Skip to main content
Friday, Jan. 5
Alma Happy Hour with Jasmine Pearl
As every first Friday of the month, Alma Chocolate hosts free chocolate, free cheese from Ancient Heritage—who make very good cheese—and free something from another local maker. This time it's Jasmine Pearl Tea, which means this should be a very relaxing Friday evening. Alma Chocolate, 40 NE 28th Ave., 503-517-0262, almachocolate.com.
Bow & Arrow Tasting
Portland urban winery Bow & Arrow has been having a great few years, and at Pairings wine shop you'll get the chance to try five of their wines for a mere $5—from a mineral-forward Melon de Bourgogne grown at Johan Vineyards to their beautifully bright gamay and a super-juicy pinot-gamay blend called Rhinestones. Winemaker Scott Frank will be on hand to tell you everything about the wines. Pairings, 455 NE 24th Avenue, 541-531-7653, pairingsportland.com.
A Tribute to Fred Cole
Losing Dead Moon frontman Fred Cole was a tough hit for the Portland music scene. This night's show is a tribute to the breadth of his influence, with power-pop legends the Thermals, plus throwback country act Jenny Don't and the Spurs and pure punkers the Ransom and P.R.O.B.L.E.M.S. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St., 503-225-0047, crystalballroompdx.com. 9 pm. $8 advance, $10 day of show. 21+.
Shane Torres
Established 1981, the record Shane Torres put out in September in conjunction with his first Comedy Central special, features a lot of material Portlanders will remember from his time here, starting with Torres introducing himself with one of his classic lines about looking like "a Native American Meatloaf impersonator." It's material he's been working on for six years—and now that it's on an album, it's dead. Which puts Torres in an interesting position as he embarks on the cross-country tour that brings him back to Portland for a three-day stand at Helium this weekend. Torres, who came in second on our first-annual Funniest Five poll back in 2013, is now starting from scratch with a new act that's all still "demo cuts." Read our feature on Torres here. Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 10th Ave., portland.heliumcomedy.com. 7:30 pm and 10 pm Friday-Saturday, 10 pm Sunday Jan. 5-7. $20-$28. 21+.
The Weather Machine, Mosley Wotta, Kulululu
So much of the folk-revival scene is sleepy and contrived. Portland's the Weather Machine shift the paradigm somewhat, playing a lively, farmhouse style of Americana that is far more hootenanny than sleepy coffee-shop open mic. The band's 2015 release, Peach, is a pretty mix of stringy melodies, vocal builds and a certain swagger most rootsy acts lack. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503-231-9663. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.
Saturday, Jan. 6
Blade Runner
Fuck. Yes. It's been several months since the sequel was released, but a theater in Portland is finally screening the Final Cut of Ridley Scott's cyberpunk masterpiece. Academy is also screening Blade Runner 2049, so if you're really hardcore, you could spend five hours immersed in grimmy futurism for a mere $8. Academy Theater, 7818 SE Stark St., academytheaterpdx.com. Various times, Jan. 5-11. $4.
Winter Farmers Mercado
Every Sunday through March at the Portland Mercado, take the farmers market indoors while sampling wares from the in-house butchery and the eight food carts. In addition to winter crops, expect live music, food demonstrations and stuff from assorted local makers. Portland Mercado, 7238 SE Foster Rd., 503-477-9945, portlandmercado.org.
Help the Hoople
In November, musician-about-town Scott McCaughey suffered a serious stroke. He's got a long road to recovery, but his list of friends and fans is even longer. Tonight, the Decemberists, James Mercer and a makeshift band featuring members of Sleater-Kinney and R.E.M. come together to help raise money for his medical expenses. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686, wonderballroom.com. 7 pm. $50. 21+.
The Nutcracker Cracked
Christmas is done, and so is the ballet version of this Christmas tradition. On to the crib note version: The puppet museum will host a 38-minute supercut of the Balanchine ballet with a cast of 84 rod puppets—a wild and fucked ballet circus for the ADHD-impaired. Portland Puppet Museum, 906 SE Umatilla St., puppetmuseum.com. 8 pm. $8.
Sunday, Jan. 7
Open Studio with Portia Munson
New York artist Portia Munson creates found-object installations that are manically ornate. As part of her decades long obsession with the color pink, she's built a canopy of pink onesies over a hectic display of pink toys, and filled a coffin-sized glass case with discarded pink objects she found over the course of several years. To create her upcoming Portland exhibit, Flood, she embarked on a cross-country road trip, collecting items that will become her new show. The exhibit will open at Disjecta at the end of the month. While it's still in process, Munson is hosting an open studio at c3:initiative, where she's currently the resident artist. What's on display this Saturday could look totally different from the final product, but seeing Munson' process can only increase appreciation and understanding of what's sure to be a complicated exhibit. C3:initiative, 7326 N Chicago Ave., c3initiative.org. 2 pm-7 pm.
Emily Wells
Emily Wells is one of the most interesting musicians working today. She composes beautiful, rich pop songs using samples and loops inspired by both hip-hop and 18th century chamber music. On this year's In the Hot EP, her voice haunts each track like a century-old curse. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503-231-9663, dougfirlounge.com. 8 pm. $14 advance, $16 day of show. 21+.
Animated Worlds: Stop-Motion Shorts
Curated by LAIKA's Mark Shapiro, Animated Worlds will feature works by stop-motion legends like Will Vinton and Tim Burton. But there are also shorts by current stop-motion's current innovators. That includes a work by Kirsten Lepore, whose short Hi Stranger, which depicted a waxy figure lying on its stomach and talking in a low voice about its butt, went viral last year. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 NW Park Ave., nwfilm.org. 2 pm. $9.
