Alton Miller (Yoruba Soul Records / Detroit) It's not every day that a Detroit house music legend performs in a high-fidelity Portland listening room. Don't miss your chance to catch a transportive four-hour set from Alton Miller, whose soul and funk-influenced house music has made a mark on the genre for over three decades. The storytelling DJ travels all over the world, collecting sounds and inspiration for his spiritual sets that gradually build in intensity and incorporate tracks from soul classics to deep house. Portland's own genre-bending DJs Krista Basis and PhĂŚjay kick off the extended evening with back-to-back sets. SHANNON LUBETICH (Sonder Listening Bar, Hollywood District, $15-$25)
The Mercury provides news and fun every single dayâbut your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
Good morning, Portland! Here's comes the sun.
It's been a busy few days, let's get straight into it.Â
IN LOCAL NEWS:Â
An East Portland resident says he was ambushed by men in tactical gear who drew guns on him and tried to pry him from his vehicle. Home surveillance footage shows three men in plain clothes emerge from an unmarked SUV, then immediately indicate they mistook the man in the vehicle for someone else. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions asking whether the men in the footage were sworn agents or impersonators. The Mercury's Courtney Vaughn got a hold of the video, which you can read about and watch here. This happened the same day the city was considering a bill that would ban law enforcement officers from wearing masks in the city, which seems like a good thing to do for obvious reasons. Whether a secret police force will obey a local law intended to keep them not-so-secret is another question, but everything that isn't nothing seems worth trying.
This was a big week at Portland City Council. If you read Good Morning, News earlier this week, you know that a bunch of racist texts a local developer and some of his conservative activist friends sent in a group chat caused a bit of a stir during the election for a new council president. And you also know that one councilor, Dan Ryan, was publicly very upset about... oh, wait... the reporter? Not the texts, just the reporter? Well, he issued an apology to the Mercury on Thursday, and that is a tough thing to do. Note: It's never too late for public servants to hold themselves accountable, and if they decide not to, well, that's what we're here for!
In local environmental news and anti-environmental tech:
The Dalles, a rural city in north-central Oregon, wants to expand its reservoir in the Mount Hood National Forest to store more water. While city officials say the water is needed for a growing population, environmental advocates worry it's really for Google and its growing number of data centers.
Kristen Stewart's first feature filmâeight years in the makingâis an adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir, The Chronology of Water. It's an often brutal and often beautiful portrait of the Oregon writer's life, told through fragmented memories and dreamy 16mm. Our own Lindsay Costello has a gorgeous review of the film, in which themes of trauma and grief come in waves, but not without some levity.
Gus Van Santâs first feature in seven years is an uncomplicated potboiler that returns the Portland director to his true crime roots. For the Mercury, Dom Sinacola describes Al Pacinoâs accent in Dead Manâs Wire as âambienâd-up Foghorn Leghornâ via this stunning review.
IN NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL NEWS:Â
Oh, come on. President Trump's war on Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil continues through an endless appeals process after a federal appeals panel ruled in favor of the Trump administration Thursday. The 2-1 decision could pave the way for Khalil's rearrest, after the court ruled that New Jersey didn't have the right to order his release because the case must go through the full immigration court process first. He isn't supposed to be, but the feds don't exactly follow this stuff very well. Importantly, the panel did not decide whether is was constitutional for the administration to throw him out due to his activism and criticism of Israel (ahem, it wasn't, and it isn't complicated). Some court will one day decide if violating the First Amendment violates the First Amendment, but for now we wait to hear if Khalil can freely live with his family in the "freest country in the world"âunlike the many tens of thousands of Palestinian people he was advocating for. Read more on the story here.
The death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a man who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in early January, may be investigated as a homicide. The local medical examiner in El Paso, Texas reportedly told the family that Campos' preliminary cause of death was âasphyxia due to neck and chest compression," quite the opposite of the government's story following his death. The Guardian reports that 2025 was the immigration agency's deadliest year in two decades, and Campos was the second death that that facility. This is obviously the intended outcome for people like Trump advisor and expired hemorrhoid sausage Stephen Miller, but abolishing ICE is an altogether moderate option as well.
