Yes, this week represents the last of the Presidential debates. We're getting closer to the finish line, although it's gonna take a fair amount of high-quality distractions to get us across that line without feeling like absolute shit at the state of things (which is why our preferred debate event is one that actually incorporates art therapy.) Lucky for us, this busy, busy week includes opportunities for catharsis that include one of the best stand-ups currently working in the form of Hannibal Buress, one of the best podcasts currently casting in Pop Culture Happy Hour, another installment of our funny-yet-freeing I, Anonymous Show, a burlesque fundraiser for Wanda Bones, a chance to join the Portland Timbers on their do-or-die date with destiny, and a party dedicated solely to the joys of bacon. All that, and Ringo too. Hit the menu below and load up your plate accordingly.
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Monday, Oct 17
The I, Anonymous Show
If you missed the first live episode of the Mercury and Secret Society's I, Anonymous Show then commence to kicking yourself because it was a goddamned hoot. Hilarious host Bri Pruett and a squad of comedians—this time including the terrific JoAnn Schinderle, Whitney Streed, and Jason Traeger—pick apart some of the best, most morally bankrupt I, Anonymous columns for the audience's endless enjoyment. Don't miss this month's installment, dummy! WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
The Secret Society, 7pm, $10
True Widow, Low Lands
We all have aspirations. Some of us have lofty dreams of fame and fortune, and some of us have humbler fantasies. Me? I have but a simple request: That we, as a country, come together and crown True Widow’s music our official soundtrack for fall’s dark days. It’s really not that much to ask. The Texas trio’s been making stony, shoegaze-adjacent music since 2007, and their recent offering, Avvolgere, stays the doomy course. True Widow’s got an earthy, spooky quality that’s formulated with careful precision—it’s pretty difficult to get bored listening. JENNA FLETCHER
Holocene, 9pm, $13-15
Sam Maggs
Author and video game writer Sam Maggs reads from her new book, Wonder Women, offering readers a fun and feminist look at 25 forgotten women in science, technology, and beyond. Maggs will be joined in conversation by Kiala Kazebee, co-host of Felicia Day’s romance novel podcast. The event will also feature a performance from acclaimed geek-folk duo the Doubleclicks.
Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, 7pm
#NoToRapeCulture Benefit Show
Crush Bar hosts a benefit show and fundraiser raffle for local burlesque performer Wanda Bones as she seeks legal recourse and a path forward in the wake of her sexual assault.
Crush, 8pm
Shawn Levy
Portland author, film critic, and teacher Shawn Levy reads from his new book, Dolce Vita Confidential, taking readers on a journey through the film, fashion, and journalism that made 1950s Rome the place to live the sweet life.
Powell's City of Books, 7:30pm
Temples, Triptides
An evening with the English psychedelic rock band out of Kettering who are currently touring ahead of their forthcoming sophomore full-length.
Star Theater, 9pm, $16, all ages
Simon Joyner, David Nance
When the author is also an acclaimed musician, your book release show gets to also be an intimate concert, with Joyner celebrating both his 2015 album, Grass, Branch and Bone and his new book, Only Love Can Bring You Peace: Selected Lyrics 1990-2016, accompanied by his friend and Ghost bandmember David Nance.
Mother Foucault's, 7pm
Margo Price, William Tyler
The Nashville-hailing singer-songwriter brings her blend of traditional country, Americana, and bluegrass to the Mississippi Studio stage in support of her 2016 debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter.
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $16-18
Danish String Quartet
Composers have been creating music for the potent combination of cello, viola, and a pair of fiddles since the 1750s, and no one has enriched that quartet catalog more than Ludwig van Beethoven. Touching down in Portland this week, the Danish String Quartet will perform an early Beethoven work that beautifully demonstrates just what miracles a four-piece string section can inspire. Tonight’s eclectic setlist also includes a kickass selection of folk music from Nordic countries, as well as Dmitri Shostakovich’s mournful Quartet No. 15, which replaces the Russian artist’s usual sarcasm and paranoia with anguished, existential questioning. Easy listening it ain’t, but the emotional rewards just might be profound. BRIAN HORAY
PSU Lincoln Performance Hall, 7:30pm, $30-52
Tuesday, Oct 18
LVL UP, Blowout, Sleeping Blood
After helping to build one of the nation’s most promising DIY scenes through their own label, Double Double Whammy, Brooklyn-based indie rock quartet Lvl Up joined the Sub Pop family for their latest release, Return to Love. The album finds the band’s three-songwriters turning inward to confront the existential, while still ripping their way through guitar solos and buzzing hooks that will have you bouncing along with them. Also read our story on LVL UP
The Analog Cafe & Little Theater, 6pm, $10, all ages
Hannibal Buress
First, a round of applause for exposing Bill cosby's heinous ass; the aftermath continues to be illuminating. And sure, I've enjoyed Hannibal's specials on Netflix, but mostly his portrayal of Lincoln—a financially and mentally stable dentist who wants to be more than just Ilana's fuckbuddy—on Broad City adds to the the show's comedic genius. If you're dying to get blazed and see Linc—I mean Hannibal's live stand-up, you better pray he adds a late show. JENNI MOORE
Aladdin Theater, 8pm, $28-30
Itzhak Perlman, Rohan De Silva
The 16-time Grammy-award winner and violin virtuoso returns to Portland where he will perform Brahms: Sonata No. 2 and Ravel: Sonata No. 2 along with pianist Rohan De Silva.
