January 4th, 2013
By WW Culture Staff |
Features |
Posted In: Willamette Weekend
SKY CLUB - IMAGE: James Rexroad
Willamette Weekend
12 Things to do in Portland January 4-6.
SKY CLUB - IMAGE: James Rexroad
Friday, Jan. 4
Don Juan Y Los Blancos
[music] Like the pre-fame White Stripes and the Stones before them, the L.A. sextet look back to the ’50s and ’60s, where the group harvests the sounds of Chuck Berry guitar riffs, doo-wop and surf, and filters them through a sieve that sounds like a mash-up of a Casey Kasem playlist, regional garage heroes and Morphine. World Famous Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., 285-3718. 9 pm. Free. 21+.
5 Films by Woody Allen
[MOVIES] Five Allen classics (Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors), all in 35 mm. It’s the most fun you’ll have without laughing. Except you probably will. Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave. Various showtimes. $6 for one, $9 for two, $12 for three.
Portlandia Premiere
[TV] Fred and Carrie are back... and this time it’s the 1790s! Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St. 10 pm (21+). Free.
Jesse Layne
[MUSIC] Your prototypical hirsute folkie fond of the winsome lyric and quivering tone of manful fragility, Jesse Layne—tonight celebrating the release of an apparently not-yetnamed EP—isn’t terribly different from the legion of singer-songwriters strumming their way through anonymity, just a bit better. His heart-rending balladry benefits from instrumental restraint and his troubadour-rock unfurls a welcome swagger— those talents evident from a limited recording career suggest indefinable frisson, separating the coffeehouse open-mic from luxury-car commercial licensing. JAY HORTON. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. 9 pm. $6. 21+.
Saturday, Jan. 5
Gwenn Seemel: Crime Against Nature
Portraitist Gwenn Seemel turns her attention to the animal kingdom in the exhibition Crime Against Nature and draws whimsical but politically relevant parallels between animal and human sexuality. She offers up a picture of a genderqueer biosphere populated by promiscuous squirrels, infertile camels, lactating male bats, lesbian dolphins, bisexual bonobos and an array of other freak-flag-flying beasts of surf and turf. As fun as the imagery may be, the show powerfully rebuts right-wingers who point to the animal kingdom as “proof” that sex in nature is uniformly vanilla. Through Jan. 12. Place Gallery, 700 SW 5th Ave., third floor, Pioneer Place Mall.
Jenny Scheinman Trio w/ Bill Frisell and Brian Blade
[MUSIC] The titular bandleader may be the least famous member of her own trio, as it comprises legendary guitarist Bill Frisell and the inventive drummer Brian Blade. But Scheinman, as a violinist, arranger and composer, has a versatile résumé of her own. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 223-4527. 7 pm (under 21 permitted with legal guardian) and 9:30 pm (21+). $25.
Federale, the Upsidedown, the Purrs
[MUSIC] ’Tis the season to ape Sergio Leone, apparently. Federale’s newly released third album, The Blood Flowed Like Wine, is an obvious companion piece to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and not just because it contains a song about a vengeful escaped slave who happens to be named Django. Both the film and the record wish to evoke the atmosphere of the famed Italian director’s blood- ’n’-dust epics. At least Tarantino mashes up things with other influences, like modern music and touches of ’70s blaxploitation—in Federale’s case, it’s content to craft a perfect mimic of Ennio Morricone, the composer who scored many of Leone’s movies. Unoriginal as it might be, the mostly instrumental band’s copy is a pristine one, down to the twanged-out guitars, mariachi horns and wordless, operatic vocals. Ripping off a master like Morricone ain’t easy, but Federale makes it look like it is, and that’s no small accomplishment. MATTHEW SINGER. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Holy Motors
[MOVIES] In 1999, Leos Carax’s Pola X landed with such a resounding commercial and critical thud that, until recently, no one would hire him. So with nothing to lose, and the financial backing of a half-dozen production companies, Carax went for broke on Holy Motors. The film follows a gent (Denis Lavant) who drifts through Paris in a limo, adopting various guises: an old woman begging for change, a motion-capture artist in a skintight bodysuit and, most memorably, a mentally unstable homeless man who eats flowers and kidnaps Eva Mendes. By commenting on each era of the film industry, Carax urges viewers to remember how potent and indelible the art form can be. ROBERT HAM. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., various showtimes.
