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Friday, June 14
X-Ray Visions
[MOVIES] Benjamin Ellis presents a
90-minute directorâs cut of his 2000
documentary on the X-Ray Cafe, the
legendary Portland music venue.
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St.,
223-4527. 5 and 7 pm; bands begin
at 8:30 pm. $7. 21+.
PDX Pop Now! Compilation Release
[HOMETOWN HEROES] Not only
is PDX Pop Now!âthe all-ages,
all-Portland summer music festivalâone
of the cityâs best annual
events, it also serves as a crucial
survey of a music scene thatâs
constantly shifting, evolving and
turning over. And the compilations
the volunteer organization
behind the festival produces
each year are physical time capsules
of very specific moments.
The 2013 comp, which comes with
the price of admission, features
big names (Mike Coykendall with
Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard,
Y La Bamba, Chromatics), of-themoment
âtalks of the cityâ (the
Shivas, Radiation City, Woolen Men)
and under-the-radar next big things
(Magic Fades, Dupre, Eidolons),
along with release-show performers
Sapient, Sean Flinn and the
Royal We, Summer Cannibals and
Wishyunu. How many of those
artists will be around this time
next year? Itâs impossible to say,
but thatâs what make PPN so vital.
Backspace, 115 NW 5th Ave., 248-2900. 8 pm. Free.
All ages.
Diesto, Ninth Moon Black, Antikythera, Humors
[METAL] Local trio Antikytheraâlook up the meaning, itâs coolâkicks off its two-week tour tonight, which will send the group slingshotting around Austin, Texas, and back up the coast. According to Facebook, the band is planning to collect bottles and cans to pay rent after the journey is complete. So do the right thing: Support this show. Itâs ridiculously cheap for such a heavy-hitting lineup of killer bands. Ninth Moon Black offers sterling post-metal from Eugene and Diesto tops the bill with its expansive desert rock. Humors alone is worth the price of admission, so donât dally. NATHAN CARSON. Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., 285-3718. 9 pm. Contact venue for ticket information.
Oregon Ballet Theatre
George Balanchine once told Newsweek, âMost ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned.â OBT is doing its best to prove him wrong with a tribute performance 30 years after his death. The performance includes three very different pieces of choreography. The energetic Stravinsky Violin Concerto features two joyful group sections, while the Prodigal Son drips with the drama of the Bible story. Audience favorite Square Dance rounds out the show. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 800-745-3000. 7:30 pm Friday, 2 pm and 7:30 Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, June 14-16. $28-$148.
Saturday, June 15
IPRC Birthday Bash
For 15 years, the Independent Publishing Resource Center has been providing education, resources and a workspace to Portlandâs creative community of writers, artists and publishers. Swing by the newly remodeled center for a birthday celebration with interactive letterpress demonstrations, a print sale and a big cake. Independent Publishing Resource Center, 1001 SE Division St., Suite 2, 827-0249. 7-11 pm. Free.
Anakena: The Easter Island Project
[ART] As part of the Cooley Galleryâs Case Works project space, prolific blogger and film, video and performance artist Tiffany Lee Brown exhibits and lectures about her five-year artistic obsession, Anakena: The Easter Island Project. The subject of this intensely personal exhibition is Brownâs evolving views about motherhood. At the beginning of her journey, she was a passionate âchildless-by-choiceâ activist; then her biological clock began to tick loudly and she found herself unhappily child-free; finally, she and her husband, Josh Berger, became the parents of a bright-eyed baby boy. The complicated emotions surrounding this evolution were the reason for Brownâs trip to the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), where she performed fertility-related rituals beneath the towering stone heads for which that island is known. Her talk promises to be selfrevelatory, compassionate and humorous. Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. 1-4 pm, talk at 3 pm.
Sabotage: Tribute to the Beastie Boys
[MUSIC] Adam âMCAâ Yauch is gone, but weâll never live in a world without the Beastie Boysâ robust musical legacy. The lineup for the second annual B-Boys tribute is a testament to their wide-reaching influence, featuring hip-hoppers like Vursatyl and Rev. Shines as well as members of groups from the Decemberists to Trans Am uniting under the banner of getting ill. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 284-8686. 8 pm. $8. All ages.
Polaris Dance Theatre
[Dance] What is perhaps Portlandâs most unpredictable dance company premieres nine works. Part of its X-Posed showcase, this show has a twist: Company members curated all of the pieces. Dancers created some works anew and picked other works created by outside choreographers. Polaris Contemporary Dance Center, 1501 SW Taylor St., 380-5472. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8 and Wednesday-Saturday, June 12-15. $17.50-$25.
