MLK Day of Service
Instead of simply going on Instagram and posting a regal image of Martin Luther King Jr. next to a misattributed quote this January 17, consider participating in MLK Day of Service to honor the civil rights leader’s vision for a more compassionate and just world. There are lots of celebrations, youth summits, park cleanups, and other events around Portland that aim to preserve the historical legacy of Dr. King all weekend long, but the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and its volunteer program Hands On Greater Portland can easily connect you to lots of opportunities to volunteer and be of service: from neighborhood cleanups to sorting donated children’s books to packaging food boxes for your local food bank. Or alternately, do something on your own—just make sure whatever act of service you choose is benefiting more than just you and those who look like you. (Fri Jan 17-Sun Jan 19, Various Locations, free, all ages) ALEX ZIELINSKI

SPLIFF: 2019 Encore Screenings
Hey! Did you miss last year's debut of SPLIFF, the super fun film fest by stoners for stoners? If so, that's too bad, because it was a certifiable blast—but you can make up for it by attending one of these free encore screenings! You’ll see films that will make you laugh, films that will make you think, and films that will make you ask, “What the fuck was that?!” And you might even be inspired enough to submit a film for this year’s festival. (Wed-Thurs Jan 22-23, 8 pm, show bar, free) BLAIR STENVICK

Miss Rayon
The cover to Miss Rayon’s latest EP is emblazoned with the terrifying image of the Denver International Airport's 32-foot-tall, demon-eyed horse sculpture Blue Mustang—a towering, horrific, and almost certainly sentient abomination that, it should be noted, killed its creator when it fell on him. Perhaps more importantly, the EP’s called Part Time Punks, a title that seems more than apt; with six songs that fit into a brisk 20 minutes, Miss Rayon blurs the line between sludgy post-punk and brighter indie pop. While 2018’s Eclipse offered a slicker, catchier, more layered sound, both point to a group that knows how to explore surging soundscapes with just enough restraint. (Sun Jan 19, 8 pm, Rontoms, free) ERIK HENRIKSEN

William Gibson
We may openly blame William Gibson—one of the greatest sci-fi writers of our time—for everything from the popularity of steampunk to society’s immodest flirtation with internet slang. Gibson’s readable and eerily prophetic novels (Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive) try on compelling ideas about the future of artificial intelligence, internet tribalism, 3-D printing, and like… contract gig economy workers from alternate timelines? I think that was what 2014’s The Peripheral was about. It was also a murder mystery. I liked it, and I can’t wait to crack the cover on The Peripheral’s appropriately confusing sequel (and prequel!) Agency which takes place in an alternate 2017 where the US elects its first woman president. WHAT?!? BUT THAT’S... (Wed Jan 22, 7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free) SUZETTE SMITH

Dolly Parton's Birthday Brunch
Hey Love celebrates Dolly Parton's birthday with a special brunch, with drag and bingo queen Miss Peachy Springs channeling the Smoky Mountain Songbird while some of Dolly's finest silver screen moments play out on the big screen. Sip on Dolly-themed cocktails and indulge in southern food specialties with a tropical twist while members of Golden Retriever, Kyle Kraft, Onry, and more bring some of Dolly's most beloved songs to life and DJ Goodtime Charlie digs into the crates to keep the music coming all afternoon. A portion of proceeds from sales will go toward Dolly Parton's charity, Imagination Library, which provides books to children around the country. (Sun Jan 19, noon, Hey Love, free, all ages)

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Vintage Future 3 Dance Party
Small Skies, DJ BJ, DMN, and Batterywine take control of the tables at No Fun as the intimate SE Hawthorne nightspot blasts off with the third installment of the Vintage Future dance party. (Fri Jan 17, 9 pm, No Fun, $7)

Triple Lutz, No Knuckle, Gaybysitter, Feral Spells
Enjoy yourself a loud, mind-altering experience of noise and color at the Kenton tonight. (Fri Jan 17, 8;30 pm, The World Famous Kenton Club, $5)

