Let's just get to it, because it's hot out, the Fourth of July is on a damn Tuesday, and it's screwing everyone's week up: Just where the hell do you go if you wanna see stuff blow up real good? We got you covered. Where do you wanna go if you'd like to maybe eat, drink, and listen to local bands set the stage on fire before all the 'splosions kick in? We got you covered there, too. What if you would prefer to stay indoors and laugh at some brilliant comedy? Yup. We got that. The week might be laid out like a real pain in the ass, but there's sure as hell a lot of fun stuff to do—hit the links below and load your plate accordingly.
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Don't Shred on Me: Night 1
The second year of Don’t Shred on Me—Dig a Pony’s two-day, all killer no filler mini-fest—is finally upon us. Monday night’s formidable lineup shuffles the deck on a few of the city’s best locals, matching synth-pop crews Hustle and Drone and Dan Dan with rocker Boone Howard and his band of merry ragers. Howard’s recently released album The Other Side of Town catapulted the crooner’s underground appeal to a wider audience, while Hustle and Drone’s consistent standard of excellence continues roughly five years since their inception. RYAN J. PRADO
8 pm, Dig a Pony, free
Portland Pickles vs. Perth Heat
The crack of the bat and a bite of a hot dog are about as synonymous with the Fourth of July as firecrackers and cookouts, so you may as well soak up the remainder of the holiday weekend watching the Portland Pickles duke it out with the Australian Baseball League’s most successful team ever, the Perth Heat, in a seven-inning matinee matchup. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
1:05 pm, Walker Stadium, $5, all ages
Ural Thomas & the Pain
To live in Portland and never have seen Ural Thomas and the Pain—a resurrected local treasure of soul if there ever was one—would be a shame. MARJORIE SKINNER
9 pm, Goodfoot, $5
Yuri Herrera, Jeremy Garber
Political scientist, editor, and contemporary Mexican writer Yuri Herrera reads from Kingdom Cons, his new novel about an artist who wields their words to challenge corruption in a society ruled by ruled by patronage and power. Herrera will be joined in conversation by Jeremy Garber, two-time jurist for the Best Translated Book Award
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free
Gaytheist, A Volcano, Maximum Mad
If the music of Gaytheist were a vehicle, it would be a semi, late on its delivery, blazing down I-5, the speed limit only a laughable suggestion as the trucker begins to have Tron-like hallucinations from 38 hours of no sleep and caffeine-pill cocktails. With only three members, Gaytheist leaves you wondering how they create such a heavy, intricate layering of sound. CAMERON CROWELL
9 pm, (The World Famous) Kenton Club
Baby Driver
Edgar Wright's latest is wall-to-wall music, and it might take you a track or two to fall into the stylized rhythm that marks Wright’s work—from Shaun of the Dead to Hot Fuzz to Scott Pilgrim vs. the World—and drop-kicks naturalism to the curb. But once its tires grip pavement, Baby Driver becomes a full-throttle ballet of motion, color, and sound. The tunes are great, the getaway chases will leave you breathless, and the motley team of robbers—which includes Kevin Spacey, Eiza González, and an excellent Jamie Foxx—comes from the kind of screenplay you wish Tarantino still wrote. NED LANNAMANN
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations.
It's Gonna Be Okay!
Barbara Holm's It's Gonna Be Okay is the only local showcase I've seen tout its lack of meanness as a selling point, which in a city KNOWN for its safe-space shows, is next-level when it comes to reclaiming comedy from its reputation as a bastion of obnoxious old white dudes. It's the supportive slumber party of Portland stand-up. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, EastBurn, free
The Grill Out Chill Out
Get the best 4th of July fireworks view in the city while drinking from the Revolution Hall Roof Deck bar and enjoying music from Mama Bird DJs Vincent Bancheri, Barna Howard, Sir Eric Loeffler, and Ryan Oxford. Ticket includes a hot dog and a side (vegan options available).
7 pm, Revolution Hall, $10
Bunk Beach: The Domestics, Coco Columbia, Kelli Schaefer, Gold Casio, Living Body, Wet Dream
Bunk Bar knows how to throw a shin-diddly-dig, and they're doing it up right with their outdoor beach block party tonight. Watch a shit-ton of awesome bands, enjoy their trademark Iceberg libation, and hole up for a spectacular view of the evening's fireworks. Oh! And it's all ages and FREE! Time to party, American friends. COURTNEY FERGUSON
2 pm, Bunk Bar, free, all ages
2017 Crawfish Boil
My Vice catering throws a good ol' fashioned crawfish boil, which isn't just taking little tiny lobsters and throwing them in a pot—although that does happen. A crawfish boil is more like an all-day party where all manner of delicious food is served up courtesy Chef Anh Luu of Tapalaya, and all kinds of great bands hit the stage, like Summer Cannibals, Tango Alpha Tango, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, and more.
noon, Mad Sons Pub, $25
Slow Bar's 13th Birthday: Lord Dying, R.I.P., Pushy, The Lucky Thirteens, Maximum Mad, The Savage Family Band, Gun
In a time where Portland bars become endangered species faster than Dinosaurs in a meteor shower, Slow Bar's making it to age 13 is an event worth seriously celebrating, with Proviista providing burgers and dogs, cocktails from Jim Beam, Sauza, and Effin Vodka, and live music from some of Portland's very best local rockers.
