New week, new opportunities to get that mind enriched a little bit. A Tribe Called Red kicks your consciousness into gear, Jenny Hval descends from icy space to get your blood moving, the City of Weird is unleashed as the Rialto is put to rest, and the comic side of the city deals out a two-piece with a biscuit via Earthquake Hurricane, Gosh Darn Fiasco, and Greg Proops. Plus the Blazers throw their first ever Pride Night, Pink Martini comes back home, and Live Wire! gets fancy. Hit the menu below and load your plate accordingly.
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Monday, Nov 14
Jenny Hval, Mattress, Tender Age
On her brand-new record, Blood Bitch, Norwegian avant-garde musician Jenny Hval coolly sings about blood—specifically menstrual blood (periods!! I said periods!!). There’s also a super-meta track called “The Great Undressing” where Hval announces her album is about vampires. Either way, this latest effort finds her burrowing further into the depths of spacey pop that sounds like it’s coming from an ice cave. CIARA DOLAN
9 pm, Holocene, $12-14
The Thermals, Lithics, Woolen Men
Last month the Thermals’ Hutch Harris announced that he could no longer tour extensively—he cited the emotional and physical toll of sitting in a van for hours every day after years of touring, and his small bladder’s frequent demands on the road. Luckily the indie band hasn’t stopped playing hometown shows, and tonight they’re headlining a bill that’s brimming with local talent. Lithics’Borrowed Floors is probably one of the best Portland releases of 2016; its 10 experimental punk tracks are dominated by sharp turns that sound like the group’s being chased through a maze. The Woolen Men play unfussy guitar rock that’s too claustrophobic for basements but too cynical for the outside world, with lines like “I don’t belong here in this place/I don’t belong here with you/They tell me there’s a reason why we all have to die/But I don’t know if it’s true.” CIARA DOLAN
8 pm, The Know
Låpsley, Aquilo
Låpsley is the stage name of the London based singer-songwriter and electronic music artist Holly Lapsley Fletcher. Catch her tonight when she returns to Portland in support of her debut album, Long Way Home.
8 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $20
City of Weird Release Party
Featuring readings from Suzy Vitello, Art Edwards, Doug Chase, and Justin Hocking, edited by Gigi Little.
7 pm, Annie Bloom's Books
Christine
If you know who Christine Chubbuck was, the prospect of watching an entire movie about her may fill you with dread. A Florida TV news reporter, Chubbuck killed herself during a live broadcast in 1974. She was 29. She had a history of depression, and the head of her TV station blamed her suicide on the fact that she was almost 30 and unmarried. This is not the explanation given in Christine, which, in less careful hands, might have been a sexist, lifeless march toward death. Instead, Rebecca Hall delivers a humane, improbably funny performance as a highly competent woman trying to survive depression within a boys’ club where “if it bleeds, it leads” is the MO, and where her work—as a skilled interviewer who covers less sensational local news—is devalued. MEGAN BURBANK
Living Room Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes
Tuesday, Nov 15
Pride Night: Blazers vs. Bulls
It’s the first of what will be an annual Pride Night at the Moda Center, celebrating the importance of our strong local LGBTQ community, as Portland takes on Chicago in an early-season matchup. Money will be raised for the Q Center, Sankofa Collective NW, the Equi Institute, and Pride NW. The always-great Portland Gay Men’s Chorus is singing the national anthem. Oh, and you’ll get to see Damian Lillard play. DOUG BROWN
7 pm, Moda Center, $24-310, all ages
Michelle Tea
Queercore icon Michelle Tea reads from her new book, Black Wave, a blend of memoir and fiction about Tea's struggle to overcome addiction in the face of an impending apocalypse.
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books
A Tribe Called Red
In the wake of No DAPL protests, the message of Ottawa’s A Tribe Called Red couldn’t come at a better time. The First Nation DJ trio describes their sound as “powwow step,” a meld of traditional powwow singing with house, dancehall, and hip-hop. Their latest release, We Are the Halluci Nation, features a diverse group of artists, including Yasiin Bey (formerly Mos Def), throat singer Tanya Tagaq, Toronto-based Colombian singer Lido Pimienta, and readings from the late indigenous poet John Trudell. There’s no question that ATCR’s protest music wants to start a conversation about indigenous rights with everyone, not just native listeners—it’s a collaborative effort to share their cultural ideology. That’s why tracks like “R.E.D.,” which features Yasiin Bey, Iraqi Canadian emcee Narcy, and Black Bear resonate so powerfully. JENÉ ETHERIDGE
8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $14-16, all ages
Suzanne Vega, Teddy Thompson
The acclaimed American singer-songwriter and producer brings her eclectic folk-inspired rock music to the Alberta Rose Theatre.
8 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $22-40
Stumptown Stories: The Death of the Rialto
Doug Kenck-Crispin hosts the final edition of Stumptown Stories in its longtime home, which will be closing at the end of 2016, with true tales of the Rialto's history by Kenck-Crispin, JB Fisher, Joe Streckert, and Andy Lindberg.
7:30 pm, Jack London Bar, free
Loch Lomond, Minders, The Minus 5
Portland-based singer-songwriter Ritchie Young and his dynamic folk-pop ensemble headline The Know in support of their brand new full-length, Pens from Spain. Local rock and pop stalwarts Minders and the Minus 5 provide support.
