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LIVE MUSIC
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You can go ahead and file Mannequin Pussy under bands I love whose name I hate (it’s not out of prudishness, I promise). Besides, making the effort to overlook an off-putting band name is a telltale sign that the band is really good. The quartet originated in Philadelphia in 2010, and more than a decade later, their sound has gotten more and more refined. In my opinion, their new album I Got Heaven is their greatest accomplishment thus far with melodic post-riot grrrl riffs, cathartic lyricism, and percussion that you can feel in your bones. They will support the album alongside fellow Philly hardcore trio Soul Glo. AV
(Wonder Ballroom, Eliot)
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((( o ))) is the intentionally unpronounceable moniker of Filipino American electronic musical June Marieezy, who has made the whimsical vow to release new music every full moon for 12 years, known as “moondrops.” Although the concept can feel dauntingly abstract, her music is fun and exploratory, evoking the early work of Grimes and FKA Twigs. Expect to hear tracks from her newest output, ((( 4 ))), after an opening set from local experimentalist Yawa. AV
(Holocene, Buckman)
LIVE MUSIC
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Beirut-born trumpeter/composer Ibrahim Maalouf made waves after his set at last year’s London Jazz Festival, which marked his emergence as a “startling new voice in contemporary jazz” (The Guardian). Maalouf’s sound is distinctive with trance-like melodies and unusual tonalities that draw inspiration from 1950s cool jazz, EDM, and traditional Arabic music. Don’t miss the Grammy-nominated artist on his multimedia Electronic Experience tour which leans into computer-sourced sounds and filters. AV
(The Get Down, Buckman)
COMEDY
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Over 30 of Portland’s best improvisers will gather again for this who’s who of Rose City comedy. Each Secret Aardvark event features an extra-special mystery guest (past guests have run the gamut from David Lynch to random high school theater students), and the show’s so spicy that it’s named after the organizers’ fave local hot sauce, so it should warm your chilly bones at this time of year. LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd’s Addition)
FILM
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At its worst, Fantastic Fungi gets too woo-woo wacky for its own good (when the film’s discussion turns to magic mushrooms, the visuals turn into what is, as far as I can tell, a psychedelic screensaver from Windows 95), but at its best, the doc pairs fantastic time-lapse imagery with a good dose of actual, mind-blowing science. Affable, passionate mushroom researcher Paul Stamets is joined by talking heads Michael Pollan, Andrew Weil, and narrator Brie Larson to examine everything from massive fungal networks that carry signals between disparate, distant plants to the psychological benefits of psilocybin. It’s an uneven trip, but a good one. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBURO ERIK HENRIKSEN
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill)
FOOD & DRINK
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This new Sinoloan-inspired spinoff (named for the Spanish word for “hummingbird”) from Tamale Boy owner Jaime Soltero serves dishes like birria and grits, tacos gobernador, and the famed specialty chilorio (slow-cooked pork fried in chili sauce)—as well as Soltero’s signature tamales. Be among the first to try it at the official grand opening, which will feature free snacks and desserts.
(Colibri by Tamale Boy, Pearl District)
LIVE MUSIC
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I love it when artists reference their own names (see: Caroline Polachek’s “Caroline Shut Up,” Cardi B’s “Bartier Cardi” or Harry Styles’ latest album, Harry’s House). So, when I saw that Kassi Valazza’s new album was called Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing, I was immediately bewitched. The album doesn’t disappoint, with British folk-inspired tunes that explode into spellbinding psychedelic jams. However, it’s Valazza’s timeless vocals, which bring to mind folk greats like Joan Baez, Buffy Saint Marie, and Iris Dement, that make the album an instant classic. She will play songs from the album after an opening set from indie-Americana singer-songwriter Bart Budwig. AV
(Mississippi Studios, Boise)
COMEDY
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Birmingham-raised stand-up Roy Wood Jr., who you might recognize from his wry correspondent work on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, will stop by Portland to share more about his love of rude fast food employees and buffet restaurants. He was also a host of the comedy storytelling show This Is Not Happening, so you can pregame for this performance by binging a season or three. LC
(Newmark Theatre, South Park Blocks)
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Because nothing’s less funny than the prospect of eternal singledom, loneliness, and despair, Kickstand will snatch up real audience dating profiles and lend a helping hand with a team of “professionally trained dating experts” (aka improvisers) on stage. You’d have to be the perfect blend of brave and desperate to participate in such a thing, but I mean, “I’m sending this message with the help of nine comedians” is a hell of an opener, right? LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd’s Addition)
FILM
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In many ways, the true diva of The People’s Joker has been Warner Bros. Discovery. The massive media giant sent a letter that shut down all but the premiere screening of the indie comedy spoof at Toronto International Film Festival in 2022. Those who have seen The People’s Joker—co-written and directed by comedian Vera Drew—say it’s as much or more a trans coming of age story than a DC Comics-inspired satire, but we must admit the chance to see Maria Bamford as a (nude?) Lex Luthor-like Lorne Michaels, Tim Heidecker as an Alex Jones-adjacent political chaos personality, and Bob Odenkirk as Bob the Goon is certainly a draw. PORTLAND MERCURY ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR SUZETTE SMITH
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)
PODCASTS
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You’ve probably seen food writer Alison Roman’s viral recipes, like #TheCookies and #TheStew, on your Instagram feed. The controversial cookbook author, known for her unfussy approach to cooking and her strong culinary opinions, is bringing her podcast Solicited Advice to the Aladdin Theater and will dispense guidance to audience members.
