May 11th, 2012
By WW Arts & Culture Staff |
Features |
Posted In: Willamette Weekend
Willamette Weekend
Eight things to do in Portland, May 11-13
Friday, May 11
X
[MUSIC] In 1980, Los Angeles was the neglected middle child of the international punk scene: glitzier than London, not as artsy as New York. Little changed after X released its debut album, named after the city that spawned it. But with Los Angeles, L.A. punk finally had its definitive document, a record perfectly capturing the time and, crucially, the place in which it was made. From there, the blazing roots-punk foursome went on to make three more flawless albums, and by the time of 1983’s More Fun in the New World, X had transcended both the City of Angels and punk itself to become the best band in America. Celebrating its 35th year, the group hardly seems like a bunch of 50-plus-year-olds desperately grasping for their youth. It still looks—and sounds—like the country’s greatest rock band. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 9 pm. $20 advance, $25 day of show. All ages.
Headhunters
[FILM] A high point of nerve-wracked Norwegian thriller Headhunters finds its protagonist, a corporate recruiting agent named Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie), desperately navigating a rain-slicked road on the rural outskirts of Oslo. He’s behind the wheel of a tractor with a pitbull impaled on its forks, clad in nothing but underwear and human excrement. He looks a lot like Walter White in the pilot episode of Breaking Bad, stripped to his briefs and wearing a gas mask, steering his rolling meth lab in a panic through the New Mexico desert... Read the full write-up here. Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave. Multiple showtimes.
Saturday, May 12
St. Johns Bizarre
[FAIR, MUSIC] The organizers of the St. Johns Bizarre neighborhood fair have lined up a bill as endearingly eclectic as their NoPo neighborhood. Corin Tucker, former Sleater-Kinney member and current riot mooom, headlines with her newish band; it is wonderful to hear her wail again. Experimental pop duo AU, which has been getting national attention on the strength of its long-awaited 2011 LP, Both Lights, puts on a radiant live show that's not to be missed. Americana four-piece Old Light and its numerous beards are also excellent live: The band's frontmen rock out sitting down, and it is undeniably cool. Also playing the Bizarre are African-funk sextet Dusu Mali Band and fuzzy-rock outfit Grandparents. How Bizarre. N Lombard St. and N Philadelphia Ave. 10 am-6 pm. Free.
The Black Lizard
[THEATER] Imago Theatre presents the English-language premiere of a play by the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima—who infamously committed suicide after a failed coup d’état—about a brilliant private detective on the tale of Black Lizard, the female leader of a gang of jewel thieves. Imago’s production, directed by Jerry Mouawad and featuring Matt DiBiasio and Anne Sorce, promises equal parts kabuki and ‘60s camp. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. $15-$30.
Breakside Brewery's Second Anniversary
[BEER] Breakside celebrates two suds-soaked years with special-release beers, live music from Denver (the band, not the city), and “celebrity” chefs, including Podnah’s Pit’s Rodney Muirhead and Wildwood’s Paul Kasten, manning the grill. Special beers include a gin barrel-aged sour golden, bourbon barrel-aged cherry Aztec and a passion-fruit Berliner Weisse. For $15, you get a commemorative tasting glass and five drink tickets. Breakside Brewery, 820 NE Dekum St. 1-7 pm. $15. 21+.
Sunday, May 13
Iron Butterfly, Magic Carpet Ride, The Xperience Jimi Hendrix Tribute
[MUSIC] The first thing you’ll want to know is that singer/bassist Lee Dorman is still in Iron Butterfly, and so is drummer Ron Bushy, famous for his legendary drum solo in “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” With a couple of younger ringers filling in for the deceased and retired (guitarist Erik Brann passed in 2003 and organist Doug Ingle resigned in 1971), the current band is gracing the U.S. with only two dates in the Northwest. My parents still cite late-’60s Butterfly gigs as both some of the loudest shows they ever witnessed, and the first to feature the famous psychedelic oil light shows. It’s been a long, slow trip from mispronouncing “In the garden of Eden,” to selling 25 million copies of that album, to cranking out a best-of set for the Mt. Tabor Pub crowd. Still: far out. Mount Tabor Theater. 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 7 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. 21+.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
[FILM] “For the elderly and beautiful,” runs the rest of the name dreamed up by Sonny (Dev Patel) for his dilapidated retirement resort in India. The arriving Little England expats qualify for both adjectives: Marigold Hotel is nothing but the dotty-pensioner scenes from British ensemble comedies, always the best parts. But for chrissakes, don’t call it a “movie for grown-ups.” The film, directed by fustian Shakespeare in Love hack John Madden, is hardly more mature than The Avengers, and plays to the same desire to see big names join forces. I’m happy to see Bill Nighy, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson in any context, even if it’s a geriatric version of a summer-camp movie, with a similar lateafternoon poignancy and corny lines. Fox Tower. Multiple showtimes.
A Carlin Home Companion
[STAGE] George Carlin’s daughter comes to town with a solo show about her life and her relationship with her father. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. 7 pm. $18-$20.
