NEWS THE GORGE IS ON FIRE. P. 7
FOOD
OUTSTANDING NEW ISRAELI VEGAN. P. 37
WILLAMETTE WEEK PORTLAND’S NEWSWEEKLY
“THERE ARE SO MANY KLOSTERMANS.” P. 53
THE WWEEK.COM
VOL 43/45 09.06.2017
42 MOST COMPELLING SHOWS OF THE SEASON. PA G E 12
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HILARY SANDER
FINDINGS
COVER OUTTAKE: WW re-creates Suspiria.
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM READING THIS WEEK’S PAPER VOL. 43, ISSUE 45.
People mispronounce Willamette weekly, but this week we decided to talk about it. 4 Littering is bad. But if you have no choice, there’s now a stretch of Oregon highway adopted by rightwing extremists. 6 The guy who discovered the only known print of an influential Italian slasher film won’t say much about where he got it. 24 Portland is finally getting a creepy clown-themed bar. 34
ON THE COVER:
One local man has revealed himself to be a monster by admitting that he likes fall better than summer. 36 The phrase “anal vapor” exists in the Congressional Record thanks to a terrible band. 39 Everybody who worked with Chuck Klosterman hated him just a little bit. 53 The best-selling cannabis edible in Washington state is modeled on Altoids. 58
OUR MOST TRAFFICKED STORY ONLINE THIS WEEK:
Suspiria redux, by Hilary Sander. Modeled by Sarah Collins.
Some idiot teens set the Gorge on fire by playing with fireworks.
STAFF Editor & Publisher Mark Zusman EDITORIAL News Editor Aaron Mesh Arts & Culture Editor Martin Cizmar Staff Writers Nigel Jaquiss, Rachel Monahan, Katie Shepherd Copy Editors Matt Buckingham, Nicole Groessel Stage, Screen & Listings Editor Shannon Gormley Projects Editor Matthew Korfhage
Music Editor Matthew Singer Web Editor Sophia June Editorial Interns Dana Alston, Elise Herron, Josh O’Rourke, Jessica Pollard PRODUCTION Creative Director Alyssa Walker Designers Tricia Hipps, Rosie Struve, Rick Vodicka Photography Interns Sofie Murray Design/Illustration Intern Elizabeth Allan, Ann Gray
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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DIALOGUE PROSECUTOR EXCLUDES JUDGE FROM TRYING CRIMINAL CASES
Was Judge Matarazzo the victim of a play against “criminal justice reformers” [“Judging Judy,” WW, Aug. 30, 2017]? Ten years ago she presided over a rape trial. The victim felt a consistent lack of respect. All were appalled with her refusal to rein in the defense attorney, who told the female prosecutor to “bite me.” She prevented the jury from hearing of similar assaults by the defendant. When, nevertheless, the jury found the defendant guilty and the verdict was set aside because of the attorney’s conduct, the prospect of a retrial before her led to a compromise sentence that was inadequate. In about 2010, based on her overall conduct, I met with her to express our concerns. Despite this, she portrays herself surprised when she was excluded from criminal cases. Let me suggest she was only “surprised” because she fancied herself such a powerful figure the DA would be forever reluctant to exclude her. As to the diversion program, it is not based on law but was created through an agreement between the DA and judges other than her. It would not exist without their support. They are its heroes, not Judge Matarazzo. Ironically, on the day she said DA Underhill informed her of his decision, he was actually in New York at a conference of DAs dedicated to “criminal justice reform.” Finally, Rod Underhill’s brother is “a convicted meth dealer.” One should also know he took his brother’s daughter into his family and successfully raised her as his own. Sometimes criminal justice reform begins at home. Norm Frink Chief Deputy District Attorney (Retired) Multnomah County
MINORITY ACCESS TO CAPITAL REQUIRED A TEAM EFFORT
The piece by Thacher Schmid (“Elevated,” WW, Aug. 30, 2017) rightly showcases the astonishing difference investments can make in sparking innovation and success.
We’re thrilled with job that Nitin Rai has done in carrying out our project that started at a roundtable at my home with the Rev. Jesse Jackson in 2015 when talk turned to the lack of investment for African-Americans. Not long after, then-Portland development director Patrick Quinton and I went to work. Our idea was to bring together public and private investors to create a seed fund focused on minority- and women-owned businesses. Access to capital, especially in the early stages of business, can be hard to come by, especially for entrepreneurs of color and women. This fund is one of the first of its kind in the nation to build this sort of partnership. Since opening the fund with Multnomah County and Prosper Portland allocating $500,000 each, we worked with Elevate Capital and Nitin Rai to secure more than $1 million in public funds from the county, the city of Portland via the Portland Development Commission, the city of Beaverton and the state of Oregon, as well as $800,000 from private investors. Nitin Rai and Elevate Capital have been tremendous stewards of this program. I am grateful for the forward thinking at Multnomah County and our partners at PDC/Prosper Portland, without which this first-of-its-kind fund would never have come to fruition. Loretta Smith Multnomah County Commissioner District 2
CORRECTION
Last week’s cover story (“Judging Judy,” WW, Aug. 30, 2017) reported on a meeting between Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill and Circuit Judge Judith Matarazzo that Matarazzo initially said occurred June 6. Matarazzo now says the meeting took place May 23, but the effect was the same. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must include the author’s street address and phone number for verification. Letters must be 250 or fewer words. Submit to: 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: mzusman@wweek.com
Dr. Know BY MARTY SMITH
I’ve accepted the wrong-headed local pronunciations of “Couch” and “Willamette.” But the way you all say “Aloha” (the town) is the last straw. Were Oregon’s place-naming pioneers just dumbasses? —San Franpsycho
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Come come, mispronouncing place names is one of America’s most time-honored traditions (second only to dumbassery). Perhaps the upscale Bay Area, with its highfalutin “literacy” and “non-incestuous marriages,” is free from these geographic malapropisms, Fran—that might explain why your little ears are so sensitive to them. Those of us who grew up in flyover country, however, can confirm that in the rest of the nation, mangled place names are the rule rather than the exception. As mentioned in a previous column Oct. 8, 2014, confusion about “Willamette” is the result of bad spelling, not misinformed elocution. Meanwhile, Captain John Couch and his forebears pronounced their name to match the slang term for
vagina for generations—the street had no choice but to follow suit. Which brings us to “Aloha,” pronounced locally so as to rhyme, more or less, with “Samoa.” Did some addle-pated cowpoke of yore attempt to name the town after the Hawaiian greeting but miss the mark? Maybe not. The nephew of Aloha’s first postmaster says in 1912 his uncle named the post office (from which the still-unincorporated community took its name) “Aloah,” after a resort on Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago. According to the story, the post office then garbled the spelling—“Aloha” instead of “Aloah”— but the original pronunciation still survives. It’s a pretty thin reed, I admit, but I’m grabbing it. QUESTIONS? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com
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WILLIAM GAGAN
MURMURS Tax Ballot Measure Crafted in Strange Conditions
Extremist Group Adopts a Highway in Portland
An anti-government extremist group has adopted a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 205 in Southeast Portland near the Clackamas County line. The Multnomah County branch of the Oregon Three Percenters comprises constitutional fundamentalists who often show up armed at far-right protests. In April, the group adopted a stretch of I-205 between Sunnyside Road and 92nd Avenue, promising to pick up trash and remove weeds at least four times a year. The Oregon Department of Transportation says it does not deny requests to adopt parts of the highway based on political beliefs. “Keeping Oregon clean is one of the least partisan issues you can imagine,” says Don Hamilton, a spokesman for ODOT. But the department has received at least one phone call complaining about the sponsorship signs, Hamilton says. The Three Percenters chapter could not be reached for comment.
Candidates Jockey for Smith’s Seat
Charles McGee, founder of the nonprofit Black Parent Initiative, is “actively exploring” a run for the Multnomah County Commission seat that will be vacated next year by Loretta Smith due to county term limits. McGee, who previously considered a run for the Portland City Council, says he’ll make a final decision by midOctober. One candidate has already announced: Susheela Jayapal, who left her job as general counsel of Adidas America nearly two decades ago and has since served on the board of multiple local nonprofits, including Planned Parenthood of the Columbia Willamette and All Hands Raised. 6
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A $670 million tax increase approved by the 2017 Legislature continues to be a hot potato. Three Republican lawmakers referred the tax increase to voters. Last week, a legislative committee produced a draft ballot title that appears friendly to proponents of the new tax—the draft, for example, does not include the word “tax.” Meanwhile, records show that four of the six lawmakers who drafted the ballot title recently received $16,500 in contributions from three Medicaid-funded groups who stand to benefit from the tax increase. In total, the six lawmakers have received nearly $300,000 from the Medicaid-funded groups since 2010. The four who recently accepted contributions—state Sens. Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) and Jackie Winters (R-Salem) and state Reps. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) and Greg Smith (R-Heppner)—say the money didn’t influence them. But state Rep. Julie Parrish (R-West Linn) says the contributions raise questions about the lawmakers’ impartiality. “It’s pay-to-play politics,” Parrish says.
Patriot Prayer Promises “Best Behavior”
The traveling right-wing group whose street protests have enraged and frightened Portlanders returns to downtown this weekend, with promises to be good. Joey Gibson, leader of Vancouver, Wash.-based protest group Patriot Prayer, says the Sept. 10 march will be peaceful. “We have and will make mistakes,” the group’s website says, “but we need to continue to improve and do our best to bring our best behavior.” The pledge appears to be part of a new strategy after Gibson’s illfated trip to Berkeley, Calif., last month, where attacks by antifascist protesters earned them a rebuke by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
NEWS
STEVENSON, WASH.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK CASCADE LOCKS
ANATOMY OF AN INFERNO
3
BRIDGE OF THE GODS FORT RAINS, WASH.
to Hood River 20 mi.
NORTH BONNEVILLE, WASH.
HOW THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE FIRE RACED OUT OF CONTROL.
(MAP BY ROSIE STRUVE)
EAGLE CREEK TRAILHEAD
EAGLE CREEK FIRE
ARCHER MOUNTAIN
SKAMANIA, WASH.
1 WARRENDALE
ORIGIN OF BLAZE
2
DODSON
AREA BURNING AS OF SEPT. 4
4
PATCHY FLAMES HORSETAIL FALLS
TOWN OR UNINCORPORATED COMMUNITY POINT OF INTEREST
MULTNOMAH FALLS
5
INDIAN CREEK FIRE
WAHKEENA FALLS
BRIDAL VEIL
PATCHY WIND-DRIVEN FLAMES
BRIDAL VEIL FALLS
Liz FitzGerald
ROOSTER ROCK
LATOURELL CROWN POINT CORBETT
LATOURELL FALLS
LARCH MOUNTAIN
6
to downtown Portland 25 mi.
BY AA R O N M E S H
and
KATI E S H EP H ERD
503-243-2122
The Columbia River Gorge is ablaze. A firecracker tossed along Eagle Creek on Labor Day weekend grew into an inferno in Portland’s backyard, burning at least 10,000 acres in one of the state’s most beloved scenic areas. Oregon is a tinderbox, and the Gorge fire joins dozens of other wildfires burning across the state. But rarely has a fire burned such an iconic wilderness so close to Portland. Ash began drifting across the city Sept. 4 like a dirty snowstorm, the heaviest such fall many residents could recall since the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. A look at the fire’s progress shows how quickly it grew out of control, in a perfect storm of record heat, parched forests, high winds and teenage horseplay.
3:30 pm, Saturday, Sept. 2: A 15-year-old Vancouver, Wash., boy is seen toss1 ing firecrackers off a cliff into the Eagle Creek canyon while a friend films the stunt (see recounting at right). Hikers soon observe trees on fire, and the trail to Punch Bowl Falls is choked with smoke.
4:15 pm Monday, Sept. 4: East winds push through the Gorge, spreading the fire rapidly west. State officials begin evacuating the towns of Warrendale and Dodson, and shut down 27 miles of Interstate 84.
6 pm Saturday, Sept. 2: More than 150 hikers are trapped between the Eagle Creek fire and an ongoing blaze, the Indian Creek fire. They sleep overnight on the Eagle Creek Trail before a search-and-rescue team can retrieve them at Wahtum Lake on Sunday morning.
11 pm Monday, Sept. 4: Officials announce the fire has raced 4 miles in less than three hours, growing to 4,800 acres. “With strong winds like this, fire is impossible to fight,” warns the National Weather Service’s Portland office. “Focus is on evacuating areas in danger.”
7:25 am Sunday, Sept. 3: Feeding on a bone-dry forest, the fire grows to 3,200 acres. Evacuation notices are issued for parts of the town of Cascade Locks.
5 am Tuesday, Sept. 5: The fire roars another 8 miles west through the Mark O. Hatfield Wilderness, with winds blowing embers from ridge to ridge. Flames surround Multnomah Falls and are seen near Crown Point. Residents of parts of Troutdale are told to be ready to leave.
2
3
THE BIG NUMBERS 10,000
0
400
SEPT. 30
Minimum number of acres burning in the Columbia River Gorge at press deadline.
Number of homes evacuated in the Gorge, including the towns of Corbett, Bridal Veil and Warrendale.
Number of buildings damaged in the first 72 hours of the blaze.
