Tops of the TBA Fest

There's no shortage of mind-altering performances this week as the TBA Festival continues to unfold. Tear out this pocket sized guide so you'll know who to see, where to go, when to be there, and how much it costs. How convenient!

States Rights Records Night: Laptop soothsayers Bobby Birdman, Lucky Dragons, YACHT, and DJ Hot Air Balloon mind to the future of music. A vibrant collection of local sonic craftsmen. Thurs, 10 pm, Machineworks, 1115 NW 14th & Northrup, $10

Meow Meow: When I last spoke to Meow Meow, she had just dodged a hurricane in Florida and wound up stranded in Puerto Rico. Nevertheless, her fly-by-night cabaret fortune finally found her in Portland; you can bet she's ready to burst forth with performance. Followed by a vaudeville variety show. Machineworks, 1115 NW 14th & Northrup, Friday, 10 pm, $10

Closing Party with Burnt Sugar:

A dynamic, improvisational mutation of big band sound storms the stage for an unstoppably festive finale. Over twenty brilliant multi-ethnic musicians contribute. Machineworks, 1115 NW 14th & Northrup, Saturday, 10 pm, $25

Transplant:France: A collaborative breadbasket of French and American artists. Be dazzled by stunning visual technologies, percussive pianos, squealing clarinets and saxophones. Classically trained with a lovingly experimental platform. Machineworks, 1115 NW 14th & Northrup, Sunday, 10 pm, $10 EVAN JAMES

Multiball Turns 10!

It's the 10th anniversary of multiball, a hilarious local zine about pinball and music. Aimless and self-deprecating, its content ranges from straight-faced CD reviews to locals testifying on the power of pinball to comps of songs commissioned by the mag--all testaments to pinball, of course.

Inconsistent and variously formatted, multiball's 10th anniversary claim is mostly conceptual. But fuck it; it's party time. Representing the zine's two main squeezes, the anniversary shindig is one part rock show and one part pinball tourney. They really take this game seriously, so competitors first have to make it through the "qualifying rounds." Or, save face and just soak in the pinball flicks and free pool games before the first band: San Diego's The Mutes, followed by the Willowz, who you might recognize from the soundtrack to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Whoop dee-do!).

During the tournament finals, all musical acts will be silenced. For those on the lesser tier of pinball obsession, there will be a mini doubles tournament (one flipper per player, which is so romantic) as well. Then more music, at the hands of Clampitt Gaddis & Buck, Cocks in the Henhouse, and Power of County. It will all end in chaos and smiles, and presumably another issue of multiball. MARJORIE SKINNER

Saturday, Billy Ray's, 2216 NE MLK, 4 pm (qualifying rounds begin), first band at 6:30 pm, free ($5 entry fee for main tournament, $2 for mini)