Willamette Weekend: 20 Things to Do and See in Portland, Jan. 15-17

It was a rough losing Snape and the Starman in one week, cheer yourself up with a trance trip, Basque food or The Book of Mormon.

FRIDAY, JAN. 15

photo from Tangerine photo from Tangerine

Tangerine

[GUITAR POP] Where the hell is Tangerine's full-length? It's going on three years since the Seattle four-piece released its first EP, Pale Summer, which was well-received by everyone from The Guardian to Noisey. The punchy surf-pop band had been tiding us over with one to two EP releases a year, but in 2015 almost left us hanging completely. Thankfully, the band—fronted by sisters Marika and Miro Justad—released yet another new EP at the tail end of the year, Sugar Teeth, and it's probably their most rockin' one yet. We'll still have to wait a little longer for that full-length, it seems, but maybe we'll get one someday. SHANNON GORMLEY. Bunk Bar Water, 1028 SE Water Ave. 9 pm. $8. 21+.

The Yellow Wallpaper

[THEATER] CoHo's world premier for Fertile Ground is opening before the festival, and the feminist-slanting thriller about a woman prescribed a "rest cure" for her postpartum depression is already a standout thanks to Sue Mach's writing and multimedia updates. CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646, cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm. $29.

33rd Reel Music Festival

[FILM FEST] Nuggets and obscurities are at a premium in 21st-century music films, and the 33rd edition of the Reel Film Festival overturns many stones. Former stars Mavis Staples and Syl Johnson clamor to be remembered, glam-metal superstars Twisted Sister are put under the microscope in a film that ends the moment the band finally makes it, and the very title of the Residents retrospective is Theory of Obscurity. We'll spare you the pains of enduring other, less appealing trends—like the cheap animation that makes The Glamour and the Squalor hard to sit through—by recommending these picks. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium from Jan. 15-Feb. 5. Full listings are at nwfilm.org/festivals/reelmusic.

Basque Supper Club Dinner

[FOOD] Basque-heritage chef Javier Canteras combines food he had in his childhood with his own modernist culinary training. The location is secret until you buy a ticket, but the seven-course menu (with three Spanish wine pairings) will include olive oil-poached cod, smoked hanger steak, and bone marrow with beef tongue and salsa verde. Brownpapertickets.com. 7 pm. $95. Also Saturday, Jan. 16.

Exit Wounds at Blue Sky Gallery

[PHOTOGRAPHY] "The military," Portland photographer Jim Lommasson says, "is an incubator for creating anti-war activists." His photo series is a visceral punch. A towering monolith of images greets and overwhelms you when you walk into Blue Sky. The gallery's tallest wall is covered floor-to-ceiling with the 1,000 snapshots that Lommasson collected from veterans. Blue Sky Gallery, 122 NW 8th Ave. Through Jan. 31. Free.

Frances Backhouse

[BOOKS] This country used to be lousy with beavers, so much so that a bunch of xenophobes nicknamed a state and its finest city after them, and even put one on their wacky, two-sided flag. Of course, once they realized they could make money killing the critters, they almost wiped them out. In her latest book, Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver, longtime environmental journalist Frances Backhouse explores our relationship with these bucktoothed captains of industry, and the way it might progress in the future. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

SATURDAY, JAN. 16

Paul Van Dyk

[TRANCE FORMER] Aside from Tiesto, few mainstream DJs have weathered the tide of modern drops, wobbles and animatronic mouse heads quite like Germany's Paul Van Dyk. Judging from his latest Ibiza mix, the 44-year-old Grammy Award-winning producer and DJ continues to push boundaries beside the 150 bpm benchmark, while inviting more contemplative moments by collaborating with Enya-like vocal talents. On his latest release, The Politics of Dancing 3, van Dyk's wandering keys fuse with a driving trance bassline that seeks to decode the saturated medium of electronic music through a signature maximal style. WYATT SCHAFFNER. Euphoria Nightclub, 315 SE 3rd Ave. 10 pm. $25-$40. 21+.

Sam Lansky

[BOOKS] In his junior year of high school, Time deputy culture editor Sam Lansky moved from Portland to Manhattan, enrolled in a swanky school, got himself a crazy pill habit and later wrote a book about it. This is required reading for all West Hills trophy children. Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., 228-4651. 7:30 pm. Free.

