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Monday, Sept 30
Sabrina Claudio, Gallant
Alternative R&B singer Gallantâs voice sounds like if Maxwellâs sky-high falsetto was anchored by Usherâs hearty tone and romantic runs. Gallantâs star has been steadily rising ever since his 2015 hit âWeight in Goldâ took off; his studio debut, 2016âs Ology, received critical acclaim for its lyricism, distinct sound, and vocal proficiency. Recently, he and airy-voiced singer Sabrina Claudio (this showâs headliner) collaborated on âCompromise,â and his other new single âSleep on Itâ is also a bop. While this time heâs appearing at the Crystal as a âspecial guestâ on Claudioâs âTruth Isâ tour, Gallantâs opening set will be the highlight. (Mon Sept 30, 8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $27.50, all ages) JENNI MOORE
Joe Hill
The bestselling author of Horns and Locke and Key returns with Full Throttle, collecting over a dozen of Hill's supernatural thrillers, including âIn the Tall Grass,â one of two stories co-written with his father Stephen King, and the basis for the upcoming Netflix movie of the same name. (Mon Sept 30, 7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free)
Marc Rebillet
Marc "Loop Daddy" Rebillet brings his one-man show through the Wonder to explore the bizarre world of looping art (Mon Sept 30, 8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $16-18)
!!!
Nic Offer and his NYC-based dance-punk troupe bring their kaleidoscopic sounds back to Portland for a headlining show supporting their recently released 8th studio album, Wallop. (Mon Sept 30, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $16-18)
Castanets
Singer/songwriter Raymond Raposa and his revolving band bring their blend of country, folk, and experimental rock to the Polaris Hall stage for a rare and intimate Portland performance. (Mon Sept 30, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $10-12)
Portland's Own Private Elvis's Official Birthday Bash!
John "Elvis" Schroder is turning 57, and Dante's is celebrating in style with a birthday blowout featuring live music from MayRay, The Savage Family Band, and Nice Stalkers, appearances by Michael Dean Damron and Harvey Hogwild, a Voodoo Doughnut birthday 'cake' and loads of doughnuts, and special performances by the King himself. (Mon Sept 30, 4 pm, Dante's, $5)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Pharmakon
âTo be well adjusted in this system is to be oblivious and unfeeling,â Margaret Chardiet writes in the artist statement for Devour, her fourth album as Pharmakon. âThis is for the rest of us, who understand that chaos, madness, pain and even self-destruction are natural and inevitable responses to an unjust and disgusting world of our own making.â Blending the harsh noise of Wolf Eyes and the incantatory menace of Diamanda GalĂĄs, Pharmakonâs latest transmission from the sick center of our devastated epoch sounds like a dying brainâs final nightmare. It is the antithesis of easy listening, because we live in the opposite of a kind and just world. We have earned this impossible soundtrack. (Tues Oct 1, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $12-14) CHRIS STAMM
Cat Hoch, Shadowgraphs, Dan Dan
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cat Hoch brings her blend of psych-tinged dream-pop to the stage at Mississippi Studios to head up a hometown show with support from like-minded locals Shadowgraphs and Dan Dan. (Tues Oct 1, 8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $10-12)
Mo Troper, Wax Statues, Joypress
Portland power-pop singer/songwriter Mo Troper shares his latest as part of an intimate hometown show at No Fun, with fellow locals Wax Statues and Joypress rounding out the Tuesday-night bill. (Tues Oct 1, 9 pm, No Fun, $5)
Relentless Splendor: A Stand-up Benefit for Keep Portland Well
Nathan Brannon heads up a mental health-themed installment of Relentless Splendor, with proceeds going to benefit Trillium Family Servicesâ âKeep Portland Wellâ campaign and their efforts to destigmatize mental and behavioral health. Rising local comedian Tory Ward rounds out the bill, with a âsilent auctionâ curated by Open Mic Gary Busey (Carson Creecy IV), a prize wheel sponsored by Trillium Family Services, stand-up bingo, a âLast Yearâs Halloween Costumeâ contest, and $1 unicorn rides. Hosted by Riley McCarthy. (Tues Oct 1, 8:30 pm, Suki's Bar & Grill, $5)
Al Di Meola
Renowned jazz guitarist Al Di Meola brings his adventurous sounds through the Aladdin Theater for the Portland stop on the "PAST. PRESENT. FUTURE." Tour, celebrating his legacy of 45 years on stage. (Tues Oct 1, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $45)
The Portland Comedy Festival
Harvey's hosts a 5-day comedy festival, with 17 shows featuring stand-up, improv, and podcasts spread across the main room and the lounge, along with a Saturday afternoon industry panel and Q&A. Featuring Tom Rhodes, Bruce Vilanch, Esther Ku, John Melendez, Felicia Michaels, Dante, Rebekah Kochan, Mark Brazill, Crystal Powell, Jessica Wellington, Eric Shantz, Nick Guerra, and more. Stay tuned to the event website for a complete line-up and ticketing info. (Tues Oct 1-Sat Oct 5, Harvey's Comedy Club)
Crumb