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)
COMEDY
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Your first encounter with Ben Schwartz may have been his role as wannabe baller Jean-Ralphio Saperstein on Parks and Recreation. Since then, he’s voiced Sonic the Hedgehog (a role that oddly suits his fast-paced comedy style) and starred in three Netflix improv specials. He’ll drop by Portland on the heels of last year’s schlocky horror-comedy Renfield, in which he appeared alongside Nicolas Cage as Dracula. LC
(Keller Auditorium, Downtown)
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This interactive comedy show wants to help you feel better about your daily struggles. Aww, thanks, comedy show! Audience members will be prompted to jot down their woes on slips of paper before the performance. Comedians will then draw them from a box, using the audience’s unique problems to create an improvised set. Don’t worry, they’re not really laughing at your expense—it’s more like a rare moment of catharsis, where you’ll chuckle at the batshittery of your own life alongside a bunch of strangers. If that sounds like your bag, don’t miss it. The “very special” Rip City Comedy Festival edition of the show features comics Emma Dalenberg, Alyssa Sabo, Eitan Levine, Ibhan Kulkarni, Aaron Bell, and a secret headliner. LC
(Kiln, Ladd’s Addition)
COMMUNITY
Oregon Rises Above Hate Kick Off Day
To help kick off Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, Oregon Rises Above Hate is bringing communities together to celebrate their resilience and diversity. In Old Town-Chinatown, you’ll be able to meander through info booths from organizations like the Immigrant Story and the Asian and Pacific Islander Community Coalitions of Oregon and check out performances by the Mulan Drum Team and the Ka ʻAha Lāhui O ʻOlekona Hawaiian Civic Club. Plus, take advantage of free admission to cultural institutions like the Japanese American Museum of Oregon, the Portland Chinatown Museum, and more. JW
(Lan Su Chinese Garden, Old Town-Chinatown, free)
VISUAL ART
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Art can be fun—just ask Nathan Paul Rice and Ellen Robinette, who tag-teamed this exhibition on the subject. Avoiding preciousness, the duo emphasized improvised, textural mark-making that “explores the tension between play and peril” and “roams along ombre lines and rests in flowered fields of pattern.” While Rice’s works include pattern and color pops, Robinette’s Merge Visible collages past work to mirror the experience of memory. For MODULATIONS, they’ll present a collaborative mural, plus wooden forms and sculptures. LC
(SATOR Projects, Central Eastside)
LIVE MUSIC
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Portland Mercury columnist Jenni Moore writes: “Rapper/philanthropist 21 Savage is perhaps best known for his singles like ‘Bank Account,’ from 2017’s Issa Album, “No Heart” with Metro Boomin, and a feature on Post Malone’s Billboard-topping ‘Rockstar.’ Despite 21 Savage’s handful of missteps with the law (including being arrested by ICE officials in 2019 and then being released on bond a week later), the London-born, Atlanta-based rapper has staked his claim as one of the millennial generation’s favorite trap artists, while simultaneously advancing public dialogue about the experiences of Black immigrants.” He will stop by Ridgefield to support his latest album, American Dream, which features appearances from Doja Cat, Young Thug, Travis Scott, Summer Walker, Burna Boy, and more. AV
(RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater, Ridgefield)
READINGS & TALKS
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A valiant roundup of Portlanders will air out their most shameful moments on stage for this edition of Mortified, a podcast and live event series that celebrates the utter embarrassment of childhood. As it turns out, those awkward moments you’ve shoved to the back of your mind might actually be clout-worthy—Newsweek deemed the show a “cultural phenomenon” that’s “better and cheaper than therapy.” I’ll be hanging on to my therapist, thank you very much, but Mortified is certainly a rare opportunity for catharsis. LC
(Alberta Rose Theatre, Concordia)
COMEDY
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Heading to some of the city’s best-loved venues this year, the Rip City Comedy Festival is an easily navigated good time—grab main stage tickets or a VIP pass and you’re in for three days of laughs from nationally known comics and local faves. I recommend heading to the festival’s queer comedy showcase and Stupid News Live, Julie Baker’s news broadcast-eque comedy show. LC
(Various locations, Thursday-Saturday)
COMMUNITY
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Celebrate Cinco de Mayo over three days with this sprawling street fiesta put on by the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association (PGSCA). The internationally-acclaimed Mariachi Ciudad de Guadalajara will be joined by local Mariachi students on Saturday night and performing during Mass on Sunday, but expect top-of-the-line music and entertainment all weekend. The popular plaza de niños is even bigger this year, featuring free face painting, lotería games, cultural crafts, and access to Oregon’s International Reptile Rescue exhibit where you can find iguanas, tortoises, tarantulas, and a Gila monster (!!) I can’t wait to get my hands on some aguas frescas and tamales. SL
(Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Downtown, Friday-Sunday)
FILM
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For a film that begins in 1910 during the Great Flood of Paris, The Beast feels achingly alive with the anxiety of existing in 2024. Based in part on Henry James’s 1903 novella, The Beast in the Jungle, about a man who believes his whole life is steered toward an impending catastrophe, the latest and tenth film by Bertrand Bonello finds that same “deep-seated feeling that something terrible will occur” in the heart of a woman named Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux), and bends eternity around it. Across three lifetimes, Seydoux plays a lovelorn woman who waits for doom. Whatever that doom is, it doesn’t matter; it might as well be the apocalypse. If that seems like the stuff of a great, sappy cinematic romance, it is, but the work of Bonello tends to refuse simple categories. The French multi-hyphenate (director-writer-composer) makes destabilizing films, ever-shifting emulsions of form and genre. Read the Mercury‘s whole review. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR DOM SINACOLA
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Wednesday)
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Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino’s latest follows Zendaya as Tashi, a prodigy tennis player-turned-coach whose training transformed her husband into a national champion. Things get weird and maybe horny when she forces him to play a pro-tournament “Challenger” event alongside her former boyfriend. Do I care about tennis? No, of course not!! But I don’t ask for much—Zendaya and a psychosexual plotline are enough for me. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)
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Alex Garland’s latest, Civil War, is A24’s most expensive in-house production to date, following a group of military-embedded journos headed to DC “before rebel factions descend upon the White House.” Honestly, I’m wary of how he’ll handle this one, although Garland’s work does tend to thrive in dystopian settings. But Kristen Dunst stars as a photojournalist, which is reason enough to watch. Also, Garland may or may not be retiring from directing (“I’m going to take a break for the foreseeable future,” he clarified recently), so if you’re a fan of the filmmaker behind Annihilation and Men, you should plan to let his new one marinate. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Thursday)
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If you aren’t riveted by the prospect of this film, well, we’re two very different people. David and Nathan Zellner’s Sasquatch Sunset follows a family of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) over the course of one year, as they wander, grunt, and munch mushrooms in North America’s foggy forests. Riley Keough and Jesse Eisenberg star, and they look like this. We owe it to them to go see this film as payment for the zillion hours they spent having prosthetics applied. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)
FOOD & DRINK
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Your April just got way more delicious: Members of ALIST Consulting, Baon Kainan, Magna Kusina, and Magna Kubo have come together to present the Portland area’s inaugural Filipino Food Month, featuring a collaboration between over 26 small local businesses. Each week, 15 different locations between Beaverton and Troutdale will offer fresh food and drink specials highlighting a different classic Filipino ingredient, complemented by “historical and personal storytelling” online to lend additional cultural context. With participants like GrindWitTryz, Makulit, Shop Halo Halo, Sun Rice, Sugarpine Drive-In, and more, this culinary crawl promises to be as mouthwatering as it is educational. JB
(Various locations, Monday-Tuesday)
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Sip all the smaller-than-small-batch beer you can handle at the self-proclaimed “world’s largest nano beer fest.” A punch card will enable you to sample sips of all 24 options for a total of 48 ounces, with additional tasting tickets available for purchase. JB
(John’s Marketplace, Multnomah Village, Friday-Sunday)
LIVE MUSIC
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How many shows do you sell out before you move to a bigger venue? I will not deny that it’s going to be flippin’ magical to hear Toronto singer-songwriter Andy Shauf within the lofty arches of the Old Church. But they started off with two shows (May 4 & May 5), added one on May 7, and now that’s sold out too. As someone who has seen Shauf live several times, I’ll say that within him are two Shaufs: One wants to play the album he just released flawlessly, faithful to the recorded tracks. The other wants to show off whatever new tracks about dire human moments he’s currently crafting. We may be far enough from 2023’s Norm—his easy-listening disco album about a god-obsessed stalker—that he’ll lend us the latter. PORTLAND MERCURY ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR SUZETTE SMITH
