Fall is for feasting, and the smorgasbord of things to do this week is proof. The Mercury is offering up a bounty of the city's best comedy from undisputable geniuses; Cinema 21 puts a week's worth of the country's finest queer cinema up on their screens while OMSI spends the weekend giving love to the medium of animation; and then when you're done stuffing your eyes and your ears with all that entertainment, you may proceed to stuffing yourself, literally, with the food and drink available at the multipleOktoberfestcelebrations. Hell, there's one for your dog. This weekend's got it so good that even the garbage is worth consuming. You got three days to pack as much of this in as possible—hit the menu below and choose wisely.
Jump to: Friday | Saturday | Sunday
Friday, Sept 16
Point Juncture, WA, Hungry Ghost, Months
Over the past few years, Point Juncture, WA has been like a rare bird, flitting through every now and then to drop some sweet tunes or a terrific live show on us. Now it seems like the beloved local indie-rockers could be building a more permanent nest, with a double LP, Me or the Party, due out in December, and a spate of tight shows around town. Like tonight’s! NED LANNAMANN
The Know, 8pm, $6
The Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy
You can bet your sweet bippy the Merc knows how to put on a comedy show. For the showcase Undisputable Geniuses of Comedy, we’ve gathered our very favorite stand-ups (Bri Pruett, Alex Falcone, Nariko Ott), great up-and-comers (Kirsten Kuppenbender, Marcus Coleman, and more), incredible improvisers and sketch troupes (the Liberators, the Aces), and the wonderful musical stylings of the Doubleclicks. This is going to be a bang-up, crackin’ good time. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Revolution Hall, 8pm, $15
Bibi Bourelly, PJ
You would be forgiven for not recognizing Bibi Bourelly’s name, so here’s a quick primer: She’s collaborated with Kanye West, Selena Gomez, and Nick Brewer, recorded with Usher and Nas, and wrote the lyrics to Rihanna’s “Higher” and “Bitch Better Have My Money.” If that’s not enough reason to pay attention (or to feel awful about yourself), consider this: Bourelly did all of this before turning 21. Having proven herself a formidable songwriter, the German-born, multi-ethnic artist is out to establish herself as a singer in her own right. She released three singles of hip-hop-influenced R&B and pop, and her debut EP, Free the Real (Pt. 1), was released last May by Def Jam. As a young female artist, Bourelly inevitably must work twice as hard to gain respect, and as a result is almost compulsively concerned with addressing haters and naysayers. Though it may seem like her biggest concern should be her own obscurity, if things continue the way they have for Bourelly, soon she won’t have to worry about that, either. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
Doug Fir, 9pm, $13-15
Jen Kirkman
With jokes about the joys of divorce and the cultural expectation that every unwed lady who dies alone MUST own a cat, Jen Kirkman is the anti-Cathy"ACK!" comic. Her smart, mordant, vaguely existential brand of humor is a sad/funny reminder that we're all basically alone, right? But we might as well laugh during our stint in this mortal gutter. MEGAN BURBANK
Sept 16-17, Helium Comedy Club, 7:30pm, 10pm, $20-24
Máscaras, Lithics, Møtrik
After a short sabbatical, Máscaras is still shredding to the cielos and back. One part instrumental psych and three parts indigenous roots, tonight the trio of musical vets will debut an ode to the beloved venues of Portland’s past with the release of their new single, “Habesha.” The perfect substitution after you throw your Mt. Portland compilation in the trash, the song honors everyone’s favorite, most recently fallen Ethiopian restaurant/punk club. More broadly though, the band dedicates the track to “the people and places who encourage, engage in, and support creation.” Champions of the idea that more is indeed more, expect Máscaras to play sequences of stony, slimy surf that’ll seem never-ending, only to completely bum you out when they do inevitably come to a close. EMILLY PRADO
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $5
IntersectFest
A weekend-long multi-venue showcase for artists and performers of color, encompassing visual art, dance, comedy, music, storytelling, poetry, composition, and film.
Sept 14-18, Ford Food & Drink, p:ear, see Things to Do for full list of events/locations
The Crookes, The Young Wild, Great Grandpa
The British indie rock quartet out of Sheffield bring their live show across the pond for a North American tour ins support of their 2016 full-length, Lucky Ones. The excellent Seattle-based grunge pop quintet Great Grandpa get things started at 9, so don't be late.