The NYC-based quartet headed up by guitarist/vocalist Lila Ramani brings their shape-shifting blend of pop, jazz, and psych-rock to the Wonder Ballroom stage for an all-ages show supporting their debut album, Jinx. (Tues Oct 1, 8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $20)
Wednesday, Oct 2
Too Many Zooz, Thumpasaurus, Common Slum
Too Many Zooz are a self-described "brass house" trio based out of New York City. Their subway busking was captured on video in 2014 and subsequently went viral. While most who leverage YouTube hits into music deals are innocuous pop artists, Too Many Zooz are the exception, with a high musical IQ amplified by kinetic live performances. Saxophonist Leo P. and trumpet player Matt Doe met at the Manhattan School of Music, and rounded out the group with expert percussionist David Parks, a Portland native. (Wed Oct 2, 8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $22-25) RYAN FEIGH
All Jane Comedy Festival
All Jane is your chance to scope some of the freshest, coolest voices in comedy right now: women comedians. This formerly controversialânow just fucking awesomeâfest brings in outstanding talent from all over. And because they put their focus on women in comedy, they always bring a few acts through Portland that Iâve never been able to see before, like All Jane headliner and super successful comedy pioneer Rita Rudner (sheâs generally raking in money in Vegas), Washington, DCâs hilariously irreverent Brittany Carney, LA-based Two Dykes and a Mic duo Rachel Scanlon and McKenzie Goodwin, and so many more! Seriously, the line-up this year is bonkers. Visit alljanecomedy.org for tickets, showtimes, and locations. (Wed Oct 2-Sun Oct 6, Curious Comedy Theater) SUZETTE SMITH
FashioNXT
A three-day festival of fashion, with multiple runway shows, discussions with international designers, and exhibits featuring the technological advancements that will enable the future of the industry. Click here for a complete list of events and participating designers. (Wed Oct 2-Sat Oct 5, 6 pm, Daimler Trucks North America, $25-185)
Bettye LaVette
The renowned vocalist out of Muskegon, Michigan brings her soulful blend of R&B, blues, and funk back to town for a headlining show supporting her latest album, Things Have Changed. (Wed Oct 2, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $35, all ages)
The I, Anonymous Show
Ah, I, Anonymous: That beloved part of the Mercury where mysterious, unknown heroes, jerks, and freaks say whatever profound, horrible, freakish shit they want. And oh, do they ever. But hereâs a secret: Itâs even better in live form at The I, Anonymous Show, where some of Portlandâs funniest comics react and reflect on some of the Mercury's particularly excellent anonymous offerings! This time around, itâs a special show to go along with the All Jane Comedy Festivalâboasting a lineup of Nariko Ott, Dan Weber, and JoAnn Schinderle. (Wed Oct 2, 7:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10) ERIK HENRIKSEN
Al Franken
Well, this oughta be interesting... Two years after resigning from office in the wake of several allegations of sexual misconduct, the politician, comedian, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota after becoming a household name in the '70s and '80s as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live stops off at Revolution Hall for a sold-out Portland stop on his speaking tour. (Wed Oct 2, 8 pm, Revolution Hall)
Wrabel, Joy Oladokun, Billy Raffoul
Up-and-coming Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Stephen Wrabel brings his soulful blend of pop music to the Holocene stage for the Portland stop on the "Happy People Sing Sad Songs" Tour. Joy Oladokun and Billy Raffoul round out the all-ages bill. (Wed Oct 2, 8 pm, Holocene, $16-18)
Band of Skulls
The English band headed up by Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson bring their blues-tinged garage rock back across the pond for a North American tour supporting their latest album, Love Is All You Love. (Wed Oct 2, 8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $23, all ages)
Boy Harsher, Spelling
The Northampton, Massachusetts-based synth duo headed up by Jae Matthews and Augustus Muller fuel not one, but two mid-week dance parties at the Doug Fir with their dark electropop sounds. (Wed Oct 2, 5 pm & 9 pm, Doug Fir, $16-18)
Taylor McFerrin
McFerrin's latest album Love's Last Chance is the reason for the season at the Jack London Revue, as the frequent collaborator with adventurous artists like Thundercat, Nai Palm, and Robert Glasper steps out on his own to highlight his own journeys into jazz and soul. (Wed Oct 2, 9 pm, Jack London Revue)
Thursday, Oct 3
Tegan & Sara
When youâve been successfully making music for two decades, youâre in a spot where you can comfortably take creative risksâthatâs what Tegan & Sara do with their new album, and those risks pay off. While writing a joint memoir, High School, the twins found dozens of old songs theyâd written and recorded as teenagers, preserved on cassettes. Hey, Iâm Just Like You is those songs, re-recorded with fuller sounds and minor lyrical edits. The result is a record that boasts both the diversity of sound Tegan & Sara have explored over the last 20 years, and the trademark âripped-from-a-queer teenagerâs-journalâ lyrics that first endeared their fanbase to them. In taking this creative risk, Tegan & Sara have made an album that feels almost like a therapeutic exercise: a love letter to all their former selves. (Thurs Oct 3, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $55-75, all ages) BLAIR STENVICK
