The Independence Day weekend is almost upon us, which means this very busy week is your last opportunity to have a whole bunch of fun that isn't smothered in the American flag while indiscriminate explosions pop off in the immediate vicinity like you're trapped in Michael Bay wet dream. Ryan Adams is in town, the Thorns are kicking ass, The Best of Both Worlds is on the big screen, you can try to climb Corky Liang's Mountain, and a free ballet showcase amid the beauty of Washington Park. There's a lot more to choose on the menu below—hit the links and load your plate accordingly.
Jump to: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
!!!, Master Bedroom
Although the danceable punk tunes of !!! (pronounced “Chk Chk Chk”) clearly draw inspiration from 1970s disco, the band sticks to the 21st century, aligning themselves more with fellow purveyors of nostalgia like LCD Soundsystem. !!! grooves with slightly less tact than their contemporaries, but groove they do nonetheless. Their brand-new album, Shake the Shudder, returns to their remix-able past. It’s been a few years since !!!’s mid-2000s heyday, but regardless, listening continues to be a fun experience. The beats are timeless, and lead singer Nic Offer’s snarling vocals seem more nuanced and flexible than on prior albums. EMMA BURKE
9 pm, Doug Fir, $18-20
Corky Laing's Mountain, Ape Machine
The songs played on classic rock radio stations are like a thimble of water taken from a vast ocean—they tell you very little about the golden era of rock ’n’ roll that will likely never be replicated. According to the FM dial, timeless bands like Mountain only have one or two songs worthy of airplay, when in fact they have several albums with multiple cuts that are way better than what’s popularly played. Mountain is by far the most glazed over, because “Mississippi Queen” is all you get. Granted, “Mississippi Queen” does give you a solid idea of the hard rock stylings Leslie West, Felix Pappalardi, and Corky Laing were capable of during their heyday, but it’s far from the complete picture. It doesn’t inform you of the piano jangle of “The Animal Trainer and the Toad,” the heavy strut of “Never in My Life,” or the gentle, romantic vibe of “The Laird.” When a show like Corky Laing’s Mountain comes to town, any fan of this bygone era should attend if they wanna get the whole story. ARIS HUNTER WALES
8 pm, Dante's, $15
Slick Devious, Neill Von Tally & the PDX Mandem
Every fourth Monday of the month, XRAY.FM and EYRST present this special happy hour showcase at the Produce Row Cafe, bringing you live entertainment to pair with specials on food and drink all evening long. Tonight's installment features a headlining performance by Portland-based emcee Slick Devious, along with support from Neill Von Tally & the PDX Mandem.
7 pm, Produce Row Cafe, free, all ages
Revolution Comedy
Every second and fourth Wednesday, local stand-up comic Andie Main hosts a benefit showcase designed to assist progressive causes through the power of comedy. The lineup changes from show to show, but big laughs for a great cause are always guaranteed.
7 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $12-15
The Rise of the KKK in Southern Oregon
Find out how Oregon’s already-racist laws became exacerbated when a Ku Klux Klan recruiter arrived in Southern Oregon in the early 1920s. This free lecture is hosted by Jeff LaLande, a historian, author, and retired US Forest Service archaeologist. EMILLY PRADO
7 pm, Kennedy School, free
Labyrinth
While your normal jubilant time will be had watching babyfaced Jennifer Connelly alternately fuss and frolic in a Muppety wonderland full of magic dancing and farting bogs, every viewing of this Jim Henson classic going forward will be a just a little bittersweet, being that we now exist in the dark timeline where David Bowie has left the building. Guess you’ll just have to sing along all the louder when he makes his fabulous presence felt. BOBBY ROBERTS
Academy Theater, see Movie Times for showtimes
Scout Niblett, Sam Coomes
If you've never heard Scout Niblett's music, based on the name you might assume that you were about to listen to something whimsical and twee. However, Niblett's spellbinding stature only belies the power of her electric witchcraft. To behold her music is to be engulfed inside a monolithic demonstration of aural dark matter where the sonic void is as loud and impactful as any distortion pedal, mystical poeticism, or thundering drum roll. In one of the more impressive performances I have ever seen, Niblett, performing with a guitar and drums stage set-up, breezily switched between instruments while conjuring unbeholden forces with each intensely riveting incantation. Songs that presented themselves as viscerally isolated cries or tender nothings submerged in grunge darkness became beacons of emotion that were so pure, further instrumentation would've only muddied the desired effectiveness like oceanic radar signals disturbing the clarion calls of migrating dolphins. CHRIS SUTTON
8 pm, Mississippi Studios, $10-12
Cool Schmool, Tender Age, Mr. Wrong
It’d be difficult to find an active Portland punk band with harmonies as interesting as those of Cool Schmool, with a band name that reflects the classic song from Olympia’s Bratmobile. CAMERON CROWELL
9 pm, Valentines, $5
Cabaret
Oh, this isn't suddenly super-timely or anything: Roundabout Theatre Company presents the Portland run of Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) and Rob Marshall’s (Into the Woods, Nine, and Chicago, the films) Tony Award-winning revival of the long-running Broadway musical.
