Wednesday January 21top

The Seafarer

Please remember, as you take your seats for Artists Rep’s laudable production of Conor McPherson’s Christmas with the devil: For this playwright, ghosts and demons are no mere literary device. In McPherson’s plays, the paranormal exists not as a metaphor, but as concrete reality. Maybe it’s because he’s Catholic (the Church still affirms the existence of demonic possession, after all) or because he’s Irish (all that mist), but McPherson’s is a haunted world. Never before, though, has the haunting had such substantial presence as in this boozy 2006 play. It’s Christmas Eve, and Sharky (Bill Geisslinger) has returned from a short-lived chauffeuring gig to care for his ailing, blind older brother, Richard (Tobias Andersen). Their alcoholic friend Ivan (Todd Van Voris) is also about, having lost his glasses while drinking heavily the night before. Then Nicky (Leif Norby), a preening git and the new husband of Sharky’s ex, shows up for a few drinks and a game of cards, bringing with him the dapper and apparently good-humored Mr. Lockhart (Denis Arndt). Lockhart is far more devilish than he seems, however—and he’s playing for keeps. Van Voris and Norby are two of this town's finest actors, but here they are completely outgunned by their older colleagues. Andersen goes big, spitting, hacking and swearing away as the totalitarian and self-obsessed (but very funny) Richard, but it’s Geisslinger’s performance that really makes the show. Sharky at first seems all but dead inside, and Geisslinger, an 18-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, lets his tremendous internal torment show bit by terrible bit. For all that, and the cosmic stakes, The Seafarer is a heartwarming show. Richard sums it up: “We all know you’re an alcoholic and your life is in tatters and you’re an awful fucking gobshite. But you know what? You’re alive, aren’t you?” BEN WATERHOUSE. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., 241-1278. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Sundays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Feb. 15. $25-$47. Map

Apollo

Los Angeles-based playwright and director Nancy Keystone's three-part epic about Nazi scientists, NASA and the civil-rights movement is unapologetically innovative, blending historical documents with fantasy, video projection and dance. Parts one and two, which explore the sinister origins of the U.S. space program in Werner von Braun’s V-2 rocket research and Nazi-hunter Eli Rosenbaum’s investigation of von Braun’s partner in crime, Arthur Rudolph, are mesmerizing, affecting works, with excellent writing and some of the finest moments of stagecraft I’ve ever witnessed. They are essential viewing. In part three (“Liberation”) Keystone reaches too far, attempting to encompass the entire 150-year history of the civil-rights movement. Unlike the first two parts, “Liberation” lacks much in the way of strong characters or compelling stories, fails to cast much light in the murk of America’s shameful past of racial repression. BEN WATERHOUSE. Gerding Theater, 128 NW 11th Ave., 445-3700. 7:30 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays, noon Thursdays. Closes Feb. 8. $30-$66.50. Map

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING RESOURCE CENTER

The story of two local tiny printing companies—Loaded Hips Press and Red Bat Press—told in a collection of small woodblock, lino-cut, and letterpress prints from the company founders Shannon Buck and Carye Bye. 917 SW Oak St., No. 218., 827-0249. Map

PORTLAND ART MUSEUM

Apex: MK Guth.
For Ties of Protection and Safe Keeping, artist MK Guth asks people, “What is worth protecting?” Their answers are written on countless red flannel ribbons and interbraided with over a quarter-mile of synthetic golden hair, a reference to the Rapunzel fairy tale. Guth's Apex was featured in the Whitney Biennial and appeared on the front page of The New York Times' Weekend Arts section. 1219 SW Park Ave., 226-0973. Closes Feb. 28. Map

GOODFOOT

Art of Musical Maintenance V.
Goodfoot celebrates its fifth installment of national rock-poster awesomeness with a collectible book showcasing the finest from designers Guy Burwell, Mike King and more. KELLY CLARKE. Goodfoot, 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. Opening party 5 pm Thursday, Dec. 4. Art show is free. Book is $35. 2845 SE Stark St., 239-9292. Closes Jan. 26. Map

CHAOS CAFE & PARLOR

Visions and Voices: Black and White Photographs by Diverse Women Working in the Sex Industry.
Sex workers have needs, too.  And I hate to tell you, but she was lying when she said that you were all she wanted for Christmas. 2620 SE Powell Blvd., 546-8112. Closes Jan. 30. Map

MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY

Shadow Playing.
Susie Lee toys with the themes of girlhood and playground games using different rooms to portray different emotions and activities.  Projected video and sound will undoubtedly give the exhibition a sense of vitality. 17600 Highway 43., 699-1814. Closes Feb. 11. Map

CHARLES A. HARTMAN

Wayne F. Miller.
Ninety-year-old photographer Wayne F. Miller looks back in this pictorial memoir of the years 1942 to 1958. These pivotal years are reflected in Miller’s sure sense of composition and empathy for his subjects. 134 NW 8th Ave., 287-3886. Show runs Jan. 8-Feb. 21. Map

NEW AMERICAN ART UNION

Laura Fritz.
Eerie, haunting and enigmatic, the luminescent sculptural installations of Laura Fritz do not readily give up their secrets. Past artworks have mimicked the movement of insects and cats on light boxes, and simulated the slow undulations of sea urchins. Whatever she does with the large NAAU space, count on it to be thought-provoking and borderline creepy. 922 SE Ankeny St., Closes Feb. 22. Map

AUGEN GALLERY

Utopia, the title of this group show, is also the name of the town in Central Australia where these paintings were made. A splendid group show by Aboriginal artists, the paintings display the myriad dots, earth tones and semi-abstract imagery typical of this genre. They portray traditional stories and narratives of the mystical cosmology known as “dreamtime.” 817 SW 2nd Ave., 224-8182. Closes Jan. 30. Map

BEPPU WIARDA

Curated by local art collector Leo Michelson, Winter Light is an energetic group show themed around light boxes, a perfect counterpoint to the dark January doldrums. Highlights include Dave Meeker’s Fuzzy Chiclet (gotta love the title), with its hundreds of tiny straws sticking porcupinelike out of a square of light; and TJ Norris’ ravishing blk_pwr. Is there any artist in town who combines compositional simplicity, semiabstract imagery, and a judicious deployment of color as well as Norris? The show’s one drawback: With 27 artists in this small space, it’s overhung. 319 NW 9th Ave., 241-6460. Closes Jan. 31. Map

BUTTERS

Barbara Scheidler Bartholomew.
For 19 years, painter Barbara Scheidler Bartholomew showed her elegant, expressive paintings at Butters. In April 2007 she died of a heart attack at 65, but her work lives on in this superbly curated posthumous show. With an ability to balance gestural abandon with minimalist restraint, Bartholomew at her best channeled Adolph Gottlieb and Franz Kline, marrying iconic shapes, assured brushwork, and a mastery of negative space. 520 NW Davis St., 2nd floor., 248-9378. Closes Jan. 31. Map

NEW AMERICAN ART UNION

With her creepily clinical work, Portland artist Laura Fritz leaves you disoriented, curious, perhaps even repulsed, and above all scratching your head, saying, “Whaa?” When you enter Evident’s darkened, vaguely sinister exhibition space, you see only a black wardrobe cabinet, its door ajar, and a black box riddled with holes—shooting rays of light outward and upward onto the gallery walls. The images they’re projecting on the walls are bugs. In her own way Fritz is a scientist, a psychologist, a sociologist who sets up absurdist situations and then watches us react. Evident leaves you wanting more. 922 SE Ankeny St., Closes Feb. 22. Map

Thursday January 22top

Biloxi Blues

Prostitution, racism, homosexuality, guns and fart jokes. There seems to be something for everybody in Profile Theatre’s presentation of Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues. Set in 1943, it’s the story of a young man’s entrance into the Army as World War II looms over him and five other fresh-faced GIs. With themes as prevalent in the ’40s as the oughts, Biloxi Blues is just as relevant today as it would’ve been 66 years ago. Great performances by the entire cast make this play incredibly enjoyable to watch. DANIEL GREEN. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 242-0080. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Feb. 15. $12-$28. Map

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

CoHo Productions and director Antonio Sonera venture into tricky territory with this 1987 romance by Terrence McNally: The actors spend much of the show in varying states of undress, and the emotional back-and-forth could be hopelessly sappy in the wrong hands. But thanks to deft direction and some superb acting, what could have been a train wreck is a sweetly moving evening. Valerie Stevens and Victor Mack play Frankie and Johnny, a pair of lonely, middle-aged restaurant workers who go on a date and end up having some amazing sex. After, Frankie tries to kick Johnny out the door, but he thinks she’s The One, and won’t go. The play is more fairy tale than realism, despite the nude bodies and working sink on stage, but it’s a pleasurable fantasy. Bring a date. The CoHo Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 220-2646. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 pm Sundays. Closes Feb. 21. $20-$25. Map

