Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Friday, April 19

Ural Thomas & the Pain, Federale, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical
It’s tragic that in this era of revitalized appreciation for deep soul heroes, Ural Thomas, Portland’s best-kept secret, hasn’t hit the national consciousness as Charles Bradley and the late, great Sharon Jones have. Thomas is the absolute definition of a genuine article—despite releasing a few criminally obscure (yet collector-coveted) gems in the late ’60s, he’s still delivering his tireless passion for music to his beloved community. Simply put, Ural Thomas is a Northwest treasure, and watching him radiate wizened positivity through the warm grooves of an excellent band is a must for music fans searching for heartwarming togetherness. (8 pm, Revolution Hall, $17-20) CHRIS SUTTON

Aldous Harding, Yves Jarvis
Aldous Harding’s voice is a weird world, some sideways place where everything is always melting and morphing. It’s a slippery and enchanting marvel that glances the hermetic realms of Scott Walker and Marianne Faithful and Anohni, but it remains its own odd thing. It is a prism refracting midnight vibes—childlike wonder and stricken desire, brand new glee and ancient menace. Harding funnels it into recognizable pop forms, but it is too much, and so it spills past the lip of the common to claim the space beyond what is known. To hear it is to believe in something you will never touch. (9 pm, Polaris Hall, $15-18) CHRIS STAMM

Glow Skate
Throw away your unicycle, set your hoverboard on fire, chuck your e-scooter into the Willamette, because we all know roller skating is the best novelty transport method. The most fun you can have at an all-ages event gets even more fun when it becomes glow-in-the-dark. We all had that one friend growing up who had glow stickers all over their bedroom, and we were all jealous of them —now you can finally get in on the action! One free glow stick comes with admission. (7 pm, Oaks Amusement Park, $8) BLAIR STENVICK

EcoFilm Weekend Showcase
The reliable, inventive, and well-curated Portland EcoFilm Festival presents is annual selection of films for Earth Day weekend, which this year includes a documentary about giraffe biologist Anne Innis Dagg (The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, screening Sun April 21); a look at the life of landscape architect, artist, and ecologist Roberto Burle Marx (Landscape Film: Roberto Burle Marx, Fri April 19); Maxine Trump’s “deeply intimate exploration of her personal process deciding to ‘come out’ as choosing to live childfree” in an era of resource scarcity and climate change (To Kid or Not to Kid, Sun April 21); and a visually surreal epic from Akira Kurosawa (Dreams, which, fittingly, screens on Sat April 20). (Fri-Sun, Hollywood Theatre, click here for titles and showtimes, $7-9) ERIK HENRIKSEN

Lebanon Hanover, Soft Kill, Second Still, Ritual Veil, DJ Wax//Wane
Swiss-British dark wave band Lebanon Hanover make their way back to Portland to head up a sold out show at the Bossanova Ballroom. Soft Kill, Second Still, Ritual Veil, and DJ Wax/Wane round out the bill. (8 pm, Bossanova Ballroom, $25)

Wrestling for Rock
Roll up your sleeves for this year’s Women’s Arm Wrestling Tournament bending ’bows and popping bottles in support of the Rock’n’Roll camp for Girls. Spectators and wrestlers can test their luck in the incredible raffle which boasts prizes like an entire drum set, electric guitar, and many forms of swag. Costumes and personas encouraged. (7:30 pm, High Water Mark, $5-15) EMILLY PRADO

Singin' in the Rain
It’s the 1920s in Los Angeles, and Hollywood up-and-comer Kathy Selden has come to make a name at a studio. Instead, she’s going to have to save it. Within this sound stage high above the city, 12 terrorists have declared war. They’re as brilliant as they are ruthless. Now, the last thing Selden wants is to be a hero, but she doesn’t have a choice. She’s an easy woman to like, and a hard woman to kill. Debbie Reynolds in: Singin’ in the Rain. Yippe-ki-yay, motherfuckers. (7 pm, NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, $8-10) ELINOR JONES

Mic Crenshaw: Last of a Dying Breed
Veteran Portland rapper Mic Crenshaw presents "Last of A Dying Breed," bringing a night of politically-charged hip-hop to the Atlantis Lounge along with support from Micah Fletcher, Jonny Cool Stargazer, and DJ Klavical. (9 pm, Mississippi Pizza Pub & Atlantis Lounge, $8)

Akua Allrich
Washington, D.C.-based vocalist Akua Allrich brings her dynamic blend of jazz, neo-soul, blues, and funk through the Jack London Revue for a headlining set. (8 pm, Jack London Revue, $15)

