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Monday, April 22
2019 Oregon Book Awards Ceremony
A Literary Arts event celebrating the best works and writers from our local literary community. Hosted by award-winning author, Dear Sugar advice-giver, and all-around literary aspirational figure Cheryl Strayed. (7:30 pm, Gerding Theater at the Armory, $12-65)
The Pack A.D., See Night
Vancouver's the Pack A.D. is a duo of fire-breathing, whiskey-slugging badass babes. They blend heavy, rushing guitar, smoky vocals, and thundering lyrics that tell stories of dark pasts and looming revenge. The combination's guaranteed to turn any venue into a stadium show. With seven albums and two EPs under their belt, guitarist Becky Black and drummer Maya Miller sound like veteran rockers, their bluesy vibes reminiscent of the White Stripes with just a little more grit. Smart, intentional, and inspired, their music's steeped in a vast knowledge of rock history. (9 pm, Doug Fir, $12-14) EMILY VANKOUGHNETT
Belmont Station's 22nd Birthday
Belmont Station turns 22 all day long, so stop by at any point during their open hours and try one of four special brews made specifically for the occasion, including Barley Brown's Belmont Anniversary IPA, Culmination's Psychic Oasis Hazy Double IPA, Ruse's 45th & Stark IPA, and Wayfinder's Tasties Exprot Lagerbier Hell. Of course, there'll be a veritable flood of other options to sample since it's still Belmont Station after all, and proceeds will help benefit Friends of Trees, because their birthday is also Earth Day. (10 am, Belmont Station)
King Dude, Kate Clover, Dancing Plague
As much as he relies on occult imagery, King Dudeâreal name: Thomas Jefferson Cowgillâcovets songwriting craft. He bows down at the altar of traditional song structures and craven ballads with plinking pianos, thudding drums, and distorted guitars. His voice, a croaking, growling, sneering baritone that plumbs the depths, certainly fits. About the only thing that doesn't mesh with the unceasingly dramatic cosmology is the name: King Dude. But he's totally serious about all of thisâthe angels, the devils, and the clichĂŠs. There's not a wink to be found. (8:30 pm, Tonic Lounge, $10-13)
Earth Day Oregon Celebration
CityWild looks to celebrate Earth Day in a donut-fueled way, with Blue Star hosting a pop-up while Artemisia Collage with Nature runs a hands-on terrarium, as well as kids activities, a raffle, and more. Proceeds from the party help benefit CityWild's sustainability programming. (4 pm, Migration Brewing Co., free)
Wallows
The rising Los Angeles-based indie rock trio fronted by actors and singer/songwriters Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why) and Braeden Lemasters (Men of a Certain Age) returns to town for a headlining show supporting their debut full-length, Nothing Happens. (8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $20-23)
Blow-Up
Michelangelo Antonioniâs 1966 drama that you feel guilty about never having seen, now lovingly restored! All that painstaking work should make the cinematography shine like itâs never shined before, so the film can be at its most beautiful when you say, âHuh, always meant to see that, heard good things!â before flicking your thumb across the screen and sending the link above the bezel in a speedy scroll towards your next life-giving cat .gif. (7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9)
Tuesday, April 23
DMX, DJ O.G. One
I have heard tell among the assembled maesters and bards of the realm that the legends are indeed true, and after many a fortnight spent deep in the catacombs where only the flickering light of too few candles and too much knowledge shimmers, I have emerged from their depths wiser and humbled to say, that the lore is based in undeniable fact: X isâindeedâgon' give it to ya. He gon' give it to ya. X gon' give it to ya, yea verily, grrrr, arf arf, what the deal. (8 pm, Roseland, $26.50)
Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Møtrik, The Galaxy Research
Many, many bands have tried, but few have successfully captured the raw, elemental sound of pagan ritual. Träd, Gräs och Stenar remain pioneers in that regard, and the Swedish bandâs wild, spontaneous jams are darker, earthier, and more hypnotic than virtually all other hippie music that came out of the 1960s counterculture movement. (9 pm, The Liquor Store, $15) NED LANNAMANN