Meanwhile, a Minneapolis church is demonstrating a parallel universe in which people simply take care of their neighbors. In response to the onslaught of Proud Boys, I mean, federal agents in the city, 400 mutual aid volunteers have delivered some 12,000 boxes of food, with 20,000 people registered to receive food, according to Minneapolis Public Radio. There's a good interview here with the pastor, who says he thought, "what's going on here with ICE, families might be afraid of coming out," and just started doing it. It's nice to see a church putting its nonprofit status to good use. This is also, by the way, called anarchism.
Sources told the Mercury early Friday that it is a "big deal" that George R.R. Martin has spoken out about his long overdue books, particularly for those who consider themselves "dragon nerds." The "Game of Thrones" author talked to the Hollywood Reporter about his empire of fantasy novels, HBO shows, and spinoff concepts and his "tortured inability to 'finish the book, George," as his fans (and people who have definitely written one good, effortless paragraph this week) say. You can read the full story here.
Updated: 8:45 am January 16. Originally published: 3:15 pm January 15
This story has been updated with additional reporting and corrected to reflect whose home the incident occurred at.
Earlier this week, three men in tactical gear ambushed a man in East Portland with weapons drawn, before promptly leaving after indicating they were looking for a different person.Â
The incident took place Tuesday, January 13, just five days after two people were shot and injured by a Border Patrol agent, also in East Portland.
It's unclear whether the men in the video are sworn federal agents or impersonators.
Al Pacino does not stand up at any point in Dead Manâs Wire. He's in three scenes, sitting in all of themâsupine, in fact. We could call the performance somnambulant were he to ever actually get up and walk.Â
However, no one expects Pacino to put his whole mid-octagenarian, egregiously feather-haired self into what amounts to a glorified cameo. What everyone should expect, though, is that heâll roll that old-ass tongue around an accent that must be from the Kentucky side of Indianaâwhere Gus Van Sant, Dead Manâs Wire director, grew upâbecause why else would he sound like an ambienâd-up Foghorn Leghorn?
Pacino plays mortgage broker M.L. Hall as a pretty straightforward, low-effort Bad Dad, the kind of hyperquiet rich monster whoâd rather whisper goodbye to his own son Richard (Dacre Montgomery) than admit to any wrongdoing or compromise with Tony Kiritsis (Bill SkarsgĂĽrd), a desperate behind-on-his-mortgage-payments everyschlub who has taken his son hostage.
Dead Manâs Wire is based on a real 1977 Indianapolis hostage situation, where the real Tony Kiritsis kidnapped the son of his mortgage broker at the end of a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. In Van Sant's film we see Kiritsis rig the shotgun with the titular wire, setting it up to blow Dickâs head to smithereens if he tries to escape.
At first glance, Dead Manâs Wire looks like a return to the media-obsessed true crime Candyland of Van Santâs early breakthrough To Die For (1995), which was a breakthrough amongst breakthroughs Van Sant enjoyed throughout the late â80s and 90s, squeezed between Good Will Hunting (1997) and the twin triumphs of Portland outsider tales, Drugstore Cowboy (1989) and My Own Private Idaho (1991).
But the most surprising thing about Gus Van Santâs first feature in seven years might be that it's a mostly uncomplicated potboiler.
Itâs Ticket Thursday, which means weâre serving up another batch of newly announced events. Singer-songwriter and producer Charlie Puth tours this spring after dropping his fourth album, Whateverâs Clever! Heavy metal five-piece Five Finger Death Punch celebrates 20 years with a world tour. Plus, post-grunge English rockers Bush take Portland to the Land of Milk and Honey this April. Read on for details, plus some news you can use.
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!
Good Morning, Portland: Someone's dog horked in front of my apartment building yesterday. And yeah, I hosed it away eventually, but not before I saw, like, 10 tiny passion plays of people talking their dogs down from rolling in it. Anyway, apropos of nothingâhere's the news!
⢠Also at Wednesday's council meeting, the Mercury got a shoutout from Councilor Dan Ryan who claimed reporter Jeremiah Hayden didn't give him time to comment or clear enough context regarding Hayden's Boomer text size scandal at City Hall"Racist, Dehumanizing": Chat Images story from Tuesday. Ryan said this as if Hayden hadn't just revealed himself as a pretty hardcore receipt king.
The Portland Mercury proudly welcomes back its newest, most mouthwatering member of the Food Week Family: Wiener Week! From January 26 to February 1, the cityâs boldest chefs will craft their most creative, flavor-packed wieners for just $8 a pop. Whether you like âem spicy, saucy, or piled high with unexpected toppings, we promise these buns will be packed with something new and exciting! And a special thanks from our pals at Zennerâs, Jim Beam, Portland Bangers and Travel Portland for all their support!
Take a look at all those gorgeous wieners here! No pressure, but you've got 46 locations to choose from, so plan accordingly! But before you set off on a glorious, full week of huffing down dogs, here are a few hot tips to keep in mind:
TIP, AND TIP WELL! Wiener Weekâs a ton of funâand making it happen takes a ton of work! Make sure everyone behind Wiener Weekâthose working on the floor, in the kitchen, and behind the barâknows how much you appreciate them. It couldnât happen without âem!
Technically, Portland City Council finally adjourned a meeting that began January 7 on January 14, after it elected Jamie Dunphy to serve as its president for 2026. Dunphyâs election came after some 13 hours of deliberation over three days stretched across a grueling week for Portland leaders and community members.
City Council remained in a 6-6 tie through multiple meetings leading into Wednesdayâs vote. A caucus of six progressive members didnât budge on their steadfast support for Sameer Kanal until late Wednesday, when Kanal took himself out of the running and nominated Dunphy.
Councilor Dan Ryan sent the Mercury an apology on January 15.Â
Ryan: "With reflection, I know I wasn't my best self after a marathon Council session Wednesday, and I apologize for the unfair criticism I leveled at the Mercury and its reporter. Had I known what the text messages said, I would have been clear: The name calling by Owendoff is completely unacceptable, and my colleagues who were assailed deserve an apology. Nobody should use this language, in public or private or anywhere. I certainly respect the pressures reporters are under to meet deadlines, and my office has the commitment to reply to as many inquiries as we can. Unfortunately, tight schedules and deadlines can make it challenging to understand important context."
Original story:
Portland City Councilor Dan Ryan blamed the press after taking heat for choosing not to address the contents of a story published in the Mercury the day prior.
Ryan lashed out at the Mercury in a public meeting Wednesday, after the Mercurypublished a story regarding text messages local real estate broker Brian Owendoff and other conservative political activists sent in a January 7 group chat.
Toward the end of Wednesdayâs afternoon meeting, Councilor Ryan falsely claimed he wasnât provided context for the subject of the story, or given enough time to make an informed statement, despite email exchanges (below) that show otherwise. The story concerned a series of group chats that contained racist and offensive language about progressive city councilors of color. Ryan was asked for comment on the story because Owendoff, the person who sent and received the offensive messages, appears to have sway over Ryanâs policy decisions. Last November, Ryan had parroted messages sent to him from Owendoff when speaking during a Council meeting before a vote on a rental price-fixing software banâa facet of the story published by the Mercury.
Below is the full exchange of emails with Ryan's office, which began 14 hours prior to the story publishing. The Mercury stands by its reporting.
Councilor Ryan: "I'm going to just be vulnerable with all of you and just say this, since I've been receiving unnecessary, not fair hate today. I was contacted by the Mercury an hour before the deadline yesterday morning while I was in a committee meeting, zero context on anything about text messages. The main question was, 'who do you talk to?' I go, 'I talk to anyone that reaches out that's in my district and needs to talk to me about their opinion on the topic.' That's all I said.
That's why my quote in there is pretty ambiguous, because I got a very ambiguous statement. I could tell by others in that article that I served with, you probably got a lot more context than I did, and good for you. But I just needed to say that, because it's not fair when you have to receive a reporter coming at you aggressively and wanting a deadline. And since I always try to not do the no comment thing, I provided a comment.Â
I don't really want any retort right now, I just have to say that I go high so often, but when there's lies that are coming out at you, you know, and then have to have the courage to just defend yourself, because no one else will. It's my lived experience. I'm the only one that could say what I just did about what I experienced. Anyway, I don't appreciate any of those comments that I read. If I would have known that that was what the article was about, I would have a different quote. I can see some nonverbal that's not trusting; that's not my problem."
Morillo says, "I just think you should take this up with a reporter instead of with all of us."
Ryan: "Well, because this is what happened. I had to hear three times today in testimony about it, and so, I just wanted to clear the air and be transparent. And yes, we will be talking to the reporter about journalism 101, thank you."
Here is the context and the series of events.
January 12
The Mercury reached out to Councilor Ryan and his Chief of Staff, Kezia Wanner, the evening before publishing the story about Owendoff and his associates.
9:17 pm
"Subject: Comment for the Mercury - 10:30 am deadlineÂ
Hi Councilor, and Kezia,
I'm working on a story for the Mercury for a story we're planning to publish Tuesday. Can you carve out 10 minutes or so on Tuesday morning for a phone call? I can likely speak tonight as well, but obviously don't want to expect you to work so late. Happy to be flexible. Feel free to call me at this number. [number redacted]
âI remember things in retinal flashes. Without order. Your life doesnât happen in any kind of order⌠Itâs all a series of fragments and repetitions and pattern formations. Language and water have this in common,â the Oregon-based author Lidia Yuknavitch writes in her 2011 memoir, The Chronology of Water.
It follows, then, that director Kristin Stewartâs film adaptation of the book opens without clear exposition. Instead, the camera is submerged, trained upward toward a figure in a red swimsuit. Blood spills onto a showerâs tile floor. The two imagesâwhich happen years apart in Lidiaâs (Imogen Poots) lifeâset the tone for a film revealed in fragments of trauma. First, Yuknavitch trains for a swimming competition as a teenager; then, in her twenties, her daughter is stillborn, and she bleeds beneath the showerâs spray, stunned by grief.
Stewartâs fractured timeline is central to her translation of Yuknavitchâs fiercely internal, experimental text. Chronology revolves, in many ways, around Lidiaâs relationships with men, but it also positions her as a slippery, larger-than-life mermaid, swimming around, beyond, and in spite of them all. The story is at times relentless and exhausting; itâs also an accurate depiction of complex trauma, in which the past and present intermingle.
Underestimate Capricorn and Aquarius season at your own peril, friends. While there are fewer touring acts coming through town this time of year, itâs an excellent time to catch up on your locals. But what am I saying? Weâve got Uniiqu3, Steve Gunn, and Rehash gracing Portland with their presence this week! Plus a bunch of local talent to boot.
Heads up: Mercury Music Picks is on break next week, but will return the week of January 26 to continuing delivering the crème de cassis of Portland concerts.
P.S. FUCK ICE :)
Wednesday, January 14
Labrat / Skitzo Toxin / Verdant Force / GekiretsuÂ
For fans of Dry Socket, early Korn, Spazz
Is one of your new years resolutions to consume (or be consumed by) more local hardcore? Are your friends calling you a poser behind your back? Those tattered Warped Tour tees just not cutting it anymore? Then this is the gig for you. Yes, all the bands on this bill shred harder than a Tillamook cheese grater, but have you locked in with Gekiretsu yet? Theyâre a bunch of fuckinâ metal nerds, originally forming the band in Spokane, recently moving down to PDX to stomp on fascist necks. And trust, theyâve had their practice in the 509. (High Limit Room, 8 pm, more info here, all ages)
Dim Wit / Digital WarthogÂ
For fans of King Lollipop, The Lemon Twigs, Gym Tonic
Good news and bad news for this one folks. The bad news: This show is being billed as Dim Witâs farewell show. My heart broke when I saw this because Dim Wit has been consistently one of the most deeply interesting entities in Portland music for years. The good news: âFarewellâ in this context means Jeff Tuyay, AKA Dim Wit, is only leaving Portland, trading the Willamette for the East River and Hudson, and will hopefully continue making music. Dim Wit isnât chain or egg punk, nor is it outsider electronics or goofball indie. Itâs all of the above and so much more. We wish Tuyay the best in the Big Apple, and bid him visit us often. More good news: This show is the hard launch of Digital Warthog, a duo composed of the inimitable Crystal Quartez and Qu Metcalf (of Wet Dream Society). What they sound like will only be known to those in attendance at this farewell-birth party. (Mississippi Studios, 8 pm, more info here, 21+)
The Mercury provides news and fun every single dayâbut your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!
Good morning, Portland! It's set to be sunny this afternoon after a foggy morning, with temps in the high 40s. More January sun is coming your way later this week before a pattern shift back to rain next week. Let's get to the news.
IN LOCAL NEWS:Â
⢠It's quite an interesting time in Portland city politics. Yesterday, the Mercury reported a story revealing that as the Portland City Council was discussing entrenched racism in local politics at a meeting last week, a local real estate broker and a handful of connected political activists were texting racist messages to each other about progressive councilors of color. The Mercury obtained photos of the texts, which include racist, sexist, and homophobic slurs used over the course of two hours. The reporting shows how moneyed interests are lining up to defeat progressive officials, candidates, and policy, and using tired tropes to justify their aims. Many of the people exchanging the texts have councilors' ears and generally occupy a pretty influential role in city politics. Enough from me, because you've just gotta read the story if you haven't already. You can do that HERE.Â
A new union representing Portland City Council aides and operations staff filed an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint against the city for alleged anti-union conduct from Councilor Loretta Smithâs office. The complaint, filed January 13, alleges Smith retaliated against and fired a former aide due to his role in organizing the Council staff union.Â
The aide, Adam Murray, worked as a policy staffer in Smithâs office for about nine months until he was fired last week. The termination came less than a month after Portland City Council staff announced they were organizing a union, called the Council Alliance of Workers (CAW) with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 7901. The Council Alliance of Workers includes staff members from the majority of City Council offices. The ULP complaint describes Murray as a âkey union supporter.âÂ
State labor law, overseen by the Oregon Employee Relations Board, bars public sector employers from interfering with employeesâ rights to organize a union, including by discriminating against or firing people who support a union effort. Smith currently serves as the chair of the Portland City Councilâs Labor and Workforce Development Committee.Â
I am a 45-year-old femme-presenting genderqueer AFAB person. When I have romantic relationships with cis het men, Iâve noticed two general types: They either enjoy sex and prioritize pleasure and making things fun for their partners and themselves, but make no special big deal about it, and we usually have frequent enough sex and thatâs enjoyable and good. Or the sex starts out pretty good but â at some point â they make it known to me that they need to have sex regularly, that they canât tolerate a lack of sex, that they get grumpy if they donât have sex, that theyâve been in sexless relationships before â blah blah blah â and soon the relationship starts to revolve around how much sex weâre having. Usually around this time the sex either gets worse or I realize that it wasnât that good to begin with and then we start having less sex and then it slowly becomes so terrible that I barely want to have sex with them anymore at all and then the relationship ends. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience, and if you have any comments.
