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LIVE MUSIC
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Cheekface has been around since 2017, but it was four years later that they really captured the voice of our generation with the song “We Need a Bigger Dumpster.” KEXP wouldn’t stop playing it, and for good reason—its guitar-driven rhythms and tongue-in-cheek lyrics like “I caught a cold / I coughed on all my friends / Now everyone is coughing on everybody else / And we’re coughing on our doctors and our doctors cough out / ‘EVERYTHING IS FINE.'” Equal parts catchy indie rock and social commentary, lead singer Greg Katz’s talk-singing puts the message front-and-center as we bob our heads and smile wryly to the beat in spite of (because of?) existential dread. Hazy bedroom pop artist Yungatita will open this show. SL
(Mississippi Studios, Boise)
FILM
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If you frequently read EverOut’s roundups, you may have noticed that I’m a big fan of Church of Film, a supernatural cinema program that centers stories of the occult, folktales, anarchy, communism, queerness, and all things magical. CoF keeps the good times rolling this week with a program of enchanted Soviet animation—think Baba Yaga, trolls, giants (kindly and horrible), and other mythical creatures from otherworldly landscapes. The offerings are pulled from the catalog of “the Soviet Union’s great animation studio, Soyuzmultfilm,” and include The Scarlet Flower, The Magic Lake, The Walnut Switch, and other flicks. Show up to celebrate one of Portland’s weirdest, most beloved cinema treasures, and get an eyeful of magic, too. LC
(Turn! Turn! Turn!, Humboldt)
COMEDY
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Portland Mercury Undisputed Geniuses of Comedy Arlo Weierhauser and Kate Murphy (noted Bigfoot skeptic) get straight-up diabolical in this live game show, which sees the chucklesome pair answer a series of “truly evil” questions on stage. The audience (and special guest Zac Toscani) will then decide which of the responses is less evil. It’s kinda like a Catholic confessional, except FUN and non-judgy. Okay, maybe a little judgy. You’ll have to go to find out. Plus, there’ll be prizes—the perfect antidote for a little moral corruption. LC
(Siren Theater, Boise)
LIVE MUSIC
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Combo Chimbita is composed of four first-generation New Yorkers who all have roots in Colombia. Together, they fuse traditional cumbia with reggae and psych-rock, resulting in a danceable genre that they’ve coined “tropical futurism.” The quartet recently released a new single “Margarita,” which marks the first release on their label Discos Abya Yala. Don’t miss an opening set from contemporary dub scientist Pachyman. AV
(The Get Down, Buckman)
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José González can bring a tear to your eye with a single pluck of the guitar or word sung in his delicate, high-toned voice—he is just that emotive. Even if you don’t think you’re familiar with his work, I bet you know his 2003 hit “Heartbeats,” which has appeared on numerous indie movie soundtracks. González will stop by Portland on a brief tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album Veneer. AV
(Revolution Hall, Buckman)
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On her latest album, sentiment, Claire Rousay contrasts her diaristic lyrics about loneliness, nostalgia, sentimentality, guilt, and sex with robotic vocal filters and lavish drones. Despite the electronic production, the emotion in Rousay’s voice seeps through the effects, spurring a strong sense of desire to connect to the listener. She will support the album alongside the Portland-based ambient project Anne Annie in honor of this month’s full pink moon.