Mount Kimbie, Holy Other, Vinyl Williams
[MUSIC] Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, the second full-length by U.K. electronic duo Mount Kimbie, is not an album that grabs you immediately. These 11 mostly midtempo songs are creepers, sneaking up on your subconscious thoughts and leaving little earworms that will follow you around for hours at a time. Once the melodies take you back to the LP, then youâll start to notice the little detailsâthe sandy percussion hits, synth lines recorded as if in a cavern, the Italo-disco breakdown. When all the pieces have locked into place, you might see it as I do: as one of the best EDM releases of 2013. ROBERT HAM. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231- 9663. 9 pm. $16. 21+.
Berry Jam Festival
Berry season is upon us, and Krugerâs Farm Market is celebrating with its annual Berry Jam Festival. The strawberry fields will be open for picking, and there will be jammaking workshops, strawberry shortcake and live music. Krugerâs Farm, 17100 NW Sauvie Island Road, 621-3489. 11 am-4 pm. Free.
Sunday, June 16
BINGO!
[FUN N GAMES] Play WW's Pride Bingo at the Portland Pride Parade. 11 am Sunday, June 16, in downtown Portland. See pridenw.org for details.
Cappella Romana
[CHORAL] The superb Portland choir brings home the program it presented last year in Greece: medieval and earlier Byzantine chants, church music from the Eastern Orthodox churchâs unhappy encounters with Western Europe and contemporary sacred works by Athensâ Michael Adamis and 20th-century Greek-American composers based in California. To mark Fatherâs Day, dads will receive a free CD of the choirâs recent performances in Greece. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3131 NE Glisan St., 236-8202. 4 pm Sunday, June 16. $18-$36.
Invasion!
[THEATER] Invasion!, the first production by the long-incubating Badass Theatre Company, is a beautiful little honey pot of a playâluring its viewers into one type of play only to recruit them unawares into entirely unexpected scenarios. Stage vets Nicole Accuardi, Chantal DeGroat, Gilberto Martin Del Campo and John San Nicolas capably move through multiple roles and sometimes genders in a kaleidoscopic romp through the fields of Middle Eastern identity in America, with a cast of characters that includes Lebanese pipe fitters who cross-dress only on trips to America, Turkish telemarketers, Kabuki-choreographed military experts on a hammy talk show, and troublemaking kids exposed to something far too serious for a summer vacation. Under Antonio Soneraâs direction, the play moves freely from shock tactics to broad comedy to sudden pathos, keeping viewers off their moorings without sending them out to sea. At the center of it all is Abulkasem, a name that stands as totem for everything: terrorism, exoticism, mildly unsuccessful second-generation immigrants, any feeling for which words fail. It is a word unhinged from all reference and thus also threatening. Like the mysterious V of Thomas Pynchonâs eponymous novel, Abulkasem is the conspiracy we see in everything, or the dark vision at the corner of the eye. But if this vital first production is any indication, Badass Theatre Company wonât linger too long in anyoneâs peripheral vision. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., 358-4660. 8 pm Thursdays- Saturdays and 2 pm Sundays through June 29. $15-$20.
Radar Bros, Ola Podrida
[LO-FI TWILIGHT ZONE] Slow and folky as Radar Brothers have been over their 20-year career, the band has always offered something somewhat paranormal. The lumbering songs, therapeutically cool and composed thanks to Jim Putnamâs sleepy voice, make the perfect clear-night backdrop for the unexpected. Eerie whistles and droning guitar work appear in controlled doses in much of the bandâs work, hinting at some bizarro world over which Rod Serling might narrate. Newest project Eight shows a band broadening its sound with new members and instruments, including pedal and steel guitars, but Radar Brothersâ otherworldly heart is still beating strong. MARK STOCK. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Y La Bamba, Vin Blanc/White Wine
[SPANGLISH ROCK] Thereâs something intrinsically beautiful about a band that can fluidly switch between languages without alienating us monolingual folks. Luz Elena Mendoza and the rest of Portlandâs Y La Bamba often do just that, melding distinctive elements of traditional Mexican music with the rain-soaked indie pop of the Pacific Northwest. Y La Bambaâs latest release, Oh February, showcases Mendozaâs quirky, operatic aptitude and the bandâs use of Latin rhythms, subtle accordion and flowing guitar. Itâs the percussive romps and dancefolk beats that snake their way through the EPâs haunting undertones that separate the six frenzied tracks from the hokey indie-rock rabble of an everyday Portland band. If only we could all speak Spanish. Opener Vin Blanc/White Wine is the latest project from Joe Haege of 31Knots and Tu Fawning, whose new album, In Every Way but One, comes out next month on upstart Portland label Party Damage Records. Rontoms, 600 E Burnside St., 236- 4536. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
Truth or Fiction?
