Wednesday was a Day Without a Woman. Friday? Friday we Stand with Native Nations. And when that's done? We dance. And then we still have the rest of the weekend to indulge and enjoy a multitude of things to do, like Feelin Good with the Aces, getting a drink courtesy the Portland Mercury's Highball, help creative women grab back at the powers that be, celebrate XRAY.FM's third birthday, or get up to some Big Trouble with Kurt Russell and company. Hit the menu below and load your plate accordingly.
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Friday, Mar 10
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Morgan Parker
"There are more beautiful things than Beyoncé: self-awareness,/Leftover mascara in clumps, recognizing a pattern/This is for all the grown women out there/Whose countries hate them and their brothers/Who carry knives in their purses down the street/Maybe they will not get out alive/Maybe they will turn into air or news or brown flower petals," writes Morgan Parker in the title poem of her new collection, There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé. If that doesn't pique your interest/make you feel something/have you reexamining your negative attitude about poetry (get over it!), check yourself for a pulse. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free
Stand with Native Nations National Solidarity Gathering
March 10th has been designated as a national day of solidarity for native nations and allies as thousands march through Washington DC for indigenous rights. Especially crucial in light of the abuse and exploitation at Standing Rock, speakers will be sharing stories and building community. A peaceful walk to the waterfront, prayer ceremony, and traditional performances by dancers, musicians, and singers will also follow. EMILLY PRADO
3:30 pm, Terry Schrunk Plaza
NXT LVL 2.0
After the nonviolent gathering detailed above, organizers are taking to the clerb for a night celebrating native artists through DJ sets, performance, and dance. Proceeds will go to the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, Water Protector Legal Collective, and the Portland State University Native American Student Community Center. Bring your signs from the waterfront march for the photo booth and unopened products for the tampon drive. EMILLY PRADO
9 pm, Jade Club, $5-20
Laura Stevenson, Completions, Erica Freas
Laura Stevenson waves her pop-punk influences like a flag. On her criminally overlooked 2015 album Cocksure, Stevenson echoes the angry-but-exhausted despondency found on Liz Phair’s 1993 record Exile in Guyville, and jangly guitars sound inspired by Smoking Popes. The Brooklyn-based musician tells stories of insecurity and stagnation with smart humor and an injection of fun, an approach she honed during her time with Bomb the Music Industry. Stevenson’s emotional gusto is palpable on tracks like “Jellyfish”—hopefully her following only continues to grow. EMMA BURKE
6 pm, The Analog Cafe & Little Theater, $12, all ages
Blue Mountains Biodiversity Benefit
Johanna Warren lends her blend of gauzy, dreamy folk to the Blue Mountains Biodiversity cause, with help from A Stick and a Stone and Cinder Well.
7 pm, Leaven Community Center, $5-20, all ages
In the Heights
Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton is clever, devastating, and revolutionary. Using a predominately non-white cast to recount the life of Alexander Hamilton with a hip-hop soundtrack, it's indefinitely sold out and nets around $500,000 weekly on Broadway. But when Hamilton was still a twinkle in the Pulitzer-winning MacArthur Genius' eye, his first musical, In the Heights, was a Broadway hit in its own right. KJERSTIN JOHNSON
7 pm, PCC Sylvania Campus
Friday Film Club: The Night of the Hunter
“Salvation is a last-minute business” in The Night of the Hunter, Charles Laughton’s 1955 noir about a “reverend” (Robert Mitchum) with L-O-V-E and H-A-T-E knuckle tats who woos and brutally murders Appalachian widows for their money. (Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing references his iconic ink.) But this faux-zealot meets his match in one widow’s young son, who refuses to tell him where his dad hid a $10k fortune. Creepy hymns! Egg-headed kids! Long tracking shots! It’s a mildly spooky watch. At one point the narrative goes off-roading into confusing moralistic territory, but the reverend reels you in with convincing charm. He even announces “I can feel myself gettin’ awful mad” in a transatlantic accent that’ll make you think you’re watching It’s a Wonderful Life—until the murder, that is! Screens as part of the NW Film Center’s Friday Film Club series, featuring a post-film discussion. CIARA DOLAN
5:30 pm, NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium
The Aces: Feelin' Good
Every year, the combined might of local improv comedians Shelley McLendon and Michael Fetters takes on the shape of a new sketch comedy show. The Aces' signature style revolves around quickly changing sketch scenes that are sometimes so loosely associated they may as well be free association. Boundless and bizarre, an Aces audience is never bored and sometimes has to hustle to keep up. I really can't say enough nice things about this pair. They deserve all their current accolades and a whole lot more. Let's pump them full of money so they add more shows. SUZETTE SMITH
8 pm, Siren Theater, $15-20
Shyboi, Troubled Youth, Casual Aztec, Princess Dimebag, Daniela Karina, Felisha L, Kath, Kishkosheh, CarlyBarton
NY-based artist Shyboi hits Portland to headline an evening of sets from Women's Beat League and No Control DJs blending beats and genres.
