The I, Anonymous Show
The Mercuryâs very popular I, Anonymous column and blog features the wildest, weirdest, and most candid rants and confessions submitted anonymously from our readers. Now you can see the craziest of these submissions read live on stage at The I, Anonymous Show, hosted by the always hilarious Kate Murphy and this monthâs panel of certified luff-makers, Adam Pasi, Dylan Carlino, and special guest, Seattleâs own Andy Iwancio! Things are guaranteed to get NUTZ and REAL. (Maybe too real? You be the judge!) (Wed 7:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Risley, Moon Shy, Hugh Jepson
Boasting a brand new line-up and a fresh set of songs, Portland's own Risley head up a night of Pacific Northwest-rooted indie rock at Turn! Turn! Turn! (Fri 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5)
Tank Girl
In 1995, Rachel Talalay directed an adaptation of the cult comic Tank Girl, starring Lori Petty and Naomi Watts. Nobody in the film industry had carved out a space for something like Tank Girl to exist within, so when Talalay and Petty made that space, a lot of people (men) sneered at its loud, scattered, ridiculous indulgence and dismissed it. And it is those things! Most comic book adaptations are! But instead of starring roided-up hulkmen bleeding asinine catchphrases, Tank Girl centers on an irreverent feminist anti-hero who gives not one solitary fuck about protecting for any dude's limited conception of what "comic book" movies can be. Tank Girl, even in its compromised, misunderstood form, is still something of a minor miracle of the genre. It shouldn't exist. But there she is. Straddling a tank turret, laughing, and flying double birds at you from 1995. Part of the Hollywood Theatre's 2019 Feminist March film series. (Fri 7 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) BOBBY ROBERTS
The Decliners, Gin & Tillyanna, Hawthorne
Fresh off the release of their 2018 LP, Modern Death, Portland punk outfit the Decliners head up a hometown show at No Fun along with support from Gin & Tillyanna and Hawthorne. (Fri 9:30 pm, No Fun, $5)
Books & Brews
A poet, essayist, music writer, and cultural commentator, Hanif Abdurraqib is equally adept at analyzing systemic racism as he is writing about the Ohio emo scene of the early â00s, or the respective transformative live powers of Bruce Springsteen and Carly Rae Jepsen. His latest book, Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, is a biography of the genre-redefining hip-hop group, a sweeping history of African American music, and a memoir of being an awkward, music-obsessed teen in the â90s. Also reading: Kevin Sampsell, Tabitha Blankenbiller, and more! (Fri 7:30 pm, Lompoc Sidebar, free) JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON
Brickbat Fest 2
Normally brickbats don't feel this good, but the High Water Mark is making sure tonight is one hell of an exception. With performances from Mercury's Antennae, We Are Parasols, Charlatan, Tangients, and DJ Wednesday. (Fri 9 pm, High Water Mark, $8)
The Room
With its interminable sex scenes and abandoned plot threads, some could say The Room is a "bad" movie, but this raises the question of what makes a movie "good." Is it a comprehensible script? Believable acting? Sets that don't look like they're going to topple over at any second? The Room contains none of these elements, yet that hardly detracts from its remarkably high entertainment value. In fact, The Room may have you questioning the reasons you've ever enjoyed anything in your lifeâas well as serving as incontrovertible proof that making a movie is very, very difficult. (Fri 10:45 pm, Cinema 21, $8) NED LANNAMANN
Total Success
Sketch comedy duo DnD (David Wester, David Burnett) bring a new collection of absurd situations aburdly executed to the Siren stage, directed by local all-star Shelley McLendon. (Fri-Sat 8 pm, Siren Theater, $10, through April 6)
The Bookseller's Ball
Never let it be said that people who slang words don't know how to get down. Mother Foucault's, Third Man Books, Wave Books, Idyllwild Arts, and McSweeney's come together to throw the inaugural Bookseller's Ball, a combination of reading and performance, with music by Bergerette, Ex-Kids, Power of County, and more; readers include Jaswinder Bolina, Shawn Levy, Cari Luna, Ed Skoog, Pat Janowski among many others. DJ Cecila takes over in the late hours to run an after-show dance party, too. (Sat 5 pm, Star Theater, $5)
Aan, Wild Powwers, Help
Local experimental rock and pop outfit Aan head up a hometown show at the High Water Mark, with Seattle's Wild Powwers on hand to round out the bill with a set of guitar-driven indie rock plucked from their recent Nadine Records-issued full-length, SKIN. (Sat 8:30 pm, High Water Mark, $10)
Sunbathe, Antonioni, Pool Boys
Maggie May Morris has a catchy-as-hell name to go along with her natural ability to write a catchy-as-hell song. While you may be familiar with Morris from her position at the helm of Genders, you might not be aware that her solo efforts are as just as mesmerizing. With her current project, Sunbathe, Morris reminds us that catchy doesnât always have to be equal to sunny or saccharine. Sheâs got the distinct ability to write a song so devastating youâll flop to the floor while listening, but also so warm and familiar that youâll find yourself attempting to hum along even before youâve finished indulging in it for the first time. (Sat 9 pm, The Fixin' To, $8) JENNA FLETCHER
