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MONDAY

COMEDY

Stavros Halkias: The Fat Rascal Tour Past Event Like List
Prepare thy fits, for another "Fat Lil Slut Summer" is upon us. Stavros Halkias, the spunky, Baltimore-born Greek American comic who previously hosted the sometimes-controversial "dirtbag left" podcast Cum Town alongside fellow weirdos Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen, will take a break from "posting to social media like his career depends on it" (GQ, lol) to roast your five-year plan on stage. Here's your chance to check in with the body-positive king before he starts grilling again. LC
(Roseland Theater, Old Town-Chinatown)

FILM

Cotton Comes to Harlem
Past Event Like List To kick off their summer Blaxpoitation Film Series, the Oregon Black Pioneers—the "only statewide African American historical society"—will present this 1970 film based on the novel by Chester Himes. The plot involves "two street smart Harlem detectives looking for answers after a charismatic Black nationalist preacher is nearly killed, and a mysterious bale of cotton appears in the ghetto." In a 2022 piece about six Black films that changed the course of cinema, Time magazine called it a "free-wheeling and joyous fairy tale set in a uptown Manhattan that never existed" and praised its "ingenious set pieces, glowing styles and a cast that features stage actors and other famous personages (it’s the screen debuts of Redd Fox and Cleavon Little, among others) whose pleasure in taking the screen spills onto the audience."
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)

LIVE MUSIC

M83: Fantasy Tour
Past Event Like List Throw on M83's "Midnight City" if you want to be instantly transported to a time of moody Tumblr posts, American Apparel disco pants, and galaxy print everything. For better or worse, the French electronic ensemble no longer sounds like an audio representation of indie sleaze—but they are still going strong! Their latest album, Fantasy, employs groovy disco beats and futuristic synths for a blissful dance party soundtrack. They'll stop by in support of the album alongside LA-based electronic DJ Jeremiah Chiu. AV
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)

READINGS & TALKS

Claire Dederer in Conversation With Casey Parks
Past Event Like List In her new book Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma, Claire Dederer expands on the questions she began to explore in her 2017 Paris Review essay "What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men?" Woody Allen, Roman Polanski, John Lennon, Louis CK, Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson—they have all been accused of (and, in some cases, admitted to or been charged with) horrific and/or criminal behavior but goddamn if I don't start to shimmy the moment "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" comes on at a bar. Can I still dance? Michael Jackson is dead. He can't (allegedly) hurt anyone anymore. The debates have raged on for years. But, as Dederer makes clear, the question of whether or not we can separate the art from the artist is so much more nuanced than just a yes/no. Should we? With everyone? Who should we consider when "canceling" an artist? Their victims? Ourselves? STRANGER EDITOR MEGAN SELING
(Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing, Beaverton)

WEDNESDAY

FILM

The Woman Chaser in 35mm with Patrick Warburton and Rob Devor Past Event Like List
A year after this 1999 cult classic came out, our sister site in Seattle recommended this neo-noir film for their Stranger Suggests column, writing: "Seinfeld's last season was largely redeemed by the inimitable Puddy, played by Patrick Warburton. His piggish eyes; his goofy, misogynistic voice; the eternal smirk splashed across his cocked head—Warburton's entry turned any room into a lounge. The Woman Chaser is less a movie than a projection of Warburton's character directly onto celluloid. A delirious send-up of old B-grade film noir (the b&w cinematography is jaw-dropping), The Woman Chaser stars Warburton as a used-car salesman in 1950s L.A., fixed pathologically on realizing an abstract artistic potential—in short, a hack indie director. And though littered with tail-finned convertibles, L.A. Art Deco architecture, and mellotronic lounge tones, the film is most evocative of Warburton's spiritual Russian father, Gogol." Tonight, for one night only, the film will be screened in 35mm and followed up by a Q&A with Warburton and director Rob Devor. Cinema 21 writes that "this promises to be one of the most exciting cinema events of the year," and we don't disagree.
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill)

