Fall is the season where leaves turn gold and amber hues enrich the landscape, so it only makes sense that the rich golden wonderfulness of NACHO WEEK begins here and now, right? That's not the only wonderfulness on the menu, of course: A pair of hometown heroes return for nights full of ha-has; Zadie Smith shares stories, Tyler the Creator gets weird, Ural Thomas brings the Pain, and so much more. Hit the links below and load your plate accordingly.

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Monday, Oct 14

The Portland Mercury's Nacho Week
Ever since we announced that the Portland Mercury's Nacho Week was coming in 2019, nacho-lovers (and totcho-lovers, and whatever other kind of -cho you're enamored with eating) have not only rejoiced, but waited with bated breath for an idea of what sort of cheese-drenched goodness would available to them at the low low cost of $5. WAIT NO LONGER, you fine aficionachos! YOUR DAY NACHO WEEK, brought to you by Corona USA and Hornitos Tequila, HAS FINALLY COME! (Starts Mon, Oct 14, Various Locations, $5, click here for participating venues)

Tyler the Creator, Blood Orange, Goldlink
Tyler, the Creator’s debut album Goblin definitely wasn’t for everyone, but luckily, the artist’s career trajectory shows he’s not afraid to evolve. Personally, I enjoy that the rapper/singer/producer/director has been making pretty, sonically profound hip-hop (with wayyyyyy fewer instances of anti-gay slurs) as of late. With all its sonic and thematic genius, it’s no wonder Igor is Tyler, the Creator’s first number-one album on the Billboard 200. Having seen Tyler, the Creator at Memorial Coliseum for his “Flower Boy” tour, I can confirm he’s quite the entertainer. During Tyler’s set, the all-ages audience will be subjected to an energetic, vulnerable, at-times-theatrical display. (Mon Oct 14, 7 pm, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, $26.50-56.60) JENNI MOORE

Chris Ware, Lynda Barry
Powell’s City of Books does not seem large enough to contain the might of these two dynamos of the indie comics world, Lynda Barry (One! Hundred! Demons!) and Chris Ware (Jimmy Corrigan). Since Barry was recently awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant, I predict a madhouse for her alone—not to mention her new book Making Comics, which continues the outstanding comics art instruction of 2014’s Syllabus. Ware’s last big (literally enormous) work Building Stories met similar acclaim and since Rusty Brown sounds like a return to a more accessible book-sized comic, I would expect every comics fan in Portland to show. May the odds ever be in your favor! (Mon Oct 14, 7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free) SUZETTE SMITH

Aldous Harding, Hand Habits
Aldous Harding’s odd brand of uneasy listening is unpindownable. Simultaneously familiar and alien, like a childhood home remembered in a dream, the New Zealand folk singer/songwriter seems to be sending dispatches from a sideways world, one where Nick Drake’s lilt and Marlene Dietrich’s growl live in glorious accord. Her latest album, Designer, doesn’t contain anything as immediately thrilling as “Blend” or “Living the Classics”—both of which appeared on 2017’s Party—but a slow reveal suits Harding. When she clobbers you with the stark and stunning penultimate track, “Heaven Is Empty,” you’ll be too turned around by her strange magic to see it coming. (Mon Oct 14, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $20-24, all ages) CHRIS STAMM

Lucero, Vandoliers
For a band with a sound so deeply rooted in their home city's musical past, Memphis alt-country and punk rock outfit Lucero sure spend a lot of time on the road. Tonight they swing back through Portland for a headlining show at the Hawthorne Theatre. (Mon Oct 14, 8 pm, Hawthorne Theatre, $25-30)

Black Lips, Blue Rose Rounders
Fresh off a co-headline tour with Danish punks Iceage, the long-running garage rock act out of Atlanta brings their rowdy live show back to town for a stop on their West Coast tour. (Mon Oct 14, 9 pm, Dante's, $20-25)

Kazu
After nine albums with Blonde Redhead, Japanese musician Kazu Makino steps out for an intimate Portland stop on a North Ameican tour supporting her solo debut, Adult Baby, which was released in September via her newly-minted record of the same name. (Mon Oct 14, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $20-23)

The Manhattan Transfer
The long-running jazz vocal and a cappella group out of New York City make their way back to town for a headlining show at Revolution Hall supporting their latest album, The Junction. (Mon Oct 14, 8 pm, Revolution Hall, $55-65)

Tuesday, Oct 15

Zadie Smith
Award-winning, best-selling, highly acclaimed author Zadie Smith comes to Portland's Revolution Hall to read from and talk about her first-ever short story collection, Grand Union. Admission includes a copy of the book. (Tues Oct 15, 7:30 pm, Revolution Hall, $37)