(The Old Church, Downtown)
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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If you’re interested in a dark night of the soul, I suggest you pop an edible and head to this free screening of Son of the White Mare, a dreamlike, mythical quest to the underworld. The film is a psychedelic swirl of Hungarian folklore and Freudian freakishness (for starters, the hero breastfeeds for 14 years), and its anxiety-tinged plot “unfolds like artwork etched into a cave wall…brought to restless life by an unclassifiable spell that only cinema can muster,” according to Indiewire. Whoa. Portland visual artist Eatcho curated this month’s Blessings Movie Night, which will feature an original live score by local musicians. LC
(Clinton Street Theater, Hosford-Abernethy)
READINGS & TALKS
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It’s officially National Poetry Month, so let’s celebrate metrical compositions, shall we?? The first annual Ekphraestival is a solid way; it was borne from a collab between 25 poets and 26 visual artists. (Ekphrasis—description” in Greek—refers to writing that responds to visual art.) Ekphraestival employs a broader use of the term, though—it will showcase visual art that responds to poetry. The fest includes three exhibitions and readings across several NW and SE Portland locations, including Soliloquy Fine Arts, The Writers’ Block, Blackfish Gallery, and The Lobby. LC
(Various locations)
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Telltale, a local storytelling event for folks who like to get vulnerable and a lil’ weird, will present a cast of 8-10 performers sharing tales on a “wisdom comes” theme this month. Centering the perspectives of “seasoned” (aka not 20-something) queer comrades, attendees can expect a blend of “honesty, curse words, enthusiasm, dark humor, [and] connection.” You’ll hear something refreshingly radical with tinges of dark humor, and you can participate in a fun raffle. Win-win! LC
(Siren Theater, Boise)
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The kids are alright, and here’s proof: Talented youth from Portland and East Multnomah County public high schools will duke it out for poetic glory at this championship poetry slam. Show up to hear words slung by future greats. LC
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Southwest Portland)
PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
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Few things have had a chokehold on me quite like the Happy Face motif in the early aughts. Smiley items in my childhood bedroom included a Happy Face landline phone, Happy Face patterned sunglasses (yellow-tinted lenses of course), and a Lisa Frank Happy Face lunch box. I was obsessed. That’s why this week’s Snap! Y2K party feels like the smiley-themed birthday party I never had. Show up in full black, yellow, neon, and tie-dye garb and dance your face off to nostalgic hip-hop, rock, R&B, rave, and pop jams. This is the only acceptable occasion to yell “smile” at someone. AV
(Holocene, Buckman)
FILM
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Calling it now: If you’ve seen Stop Making Sense, it’s probably your favorite concert film. It’s jangly and arty and all of the other words one might use to describe Talking Heads’s catalog, and David wears the suit. Not feeling the Byrne? Listen, I know watching a concert movie for a band you don’t listen to sounds like hell, but this one might be an exception. If you haven’t seen it yet, anticipate looking back on the experience with a funny fondness later, like a good birthday party or the first time you smoked weed. Jonathan Demme (yes, the guy who went on to make The Silence of the Lambs) recorded all of the concert footage over the course of three days at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre in 1983, during the height of the Heads’ visionary fame. It’s screening in a new restoration, so prep for a “once in a lifetime” experience. LC
(Hollywood Theatre, Hollywood District)
READINGS & TALKS
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If you’ve ever yearned to hear the phrase “welcome to my TED talk” in real life, well, here’s your chance. This year’s TEDxPortland conference, which is on an “alchemy” theme, features talks and performances that meet Portland at its current transition point to imagine possibilities for diversity, technological advancement, and increased intention. Featured guests include “accidental middle-aged influencer” Lou Featherstone, James Beard Award-winning chef Gabriel Rucker, Children’s Institute CEO Kali Thorne Ladd, indie folk outfit Y La Bamba, and many others. LC
(Keller Auditorium, Downtown)
SHOPPING
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Each year, Independent Bookstore Day celebrates something we can all rally behind: indie bookstores. Pop by your local shops all day long for special prizes, swag, and meet-cutes with fellow lit lovers—oh, and books, too.
