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Friday, March 2
Porches, Girl Ray
Already neck deep in unironic soft-rock flourishes, The House finds Aaron Maine digging even deeper for chintzy sounds to make modern again under his Porches moniker. The magic lies in Maine's ability to throw vocoders, U.K. big-beat samples and drippy lovers-rock textures into a blender and emerge with something fresh and earnest without ever feeling like some kind of bad normcore megamix. The Analog Cafe, 720 SE Hawthorne Blvd, 503-206-7439. 6:30 pm. $15. All ages.
Brockhampton
This 15-member juggernaut is part rap group, part startup—but they prefer the term "all-American boy band." The Texas collective flooded the market last year with their appropriately named Saturation series of mixtapes. The strategy paid off, as the group is already playing stages large enough to contain them. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503-225-0047, crystalballroompdx.com. 9 pm. $35. All ages. Read our feature on Brockhampton here.
Black Out Beer Fest
For lovers of the dark arts, Lompoc is playing host to 20 stouts, porters, coffee beers and black IPAs from all over the Northwest, whether Breakside, Zoiglhaus, Pfriem or Buoy—plus one Dutch beer from Oproer. The next day, nurse your hangover at Lompoc's chowder challenge. Lompoc Sidebar, 3901A N Williams Ave., 503-288-3996, lompocbrewing.com. 4-10 pm. $20 for a glass and eight tasters.
Candace, Ghost Ease, Lavender Flu
Since changing their name from Is/Is, Candace has quietly evolved into one of Portland's finest dream-rock outfits. On New Ruins, Candace paints with tones and textures drawn mostly from the latter, often to stunning results. Reverb drips off each note of the opener "Sunlight" like condensation in an old-growth forest at dawn, but Candace takes extra care to make sure their heavenly vocal harmonies cut through the fog with laserlike precision. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., mississippistudios.com. 9 pm. $5. 21+.
Palm, Spirit of the Beehive
As one might expect of a band whose stated goal is "playing rock music backwards," the music of Philadelphia's Palm often gets compared to a bad acid trip. The band's deconstructed rock songs are off-kilter experiments, to be sure. But while the sounds Palm conjures are undoubtedly bracing, they're never abrasive. They somehow manage to remain melodic and pleasing to the ears—and Palm has never sounded better than they do on Rock Island, their second LP. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., bunksandwiches.com. 9:30 pm. $15. 21+. Read our full review of Rock Island here.
Saturday, March 3
Firkin Fest
Held over from the Green Dragon days, this is the best event Rogue does all year. More than 20 unfiltered, unpasteurized, cask-conditioned ales will be on tap from about as many breweries—including casks from Modern Times, Gigantic, Baerlic and Cider Riot, among others. Rogue Eastside Pub, 928 SE 9th Ave., rogue.com. $10 for a glass and five beer tickets, $25 for a VIP tasting with special beers, oysters and a brewer meet-and-greet.
SheBrew Beer Festival
SheBrew is a brewfest devoted to burying the default picture of the bearded dude brewer. All beers poured at the fest will be poured by women brewers—10 homebrewers, plus 20 pro brewers. Buckman Coffee Factory, 1105 SE Main St, 503-970-5497, shebrew.beer. Noon-8 pm. $20 for a glass and 10 tasters.
Architects, Stick To Your Guns, Counterparts
Innovation isn't synonymous with success, and this show's lineup is proof. All three of these bands came out of the gate playing blistering metalcore, but only one has stayed committed to the head-spinning instrumental prowess that drives the genre's most iconic bands. Architects initially combined Dillinger Escape Plan's math-y rhythms with more emotive, pop-oriented music, but on their past four albums, including 2016's All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, they have become increasingly formulaic. Counterparts, on the other hand, sound better with each ensuing album. Last year's You're Not You Anymore proved that there's still ample room in metalcore for inventive songwriting and emotional depth, despite the fact that many of the genre's long-in-the-tooth veterans have been spinning their wheels for years. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St, 503-284-8686. 7 pm. $25 advance, $27 day of show. All ages.
Lauren Weedman at Back Fence PDX
The Back Fence live storytelling event is now in its 10th year, so it's brought out the big guns. Lauren Weedman, whose solo shows sell out pretty much immediately, will head a group of funny-talkers that also includes local comic Caitlin Weierhauser. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 503-234-9694, aladdin-theater.com. 7 pm. $10-$22. 21+.
Alice (in wonderland)
In one of the most ebullient scenes in Oregon Ballet Theatre's Alice (in wonderland), Alice (Xuan Cheng) and the Mad Hatter (Brian Simcoe) duke it out with the Jabberwock. It's not a surprise that our heroes triumph against the dragonlike bruiser. It is unexpected, however, when Alice celebrates their victory by flexing her muscles and striking an Arnold Schwarzenegger-style pose. Seemingly off-the-cuff flourishes like this make Alice more than a nostalgic revisitation. OBT's production mixes Lewis Carroll's psychedelic children's story with Septime Webre's choreography and Matthew Pierce's giddy music. Invigorated by James Kronzer's multicolored set design and a cast whose grace as dancers is matched by their charisma as actors, the performance makes Carroll's quirky and menacing dreamscape feel entirely new. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., obt.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Saturday, noon Sunday, though March 4. $45-$121. Read our full review of Alice (in wonderland) here.
Sunday, March 4
Mission Theater Oscars Viewing Party
The Oscars are basically just pomp and circumstance—and no one understands pomp better than drag queens. Mission's annual viewing party is helmed by veteran host Poison Waters. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 503-223-4527, mcmenamins.com/mission-theater. 5 pm. Free.
Kodachrome
Kodachrome, a world premiere play, is a series of romantic vignettes vividly brought to life by alluring set design. It's at once a love story, mischievous comedy and supernatural dream. Portland Center Stage, 128 NW 11th Ave., 503-445-3700, pcs.org. 7:30 pm. Through March 18. $25-$42.
Urban Bush Women
It's been almost two decades since New York dance collaborative Urban Bush Women first premiered Hair Stories, an exuberant, theatrical performance about the relationship black women have with their hair. Now, they're reviving the show with the same message but different stories. Newmark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 503-245-1600, whitebird.org. 8 pm. Through March 3. $25-$38.
