YG, RJ, Kamaiyah, Sad Boy
Even when you’re furiously insisting that Donald Trump isn’t your president, the chants can get uninspired. The hard miles tick by, confrontations with police come and go, and you’re left with the same four or five options. Luckily, anti-Trump protesters here and around the country have had some help. It starts as a low growl down the block, ascending slightly, dropping, then climbing again. And as it grows louder, you realize: It’s a bass line, it’s pounding out of every car or truck that passes, and it’s bringing with it the simplest and purest truth any of us can currently contemplate: “Fuck Donald Trump.” Los Angeles-area emcees YG and Nipsey Hussle released this catchy track months ago, back when we all still underestimated Trump’s appeal. Now he’s about to be the president, and “Fuck Donald Trump” has become the new Star-Spangled Banner. YG brings his Fuck Donald Trump Tour to town tonight. Enough said. DIRK VANDERHART
6 pm, 9 pm, Roseland, $27.50, all ages
Fred & Toody, Michael Hurley
It’s pretty tough to beat a lineup that features Portland’s most iconic couple, Fred and Toody Cole of Dead Moon, who’ve been playing grimy garage punk together for decades. Michael Hurley’s sweetly strange, fantastical outsider folk continues to magnetically attract a following decades after his Greenwich Village heyday in the ’60s and ’70s—songs like “Little Green Fellow” sound just as fresh as they probably did when Armchair Boogie was released in 1971, but also like their watermark, they could be centuries old. These days Hurley’s an almost mythological fixture of the Oregon Coast, but he ventures inland to play shows around Portland multiple times per month. Bringing together the Coles and Hurley is a recipe for one sacred night of music. CIARA DOLAN
8 pm, The Know
The Animation Show of Shows
There’s a high number of stop-motion films in this year’s Animation Show of Shows. Scottish short Stems stands out for its documentary approach to found-object puppets—watching them assemble and take on movement contains real magic and ends on an inspiring, bittersweet note. In the realm of more traditional 2D animation, you may remember Mirror from This American Life: Mirror was a 2015 collaboration between Ira Glass, animator John Kuramoto, and regular New Yorker cover artist Chris Ware. Given that celebrity spread, you’ve probably already seen it. Also of note (and online) is Patrick Osbourne’s Pearl, which was created for virtual reality and can be watched in Google 360, which is pretty neat! The short’s narrative zips around fluidly, inside the same animated car over a period of decades. I’m pretty sure it’s also a 10 minute commercial for vintage Volvos. SUZETTE SMITH
6:30 pm, 8:30 pm, Cinema 21
Drowse, Floating Room, Hex Vision
What started out as Sloths guitarist Kyle Bates’ unassuming bedroom-recording project has evolved into one of Portland’s best and most dynamic heavy bands. Bates’ first official release under the Drowse moniker was last year’s Soon Asleep, a collection of harrowing and washed-out elegies that came with a 40-page, hand-illustrated memoir chronicling the musician’s struggles with mental illness. New EP Memory Bed sees Bates delving deeper into more traditional singer/songwriter territory, a shift best exemplified by the delicate, quintessentially Pacific Northwestern sonics of “Break” and “Memory.” MORGAN TROPER
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, free
Revolution Comedy
Every second and fourth 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 Standing Rock Legal Defense Fund, and features spoken word performance by Jennifer Lanier, live music from Hawkeye Pierce, and stand-up from Adam Pasi, Zak Toscani, Alex Rios, and Katie Nguyen.
7:30 pm, Curious Comedy Theater, $10
Testify
A pre-Thanksgiving installment of the recurring R&B and hip-hop oriented dance party, featuring sets from DJ Honest John, Deena Bee, and New Dadz.
9 pm, Holocene, free
Sonic Cinema: The Last Waltz
The Last Waltz has been called one the best music documentaries ever made. It's not. Chronicling a very good—but not transcendent—concert that turned out to be the Band's last performance with their original lineup, it's most notable for the murderers' row of guests who graced San Francisco's Winterland stage that Thanksgiving night in 1976. (It's worth mentioning that the film's best moment, the Staple Singers performing with the Band on a definitive version of "The Weight," was created entirely on a soundstage.) Unlike most documentaries, The Last Waltz is not a look behind the scenes or an attempt to tell the backstory behind the music; it is itself theater, a calculated and polished presentation of its own. It's mythmaking, and it works very well as such. NED LANNAMANN
7:30 pm, Hollywood Theatre, $9
King Black Acid, Skull Diver, Lubec
Since the mid-'90s, King Black Acid has earned a devoted following in the Portland underground rock scene. Founder and frontman Daniel Riddle has a vision that keeps unfolding, giving a glimpse into a poetic mind that shines in the emotional depth of their sound. Recently released track "I'm Rolling Under" is a good taste of the epic spirit of the band's songwriting—it's musical escapism at its finest, kissed by a love of psychedelic space rock. CHRISTINA BROUSSARD
9 pm, Doug Fir, $10-15
The Transplants: A Comedy Showcase
If you've paid attention long enough, you know that the Portland comedy scene both giveth and taketh away. We've bid farewell to plenty of great comedians, but tonight's show is about saying hello to some wonderfully funny transplants. Plunk down a fiver and catch sets from Marcus Coleman, Clarke McMakin, Chris Nakis, James Bosquez, Alana Eisner, Nick Puente, Mohana Elshieky, and Joann Schinderle, and make them feel welcome so they stick around and continue to make the Portland sky a bit brighter during these rainy months.
8 pm, Helium Comedy Club, $5
Norfolk & Western, Dolorean Duo
A reunion show with Adam Selzer's indie folk and rock ensemble, Norfolk & Western. Al James and Jon Neufeld of Dolorean provide support, so expect to feel plenty of early 2000's vibes up in the Alberta Rose.
8 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $10