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Friday, Sept. 5
Bear in Heaven
[MUSIC] For about a decade now, Brooklyn's Bear in Heaven has been skipping along to its own twisted, radiating style of rock. Newest album Time Is Over One Day Old is the trio's most accessible yet, but it maintains a captivating darkness suggestive of an underworld dance party. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.
Ecstasy: DJ Deeon, DJ Marfox, J-Cush, Massacooramaan, DJ Rafael
[GHETTO SENSEI AND PUPILS] Some two decades ago on the South Side of Chicago, DJ Deeon fused popping house beats with dirty hip-hop samples to create offspring completely unlike its forebears. Ghetto house quickly populated the globe, changing with the times and surroundings, and there are perhaps no more representative modern acolytes than DJ Marfox and J-Cush. In New York, Cush pushes juke and footwork—themselves cousins of ghetto house—to new levels with his label, Lit City Trax. And in Lisbon, Portugal, Marfox has somehow turned up wildly energetic kuduro even further. Both students return to Deeon's dojo to show him what they've learned. MITCH LILLIE. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 9 pm. $10. 21+.
Festival of One Acts
[THEATER] Profile Theatre continues its season of Sam Shepard with nine of the playwright's short works, stretching across five decades and divided into two programs. It's a rare opportunity to see the vast range of Shepard's work, as performed by some of Portland's best actors. There's live music in the lobby before each performance. See profiletheatre.org for schedule. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 242-0080. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Friday; Sept. 3-5; 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 6; 1 and 6 pm Sunday, Sept. 7; and 7:30 pm Monday, Sept. 8. $15-$30.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Swans
[MUSIC] Rumor has it that Swans used to play so loud it would cause audiences to vomit. That's an urban myth, but the band's music has always been an uneasy listen. However, the records the band has made since reviving a few years ago manage a punishing heaviness that, if you stick it out, opens up into a kind of religious ecstasy. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033. 9 pm. $20 general admission, $30 reserved balcony seating. 21+.
Beaverton Day
[BEAVERTON] Beaverton Day!
Brews for New Avenues
The Ambassador Board of New Avenues for Youth is auctioning ultra-rare beers to fund at-risk youth programs, and tapping more than 15 kegs of local craft brews and hoity-toity Euro beers like Rooie Dop and To Ol. Designated drivers get free root beer floats. Register at brewsfornewavenues.org. Leftbank Annex, 101 N Weidler St. 5-10:30 pm. $10 entry includes one free beer, two if you register online a day in advance.
Kathleen Supové
[EXPLODING PIANO] One of the country's most powerful proponents of contemporary classical music by younger composers, Kathleen Supové has transformed—or, to use the title of a recent album, exploded—the usually staid and stuffy piano recital into a thrill ride packed with new sounds. Not only does she play mesmerizing music by late-20th-century masters like Terry Riley, John Adams, David Lang and John Zorn, she's also commissioned and performed pieces from 20-, 30- and 40-something rising stars like Mohammed Fairouz, Missy Mazzolli, Annie Gosfield, and many others. She explodes the format by enhancing her shows with electronics, video and other decidedly nonclassical features. This paragon of the New York new music scene is a native Portlander—just like another well-known Brooklyn composer who recently returned to his native city, Kenji Bunch, the new artistic director of FearNoMusic, which is bringing Supove back home for her first-ever hometown show. BRETT CAMPBELL. Brunish Theatre, 1111 SW Broadway, 248-4335. 8 pm Saturday, Sept. 6. $15-$35. All ages.
Don't, the Slutty Hearts, Hot Toddies
[GARAGE PUNK] With legendary punk drummer Sam Henry behind the kit, Don't are one of the few remaining links of the Wipers lineup left in Portland. But while the band throws a couple of classic Wipers songs into its set, the group has forged a legacy of its own since coming together in 2009, playing whiskey-drunk surf-punk with Siouxsie-esque vocals courtesy of singer Jenny Don't. This is Don't's last local show before heading out on a European tour. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 894-9708. 9:30 pm. $8. 21+.
Musée Mécanique
[MUSIC] Youâve heard the saying, âA smooth sea never made for a skilled sailor,â right? This phrase doesnât seem to apply to the guys of Musée Mécanique, who, on their most recent album, have created a meandering seafaring adventure that explores the nature of dreams versus reality. With careful instrumentation that delicately mimics waterâfrom the swerving slide guitar of âThe Lighthouse and the Hourglassâ to the undulating acoustics on âA Wish We Spokeââthe quintetâs long-awaited second LP sways softly through its 10 tracks, with layers of cello, synth and accordion all anchored by seamless, breathy harmonies. By the time the album reaches its end, itâs been a beautiful, intricately orchestrated adventure. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., with Rauelsson, on Saturday, Sept. 6. 8 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
Sam Snoek-Brown
[BOOKS] Sam Snoek-Brown's new novel, Hagridden, follows the lives of two women as they struggle to survive amid the ruins of a post-apocalyptic Civil War Louisiana. The book has already garnered comparisons to Cormac McCarthy and won Snoek-Brown a 2013 Oregon Literary Fellowship. To celebrate the release, Snoek-Brown will be joined for a reading release party by Monica Drake (The Stud Book) and Mark Russell (God Is Disappointed in You). Independent Publishing Resource Center, 1001 SE Division St., Suite 2, 827-0249. 7 pm. Free.