LIVE MUSIC

Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band
Past Event Like List Portland's own Mississippi Records has teamed up with Seattle-based world music reissue label Sublime Frequencies to present guitar shredders Baba Commandant and the Mandingo Band. Coming to us all the way from Burkina Faso, the ensemble fuses together Mandingue, high life, Afrobeat, and rock music for danceable tunes that are a perfect marriage of Fela Kuti rhythms and Captain Beefheart riffs. AV
(Lollipop Shoppe, Buckman)

Dermot Kennedy: The Sonder Tour
Past Event Like List Dermot Kennedy's sound is simultaneously heart-wrenching and uplifting. His sincere vocal delivery transcends the typical self-help-pop of bands like Imagine Dragons or X Ambassadors while always maintaining radio appeal. Just click on any one of his music videos and you'll find thousands of commenters noting the solace that his music has offered them through dark times. Kennedy will stop by Seattle to promote his sophomore album Sonder, with support from soulful pop artist Kevin Garrett (the co-writer/producer of Beyoncé's "Pray You Catch Me"). On this tour, Kennedy is offering the second opening slot to a  local act in each city, so show up for a surprise! AV
(Keller Auditorium, Downtown)

THURSDAY

PERFORMANCE

Live Wire with Luke Burbank: Ari Shapiro, Jena Friedman, Scott Aukerman, and Black Belt Eagle Scout!
Past Event Like List Live Wire's 2023 offerings continue with this evening of honest, funny conversation with Ari Shapiro, the award-winning journalist and host of the popular NPR show All Things Considered, alongside self-proclaimed "not funny" comedian Jena Friedman and beloved Comedy Bang! Bang! podcast host Scott Aukerman. Portland’s own Katherine Paul, the queer and Indigenous musician behind Black Belt Eagle Scout, will offer up grunge-tinged indie tunes. LC
(Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia)

FRIDAY

COMEDY

Jo Koy: World Tour Past Event Like List
Jo Koy, gleeful mocker of lactose intolerance, will drop by the Moda Center on his current world tour. The jovial Filipino American comic, who you might've peeped as a panelist on Chelsea Lately, recently popped by the Pacific Northwest to celebrate his memoir, Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo. (He described the tome as a "kick-ass tale of how a half-Filipino, half-white kid whose mom thought [and still thinks] his career goal was to become a clown became a success.") This time around, he'll share brand-new material. Will it be clownish? Only one way to find out. LC
(Moda Center, Lloyd District)

LIVE MUSIC

Hayley Kiyoko: The Panorama Tour
Past Event Like List This one’s for the girls! There are more pop stars singing about queer relationships than ever before, but Hayley Kiyoko’s 2015 hit “Girls Like Girls” was an undoubtedly pivotal moment in this Sapphic shift. Since her public coming-out, the singer, dancer, actress, and winner of RuPaul’s Secret Celebrity Drag Race has been dubbed “Lesbian Jesus” by her fans because of her work to normalize lesbian relationships through her music. She truly is, as former Stranger music calendar editor Kim Selling once called her, “the pop star we deserve.” Catch her on tour supporting her sophomore album, Panorama, which explores a “darker” side of the pop universe than her uplifting debut Expectations. AV
(Crystal Ballroom, West End)

PERFORMANCE

#SistersInLaw Live
Past Event Like List #SistersInLaw, the hugely popular Politicon podcast that has topped Apple charts since its 2021 inception, will head to Portland for a roundtable-style discussion between its legal and political heavyweight hosts. (If you've ever wondered how our government actually works...first of all, you're not alone. Second, this podcast is for you.) Joyce Vance, Jill Wine-Banks, Barb McQuade, and Kimberly Atkins Stohr will pull back the curtain on all things law, politics, and corruption, like a bunch of brilliant and slightly intimidating aunts you wish you had. Fans of Gerri Kellman will approve. LC
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)