Babymetal, The Hu
The creation of kawaii metal, a Japanese genre that features adorable pop moppets fronting power metal bands, felt downright inevitable. Especially after being confronted with Babymetal, the most popular group to emerge from this subgenre. Watching the trio of young women throwing down synchronized dance moves in matching goth schoolgirl outfits as they sing about chocolate, karate, and female foxes, the whole thing still feels wholly market-tested and manufactured. Which would be obnoxious if it weren’t so damn fun. (Tues Oct 15, 8 pm, Roseland, $49 & Up, all ages) ROBERT HAM

Winonafest: A Winona Ryder Themed Drag Show
Tacky Wacky Inc presents a Winona Ryder-themed drag show, with an array of talented performers bringing characters from Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Stranger Things, Little Women, and more to life on the Crush stage. Hosted by Wolfgang X, with music by DJ Aurora. (Tues Oct 15, 8:30 pm, Crush, $12)

Son Volt, Peter Bruntnell
Jay Farrar is an old soul. He has been since at least 1992, when he stripped most of the punk power and fury from his band Uncle Tupelo and recorded an album of prewar traditionals and acoustic originals called March 16-20, 1992. His longtime project Son Volt has always had an anachronistic feel, whether tackling road-weary roots-rock (as on the band’s classic 1995 debut Trace) or classic country (see 2013’s Honky Tonk). Son Volt’s 2017 album, Notes of Blue, continues this theme, exploring a frenetic, electric strain of the blues inspired by 20th-century legends like Mississippi Fred McDowell and Skip James. Present as always is Farrar’s voice, one of the most distinctive in roots music, and his reliable cache of cozy melodies. Listening to the guy sing is like opening an old leather book. The appeal never wears off, no matter how many times you do it. (Tues Oct 15, 8 pm, Aladdin Theater, $27.50-30, all ages) BEN SALMON

Altin GĂŒn
Few bands were as blindsiding during this year’s Pickathon as Holland’s Altin GĂŒn, and the resonance of their groovy, psych maelstrom still lingers. On the band’s sophomore record, Gece, they splice funky rhythmic witchery with squalling guitar fuzz and Anatolian melodic flourishes. It’s a recipe for introspective meditation or a no-one’s-watching dance fit, or maybe both at once. Funktastic tunes like “Anlatmam Derdimi” or “Yolcu” pop in and out of twisted sonic territory, invoking a hypnotic realm of exotic psych-rock that is extremely welcome. Continuing their stateside invasion following their triumphant Pendarvis Farm appearances, Altin GĂŒn in the relatively intimate confines of Mississippi Studios will be something else. (Tues Oct 15, 8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $18-20) RYAN J. PRADO

Bush, Live, Our Lady Peace
Bush were probably always going to be dismissed as grunge carpetbaggers but cosplaying as Nirvana on the Steve Albini-produced Razorblade Suitcase sealed the deal. Gavin Rossdale and company were straight-up shameless. They also utterly misunderstood their own strength: writing huge, dumb anthems with the sharp edges of a milkshake. The band’s debut, Sixteen Stone, is a pop monolith that reaches stratospheric heights on “Glycerine,” which might be an even better power ballad than Candlebox’s “Far Behind.” That’s about as good as radio-friendly unit-shifters got in the mid-’90s, and we can never take that away from them. (Tues Oct 15, 7 pm, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, $23-171) CHRIS STAMM

Fink
British producer and singer/songwriter Fin Greenall, better known by his stage name Fink, brings his ambient folk, indie rock, and blues through the Doug Fir Lounge for the Portland stop on his latest North American tour. (Tues Oct 15, 9 pm, Doug Fir, $16-18)

Wednesday, Oct 16

The Regrettes
We could all learn a lesson or two from Los Angeles’ brutally honest punk band the Regrettes—lessons like it’s always better to speak your mind, music is generally better when it’s louder, and there’s no such thing as too young. The band self-released their debut EP Hey! in 2015 when singer Lydia Night was just 14 years old, and caught the attention of Warner Brothers Records. In 2017, they released their first full-length, Feel Your Feelings Fool! Night delivers unapologetic lyrics with just the right amount of sarcasm over melodies that teem with infectious pop hooks, catchy guitar riffs, tight punk drums, and youthful rebellion that updates the classic riot grrrl sound. (Wed Oct 16, 8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $16-18, all ages) DELANEY MOTTER

Amy Miller
On a recent episode of Amy Miller’s podcast, Who’s Your God?, a guest comedian explained why he was toning back on angry humor. By contrast, he said, Miller’s stage rage could be read as empowerment. “Or crazy,” Miller interjected with a laugh. That sort of shit is what makes Miller a comedy hero. She’s clever as hell. Her jokes are fresh and sweetly dangerous, and she’s also still willing to engage and destroy common fallacies. Now that she lives in LA, we get to see her about once a year, and this is it! Don’t miss out, Portland. You know you love her! (Wed Oct 16, 8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $15-23) SUZETTE SMITH

Desmond Meade
Voting rights activist and Executive Director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Desmond Meade heads up the latest installment of the Oregon Humanities Think & Drink lecture series at the Alberta Rose Theatre. (Wed Oct 16, 7 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $15-30)