Myka Nyne, Sole, Ceschi Ramos, Factor

[PSYCHEDELIC HIP-HOP] A lot of hip-hop doesn’t age that well. Old flows sound antiquated and slow, old samples start to sound…well, old. But Myka Nyne’s verses with Freestyle Fellowship still sound fresh and challenging. An endlessly entertaining and humble MC on stage, Nyne acts like every show could be his last, and he smiles throughout. His latest album, 1969, is just as relevant and lively. It's a soulful, jazzy record where Nyne doubles up his vocal tracks to create subtle harmonies—like the android version of an old-school R&B group—and then goes completely insane on fast-rapping tracks like the trippy “To the Sky.” If you’re a fan of Blackalicious and other soulful Quannum fare, you’re going to like Myka’s new record, and you should probably check out his show as well. CASEY JARMAN. 9 pm. Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny St., 248-4579. $10. 21+. Map

LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE

reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow.
There appears to be no real theme of this exhibit, which is what makes it so interesting.  All of the photos are different to the point of being unrelated, making shows with a prevading theme seem trite in comparison. 0615 SW Palatine Road., 768-7000. Closes March 15. Map

Friday January 23top

Brody Theater Grand Opening

Two years after losing its Northwest Portland venue, the Brody gang once again has its own space. This time it's on the edge of Chinatown, in a "cabaret-style" venue offering food and drinks. The Brodys open the new theater with Theatresports on Friday and the Antiques Improv Show on Saturday. The Brody Theater, 16 NW Broadway., 224-2227. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Jan. 23-24. $7-$10. Map

Romance

Theatre Vertigo goes to court in this David Mamet farce, a legal drama set against the backdrop of a round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in an unnamed American city. Garland Lyons  plays an unhappy, allergy-plagued, pill-popping judge, a textbook Ugly American whose incessant, naive interrogations of the other courtroom characters—the defendant (Tom Moorman), a Jewish chiropractor with violent tendencies; the prosecutor (Gary Norman), an insecure gay man;  and the defense attorney (Nathan Gale), a frustrated Episcopalian suburbanite—are delivered with overwrought pronunciation and much flailing of overmedicated limbs. Mamet, an equal opportunity profaner, has an insult for everyone, straight and queer, Christian and Jew. At a slower pace the litany of abuse might be intolerable, but in this case, under the honorable Lyons, you can’t help but guffaw. BEN WATERHOUSE. Theater! Theatre!, 3430 SE Belmont St., 306-0870. 8 pm Thursdays-Saturdays. Closes Feb. 21. $15. Map

Metronomy, Mae Shi, Caves, DJ Beyonda

[TOUCH TOO MUCH] While London-based Metronomy appears as a touchlight-wearing trio onstage, putting to use guitars, bass, keyboards and a saxophone, its dancey electro can be attributed solely to founder and frontman Joseph Mount. Armed with a secondhand Mac and an affinity for seminal electronic label Warp, Mount first began creating Metronomy's signature quirky melodic beats as a side project a decade ago. Outside of the EP and two full-length albums released under the name since—most recently with semi-conceptual disc Nights Out—Mount has also earned acclaim for his inventive remixes for the likes of Goldfrapp, Bright Eyes and the bloodline-blessed singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg that involve writing all new music for the tracks. Openers the Mae Shi are also oh-so-hot right now—and not just because they play under a blanket. NILINA MASON-CAMPBELL. 9 pm. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 239-7639. $10. 21+. Map

The Walkmen, Beach House, Johnny and the Moon

[YOU'VE GOT A NERVE TO BE PLAYING A SHOW TOGETHER] Well, looky here, the Walkmen are playing a show with Beach House. You'd have to have been living under an indie rock not to have heard of these two acts by this point, but here's a refresher for those feeling foggy. Beach House hails from Baltimore, consists of a really hot guy and a really hot girl, and sounds like lazy sunbeam codeine dreams, mixing all kinds of warm organs with slide guitars—a Terrence Malick sleepwalk in front of the headlights of a laptop computer. The Walkmen are a little more bummed (New Yorkers, them), but in a kick-ass kind of way, all jagged chiming guitars and smashy drums behind the most sour-dour Dylan howl you ever done heard. ERIK BADER. 9 pm. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 284-8686. $15. All ages. Map

