Queer Prom
You can finally bring that prom dress back out of your closet (especially if youâre out of the closet) for Crush Barâs Queer Prom. The theme is Starry, Starry Night, and DJ Aurora will be playing all kinds of tunes (including those sensual slow jams) so you can dance with your sweetheart or stand awkwardly by the punch bowl and watch. KELLY KENOYER
7 pm, Crush, $10-15
Treepeople, The Prids, Twelve Thirty Dreamtime
Fresh off a reunion set at Treefort, Boise/Seattle band Treepeople comes to the Doug Fir for their first Portland show since the band first broke up in 1994. The bandâs Doug Martsch went on to form Built to Spill, and now the original membersâminus Pat Brown, who left us in 1999âare back together, playing their prophetic, grunge-adjacent alternative rock, which still sounds like it couldâve been recorded yesterday. NED LANNNAMANN
9 pm, Doug Fir, $22-25
I Put a Spell on You: A Tribute to Nina Simone
Nina Simone's legacy is undeniable. The tragic, lauded artist and civil rights activist was one of the greats of her era, a classical pianist who began to sing when her early gigs required it. Her emotive voice was an agent of change, and her career is the focus of LaRhonda Steele and the Adrian Martin Sextet's retrospective. Steele is an appropriate and powerful conduit for the late artist, and she'll be playing songs from Simone's early years. Known for her warm, bluesy alto and dynamic stage presence, Steele has wowed audiences as one of the most prominent blues vocalists of the Northwest for decades, and like Simone, she's not immune to the trials of life, having recently recovered from a battle with breast cancer. Paired with Martin's classical-meets-jazz sextet, the power of Simone's legacy is bound to shine in glorious light. JENI WREN STOTTRUP
8 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $20-24
Russian Circles, King Woman
Metal doesnât always have to be accompanied by piercing screams, squeals, or growls. In fact, a lot of the genreâs power can come from what dins under the surface, or what isn't even there at all. For more than a decade, Chicago trio Russian Circles has proven this to be true, often forgoing vocals altogether with their immersive instrumentals. Like Godspeed You! Black Emperor's hesher cousin, the bandâs atmospheric post-metal never grows stale. Russian Circles are currently on the road with their newly signed Sargent House labelmates King Woman, who pack a different kind of punch. Singer Kristina Esfandiariâs low, breathy intonations create an airy, contemplative feeling that makes King Woman unlike any other doom band out there right now. CERVANTE POPE
9 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $20-22
The Bronx, No Parents
The long-running melodic hardcore outfit who moonlight as a mariachi band under their alter ego, Mariachi el Bronx, return to Portland in their original form for another headlining show at Mississippi Studios.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $20
Doll Party, Dead Lee
If you are (A) the guardian of small children or (B) afraid of the dark, I highly recommend checking out the Fixinâ Toâs âDinosaur Juniorsâ afternoon concert series. For its seventh installment theyâre hosting Doll Party, the cityâs best (and only) Dolly Parton cover band, featuring members of Wampire, Mini Blinds, and Melt. They sold out the St. Johns venueâs blowout birthday party for Dolly in January (I know this because I couldnât get in and am still livid), and now theyâre coming back to serenade youths with songs about the perils of capitalism (â9 to 5â), adultery (âJoleneâ), and contemplating the almighty (âEarly Morning Breezeâ)âyou know, regular kid stuff. Thereâll be platinum blonde wigs! Thereâll be babies! And thereâs no cover for kids 12 and under, just be sure to bring protection for those tiny earholes. CIARA DOLAN
4 pm, The Fixin' To, $7, all ages
It Came From Outer Space
Jack Arnold's 1953 sci-fi classic (based on an original story by Ray Bradbury) was one of the most innovative films in the genre's early days, thanks to the restrained way it deploys what should have been a parade of cheap gimmicks. There's 3D here, but it's not constantly trying to poke you in the eye. The aliens aren't slobbering monsters hell-bent on murderous invasion, but benign creatures whose presence reveals what skittish, fearful, destructive animals humans are. The premise is outlandish, but It Came From Outer Space still works, 65 years later, because it's thoughtful and careful about everything it does, as opposed to now, when most sci-fi films are content to be loud and stupid. Actor Kathleen Hughes in attendance. Part of the Hollywood Theatre's Feminist March film series. BOBBY ROBERTS
6 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $15
Dynasty 3 Year Anniversary Party
The beloved North Portland night spot celebrates its third year in operation with a massive dance party featuring sets from a whose who of local DJs, including DJ Automation, Strange Babes' Jen O, KM Fizzy, and Magic Beans, Lez Do It's Chelsea Starr and Mister Charming, and Switch PDX's DJ Manny Petty.
9 pm, Killingsworth Dynasty, $5
Lost Balloons, Macho Boys, Lightheads
Jeff Burke (Marked Men, Radioactivity) and Yusuke Okada (Suspicious Beasts) bring some upbeat and sunny power-pop and jangle rock through the Tonic Lounge in support of their excellent Dirtnap Records-issued full-length, Hey Summer.
8:30 pm, Tonic Lounge, $10
Genders, Honcho Poncho, Plastic Cactus
A pair of Portland's finest indie rock acts lend their psych, dream pop, and surf sounds to an XRAY.fm backed bill rounded out by Seattle alt rock quartet Honcho Poncho
9 pm, The Fixin' To, $7
Ed Schrader's Music Beat, MĂĄscaras, Cool Flowers
Sometimes a collaboration is exactly the sum of its parts. Such is the case with Riddles, the new album from Ed Schraderâs Music Beat, a Baltimore-based duo thatâs carved out a niche in the underground with its weird, Suicide-style noise-rock. Apparently aching to push its sound into new places, the band invited Dan Deacon to dive deep into the third Music Beat album. Deaconâknown for his experimental electro-pop and exhilarating live showsâspent two years working with Schraderâs gang, playing the role of co-writer, arranger, and producer. The result is Riddles, which essentially sounds like the wild-eyed post-punk of Ed Schraderâs Music Beat got hit by a bunch of Dan Deacon glitter bombs, with songs that are bigger, buzzier, grittier, and groovier than anything the band has done before. BEN SALMON
9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $10-12
Rilla, Drunken Palms, Sara Renberg
Drunken Palms debut EP, Later, is a beautiful culmination of re-recorded demos, new songs, and even a cover of U2âs âWith or Without You.â Its melodies are built from drum machine beats, loops, synth, and Cocteau Twins-esque vocals that sound ghostly, like theyâre echoing off the pews of an empty cathedral. With Later, Drunken Palms gives it all and you want moreâa great debut leaves you with that feeling. CAMERON CROWELL
8 pm, (The World Famous) Kenton Club, $5
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