Don Juan Y Los Blancos
[music] Like the pre-fame White Stripes and the Stones before them, the L.A. sextet look back to the ’50s and ’60s, where the group harvests the sounds of Chuck Berry guitar riffs, doo-wop and surf, and filters them through a sieve that sounds like a mash-up of a Casey Kasem playlist, regional garage heroes and Morphine. World Famous Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., 285-3718. 9 pm. Free. 21+.
5 Films by Woody Allen
[MOVIES] Five Allen classics (Annie Hall, Manhattan, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Hannah and Her Sisters and Crimes and Misdemeanors), all in 35 mm. It’s the most fun you’ll have without laughing. Except you probably will. Cinema 21, 616 NW 21st Ave. Various showtimes. $6 for one, $9 for two, $12 for three.
Portlandia Premiere
[TV] Fred and Carrie are back... and this time it’s the 1790s! Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St. 10 pm (21+). Free.
Jesse Layne
[MUSIC] Your prototypical hirsute folkie fond of the winsome lyric and quivering tone of manful fragility, Jesse Layne—tonight celebrating the release of an apparently not-yetnamed EP—isn’t terribly different from the legion of singer-songwriters strumming their way through anonymity, just a bit better. His heart-rending balladry benefits from instrumental restraint and his troubadour-rock unfurls a welcome swagger— those talents evident from a limited recording career suggest indefinable frisson, separating the coffeehouse open-mic from luxury-car commercial licensing. JAY HORTON. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. 9 pm. $6. 21+.
Saturday, Jan. 5
Gwenn Seemel: Crime Against Nature
Portraitist Gwenn Seemel turns her attention to the animal kingdom in the exhibition Crime Against Nature and draws whimsical but politically relevant parallels between animal and human sexuality. She offers up a picture of a genderqueer biosphere populated by promiscuous squirrels, infertile camels, lactating male bats, lesbian dolphins, bisexual bonobos and an array of other freak-flag-flying beasts of surf and turf. As fun as the imagery may be, the show powerfully rebuts right-wingers who point to the animal kingdom as “proof” that sex in nature is uniformly vanilla. Through Jan. 12. Place Gallery, 700 SW 5th Ave., third floor, Pioneer Place Mall.
Jenny Scheinman Trio w/ Bill Frisell and Brian Blade
[MUSIC] The titular bandleader may be the least famous member of her own trio, as it comprises legendary guitarist Bill Frisell and the inventive drummer Brian Blade. But Scheinman, as a violinist, arranger and composer, has a versatile résumé of her own. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 223-4527. 7 pm (under 21 permitted with legal guardian) and 9:30 pm (21+). $25.
Federale, the Upsidedown, the Purrs
[MUSIC] ’Tis the season to ape Sergio Leone, apparently. Federale’s newly released third album, The Blood Flowed Like Wine, is an obvious companion piece to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, and not just because it contains a song about a vengeful escaped slave who happens to be named Django. Both the film and the record wish to evoke the atmosphere of the famed Italian director’s blood- ’n’-dust epics. At least Tarantino mashes up things with other influences, like modern music and touches of ’70s blaxploitation—in Federale’s case, it’s content to craft a perfect mimic of Ennio Morricone, the composer who scored many of Leone’s movies. Unoriginal as it might be, the mostly instrumental band’s copy is a pristine one, down to the twanged-out guitars, mariachi horns and wordless, operatic vocals. Ripping off a master like Morricone ain’t easy, but Federale makes it look like it is, and that’s no small accomplishment. MATTHEW SINGER. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Holy Motors
[MOVIES] In 1999, Leos Carax’s Pola X landed with such a resounding commercial and critical thud that, until recently, no one would hire him. So with nothing to lose, and the financial backing of a half-dozen production companies, Carax went for broke on Holy Motors. The film follows a gent (Denis Lavant) who drifts through Paris in a limo, adopting various guises: an old woman begging for change, a motion-capture artist in a skintight bodysuit and, most memorably, a mentally unstable homeless man who eats flowers and kidnaps Eva Mendes. By commenting on each era of the film industry, Carax urges viewers to remember how potent and indelible the art form can be. ROBERT HAM. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., various showtimes.