Geeklesque
[GEEKLESQUE] The event that popularized burlesque in Portland attempts to ruin your childhood. This time, cartoons come to life and take off their clothes for the viewing pleasure of exhibitionist nerds. Geeklesque Gets Animated features such local acts as Zora Von Pavonine, who has done a sexy Catwoman striptease, Babs Jamboree (hello, nurse!) and BabyLe Strange, who will hopefully do her Tina Belcher stocking peel. Some boylesque is mixed in, including from Seattle's Man Johnson. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave. 7:30 pm and 10 pm, Saturday, Sept. 6. $13 advance, $18 at the door, $30 VIP. 21+.
Sunday, Sept. 7
Farm to Table Brunch
[BOOZE/FOOD] New Deal Distillery is pairing cocktails with three courses made from food grown at the Side Yard Farm, an urban farm in Portland's Cully neighborhood. The family-style meal will be prepared by farm owner Stacey Givens, who will cook out of a little kitchen truck. Presumably, however, she'll take a taxi home. Tickets at newdealdistillery.com. New Deal Distillery, 900 SE Salmon St., 234-2513. 10 am-1 pm. $50.
Nicky USA Wild About Game
[FOOD/BOOZE] Elk- and python-meat purveyor Nicky USA will host an Iron Chef-style Davis Cup showdown between Portland and Seattle chefs. Big guns from Ava Gene's, Toro Bravo, Bamboo Sushi and Ned Ludd will compete for Portland by cooking dishes using wild-game meat. Meanwhile, eventgoers can sample wares from local beermakers, distillers and food producers, including a whole host of meats and cheeses. Tickets at strangertickets.com. Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, 272-3391. 11:30 am-4:30 pm. $65 ($75 at door).
Celebration of Steelhead
[FISH] Conservation groups celebrate the healthy summer steelhead run with live reggae from the Rising Buffalo Tribe, in a landlocked park. The fest is intended to help share the sport of fly-fishing with "inner-city youth" and war veterans. It is all wonderfully strange. Peninsula Park, 700 N Rosa Parks Way, soulriverrunsdeep.com. 1-8 pm. Free.
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars
[ROCK THE REFUGEES] When life gives you homelessness and civil war, launch your journey as an internationally renowned musician and humanitarian inspiration. Such is the unlikely tale of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, formed by a group displaced to Guinea during the civil war that ravaged their home country. Since returning home in 2004, the group has risen to be one of Africa's top bands, delivering traditional rhythms that are damn uplifting. The All Stars released their fourth studio album, Libation, this spring. GRACE STAINBACK. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 8 pm. $18 advance, $21 day of show. 21+.
The Duhks, Steve Poltz
[ZYDECO INCLUDED] Criss-crossing the nation, playing scattered festivalsâincluding one down in Sistersâthe Duhks have become a taut and wildly progressive Americana act, equally suited to playing New York City and the hills of Virginia. After issuing four discs over the course of about a decade amid a few lineup changes, the Canadian ensemble returns with Beyond the Blue, a sleekly produced paean to yearning and jubilation. Thereâs even a bit of zydeco peppered into âLazy Johnâ for good measure. And along with the troupe is Steve Poltz. You know Steve Poltz, right? Heâs the dude who wrote that song for Jewel and was in the Rugburns back in the â90s. DAVE CANTOR. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 719-6055. 7 pm. $15 advance, $18 day of show. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.
Pure Surface
New performance series Pure Surface combines dance, text and film into one visual/auditory feast. This iteration will feature dance by Grace Hwang, text by Stacey Tran and film by Lena Munday. Valentines, 232 SW Ankeny St., 248-1600. 7 pm. Free. 21+.
Rachel Tess Dance
Before Los Angeles group Diavolo pairs architecture and dance for White Bird audiences in Portland this fall (get ready for dancers climbing on a giant, spaceship-like orb), local artist Rachel Tess and dancer Kenneth Bruun Carlson take on a similar concept in the local offices of Opsis Architecture. Tess has performed the piece, Souvenir, in Stockholm, as part of a masters program there. It uses a "mobile environment," an 11-by-20-foot, bare, wood room with booth-like compartments in the walls. The dancers move in the space, sometimes excruciatingly slowly, as they roll across the floor. Other times they sit in chairs or thrash wildly. They also play with light and sound, as they open windows and turn switches, and with the idea of kinesthetic empathy, as they move closer to the audience. Opsis Architecture, 920 NW 17th Ave. 4:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm Sunday, Sept. 7. $10.
WWeek 2015