SATURDAY

COMEDY

Ashley Gavin Past Event Like List
Ashley Gavin will take a breather from having gay sex for a Portland stop on her nationwide tour. The Brooklyn stand-up and "professional ballbuster" (Chicago Reader) has gone viral for her crowd work videos on TikTok, so if you head to her show, you might even become a part of it—but don't expect her to go easy on you. Gavin's proud to report that she's "the only angry lesbian beloved by all, including old, straight, white guys;" if you don't believe her, consider the fact that she was Carnival Cruise Line's first openly gay comedian. LC
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)

COMMUNITY

Big Yard Studio: ETHOS
Past Event Like List This celebration of art, culture, and community doubles as the annual fundraiser for the Big Yard Foundation, a nonprofit founded by Portland-born NFL linebacker Brennan Scarlett. At Ethos, you'll view art from local and national artists, enjoy live music and performances, and more. Proceeds will go toward Big Yard's mission to empower underserved communities in the areas of literacy, creativity, and wellness. JW
(Oregon Contemporary, Kenton)

LIVE MUSIC

Bird Songs of Opera
Past Event Like List Portland's "unconventional opera company" The Renegade Opera encourages you to trade your opera glasses for binoculars for an immersive concert of classic arias reimagined as Oregon bird calls. Stroll through the picturesque gardens with the songs of Puccini, Mozart, and Bizet performed in mimicry of the chickadee, steller's jay, and great horned howl. Maybe some real birds will join in too! AV
(Leach Botanical Garden, Pleasant Valley)

Cali Classic Tour: Warren G, DJ Quik, Mack 10, and More Past Event Like List
Cherished Long Beach rapper Warren G, best known for his 1994 hit "Regulate ft. Nate Dogg" (you know it, you love it), will bring some laid-back vibes to Portland alongside a star-studded lineup of '90s West Coast hip-hop legends. Highlights include G-Funk wizard DJ Quik, Latin-rap hero Kid Frost, and the Death Row-signed duo Tha Dogg Pound. AV
(Roseland Theater, Old Town-Chinatown)

Howie Day: Australia 20th Anniversary Show Past Event Like List
Howie Day is an early aughts heartthrob, who you might know for his fervent radio pop, impossibly spiky hair, or rumored relationship with our lord and savior Britney Spears. He will serenade the crowd with throwbacks like "Collide" and "She Says" in honor of the 20th anniversary of his debut album Australia. AV
(Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia)

SUNDAY

MOTHER'S DAY

2023 Mother's Day Brunch Buffet Past Event Like List
With its cozy Scandinavian ethos, Nordic Northwest's in-house Nordic cafe is the perfect place to share a hygge morning or afternoon with your mom. The spot is hosting its annual Mother's Day brunch buffet with hearty dishes ranging from aebleskiver (puffy Danish pancake balls) to Swedish meatballs and prime rib, as well as vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. You'll also get to sip complimentary Broder Blend drip coffee alongside your meal. JB
(Broder Söder, Metzger)

Mother's Day Brunch at the Sports Bra Past Event Like List
The nation's first bar and restaurant dedicated to women's sports is an apropos setting for celebrating maternal figures. Nosh on brunch dishes like an asparagus and snap pea salad, savory sausage egg and cheese galettes, a family-style charcuterie board (with deviled eggs, salmon cakes, dill yogurt sauce, candied bacon, mini cranberry scones, whipped honey butter, and fresh berries), and sweet peach crisp, complemented by spring-ready sips like "Butterfly Kisses" (butterfly pea-infused gin, St. Germain, lemon, and simple syrup) and "Peachy Queen" (vodka, peach schnapps, lime, and cranberry). Add on a bundle of blooms from the Petal Dispatch for the full package. JB
(The Sports Bra, Sullivan's Gulch)