Dante's, 9pm, $12
OMSI Animation Film Festival
The single biggest screen in Portland becomes a showcase for the best animators in the business, from independent shorts to big-budget blockbusters, with titles including Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Secret of Kells, Anomalisa, Coraline, Finding Dory, and more. More at omsi.edu.
Sept 16-18, OMSI Empirical Theater, see Movie Times for titles and showtimes
Stammtisch 2016 Oktoberfest
It's the time of year where glass boots and lederhosen start springing up out of the ground and taking over city blocks like some sort of sausage-y invasive species. Stammtisch's third annual celebration of this season includes a barbecue, games, live German music, giant pretzels, and over 10 Oktoberfest biers to enjoy all weekend long, with special ceremonial tappings throughout the weekend.
Sept 16-18, Stammtisch, 5pm
Portland Queer Film Festival
Twenty years ago, a fledgling showcase for queer film known as the Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival got its humble start. Now known as the Portland Queer Film Festival, the series is stronger than ever, putting seven days’ worth of entertaining LGBTQ storytelling on Cinema 21’s screens, including documentaries, features, and web series. More at pdxqueerfilm.com. Also see FIlm, this issue.
Sept 16-22, Cinema 21
The Vibrators, Steel Chains, Patsy's Rats, PDX Punk Rock Collective
Seminal UK punks the Vibrators have at least two classic records to their name: Their debut, Pure Mania, is a perfect distillation of what made (and continues to make) punk so appealing, infusing a strong pop bent that was rivaled at the time only by Paul Weller and the Buzzcocks, playing with an unselfconscious zeal and breakneck precision. (The band's most enduring hit, "Baby, Baby," is, ironically, a rigidly mid-tempo anthem.) Follow-up V2 also rules, and saw the Vibrators starting to experiment with more intricate song arrangements and studio legerdemain (I bet they thought that phaser was really fucking cool at the time). Tonight the band return to Portland, albeit with a lineup that only includes one original member, drummer John "Eddie" Edwards. MORGAN TROPER
The Raven, 9pm, $10-13
Psychomagic, School of Rock
An all ages benefit showcase for PROWUS, featuring School of Rock assisting Psychomagic in playing Talking Heads'77 from front to back.
Holocene, 5:30pm, $10-12
Peter Ho Davies
British writer Peter Ho Davies reads from The Fortunes, his provocative new novel which refashions American history through the lives of Chinese Americans.
Powell's City of Books, 7:30pm
Lola Buzzkill, Slutty Hearts
Fresh off delivering one of the more ...ahem... buzzworthy sets at PDX Pop Now, the glitter-blasted soul ensemble take their act to the Club 21 stage.
Club 21, 9pm, $5
Movies in the Dark: Death to Smoochy
Robin Williams is universally beloved now, but in the early days of the 21st century, that wasn’t the case. A lot of the man’s goodwill had been used up as he took on one schmaltzy, cloying tearjerker after another, following a trail of Oscar-bait into near-irrelevance. But in 2002, Williams decided to remind everyone he still had chops, smacking audiences around with amazing turns in Insomnia, One Hour Photo, and Danny DeVito’s acidic farce set in the world of children’s entertainment, Death to Smoochy. Smoochy is the most lightweight of the three, but there’s something to the manic desperation in Williams’ performance that suggests this was the role that cut closest to his people-pleasing bones. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hollywood Theatre, 9:30pm, $9
Saturday, Sept 17
Bruce Campbell: Last Fan Standing
That chin! That smile! That smarm! Bruce Campbell hosts a game show on CONtv that puts a panel of four nerds through the paces with trivia questions about all things Comic Con. He’s bringing the show on the road with a live show of the proceedings. The trivia and the nerds are inconsequential—it’s Bruce Campbell in an ascot we want to see, and it all goes down right before the season two premiere of Ash vs. Evil Dead on Starz. Goody-goody. COURTNEY FERGUSON
Revolution Hall, 7pm, $32.50-100
Naomi Punk, Talkative, Ice Queens
Naomi Punk is what punk sounds like when it’s created in eerie, folksy seclusion miles away civilization, but is turned up loud enough to signal something beyond the evergreen trees. The Olympia three-piece is a fixture in the Northwest underground punk, hardcore, and metal scenes, with a pair of stellar albums, The Feeling (2012) and Television Man (2014), recorded in various Washington garages and released on Brooklyn independent label Captured Tracks. Television Man was recorded with salvaged equipment from a former church recording studio. This might just sound like a sweet score, but this small detail reflects the dark and beautiful energy that brews behind a song like “Plastic World No. 6.” CAMERON CROWELL
The Know, 8pm
Adult Swim Drive-In
The skewed-and-touched, screwed-and-chopped comedy mad scientists at Adult Swim are taking their demented brand of entertainment on the road, with clips from upcoming shows, never-before-seen specials, unaired pilots, trivia competitions, and more.
