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LIVE MUSIC
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No offense to any gamers out there, but some of y’all need to step away from the screen and get some fresh air (or as the kids say, “touch grass”). And what better way is there to leave the house than by heading a video game symphony? The Oregon Symphony and Chorale will perform the lush scores of Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Starfield, The Elder Scrolls, Fallout, God of War, Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Journey, Portal 2, and The Last of Us as game scenes projected onto a huge screen. AV
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)
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Lætitia Sadier, the co-founder, songwriter, and lyricist of the electropop great Stereolab, released her fifth solo album Rooting for Love on Chicago label Drag City last week, and it’s a brilliant, politically subversive, and idiosyncratic synth-pop record. My favorite cut is “Don’t Forget That You’re Mine,” a bright experimental pop song about abuse and possession. It’s an exciting event, because it’d been several years since we’d heard new solo music from the singer, who last released Find Me Finding You as the Lætitia Sadier Source Ensemble in 2017. In the past seven years, she’d embarked on successful tours with a reunited Stereolab, and last year put out a collaborative record as Modern Cosmology with the Brazil-based Mombojó. STRANGER STAFF WRITER VIVIAN MCCALL
(Polaris Hall, Humboldt)
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Portland’s own MarchFourth consists of over 15 performers who integrate New Orleans-inspired marching band tunes with vaudeville theatrics, stilt-walkers, circus acrobatics, vibrant costumes, and more performance antics. The band will celebrate its 21st anniversary with this 21+ spectacular. AV
(Crystal Ballroom, West End)
VISUAL ART
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The days are short, the nights are cold, and you’re probably trying all sorts of anti-depression strategies. I suggest this one: Head to the Portland Japanese Garden to look at tiny carvings of critters and gods. During the Edo period, netsuke were killer fashion accessories worn on the sash of a man’s kimono. The “never-before-seen” selections featured in Masterpieces in Miniature: The Art of Netsuke Sculptures are small enough to fit in your palm, and super detailed, too. LC
(Portland Japanese Garden, Washington Park; closing)
READINGS & TALKS
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Artist-adventurer Tessa Hulls has been developing her genre-bending graphic memoir Feeding Ghosts for the last decade. The tome tells the story of three generations of women in her family—her Chinese grandmother Sun Yi, a bestselling author and journalist in Shanghai during the ’49 Communist victory; her mother, who came to the United States and eventually cared for Sun Yi; and herself. At 30, Hulls begins to reflect on her travels to Antarctica and how she might be running from her own history—Feeding Ghosts meets the reader there. Hulls will discuss the book with The Cost of Free Land writer Rebecca Clarren. LC
(Powell’s City of Books, Pearl District)
FILM
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Fans of big rocks (aka mountains) and the people who climb them (aka mountain climbers) shouldn’t miss The North Face’s Reel Rock 18, which features heart-pumping expedition flicks filmed in Ukraine, the Peruvian Andes, Mallorca, and Japan’s Mt. Mizugaki. LC
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)
FOOD & DRINK
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What if your sixth-grade museum field trip grew up to be the boozy evening of your dreams? Such is the premise behind this geeked-out cider fest presented by OMSI in collaboration with 2 Towns Cider House. Quaff boozy apple-based libations, learn about cidermaking, check out hands-on science demos that would make Bill Nye proud, and traipse through OMSI’s featured “Staying Alive: Defenses of the Animal Kingdom” exhibit with no kids around. Local food vendors like Clarklewis, Mudge Fudge, and Sinful Confections will also sling tasty snacks. JB
(OMSI, Central Eastside)
LIVE MUSIC
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Former Stranger contributor Kathy Fennessy writes: “To judge by Dan Bejar’s (aka Destroyer’s) singing style, the equivalent of a stranger whispering in your ear to be heard over a crowd, it’s easy to picture the Vancouver musician as a cross between Joel Grey and Space Oddity-era David Bowie, except he’s neither a dapper song-and-dance man nor a starry-eyed glam rocker. It’s just that he italicizes every lyric like an alien struggling to emulate the human concept of sincerity—and failing spectacularly. Even as a member of power-pop collective the New Pornographers, Bejar’s songs stand alone, sounding as if they drifted over from one of his 13 studio albums, such as the excellent, NYC-inspired Poison Season. If you don’t get it, don’t worry. Bejar is a Brechtian device disguised as a chamber-pop troubadour.” He will return to Portland for a solo set with support from Canadian indie rockers Lightning Dust. AV
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)
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)
LIVE MUSIC
