Willamette Weekend: 16 Things to Do and See in Portland

Black Madonna at Holocene and a monstrous cabaret at Portland's speakeasy theater.

FRIDAY, JAN. 22

Frankenstein: A Cabaret

[NERDY BURLESQUE] Lusty dancing with glow-in-the-dark ropes, a host dressed like a burlesque Captain Ahab, a pregnant Mary Shelley stripping and playing the cello—this weird cabaret in the 20-seat Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven is full of in-jokes for Portlanders and unnerving acts. Set an the "tit" top of Mt. Hood, our host informs us that the show should be hot enough to melt the ice. And it is a fiery commentary on female sexuality—it splices the story of a modern-day, female Dr. Frankenstein with cabaret-style acts, live banjo numbers and a soundtrack of recorded interviews with local female-identifying confessors. With all it's literary references and social commentary, this cabaret's not likely to get you hot and bothered. But it will fire up your brain cells and fill your quota for Portland weirdness. Tickets are sold out, but if Fertile GRound pass holders don't show, you can get in. The Steep and Thorny Way To Heaven, 1464 SE 2nd Ave. 10 pm. Individual tickets sold out.

Love in This Club: Black Madonna, Ben Tactic, Nathan Detroit, Vera Rubin

[PATRON SAINT] Black Madonna is a powerhouse within contemporary dance culture, orchestrating a more equitable and just scene for multigenerational producers and their fans. As creative director of the legendary Chicago club Smart Bar—one of the oldest dance venues in the country and the birthplace of house music—Marea Stamper brings talent from all backgrounds to center stage. As Black Madonna, Stamper creates an infectious vinyl mix spanning from disco to techno. Coming from Europe to make her PDX debut, she will find her dance-politic to the ultimate test when she appears at Coachella later this year. WYATT SCHAFFNER. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 10 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.

Nathan Brannon Live Album Recording

[KILL ROCK STARS] He's joining the big time. A consistent presence in the local comedy scene since 2006, the Portland-born and -raised comic signed with Kill Rock Stars last December, joining such comedians as Cameron Esposito, Hari Kondabolu and Emily Heller. Brannon will record his second full-length album on Friday at Alberta Street Pub, the label's second Portland album already this year. Alberta Street Pub, 1036 NE Alberta St., 7:30 and 10:30 pm. $13. 21+.

The Yellow Wallpaper

[THEATER THRILLER] Things get animalistic and filthy by the end of this stunning world premiere adaptation of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic short story. When a new mother is prescribed a "rest cure" for nervousness and begins imagining a woman living in her wallpaper, the psychological twists roll in fast. Imaginative staging plays with your head, as wallpaper projected around the theater twists like a psychedelic screensaver. Creator and star Grace Carter paired with local playwriting legend Sue Mach to adapt the story and pen a new intro, CoHo's artistic director Philip Cuomo directs and the athletic crawling scenes were choreographed by Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble's Paige McKinney. "Looks like a lot of cleanup," said a patron leaving opening night. The set, yes. The production itself is near-perfect. CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 7:30 pm. $28.

NARAL Celebrates Roe v. Wade

[LADY THINGS] In Other Words celebrates the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade with former Multnomah County health director Dr. Patricia Kullberg, whose novel, Girl in the River, is set in Portland when abortion was illegal. In Other Words, 14 NE Killingsworth St., 232-6003. 6 pm. Free.

FearNoMusic

[LOCALLY SOURCED SOUNDS] Every year, the veteran new-music ensemble FearNoMusic plays homegrown music by Portland composers, and every year, reflecting the growing strength of our burgeoning contemporary classical music scene, it gets better. This year's crop of Portland chamber music includes compositions by Cascadia Composers founder David Bernstein, Andrea Reinkemeyer, new Portlander Texu Kim, and Ryan Francis, a Portland native who's won a sterling reputation in New York. BRETT CAMPBELL. The Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., 208-2982. 7:30 pm. $25. 21+.

SATURDAY, JAN. 23

photo by Heather Vousden photo by Heather Vousden

Ty Segall and the Muggers, CFM, Old Light, the Lavender Flu

[DROWN IN LOUD] Like you really thought Ty Segall was ever going to stop. After a nearly two-year (!) hiatus from the studio, garage rock's resident prolific weirdo is back with a messy new album, Emotional Mugger, that reaffirms his place at the top of the Drag City pantheon. After 2014's Manipulator showcased a newfound polish to his hyper-catchy feedback squalls, the new record is a return to wilder times, with jagged song structures, odd bursts of guitar and keyboard noise and a heaviness that points to his time playing drums with Fuzz. Emotional Mugger is more Thee Oh Sees than T-Rex, and with an all-star backing band that includes Kyle Thomas of King Tuff and Mikal Cronin. This show should be an early highlight of 2016. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 9 pm. Sold out. 21+.

Car Seat Headrest

[INDIE POP] Will Toledo is getting over a cold. Rock 'n' roll has perhaps caught up to the guy. As Car Seat Headrest, Toledo has self-released nearly a dozen albums recorded entirely by himself in his bedroom. Speaking on a recent Wednesday morning, as he prepares to go out on the road with a newly assembled band, touring in support of his first release for a real label, Toledo sounds confident, if a little congested. "It's not what my ideal version would be," he says about all the press he's had to do recently, "but what's important is that the people who might want to listen to this music or hear about what I have to say have a chance to when I do this." Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Pwr Bttm and Naked Giants, on Saturday, Jan. 23. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.

