Featured Event
Xiu Xiu, Force Publique, Mattress
Wednesday, March 22
8:30 p.m.
Holocene
$13–15, 21+
Xiu Xiu is somewhat ironically notable for their ever-changing, sometimes wildly experimental sound, which can range from dance and anti-folk to art kid elevator muzak. They recently covered the Twin Peaks soundtrack. Read our review of the show here.
Tuesday, March 21
CITY POLITICS
Eastside Parks Town hall
6 p.m.
SW 5th & Main
Free, all ages
City Commissioner Amanda Fritz hosts a town hall to decide how to spend the remaining $20 million of the $48 million 2014 Parks Replacement Bond.
BASKETBALL
Portland Trailblazers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
7 p.m.
MODA Center
$10–165, all ages
Athletes move a ball across a court in the national tradition of monitoring the performance of black bodies for profit.
POETRY
Gramma Poetry Book Launch
7 p.m.
Mother Foucault’s Book Shop
Free, all ages
Poetry collective with members from New York, Seattle and Portland has its first full-length books of poetry on sale.
Wednesday, March 22
MUSIC
Panic! at the Disco, Misterwives
7 p.m.
MODA Center
$40–300+, all ages
My high school sweetheart’s most prolific MySpace name was a P@TD lyric, if that tells you anything about how old your calendar editor is.
COMEDY
Jak Knight
8 p.m.
Helium Comedy Club
$15–23, 21+
The L.A. comedian has shared stages with Dave Chappelle, Amy Schumer, Joel McHale, Aziz Ansari and more, and now makes his Portland debut.
NIGHTLIFE
TRIBE VIBE: Phife Dog / A Tribe Called Quest Tribute Night
9 p.m.
The Liquor Store
Free, 21+
Rev Shines, Ian, Ray and special guests pay tribute to the legendary hip-hop group and performer.
Thursday, March 23
ART RECEPTION
The Evocative Garden
6 p.m.
Disjecta
Free, all ages
Curator Gail M. Brown presents a juried and invitational series of work “exploring natural and cultivated worlds” from artists including Megan Bogonovich, Jess Riva Cooper, Kim Dickey, Linda Sormin and Dirk Staschke.
COMEDY
The Sklar Brothers
8 p.m. (multiple show dates & times)
Helium Comedy Club
$17, 21+
Identical twin brothers Jason and Randy Sklar’s podcasts and comedy have been heard on HBO, ESPN, FX and one of my favorite quasi-obscure cartoons, The Oblongs. The twins mix sports commentary and statistical info with their observational everyman humor.
REGGAE
SAMMY J, Jordan T, Analea
8 p.m.
Star Theater
$25 all ages, $30 21+
Soul’d Out Productions & Endustry Entertainmnet present an evening of Polynesian reggae. Look, another all-ages night!
DRAG
King: A Drag Revue
8:30 p.m.
Crush Bar
$10–12, 21+
Nikki the Glitter Beast (Blowpony) hosts Portland’s only drag king revue—that is, the artform wherein performers act as men or masculine political or pop culture figures. Featuring Baba al-Ghivyeh Khandjab, Hans Onher, Joey Gelato, Mads Dudebabemodel, Max Manchester, Regal Enemas, Slade Sweet and Spartacus.
Friday, March 24
KNITTING
Heavy Metal Knitting Group
1 p.m.
Happyrock Coffee (Gladstone)
Free, all ages
If you live in this town outside Portland, you should check it out. It sounds awesome as fuck.
ART OPENING
Onko-Chishin
5 p.m.
Buddhist Daihonzan Henjyoji Temple
Free, all ages
Artists Chris Baskin, Baba Wagué Diakité, Daven Hee, Yoshiro, Ikeda, Eva Kwong, Jae Won Lee, Sanjit Sethi use ceramics and sculpture to explore the Japanese philosophy of “ma,” which does not have a Western counterpart but roughly translates as “space,” “pause” or “interval.”
PUNK
Social Distortion
7 p.m.
Roseland Theater
Sold out, 21+
There’s probably still some way to score seats to America’s most commercially successful punk band’s return to Portland—if you’re desperate enough.
TELEVISION
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 9 viewing parties
Multiple Venues
7 p.m.
Varying prices, 21+
The LGBTQ-pioneering TV show debuts its ninth season, and numerous queer venues are hosting viewing parties. Episode 1 has Lady Gaga as a guest/judge. CC Slaughters is perhaps the largest venue hosting a party, Crush is serving hand-crafted cocktails, and Stag is hosting current contestant Charlie Hides.
HIP-HOP
Mickey Avalon, The Dungeon Brothers
8 p.m.
Dante’s
$20, 21+
The provocative MySpace emcee comes to Portland promoting his new album, Tear Drops on My Tombstone, and is supported by Gresham sludge rappers.
NIGHTLIFE
Club Kai-Kai
9 p.m.
Lovecraft
$5–10, 21+
DJ Buckmaster hosts a monthly underground drag ball, featuring performances by DJ Daniela Karina, Max Madame, Angelica D’Vil, Mr. Pretty, Sugarpill (who you might recognize from the #PSUFearless campaign) and Miss Inanna. There’s a $5 discount for showing up in drag.
FILM
Soylent Green
9:30 p.m.
