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Before, during and after all this fun stuff, eat at one of our 2016 Cheap Eats Guide picks.
FRIDAY, MARCH 25
Barry Gifford with Willy Vlautin
[BOOK READING] Barry Gifford is probably best known as an inspiration for David Lynch: He wrote Wild at Heart, and will appear at a screening of that film at the Hollywood Theatre on Saturday (see page 34). But Gifford has a truly Herculean bibliography, spanning poetry, nonfiction and fiction. His latest effort, Writers, is somewhere between the latter two: It follows imagined scenarios in the lives of real writers like Emily Dickinson and Ernest Hemingway. He'll be speaking with Willy Vlautin, author of The Motel Life and frontman of Richmond Fontaine. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.
Conversations With The Dead
[SEE ART] Photographer Danny Lyon's series, Conversations With the Dead, is a feat of immersion journalism, in which Lyon documented life in six different prisons throughout Texas during the late 1960s. In one photo, a prisoner sits alone next to the master controls that open the cell doors, so close to the freedom that eludes him. In another, black prisoners, segregated from their white counterparts, fill a large field, hunched over in the backbreaking work of picking cotton. It is an uncomfortable experience to take in Lyon's stunning black-and-white photographs because we are unaccustomed to seeing tragedy and cruelty through such a beautiful lens. Read JENNIFER RABIN's full review. Charles A. Hartman Fine Art, 134 NW 8th Ave., 287-3886. Through March 26.
Geographer, the Crookes
[SYNTH ROCK] Geographer is a San Francisco indie-rock band, but really it's the moniker of synth master Mike Deni. Recently, Geographer has included a guitarist, drummer and electric cellist (all armed with arsenals of pedals) to help transform the spacey sounds on Deni's three LPs into live pop songs. As for Deni himself, his own singing holds the group together, as he switches seamlessly from a strong chest voice to soaring falsetto. HILARY SAUNDERS. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. 8 pm. $13 advance, $16 day of show. All ages.
Quilt, Mild High Club, Eternal Tapestry
[PSYCH TWANG] Easily one of the most consistent bands of the past few years, Quilt is basking in its wonderfully twisted, folk-rock sweet spot. The Boston quartet released the heady Held in Splendor in 2014, and followed it up with the outstanding Plaza earlier this year. Careful listeners will pick up bits of the Byrds, Roky Erickson and Woods. What's most attractive about Quilt is how understated its brand of psych-leaning '60s rock is—but the band is loaded in the creative energy department and thrives in the live setting. MARK STOCK. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $14. 21+.
City of Gold opening
[FOOD FLICK] Jonathan Gold is one of food journalism's only legitimate heroes, and certainly the only one with a Pulitzer on his metaphorical belt buckle. With his Counter Intelligence column for L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times beginning in the '80s, Gold helped change the way traditional working-class and ethnic fare like tacos and pho are viewed by food critics—as cuisines every bit as layered, vital and full of history as the stuff at high-dollar French spots. City of Gold, a new documentary by Laura Gabbert that opens at Cinema 21 on Friday, accompanies the legendary journalist as he tours the eateries and neighborhoods of L.A. Gold talked to WW on the phone about Everclear, quinoa and the tiresome kabuki of food-critic anonymity. Read the full article and buy tickets here. Playing at Cinema 21.
Spring Beer and Wine Fest
[DRINK] For two days, the Oregon Convention Center will fill with beer and wine—along with booze, chocolate and cheese—but without the sadness of a drunken conference of dentists or taxidermists. Usually Convention Center fests don't draw the big names like Pfriem or Upright, but rather the new ones looking to get noticed. Expect little breweries like 54-40, Astoria, Drinking Horse and Montavilla Brew Works, in a big ol' mess hall close to lots of helpful transit. The $10 admission is good for both days. A mandatory sampling glass and $1 tasting tokens are separate. Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., springbeerandwinefest.com. Noon-10 pm. $10.
