You might still be feeling a little over-full from the bountiful feast of amazing food and amazing-er entertainment this last weekend. Guess what: Take a lap. Jog in place. Maybe try a couple yoga poses. Poop strenuously. Whatever you gotta do to make room, you should do that, because this week is not letting up. In fact, a whole bunch of literal geniuses are hitting town this week, from the fields of science, underground hip-hop, and weird Icelandic soundscape creation. And while we say goodbye to a legendary local comedy spot, we also say hello to what we hope will be a new institution on the stand-up and storytelling scene! All that, and a whiskey dinner, too. Hit the menu below and load up your plate accordingly.
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Monday, Sept 19
Neil deGrasse Tyson
From the rebooted Cosmos to Twitter, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson brings logic and inspiration to a time that often feels mired in fear and superstition. Last year, he swung through Portland for a phenomenal conversation; this week, he returns with An Astrophysicist Goes to the Movies, examining what cinema gets right and wrong about space and science. Tyson is the guy, after all, who got James Cameron to revise Titanic—this time with the correct stars in the sky for April 15, 1912. ERIK HENRIKSEN
Keller Auditorium, 7:30pm, $55-75
The I, Anonymous Show
You are undoubtedly familiar with the Mercury’s wildly popular and long-running column, I, Anonymous. (For you newbies, that’s the weekly column and daily blog that features YOUR completely anonymous rants, apologies, and confessions!) Well, get ready for a welcome surprise: I, Anonymous is now also a live monthly comedy show! Hosted by the wonderful and criminally funny Bri Pruett, The I, Anonymous Show will feature the Mercury’s best I, Anonymous submissions, which will be discussed, argued over (and perhaps mocked a bit), live on stage by a panel of hilarious comedians and Portland celebs—which this month features Nariko Ott, Belinda Carroll, and Jason Rouse! This show was a breakaway hit when it premiered at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, so don’t miss the I, Anonymous Show in its brand-new home at the Secret Society. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
The Secret Society, 7pm, $10-15
Lynnae Gryffin, Sheers
This special edition of our free monthly concert series Ear Candy is a double release show for two rising local acts, Lynnae Gryffin and Sheers. Gryffin’s EP Information is full of asymmetrical fuzz-rock, while Sheers’ art-pop EP is the duo’s self-titled debut. CIARA DOLAN Also read our review of Lynnae Gryffin’s Information.
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, free
Boiler Room Comedy Mic: Final Show
With the Boiler Room bar closing the following day, this long-running open mic night where many of Portland's finest comedians honed their craft must also come to an end. Be sure to send it off in style tonight.
Boiler Room, 8pm, free
Local Natives, Charlotte Day Wilson
Over the years, Local Natives have become the kind of popular indie band all your friends know and probably really love. Sunlit Youth, the band’s third LP, seems to follow a theme of growing up and accepting change, something we’ve seen before on their past records. Smooth Canadian singer Charlotte Day Wilson fuses subtle pop and sexy R&B, the kind that will put you in the right mood before the main act. If you missed Local Natives at their sold-out Doug Fir show back in June, be sure to get tickets soon because this one is sure to sell out too. GUADALUPE TRIANA
Crystal Ballroom, 8pm, $28.50-31.50, all ages
Tuesday, Sept 20
Del the Funky Homosapien, Richie Cunning, DJ Bad, DJ Poe
Del the Funky Homosapien emerged from the ravaged West Coast gangsta rap detritus of the early ’90s as the antithesis to his hardcore cousin Ice Cube, choosing to wax poetic about cerebral matters instead of crack rocks and bullet-strewn neighborhoods. As one of the more visible members of progressive rap crew Hieroglyphics, his psychedelically tinted albums’ neon-lit vocabulary was the kindling that helped spark what was then a burgeoning “alternative rap” contingent. This attracted a wider skate-friendly fan base, and led to critically lauded collaborations with Gorillaz and ridiculously creative projects like Deltron 3030. Over the past few years Del’s output of fresh material has been relatively low, but this decreased productivity hasn’t taken away from the iconic stature of his unmistakable baritone or the masterfully kinetic energy of his shows. CHRIS SUTTON
Star Theater, 9pm, $19.50
Blink-182, A Day to Remember, The All-American Rejects
The band is the emblem of the dumb, bratty, California pop-punk that would inform my later teen years and future ex-boyfriends. Their angst, never-ending. Their genitals, blurred. Their tattoos, making me feel all the indescribable feels. Three grown-ass men writing jagged anthems about boners informed my adolescence. As I’m writing this, the best-case scenario is that Donald Trump will be runner-up for POTUS. A flood of assholes in South Carolina care which bathroom I use, and people are getting more jail time for marijuana possession than rape. When I’m scared and anxious about what the world has become, I try to remember that there was a time when my biggest worry was which two fingernails Carson Daily painted black, and what time Mark Hoppus’ pixelated junk would jog across the TRL countdown. The memories of those simpler times are why a 27-year-old can still like Blink-182. BRI BREY
Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, 7pm, $15-90
Y La Bamba, Cartioid
Ojos Del Sol is the newest release from Portland’s Y La Bamba, and it’s shockingly beautiful. The record’s opener and title track centers on slow, honeyed harmonies, while standout “Nos Veremos” radiates power in chanted gang vocals. CIARA DOLAN
Tender Loving Empire, 6pm, free
Ann Patchett
PEN/Faulkner Award and Orange Prize winner Ann Patchett comes to town to read from her new book, Commonwealth, which tells the story of a an unexpected romantic encounter that alters two families forever.
