Beavis and Butt-Head Do America
Before Idiocracy and Silicon Valley, Mike Judge blessed us with a different fable about our fine nation: Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, in which the titular (heh heh) duo embark upon a noble quest to find their stolen TV. This brilliant film features (1) Cornholio crashing a plane, (2) Butt-Head facing off against the ATF, and (3) Bill Clinton. Until the end of time, this motion picture shall be heralded as an undisputed classic.
Sept 23-25, Academy Theater, 3pm, 9:30pm, $4
Oaks Park Oktoberfest
No need to travel to Munich, we’ve got our very own Oktoberfest here in Portland. Head to Oaks Park for a weekend celebration of German culture with authentic food and delicious Paulaner beer, polka bands, Bavarian dancing, games, a whole bunch of venders, and good family-friendly fun hosted by the German American Society of Portland. DOUG BROWN
Sept 23-25, Oaks Amusement Park, $2-5, all ages
Mean Jeans, Gooch Palms, Ladywolf
Australia transplants the Gooch Palms have soaked up Southern California’s beach-punk rays with their first album as expatriates, the charming Introverted Extroverts. Tonight the two-piece is joined by Portland’s ambassadors of pizza-party punk rock, the Mean Jeans, so tonight’s M.O. is simple: Bop ’til you drop. NED LANNAMANN
The Know, 8pm, $7
Chrome Sparks, Roland Tings
Chrome Sparks describes his energetic body of work as “emotional bass music.” Following the vibrant, thumping breakout track “Marijuana” from his 2013 EP Sparks, the Brooklyn producer has proven his ability to guide listeners through an emotional rollercoaster of warm, hypnotic beats. Last year’s Parallelism EP steered away from the down-tempo vibe of his earlier work with three heady, climactic tracks created from nothing more than analog synthesizers, vocal samples, and tambourine. With his indie-electro side project Promises Ltd. with Charlie Brand of Miniature Tigers, and the very danceable new track “All or Nothing” featuring Angelica Bess, Chrome Sparks’ upcoming Portland stop promises an engaging performance that will sway both body and mind. JENÉ ETHERIDGE
Holocene, 9pm, $12
Lubec, Versing, Riled
Contemporary bands obsessed with the aesthetic of early British indie-rock often don't realize how tuneful and pop-focused a lot of those bands were. Lubec considers style and song craft equally; they have the looks and bring the hooks. MORGAN TROPER
Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8pm
Naomi Pomeroy
James Beard Award-winning and self-made chef Naomi Pomeroy, well known as the chef and restaurateur behind Beast, presents her new cookbook, Taste & Technique, offering recipes using professional techniques and flavor combinations to produce simple yet remarkable meals.
Powell's City of Books, 7:30pm
How I Learned What I Learned
Portland Playhouse’s season opener is an atypical combo: a rarely-seen play by and about a major icon of American theater. How I Learned What I Learned is August Wilson’s autobiographical solo show, in which the playwright recounts his experiences, from formative moments as a young black artist living in Pittsburgh to becoming the critically lauded, Pulitzer-winning author of the American Century Cycle. Highly recommended if you care about intersections of art and race, and the “small irrevocable tragedies” that, as Wilson puts it, make up a life. Kevin Jones, co-founder and artistic director of the August Wilson Red Door Project, will direct. MEGAN BURBANK
Sept 21-Oct 23, Wed-Sat 7:30pm, Sun 2pm, $25-34
Khruangbin, Luz Elena Mendoza
With all the relentless political noise, sometimes you need a wordless getaway. East Texas trio Khruangbin (which means “airplane” in Thai) more than fulfills that request with largely instrumental tunes reveal ing new, colorful dimensions like a twisting kaleidoscope. On their dreamy 2015 debut, The Universe Smiles Upon You, Khruangbin relies on the classic combination of guitar, bass, drums, and sparse vocal touches to create gorgeous atmospherics ranging from hazy surf, to meditative soul, to vintage Thai-funk—the obscure genre that originally brought the members together. From the space-jazz of opener “Mr. White” to the gorgeous, celestial heights of closer “Zionsville,”The Universe Smiles Upon You is a collection that speaks in rhythms and melodies. Performed live, it may easily be one of the best round-trip flights you’ll take this year. KEVIN SMITH
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $12-14
David Liebe Hart, Jay Shingle, Anna Vo, Temporar
The 60-year-old musician and puppeteer David Liebe Hart has been a cult figure in Los Angeles for years, earning a reputation as a cast member on the LA-based public access show Junior Christian Teaching Bible Lesson Program and as something of a more endearing, 21st-century Wild Man Fischer, performing regularly in public spaces like the entrances to the Hollywood Bowl and La Brea Tar Pits. He claims to have been abducted as a child by a race of aliens called Korendians, an experience that makes its way into his songs. Hart's big break, however, came when he became a beloved regular on Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, where his B-rate ventriloquist shtick epitomized the comedy duo's post-cultural marriage of the mind-numbingly normal with the horrifyingly surreal. MORGAN TROPER
High Water Mark, 9pm, $10-13
Northwest Hesh Fest Day 2: Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Danava
Much like their previous endeavors, Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats' latest album, The Night Creeper, employs Sabbath-esque grooves that swing like a heavy, razor-sharp pendulum, yet have Kevin Starr's inviting, Beatles- and Bee Gees-like vocal melodies laid gently over the top. It sounds like an odd pairing, but it's actually a fitting combo that makes for spine-tingling stuff, perfect for calmly sharpening a knife to, or inspiring you to walk alone down that alley in the sketchy part of town and see what's hiding in the shadows. ARIS HUNTER WALES
Dante's, 9pm, $35-103.33
Jackson Boone, And And And, Little Star
Jackson Boone's self-described wizard rock is as cosmic and mysterious as the stretch of Oregon Coast he calls home. CIARA DOLAN
Bunk Bar, 9:30pm, $5
Honey Bucket, Mr. Wrong, Homies, Conditioner, The Tyrds, Mope Grooves
Honey Bucket's new album, Magical World—released by Portland label See My Friends—is a mid-fi wonder, packed with woozy DIY spirit and wily hooks. Across 13 tracks, Vince Skelly (bass/vocals), Matt Radosevich (guitar/vocals), and Jon Grothman (drums) are somehow disheveled and charming, urgent and easygoing. BEN SALMON
American Legion Local 134, 8:30pm
St. Paul & the Broken Bones, Seratones
An evening of southern soul, R&B, and rock 'n' roll with the Birmingham, Alabama-hailing band who are currently touring in support of their second full-length album, Sea of Noise.
Roseland, 8:30pm, $25-40
Faizon Love
One of the funniest "those guys" you never knew you knew, known for his appearances in films like Elf, Made, and most famously as Big Worm in Friday.
Sept 22-24, Helium Comedy Club, 7:30pm, 10pm, $20-25
A Night at the Movies: The Music of John Williams
The Portland Columbia Symphony pays tribute to the most acclaimed film composer of all time with a program including music from Superman: The Movie, Harry Potter, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and of course, Star Wars.
First United Methodist Church, 7:30pm, $5-35, all ages
A Tribute to Nina Simone
Known for her warm, bluesy alto and dynamic stage presence, LaRhonda Steele has wowed audiences as one of the most prominent blues vocalists of the Northwest for decades, and like Simone, she's not immune to the trials of life, having recently recovered from a battle with breast cancer. Paired with Martin's classical-meets-jazz sextet, the power of Simone's legacy is bound to shine in glorious light. JENI WREN STOTTRUP
Jimmy Mak's, 8pm, $15-17