8 pm, The Know
Thor & Friends, Adam Torres, Joshua Charles McCaslin
Swans percussionist Thor Harris brings his Austin-based ensemble to the Doug Fir to perform a set of American minimalism compositions in support of the group's debut full-length.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $10-12
Kung Fu Theater: Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe
This month’s installment in Dan Halsted’s ongoing celebration of all things whoop-ass is an amazingly-rare 35mm print of 1973's Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe, which blends the genres of kung fu and spaghetti western to tell the story of a man looking for work in the old west, only to come across a bunch of redneck dipshits trying to keep him and other immigrants down. When Shanghai Joe starts throwing hands, they send Klaus Kinski after his ass, and that's when the movie gets righteously violent.
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $9
Wednesday, Nov 16
Earthquake Hurricane
Powerhouse local comedy show Earthquake Hurricane returns with a few big changes this week: Mercury-approved, dry-as-fuck stand-up and improviser Katie Nguyen is joining the lineup as a host, alongside beloved regulars Bri Pruett, Alex Falcone, and Anthony Lopez, AND the show is moving to the Liquor Store. Now more than ever, we need comedy and liquor. Get ’em both here! MEGAN BURBANK
7 pm, The Liquor Store
Gosh Darn Fiasco
A live episode of the local podcast featuring improvisers, comedians, and other local luminaries playing a storytelling game fueled by audience suggestions, with guests including Chelsea Cain, Lucia Fasano, and the Doubleclicks.
7 pm, Siren Theater
Astronautalis, Oxymorrons, Rafael Vigilantics
Astronautalis—we could call him a "hiphop indie rocker," but who needs labels when his songs are this smart, weird, and catchy? (I mean, have you seen the video where he dresses up like a vampire and raps about the Revolutionary War? Amazing!) ALISON HALLETT
9 pm, Doug Fir, $15
SubRosa, Eight Bells, Jamais Jamais
The Salt Lake City-hailing doom metal band bring their experimental blend of sludge rock to Mississippi Studios.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $10-12
Peter Silberman, Brumes
Peter Silberman is a Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter best known for founding and fronting the indie rock trio The Antlers. Tonight Silberman brings his solo act to the Old Church to perform in support of his new instrumental album.
8 pm, The Old Church, $13-15, all ages
Pink Martini
A performance from the Portland music legends in honor of their latest LP, Je dis oui!.
7:30 pm, Keller Auditoriumm, $35-95
Thursday, Nov 17
Greg Proops
You know Greg Proops as the outstanding improviser from Whose Line is it Anyway—but he’s also outstanding in the field of smart, incisive standup comedy AND funny, highly listenable podcasting. And this week you can see him do both at Helium, with a three-day stretch of standup, followed by a Sunday live podcast taping of The Smartest Man in the World (and who’s to say he isn’t?). WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $16-26
Queer Horror: Addams Family Values
The bimonthly series, hosted by Carla Rossi, returns with a 35mm screening of Addams Family Values, one of the few sequels in history to improve on its predecessor in pretty much every way possible: It's creepier, it's kookier, it's more emotional, it's better looking, and it doesn't have a bunch of half-ass Hammer songs shoehorned into it for marketing purposes. The screening will be preceded by a Camp Chippewa pre-show featuring some of Portland's flashiest queens in their Thanksgiving finest.
9:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $9
Emily Witt, Andi Zeisler
New York City-based writer Emily Witt reads from her new book, Future Sex, which explores how sex and dating has evolved in the digital age. Witt will be joined in conversation by Portland's own Andi Zeisler, co-founder and creative/editorial director of Bitch Media.
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books
The Shivas, Patsy's Rats, Psychomagic, Wave Action
Sometimes there's no sweeter sound than that of true rock 'n' roll vibration, and nobody knows this better than the Shivas. Hard touring and dedication to their craft have earned them a well-deserved following, but it's singer/guitarist Jared Molyneux's meticulous absorption of the ghosts on his favorite oldies radio station that separates the Shivas' sonic brand from other revivalists. Bassist Eric Shanafelt and drummer Kristin Leonard have also mastered the sacred art of jingle-jangle, and this shambolic expertise culminates in quite an irresistible stomp. To compound matters further, Leonard and Molyneaux weave stunning crystals of vocal harmony into the mix, adding yet another dimension to their psychedelic-pop stew. CHRIS SUTTON
8:45 pm, The Know, $5
Golden Suits, Sinless
Department of Eagles co-founder Fred Nicolaus brings his solo folk-pop project to Bunk Bar in support of his new album, Kubla Khan.
9:30 pm, Bunk Bar, $12-14
Sunbathe, Rambush, Krista Michaela
Maggie May Morris has a catchy-as-hell name to go along with her natural ability to write a catchy-as-hell song. While you may be familiar with Morris from her position at the helm of Genders, you might not be aware that her solo efforts are as just as mesmerizing. With her current project, Sunbathe, Morris reminds us that catchy doesn’t always have to be equal to sunny or saccharine. She’s got the distinct ability to write a song so devastating you’ll flop to the floor while listening, but also so warm and familiar that you’ll find yourself attempting to hum along even before you’ve finished indulging in it for the first time. JENNA FLETCHER
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!
Live Wire! Radio
A special "Fancy Pants Benefit" episode of Portland's own nationally-syndicated variety show, featuring guests Naomi Pomeroy, Earl Blumenauer, and music by My Bubba. Hosted by Luke Burbank
7:30 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $25-100
Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!