THURSDAY, MAY 13

HISTORY LESSON—Listen up, young 'uns: Calvin Johnson, Vanessa Renwick, and Cool Nutz have been creating art in the Pacific Northwest long before you moved here. The trio of wise speakers joins moderator (and former Mercury columnist) Cary Clarke for the final night of the fantastic Northwest Passage lecture series. Attendance is mandatory. EAC
The Waypost, 3120 N Williams, 7 pm, $12 (includes vegetarian meal), all ages

THE UNSEEN—Someday Lounge's weekly hiphop party offers a chance to get close to Lootpack member and MF Doom crime-partner Madlib. The legendary DJ, producer, and MC will drop mind-altering, demented lessons in beats at the Fix tonight. Blunts will likely be smoked. PAC
w/Rev. Shines, DJ Kez, Dundiggy; Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th, 9 pm, $15

FRIDAY, MAY 14

HERCULES VS. VAMPIRES—Mario Bava's 1961 Italian fantasy flick Hercules vs. Vampires features several amazing things: Hercules (played by 1958's Mr. Universe), vampires, and Christopher Lee! It screens with audio accompaniment from Filmusik and Opera Theater Oregon, who'll add a live score and operatic music to this forgotten Technicolor flick. EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, Fri May 14, Thurs May 20, Fri May 21, 7:30 pm (plus Sun May 16, 2 pm), $15

HELLO, NEIGHBOR—You probably know him best as Sarah Silverman's stoner-bear neighbor on The Sarah Silverman Program, but Brian Posehn is on his own tonight (who needs her anyway?) supporting his latest comedy recording, Fart and Wiener Jokes. No false advertising here. MS
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 7:30 pm, $20-22

SATURDAY, MAY 15

WRITERLY—When Cory Doctorow isn't blogging at Boing Boing (which he edits) or writing about technology for Wired and the New York Times, he's busy writing fantastically entertaining, tech-focused YA and science fiction. His newest, For the Win, imagines what it's like to be a videogame-playing teenager in a future where "eight of the 20 largest economies in the world are in virtual countries." AH
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills, Beaverton, 2 pm, FREE

OVERACHIEVER—Even with a new Menomena album in the pipeline for July, Brent Knopf is not biding his time. On the heels of their sparkling Intuit debut album, Knopf's other band Ramona Falls plays a hometown show before embarking on a tour with heavyweights the National. NL
w/World's Greatest Ghosts, Johanna Kunin; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $12

SUNDAY, MAY 16

BIKES UNLIMITED—It's one of the funnest bike events of the year: Sunday Parkways, in which the city shuts down miles of streets for the sole usage of bikes and walkers! This year's first Sunday Parkways takes place in Northeast Portland with a 5.8-mile loop connecting Woodlawn, Alberta, Fernhill, and Wilshire Parks, with loads of fun, food, and entertainment along the way! WSH
Map & info at portlandonline.com/transportation, 10 am-3 pm, FREE

SUPER EGO!—Even if you haven't any knowledge or a single lick of interest in graphic novels, Academy Award-nominated cartoonist/screenwriter Daniel Clowes' latest book Wilson, about one helluva a modern egoist, will not disappoint. Come hear and see snid-bits tonight. ND
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7:30 pm, FREE

MONDAY, MAY 17

IN MEMORIUM—In March, a Portland police officer shot and killed Jackie Collins, who'd lived on Portland's streets for over 20 years. The real tragedy of Collins' death is not whether the officer should have used force, but that a mentally ill addict wound up facing off against the police instead of in treatment. Tonight, friends and strangers gather to share their thoughts on Collins' death. SM
St. Francis Church, 1131 SE Oak, 4-6 pm

GR8TNW—Team McMenamins swings open their doors to eight of their venues for the next chapter of their Great Northwest Music Tour. This time around it's the enigmatic Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, who'll share their homespun rustic pop with the masses for the recession-friendly price of F-R-E-E! EAC
w/Sean Flinn; Lola's Room, 1332 W Burnside, 7 pm, FREE, all ages

TUESDAY, MAY 18

FINAL COUNTDOWN—A cowboy, a former NBA star, and an alleged tax evader walk into Mahonia Hall. If this sounds like a bad joke, you obviously haven't voted in the May 2010 primary election. Today's the deadline for ballots in a race that will determine who runs for governor in November. Also up are two positions for Portland City Council and Metro Council president. If you don't vote, Matt Davis will kick you in the dick. JV
Multnomah County Elections Office, 1040 SE Morrison, see sos.state.or.us/dropbox for other dropbox locations

YOU GO GRRRL—The Riot Grrrl movement might be a '90s artifact here, but the ripped stockings and ironic teacup collections didn't have the same effect in Cambodia. That's where Anne Elizabeth Moore went to empower women with self-publishing know-how, an experience she chronicled in Cambodian Grrrl: Self-Publishing in Phnom Penh, from which she reads tonight. MS
Reading Frenzy, 921 SW Oak, 7 pm, FREE, all ages

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19

STORY TIME—A former harem girl, a corrections officer, and a celebrity personal assistant take the stage of the Mission Theater to tell us their experiences at Back Fence PDX, with tonight's theme of "At Your Service." If you're feeling especially disgruntled with your job this week, these stories will make you feel much, much better. BT
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, 7:30 pm, $14

FREE NICE—Portland duo Nice Nice are sonic adventurers, exploring uncharted musical territory with ambitious arrangements and phenomenal musicianship. Their thunderous live show sounds like the work of an army, but the interplay between Jason Buehler and Mark Shirazi couldn't be more precise. See for yourself tonight, for free! NL
w/ASSS, Romancing, Golden Retriever, DJ New Moon Poncho, DJ Tropical Depression; Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 8:30 pm, FREE