SATURDAY, MARCH 26
Wild at Heart
[MOVIES] At its core, 1990's Wild at Heart is a classic love story about two star-crossed kids, Lula and Sailor, played by Laura Dern and a gloriously unhinged Nicolas Cage. It's what's surrounding that core that's fucked up. Written by Barry Gifford and directed by David Lynch—post-Blue Velvet, mid-Twin Peaks—the romance is populated by everything from Willem Dafoe's corn-toothed pervert to Diane Ladd's psychotic mama bear to Isabella Rossellini's demonic hit woman. Plus, some Wizard of Oz and ample splattered viscera. Gifford visits Portland this weekend for two appearances: a Friday reading of his latest book, Writers, at Powell's, and a Saturday screening of Wild at Heart at the Hollywood Theatre (7 pm, $9).
Dana Gould
[COMEDY] The Father of Alternative Comedy, aka the guy who was a writer for seven years of The Simpsons, circles back to Portland for the first time since IFC greenlighted his new horror comedy series. His act at Helium is titled Comedy with Brains, and has a zombie on the poster. Gould's Twitter features a lot of digs at Trump. Picking which apocalypse to mock is indeed hard. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th Ave., 888-643-8669. 7:30 and 10 pm. $15-$31. 21+.
Hinds, Cotillon
[GARAGE ROCK] In case you missed this Spanish phenomenon last October, Hinds returns to Holocene for another night of controlled pop-punk debauchery. The young, all-female group—whose members range in age from 19 to 23—only released its debut, Leave Me Alone, this past January. Even still, Hinds channels a decades-old garage-rock sound from the '60s all the way across the pond here in the U.S. HILARY SAUNDERS. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 7 pm. $14. 21+.
Portland Farmhouse and Wild Ale Fest
[DRINK] This is consistently one of the best beer events in town, since starting four years ago, with all and any variety of sour, yeasty and foraged from the finest practitioners of sour, yeasty and foraged, whether de Garde and Pfriem and the Commons close to home, or Jester King and Sante Adairius farther afield. As of press date, it doesn't look like 10 Barrel is sending a beer, however. Huh. Admission includes an event glass and 10 tickets. Saraveza, 1004 N Killingsworth St., 206-4252. 3-10 pm. $25. ($35 VIP starts at noon.) Through March 27.
Sir Cupcake's Queer Circus Goes to the Future
[WITH SPRINKLES] Transgender circus performer and director Jack Stocklynn, aka Sir Cupcake, brings his queer circus performers to an interstellar cruise ship that's set sail sometime in the future. There, Sir Cupcake meets spectacular aerialists like contortionist Meg Russell and trapeze stars Larke and Kelsey, whose characters face conflicts ranging from love to sheer survival. Additional guests performers include DieAna Dae and Box of Clowns. And yes, cupcakes will be provided. HILARY SAUNDERS. Echo Theater, 1515 SE 37th Ave., 231-1232. 3 and 8 pm. $20-$25.
Women's Beat League and Alchemy Present: Jlin, DJ Noir, Lincolnup B2B Rap Class, ILLordess
[CLUB FISSION] Jlin stepped out of the shadows of the footwork underground last year with her debut album, Dark Energy, a force of syncopated rhythm and rezzed-out synth work out of Gary, Indiana. Named The Wire magazine's top record of 2015, the 11-track album introduced the world to a new voice in a gritty scene, with a feminist spirit inspired by her blue-collar hometown. Like Chicago legend RP Boo, Jlin's minimal compositions deconstruct the battleground aesthetic of footwork, but invite organic collaborations with vocal talent like Holly Herndon. With S1's resident Women's Beat League co-sponsoring, the power in flipping the dynamics of club and dance culture is represented behind the decks tonight. WYATT SCHAFFNER. S1, 4148 NE Hancock St. 9:30 pm. $10 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.