Portland Meadows, 7:45pm, free w/ rsvp
The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses—Master Quest
If you attended the last Zelda symphony when it came through town, you shoulda known that a Master Quest was coming. You never finish Zelda until you finish that Master Quest.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30pm, $23-76, all ages
David Chelsea
A reading, signing, and discussion with David Chelsea and other members of the Snow Angel team about their all-ages comic.
Books With Pictures, 11am, free, all ages
Yael Naim, Sara Jackson-Holman
Sara Jackson-Holman’s songs resonate quiet strength like maps that navigate loss and reconciliation. She owns and celebrates her reclusive nature, which has bred a fierce musical spirit. On her newest release, Didn’t Go to the Party, Jackson-Holman has stripped down, moving away from the heavily layered orchestral textures reminiscent of Florence and the Machine and Lana Del Rey in favor of a more tender sound. It’s raw and powerful, using space deliberately to amplify her voice in her most honest record yet. This is not a breakup album—it’s a record of crews and coven, a celebration of how we come back together when our communities shift. JENI WREN STOTTRUP
Doug Fir, 9pm, $18-20
Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Dem Atlas, Plain Ole Bill, Last Word
The Minneapolis-hailing hip hop duo consisting of rapper Slug and DJ/producer Ant swing through the Roseland for a stop on the "Freshwater Fly Fishermen" tour, where they will be performing in support of their new full-length, Fishing Blues.
Roseland, 8pm, $28.50, all ages
Garbage People
Brodie Kelly's comedic (and sometimes shameful) spin on the live storytelling phenomenon sees local stand-ups sharing true tales of their past filthiness and general degenerate natures. This month's confessors include Bri Pruett, Mohanad Elshieky, Alana Eisner, Maia Doty, and some special guests.
The Waypost, 9pm, $5
Mount Angel Oktoberfest
For four days out of the year, the town of Mount Angel essentially transforms itself into Little Germany, full of lederhosen, tuba music, sausages, and an absolutely astounding amount of beer of all kinds and varieties, to be drank out of all sorts of steins, mugs, cups and boots. Plus there's other attractions, including weiner dog races, a car show, dancing, live music, and much more.
Sept 15-18, Mount Angel Abbey, 11am, $5-30
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt didn't make herself really known until she was in her 40s, finally letting the rest of us in on her bottleneck guitar prowess. While some of her recorded output leans toward the adult contemporary stratum, she's one of the best—if not the best blues player alive. MARK LORE
Edgefield, 6:30pm, all ages
Queen of the Night
A community reading of Katherine Dunn's Geek Love, with performances from Monica Drake, A.M. O'Malley, and audience members who have been particularly affected by Dunn's words.
Mother Foucault's, 7pm, free
Speechless
The Siren Theater's improvised PowerPoint presentation show Speechless is back, with the best kind of organized chaos: a delightful lineup of funny Portlanders (including Kirsten Kuppenbender, Chad Parsons, Erin O'Regan, Paul Glazier, and Andrew Dickson) making up lectures on the spot—"TED Talk, startup pitch, even a self-help seminar" are all fair game—to accompany surprise slides and placate a team of judges. Next slide! MEGAN BURBANK
Siren Theater, 8pm, $10
Portland Cream Vol. 1 Release Show: The Early Stuff, Neighbor Wave, Candace
Voodoo Too hosts a free, all ages outdoor show to celebrate the release of their brand new compilation album, Portland Cream Vol. 1. The comp features music from Mo Troper, Roselit Bone, Radiation City, Sean Flinn & The Royal We, Neighbor Wave, Eyelids, Charts, Mondegreen, Silver Ships, Câlisse, Candace, Matt Boney Band, The Early Stuff, Mike Coykendall, The Prids, Kingdom of Smoth, BitchSchool, Nasalrod, Volcanic Pinnacles, LKN, Lord Dying, and Norska. Come out and pick up a copy for 7 bucks, and take in free perfromances from The Early Stuff, Neighbor Wave, and Candace.