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30pm, $45-225
Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band
Here's your chance to see a Beatle live! Just don't send him any fan mail. Peace and love!
Keller Auditorium, 8pm, $55-109
Repressed Cinema: Andy Milligan Horror Spectacular
People talk about Roger Corman and Ed Wood, but one of the biggest legends of low-budget was Andy Milligan, and this month’s Repressed Cinema pays tribute to the man’s shoestring style with a special screening of Guru the Mad Monk, preceded by an ultra-rare Milligan short from the private stash of his biographer, Jimmy McDonough, who’ll be in attendance to host the whole night.
Hollywood Theatre, 7:30pm, $9
How To Dress Well, Ex Reyes
How to Dress Well, the strange project of Brooklyn's Tom Krell, records washed-out, blurry pop songs that echo with R&B's yearning, often delivered in keening falsetto. The music is lumpy, elusive, broken-sounding, and—more often than not—staggeringly gorgeous. NED LANNAMANN
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $15-20
Andy Shauf, Scattered Clouds
Canadian singer-songwriter Andy Shauf’s latest record, The Party, is a treasure trove of subtlety. Each listen reveals a new secret, whether it’s textural, musical, or thematic. Listen #13: You hear a previously undiscovered piano trill buried in the back of the mix and itchanges everything. Listen #34: You gradually realize that the album’s 10 tracks form a single narrative tapestry, centered on the same bogus house party. Shauf reminds everyone who writes about him of Portland legend Elliott Smith, but the comparison is reductive—Smith portrayed his own harrowing experiences with drug addiction and depression as third-person accounts in an attempt to therapeutically distance himself from his demons. Shauf, on the other hand, is a big-eyed reporter, sitting at the back of the room with a notepad, privately relishing in everyone else’s drama. However, the two songwriters have the same masterful command of melody and arrangement: like Smith, Shauf is a pop traditionalist to the core, and his songs evoke everyone from Emitt Rhodes and Harry Nilsson to Scott Walker and Nick Drake. Standout “The Worst in You” is a veritable Pandora’s Box of romantic insecurity married to a melody that could make Brian Wilson weep. MORGAN TROPER
Doug Fir, 8:30pm, $10-12
Wednesday, Oct 19
Pop Culture Happy Hour
After suffering through yet another presidential “debate” between a blathering, pacing, sniffing misogynist and the overqualified woman tasked with acting like he’s a worthy opponent, drown your sorrows in a soothing live episode of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast, featuring the patron saint of level-headed straight-talk, Audie Cornish, co-host of All Things Considered. MEGAN BURBANK
Revolution Hall, 8pm, $25, all ages
Portland Timbers vs. Deportivo Saprissa
Darlington Nagbe’s last-gasp free-kick goal against Salvadoran side C.D. Dragón didn’t just earn the Timbers their first road win of the season, it also brought them to the brink of reaching the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Costa Rican giants and three-time CCL Cup winners Deportivo Saprissa still stand in the way, setting up a dramatic, do-or-die scenario that’s sure to have Providence Park rocking. CHIPP TERWILLIGER
Providence Park, 7pm, $20-155, all ages
Doodles & Drafts
A different (and considering the roiling tire fire Trump personifies, a welcome) take on the idea of screening a Presidential debate: Instead of drinking games and raucous interaction, you're invited to hang out with JoAnn Schinderle and friends as the debates play out, and then order yourself a pint or two, bust out the colored pencils (or pens, or even ink & brush, whatever you have), and turn your thoughts and feelings into art. Not one of these debates has left anyone involved with anything remotely resembling a good feeling—maybe this event can help with that, even a little.
Alberta Street Pub, 6pm
Mini Blinds, Wave Action, Cool Schmool
Local dream pop duo Mini Blinds play a release show for their debut full-length, Air Signs.
