What are you going to do this week?WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
MUSIC—It was a big deal in June when Point Juncture, WA, opened for Orquestra Pacifico Tropical—in what was the band's first show in more than a year. But let's say you missed 'em because you thought you had something better do. Don't make that mistake again. They're playing tonight with crushing instrumental act Panther Attack. And it will be no less of a big deal. DCT
w/Hats Off; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $8
FILM—Get your sweet bippy down to the Hollywood for a cavalcade of 16mm vaudeville films from 1925 to 1940 featuring the following oddities: crackerjack rope skippers, roller-skating hotshots, contortionists, an eater of anything and everything, and WC Fields making funny. It's a night of vaudeville from a time when singing ducks were plentiful. CF
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $6-8
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
BEYONCÉ—Holocene is properly celebrating Beyoncé's birthday with the booty-licious dance party, Bey Day: A Birthday Celebration for the Queen! DJs Holla n Oates and Ronin Roc will be spinning Beyoncé's best for a sweaty crowd, plus video art, a special dance performance from House of Aquarius, and a Beyoncé costume contest! (Dig out that black unitard, and robot glove with a ring on it!) WSH
Holocene>, 1001 SE Morrison, 9 pm, $5
MUSIC—Former San Diego freak-folkers Castanets are back with a brand-new electronic-tinged record, Decimation Blues, the first proper release from the band in five years. And now that mainman Raymond Raposa lives in Portland proper, let's celebrate his brand of psychedelic melancholy music by buying the man a drink to make him feel all the more at home. CF
w/Alameda, Old Light; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $10
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
COMEDY—He first surprised the hell out of you as Day-Day in the shouldn't-have-worked-but-it-did Next Friday, and he's about to inhabit Richard Pryor's skin for a biopic from director Lee Daniels. Mike Epps has built a solid career out of defying expectations; unless you expect him to be really fucking funny, in which case, he always delivers. BR
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10:15 pm, Sun 7 pm, $30-50
DANCE PARTY—It's hard to care how old you are when you're having this much fun, but look who's passed the five-year mark: DJ Cooky Parker's In the Cooky Jar is celebrating the milestone with a night of dancing to "the greatest records ever made." Fair enough. MS
w/DJ Andrew McCalla; Eagles Lodge, 4904 SE Hawthorne, 9 pm, $5
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
MUSIC—Still no Jarboe, but Michael Gira and Swans are still producing and touring their strange catalog of experimentally mournful ugly/pretty sounds, like those from their most recent, To Be Kind. Gira & Co. are famous for being challenging to audiences, sonically and otherwise, so keep at least one eye open at this show. MS
w/Carla Bozulich; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 9 pm, $20-30
FESTIVAL—The offbeat musical acts who haunt downtown St. Johns all afternoon and into the wee hours still make up the core of the neighborhood's delightfully strange Nofest. But don't let that third dive-bar set keep you from checking out the art installations and micro-film festival that have become just as important to Nofest's bizarro vibe over the past few years. DCT
Downtown St. Johns, various locations,
noon-2 am, FREE, check nofest.net for details
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
BIKES/PETS—This town has scads of organized charity rides, but only the Tour de Lab, put on yearly by Lucky Labrador Brewing, is bringing the "pets" heat that earns a vaunted Busy Week nod. Pick a challenging 41-mile course or a timid 18-miler, drink free beer, eat hotdogs, and support nonprofit animal hospital DoveLewis at the same time. DVH
Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne, visit tourdelab.com for more information
MUSIC—Don't get it twisted. Wyclef may have dropped the phrasing "refugee all stars" on that one Bee Gees ripoff, but it's Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars that have stayed alive. The band, formed in a refugee camp near their war-torn home country, has been in the game a decade, delivering an uplifting narrative of perseverance and all sorts of danceable goodness. DVH
Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $18-22
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
MUSIC—We thought we'd lost Sun Angle after one of the three anglers, guitarist Charlie Salas Humara, developed some ear problems that prevented further live shows. Well, all is well again, and Sun Angle is back, with leaping, phosphene-like, dervish psych-rock that'll lick all your decals off. NL
w/Animal Eyes, Talkative; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $8-10
BOOKS—Literary Arts has spent 30 years showcasing literary culture in Portland—including supporting local writers and bringing top-tier national talent to town. They think that many years entitles them to a party. We... agree! Tonight, they celebrate with Elizabeth Gilbert, Calvin Trillin, and Colin Meloy. AH
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall,
1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $20.50-73
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
MUSIC—Put that zazz back in your ring-a-ding, because Eleni Mandell's easy-peasy, loose 'n' breezy tunes are pure concentrated smile juice. The LA singer/songwriter's latest album, Let's Fly a Kite, is a dizzy, daffy ride through pop music's past and present, with jazz, honky-tonk, and exotic Euro flourishes each contributing colors to the kaleidoscope. NL
w/Rachel Taylor Brown; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 8 pm, $10-12
FILM—In 2008, Ari Folman made Waltz with Bashir, the Oscar-nominated animated documentary about the 1982 Lebanon War. His latest, The Congress, is an ambitious sci-fi allegory—part live action, part animated—featuring Robin Wright, Paul Giamatti, and the dreamy, dreamy voice of Jon Hamm. EH
Laurelhurst Theater, 2735 E Burnside, see Movie Times, $4