Shows of the Week: The Barbaras Will Inject a Little Life Into the Week’s Tryptophan-Clouded Doldrums

Friday, Nov. 29

Thanksgiving break can be a lonely (and rainy) time in Portland. Leave it to The Barbaras, the folk-country duo of local sisters Weezy and Sallie Ford, to inject a little bit of life into the tryptophan-clouded doldrums of November’s final weekend. Support comes from local country hotshots Samuel Cody Matson and the Neon Prairie Dogs—and if that name seems like a lot, wait until you see their -studded double-drummer show, which lies near the intersection of Buck Owens and Liberace. Turn! Turn! Turn!, 8 NE Killingsworth St. 8 pm. Sliding scale. 21+.

Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29 and 30

Machine Girl spent a decade torching raves and basement shows with their garish, lightning-fast digital hardcore before finding themselves smack in the middle of a zeitgeist (see 100 Gecs, PC Music) in which sensory overload was the order of the day. Their new album, MG Ultra, is the duo’s first on the Future Classic label, home to star DJs like Flume, but they haven’t cleaned up their sound, which at its best feels like having all the knowledge contained on the internet spontaneously wired into your brain. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave. 7:30 pm. $30. All ages.

Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

No film composer is as mischievous as Danny Elfman. His Simpsons theme, with its devilish Lydian scale butting against the reassuring pizzicatos of domestic life, belongs on any shortlist of the great compositions of the 20th century. Wiry and tattooed, a vivacious performer in his 70s, the onetime Oingo Boingo leader-turned-maestro for the likes of Tim Burton and Sam Raimi has found a third life touring his scores, and he’ll conduct some of his most iconic themes for Burton’s films over two nights at the Schnitz. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway. 7 pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday. $25–$135. All ages.