7:30 pm, Keller Auditorium, $25-70
Grindhouse Film Festival: Rolling Thunder
The Hollywood’s monthly grindhouse celebration presents a rare 35mm print of 1977’s high-toned motherfucker of a revenge flick, Rolling Thunder. You gotta be some kind of grindhouse masterpiece if Quentin Tarantino names a company after you, right? Written by Taxi Driver’s Paul Schrader, Thunder features all-time best performances from stars William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones, both of whom are overshadowed by—of all the goddamned things—an eye-popping, paradigm-shifting turn by The Dukes of Hazzard’s James Best as a ruthless shitkicker so stone-cold Boss Hogg would piss his pants at the sight of him. BOBBY ROBERTS
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9
Last Tuesday Standing
Jeremiah Coughlan's monthly stand-up showcase gets a new name and new sets from quality comedians including Monica Nevi and Alex Falcone.
8 pm, Fremont Theater, $10
Food Workers Resist: Storytelling About Race, Food, and Identity
Don’t miss this one-time storytelling event hosted in collaboration with several local organizations including the Portland Underground Graduate School and the Racist Sandwich podcast. Folks will share tales about the intersections of race, class, ethnicity, gender, and food in the style of the Moth Story Slam. Even better, all proceeds will go to the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization. EMILLY PRADO
6 pm, The Headwaters Theatre, $10-20
Portland Thorns vs. FC Kansas City
A rough start to the Thorns’ last home match brought the team’s six-game unbeaten streak to a grinding halt, yet even with their best playmaker and US Soccer’s 2016 Female Player of the Year, Tobin Heath, sidelined with a lingering back injury, the team remains in the thick of the NWSL playoff hunt. A mid-week game against a Kansas City side who have struggled on the road should be just what the Thorns need to reignite their engine and keep pace in the league’s tightly contested table. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
7 pm, Providence Park, $10-55, all ages
Brown Calculus, Amenta Abioto, Korgy & Bass
Beat Parlor presents a night of local musicians who straddle the intersection of jazz, soul, and hip-hop. In addition to stellar sets from intergalactic soul duo Brown Calculus (Brown Alice and Brown Calvin), and looper/producer/singer Amenta Abioto, the show will also serve as an EP release show for multifaceted band Korgy & Bass. JENNI MOORE
8:30 pm, Holocene, $8
Twin Peaks Ride
Pedalpalooza’s themed rides are always a delight, and Twin Peaks: The Return is—so far—a weird, scary gem. Put ’em together and what do you get? Pedalpalooza’s Twin Peaks Ride! Put on your best Log Lady glasses or Audrey Horne saddle shoes, fill your water bottle with fresh hot coffee and your basket with cherry pie (or doughnuts!), and ding your bell in celebration of David Lynch’s beloved creation. Anybody seen Bing? MEGAN BURBANK
7 pm, Peace Park, free
Tycho, Todd Terje & The Olsens, Jaga Jazzist
Scott Hansen is a photographer and designer in addition to being a musician, so it's no surprise that his primary sonic vehicle, Tycho, has always been presented in a tidy, thoughtful aesthetic package, providing a portal into another world where an evening spent watching the sunset and then staring at the stars comes with its own built-in soundtrack. It is beautiful and melancholy. But mostly beautiful. BEN SALMON
6 pm, Edgefield, $39.50
Re-run Theater: The Best of Both Worlds
Little-known fact! Star Trek: The Next Generation was shit for its first three years—more accurately, its first season was an inert, insufferable, beige pile of old cliché-ridden scripts from the 1970s. Then creator Gene Roddenberry fell ill and died. This allowed the writing staff, free of his shitty storytelling instincts and terrible ideas, to spend the next two seasons rehabbing the show. The two-parter that closed season three, The Best of Both Worlds, is generally recognized as Next Gen’s ascension to classic status, and for good reason—if this had been released to theaters it would have been the second best Star Trek film ever made, juust behind Wrath of Khan. Tonight, Both Worlds gets its big screen due. BOBBY ROBERTS
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9
Thirsty City: Billy Woods, Fresh Kils, PremRock, Kiew Nikon, Abyss Infinite, Henry Canyons
Another month, another ThirstyCity, spotlighting some of the best up and coming hip-hop from around the country. Tonight's headliner is New York's Billy Woods.
8:30 pm, The Know, $5-10
Land of Talk, Half Waif
The Montreal-hailing indie rock project spearheaded by singer/guitarist Elizabeth Powell returns after a half-decade hiatus with a brand new full-length, Life After Youth. Brooklyn-based experimental musician and singer/songwriter Nandi Rose Plunkett provides support with her synth pop project, Half Waif.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $13-15
Silent Reading Party
Remember those reading nooks in your favorite libraries? Those comfy, warmly-lit areas you used to seek out to curl up and get lost in a new book, or an old favorite? Well, that place exists again, like a room of requirement that opened up at the Side Yard Farm for this month, with guests Pearl Soda Company, Sweetheart St. Johns, and Ruchikala contributing bites to nibble on and soda to sip as you quietly read.
