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FRIDAY, MAY 6
Dogheart
[REAL MOOD] Having found its bearings as a band, with Real Mood, the implication is that Dogheart has decided on a straight-up pop motif, and the current approach is full speed ahead. The majority of the EP's six songs are syrupy sweet concoctions so infectious that the only thing keeping your finger from the repeat button is the knowledge that the next track offers more of the same compulsion-inducing sugar. While nothing in Dogheart's repertoire is entirely original, the group takes direction from a stellar reserve of influences. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., with Ghost Girls and Surf Stoned, on Friday, May 6. 9:30 pm. $8. 21+.
Elstree 1976
[MAY THE SIXTH BE WITH YOU] The stormtrooper who bumps his head on the door frame while chasing Han Solo through the Death Star is a person, dammit, and a respected thespian to boot. The documentary Elstree 1976 isn't a completist Star Wars memoir, but it does get down and dirty with guys like that. Elstree 1976 opens at Kiggins Theatre, followed by costumes and a panel discussion by the Cloud City Garrison of the 501st. 7 pm. $7.
Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds
[CRAMPING UP] Even if guitarist Kid Congo Powers hadn't been part of three reasonably significant punk-adjacent troupes, including the Cramps, his sense of style has been acute enough for Vogue to dedicate space to its notability. The barrio-infused band that Kid Congo has been leading around for about a decade just issued its latest, loungey screed, La Araña Es la Vida, filled with rock 'n' roll suited to soundtracking a John Waters flick. It exudes enough scruffy charm to remind one that Kid Congo has ostensibly traced punk's lifeline—and maybe to conclude that his band should team up with circa 2005 Black Lips to storm America's barrooms. DAVE CANTOR. Dante's, 350 W Burnside St. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Nothing Lasts Forever
[SEE ART] Toronto artist Brian Donnelly paints photorealist portraits of disembodied heads against optimistic backgrounds of cloudless baby blue skies. Once completed, he applies corrosive materials, like turpentine or hand sanitizer, to his subjects' faces so that their features melt down the canvas in dripping trails of color. He could easily paint them this way from the start, but in the act of destroying something perfect, his work talks to us about loss, letting go, mortality and the inevitability of time. Stephanie Chefas Projects, 305 SE 3rd Ave., Suite 202, 310-990-0702. Through June 4.
Peter and the Starcatcher
[FAMILY FUN] Like a Disney movie exploded inside a tiny theater, Peter packs a zillion plot twists, puns and staging tricks into the Portland Playhouse for this prequel to J.M. Barrie's classic Peter Pan. Nick Ferrucci nails the 13-year-old orphan's role, as does Darius Pierce as the sniveling Smee and Isaac Lamb as the gargantuan buffoon Black Stache. The dozen cast members fly around stage nonstop for nearly three hours, doing the cancan dressed as mermaids and miming chase scenes through the jungle in what looks like a live-action Mario Kart race. Read the full review. Portland Playhouse, 602 NE Prescott St., 503-488-5822. 7:30 pm. $20-$36.
Purple Reign: A Tribute to Prince with Strange Babes
[RAVE UN2 THE JOY ETERNAL] As the world continues to process the death of Prince and honor his remarkable legacy, something tells me we're going to see a lot less live-band tributes than we did for, say, David Bowie. Unless you're like Portland's Erotic City, which has dedicated years to studying his music and moves, those songs are hard to pull off, so it's probably best to stick with celebrating the recorded versions. Smartly, that's the focus of this tribute night, put on by Monqui and XRAY. Strange Babes—the DJ alias of Kathy Foster, Maggie Vail and Jen Olesen—will spin the tunes that got the whole world just a-freakin', so we can all stop bumming for a few hours and hit the floor, just like the man himself would've wanted. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St. 8 pm. $10. 21+.
SATURDAY, MAY 7
Aesop Rock
[WESTWARD EXPANSION] He and his Definitive Jux clique defined the Big Apple's rap underground in the early 2000s, delivering intricately woven stories told with unmatched agility and a bottomless vocabulary. Then, at age 31, the MC born Ian Bavitz uprooted himself and came west. Shaken by a personal tragedy and a looming sense of complacency, he wanted to challenge himself. That's how he wound up living in a barn in rural Oregon. Read the full article. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., with Rob Sonic, DJ Zone and Homeboy Sandman, on Saturday, May 7. 9 pm. Sold out . All ages.
Animal Kingdom
[ACES] Portland's best improv duo—Shelley McLendon and Michael Fetters—combines all the animal-themed sketches that they have done in their five years as the Aces into one show. The Siren Theater, 315 NW Davis St., 8 pm Friday-Saturday, May 6-14. $20.
