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FRIDAY, JULY 22
[GARBAGE SONATA] The trio's debut—the delirious, detritus-daubed Death Tape—pushes as many hooky riffs through in as few minutes as possible. Everything about the album succeeds to that extent, and every one of its 18 tracks is like a petri dish overflowing with the discharge of too many good ideas. "Singularity Chorus" and "Deep City Chase" make for surprisingly lush, gorgeous walls of sound. Some songs imagine what would happen if Sparks fronted Death Grips ("New American Rage") or if Spoon embraced its nihilistic side ("Breakneck/Breakbottle"). Death Tape is all over the place, but it isn't so much a mess as a wonderful clusterfuck. It should make other bands wish they could get as much done with so little. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St., 503-473-8729, with Full Creature, Bohr and Willow House, on Friday, July 22. 8 pm. Contact venue for ticket prices. 21+.
[STORIED TRIP] The relationship between the Grateful Dead and Oregon has been a long, strange trip, which you may be vaguely aware of if you've ever walked into Fire on the Mountain—named, of course, after a song by the Dead—or stared into the eyes of a dancing bear painting while taking a bong rip at the Oregon Country Fair. As Dead and Company rolls into Moda Center this Friday—a band consisting of the non-Garcia Dead (minus Phil Lesh) and John Mayer—we'd figure we'd test your knowledge of Oregon Deadhead trivia. Moda Center, 1 N Center Court St., on Friday, July 22. 7 pm. $50-150.
[SLAY] Jessi Klein has won Emmy and Peabody awards for her work as head writer and executive producer on Inside Amy Schumer. In her new book, a collection of essays titled You'll Grow Out of It, she covers everything from the pathos of Anthropologie to her fascination with The Bachelor. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323. 7:30 pm. Free.
[HE'S BACK] Post5 Theatre is hosting Michael Streeter's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. This irreverent comedy tells the story of Jesus Christ through the lens of his disciple-turned-rival Judas. The rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber is a hit when it comes to town, being raised from the grave by theaters around the country every year since 1970. Post5 Theatre, 1666 SE Lambert St., 971-333-1758. 8 pm Thursday-Sunday, through Aug. 20. $20.
PDX Pop Now: Mic Capes
[TOP HIP-HOP] In Portland, it seems like only one rapper is allowed local ubiquity at a time, and right now it's Mic Capes. That's a testament to his hustle, and his continuing maturation into a potent voice of African-American protest—see newest single "One 4 O'Shea," his enraged response to the most recent spate of officer-involved shootings. Even if you saw him on the steps of City Hall for Hip-Hop Day, at WW's Best New Band showcase, or opening for Bone Thugs-n-Harmony at Crystal Ballroom, headlining PDX Pop Now is the culmination of Capes' year on the grind. Expect him to deliver something special. AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison St., pdxpopnow.com. midnight. Free. All ages.
Related: Here Are the Must-See Acts of PDX Pop Now 2016
[COMEDY] Who among us is metal as fuck? Wendy Weiss and Dan Weber are here to find out. In their brutal, hardcore game show, contestants compete to see who holds the most obscure, sometimes made-up, knowledge of heavy-metal music. For this installment, Weiss and Weber welcome Nariko Ott, Bill Conway, Phil Schallberger, and returning Anica Cihla. Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave., 503-841-6734. 10 pm Friday, July 22. $5. 21+.
[TROPICALIA FOLK] Now it might take more effort for the band to get together thanks to its members' individual projects, but the distance and distractions have hardly slowed Woods' evolution, with City Sun Eater in the River of Light incorporating tropicalia and African jazz influences that are a far cry from the band's lo-fi folk roots. Taveniere says it's all part of a natural progression. "We like all kinds of stuff," he says. "All of our records are all over the place. I don't think anything is off boundaries. People think of us as a folk band, and I'm OK with that, but there's so much more that we listen to. I don't wanna die only playing one kind of music. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Cian Nugent and the Lavender Flu, on Friday, July 22. 9 pm. $13 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.
SATURDAY, JULY 23
PDX Pop Now: Old Grape God
[WILD CARD] A visual artist who seems to regard hip-hop as just another open canvas, Grape God splatters beats with his stream-of-consciousness flow in a way that defies a lot of the preconditioned rules of the rap game. Whether painting with the alien screw music of his main producer, Skelli Skel, or the cosmic electronica of his recent Calmanac EP, a collaboration with the Dropping Gems label, no one in Portland sounds quite like him, and predicting what he'll bring to the stage for any given show is impossible. AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison St., pdxpopnow.com. 4:40 pm. Free. All ages.
[BEER] Pack up the kids—you're goin' to Milwaukie. Breakside's annual luau—with island food, passionfruit sour and a kiddie pool—is one of the only times that those whose lives have been deformed by children can drink special brewery-only beers without hiring a babysitter. Breakside Brewery, 5821 SE International Way, Milwaukie, 503-342-6309. Noon-8 pm. $15.
[SEE ART] The first thing you notice when entering Upfor Gallery is a plinth topped with neat rows of 3-D-printed vulture skulls. There are 97 of them, a reference to the percentage of vultures that died off in the Great Indian Vulture Crisis. What is the Indian vulture crisis, and why does it matter? It's complicated and ends in artist Maria Lux's Victorian-inspired table in the corner of the gallery, where a cake, topped with a miniature dead cow, is served on bone china. Lux succeeds in illustrating how, in our attempts to provide abundance for ourselves, we often cause the opposite by tinkering with the natural order. Upfor Gallery, 929 NW Flanders St., 503-227-5111. Through Aug. 27.
