This week marks the midpoint of July! It seems like it got here way too fast, and yet 2020 as a whole continues to feel like a torturously slow-motion slog towards (insert 30 question marks here), but if you're looking for something to occupy that time as it flies/crawls by we've got plenty of Things to Do in Portland, from live music, movies, livestreams, and more. And as our Editor-In-Chief likes to say: If you're going to go out, Wash Ya Damn Hands, Wear Ya Damn Mask, hit the links below, and plan your week accordingly!
Jump to: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Monday, July 13
Come Thru BIPOC Market
A new market for BIPOC Portland residents, featuring over 20+ vendors offering up their grown and custom-made goods, including food, drinks, gifts, and health/wellness products. Visit the Come Thru instagram for more details on vendors and deals.
Golden Gays NYC
The stage version of Hamilton has a lot of people scrambling to find other streamed versions of stage-plays to pour into their eyes and years while staying indoors, and while PBS is stepping up to serve folks via their Great Performances programming (more on that later), make sure you don't miss this stream (Mon July 13, 5 pm) of the touring hit starring Jason B. Schmidt, Andy Crosten, and Gerry Mastrolia as Blanche, Rose, and Dorothy, singing, dancing, and searching for Sophia.
Savage Love: On Demand
Now you can watch our own sex advice columnist, podcaster, pundit, and public speaker Dan Savage as he answers the most intimate quandaries in a live virtual edition of Savage Lovecastāon demand. With guest Nancy Hartunian.
Jenara Nerenberg, Maya Dusenbery
Harvard-trained journalist Jenara Nerenberg's memoir Divergent Mind: Thriving in a World That Wasn't Designed for You documents how the American medical system is poorly-designed to help women with synesthesia, autism, ADHD, and sensory processing disorders, and what the future of cognitive diversity in various professional fields can look like. The book and its subject will be discussed (Mon July 13, 6 pm) by Nerenberg and journalist Maya Dusenbery, author of Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicineand Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick.
Great Performances: Ann
Available for free, on-demand, through July 19, Great Performances presents this one-woman-show written by and starring the award-winning Holland Taylor as Texas governor Ann Richards, whose career as a politician in that state is even more remarkable considering... you know... Texas.
Tuesday, July 14
Queer Town Hall: Policies, Reforms, & Police
"As thousands of people flood the streets to protest police brutality, we'll talk with local and statewide leaders to discuss policies and reforms surrounding policing in our communities." Hosted by Basic Rights Oregon (Tues July 14, noon, free). Panelists include JoAnn Hardesty (Portland City Commissioner), Fay Stetz-Waters (Dept. of Justice Director of Civil Rights), Bryanna Jenkins (ACLU of Illinois) and more.
Colin Jost, Andrew Yang
Colin Jost (you know, that guy on Saturday Night Live with the extremely punchable face) wrote a memoir recently. The memoir's title? A Very Punchable Face. Guess you can't say he's not self-aware? He's sitting down with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang (Tues July 14, 4 pm, $10-32) to talk about the stories in his bookā stories about getting good making people laugh despite the fact their instinct is to hit him in his large noggin as soon as they see him.
Culture Talk w/ Angelique Kidjo & Amy Andrieux
The SummerStage Anywhere livestream series continues (Tues, July 14, 5pm, free) with this sure-to-be intriguing, enlighting, and educational conversation between African diva Angelique Kidjo, one of The Guardian's 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World, and journalist Amy "Aimstar" Andrieux.
Cosmic Stream 2: Angel Olsen & Hand Habits
Olsenās penchant for defying expectations and one-upping herself with each record has elevated her live performances into unmissable shows. Do not miss this one (Tues July 14, 6 pm, $15-17), shot by Ashley Connor, with proceeds benefitting YWCA Asheville.
Todd Barry
Todd Barry doesn't even really need jokes, although he's got a ton of great ones. Give him a couple marks in the crowd, and just five minutes of conversation, and you have a night of comedy (Tues July 14, 5 pm, $15-40) with more laughs per pound than any hyperactive loud mouth screaming into the mic.
WoodyFest 2020
The Woody Guthrie Coalition's annual festival celebrating folk music and the tremendous impact Guthrie had on the form moves online for 2020 with three days of live music, panel discussions, and more, with guests including Glen Hansard, Crys Matthews, Monica Taylor, Red Dirt Rangers, Butch Hancock, Arlo Guthrie, and more.
Palm Springs
For a lot of people in their fourth month of pandemic life, it might start to feel a little like you're trapped in a Groundhog Day type movie. Like, say... Palm Springs, which just got added to Hulu, starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, who are a pair of wedding guests who do get trapped in a single-day time loop together. There's a twist applied to this time-loop scenario that won't get spoiled here, but the application of that twist was so good that film studio NEON paid $17 million at Sundance for the rights, which is the highest purchase price in that festival's history. Not to make this movie sound all serious and thought-provokingāit's still a sun-drenched comedy starring Andy Samberg, after all. But this is a pretty good pick if you're looking to make a movie night out of tonight. Or tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next...
Wednesday, July 15
2020 City Council Candidate Forum
Randy Gragg, Executive Director of Portland Parks Foundation, hosts this online Candidate Forum (Wed July 15, 5:30pm) featuring the two candidates seeking the Position 2 seat, Loretta Smith and Dan Ryan, talking about what changes they'd bring to the role of Parks Commissioner.
Better Together
Episode Four of the Old Church's "Better Togther" livestream series, featuring performances from a clutch of PDX music all-stars, including Saeeda Wright, Treneti, MadgesdiqCEG, and Kingsley.