Date state officials expect to have the wildfire completely under control. (DIEGO G. DIAZ)
IN HER OWN WORDS
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Portland resident Liz FitzGerald witnessed a teenage boy throwing firecrackers that are believed to have sparked a fire now tearing through the Columbia River Gorge. She alerted police. Here’s her account of what she saw. It was 100 degrees in town and I wanted to be in some water. When I came up to 1.5 miles up the trail, I came upon a large group of teenagers. I saw a young boy lob a smoke bomb down into the ravine. I said: “Do you realize how dangerous it is, what you just did? They have the trail closed up ahead because of a raging wildfire. This whole area is so dry.” They didn’t say anything. And after he lobbed it, I thought I heard a couple of girls giggle, and the guy just filmed it like it was no big deal. And then they just continued down the trail. I saw smoke coming up. I turned around and I started running down the mountain and I ran past where I had seen them. I looked down and I could smell that the forest was on fire. I passed the teenagers at that point. It was a smaller group of maybe seven or nine. Just as I was passing them, I said, “Do you realize you just started a forest fire?” and the kid said, “Well, what are we supposed to do about it now?” And I yelled over my shoulder, “Call the freaking fire department!” I felt like I was in a nightmare, because these kids were not reacting the way I felt normal people would react. I really felt like it’s not just that one boy that lobbed it. He had a friend that filmed it. There was a whole group of kids who found it funny to do this. None of them seemed at all to understand what they were doing. When I sat and watched the kids being interviewed by the police, I don’t know what they were feeling, but I got a glimpse of at least one young woman or girl who looked like she was just hanging out like it was just any other day. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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VR RIVERA | @WINTERTEETH
NEWS
WATER OVER THE BRIDGE: Local officials are working to prepare Portland for the risk of flood.
What Could Happen Here LEVEES PROTECT PORTLAND FROM TEXAS-STYLE FLOODING IN AN AGE OF EXTREME WEATHER. WE’RE FALLING BEHIND ON THEIR UPKEEP. BY NIGEL JAQUISS
njaquiss@wweek.com
rent soundness of the levees. In late March, after heavy rains fell on an unusually deep As Oregon experiences weather extremes triggered by Cascade snowpack, the Columbia River crested in Port- climate change—witness this winter’s deadly freeze and land at its highest level in 20 years. Phil Ralston, the Port blizzard, and our summer of record heat waves—the need of Portland’s aviation environmental and safety manager, to prepare for disastrous conditions is growing more gestured out the window of a conference room at Port- acute. land International Airport. Yet more than a decade after Hurricane Katrina “If it weren’t for levees,” Ralston said that day, “our prompted federal demands that drainage districts around the country demonstrate by 2017 that their levees can runways would be underwater.” Two things have prevented the sort of catastrophic withstand 100-year floods, little has happened locally, flooding that occurred last week across Texas from hap- even as officials warn that a failure to prepare could leave pening here in recent decades. 7,500 people and $16 billion worth of property vulnerThe first is good fortune: Portland hasn’t had an able. extraordinary storm for some Corky Collier, executive director of the Columbia time—or a disaster like the 1980 “LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED Corridor Association, which eruption of Mount St. Helens that choked rivers with debris. represents 2,500 employers in IN HOUSTON. THEY WERE Both have happened before and North Portland, says the levees PREPARED FOR FLOODING, BUT protect the state’s largest conprobably will again. The city’s second defense THIS IS FLOODING LIKE WE’VE centration of industry—and is more substantial: 27 miles substantial infrastructure that NEVER SEEN BEFORE.” would be underwater if levees of levees. These man-made —CORKY COLLIER, COLUMBIA earthen walls—like the one failed. under Marine Drive—keep the “Look what happened in CORRIDOR ASSOCIATION Columbia River at bay. Houston,” Collier says. “They were prepared for flooding, but But the levees are old and no longer certified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. this is flooding like we’ve never seen before.” In Portland, initial estimates put the cost of meeting And officials are struggling to comply with federal requirements for levee upkeep—a challenge compounded federal levee certification requirements as high as $100 this July, when the Legislature couldn’t scrape together million—money no local agency has (“When the Levee $267,000 to help complete the investigation of the cur- Breaks…Us,” WW, April 1, 2014). 8
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The cost of doing nothing would be much higher. That’s because without federally certified levees to protect them, property owners could not get insurance—and without insurance, they could not obtain mortgages or other forms of credit. “If levees don’t retain federal accreditation,” says Stephanie Hallock, an adviser to the levee repair project, “it’s as if they are not there.” A levee failure could have enormous human and financial consequences. In 1948, a levee broke, causing the Columbia to inundate Vanport—once Oregon’s second-largest city and now part of North Portland. More than 18,000 people were driven from their homes and at least 15 people died. “There aren’t many people in Portland who remember the Vanport flood,” says the Port’s Ralston. “We try to use Vanport and the flooding in 1996 to educate and remind people that it can happen here.” Today, the region’s major airport is in the floodplain, as are a transcontinental railroad line, Interstates 5 and 205 and the Columbia south-shore well fields. Those wells serve as Portland’s backup source of drinking water when major storms make Bull Run water too dirty to drink. Four public agencies called drainage districts are responsible for maintaining the Columbia’s levees, the oldest of which dates back to 1917. The Multnomah County Drainage District is the largest of the four districts; the others are Peninsula Drainage District Nos. 1 and 2 (both in the city of Portland) and the Sandy Drainage Improvement Company. The threat of losing insurance coverage brought the Port, the city of Portland, Multnomah County and 10 other jurisdictions together in a partnership called Levee Ready Columbia. The partners contributed money to investigate what repairs the levees would need to meet federal standards and also began trying to figure out how to pay for the work. They’ve completed investigations of two of the four drainage districts, making enough progress to keep the feds at bay, although there’s still no final budget or plan to finance the work that must be done. Despite the importance of the levees, lawmakers’ failure to provide funding this session threatens to delay progress on shoring up the levees. The state’s share of Levee Ready Columbia’s budget for the next year is $267,000—and in the 2017 session, lawmakers found money for plenty of pet projects but declined to fully fund Oregon Regional Solutions, the agency contributing to the levee project. Levee Ready Columbia has since asked Gov. Kate Brown for help, which seems likely to materialize after Hurricane Harvey. “Gov. Brown supports upgrading the levees for accreditation and recognizes the important role they play in ensuring the safety, well-being and economic vitality of the Portland metro region and the state as a whole,” her spokesman Bryan Hockaday said in a statement. “[Brown’s] office and state agencies are working to identify alternate funding sources.” Hallock says the partner agencies working on recertifying the levees hope to have a budget in place by December. Collier says his members are eager to move forward. He knows from personal experience that rivers can reach levels people never expect. In 2000, he lived near the American River in Northern California. A storm howled out of the Sierras, and floodwaters swept away his house, including the foundation, dashing it to bits against a bridge downstream. (He wasn’t home at the time.) “My place was right at the 100-year flood level,” Collier says. “I worried about theft and fire—but flood insurance, no. There was no reason to worry about it.” Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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NEWS
IN PORTLAND, OREGON BY THACHER S C H MI D
@t h a ch e r s ch mid
Why is Portland’s transgender homeless population growing so fast?
THACHER SCHMID
When she first considered transitioning from “Some of these cases involve clear anti-transa man to a woman, Sophia Conquest made a gender bias,” the group’s website explains. “In checklist of “bad and good things.” others, the victim’s transgender status may have On the bad side: As a transgender woman, put them at risk in other ways, such as forcing she’d essentially have a target on her back. “I them into homelessness.” knew it was going to happen,” Conquest says. Taylor, a lifelong Portlander and trans woman The day before WW interviewed her last who asked that her real name not be used, found month in Pioneer Courthouse Square, Conquest herself on the street after being hospitalized for says, a child threw rocks at her. Earlier that week, a suicide attempt in 2015. In the hospital, she she adds, a woman physically assaulted her in a was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a conflict confrontation that began with the woman insult- between one’s physical or assigned gender and ing Conquest with slurs, the gender with which like “She Man.” Conquest one identifies. eventually fended her off At the time, Taylor was with her purse while runa married man. His wife ning away. picked him up from the Such conflict is better hospital. than living a lie, she says. “When we got home, Before transitioning, “I she already had my stuff was constantly trying to packed and she told me to kill myself.” leave,” Taylor recalls. Conquest isn’t alone. Experts say Portland’s The number of transgenprogressiveness—includder homeless people living ing state-funded health on Portland-area streets care for people who are has officially doubled in transitioning—allows the past two years. more people to embrace It’s still a tiny count: In CONQUEST their gender identity. But Multnomah County, the Jenn Burleton, executive number of transgender director of TransActive “I’M TRYING TO AVOID homeless individuals counted Gender Center, says that in the official “point in time” STAYING ON THE STREET increased feeling of safety homeless count went from has been matched by backBECAUSE I DON’T 20 in 2015 to 44 this year. lash. “That number is abso- FEEL LIKE BEING RAPED The issue can heat up sudlutely an undercount,” says denly. Late last month, the OR MURDERED.” Stacy Borke, senior program normally civil biweekly —SOPHIA CONQUEST director at Transition Projmeeting of a houseless ects Inc (the name refers to advocacy nonprofit had transitioning into housing, not gender). “They to adjourn after a shouting match erupted over do not identify themselves in the street count anti-transgender bias. due to the safety issues.” The Portland Village Coalition is a nonprofit Both transgender houseless people and group that advocates for houseless people, and experts say the rise is due to anti-trans discrimi- whose general assemblies at the Q Center bring nation in housing—sometimes bias from land- two dozen housed and houseless people together lords, sometimes rejection by family and friends. to discuss issues raised by local villages such as Conquest says her housing options have Hazelnut Grove in North Portland. been narrowed due to discrimination so many At the Aug. 25 meeting, Zoe White, a transtimes she “stopped counting.” “I actually had a gender woman, accused two other Hazelnut couple [recent] housing situations that might Grove residents, Joe Bennie and Marvin Ross, have panned out, and then they found out that of anti-trans discrimination. A loud argument I was trans. And then they were like, ‘Oh, never ensued that derailed the proceedings. mind.’” Bennie and Ross yelled back at White, apparSoft-spoken and quick to laugh, the 27-year- ently accusing her of speaking out of turn. Benold Conquest is a hypnotist, dominatrix and nie accused White of “pulling a gun” on someone former mixed martial artist. When asked about at Hazelnut Grove. her martial arts prowess, she challenged this “It was unloaded,” White responded. reporter to spar at Pioneer Courthouse Square— White accused the Village Coalition of not an offer that was immediately declined. upholding its bylaws by allowing two men who are Conquest is “couch surfing” now, she says, but “openly trans discriminatory” to participate. The has lived on the street, always sleeping among group adjourned briefly. White explained what friends. “I’m sort of trying to avoid staying on had her so upset: “They said, ‘You have a dick, so the street because I don’t feel like being raped or in one way, shape or form, you’re a man.’” murdered,” Conquest says, with a wan smile. White, Bennie and Ross all returned for pizza Nationally, discrimination against trans indi- and calmer discussion. viduals leads to both homicides and homeless“This is real life, and we’re in the middle of ness, Human Rights Campaign says. More trans it,” steering committee chairman David Bikman people were killed in 2016 than ever before: 22. said. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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INSIDE
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THOMAS TEAL
T H O M A S T E A L | P H O T O TA K E N AT T H E A L A D D I N T H E AT E R
It’s a weird time to be alive. It’s a strange time for the arts, too. President Trump has threatened to slash almost a billion dollars of federal funding to the arts, and our state arts commission is preparing for a 14 percent budget cut. In Portland, where real estate prices and the cost of living continue to balloon, it sometimes feels like our vibrant arts scene is in serious danger of imploding. But if you thought the pressure was going to lead to Swan Lake, pastoral watercolors and an endless supply of Shakespeare, think again. Rather than giving up or going the safe route, Portland artists are doubling down with bizarre, adventurous works. In Portland, the fall chill brings the most interesting art of the year. So, as we do every year, we’ve dedicated our first issue of autumn to the arts. We’ve picked the 42 most compelling shows of the season, from a poetry festival in a trailer park (page 30), to a pop-up opera (page 28) to a dance show inspired by Scandinavian myths that will challenge how we overvalue masculinity (page 21). We’re profiling artists and shows the city is going to be talking about this fall. Like the ballet company formed in the wake of scandal that has spent the past year scrounging for space in Gresham while still producing new and stunningly innovative choreography (page 18). Or Laika, the animation studio based in Hillsboro that is getting the gallery treatment from the Portland Art Museum (page 14). We also caught up with Portland State jazz professor and pianist Darrell Grant, who’s performed alongside such legends as Betty Carter and Tony Williams and is mentoring a generation of Portland jazz musicians (page 28). At the same time, Portland’s all- woman comedy festival is embarking on a bold new experiment (page 22), and NW Film Center is treating us to an Italian slasher movie as influential as it is notorious, whose original print was lost for more than three decades until last year (page 24). Arts funding instability is a nationwide problem. What makes Portland unique is the number of people here who love art enough to fight for it. We live in a city where artists want to challenge their audiences and where audiences are willing to engage. In the past year, we’ve seen many established art galleries close and theater companies lose their venues midseason. But we’ve also witnessed the resilience of Portland artists like the people behind Mister Theater, which built a multiuse arts space from scratch on East Burnside Street (page 17), and curator Iris Williamson, who reopened a vacant Pearl District gallery only a few months after it had been shut down (page 15). If there’s a soft theme to the art Portland is seeing this fall, it’s abstraction. Artists who’ve been pushed to the brink have responded with work that’s less literal and linear than the slice-oflife dramas of last year. Ambiguity, though, isn’t the same thing as meaninglessness. You’re being challenged, Portland. Rise to the occasion. Shannon Gormley, Stage and Screen Editor
VISUAL ARTS 14 | THEATER 16 | DANCE 18 | COMEDY 22 | FILM 24 | MUSIC 28 | BOOKS 30 PHOTOS THOMAS TEAL
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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DROP IT LAIK IT’S HOT LAIKA IS THE PRIDE OF OREGON ANIMATION. THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM IS GIVING IT A SHOW. BY S OPH I A J UN E
sjune@wweek.com
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE PORTLAND ART MUSEUM
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aika belongs to Oregon. In the past nine years, the animation studio behind Coraline and ParaNorman has established itself as a source of Oregon film pride, alongside The Goonies, Stand By Me and Animal House. This fall, the Portland Art Museum will feature the studio’s work in Animating Life: The Art, Science and Wonder of Laika, something PAM director Brian Ferriso has wanted to do since the Coraline premiere in 2009. “It made so much sense,” he says. “There’s an artistic generator producing in our community at the highest level.” Still, an animation exhibit isn’t PAM’s usual kind of pro“YOU’LL SEE A LEVEL gramming. The museum has done it only once before, when it OF IMPERFECTION. showcased the stop-motion short THAT’S WHAT MAKES films of sculptor John Frame in 2012. LAIKA FILM ATTRACTIVE, The Hillsboro-based animaTHAT SENSE THAT IT tion company is owned by Oregon’s royal family. Phil Knight IS HUMAN.” bought the struggling Will Vinton Studios in 2002, which became Laika in 2005. Knight’s son Travis “Chilly T” Knight, who is best known for his mid-’90s rap career, is now the company’s CEO. In 2009, Coraline premiered at Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Last year, Laika animator and Oregon native Brian McLean won an Oscar for a rapid prototyping system used in Kubo and the Two Strings, the first animated film to be nominated for a visual effects Academy Award since 1993. Laika has recently optioned Colin Meloy’s children’s novel Wildwood for a possible future film. Kubo and the Two Strings “We’re really proud to have that entire process here in the studio in Oregon,” says Brad Wald, head of brand development at Laika. “Where better to have a studio which is full of a bunch of makers than in Oregon, where there’s such attention to the maker community? It fits quite well here. It couldn’t be better anywhere else.” Though Laika has been creating arty films for almost a decade—all Oscar-nominated—formal recognition by the state’s more prolific fine arts institution is a big deal for what many still consider “lowbrow” art. The studio’s work was recently showcased at the Japanese American National
Museum in Los Angeles, but PAM’s 7,000-squarefoot exhibit will mark the first time most people get a look behind the curtain of Laika. Every single piece in Laika’s films is made by hand. “We’re looking at the utilitarian objects of our world,” Ferriso says, pointing to past exhibits of objects like automobiles and bicycles. “They’re taking the everyday film and reaching such a high level of artistic quality.” The exhibit will focus both on the process of creating the films as well as the actual objects used. There will be photography, video clips, never-before-seen sets, puppets, costumes and props from the film. The museum will also display the largest puppet ever made for a stop-motion film that appeared in Kubo. The exhibit presents photographs of animators at Laika building objects that the studio records on film. A particularly striking photograph shows a scene from Coraline in which she walks down a path of cherry blossoms. Another shows animator Chris Tootell guiding the doll through an orchard of trees made with popcorn. Looking at it feels invasive and imperfect, but completely mesmerizing. “You’ll see a level of imperfection,” says Ferriso. “That’s what makes Laika film attractive, that sense that it is human.” SEE IT: Animating Life: The Art, Science and Wonder of Laika opens at the Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave., portlandartmuseum.org. Oct. 14-May 20.