Kero Kero Bonito, Jaako Eino Kalevi
One of the more surprising (and glorious) musical reinventions of 2018 arrived in the form of Kero Kero Bonitoâs sophomore album, Time ânâ Place. The British indie-pop bandâs earlier releasesâ2014âs Intro Bonito and 2016âs Bonito Generationâwere characterized by chiptune instrumentation, manic song structures, and unabashedly tasteless production choices. Beginning with 2018âs TOTEP EP, Kero Kero Bonito ditched the programmed drums and Super Mario 64 samples in favor of more âtraditionalâ instrumentationâguitars, vocals, bass, and drums. (Though many of the bandâs newer songs remain ornamented with their signature glitchy synths.) To say the groupâs latest LP delivered on the promise of TOTEP would be an understatement; Time ânâ Place is damn close to being a perfect pop record. Itâs fun without feeling lightweight, indelible without ever becoming cloying, and meaningful without seeming pretentious. (8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $18-20) MORGAN TROPER
John Mellencamp
People wouldn't keep calling him by his old stage name if John Mellencamp's real last name weren't so dang hard to spell correctly. But the man responsible for tons of '80s hits (you know the ones) has surprisingly reached a new career peak, with his last two albums containing some of his very best work. Tonight'll be a great show of tunes old and new. (8 pm, Keller Auditorium, $39.50-129.50) NED LANNAMANN
John Vanderslice, Meernaa
San Francisco-based singer/songwriter and in-demand producer John Vanderslice returns to town for headlining show supporting The Cedars , his first new album since 2013's Dagger Beach. (8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $14-16)
Liz Scott
This Never Happened chronicles Portland writer Liz Scott's unrelenting deep dive into the mysteries of her family. (7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free)
Kenny DeForest
The Siren hosts a special night with up-and-coming stand-up Kenny DeForest, known for his appearances on Late Night with Seth Myers and Crashing. (8 pm, Siren Theater, $10)
Grindhouse Film Festival: Q the Winged Serpent
The latest installment of the Hollywood Theatre's monthly exultation of exploitation cinema is a tribute to genre auteur Larry Cohen (1936-2019) with one of his best, 1982's Q: The Winged Serpent), about a pair of harried detectives (David Carradine, Richard Roundtree) who have their Aztec cult murder investigation (!) interrupted by a literal flying dragon (!!) claiming the Chrysler Building as its birthing den. (7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) BOBBY ROBERTS
Wednesday, April 24
King Princess, Banoffee
Itâs not often that a mainstream pop song has the word âpussyâ in its title, but King Princess isnât your average pop singer. Since releasing her first single, â1950ââan ode to closeted queer loveâin just a year sheâs become a gay icon. Her debut EP, Make My Bed, packs textbook pop tracks with soulful vocals layered over warm, flowing synth tones. âPussy Is God,â her most recent single, is a sample-heavy, unabashedly sultry track complete with a groovy bass solo that solidifies King Princessâ rising star status. (8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $25) ANNA KAPLAN
Kimya Dawson, Your Heart Breaks
Kimya Dawson writes sweet, posi children's folk songs that sad adults eventually come to realize have been ingrained in their subconscious. Whether you found Dawson through the Moldy Peaches (her anti-folk project with Adam Green); her extensive back catalog with Rough Trade, Plan It X, and K Records; the Juno soundtrack; or that random radical zine you found in a friend's bathroom, you have at one time or another found yourself humming one of Dawson's oddly but beautifully arranged tunes. And even if you haven't heard her music in years, you can somehow muster all the words to at least one of her songs. Dawson is a special artist in this way, and with every note of melodic melancholy comes a deep sense of empathy and understanding of people's complexities. There's hardly anything more grounding and comfortable than that. (8 pm, Polaris Harll, $17-20, all ages) CAMERON CROWELL
Flat Worms, Warm Drag, Dreamdecay