The Stranger Presents: Silent Reading Party
A lot of people are taking the opportunity to turn the online version of The Stranger's super-successful words 'n' vibes experience into a weekly online destination, a respite from (waves hands exasperatedly at basically everything) and an opportunity to simply... slow up, sit down, and just listen to live piano music while sinking into a good book. If you haven't tried it out yet, tonight's the night, and we'll see you at 6pm. If you have tried it out before? Welcome back. It's a damn nice oasis of low-key bliss, isn't it?
Pickathon's Concert a Day: The Blind Boys of Alabama
The terms "living legend" and "national treasure" get thrown around so much by critics the words have lost nearly all meaning. But if ever there was a group that deserved those honors and more, it would be the Blind Boys of Alabama. Still regularly recording and performing into what is now their 7th decade as a group, the Blind Boys have seen a number of members pass on, but original member Jimmy Carter still continues to lead the group, with occasional contributions by other surviving original member, Clarence Fountaināone of the greatest gospel soloists of all time. Though they now sprinkle their repertoire with secular tunes, the Blind Boys remain first and foremost a gospel group. But what has sustained them for over half a century is their ability to connect with god-fearing believers and unrepentant sinners alike. Today's installment of Pickathon's Concert a Day (Wed July 15, 1 pm) comes from their 2018 performance on the Woods Stage. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
Patrick Watson
CanadianĀ singer-songwriterĀ Patrick Watson brings his slow-burning blend ofĀ cabaretĀ pop and R&B to the the SummerStage instagram for a special livestream performance at 5 pm.
Community Solidarity Study Session: The History of the Police
Portland Rising Tide hosts the latest in their online study session series, this time (Wed July 15, 7 pm, free) looking at the history of the police, how the institution was created, and the differences between what they're supposed to be doing in our society and what it is they actually do, while looking at alternatives to this system.
John Craigie
The much-beloved troubadour (that's right. He's an honest-to-god troubadour. It's not a title one easily wins, you know) from Santa Monica, CA, brings his playful brand of storytelling folk music to this livestreamed set (Wed July 15, 7 pm, $20) that's just as likely to make you laugh and cry before its done.
Shady Pines Open Mic
The Open Mic experience Shady Pines Media has been providing to Portland at both Cruzroom and EastBurn has now moved online, so if you're feeling like showing the city your skills, or peeking in on up-and-coming artists in the area, you can do that from the comfort of your home at 7 pm tonight.
Thursday, July 16
Better Noise Music Festival
There's been a lot of online music festivals since we all went on lockdown, then came out of lockdown way too early, and quickly went right back insideābut not too many of those festivals are the kind you can throw the horns and headbang like a proper leather-clad/zippered-up hesher would. That's where Better Noise comes in, putting together a streaming lineup (Thurs July 16, 3 pm) that includes Motley Crue, Awolnation, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, and more. As they used to say in the salad days of the '80s: Party hearty, rock 'n' roll, ride the lightning, smoke a bowl.
Punderdome
It's Thunderdome, but for people who love puns. You know if you're down for that kind of shit or nāoh, ok, you're already clicking the link. You're slavering for the linguistic carnage (Thurs July 16, 4 pm) that's guaranteed to lay waste to good taste and leave nothing behind but a cacophony of forehead slaps and pained groans. You have seen the promised land, its St. Peter is a Rodney Dangerfield impersonator and his alleged daughter. Welcome to Punderdome. Good night and good luck.
Speakeasy!
Do you love to make cocktails? Do you love to draw? Want to chat with āPolice Reports Illustratedā creator Callan Berry? Join the party at Speakeasy!ā the talkshow where you get to make cocktails (Thurs July 16, 7 pm, $1-10) Youāll learn how to make a cocktail, draw a small comic, and get any questions askedā ANY questions!ā by the one and only Callan Berry!
Pungent, DJ Papi Fimbres
A choice opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new Papi Fimbres sonic adventure, which is always a rewarding journey to embark upon. Pungent's debut LP (premieres tonight, July 16, 8 pm) features Sam Adams (not that one, the good, keyboard-playing one from the band Sama Dams), Jenny Logan of Deathlist, and Nicole McCabe of Martha Stax alongside Mr. Fimbres as they take inspiration from John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Sun Ra, and pursue their jazzy muse into new realms of sonic greatness.
Daniel Van Kirk
The non-SklarBro'd co-host of the hugely popular Dumb People Town podcast, and owner of the iTunes #1 comedy album (Thanks Diane) brings his stand-up skills to this livestream set at the Nowhere Comedy Club at 6 pm ($10-30).
Billy Strings
The aptly named Billy Strings (born William Apostol) played in heavy metal bands before embracing bluegrass, and his flat-picking style is a sort of mix between Doc Watson and Randy Rhoads. His solo debut, Turmoil & Tinfoil, offers up a collection of neo-traditional bluegrass songs addressing such contemporary matters as meth addiction and police shootings, while remaining rooted in dusty fields and muddy rivers. (Thurs July 16, 5 pm, $9) SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
Write Around Portland's Writing Workshops
Write Around Portland's creative writing workshops were a great investment in developing your imagination muscles even before there was a pandemic on. But now that you're home pretty much all the time, why not combat that sense of restlessness by learning how to channel your creativity as creatively as you can? Weekly registration for the workshops opens Mondays at noon and closes one hour before the workshops begin. (Thurs July 11, 11 am)