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7pm
Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest
A few days before Oaks Park opens its gates for all lovers of hoppy beer, Burnside Brewing transforms its parking lot into a pop-up festival featuring a rotating daily selection of hop harvest beers this season, from brewers including Fremont, Laurelwood, Breakside, and Fort George, as well as an Oktoberfest styled ala carte menu.
Sept 20-24, Burnside Brewing Co., 11am, free
Porches, Japanese Breakfast
An all ages show with Porches, the introspective synth pop project fronted by the New York-based musician and songwriter Aaron Maine. Read our story on Porches.
The Analog and Little Theater, 7pm, $13
OMSI Science Pub:Coffee
Andrew Daday and Liam Kenna of Stumptown Coffee Roasters lead this presentation all about the science behind how you get your daily fix of the good stuff.
OMSI Empirical Theater, 7pm, $5, all ages
Wednesday, Sept 21
Sigur Rós
Sigur Rós are scaling back the frills on their current tour, but beefing up the content. The Icelandic band will perform without any backing musicians as they run through two long sets of brand-new material and completely reworked older stuff. It’ll be a rare chance to see them work out their majestic, otherworldly music while it’s still in the chrysalis stage, in relatively intimate surroundings. NED LANNAMANN
Keller Auditorium, 8:30pm, $59.50-79.50
Warpaint
Tonight’s Warpaint show comes just two days before the LA outfit releases their third full-length, Heads Up. 2014’s Warpaint was a haze of expansive indie rock, but the forthcoming record’s first single, “New Song,” turns a new leaf with four minutes of dynamic dance pop. CIARA DOLAN
Wonder Ballroom, 9pm, $23-25
Erin Judge, Jenny Chalikian, Barbara Holm
Comedian and writer Erin Judge brings her stand-up book tour to Powell's in support of her debut novel, Vow of Celibacy, a grown-up coming-of-age story that follows the love and professional lives of two female friends. Judge will be joined at the event by comics Jenny Chalikian, Barbara Holm, and other special guests.
Powell's City of Books, 7:30pm
Eastside Distilling Whiskey Dinner
Not one, but two four-course dinners created in partnership with Eastside Distilling, including menu items like pork belly spinach salad, whiskey barbecue beer can chicken, and smoked trout scotch quail egg, each course paired with a different style of whiskey.
Sept 21-22, Swank & Swine, 6pm, $75
The Specials
In the late ’70s, while punk was slowly spreading from the British Isles to the United States, a gang of seven Coventry youths quietly set the Kingdom ablaze with their volatile mix of stolen Jamaican rhythms, mod styling, and working-class consciousness. The Clash only scored one British Top 10 hit—the Specials had eight. Popular memory favors the UK’s more popular musical exports, but, for a point in time, the Specials were the sound of young Britain. Their epochal "Ghost Town," arguably as much about inner-band tensions as British unemployment, soared up the charts in 1981. Ska’s ebbing popularity has perhaps kneecapped the band in modern sentiment, but the Specials created pop music for a social milieu incredibly similar to 2016. At a time when the National Front encroached on British politics, plastering seven black and white men on your record cover made a statement. MAC POGUE
Crystal Ballroom, 8pm, $35-40
Minority Retort
The city's only comedy showcase focusing on comedians of color returns to Helium. Featuring sets from Khadija Hassan, Daniel Martin Austin, Lewis Sequeria, and Anthony Lopez. Hosted by David Mascorro and Jeremy Eli and produced by Jason Lamb.