LIVE MUSIC

Bonnie “Prince” Billy Past Event Like List
Maybe you know him as singer-songwriter Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Maybe you know him as indie movie actor Will Oldham (if not, watch Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy!) Or possibly under band names/aliases like Palace, Palace Music, Palace Songs, or Palace Brothers. Whatever you know him as, we hope you know that he's one of the most captivating songwriters of our time, crafting intimate and innovative folk songs that have made an undeniable mark on indie rock over the last three decades. Catch him on the heels of the release of his first-ever children's book Shorty's Ark. On night one, he will be joined by experimental electronic artist Patricia Wolf. On night two, PNW folk legend Michael Hurley will open. AV
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)

Ella Mai
Past Event Like List R&B singer-songwriter Ella Mai initially blew up with her now seven-time platinum debut single "Boo'd Up," which broke the Billboard chart record for the most weeks at number one of any song by a woman on the R&B/hip-hop airplay. It’s unsurprising, considering the song’s insanely infectious hooks and smooth-as-hell production (seriously, this song has been stuck in my head for six straight years and I’m not even mad about it!) Now touring on her second album, Heart on My Sleeve, Mai continues to meditate on her own vulnerability and resilience through stripped-down ballads and hip-hop-tinged beats. Don’t miss an opening set from the early aughts-inspired pop and R&B artist Thuy. AV
(Crystal Ballroom, West End)

READINGS & TALKS

Hernan Diaz
Past Event Like List Pulitzer Prize finalist, PEN/Faulkner Award winner, and beloved author Hernan Diaz will share his buzzy novel, Trust, described as a "kaleidoscope of capitalism run amok in the early 20th century" by Publisher's Weekly and longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize.
(Powell's City of Books, Pearl District)

MULTI-DAY

COMEDY

The Aces Past Event Like List
The Aces' latest sketch comedy show celebrates the duo's nuanced, physical technique. Audiences describe local laughers Shelley McLendon and Michael Fetters' long-lasting act as "comedy for smart people," revealed through their sorta-contemplative, sorta-wacky style. Their new show will also unveil Siren Theater's spanking-new location on Mississippi Avenue, so grab a ticket to check out the fresh space.
(Siren Theater, Boise, Friday-Saturday)

EXHIBITS

Orcas: Our Shared Future
Past Event Like List Those who keep up on regional wildlife news are likely already aware of a dire situation in the Puget Sound, where Southern Resident Orcas are on the brink of extinction due to pollution, vessel traffic, and a dramatic decline of their primary food source, Chinook salmon. (Unsurprisingly, humans have played a central role in the animal's critically endangered state.) The orca, aka the apex predator of all oceans and an utterly majestic creature that deserves to thrive, is the central focus of Orcas: Our Shared Future. The new exhibition of over 100 Orcinus artifacts includes life-sized replicas, fossils, original artwork from Pacific Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples, and more, offering a rare opportunity to deep-dive into the animal's complex social structures, its connections to humans, and the surprising consequences of orca captivity. LC
(OMSI, Central Eastside, Saturday-Sunday; opening)

FILM

Cinevox Dance Film Festival Past Event Like List
Oregon's leading dance film festival returns for its seventh year of artistic feature-length films and shorts. This year's lineup hasn't yet been revealed, but it promises to showcase the best local dance cinema and films from around the world.
(BodyVox Dance Center, Northwest Portland, Thursday-Saturday)

FOOD & DRINK

Lager Fest Hosted by Buoy Beer Co.
Past Event Like List Dive into the world of effervescent, light-bodied beers at this festival dedicated to all things lager. Buoy Beer Co. has teamed up with over a dozen West Coast breweries, including Astoria Brewing, Block 15 Brewing, Fort George Brewery, Figueroa Mountain Brew Co., North Jetty Brewing, Sunriver Brewing, Obelisk Beer Co., pFriem Family Brewers, Reach Break Brewing, Steeplejack Brewing, Sisu Brewing, Mirage Beer Co. Friday will feature live music from the Astoria-based indie band Holiday Friends, while Saturday will include tunes from shimmering indie folkers the Hackles. If you want to make the most of it, start off Saturday with the Buoy-sponsored Run on the River half marathon/10K/5K, which raises funds for the Astoria Parks Recreation and Community Foundation. JB
(Buoy Beer Company, Astoria, Friday-Saturday)