Voodoo Doughnut Too, 5pm, free, all ages
Coco Columbia, Glasys, Rare Diagram
Gil Assayas moved to Portland from Jerusalem about nine months ago, following the release of his EP The Pressure. Performing as GLASYS, Assayas swirls keyboard compositions that scratch your chameleonic Aja itches, extracting bold moments over five progressive pop gems. “The Great Abyss” bemoans the dangers of religious zealotry, as Assayas asks, “Who wants to live in a world where so many people who don’t even know I’m alive wish me to fall to the ground and be delivered to the dark abyss?”“No Chronic Pain, No Gain” quakes beneath sparkling piano and synth runs, culminating in a riotous prog-rock jam that’d make Geddy Lee blush. Assayas’ lyrics are pointed barbs, lending seriousness to his sermonizing throughout the EP, while a hybrid of meticulous jazz, prog, and pop arrangements coalesce for a wonderfully vibrant listen. RYAN J. PRADO
Alberta Street Pub, 9:30pm, $7
Coffy
Too many people slept far too long on Pam Grier. Quentin Tarantino woke a lot of ’em up by building Jackie Brown around her, and a few might have actually ventured further back to check out Foxy Brown or Friday Foster—but it was her performance as a revenge-fueled vigilante nurse in 1973’s Coffy that established her as one of the toughest badasses the decade ever produced, standing defiantly triumphant and taller than tough guys like Richard Roundtree and Charles Bronson with a sawed-off shotgun balanced oh-so-fashionably on the side of her hip. BOBBY ROBERTS
Laurelhurst Theater, 9:40pm, $3-4
Joseph Arthur, Matt the Electrician, Reuben Hollebon
The Brooklyn-via-Ohio songwriter and artist drops by the Alberta Rose Theater for evening of music culled from his prolific and genre-bending career.
Alberta Rose Theatre, 8pm, $18-22
Psy//Chic
A high-concept celebration of queer expression, an event free of assumptions and fluid in sound and appearance. With an eclectic soundtrack of euphoric disco, international new wave, and dark techno, the night relies as much on the bold and brash as the quiet and soft, transforming the cavernous District East into a haven for the transgressive. DANIELA SERNA
District East, 10pm
Sunday, Sept 18
Polish Festival
Thousands of people this weekend will pack the streets between the 109-year-old St. Stanislaus Church and the 105-year-old Polish Library to celebrate all things Polish. Dance to polka, gorge on some pierogi and kielbasa, drink some Zywiec and Okocim beers or Polish honey wine, and have a good time. If you’re in the mood, attend the Polish mass at 11 am Sunday at St. Stanislaus. DOUG BROWN
St. Stanislaus Church, 11am, free, all ages
Rontoms 10th Anniversary
One of Portland's best-known venues turns 10 with a party on two stages hosting some of the city's best musicians and some secret special guests.