Audition
Some of history's best horror movies have their scares sanded off by nothing more than the passage of time. It's not their fault, really, and there's any number of sensible reasons for itâthe coarsening of society, the onslaught of less-skilled imitators leaving trash in their wake, etc. But Takeshi Miike's Audition turns 20 this year and if you attend tonight's anniversary screening, there's a 99% chance that this is going to be the most flat-out fucked up thing you watch in 2019. Probably 2020, too, if we make it that far. (Sat 9:45 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9)
Layperson, iji
Two years ago, Julian Morrisâwho plays with Little Star and records and performs solo as Laypersonâreleased a cathartic EP called Tidings. In just five folksy pop songs, Morris explored some of humanityâs most universal existential dilemmas: the terror of surrendering yourself to love, the burning desire to feel connected to something âgreater than us,â and the difficulty of finding peace with all of lifeâs uncertainties. Tonight he celebrates the release of his new LP The Divide, whichâbased on singles âCaught Around Your Heartâ and âSomebody Already Knowsââleans even further into goldenrod pop hooks and ruminative lyrics. (Sun 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5) CIARA DOLAN
They Live
There are more than a few theaters across the country who have screened 1984 in response to the continued tenure of our corrupt, racist, slumlord sex offender of a president. But while familiarizing yourself with Orwell is always a good idea, I believe John Carpenterâs last bonafide classicâ1989's paranoid, left-wing, grindhouse sci-fi satire They Liveâis a much more appropriate film for the strange, bewildering times we occupy. And for as good as John Hurt was in 1984, if weâre heading into a debased apocalypse of a future, Iâd rather have Rowdy Roddy Piper as my avatar, kicking ass, chewing bubblegum, andâif he has toâliterally beating some sense into you. Put the fuckinâ glasses on. (Sun 3:45 & 9:25 pm, Academy Theater, $3-4) BOBBY ROBERTS
Roselit Bone, Over
Roselit Bone is one of Portlandâs best country bands. In 2017, the nine-piece released the haunting Blister Steel, an album inspired by the scores of spaghetti Westerns and punctuated by frontman Joshua McCaslinâs yelps, grunts, and yodels. With his deep, bellowing voice, McCaslin sounds like heâs telling ghost stories about the cosmic cowboys of yore over a campfire, with flurries of horns and pedal steel swelling around him like crackling embers when he reaches the climax. Itâs big, dark, and cinematic musicâthe perfect soundtrack to welcome the 21st Century uncertainty with open arms and warm bellies full of whiskey. (Sun 9 pm, Rontoms, free) CIARA DOLAN
The Moth StorySlam
A spinoff of the nationwide storytelling success, in which potential soul-barers put their names in a hat, and once called, have five minutes to tell their tale. "Bamboozled" is the topic for this installment. (Mon 8 pm, The Secret Society, $10)
Kansas City Bomber
During the height of roller derby in the '70s, there were piles of cheesy films documenting the craze. Most were B-grade fare, banking on cat fights, skimpy roller girl outfits, and daring spills on the racetrack. Kansas City Bomber honors that derby-film tradition by showcasing torrid affairs and bitter rivalries, but steps it up a bit dramatically. Raquel Welch's acting isnât nearly as awful as most derby flicks (even a teeny Jodie Foster makes an appearance as Welch's daughter), andâmost importantlyâit's set in Portland! In fact, this movie is why the Kenton Club has their well-earned "world famous" title. (Mon 7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) AMY J. RUIZ
Yuvees, Fire Nuns
Shape-shifting PDX post-punkers YUVEES light up the Firkin for a night with the help of Fire Nuns. (Tues 8 pm, The Fixin' To, free)
Complimentary Colors, Ghost Town Cinema, Shaylee
The local folk-pop duo headed up by Camille Rose and Ashley Elizabeth bring their harmony-driven sounds to the Bit House Saloon for a live album recording. Ghost Town Cinema and Shaylee round out the proceedings. (Tues 8 pm, Bit House Saloon, $7-10)
Portland Comic Book Month 10th Anniversary Celebration
Commissioner Chloe Eudaly hosts this 10th anniversary party for former Mayor Sam Adams' declaration of April as Portland Comic Book Month, a party that will transform City Hall into a mini comic-con, with 20 tables featuring offerings from local creators, publishers, educators, non-profits, and collectives, and pizza from Sizzle Pie. Participants include Dark Horse Comics, The Nib, Portland Zine Symposium, Helioscope Studios, Multnomah County Library, David F. Walker, Portland Indie Con, Sophie Franz, and more! (Thurs 5 pm, City Hall, free)
Lee Corey Oswald, Loose, The Co Founder, Disappointed
Portland punk stalwarts Lee Corey Oswald head up a hometown show along with fellow Pacific NW-based rockers The Co Founder and locals Loose and Disappointed. (Thurs 8 pm, High Water Mark, $8)
Natasha Kmeto, Noche Libre
Portland Center Stage celebrates First Thursday with this free showcase for local all-star Natasha Kmeto and her blend of electronic music, soul music, and dance, supported by DJ Black Daria and DJ Mami Mami of the Noche Libre collective. (Thurs 5 pm, Portland Center Stage, free)
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