The Liquor Store, 9pm
Damien Jurado, Patrick Dethlefs
Over Jurado's nearly 20-year career, the velvet-voiced musician has successfully transitioned from grunge-folk to a complex, sophisticated pop sound while still staying true to his rock 'n' roll roots. If Beck were ever to produce a Chris Isaak/Jose Gonzalez collaboration on the moon, it would probably sound a lot like Jurado's two most recent albums. With songs like "Walrus,""Silver Timothy,""Jericho Road," and "Qachina," Jurado and his producer Richard Swift may have created their own epic genre of music that can only be described as bluesy-psych-lounge-spaghetti-western. ZARA ZHI
The Old Church, 8pm, $18-20
Yonatan Gat, Eternal Tapestry, Don Gero
Caveman shredder Yonatan Gat retains much of what made his former band Monotonix such a phenomenally energizing, physical experience. As with his previous group, Gat's performances are feverishly brief, hyper-addled posi-blasts. Blink and it's over. Also like Monotonix, Gat's mostly instrumental guitar/bass/drums trio prefers performing smack-dab in the middle of the audience rather than onstage. Closing the distance allows the room to rise and fall with the same breath. Gat's more a dynamic feel-player than a technical wizard, making such proximity particularly affecting. But this isn't Monotonix Redux. Missing is the transcendent, daring, dangerous, confrontational performance art. Gat also relies less on stoney, punk-metal riffage, casting a wider net by wrangling rhythms and scales from across the globe. His drummer, an absolute animal, is more than up for the task, a whirling dervish whose beats roll like high-speed centrifuges. Together they're like a goddamn tornado—you know, kind of like Monotonix, only a hair less destructive. ANDREW R TONRY
White Eagle, 8pm, $12
Rachael Yamagata, Pressing Strings
Over the past decade, singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata has been Rachael Yama-go-to, her vocals appearing on records from an impressive list of artists including Rhett Miller, Ryan Adams, Ray LaMontagne, and Bright Eyes. Yamagata's voice always brings depth to whatever she sings on. There's a good reason she's sought after. Take away the big names, and you're left with Yamagata's stunning voice, which is really where the focus should be. MARK LORE
Star Theater, 9:30pm, $17
Think & Drink: Katherine Boo
A thought provoking conversation with the American investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner known for documenting the lives of those living in poverty.
Alberta Rose Theatre, 7pm, $35-75
Boys and Girls in America
Hosted by Thermals frontman and stand-up comedian Hutch Harris, Boys and Girls in America is Helium's brand new comedy showcase focused on bringing you the best in local stand-up talent. Featuring sets from Anthony Lopez, Barbara Holm, Ali Reingold, Marcus Coleman, Andie Main, Jeremy Laden, and Jenna Zine.
Helium Comedy Club, 8pm, $12
Thursday, Oct 20
Alejandro Escovedo
You can’t get your paws on legendary songwriter Alejandro Escovedo’s new album, Burn Something Beautiful, until October 28, so think of tonight’s super-intimate show at the White Eagle as a preview of sorts—especially since Escovedo recorded it right here in Portland with R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, the Minus 5’s Scott McCaughey, and a bevy of local guests. Will some of them show up tonight? There’s only one way to find out. NED LANNAMANN
White Eagle, 8pm, $30
Blind Pilot, Margaret Glaspy
The beloved local indie folk outfit Blind Pilot play a headlining show at the Crystal in support of their brand new album, And Then Like Lions.
Crystal Ballroom, 8pm, $22-25, all ages
The Bacon Party
Farmer John hosts this celebration of all things porky, with specially created bacon-based delicacies and cocktails, with live music from Lost Lander and a DJ set from Strange Babes to underscore the salty deliciousness on display.
Jupiter Hotel, 7pm
Norah Jones, Valerie June
The Grammy award winning singer-songwriter known for mixing country, folk, rock, soul, and jazz into her distinct sound swings through Portland in support of her latest full-length, Day Breaks.
Keller Auditorium, 7:30pm, $39.50-68
Flock of Dimes, Your Friend
Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner returns to the Doug Fir with her atmospheric pop solo project, Flock of Dimes, for a performance in support of her new album, If You See Me, Say Yes.
Doug Fir, 9pm, $13-15
Ian Harvie
You might know comedian Ian Harvie from his role as Dale in the award-winning Amazon series, Transparent. He's toured the world as Margaret Cho's opening act, and tonight he's taping his debut one-hour comedy special, May the Best Cock Win, live at Revolution Hall. The best part? Tickets are free when you RSVP.
Revolution Hall, 7pm, 9:30pm, free w/ RSVP
Sweeping Exits, Blowout, Lubec
The Portland-based glam-punk trio play a release show for their new EP, The Projectionist. Local DIY stalwarts Blowout and Lubec provide support.
Valentine's, 9pm
Sun Angle, Tender Age, Mattress
Papi Fimbres, Marius Libman, and Charlie Salas Humara form a 12-limbed spirit animal of noise and motion. NED LANNAMANN
Mississippi Studios, 9pm, $12