[NOT-OPERA] You'll forget you're at an opera at all. At the beginning of the second act, Lensky wanders over to a lonely bench awaiting a duel with his best friend, the headlights from his 80s Volvo illuminating the falling snow against a black backdrop, it looks and feels more like something out of Tokyo Drifter than a performance of a nearly 140-year-old opera. The Portland Opera's production of Tchaikovsky's seven lyrical scenes of romance, heartbreak, betrayal and loneliness set against the backdrop of the decaying Soviet Union of the 1980s is an indecently cinematic experience. Read the full review. Newark Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway. 7:30 pm Saturday, July 23, and Tuesday, July 26. $35-$200.
[WHAT WE DO IN MOVIE THEATERS] Just when it looks like Ricky has found an ideal situation, his new foster mother dies. This latest offbeat film from Taika Waititi, of What We Do in the Shadows fame, searches for humor and hope in this tragic setup, with just enough bloody boar slayings, militarized foster care agents and conspiracy theories from a bumbling trailer dweller to make a coming-of-age-in-the-wilderness story feel like something you haven't seen many times before. PG-13. Critic's Grade: B+. Cinema 21.
[LITERARY FOLK-ROCK] It's hard to pick a favorite song on Empire Builder, the fourth album from Oregon-bred singer-songwriter Laura Gibson and the first one recorded after she left Portland to attend grad school in New York City. Gibson's music has always had an understated beauty, and Empire Builder continues to expand her scope. Songs which, on the surface, scan as acoustic reveries, like the gorgeous "Damn Sure," actually contain little layers of sound hidden in every crevice, from echoing backing vocals to whisps of warm electric guitar and piano. It's the type of record that you want to purchase just so you can get a lyric sheet to follow along to every word. With Empire Builder, Gibson makes the claim that she's not just one of the best songwriters to emerge from the local scene of the last 10 years, but one of the best writers, period. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave. 9 pm. $15 advance, $17 day of show. 21+.
[DRINK UP] Tepache is the sweet, earthy, wonderful alcoholic pineapple skin of summer. And as it turns out, spicy tepache is even better. But as for smoked hot tepache? Mint tepache? Cocoa coffee tepache? Guess you're gonna have to go to Nat's on Saturday to find out. Reverend Nat's Cidery & Public Taproom, 1813 NE 2nd Ave., 503-567-2221. 5 pm.
SUNDAY, JULY 24
Mount Tabor Downhill Challenge
[RACE DAY] The sound of hundreds of skateboards racing down Mount Tabor is deafening, horrifying and the greatest spectacle you'll see until the Adult Soapbox Derby. Brass Tacks and Boiler Room are sponsoring Daddies Board Shop's sixth annual challenge. Mt. Tabor Park, Southeast 60th Avenue and Salmon Street. 9 am. Free. $77 to register.
[READ ABOUT ROCK] The Replacements never got the credit they deserved. Though their influence can be heard in everything from pop-punk to a legion of '90s chart-toppers, they were too busy being drunken lowlifes to get their live act together and rise to the fame and fortune that their songwriting deserved. Trouble Boys, the new book by music journalist Bob Mehr, is based on decades of interviews and research of the band, as well as a full plumbing of their archives at two record labels. Their story fits their music: funny, sad and kind of messed-up. Mehr will be speaking with Scott McCaughey of '80s Seattle alt-rockers Young Fresh Fellows. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 800-878-7323. 4 pm. Free.
PDX Pop Now: Maze Koroma
[PSYCH-RAP] A standout member of psychedelic rap crew Renaissance Coalition, Maze Koroma recently found a home for his future-forward vision in Martell Webster's EYRST label, home to the breakout star of last year's PDX Pop Now, the Last Artful, Dodgr. On his recent Osiris EP, Koroma offers his knack for blending abstraction and commentary on life in the digital age, largely moving away from the dusty psych samples of his previous projects toward production that could be used to score the next Mega Man game. AudioCinema, 226 SE Madison St., pdxpopnow.com. 8 pm. Free. All ages.
Pure Bathing Culture, Mike Gamble
[PASTEL POP] Portland's Pure Bathing Culture burst on the scene to much fanfare with one of the best albums of 2013. It churned with distant echoes, retro-inspired synths and guitars that would have fit just as nicely on a Beach House or Lower Dens record. Dreamy follow-up Pray for Rain followed suit in 2015, offering up gauzy textures and pre-programmed drumbeats, laying the groundwork for frontwoman Sarah Versprille's voice to beautifully dawdle alongside guitarist Daniel Hindman's melodies. The cool, nonchalant approach renders it some of the best dream pop around, and it'll sound especially lovely paired with the view from the Revolution Hall roof deck. BRANDON WIDDER. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., No. 110. 7 pm. $15. 21+.
[TWO AMIGOS] Titled An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life, two of the biggest names in the history of comedy and two thirds of the Three Amigos are headlining the Schnitz. Martin and Short will be joined by Steep Canyon Rangers, a bluegrass band that Martin performs with. There's a good chance he'll tell some jokes, too. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-274-6551. 8 pm Sunday, July 24. $85-$179.50.
[LADIES' NIGHT] George Cukor's storied 1939 ensemble picture The Women—not to be confused with the shitty Meg Ryan remake—returns as part of the NW Film Center's Bette & Joan series. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium. 7 pm Sunday, July 24.
Willamette Week