Members of the Los Angeles trio Flat Worms have done time with Ty Segall, Oh Sees, Sic Alps, and the Babies. But this unimpeachable resume is bound to give people ideasâwrong ideas that Flat Worms gleefully demolish. The band isnât some stale spin-off contentedly catching the last wave of 21st-century garage-rock revivalism. Itâs a wild and wooly beast of its own, a pummeling force that recalls the dark strain of early â80s punk that traded suburban angst for creeping dread and paranoia. You probably couldnât sneak a Flat Worms song onto a mixtape between T.S.O.L. and the Wipers and pass it off as a Reagan-era artifact, but the band definitely rides a modern-day version of the same creeped-out vibe that made their forebears such powerful agents of chaos. (9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $10-12) CHRIS STAMM
Barna Howard, Maggie May Morris, Little Sue
Portland singer/songwriters Barna Howard, Maggie May Morris, and Little Sue head up the latest installment of XRAY.fm's "Songs in the Round" series at the Fixin' To. Hosted by Chuck Westmoreland. (8 pm, The Fixin' To, $5)
PDX Global Eats
A night of small plates, small bites, beer, wine, and more quality cuisine, prepared by refugee and immigrant chefs, in an effort to raise money for refugee students around the world. The evening also includes live speed painting, true tales being told, and even poetry performances. (6 pm, Lagunitas Community Room, $35)
Jenny Don't & the Spurs, Jack Alzheimer
Jenny Don't and the Spurs play vintage country and western straight out of the lonesomest corners of mid-20th century America, Don't and her cohorts sound nothing like a museum piece; rather, there's grit, sadness, and an edge of danger to these rumbling-boxcar country songs. (9 pm, The Liquor Store, $8)
Red Green
Canadian comedian Red Green (AKA Steve Smith) hits the Aladdin Theater stage for a stop on the "This Could Be It Tour!", which, as the name suggests, could be the beloved handyman's final time hitting the road. (7 pm, Aladdin Theater, $56.50)
Fatai, Zola, Anna Pancaldi
Australian singer/songwriter Fatai brings her soulful blend of R&B to the Secret Society stage for the Portland stop on her biggest North American tour to date. (7 pm, The Secret Society, $15-20)
Two Dykes and a Mic
Rachel Scanlon and McKenzie Goodwin bring their LA-based stand-up showcase to Portland, with special guests Hannah Einbinder and Mav Viola. (7:30 pm, Harvey's Comedy Club, $10-15)
Havania Whaal, Sigh, Mantis
Thereâs something inherently impressive about bands that have few members but still manage to produce an enormous, all-encompassing sound. Havania Whaal is one of those bands. But what really sets Havania Whaal apart is their ability to pull driving pop hooks from the chaos. (8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $8) DELANEY MOTTER
Re-run Theater: Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
The Hollywood's monthly TV party follows up last month's Wonder-ful celebration of '70s superheroism by screening super-producer/thief Glen A. Larson's satiny reboot of pulp hero Buck Rogers! 1979's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century stars an amiable, ambulatory heap of protein and fur named Gil Gerard as frozen caveman astronaut William Rogers, who somehow simultaneously looks kinda like both Sean Connery and Will Ferrell depending on which angle you catch him from. He gets accidentally frozen in the far-flung future of 1987, wakes up after 500 years of William Conrad narration on some repurposed Battlestar Galactica sets, meets Erin Gray and a penis-headed tinfoil robot with a talking clock on its chest, and off they go to free the slaves of the planet Vistula. Bidi-bidi-bidi it's fucking dreck, Buck! (7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) BOBBY ROBERTS
Thursday, April 25
Chelsea Peretti
Fans of TV detective sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine are already well aware of the hilarious Chelsea Peretti, who plays the deadpan, acerbic Gina Linetti. However, you shouldnât sleep on Perettiâs stand up, where she really shines. Highly respected in the professional comedian and acting community, Perettiâs whip-smart jokes are on full view in her hour-long Netflix special, One of the Greats, which spotlights her impressively inventive, observational style. All that said, itâs little wonder this show is sold outâwhich is exactly why god invented StubHub. Act now. (7 pm, Aladdin Theater, good luck on the ticket resale sites!) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Avengers: Endgame