Dummer Bummer: Apache, Eat Skull, Tuff Titties, Pity Fucks, Eegos, Wild Thing, Meth Teeth, Nix, The Whines, Cafeteria Dance Fever, Outdoorsmen, Rock 'N' Roll Adventure Kid

See album review, coming soon, and Saturday listing. 5 pm. East End, 203 SE Grand Ave., 232-0056. $10. 21+. Map

An Acoustic Evening With Los Lobos

[THE ONLY “WOLF” BAND THAT MATTERS] It's a shame, really, that the song most associated with Chicano-rock elder statesmen Los Lobos is its version of Ritchie Valens' “La Bamba.” Not that it isn't a terrific cover, but for a band of such depth and longevity, to be recognized by the general public for a contribution to the soundtrack of a Lou Diamond Phillips movie is plain wrong. Oh well. What does the public know, anyway? If it knew anything, Kiko—the group's brilliant, alternately dreamy and rollicking 1992 album—would be thought of along the same lines as Pet Sounds: as a product of towering artistic vision and a singular achievement in the history of American rock'n'roll. Bold statement? It shouldn't be. MATTHEW SINGER. 8 pm. Aladdin Theater, 3017 SE Milwaukie Ave., 234-9694. Sold Out. All ages. Map

Tera Melos, Astronautalis, Everybody, Poor School

[POST-POST-POST-EVERYTHING] Roseville, Calif., trio Tera Melos definitely qualifies as a noggin-scratcher. These folks are just all over the fucking place like they cloned themselves, cramming a math-rock abacus into some moody post-punk horizon-gazing, breaking into jams both jazzbo and straight-ahead rockin'. Suffice to say you never know quite what you're gonna get from Tera Melos—they'll keep you on your tiptoes even as they keep you waiting with bated breath for an official follow-up to a 2005 self-titled debut that isn't an EP or a split release. RAY CUMMINGS. 8 pm. Artistery, 4315 SE Division St., 803-5942. $6. All ages. Map

Kinski, SubArachnoid Space, Lickity

[SEARING ROCK] Sonic-rockers Kinski and SubArachnoid Space are both gearing up to enter the studio this spring to record new full-lengths. As such, they are hitting the stage to show test their newly minted material. For record geeks, that means you can be the one crowing about how different the songs sounded live vs. their studio versions. For everyone else, it’s a chance to feel the full force of two of the best psych bands working today in the best setting possible: live at the Doug Fir. Can you tell I'm a little excited about his show? ROBERT HAM. 9 pm. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. $12. 21+. Map

Sonny Smith, Evolutionary Jass Band, The Sandwitches

[ROLLICKING FOLK-POP] San Francisco troubadour Sonny Smith brings folk-pop that sounds as melodically inspired by the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt as it does musically inspired by Bob Dylan. The recorded versions of his tunes bask in lo-fi glory like perfectly arranged four track demos, plus gorgeous western backup vocals and minus the buzz. Excellent local crazies Evolutionary Jass Band and creepy S.F. folk trio the Sandwitches round out the bill. Should be a fun night to celebrate Disjecta's new digs! CASEY JARMAN. 8 pm. Disjecta, 8371 N Interstate Ave., 286-9449. $7. Map

Third Angle

After three decades, Steve Reich’s 1976 epic Music for 18 Musicians has ascended to the status of one of the 20th century’s essential compositions, on that exalted level with The Rite of Spring, A Love Supreme, Pet Sounds, and not many others. Experiencing it live can be a transcendent experience; a San Francisco performance I saw by Reich’s band a decade ago remains at the top of my list of live shots. Most of the conservative academic classical music establishment loathed Reich’s tonal, pulsating sounds, but they attracted millions of music lovers from the jazz, rock and pop music worlds, set the stage for much electronic dance and ambient music, deeply influenced succeeding generations of composers and finally even won over some critics. Reich’s recent 70th birthday celebrations around the country and especially in his native New York City occasioned the kind of hosannas reserved for only the greatest living artists. And his mesmerizing music still has the power to touch the heart. At last summer’s legendary Ojai Festival of New Music, I joined hundreds of other ecstatic audience members in a 15-minute standing ovation after a spellbinding, hour-long performance of his other mega-minimalist masterwork, Drumming, featuring Reich, his longtime collaborators, Nexus, and the young So Percussion ensemble. This will be Third Angle’s second performance of 18; the composer coached and praised their previous take in 2000. This time, the vocal soloists come from Cappella Romana. The concert also includes a flute duet by Reich’s erstwhile partner and fellow minimalist pioneer, Philip Glass, and The New Math by the celebrated indie filmmaker Hal Hartley with Third Angle playing the original score by leading Dutch composer Louis Andriessen, whose minimalism is jazzier and more aggressive than Reich’s meditative style. BRETT CAMPBELL. Kaul Auditorium at Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., 331-0301. 7:30 pm Friday, Jan. 23. $25-$30. Map

