The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for May 4-10
Dust off your A/C unit, it’s Do This, Do That!! This week’s events pair well with the sunshine: the St. Johns Bizarre brings Alan Sparhawk of Low to the neighborhood’s stage, the Portland Fire show up for their regular season opener, and two-time Mercury Genius of Comedy Neeraj Srinivasan slings some jokes. Plus, we’ve got your Mother’s Day plans on lock—Celtic harp, anyone? MONDAY, MAY 4 Field Medic Field Medic’s 2020 record Floral Prince got me through the pandemic; the lo-fi combination of yearning vocals, poetic lyricism, and bedroom folk instrumentation helped me process emotions and hold onto hope for the future.…
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Curbside Serenade Makes Portland’s Street Corners More Musical
“Hey there!” David Pollack hollers into the microphone in the direction of a passing cyclist, halfway through his acoustic set. “Nice day for a ride!” he shouts before slipping back into an Elvis Costello cover. The moment unfolds in front of a laid-back crowd on Rainbow Road at SE 28th and Ankeny where the nonprofit Curbside Serenade kicked off “Kernside Serenade,” a slate of pop-up shows featuring local musicians, held every third Sunday through October. It’s one of several free outdoor music series the organization hosts in public parks and pedestrian plazas across the city. Along with Kernside Serenade, Curbside’s…
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THE TRASH REPORT: Hot Music Goss for Hot Days, Plus Jimmy Carter, FDR, and Cardi B Makes Three
Hello, Trash Pandas! Welcome to another Trash Report. I’m your girl Elinor Jones, coming to you with this extra ~musical~ edition of steaming hot gossip. So like, pretend I’m singing to you. For context, I’m not a very good singer, but I do care a lot, which is very similar to what you’ll get with this column: the information won’t be good, but I will yell it passionately at you. Let’s go. The Trashional Anthem This first part doesn’t have anything to do with music, but I have to talk about it: Trump had yet another attempt on his life…
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Good Morning, News: Attack at the MAC, Spirit Airlines Shuts Down, and Lying Giuliani in Critical Condition… Probably
If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution to the Mercury, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support! GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND!👋 Woooo-wheee, it was a HOT one yesterday, right? Well, don’t dress only in flip-flops and thongs to go to work today, because while it will remain mostly sunny through Wednesday, the temps will drop down to a much more manageable 77 degrees. (On second thought… who am I to tell you not to wear your thong to work? You look hot, so you do…
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Shaking the Tree’s Glass Menagerie Shines Despite the Darkness
Many, many years ago, I had my first taste of The Glass Menagerie, the foundational memory play by Tennessee Williams. My high school staged it. So as I entered Shaking the Tree Theatre’s performance space, the gleeful words of our drama student aide rang in my ears: “Let’s get DEPRESSED!” It’s always a crapshoot how close any given staging will adhere to Williams’ intended tone; the sorrow contained within his memory play can be so potent that many have swung for something lighter, funnier, more self-aware. However, this work’s director, Samantha Van Der Merwe, chose the nuclear option—leaning directly into…
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The Long-Awaited Return of Electronic-Music Innovators Cabaret Voltaire
Anticipation to see British electronic-music pioneers Cabaret Voltaire perform has been building among some Americans for almost 50 years. Luckily for these diehards, the band—led by 71-year-old bassist/vocalist Stephen Mallinder—are touring North America for the final time this year, with a Portland date at Roseland Theater on May 8. Coming together in British industrial hub Sheffield during the mid-’70s, Mallinder, guitarist/winds player Richard H. Kirk, and synthesist Chris Watson desired to make weird, unprecedented sounds, despite having no conventional musical skills. Regardless, these disciples of the absurdist, early-20th-century art movement Dada were hell-bent on disrupting normal entertainment protocols and spotlighting the cursed forces of government surveillance…
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Highlights from Portland City Council’s Foie Gras Ban Hearing
The future of foie gras is on shaky ground in Portland. A proposed ordinance would ban the sale of foie gras within city limits, with restaurants receiving a fine of $1,000 to $5,000 for each violation. Foie gras is a luxury ingredient made by force-feeding ducks until their livers become fatty and enlarged. Proponents believe that the production of foie gras is cruel, contributes to environmental pollution, and could increase the risk of illnesses like bird flu due to the birds’ weakened immune systems. Similar bans have been enacted in California, New York City, and many European countries, and Portland…
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The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: May 1–3, 2026
FRIDAY ACTIVISM & SOCIAL JUSTICE May DayStand up for workers rights, defend immigrant communities, and show solidarity with unions at this May Day rally and march. Come early for a rally and cultural performances at 1:30 pm, and stick around for the march, which departs at 3:30 pm. There’s no better time than now to loudly express your dissatisfaction with our billionaire overlords, corrupt corporations, and ineffective government. Flex your economic power by avoiding shopping (apart from at local businesses) and wear union blue! BRI BREY(South Park Blocks, Downtown, free) Read more on EverOut!
