There's an old saying, I think it comes from the Bible, that goes "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke." This week, that saying gets updated by some of Portland's finest comics to something more along the lines of "Fuck 'em up with a whole buncha jokes," as Revolution Comedy hosts an anti-Trump fundraiser that gives you something to laugh at as you do your part to stop this raving idiot from getting anywhere near the White House. The jokes don't stop there, either; if you're a fan of stand-up, this week is a veritable goldmine of quality comedy, including an up-and-comer bearing the Amy Schumer Seal of Approval, and another up-and-comer pulling a get-up-and-go as he leaves Portland to conquer California. Plus, one of Portland's finest comics shops turns 10, Manon blesses Carla Rossi's drag-infused screening of The Craft, the Black Lodge infects the Star Theater, and John Waters's biggest hit goes dancing atop the city skyline. It's a big busy week ahead; hit the menu below and plan accordingly.
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Monday, Aug 15
Hands Up
A series of seven monologues celebrating Black resilience in the face of profiling and systemic racism. Presented by The August Wilson Red Door Project.
Hollywood Theatre, 7pm, free w/ rsvp
Broods, Jarryd James
Super-tight Kiwi sibling duo Broods is multi-instrumentalist Caleb Nott and his sister, lead vocalist Georgia Nott. If you’ve ever heard the song “Four Walls,” you know that their brand of indie-pop/electronica is made to make you feel all the feels. Their latest full-length, Conscious, is a strong follow-up to 2014’s Evergreen. Emotion is palpable on almost every track of their new album, including lead single “Free” and “Heartlines,” which was cowritten by Lorde. Now that they’ve earned swarms of fans opening for artists like Haim, Ellie Goulding, and Sam Smith, Broods’ headlining tour should take their new album even further. JENNI MOORE
Roseland, 8pm, $21.50-61.50, all ages
Rip City Rosé BBQ 2106
A summer picnic celebrating some of the best pink wines from around the world, with over 20-plus varieties available for drinking, as well as food from the kitchens of EaT: An Oyster Bar and Lucky Strike, and screenings of classic jazz performances from the '50s and '60s.
Pix/Bar Vivant, 7pm, $75
Hockey Dad, Muuy Biien, Cool American
The opening notes of Mr. Bones’ sophomore LP, Bites, reveal its tenderness: “I Adore You” is a soaring guitar-pop cutie in the vein of Mates of State and Weezer, with vocalist Leland Brehl’s falsetto yearning for some affection. Their tune “Do You Wanna Feel Alright?” is basically the feel-good anthem of every person with a pulse, and a spoonful of sugar to the real heavy medicine of the mopey, brilliantly slacker-influenced grunge-pop of “candlewax,database,” where cacophony and heart suddenly smash into each other at warp speed. Mr. Bones’ take on these punk traditions isn’t always revolutionary, but when it hits, it hits hard, and that’s really all that matters. RYAN J. PRADO
Doug Fir, 9pm, $10-12
Cory Frye
Author and journalist Cory Frye reads from his new true crime book, Murder in Linn County, Oregon, which chronicles a series of shocking and tragic crimes that haunted Linn County for decades.
Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 7:30pm
Tuesday, Aug 16
The Used, New Language
Come with me on a journey through time, won’t you? It’s 2004 and you’re a sullen youth with an affinity for jelly bracelets, gratuitous eyeliner, and drawing broken, stitched-up hearts all over your Converse high-tops. You deeply identify as emo, but only feel safe talking about this in cryptic lyric collages on your LiveJournal. With songs like “I’m a Fake” and “Let It Bleed,” the Used have the dramatics you’ve been searching for. They’re the only ones who understand. Am I hitting a nerve or just outing myself? The Used celebrate an unfathomable 15-year career, playing their first two LPs beginning to end on back-to-back nights at the Crystal. What better place to let all the slightly embarrassing memories from yesteryear wash over you? At least you’ll be surrounded by people who feel your pain. JENNA FLETCHER
Crystal Ballroom, 8pm, $33.50-35
Repressed Cinema
Ian Sundahl goes into his personal film vaults to unleash “Boob Tube Shrapnel,” a program of bizarre 16mm gems from the early days of television history, including an afterschool special starring Diff’rent Strokes’ Dana Plato, a celebrity billiards competition with Minnesota Fats, some what-the-fuckery from 1960s-era KPTV, and vintage commercials so out there that Donald Draper would have probably pulled a Lane Pryce if they’d happened on his watch.
Hollywood Theatre, 7:30pm, $9
The Moth StorySLAM
A spinoff of the nationwide storytelling success, in which potential soul-barers put their names in a hat, and once called, have five minutes to tell their tale. "Heat" is the theme for tonight's story session.
