Willamette Weekend: 21 Things to Do and See in Portland, Jan. 30-Feb. 1

Friday, Jan. 30

Plazm Farmhouse Launch

[LITERARY BEER] Fort George and the Commons breweries teamed up with the master brewers at Plazm magazine to make a farmhouse ale called Plazm, released on this very day at Belmont Station. The collaborators will be on hand, alongside a mess of other promised rarities and special offerings from Fort George and the Commons. There will be a second release party at music venue Holocene at 8:30 pm Saturday, with ASSS and Regular Music. Belmont Station Biercafe, 4500 SE Stark St., 232-8538. 5-8 pm.

Marriages, Helms Alee

[POST-GOTH] It’s a shame it took us this long to bear witness to the soaring, ethereal vocal prowess of Emma Ruth Rundle, former guitarist for L.A. post-rockers Red Sparowes. With the Sparowes rhythm section in tow, Rundle and company assume the name Marriages to craft chilly, dense blasts of discordant melody one could ostensibly call “murky” if they weren’t so painfully beautiful. If the single “Skin” is a barometer of what to expect from their forthcoming debut LP Salome, even the most casual follower of the Sargent House imprint has yet another entry in the label’s canon of brooding, atmospheric post-metal to be very excited about. PETE COTTELL. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 894-9708. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21 . 

Shake-N-Bake: A Foodie Burlesque Show

[BURLESQUE] If you thought whipped cream and chocolate sauce were naughty, this show, produced by Zora Phoenix, might do you one better. A tribute to the foodies out there, Shake-N-Bake adopts the structure of a four-course meal, complete with hors d'oeuvres and dessert-themed acts. There will be bits inspired by pizza, beef, tacos, doughnuts and, yes, pie. Crush, 1400 SE Morrison St., 235-8150. 9 pm Friday, Jan. 30 . $12-$15. 21 .

Strategy, Soft Metals, Goodwin

[ELECTRONIC LIFERS] Paul Dickow is not one to rest on his laurels. The musician and producer has been recording all sorts of electronic music under the moniker Strategy since 1999—some dancy, some noisy, some krautrock-inspired. Strategy’s latest works might be his most accessible yet. Both the house-infected Boxology tape and “bass ‘n’ breakz” hardcore of the Pressure Washer EP are primed for clubs, though they sound equally wonderful on headphones. “Tomorrow May Never Come,” released last summer, was one of the better dance tracks to come

Bass Drum of Death

[BEER-BATTERED BLUES] If the Sonics were skateboarders from Mississippi who wrote gnar songs about being super hung over, they'd be Bass Drum of Death. New album Rip This is another steady stomp in that climb back up the hill, with plenty of blown-out riffs to hype you up for the bomb back down. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 8 pm. $12. 21 . 

Paw Animal Concert

[MEWSIC] As part of a fundraiser for the Portland Animal Welfare Team, we are promised the debut of a “canine soloist” in a work called “Concert in the Key of Woof and Meow.” No, we do not know what this means. There is also Vivaldi, and “de-arranged” selections from Fiddler on the Woof. Tabor Space, 5441 SE Belmont St., 238-3904. 7pm $15 adult, $5 child. 

Bill Frisell presents Guitar in the Space Age!

[ROOTS JAZZ] Jazz-guitar legend Bill Frisell has lent his bespectacled virtuosity by way of an ethereal Telecaster to many important musicians, from Elvis Costello and the late Paul Motian's trio to Lucinda Williams. On his latest project, Jazz in the Space Age!, his quartet interprets music from the era of the duck-and-cover PSA. Jazz records with covers of songs like the Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!" can sometimes spin their way into the elevator, but this is not the case with Frisell, who morphs well-known classics into nostalgic musical mist, scented with the sort of stirring melancholy that only he is capable of creating. PARKER HALL. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 8 pm Friday, Jan. 30. $35. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.

