Let there be ART!
This week's big focus is obviously the massive celebration of Portland's creativity and artistic ambition in the form of TBA:16, PICA's annual arts festival all about expanding horizons and pushing envelopes. But even though you'd be shorting yourself if you didn't at least dip a toe in those adventurous waters, there's a lot of other events to enjoy this first week of fall: A special screening of Willy Wonka in honor of Gene Wilder's passing, Rory Scovel's novel absurdity detonates on Mississippi, Fred & Toody cement their local legend with yet another stripped-down showcase, and Rambu invades the Hollywood for a ridiculous game of B-Movie Bingo. There's a whole lot more in store for the week; hit the menu below and choose wisely.
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Tuesday, Sept 6
Baths, Fine Animal, Old Wave
Los Angeles electronic composer Will Wiesenfeld makes some of the most subtly intense dance music out there. Baths’ 2014 EP Ocean Death, the follow-up to Wiesenfeld’s breakout record Obsidian, starts with the sound of crashing waves before fading to dark soundscapes reminiscent of the Drive soundtrack. The EP’s title track compounds anxious energy that bursts before returning to the lush recording of waves. It’s a song that combines Baths’ best qualities: the brooding anxiety of Ian Cohen-approved emo and simple, ambient techno that can leave a listener in an engaged stupor if they’re not already dancing. CAMERON CROWELL
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $3 w/ rsvp
B-Movie Bingo: Rambu the Intruder
Your monthly opportunity to literally check off a bingo card full of B-movie clichés. This month’s entry: Rambu the Intruder. That’s right. Rambu. The shameless motherfuckers who cut off this greasy slice of ’80s schlock could barely be bothered to change a single letter. To prevent undue confusion, here’s a cheat sheet: Rambo is a Vietnam veteran. Rambu is an ex-cop. Rambo fights to exorcise demons burned into his soul via the nightmare of war. Rambu lives at home with his wife, who would really like him to stop going out at night like a shirtless gorilla attacking gangsters with a baseball bat. Rambo’s climax takes place in a Soviet-armed prison camp. Rambu raids the liquor cabinet in a drug lord’s living room. Rambo might get you one B-movie bingo. Rambu will black out the whole board in like 15 minutes. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hollywood Theatre, 7:30pm, $9
Rvivr, Backbiter, Cockeye
Rvivr make blissful pop-punk anthems that give the illusion of intricate spontaneity. While each song has certainly been crafted with care, the Olympia group makes them sound uninhibited, like they just came up with these arrangements on the spot. Their last album, 2013's The Beauty Between, is a perfect example. It's a work so tight and interwoven that it borders on pop-punk concept album, but it sounds raw enough to make you believe it was recorded at a basement show. Rvivr's general celebratory tone lends a perfectly deceptive background to lyrics that often deal with getting through the dark times in life, or that advocate for social change. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON
Twilight Cafe & Bar, 9pm, $11
Brian Fallon & the Crowes, Ryan Bingham
The Gaslight Anthem frontman swings through the Roseland in support of his debut solo album, Painkillers.
Roseland, 8pm, $26.50-39.50
Shalane Flanagan, Elyse Kopecky
Fresh off her 6th place finish in the Woman's marathon in Rio, three-time Olympian and world-class runner Shalane Flanagan comes to Portland. Flanagan will be joined by culinary nutritionist Elyse Kopecky. The pair will be reading from their new book, Run Fast. Eat Slow., a flavor-forward cookbook for runners looking to indulge and nourish the body with well-rounded meals.
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7pm
Wednesday, Sept 7
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
I’m sure a whole host of Oompa Loompas are currently toasting the life of the best Willy Wonka to ever grace the big screen. Gene Wilder’s death should be remembered with an abundance of Fizzy Lifting Drink and gobs of Everlasting Gobstoppers at the Hollywood’s memorial screening of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Wish Wilder farewell as he blasts off in the great glass elevator in the sky. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Hollywood Theatre, 7:30pm, $9
Fred & Toody, Jenny Don't & The Spurs, Joshua Charles McCaslin
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 playing down in the intimate Liquor Store basement.
