Lents Street Fair
If youâre yearning for some of that old-school Portland weirdnessâthe kind that is less twee and more realâthen do not miss the annual extravaganza known as the Lents Street Fair! They have food, a beer garden (and a root beer garden for the kids), live music, a 26-foot inflatable slide, a 90-foot inflatable obstacle course, and the much beloved highlightâthe Chicken Beauty Contest. It does not get much more ârealâ than this. For more information, visit lentsfair.org. (Sun Aug 11, 11 am, Wattles Boys & Girls Club, free, all ages) WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Maarquii
High femme rapper/multidisciplinary artist Maarquii invites the public to wear their best full outfit to a video premiere party in Kenilworth Park thatâll double as a cookout. Produced by Philip Berger and Fran Bittakis of Joop Joop Creative, the video was filmed on location in Portland and promises âvignettes of fantasy, sexuality, power and dance,â plus hot rods and a taste of S&M. In addition to seeing their new visual for the saucy track âFull Outfit,â a sexed-up highlight from their debut full-length C.A.B.O. (Cut A Bitch Off), attendees can load-up on potato salad, mac ânâ cheese, cornbread, and banana pudding from Moelicious Burgers and Wings. Bring a blanket or low-profile lawn chair, and your own snacks if you have dietary restrictions. (Fri Aug 9, 7 pm, Kenilworth Park, free, all ages) JENNI MOORE
Open Signal Fest
A unique and local media festival from Open Signal, celebrating the community and its abundance of creativity, with live music, comedy, and performance art, as well as visual art, interactive works, a giant geodesic dome, food and drink carts, and workshops for those looking to exercise their inventiveness at one of the city's very best places to do it.(Sat Aug 10, noon, Open Signal, $8-10)
Cool Original, Dogbreth, Alien Boy, Growing Pains
I had this sci-fi idea where I could get a sad song with vague lyrics about driving in bad weather implanted near my bicep to release feelings of trauma and feeling cold. Then I wouldn't desperately hunger for songs like those found on I Never Said I Didnât Care, the latest release from Cool Original (formerly known as Cool American). Synthesizing gravelly indie rock with Morrissey-level melodies, the album builds a mountain of hook-laden tracks, inclining in catchiness and peaking with âItâs Not Like Thatâ and âTeethingâ at the midpoint. (Fri Aug 9, 7 pm, Black Water Bar, $6) SUZETTE SMITH
Funktown PDX w/ Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse
The Portland funk purveyors bring their danceable groves out to Holladay Park before the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (AKA the best superhero movie of 2018) explodes on the big screen. Part of Portland Parks and Recreationâs 2019 Concerts in the Park series. (Fri Aug 9, 6:30 pm, Holladay Park, free, all ages)
Dogheart, Ghost Frog, Super Hit
There are a million(-ish) bands in Portland, and a lot of them are even good! Take, for example, this three-band bill, which features dudes doing good things with guitars. Super Hit seems to be a one-man bedroom-pop project from a guy named Kyle Handley who knows how to write a sharp melody. Ghost Frog sounds like a post-punk band playing lounge music in a seedy bar on Jupiter. And Dogheart is one of the best-kept secrets in town. Their new album, Yeah No for Sure, is a lovely blend of bummed-out folk-pop and surf-rock that fits in nicely with, oh, the past 30+ years of indie rock. (Sat Aug 10, 8:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $8) BEN SALMON
Bright Moments
A tribute concert honoring André Stjames, and benefitting Bravo Youth Orchestras, with performances froM Thollem McDonas, Tim DuRoche, John Savage, Mary Sutton, and more. (Sat Aug 10, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $10)
Music Millennium Customer Appreciation BBQ
