Willamette Weekend: 15 Things to Do and See in Portland, March 8-10

[AVANT-RAP] Something’s in the weed up in Seattle. In the past few years, the hip-hop coming out of the Emerald City has gotten increasingly more weird and warped, and spiked pot is the only logical explanation for what morphed Digital Planets jazzbo Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler into Shabazz Palaces’ enigmatic abstract gangster, Palaceer Lazaro. On their 2011 debut fulllength, Black Up—Sub Pop’s firstever hip-hop release—Butler’s surrealistic street rhymes don’t so much ride atop Knife Knight’s amorphous, minimalist production as fold into it, creating a dreamy listening experience unlike much else in the genre. Reed College Student Union, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd, 771-1112. 9 pm. Free for Reed College students. Limited $20 tickets for the public available only at Paradox Olde Shop on the Reed campus. 21+.

Erik Griffin
The star of the Comedy Central series Workaholics hits Helium. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., 888-643-8669. 8 pm 7:30 pm and 10 pm Friday-Saturday, March 8-9. $10- $25.


Saturday, March 9

Truth and Betrayal
[DANCE] Seattle-based Khambatta has a penchant for audience involvement. Before Truth and Betrayal and three other dance pieces, audience members will find a handwritten note suggesting a lens through which to experience the show. Conduit Dance, 918 SW Yamhill St., Suite 401, 221-5857. 8 pm. $15.

The Late Now
The Dadaist variety show hosts a special edition featuring interviews with some March Music Moderne participants and a noise-inspired take on The Rite of Spring by local group [NULL]. Saturday, March 9, at the Piano Fort, 1715 SE Spokane St., 9 pm. March Music Moderne runs March 7-23. See marchmusicmoderne.org for a full schedule.

Smoke DZA, Yo X! and Kid Kid, Stewart Villain, Cassow and Nottus
[WEED RAP] Harlem MC Smoke DZA has been labeled a “weed rapper,” and deservedly so. His songs have names like “K.U.S.H.” and “Smoke-N-Dope,” and his latest album is aptly titled Rolling Stoned. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. DZA, along with fellow endo smokers Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, has carved a niche out for himself by creating lush, spacedout hip-hop that floats somewhere between ambient electronica and “’93 Til Infinity.” Of course, this type of music sounds best when you’re stoned, so prepare to see DZA through a thick veil of smoke at the show, which is actually a release party for Seattle rapper AyeLogics. If a bunch of weed rappers want to have a release party, why not do it in Portland, right? REED JACKSON. Branx, 320 SE 2nd Ave., 234-5683. 9 pm. $20. 18+.

Modern Home Tour 

[ARCHITECTURE] A self-guided romp through upscale homes sure to make you feel like a slumdweller. Curated by Portland architectural expert Brian Libby, the tour includes a Mount Tabor home of Portlandia notoriety and one of the first residences built to Passir Haus energy-efficiency standards. portland.modernhometours.com. $30 in advance, $40 day of show.

Raw Un-Cooking Class
[NOT COOKING] Local raw, organic, gluten-free chef Betty Rawker leads an “un-cooking” class for those eager to make “sunflower ‘not refried’ no-bean dip.” TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St. 4-6 pm. $40.

Autre Ne Veut, Majical Cloudz
[MUSIC] The Turn Turn Turn EP by Majical Cloudz is strong enough to make me forget just how bad the band’s name is. In other words, the four-song synthand-soul effort is really, really good. Ample ambient noise and simple chord progressions are filled in by Devon Welsh’s towering vocals. And while the project sounds of the late-night bedroom variety, Majical Cloudz also sounds like a deserved member of a certain arena of minimalistic neo-R&B that acts like How to Dress Well and Grimes have brought to fore. Arthur Ashin’s smooth and hypnotic Autre Ne Veut, which released its second album, Anxiety, in February, shares in the evening’s spoils. MARK STOCK. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 894-9708. 9 pm. $10. 21+.


Sunday, March 10

The James Hunter Six, The Relatives
[THE FUNKY GOSPEL] While headliner James Hunter’s blueeyed take on Sam Cooke balances precariously between genuinely pleasant and Starbucks bland— Minute by Minute, his first record in five years, leans toward the former—opener the Relatives heaps praise on the Lord with the same raw-throated joy Cooke employed for his electric live performances. Of course, Cooke didn’t live long enough to discover psychedelic guitars, but the Dallas-based gospel-funk vocal quintet, came of age in the era of Hendrix, and in its 1970s heyday used blistering sixstring pyrotechnics and guttural James Brown howls to communicate the word of God. After a 30-year break, during which founding brothers Gean and Tommy West started their own parishes, the group reconvened this year for the utterly smoldering The Electric Word . Imagine Funkadelic as a church band—if that doesn’t convert the hopeless sinner, nothing will. MATTHEW SINGER. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 8 pm. $20 advance, $25 day of show. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.

The Whipping Man
The Whipping Man, under Rose Riordan’s gutsy direction at Portland Center Stage, traffics in direct emotion, carefully timed revelations and visceral incident, including an amputation scene. Lopez’s drama takes place in Richmond, Va., just as the Civil War has ended. Carter Hudson plays a wounded Confederate soldier named Caleb, who has heaved himself to his family’s gutted home. There he also finds former slaves Simon (Gavin Gregory) and the younger John (Christopher Livingston). Here’s the twist: These men are Jewish, and it’s Passover. In reminding us of what we must not forget, The Whipping Man leaves a powerful mark. The Whipping Man is at the Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Sundays, 2 pm Saturdays-Sundays, noon Thursdays through March 23. $39-$65.

Jerusalem Quartet
One of the most impressive events of the classical season commences with this acclaimed young foursome’s complete traversal of one of the 20th century’s most monumental musical achievements: Dmitri Shostakovich’s 15 string quartets. Each program contains three or four of the Russian composer’s often ferocious masterpieces. This landmark Friends of Chamber Music/ March Music Moderne extravaganza also boasts a borscht of free events, including talks on the composer, Soviet culture of his time and the quartet cycle; at Multnomah County Central Library on Saturday afternoon, there will be a roundtable discussion with the players, an open rehearsal and more. Lincoln Hall, Portland State University, 1620 SW Park Ave., 224.9842. 3 pm Sunday, 7:30 pm Monday-Thursday, March 10-14. $30–$45.