The Von Howlers, English Language
The Von Howlers like their brand of blues garage-bound and slightly grimy. Catch up with them tonight when they link up with local psych-rock purveyors the English Language for a raucous hometown show at the Twilight Bar. (Fri Jan 17, 8:30 pm, Twilight Cafe & Bar, $7)

Dark Web Tonight!
Ben Harkins and Kate Murphy host this late-night video clip show guiding you through the weirdest and funniest videos the Internet. Tonight's show features music by Mira Death, media by Eric Klein, and stand-up from an array of guest comics. (Fri Jan 17, 9 pm, Kickstand Comedy Space, $10, all ages)

Fighter X, Protofight, Czoft
Seattle's Fighter X links up with like-minded locals Protoflight and Czoft to bring a full slate of live chiptune music to one of Portland's finest retro video game outposts. (Sat Jan 18, 8 pm, Final Form, free)

Pelican Ossman, Guillotine Boys, Crowey
The quietly powerful power trio Pelican Ossman released one of 2019’s most underappreciated albums: Stay In the Water, a clambering collection of indie pop that feels as if it were constructed from homemade instruments held together by copious amounts of duct tape and prayer. Live, they remain wonderfully unpretentious, opting for downturned eyes and simple presentations of their jewel-like compositions. Tonight, they’re joined by another wonderful trio in Guillotine Boys, an all-instrumental crew that moves between West African-inspired skronk and dirty, noise-rock stomp. (Sat Jan 18, 8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5) ROBERT HAM

Autonomics, Duke Evers, Pulp Romance
Autonomics traffics in the kind of heartfelt, pop-tinged garage-rock meant to bang a few heads and spill a few beers. (Sat Jan 18, 8:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $8)

Strapped In
Funhouse turns over their clown-infested interior to DJs Tofu and Jackpott, who will headline a pulse-pounding night that will transform the place from a comedy haven to a house-quaking queer dance club. Hosted by Sugarpill, with performances from Max Little, Betty Dreadful, BeElzzabub Doll, Princezz Monochokeme, Sindel, Violet Hex, and Zepheur. (Sat Jan 18, 10 pm, Funhouse Lounge, $8)

Die Like Gentlemen, Jamais Jamais, t.h.Ghost
If you've heard Die Like Gentlemen, you're aware of the sludgy patchwork the four-piece is capable of stitching together, with an ability to find roots in both strong, heavy riffage and the wanderlust of contemporary progressive rock. It's a potent cocktail. Tonight they settle in at the Hallowed Halls to celebrate the release of their new acoustic album, Stories, with singer/songwriters Jamais Jamais and t.h.Ghost rounding out the proceedings. (Sat Jan 18, 8 pm, The Hallowed Halls, $10) RYAN J. PRADO

Cobra Thief, Something With Teeth, Disenchanter
Portland's Cobra Thief bring their "deep fuzzed, smoked-out" sounds to the Kenton Club for a brain-altering blowout celebrating the record release of Animal Oxygen. (Sat Jan 18, 9 pm, The World Famous Kenton Club, $5)

Layperson, Laura Palmer's Death Parade, Sawtooth
Layperson, the solo project of Julian Morris (Little Star, Post Moves), brings his emotive and infectious blend of jangly bedroom pop and indie rock to Holocene to close out the weekend with a hometown show. Like-minded locals Laura Palmer's Death Parade and Sawtooth round out the bill. (Sun Jan 19, 8:30 pm, Holocene, $8-10)

Cloud Six, New Dew
Up-and-coming local outfit Cloud Six utilize a three piece horn section to deliver an up-tempo and groovy blend of improvisational jazz and funk. (Sun Jan 19, 9 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $7)

Smokey Sunday
The latest installment of the Ranger Station's monthly hip-hop showcase and emcee cypher brings you performances from Emiliano Raps, Chain Taylor, Kmegahertz, and Tanner Hart. Hosted by That Fucking Ivan and Rhymewave. (Sun Jan 19, 7 pm, The Ranger Station, $5)

Stage Meets Screen: Heathers
Artists Repertory Theatre’s Stage Meets Screen series pairs their latest production, School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play with a screening of the original mean girls play, 1988’s Heathers, one of that decade’s few teen movies that got more relevant and timely as the years went by. (Mon Jan 20, 7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9)