ParaNorman
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PICKS (SELF)
Sort of an anti-curated show, the theme of curators Stephanie Snyder and Samiya Bashir’s exhibit is intentionally nebulous. (Self ) asks the participating artists to contribute personal work without requiring it to define anything more than a momentary reflection. The show will feature some of Portland’s most thoughtful and versatile contemporary artists, such as R.I.S.E. and the Nat Turner Project. The fact that the exhibit could go in just about any direction is pretty much the point. Reed College’s Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., pica.org. Through Oct. 1.
A SITUATION OF MEAT
Disjecta opens its first full year of programming without founder and artistic director Bryan Suereth at the helm. The first show sounds like it will be of epic, freaky proportions, with large-scale installations by five different artists. Maggie-Rose Condit will re-create a sticky version of her childhood bedroom, and Dakota Gearhart’s video installations will screen in a nest of cords and wires. Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, 8371 N Interstate Ave., disjecta.org. Sept. 23-Oct.29.
KINGDOM OF GIRLS
There’s a village in India where a family’s youngest daughter is its heir and husbands move into their wives’ homes instead of the other way around. Berlin photographer Karolin Klüppel spent two years shooting the matriarchal village for National Geographic. When an exhibit opened in New York two years ago, Klüppel’s work made headlines in the likes of The Atlantic and The Washington Post, but it’s only now the exhibit is making its way to Portland. Blue Sky Gallery, 122 NW 8th Ave., blueskygallery.org. Oct. 1-31.
MUTUAL INTELLIGIBILITY
Translation is a strange field—in Bend Sinister, Nabokov describes it as like trying to re-create an ancient tree by growing your own tree of an entirely different species and hoping it will cast the same shadow. The glasswork artists in Bullseye’s show use translation as inspiration for their work, but there’ll also be an installation of Jeffrey Stenbom’s Every Year,, an enormous grid of small, reflective metal rectangles mounted on a wall. It’s gorgeous, but also harrowing: The metal shapes are all military dog tags representing the more than 7,000 veterans who commit suicide each year. Bullseye Gallery, 300 NW 13th Ave., bullseyeprojects.com. Nov. 1-Feb. 3.
SEND NUDES
This year, Upfor Gallery has been bringing some format-shattering art to Portland—see exhibits like the online-only Grammatron remix or the trio of media artists the gallery hosted over the summer. It’s capping 2017 with works that are fittingly difficult to characterize, by duo Tom Galle and Moises Sanabria. The New York
artists’ pieces include photographs of a subway rider swiping the air while wearing a Tinder VR headset and a Netflix- and chill-themed Airbnb that you can actually rent. Their work is more high-concept than that may sound, and even when it borders on bro-y, it’s still undeniable that Galle and Sanabria are thinking about art in a way that most establishment artists aren’t. Upfor, 929 NW Flanders St., upforgallery.com. Dec. 6-Jan. 13.
MOVINGS AND SHAKINGS After almost 10 years of operation, University of Oregon closed its White Box gallery due to funding cuts. White Box hosted exhibits of student work as well as local and international artists. Hap Gallery closed last December, but associate director Iris Williamson teamed up with John Knight of Cherry & Lucic to keep a contemporary gallery operating on the prime Pearl District real estate. Williamson|Knight kicked off its first year of programming in May. Southeast Portland gallery Nationale is moving out of its venue of nine years. Thankfully, it’s just downsizing and not closing entirely. The gallery will host a few more exhibits in its Division Street space this fall before moving to a new location next year. The Portland Art Museum announced last fall it planned to build a new wing to house more gallery space as well as a rotating exhibit of paintings by influential abstract expressionist artist Mark Rothko, who was a Portland native. However, public backlash ensued when it was discovered the plans would violate an agreement with the city to maintain “an open mall” between Southwest 10th and Park avenues at Madison Street and that the museum had raised millions of dollars for the expansion without first obtaining the city’s permission to build it. A City Council vote later this year will determine whether the museum may proceed with the project.
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JESS MINCKLEY
FALSE NARRATIVE CAUGHT EXAMINES THE TERRITORY BETWEEN TRUTH AND FICTION. BY R . M ITC H E L L M I L L E R
A R T I S T S R E P E R TO R Y T H E AT R E
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Art that will be displayed in Caught.
ost of us would like to imagine we’re not easy to deceive, that we have enough of a grasp on reality to distinguish facts from lies. Playwright Christopher Chen wants to prove we don’t. “We’ve always had a shaky relationship with the truth,” he says. Caught, the San Francisco playwright’s new work, is intended to examine the rapidly widening territory between truth and fiction. It’s the story of noted Chinese visual and performance artist and activist Lin Bo, who served a two-year sentence in a Chinese detention center for actions deemed subversive to the state. Artists Repertory Theatre will bring Chen’s 2016 play to Portland in October. Lin Bo will attend to introduce the play, and a touring installation of the artist’s work will be displayed in the theater’s lobby. Bo’s art is more than just an appendage to the play, it’s essential to placing Caught within its proper context. That context can’t really be described without revealing Chen’s sleight of hand. Caught is a cryptic piece of theater that constantly unspools new revelations and points of view. “The play offers one half of the experience, the conversation, and the audience needs to meet it and provide the other 50 percent of the experience,” Chen says. “The audience is ulti-
PICKS THE EVENTS
If this year in Portland theater is trending toward ambiguous moral and emotional trials, Third Rail Repertory Theatre was ahead of the curve. Its last season was full of intense, answerless plays produced with lucid existentialism. The Events sounds as if it will add to that streak. The 2013 play follows Claire, the survivor of a mass shooting at a community choir practice, as she attempts to process what she experienced. The nonlinear plot calls for only one other actor than Claire 16
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mately unmoored from any consistent mind frame they can rest in, relax in.” It’s easier to talk about Caught through the infamous case of Mike Daisey, which partly inspired the play. An actor and storyteller, Daisey based his 2012 one-man show The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs on interviews with workers at a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China, where Apple products are manufactured. Daisey drew attention to underage workers and a nasty chemical nerve agent in the manufacturing process that caused workers’ hands to tremble. It inspired a national backlash against Apple. Problem was, the story was a lie. Not all of it was fake, but the guts of the story—the details that elicited the most visceral reaction—were fabricated. It didn’t fool just audiences. A whole episode of This American Life was devoted to Daisey’s story. Daisey argued his play did reflect a certain truth: Conditions inside the factory were bad.
In the context of the theater, where he intended his monologue to be performed, there was dramatic license. The inaccuracies were not the same thing as lies, he said. Caught wonders the same thing. In its broadest sense, Chen’s play is about the power—and danger—of hybridizing truth and fiction. “The play is ultimately advocating for an alert and questioning state of mind when dealing with social issues,” Chen says. “I hope they leave with a sense that they have more permission to question things than when they came in.” At the same time, Chen wants his audience to be swept up in the play’s legerdemain. “I want them to be delighted in much the same way as you make a pact with a magician,” he adds. “You want to be fooled, you are game for their illusions.” SEE IT: Caught plays at Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., artistsrep.org. Oct. 1-29.
(who plays both her shooter and her therapist) and a community choir that looms on the edge of the stage like a Greek chorus. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave., thirdrailrep.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 27-Nov. 18. $25-$45.
and Latino playwrights. Four of those works will debut as staged readings this fall. In January, there’ll be seven more plays. Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St., milagro. org. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday-Saturday, Sept. 8-10. Free.
INGENIO FESTIVAL
CHANG(E)
Last season, bilingual theater Milagro had an ambitious roster of new premieres, including a joyous Spanish language musical version of The Tempest and a timetraveling tribute to Portland-raised humanitarian Ben Linder. Now, it’s expanding its support of original theater by launching a program to support new works by Latina
Along with Suzi Takahashi, Beaverton native Soomi Kim has created a trilogy of plays about Asian Americans who influenced history before their lives were cut short. The pair’s show that Boom Arts will produce is dedicated to Kathy Change. As a writer and performance artist, Change (née Chang) advocated for the likes of legal mari-
FA L L A R T S G U I D E 2 0 1 7 juana and anti-violence. At the age of 46, she ended her life by self immolation. Takahashi and Kim tell Change’s story with a kaleidoscopic set design and costumes. Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., boomarts.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Sunday, Dec. 7-10. $12-$50.
THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE
You never know what exactly you’re going to get with a Shaking the Tree production. In the hands of artistic director Samantha Van Der Merwe, even seemingly straightforward scripts can become dreamlike. So it seems fitting the company is opening its season with a play as bizarre as Bertolt Brecht’s sprawling, modernist play The Caucasian Chalk Circle. In the 1948 play, multiple storylines and a play within a play form around a peasant woman who finds an abandoned baby. Shaking The Tree, 823 SE Grant St., shaking-the-tree.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday, Oct. 6-Nov. 4. $10-$30.
WATER BY THE SPOONFUL AND THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST
Profile Theatre’s season of Quiara Alegría Hudes’ plays ends with a rotating repertoire of two plays from her Elliot Trilogy, which follows the life of a 19-year-old Puerto Rican American veteran named Elliot Ruiz. Profile staged the first play in the Elliot series, Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue, back in February. Like every other play so far in Profile’s Hudes season, it was deeply touching and poetic. So it seems safe to assume the last two plays will be too. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St., profiletheater. com. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday, 3 pm Sunday, Nov. 1-19. $20-$36.
MOVINGS AND SHAKINGS After five years in its Southeast Clinton Street venue, Action/Adventure Theatre closed its doors last June. The company frequently produced new plays and attracted audiences younger than the typical Portland theater crowd. Portland Playhouse is in the middle of a multimillion-dollar renovation of its theater, a historic church in Northeast. The company, known for prolifically producing August Wilson plays, will open the new space with its annual production of The Christmas Carol in late November. Last spring, Bag & Baggage lost its Hillsboro venue, the Venetian, when the landlord sold the space. The company had to cancel the final show of its season and perform another in a public library. Thankfully, the company had already bought its own theater, and was in the process of renovating the space. The Vault, Bag & Baggage’s new home, also in Hillsboro, opens this week with Spinning Into Butter. Due to a budget deficit, Post5 Theatre couldn’t renew the lease on its Sellwood theater last December, forcing the Shakespeare-oriented company to take an indefinite hiatus. Last October, new company Mister Theater showed up on the scene with a scrappy theater it built on East Burnside Street. Both of its productions so far have been original adaptations of campy cult movies, Clue and The Room.
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PUZZLE EN POINTE PDX CONTEMPORARY BALLET WILL OPEN ITS SECOND SEASON WITH A CONUNDRUM. BY SHA N N ON GOR MLEY
sgormley@wweek.com
Sari Hoke and Kaileigh O’Neil in Converge.
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n the second day of rehearsals for PDX Contemporary Ballet’s new show, two of the company’s dancers attempt to pull off an almost acrobatic feat. Kaileigh O’Neill does a sort of slow, backward cartwheel that requires pivoting in midair, while Sari Hoke slides into a deep lunge under the arc of her flip. At the other end of the room, four dancers rehearse just the arm movements from another sequence, pausing to make adjustments to the choreography as they loop through the motions. But in the lobby of the Southeast Portland studio they’ve rented, company founder Briley Neugebauer readily admits she doesn’t really know where the show is going. “It’s kind of like a weird puzzle that I have to figure out in my own head,” she says. “I haven’t puzzled it all together yet.”