Éowyn Emerald & Dancers

[DANCE] Éowyn Emerald Barrett is hitting 2016 hard with her highly musical performances of contemporary dance. Last week, she invited some of the best choreographers in the Northwest to her annual Pacific Dance Makers, but this weekend is all her. She's reprising her 2014 work for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe—arguably the biggest annual arts showcase in the world—to celebrate being accepted to the festival again this year. In the hour-long show of seven dances, Barrett pushes boundaries with an anti-war company piece and pays homage to retro jazz in her own solo. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave., 231-9581. 7:30 pm. $20.

The Book of Mormon

[THEATER] "So good it makes me angry." Jon Stewart said that. If you haven't heard, this everything-busting musical from the creators of South Park is the pinnacle of our generation's theater, lauded by everyone from your grandmother to your bank teller. Go see it and start the praise yourself. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 800-273-1530. 2 pm & 7:30 pm. $40-$154.

Andy Kindler: Live and Impersonal

[COMEDY] Known for his sardonic joke telling that has branded him a bit of a comedy troublemaker, Andy Kindler is a staple of the indie comedy community. A frequent guest and correspondent for The Late Show with David Letterman, Kindler has also appeared on Maron and Bob's Burgers and been a judge for Last Comic Standing. He brings his new show to Portland for one night only. For his stop in Portland, Kindler will be getting support from local phenomenon Sean Jordan. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 288-3895. 7:30 pm. $12-$15. 21+.

Vanessa Carlton

[SONGBIRD] Carlton wrote the majority of Liberman's songs years ago, readying them for a 2014 release, but when she found out she was pregnant, she decided to hold the record until last October. Even after sitting on the songs for two years, Carlton says Liberman—and the sense of freedom its recording provided her—still feels fresh. "It still resonated with me when it came time to re-create this record live." she says. "We've been able to re-create a lot of the sounds onstage. It won't be your straightforward, conventional singer-songwriter show. It's a bit more psychedelic than that, and we're trying to go into those sounds that we spent so much time making on the album." HILARY SAUNDERS. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., with Skye Steele. 9 pm. $22 advance, $25 day of show. 21+.

Tiny Knives

[PPUNK METAL] Tiny Knives are a challenging group. It is hard for me to understand a lot of things that are going on here. Melody without hooks. A smattering of spoken word. Bass high in the mix, almost used as a lead instrument. (I understand they're a trio, but that hardly seems like an excuse when Thin Lizzy recorded Bad Reputation with the same number of people.) By the third time I finished listening to this record, I really felt like I had accomplished something with my day. I felt triumphant, like I could be hit by a bus and keep on going. This is certainly not a good record by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a record, and if that is the metric by which you choose to purchase a product, then by all means buy Black Haze by Tiny Knives. BRACE BELDEN. High Water Mark, 6800 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., with Rabbits, Hooded Hags and Tig Bitty. 9 pm. $5-$10. 21+.

Bowie Sing-a-long Send Off

A group of dedicated fans is organizing this a cappella send-off for the late star. Meet at Pioneer Courthouse Square and go from there, belting your heart out, Bowie-style. Costumes, friends and bleeding hearts are encouraged. If forced to move, organizers have a plan B: head to waterfront park, and keep singing. Pioneer Courthouse Square, 701 SW 6th Ave., 2 pm. Free.

SUNDAY, JAN 17

Bowie Forever: A Stripped Tribute

In honor of the Starman's long lifetime of bedazzled wardrobes and metallic spannedx, the Kit Kat girls are taking off theirs. Set to an all-Bowie soundtrack and live favorites by Performer Nikki Lev. Kit Kat Club, 231 SW Ankeny St., 10:30 pm. Free.

Ethyl's Pies: A Comedy of Deception in Two Acts

[THEATER] An iconic pie joint, once lauded for its baked goods and snarky service, becomes a microcosm for social commentary in this Fertile Ground premiere from Spring 4th co-founders Tobin Gollihar and Ian Paul Sieren. The small theater company is taking on the theme of our times: transitioning community. In a darkly comedic look at what happens when time changes a place, Ethyl's Pies puts the diner's old school denizens under a microscope. There's the counter staff, elusive owner and the health inspector, and Gollihar and Sieren mine them all for wry lines about social change. Y Arts Little Theater, 6036 SE Foster Road. 7:30 pm. $15.

