Gossip Should Have No Friends

1. YOU’LL FLIP: Slappy Cakes, a new pancake-centric breakfast joint from founders of Hammy’s Pizza and Night Light Lounge (not the same people), will open Oct. 15 at 4246 SE Belmont St. “We’ll have griddles built into each table, we’ll bring out pitchers of pancakes, and you cook your own,” says Adam Fuderer, one of the partners. Pancake varieties will include buttermilk, whole wheat and gluten-free vegan. The restaurant will also offer a full breakfast menu and liquor. Coming soon to Northeast 28th and Glisan: Mother Maybel’s Martinis Spirits, a bar owned by a venture called Fat Slutty Cat LLC.
2. LITTLE NYMPH, BIG APPLE: Hand2Mouth Theater is headed to New York City for the East Coast premiere of Undine, a one-woman rock-’n’-roll fable about a water nymph with very bad luck, featuring company member Faith Helma, at Richard Foreman’s Ontological Theater. To celebrate (and to fund the trip), the company is throwing a party at the Armory, with performances by Helma, Al James of Dolorean and Holcombe Waller from 7 to 9 pm Monday, Aug. 17. Admission is $5 to $25 at the door.
3. FAMILY TIES: Keyboardist-violinist Rachael Jensen of Portland’s Parenthetical Girls suffered a horrible tragedy Aug. 2, when a car carrying four members of her immediate family crashed, killing her mother and putting her father and two brothers in intensive care. To help pay the bills, members of Parenthetical Girls and Au’s Luke Wyland have teamed to throw a series of benefit concerts, including a show Aug. 25 at Holocene featuring YACHT, Au, Copy and May Ling. Tickets are $5 to $15 on a sliding scale, and all proceeds go to the Kris Jensen Memorial Fund. Times are tough, but this is one cause worth backing. IMAGE: Sarah Meadows

1. PICKLE POWER: On Thursday, Aug. 27, the city celebrates the power of rot when Ecotrust hosts the first-ever Portland Fermentation Fest, organized in part by Picklopolis’ Dave and George Winborn, among others. The free, one-night event will bring local fermenters together to “exchange cultures and recipes” as well as sample each other’s miso, kimchi, cider and kraut. Bonus: Evangelical “fermentation fetishist” Sandor Ellix Katz, a.k.a. “Sandorkraut,” author of the (un)cook book and memoir Wild Fermentation, will be there. So prepare to be converted to the cult of the pickle. More info at pdxfermentfest@gmail.com.
2. VOLUNTEERS: Want to check out WW’s MusicfestNW—the best five days of live music Portland hosts all year long—but you’re strapped for cash? Volunteer! Work at a MusicfestNW venue for one night of the festival and get a free fest wristband (regular price $60) and T-shirt in return. Email volunteer coordinator Matthew King at volunteerMFNW@gmail.com to apply by Sept. 4.

WWeek 2015