(Various locations)
LIVE MUSIC
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On his new solo project, Dan Boeckner (known mononymously by his last name) employs lush synths, noisy guitars, and gritty vocals that pull inspiration from his respective bands Wolf Parade, Operators, and Handsome Furs. He said of his solo debut: “Starting back when I was a teenager, my life in music has been trying to develop my own musical language, and this record is the beginning of presenting that.” Arrive in time to catch an opening set from LA-based alt-rockers Night Talks. AV
(Mississippi Studios, Boise)
EXHIBIT
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Sauna: It’s more than just getting really hot in a towel next to some strangers. The practice is actually on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, an inventory I never knew existed until this moment. Makes sense, though—the earliest versions of sauna date back to 7000 BCE, and the traditional Finnish practice embodies sacred connection, peace, and a shame-free, natural “bareness” that’s rarely permitted in daily life. This exhibition will be presented in collaboration with the Finlandia Foundation National for Sauna is Life. (Interested in Finnish culture and chilling out? Treat yourself to a Löyly trip.) LC
(Nordic Northwest, Metzger, Monday-Wednesday)
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As a child, I begged my mom to take me to a “fossil digging” experience staged in an old Chuck E. Cheese, where kids were given a shovel and a sifter and let loose in a swimming pool-sized sand pit to hunt for petrified remains. I had the time of my life, came away with dozens of fossils, and it only hit me about five minutes ago that they were probably all fake. Point is, dinosaurs evoke strong emotions. “Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family brings the latest tyrannosaur discoveries to life, overturning preconceptions about these ferocious predators,” OMSI’s promotional materials read. Okay, so do we have T. rex’s vibes all wrong? Have we been slandering their name for…let’s see…66 million years? This exhibition seems like a solid way to find out. Head to OMSI to learn about tyrannosaurs through real and replica specimens, fossils, three life-sized reconstructed skeletons, and a “30-foot tunnel where you can watch tyrannosaurs exploring modern-day Portland.” LC
(OMSI, Central Eastside, Tuesday-Sunday)
FESTIVALS
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After a particularly grueling 2023 season (atmospheric rivers to start and a heatwave to finish), the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm promises to come back better than ever this year for their 40th annual fest. Make sure you snag tickets in advance—they’re only available online. We recommend a weekday visit to beat the crowds and boost your mood—after all, who doesn’t love playing hooky to dance in 40 acres of flowers against the majestic backdrop of Mount Hood? SL
(Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, Woodburn, Monday-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 here.
(Cinema 21, Nob Hill, Monday-Thursday)
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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, Thursday-Sunday)
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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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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 EDITOR SUZETTE SMITH
(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)
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OMSI’s Sci-Fi Film Festival seems like a solid opportunity to watch science fiction flicks in the way god intended: on the Empirical Theater’s gigantic four-story screen. The museum will screen over 40 spacey greats, with genre classics (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and personal fave The Thing) and more recent entries (Blade Runner 2049, Annihilation) represented. The fest’s closing night celebration on May 24 will feature a screening of George Miller’s latest madhouse, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. LC
(OMSI, Central Eastside, Tuesday-Sunday)
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-Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
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Frog and Toad have been experiencing a bit of a resurgence lately, perhaps due to the duo’s thoughtful, life-on-slow-mode nature, which seems more and more appealing every day. If you haven’t seen an image of Frog riding a bicycle with a caption like “Stop normalizing the grind and start normalizing this,” well, you’re less online than the rest of us. This production of A Year with Frog & Toad translates Arnold Lobel’s characters for the stage—expect plenty of swimming, kites, and gardening set to a jazzy score. I’m not crying, you’re crying! LC
(The Judy Kafoury Center for Youth Arts, Downtown, Saturday-Sunday)
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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 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, Friday-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. PORTLAND MERCURY ARTS EDITOR SUZETTE SMITH
(Portland Center Stage, Pearl District, Monday-Sunday)
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Performance Works NorthWest continues to incubate some of the most interesting dance and time-based performance art in the city, and they do it all from an unassuming little building off Foster Road. Luckily for me, that’s walking distance from my place, so I’m often posted up in the audience for the organization’s affordable performances. This one features regional dancers Marissa Rae Niederhauser and Ashley A. Friend, who will present dance works that bring together movement intuition, attention to detail, nuance, and “the visual complexity that bodies bring to a space.” LC