[STORIES] Can you tell a true story from straight bullshit? Test your skills at the storytelling showcase Truth or Fiction?, where a lineup of featured readers will share their supposedly true tales. At the end, the audience will guess who are the truth tellers and who are the prevaricators. This month will feature Kristi Gray Lovato, Pat Janowski, Danny Nowell, Mark Savage, Jason Squamata, host Doug Dean and special guest Mary Rechner telling Fatherâs Day-inspired stories. Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave., 841-6734. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
Diesto, Ninth Moon Black, Antikythera, Humors
[METAL] Local trio Antikytheraâlook up the meaning, itâs coolâkicks off its two-week tour tonight, which will send the group slingshotting around Austin, Texas, and back up the coast. According to Facebook, the band is planning to collect bottles and cans to pay rent after the journey is complete. So do the right thing: Support this show. Itâs ridiculously cheap for such a heavy-hitting lineup of killer bands. Ninth Moon Black offers sterling post-metal from Eugene and Diesto tops the bill with its expansive desert rock. Humors alone is worth the price of admission, so donât dally. NATHAN CARSON. Kenton Club, 2025 N Kilpatrick St., 285-3718. 9 pm. Contact venue for ticket information.
Oregon Ballet Theatre
George Balanchine once told Newsweek, âMost ballet teachers in the United States are terrible. If they were in medicine, everyone would be poisoned.â OBT is doing its best to prove him wrong with a tribute performance 30 years after his death. The performance includes three very different pieces of choreography. The energetic Stravinsky Violin Concerto features two joyful group sections, while the Prodigal Son drips with the drama of the Bible story. Audience favorite Square Dance rounds out the show. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 800-745-3000. 7:30 pm Friday, 2 pm and 7:30 Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, June 14-16. $28-$148.
Saturday, June 15
IPRC Birthday Bash
For 15 years, the Independent Publishing Resource Center has been providing education, resources and a workspace to Portlandâs creative community of writers, artists and publishers. Swing by the newly remodeled center for a birthday celebration with interactive letterpress demonstrations, a print sale and a big cake. Independent Publishing Resource Center, 1001 SE Division St., Suite 2, 827-0249. 7-11 pm. Free.
Anakena: The Easter Island Project
[ART] As part of the Cooley Galleryâs Case Works project space, prolific blogger and film, video and performance artist Tiffany Lee Brown exhibits and lectures about her five-year artistic obsession, Anakena: The Easter Island Project. The subject of this intensely personal exhibition is Brownâs evolving views about motherhood. At the beginning of her journey, she was a passionate âchildless-by-choiceâ activist; then her biological clock began to tick loudly and she found herself unhappily child-free; finally, she and her husband, Josh Berger, became the parents of a bright-eyed baby boy. The complicated emotions surrounding this evolution were the reason for Brownâs trip to the island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), where she performed fertility-related rituals beneath the towering stone heads for which that island is known. Her talk promises to be selfrevelatory, compassionate and humorous. Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd. 1-4 pm, talk at 3 pm.
Sabotage: Tribute to the Beastie Boys
[MUSIC] Adam âMCAâ Yauch is gone, but weâll never live in a world without the Beastie Boysâ robust musical legacy. The lineup for the second annual B-Boys tribute is a testament to their wide-reaching influence, featuring hip-hoppers like Vursatyl and Rev. Shines as well as members of groups from the Decemberists to Trans Am uniting under the banner of getting ill. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 284-8686. 8 pm. $8. All ages.
Polaris Dance Theatre
[Dance] What is perhaps Portlandâs most unpredictable dance company premieres nine works. Part of its X-Posed showcase, this show has a twist: Company members curated all of the pieces. Dancers created some works anew and picked other works created by outside choreographers. Polaris Contemporary Dance Center, 1501 SW Taylor St., 380-5472. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8 and Wednesday-Saturday, June 12-15. $17.50-$25.
Mount Kimbie, Holy Other, Vinyl Williams
[MUSIC] Cold Spring Fault Less Youth, the second full-length by U.K. electronic duo Mount Kimbie, is not an album that grabs you immediately. These 11 mostly midtempo songs are creepers, sneaking up on your subconscious thoughts and leaving little earworms that will follow you around for hours at a time. Once the melodies take you back to the LP, then youâll start to notice the little detailsâthe sandy percussion hits, synth lines recorded as if in a cavern, the Italo-disco breakdown. When all the pieces have locked into place, you might see it as I do: as one of the best EDM releases of 2013. ROBERT HAM. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231- 9663. 9 pm. $16. 21+.