10 pm, S1, $10
Wyrd War Presents: River's Edge
They don’t give awards for being a mute, nude corpse lying immobile in the grass while suburban teenage eccentric Layne (Crispin Glover) stands over your body ranting. But something about how the cold blue stare of Jamie (Danyi Deats) reproaches the camera makes you feel like she deserves one. River’s Edge premiered in 1986, but the the film’s haunting script—based on a real murder and real shocked/apathetic teens—and strong performances from its starlet cast (Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, and Glover) help it resonate just as strongly 30 years later. Actor Daniel Roebuck in attendance. SUZETTE SMITH
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $9
Jackson Boone, Cat Hoch, Sinless, Wave Action
For the past few years, Jackson Boone has steadily refined his sound. Back in 2014, with the help of fellow Portlanders Riley Geare (Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Randy Bemrose (Radiation City), and Patti King (Radiation City), Boone debuted his first solo record, Starlit. This month he released his third LP, Organic Light Factory, an album that masters gentle, sun-dazed lo-fi rock. Boone’s voice channels Bowie on songs like “Mystic Winds (From the East),” riding the mellow beat and doing figure eights around the meandering guitar line. “Don't” rides the perfect wave, with an easy drum groove, a simple guitar riff, and a slight psychedelic sheen. He’s got a knack for subtleties: Myriad textures of unexpected horns, guitar, and doubled vocals weave together as one washed-out tapestry. Organic Light Factory is an easy album to sink into—tonight he’s celebrating its release at Mississippi Studios. ROBIN BACIOR
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5
The Portland Mercury's Highball
Here at the Portland Mercury, we know just what you need, given the current state of 2017, life, the universe, and everything: You need GOOD BOOZE, and you need it NOW! So prepare yourself (and your liver) for the Portland Mercury’s HIGHBALL! We’ve teamed up with over 40 of the finest bars and restaurants in Portland—along with our cocktail-lovin’ pals at Beam Suntory and Good IV, LLC—to bring you this one-of-a-kind boozetacular! At each of Highball’s locations, you’ll find specially crafted cocktails that are available only to Highball participants. Even better? Each of these fantastic, sanity-saving cocktails will be available ALL DAY (not just during happy hour!) and cost you a mere $5!
Various Locations, see our $5 Cocktail calendar for venues & recipes
Logan
Finally! An R-rated X-Men movie. In Hugh Jackman's 10th and final portrayal of Wolverine we get what we've wanted all along; more violence, more cusswords, and an overwhelming feeling of depression and desperations! Grumpy ol' beardy-Logan attempts to care for an ailing Professor X and a young mutant whose life he knows will be unquestionable garbage. This comic book flick is much deeper than a fastball special and sexy man abs. It's about aging, loss, and Wolverine wearing reading glasses. BRI BREY
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations
Saturday, Mar 11
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Kong: Skull Island
See Suzette Smith's interview comic with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, this issue.