Or, the Whale

There is nothing worse than nothing where once there was something. That's a sentiment echoed throughout Juli Crockett's Or, The Whale, a melodic, entrancing and downright bizarre interpretation of Moby Dick from Portland Experimental Theater Ensemble that is a kick in the emotional gut. Simply put, it's a story about a man who lost his leg. But as everyone who supposedly read Moby Dick knows, there is more behind Ahab's maniacal quest than revenge. Diver Studio Theater at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. 7:30 pm. $25.

American Comedy: Tribute to Andy Kaufman

[COMEDY] On January 17th, comedic genius, wrestling superstar and all-around weirdo, Andy Kaufman, would have been 67 years old. But since he's not around to celebrate, American Comedy has decided to create a reality bending night of comedy to honor this one-of-a-kind funnyman. This meta narrative multimedia comedy variety show with a sincere emotional core features stars Paul Schlesinger, Jason Traeger and Milan Patel, and features contributions from Andrew Michaan, Nathan Brannon, Bri Pruett, Philip Schallberger, Christian Ricketts and Tim Ledwith. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. 9 pm. Free.

Logan's Run Q&A and Screening

[FILM TALK] The Portland Geek Council has lured prolific science-fiction author William F. Nolan to the Clinton for a Q&A paired with the trippy, enduring 1978 adaptation of Logan's Run. Clinton Street Theater. 2 pm.

Chris Robley

[SINGER-SONGWRITER] Up until five years ago, a new album of Chris Robley tunes was a Portland music lover's reliable annual perk—dense, Beatles-y goodness featuring deft wordplay delivered through McCartneyish melodies with a Lennonesque rasp. But that well ran dry. First, Robley switched Portlands on us, moving to Maine, and then turned his verse writing to the page rather than the stage. But Robley returned to Oregon last year to cut a comeback album, and is back again this week for a residency to share new tunes amid a brace of special guests and a batch of Nilsson covers. The new The Great Make Believer sets aside Robley's baroque-pop past for more rustic Rob Stroup production. Maybe it's just what that soundscape subtly signifies, maybe it's a half-decade's earned maturity, but the emotions on Robley's new songs seem more sincere and unguarded than in his past work—not that he ever sounded like he was posturing. What a welcome return. JEFF ROSENBERG. McMenamins Al's Den, 303 SW 12th Ave. 7 pm. Through Jan. 23. Free. 21+.

From Bombay to Bollywood

[FILM SERIES] For the second week of its primer in Indian cinema, the NW Film Center continues debunking the "song and a wedding" stereotype with 10 movies sponsored by East India Grill, DJ Anjali and the government of India. In Mother India, the laborious life of a poor woman named Radha stands as allegory for India's path to independence (1 pm Saturday, Jan. 16). At the opposite end, 1965's Charulata presents a visually decadent profile of one affluent Bengali wife (2 pm Sunday, Jan. 17). NR. NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium.

The Hateful Eight (in 70mm at Hollywood Theatre)

Grade: A- Quentin Tarantino's new mystery Western, The Hateful Eight is a spectacular bit of storytelling set against 70 millimeters of Wyoming grandeur, yet neat enough to fit together like the gears in a Swiss watch, with stellar character acting and crackling dialogue. But it's also very much a Tarantino film. Yes, there are buckets of bright red blood spilled on bright white shirts, copious use of the most offensive English-language word beginning with N, and a bloody Mexican standoff. Kurt Russell is John "The Hangman" Ruth, a bounty hunter charged with bringing the mysterious Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) into Red Rock, Wyo., to hang. His stagecoach comes across snowbound and desperate Samuel L. Jackson and Walton Goggins, and they're eventually trapped inside a country inn with four lodgers. It's a great setup, and the long and plentiful monologues are sharp, backstories emerge in a natural way, and the twists are unexpected until they're obvious. The cartoonish level of violence will give some pause—it's Kill Bill with fewer bodies but tighter shots—but that's to be expected of Tarantino, a man who's had 20 years to indulge his impulses, and who'll hopefully have 20 more. R. MARTIN CIZMAR. Hollywood Theatre.

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