2 pm, Slow Bar, $10
Don't Shred on Me: Night 2
The second year of Don’t Shred on Me—Dig a Pony’s two-day, all killer no filler mini-fest—is finally upon us. Tuesday night features Fog Father’s Bryson Cone with his pop project, as well as the cultured pop elder statesmen of New Move, as well as DJs, bitchin’ drinks, opportunities for networking, fodder for Instagram posts, and something infinitely more rad to do at the at the beginning of your week than trying to forget your weekend. RYAN J. PRADO
8 pm, Dig a Pony, free
Portland Pickles vs. Medford Rogues
The crack of the bat and a bite of a hot dog are about as synonymous with the Fourth of July as firecrackers and cookouts, so you may as well soak up the remainder of the holiday weekend watching the Portland Pickles take on Medford Rogues, and get treated to a post-game fireworks spectacular befitting our national pastime. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
7:05 pm, Walker Stadium, $7-9, all ages
Hey! Speaking of fireworks...
WHERE TO WATCH STUFF BLOW UP TONIGHT!
Waterfront Fireworks
The entire city will be exploding simultaneously around 10 pm tonight (much to your dog's chagrin—dogs can feel chagrin, right?), but the big booms will all be happening down on the waterfront as part of the Blues Fest's grand finale.
10 pm, Tom McCall Waterfront Park, free, all ages
Oaks Park Fireworks
Feeling like maybe you don't want to fight parking for roughly three straight hours in the hopes you'll be able to get a good view of shit blowing up real good on the waterfront? Why not bypass all that rigmarole and hit up the mighty impressive fireworks show at Oaks Park instead? Pro Tip: You can see their show right up close, and still see the Blues Fest's show down the way.
10 pm, Oaks Amusement Park, free, all ages
Fort Vancouver Fireworks
The only reason you can't call this show "The biggest fireworks show in Portland" is because technically it's not in Portland. Vancouver beat us to legal weed, it beat us to gay marriage, and it will probably never not stop beating us when it comes to sheer size and tonnage of righteous explosions in celebration of America's independence.
10 pm, Fort Vancouver, free, all ages
La Luz, Savila
La Luz is history’s greatest surf rock band. Whew, now that we got that out of the way—they formed in Seattle in the early 2010s, then moved to LA, where they currently reside. Garage legend Ty Segall produced their last album, 2015’s Weirdo Shrine, which sounds like the Shirelles went to the beach during a thunderstorm. Those doo-wop harmonies sound even better live, and sometimes they even bust out choreographed dance moves. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12
Portland Timbers vs. Chicago Fire
Only a few points separate the top tier of the MLS’s Western Conference from the bottom, so the Timbers can’t afford slip-ups from here on out to be in good shape for the playoffs. The Chicago Fire are good, the Timbers are good, buy a damn ticket and be a part of a Portland experience. DOUG BROWN
7:30 pm, Providence Park, $25-165, all ages
Devin Phillips
Portland Parks and Recreation's Concerts in the Park series presents a night of jazz and funk bubbling up from Devin Phillips' New Orleans background.
6:30 pm, Willamette Park, free, all ages
Girls With Heads
Mariah Munoz's ever-growing collective of women improvisers put on a show at the Siren's Kickstand Comedy Space.
7:30 pm, Kickstand Comedy Space, free
Kool Stuff Katie, Risley, Arthur and the Antics
Kool Stuff Katie—Shane Blem and Saren Oliver, who came together via Craigslist—play an exuberant brand of classic power-pop that marries Oliver's crash-and-bash beats with Blem's chunky, buzzy guitar riffs. BEN SALMON
8:30 pm, Holocene, $7
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Maybe the most perfectly constructed film in cinema history. Maybe. I’m sure someone out there has an argument on deck, but I’m betting their champion of choice doesn’t include a giant pit of snakes; a fight inside, on top of, and hanging off the front of a truck at 50 mph; a holy box that melts Nazi faces like Totino’s Party Pizza; and—most importantly—the presence of peak Harrison Ford in all his sweaty, smirky, silly-yet-sexy glory. BOBBY ROBERTS
7 pm, 9:25 pm, Academy Theater
Portland's Funniest Person: Preliminary Rounds
Past winners of this contest have pretty much all promptly packed their shit, moved to Los Angeles or New York, and gotten steady work making people laugh a lot on a national stage. In these preliminary rounds you might see who from our comedy community is about to make that leap for themselves.
