Insane Clown Posse, Cat Happy Hour and 12 Other Things to Do in Portland the Week of September 27-October 3

Where we’ll be raging against the machine and learning about Bigfoot crap this week.

Insane Clown Posse at Hawthorne Theater on May 31. IMAGE: Thomas Teal.

Wednesday, September 27

Sheer Mag

On their new album, Need to Feel Your Love, Philadelphia's Sheer Mag bring together classic power-pop and Kiss-esque riffage together under the banner of punk—an invigorating mixture that offers the year's best soundtrack for city kids locking lips in a world poisoned by authoritarian creeps. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE 39th Ave., 503-233-7100, hawthornetheatre.com. 8 pm. $12 advance, $15 at the door. All ages. See profile, page 27.

Nicole Krauss

Nicole Krauss is one of the most important voices in literature, and her new book, Forest Dark, is a blockbuster that ends in the Israeli desert. Weirdly, her Powell's reading comes the day before her former brother-in-law, Franklin Foer, brother of twee Jonathan Safran, is scheduled to read. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 7:30 pm. See book review, page 39.

Thursday, September 28

Canoe the Slough

(Josiah Jones)

What better way to celebrate the coming of fall than with a canoe ride through our own sludgy, slow-moving Everglades? Don't own a canoe? No prob. Rent one, along with paddles, life jackets and all the gear you need. Just mentally prepare yourself. When we went in June, we saw some shit. N Kelley Point Park, columbiaslough.org. 5-9 pm. $10 suggested donation. All ages.

I Love Cats. And Drinking.

(Amy Martin)

Finally, a place to drink and talk about your cat in public without being judged. Rest assured, there are other people like you, and they will be here, along with DJ Meow, a "name that meow" contest, cat-themed stand-up comedy and cat-themed drink specials. Tryst, 19 SW 2nd Ave., 503-477-8637, barflymag.com. 5-9 pm. 21+.

Friday, September 29

Janet Jackson

After postponing her tour twice to have a baby at the age of 50, Janet Jackson is finally hitting Portland in support of her now 2-year-old album, Unbreakable, a welcome comeback record that makes up for the disasters of Damita Jo and Discipline. Just ignore the fact that she sounds eerily like her deceased brother on a couple tracks. Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St., 503-235-8771, rosequarter.com/venue/moda-center. 8 pm. $25-$215. All ages.

Insane Clown Posse

Look, you've gotta see Insane Clown Posse at least once in your life, and given the goodwill flowing toward them right now in the wake of the Juggalo march in D.C., there's never been a better time for your Faygo baptismal. Trust us, it's an experience you'll tell your grandkids about. Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside St., 503-206-7630, bossanovaballroom.com. 7 pm. $26. All ages.

Saturday, September 30

Fresh Hops Fest

Miss the parking lot pop-up last week? This is your last big Portland chance for fresh hops, and it's a doozy. Seventy Oregon breweries will be pouring their farm-fresh, straight-from-the-hopper beers at Oaks Park both Friday and Saturday, including a fresh hop hazy from Great Notion. Oaks Park, 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, noon-5 pm. $20 for glass and 8 tasters. Starts Friday at 5 pm.

Beylesque

For the third year, Pink Hanky is staging their burlesque and performance art tribute to Beyoncé. Striptease and Queen Bey may sound like a heteronormative version of empowerment, but Pink Hanky is a queer art production team, and some of the funds will go to Ori, a gallery upstart that showcases works by queer artists of color. Disjecta Contemporary Arts Center, 8371 N Interstate Ave., 503-286-9449, disjecta.org. 8 pm. $22.

Sunday, October 1

Tank and the Bangas

Tank and the Bangas. IMAGE: Sam Gehrke.

It's impossible to watch Tank and the Bangas' winning entry from this year's NPR Tiny Desk Contest and not see stars in the making. Led by singer and slam-poet Tarriona Ball, the New Orleans six-piece foregrounds her shape-shifting vocals and narrative storytelling against elastic funk-and-soul grooves that play equally to fans of Chance the Rapper and public radio listeners. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., startheaterportland.com. 7:30 pm. Sold out. 21+.

Manhattan Short Film Festival

Picked from thousands of international submissions, the third year of the Manhattan Short Film Festival will screen 10 narrative short films from 10 different countries. To make it even more global, it will also play in cities on almost every continent on the same day. Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., 503-238-5588, cstpdx.org. 4 pm. $7-$10 sliding scale.

Monday, October 2

The Thing

"Somebody in this camp ain't what he appears to be." Celebrate the 35th anniversary of John Carpenter's tense horror masterwork, with some disgusting practical effects and Kurt Russell reaching maximum Kurt Russell-ness. McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 503-223-4527, mcmenamins.com/mission-theater. 5:30 pm., $4 for adults, $3 for kids.

Francis Ford Coppola

Yes, that Francis Ford Coppola. The guy behind Apocalypse Now and the Godfather, will be hanging out with a New York Times reporter on the stage of the Schnitz, talking about how excited he is about a new form of art called "live cinema," essentially a live-DJ'd form of film entertainment. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, portland5.com. 7:30 pm. $15-$70.

Tuesday, October 3

Bleachers

Known as the solo outing of "the other guy from Fun," Jack Antonoff's side project makes a fantastic surrogate for the teenage melodrama of Panic! At the Disco. The bevy of endearingly earnest, '80s-inspired pop tracks of this year's Gone Now deserve placement in whatever today's equivalent of The OC is. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033, roselandpdx.com. 8 pm. $29 advance, $31 day of show. All ages.

Army of Darkness B-Movie Bingo

The third Evil Dead movie might also be the best in the series. It's certainly the funniest. Bruce Campbell's Ash is chock full of so many quips and one-liners, it will make your head spin. Hail to the king, baby. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm, $9 adults, $7 students and kids under 12.

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