Sunday, Jan. 6
Your Rival, Our First Brains, Sky Above Earth Below, We Play Quiet
Your Rival, Our First Brains, Sky Above Earth Below, We Play Quiet
[MUSIC] All hail Portland’s
young rock underground! These
are the kids of Pinehurst Kids, the
long-running Stumptown powerpunk
outfit that’s picked up the
torch of big-hearted, power chorddriven,
highly caffeinated rock
’n’ roll. Your Rival has been dropping
EPs and cassettes for the
past few years, displaying a knack
for melody and hooky, deceptively
simple arrangements that
are mature beyond the members’
years. (I’m not sure they’re of
age yet, but there’s a quality to
the music that suggests they will
forever be unable to drink legally.)
Our First Brains—who are releasing
a new tape at this show—are less
refined, but their roughly melodic
guitars, unhinged drums and
phlegmatically throaty vocals also
convey a sense of youth in revolt
that’s highly appealing, even for
those of us who thought we “grew
out of” basement shows years
ago. MATTHEW SINGER. Laughing
Horse Books, 12 NE 10th Ave., 236-
2893. 8:30 pm. $3-$5
Ursula K. Le Guin
[BOOKS] The celebrated sci-fi author and longtime Portlander reads from her new two-volume collection, The Unreal and the Real. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.
Alessio Bax
Already the recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, winner of major competitions and soloist on several acclaimed recordings, the busy 35-year-old Italian pianist (now based in New York) has won critical raves for both his solo and orchestra performances, including one coming up with the Eugene Symphony. In this Portland Piano International recital, Bax per- forms one of his specialties, the music of Rachmaninoff, as well as works by another Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky, including the original solo version of his famous Pictures at an Exhibition. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 228-1388. 4 pm Sunday, Jan. 6. $14-$61.
The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece
Last day at the museum! Although The Body Beautiful is a traveling show that originated at the British Museum in London, its Portland installment admirably cross-pollinates with Northwest artists and arts organizations. This celebration of Classical statuary, vases and other artifacts partnered with Seattle sculptor and conceptual artist John Grade (winner of the Arlene Schnitzer Prize at 2011’s Contemporary Northwest Art Awards) and Oregon Ballet Theater. The result was a moving dance performance in October entitled Ekho . Through Jan. 6. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-0973.
Ursula K. Le Guin
[BOOKS] The celebrated sci-fi author and longtime Portlander reads from her new two-volume collection, The Unreal and the Real. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.
Alessio Bax
Already the recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, winner of major competitions and soloist on several acclaimed recordings, the busy 35-year-old Italian pianist (now based in New York) has won critical raves for both his solo and orchestra performances, including one coming up with the Eugene Symphony. In this Portland Piano International recital, Bax per- forms one of his specialties, the music of Rachmaninoff, as well as works by another Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky, including the original solo version of his famous Pictures at an Exhibition. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 228-1388. 4 pm Sunday, Jan. 6. $14-$61.
The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece
Last day at the museum! Although The Body Beautiful is a traveling show that originated at the British Museum in London, its Portland installment admirably cross-pollinates with Northwest artists and arts organizations. This celebration of Classical statuary, vases and other artifacts partnered with Seattle sculptor and conceptual artist John Grade (winner of the Arlene Schnitzer Prize at 2011’s Contemporary Northwest Art Awards) and Oregon Ballet Theater. The result was a moving dance performance in October entitled Ekho . Through Jan. 6. Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-0973.
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