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IMAGE: Tom Martinez
Last fall, Jessie Rogers had a dream. In her dream, good, metal-loving people bowled among friends while Mercyful Fate and High on Fire tunes kept the party heavy. The dream became a reality last October, at Southeast Portland's AMF Pro 300 Lanes. "We thought it would be fun if we created our own league, where we could play metal, bowl with our friends and drink beer," says Rogers, a seamstress by day and metal fan by night. "It's about putting all of our favorite things together and having fun."
Last year's Portland Metal Bowling League featured about a dozen teams of four (with a remarkably even gender split) that competed every Tuesday night, culminating last December in a big win for the members of local rock group Nether Regions. The victory was commemorated with a spiked silver skull trophy (see photo, above) designed and built by local artist and Metal Bowling co-founder Martin Ontiveros. Great times were had at the season finale party on Dec. 22, where bowlers toasted each other's metal health as winter hiatus commenced.
Rogers learned a lot from that first tournament. Next season, which begins Tuesday, dues will be cheaper ($7 per week for shoes and lanes, down from $8) and the season will be shorter (eight weeks, down from 11), with a ninth-week party featuring performances from local heavy metal bands.
Judging by the smiling faces, devil signs, rock T-shirts and empty bowling pin-shaped Budweiser bottles present at the season finale party, heavy metal bowling is a hit. For league member Laura Claar—proudly sporting a Dio shirt and custom-drilled Spider-Man bowling ball—it's more than that. "Metal Bowling has changed my life," she says.
Haiti Relief Benefits
What can you do to help people affected by the horrific earthquake in Haiti? Eat, shop and watch shows—all the events below benefit Haiti relief. Visit wweek.com/haitirelief for an expanded list of local benefits. Know another local way to help? Email kclarke@wweek.com.
WEDNESDAY JAN. 20
[EAT]
Dine at the eastside staple tonight and 15 percent of your tab goes to relief efforts.
[CLASSICAL] PORTLAND OPERA
Vocalists from the upcoming production of Mozart's Cosi fan Tutte sing opera arias and ensembles. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the concert will go to Mercy Corps for Haiti aid. Scottish Rite Center, 1512 SW Morrison St., 241-1802. 7 pm. $10-$50.
THURSDAY JAN. 21
[MUSIC]
This mega music benefit boasts performances from
—including Thomas Lauderdale, Cool Nutz, Portland Cello Project, Oregon Symphony peeps, Flash Choir and Storm Large.
SATURDAY JAN. 23
[MUSIC]
The Groove Movement, a local nonprofit that uses music to raise money for humanitarian efforts, focuses on Haiti with live tunes from Voltronic, Intervision and Chervona.
SUNDAY JAN. 24
[MUSIC]
The Haiti catastrophe has a personal connection for the revolutionaries: One of their members is searching for her missing father, who was working on a project to improve the delivery of energy to Haitian healthcare facilities.
[GRAB BAG] HELPING HAITI
Expect DJs, bands, crafts from local vendors and tasty Haitian grub all to benefit Haiti. Mount Tabor Theater, 4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 360-1450. 5 pm. $5+ sliding-scale donation. 21+.
TUESDAY JAN. 26
[EAT]
The staff at the dining room donates its time and antes up a pair of four-course French-Haitian dinners paired with donated wines, as well as DJs spinning Haitian beats and a silent auction.
Headout Picks
WEDNESDAY JAN. 20
[MUSIC]
You might not know Scottish post-punk pioneers Yummy Fur, but you probably know the band's rhythm section: Alex Kapranos and Paul Thomson of Franz Ferdinand. Come on and dance with me, um, Yummy.
THURSDAY JAN. 21
[MUSIC]
Casey Dienel's project White Hinterland has always been a bit quirky, but now the band channels her coos into slinky love jams. Imagine the Dirty Projectors or Bat For Lashes, only with more loops
FRIDAY JAN. 22
[CLASSICAL]
For three generations, members of this Spanish classical-guitar dynasty have graced innumerable recordings and concert programs, including gigs at the White House and the Vatican. The most famous Romero, Angel, has rarely performed with other members of the clan in the past couple of decades, so this reunion of all the living members who've played in the group (Celin, Pepe, Angel, Celino and Lito Romero) is pretty special for anyone who appreciates classical guitar.
SATURDAY JAN. 23
[SCREEN]
The Grindhouse Film Festival's presentation of Continental terror continues with 1973's
which itself features miniskirts, chic music and a hacksaw.
SUNDAY JAN. 24
[MUSIC]
Yeah, it's sold out, but that doesn't mean you can stand outside the Crystal screaming, "Je t'aime!" at the boys of Phoenix. Who doesn't love perfectly constructed French pop songs?
MONDAY JAN. 25
[STAGE]
Seven short plays about sex by local writers, performed by the Bump in the Road acting ensemble.
WWeek 2015