The Liquor Store, 9pm, $12
Portland Thorns vs. Houston Dash
Beat the end-of-summer sads by watching your Portland Thorns drag the Houston Dash through the mud in one of their final at-home games before their season comes to a close. If you’ve been snoozing on the Thorns, you’re living life wrong. Catch them now or marinate in regret and despair as you wait until next year. MEGAN BURBANK
Providence Park, 7pm, $10-40, all ages
Trevor
Artists Rep kicks off their 2016/17 season with a play by Orange is the New Black writer Nick Jones, about a chimpanzee (the titular Trevor) looking to revive his showbiz career. This is, amazingly, based on a true story.
Artists Repertory Theatre, 7:30pm, $22-50
Rory Scovel Rory Scovel is an absurd man. He is weird and off-kilter and goofy. He is also shockingly hilarious in ways both unexpected and inexplicable. For evidence, check out any of his Conan appearances, or his absurd and self-destructive Eric Andre Show cooking segment, which is set to the soulful crooning of T-Pain. Just be careful you don't fall too far down the rabbit hole and forget to snag a ticket for his stand-up show tonight.
Mississippi Studios, 7:30pm, $20
Casual Burn, Bobby Peru, VOG
A night of frantic and eclectic punk served up by this NOLA-hailing quartet who are currently on tour in support of their new EP, Talk Bad.
The Know, 8pm
Music on Main Street: Pepe & the Bottle Blondes
The free Summer concert series closes out with a celebration of the 1950s Copacabana-chic as resurrected by Pepe & the Bottle Blondes.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 5pm, free, all ages
Draemings, Psychic Love, Patricia Hall, DJ Honey O
Singer-songwriter Kimi Recor brings her dark and melodic dream-pop solo project to the Holocene stage.
Holocene, 8:30pm, $7
Thursday, Sept 8
Shane Torres
Beloved local comedian Shane Torres bailed on Portland for New York City—but now he’s come crawling back. They all come crawling back. Tonight, Torres brings his sharp, self-deprecating, and much-missed comedy to the Liquor Store—maybe if we lock all the doors, he won’t escape again! ERIK HENRIKSEN
The Liquor Store, 8pm, 10pm, $10-12
TBA:16 Opening Night
A gift to all of us with a pulse and a healthy sense of curiosity, the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art’s (PICA) annual Time-Based Art Festival is here! This week, the fest kicks off 11 days of performance and visual art from makers both local and nationally known, and it all begins with an essential opening night appearance from multimedia artist and DJ Juliana Huxtable, who combines elements of sound, film, and text to address queerness, race, and gender, among other things. It’s a fitting starting point for a festival that’s primed to carry forward a conversation on individual and collective identity started in many of last year’s offerings. MEGAN BURBANK Also read our preview of TBA:16, and check out our TBA:16 calendar.
PICA at Hancock, 8:30pm, free, all ages
Soul Clap
A celebration of soul, funk, and R&B, with live performances from Farnell Newton's Othership Connection and Blossom, anchored by the turntable talents of Portland legend DJ OG One.
Mission Theater, 8pm
Denver, Evening Bell
Put some shine on your best pair of boots tonight, and go howl at the moon with Denver, the band that made alcohol- and misery-soaked country music fun again. Sorry for all your heartache, boys, but maybe it was worth it for the harmonies. MARJORIE SKINNER
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $8-10
Christopher Titus
Not many comedians own the stage the way Christopher Titus does. He doesn't so much do stand-up as he does pace-and-prowl-and-leap-and-whisper-and-shout-and-stand-up, which results in provocative, piercing sets that leave a laceration or two between laughs. BOBBY ROBERTS
Helium Comedy Club, 8pm, $25-30
Moorea Masa & the Mood, Shaprece, Maiah Manser
Portland-based folk and soul singer-songwriter Moorea Masa and her band kick-off their tour with a single release show at Holocene.
Holocene, 8:30pm, $8-10
Best of the NW Animation Fest
Whittled down from the weeklong festival that took place in May, the Best of the NW Animation Festival collects 14 animated shorts that either won awards or garnered special mention. I always find at least one great short in a batch like this—and at this level of curation, there aren't any duds. SUZETTE SMITH
Hollywood Theatre, 7pm, $9
Low Culture, Divers, Piss Test, Steel Chains
Low Culture serve up their catchy blend of garage punk and rock 'n' roll with a release show for their brand new album, Places to Hide.
The Know, 8pm