Holocene, 8pm, $10
Wednesday, Aug 17
Curtis Cook's Going Away Show
Curtis Cook’s one of the best stand-ups in town, so his impending move down the comedy success train to LA shouldn’t be surprising. But for those of us who appreciate a good joke with a sharp edge, it’s okay (and inevitable) to be sad. Tonight, behold his swan song at Helium. MEGAN BURBANK
Helium Comedy Club, 8pm, $10
Coco Columbia, Sama Dams, Moorea Masa
One of the most original soul-funk-electro albums you're likely to come across in this past year belongs to a local young music-school dropout under the brilliant moniker of Coco Columbia. On the surface, The Weight has all the gloss of Top 40 teen pop, complete with cameos by rappers like Soopah Eype and Fabian Rush. But under the covers is Pat Matheny-like guitar work and Columbia's own jazz drumming, making her satiny compositions sound very adult indeed. ROBERT HAM
Doug Fir, 9pm, $7
The Castaway Kids, Amber Moon, Pedestrian Death Gang
Holocene opens its doors for a special all ages affair featuring three of Portland's most talented youth bands. The event doubles as a farewell show for lo-fi garage rock outfit the Castaway Kids who are playing their final set tonight.
Holocene, 8:30pm, $5, all ages
Revolution Comedy: Fuck Donald Trump
This week is full of great comedy events, but the Fuck Donald Trump show—featuring Gabe Dinger, Anthony Lopez, Ben Harkins, Jon Washington, and Andie Main—aims to accomplish something more than make you laugh. While the show’s cover is $7, attendees are encouraged to bring more to donate to either Hillary Clinton or moveon.org's United Against Hate PAC—which supports Black Lives Matter, the banning of assault weapons, and more. In the words of the event’s organizers, “Let’s raise some cash to defeat that orange motherfucker.” ERIK HENRIKSEN
Kickstand Comedy Space, 7:30pm, $10
Sonny & the Sunsets, Garth Steel Klippert
Sonny Smith brings his charming blend of fuzzed-out surf-pop to the intimate and picturesque Revolution Hall Roof Deck.
Revolution Hall, 7pm, $15
Thursday, Aug 18
Queer Horror: The Craft
Portland’s best drag clown, Carla Rossi, is once again hosting her film series, Queer Horror. Sit a spell and watch ’90s queens Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell in 1996’s The Craft. It’s a witchy, gothy, murdery delight. It’s a great time to call on the power of Manon, or at least a coven of drag queens, who’ll put on a show before the screening. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Hollywood Theatre, 9:30pm, $9
Floating World 10th Anniversary Celebration
The downtown comic book mecca made it a decade, and its owners are marking the occasion with an all-day party full of sales, signings, and prizes, with appearances from Cathy Camper, Zack Soto, Lark Pien, and Ian Chachere.
Floating World Comics, 11am, free, all ages
Fred & Toody, Willis Earl Beal
Portland musicians Fred and Toody Cole rocked together for decades in bands like Dead Moon, Pierced Arrows, and the Rats. And while the husband-wife duo have left the rocking in the past, their stripped-down unplugged sets remain unmissable. Catch the legendary pair tonight when they headline Mississippi Studios.
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $12
Sarah Jaffe, Matt Bors
Author and journalist Sarah Jaffe presents her new book, Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt, which takes readers to the heart of the protests and uprisings that have popped up around the county surrounding the growth of the Tea Party, the fight for a $15 minimum wage, BlackLivesMatter, Occupy Wall Street, and the grassroots networks supporting presidential candidates like Bernie Sanders. Jaffe will be joined in conversation by Matt Bors, editorial cartoonist and editor of online comics for The Nib.
Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 7:30pm
Black Lodge Burlesque
The return of the popular burlesque showcase based on the works of coffee-infused madman David Lynch, which means shit is going to get weird. And sexy, of course, but definitely weird. With performances inspired by Wild at Heart, Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and more.
Star Theater, 7pm, 10pm, $15-30
The Builders & the Butchers, Boone Howard, Ike Fonseca
Frontman Ryan Sollee and his long-running folk-rock band return to the Doug Fir stage.
Doug Fir, 9pm, $12-14
Hairspray
Turns out when John Waters isn’t making people eat dog pickles on camera, he’s got some pretty decent pop sensibilities. But just because Hairspray fizzes over like a freshly shaken bottle of effervescent sunshine doesn’t mean Waters took a break from tweaking the squares. The surface-level joys—the dancing, the music, the sense of style that makes Effie’s Hunger Games couture look like a burlap sack and a barrel—constitute the deliciously campy candied shell coating messages about institutionalized racism in 1960s Baltimore and the multiple ways society unfairly judges its children, especially its girls. Part of NW Film Center’s Top Down: Rooftop Cinema series. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hotel DeLuxe, 7pm, $7-12
Mark Normand
Mark Normand, who regularly opens for Amy Schumer, is on the cusp of becoming a household name, and you should check him out so you can say you saw him before he became crazy famous. You should also subscribe to the Tuesdays with Stories podcast he does with fellow comic Joe List to get a taste of his hilariously offensive humor and his Tinder- and Bumble-based stories from the road. DOUG BROWN
Helium Comedy Club, 8pm, $15-23