THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10
Even if you don't know Stumptown Printers, you've seen their work. Those gorgeous cardboard CD sleeves used by a heavy majority of Portland musicians are the calling card of this local iconic letterpress operation. In honor of 10 years of ink-stained hands, the shop is celebrating with a few great bands synonymous with their customized packaging, including Norfolk & Western, Karl Blau, and tons more. EAC
w/LAKE, Ilyas Ahmed, Foghorn Duo, DJ Hometapes; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8 pm, $10
The polyrhythmic Afro-Caribbean flair of the Oxford-shirted boys of Vampire Weekend may be just the thing you need to kick those cold holiday blues. Dream yourself away to warmer climes and bounce around like a drunken frat boy on spring break. PAC
w/White Rabbits; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $25, all ages
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11
It's time for another Portland show from everyone's favorite band named after an eating utensil (Runners-up: the Knife and EXFORK). Hopefully, Spoon will be giving us a series of sneak previews of their new record, Transference, which is due out next year. RN
w/Black Joe Lewis; Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $25, all ages
On the eve of Richmond Fontaine's CD release show in October, frontman Willy Vlautin was too sick to perform. Now, a couple months and one healthy immune system later, the band will have a proper release celebration for their not-quite-brand-new album, still easily one of the best releases of 2009. EAC
w/Dolorean, Michael Dean Damron; Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 9:30 pm, $8-10
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12
Youth political action squad the Bus Project, along with the Mercury, are throwing a holiday party of scandalous proportions! Come dressed as your favorite scandal. (Carpetbagger! Little blue dress! Good ol' Tricky Dick!) Take your seat on Santa's lap between a HO-HO-HO variety show and sips of New Deal vodka specials. SM
Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, 7-10 pm, FREE
Holiday shopping can be painful, so it's important to take it easy on yourself by lubricating the process with the Rock 'n' Shop, where you can give the gift of music from local record labels, as live music (from Boy Eats Drum Machine, Illmaculate, Mean Jeans, and more) soothes your frazzled nerves. MS
w/No Go Know, Graves, the Ax, Winterhaven, the Pity Fucks; Slabtown, 1033 NW 16th, 3 pm, FREE
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13
What if your flat, boring drawings were in THREE DIMENSIONS?! With the 3D Dddoodle Daze, the 3D Center will show you how to dddo it (hint: special glasses + two colored pencils + lots of extra Ds) and hang your art up in their gallery! My entry: Jim Carrey as Scrooge dddry-humping Angelina from Beowulf. DB
3D Center of Art and Photography, 1928 NW Lovejoy, Thurs-Sat 11 am-5 pm, Sun 1-5 pm, $5 (children FREE), through Jan 3
Wind down your weekend with the spacious, easygoing tunes of Inside Voices, which are reminiscent of Low's minimalist slowcore but have a much brighter tone. Warm your wintry bones inside Rontoms' faux living room, and warm your heart with their very real alcohol. NL
w/White Hinterland; Rontoms, 600 E Burnside, 9 pm, FREE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 14
In Kurosawa's 1950 classic, a crime is recounted by several different witnesses—only none of their stories exactly match. Sure, Rashomon is a fascinating exploration on the subjective nature of memory. It's also indisputably one of the greatest films ever made. NL
NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park, 7 pm, see Movie Times for more showtimes, $8
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15
Sergio Rodríguez's tenure as a Portland Trail Blazer never quite worked out. His sporadic flashes of greatness were eclipsed by panicked turnovers and a jump shot that rarely found its way into the net. Tonight, the man who used to carry Rudy Fernández's luggage seeks his revenge against the team that (thankfully) cast him off to the Sacramento Kings. EAC
Rose Garden, 1 Center Ct, 7 pm, $9-135, broadcast on KGW
For a holiday season with a little extra "loco," don't miss the always hilariously fun El Vez's ¡Viva Christmas! show! As usual, El Vez will thrill the crowd with español-flavored holiday tunes, and will be joined by the lucha libre mask-wearing surf-twang band, Los Straitjackets, as well as the sexy, sexy El Vettes! Ho, ho, ho yeah! WSH
w/Jesus Presley; Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 9 pm, $15-20
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16
Dick Dale is older than the ocean from which he took his tumbling, watery sound. But like the ocean, his guitar licks can be savage, soothing, and rocking. Let it wash you at away at Dante's tonight. PAC
w/Tana & the Fascinators; Dante's, 1 SW 3rd, 9 pm, $20-25
Nearly 15 years ago, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teamed up to make a grindhouse action/horror/comedy starring some dude from E.R., Jim Clooney or something? Anyway, From Dusk Till Dawn is bloody and gory and skeezy and loud and funny and great, and its demonic bloodsuckers are a welcome respite from all this Twilight and True Blood bullshit. EH
Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, see Movie Times for showtimes, $4-6