Dr. Demento Lecture

[TALK ABOUT MUSIC] Barret "Dr. Demento" Hansen is probably best known for his long-running radio show, which introduced the world to "Weird Al" Yankovic, as well as hits like "Fish Heads" and "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" But his musical interests extend far beyond the comedic. He studied classical music at Reed College (class of '63), got a master's in folk music studies at UCLA and was one of the earliest fans of punk statistically possible. This weekend, he returns to his alma mater to talk about punk's development into the new millennium, a redux of a lecture that he first gave in 1977. Vollum Hall at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 7 pm. Free for students, $5 general admission.

RNB: Rihanna/Nicki/Beyoncé: DJ Ronin Roc, DJ Freaky Outty

[HOLY TRINITY] Get ready for what will most likely be Portland's most Instagrammed music event of 2016. The night will end with the patrons of an entire venue either becoming the best of friends or tearing each other apart, thanks to Holocene's suggestion to dress as your favorite radio goddess to see who's "truly the queen of queens." We are predicting now that Beyoncé wins, because nobody loves to put her fandom on display more than the Beyhive. None of the three will actually be in attendance, of course, but DJs Ronic Roc and Freaky Outty will. Thank God the trinity has a combined discography of 16 albums and infinite remixes. SOPHIA JUNE. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 9 pm. $10. 21+.

Cellarfest

[BEER] Every year, Bailey's Taproom opens its cellars and pours from its estimable collection of aged beers—this year, that includes 2006 smoked porter from Alaskan, a 2009 quad from Deschutes, and a 2011 Lagunitas "Gnarleywine." Admission is free, but show up early: This gets crowded. Bailey's Taproom, 213 SW Broadway, 295-1004. Noon.

SUNDAY, JAN. 24

Majical Cloudz, She-Devils

[PROVOCATEUR] I haven't seen anyone terrify a crowd quite like Devon Welsh. The Canadian brainchild behind minimalist pop outfit Majical Cloudz delivers a jarring live performance, locking eyes with every crowd member and singing deep into their collective core. Even more impressive is that Welsh does so much with a sound that is stripped-down, hazy and haunting. New record Are You Alone? continues where 2013's Impersonator left off, echoing a performance art approach to pop that dwells on emotive vocal delivery and glitchy, shadowy electronica. MARK STOCK. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $13 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.

The X Files Watch Party

[MONSTER OF THE WEEK] Remember the smoking man, pan-galactic conspiracies and Dana Scully's miracle baby? The X-Files returns Sunday, Jan. 24, as a Fox miniseries and the Mission's free screening gives you the horror that plagued your 90s childhood, larger than life and with beer. Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 223-4527, 7 pm. mcmenamins.com. Free.

Baba Yaga

[RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES] An old crone who lives in a house on chicken legs tells three traditional Russian fairy tales in this one-woman show, created as a senior thesis by Lewis & Clark student Sam Reiter. The fables are backed by shadow puppets and infused with Reiter's passion for everything Russian, and the play is a sympathetic look an often-demonized, old-lady character. "I wanted to know—how did she get to be that way?" said Reiter, who thought up the show while studying abroad at the Moscow Art Theatre. The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., No. 9, 289-3499. 2 pm. $10.

The Book of Mormon

[SHOWY MORMONS] Let's talk legacy. I remember my high-school class gathering around the ol' Pentium II to watch South Park precursor The Spirit of Christmas from a purple-bottomed CD-R. I am old, which means kids in college have never known a world without Matt Stone and Trey Parker. When they are old, will anyone remember the erstwhile Kenny killers and BASEketball gods? If anyone does, it'll be because The Book of Mormon is still touring. The Tony-winning musical, which combines a faithful retelling of Mormon history with the story of a modern-day Joseph Smith, has some of the most memorable songs this side of Chicago. The Keller's current production delivers a better-than-solid production of a new American classic. MARTIN CIZMAR. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 800-273-1530. 1 pm & 6:30 pm. $40-$154.

Crystal Ballroom 102nd Birthday Free-For-All

[BUILDING PARTY] The Old Gray Lady of Portland music venues doesn't look a day over 90, but here she is, turning 102. To celebrate, the springy-floored concert hall is throwing an all-day party, which kicks off with local children's variety show You Who—featuring a very special performance from every kindergarten's favorite indie bard, Colin Meloy—and ending with a set from our reigning Best New Band, Divers, in what is almost assuredly the biggest stage the band's played yet, unless you count MusicfestNW. There's also '80s night in Lola's Room, more music at Ringler's Pub and Al's Den, and a special McMenamins birthday beer pouring at each. MATTHEW SINGER. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St. 1 pm. Free. All ages.

Sholay

Sholay is the Citizen Kane of Bollywood, a 204-minute epic that might be the one truly Indian film export you've heard of. Two outlaws, played with gusto by Indian film legends Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan, band together with the law to exact justice on a fellow bandit. With its nods to Sergio Leone, Sholay makes a cinephile's perfect study in comparisons alongside The Hateful Eight, which is playing in 70 mm at the Hollywood. NR. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium. 3 pm. $9.

Childbirth

[PUNK GIRLS] Childbirth has a new song called "Sorry About Your Penis." "Basically it's just, 'I'm so sorry about your penis,' over and over again," says singer-guitarist Julia Shapiro. "And then the chorus is, 'Your dick is limp/ Your dick is limp/Life is so hard when you have a dick.'" It started as a joke band, to let off some steam, and the songs about being women resonate at a time when feminism's most obvious expression is comedy. See: Amy Schumer, Broad City, the women of Saturday Night Live. Childbirth is touring with another funny female musician, Lisa Prank, the "wild punk, too-many-feelings alter ego" of Robin Edwards. They are good at what they do, and they've happened upon the solid gold of the moment. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., with Lisa Prank and Mini Blinds, 9:30 pm. $8. 21+.

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