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Friday, Aug 30
Blink-182, Lil Wayne
A short trek out to Ridgefield (plus some traffic) is more than worth it to see drummer Travis Barker and Lil Wayne do their thing on this strangely matched Blink 182/Lil Wayne co-headliner tour. Hip-hop icon Lil Wayneâs The Carter V is actually quite satisfying and saw the rapper enter a more philosophical era. And letâs not forget the genius of his older cuts like âPussy, Money, Weedâ âHow to Love,â and his mega-hits like âLollipopâ and âA Milli.â Back in 2014, I saw Wayne on the significantly more digestible âDrake Vs. Lil Wayneâ tour and it was epic; thereâs nothing like hearing and seeing that lighter spark in person right before he gets into whatever word-drunk verse is on the menu. Get to Sunlight Supply Amphitheater early, and bring snacks for the car rideâthereâs probably traffic getting in and out of the parking lot. (Fri Aug 30, 7:30 pm, Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, $50 & Up) JENNI MOORE
The National, Alvvays
The National havenât made a bad album since finding their groove on Alligator, but 2017âs Sleep Well Beast never quite clicked completely. The band sounded a little bit bored and agitated, and the electronic frippery only highlighted the aimlessness. They were bound to make something unremarkable at some point. It happens. But the National have made a full recovery with I Am Easy to Find, on which frontman Matt Berninger shares the microphone with a host of guest vocalists (including Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle and Kate Stables) who sing new and soaring life into the Nationalâs slow-building epiphanies. (Fri Aug 30, 6 pm, Edgefield, $54) CHRIS STAMM
Antiquated Future Records Anniversary Party
Happy birthday to Portland label Antiquated Future Records, which is celebrating seven years of putting out diverse DIY music. Operated by Mercury contributor Joshua James Amberson, AF has been a consistent home for high-quality folk, indie-pop and lo-fi rock artists, but it has released weirder stuff, too, like last yearâs incredible four-song Prayer Hands EP from Denver ambient/drone act Midwife. What sets the label apart is its taste level; if AF puts it out, chances are itâs going to be good and/or interesting. Tonightâs shindig at Turn! Turn! Turn! doubles as a birthday party and a release show for a retrospective collection (Antiquated Future: The First Seven Years) and new works from Portland soundscape artist Indira Valley, Olympia power-pop band Guidon Bear, and Oakland post-punks Flying Circles. (Fri Aug 30, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!) BEN SALMON
The Intelligence, The Lavender Flu
A pair of Pacific NW-based art-punk and garage rock favorites kick start the weekend with a co-headline bill at Polaris Hall. (Fri Aug 30, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $10-12)
Project Fest 2019
A fundraiser not only for the Clinton Street Theater itself, but for all the independent creators and artists in the city who could use the extra support to make their music a reality. Performers include The Fabulous Downey Brothers, Sea Moss, Fire Nuns, Mood Beach, Pulling it Off, the Breakfast Boys Leisure League, Snake Dance, Tenen, and Commodius, with DJ Sets by Cam XXX and Soll. (Fri Aug 30, 5 pm, Clinton Street Theater, $9-12)
J Names
A collection of all the improv talent in Portland that begins with the letter J. Amazingly, there's a ton of it. J Names is 100% accessible and will be ASL interpreted for the live audience. Featuring special guests Stacey Hallal and drag king XXXy. (Fri Aug 30, 9:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10-12)
Stephen Marley, DJ Shacia Payna
Stephen "Ragga" Marley is the second eldest son of reggae legend Bob Marley. Also know as "Raggamuffin," Stephen is a Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and producer, and a chart topping reggae musician in his own right. (Fri Aug 30, 8 pm, Roseland, $26)
Jak Knight, Zack Fox
Los Angeles-based comedian and writer Jak Knight is a past Bridgetown Comedy Festival performer who you may recognize from his appearances on Comedy Centralâs The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, @Midnight, and Adam Devineâs House Party. Tonight he returns to Portland to split a co-headline bill at Mississippi Studios with Atlanta-raised comedian, illustrator, MC, and frequent Awful Records collaborator, Zack Fox. (Fri Aug 30, 8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $20-25)
Kirko Bangz
Houston-hailing singer/songwriter and producer Kirko Bangz brings his hip-hop and R&B sounds back to the Paris Theatre for a late-night Portland stop on his "Still Progressing" Tour. (Fri Aug 30, 10 pm, Paris Theatre, $20)
Sponge, Purusa, Stereo Embers
The long-running post-grunge and alt-rock band out of Detroit hit Dante's for the Portland stop on a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their debut album, Rotting Piñata. (Fri Aug 30, 9 pm, Dante's, $20)
Saturday, Aug 31
Girls Gone Mild: A Stand-Up Brunch