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for locations and showtimes
Kinski, Drunk Dad, Marriage + Cancer
Seattle’s Kinski can’t stop making records. Since forming in 1998, they’ve released their prolific catalogue on seminal Pacific Northwest labels like Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars, most recently 2015’s 7 (or 8). Throughout this nearly two-decade tenure, Kinski has remained loud but listenable with feedback-heavy, droning garage rock. Get ready—the band’s gravely guitar riffs and piercing solos demand head-banging. BRI BREY
8 pm, The Know, $8
We Grab Back Zine Fest: Vol 1
A benefit for Planned Parenthood in zine festival form, the first-ever We Grab Back fest should be tons of fun, with zines for purchase, a zine-making workshops, and live musical accompaniment from Blood Bitch, Rose Lewis, Holy Light, and the Variants, plus DJ sets by Freeform PDX. All proceeds go to Planned Parenthood, as they should. MEGAN BURBANK
4 pm, Pop Tavern, $5
Mini Blinds, Retail Space, Hannah Yeun
Portland’s Mini Blinds play dreamy music that’s like roller skating in the sun with ice cream. The goth-pop duo’s debut album, Air Signs, centers on catchy hooks that someone probably came up with while doing the dishes. The light is magic hour. Beth Ann Dear’s ghostly vocals wash in, and twee guitar mixes smoothly with warm bass lines. Maybe there’s a little hand holding. There are certainly pranks. Somebody drops their cone. It’s not shoegaze, it’s minimal-glaze. SUZETTE SMITH
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!, $5
Singin' in the Rain
It’s the 1920s in Los Angeles, and Hollywood up-and-comer Kathy Selden has come to make a name at a studio. Instead, she’s going to have to save it. Within this sound stage high above the city, 12 terrorists have declared war. They’re as brilliant as they are ruthless. Now, the last thing Selders wants is to be a hero, but she doesn’t have a choice. She’s an easy woman to like, and a hard woman to kill. Debbie Reynolds in: Singin’ in the Rain. Yippe-ki-yay, motherfuckers. ELINOR JONES
2 pm, Hollywood Theatre
Ceremony Of Sludge VI: Witch Mountain, Disenchanter, Year of the Cobra, Lamprey, Troll
The Ceremony of Sludge mini-fest returns for the sixth year, bringing a landslide of headbang-worthy heavy metal and doom played at ear-melting volumes for a good cause. This year, 100% all proceeds generated at the door will go to benefit Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette and ACLU of Oregon.
8 pm, High Water Mark, $10-20
Living Canon
De-Canon, a literary visibility project started by Portland writer Dao Strom, aims to build community online and off while showcasing writers of color with readings and events throughout the year, including monthly “Living Canon” talks featuring local writers. This month’s is the first, featuring Neil Aitken and Samiya Bashir, whose latest book Field Theories is forthcoming from Nightboat Books. KJERSTIN JOHNSON
6 pm, High & Low Gallery
Hayley Kiyoko, Flor
Adolescents are complex creatures with a lot of buying power. I remember being a teen and feeling as though books, movies, and TV shows were trying to use my angst and insecurity to sell me pop culture. Singer/actress Hayley Kiyoko is 25, but has a handle on a very specific brand of teen culture: In her latest video for the song “Gravel to Tempo” she’s seen wearing a choker and a Fjallraven Kanken backpack, looking straight out of a Brandy Melville promoted Instagram post. The reach for youth culture is visual and audible in her light synth, pop-heavy ballads, but the message is earnest. Her 2015 hit “Girls Like Girls” about discovering one’s attraction to the same gender has 60 million views on YouTube. The story isn’t a particularly new one, but Kiyoko’s glossy, mainstream aesthetic lends itself to a major platform where she can explore her own identity as a queer pop star of color, but also create a space for young people who may be looking for a digestible way to educate themselves. EMMA BURKE
8 pm, Hawthorne Theatre, $15-18, all ages
The NoSleep Podcast
The award-winning anthology podcast series of original horror stories hits the road for the "Sleepless Tour 2017," featuring David Cummings, Jessica McEvoy, Peter Lewis, Nikolle Doolin, David Ault, and music from Brandon Boone.
8 pm, Star Theater, $20
Reservoir Dogs
In this classic 1992 caper, a colorful group of dreamers comes together to get rich—but when their plans hit a snag, they have no choice but to work together to solve a mystery! The leading lads are as quick-witted as they are stylish, and over several cups of coffee, a lot of talking, a lot of laughs, and even a little dancing, they learn about honesty, loyalty, and a man’s priorities in life. It’s no wonder that starry-eyed young men in dorm rooms across America continue to gaze up at this film’s poster, proving once and for all the staying power of friendship and fun!
