Portland Mercado's 4th Anniversary
The coolest spot in deep Southeast is turning four, and you’re invited to the party. The Portland Mercado is a marketplace, food cart hub, and nonprofit business accelerator that promotes Latino entrepreneurs and culture—in other words, you can get excellent food, drinks, and pantry items here that are authentic and appropriation-free. It’s also home to the coziest neighborhood bar on Southeast Foster. Come out today to support the Mercado on its anniversary, and enjoy live music, art, and family-friendly activities. (Sat noon, Portland Mercado, free, all ages) BLAIR STENVICK
Rose Festival CityFair
Woot! Woot! It’s the funnest/cheesiest time of year when the famous Rose Festival returns for another month of random and enjoyable events, including the legit fun dragon boat races (Sat June 8-Sun June 9, 8 am-5 pm),Starlight Parade(Sat June 1, 8:30 pm, downtown), Fleet Week (Wed June 5-Mon June 10, waterfront), and Grand Floral Parade (skip this, it’s boring). And it all centers around CityFest on the waterfront where one can take in all sorts of rides, music, and elephant ears, which kicks off with an impressive, booming fireworks demonstration. So leave your cynicism at home and get into it! (Fri 5 pm, Sat-Mon 11 am, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, $8, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Karen Russell
The Pulitzer Finalist and author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove returns with Orange World and Other Stories, offering readers a brand new collection of short fiction works. (Fri 7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free)
Discodrama
Retro-futurist R&B act Chanti Darling, AKA Chanticleer Trü, is one of the most unmissable performing acts in town, and his debut full-length RNB Vol. 1 is fan-fucking-tastic. But tonight the singer/DJ/producer is spinning a DJ set in the Liquor Store’s basement for Discodrama, with a lineup that’ll also feature DJs Orso and Sappho. The show is hosted by Portland-based performance art house Drama Club, who will also put on a midnight performance. (9 pm, The Liquor Store, $10) JENNI MOORE
Justin Townes Earle
Justin Townes Earle's perfectly sad Americana shelves well beside Wilco and Josh Ritter. But JTE’s got a streak of mischief and bottom-of-the-barrel sorrow that lets you know he’s the real deal. (Fri 6 pm, Music Millennium, free, all ages) MEGAN BURBANK
Ezza Rose, J Graves, Elly Swope
Acclaimed Portland pop and rock singer/songwriter Ezza Rose heads up an intimate hometown show along with support from like-minded locals J Graves and Elly Swope. (Fri 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5)
Power of the Pig
Blanchet House provides meals to low-income and houseless communities six days per week. In addition to addressing hunger, the org operates a transitional shelter program at their farm in Carlton, Oregon. Thanks to the hungry pigs on Blanchet Farm, their meal program boasts zero food waste. Pet beloved pot-bellied pig, P. Iggy Smalls, and feed their piglet friends ($10 donation) at this fundraiser in support of Blanchet House. (Sat 11 am, Q Center, $10, all ages) EMILLY PRADO
Dogheart, Get Real, Bad Shadows
Dogheart’s new album, Yeah No for Sure, is a breezy collection of no-frills guitar-pop that strikes a perfect balance between melancholy and gleeful. It’s a record designed for the long drives and slow hangs of spring and summer—a companionate work committed to the known pleasures of the pop form. Like so many Burger Records-flavored bands, Dogheart sounds like they can see the ocean from their garage, but the Portland duo transcends contemporary context; they seem to pull as much from ’80s college rock as they do from latter-day limited cassette runs. The results are familiar but not obvious, comforting but not cloying. Yeah No for Sure is your new best friend. (Sat 9 pm, No Fun, $5) CHRIS STAMM
Andaz
For more than 15 years, DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid have been an inimitable force in the Portland dance scene. Since 2002 the power duo has hosted Andaz—their monthly bhangra, Bollywood, and desi bass dance party (the longest running on the West Coast)—and let me tell you, it is WILD. There were flashing lights and Bollywood movies playing on TVs. The air was thick with moisture, so thick that I'm pretty sure it was condensing on the ceiling. Surrounded by energetic dancers, DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid inundated late-night revelers with rhythms from South Asia and beyond. (Sat 9 pm, The Liquor Store, $5-10) CIARA DOLAN
Abronia, Opossum Sun Trail, Mouth Painter
The sonically adventurous, musically expansive local band Abronia hits the Waypost, with help from "cinematic crone primitivists" Opossum Sun Trail, and Mouth Painter. (Sat 8 pm, The Waypost, $7)
Once in a Lifetime: A Talking Heads Dance Party
DJs Ben Tactic, Nathan Detroit, and Freaky Outty head up a Saturday night dance party celebrating the music and influence of the Talking Heads. (Sat 9 pm, Holocene, $7-10)
Hungry Hungry Hip-Hop
Hungry Hungry Hip-Hop is a monthly showcase dedicated to spotlighting the many flavors and styles in Portland's hip-hop community, including live music, spoken word, and audio/visual art. Stay tuned to the event website for a complete line-up of performers. (Sat 9 pm, Mississippi Pizza Pub & Atlantis Lounge, $5)
