Get ready, Portland! HUMP! is back with a bang, bringing you 25 brand-new, titillating short films that promise to shock, amuse, and arouse... and it's happening RIGHT NOW. HUMP! Film Festival Part Two is happening at Cinema 21 this weekend and next (September 13th, 14th, 20th & 21st) with two showtimes each night! Tickets are going fast so get yours now! 

This isn't just any adult film fest – it's a celebration of sexual creativity, diversity, and the sheer joy of watching porn the way your grandparents did: in a dark theater, surrounded by strangers, all united in the thrill of the taboo.

Why HUMP! is Unlike Any Other Event!

HUMP! isn't just about watching adult films; it's about the experience. As Dan Savage, the festival's creator, puts it: "What HUMP! does is bring people together in a theater, and everybody looks around and thinks, 'Alright, we all watch porn, now we're all going to watch some porn together." It's a return to the days when acquiring and watching adult content was a public act, not a solitary, shameful experience hidden behind a computer screen.

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!

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Sky Ferreira on September 23 at Revolution Hall!

Drawing critical-acclaim and ‘Best Album of the Year’ placements from The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Stereogum, Pitchfork and more, multi-dimensional artist Sky Ferreira brings her catchy synth-pop discography to Portland. Get your tickets now, or enter to win here!

Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, Mon Sept 23, 8 pm, $35, all ages

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see WAND on September 20 at Aladdin Theater!

A decade of worldwide touring under their belts, LA psych-rock outfit Wand returns to Portland with tunes from across their sonically-diverse collection. Get your tickets now, or enter to win here! 

Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie, Fri Sept 20, 8 pm, $22, all ages

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Tokyo Police Club on September 21 at Revolution Hall!

Over the course of five full-length albums and one of the most acclaimed debut EPs of all time, Toronto’s Tokyo Police Club have forged a particularly impactful career on the strength of their infectious power indie pop and brash live performances. Their high energy and ambition has carried them across the globe, from Coachella to The Late Show with David Letterman and beyond — see Tokyo Police Club LIVE in Portland on ‘The Final Tour!’ Get your ticket now, or enter to win here!

Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, Sat Sept 21, 8 pm, $35, all ages

The Fountain Gallery was a major hub of Portland’s downtown arts scene for much of the mid-20th century. In 1961, Arlene Schnitzer (yes, the same Arlene Schnitzer that the theater is named after) opened the venue, which hosted art shows, lectures, poetry readings, and performances. It wasn’t Portland’s first art gallery, but Arlene and her husband Harold Schnitzer were instrumental in putting substantial funding and institutional support behind artists in Portland. “She helped the banks, the law firms, and the businesses to realize that they needed to support local artists,” says her son Jordan Schnitzer. “That was true of music, dance, and theater, too, but her role was visual arts.” 

According to Jordan Schnitzer, Portland’s art community was quite different in his parents’ era. “The art community relative to the greater metropolitan area was nothing like it is today,” he says. “It was much more insular and smaller. Not elitist in any way. These people were down-to-earth. But there wasn’t a lot of art consciousness on the part of the citizens, as there is today.” Schnitzer says that his mother used her resources, social skills, and connections to get eyes on art and money into artists’ pockets.

A Fountain of Creativity: Oregon’s 20th Century Artists and the Legacy of Arlene Schnitzer provides a window into the Portland art scene during the beginning and middle of the 20th century. The exhibit features work from Pacific Northwest artists like Carl Morris, William Givler, Hilda Morris, and others, all of whom were supported by Schnitzer during their careers. 

CALLING ALL SMARTY-BUTTS! It's time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week's edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And in this edition, we're asking YOU lotsa interesting questions about new pickleball establishments, hunky dreamboat actors, and (for those who are horny for religion) who is the hottest saint EVARRRR? 😇

But first, how did you do on our previous all arts-related quiz? Ooh, you are both brainy AND creative! And, according to the majority of voters in our subjective question, I expect there will be a brand new wax statue standing in front of city hall by this time next year. SO IT IS WRITTEN, SO IT IS LAW!

OKAY, TIME FOR A NEW QUIZ! Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY!

Create your own user feedback survey

The Mercury provides its readers with interesting and useful news & culture reporting every single day. If you appreciate that, consider making a small monthly contribution to support our editorial team. If you read something you like, something you don't like but are glad to know about, and/or something you can't find anywhere else consider a one-time tip. It all goes in the same pot and it all goes to the editorial team. Thanks for your support!

Good Morning, Portland! Did you love those sudden bursts of torrential rain yesterday? You'd better because you live in Portland. Read to the end for sexy Death Eaters. For now, let's hit the news!

