Willamette Weekend: 17 Things to Do and See in Portland Oct. 2-4

Pros and amateurs are teaming up to make beer, and Bike Portland turns 10

FRIDAY, OCT. 2

Bike Portland Anniversary

[BIKES] The BikePortland blog celebrates 10 years of duck scoundrels and bike heroes at Portland's pre-eminent bike-shop bar, Velo Cult. Expect cake, food, drinks, music, a prize raffle and plenty of bikey feelings. Velo Cult, 1969 NE 42nd Ave., 922-2012. 6 pm.

Mars Two

[THEATER] Action/Adventure, the hole-in-the-wall theater on a mission to make stage accessible for TV and Netflix fans, brings back the popular sci-fi series Mars One for a second season. Over four weekends, it'll stage four different "episodes" about a (possibly doomed) team of adventurers trying to colonize Mars. This is theater best enjoyed with buddies and beer, and the theater provides at least the latter. Action/Adventure Theatre, 1050 SE Clinton St. 8 pm Thursday-Sunday through Oct 25. $15.

Lose Yr Mind

[FESTIVAL] This two-day garage-psych extravaganza pairs local favorites like Grandparents and Psychomagic alongside some renowned West Coast thrashers, with a headlining set from art-damaged L.A. noise punks No Age. AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison St., loseyrmind.com. 9 pm. $10 per day. 21+. Through Oct. 4.

Metalesque

[BURLESQUE] Dancing girls and metal meet at Star Theater of all places in this burlesque that's billed as a "titillating dance in the ninth circle of Hell." Pole dancers, aerial artists and women warriors wielding weapons will dance. Hosted by Vera Mysteria, who won Miss Metal Portland 2014 (yes, there is such a thing), the soundtrack includes Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Slayer, Dio, Metallica, Bathory, Cathedral, Witch, Judas Priest, Ozzy and some local metal acts. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., 248-4700. 8 pm. $12-$20. 21+.

Burning Palms, Cat Hoch, Cambrian Explosion

Burning Palms Burning Palms

[APOCALYPTIC POP] If Thelma and Louise didn't drive their car off a cliff and instead decided to write an angsty psych-pop record about cruising through the desert and lamentable relationships, they'd be Burning Palms. With Nico-esque vocals and an ominous lo-fi sound that feels like the few minutes just before a storm hits, Burning Palms creates a perfect point of tension. Check them out with dazed and witchy counterparts Cat Hoch and Cambrian Explosion. ASHLEY JOCZ. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St. 8 pm. $5. 21+.

Villains & Vixens Cabaret

[CABARET] A dance concert themed around the most villainous music from Hollywood and Broadway evildoers. Local musicians Heidi Davis, Robert B. Power-Drutis and Monty Lamb will play Cruella De Vil's theme music and songs from The Phantom of the Opera and The Little Mermaid, plus top-40 favorites like "Somethin' Bad" and "Killer Queen" to start pregaming Halloween plenty early. Twilight Theatre Company, 7515 N Brandon Ave., 847-9838. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Oct. 2-3. $12. 21+.

SATURDAY, OCT. 3

Nick Diamonds Nick Diamonds

Nick Diamonds, Lyla Foy

[PALATABLE WEIRDNESS] The solo stuff that Nick Thornburn releases under Nick Diamonds lives in the shadow of everything else he's done. Whenever Diamonds' music gets talked about, it's usually qualified by "former Unicorns frontman" or "that guy who composed the music for Serial." Understandable as it may be, it's really a shame, because Thornburn's solo work is worthy of standing on its own. Its techno futurism is mixed with off-kilter lightheartedness, making its complexity and slight strangeness seem effortless and highly listenable. Taken out of overworked music-crit speak, it could even be described as "fun." SHANNON GORMLEY. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave. 9 pm. $10. 21+.

Willamette Week's Beer Pro/Am

[BEER] For the third year, established breweries pair with homebrewers to create one-time, oft-experimental beers. Past favorites included barrel-aged Belgians, Neapolitan ice cream-themed ales brewed with hefeweizen yeast, and silky coffee milk stouts. North Warehouse, 723 N Tillamook St., wweek.com/beerproam. 1-6 pm. $27. 21+.

Unit Souzou

Unit Souzou

[TAIKO THEATER] Former Portland Taiko artistic director Michelle Fujii and the group's star performer, Toru Watanabe, have been married for 13 years, and they've used the twists and turns of their relationship to inform their new group's first original production, which means "head to head" in English. Both have long incorporated dance into their musical performances, and along with the dramatic Japanese percussion—big mallets striking big drums—the show includes storytelling and theater. BRETT CAMPBELL. Zoomtopia, 810 SE Belmont St. 8 pm Friday and Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 2-4. $15 advance, $18 day of show.