Mattress, Studded Left, Steal Shit Do Drugs
Portland crooner Rex Marshall (AKA Mattress) transforms No Fun into an old-school Las Vegas casino with his experimental blend of soul and lounge music. But if you're hoping for a night that feels a little more anarchic, there's also a chance to Steal Shit and Do Drugs! (Sun 9 pm, No Fun, $5)
Make it So: Star Trek the Next Generation Quizzery
Local pub-quiz royalty ShanRock presents an evening so fun you'd think it was specially holodeck programmed by Riker himself. Free to play, and the winning team gets special prizes. (Sun 6 pm, The Spare Room, free)
Danbert Nobacon & Kira Wood Cramer, Fake News, Dogtooth & Nail, Potshki
Danbert Nobacon (Chumbawamba) and Kira Wood Cramer head up a Heretic House Fire Benefit show at the Twilight to help raise funds to replace musical gear, recording gear, instruments, clothes, and furniture lost in the fire. Locals Fake News, Dogtooth & Nail, and Potshki round out the proceedings. (Sun 8:30 pm, Twilight Cafe & Bar, $5-10)
Artshitz Monthly Arts & Crafts Bazaar
The High Water Mark hosts the latest installment of this D.I.Y. arts and crafts bazaar and flea market, with new art on display from Hailee Va. As always, browsing and tabling art and wares is free, with table space available as first come, first serve. (Mon 6 pm, High Water Mark, free)
Emo Nite
Dust off your My Chemical Romance T-shirt, apply excessive eyeliner, and get ready to shamelessly scream Dashboard Confessional lyrics at Holocene's bi-monthly emo night, formally known as Taking Back Tuesday. Know all the words to "Sic Transit Gloria"? You're ready. XxscenexX forever. (Tues 9 pm, Holocene, $10) BRI BREY
Sydney Wright, Whim Grace, Salvatore Manalo
Austin-based singer/songwriter Sydney Wright brings her shadowy blend of shapeshifting pop music through Portland to head up a Wednesday night show at the Bit House Saloon along with support from Whim Grace and Salvatore Manalo. (Wed 8:30 pm, Bit House Saloon, $7)
Re-run Theater: 1989 - The Year in Videos
Every now and again, Re-run Theater takes a break from its classic television necromancy and turns its resurrective powers to the glory days of MTV. This installment travels exactly 30 years back in time to 1989, when Madonna burned crosses and fondled Black Jesus while slanging Pepsi to the masses; when Paula Abdul ceased being just Janet Jackson's choreographer and became the kind of megastar who could dance with an animated rapping cat and not kill her whole career instantly; Living Colour was all about that cult of personality, Tom Petty wouldn't back down; Guns 'n' Roses went down to the Paradise City while Billy Joel read a burning encyclopedia in 4/4 time. 1989 wasn't anywhere near as weird as the '90s would prove to be ("Batdance" not withstanding) but tonight helps trace the steps towards that Hypercolor madness. (7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) BOBBY ROBERTS
Kathy Foster, James Low, Elizabeth Venable, Chuck Westmoreland
Portland singer/songwriters Kathy Foster, James Low, and Elizabeth Venable head up the latest installment of the XRAY.FM's Songwriters in the Round series at the Fixin' To. Hosted by Chuck Westmoreland. (Wed 9 pm, The Fixin' To, $5)
Broke Gravy & Friends: Summertime
The Turnout's last show of the season is also its first show in a new location! Come and say hello to the Alberta Street Pub, to summer, and to special guest storytellers Vanessa Brooks, Kisha Jarrett, Emily Hemson, Adam R. Garcia, and Nikhilesh Desai, and then sit back as Broke Gravy takes those tales and turns them into improv magic. (Wed 7:30 pm, Alberta Street Pub, $10)
AMP Fest
Portland State University’s student-run radio station KPSU brings its annual, all-ages music festival back to Parkway North to serve up an eclectic night of free music. Erin Birgy's shape-shifting jazz and pop outfit Mega Bog headlines, with Portland's own Máscaras, Layperson, Cay Is Okay, and Seattle's ings on hand to round out the proceedings. (Thurs 6 pm, Parkway North at PSU's Smith Memorial Student Union, free, all ages)
A Beat Happening
Another showcase for the city's best beatsmiths, creating grooves, breaking beats, looping the loops, and generally remixing the night itself for a couple of hours. Featuring Sxlxmxn, Sundog, Sureburt, Aldo Reign, and DJ Celly of Skratcher Portland. (Thurs 6 pm, Future Shock, free, all ages)
MDC, Dr. Mouth & the Head Nurse, The Doug Fury's, Bazooka Sharkz
While MDC (Millions of Dead Cops, Millions of Damn Christians, Multi Death Corporation, etc.) frontman and founder Dave Dictor might not be the most famous name in punk rock history, his influence is among the most important. Forming in the early ’80s in San Francisco, MDC was among the earliest hardcore bands to confront homophobia, transgender rights, animal rights, and contribute to the then-unlikely alliance of punk rock and political activism. The Long Island-born singer has called Portland home since 1995, and continues to tour with MDC, albeit with an ever-changing lineup. Although over three decades have passed since Dictor first picked up a microphone, the issues he’s speaking out against are just as relevant, and his voice is just as powerful. (Thurs 8:30 pm, Twilight Cafe & Bar, $8) SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
There's even more to do in our Cheap, Free, & Fun calendar, and don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