X
[MUSIC] In 1980, Los Angeles was the neglected middle child of the international punk scene: glitzier than London, not as artsy as New York. Little changed after X released its debut album, named after the city that spawned it. But with Los Angeles, L.A. punk finally had its definitive document, a record perfectly capturing the time and, crucially, the place in which it was made. From there, the blazing roots-punk foursome went on to make three more flawless albums, and by the time of 1983’s More Fun in the New World, X had transcended both the City of Angels and punk itself to become the best band in America. Celebrating its 35th year, the group hardly seems like a bunch of 50-plus-year-olds desperately grasping for their youth. It still looks—and sounds—like the country’s greatest rock band. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 9 pm. $20 advance, $25 day of show. All ages.
Headhunters
[FILM] A high point of nerve-wracked Norwegian thriller Headhunters finds its protagonist, a corporate recruiting agent named Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie), desperately navigating a rain-slicked road on the rural outskirts of Oslo. He’s behind the wheel of a tractor with a pitbull impaled on its forks, clad in nothing but underwear and human excrement. He looks a lot like Walter White in the pilot episode of Breaking Bad, stripped to his briefs and wearing a gas mask, steering his rolling meth lab in a panic through the New Mexico desert... Read the full write-up here. Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave. Multiple showtimes.
Saturday, May 12
St. Johns Bizarre
[FAIR, MUSIC] The organizers of the St. Johns Bizarre neighborhood fair have lined up a bill as endearingly eclectic as their NoPo neighborhood. Corin Tucker, former Sleater-Kinney member and current riot mooom, headlines with her newish band; it is wonderful to hear her wail again. Experimental pop duo AU, which has been getting national attention on the strength of its long-awaited 2011 LP, Both Lights, puts on a radiant live show that's not to be missed. Americana four-piece Old Light and its numerous beards are also excellent live: The band's frontmen rock out sitting down, and it is undeniably cool. Also playing the Bizarre are African-funk sextet Dusu Mali Band and fuzzy-rock outfit Grandparents. How Bizarre. N Lombard St. and N Philadelphia Ave. 10 am-6 pm. Free.
The Black Lizard
[THEATER] Imago Theatre presents the English-language premiere of a play by the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima—who infamously committed suicide after a failed coup d’état—about a brilliant private detective on the tale of Black Lizard, the female leader of a gang of jewel thieves. Imago’s production, directed by Jerry Mouawad and featuring Matt DiBiasio and Anne Sorce, promises equal parts kabuki and ‘60s camp. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave. 8 pm Fridays-Saturdays. $15-$30.
Breakside Brewery's Second Anniversary
[BEER] Breakside celebrates two suds-soaked years with special-release beers, live music from Denver (the band, not the city), and “celebrity” chefs, including Podnah’s Pit’s Rodney Muirhead and Wildwood’s Paul Kasten, manning the grill. Special beers include a gin barrel-aged sour golden, bourbon barrel-aged cherry Aztec and a passion-fruit Berliner Weisse. For $15, you get a commemorative tasting glass and five drink tickets. Breakside Brewery, 820 NE Dekum St. 1-7 pm. $15. 21+.
Sunday, May 13
Iron Butterfly, Magic Carpet Ride, The Xperience Jimi Hendrix Tribute
[MUSIC] The first thing you’ll want to know is that singer/bassist Lee Dorman is still in Iron Butterfly, and so is drummer Ron Bushy, famous for his legendary drum solo in “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.” With a couple of younger ringers filling in for the deceased and retired (guitarist Erik Brann passed in 2003 and organist Doug Ingle resigned in 1971), the current band is gracing the U.S. with only two dates in the Northwest. My parents still cite late-’60s Butterfly gigs as both some of the loudest shows they ever witnessed, and the first to feature the famous psychedelic oil light shows. It’s been a long, slow trip from mispronouncing “In the garden of Eden,” to selling 25 million copies of that album, to cranking out a best-of set for the Mt. Tabor Pub crowd. Still: far out. Mount Tabor Theater. 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 7 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. 21+.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
[FILM] “For the elderly and beautiful,” runs the rest of the name dreamed up by Sonny (Dev Patel) for his dilapidated retirement resort in India. The arriving Little England expats qualify for both adjectives: Marigold Hotel is nothing but the dotty-pensioner scenes from British ensemble comedies, always the best parts. But for chrissakes, don’t call it a “movie for grown-ups.” The film, directed by fustian Shakespeare in Love hack John Madden, is hardly more mature than The Avengers, and plays to the same desire to see big names join forces. I’m happy to see Bill Nighy, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson in any context, even if it’s a geriatric version of a summer-camp movie, with a similar lateafternoon poignancy and corny lines. Fox Tower. Multiple showtimes.
A Carlin Home Companion
[STAGE] George Carlin’s daughter comes to town with a solo show about her life and her relationship with her father. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. 7 pm. $18-$20.
comments powered by Disqus
Copyright 2013 Willamette Week Newspaper & WWEEK.COM