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Good Morning, News! May Day, Wild Metro Chamber Polls, Our Endorsements, and Infowars’ Disappearance (Conspiracy?)
If you appreciate the Mercury’s interesting and useful news & culture reporting, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. Your donation is tax-deductible. You can also subscribe and have our papers delivered! Good Morning, Portland: Happy May Day! It’s a beautiful day out and it’s looking good this weekend too. We hope you get some time away from the office, out with friends, to celebrate the fruits of our labor and that of generations before us. Let’s get to the news. 📰 IN LOCAL NEWS: IN NATIONAL NEWS:
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Totally Real Portland Holiday 503 Day Returns
“This thing started as a joke,” says Claudia Meza, the host of weekly podcast City Cast Portland. That joke was 503 Day, a local holiday to celebrate all things Portland. “We were calling it ‘a totally real’ holiday,’” says Meza. According to her, listeners ran with it and submitted theme songs and videos about 503 Day. “Everyone just sort of played along,” she explains. “We thought ‘wouldn’t it be funny if we gaslit the city into thinking this was always a thing?’” Portland is very capable of committing to the bit. After all, this is the city that once proclaimed…
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Ticket Alert: Shaboozey, Logic & G-Eazy, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week
Text your concert buddies, ’cause tickets are about to go on sale! Country and hip-hop crossover star Shaboozey saddles up for his Outlaws Never Die Tour this fall. A decade after their Endless Summer Tour, rappers Logic & G-Eazy reunite for a sequel co-headlining run. Plus, disco-punk pioneers LCD Soundsystem bring the dance party to Edgefield for two nights this summer. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events. ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 1 MUSIC Allen Stone & The DipTopaz Farm (Thurs Aug 20) Belmont – Performing 10 Years of Between You and MeHawthorne Theatre (Tues July…
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The Mercury’s May 2026 Election Endorsements
This year’s primary election on May 19, 2026 will see voters choose Democratic and Republican nominees for governor, state legislative seats, and Congress. Ballots will also include several Multnomah County judicial races, a few Metro Council seats, a labor commissioner, and local revenue measures. Helpful hint: If your ballot is missing any of the above races, it’s because Oregon has closed primaries—meaning you can only vote on a Democrat or Republican nominee if you’re registered with one of those political parties. But hey, don’t worry! The prevailing candidates will come back around in November. Already feeling exhausted? Need help deciding…
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Your Mercury May Election Cheat Sheet!
The Mercury does not endorse in uncontested races. See our full endorsements here. Election day is May 19, and mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than May 19 in order to be counted. (Ballot box drop off locations here.) Oregon Governor No endorsement Oregon State Senate District 17: Lisa Reynolds Oregon House of Representatives Oregon House District 38: John Wasielewski Oregon House District 41: Mark Gamba Oregon House District 43: Tawna Sanchez Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson Metro Council Metro Council President: Juan Carlos González Metro Council District 1: Ashton Simpson Metro Council District 4: Alex Phan Multnomah County Circuit Court…
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FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Win Tix to Wild Nothing, ZooBrew, St. Lucia, and MORE!
Who’s ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland’s best concerts and events; our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst… if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin’!) And oh boy, do we have some fun events coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT! Known for synth-pop tastefulness and sonic maximalism, Wild Nothing visits Portland to perform their debut album, Gemini, in its entirety! Get your tickets now…
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POP QUIZ PDX: Ghost Taxis, Animatronic Horrors, and Where the Hell Is My (Robot) Husband?
HEY THERE, SEXY BRAIN! It’s time to put your brainy-brain to the test with this edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And this week we’ll see how much YOU know about driverless taxicabs, animatronic pizza rats, and… waaaait a second… WHERE THE HELL IS MY ROBOT HUSBAND?!? 🤖 And by the way, how did you do on our last quiz? Holy crap, you are so smart! And in our “subjective question,” I LOVED your choice of the tattoo you would be forced to get etched on a prominent part of your body (by order of the federal government). Pssst!…
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