February 9th, 2012
By WW Arts And Culture Staff |
Features |
Posted In: Willamette Weekend
Willamette Weekend
9 things to do in Portland, Feb. 10-12
Friday, Feb. 10
Portland International Film Festival
[FILM] Subtitles! Whimsical soundtracks! Yes, it's PIFF. If you haven't already, read our detailed and hilarious write-ups of week one's films here. If you can't be bothered, our favorites were The Extraordinary Voyage (8:45 pm Friday, Feb. 10. at the World Trade Center, 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 12. at the Whitsell Auditorium), Breathing (6:15 pm Friday, Feb. 10. at the Lloyd Mall, 8 pm Sunday, Feb. 12. at CineMagic), and Bullhead (12:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Whitsell Auditorium). See the website for more info.
Portland Foosball Tournament
[BAR SPORTS] Foosball is set for a resurgance in Portland, with a major tournament at Blitz Ladd this weekend. It will feature 10 tables and openings for amateur and pro players, and a cash prize projected at $1,440. Read our full write-up of the event, and get some tips to sharpen your foos-fu, here. Tournament registration begins at 6 pm Friday, Feb. 10, at Blitz Ladd, 2239 SE 11th Ave., 236-3592. Tournament competition continues through Sunday, Feb. 12. See portlandfoosball.com for full schedule. $25-$30. All ages.
Too Short, Steady the Boss, DJ Chill
[MUSIC] The last time I saw Too Short onstage—at an MC battle in Seattle—the legendary West Coast rapper made his grand entrance while sucking turkey grease from his fingers and explaining to the crowd that he didn't get paid enough to freestyle onstage. When you're hip-hop royalty, your "working the crowd" means showing up; and when you're Too Short, you really just have to say the word "beeeyatch" to whip said crowd into a frenzy. That said, this stylistic innovator is perhaps the most influential figure in West Coast rap (Ice Cube and Snoop might disagree, but especially in Portland, underground heads often cite the Oakland-based Short's work well before anything from Los Angeles) and he's funny as hell in concert, provided you can take some misogyny in stride (let's just say Short didn't major in women's studies). DJ Chill, an old-school Portland scene boss who's currently engaged in a rare Portland beef with the younger Luck-One, kicks off the show. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-2038. $25. All ages.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Authorized Personnel Only
[VISUAL ART] Authorized Personnel Only is a ho-hum title for this gee-whiz, how’d-she-do-that? show by Daniela Repas. The latest in Chambers’ seemingly unending run of knockout conceptual shows, Repas’ installation begins with ink-and-charcoal drawings on three paper screens. Simple enough, but here’s where the real fun begins: Three projectors on the floor throw animated scenes onto the drawings, the projected images placed precisely within the drawings’ contours, making the figures appear to move. It’s like a life-sized stop-motion-animated cartoon. Disjointed, disconcerting and utterly magnetic, the effect is heightened by Todd Tawd’s eerie soundtrack, which combines ambient sound, stringed instruments and voice-over narration in different languages. RICHARD SPEER. Chambers @ 916, 916 NW Flanders St., 227-9398. 11 am-5:30 pm. Through Feb. 25.
Monophonics, The Max Ribner Band
[MUSIC] Six-piece Seattle funk outfit Monophonics has made its name, essentially, by creating a nasty score for the greatest blaxploitation movie never made. With horns wailing in unison, bass thumping, guitar singing and frontman Kelly Finnigan crooning with a velvety-smooth assertiveness, the orchestral bursts of funk evoke everyone from Sly to Curtis. With its sophomore release, In Your Brain, in the can, the group’s touring with new material—followed, no doubt, by the ghost of Isaac Hayes, who is contemplating enlisting the group when he rises from the grave to finally make a sequel to Truck Turner. AP KRYZA. Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. 9 pm. $8. 21+.
