Shows of the Week: CupcakKe Is Rarely Subtle and Never Predictable

What to see and what to hear.

CupcakKe (Courtesy of CupcakKe)

By Daniel Bromfield

FRIDAY, MARCH 10:

The brazen and brilliant Chicago rapper CupcakKe has to be heard (or seen) to be believed. Throwing around some of the most bizarre sexual metaphors since peak-era Lil Wayne in one breath and venting to her therapist in the next, CupcakKe is rarely subtle and never predictable. Though she’s kept a low profile in the four years since her last album, Eden, the singles she’s released since then include some of her strongest work. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., 503-284-4700, startheaterportland.com. 9 pm. $30. 21+.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11:

Titus Andronicus has been one of America’s most fiercely beloved indie-rock bands for 15 years. Fronted by the charismatic bearded bellower Patrick Stickles, the Jersey crew is the kind of band people say saved their lives, mixing punk rock with grand historical sweep, Springsteenian fury, and high-art ambition—all the while making the kind of songs that invite you to pump your fist and shout along with every word. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, mississippistudios.com. 9 pm. $18. 21+.

THURSDAY, MARCH 16:

The Residents have become something of a dark-horse American institution without ever showing their faces or revealing much about themselves. For more than 50 years, all there is to know about the shadowy Bay Area multimedia collective has come from their work—most notably a series of albums ranging from a compilation of one-minute “commercial” songs to a brilliant full-length interpretation of James Brown’s Live at the Apollo that casts the hardest-working man in show business as a malfunctioning robot. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503-284-8686, wonderballroom.com. 8:30 pm. $35. 21+.

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