their favorite artists in town. They’re bringing a few cameras to catch the whole thing on film as Aan, Pure Bathing Culture, and WL play. This is where tastes are made. AH
w/Shy Girls, DJ Zack, DJ Sister Sister; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $5

LET BRUCE BRUCE HIT IT—The phrase “comedian’s comedian” usually means that you’re gonna laugh, but not as much as the full-fledged comedy nerds in the back of the room. Bruce Bruce is the rare comedian’s comedian who makes the audience feel they’re in on every joke, even the ones they probably shouldn’t be. BR
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $25-30

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10

ENCHANTED—The charming amusement park Enchanted Forest is, hands down, the best thing about Oregon—and today, the Great Idea Festival returns with a full day of live music from the likes of the Builders and the Butchers, Quasi, Typhoon, and the Challenge of Mondor! Just kidding! The Challenge of Mondor is one of Enchanted Forest’s many amazing rides! EH
Enchanted Forest, 8462 Enchanted Way SE, Turner, OR, 2 pm until dark, $22-30 (includes all-day park admission)

TIME TO PLAY THE MUSIC—The Muppets are the purest possible distillation of everything that makes childhood wonderful. So when we say, “By attending Muppet History 101 at the Hollywood’s four-day Muppets series, you will learn the origins of awesome,” the amount of hyperbole is small enough to fit on one of Kermit’s floppy fingertips. BR
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 & 9:30 pm, $7

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11

ALBERTA BIG TIME—If you like Last Thursdays on NE Alberta, you will love the Alberta Street Fair, when the whole neighborhood lights up with literally hundreds of vendors, three stages of entertainment (from live music to belly dance), a beer garden, adorable kids’ parade, and the warm welcome of all your favorite businesses. MS
NE Alberta from 10th to 30th, 11 am-7 pm, $2 suggested donation

SUMMER JAM!—Time to traipse through history with your fave guide DJ Cooky Parker (AKA DJ Arthur M). For this steamy dance party, Fifty: A Possible History of Summer Jams, he’s playing summer-soaked songs from the last five decades, hopping from the sassy girl groups of the 1960s to the booty-burners of today. CF
w/DJs Bobby Dangerous, Hanukkah Miracle; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $5

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12

ZINE MACHINES—This is a city that loves itself some handmade art, and this weekend’s Zine Symposium is a low-key, friendly meet-up of makers of all types of DIY reading material. Grab some coffee and spend an hour meandering the narrow paths between tables of comics, side-stapled manifestos, and punk passion projects. SM
Refuge, 116 SE Yamhill, Sat 10 am-5 pm, Sun 10 am-4 pm, FREE

PLAN 9 PLAN—What’s better than watching a finely crafted cinematic masterpiece? Watching Ed Wood’s disastrous Plan 9 from Outer Space with a live soundtrack from Filmusik, that’s what! With musical accompaniment, foley artists, voice actors, and the abundant beauty of Washington Park and Vampira at your disposal, this oughta be a bundle of fun! CF
Washington Park, 400 SW Kingston, dusk, FREE

MONDAY, AUGUST 13

BEARS—Environment-focused literary magazine Bear Deluxe hosts four of its prized authors, including Truth Like the Sun author Jim Lynch, one of the finest writers on the I-5 corridor. Bitch Editor in Chief Kjerstin Johnson, Mateo Hoke, and Kristy Athens will also be reading. AH
Jack London Bar, 529 SW 4th, 7 pm, FREE, 21+

SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS—With bedroom jams, sugar-sweet stoned-out melodies, and filthy lyrics, the Memories are the kind of band that charms your pants off even while they’re staring at your boobs. Catch the group—which shares members with party-’til-you-pass-out rockers White Fang—as they make some of the loveliest, trashiest sounds around. NL
w/K-Tel ’79, Coral Stabz; Valentine’s, 232 SW Ankeny, 9 pm

TUESDAY, AUGUST 14

GROWN—Drew Grow and the Pastors’ Wives preview their to-be-recorded upcoming album over two nights at the super-intimate Ella Street. While their new material may be untested, it’s guaranteed to be full of the passion, grit, and heart-wrenching soul that’ve made DG&PW one of the best bands in town. NL
Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl, Tues & Wed, 9 pm, $8 ($5 on Wed with Tues ticket stub)

BRAIN WAVES—Last fall, Brainstorm applied their synth-thick multi-instrumental pop to the African stylings of Mdou Moctar. After seeing success in Portland AND in Africa, the band is finally releasing a 7-inch that features two of their covers alongside two Moctar originals. ZP
w/Swahili, Sun Angle, DJ Sahelsounds; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $6

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15

GIRL POWER—Portland welcomes up-and-coming UK goth pop songstress/badass Charli XCX. Her songs are infectious with heavy bass and sassy lyrics whose topics range from love to lust to ass-kicking. A less-Top-40, more-intense version of the Spice Girls, one could say. Good to know girl power lives on! LC
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $10-12

FANTASIZE—A legendary sword, magic, romance, and incest! One way to mitigate the interminable wait until season three of Game of Thrones arrives is to revisit John Boorman’s 1981 Excalibur. Especially since its cast is so remarkable, with young versions of Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Liam Neeson, and Patrick Stewart, who was apparently young once! MS
Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, Fri Aug 10-Thurs Aug 16, 9:15 pm, $4