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre
Never Not Funny: The Jimmy Pardo Podcast
It takes no small amount of chutzpah to name your podcast Never Not Funny, and it takes a ton of skill to consistently live up to that. Jimmy Pardo delivers all those things at a blistering rate of speed; this isn't so much stand-up as it is a mile-a-minute conversation with a crowd happy to ride his comedy roller-coaster. BOBBY ROBERTS
4 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $17
Devil's Pie
DJ Wicked's Devil's Pie smoothes out the second Saturday of every month with classic golden-era R&B (like Boyz II Men, Blackstreet, Sade, D'Angelo, INOJ) that will stay in your head all damn week. SUZETTE SMITH
10 pm, Valentines, free
Back Fence PDX: Snapshot
The local storytelling series returns to the Alberta Rose with tales focused on moments in time trapped in the amber of our minds. Featuring stories from Dan Kennedy, Shannon Balcom Graves, Jordan Hayles, and Heather Augello. Hosted by B. Frayn Masters and Jason Rouse.
8 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $16-28
The Portland Women's Expo
Billed as "Oregon's #1 Consumer Showcase for Women," the Expo features over 400 exhibitors offering food, wine, demonstrations, and discussions on topics including life-improvement, home-improvement, financial planning, legal advice, and more.
10 am, Oregon Convention Center
Chuck Westmoreland, The Loved Ones, Travis Champ
The local singer-songwriter and former frontman for the Portland-based indie rock outfit The Kingdom comes to St. Johns in support of his acclaimed self-titled solo album.
8:30 pm, The Fixin' To, $5
Sunday, Mar 12
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XRAY.FM's 3rd Birthday Bash
For the past three years, the XRAY.FM airwaves have provided Portland with an endless stream of stimulating content, from the morning news (Carl we miss you bb) to DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid’s groovy Chor Bazaar. So let’s raise a glass and give thanks for local radio while basking in the glitz and glamour of Chanti Darling and the deep-blue nostalgia of Karl Blau’s folk. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm, Missisisppi Studios, $12
Trentemøller, Tom and His Computer
Creating electronic music is often a lonely process, but Trentemøller makes ambient tracks that sound deeply human. I was introduced to the Danish artist’s work via his remix of a song by the Knife, which led me to his 2006 album Lost—a subtle and minimalist take on electronic. Since then Trentemøller has collaborated with a variety of indie artists (the Raveonettes, the Drums) to make slightly less avant-garde works. His artistry is never sacrificed, though, and even his more pulsing, dance-oriented compositions exist in the same eerie, foggy realms of his other work. EMMA BURKE
8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $18.50-20, all ages
Big Trouble in Little China
With a title that mirrors the poeticism of a POTUS tweet, this 1986 classic is a comic book come to life filled with martial arts, monsters, magic, and Kurt Russell in a tank top saying cheesy shit like, “I was born ready!” and “Son of a bitch must pay!” BRI BREY
4:30 pm, 9:30 pm, Laurelhurst Theater, $3-4
Rebel One Excalibur, U Sco, Toim
Local experimental rock trio U Sco mold elements of prog, math rock, krautrock, and free jazz into a landslide of noise that's much more than the sum of its parts. Catch them tonight at at kick-off show for their tour with Japanese experimental noise rock outfit, Rebel One Excalibur.
8 pm, The Know
Rock of Ages
The American musical theater equivalent of a heart-filled 2 am shitfaced karaoke group performance of a Journey song comes to Portland. I mean that in a nice way. MEGAN BURBANK
2 pm, 7 pm, Brunish Hall, $25-40
Hurry Up, Lovesores, Sex Crime, Suicide
Hurry Up's angular riffs and lo-fi melodies create fun, high-energy listens. RYAN J. PRADO
7 pm, The Lombard Pub, $5
Kulululu, Dreckig
Experimental avant-garde rockers Kulululu headline Sunday Session with support from the local psych-trip-hop duo comprised of Papi Fimbres and Shana Lindbeck.
9 pm, Rontoms, free
Buckman Arts Show & Sell
Featuring over 140 artists and craftspersons selling new and original works, including paintings, furniture, textile, photography, and more, as well as activities for younger children, food carts, a special performance schedule on Sunday, and a silent auction on Saturday to help benefit Buckman's PTA.
11 am, Buckman Arts Elementary School, $2-5
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!