The Wedge: Portland's Celebration of Cheese

[CHEESE FEST] The Wedge offers a staggering variety of cheeses for sampling—worth far more than the $20 you'll plunk down at the door if you do it right. For $10, attend a beer and cheese tasting with local guru Steve Jones at 12:30 pm. Green Dragon, 928 SE 9th Ave., 517-0660. Noon.

Finders Keepers

[MOVIE NIGHT] When Shannon Whisnant found John Wood's mummified foot in the meat smoker he bought at a North Carolina storage unit sale, news outlets were quick to jump on the story with smirking, exploitative coverage. The stereotype of the backwards, toothless rural Appalachian white dude is inexplicably still fair game for the entertainment industry. This new example, from filmmakers J. Clay Tweel and Bryan Carberry, chronicles the custody battle over the mummified foot and the media circus that ensued. We watch both the media and Whisnant and Wood themselves fan the flames of controversy: In one of the most macabre scenes, Wood sits on a German late-night talk show with his own mummified foot on his lap, wearing a wide-eyed, drug-induced smile. But Finders Keepers acknowledges and then thankfully moves past the low-hanging gut-busters in this story, delving deep into the humanity—not just the media caricatures—at the center of this controversy. Themes of death, addiction and longing for fame weave seamlessly through the film, and what was once funny and lighthearted becomes heart-wrenching and beautiful. This is what documentary filmmaking should be. Rated R. ZACH MIDDLETON. Critic's Grade: A. Hollywood, Kiggins.

SUNDAY, OCT. 4

Youngblood Brass Band Youngblood Brass Band

Youngblood Brass Band, Marv Ellis & We Tribe

[BADASS BRASS] Hailing from Madison, Wis., the 10-piece Youngblood Brass Band brings the funk like a New Orleans second line. Even with the full tonal range of the horn section, mad percussion and a sousaphone holding down the bass, the band still manages to layer vocal melodies and fluid raps seamlessly atop the music. Its outstanding mix of jazz complexity, marching-band boisterousness and hip-hop messages has drawn the praises of everyone from Talib Kweli to Questlove. HILARY SAUNDERS. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 9 pm. $12 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.

Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club

[CUBAN DANCE] 1997's Buena Vista Social Club created a second life for many of Havana's aging musical legends. The surviving crew will retire after 2015, making this your last chance to hear some of the most beautiful music in this hemisphere on American shores. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway,

Pomodori

[PIZZA] P.R.E.A.M. pizza is teaming up with local farmer Evan Gregoire for a brunch dedicated to the proposition of amazing heirloom and Italian-style tomatoes. RSVP for noon or 2 pm at portlandseedhouse.com. P.R.E.A.M., 2131 SE 11th Ave., 231-2809. Noon. $30.

Little Gem

[THEATER] Shows from Portland's only Irish theater ensemble are a rare treat, often tucked in the upstairs backroom of Kells downtown. CoHo hosts Corrib's love letter to the everyday Irish with Emma Murphy's play about three working-class women simply surviving. In a series of monologues, 18-year-old Amber, her mother Lorraine and her mother Kay detail three very different stages of life. As Irish theater tends to be, it's a dark look at coming of age, death and divorce. But there's always stiff drink, too. CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 7:30 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays, 8 pm Saturday Sept. 26. Sept. 24-Oct. 4. $25.

Pseudogod, Crurifragium, Infernus, Triumvir Foul

Pseudogod Pseudogod

[NO POSERS] Russia's Pseudogod occupies a space between black and death metal that pushes both genres to the extreme. Deathwomb Catechesis, from 2012, was a buzzsaw of a record—death metal played as fast and straightforwardly as possible, coupled with black metal's "demons and devils" lyrical themes, hissed with traditional raspy delivery. Pseudogod possess better songwriting chops and more dynamics than most bands of this particular flavor of death, but that doesn't mean this show is OK for the faint of heart: The relentless double-kick drums will give even seasoned metal pros a headache. Be prepared for a very heavy night. WALKER MACMURDO. Panic Room, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd. 9 pm. $10. 21+.

H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival

[SCI-FI FEST] Anyone who grew up with any sort of nerdy proclivities inevitably went through an H.P. Lovecraft phase, and Portland is especially full of people who are still kindling the flame. Although the Anglophile died in obscurity and poverty in the mid-1930s, Lovecraft is now seen as the grandfather of sci-fi horror and one of the more darkly influential writers of the 20th century. In its 20th year, the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival celebrates him with three days of film, readings, live theater and a prayer breakfast to the dread god Cthulhu. Featuring more than 50 independent short films adapting or inspired by Lovecraft's psychedelic horror canon, the Hollywood will also host author talks, idea-pitching panels and vendors selling things like Cthulhu-inspired jewelry. Friday is our pick for the three-day fest, screening the regional premiere of Raul Garcia's Extraordinary Tales. an animated collection of Edgar Allan Poe's stories that was Christopher Lee's final film before his passing earlier this year. WALKER MACMURDO. Hollywood Theatre. Oct. 2-4. $20-$65.

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