(The Old Church, Downtown, Saturday-Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
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Another dark fairytale hits the stage this spring, courtesy of one of Portland’s most exciting theater companies Shaking the Tree. Adapted from a short story by Alissa Nutting—which was itself an adaptation of Grimm’s Fairy Tale “The Juniper Tree”—The Brother and the Bird contains all the tabloid stuff of humanity found in stories like Cinderella and myths about Thyestes. You may have read Nutting’s story in the 2010 anthology My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales, but through the vision of the company’s artistic director, Samantha Van Der Merwe, the tale is about to get wilder, darker, and more human than before. PORTLAND MERCURY ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR SUZETTE SMITH
(Shaking the Tree Theatre, Hosford-Abernethy, Thursday–Sunday)
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Self-discovery! Not-so-subtle feminist themes! Pink! Try not to look so constipated at this musical interpretation of Legally Blonde, which follows our bouncy blonde queen as she conquers Harvard and her dreams. Promotional materials explain that the show is “action-packed and exploding with memorable songs and dynamic dance,” so I’m hoping that everyone on stage does the bend-and-snap. LC
(Winningstad Theatre, South Park Blocks, Monday-Sunday)
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It’s not possible to perform Nassim the same way twice, but it’s all too easy to spoil the show for those who haven’t seen it. We’re reminded of a challenge Artists Repertory Theatre laid down when they staged Red Rabbit White Rabbit, which is also by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour: “We dare you not to Google for more.”
That said, we wrote a SPOILER-FREE review that you CAN READ. Find it here. SS
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Monday-Sunday)
VISUAL ART
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California-born artist Mike Young began earning money from hand-drawn greeting cards in the ’70s. Young is deaf and blind in one eye, and observes images from books and magazines close up, “bringing his face close enough to nearly touch the pigment and paper.” Drawn to contour, outline, architectural detail, and anatomy, Young’s pictorial works feel familiar yet reorganized. “His accumulations tell fragmented stories and invent new taxonomies,” PICA artistic director Kristan Kennedy explained. A Berry, A Boot, A Building, A Blue Door: New Works by Mike Young is a great opportunity to check out Elbow Room, a local arts organization providing material support, mentorship, and studio space to artists experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities. LC
(Elbow Room, Buckman, Monday–Friday)
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Portland-based and apocalypse-interested artist Anthony Roberto will share a “multi-year body of 3D modeling work” in All We’ve Got Is Each Other, a solo exhibition of uncanny Blender-modeled, 3D-printed sculptures and sleek prints on aluminum. Object/Model, Figure/Form meditates on human experience by “using the stage as a space without place,” and gets curious about how identities engage and commingle. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday; opening)
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Self-taught artist Aaron Hankins will present an “endurance and protest art installation” in Ceasefire, which tracks each day of the ongoing genocide in Gaza through daily paintings of watermelons, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity. Hankins’s paintings (created on the backs of USPS mailers) are full of symbolism—the watermelon seeds “denote numerical order and serve as a physical log of the days at unrest.” The paintings are stitched together in a growing banner. Hankins will lead ceasefire demonstrations in the gallery for the exhibition’s duration. LC
(One Grand Gallery, Buckman, Monday-Sunday)
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Featuring new works by Arantza Peña Popo, Christina Tran, Daniela Ortiz Mendez, Jai Milx, Kacy McKinney, Kimberléa Ruffu, Liz Yerby, and many others, Changing the Narrative: Epilogue explores homelessness research through multimedia. Comics, textiles, ceramics, installations, and collage works will be exhibited alongside the original 10 comics from Changing the Narrative. Best part? “Sales of the exhibition book will benefit the Independent Resource Center, and sales of the third edition of Changing the Narrative (with new content from Street Roots vendors) will benefit Street Roots,” ILY2 explains. LC
(ILY2 too, Lloyd District, Thursday–Sunday)