SUNDAY, MARCH 27
Creative Control
[MOVIE NIGHT] This art drama tucked into the shiny ad world of New York City features Reggie Watts and Google Glass-type eyewear that gives ad men a little too much fun. Shot in black-and-white, with a classical music soundtrack and voyeuristic tracking shots, the film explores the consequences of technology's unstoppable march forward. David (writer Benjamin Dickinson) cheats on his yogi girlfriend with a hologram of his friend's girlfriend, using the glasses that he's working on a campaign for. But whether the film is more against technology than it is inner peace-seeking yogis isn't clear. Instead, it further complicates both extremes. While technology is often a physical and emotional barrier between characters, the film also cites overblown spirituality as a legitimate excuse for cheating. It verges on long and self-indulgent, with too many slow-motion shots that glamorize the lives of young "creatives." But the self-reflexive humor—like when David gets punched by a photographer and continues posing while bleeding on the ground—keeps the film grounded. Rated R. Critic's Grade: B+. SOPHIA JUNE. Read the full article and buy tickets here. Playing at Cinema 21.
Mean Jeans, Rich Hands, Las Piñas
[POP-PUNK] Whew—Mean Jeans hasn't grown up! At least not all the way. The B-sides on the Portland trio's new "Nite Vision" single are titled "Now I Wanna Be Yr Dogg" and "69 Tears," and they are perfect throwbacks to the band's debut LP, Are You Serious?, which itself was a perfect throwback to the first few Ramones albums. But the A-side finds Mean Jeans dipping into a speedy and slightly dark strain of power-pop. These party punks are at that 3 am event horizon where they're playing "I've Done Everything For You" on repeat until someone calls the cops, and it sounds better than anything in the world. CHRIS STAMM. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 328-2865. 9:30 pm. $8. 21+.
Traxman, J Drago, Swisha, Albino Gorilla
[JUKE WERK] Chicago's Traxman is the godfather of the city's rich tradition of urban dance music, having lived Dance Mania's ghetto house, juke and now footwork as a don of many styles and inspirations. As a core member of the Teklife collective, Trax is responsible for spreading the 160 bpm music synonymous with the late DJ Rashad, schooling the young'uns on sampling technique and source. At once an Afrofuturist crate digger and soul reviver, Traxman pushes those around him with a tireless studio ethic and global touring schedule, fusing uptempo rhythms with jazzy fills and carrying the Chi sound through its past and present. WYATT SCHAFFNER. Rose Bar, 111 SW Ash St., 971-544-7330. 10 pm. $10. 21+.
Pix Easter Egg Hunt
[ADULTS EASTER] As always, Pix will hold an adult-friendly egg hunt with golden tickets inside the eggs, good for prizes up to and including $50 worth of crazy-ass treats. For Easter, these will include chocolate rabbits, chocolate eggs and even Kinder Schokolade eggs with little prizes inside that Pix is strongly hinting might be somehow illegal—or at least very much undistributed through official channels. Only one prize egg per person, though, so no hoarding. Pix Patisserie/Bar Vivant, 2225 E Burnside St., 971-271-7166. 2 pm. Free.
We Are Proud to Present a Presentation About the Herero of Namibia, Formerly Known as Southwest Africa, From the German Sudwestafrika, Between the Years 1884–1915
[COMI-CRY] The new show at Artists Rep is a theatrical mic drop. The audience sat in silence for three minutes (I timed it) when the show ended on opening night, except for the sound of a few people trying to swallow their sobs. It's a hilarious, belly-laughing show about German soldiers committing genocide in Namibia. Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, in a stroke of genius, packages dense history as a presentation by a group of lovable actors. On a mostly empty stage, Chantal Degroat leads a series of skits that jump from present-day improv workshops to past atrocities. Your belly will hurt from laughing at Rebecca Ridenour's ukulele rendition of "Edelweiss," until the play makes a 180 and gut-punches you with the harsh, horrible reality of racial prejudices. Then all you can do to stare at the blank stage, with the house lights shining on you, and practice your deep breathing. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. 2 pm Sunday. $48.
Willamette Week