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Neugebauer doesn’t seem particularly concerned by that fact. Uncertainty is essential to her process—Neugebauer assembles her works through meticulous collaboration with her dancers. “They all take a lot of creative liberties with choreography,” she says. “I give them tasks, but I don’t know how it’s going to end up.” At the very least, Converge, the first show of the company’s second season, has a premise. The four new works premiering in Converge’s first show are all based on literary works by local authors. Two of the dances will be choreographed by Neugebauer herself, the others by Micah Chermak and Alicia Cutaia. “I just kind of randomly paired writer with choreographer and said, ‘OK, you guys are going to create something,’” says Neugebauer. “I don’t have any idea what they’re doing.”
THOMAS TEAL
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But perhaps another reason Neugebauer is so comfortable with uncertainty is that it’s built into PDX Contemporary’s history. The company formed last year after Moxie, the previous contemporary ballet company of which Neugebauer was a member, basically folded overnight. Less than a month after her arrival, owner Gina Candland left town amid accusations she had invented credentials, and with a wad of dancers’ money in unrefunded tuition. After rising from Moxie’s rubble, Neugebauer and her company got started with a highly ambitious first season. They performed in the round, added an extra show to their regular season that promoted female empowerment, shared a bill with an improv troupe and premiered at least one new work at each of their four shows. One show alone debuted five new works. Still, they faced a challenge common in Portland’s dance scene: finding a space in which to perform. “They’re very expensive,” says Neugebauer. “You can have a theater that seats 20 to 25 people or 200 to 250 people. There’s just not kind of that in-between.” Plus, pointe ballet can’t be performed on just any surface. You need something with more give than concrete, but hardwood floors don’t work either. “It feels like death,” says Neugebauer. “Once you put pointe shoes on, you just slide everywhere.” So the dancers spent last season performing their shows wherever they could find space—including all the way out at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham. For this season, they have a home. All of the shows in their second season will be performed at New Expressive Works’ venue in central Southeast. Once again, each show will premiere several new pieces. Fittingly, the company has amped up the collaborative spirit of its choreography. Each showcase will involve another faction of Portland’s art scene. The winter show will be based on works by sculptor Michele Collier, who will create new art specifically for the show. For the company’s spring show, the dancers will col“IT’S EASY FOR ME TO laborate with the Northwest Piano Trio. In the rehearsal studio for Converge, rented GET STUCK IN MY OWN with the help of crowdfunding, Neugebauer HEAD. I’LL COMMUNICATE decides to try one of the duets from the top. The soundtrack starts with a poem by Lorelei SOMETHING TO THEM O’Connor. “We are a breath through time steadying AND GO, ‘WOW, daily through night’s dream flight,” reads THAT’S NOT WHAT I O’Connor. With hands on each other’s shoulders, WAS THINKING, BUT O’Neill and Hoke hang their heads like graceTHAT’S QUITE BRILLIANT.’” ful rag dolls and sweep their legs as they sway to the side, looking as if they’re just short of falling over. Then, the music kicks in—soft, cheery chimes—and the choreography speeds up into whimsical leaps and dips. At the end of the sequence, Hoke very nearly sticks the cartwheel. The current plan is for that sequence to open the show. But Neugebauer emphasizes that dancer input between now and November could lead Converge just about anywhere. “It’s easy for me to get stuck in my own head,” she says. “I’ll communicate something to them and go, ‘Wow, that’s not what I was thinking, but that’s quite brilliant.’” SEE IT: Converge will be at New Expressive Works, 810 SE Belmont St., pdxcb.com. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, 2:30 pm Sunday, Nov. 3-5. $5-$25. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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PICKS ABOMINABLE
If we’ve learned anything from Shakespearean tragedies and Jimmy Cliff songs, it’s that heroes fall the hardest. Through the hero myth, Portland choreographer Taylor Eggån’s new work will critique the ways our culture overvalues masculinity. Based on medieval Scandinavian tales, Abominable features elaborate costumes and an involved set. Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, 8371 N Interstate Ave., disjecta.org. 8 pm Friday and Sunday, 6 and 8:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 20-22. $16-$20.
NW DANCE PROJECT FALL SHOW
Last summer, Luca Signoretti was one of the winners of NW Dance Project’s emerging choreographer competition, Pretty Creatives. This year, Signoretti is working with the contemporary company again, but this time on its season programming. Two new works will premiere in the company’s season opener: Along with Signoretti’s work, the company will launch a new work by Wen Wei Wang. Not even the works’ titles have been announced, let alone their scope. But at the very least, it’s promising that they’re sharing a bill with the return of Jirí Pokorný’s ultra-arty At Some Hour You Return. Lincoln Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., nwdanceproject.org. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 19-21. $34-$58.
LEXICON
Portland’s BodyVox choreographs some of the weirdest contemporary dance in the city. But it has such a large touring repertoire it’s become rare for it to launch new shows. This season, however, the company starts its season with a new show that will involve video projections and lasers. BodyVox Dance Center, 1201 NW 17th Ave., bodyvox.com. 7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 9. Additional performance 2 pm Saturday, Dec. 9. Season tickets start at $120, individual tickets not yet available.
UPRISE
Rejoice! Diaspora Dance Theater’s new show takes its inspiration from Angela Davis. Each of its three works is by a different choreographer whose influences range the wide spectrum of diasporic African dance. The works will address the power structures created by how we value (or don’t value) different artistic aesthetics. Reed College Performing Arts, 3203 SE Woodstock Blvd., diasporadancetheater.weebly.com. 7:30 pm Friday-Saturday, 5 pm Sunday Oct. 20-22. $16.
DEGENERATE ART ENSEMBLE AND MIZU DESIERTO
Two of the Pacific Northwest’s strangest contemporary artists are going on tour together: Portland’s Mizu Desierto and Seattle’s Degenerate Art Ensemble. Both artists will perform new works, Desierto’s Matriarch and DAE’s Diphylleia Grayi (Skeleton Flower). Characterizing this as a dance show might be reductive. With the help of film and immersive staging as well as movement, it will be more like extremely abstract storytelling than a traditional dance show. The Headwaters Theatre, 55 NE Farragut St., witd.org. 8 pm Friday-Saturday, Sept. 29-30. $5-$30.
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MOVINGS AND SHAKINGS Due to lack of funding, Portland State University announced last spring it’s cutting its dance program. Students from last year performed a final showcase in July aptly titled Shut Down: The Last PSU Student Choreography Showcase. This year, contemporary dance importer White Bird turns 20. During its tenure, the Portland company has been responsible for bringing some of the most influential contemporary choreographers to the city. In July, Éowyn Emerald gave its last performance as a Portland dance company before relocating to Scotland, where it’s performed at the Fringe Festival several times. Contact, a dance film festival, held its second year of programming in April. The Portland Dance Film Festival held its first year of programming last week, and NW Film Center screened a showcase of several Portland-made dance films in July.
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JESS MINCKLEY
BREAKING THE COMEDY CLUB CEILING ALL JANE WILL BE THE FIRST COMEDY FESTIVAL TO LIVE-STREAM ITS SETS. BY S HA N N O N G O R M L E Y
sgormley@wweek.com
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year ago, Stacey Hallal was beginning to wonder if All Jane needed to exist anymore. “It’s like being a therapist who wants somebody to need them forever, versus a therapist who wants somebody to stand on their own two feet,” says Hallal, who founded the all-woman standup and improv festival seven years ago, along with the venue it takes place in, Curious Comedy Theater. “I would way rather get to the point where we’ve been a part of making a difference in the world and we don’t need All Jane anymore.” Then came Trump. “I was starting to think we were heading into the last few years of All Jane,” she says, “but it just feels like we’ve snapped back to the 1950s.” So it’s perhaps fitting that this year’s festival will be bigger than ever. Theoretically, it could be infinite. This October, All Jane “I WAS will become the first comedy festival to live-stream its sets. STARTING During its tenure, All Jane—founded as All Jane No Dick before dropping the TO THINK second half of its name to be inclusive WE WERE of trans comedians—has booked such hometown heroes as Amy Miller and Bri HEADING INTO Pruett, alongside national up-and-comers like Phoebe Robinson and Aparna THE LAST Nancherla before they got big. Now the FEW YEARS festival will provide a venue for those comics to be seen worldwide. For a comOF ALL JANE, edy scene as ambitious as Portland’s, it’s exciting that sets by beloved local comeBUT IT JUST dians like Caitlin Weierhauser, Kirsten FEELS LIKE Kuppenbender and JoAnne Schinderle will be accessible to the same audiences WE’VE SNAPPED as national names like DeAnne Smith. For other comedy theaters across the BACK TO country, streaming a comedy festival THE 1950S...” would be impossible simply because
PICKS ALONE/TOGETHER
As her alter ego Dr. Tallulah, Kelly Nesbitt is a madcap spiritual and sexual adviser who wears giant grandma glasses and a gray, curly-haired wig. For Alone/Together, Nesbitt shares a bill with Katie Piatt, who has a number of alter egos, but will be performing in this show as a grumpy dude oblivious to his male fragility. Absurdist and arty, the doubleheader will feature plenty of pro-femme comedy. 22
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they don’t have the technology. Plenty of comedy theaters have camera equipment, but it’s almost always just a single camera at the back of the room. Last September, Curious renovated its theater with a massive grant to install technology to tape professional-quality standup specials. Now the theater has five cameras to live-cut from and a fancy new sound and light system that makes live streams look as if they were shot on the set of Conan. But there’s another reason All Jane’s live stream is unprecedented: Live-streaming comedy is technically really difficult. “The traditional way of doing it is, you have a director in the back, and the director is telling each camera person what to do and then telling a switcher which camera to switch to,” says Hallal. “But when you’re improvising, by the time you’ve said all that, the moment is gone.” Perhaps more than any other art form, comedy is very uncomfortable when it goes wrong. Maybe it’s because of the vulnerability of telling jokes on a stage, but comedy can very quickly become unwatchable. “If you have the wrong person behind a switcher, you can kill the comedy,” says Hallal. “If you have someone who really understands comedy behind the switcher, you can make a show feel even better than it did live.”
Curious Comedy realized that in order to effectively stream standup, it needed people at the switchboard who could anticipate what was going to happen next: comedians themselves. Often, it’s Hallal behind the cameras. “At the end of it, I’ll feel as satisfied with shooting a show well as I would feel at the end of doing a show,” she says. “You’re trying to follow it, but one step ahead.” All Jane isn’t until October, so Hallal is still finalizing the lineup and working out details like e-ticket prices, though she says she plans to charge a low price that’s mostly to protect the comedians’ intellectual property. For now, Hallal isn’t sure how many people she should expect to tune in to the live stream, or how much broader of an audience the festival will reach in its first digital year. But she does believe the festival is ahead of an impending trend. “I do think,” Hallal says, “there will be as much of an independently produced video revolution as there has been with [podcasts].” SEE IT: All Jane will be at Curious Comedy Theater, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Blvd., 503-477-9477, alljanecomedy.org. Oct. 11-15.
Shout House, 210 SE Madison Ave., kellynesbitt.com. 7:30 pm Friday, Sept. 9. $10-$15.
Luther King Jr. Blvd., curiouscomedy.org. 7:30 pm Monday, Sept. 18. $8 advance, $10 day of show.
YOUR FAULT FOR LISTENING
PLEASE UNDERESTIMATE ME
In its two years of existence, Daniel Martin Austin’s comedy and interview powdcast has become one of the best-known comedy shows in Portland (it won Best Podcast at both NW Black Comedy Fest and at Portland Queer Comedy Fest). After floating around to a few different venues, Your Fault for Listening has landed at Curious Comedy’s newly renovated theater with its fancy new audio equipment. Curious Comedy, 5225 NE Martin
For his second scripted comedy show, storyteller and improvisor Jay Flewelling is taking you inside his mind— almost literally. Directed by Jason Rouse, one of Portland’s hardest-working behind-the-scenes comedians, Please Underestimate Me is based on Flewelling’s soonto-be-released book of essays and will be performed on a stage designed to look like the inside of a brain. The comedians will speak their lines and deliver them in American
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Sign Language. The show is likely to feature plenty of Flewelling’s goofball humor, but also plenty of genuinely touching moments about the triumph of the underdog. Curious Comedy, 5225 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., curiouscomedy. org. Oct. 30-Nov. 15. See the website for times and tickets.
ILANA GLAZER AND PHOEBE ROBINSON: YAAAS QUEEN YAAAS
Thankfully, pop culture has plenty of exposure to Ilana Glazer and Phoebe Robinson. Along with the fourth season of Broad City, which premieres this month, Glazer recently starred in the movie Rough Night, Robinson writes and hosts podcasts like 2 Dope Queens and Sooo Many White Guys, which Glazer produces. But standup sets from either are pretty rare. Standup sets from both in the same night are a motherfucking miracle. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., revolutionhall. com. 7:30 and 10 pm Friday, Nov. 17. $25-$100. 7:30 show sold out.
POOL TABLES SPORTS VIDEOPOKER GREAT FOOD OOK YOUR OUR PARTY ARTY HERE ERE!! BOOK 529 SW 4th Avenue (503) 228-7605 • Facebook.com/RialtoPool Open Daily 11am to 2:30am
JOHN MULANEY
The writer of all those SNL Stefon sketches and several standup specials on Netflix, John Mulaney performs subtly twisted material covering everything from his French bulldog named Petunia to memories of his years as a shithead kid. He’s now touring a new show called Kid Gorgeous. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, portland5.com. 7 pm Thursday-Friday, Dec. 14-15. $25-$35.