Pageant, Inhalant, Pareidolia
Portland's own Pageant, Inhalant, and Pareidolia unleash their latest goth-tinged dream pop, post-punk and indie rock sounds live down in the depths of the Liquor Store's cavernous basement. (Tues Jan 21, 9 pm, The Liquor Store, $7)

Frantarctica, Voovol, Mare
The ragged, dirty punk brought noisily into existence by Frantartica has had a longstanding presence in the Portland music scene, thanks to now-iconic outfits like Dead Moon, the Frances Farmer Gals, and Neo Boys. This ensemble places itself along that continuum with a mighty, sludgy heave, a basement show, and a cheap beer-fueled blend of anger and paranoia. A new Frantarctica album is being celebrated tonight, which means there will be plenty of fresh sounds poised to bruise your insides. Get there early to experience the thrilling wonder of minimalist experimentalists Voovol. (Wed Jan 22, 8 pm, The Liquor Store, $7) ROBERT HAM

Jenny Don't & the Spurs, Kassi Valazza, Lindsey Feathers
Jenny Don't and the Spurs play vintage country and western straight out of the lonesomest corners of mid-20th century America, Don't and her cohorts sound nothing like a museum piece; rather, there's grit, sadness, and an edge of danger to these rumbling-boxcar country songs. (Wed Jan 22, 8:30 pm, Twilight Cafe & Bar, $8) NED LANNAMANN

Pop + Puppetry
Not only known for their popular, thriving dance nights, Holocene is a space that also celebrates weird, beautiful visuals—their solid decade of Fin de Cinema performances being a good example of this—so I’m intrigued by their Pop + Puppetry series, which pairs local pop bands with puppeteers. Think shadow plays for sure, but there’s also video on YouTube of an enormous puppet figure with glowing eyes, towering above the audience. So it could get weird. Hard to go wrong with a bill like this either: Korgy & Bass bring those beautifully arranged experimental electronic compositions; Night Heron is the breathy EDM project of defunct favorite Radiation City’s Cameron Spies. (Thurs Jan 23, 8 pm, Holocene, $10) SUZETTE SMITH

Wet Fruit, Gamelan Wahyu Dari Langit, Saloli
Wet Fruit grew out of percussionist Papi Fimbres’ other band, Sun Angle, the psych-rock combo he shares with guitarist Charlie Salas-Humara, among others. When Sun Angle went on hiatus a few years ago, Fimbres and Salas-Humara kept getting together and playing, simply because it was fun and they missed doing it. While Fimbres attacked his drum kit, Salas-Humara would “not focus and just shred” on guitar, Fimbres says. Sometimes, they’d add to the din with some distorted flute or droning viola. They brought in guitarist Elaina Tardif (Tender Age, Meringue), and Rebecca Rasmussen (the Wild Body, Boink) on bass. One trip through their self-titled album’s seven tracks will reveal where and how the quartet has added an element of control to its chaos. Opening track “Conceptual” ends with a sweet ’n’ sour coda of pretty vocal melodies draped over craggy guitar riffs. “Goodbaddog” puts a bright and airy spin on post-punk. “Sheetz” sounds like a Xerox of a Xerox of a Kim Deal song that didn’t make a Pixies album and was subsequently left out in the sun to melt. Album closer “Wasted Future/Relaxed Trucker” evolves from a skittering dream-pop song into an ominous, droning freak-out across its seven-minute run time. (Thurs Jan 23, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios,$5) BEN SALMON

Harold and Maude
Look at the internet for long enough and you’ll inevitably find some hot-take-addicted young buck remarking about how an “edgy” movie they “discovered” on Netflix last weekend simply couldn’t be made today. Usually that sort of sentiment is bullshit. But Harold and Maude, the dark romantic comedy about a death-obsessed milksop of a young man meeting his 80-year-old girlfriend at a funeral? Okay, that one could have only happened in the ’70s, thanks to the minor miracle that was director Hal Ashby. (Thurs Jan 23, 7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9) BOBBY ROBERTS

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!