The Thesis
Clear your schedule, because the latest installment of Portland's canât-miss hip hop showcase The Thesis is⌠uh, even more canât-miss-able? Is that even possible? It is when the lineup boasts excellent headliner Covi., and thereâll also be auditory astonishment from neo-soul singer Veana Baby and rhymes of both the sharp and laid-back varieties from MixxTapeRadio. (Thurs Oct 3, 9 pm, Kelly's Olympian, $10) ERIK HENRIKSEN
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey is a mood. The singer/songwriterâs new record Norman Fucking Rockwell doesnât much resemble her 2012 smash hit Born to Die, which lanced its perfect, crisp tracks like spears into the heart of US mythos and morbidity. No, Norman Fucking Rockwell is more like 2014âs Ultraviolence: a continuous river that flows forth and swallows us up in romance and sorrow. In her songs, Del Rey is an intellectual cool girl. âYou write, I tour, we make it work,â she croons on âVenice Bitch,â but when the men in Del Reyâs life are cruel, she just sort of compartmentalizes it. And while that may be frustrating on a feminist level, itâs also a bold, honest account of the realities love, in both Del Reyâs nostalgic fantasy and today. (Thurs Oct 3, 8 pm, Moda Center, 39.50 & Up, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH
Keb Mo, Alicia Michilli
The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and guitarist brings his delta blues sound back to Portland for a pair of headlining shows at Revolution Hall. (Thurs-Fri Oct 3-4, 8 pm, Revolution Hall, $45)
Jonathan Wilson, Josh T. Pearson
Donât make the mistake of relegating Jonathan Wilson to the position of second banana: Despite playing in the backing band for Roger Watersâand singing the David Gilmour partsâand serving as producer for Father John Misty, Conor Oberst, and others, Wilsonâs solo work is a bounty of far-out delights. All three of his albums for Bella Union are epic double-disc affairs, and explore the far-ranging facets of psychedelic music. The newest, Rare Birds, turns away from the laidback caterpillar smoke-ring sounds of its predecessors in favor of a more yacht-pop vibe with new-age oriented material (to give you an idea, the guest credits include Lana Del Rey and Laraaji). Live, Wilson is in command of truly transporting sound; expect a crack band of seasoned vets and lengthy jam sections. (Thurs Oct 3, 8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $20-24) NED LANNAMANN
SHIFT: An Experiment in Fashion Design
The Right Brain Initiative returns with their annual fundraiser, celebrating the region's most innovative designers and their push into sustainable fashions and couture. Includes a runway show featuring looks created from nontraditional materials and found objects, a gallery auction, an after-party, and more. (Thurs Oct 3, 6 pm, Leftbank Annex, $60-150)
Da Tykoon, Von Gage, Marcin Muzic & Criss Mythodical, Rambo Rich, The Dutchess, That Fuckin Ivan, Micah The Rapper
The "Paper or Plastic" Tour hits Portland, bringing a full-night of live hip-hop to the Hideaway courtesy of Da Tykoon, Von Gage, Marcin Muzic & Criss Mythodical, Rambo Rich, The Dutchess, That Fuckin Ivan, and Micah The Rapper. (Thurs Oct 3, 9 pm, Hawthorne Hideaway, $10)
The Growlers
From their jangly, psychedelic surf-pop songs to their sun-drenched, hedonistic lifestyle, the Growlers are ideal poster boys for Southern California. Like their Burger Records compatriots, the Growlers have spurned traditional industry procedure by recording, designing, and releasing their albums themselves and by putting in long hours on the road to build up their fanbase. (Thurs Oct 3, 8 pm, Crystal Ballroom, $32.50, all ages) SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
Blanck Mass, Helm, Steve Hauschildt
Blanck Mass, AKA Fuck Buttons co-founder Benjamin John Power, and English experimentalist Helm are responsible for two of 2019âs most exciting electronic albums (Animated Violence Mild and Chemical Flowers, respectively), and Chicago-based producer Steve Hauschildt released the fantastic Dissolvi just over a year ago. In other words, this Holocene triple bill gathers together artists who are releasing some of the best and boldest music of their careers. The eveningâsure to be filled with cinematic soundscapes, ambient textures, and perhaps some metal-leaning screams courtesy of Blanck Massâsounds cohesive and disparate in all the right ways. (Thurs Oct 3, 8 pm, Holocene, $15-17) BEN WEINSTEIN
Luke Sweeney, Lubec, Mink Shoals
San Francisco-based singer/songwriter Luke Sweeney brings his infectious blend of power pop, classic rock, and psych-folk up the West Coast in support of his latest solo album, Peace Meal. Portland's Lubec and Mink Shoals round out the bill with their own blends of shape-shifting noise pop and soulful R&B. (Thurs Oct 3, 8:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $10)
Portland's Original Iron Chef
LifeWorks NW turns the MAC into a culinary battle royale, with competitors including Steve Cain and Beau Carr of El Gaucho, Jackson Wyatt of Von Ebert, and many more. Proceeds benefit LifeWork's three Children's Relief Nurseries. (Thurs Oct 3, 6 pm, Multnomah Arts Center, $125-1150)
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!