Now in its 27th year, the Music Millennium Customer Appreciation BBQ featues an array of food and drink from an array of local sponsors (including Portland Beverage, La Buca, Movie Madness, Off the Griddle, Staccato Gelato, and many more), a prize wheel, and live music from Ragon Linde (11am), Roselit Bone (noon), Rich Layton & Tough Town (1pm), Reverberations (2pm), Tracey Fordice (3pm), Johanna Keith and the Paradigm Crushers (4pm), and Louder Oceans (5pm). (Sat Aug 10, 11 am, Music Millennium, free, all ages)
Providence Bridge Pedal
The fact that the best part about Bridge Pedal isnât biking over Portlandâs mightiest bridges to the beat of Japanese Taiko drumming should say something. While pedaling across bridges usually reserved for cars feels really cool, the true highlight is zipping through downtown Portland on I-405. If you want to envision the future of a car-free society where bikes rule the freeways (while eating a free doughnut), look no further. (Sun Aug 11, 6 am, SW Naito & Taylor, free) ALEX ZIELINSKI
Chuck Westmoreland, Fronjentress
Acclaimed Portland singer/songwriter Chuck Westmoreland brings his blend of country rock to the Doug Fir patio to head up the latest in the Pickin' On Sundays series. Likeminded locals Fronjentress round out the proceedings. (Sun Aug 11, 3 pm, Doug Fir, free)
And And And, Marshall Poole
Portland indie rock stalwarts And And And head up the latest installment of Sunday Sessions at Rontoms, with Boise's Marshall Poole rounding out the bill with their own infectious blend of psych-rock and pop. (Sun Aug 11, 8 pm, Rontoms, free)
Kung Fu Theater: Invincible Armour
This monthâs installment in Dan Halstedâs ongoing celebration of all things whoop-ass is the only known 35mm print of 1977's Invincible Armour, a movie that is about kung fu in the way that Armageddon is a movie about rocks. Hwang Jang Lee is an evil white-haired, Eagle Claw villain and master of the impenetrable "Iron Armour Technique." A young kung fu warrior is framed for murder, and goes on the run for his life. Now he must survive an onslaught of kung fu assaults, and master the Iron Finger Style to combat the crazed Eagle Claw master. This is wall-to-wall kung fu action featuring non-stop fight scenes, a ripped off Spaghetti Western soundtrack, and amazing fight choreography by Yuen Woo Ping. (Tues Aug 13, 7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) ERIK HENRIKSEN
POPgoji
The Portland seven-piece has made a big impact with its style of Brazilian soul. Catch up with them this evening as they join the Music on Main summer concert series. (Wed Aug 14, 5 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, free, all ages)
Layperson, Cay is Okay, Half Shadow, Crowey
Layperson, the solo project of Julian Morris (Little Star, Post Moves), brings his emotive and infectious blend of bedroom pop and rock to the Fixin' To for a tour kickoff show with Half Shadow. Cay is Okay and Crowey lend their support. (Wed Aug 14, 9 pm, The Fixin' To, $7)
Revolution Comedy
Chris Johnson hosts the latest installment of Revolution Comedy at the Kickstand Comedy Space, with Portland comedians Kate Murphy, Calaix Alexander, Brandon Lyons, and Adam Pasi providing the laughs, and proceeds benefitting the Black United Fund of Oregon. (Thurs Aug 15, 7:30 pm, Kickstand Comedy Space, $10)
KayelaJ, Quinn, Bocha
Fresh off the release of her debut album, D.Y.K.E. (Donât Yield, Keep Enduring), Portland-raised MC KayelaJ hits the stage at Mississippi Studios to head up a $5 show along with support from Quinn and Bocha. (Thurs Aug 15, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5)
Cool Kids Patio Show
The Doug Fir's free, outdoor comedy and music showcase takes on the dog days of summer with a refreshing blast of stand-up and music. Hosted by Nariko Ott. (Thurs Aug 15, 6 pm, Doug Fir, free)
Drag Dangerzone: A Tribute to Showgirls
The latest installment of the Drag Dangerzone showcase is being presented in tribute to one of the campiest things ever spat onto a screen in the 1990s: Showgirls, which is what happens when the writer of Flashdance and the director of Robocop try to remake All About Eve. It's kind of a birthday present for DJ Aurora, hosted by Valerie DeVille and Marla Darling. (Thurs Aug 15, 8:30 pm, Crush, $7)
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!
