Willamette Weekend: Timbers, All You Can Eat Pancakes and 12 Other Things to Do and See in Portland, April 13-15

Plus, a classical music tribute to Elliot Smith.

Brown Calculus. (Thomas Teal)

Friday, April 13

Bright Moments & Camas High School Choir, the Shivas
Portland composer Kelly Pratt has become the arranger of choice when big names like his old band Beirut, David Byrne, Arcade Fire and others want to use bigger musical forces than the standard keyboards and guitars. Ethan Chessin was best known as a trombonist in MarchFourth Marching Band before taking over as director of Camas High School Choir. Now, Pratt and Chessin have teamed up to create an ambitious, hourlong original song cycle for rock band, horns and the choir's 200 singers. Pratt's also enlisted award-winning local film director Alicia J. Rose to create accompanying projections. The kids get to learn what it's like to be a 21st-century musician—including multimedia and production stuff—and audiences get to hear the voices of the next generation adding their youthful energy to today's music. The Shivas, who met in a Southwest Washington choral program, open. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock. 7 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. All ages.

A Fond Farewell
It's no secret that Portland loves Elliott Smith. In the 15 years following his death, the tormented singer-songwriter has inspired an array of tributes, the latest being this collaboration between Third Angle New Music and Hand2Mouth Theatre that reimagines his music in classical form. Read our feature on A Fond Farewell hereAlberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 503-719-6055, albertarosetheatre.com. 7:30 pm. $10-$35. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.

Samantha Irby
When it was published in 2013, Irby's Meaty topped many end-of-year best lists. In the collection of essays, she explores everything from dating with Crohn's disease to homelessness, all with her trademark blunt sense of humor. This new edition also features simple recipes. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323, powells.com. 7:30 pm.   

Pancakes, Booze and Art
Not only are you allowed to gorge on pancakes while 75 local artists create in front of your eyes, you can get boozed to the beat of live bands, DJs and probably some other weird shit, too. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd., 503-233-7100, pancakesandbooze.com. 8 pm. $12. All ages.

Sera Cahoone, Lenore 
The string trio accompanying talented singer-songwriter Sera Cahoone is a selling point of tonight's show, but the pairing isn't new. Many of the musician's best tracks, including her delightful lo-fi country anthem "Baker Lake," place an emphasis on emotive strings and a gusty kind of twang. Her upcoming EP, The Flora String Sessions, treats some of the Seattle artist's best work over the last decade to violin, viola, cello and Cahoone's hushed, harmonious vocals. And for those thinking you recognize the name, you do—she used to be in Band of Horses. The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., 503-222-2031. 8 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. All ages.

Saturday, April 14

Design Week Portland
Every year, Design Week attempts to unite and show off Portland's ever-growing talent pool of designers. For one whole week, local creatives host a series of programs exploring the process, craft and practice of design across multiple disciplines. See our picks for Design Week here. Multiple locations and prices. See designweekportland.com for complete schedule. Through April 21.

Timbers Home Opener
Yes, they still play soccer in Portland. The Timbers started the year on a five-game road trip, and they're finally coming home to face Minnesota United. Given the buildup, expect the Army to be extra loud—and, let's face it, drunk—tonight. Providence Park, 1844 SW Morrison St., timbers.com. 7:30 pm. $25-$165.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit
Nassim Soleimanpour's play is performed by different actors every night, and they aren't allowed to read the script until they walk onstage. The experimental play deals with authoritarian governments. But other than that, there's not much that can be said without spoiling it. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 503-241-1278, artistsrep.org. 7:30 pm. Through April 15. $25.

Cry Cry Cry
Twenty years after Richard Shindell, Lucy Kaplansky and Dar Williams first joined forces as folk supergroup Cry Cry Cry, the celebrated trio has reunited for a spring tour putting the goosebump-inducing three-way harmonies and delicate arrangements that made their eponymous debut album of cover songs such a success on full display. The band has expanded their sonic palette this time around, so look for new tunes to pepper a set list that will also see the trio performing original arrangements of songs from each other's storied catalogs. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-234-9694. 8 pm. $35 advance, $40 day of show. All ages.

Sunday, April 15

(Patrick Weishampel / blankeye.tv)

Twilight: Los Angeles 1992
Written two years after the LA riots, Anna Deavere Smith's impressionistic depiction of that turbulent moment in history requires one actor to evoke dozens of characters. So Profile Theatre brought back actor Chantal DeGroat, who left Portland for Seattle last year, to star in its three-night production of this cult hit. Profile Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 503-242-0080, profiletheatre.org. 7:30 pm. Starts April 15. $10-$18.

Hannibal Buress
Onstage, comedian Hannibal Buress is so laid back it's often hard to tell whether he's falling asleep or just high—and somehow, that makes observational non sequiturs hit even harder. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503-248-4335, portland5.com. 8 pm. $30-$45.

Tender Table One-Year Anniversary
The pop-up storytelling series Tender Table—which focuses on themes of food, family and identity from a non-binary perspective—celebrates its first anniversary with a dance party and the promise of tres leches cake, natch. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 503-239-7639, holocene.org. $8 with EBT, student ID or food handler card; $10 general admission. 21+.

And So We Walked
In this world premiere play, a Cherokee woman and her father take a weekslong journey down the Trail of Tears. The one-woman play is written and performed by DeLanna Studi, who performed at Portland Center Stage earlier this year in Astoria. Read our review herePortland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., 503-445-3700, pcs.org. 7:30 pm. $30-$52.

Y La Bamba, Kera and the Lesbians, Brown Calculus
The music of Portland's own Y La Bamba is as bright and big as the sky on the first day of summer. The Latin-folk band's most recent album, 2016's Ojos Del Sol, pops, claps and soars in two languages, Spanish and English. The record proves the band's talent for blending traditional Latin music with revivalist folk and turning that combination into something you can't help but dance to. Also on the bill is Brown Calculus, one of WW's Best New Bands of 2018. With its smooth, interstellar sound, and Kimmons' remarkably tender vocals, Brown Calculus is the balm for whatever ails you. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895. 9 pm. $13 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.

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