They
[THEATER] It’s no wonder Polish playwright and painter Witkacy wrote a play called They about art’s idiosyncratic, transgressive nature. The man was bounds ahead of his time, anticipating absurdist theater by a generation; “they” labeled him eccentric and denied him recognition until his death. Buck Skelton’s production of Witkacy’s 1920 work is the play’s American premiere, and it’s a shame it took so long: It’s an intriguingly strange, blackly funny piece. JONATHAN FROCHTZWAJG. The Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-8734. 8 pm, Thursdays-Saturdays through Feb. 18. $15.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Worst Day of the Year Ride
[BIKES] The weather forecast is actually for 51 F—which certainly won't be the worst day this year has seen by a long shot—but at least some late rain is expected, so riders can don their neon yellow rain jackets to cycle 18 or 45 miles in this annual mass bike ride. Participants will be rewarded with free coffee, doughnuts and soup. The ride kicks off at the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Registration and check-in starts at 8 am. $49. See worstdayride.com for more info.
The Julians
[MUSIC] The all-star vocal quartet offers its unexpected yet perfectly compatible mix of classics (Vaughan Williams, Barber, Debussy) and pop (Regina Spektor, Queen, Dolly Parton, Sondheim, the Beatles), all sung with real passion and appropriate style by some of Portland’s finest female classical singers. First Presbyterian Church, 1200 SW Alder St., 228-7331. 2 pm. $10-$12.
The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012: Animated
[FILM] Like its live-action counterpart, this omnibus of Oscar-nominated animated shorts lacks the visionary spirit that makes bite-sized cinema sing. However, the lot is redeemed by the wonderful Wild Life, a 10-minute delight that sets an Englishman’s smug refinement against an early-20th-century Alberta (the western Canadian province, not the Portland street) that doesn’t much care for his presence. The tactile jitteriness of the painted frames imbues the orderly compositions with a hint of unease, a gentle teeming that the narrative adopts as tragic grace. I was reminded of Wes Anderson’s way with the kind of detached sadness that is almost funny until it is most definitely not. Pray it plays at program’s end so you have something splendid to look forward to. CHRIS STAMM. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 493-1128. Multiple sessions.
Portland International Film Festival
[FILM] Subtitles! Whimsical soundtracks! Yes, it's PIFF. If you haven't already, read our detailed and hilarious write-ups of week one's films here. If you can't be bothered, our favorites were The Extraordinary Voyage (8:45 pm Friday, Feb. 10. at the World Trade Center, 3 pm Sunday, Feb. 12. at the Whitsell Auditorium), Breathing (6:15 pm Friday, Feb. 10. at the Lloyd Mall, 8 pm Sunday, Feb. 12. at CineMagic), and Bullhead (12:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Whitsell Auditorium). See the website for more info.
Portland Foosball Tournament
[BAR SPORTS] Foosball is set for a resurgance in Portland, with a major tournament at Blitz Ladd this weekend. It will feature 10 tables and openings for amateur and pro players, and a cash prize projected at $1,440. Read our full write-up of the event, and get some tips to sharpen your foos-fu, here. Tournament registration begins at 6 pm Friday, Feb. 10, at Blitz Ladd, 2239 SE 11th Ave., 236-3592. Tournament competition continues through Sunday, Feb. 12. See portlandfoosball.com for full schedule. $25-$30. All ages.