IN LOCAL NEWS:
• Portland Public Schools' teacher's union is alarmed over the district's quiet addition of a policy controlling what educators display in their classrooms. The Oregonian's Julia Silverman reports "rules specify that classroom spaces 'cannot be used for an employee’s personal expression, whether that is related to a political or personal issue.'" Silverman points out that the new guidance follows an incident in the spring where a group "a group affiliated with the Portland Association of Teachers published a controversial guide to teaching and organizing in support of Palestinian statehood."

• Remember when people were incensed that "at least four Portland City Council candidates" donated to one another's campaign in order to reach the threshold to receive matching campaign funds from the city? WELL, the Oregonian's Carlos Fuentes reports that it now appears that number is much greater: "69 candidates for Portland office gave more than 900 reciprocated contributions to each other this year," Fuentes writes, citing a newsroom analysis of the city’s public campaign finance database.

• Fuentes also reports that Oregon Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade has directed her office to open an investigation into the situation.

• At the tail end of August, Portland newspaper Willamette Week announced an expansion to state news coverage with the ultra-generic name of Oregon Journalism Project—along with their intention to use this new nonprofit arm to essentially pay themselves rent ("from which our back-office services are provided via a service agreement") 😬. If I sound salty, I'm not. More reporting, more speech—it's good. And if they work really hard, I bet they can learn to differentiate between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine. 

Willamette Week announced its Oregon Journalism Project with an image of Portland, Maine.

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— Suzette Smith (@suzettesmith.bsky.social) September 11, 2024 at 7:33 PM

It’s a longstanding tradition for tattoo artists and shops to offer $13 tattoos for one day only in honor of Friday the 13th. These days, it’s rare to find anyone sticking to the original price, but many places still celebrate and offer special flash design deals. Whether you’re looking to get your first ink or you need to find space for your latest addition, we’ve compiled a list where you can go get tatted as part of the occasion. Don't forget your photo ID!

Birdhouse Tattoo
Both Birdhouse locations are cranking out $100 flash designs from 10 am to 7 pm. No alterations or resizing will be accommodated; most pieces are roughly 2-3 inches. The shop advises coming prepared with a few options in case your first choice artist is booked for the day.
King, South Tabor

Black Hole Body Piercing & Tattoo
Artist @pillowpunx will offer flash designs ranging from $31-$130 from noon to 10 pm at Black Hole’s east side location. A few appointments remain but walk-ins are available. Set sizes, arms, and legs are preferred.
Kerns

Dead Gods Tattoo
Both west side locations of this shop are running a custom flash day. Doors open at noon and sign-ups will be taken until 8 pm. Flash deals will cost $80-$150 and all designs will be available at both locations.
Tigard, West Linn

Holy September! Summer 2024 is cooling down, and we’re still processing Live Nation’s dystopian plans for the city's Central Eastside. Increasingly prominent nonprofit MusicPortland has been fighting the decision, but developers aren’t backing down. We'll be watching the upcoming September 19 hearing on the matter very closely. In the meantime, if you just came to rock out and vibe, there's plenty of local music buzz to enjoy right now—from the return of Lose Yr Mind Fest to Alana Rich’s new single and lots more!

MUST SEE: 

Upcoming local event(s) featuring local artist(s).   

Lose Yr Mind Fest

Beginning in 2014 as a series of house shows that upgraded to warehouse parties, Lose Yr Mind Fest books mostly rock bands for its annual two-day festival. You'll catch them producing events throughout the year, but the fest is their big fete. English rock band Ulrika Spacek tops the bill of this year's opening night, on September 13, joining a lineup of Los Angeles post-punk and psych rockers Dummy, Portland-based psychedelic pop rockers Shadowgraphs, fellow locals Darkswoon, and Idaho-based experimental band Sun Blood Stories. September 14 sees doom, psych, and heavy metal band Deathchant, Portland post-punkers Forty Feet Tall, and prog garage rockers the Macks, among others. This year, there's dance nights, too. On both Friday and Saturday, after the bands wrap up at The Get Down, folks can dance for free at the after parties going down at Lollipop Shoppe, with psych and rock en espanol from Seattle’s Emi Pop, and a slew of talented DJs, like Disco Diablo, Espina Letal, Lizzy Al Toque, and Albina. (The Get Down, 680 SE 6th, Fri Sept 13 & Sat Sept 14, 7 pm, $25, tickets here, 21+; after parties at Lollipop Shoppe, 736 SE Grand, 10 pm, FREE, 21+) 

Updated: September 11, 2024

Thanks to a charter reform measure passed by voters in 2022, Portland is getting a new form of government, and it will come with a brand new districting system. In November 2024, Portlanders will vote for city council members in one of four districts across the city, with three councilors per district.

Here's who's running in District 1, located in the easternmost part of the city. (Find the list of candidates in District 2 here, District 3 here, and District 4 here.) 

The following list contains candidates that have filed notice of intent to run, or have been qualified by the City Elections office to be on the ballot.

Updated: Sept. 11

Originally published: November 21, 2023

Under Portland's revised city charter, the mayor will serve in a largely administrative role, overseeing day-to-day operations alongside a city administrator. The mayor will be voted on by all city voters, while the council will be elected by district.

The charter change is a shift from Portland's longstanding form of government, which saw the mayor and four commissioners acting in legislative and administrative roles, overseeing the city's bureaus while also enacting policy.

In preparation for the government transition, the city has hired six deputy city administrators and an assistant city administrator to oversee the city's bureaus and daily operations, a role previously held by elected city commissioners. Come January 2025, the mayor won't vote with the City Council, unless needed to break a tie. Portland's new mayor may still propose legislation for the Council to vote on and will be instrumental in bringing forward annual budgets for approval.

Shoegaze is having a moment.

It’s not the first moment for the cult-fave genre—a hypnotic amalgam of gossamer vocals and distorted guitars played, often loudly, through an army of nifty effects pedals. Not long after Shoegaze emerged from the British Isles in the late 1980s, its first wave crested on the backs of fuzzed-out bands like Cocteau Twins, Slowdive, and My Bloody Valentine.

But a shoegaze revival is definitely underway, fueled by young people discovering the genre’s giants and heretofore obscure bands like Duster, through TikTok clips and Spotify playlists. At the same time, a surge of new shoegaze-influenced (but boundary-stretching) bands have bubbled up, including They Are Gutting A Body Of Water, Wednesday, and Feeble Little Horse.

For fans, however, shoegaze’s moment never really went away.

Hi everybody, and welcome to this Very Special Trash Report! For the uninitiated, the Trash Report is my weekly column where I make jokes about silly things that happen in the news and gossip. I’m going to do that for this print issue, but about ~ART~ which I’m highly qualified to do, in that I was offered the space, and I said yes. Let’s get this art-y started, shall we?

Airports, but Make Them Art

People are losing their damn minds over the new roof at PDX. This is a dramatic vibe shift for an airport that has for years been known for its beloved (but let’s be real, tacky) carpet. I, for one, like that going forward we will have a choice of whether to post our braggy travel selfie with the carpet or the ceiling. Face bloated from a flight? Shoe time. Nailed the eyeliner on your way to devastate an ex? Give us the face. (I’m also glad that we might move away from the foot pics because I’m sad knowing how many of you freaks will walk into an airplane bathroom in open-toed shoes. You’re worth more than that!) Portland International Airport’s glow-up will also serve as a great flex at the haters who think our town is a flaming garbage pile. You want to come out here and talk shit? Good luck doing that under all that architectural majesty.

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but 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! Some people get energy from the summer sun, I get mine from the dreary days of fall and winter. Since the autumn rain and clouds are back 😍, so is my contentment with life. 

Now, here's the news, some of which does slightly lessen my contentment with life.

In Local News: 

• You can tell a lot about a mayoral candidate by their endorsements. Top mayoral candidates Rene Gonzalez and Carmen Rubio have each racked up a sizable number of big-name supporters: The former has been backed by organizations such as the Portland Police Association, the Multnomah County Deputy Sheriffs Association and Portland Firefighters Association. Carmen Rubio has received much more support from public sector unions, like the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 189, the Northwest Oregon Labor Council and the Portland Association of Teachers. She’s also backed by progressive advocacy organizations Portland Neighbors Welcome and Portland for All. Meanwhile, Keith Wilson has found support from climate group Sunrise Movement PDX, among others. 

For nearly three decades, the city of Portland ran its grant program for artists and arts organizations exclusively through a well known non-profit, the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC). Last summer, however, the city decided to change course. 

Commissioner Dan Ryan’s office—which oversaw arts programs at the time—announced that the city would not renew its contract with RACC and would instead seek out proposals from multiple organizations to oversee grant awards and funding disbursement.

In an email to the Mercury, Darion Jones, the deputy director of the Office of Arts and Culture, said the city’s model of delivering its arts services exclusively through RACC “needed to evolve.” 

RACC disbursed its final grant under its now-former contract this past June. However, it will still be involved in distributing the city’s small grants of less than $5,000 to artists and organizations moving forward, and will be joined by two other nonprofits, as part of the city’s broader push to implement a new vision for its arts and culture.

“The apparel is quite special,” my friend Rose mused. She was right.

While awaiting entry into Club Alive, my field of vision swam with humans sporting face gems, organza, velvet bell bottoms, pink pleats, and patent leather. The monthly, genre-fluid performance party helmed by artist-experimenter Kye Grant [who—full disclosure—has written for this publication -eds] has typically been held at Kelly’s Olympian, but for the 2024 Time-Based Art Festival, Club Alive gained new breathing room at Portland Institute of Contemporary Art's 10,000 sq foot main space.

Club Alive’s artist statement is actually a question: How alive are you willing to be? It stuck with me, and I revisited the question throughout the night. How alive am I right now? Okay, how about now?