I don't get it. The walking purple nutsack with the gaudy oven mitt snapped his fingers and Spider-Man cried and flaked off like an ashy elbow. They can't just... hit the reset button, right? Marvel wouldn't just do that, would they? Just make a three-hour superhero movie that undoes every emotional thing the last movie did by resurrecting all the pajama-clad do-gooders who died and letting them punch Grimace's balls in the face all day long? (Checks the Marvel wiki) ...Oh, so they would? Boy, superhero comics sure are somethin', huh. Anyway, good luck avoiding spoilers out there, and make sure you pee before the movie starts. (Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations)
Iceage, Pelada, Public Eye
Iceage is a Danish punk band with a propensity for harsh, ornate music that completely subsumes the listener. Just try to tell me youâre not riled up when those horns blare on âPain Killer,â the second track on 2018âs wildly beautiful Beyondless. Impossible! They even channel the Velvet Underground on âCatch Itâ without being totally annoying, which is a feat unto itself. (9 pm, Doug Fir, $16-18) CIARA DOLAN
Strand of Oaks, Wild Pink
Tim Showalterâs art has always been one of complete, transparent, terrifying honesty. Under the name Strand of Oaks, heâs released six albums of painfully soul-searching songs that confront traumatic events like his house burning down, his wifeâs infidelity, and a nearly fatal car accident. The music varies from whisper-quiet funeral folk to headspace synth poems to metal-tinged shred rock, although his best work blends these disparate elements into a throaty, fist-pumping brand of heartland rock. (9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $20) NED LANNAMANN
Turnover, Turnstile, Reptaliens
Turnover is clearly having some sort of major growth spurt. A few years ago, the Virginia Beach band was part of emoâs new wave, cranking out buzzy pop-punk tunes on a couple of albums released by Run for Cover Records. But on Good Nature, Turnover completes its transition into a dreamy indie pop band, with chiming guitars, laid-back vocals, and gauzy vibes. Often when this kind of thing happens, the artist stays tight-lipped on the reasons, but Turnover is open and honest about the stylistic shift, which it attributes to a wider palette of influences over the past few years: vintage soul and blues, Frank Ocean, electronic, the Beach Boys, bossa nova music, and jazz. (8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $26.50-30, all ages) BEN SALMON
Cry Babe, 36?, On Drugs
Rising Portland dream punk trio Cry Babe head up a hometown show at Turn! Turn! Turn! along with support from Calgary's 36? and like-minded locals On Drugs. (8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!)
Hail Satan
Opening in Portland on the same night Avengers: Endgame starts previews is a bold counterprogramming choice, but one Satan would probably appreciate the most. Director Penny Lane used her unprecedented access to the Church of Satan to create this documentary, centered on its rapid growth and its darkly humorous fight for free speech. (9:35 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9)
Martha Stax, Nicholas Merz, Being Awone
Local up-and-comers Martha Stax spearhead an eclectic night of retro-leaning pop, with support from Being Awone and Nicholas Merz. (9 pm, No Fun, $5)
RĂźfĂźs du Sol
Australian-based indie-dance trio RĂźfĂźs du Sol plays energetic, life-pumping music that's not only a perfect bouncy fit for your butt, but also your head. Their hit "Desert Night" is clean and accessible, without being overproduced, and it's just the kind of keyboard-driven electronica that will hypnotize you onto the dance floor. (8 pm, Roseland, $30-35)
LSD and the Search for God, The Asteroid No. 4, The Stargazer Lillies
The San Fransisco dream rock and noise pop outfit return to town to head up a show at the Liquor Store. Pennsylvania rockers the Stargazer Lillies and California's The Asteroid No. 4 round out the bill. (8:30 pm, The Liquor Store, $10-12)
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
