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Wednesday, Aug. 19
The pounding sound you associate with the 1980s has a lot to do with Tangerine Dream. The German trio made some of the pioneering synthesizer albums of the 1970s as part of West Berlin’s Krautrock scene before scoring stylish ’80s flicks like Thief and Risky Business and inexorably leaving their mark on an entire era of Hollywood. Chief wizard Edgar Froese died in 2015, but his handpicked successor, Thorsten Quaeschning, has done a beautiful job of carrying the torch, aided by classically trained instrumentalists Hoshiko Yamane and Paul Frick. The Get Down, 680 SE 6th Ave. 8 pm. $66.99. 21+.
Thursday, Aug. 20
Portland hip-hop might be best known for not being especially well known. We tend to export self-made unicorns like Yeat and Aminé rather than local legends-turned-stars. But stature on a national scale hardly matters given the vitality on display in the PDX scene. Portland Hip-Hop Week is here to honor the creative efforts of the local rappers and producers who’ve plied their trade here over the past few decades, and it kicks off with a block party featuring some of the best of them, including rappers Mighty, Tia P and Mikey Vegaz and DJs O.G. One and Klyph. Visit pdxhiphopweek.com for a full list of events. Portland City Hall, 1221 SW 4th Ave., #110. 3 pm. Free. All ages.
Thursday and Friday, Aug. 20 and 21
Frank Zappa’s compositions are daunting, exacting and challenging, and the avant-garde rock maestro often struggled during his lifetime to find musicians who could master them (even the London Symphony Orchestra found itself stumped). Enter The Stinkfoot Orchestra, a 14-piece tribute founded in 2019 by Bay Area musician Nick Chargin, which has inherited beloved Zappa collaborator Napoleon Murphy Brock (saxophone, flute, vocals) and mastered the balance of anarchic attitude and musical precision that makes Zappa’s music both beloved and polarizing. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St. 8 pm. $37 per night, $58.75 for both nights. All ages.
