THURSDAY, APRIL 1

LITTLE BLACK ON THE PRAIRIE—Black Prairie has performed only a handful of shows, none of which have been within Portland city limits. That changes tonight as the band—which features three-fifths of the Decemberists—makes its Portland debut. Their album Feast of the Hunters' Moon is a lovely collection of instrumental bluegrass, sprawling country, and tempered klezmer, all performed masterfully. EAC
w/Alialujah Choir; The Woods, 6637 SE Milwaukie, 9 pm, $12

GET HANDSY—Chefs and artists team up for Hands on for Haiti to benefit Mercy Corps' continuing earthquake relief. Bid on exciting culinary experiences and art, while nibbling sammies from the likes of Meat Cheese Bread and the Heathman. Mmm... delicious charity. PAC
1035 NW Lovejoy, 6 pm, $15

FRIDAY, APRIL 2

TRAVELIN' SONGS—A roving troubadour with a knack for writing truly gorgeous songs, Nick Jaina celebrates full-length album number seven with a little release shindig tonight. Complete with guest orchestration and wondrous pop melodies, A Bird in the Opera House is the most complete recording yet from Jaina, a man with a real gift for the pen. EAC
w/Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Future Historians; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $10

SCHOONER—Cort and Fatboy present the movie that single-handedly ruined chocolate-covered pretzels for a generation. After 15 years, the crude sexual innuendo and Star Wars references in Kevin Smith's Mallrats are still hilarious enough for fans to overlook that annoying guy with a bad haircut whining about some girl for an hour and half. JV
Bagdad Theater, 3702 SE Hawthorne, 10 pm, $3

SATURDAY, APRIL 3

POLITIXXX—Here are some things the Seattle-based Blue Scholars rap about: bringing the troops home from Iraq. The labor movement. Eating vegan sandwiches with cannabis. They are smart, smooth political sparkplugs, so get yourself schooled. SM
w/Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Bambu, DJ Phatrick; Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th, 9 pm, $15-17,all ages

AERIAL VIEW—Acrobatic Wonder Women of the A-WOL Dance Collective bring a fifth grader's comic book fantasy world to life. In Zip Zap Zoom, contest winner Savannah Somerville's good vs. evil comics are brought to the flesh by ladies who stretch and swing into positions usually only seen in pen and ink. JC
A-WOL Warehouse Space, 920 NE Flanders, Fri 8 pm, Sat 2 & 8 pm, $12-20

SUNDAY, APRIL 4

PURPLE DRANK—People's champ Paul Wall and frequent collaborator Chamillionaire (you may have seen him ridin') take the stage for an all-ages show. The Houston beatmakers present differing lyric styles, with Cha offering social commentary, and Wall offering, well: "you got the world in your pants, girl." I did not know that. JV
Berbati's Pan, 10 SW 3rd, 9 pm, $20-25, all ages

BIKE BUNNIES—Bunny on a Bike Ride is back, giving us all an excuse to dust off our bunny costumes and frolic about the city. In its seventh year, this Portland Easter tradition encourages participants to dress like rabbits and partake in a two-hour bike ride through Columbia Park, rain or shine. It will be free, festive, and bizarre, so bring the kids! BT
Columbia Park, N Lombard & Woolsey, 2 pm, FREE, all ages

MONDAY, APRIL 5

THE REAL WORLD—In his much-buzzed-about new literary manifesto Reality Hunger, David Shields argues that the novel as we know it is on its way out—that the form no longer speaks to readers who are ravenous for "reality" in an increasingly artificial world. Agree or disagree, if you're interested in the future of literature you should probably check this one out. AH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside,7:30 pm, FREE

OMAR COMIN'—Of all the suddenly great television shows of the past decade, The Wire is one of the most frequently cited as a standout. Test your ability to keep its myriad characters and double-crosses straight at a night of trivia devoted wholly to the show. (When in doubt, assume every answer is "Bubbles.") MS
Ella Street Social Club, 714 SW 20th Pl, 7 pm, FREE

TUESDAY, APRIL 6

VERHOEVEN'S JESUS—This you did not know: Director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, RoboCop) is also a biblical scholar who separates fact from fiction in the gospels. Tonight he reads from his new biography of Christianity's favorite son, Jesus of Nazareth, which paints the "son of God" as a child born from rape, a practicing exorcist, and revolutionary. Yipes. WSH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

TITANIC—Stop-motion pioneer Ray Harryhausen's magnum opus Clash of the Titans has been remade into a brand-new high-budget CGI-fest starring Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades. Even if Bubo the mechanical owl didn't make the cut, we have a feeling this tale of Greek heroes and monsters will be just as kickass as the original. NL
Various theaters, see Film Times for theaters and showtimes

DANGER—Daniel Ellsberg was called The Most Dangerous Man in America after he leaked the top-secret Pentagon Papers, revealing the truth about America's role in the Vietnam War. Unfortunately courage in the government is rare enough to warrant a documentary on one of the exceptions to the rule. MS
Opens Fri, Ellsberg in attendance Fri & Sat, 4:30 & 7 pm screenings, Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, see Film Times for complete showtimes

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

GET YOUR GOAT—Sure, Billygoat is a band that makes gentle, ambient music, but they also make some of the most incredible stop-motion animation you have ever seen. See their live show tonight, as they play in front of their mind-blowingly intricate and breathtakingly gorgeous visuals. NL
w/Ah Holly Fam'ly, Ghost to Falco, Grey Anne; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, $5

HIIIII-YA—Invincible Armour is a movie about kung fu in the way that Armageddon is a movie about rocks. But who the hell cares what it's about, when the film—screening as part of the Grindhouse Film Festival's month-long series—features men with long white beards, insane aerial choreography, and (you guessed it) invincible armor, which is summoned through "strenuous breath control." SK
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $7