SAVAGE LOVE: Quickies
1. Will I ever get over my ex who’s packing? If you mean packing in the “putting things in bags” sense of the term, then your ex hasn’t even moved out yet. Give it a minute. If you mean packing in the “my ex has a massive cock” sense of the term, you may never get over your ex fully. (Here’s hoping you have some pics and/or a Clone-A-Willy dildo to remember him by.) Look, I don’t know whether or not you’re gay — there’s not much info to go on in your letter — but I’ve seen two gay men go from fuckbuddies to boyfriends/husbands and back to fuckbuddies…
See more…
Good Morning News: Someone Has Been Convicted for Tupac’s Murder, Whistleblower Says USPS Could “Derail” Midterms, and the Power of the Ocean
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! After a hot, smoky day yesterday, we’re in for a much cooler rest of the week. Expect cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s today, and the blessed return of RAIN tomorrow! IN LOCAL NEWS: • Last week, Trump’s Department of Justice announced it will sue Oregon, Washington, and two other states for their laws allowing undocumented immigrants to benefit from in-state college tuition. Now, Oregon…
See more…
The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for Aug 31-Sept 6
Legends of the psych rock and riot grrrl varieties are showing up and showing out this week–West Coasters Bikini Kill and Osees take the Crystal Ballroom stage, while Zambian band W.I.T.C.H. heads to Revolution Hall. Plus, a hefty selection of 200+ works by Indigenous Australian artists is unveiled at Portland Art Museum, and CoHo Theater’s clowns honk again for a four-week festival. You ready? MONDAY, AUGUST 31 Osees Osees come through the Pacific Northwest basically every September, and I’m not mad about it. Originally formed as the solo project of John Dwyer, the group makes garage rock with heavy psych…
See more…
Good Morning, News: New Conservative Group Targets Progressives, a Parallel Parking Contest, and Trump (Stupidly) Renames Lake Ontario
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! Who’s ready for some cooler temperatures this week? While you can expect a fairly normal 83 degrees today with mostly sunny skies, clouds roll in on Tuesday with a chance of showers through Thursday and highs in the mid-60s. Waitasecond… does this mean that fall is heading our way? I’M NOT READY FOR SUMMER TO END AND PUMPKIN SPICE SEASON TO BEGIN! 😭(Pssst. I…
See more…
Grassroots or Astroturf? “Go Portland Go” Campaign Backed By Conservative Donors
“Portland doesn’t have a money problem. It has a leadership problem. The next election is our chance to change that.” That’s a statement on the homepage of a new coalition, Go Portland Go, which filed as a political action committee (PAC) with the state in April. Go Portland Go says it is pooling resources behind “leaders who can actually run a progressive city.” But despite using seemingly progressive terminology and calling itself a “grassroots coalition,” the effort is largely backed by Portland’s moneyed political actors, many of whom have for years bankrolled fights against progressive policy. Go Portland Go’s political…
See more…
Libros Colette Wants You to Hang Out With Books
There’s something special about Libros Colette. The space that used to be Nico’s Ice Cream is now transformed into a series of cozy alcoves, each holding stacks of books you’ve probably never seen before, but will undoubtedly want to pick up. Paloma Medina and her partner, Derek Zuk, opened the bookstore-slash-coffee shop in early August, with the hope that customers will come in, grab a cup of Upper Left coffee and a plant-based pastry from Tabor Bread, and spend time just browsing. They’ve spent years sourcing an expansive collection of visual reference books, scouring estate sales and digging through bargain…
See more…
The Best Bang for Your Buck Events in Portland This Weekend: Aug 28–30, 2026
This week was a bit of a downer, so seek out some joy and community this weekend at events from the 10th Annual Jade International Night Market to Dolly Parton Secret Roller Disco and from the Nerd Music Parking Lot Party to a Parallel Parking Competition. For more ideas, check out our top picks of the week. FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 SPORTS & RECREATION Dolly Parton Secret Roller DiscoPerhaps the most unifying event in American history happened earlier this week: the tragic death of country queen Dolly Parton. The loss of one of the best songwriters and most generous spirits of…
See more…
Spin Cycle: Hi-Fi High Fives
Consciously or not, the number five seems to have popped up in the selections for this edition of Spin Cycle. Whether for a project that took five years, or a fifth overall artist release, the power of the five hits clearly for this wide-ranging trio of new albums. Numerological, spiritual, and religious interpretations of the number proffer ideas of rebirth, of change. Humans utilize the five senses to help navigate the world around them, with five toes and five fingers on each appendage. And while I’m not overly symbolic all the time, I do believe that unseen patterns and energies…
See more…
Ten Bumbershoot Acts Worth the Trip to Seattle
Good ol’ Bumbershoot. The long-running, constantly morphing music festival that takes place September 5-6 at Seattle Center is just a week away, capping off the unofficial end of summer with a bang. Sadly, Portland doesn’t have our own end-of-summer blowout (we did; it was MusicFest Northwest, and I miss it like some dead relatives and long-defunct bars), but our northern sister has our backs—if we’re willing to make the three-hour trek. I know what you’re thinking: “Six hours round-trip? In this economy?” Yeah, we get it: gas during a pointless war is pretty expensive (yet another reason you should consider…
See more…
Good Morning News: Measles at the Rodeo, Climate Change and Nepal Floods, Trump Changes Lake Ontario to Lake America—”Cool.”
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! Here’s hoping you can get out for some outdoor activities this weekend and enjoy the sun before the rain comes in early next week. Are the dog days of summer coming to an end? Not exactly. But school is back in session and fall will be here in no time. For now, let’s get to the news. 📰 IN LOCAL NEWS: If you went down to Canby…
See more…
FREE TICKETS THURSDAY: Win Tix to Amy Miller, Rose City Comic Con, Cortex, 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! (Note: This contest is active from August 27 through August 31). You can find our contest rules here. One of the most versatile, inquisitive, and…
See more…
Ticket Alert: Ten, Bunii, and More Portland Events Going On Sale This Week
Summer isn’t quite over yet, but we’re here to help you make plans for a fun fall. After a decade in the industry, K-pop star and NCT member Ten has announced his first solo US tour. Rising Gen Z alt-rock artist Bunii comes through Portland for the first time on his Buniiversity Tour. Plus, local indie rockers Glitterfox will debut a new iteration of the band at their annual Halloween show. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events. ON SALE FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 MUSIC Bunii – Buniiversity TourWonder Ballroom (Tues Oct 27) Glitterfox: The New FrontierRevolution…
See more…
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Converge 45
What is Converge 45? Sometimes we hear this question asked with genuine bewilderment. Sometimes it’s rhetorical, delivered with wry self-awareness, imagining what our rarefied art ecosystem looks like from the outside. The easy answer is that Converge 45 is a triennial curation of art shows, presented more or less at the same time. It’s also fair to consider all the shows a single entity that reemerges every three years and has done so since its start in 2016. Portland is also host to a biennial, produced by Oregon Contemporary, but these are not the same event. The two -ennials phase…
See more…
Good Morning, News: Iconic Actor and Most Flamboyant Man Tim Curry Has Died, Make Every Factory Juantonio’s, and PPS Weighs School Downsizing
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! I’ve got good news and bad news, and I’m nowhere near out of news! Today in good news, Willamette Valley weather is being sweet and sensible right now. It’s like she just found out we’re switching schools, so she’s trying to pretend we’ve been friends this whole time. Forecast says to expect partly sunny with a high of 78 degrees, and you can expect more of the…
See more…
Mercury Music Picks: Sounds at the Plaza, Black & Loud Fest, and a Juicy Blood Orange Listening Party
Hello music lovers and haters (hopefully not haters), this is your new music editor signing on to tell you what you already know: Portland is still popping off! I’m always in awe of the artists both based here and coming through. I feel like I need a time machine to catch everything because how am I supposed to be in three places at once when there’s Surgery Season at the Off Beat, a No Quiet Hours fundraiser at the Crystal, and Jun Iida Quartet all happening at the same time? I’ll admit, I don’t know how I haven’t been to…
See more…Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.