Hollywood Theater
$9–10, all ages
Projekt (Sam Rosenthal) presents a screening of the 1973 sci-fi thriller featuring gift bags for the first guests to arrive to the Hollywood Theater’s monthly screening. Fun facts: the events depicted in the film are only five years away from happening, and we are already at the global population depicted in the film.
Saturday, March 25
ARTIST TALK
Whitney Lowe, Ronna Neueunschwander and Joe Feddersen
11 a.m.
Froelick Gallery
Free, all ages
Three ceramics artists discuss their unique methods and tour an exhibition of their work.
BUSINESS WORKSHOP
The Big Picture: The Everyday Experience of Braving Your Own Creative Business
1 p.m.
Klum House
$30, all ages
Sponsored by Regional Arts & Culture Council, this workshop incorporates interactive activity, writing exercises and group discussion to show you how to navigate the realities of owning a creative business. Register before attending; the workshop might fill up by the time you see this.
FITNESS
Humans of Color Yoga
5:30 p.m.
The People’s Food Co-Opt
Free, all ages
This by-POC, for-POC yoga evening focuses on creating and strengthening communities of color in the Whitest City in America. I don’t know what happens if you show up and are not a human of color.
EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC
Voidtripper, Disxiple_113, Mulva Myasis, Crowds, M o r o
7 p.m.
Leaven Community Center
$5–10, all ages
Whoa, an all-ages music night?! Do you know how rare those actually are?! Go!!!
POETRY
Scappettone, Herrera
7 p.m.
Independent Publishing Resource Center
Free, all ages
Switch Reading Series presents Chicago poet/translator Jennifer Scappettone and Portland poet/artist Brandi Katherine Herrera reading select works.
CIRCUS
Sir Cupcake’s Queer Circus Goes Inside the Body
8 p.m. (multiple show dates & times)
Echo Theater
$22–30, all ages
Sir Cupcake must send his Queer Circus inside his body to restore his jumbled organs and find his missing heart. You know this is fantasy because circus excellence and storytelling as healthcare is still not covered by Trumpcare.
MUSIC
Ladyhawke
8 p.m.
Doug Fir Lounge
$12–15, 21+
The New Zealand synth-pop artist tours in support of her new album, Wild Things.
DRAG
Haters Roast: The Shady Tour
8 p.m.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
$22.25–159, all ages
Murray & Peter presents RuPaul’s Drag Race winners and fan favorites roasting someone. Themselves, a special guest…or you? Starring: Jinkx Monsoon, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Kim Chi, Ginger Minj, Acid Betty, Darienne Lake, Latrice Royale and Phi Phi O’Hara.
NIGHTLIFE
Blow Pony
9 p.m.
Bossanova Ballroom
$19, 21+
The legendary queer dance party celebrates a debaucherous decade and features RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Trixie Mattell. Who wants to bet you’ll see some of the crowd from the Schnitz here? Official afterparty for Haters Roast: The Shady Tour.
NIGHTLIFE
ANDAZ Bhangra Bollywood Dance Party
9 p.m.
Analog Theater
$5–10, 21+
Monthly Bollywood dance party from DJ Anjali & the Incredible Kid, a duo of DJs who have held down Portland for over 15 years. The duo have just returned from India and are ready to party.
Sunday, March 26
THEATRE
Winners & Losers
2 p.m.
Artist Repertory Theatre
$30
Marcus Youssef and James Long deconstruct contemporary pop culture and political figures over the course of a seemingly harmless game that seems like a friendly competition, but quickly becomes personal: unpacking layers of privilege, class and status as each friend seeks to defeat the other.
CULTURE
Holi Hai
3 p.m.
Barrel Room
$8, all ages
Now in its fifth year, downtown Portland’s celebration of the Indian holiday dedicated to color, spring, joy, friendship and equality features the Jai Ho! Dance Crew. Prepare to get covered in bright colors.
COMEDY
Doug Benson
4:20 p.m. (alternate show dates & times)
Helium Comedy
$20, 21+
The famed stoner/stoned comedian (Trailer Park Boys, @midnight, Super High Me, VH1’s Best Week Ever, Doug Loves Movies) returns to Portland.
COMEDY
Sincerity is Gross
7 p.m.
Jade Lounge
Free, 21+
Local comedians Caitlin Weierhauser, Milan Patel, Kelly Richardson and Chris Johnson are among Portland’s top comedians, and you don’t even have to pay them this time!
Monday, March 27
FILM
Mean Girls (2004)
5:45 p.m., 8:30 p.m. (alternate show dates & times)
Mission Theater
$3–4, all ages
A teenage girl from South Africa is quietly driven insane by her American peers and society. Tina Fey watches.
SPEAKING
Stories of Resistance to Japanese-American Incarceration
7 p.m.
McMenamin’s Kennedy School
Free, all ages
Coinciding with the second annual Minoru Yashi Day and the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066, community figures George Nakata and Linda Tamura share stories and letters from America’s internment of citizens of Japanese heritage coinciding with the second annual Minoru Yashi Day and the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066. There will also be an opportunity to view Architecture of Internment: The Buildup to Wartime Incarceration, a traveling exhibit about WWII internment curated by Anne Galisky.
METAL
Decibel Magazine Tour
7 p.m.
Hawthorne Theater
$28, all ages
National metal acts Kreator, Obituary, Midnight and Horrendous take over the Hawthorne Theater. Economically speaking, this is roughly $7 per band, so not a bad deal for this level of savagery.