Classical Revolution PDX/The Superman Orchestra

If you missed last fall’s live performance at the Hollywood Theatre, here’s another chance to hear live performances of new orchestral music by emerging composers from Oregon and elsewhere, accompanying classic 1940s Superman cartoons, with dialogue spiffily narrated by members of Faces for Radio Theatre. With the exception of Scott Ordway’s score, the music’s not especially distinctive, but it’s all good fun and delightfully matches the onscreen action. BRETT CAMPBELL. Whitsell Auditorium, 1219 SW Park Ave., nwfilm.org. 7 pm Friday, 2 pm Saturday, Jan. 23-24. $10-$14. Map

OMSI

Presentation by "Secrets of Mona Lisa" Creator Pascal Cotte.
Cotte explored how the Mona Lisa looked before touch-ups and preservation techniques were applied.  Using a 240 million pixel camera, he came up with 13 photos of the Mona Lisa pre-alterations.  At this presentation, he discusses the fruits of his labor.  ("Secrets of Mona Lisa" is part of a larger exhibit called "Da Vinci: The Genius," which opens at OMSI on Jan. 31.) 1945 SE Water Ave., 797-4000. 7 pm. Reservations required, call 797-4634. Map

Mortified Portland

This live show is a bit like the PostSecret books and website, except instead of anonymously submitting secrets to be published, people actually get up and read embarrassing teenage journal entries, poems, etc. in front of a crowd. Maybe it's more like the apex of reality TV, but without cameras and Ryan Seacrest. So much the better, my friends, so much the better. Someday Lounge, 125 NW 5th Ave., 248-1030. 8 pm. $10 advance, $12 at the door. Get tickets at getmortified.com/live. Map

Saturday January 24top

Sharpening Markers, Black Eyes & Neckties, Prize Country

[GOOD TIMES ROLL] Bellingham’s Black Eyes & Neckties has mastered that special form of controlled chaos that makes for a great party-rock band. Though not quite as unhinged as Jay Reatard’s old (and best) outfit, the Lost Sounds, Black Eyes has the garage riffs, the energy and the shoutalong choruses to get you moving. Its special secret weapon is the extraordinary Brenda Grimm on Farfisa. When she climbs atop it in the deep throes of musical submission, you just know it’s the luckiest organ in all of Northern Washington. NATHAN CARSON. 9:30 pm. Dante's, 1 SW 3rd Ave., 226-6630. $8. 21+. Map

Dummer Bummer: No Bunny, Die Rotzz, The Pets, The Mean Jeans, Coconut Coolouts, Sex Church, Shannon and the Clams, Ebonics, Therapists, The Fresh & Onlys, Unnatural Helpers, Rooftop Vigilante

[SARDINE CAN ROCK] East End is the little club that dreams big. I’m not even sure you could pack all the band members from the multi-day Dummer Bummer fest into the building at one time, let alone in the itty-bitty performance space and bar in the East End basement. But that’s the fun of it all: stuffing ridiculously wild and loud shows in a club the size of LeBron James' shoe closet (possibly smaller—I bet King James has a lot of shoes). More raw, distortion-soaked heaviness of the garage-rock variety is headed your way tonight, some of it (Coconut Coolouts) in full costume. My favorite band on the bill is the Bugs, locals who are endlessly catchy, energetic and rough around all the right edges. CASEY JARMAN. 5 pm. East End, 203 SE Grand Ave., 232-0056. $10. 21+. Map

Sunday January 25top

Fresh Mozzarella- and Pasta-Making Class

Surprise your honey this Valentine's Day by learning how to make pasta and mozzarella! Don't believe the hype that flowers and candy are the way to someone's heart. Homemade carbs with fresh cheese is the best way to show you care. Oregon Culinary Institute, 1701 SW Jefferson St., 961-6200. 9 am-1 pm. $90. Call to register. Map

