THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14

EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC--With the comfortably nebulous objective of presenting "new experiments in music from Portland and abroad," Holocene's Dialect + series tonight offers a veritable smorgasbord of disparate local notables, including Nice Nice, Strategy, Front Machine, and the Portland Bike Ensemble, plus German import Phon.o. ZP
Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $5

TOXIC--Of all the films in the world, none are more worthy to make into a stage musical than Troma's infamous The Toxic Avenger. Why? Because it's the tale of a health club janitor who plunges into a tub of toxic waste and becomes a freakish, mop-wielding defender of justice. Why else? JWS
Disjecta, 116 NE Russell, order tickets at toxicavengerthemusikill.com, 8 pm, $15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15

MUSICIAN--Beware the drunk bastard who has conquered grunge and survived the Queens of the Stone Age fallout relatively unscathed. Mark Lanegan's new record might not be his best, but the sandpapered growl of the ex-Screaming Trees/QOTSA vocalist is the perfect chaser to any alcoholic beverage, the soundtrack to the Seasonal Affective Disorder you're already coming down with. EAC
Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside, 224-TIXX, 9 pm, $14

MUSIC--The focus of Toronto's Do Make Say Think is instrumentation, and they do strange and suspenseful things with guitars, keyboards, and trumpets. Their songs are living, dangerous things, delicate creatures that flit about like lovely firefliesÉ only to turn on you when you least expect it, monstrous, insectile jaws gaping. JWS
w/Adelaide, Scuffle & Dustcough; Berbati's, 231 SW Ankeny, 9:30 pm, $10

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16

COSMETICS--There's nothing more NOW than an entire day of plastic surgery and cosmetic revolution. Pacific Events Group presents Make-Over Extravaganza, a transformative seminar that includes a noontime Botox session, wine sampling, and estimates on surgeries from tummy tucks to cosmetic dentistry. Everybody's invited; update your image. EJ
Saturday, 11 am - 7 pm, Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE MLK, 285-0583, free

INTENSE--Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes has a miraculous gift for performance and a signature voice: he pleads, he warbles, he whimpers, he wavers. New material from Lua promises to charm audiences everywhere with more orchestral maledictions and passionate, theatrical lyrics. EJ
Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 224-2038, 9 pm, $15

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17

BLEEDING EARS--Need an ear bloodletting session? Here's your gig. Dillinger Escape Plan pour the bombastic on with thrashy metal, hardcore punk screaming, a dash of free jazz arrangement, and the occasional prettily crooned, psych interlude. They're hard as their peers, but mercifully more diverse. MS
Meow Meow, 320 SE 2nd, 1-800-992-8499, 7:30 pm, $13.50

DESIGN--The Northwest Design Collaborative aids locals ranging from architects to performing and visual artists, to fashion designers. Their Portland Design Festival has been ongoing for the last 10 days and culminates tonight with an extravagant showcase consisting of three stages of film, dance, music, fashion, and theater. MS
Memorial Coliseum, 1 Center Court, 321-3211, 4 pm, $10 (no one turned away)

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18

MUSIC MOVIE--Dig!, the new documentary about the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre, recently won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. I know what you're saying: "Don't I totally HATE the Dandy Warhols?" Sure--but that's all the more reason to see Dig!, an incredibly compelling film that offers plenty of fodder for lovers and haters alike. ZP
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, 7 & 9:15 pm, $7

READING + BOOZE--To compliment happy hour at XV, Powell's is providing a smorgasbord of five new fiction writers, ranging from the humor of local gay writer Marc Acito to Pulitzer prize winning investigative journalist, Lorraine Adams, whose first fiction novel is a serious story about terrorism and a wayward Algerian refuge. PB
XV, 15 SW 2nd, cocktails at 5:30 pm, readings at 6:30 pm, free

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19

SNOWBOARDING--Sure, it's too soon to hit the slopes, but get your snowboarding fix. Start by meeting the Burton World Pro Team, then check their new video, The Process 3, and end it with an after party with music from legendary skateboarder Tommy Guerrero! EH
Burton Team at Exit Real World, 206 NW 23rd, 3:30-5 pm; The Process 3 at the Hollywood Theater, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30-10 pm; After party at Fez, 316 SW 11th, 10:30-1 pm, donations to Skaters for Portland Skateparks.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20

HIPHOP--From Minneapolis' Rhymesayers crew comes existential hiphop duo Eyedea & Abilities--who, in the footsteps of associates Atmosphere, recently made their Epitaph Records debut with their sophomore album, E&A. Also of note tonight is Def Jux turntable surgeon RJD2--who's Since We Last Spoke is just now starting to make sense to me. ZP
w/Illogic & DJ PRZM, Los Nativos; Aladdin, 3017 SE Milwaukie, 233-1994, 8 pm, $15