7 pm, 10 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $10
The Thesis
Cheap hip-hop! Every month the Mercury and a bunch of other great organizations help bring you a delightful sampling of local acts, and we’ll be damned if July is any different. This month’s Thesis features the happy-go-lucky rap of local emcee Mighty, a music video premier from Raquel Divar and Cory O, and lots more. DIRK VANDERHART
9 pm, Kelly's Olympian, $5
YGB: Two Year Retrospective
In celebration of the two-year anniversary of local parties that center the music, movement, art and energy of Portland’s Young Gifted and Black/brown people, here’s a gallery show that’ll feature the work of the artists who capture these functions. There’ll be photo/video work by the likes of MissLopezMedia, RoseLéon, Tojo Fotos, Tiki Mon, and more. As per usual, DJ Lamar LeRoy will provide the tunes, in addition to a live performance from rapper Wes Guy. JENNI MOORE
6 pm, UNA Gallery, free, all ages
The Districts, The Spirit of the Beehive
The Spirit of the Beehive is a strange name for a band, but it’s the perfect name for the buzzy little combo opening for not-bad Philly rock act the Districts tonight at the Doug Fir. They’ve got a considerable talent for writing fine indie-pop songs and then dressing them up in weirdness. Their new album, Pleasure Suck, delivers one gentle banger after another. It’s always hiding out under a layer of fuzz, occasionally pitch-shifted, and often shares space with distorted percussion, burbling synthesizer, distant fiddle, squealing feedback, or a spoken-word sample. Despite the sonic wanderings, the Spirit of the Beehive’s melodic sensibility always comes through. They’re kind of like a cross between Beck and Neutral Milk Hotel, and that’s not a bad place to land, friends. BEN SALMON
9 pm, Doug Fir, $15-17
Awesome Tapes from Africa, Jason Urick
In a time when so many music-focused websites cover artists you can hear on all the other music-related websites, Brian Shimkovitz's Awesome Tapes from Africa is truly an overflowing source of magnificent sounds that would otherwise be unheard beyond the borders of their home countries. Shimkovitz has grown his hobby into a business: He started a record label, splitting profits from label releases 50/50 with the artists and helping African legends like organist Hailu Mergia transition from cab driver to viable touring act in his 70s. Shimkovitz has also established an in-demand DJ career, with upcoming dates in New York, Paris, and Morocco. But tonight, he stops at Holocene to showcase a bunch of his latest tape-based cosmopolitan jams. Awesome. BEN SALMON
9 pm, Holocene, $8-10
Russell Peters
The international comedy superstar returns to Portland with his latest tour, Work in Progress, the follow-up to his 2016 Netflix special, Almost Famous.
8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $35
Quintron & Miss Pussycat, Lithics, The Lavender Flu, Mattress
Enigmatic 9th Ward art freaks Quintron and Miss Pussycat have been staples of the Big Easy’s experimental scene since the early ’90s. Quintron’s infamous club, the Spellcaster Lodge, has played host to many a late-night rager since its inception and rebuild following Hurricane Katrina. Their live shows typically feature some of Quintron’s own musical inventions, like the Drum Buddy—a mechanically-rotating, five-oscillator, light-activated drum machine—as well as his custom-made Hammond organ/Fender Rhodes synthesizer contraption, made to look like the front end of a hotrod. It’s largely a one-man band operation, with Miss Pussycat providing backup vocals and various percussive elements, but the sheer eccentricity of the project is about as kitschy and party-ready as anything you’ll ever hope to hear or see. RYAN J. PRADO
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14
Post Moves, Sawtooth, Gulch
A release party for Boogie Night at the Edge of Town, Post Moves' follow up to last year's wonderful Mystery World Science Show, adding a new layer of instrumentation and texture to that LP's bedrock of amiable grooves.
9 pm, Bunk Bar, $5
Jessica Dennison & Jones, Lentils, Bed Bits, Mike Sherk Group
Local folk-rock and pop duo Jessica Dennison & Jones return to the Turn! Turn! Turn! stage to perform a selection of tunes off their Party Damage Records-issued self-titled debut.
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Éowyn Emerald & Dancers
Portland gets a goodbye performance from this dance troupe before it packs up and heads to Scotland to continue their physical interpretation of classics by composers such as Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Greig, and more.
7:30 pm, PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, $10-25
Atriarch, Haunted Horses, Marriage & Cancer
Portland death-rockers Atriarch make hypnotic, cathartic doom metal, with the power to ease even the most tortured of souls. KELLY O
8 pm, The Know, $7
Spielberg on Film: Something Evil
After making the 1971 marvel of suspense Duel, young Steven Spielberg returned to the TV-movie well with Something Evil, in which a family moves into a farmhouse crammed with demons. Spielberg directs like a man possessed, finding strange shapes lurking in the corners of the screen and some ferocious, pre-Evil Dead camera swoops. After years of it only being available via smudgy bootlegs, the opportunity to see Something Evil on 16mm may be the highlight of this series. ANDREW WRIGHT
7 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $7-9
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!