LIVE MUSIC

Caroline Polachek
Past Event Like List Shapeshifting electro-pop artist Caroline Polachek will welcome you to her island in support of her critically acclaimed album Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. Don't miss this opportunity to see this opera-trained vocalist at the peak of her career, performing ethereal pop tunes that pull inspiration from trip-hop, classical music, flamenco, and new wave. My fingers are crossed that she performs some older material as well, like the TikTok-famed bop “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” or the Enya-esque new age ballad “Go As A Dream.” As If you need any more reasons to be excited about this show, experimental R&B artist Sudan Archives is opening.
(Crystal Ballroom, West End, Tuesday-Wednesday)

PERFORMANCE

Choir Boy
Past Event Like List Tarell Alvin McCraney, the Academy Award-winning writer of Moonlight, penned this coming-of-age play that blends gospel hymns and R&B grooves for an intersectional tale set in a traditionally Black prep school. When Pharus Young sets his sights on leading the school's gospel choir, his queerness interrupts institutional tradition, and he contemplates conformity with his peers in order to gain their respect.
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Wednesday-Sunday)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Past Event Like List
Based on the children's novel by Grace Lin and inspired by a Chinese folktale, this theatrical interpretation of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon follows a young girl who sets off on a journey to find the Old Man on the Moon, a legendary character she's heard of through her father's stories. Determined to transform her family's misfortune, Min Li encounters a dragon and other magical creatures.
(Newmark Theatre, South Park Blocks, Saturday-Sunday)

VISUAL ART

Jessica Jackson Hutchins & Justine Kurland: Killer Maker Past Event Like List
If you're already enmeshed in the Portland art scene, you've likely heard the name "Jessica Jackson Hutchins" float around. Jackson Hutchins' tactile works transform everyday objects into art forms that are both intimately familiar and reverently heightened, and her ambitious, playful style is instantly recognizable. For Killer Maker, a "conversation with art objects," she's paired with Justine Kurland, an NYC-based artist and photographer whose motherhood-inspired series Of Woman Born depicts nude women dotting a verdant landscape. (The series, created nearly 20 years ago, feels prescient in the wake of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade reversal.) Jackson Hutchins' bodily assemblages of ceramics, furniture, and "pulped paper growths" respond to Kurland's photographs, but offer "discordant unions." LC
(Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Pearl District, Tuesday-Saturday)

Mishka Henner & Vaseem Bhatti: Energy Goast Past Event Like List
UK-based creative duo Vaseem Bhatti and Mishka Henner's Energy Goast is a "nature awareness brand," designed to question the commodification of the planet in our dystopia-adjacent era of synthetic landscapes and nuclear, military, and energy infrastructures. Inspired by Northern England's West Coast, the project pulls from West Cumbria's energy Masterplan, which was "produced by a regional consortium that sought to attract further energy and infrastructure investment to the Cumbrian economy." Energy Goast takes the form of "great outdoors" advertising, Instagram posts, and #outdoors content creation, but elevates the medium to construct a critique of the so-called Energy Coast. (Get her, Jade!) LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, Wednesday-Saturday)

Robin Friend: Bastard Countryside Past Event Like List
British-Australian artist Robin Friend "upends the archetypal British landscape" in Bastard Countryside, scanning the terrain for the familiar oranges and yellows of his Australian childhood. Throughout the course of the project, Friend found what he describes as modern ruins—monumental piles of abandoned cars, heaps of broken satellite dishes, and more. The resulting body of photographs is anxious, pensive, and more than a little cynical, depicting a disfigured land torn asunder by its rapid industrialization. (If this kind of critique perks up your ears, don't miss Mishka Henner & Vaseem Bhatti: Energy Goast, also on view at Blue Sky.) LC
(Blue Sky Gallery, Pearl District, Wednesday-Saturday)