(Performance Works NorthWest, Foster-Powell, Friday-Sunday)
VISUAL ART
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Far be it from me to pass up an opportunity to talk about Clarice Lispector, which means Quinha Faria and I have something in common. Faria’s newest work, presented in Atrás Do Pensamento (Behind Thought), reflects on the Brazilian writer’s unconventional, stream-of-consciousness 1973 book Agua Viva, which was originally titled Behind Thought. Faria’s compositions contemplate Lispector’s totally singular style with layers of thin paint and curious textures. The artist also “encourages viewers to consider the unseen elements of a space” with contributions by scent-focused bodyworker Tatiana Godoy-Betancur and sound artist Ryan Windus. LC
(Carnation Contemporary, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday; closing)
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Anna Von Mertens’s meticulous colored-pencil drawings on black paper arrange illustrative icons of our everyday life. In the series Objects (100 Emojis), her placement of items like a feather, plunger, toothbrush, safety pin, etc. mimics quilting patterns. In Remnants, UV-sensitive paper and tangled jewelry form the backdrop of drawings that, according to the reception notes, “[reference] the generative life cycles of stars.” Also on view at Elizabeth Leach, is a collection from the estate of Lee Kelly, Bennington Suite & Color Studies, which presents sculpture and watercolor pieces from different points in the artist’s long career. Paired together, the 2D paintings and 3D geometric sandstone structural forms illustrate Kelly’s mastery over either realm of expression. PORTLAND MERCURY CONTRIBUTOR ASHLEY GIFFORD PETERSON
(Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Pearl District, Tuesday–Saturday; closing)
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Here’s one way to celebrate paying your art tax. Showcasing visual art, dance, theater, and musical talents from across Portland Public Schools, The HeART of Portland includes “over 100 works that highlight [the school system’s] diversity.” Cool! The free show will also feature the collaborative art project Artistic Alchemy: Transformative Art Making, which pulled inspiration from the current Portland Art Museum exhibition Throughlines: Connections in the Collection. LC
(Portland Art Museum, South Park Blocks, Thursday–Sunday; closing)
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My fourth-grade self spotted the Beastie Boys reference in this exhibition’s title and wanted to stop right there—say no more, I thought. I’m on board. But since it’s my job to write about art events, I’ll dig further. Intergalactic/ Planetary/ Planetary/ Intergalactic showcases work by Brian Knowles and Andrea Alonge, who explore portals, wormholes, and inner worlds with insulation foam, used Xacto blades, and a whole host of other materials, emphasizing a handmade quality. Hop in their kaleidoscopic rocket ship, we’re going to the center of the universe. LC
(Well Well, Kenton, Saturday-Sunday; closing)
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Artist-poet Kristen Diederich will present new paintings in her first solo exhibition with after/time, They Said No Dancing, which emphasizes “time passing in bright color and impasto forms.” If you’re a fan (like me!) of Diederich’s complex visual compositions, you’re in luck: A concurrent exhibition at The Old Church will showcase another suite of her paintings, plus a public poetry reading with Surprise, Surprise: A Grab Bag of Portland Poets on April 24. LC
(after/time Gallery, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday-Sunday)
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Shining a spotlight on labor practices that have been “historically and systematically concealed from the public sphere,” Labor of Love curates multimedia works by artists Tania Candiani, Tannaz Farsi, Jay Lynn Gomez, Midori Hirose, Charlene Liu, Alberto Lule, Narsiso Martinez, and Patrick Martinez. Show up to learn something about invisible, poorly paid, and emotional labor, much of which is done by marginalized people. Each artist finds a personal connection to this labor and uses their work to contend with systemic racism, immigration, class inequality, and gender discrimination. LC
(Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, South Park Blocks, Monday-Saturday; closing)
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Elizabeth Leach Gallery has showcased revered Pacific Northwest artist Lee Kelly’s sculptures, paintings, and works on paper periodically since 1986, but this curated selection of the artist’s watercolors and angular sculptures has never been exhibited before. Spanning thirty years of Kelly’s career, Bennington Suite & Color Studies includes bright maquettes and Mayan architecture-influenced compositions created while he was at Bennington College in Vermont. LC
(Elizabeth Leach Gallery, Pearl District, Tuesday–Saturday; closing)
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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 the most recent 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-Sunday)
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I’m a simple person: When I see a silver gelatin print of a kitty, I think everyone else should see it, too. Japanese artist Yamamoto Masao’s Animal Spirit is your opportunity; the show includes “small-scale, poetic, and intimate” images of animals by the painter-turned-photographer. You’ll also see goats, garden-dwelling pups, and fancy horses rendered in high-contrast, yet still delicate compositions. PDX Contemporary Art describes Masao as “one of Japan’s most important living photographers,” too. LC
(PDX CONTEMPORARY ART, Slabtown, Tuesday–Saturday; closing)
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