MOVINGS AND SHAKINGS Harvey’s, one of Portland’s oldest comedy clubs, closed in July. After 25 years of shows, the decision came after owner Barry Kolin suffered a heart attack. He says he hopes to sell the venue to a buyer who will continue to run it as a comedy club. Portland witnessed the birth of three new comedy festivals this year: NW Black Comedy Fest, Portland Queer Comedy Fest and Portland Sketchfest, all of which were founded or cofounded by Portland comedians. This year, standup comedians Nariko Ott and Bri Pruett hosted farewell shows before relocating to comedy meccas. For Pruett, it was Los Angeles, and for Ott, it was New York. Both comedians have placed in WW’s annual Funniest Five comedy poll. River City Podcast Federation was founded this year as a support network for Portland-made podcasts. Currently, 13 podcasts are members, and the federation hosts regular live tapings. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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TOMB RAIDER THE ORIGINAL PRINT OF SUSPIRIA WAS MISSING FOR DECADES. NOW IT’S COMING TO PORTLAND. BY DA N A A LSTON
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eil Calderone uncovered the holy grail of film prints. Just don’t ask him how or where. For decades, the 35 mm original cut of baffling, proto-slasher arthouse flick Suspiria was perhaps the most sought-after print in the world. When Dario Argento’s film was released in 1977, it was a sensation around the world—with a haunting music-box score and unprecedented gore heightened by lurid Technicolor red. But that version went missing just a few years after the film’s release. The version that Calderone found had gone untouched since the film’s initial release in the late ’70s. Officially, Calderone rescued the print from an abandoned Italian cinema. But when asked for any other details—when he actually found it, what he was doing in Italy—Calderone is tightlipped. “No comment,” is all the Chicago high school teacher offers. The print is now on tour and will screen at NW Film Center in December. Until now, the only available version of the film has been a shorter, poorerquality print dubbed the American Cut, which hasn’t been screened in Portland since 2004. When the first of NWFC’s three screenings of the original cut was announced midsummer, tickets sold out in under two hours.
“I GOT A LITTLE PARANOID, SO JUST TO MAKE SURE, I RAN EVERY SINGLE REEL ON MY 35 MM REWIND BENCH.”
Suspiria is a strange film. It follows an American ballet student who enrolls in a prestigious dance academy in Germany, only to find that the inhabitants, some of whom are supernatural, aren’t who or what they seem.
FA L L ARTS GUIDE 2017
Suspiria
Its groundbreaking violence helped birth the slasher genre, and director Argento’s twisted imagination imbues the film with a macabre sense of dread. It’s a gorgeous movie, full of oneiric images drenched in blood red. “His use of color in Suspiria and the cinematography are just stunning,” Calderone says. Calderone has been collecting film prints for five years in his spare time, and loaning them to theaters for free. His collection now includes more than 100 35 mm prints, and in 2011, he cofounded the Chicago Cinema Society, a programming organization focused on rare films. Suspiria is its crown jewel. “There’s one set of film collectors… who never loan their prints to theaters,” he says. “No one’s able to see them. It’s sad.” But collectors regularly trade with one another, and Calderone says he’s been able to get prints into circulation by exchanging films with other collectors. “ You could have a person that mainly collects 35 mm horror films but might have…a rare Charlie Chaplin print that just happened to show up on their doorstep through some deal,” says Calderone. The obsessive culture of print collectors—and their occasionally possessive tendencies— is part of why Calderone is keeping Suspiria’s origin a secret.
After he found the print, Calderone spent a week trying to confirm its authenticity. “I got a little paranoid, so just to make sure, I ran every single reel on my 35 mm rewind bench,” he says. “I just needed to make sure everything was there. No footage cut out or anything.” It took several hours spread over multiple days. Remarkably, outside of adding subtitles, the Suspiria print needed no edits or repairs. Despite all the secrecy surrounding the print, Calderone is just hoping for the most part that Suspiria’s magnificent visual palette comes through on a physical format. “The best way to see a film that was shot on film is to see it projected on film,” he says. “Some people [will] love it just for that.” SEE IT: Suspiria will screen at NW Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium, 1515 SW Park Ave., nwfilm.org. 9:15 pm FridaySaturday, 7 pm Sunday, Dec. 1-3. $9. Saturday show sold out. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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FA L L A R T S G U I D E 2 0 1 7
PICKS
KUBRICK ON FILM
Of all the movie theaters in Portland, Hollywood is the best prepared to host a Stanley Kubrick series. Hollywood has a 70 mm projector, and with 2001: A Space Odyssey, it’s either wide-format film or go home. 2001 is the only movie in the series that will screen on 70 mm; all the others will be shown on 35 mm, including The Shining and A Clockwork Orange. Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., hollywoodtheatre.org. Sept. 8-11. $9 for individual screenings.
5TH AVENUE STUDENT FILM FEST
Yet to be stymied by the capitalistic pressures of professional filmmaking, student-made movies tend to be conceptually ambitious and bizarre. Portland State’s student-run movie theater is hosting a one-night festival of films all under 10 minutes. If the theater’s programming is any indication, the film selections will be wacky and eclectic. 5th Avenue Cinema, 510 SW Hall St., 5thavecinema. com. 10:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 21. Through Sept. 24. $5.
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
In December, you can listen to one of America’s greatest filmmakers impart his wisdom to you. He’s touring his new book, Live Cinema and Its Techniques, which will be published in September, Coppola’s manifesto on a filmmaking technique that combines conventions of live-streaming and cinematography. But most of the audience’s questions will probably be about Apocalypse Now. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, portland5.com. 7:30 pm Monday, Oct. 2. $15-$70.
NORTH PORTLAND UNKNOWN FILM FEST
Revived for its second year, Unknown Film Fest’s lineup is dedicated entirely to the thriving underworld of independent films. The festival showcases the best, mostly short-form movies by off-the-radar filmmakers. There will be music videos, experimental shorts, a screening of two-minute films and whatever other crazy shit the festival organizers can dig up. Disjecta Contemporary Art Center, 8371 N Interstate Ave., northportlandunknown.com. Oct. 13-14. $5-$30.
BLADE RUNNER 2049
Maybe it’s totally unnecessary to make a sequel to a basically perfect movie that came out more than three decades ago. Maybe you’ll just spend the whole time dwelling on how, like everyone else in the world, Ryan Gosling is an inferior stand-in for Harrison Ford. Or maybe it will be just as visually stunning as the original sci-fi noir, but with even crazier cinematography. Also opening this season is the new, as yet untitled Paul Thomas Anderson movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis, the muchanticipated follow-up to There Will Be Blood set in the 1960s fashion world. Blade Runner 2049 is set to open in Portland on Oct. 6; Paul Thomas Anderson’s film is set to open Dec. 25.
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DIVINE INTERVENTION DARRELL GRANT’S ACTIVISM AND MENTORSHIP ARE KEEPING PORTLAND’S JAZZ SCENE AFLOAT. BY M ATTH E W S I N G E R
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arlier this year, Darrell Grant found himself lugging a piano into the woods near Coos Bay. A few weeks before, a stranger had approached the 55-year-old Portland State University jazz professor, hoping he might aid her in raising awareness about the state’s plan to sell the 90,000-acre Elliott State Forest in southwest Oregon to private owners. As a musician and educator, Grant found the request intriguing. He didn’t have a lot of time to mull it over, though—a decision on the “I WANT TO sale was coming up in less than two months. BELIEVE ART So on a dewy April morning, surrounded by a canopy of Douglas firs, SPEAKS TO Grant played a set of improvised PEOPLE IN A music for a small crowd of onlookers. The next month, the State Land WAY POLITICAL Board voted to keep ownership of the land public. RHETORIC “I don’t have the data to say how DOESNT.” much of an impact we had,” Grant says, “but I want to believe art speaks to people in a way political rhetoric doesn’t.” It’s a belief that has guided him throughout his career. Since arriving in Portland 20 years ago, Grant has operated on the principle that artists should use their gifts in service of the greater good. He’s explored themes of social justice in his compositions and raised money for numerous nonprofits. In the fall, he’s even teaching a class called “Artist as Citizen” about using art for the betterment of the world. And that’s to say nothing of his contribution
THE MAGIC FLUTE Portland Opera is taking one of Mozart’s goofiest works on the road. In The Magic Flute, a prince is sent to rescue a princess from a religious cult only to decide to join it himself. The company will perform several pop-up performance at venues around the city over the course of four months. As a further affront to the convention of opera being inaccessible, tickets to most performances are free or available for a donation. See portlandopera.org for a full schedule.
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PHILIP GLASS AND THE KRONOS QUARTET: DRACULA
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to jazz culture itself—by his own admission, you almost can’t go to a club in this town without encountering one of his students onstage. Some acquaintances refer to Grant as “God’s gift to Portland,” a suggestion that makes him laugh with embarrassment. But he admits to being motivated by a deep sense of obligation, not just to the music that gave him his livelihood but to the ideals that have long structured his life. “Those kind of questions are the heart of my work right now,” Grant says. “How do musicians, how do artists, affect the society, the culture, the community? How do we engage our skills and our art forms on behalf of the community?” Grant, who grew up in Colorado, came to Portland after spending a decade in New York’s jazz scene. It might not have been divine intervention that brought him to the Pacific Northwest, but there was some happenstance involved. Unbeknownst to him, around the time he was trying to figure out the next step in his career, someone entered his name into a pool of applicants to fill a vacancy in PSU’s jazz studies department. It was, he says, a “dream gig.” “Whether or not I had a teaching position, I had a clear understanding that as I grew older, that was my role, that was my responsibility— you teach the next generation,” he says. “And to have a position and platform to do it was great.” At a time when the local jazz scene is reel-
Philip Glass is one of the few composers to have influenced the classical world as much as pop culture (even Kim and Kanye are fans of Einstein on the Beach). The Baltimore native’s minimalist score to the 1931 Dracula is full of repetitive, morose and intensely gorgeous strings, and imbued with Glass’ masterful sense of tension. With Glass in attendance, the Kronos Quartet will play the score live to a screening of the film. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, cmnw.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday, Oct. 25. $9-$89.
ing from venue closures and the deaths of key figures, Grant’s mentorship is helping to keep it afloat. In addition to educating in his own classrooms, he’s brought jazz into other schools through outreach programs developed at the Leroy Vinnegar Jazz Institute, for which he served as founding director. While still an active musician—his modern jazz quartet is doing a showcase in New York this fall—teaching remains Grant’s primary passion. Of his upcoming projects, the one he speaks of with the most enthusiasm is his Artist as Citizen class, which he calls an “experiment” in formally exploring the theme of social responsibility in the arts. “Many people, artists among them, feel the current political climate requires us to think about our engagement with the world and what statements we want to make, and should make, and how to use our art to contribute to our citizenship,” he says. “It seems like a good time to do that within our institutions.” SEE IT: Artists as Citizen is open to the public at PSU’s Lincoln Hall, Room 75, 1620 SW Park Ave., pdx. edu. 6 pm Monday, Oct. 23.
CHRISTIAN SCOTT ATUNDE ADJUAH
Along with the likes of Thundercat, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah is part of a wave of jazz musicians making the genre accessible to a younger audience. Diaspora, the 32-year-old trumpet player’s 13th album, released last June, is smooth as hell, but backed by an 808 beat machine that keeps Adjuah’s silky, muted trumpet from sounding like pure nostalgia. Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th Ave., jacklondonrevue.com. 10 pm Tuesday, Oct. 10. $20. 21+.
FA L L ARTS GUIDE 2017
MARK GUILIANA JAZZ QUARTET
Drummer Mark Guiliana reigns over his kit like a jockey on a race horse—you never doubt that he can stay in control, but you can’t help but wonder how as he breezes through insane time-signature changes and odd bouts of syncopation. The 36-year-old musician has played on the likes of David Bowie’s final album, but for his Portland show, he’s playing with his regular touring band (sax, piano and upright bass), which is more than capable of following all his rhythmic twists and turns. Fremont Theater, 2393 NE Fremont St., pdxjazz.com. 7:30 pm Thursday, Oct. 11. $25-$30.
PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT In honor of OK Cupid’s 20th anniversary, Portland Cello Project is putting together a tribute to Radiohead. In their 10 years of translating pop music into classical arrangements, the group has adapted everything from Kanye West’s “All of the Lights” to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.” But instead of gimmicky, it comes across as genuine appreciation. This will be the first time they’ve taken on anything from Radiohead’s discography, apparently because their artistic director didn’t want to mess with perfection. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., revolutionhall.com. 8 pm Friday, Nov. 24. $20.
MOVINGS AND SHAKINGS After 20 years as the epicenter Portland’s jazz scene, Jimmy Mak’s closed last December. A day after the club shut its doors, the club’s owner, Jim Makarounis, died after a battle with cancer. Last October, the Fremont Theater opened in the Alameda neighborhood. Since then, the multiuse venue has been regularly hosting some of the buzziest touring contemporary jazz musicians around. The Oregon Symphony’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture—a free, annual concert on the waterfront that draws the symphony’s biggest crowd—was canceled due to city budget cuts. Thara Memory, the Grammy-winning Portland jazz musician and educator, died in mid-June. He was 68 years old and had mentored the likes of Esperanza Spalding. The previous February, Memory had been indicted on charges of sexual abuse. Two of the charges involved minors. Jazz club Jack London Revue opened this summer in the basement of the Rialto. The club has taken in several Jimmy Mak’s regulars, including local legend Mel Brown. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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HUNTING FOR MAMMOTHS A PORTLAND POET’S FIRST NOVEL IS AS STRANGE AND TWISTY AS ITS ORIGIN STORY. BY M ATT H E W KO R F H AGE
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achary Schomburg will insist, if you ask, that his novel is “very traditional.” But it’s a strange tradition, if so. Mammother (Featherproof Books, 345 pages, $17.95) is at once a surrealist comedy about death and a deeply human tragedy about love, set in a town called Pie Time whose factory makes nothing but beer and cigarettes. Its people are beset by a terrible plague: Without warning, God’s Finger descends from the sky to leave murderous holes in Pie Timers’ chests. In each corpse, a little memento is left behind—a telephone, say, or a radio. “Your hearts are too small,” says the radio left behind in the “death hole” of the town’s former preacher, whose name is Father Mothers. Schomburg, a Nebraska-raised Portlander prone to rumpled sweaters, has many stories for how the novel came to exist. The simplest is that he got a residency in France in 2015 that allowed him to do nothing but write. Schomburg has published four books of poetry in the past decade, but novels were foreign to him—not only in format but also because of their brute length. “Maybe poetry is the thing I’ve studied, but it’s also something I could do in a single sitting,” Schomburg tells WW. “You can do it in an evening, put it out, put it away. A novel is a lot of work.” The seed for Mammother was planted in Portland five years ago, however, while waiting for a Red Fang show to start. “I was writing a poem with a friend,” says Schomburg. “The very first word was ‘mammother.’ I put the m down, she put the a down. We got ‘mammoth.’ And then she wrote e, which was frustrating because Mammoth would have been a great title.” So he finished the word by writing “mammother.” Schomburg’s obsession with this word formed the eventual
PICKS SALMAN RUSHDIE
For a while, there was a price on Salman Rushdie’s head throughout the Muslim world—he’s presumably now considered only mildly distasteful. His newest book, The Golden House, challenges an altogether different irrational piety: the alternative facts set loose in the world of Trump. He’ll appear on OPB’s Live Wire! alongside musician Dave Depper and a comedian from Comedy Central. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., livewireradio. org. 7:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 14. $15-$60.
GEORGE SAUNDERS
George Saunders is a master of the short-story form—he’s the sort of guy who had a story pulled out of the slush pile of submissions by The New Yorker, which has published pretty much every single one of his stories since. With Lincoln in the Bardo, he’s added novelist to his list of 30
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structure of the novel—and also the story of its main character, Mano Medium. “After that moment, I kept thinking about that word—it started an entire plot, mostly to think about it as a noun: What does a mammother do? He hunts mammoths. But also it means to get larger and larger.” Mano Medium is the hero of the book, if there is one. After taking over the roles of both barber and butcher, he also becomes a repository for the Pie Time dead, holding each of the items found in their death holes. He also holds “Death Lessons” for the town’s children, letting them play with animals he eventually butchers in front of them. Schomburg wrote the novel’s first paragraph at Mother Foucault’s Bookshop on Southeast Morrison Street, where he sat at a typewriter and tapped out what would become the book’s first sentence: “If you felt ready to die, wanted death bad enough and had little enough to live for, The Reckoner would grant your wish and fall on you.” For a time, the first paragraph was all he had. An attempt at a graphic novel with artist Gregor Holtz also ran aground.
achievements, and his political commentary during the Trump campaign bypassed anger for understanding and heartbreak. He’ll be speaking here Oct. 12 as part of the subscription-only Portland Arts & Lectures series. You should maybe find a way to cadge a ticket from a member. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503248-4335, literary-arts.org. 7 pm Thursday, Oct. 12.
AIRSTREAM POETRY FESTIVAL
Mother Foucault’s Bookshop will take over the Sou’wester coastal lodge and trailer park in Seaview, Wash., for a whole weekend of grill-outs, readings, workshops, potential karaoke and other writerly things, with many authors and publishers in attendance. Admission costs just the normal price of lodging ($35-$100 per person). Call 503-236-2665 or 719-232-1485 to hook up, or mail three poems to Mother Foucault’s, 523 SE Morrison St., by Sept. 15 for a chance to win a free week’s residency. Sou’wester Lodge & Cabins, 3728 J Place, Seaview, Wash. Oct. 20-22.
The only surviving image is of a monster luridly eating a woman from the middle of her legs up. Mammother can read as if an alien had learned the concept of a novel from outer space, and set about writing one. To learn the novel’s form, Schomburg solicited advice from local novelist Patrick deWitt—whose Undermajordomo Minor, another fable without a moral, is a sort of spiritual cousin to Mammother—and steeped himself in the magical narratives of Toni Morrison and Gabriel García Marquez, and the cruelties of Shirley Jackson. As in a García Marquez village, the cast of characters surrounding Mano is limitlessly vast. But if the book is best represented by any one of its parts, it is perhaps the epic journey of Enid Pine, who travels so slowly in her monthslong journey down a garden path to Mano’s house that she’s treated as furniture. Schomburg says he wanted to create a form of storytelling that’s the opposite of A Game of Thrones, in which long journeys are always skipped over. In what might be a metaphor for creation itself, Pine finally gives painful birth to the tusks of a mammoth that did not yet exist—a mammoth she then triumphantly rides. As Mano’s mother once said of the mammoth hunter she loved, “Only a great hunter can find something that doesn’t exist.” The journey is long and strange, and it follows a path that can at times be difficult to see. But in the end, there are wonders. Mammothing is, perhaps, the wholehearted work of the book. “When Enid finally gets there and these tusks are pulled out of her vagina,” Schomburg says, “it’s pretty satisfying.”
KATE CARROLL DE GUTES: THE AUTHENTICITY EXPERIMENT The Oregon Book Award-winning author of Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear—about the transformational qualities of bow ties and her painful divorce from her wife—is back with The Authenticity Experiment, a book about the year she spent being utterly truthful on social media at a time her world was falling apart: Her mother, her editor and her best friend all died within months of each other. Powell’s City of Books, 1005 W Burnside St., powells.com. 7:30 pm Sunday, Oct. 29. Free.
WORDSTOCK
Wordstock is a full day of running pell-mell through the Portland Art Museum, the surrounding churches and the entire Center for the Performing Arts. And for what? A shit ton of novelists and comic-book writers and poets and biographers, whether legends or celebrities or cult figures or the occasional talented nobody. Nearly 10,000 people are expected to come. What a city, in which this is so. Nov. 11. See literary-arts.org for tickets and a list of authors.
“I recently watched Detroit at Living Room Theaters. It really struck me how similar the times are now to how they were back then concerning race relations, police brutality and the overall tension in the U.S., as well as the way police tend to back each other up no matter what.”
“It’s not what you’d typically consider art, but I went to a fair that coincided with the eclipse a few weeks ago. The experience was something I can’t really describe, but it brought everyone together, similar to the way that art tends to bring people together.”
“I saw Dunkirk at the Hollywood Theater on 70mm. It was such an affecting experience. The scale of the film, along with seeing so many young people losing their lives made it very real and emotional. War movies always get me.”
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@samgehrkephotography
“Working with some friends of mine in Black Sun. It’s an all black production of short plays that really allowed me to emotionally connect with other people of color in Portland. On top of that it does an excellent job of showing other people what it’s like to be black in this city.”
DESCRIBE AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD WITH ART. OUR FAVORITE LOOKS THIS WEEK.
“Last year I helped with a Ghost Ship benefit concert at Dynasty that I’ll never forget. We filled the room with smoke and danced in remembrance of the people that died in Oakland.”
“I saw R.I.P. annihilate a crowd of wimps at the MODA Center opening for Sabbath. West Coast street doom! #scytherock 4 LIFE!”
“I went to the Andy Warhol exhibit at the Portland Art Museum. There were these sketches he did of cats that I found so fascinating and joyful—it was a nice surprise, and so different from the work that he’s famous for.”
“Currently I really love the mural that my friend Drew Merritt is doing in PDX right now. His work is really powerful, and it’s been awesome watching it unfold and know the story behind it. In general, the murals here in Portland have a lot to say, and are absolutely beautiful.”
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The Bump
Gotta Match ’em All!
TENS OF THOUSANDS
o f co mi cs, gamin g, fi l m and TV fans wi l l swarm the O re gon Co nventi o n center thi s weekend to s e e thei r favo ri te arti sts and cel ebri tie s. S peci al guests i ncl ude Wei rd Al , Watc hmen co -creato r Dave Gi bbo ns, Powe r Ranger Jaso n Davi d Frank and a bu n ch of peo pl e yo u’ve pro babl y never h e ard of...o r have yo u?
ARE YOU THE ULTIMATE COMIC BOOK GEEK? PROVE IT BY MATCHING THESE ROSE CITY COMIC CON GUESTS TO THEIR WORK.
BY JOSH O’ROU RKE
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Best known as the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, he’s also the voice of Dog in CatDog, Spyro from Spyro the Dragon and Squanchy in Rick & Morty.
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“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC
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He starred as Dr. McCoy in the recent Star Trek films, Éomer in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the title role in Dredd.
These real-life brothers played wizarding twins in all eight Harry Potter movies. Both twins prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla. Get your photo with them for a mere $115.
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jorourke@wweek.com
JOHNNY BRENNAN
Starring as Vi in Buffy, Penny in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and the star, writer and producer of The Guild, she can be seen most recently in the new iteration of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
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FELICIA DAY
KATEE SACKHOFF
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KARL URBAN
JAMES+ OLIVER PHELPS
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8. Hot off filming Paddington 2, this 12th doctor also starred in World War Z and the political sitcom The Thick of It.
Most famous for playing Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, you can catch her in the eighth season of 24 and in the Netflix modern Western Longmire.
g TOM KENNY
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PETER CAPALDI
This famous vegan, known for UHF, the web series Face to Face and the opening sequence of Spy Hard, will rock where he knows how to rock best: a comics convention.
ANSWER KEY: 1G, 2F, 3D, 4E, 5B, 6C, 7A, 8H
Famous for creating The Jerky Boys and voicing Mort Goldman in Family Guy, he appeared in the music video for Mariah Carey’s “Honey.” Find his Jerky Boys Gourmet Candied Jalapeño Mustard everywhere Jerky Boys food is sold.
GO: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. rosecitycomiccon.com. $30 for a Friday ticket, $65 for a 3-day weekend pass. All ages.
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HOOD LIFE
A R O U N D U P O F FA L L O P E N I N G S
Space & MaterialS DeaDline: SepteMber 15, 2017
BREWERIES BREWING: California’s Modern Times will soon have a brewery in Portland. Sadly, it’s the Belmont Street space that currently belongs to the Commons. The Commons will close at the end of the year, citing problems with cash flow after moving into its giant new location two years ago. >> Great Notion is putting the finishing touches on a new production brewery and taproom in the industrial Northwest at 28th Avenue and Nicolai Street, and says they hope to be up and brewing by October. >> Camas’ Grains of Wrath brewery, from former Fat Head’s head brewer Mike Hunsaker, will likely be up and brewing by the end of 2017, Hunsaker says, after delays caused by structural issues. >> This month, former IT trade-show booth specialist Charlie Goman plans to open Second Profession in the former BTU space on Sandy Boulevard. “ I am always in the mood for a good brat and a beer,” Goman told the New School beer blog, “which is something that I just don’t think anyone does well in town.
Publishes:
th Sept 20 , 2017
Hood Life
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The more you poke around the roads and trails of Mount Hood, the more you realize just how special the land is - which is why we’re bringing back Hood Life! We’ll take you on a journey exploring everything Mount Hood has to offer during snow season. From hikes and camping to sightseeing at local lodges - we’ll have everything a reader needs for their winter mountain getaway.
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BGS Trio Bill Charlap
RAISING THE BARS: On September 6, the owners of White Owl Social Club plan to soft-open a new bar called Creepy’s in the former Charlie Horse space on Southeast Morrison. The decor will feature scary clowns and the food will include hatch nachos and something called “a hippie manwich.” >> The owners of Church on Sandy are opening a second spot called Chapel Hill on Southeast Hawthorne’s “Barmuda Triangle.” >> Old Town’s Tube has taken over neighboring Black Book, and will re-open this month as a DJ bar called Maxwell, with cocktails made by the bar manager from Revelry. The Black Book owners will pop up their bar inside nearby Nyx. >> The organizers of the No Vacancy EDM nights will take over the former McCormick & Schmick’s on 1st and Oak as No Vacancy Lounge. >> Bartini’s owners are planning to open Carlita’s, which they’re calling the “city’s first spirits-focused taco bar,” on September 18.
Danilo Pérez Mark Guiliana Jazz Quartet Christian McBride’s New Jawn Marquis Hill Blacktet Hudson Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Ségal Habib Koité Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber Giulia Valle Trio
Tickets on sale now at pdxjazz.com
The Bad Plus Dianne Reeves John McLaughlin & The Fourth Dimension w/Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip
11/12
Jason Moran & The Bandwagon
Chance Hayden
9/15
Tia Fuller Quartet
Winningstad Theater | 7:30PM
10/27
Brad Mehldau
11/14
The Baylor Project
J&J Foundation
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THOMAS TEAL
THE 2017 FALL SEASON BEGINS
Elliott Sharp
FUTURE EATING: Oregon Culinary Institute founder Eric Stromquist will open a new restaurant in South Waterfront called City Rotisserie, in the old Muselet space. It’ll open this November, serving rotisserie chicken and spit-roasted lamb, beef and pork. >> The long-announced seafood restaurant Roe, WW’s 2014 Restaurant of the Year, will finally FUKAMI re-open on Southwest Broadway this October . >> Fukami spin-off sushi spot Nimblefish is scheduled to open on Hawthorne and 20th Avenue in October. >> Also scheduled for October are a location for Afuri ramen in Old Town, a Boxer Sushi on East Burnside and a new Shigezo spinoff called Kuu at the Burnside bridgehead. HOLLYWOODLAND: A new indie movie titled Woodstock or Bust about two women from Portland traveling to the hippie music festival, will begin shooting in Portland this month. The film stars Willow Shields of Hunger Games and Meg DeLacy of The Fosters. >> Currently filming in Portland is also the Netflix series Everything Sucks, a comedy set in Portland in 1996. >> Also in production and set in Portland is an Alan Ball HBO show starring Holly Hunter and Tim Robbins with the working title Here, Now. >> Lean on Pete, the highly-anticipated Portland film based on Willy Vlautin’s horse-racing novel, starring Chloe Sevigny and Steve Buscemi, just premiered at the Venice Film Festival to rave reviews.
W E D N E S D AY
9/6
NATHAN FOR YOU SNEAK PEEK
SASSYBLACK
On Comedy Central’s next-level prank show Nathan For You, comedian Nathan Fielder is like a socially awkward Ashton Kutcher, punking unsuspecting victims with elaborate ruses that often end up providing strangely insightful windows into the nature of human interaction. Tonight, he hosts a special live preview of the new season. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St., #110, 503288-3895, revolutionhall.com. 8 pm. Sold out. 21+.