Star Trek

[LIVE FILM SCORE] Composer Michael Giacchino earned his stripes scoring Sega Genesis video games and earning Academy Award nominations for his Pixar film scores. Fast forward a few light years, and Giacchino caught the bold ears of director J.J. Abrams. After working together on Fringe, Lost and Cloverfield, Giacchino was transported to the decks of Abrams' U.S.S. Enterprise to reimagine Alexander Courage's classic Star Trek TV theme for the 2009 franchise reboot. It's a powerful and emotionally stirring score that will require an alliance between the Oregon Symphony and the Pacific Youth Choir to pull off tonight. And, in the neutral zone of the lobby, there will be a costume contest. Engage. NATHAN CARSON. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 248-4335. 7:30 pm Friday, Jan. 30. $55-$125. All ages.

Saturday, Jan. 31

Dead Man's Cell Phone

[THEATER] Profile Theatre kicks off its season of Sarah Ruhl with the playwright's 2007 comedy about a woman who comes into ownership of a dead man's cellphone. Like much of Ruhl's work, it juggles the eccentric and the mundane, and does so with language that's vibrant but playful. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 242-0080. 7:30 pm. $15-$32.

45th Parallel

[CLASSICAL HOME TEAM] Saturday's 45th Parallel concert offers truly homegrown sounds by Portlanders and other contemporary composers, played and sung by a local all-star team. The show features contemporary classical music by one of Portland's finest and broadly appealing composers, Kenji Bunch, plus Portland composer and avid hiker Jeff Winslow's neo-romantic evocation of his excursions in Oregon's Eola Hills and Sergio Carreno's tribute to his fellow Oregon Symphony percussionist, Niel DePonte. The nonclassical playbook includes music by Stevie Wonder and B.B. King, performed by Portland jazz piano master Randy Porter and jazz singer Alonzo Chadwick, plus tunes by Gillian Welch, Alicia Keys, Leonard Cohen and others sung by top local vocal quartet the Julians. BRETT CAMPBELL. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., 719-6055. 7:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 31. $15 for students and seniors, $20 general admission. Under 21 permitted with legal guardian.

Lord Dying 

[METAL] Describing Lord Dying as “stoner metal” is an easy mistake to make. Between the band’s Portland roots and its flannel-clad, Viking-kush aesthetic, one would expect a sludgy, brooding halfway point between Earth and High on Fire to be a comfortable place for the group to land. But it is gnashing, angular terror, a substantial breakthrough from a scene bursting at the seams with quasi-occult riff-mongering? Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi St., with Sons of Huns and Graves at Sea, on Saturday, Jan. 31. 9 pm. $10. 21 .

SadoDaMascus Records Winter Compilation CD Release Party

[MAKE PORTLAND WEIRDER] Portland's most adventurous record label, SadoDaMascus, celebrates the release of its seasonal compilation with a showcase featuring 14 artists you've likely never heard of. Rather than coming in with any shred of expectation, you should probably just show up and be surprised by what you experience. It's more appropriate to the label's spirit. High Water Mark Lounge, 6800 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 286-6513. 7 pm. $5. 21 . 

PartyNextDoor

[PARTY&B] Drake’s OVO Sound is very much a love ’em or hate ’em sort of label, so I should note that, personally, I wear the owl-branded OVO hoodie proudly. Drake uses his label to control his own music and prop up others, but it’s always Drake’s features that get all the love, his appearance on Ontarian signee Partynextdoor’s “Recognize” included. But PND has also released some of the sexiest, upbeat R&B this side of Usher in the past year, and deserves to represent on his own. Check the melancholy “SLS” and the “Latch”—sampling “Sex on the Beach” for proof. MITCH LILLIE. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 224-2038. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.

Groovin' Greenhouse: Automal and Polaris Dance Theatre

[DANCE] At each year's Fertile Ground festival, Polaris Dance Theatre brings local up-and-coming dance companies to its annual showcase, Groovin' Greenhouse. Here, Polaris has teamed with experimental dance company Automal. Formed in 2011 by choreographer Kate Rafter, Automal premieres Graft, centered around human substance and elasticity. Think cells, skin, love and life cycles...and some Silly Putty, too. The show is set entirely to covers and remixes of Björk's album Volta. Later, Polaris performs new work by artistic director Robert Guitron. Polaris Contemporary Dance Center, 1501 SW Taylor St., 380-5472. 7:30 pm Thursday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 31. $15-$18.

Sunday, Feb. 1

Eternal Tapestry

[PSYCH!]  Slowly but decisively, Eternal Tapestry's been easing itself into a more pastoral conception of psychedelia. Their new double album, as fragile as any German synth extravaganza from the 1970s, extends the ensemble's already endless warbling experiments. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., with Weyes Blood and Moon by You, on Sunday, Feb. 1. 9 pm. $5. 21 .

Raffi 

[BABY BELUGA/CHAMPAGNE DREAMS] While your feelings about Raffi’s children’s music likely says more about your feelings about children, there’s no arguing the undimmed delirium a track like “Bananaphone” inspires among the preschool set with only a simple guitar figure, playful vocal and a perfect turn of phrase. Despite rather limited success with more mature efforts—1977’s Adult Entertainment is only available on vinyl, which scarcely seems possible—recent release Love Bug marks the first kids album he’s recorded this century, and the old folkie’s taken to writing screeds against the culture of immediate gratification and advocating a boycott of all products marketed to the youth. It’s a noble principle that, taken to its logical conclusions, would bring Raffi back to the coffeehouse stage. JAY HORTON. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. 1 pm and 4 pm. Sold out. Under 21 with parent or legal guardian. 

CoLevity

[DANCE] CoLevity—formerly known as Eclectic and run out of the Cami Curtis Performing Arts Center—debuts That's How We Roll. An hourlong bout of musical theater that includes tap, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop influences, the show revolves around the Guttenburg family, an eccentric mix of characters who happily get along—at least some of the time. Featuring dances choreographed by Polaris alum Stephen Diaz as well as current Polaris dancer Blake Seidel, Curtis calls the show a blend of Big Love and Portlandia. Acts include a hip-hop number set to Weird Al's "White and Nerdy," as well as a tap dance to Wild Cub's "Thunder Clatter." Polaris Contemporary Dance Center, 1501 SW Taylor St., 380-5472. 1 and 5 pm Saturday-Sunday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1. $15.

Constructs

[ART] Constructs is curator Rachel Adams' inspired solution to the quandary of how to fill Disjecta's massive exhibition space. This clean, elegant show is a kind of "etude on the wall," a series of strategies for filling the space without actually plopping anything down in the middle of it. Three artists pull the trick off with élan. Nathan Green's earth-toned mural recalls the abstract patterns of the late minimalist Sol LeWitt, and Pablo Rasgado's strips of vertical wall coverings are excavated from buildings he's seen around the world. Most impressively of all, Laura Vandenburg's cut-paper sculptures have obsessive detail that complement their gigantic scale. The show's coup de grâce is Adams' ballsy decision to leave a large section of the north wall empty. The negative space lends an off-kilter dynamism that perfectly sets off the three artists' works. Through March 1. Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate Ave., 286-9449.

The Snow Queen: A Folk Opera

[DETROIT WHAT?] In this new folk opera written by Laura Dunn, Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen gets transplanted to contemporary Detroit. The Steep and Thorny Way to Heaven, 1464 SE 2nd Ave. 9 pm Friday-Saturday, Jan. 30-31; 2 pm Sunday, Feb. 1. $15.

Lil Ripp, Leezy Soprano, D. Worthy, Myke Bogan, Ill Chris, Camthamac

[NORTHWEST HIP-HOP] A showcase of rising regional hip-hop acts, headlined by Tacoma's Lil Ripp, whose got a Drake-like sing-song flow but a taste for more skeletal, slightly more eerie club-ready productions. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 9 pm. $10. 21 .

Lubec, Sister Palace, Golden Hour

[ANGULAR JANGLES] There's a small, dusty corner of Sub Pop's pre-Shins/Postal Service catalog that's made up of dour indie-pop outfits whose bread and butter is jangly minor chords and plaintive, faraway vocals. Northwest groups like Lubec play an essential role in keeping the hazy dream of exuberant sadness alive and well in the modern indie scene. The male-female vocals and almost math-y guitar figures, vacillating between power pop and slowcore, give recent record The Thrall a detached urgency that's truly the dream of the '90s. PETE COTTELL. The Know, 2026 NE Alberta St., 473-8729. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket information. 21 .

WWeek 2015