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We’ve all seen a lot of Bad Bunny over the last few years—he’s become ubiquitous with his Latin-trap earworms, high-fashion style, famous flings, and controversial stage antics. And, as Spotify’s most streamed artist of 2021 and 2022 (and the second most streamed in 2023), it looks like he’s here to stay! The Latin trap star is bringing his Most Wanted tour to Portland to support his fifth album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, which, despite leaning into cowboy aesthetics, is not a country album. Rather, he explores various EDM genres like house, drill, and Jersey club. AV
(Moda Center, Lloyd District)
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If you’re ISO an exploratory and uplifting time, California-hailing symphonic singer Julia Holter should help you shake something loose—she’s a low-key baroque pop queen whose surreal music is widely hailed by critics. If you’re into pop girlies, you’ll like Julia. If you’re more avant-garde, you’ll like, Julia, too. Her dewy, harpsichord-filled 2015 track “Sea Calls Me Home” and its lilting chorus (“I can’t swim! Its lucidity! So clear!”) helped me glide through the last nine years—as I navigated the end of college, my first “real” writing jobs, and the pandemic, every listen was a swan dive, a rest on a chilly rock as I gazed at the sparkle of sunlight against ocean waves. Since the birth of her daughter and the death of a loved one, though, Holter’s brand of dream pop has expanded to become more sensual and nocturnal. Her new album, Something in the Room She Moves, will be released on March 22. LC
(Aladdin Theater, Brooklyn)
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Singer-songwriter (and lover of biology) Mariah the Scientist rose to fame under the mentorship of controversial rapper Tory Lanez, who produced her debut full-length album, Master. Now on tour supporting her third album, To Be Eaten Alive, she will light up the stage with her relatable R&B slow-jams that have drawn comparisons to SZA and Frank Ocean. AV
(Wonder Ballroom, Eliot)
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We’re historically fans of Portland band Night Heron’s soft warm tones and laid back grooves, like the psychedelic, R&B-informed synth pop on their 2021 full-length Instructions for the Night; the album provides an excellent late night playlist, or the right sounds for studying, reading, or driving. Hell, at times it’s soothing enough to fall asleep to. Next week the band will headline a show at Lollipop Shoppe, the former home of Dig A Pony that’s been maintaining the venue’s spirit of offering a consistent, hyper-local music calendar. It’ll be worth leaving your house a little early to catch Seattle rock band Smokey Brights and Portland-based musician/television sound mixer Nate Wey, with his band the Soft Colors as they round out the bill. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR JENNI MOORE
(Lollipop Shoppe, Buckman)
PERFORMANCE
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Trans musician/actor Laser Webber, who’s one-half of comedy duo the Doubleclicks, will present this one-person musical on trans men’s history through the lens of Alan Hart, the first trans man to get gender-confirming surgery in 1917. J.K. Rowling makes an appearance, too (yikes). The award-winning production made waves at the 2023 Hollywood Fringe Festival, and Broadway Baby described the production as “trans history by way of comedy that injects much-needed laughter and joy into this difficult moment for trans people.” LC
(Siren Theater, Boise)
COMEDY
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Throw on your bunny slippers and beg your mom to give you a ride to Kickstand’s Slumber Party, a jumbo bag of gummy bears in the form of improvised sleepover scenes. Kickstand CVLT members Jones Pitsker, Lauren Sigler, Steven Marocco, Jerilyn Armstrong, and others will team up for the hormone-raging nostalgia fest—expect prank calls, Truth or Dare sessions, and Phish Food binges. I’m bringing my e-Kara. LC
(Kickstand Comedy, Ladd’s Addition)
FILM
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Ruth E. Carter, the Afrofuturism-inspired costume designer who helped create the stunning fictional worlds of Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, Selma, and Coming 2 America (as well as Black Panther, for which she became the first African American to win an Oscar in the Costume Design category) will head to Portland for one night to chat with Amy Dotson, director of PAM CUT and the Portland Art Museum’s curator of film and new media. Talk attendees can grab a copy of Carter’s new book, The Art of Ruth Carter: Costuming Black History and the Afrofuture, from Do the Right Thing to Black Panther; Carter’s visit will also be celebrated with a weekend of screenings of Black Panther,Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Sundance sensation Bravo, Burkina! LC
(Tomorrow Theater, Richmond)
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Cary Elwes, who played farmhand-turned-adventurer Westley in The Princess Bride, will join the audience for a screening of the iconic flick (you know the drill—a mythical kingdom, a kidnapping, a love that transcends all evils, and so on) and offer a rare glimpse at all of the antics and secrets behind the scenes. VIP tickets will land you the best seats in the house, plus a meet-and-greet session with Elwes and a copy of his book, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride. LC
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, South Park Blocks)
LIVE MUSIC