Dummer Bummer: Reptilian Civilian, Buzzer, Pure Country Gold, Nice Boys, Flip-tops, Girls, Howie and the Hot Knives, The Leaders, Hairspray Blues, Doom Patrol, Salted City, Organized Sports, Hey Lover

See Saturday listing. 5 pm. East End, 203 SE Grand Ave., 232-0056. $10. 21+. Map

Crystal Ballroom 95th Anniversary Free-For-All: Blitzen Trapper, Blue Giant, Greensky Bluegrass, Garcia Birthday Band, More

[PICKIN' PARTY] A jewel in Portland's performance-venue crown, the Crystal Ballroom—now just a nickel short of a century old—throws its annual party with a decidedly hayseed flavor. Following early sets from Girls Rock Campers and a pair of marimba bands (one composed of kids), Garcia Birthday Band's pleasant-enough hippie retread precedes the sweet sincerity of Michigan's Greensky Bluegrass (get it?). Next comes atmospheric, loose-limbed country-rock from Blue Giant, featuring Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk and Viva Voce's Kevin and Anita Robinson. If all that plus headliners Blitzen Trapper isn't enough, Lola's and Ringlers offer adjacent jams. JEFF ROSENBERG. 1:30 pm (all day). Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 225-0047. Free. All ages. Also see album review, coming soon Map

FourScore

The city’s inventive new classical manband (Brian Francis, Ben Kinkley, Ben Landsverk and Stephen Marc Beaudoin) plays two different Sunday shows, each spotlighting its very contemporary mashup of classical, postclassical, pop and more. The afternoon concert at First Pres features protest songs from various eras and styles, including field songs, hymns, spirituals and music by Kurt Weill, Franz Schubert, William Byrd, Meredith Monk and Henry Purcell on up to MIA, Holly Near and Courtney Love. For the evening show at Doug Fir, the quartet is joined by the Ahs, the distaff singers of Roxy Consort and members of the Portland Cello Project. BRETT CAMPBELL. First Presbyterian Church, 1200 SW Alder St., 228-7331. 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 25. 8 pm Sunday at Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside St., dougfirlounge.com. $10. Map

100 Poems by 100 Poets from the Past 100 Years

Experimental writing haven and reading series Spare Room celebrates its 100th reading with a mondo poetry blowout that careens through a century of spoken history and subject matter. Poems will be read by Spare Room organizers and friends, from David Abel to Rodney Koeneke, plus “sound poetry” performances by Linda Austin and Lisa Radon, among others. Gallery Homeland, 2505 SE 11th Ave., 819-9656. 2 pm to whenever. Free. Map

Monday January 26top

Hot Winter Nights

Nothing warms you up like a hot cocktail. And nothing accompanies a hot cocktail better than dessert. And no dessert is complete without a cup of coffee. Bluehour has got all of these needs covered, as the Oregon Bartenders Guild hosts a night of alcohol-induced mirth to counteract the lack of vitamin D. Bluehour, 250 NW 13th Ave., 226-3394. 7:30-10:30 pm. $30. Email info@oregonbarguild.org to register. Map

Tuesday January 27top

Department Of Eagles, The Cave Singers

[NO ONE DOES IT LIKE YOU] The best folk music often comes from humble origins. Though the swirling folk pop of Department of Eagles is just a side gig of Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen, In Ear Park—the second collaboration (though first since Grizzly Bear blew up and, uh, opened for Radiohead) between Rossen and his college roommate Fred Nicolaus—is a dense, sprawling record that rivals anything put out in 2008. Dedicated to his late father and named after a park the pair frequented, In Ear Park is not so much nostalgic for a past time as it is for that feeling of experimentation and honesty that informed the Van Dyke Parks and Left Banke LPs the duo obviously absorbed. Playing live, the band is fleshed out by Christopher Bear and Chris Taylor, which equals three-quarters of Grizzly Bear performing in an intimate venue. The year’s just starting, but we already have our first can’t-miss show. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER. 9 pm. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. $12.50 advance, $14 day of show. 21+. Map

Ethan Rose

See music feature. 8 pm. Oaks Park, Southeast Spokane Street And Southeast Oaks Park Way., 233-5777. $10 (includes skate rental). All ages. Map