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HEAR: Snõõper at Polaris Hall
Call it eggpunk or the more literal term “Devo-core,” but there’s a new crop of bands taking inspiration from the mordant humor and jerky rhythms of rock’s most famous prophets of deevolution. At the forefront of the movement is Nashville band Snõõper, whose riotous shows often include live papier-mâché puppets—including their mascot, a giant bug, which I’d love to someday see go up against the Decemberists’ famous whale in a steel-cage puppet wrestling match. Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth Court, 503-240-6088, mississippistudios.com. 7 pm Thursday, April 17. $21.17.
SEE: Jimmy O. Yang’s “Big & Tall” Tour
Jimmy O. Yang is “Big & Tall” the same way Tommy “Tiny” Lister Jr. was tiny—that is to say, not at all. Yet the Hong Kong-born comedian, who you may know from Silicon Valley or Crazy Rich Asians, projects that kind of outsized confidence and penchant for self-exaggeration. As he’s claimed to have learned English from rap videos, perhaps the most outsizedly confident and self-exaggerating medium that exists, maybe it’s just second nature. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-248-4335, portland5.com. 8 pm Friday, April 18. $63.07+.
EAT: Baker’s Dozen Coffee Beer & Doughnut Fest
If you want to start your Saturday like Oregon legend Homer Simpson, you could do worse than to indulge in the famously wholesome breakfast combination of coffee, beer and doughnuts to start your day with a kick. The ninth annual installment of the Baker’s Dozen Coffee Beer & Doughnut Fest features 13 roasters, brewers and bakers apiece, all offering samples of their wares—and what’s more, some of the beers actually include coffee. The Zed at Zoiglhaus Brewing, 5716 SE 92nd Ave., 971-339-2374, thezedpdx.com. 10 am–1 pm Saturday, April 19. $40–$50.
SEE: KinkFest Vendor Market
Every leather daddy and dominatrix is sick of the tiresome cliché that BDSM is for rich businessmen who secretly get off on role reversal, because in truth, kinky people come from all walks of life and are often proud of the unconventional things that float their boat. There are a lot of them, too: Portland Leather Alliance’s three-day KinkFest is sold out, but you can still visit the vendor market on Saturday or Sunday to see if there’s anything you like (or that you might not have known you liked). Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine Drive, 503-736-5200, kinkfest.org. 10 am–6 pm Saturday–Sunday. April 19–20. $20.
SEE: Love, Shakespeare at CoHo Theatre
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, so what could be more blasphemous than to stage an Elizabethan play in the style of the era—without even the benefit of a script? A centerpiece of Portland’s ongoing Fertile Ground Festival, Love, Shakespeare is an improvised comedy show in which the actors attempt to create a Shakespeare play from the ground up. Imagine an evening at the Globe Theatre circa 1597 in a universe where the rules are a lot looser than in this one. CoHo Theatre, 2257 NW Raleigh St., 971-202-6567, loveshakespearepdx.com. 6:30 pm Friday, 2:30 pm Saturday, April 18–19. $10+.
WATCH: New Indigenous Short Films
Portland EcoFilm Festival’s Earth Day program this year centers Indigenous peoples around the world and their relationship with the planet. Alongside Hitoláayca: Going Upriver, Portland director Anna Lueck’s short about a Nimiipuu man training to be his generation’s first certified whitewater guide, this showcase of shorts features selections from Canada, Kenya, Indonesia and the East Coast. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 22. $10–$12.
HEAR: Deafheaven at Revolution Hall
It’s easy to forget how much squabbling Deafheaven generated among headbangers circa the release of 2013’s Sunbather, whose fusion of buffeting black metal and rosy shoegaze endeared them to fans far beyond the heavy music world. Maybe it’s the world getting bleaker, but the nihilism of the more “kvlt” bands in the black metal genre feels less invigorating these days than the surfeit of feeling that the San Francisco band offers on their new album, Lonely People with Power. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., 971-808-5094. 8 pm Wednesday. $35.29.