WEDNESDAY, JULY 30

READINGS—Tell It Slant has quickly gained a reputation as one of the warmest and most well-curated reading series in town. Tonight marks their first show at the Alberta Street Pub—after their previous venue, the Press Club, abruptly shut its doors—and features readers Evan P. Schneider, Erin Ergenbright, and Julie Sabatier. AH
Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta, 7:30 pm, $2

FILM—If it's been a minute since your mind was melted by Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, there's no time like the present: His newest, The Dance of Reality, is a reminder that his breed of mindfuckery doesn't dissipate with age. Both play tonight. This mindfuckery is legit. MS
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, see Film Times, $6-8

THURSDAY, JULY 31

NERDS—For tonight's #NerdNightOut, Portland's charming geek sisters the Doubleclicks will play songs from their latest album, Dimetrodon, and share the stage with hilarious comedian Bri Pruett. If that's not enough, they'll also be accompanied by the folkpop of Sarah Donner. I mean, all of them won't perform at once, but it'll still be pretty good. EH
Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $8-10, all ages

WE JAM ECO—For the past few Thursdays, Ecotrust has been celebrating summer with their Sundown events, which offer free live music along with food, drink, and lots of ecologically minded info. Tonight's finale boasts local folk singer Alela Diane and the eco-minded danceability of Lost Lander, a double-header that can't be beat. NL
Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center, 721 NW 9th, 5:30 pm, FREE, all ages

FRIDAY, AUGUST 1

MUSIC—The Portland Queer Music Festival is back, and bringing it hard with tonight's slam-bang lineup of ass-wagglin' gay groups, including the punk/pop stylings of Gaythiest, as well as Seattle's Night Cadet, Neka & Kahlo, and even more to come! But! If you like what you see here, don't miss three extra days of musical queer fun as the fest continues at various locales! WSH
Crush, 1400 SE Morrison, 6 pm, $8, more info at facebook.com/pdxmusicfestival

PICKATHON—It's finally here! Our favorite event on the music calendar makes its welcome return: three days of excellent live music in the bucolic setting of Pendarvis Farm. It's Pickathon, and this year boasts the fest's most impressive lineup yet, with X, Nickel Creek, the War on Drugs, Courtney Barnett, Ural Thomas, and dozens more. NL
Pendarvis Farm, 16581 SE Hagen, Happy Valley, Fri-Sun, $95 (single day), $260 (weekend pass), all ages

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2

FILM—When James Garner died last month, it was his TV work like The Rockford Files and Maverick that most remembered fondly—but it's easy to forget that Garner was also in 1963's The Great Escape. As a tribute to Garner, the fantastic WWII adventure flick screens this weekend at the Hollywood. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Sat 2 & 6:30 pm, Sun 2 pm, $5-8

MUSIC—It's a double dose of awesome at a rare music fest that's not only all ages, but also showcases female musicians from around the Northwest at Girl Fest NW. Girls, girls, girls! (But non-girls are also welcome!) Make sure to catch melodic local hiphoppers Neka & Kahlo and bed., who dish out slow jangles and dreamy indie rock. CF
w/Blossom, Little Warrior, & more; Lola's Room, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $10, all ages

SUNDAY, AUGUST 3

MUSIC—You don't have to like, love, or even loathe futbol to be glad Major League Soccer's bringing its week-long all-star extravaganza to Portland this year. And here's why: The actual Flaming Lips are helping kick off the festivities (get it? kicking) with a free show. And no, you don't get points for giving Wayne Coyne's giant space bubble your best header. DCT
w/Radiation City; Tom McCall Waterfront Park, SW Naito, 4:30 pm, FREE, all ages

MUSIC—It's been a while since Clap Your Hands Say Yeah were on people's buzz-spouting lips; the indie pop band had a righteous success with their 2005 self-titled debut, and their venue sizes have shrunk since then. But that's all the better to catch the still-got-it music-makers in cozy confines, playing new music from their new, solid Only Run album. CF
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $16-18

MONDAY, AUGUST 4

MUSIC—Echo & the Bunnymen have split up and reconfigured with various quantities of Bunnymen over the years, but Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant are holding steady as a two-man band with their latest, Meteorites. The two have produced four full-lengths in the 21st century, but I still think they know better than to skip over "The Killing Moon." MS
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $27, all ages

COMEDY—Scientists haven't even completely figured out why humans love music yet, so you can bet your ass they haven't discovered why already great jokes are somehow better when set to evocative guitar chords. Tonight, Seattle-bred comedian Nick Thune exploits this, the deepest of mysteries, to hilarious effect. DVH
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $17-20

TUESDAY, AUGUST 5

BOOKS—Amy Bloom made a name for herself with a couple of acclaimed short story collections; her long-awaited new novel, Lucky Us, is set in the 1940s, and features two ambitious young sisters struggling to find themselves amid scandal and heartbreak. (Plus: lesbian orgies!) AH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

FILM—With Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel veers away from their Avengers-themed movies—instead offering up a weird space comedy from great writer/director James Gunn (Slither, Super) that stars Parks and Rec's Chris Pratt and a painted-green Zoe Saldana, along with Bradley Cooper voicing an angry raccoon and Vin Diesel voicing a sentient tree. Welcome to 2014, where the sentence I just typed is somehow entirely true. EH
Various Theaters, see Film Times