Lithics, Sun Foot, Collate
Lithics minimalist post-punk pulses and chirps, manically pushing forward and pulling back, while building insistent loops before pretending to fall apart, as vocalist Aubrey Hornor brings an understated, bordering-on-spoken-word nonchalance. This restraint, at least on record, keeps the tension high, while also keeping something bubbling below the surface, waiting. (Wed Oct 16, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14) JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON

Richard Powers
An evening hearing from the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, reading from the book and discussing the very real and not fictional conflict between humanity and the rest of creation. Admission includes a copy of the book. (Wed Oct 16, 7:30 pm, Revolution Hall, $28.95)

Delta Rae, Frances Cone
The Durham, North Carolina-hailing folk-rock, Americana, and blues outfit headed up by siblings Ian, Eric, and Brittany Hölljes bring their harmony-laden sounds back to town for a headlining show at the Doug Fir Lounge. (Wed Oct 16, 8 pm, Doug Fir, $25-28)

Ayokay
Los Angeles-via-Detroit DJ and producer Alex O'Neill, better known by his stage name Ayokay, brings his unique blend of pop- and R&B-informed EDM to the Holocene stage for an all-ages show supporting his latest album, we come alive. (Wed Oct 16, 8 pm, Holocene, $16-18, all ages)

Thursday, Oct 17

Matt Braunger
Bridgetown Comedy Festival co-founder Matt Braunger is based in LA now, but he still returns to Portland often to deliver his self-deprecating, non-toxic-dude brand of standup. “Do you recognize the fact that you’re wearing a hockey jersey and basketball shorts, you pile of crap?” Braunger implored of men who complain about their marriages on a Conan guest spot. On his recent standup special Live in Portland, Braunger even manages to make “wokeness”—the most exhausted comedic topic of the decade, I’d argue—feel fresh and funny. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $20) BLAIR STENVICK

Ural Thomas & the Pain, Tribe Mars
Led by Ural Thomas (a seasoned soul singer from Portland’s Albina district) and including local drummer/producer Scott Magee, Ural Thomas & the Pain formed in 2013 and have rightly been rising in popularity ever since. Their aptly named 2018 LP, The Right Time, is a collection of timeless R&B and soul. Much of the album’s track list pulls from material that’s decades old (some are from 1968’s Can You Dig It
 Live!), but the vast majority feels relevant and in tune with the current vintage-soul renaissance being embraced by newer, younger artists à la Black Pumas and the War and Treaty. The show’s trusty openers are interstellar hip-hop/jazz fusion band Tribe Mars, another locally based, magical unicorn of a band the city shan’t take for granted. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $20-24) JENNI MOORE

IPRC Print Spree
Last year was the Independent Publishing Resource Center’s first every Print Spree—a gallery show and sale featuring $30 prints by 20 local artists. To our delight, the IPRC’s decided to do it again—this time starting the event with a panel discussion with print artists and curators. All proceeds from the print sales will go back to the artists and the IPRC’s print space. (Thurs Oct 17, 6:30 pm, Tillamook Station, free) BLAIR STENVICK

Hozier
Fresh off the release of his sophomore album, Wasteland, Baby!, Irish singer/songwriter Andrew Hozier-Byrne, known professionally by his stage name Hozier, brings his soulful blend of blues, folk, and indie rock to the Theater of the Clouds for his biggest Portland show to date. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Theater of the clouds, $36.50-56.50)

Beethoven v. Coldplay
Hot on the heels of their Brahms and Radiohead mashup, conductor Steve Hackman and the Oregon Symphony bring you on another century-spanning musical experiment that sets out to pair Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony with some of Coldplay's biggest hits, including “Fix You,” “Paradise,” and “The Scientist.” Note: Neither Beethoven nor Coldplay will perform on this concert.  (Thurs Oct 17, 7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $25 & Up)

The Delines, Shelley Short
Fresh off the release of their latest full-length, The Imperial, the local country rock and soul outfit headed up by Amy Boone, Willy Vlautin, and a who's who local musicians takes control of the stage at Polaris Hall. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Polaris Hall, $15-17)

You Need Help
A new stand-up showcase that adds advice to the jokes so that you leave with a little knowledge on top of all the laughs. Christian Burke and Jenna Vesper host, with sets (and advice) from Dylan Carlino, Kat Buckley, D Martin Austin, and Corina Lucas, with live music by Cloudlines. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Bit House Saloon, $5)

Rick Wakeman
The renowned and prolific English keyboardist, songwriter, producer best known for his multiple stints in the progressive rock band Yes brings the "Grumpy Old Rock Star Tour" to Portland for a headlining show at Revolution Hall. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Revolution Hall, $45)

Lubec, Helens, Being Awone
Portland noise pop and indie rock stalwarts Lubec hit Turn! Turn! Turn! to celebrate the release of their latest, Against Nature. Like-minded locals Helens and Being Awone round out the proceedings. (Thurs Oct 17, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5)

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!