Too Short, Steady the Boss, DJ Chill
[MUSIC] The last time I saw Too Short onstage—at an MC battle in Seattle—the legendary West Coast rapper made his grand entrance while sucking turkey grease from his fingers and explaining to the crowd that he didn't get paid enough to freestyle onstage. When you're hip-hop royalty, your "working the crowd" means showing up; and when you're Too Short, you really just have to say the word "beeeyatch" to whip said crowd into a frenzy. That said, this stylistic innovator is perhaps the most influential figure in West Coast rap (Ice Cube and Snoop might disagree, but especially in Portland, underground heads often cite the Oakland-based Short's work well before anything from Los Angeles) and he's funny as hell in concert, provided you can take some misogyny in stride (let's just say Short didn't major in women's studies). DJ Chill, an old-school Portland scene boss who's currently engaged in a rare Portland beef with the younger Luck-One, kicks off the show. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-2038. $25. All ages.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Authorized Personnel Only
[VISUAL ART] Authorized Personnel Only is a ho-hum title for this gee-whiz, how’d-she-do-that? show by Daniela Repas. The latest in Chambers’ seemingly unending run of knockout conceptual shows, Repas’ installation begins with ink-and-charcoal drawings on three paper screens. Simple enough, but here’s where the real fun begins: Three projectors on the floor throw animated scenes onto the drawings, the projected images placed precisely within the drawings’ contours, making the figures appear to move. It’s like a life-sized stop-motion-animated cartoon. Disjointed, disconcerting and utterly magnetic, the effect is heightened by Todd Tawd’s eerie soundtrack, which combines ambient sound, stringed instruments and voice-over narration in different languages. RICHARD SPEER. Chambers @ 916, 916 NW Flanders St., 227-9398. 11 am-5:30 pm. Through Feb. 25.
Monophonics, The Max Ribner Band
[MUSIC] Six-piece Seattle funk outfit Monophonics has made its name, essentially, by creating a nasty score for the greatest blaxploitation movie never made. With horns wailing in unison, bass thumping, guitar singing and frontman Kelly Finnigan crooning with a velvety-smooth assertiveness, the orchestral bursts of funk evoke everyone from Sly to Curtis. With its sophomore release, In Your Brain, in the can, the group’s touring with new material—followed, no doubt, by the ghost of Isaac Hayes, who is contemplating enlisting the group when he rises from the grave to finally make a sequel to Truck Turner. AP KRYZA. Goodfoot Lounge, 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. 9 pm. $8. 21+.
They
[THEATER] It’s no wonder Polish playwright and painter Witkacy wrote a play called They about art’s idiosyncratic, transgressive nature. The man was bounds ahead of his time, anticipating absurdist theater by a generation; “they” labeled him eccentric and denied him recognition until his death. Buck Skelton’s production of Witkacy’s 1920 work is the play’s American premiere, and it’s a shame it took so long: It’s an intriguingly strange, blackly funny piece. JONATHAN FROCHTZWAJG. The Back Door Theater, 4319 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 236-8734. 8 pm, Thursdays-Saturdays through Feb. 18. $15.
Sunday, Feb. 12
Worst Day of the Year Ride
[BIKES] The weather forecast is actually for 51 F—which certainly won't be the worst day this year has seen by a long shot—but at least some late rain is expected, so riders can don their neon yellow rain jackets to cycle 18 or 45 miles in this annual mass bike ride. Participants will be rewarded with free coffee, doughnuts and soup. The ride kicks off at the Lucky Labrador Brew Pub, 915 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Registration and check-in starts at 8 am. $49. See worstdayride.com for more info.
The Julians
[MUSIC] The all-star vocal quartet offers its unexpected yet perfectly compatible mix of classics (Vaughan Williams, Barber, Debussy) and pop (Regina Spektor, Queen, Dolly Parton, Sondheim, the Beatles), all sung with real passion and appropriate style by some of Portland’s finest female classical singers. First Presbyterian Church, 1200 SW Alder St., 228-7331. 2 pm. $10-$12.
The Oscar Nominated Short Films 2012: Animated
[FILM] Like its live-action counterpart, this omnibus of Oscar-nominated animated shorts lacks the visionary spirit that makes bite-sized cinema sing. However, the lot is redeemed by the wonderful Wild Life, a 10-minute delight that sets an Englishman’s smug refinement against an early-20th-century Alberta (the western Canadian province, not the Portland street) that doesn’t much care for his presence. The tactile jitteriness of the painted frames imbues the orderly compositions with a hint of unease, a gentle teeming that the narrative adopts as tragic grace. I was reminded of Wes Anderson’s way with the kind of detached sadness that is almost funny until it is most definitely not. Pray it plays at program’s end so you have something splendid to look forward to. CHRIS STAMM. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 493-1128. Multiple sessions.
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