Taking Back Sunday, The Maine
Some albums are undeniably transportive. For me, Taking Back Sunday’s Where You Want to Be brings back vivid memories of my neighbor’s stuffy laundry room, where he’d hooked up his Xbox 360. We’d blast the 2004 record as the dryer rumbled, with Call of Duty’s Nazi Zombies drowned out by the dueling screeches of Adam Lazzara and Fred Mascherino. One night his older brother decided to throw a party, and to keep us quiet, he gave us two cans of Coors Light and instructed us to stay in the laundry room. I guiltily took my first sip of the warm beverage and almost spit it out on the controller. “A Decade Under the Influence” came on, and my future flashed before my eyes—just another emo kid-turned-normie adult self-medicating away the ennui of wage labor and suburban living. (Fri-Sat 8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $35-40, all ages) CAMERON CROWELL


Saturday, April 20

Roy Ayers, Bobby Caldwell
Remember the best scene in Straight Outta Compton, when Dre’s zoning out to “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”? That incredible jam, of course, comes from Mr. Roy Ayers, and tonight the funk-jazz-soul trailblazer and vibraphonist brings his ensemble to the Roseland as part of the Soul'd Out Fest. It will be jazzy. It will be funky. It will be great. (8 pm, Roseland, $35-55) NED LANNAMANN

The SPLIFF Film Festival Hosted by Dan Savage
Hosted by Dan Savage! The Portland Mercury and Oregon's Finest present The SPLIFF Film Festival, where filmmakers, artists, animators, and stoners share original film shorts exploring weedy themes. From serious takes on pot culture to baked comedy to mind-blowing weirdness-they all have a home at SPLIFF. Creative types of all stripes entertain, challenge, and amaze SPLIFF audiences with short films that examine and/or celebrate recreational marijuana use and its liberating effects on our imaginations, appetites, libidos, and creative energies. At SPLIFF, you'll see films that will make you laugh, films that will make you think, and films that will make you ask, "What the fuck was that?!" SPLIFF is a film festival by stoners, for stoners. Brought to you by Clone-A-Willy, Journeyman edibles, Mind Rite dispensary, Quesada custom watches, Potato Champion, and Ilo DabTabs. (6 pm & 8:30 pm, Revolution Hall, $20)

Deschutes Brewery Sour Fest 2019
4/20 doesn't have to be all about the cannabis. Starting with a (fairly boozy) brunch, Deschutes will be celebrating sour beer all day long. The brunch includes seven courses, each paired with a sour, and even when brunch is over, you can still get flights and enjoy food specials. (11 am, Deschutes Brewery & Public House, $60, all ages)

The Portland Mercury's Pizza Week
This is it! The very last day you can get in on all this $2 goodness in pizza form. Curious to see just how many slices you can pack into a single day? Wondering which region of the city did its best to provide the best slices? You have til tonight to answer those questions before Pizza Week 2019 pushes back from the table and turns out the lights. (Various Locations, click here for a complete list of venues and slices, $2, all ages)

MĂĄscaras, Plastic Cactus
Much-beloved Portland shredders MĂĄscaras head up a free in-store show at Green Noise Records. Plastic Cactus lend their own sun-drenched psych and surf rock to the proceedings. (5 pm, Green Noise Records, free, all ages)

Wimps, Candace, Clarke & The Himselfs
Much-beloved Seattle trio Wimps bring their infectious blend of slacker-rock and pop-punk back down the I-5 to head up a Portland show along with support from local psych rock and dream pop outfit Candace and Boise's Clarke & The Himselfs. (9 pm, The Liquor Store, $10)

Distillery Row Cocktail Crawl
A day dedicated to sipping the finest spirits as expertly mixed by the eight craft distillers (and two guests from the NW Distiller's District) that make up Distillery Row, and this month's cocktail of choice is the Paloma, with proceeds from each drink ordered up going to the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. (noon, Distillery Row, free)

WellRED Comedy Tour: From Dixie with Love
Comedy and writing partners Trae Crowder, Drew Morgan and Corey Ryan Forrester bring their charming southern-fried comedy and storytelling back to the Helium stage for the Portland stop on their "From Dixie With Love" tour. (Fri-Sat 7:30 pm & 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $25-30)

Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest
The sixth annual celebration of taking fruit and making it not just drinkable, but alcoholic, featuring local food carts, local music, and more than 25 local cideries offering up over 50 ciders on tap. (noon, 3315 Stadelman Drive, Hood River, $10-15)

White Denim, Son of Stan
There isn't a musical genre you can pitch at Texas band White Denim that they can't knock out of the park. When its members aren't busy backing up Leon Bridges, they're playing whirlwind rock 'n' roll, funk, folk, R&B, and much more, with catchy pop hooks embedded in their virtuosic shred. (Sat-Sun 9 pm, Doug Fir, $20) NED LANNAMANN