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With inspirations ranging from Radiohead to Joni Mitchell, British singer-songwriter Arlo Parks crafts emotionally stirring indie pop songs with poetic lyrics such as “Cardamom and jade as your eyes screamed / On the night you showed your volcanic side / And I’m afraid to need validation / Waiting for the day when you finally try” (“Pegasus”). Parks will support her critically acclaimed sophomore album, My Soft Machine, which features collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers, Lous and the Yakuza, and redveil. Pop singer-songwriter Chloe George—who has penned songs for Dua Lipa and Normani—will open. AV
(Crystal Ballroom, West End)
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I first became acquainted with Texan singer-songwriter Jess Williamson through Plains, her collaborative country-folk project with Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield. My love of Crutchfield’s songwriting compelled me to pick up their debut album, I Walked with You a Ways, but I stayed for Williamson’s Emmylou Harris-esque vocal delivery and the duo’s jaw-dropping blended harmonies (evocative of legendary supergroup Trio). After overplaying Plains’ single “Abilene” to death, I moved on to Williamson’s psychedelic indie-folk album Sorceress with delight. She will stop by in support of her fifth solo album, Time Ain’t Accidental (my favorite of hers thus far!) which touches on themes of “endless prairies and ocean waves; long drives and highway expanse; dancing, smoke, sex, and physical desire.” Nashville-born folk-pop gem Erin Ray will open. AV
(The Get Down, Buckman)
VISUAL ART
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If you’ve lived in Portland for a while, you might remember Content, a site-specific installation in which artists converted hotel room spaces into conceptual or multimedia installations. The event’s original iteration ran from 2009 to 2015 at the Ace Hotel, where artists took over an entire hotel room for the night and transformed it into a conceptual or multimedia installation, forgoing typical product display setups and pop-up shops. Content will return to the Society Hotel, where 37 artists will convert rooms into imaginative spaces for visitors to explore. LC
(The Society Hotel, Old Town-Chinatown)
FOOD & DRINK
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It’s high time that the scores of talented women in the cider and beer world got some well-deserved recognition. The ninth annual edition of this festival will celebrate over 40 professional female brewers from around the Pacific Northwest, as well as 10 female home brewers. Taste their creations and cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award. Plus, try cuisine from women-owned food carts, browse vendor booths, play outdoor games, snap some photo booth pics, participate in a raffle, and sample home-brewed sodas. JB
(The Redd on Salmon, Buckman)
FILM
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A Margaret Qualley-fronted flick directed by Ethan Coen? Okayyyy, I’m listening. Drive-Away Dolls stars Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two friends aiming to “loosen up” by driving to Tallahassee. (This was their first mistake—trust me, I’m from Florida.) The pair meet up with a bunch of idiot criminals, and things spiral from there. One Letterboxd reviewer deemed the film a “zippy queer joyride,” and they weren’t kidding—the best thing about Drive-Away Dolls might be its tight 84-minute runtime. Take notes, Christopher Nolan. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Thursday)
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Happy Women’s History Month! Hollywood Theatre’s Feminist March program will once again offer up a full month of screenings celebrating women in film. Programmed by Hollywood Theatre community programmer Anthony Hudson and Hollywood staff members Destynee Norwood and Cable Wells, this year’s lineup “delves unflinchingly into the dark and seedy depths of female experience” (oOoO!) with 19 films. The wide-reaching festival kicks off with Crossroads, which hits different now that Britney is finally free, followed by Jumana Manna’s A Magical Substance Flows Into Me, which “explores the diverse musical traditions of Palestine via the archives of Robert Lachmann, a gay German-Jewish ethnomusicologist.” Grey Gardens, Bring It On, and the Lily Gladstone-fronted film Certain Women will follow later in the month. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Monday-Sunday)
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Dan Savage’s pioneering erotic film fest will premiere an all-new lineup of sexy films featuring all genders and orientations at Revolution Hall this year. Since 2005, HUMP! has brought inclusive, creative, and kinky films to the big screen—scope out the sex-positive fest in person for a tantalizing treat. This year’s fest features not one but two feature-length lineups—part one includes a feast of “24 brand-spanking-new films” for your eyeballs. It’s worth a venture outside of your sex dungeon, but you can still wear the latex catsuit. LC
(Revolution Hall, Buckman, Friday-Saturday)
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New German Cinema pioneer Wim Wenders, who directed Wings of Desire and a mysterious terrain of canyons and neon in Paris, Texas, is known for his deliciously “slow” cinema and emphasis on desolation. Interestingly, this film (which was shortlisted for Best International Feature at this year’s Oscars) feels a little more lighthearted, but I suspect that I will still come away feeling somehow devastated. Perfect Days follows a Tokyo toilet scrubber, Hirayama, whose days are filled with contentment, cassette tapes, books, and photos of trees. May we all be so blessed. LC
