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FRIDAY, SEPT. 8
Rose City Comic Con
Finally meet your favorite comic creators—or Weird Al and the guy who voices SpongeBob SquarePants. The Con features creators of comics, movies, TV and gaming. Even the 12th Doctor Who himself, Peter Capaldi, will make an appearance. Check out the comic con events you can't miss here. Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. rosecitycomiccon.com. $30 for a Friday ticket, $65 for a 3-day weekend pass. All ages.
The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence
Coho Theater's season opener is a time-hopping play that tells the stories of three different Watsons. And yes, that includes the Watson who was sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, plus another that's a robot. Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm. Through Sept. 30. $25-$32.
Raul Midón
Sightless multi-instrumentalist Raul Midón is a one-man band that blends guitar and horn-imitating vocals with a loop pedal and hand percussion to create a formidable wall of sound more complex than most fully staffed ensembles. On his latest album, Bad Ass and Blind, the inspiration from fellow blind badass Stevie Wonder is obvious, with the musician offering lush and palatable jazz-inspired works, showcasing an impeccable sense of musical taste—and blowing your mind with his absolute mastery of countless string and percussion instruments. Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th Ave., 503-228-7605. 8 and 10 pm Friday, Sept. 8. $15. 21+.
Three For Silver, Eliza Rickman
The nocturnal sound of Portland trio Three For Silver lurks so heavily in the shadows it's hard to imagine that it ever sees the light of day. Newest effort The Way We Burn is a zealous concoction of old timey folk, brooding pop and misty chamber arrangements. Read our full review of The Way We Burn here. The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., theoldchurch.org. 8 pm. $10 advance, $15 day of show. All ages.
The Negro Problem
Mark "Stew" Stewart has always been hard to pin down. His band the Negro Problem's indie-pop inclinations veered far from the sounds the music establishment expected from African-American musicians of the '80s and '90s. Then came solo records, a move to New York, a romantic breakup with his creative and personal partner Heidi Rodewald and the fabulous autobiographical musical Passing Strange, a big Broadway and cinematic success. Now Stewart and Rodewald return with Stew's musical response to one of his early heroes, the great American writer James Baldwin. Taking its title from Baldwin's famous 1955 book of essays—just as his band's name nods to W.E.B. Du Bois' writings—Notes of a Native Song is, typically, no typical tribute. Ranging across Stew's similarly uncategorizable palette—pop, rock, a little gospel, a dash of funk—the show includes story-songs about Baldwin's life and works but also refuses to canonize or categorize an artist who was as complex as Stew himself, while revealing how important the former was to the latter's own brilliant, complicated creative path. Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., 503-725-3307. 8:30 pm. $20 for PICA members, $25 general admission. All ages.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9
Mac DeMarco
Something about Mac DeMarco playing the zoo just seems so…right. The gap-toothed clown prince of slacker soft rock swings through town about twice a year, but this is the only gig guaranteed to have a surfeit of elephant-related stage banter. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, 503-226-1561, oregonzoo.org. 7 pm. $30-$90. All ages.
Hands Up
Commissioned by the New Black Fest after the death of Michael Brown, Hands Up is seven monologues by black playwrights about their experiences with institutionalized racial profiling. It's an intense collection of monologues that all seven actors in Red Door's production deliver with deeply visceral performances. Wieden+Kennedy, 224 NW 13th Ave., reddoorproject.org. 7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 9. 2 pm Sunday, Sept. 10. Free with reservation, donations accepted.
Chopsticks Stache Bash
Chopsticks, Sandy Boulevard's great and venerable karaoke bar and hall of whimsy, will host the 19th annual Stache Bash. Pabst is $2, amazing porn 'staches win prizes and the singing is wonderful or terrible. Chopsticks, 3390 NE Sandy Boulevard, 503-234-6171, chopstickskaraoke.com. 8 pm.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 10
Mukja! Korean Food Festival
Not all the Korean food is in Beaverton. The third (and maybe last) Portland Korean food fest will feature a grip of Korean food from 11 local and celebrity chefs making Korean bites, including Koreatown author Deuki Hong, Han Oak's Peter Cho and Kim Jong Grillin's Han Ly Hwang. Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Ave., kacoregon.org/kfoodfest. 1-5 pm. $70.
Mdou Moctar
Mdou Moctar was already a known commodity in his native Niger before Portland's Christopher Kirkley brought his updated take on traditional Tuareg guitar music to the world through his label, Sahelsounds. Despite that local connection, tonight's show remains an incredibly rare, can't-miss treat. The Know, 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-473-8729, theknowpdx.com. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket prices. 21+.
EMA
On her new album, Exile In The Outer Ring, Erika M. Anderson's latest deep recon mission into the American psyche, she inhabits a fictionalized reference to the very real zone surrounding most cities inhabited by those who've been pushed out of urban centers. At this point in Anderson's career, she sounds like a hybrid cooked up in Trent Reznor's laboratory, an experiment in splicing Karen O at her scuzziest with Julee Cruise at her creepiest. Read our full review of Exile In The Outer Ring here. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St., as part of the Time-Based Art Festival, pica.org/tba. 10:30 pm. $8 PICA members, $10 general admission. All ages.