Helium Comedy Club, 8pm
WL, Johanna Warren, Ilyas Ahmed & Jonathan Sielaff, Kya Bliss
A video release party for WL's latest, Mercury, with help from friends Johanna Warren, Ilyas Ahmed, and Jonathan Sielaff, with a special dance performance by Kya Bliss.
Holocene, 8:30pm, $7
Revolution Comedy: Stand-Up for the Q Center
Every first and third Wednesday, local stand-up comic Andie Main hosts a benefit showcase designed to assist progressive causes through the power of comedy. The line-up changes from show to show, but big laughs for a great cause are always guaranteed. This show will benefit the Q Center, with stand up from Kirsten Kuppenbender, Matt Monroe, Robbie Pankow, Belinda Carroll, and some special guests.
Kickstand Comedy Space, 7:30pm, $10
Thursday, Sept 22
Northwest Hesh Fest: Day 1
Believe it or not, our trip around the sun has already brought us to another Northwest Hesh Fest. The first night features local kingpins Red Fang three weeks before the release of their new record, Only Ghosts. If you’re a fan and impatience is a quality you possess, it’s highly probable you’ll get a live preview of some new heavy-riffing earworms. If you fancy your rock ’n’ roll from the circus, or from the dankest, darkest alleys, Friday is for you. This night features a splendid combination of the uncanny mind-whirlwind that is Danava, followed by the sedative, murderous groove of England’s Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. The final night gets gritty with Texas’ the Blood Royale—their snarling, high-octane metal-meets-punk sounds like High On Fire getting their asses kicked by Zeke while Carnivore plays in the background. ARIS HUNTER WALES
Dante's 9pm, $25-103.33
The Cool Kids Patio Show
This evening’s installment of comedian Andie Main’s The Cool Kids Patio Show is the penultimate show of the season, so don’t be a square! Get yourself over to the Doug Fir’s newly remodeled patio to enjoy an extended happy hour, along with stand-up by some of Portland’s funniest comics and a smooth set of soul and funk from local duo Free! Mason Jar. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Doug Fir, 6pm, free
Hecklevision: Thrashin'
Special guests Nariko Ott, Alex Falcone, Shannan Hunt, Mark Saltveit, Laci Day, and Mark Mahoney prime their texting thumbs to shoot the most poisonous of darts at Thrashin’, the ’80s turd about skateboarding that’s so relentlessly corny not even Poochie would stop to give it a sniff. BOBBY ROBERTS
Hollywood Theatre, 9:30pm, $9
Wanda Sykes
It's been a long, interesting road for the woman who first got noticed as part of Chris Rock's crew, and then blew up on her own with multiple HBO specials, a sitcom, a talk show, and starring roles in films like Evan Almighty, Over the Hedge, and more.
Keller Auditorium, 7:30pm, $39.50-65
Blesst Chest, LKN, Sam Humans
Blesst Chest makes bizarro, acid-washed, fuzzed-out, groovy tunes that sound like Ratatat's cool prog-rock parent, lacking the sophisticated production of today's young 'uns but wailing hard like it's 1977. CIARA DOLAN
The Know, 8pm
Drive-In at Zidell Yards
You know that place under the Ross Island Bridge where no one ever goes? Well, the NW Film Center is showing some movies down there! Park your car, bring a chair or a blanket, and pay in cash to see The Big Lebowski (Thurs Sept 22), Goldfinger (Fri Sept 23), Space Jam (Sat Sept 24), Say Anything (Sun Sept 25), and Cool Hand Luke (Mon Sept 26). More at nwfilm.org.
Sept 22-26, 7:30pm, $8-10
Ghostland Observatory
An evening of dancey electronic rock served up by the Austin-based duo consisting of singer Aaron Behrens and producer/drummer Thomas Turner.
Roseland, 8pm, $30
Parallel Dimensions
Bunk Bar presents Parallel Dimensions, a new showcase from local comedian and storyteller Tim Ledwith that aims to bring the worlds of sound and laughter together. Tonight's first installment of the event features pummeling tunes from Joe Preston's long-running ambient doom and metal solo-project, Thrones, as well as some side-splitting stand-up from one of Portland's most lovable weirdos in Jason Traeger.
Bunk Bar, 9pm, $5
The Lower 48, No Lala
These Minneapolis transplants have been hard at work playing shows in Portland bars for several years now, and they have refined their sound from bland folk to a much richer-sounding psych-pop. Powered by clean guitar riffs, quick, sometimes jazzy drum beats, and beautifully executed vocal harmonies, the Lower 48's musical presence is manicured without crossing into bubblegum territory. CAMERON CROWELL
The Liquor Store, 9pm, $8