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)
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Jeanie Finlay’s Your Fat Friend documents the rise of writer and self-described “very fat person” Aubrey Gordon, who cut her teeth as an anonymous blogger and has since become a bestselling author. I’m a big fan of the loud-laughing, Portland-based fat acceptance activist, whose podcast Maintenance Phase pokes fun at Goop-driven garbaggio and widens my perspective on what it means to be healthy. “It is a real paradigm shift to look at someone my size and think…that person may have put in a great deal of effort, and that may have been what got them here,” says Gordon in the film. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District, Friday-Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
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Cervantes’s hero Don Quixote gains new life in this modern, Tejano-inspired twist on the 17th-century tale, set in the fictional town of La Plancha, Texas and infused with Spanish music. Quixote Nuevo follows a professor with dementia who imagines himself as Don Quixote and embarks on a love-driven journey while encountering border patrol drones. The Seattle Times described Quixote Nuevo as “deftly and efficiently lead[ing] viewers from reality to fantasy and into the murky borderlands that lie in between.” LC
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Wednesday–Sunday)
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The newest production by Polish-born playwright Martyna Majok, whose play Cost of Living received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, was a New York Times critic’s pick. Sanctuary City is staged in post-9/11 Newark, where two pre-DACA “Dreamers” meet up on a fire escape to share their worries and hopes as undocumented teens. They plan to marry, but time shifts their relationship and brings up questions about sacrifice, love, and belonging. LC
(CoHo Theater, Northwest Portland, Thursday–Sunday)
VISUAL ART
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The first of its kind to “consider the work of Black artists collectively in Oregon,” PAM’s fresh exhibition will showcase Black artists in and outside its collection, with special attention paid to underrepresented regional artists. Black Artists of Oregon thinks carefully about the African American experience in the Pacific Northwest, with pieces spanning the last 100 years by heavy hitters like Carrie Mae Weems and professional puppeteer Ralph Chessé. I’m particularly stoked for the exhibition because it was guest curated by Portland-based artist Intisar Abioto, whose own practice fills gaps in our region’s history with critical context on lived Black experience. LC
(Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks, Wednesday–Sunday)
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Boston-based artist Georgie Friedman creates videos, sculptural installations, and site-specific projects that “focus on our personal and societal relationships to severe environmental circumstances,” and BREATHING– LIGHT is no exception—the video and sound installation (Friedman’s first solo exhibition in the Pacific Northwest) ponders “tiny and immense things that connect us all” with NASA imagery of the sun and an immersive soundscape. LC
(Oregon Contemporary, Kenton, Friday–Sunday; closing)
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Las Vegas Ikebana centers the cross-genre practices of Maren Hassinger and Senga Nengudi, whose artistic paths have been entwined since the pair met in 1977. They’ve developed an extensive body of time-based performance works informed by choreography, sculpture, and “conceptual correspondences” amid institutional neglect. In other words, they are perhaps the coolest best friends ever. The exhibition’s absurdist title is pulled from “Hassinger’s experience working in a flower shop in Los Angeles and Nengudi’s exploration of Japanese aesthetic forms,” and speaks to the duo’s interest in improvisation, pop culture, humor, and the natural world. Programming for Las Vegas Ikebana includes “Don’t be Scared”: A Talk on the Art of Collaboration by Maren Hassinger and Senga Nengudi, with thoughts from exhibition curator Allie Tepper, Dr. Leslie King Hammond, and Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims, and See-See Riders, a performance choreographed by Nengudi and danced by sidony o’neal and keyon gaskin. LC
(Cooley Gallery at Reed College, Reed, Thursday–Sunday)
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Jessie Rose Vala’s latest installation pulls from mythic storytelling to erect a stoneware and neon “effigy” to hybridity and connectivity across the ages. The work includes glass pomegranates and is surrounded by sound and video elements that amplify Vala’s focus on ancient histories and “future ways of being.” Meteorite Mama also offers an opportunity to make your own talisman on March 9—effigies, beads, and string will be provided. The exhibition will conclude with a ritual event on March 30, which will include an acapella performance by devotional artist Willow Gibbons and a natural arrangement workshop led by floral designer Hilary Horvath. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday)
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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–Sunday)
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