Rontoms, 4pm, free
Lee "Scratch" Perry, Subatomic Sound System, Alter Echo & E3
In Lee “Scratch” Perry’s 60-year career, he’s helped pioneer reggae music (famously producing the first two Wailers albums to leave Jamaica), as well as dub music, sampling, and the concept of using a mixing board as an instrument. Few artists can claim to have had such a broad impact—his work has influenced generations of dub/reggae artists, home recording experimenters, down-tempo producers, hip-hop artists, and post-punk bands. While his releases from the ’70s are generally seen as his best work, Perry’s often overlooked 1986 album Battle of Armagideon (Millionaire Liquidator) has always been my favorite. It’s categorically a reggae album, but its unorthodox level of lyrical and musical play makes it more akin to albums like T. Rex’s Unicorn or Arthur Russell’s Calling Out of Context than anything to come from Jamaica before or since. It’s baffling and infectious, casual and often silly, an oddball masterpiece to challenge all other oddball masterpieces. JOSHUA JAMES AMBERSON
Revolution Hall, 9pm, $22-25
The Abbey Oktoberfest
Lots of places are bringing a little bit of Germany to the Pacific Northwest, but the Abbey is one of the few that isn't just dedicating a day or two to drinking, dancing, and sausage-y silliness, they're going full Oktoberfest, running a variety of events (all family-friendly, too!) at their NW 23rd location from Sept 16 to Oct 2nd. Click here for a full list of the Abbey's Oktoberfest activities. Proceeds benefit Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
Sept 16-Oct 2, The Abbey Bar & Bottle Shop
Bridget Jones's Baby
Bridget Jones is a figurehead for the romantic comedy genre—a genre oft-reviled for letting a plot device as simple as finding love carry a film. But come on: This is something that people, both men and women, want in our lives. Bridget Jones, as both a character and romcom juggernaut, shouldn’t be faulted for celebrating this pursuit. So why should we fault the (mostly female) public who will line up for this? Watching Bridget Jones’s Baby, I was transported to the happiest moment of my life, just weeks ago, when my newborn daughter was placed in my arms for the first time, and I was happy. You should be so lucky as to let Bridget Jones and her filthy mouth, charming love interests, confused body positivity, and unwavering hope shine a little light into your cynical life. But like I said, I’m a new mom. This movie might be awful. My emotions are all over the fucking place. ELINOR JONES
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations
Garbage, Cigarettes After Sex
Garbage was the odd band out when they released their self-titled debut album in 1995. Grunge was dying, but not before it spawned a slough of alterna-lite bands like Seven Mary Three and Better Than Ezra. Garbage—led by the fierce Shirley Manson—made music that was more refined and fussed over, although thematically they kept up with the times. They’ve operated on their terms ever since—this year’s Strange Little Birds is as layered and catchy as their debut, and Manson’s lyrical themes have turned even more introspective. But what the new material really illustrates is just how ahead of their time Garbage really were 20 years ago. MARK LORE
Roseland, 7:30pm, $32.50-50
Mrs. Magician, Ah God, Rambush
It’s hard out here for a rock band, y’all. The people want hip-hop and country music, the radio wants proven pop stars, and the music media wants whatever will earn the most clicks. Guitars are not cool right now. Boo-friggin’-hoo, I know. Rock bands had a good run, and now it’s someone else’s turn. None of that changes just how good (and overlooked) the new Mrs. Magician album is. Produced by John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket from the Crypt), Bermuda is a fun and punchy collision of power-pop’s charm, punk’s urgency, singer Jacob Turnbloom’s runaway angst, and surf rock’s distinctive bends and ripples. This is Mrs. Magician’s second full-length (and first in four years—same as Frank Ocean!) and it deserves a chance to snag your ears. BEN SALMON
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $10-12
Flea Market & Record Swap
The Liquor Store takes this Sunday afternoon to transform their basement from dancefloor to sales floor with a large lineup of local vendors ready to sell you their wares.
The Liquor Store, 4pm, free
Benjamin K. Bergen
Linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen reads from his new book, What the F, which examines the how and why we swear so much in our day-to-day lives.
Powell's City of Books, 7:30pm
No Shade: A Day Party
Ante Up DJs provide the sounds for this all-day end-of-summer party celebrating quality music and quality sneakers, with a strong presence from Index, Compound, and DeadStock, as well as a photo booth, giveaways, and drink specials.
Produce Row, 2pm, $5-10
Dogtoberfest
The name might call to mind lederhosen and glass boots filled with beer, maybe some schnitzel or strudel—but with dogs. This Dogtoberfest involves no oom-pah or pastries or drinking out of glass footwear. It's a charity dog wash. You bring your dog to the lucky lab, pay good money (that will go to DoveLewis) and leave with a very clean mutt. Oh, there'll be live music, food, and beer for you to eat while your dog gets pampered, but your dog? The dog just gets a mani/pedi. Which is cool.
Lucky Lab, 11am, $10-20