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Elbow Room, a local arts organization providing material support, mentorship, and studio space to artists experiencing intellectual and developmental disabilities, has a longstanding relationship with PICA, and this exhibition curated by PICA’s artistic director Kristan Kennedy is the latest exciting art event to blossom from the partnership. The circus and the beach, presented at ILY2, features works by Tess Bidelspach, Elmeater Morton, and Mohamed Omar, all of whom work at Elbow Room. Don’t miss the April 6 opening for a musical performance by Omar at 2:30 pm, and if you (like me) are totally enamored by Elbow Room’s artists, pop by its SE Madison location on April 7 for another exhibition: A Berry, A Boot, A Building, A Blue Door: New Works by Mike Young. LC
(ILY2, Pearl District, Wednesday–Saturday)
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As a devotee of Holly Osborne’s Instagram page, I’m thrilled to see the Oregon-born artist and teacher continue to draw from the natural world as inspiration. In this ethereal solo exhibition, the acrylic and oil artist’s fluid compositions (drawn from the “wild countryside of Portugal, the formal vistas of France, and the spontaneous arrangements encountered during walks in North Portland”) elicit peace with a dash of the unexpected. Lush, candy-colored landscapes encourage the eye to roam and daydream. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)
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I last wrote about Kinke Kooi’s squishy bodily compositions in 2021, when her exhibition The Grotesk of Raising interrupted my pandemic isolation with “a non-hierarchical Eden, where curving pearl-forms and intestine-like masses intertwined, becoming body and beyond-body.” Praise be. Kooi returns to Adams and Ollman with The Male Part of the Flower, in which the artist remains true to her fleshy forms, oceanic realms, and collaged elements. LC
(Adams and Ollman, Northwest Portland, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)
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Portland-based painter Nicole Williford’s Madonna, Madonna pulls from seemingly discordant visual languages—expect traditional portraiture and realist exactitude combined with surprising moments of abstraction and surreality. Drawing from family photographs, Williford’s compositions function as a meditative practice for the artist, and follow subjects “from girlhood into matriarchy.” The results emphasize all of the monotony, grief, and beauty that occurs in a life. LC
(Chefas Projects, Central Eastside, Wednesday–Saturday; closing)
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Artists Lark Pien, Josh Sin, and Yuyang Zhang blend their own stories with Chinese immigrant history in the Pacific Northwest to reflect on the “complex and nuanced psychological landscape of being ethnic Chinese living in America.” Re:Generation – Manifesting at the Peach Blossom Spring pulls from a fifth-century Chinese fable of utopian discovery to describe how the artists are pursuing “personal utopias” through their provocative work, which varies from conceptual world-building to political satire. The exhibition is a great opportunity to check out the Portland Chinatown Museum if you haven’t yet—you can also catch Beyond the Gate: A Tale of Portland’s Historic Chinatowns, the museum’s permanent exhibition. LC
(Portland Chinatown Museum, Old Town-Chinatown, Thursday-Saturday; closing)
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I first wrote about Ryan Pierce’s work back in 2021, at the height of a cinematically bleak pandemic. I was amazed by Pierce’s ability to “envision the potential for worldly change from an optimistic, anti-apocalyptic lens. “[Pierce’s] paintings depict the confluence of environmental chaos and the end of industrial capitalism as a revelrous feast, full of mayhem and clutter and uniquely human messes…[they] don’t force a new narrative on the viewer, but instead offer possibility: What if the future looked like this?” The artist will return to Elizabeth Leach for another solo exhibition, which will continue to “reposition” humanity’s place on earth and imagine how nature might carry on in our absence. LC
(Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Pearl District, Thursday-Saturday; opening)
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We told you about The Lobby—a Southeast exhibition space that rotates artworks from Molly McCabe’s personal art collection in our Fall Arts Guide, but there’s a new exhibition there that just opened and is worth your notice. Shriek of Color is focused on the “profound influence of color in art” and invites viewers and passersby to experience color in works from several painters; Sam Gilliam, who was legendary in the color field, Joan Snyder’s gestural abstraction, and the expressiveness of self-taught Matthew Wong. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR ASHLEY GIFFORD PETERSON
(Ellen Browning Building, Richmond, Monday-Tuesday; closing)
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