Berry Jam Festival
Berry season is upon us, and Krugerâs Farm Market is celebrating with its annual Berry Jam Festival. The strawberry fields will be open for picking, and there will be jammaking workshops, strawberry shortcake and live music. Krugerâs Farm, 17100 NW Sauvie Island Road, 621-3489. 11 am-4 pm. Free.
Sunday, June 16
BINGO!
[FUN N GAMES] Play WW's Pride Bingo at the Portland Pride Parade. 11 am Sunday, June 16, in downtown Portland. See pridenw.org for details.
Cappella Romana
[CHORAL] The superb Portland choir brings home the program it presented last year in Greece: medieval and earlier Byzantine chants, church music from the Eastern Orthodox churchâs unhappy encounters with Western Europe and contemporary sacred works by Athensâ Michael Adamis and 20th-century Greek-American composers based in California. To mark Fatherâs Day, dads will receive a free CD of the choirâs recent performances in Greece. Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3131 NE Glisan St., 236-8202. 4 pm Sunday, June 16. $18-$36.
Invasion!
[THEATER] Invasion!, the first production by the long-incubating Badass Theatre Company, is a beautiful little honey pot of a playâluring its viewers into one type of play only to recruit them unawares into entirely unexpected scenarios. Stage vets Nicole Accuardi, Chantal DeGroat, Gilberto Martin Del Campo and John San Nicolas capably move through multiple roles and sometimes genders in a kaleidoscopic romp through the fields of Middle Eastern identity in America, with a cast of characters that includes Lebanese pipe fitters who cross-dress only on trips to America, Turkish telemarketers, Kabuki-choreographed military experts on a hammy talk show, and troublemaking kids exposed to something far too serious for a summer vacation. Under Antonio Soneraâs direction, the play moves freely from shock tactics to broad comedy to sudden pathos, keeping viewers off their moorings without sending them out to sea. At the center of it all is Abulkasem, a name that stands as totem for everything: terrorism, exoticism, mildly unsuccessful second-generation immigrants, any feeling for which words fail. It is a word unhinged from all reference and thus also threatening. Like the mysterious V of Thomas Pynchonâs eponymous novel, Abulkasem is the conspiracy we see in everything, or the dark vision at the corner of the eye. But if this vital first production is any indication, Badass Theatre Company wonât linger too long in anyoneâs peripheral vision. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. Miracle Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., 358-4660. 8 pm Thursdays- Saturdays and 2 pm Sundays through June 29. $15-$20.
Radar Bros, Ola Podrida
[LO-FI TWILIGHT ZONE] Slow and folky as Radar Brothers have been over their 20-year career, the band has always offered something somewhat paranormal. The lumbering songs, therapeutically cool and composed thanks to Jim Putnamâs sleepy voice, make the perfect clear-night backdrop for the unexpected. Eerie whistles and droning guitar work appear in controlled doses in much of the bandâs work, hinting at some bizarro world over which Rod Serling might narrate. Newest project Eight shows a band broadening its sound with new members and instruments, including pedal and steel guitars, but Radar Brothersâ otherworldly heart is still beating strong. MARK STOCK. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 231-9663. 9 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Y La Bamba, Vin Blanc/White Wine
[SPANGLISH ROCK] Thereâs something intrinsically beautiful about a band that can fluidly switch between languages without alienating us monolingual folks. Luz Elena Mendoza and the rest of Portlandâs Y La Bamba often do just that, melding distinctive elements of traditional Mexican music with the rain-soaked indie pop of the Pacific Northwest. Y La Bambaâs latest release, Oh February, showcases Mendozaâs quirky, operatic aptitude and the bandâs use of Latin rhythms, subtle accordion and flowing guitar. Itâs the percussive romps and dancefolk beats that snake their way through the EPâs haunting undertones that separate the six frenzied tracks from the hokey indie-rock rabble of an everyday Portland band. If only we could all speak Spanish. Opener Vin Blanc/White Wine is the latest project from Joe Haege of 31Knots and Tu Fawning, whose new album, In Every Way but One, comes out next month on upstart Portland label Party Damage Records. Rontoms, 600 E Burnside St., 236- 4536. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
Truth or Fiction?
[STORIES] Can you tell a true story from straight bullshit? Test your skills at the storytelling showcase Truth or Fiction?, where a lineup of featured readers will share their supposedly true tales. At the end, the audience will guess who are the truth tellers and who are the prevaricators. This month will feature Kristi Gray Lovato, Pat Janowski, Danny Nowell, Mark Savage, Jason Squamata, host Doug Dean and special guest Mary Rechner telling Fatherâs Day-inspired stories. Funhouse Lounge, 2432 SE 11th Ave., 841-6734. 8 pm. Free. 21+.
WWeek 2015