6 pm, The Side Yard Farm & Kitchen, $25
Mujahedeen, Living Hour, Surfer Rosie
Ali Muhareb's Mujahedeen has come pretty far over the past few years. What started out as a solo project has since brought in more members and completely revamped its sound. Muhareb's vision began as a reverb-heavy outburst of electronic noise, but has since transitioned into jazzier psych territory. It also experiments with post-hardcore that’s as emotive as Mewithoutyou, with much groovier rhythms than Jawbox. CERVANTE POPE
9 pm, The Fixin' To, $5
ChoreographyXX
You might not know it since they get carried around by men a lot while pretending to be swans or whatever, but ballerinas are the true badasses of dance. All too often, though, it’s men calling the shots offstage as choreographers. Oregon Ballet Theatre has the solution: ChoreographyXX, an outdoor (!) performance spotlighting work from women choreographers. And unlike most ballet performances, it won’t break the bank—it’s free. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, Washington Park, free, all ages
The Rick and Morty Rickmobile Road Trip
Adult Swim is bringing the official Rick and Morty Rickmobile on a cross-country road trip, and the mobile shrine to the beloved animated show is rolling through Ecliptic Brewing for the Portland stop on the tour. Tired of waiting for season three? Come out and pose for photos alongside the Rickmobile while you take advantage of this rare opportunity to purchase exclusive Rick and Morty merchandise straight from the source.
2 pm, Ecliptic Brewing, free
Ryan Adams & Band
Grab a ticket, a blanket or small lawn chair, head to McMenamins’ great outdoor Troutdale concert venue, and hit the grass for an evening with one of America’s best folksy alt-country rockers. His new album, Prisoner, is very good and he’s coming with a catalog of 15 other mostly-great albums from his storied career. I had his Cold Roses and Love is Hell albums on repeat in high school and I’m pumped to see him live. DOUG BROWN
6:30 pm, Edgefield, $47-50, all ages
Mic Check 1 Year Anniversary
The hip-hop showcase turns one, and throws itself a party with Starchile and DJ Trox welcoming Vinnie Dwayne, ADDverse Effects, and These? Blacks, a new group consisting of Theory Hazit, Jon Belz, and DaiN.
9 pm, White Eagle, $8
The Prids, Moon Tiger, Boink
Hot off the heels of their excellent 2017 album, Do I Look Like I'm in Love, local indie rock institution the Prids headline a night of shoegaze, post-punk, and noise pop at the Doug Fir to benefit Planned Parenthood.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $8
Come to the Table, Mike Pence
A new play conceived and directed by Shaking the Tree's Samantha Van Der Merwe, in which Eve, Salome, and Queen Elizabeth I invite a blandly evil and homophobic piece of shit to eat some fruit with them and maybe have a talk about some things. Proceeds from the performances benefit Planned Parenthood. Part of CoHo Summerfest.
7:30 pm, CoHo Theater, $20
Clarke & the Himselfs, Ah God, The Bugs
Boise musician Clarke Howell returns to Portland to perform a set of infectious indie rock and punk gems that will worm their way into your headspace and bounce around in your cranium for the foreseeable future.
8 pm, The Know, $7
Party Boyz Presents: Sadie Hawkinz Dance
Portland podcast crew Party Boyz a taking over Holocene for their 2nd annual Sadie Hawkinz Dance. Featuring live music from Hustle and Drone, Kyle Craft, and Helvetia, plus a late night dance party and a kissing booth. Dress fancy!
8 pm, Holocene, $6-8
Nathan Hill
Nathan Hill reads from The Nix, his sprawling debut novel about a man named Samuel who needs to sort through his estranged mother's mysterious past to save her from from absurd and serious accusations that have resurfaced along with her.
7:30 pm, Powell's Books on Hawthorne, free
Meatbodies, Máscaras, DJ μhareb
The garage-rock decadence of Meatbodies’ 2014 self-titled debut was, apparently, just the beginning. Attendees of Pickathon 2015 saw the explosive theatrics of the band’s punk rock Ziggyisms. Beginning with the rollicking “Kings,” Meatbodies’ sophomore record Alice takes you on a cosmic rollercoaster of glam debauchery. Lead by Chad Ubovich (who collaborates with Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin), the band’s affinity for swirling fuzz and psychedelic noise collages creates an intoxicating pastiche of in-your-face ’70s rock ’n’ roll. It’s not all blasts of trashy garage punk, though—“Creature Feature” comes with a jangly guitar groove and the smart lead lines of guitarist Kevin Boog, proof that the band doesn’t rely on walls of cacophony alone. This enduring dynamism is what’s made Meatbodies one of the best live bands around for the past few years. RYAN J. PRADO
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12
Mic Capes, DoNormaal, OCNotes
DJ Danyak and Shira & Jené of XRAY.fm's Everyday Mixtapes show present this local hip-hop showcase, headlined by Portland powerhouse Mic Capes.
9 pm, The Liquor Store, $10
A Message of Love in a Time of Fear
An audio-visual expression of hope and contemplation from Portland artist Larry Yes, featuring liquid light installations by William Rihel and musical performances by Michael Hurley, the Optimist Club, and Nat Hulskamp.
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!