It's a week of School of Rock, Star Trek, and some football game.WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
MUSIC—It's unclear what "unplugged" means to the Blow. For this "unplugged" show, they claim their instruments will "employ a fair number of plugs, as well as a good amount of electricity. A lot of plugging and unplugging will be happening." But because the duo of Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne make heart-stopping dollops of pop, it's entirely arbitrary whether they plug or unplug anything. CF
w/Anna Oxygen; Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $15
TV—Trust me, you won't want to miss the season
premiere of one of TV's truly great shows, The Americans. A Washington, DC, suburban couple is actually part of an undercover Russian spy ring during Reagan's Cold War, which means there's plenty of dangerous action, hot sex, and familial drama (because even their two kids have no idea what they do for a living). Watch it—it's smart, sexy, and great. WSH
The Americans, FX, 10 pm
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
COMEDY—The reliably hilarious Patton Oswalt has a busy night tonight—one ending with a sold-out performance at the Newmark Theatre. But you know what isn't sold out? His appearance just before that, at Powell's, where he'll be reading from his new memoir, Silver Screen Fiend, which charts both his early days as a stand-up and his lifelong obsession with film. EH
Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 6 pm, FREE
BOOKS/MUSIC—Longtime Portland musician Nick Jaina's excellent new book Get It While You Can proves that memoirs needn't be depressing, and tonight's release shows that book launches needn't be sedate exercises in sitting quietly. Jaina's band will perform, readings will be read, drinks will be drunk, and one thing is for sure: It'll be a lot more fun than the readings you're used to. MB
LaurelThirst, 2958 NE Glisan, 9 pm, $5
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
MUSIC—Composer Michael Giacchino has scored everything from Lost to The Incredibles, from Fringe to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. His best score, though, remains the one for J.J. Abrams' 2009 Star Trek. Rousing and evocative, it occasionally riffs on the sounds of the classic TV series, but is far more interested in pushing ahead to find things that're exciting and surprising. (Kind of like Star Trek.) Tonight, the Oregon Symphony performs his fantastic score—while Abrams' film plays. EH
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $55-125, all ages
LIBERACE—Celebrating his birthday in
outrageous style, pianist/comedian David Saffert is trotting out his bedazzled tribute to one of the truly great performers of all time, Liberace. Expect appearances from Judy Garland, Bernadette Peters, Eartha Kitt, and Liza Minnelli (all played by Jillian Snow Harris), Liberace's "good friend" Scott Thorson, and the star's real-life former music director, Bo Ayers! WSH
Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE MLK, Fri-Sat 7:30 pm, $12-15
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
ROLLER DERBY—The Rose City Rollers have a weekend filled with hard-hitting derby action. Friday, the up-and-comers of Portland's league take on the Gorge. Saturday, it's the High Rollers duking it out against last year's champs the Break Neck Betties in the main event. And Sunday, the gals of the junior league will face a frosty team from British Columbia! CF
The Hangar at Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park, Fri 8 pm, Sat 7 pm, $14-20, Sun noon, $7, all ages
MUSIC—Sure, you could head to the Wonder Ballroom because of all the fancy names on one bill: acts like Stephen Malkmus, Aan, Gaytheist, Red Fang, Summer Cannibals, and more. But anyone with a heart knows the real stars of tonight's fourth annual "Best of Portland" by the School of Rock: the energetic and amazing kids whose light all those stars have to match. DCT
Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell, 8 pm, $15-18, all ages
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
ATHLETICS—Today, three ostensibly unaffiliated events cohere to make an airtight argument for the supremacy of American sport. In Puppy Bowl XI, we've got Team Ruff vs. Team Fluff. Kitten Bowl II brings three squads to the field: the Northpole Panthers and the Hallmark Hearties and Mountain Lions. And Super Bowl XLIX? Just the Seahawks against the Patriots. The state of the union is strong, Portland. DVH
Puppy Bowl at noon (repeats all day) on Animal Planet; Kitten Bowl II at noon on Hallmark Channel; Super Bowl at 3 pm on NBC
MUSIC—Eternal Tapestry's latest, Wild Strawberries, won't be out for a few more weeks, but it's a shroomy, steamy, 79-minute blastoff to the unseen otherworld. They're joined tonight by the almost unbearably lovely frozen-ocean folk of Weyes Blood, so prepare for some extreme
thermotherapy tonight, in music form. NL
w/Moon by You; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $5
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
FILM—The latest from brilliant director Mike Leigh, Mr. Turner stars the perennially underrated Timothy Spall as romanticist painter J.M.W. Turner. There's a reason both Leigh's film and Spall's performance are getting rave reviews and awards buzz: They're really, really good. EH
Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st, see Movie Times at portlandmercury.com/movietimes, $7.50-9.50
DANCE—Call me crazy, but dance-offs are definitely among the most cruelly underrated public displays of confrontation. They're jaunty, fun, great exercise, and less likely to result in personal injury than, say, inciting a duel. They're also rare. Fortunately for us, So You Think You Can Dance has arrived in Portland tonight, which means (yes!) it may just be time for an (exhibition) dance-off. MB
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 7:30 pm, $43-90.50, all ages
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
MUSIC—Kill Rock Stars picked the bands for tonight's Red Bull Sound Select show, and it's a doozy, with the dirty-denim rawk of the Shrine, the blacklight metal of Danava, and the frenzied operatic punk of Nasalrod. Be prepared for a righteous
bangover tomorrow morning. NL
Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside, 9 pm, $12 ($3 with RSVP at redbullsoundselect.com)
STORYTELLING—Just before that day this month when lesser people demand forced declarations of love, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon is bringing back its storytelling series, It's Not Me, It's You, devoted to the shittier (and funnier) side of all this dating business. Commiserate with comics Amy Miller, Curtis Cook, and others—while raising needed cash for the fight for reproductive rights. DCT
Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta, 7 pm, $18-20