An evening of stand-up for the gentler sex. Which one is that again? Is that the one with big feathers, or the one in a leather jacket? One thing we know for sure is Kirsten Kuppenbender, Amanda Arnold, and Elena C. Hayden are funny as hell. Pretty much everyone else on the bill works for the Mercury in some capacity. Kate Murphy is the host of our I, Anonymous Show. D. Martin Austin and Erin Jean O'Regan write for us. This is a killer line-up and promises to be a chill evening of laughing your head off. (Sat Aug 31, 8 pm, Siren Theater, $10-15) SUZETTE SMITH
Godzillathon
We're all familiar, I suspect, with Godzilla as a concept, but how many installments of the legendary kaiju franchise have you actually seen? Thankfully, the Hollywood Theatreâs weekend-long GODZILLATHON represents a great opportunity to stomp-stomp-stomp through Godzilla's swinging â70s oeuvre. The four movies on offerâDestroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla on Monster Island, produced by Japanese production company Toho in rapid succession from 1968 to 1974ârepresent the big green dino-lizard at his goofiest and most accessible. (Fri-Sun Aug 30-Sept 1, Hollywood Theatre) BEN COLEMAN
Shonen Knife, Me Like Bees
Formed by sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano and drummer Michie Nakatani, Shonen Knife has been making fuzzy pop songs about food (like cookies) and alternative rock groups (like Redd Kross and the Buzzcocks) for more than three decades. The band sounds like a cross between the Ramones (they have a Ramones tribute album), â60s girl group the Pleasure Seekers, and Beat Happening (Calvin Johnson released a Shonen Knife compilation on his label K Records). Despite these similarities, Shonen Knife deconstructed early rock and punk and created a totally new sound. (Sat Aug 31, 9 pm, Dante's, $13-15) ISABEL LYNDON
Young Franco, Reva DeVito
R&R (&R) alert: Portland-based singer Reva Devito and Red Bull have teamed up for a rooftop party at Division Heights. Devito will play new music from her forthcoming record at sunset, and then Young Franco will spin us into the night and keep the party jumpinâ with danceable tunes. And, because Red Bull parties are the best parties, the first $1,000 of Red Bull drinks are free. Need I say more? (Sat Aug 31, 4 pm, Concrete Arcade/Division Heights, $10-15) JENNI MOORE
Discogs Record Fair
Virtual music marketplace Discogs has become an invaluable tool for online record hounds, but every year the Oregon-based site hosts this record fair with face-to-face transactions that fosters a real record-collecting community. Expect over two dozen vinyl vendors, plus sets from some of Portland's best DJs, and more! (Sat Aug 31, noon, White Owl Social Club, free) NED LANNAMANN
Tropical Fuck Storm, Melt, Vice Device
Melbourne art-punks Tropical Fuck Storm arenât just a collective driven by a provocative band name; theyâre also potentially one of the more enigmatic experimental post-rock acts in the world today. Fronted by Garreth Liddiard of the Drones and rounded out by an all-star lineup of Australiaâs raddest female rockers, TFS strips the four-minute rock song to its studs and refashions it as a poetic, gloomy, oft-times beat-heavy reinvention on both their 2018 debut, A Laughing Death in Meatspace and new LP, Braindrops. Both are big, brooding records, absolutely gushing with strange sonic overtones, and the saccharine salve of twisted melodies churning throughout. (Sat Aug 31, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $13-15) RYAN J. PRADO
Sinbad
A full weekend of stand-up with the veteran comedian and actor who got his start on Star Search before becoming a household name for his starring roles in Houseguest, First Kid, and Jingle All the Way. (But not Shazam. Because that's not a movie. So he was never in it. There's a whole story about it. Your memory likes to fuck with you. He'll probably talk about it in the show.) (Aug 31-Sept 1, Sat 7:30 pm & 10 pm, Sun 7:30 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $35)
Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake
Tonightâs match against Real Salt Lake finds the Timbers at the halfway point of their record-setting 10-game homestand. While opposing teams have done their best to bunker in and slow Portlandâs rise up the table, emerging stars like Marvin Loria and TomĂĄs Conechny have been instrumental in finding ways to unlock stubborn defenses. With their sights set on a coveted home playoff game, expect a well-rested Timbers side to put on a show at Providence Park tonight. (Sat Aug 31, 7:30 pm, Providence Park, all ages) CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Sister Nancy, Gavinchi Brown
The Jack London Revue invites you to spend Saturday night with Jamaican DJ and singer Sister Nancy, known for her hit song "Bam Bam" along with her time spent dominating the dancehall scene of the '80s and '90s. (Sat Aug 31, 9 pm, Jack London Revue, $25-30)
Crash Test Dummies
The Canadian alt-rock veterans return to the Aladdin Theatre for the Portland stop on a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 1993 album, God Shuffled His Feet. (Sat Aug 31, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $39.50-42)
Comedy Party PDX
The Pegasus Project hosts an outdoor comedy showcase and party in Montavilla, with food, drinks, and stand-up from Corina Lucas, Milan Patel, Shain Brenden, Max Fortune, and Jeremiah Coughlan. Hosted by Hunter Donaldson and Jake Silberman. (Sat Aug 31, 7 pm, Pegasus Project PDX, $10)
