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Mary Roach
America has shown there are more than enough people interested in figuring out how to take soldiers' lives. But in Mary Roach's new book Grunt, the popular science writer goes into the industry of those who try to keep troops alive. Roach demonstrates how diarrhea, hearing loss, and boredom can in their own ways be dire threats, and speaks to the people who want to combat them. Alberta Rose Theater, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055. 7 pm.
26 Miles
Road trips are a pretty standard self-discovery plot. But in the hands of playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, it's far from cliche. 26 Miles tells the story of Beatriz and her estranged daughter embarking on a spontaneous drive to the Wyoming, and it is never anything less than poetic. Profile Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 503-242-0080, profiletheatre.org. 7:30 pm. $20-$38.
The House on Coco Road
When American filmmaker Damani Baker talks about the power of meeting his "first black president," he isn't talking about Obama. He means Maurice Bishop, who led a bloodless coup on and, for a hot minute in the early '80s, worked to turn it into an Afrocentric socialist paradise. In The House on Coco Road, filmmaker Damani Baker sets out to recall his brief and largely idyllic experience on the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada. But the documentary ends up painting a far broader picture of the woman who brought them there and her role in the history of black activism. Read our full review here. Clinton St. Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., cstpdx.com. 7:30 pm. $7-$10 suggested admission.
How to Do a One Person Show
CoHo Productions' Summerfest—five one-weekend-only runs of contemporary theater oddities—continues with a show by New York performer and comedian Kelly Kinsella. At last year's Summerfest, Kinsella performed When Thoughts Attack, a solo show about anxiety. This time, she'll perform her long-running comedic piece, How to Do a One Person Show, whose subject matter is pretty much explained by the title. CoHo Productions, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, June 22-25. $20.
Jeremy Robert Johnson
Jeremy Robert Johnson has developed something of a local cult following thanks to his pioneering "bizarro" fiction, earning praise from the likes of Chuck Palahniuk and David Wong. With his newest short story collection Entropy in Bloom, Johnson channels Lovecraftian horror and empathic character writing in what some believe will vault him into (conventional) literary acclaim. Powell's Books on Hawthorne, 3723 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 800-878-7323. 7:30 pm.
(Sandy) Alex G, Japanese Breakfast, Cende
Alex G constructs homespun slacker symphonies with raw imperfections that only add to their charm. Following a template made famous by icons of classic indie like Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel and Guided By Voices, his newest LP, Rocket, features an eclectic array of sonic flourishes like orchestral interludes, feel-good singalongs and cushy stoner anthems, all of which maintain a familiar, untrained appeal. His ramshackle opus earned him a Best New Music nod from Pitchfork and stoked the fervor from an already devoted fan base, while his instrumental contributions to Frank Ocean's acclaimed 2016 album Blonde brought him to a new audience. Opener Japanese Breakfast's Soft Sounds From Another Planet, meanwhile, drops July 14 and is primed for a similar shower of accolades, with lead singles "Boyish" and "Machinist" revealing an expansion of the disco-pop melee of last year's Psychopomp. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 503-239-7639. 8:30 pm. $14 advance, $16 day of show. 21+.
Jay & Silent Bob Get Old
To make their weekly podcast work, Clerks mastermind Kevin Smith breaks character from the traditionally taciturn Silent Bob to play foil to Jason Mewes' incessant shit-talking, yielding hilarious results. Snoochie boochies! Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., 888-643-8669, portland.heliumcomedy.com. 9:45 pm. $30. 21+