SassyBlack likes to talk. In concert, she chats up the audience almost as much as she sings— which makes sense, given the conversational tone of her psychedelic brand of soul. Her new Swing, is more rhythmialbum, New Black Swing cally oriented, but it still leaves plenty of space for her intimate storytelling. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 503-239-7639, holocene.org. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
9/7
CHUCK KLOSTERMAN
T H U R S D AY
TBA OPENING NIGHT
9/8
ROSE CITY COMIC CON
F R I D AY
Klosterman is, if not the originator, then certainly the foremost popularizer of the genre of 6,000-word essays that involve drawing tenuous comparisons between something random that popular-culture followers vaguely remember (Darko Milicic!) with something else more or less equally random (Liam Gallagher?). LiveWire at Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., livewireradio.org. 7 pm. MDOU MOCTAR $15-$60. See feature on page 53.
For two weeks every year, the Time-Based Arts Festival takes over the city. The Portland art scene’s biggest party, the sprawling contemporary arts fest packs its lineup with some of the world’s most intriguing—and often baffling—performance artists. See pica.org for full schedule. Festival passes $60-$200, individual tickets available. See feature on page 50.
Get Busy
Finally meet your favorite comic creators—or Weird Al and the guy who voices SpongeBob SquarePants. The Con features creators of comics, movies, TV and gaming. Even the 12th Doctor Who himself, Peter Capaldi, will make an appearance. Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. rosecitycomiccon. com. $30 for a Friday ticket, $65 for a 3-day weekend pass. All ages.
WHERE WE'LL BE E AT I N G KO R E A N F O O D A N D S TA L K I N G WEIRD AL THIS WEEK
S EPT. 6 -12
THE (CURIOUS CASE OF THE) WATSON INTELLIGENCE Coho Theater’s season opener is a time-hopping play that tells the stories of three different Watsons. And yes, that includes the Watson who was sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, plus another that’s a robot. Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm. Through Sept. 30. $25-$32.
S AT U R D AY
9/9
MAC DEMARCO Something about Mac DeMarco playing the zoo just seems so... right. The gap-toothed clown prince of slacker soft rock swings through town about twice a year, but this is the only gig guaranteed to have a surfeit of elephant-related stage banter. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Road, 503-226-1561, oregonzoo.org. 7 pm. $30-$90. All ages.
CHOPSTICKS STACHE BASH Chopsticks, Sandy Boulevard’s great and venerable karaoke bar and hall of whimsy, will host the 19th annual Stache Bash. Pabst is $2, amazing porn ’staches win prizes and the singing is wonderful or terrible. Chopsticks, 3390 NE Sandy Boulevard, 503-234-6171, chopstickskaraoke.com. 8 pm.
S U N D AY
9/10
MUKJA! KOREAN FOOD FESTIVAL
MDOU MOCTAR
Not all the Korean food is in Beaverton. The third (and maybe last) Portland Korean food fest will feature a grip of Korean food from 11 local and celebrity chefs making Korean bites, including Koreatown author Deuki Hong, Han Oak's Peter Cho and Kim Jong Grillin's Han Ly Hwang. Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Ave., kacoregon.org/kfoodfest. 1-5 pm. $70.
Mdou Moctar was already a known commodity in his native Niger before Portland’s Christopher Kirkley brought his updated take on traditional Tuareg guitar music to the world through his label, Sahelsounds. Despite that local connection, tonight’s show remains an incredibly rare, can’t-miss treat. The Know, 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-473-8729, theknowpdx.com. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket prices. 21+.
M O N D AY
9/11
JASON ISBELL
DEATH BECOMES HER
There isn’t a better songwriter for regretful Sunday mornings than Jason Isbell, and his new album, The Nashville Sound, is just the hair of the dog this country needs to nurse the hangover we’ve been suffering since, oh, January 20 or so. It is filled with hope and despair—both a penny in the well for future America and an acknowledgement of how grim things have gotten. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503-2484335, portland5.com/keller-auditorium. 8 pm. $35-$45. All ages.
Fresh off filming Who Framed Roger Rabbit and the Back to the Future trilogy, director Robert Zemeckis still maintains his sense of goofiness that his later films lack. Plus, Meryl Streep and Bruce Willis in something this campy is always worth a look. Mcmenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan St., 503-223-4527, mcmenamins.com/ mission-theater. 8:30 pm. $4 for adults, $3 for kids.
T U E S D AY
9/12
DEMETRI MARTIN AT POWELL’S
BLU & EXILE
The comedian, actor and author is releasing his third book, If It’s Not Funny, It’s Art. Maybe he can top his 500-word palindrome from his first book. If you missed out on getting tickets to his soldout show at Revolution Hall on Sunday night, this might be your last chance to have an awkward conversation with him. Powell’s at Cedar Hills Crossing, 3415 SW Cedar Hills Blvd., Beaverton, 800878-7323, powells.com. 7 pm.
A record steeped in raw vulnerability and honest, blunted raps about everyday struggle, Blu and Exile’s Below the Heavens was anointed an underground classic upon release in 1997, and it remains a timeless listen even 10 years later. A decade on, the rapperproducer tandem has reunited to perform the album live in its entirety. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895, mississippistudios.com. 9 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. 21+. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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411 NW Park Ave A @pdxsantebar
SANTÉ is your community LGBTQ craft cocktail bar. Female-owned and always supporting local artists and musicians.
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FOOD & DRINK
TREAT F L E S ’ YO
= WW Pick. Highly recommended. By MATTHEW KORFHAGE. Editor: MARTIN CIZMAR. Email: dish@wweek.com. See page 3 for submission instructions.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 Moelicious BBQ
Skin City’s Marcel “Moe” Perkins will make a grip of ribs out of a Traeger parked in the Ankeny alley, from 5 pm till they’re gone. Tryst, 19 SW 2nd Ave., bartryst.com. 5 -10 pm. Kids allowed till 7 pm.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9
visit wweek.com
Serbian Fest
Along with plenty of wine and song and dance, the 11th annual Serbian Fest will be home to Serbian barbecue, roast pig and lamb, and desserts. Saint Stephens Serbian Orthodox Church, 11447 SE 27th Ave. Through Sunday.
Shandong SUNDAY, SEPT. 10 www.shandongportland.com
Mukja! Korean Food Festival
Not all the Korean food is in Beaverton. The third (and maybe last) Mukja! Korean Food Festival will feature a ton of Korean food from 11 local and celebrity chefs making Korean bites, including Koreatown author Deuki Hong, Han Oak’s Peter Cho and Kim Jong Grillin’s Han Ly Hwang. Ecotrust Building, 907 NW Irving St., kacoregon.org/kfoodfest. 1-5 pm. $70.
Shandong
Bloody Mary Festival
www.shandongportland.com
Some might stop at a single bloody mary on Sunday. We have no use for such people. The Bloody Mary Fest is 2.5 hours of bloody mary, from about 12 different Portland restaurants, plus tacos, all at a warehouse somewhere near the rave that probably made you need a bloody mary. North Warehouse, 723 N. Tillamook St., thebloodymaryfest.com. 3-5:30 pm.
Where to eat this week:
1. Ara Restaurant
6159 SW Murray Blvd., 503747-4823 After 10 pm on a Saturday, this is may be the most hoppin’ Korean spot in all of Portland— with bottle after bottle of soju and seriously killer rabokki that’ll light up your sinuses. $$.
2. Dil Se
1201 SW Jefferson St, 503-8045619, dilsepdx.com. A restaurant co-owned by a former chef of Chennai Masala brings great Indian downtown, with killer masala dosas and even better lamb vindaloo. $$.
3. Chin’s Kitchen
4132 NE Broadway St., 503181-1203, chinskitchenportland.com. This 49-year-old standby now has seriously excellent Northeastern-Chinesestyle hand-pulled noodles and dumplings. $$.
4. Fukami
2215 E Burnside St. (inside Davenport), fukamipdx.com. Sundays and Mondays all September, sushi pop-up Fukami will serve a surf and turf supplemented by legendary A5 wagyu—pure meat ambrosia. $$$$.
5. Jamaican Homestyle Cuisine
441 N. Killingsworth St., 503-289-1423. At a little over a year old, smoker-fronted jerk shack Jamaican Homestyle is somehow the oldest Jamaican spot in town. It’s also the best. $-$$
LIZ ALLAN
DRANK
TALK:
5am 7am – 2pm
MUSIC:
2pm – 5am
Vienna Lager (WAYFINDER)
RADIO IS YOURS 36
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
Unless you’re draining Modelo Negra or Dos Equis Amber at a Mexican restaurant, you don’t see a lot of Vienna lagers in Portland. Hell, you don’t see them in Vienna, either—the style’s been kept on life support in industrial breweries in Mexico. Well, that’s just one more reason for America to love our neighbors to the south: That biscuity Vienna malt is one of the most distinctive and satisfying flavors in beer, and there’s pretty much no substitute. The Wayfinder Vienna lager, tapped for the first time this August, is 97-percent Vienna with just a touch of caramel malt, and the result is a round, satisfying, toasty, amber-hued lager that’s just about to come into its natural weather. To celebrate Septemberfest, we’re exploring the tastes of Germany— and this is the most September beer there ever was. Call me a monster if you must, but I just love the fall. Recommended. MATTHEW KORFHAGE.
PHOTOS BY HILARY SANDER
REVIEW
MAGIC BEANS: Hummus, hummus and hummus at Aviv.
The Kids Are Alright TUSK IS A GENERATIONAL RESTAURANT. AVIV MADE ME REALIZE THAT.
BY M A RT I N C I Z M A R
mcizmar@wweek.com
The word I keep hearing a lot lately is “generational.” As in, Kendrick Lamar is a generational rapper or Sidney Crosby is a generational hockey player. Why is the term is trending? I suspect it’s because we’re quietly witnessing the post-Millennials come of age. There’s still no good name for them yet, but suddenly they’re here. For the first time this week, a member of Gen Z will start as quarterback in the NFL. Lonzo Ball isn’t a Millennial. Lorde isn’t a Millennial, either. Portland restaurants follow a similar pattern. Every five years or so, there’s a place that manages to serve fresh-plucked zeitgeist and define its era—Salt & Straw and Pok Pok jump immediately to mind. It’s not always clear until you have hindsight, of course. It’s obvious now that Tusk, which opened last August, is that generational restaurant. The veggie-heavy Mediterranean-ish restaurant on East Burnside presaged a year in which veganism went wild in Portland, with a crop of a half-dozen notable new animal-free openings. My personal favorite is Aviv, the new vegan Israeli spot from the Gonzo food truck’s Tal Caspi. Aviv was a pop-up before taking over the space inside Southeast Division Street’s Banana Building which formerly held Portobello Vegan Trattoria. Like Tusk, Aviv builds much of its seasonal and constantly updating menu from hummus, labneh, carrots and eggplant. Unlike Tusk…well, Aviv is not Tusk. Tusk stands out for its sparing and skillful use of meat and cheese. Here’s it’s all tofu feta, cashew labneh and soy curls. But you also won’t need to make reservations a month in advance, nor will you spend two hours and $250 on a meal for four. It’s a mid-market version of modern, veggie-driven Middle Eastern that’s low-key and accessible. Tusk is the runway version; Aviv is prêt-à-porter.
My favorite thing at Aviv is the hummus ($7-12), which takes up about a quarter of the menu and includes eight distinct versions. The base hummus is great, striking a perfect balance of smooth and substantial, with a pleasant nuttiness with heavy use of Soom tahini, which is made of single-origin Ethiopian sesame processed in Israel. The wide variety of well-chosen add-ons—everything from hatch chiles to harissa to avocado—are what make it special. My personal favorites are the spicy with fiery green zhoug (often spelled s’hug)—a perfect blend of cilantro, garlic, cloves and green jalepenos—and the harissa with a kiss of brightening preserved lemon. Regardless of what else you order, you should order a few hummus plates to share. They’ll be served with fresh-baked pita as needed. Get a very respectable house pickle plate ($5) for a touch of acid and you have a wonderful start to your meal. (Unless you’re vegan, you should avoid the tofu feta.) I was also very taken with the shawarma plate ($13). It makes good use of soy curls—turns out, they’re an Oregon i nv e n t i o n — t h a t a r e curry-spiced, sauteed and topped with tahini
and pickled mango. That shawarma is combined with hummus, tahini, that spicy zhoug and a topping for fries ($12). At lunch, the shawarma goes into a pita with pickles and a diced-up salad of tomatoes and cucumbers. (Avoid the other pocket, made with bright green falafel in which the chickpeas had mysteriously gone missing—the very vegetal falafel balls instead taste like deep-fried parsley.) On chilly days, I’d opt for the shakshouka ($12), the classic tomato stew that here has a nice herbal depth and doesn’t suffer from the use of “tofu eggs.” The salads are also very nice. An appetizer of harissaspiced moroccan carrots ($5-7) is pleasantly earthy; a beet salad ($7-9) made with roasted beet puree, cashew labneh and crushed hazelnuts is pleasantly hearty. The big salad ($12) is everything you want in a big Mediterranean salad, with crisp greens, sweet tomatoes, a little cucumber, some avocado, plus garbanzo beans, herbs and tahini. Aviv brings this all together with pop music, decent and reasonably priced cocktails and good service. It’s a bright, pleasant place to be—maybe not as hip as Tusk, but also not a dour room of reclaimed wood and pig guts. Who wants to stare down a whole pig’s head when they can have fresh peaches with crushedup herbs? There’s something new and interesting happening in Portland food, and for me Aviv is the proof of concept—a restaurant that defines a moment in which everyone wants clean protein and dewy-fresh produce in a room decorated in various shades of off-white. The cured offal of the mustache-wax era suddenly seems not just drab, but tacky. GO: Aviv, 1125 SE Division St., 503-206-6280, avivpdx.com. Monday-Friday 11 am-10 pm, Saturday-Sunday 10 am-10 pm Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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MUSIC
RICK VODICKA
RICK VODIKA
FEATURE
Shock Treatment
THE MENTORS ARE USED TO OFFENDING CONSERVATIVES. THEY NEVER EXPECTED TO ALSO OFFEND PORTLAND PROGRESSIVES. BY DA N A A L STO N
dalston@wweek.com
It’s not every day a self-professed “rape rock” band comes to Portland. And according to the man known as “Heathen Scum,” it’s not every day Portland gets mad about it, either. Scum is the stage name of Steve Broy, whose band, the Mentors, comes to Rock Hard PDX in deep Southeast this week. Broy seems genuinely surprised at the outrage around a scheduled show by his band, which formed in Seattle in 1976 and is probably best known for fighting Tipper Gore’s attempts to censor rock music alongside GWAR and Twisted Sister in the ’80s. The Mentors are notorious for their shocking and misogynist lyrics. But Broy insists it’s meant in jest. “[The music] is not from a mean-spirited place,” he says. “Generally speaking, people enjoy it, and have a good time. There’s no fighting going on.” Broy says the band has played Portland many times over the years, and he says each show went without incident. But when the band was scheduled to play Rock Hard’s Sickness in September festival, as part of their “Anti-Antifa Tour,” Portland progressives got angry. In Other Words, the feminist bookstore on North Killingsworth Street made nationally famous via Portlandia, posted a Facebook event calling for a protest of the concert, alleging that the Mentors advocate for racism and violence against women. The protest now has over 600 people interested in attending. The uproar is the latest incident of a new era in cultural discourse, where right-wingers stake claims as free-speech fundamentalists while left-wingers seek to shut down controversial speakers and artists. The Mentors have been around so long they’ve managed to antagonize both conservatives and liberals. Broy, who formed the Mentors with high school classmates, says backlash “goes with the territory.” Onstage, band members wear blackened executioner-like hoods and perform songs like “Sex Education,” which depicts
the sexual exploits between a young teenager and an older man. A lyrical highlight: “She´s into sex education/ And I am the biggest pervert teacher in the nation/Your daughter, she´s mine/So fresh off the vine.” Past members included “El Rapo” and “Moosedick.” Broy says he was surprised that the fiercest reaction to his current tour came from Portland, a city that historically has treated the band well. One commenter on the show’s Facebook event page called them “pro-rape racists.” “It’s not unprecedented for us to get blowback,” he says. “But it’s a little annoying to have people accuse me of stuff like that, which is blatantly not true.”
