Thursday 11/08

FILM SCORING--It's like this. In the middle of last century, French filmmaker Jean Painlevé made some rad films about nature--with fun shots of octopi, bats, and weird insects. Now, Yo La Tengo, who walk the line between noise and pop, will score the films of Painlevé, bringing indierock together with Frenchness. How beautifully postmodern. KD

Guild Theatre, SW 9th and Taylor, 221-1156, 8 pm, $16

SPIRITUALIZED--Warning: There might be hippies at this show. Bring your machete and hack on through to the front, though. It's time to let the spirit fill you! Spiritualized will lift you out of the holy war for at least an hour or so. MS

Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 224-TIXX, 7 pm, $15


Friday 11/09

MUSIC--Pinback is pleasantly somber, with a slight flavor of optimism. If you don't already have it, go get their new album, Blue Screen Life--as a wise man said a couple minutes ago, it's "sophisticated, yet deceptively simple." The show will undoubtedly be a break from the ordinary. KS

Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny, 224-TIXX, 9 pm, $8

MOTOCROSS--All right, I admit it, I watch Smack Down on Tuesday nights and I'm in L-O-V-E with the Rock, I eat Taco Bell gorditas, and my fridge is filled with PBR. Yes, I'm white trash cleverly disguised as a normal person, and I'm going to get shit-canned and check out Motorcross's kick-ass bike flips and obstacle courses. KS

Memorial Coliseum, 1 Center Ct, 224-4400, 8 pm, $24-29


Saturday 11/10

FUN--It's the closing night brouhaha for the NW Film and Video Festival, and you will simply kick yourself if you miss Sol Burbridge and Greg Arden's Ugly Parade--a soap-operaish spoof, cram-packed with raunchy goof-balls. And after the film, laff your guts out a second time at the live version of Ugly Parade, The Tony Mangini Show--featuring kitschy cabaret-style songs and skits! WSH

Ugly Parade, Guild, SW 9th & Taylor, 221-1156, 8 pm, $6.50; Tony Mangini Show, Fez, 316 SW 11th, after film, $5

MUSIC--Tami Hart is an adorable, 18-year-old singer/guitar player from South Carolina, who sings with an unrestrained, throaty beauty, and oh yeah, delivers pizza on the side. Portland indie mainstay Sarah Dougher will be joining her, in a lovely melding of girly glamour. KD

Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine, 230-2111, 9 pm, $6


Sunday 11/11

MUSIC--For those who think music theory is way overrated, you should check out Azalia Snail. This self-taught, spacey-psychedelic folk guitarist (and filmmaker!) doesn't create jingles by the numbers; she turns pop upside-down and recreates the form with a disarming bizarro sweetness. WSH

Meow Meow, 527 SE Pine, 230-2121, 9 pm, $6

CANINE BENEFIT--Poor doggies! Broken bones, torn ligaments, gimpification--many ex-racing greyhounds face painful retirements. The Rock for Greyhounds Benefit is raising money for medical bills and "retirement funds" with an eclectic musical lineup: math-rock wizards ...Then Poland, floor-shaking C&W from Juanita Family, and the acoustic Nervous Knees. JM

Fez, 316 SW 11th, 226-4171 x. 41, 8pm, $8-10 suggested donation


Monday 11/12

DOCUMENTARY--Need more ammo for your anti-globalization ranks? Foreign correspondent and filmmaker John Pilger turns his camera on Indonesia and provides an indignant, yet calmly thought-out look into the World Bank's impact on that nation's economy, culture, and soul. PB

Fifth Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall, 725-8777, 7 pm, $5 suggested donation


Tuesday 11/13

ART--It ain't no "avant-garde" collection of $800 watercolors that look like urinary drippings. It's three artists--Todd Lovering, Jamie Burton, Justin Hampton--who popped down from Seattle to show their bright, acidic cartoonish collections. Resist the urge to purchase black lights immediately afterwards. MS

Gallery Bink, 1416 E. Burnside, 233-8866, Nov. 3-30, Tue-Thurs 12-4 pm, Fri-Sat 12-6 pm

MUSIC--Long before he was teaming up with Alanis Morissette and that dreadlocked-freak from The Counting Crows, Ryan Adams was a pretty legit country singer. With Hank Williams-esque songs and Paul Westerberg-esque hair, Adams was the new voice of alt-country. He's changed a bit since then, but there's no denying the fact that he still looks pretty fucking hot in denim. EAC

Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 224-TIXX, 7 pm, $14


Wednesday 11/14

MUSIC--Shannon Wright's gig will rip you apart--she emotionally channels her determined, stunning melodies better than any musician I've ever seen. Her songwriting is totally brilliant, and her newest record is my favorite of the year. If you need more convincing, call me at the Mercury and I'll play you a song over the phone. JS

Blackbird, 3728 NE Sandy, 282-9949, 9 pm, $8