Sedan Sketch Comedy Presents: First Responders
Car metaphors, charisma, and cackles, who could it be? Oh! There’s a new stage show from local sketch comedy dream-team Sedan! This crew has all the horsepower: Shelley McLendon (the Aces), Paul Glazier (Road House: The Play), Chad Parsons (from the improv group Tunnel and the Here’s What I Want podcast), and—of course—the Mercury’s own Wm. Steven Humphrey! For fans of sketch comedy, Sedan promises to be a “smooth sexy ride.” (8 pm, Siren Theater, $10-15) SUZETTE SMITH

The Matrix
Funny how all it took was a single rumor that Warner Bros. was thinking about maybe rebooting The Matrix for everyone to finally stop complaining about its sequels (which were fairly not-great, sure, but not that bad, either) and reflect on what a cinematic miracle the 1999 original really was. The Wachowskis’ live-action anime fires off philosophical musings amidst a torrent of fists and bullets that’s somehow simultaneously even more retro and more futuristic than it was 20 years ago. (9:20 pm, Academy Theater, $3-4) BOBBY ROBERTS


Sunday, April 21

DakhaBrakha, Yemen Blues, Soriah
With their matching red-and-black outfits and tall wool hats, DakhaBrakha hypnotized the crowds at Pickathon last year with bewitching sets centered around the chants of Olena Tsybulska, Iryna Kovalenko, and Nina Harenetska. Though they’ve got roots in Ukranian folk, DakhaBrakha draws from a hodge-podge of styles that’s anchored by warbling melodies and percussive elements like goblet drum and table, along with the dissonant sounds of didgeridoo and cajón. The group’s avant-garde aesthetic and self-described “ethno-chaos” sound have attracted curious audiences the world over, and this stop at the Crystal Ballroom is sure to be a spectacle of otherworldly proportions. (8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $25, all ages) RYAN J. PRADO

Ghost-Note: Tribute to Prince
Though it’s still hard to cope with his passing, the best way to honor Prince is to bathe in the majesty of his music. On the third anniversary of Prince’s death, Ghost-Note will do just that. The future-funk band’s adventurousness makes them worthy torchbearers of the Purple One’s legacy, though it also helps that they count incendiary multi-instrumentalist MonoNeon, who was a member of Prince’s touring band, among their ranks. Prone to extended jams and rooted in the super-tight, Grammy-winning percussive backbone of Robert “Sput” Searight and Nate Werth, Ghost-Note is a force that’s steeped in jazz, funk, and brass-forward soul. (9 pm, Star Theater, $20) RYAN J. PRADO

Amazing Grace
The double-platinum album Amazing Grace was recorded live, at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles, 1972. The singer was 29-year-old Aretha Franklin, returning to her gospel roots for two nights in January, and the shows she put on were electrifying. That album was the soundtrack to a documentary by Sidney Lumet that never got released for various reasons, some more understandable than others. After Ms. Franklin's recent passing, Lumet's film is finally available, and 2019 audiences can effectively pull up a pew in 1972 and bear witness to how she put in work across those two days in January. If you are not already familiar with the term "transcendent," you should practice its usage—you'll need it if you're hoping to speak on what got captured in this film. (2 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $6) BOBBY ROBERTS

Bocha & Donte Thomas
Tonight's Sunday Session doubles as a release party for the new video for the latest collaboration between Portland hip-hop artists Bocha and Donte Thomas.  (9 pm, Rontoms, free)

Easter Bingo
Why not seriously lean into the holiday spirit by doing as your gramma did before you: Throwing on a nice sweater, getting that hair did just right, and settling in for a long day of daubing at cards and cursing under your breath as some other schmuck wins all the Bingo prizes you rightfully deserve on the day of Jesus' return! With special guests, stand-up, and (most importantly) mimosas! (11 am, Siren Theater, $5)

Buke & Gase, Like a Villain
After supporting Shellac for a pair of shows late last year, the Brooklyn-based experimental pop duo headed up by Arone Dyer and Aron Sanchez make their back to Mississippi Studios for a headlining set supporting Scholars, the band's first full-length release since 2013's General Dome. Portland's own Like A Villain, AKA Holland Andrews, rounds out the bill. (9 pm, Missisippi Studios, $12-14)

Redray Frazier, Wallace, Lo Speed Chase
Some of the city's most talented blues and soul musicians join forces at the Jack London to lend some local flair to the Soul'd Out Festival. (8 pm, Jack London Revue, $10)

Gramatik
One of the world's best remix artists returns to the Roseland to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his ongoing Street Bangerz series. (8 pm, Roseland, $29.50)

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!