Filmed by Bike Festival
[WHEEL REEL] Jimmy John's bike courier Taylor Eisele moved from Eugene to immerse himself in Portland bike culture by delivering sandwiches. Filmmaking is new for Eisele. The short film Keep Going, which he made with fellow courier Tim Jacks, screens at the Filmed by Bike Festival, running through the weekend with parties at VeloCult. Before his debut, Eisele talked to WW about ice tires, his diet and how to bungee 20 drinks to a bike. Read the Q&A here. Keep Going screens at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128. 6 pm Saturday, May 7. $11.
Free Comic Book Day
[FREE] Free comics, man! Free! Floating World's (400 NW Couch St.) celebration of Free Comic Book Day features the premiere of two comics. Jason Fischer will debut Terra Flats, with whose purchase readers can score a copy of his Seconds Helpings. The day will also see the release of Heavy Meddle, a collaboration between publishers Teenage Dinosaur, Snakebomb, Sparkplug and Gridlords, for free. Things from Another World (Hollywood), at 4133 NE Sandy Blvd., is also celebrating. Ten specific comic books will be available for free (yes, 10 comics per person), plus most stock will be 20 percent off over the weekend. Things from Another World and Floating World. Free.
Grand Concourse
[OPENING NIGHT] Working at a Bronx soup kitchen, Shelley is a nun in crisis and doubting her faith. When a renegade college dropout (newcomer Jahnavi Alyssa) shows up to volunteer, it gives Shelley hope. New Artists Rep resident Ayanna Berkshire plays Shelley in her first show as a company member, joined by mainstays John San Nicolas, as a Dominican immigrant security guard, and Allen Nause, as a bumbling regular. With tickets selling out, Artists Rep extended the show's run before opening night. Artists Repertory Theater, 1515 SW Morrison St., 503-241-1278. 7:30 pm. $48.
Hey Lover
[GARAGE POP] Hey Lover never sounded incomplete as a duo. In fact, Hey Lover sounded like it could never be anything else. Guitarist Justin Varga and drummer Terah Beth Baltzer Varga, whose marriage and band are both about 10 years old, exploited the intimacy of their arrangement with spastic and elastic pop-punk songs that sounded like an extension of pair-bonded bliss: raw, tight, riotous and mega-fun. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., with the Lavender Flu and Mope Grooves. 9:30 pm. $8. 21+.
Monarques, Minden, Boone Howard
[HERE COMES THE SUN KING] Possessed of a shimmering, '60s-steeped, pure pop majesty that distilled the best licks of their forebears into utterly addictive, wholly distinct dance-party starters, the Monarques wowed SXSW and Prairie Home Companion alike in 2010, and a recent surprise announcement that the boys had not only put the band back together but promised this first show in four years would present new material showcasing a different direction. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Zoe Keating
[SOLO CELLO] Everybody does the live looping and layering thing with foot pedals these days, but cellist Zoe Keating pioneered the technique on cello around the turn of the century. She's composed for film, dance (including a recent Eugene Ballet performance) and radio, and performed with Imogen Heap, Amanda Palmer, Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, John Vanderslice and myriad others. She was also involved in the birth of Portland Cello Project. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. 8 pm. $20. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
SUNDAY, MAY 8
Captain America: Civil War
[MOVIE NIGHT] After the letdown of Avengers: Age of Ultron and the emo antics of Batman v Superman, audiences are increasingly numb to overstuffed superhero ensemble pieces. Captain America: Civil War, though, is proof you can jam pretty much every superhero in your roster into one film and still let individuals shine. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo could have just put the heroes in a big-ass sandbox and let them duke it out. They do that, and it's spectacular. But there's nothing redundant in the action here. It's smart. It's coherent. And, most importantly, it allows its heart to beat strongly amid the chaos, with character moments and set pieces working in tandem to create perhaps Marvel's best film so far. Your move, DC. Rating: PG-13. Critic's Grade: A-. AP KRYZA. Buy tickets here.
The Magic Flute
[OPERA GONE WILD] Understanding Libretto is like magic. It's a brave new world at the Portland Opera this season, starting with a plain English translation of Mozart and sets designed by Where the Wild Things Are author Maurice Sendak for this phantasmagorical "world re-premiere." Read the full article here. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 2 pm. $28-$250.
Mother's Day Viking Pancake Breakfast
[BRUNCH] Moms get Champagne free once a year at the mighty Norse Hall—the most impressive central-city lodge you almost certainly didn't even know existed. But everybody gets super-cheap pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages and lingonberry jam. Think of it as IKEA with a warm heart and a brutal history. Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave, 503-236-3401. 8:30 am-1 pm. $7 adults, $4 kids (hint: Don't let your mom pay).
Willamette Week