Sunday, Sept 1
Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week
Grumbling about gentrification while shopping at Whole Foods and spending money at big-name restaurants doesnât get you anywhere. Put your money where your mouthâs at during this, the last day of Portland's sixth annual Support Black-Owned Restaurants Week. Help Portlandâs African-American businesses prosper in a city thatâs routinely uprooted them. Visit a few of Portlandâs 90 Black-owned restaurants serving West African cuisine, Caribbean food, East African dining, soul food, BBQ, and other delicacies. Check the directory for a complete list of eateries, and then give them your money and your support. Your belly (and community) will thank you. (Sun Sept 1, Various Locations, all ages) ALEX ZIELINSKI
In the Heights
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton is clever, devastating, and revolutionary. Using a predominately non-white cast to recount the life of Alexander Hamilton with a hip-hop soundtrack, it almost singlehandedly revived nationwide interest in Broadway. But when Hamilton was still a twinkle in the Pulitzer-winning MacArthur Genius' eye, his first musical, In the Heights, was a Broadway hit in its own right, and now it's coming to Portland, ahead of it (finally) being adapted to the big screen soon. (Sun Sept 1, 2 pm & 7:30 pm, Portland Center Stage, $25-92)
David Crosby & Friends
Classic rockâs favorite grumpy uncle has evolved from aging mustachioed relic into that most 21st century of things: a fantastic social media personality. David Crosby has already left behind more than enough for any one personâs legacy: his pioneering work and bridge-burning break with the Byrds, his ongoing feuds and subsequent reconciliations with Stills, Nash, and Young; his prison time on drug charges; and his surprising contribution to the Melissa Etheridge family tree. But Croz also wields a hilariously curt, insightful tongue through his Twitter handle, where he writes short, fantastic responses to questions from fans and troublemakers alike. Is it the best thing David Crosby has ever been involved in? Noâthat would be his drowsy, sun-dappled masterpiece of a solo album, 1971âs If I Could Only Remember My Name. But Crosby continues to surprise and evolve more than half a century after âMr. Tambourine Man.â Weâre lucky to still have him around. (Sun Sept 1, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $65-85)
Weeed, Dorotheo
Bainbridge Island psych-freaks Weeed head down to Rontoms and meet up with Mexico's Dorotheo for a solid Sunday Session. (Sun Sept 1, 8 pm, Rontoms, free)
NunCraft
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence host this all-day crafting extravaganza tailored for the LGBT community and families, with plenty of projects and even some lunch if you're there by noon. (Sun Sept 1, noon, Q Center, $1-10, all ages)
Bridge Club Season Closer
All good things have to end, and if you like dancing your ass off, that good thing is Bridge Club, and tonight marks the end of it's seventh season, but they made sure to bring out a pair of heavy hitters for their final show: Atlanta's Vicki Powell, and LA's Sindri, with local support from Orographic, Hold My Hand, Pocket Rock-It, Troubled Youth, and Casual Aztec. (Sun Sept 1, 3 pm, White Owl Social Club, $10)
Head Cleaner: Return to Oz
The sequel to one of the most beloved motion pictures of all time. Also a film that scarred a generation. And not just because of the Wheelers (although Jesus Christ the goddamned Wheelers), but because even if you don't have the the classic 1939 musical to compare it againstâwhich was in its own way softly nightmarishâthe editing, the music, the imagery? It's all off-putting and slippery, aiming for a blend of whimsical and edgy and winding up somewhere closer to diet David Lynch. Return to Oz is like following the yellow brick road and finding out it turned into Mulholland Drive somewhere behind you. But, you knowâfor kids! (Sun Sept 1, 7 pm, Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium, $8-10) BOBBY ROBERTS
Seratones, Mink Shoals
As the birthplace of jazz, Louisiana has produced enough influential artists to fill Lake Pontchartrain, most recently the Seratones. Lead singer AJ Haynes sculpted her righteous pipes at age six at Brownsville Baptist Church in Columbia, Louisiana. The bandâs members found each other a few years ago after playing in various Shreveport punk outfits. Upon signing with the Black Keysâ label, Fat Possum Records, the Seratones slathered a hearty handful of swampy blues rock all over their full-length debut, Get Gone, recorded at Dial Back Studios in Mississippi. Between Haynesâ Karen O-inspired vocals, dirty guitar licks with a hint of melancholy, and constant nods to old school soul, itâs safe to say the Seratones arenât stuck in any genre. (Sun Sept 1, 9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $13) ROSE FINN
Ronnie Wright
Portland's own Ronnie Wright (AKAÂ BeSpeak) heads up the latest installment of Soul Sundays at the Jack London Revue. (Sun Sept 1, 9 pm, Jack London Revue, $18-20)
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