“I DON’T THINK WE’RE PROVOKING PEOPLE. I THINK PEOPLE ARE JUST THERE, ENJOYING OUR SHITTY COMEDY AND OUR SHITTY MUSIC.” — THE MENTORS’ STEVE BROY Broy calls himself “against violence in general” and a “turn-the-other-cheek guy,” and says he follows the teachings of Gandhi and Martin Luther King. He balks at the term “provocative” when used to describe his music. “I don’t think we’re provoking people,” he says. “I think [people] are just there, enjoying our shitty comedy and our shitty music.” But opponents of the Mentors argue that their brand of “comedy” can cause real-world harm. “Their lyrics are a call to action for violence against women,” says Lauren Watson, a participant in the protest. “Anyone who is already considering being violent toward a woman, or anyone questioning the immorality of such behavior, would be emboldened in their hate and violent intent.” Defenders online call the controversy “much ado about nothing,” and cite the Mentors’ long history of fight-
ing against censorship. The band’s mainstream notoriety reached its peak with a series of congressional hearings in 1985 courtesy of Tipper Gore’s Parent Music Resource Center. The purpose of the hearings—attended by Frank Zappa, John Denver and others—was to debate a potential new ratings system for music. It culminated in Pastor John Ling’s reading of lyrics from “Golden Showers,” a Mentors song that depicts exactly what you’d expect. On that day, the term “anal vapor” was heard in the hallowed halls of the U.S. Congress. But the band’s public appearances—including one standoff with a rape survivor on the Jerry Springer Show in 1997—do not seem to have prepared Broy for the anger from today’s protests. According to Rock Hard manager Derek Smith, some protesters have called the venue and left threatening messages and emails. Others called the venue’s employees racist or homophobic. (In Other Words, who are organizing a formal protest of the Sickness in September festival, did not respond to requests for comment.) “You understand there will be hell if they play,” reads one email. “Antifa and Resist groups will be out in force.” The Mentors’ tour is entitled “Anti-Antifa,” which Broy calls a joke that went too far. Smith insists the accusations of racism against him and the venue are baseless. “There’s nobody in that building that’s racist. There’s nobody in that building that’s a homophobe,” he says. “My security guy is married to a beautiful black woman with five black children. Everyone’s ethnicity is mixed in the club.” When it comes to the criticism he’s received, Smith says that “people are just running their mouth.” Broy says he’s ready for confrontation. “You wanna protest our band, be my guest,” he says. “I’d be happy to buy you a drink, shake your hand, debate you. That’s all good.” SEE (OR PROTEST) IT: The Mentors play Rock Hard PDX, 13639 SE Powell Blvd., on Friday, Sept. 8. 2 pm. $15. 21+. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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MUSIC = WW Pick. Highly recommended. Prices listed are sometimes for advance ticket sales. At-the-door increases and so-called convenience charges may apply. Event lineups are subject to change after WW’s press deadlines. Editor: MATTHEW SINGER. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, go to wweek.com/submitevents and follow submission directions. All shows should be submitted two weeks or more in advance of event. Press kits, CDs and especially vinyl can be sent to Music Desk, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Please include show or release date information with all physical mailings. Email: msinger@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6 Thundercat, PBDY
[VIRTUOSIC FUNK FUSION] Bassist extraordinaire Stephen Bruner cut his teeth as a teenager in L.A. speedpunk mainstays Suicidal Tendencies and gained notoriety as the undulating finger-plucked vertebrae of electronic producer Flying Lotus’ outré odysseys. Both of those past identities inform his solo work as Thundercat, a project whose threealbum arc has taken us from giddily cheesy jazz funk to a more brainy— but still delightfully cheesy—fusion of the “smooth” or “lite” persuasions. His latest album, Drunk, is the opus Frank Zappa would construct were he a bassist, lost in the sauce and not averse to phoning up Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins for guest vocals. Expect to get your face melted and your knees weakened. PATRICK LYONS. Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside St., 503-225-0047. 8:30 pm. $22 advance, $25 day of show. All ages.
Quicksand, No Joy
[POST-HARDCORE] Conventional wisdom states that Quicksand should’ve been dismissed by purists as “sellouts” back when the term still held water. But what’s most remarkable about the staying power of the New York quartet’s 1995 album Manic Compression is the fact that the band has retained a reason-
able amount of cachet in spite of their much more accessible take on the politically charged hardcore of Fugazi. After two decades of inspiring countless like-minded East Coast hardcore acts with such scant output, the band has reunited to tour in support of their forthcoming record Interiors, which finds Quicksand’s mastery of circuitous math-rock structures that hit with blunt punk force well intact. PETE COTTELL. Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd., 503- 2337100. 8 pm. $25. 21+.
SassyBlack, Blossom, DNVN, DJ VNPRT
[PSYCHEDELIC ELECTRO-SOUL] See Get Busy, page 35. Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison St., 503-239-7639. 8:30 pm. $10 advance, $12 day of show. 21+.
Wovenhand, King Dude, Benjamin Caragol
[GOTH COUNTRY] If the righteous protagonists in Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men had earbuds handy while they were pursuing a ruthless serial killer through postapocalyptic Texas, they’d be listening to Wovenhand. The band is the darkened brainchild of David Eugene Edwards, a man who’s been chasing his demons around the Rocky Mountains of his native Colorado
CONT. on page 42
COURTESY OF JASONISBELL.COM
PREVIEW
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit,
Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls [HANGOVER COUNTRY] There isn’t a better songwriter for regretful Sunday mornings than Jason Isbell. His country-drenched confessions about drinking too much and making too many mistakes are the perfect soundtrack for nursing hangovers with coffee and solemn oaths to “never do that again,” while his soft, lilting twang has a knack for soothing the pounding in your brain and the shame in your heart. His ability to spin yarns about the downtrodden and fearlessly point his gaze unflinchingly inward is what has made him such an important singer-songwriter since his split with Drive-By Truckers in 2007. Isbell’s latest album, The Nashville Sound, marks the first record he’s put out with his band, the 400 Unit, since 2011. It is filled with both hope and despair—a penny in the well for future America and an acknowledgement of how grim things have gotten. And while music seems a flimsy defense in the face of Trump’s daily parade of horror, it’s impossible not to acknowledge the beauty of “If We Were Vampires” or the brightness of “Hope the High Road.” JUSTIN CARROLL-ALLAN. Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., 503-248-4335. 8 pm Monday, Sept. 11. $35-$45. All ages. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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MUSIC since he formed his former band 16 Horsepower back in 1992. Nowadays, he makes country for metalheads, Christian imagery for those who’ve never worn their Sunday best and soundscapes for Judgement Day. PATRICK LYONS. Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-238-0543. 8 pm. $14.50 advance, $18 day of show. 21+.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 Chameleons Vox, Soft Kill, Draa, Human Leather
[POST-PUNK] Post punk as we know it would be hard-pressed to exist without acts like Manchester’s the Chameleons. Numerous albums and a few breakups and reformations made the band an integral influence on the mellow drone sound that’s become so popular. But since their final disbanding back in 2003, vocalist and bassist Mark Burgess and drummer John Lever continued the band’s legacy onstage as Chameleon Vox. Since Lever’s passing earlier this year, Burgess has kept the endeavor going on his own, with this performance serving as the release show for Chameleon Vox’s Live at the Regent LP as well as the pre-party for A Strange Day Fest in Olympia. Those with tickets to A Strange Day Fest even get $5 off the ticket price. CERVANTE POPE. Tonic Lounge, 3100 NE Sandy Blvd., 503238-0543. 9 pm. $15. 21+.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 8 Blaze Bayley, Perseverance, Leathurbitch
[POWER METAL] British metal vocalist Blaze Bayley made a minor name for himself in the ’80s as the David Lee Roth-esque singer of Wolfsbane. The career zenith of that band was a support tour with Iron Maiden, the superstar act that lifted Bayley out of obscurity by hiring him to replace Bruce Dickinson throughout the late ‘90s. The two albums Bayley made with Maiden sold poorly and are largely considered an embarrassment. Nonetheless, his high baritone is powerful, his annunciation is clinical and his recent trilogy of science-fiction-inspired solo albums showcases his operatic qualities. Bayley is currently touring sports bars across America, and by the look of his social media he’s a jolly, grizzled old punter who wants to show diehard power-metal fans a good time. NATHAN CARSON. Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside St., 503-206-7630. 8 pm. $13 advance, $17 day of show. 21+.
The Negro Problem
[ATYPICAL TRIBUTE] Mark “Stew” Stewart has always been hard to pin down. His band the Negro Problem’s indie-pop inclinations veered far from the sounds the music establishment expected from African-American musicians of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Then came solo records, a move to New York, a romantic breakup with his creative and personal partner Heidi Rodewald and the fabulous autobiographical musical Passing Strange, a big Broadway and cinematic success. Now Stewart and Rodewald return with Stew’s musical response to one of his early heroes, the great American writer James Baldwin. Taking its title from Baldwin’s famous 1955 book of essays—just as his band’s name nods to W.E.B. Du Bois’ writings—Notes of a Native Song is, typically, no typical tribute. Ranging across Stew’s similarly uncategorizable palette—pop, rock, a little gospel, a dash of funk—the show includes storysongs about Baldwin’s life and works but also refuses to canonize or categorize an artist who was as complex as Stew himself, while revealing how important the former was to the latter’s own brilliant, complicated creative
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path. BRETT CAMPBELL. Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., 503-725-3307. 8:30 pm. $20 for PICA members, $25 general admission. All ages.
The Church, Helio Sequence
[DREAM-ROCK] There are few bands as adept at melting the essence of New Wave into the downtempo ambience of dream rock as the Church. The Aussie band’s 1988 hit “Under the Milky Way” is gooey proof, but the act was never imprisoned by its hits, staying fairly inventive and hanging onto core members Steve Kilbey and Peter Koppes throughout. The Church’s forthcoming record, Man Woman Life Death Infinity, may be a drop in a proficient bucket of twenty-something albums, but it still has vigor and a touch of the Pink Floydian psychedelia that make them rock legends to many. Show up early for Portland’s finest electro-rock duo the Helio Sequence. MARK STOCK. Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark St #110, 503-288-3895. 8 pm. $35 advance, $40 day of show. All ages.
OK Go, Paper Pilots
[MID-AUGHTS NOSTALGIA] Propelled by the 2006 viral music video of the band dancing on treadmills to their crazy-hit “Here It Goes Again,” the midaughts pop quartet is somehow still running. You may not know that everyone’s guiltiest pleasure released an album as late as 2014, but you probably also don’t know that they’ve been releasing a steady stream of singles since then. Their latest is “Interesting Drug,” which honestly recreates the poppy, sticky melodies of 2002’s self-titled breakthrough. SOPHIA JUNE. Roseland Theater, 8 NW 6th Ave., 971-230-0033. 8 pm. Sold out. All ages.
Benjamin Booker, She Keeps Bees, The New Respects
[SOUL ROCK] From writing about music to actually writing music, Benjamin Booker’s career path took him to the center of the industry he used to simply report on. Naming the Gun Club, T. Rex and gospel blues legend Blind Willie Johnson as influences, Booker’s songs blend the openhearted vulnerability of blues with the energetic rhythms of garage rock. With an arsenal of raw guitar playing and soulful vocals, Booker draws the listener in with allaround charm, especially on his most recent record, Witness. His style packs the in-your-face punch of a young Hendrix and Lenny Kravitz mashup, which is all the infectious appeal you could ever ask for. CERVANTE POPE. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503284-8686. 9 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. All ages.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 Cigarettes After Sex
[SLOWCORE] Critics have fallen head over heels for the brazenly intimate bedroom pop of Cigarettes After Sex’s self-titled debut. Its plainspoken observations of modern love’s imperfect twists and turns has earned the Brooklyn band comparisons to the xx, but while the subject matter is similar, the album’s real hook is its effortless update of slowcore heroes like Codeine and Mazzy Star with a lyric sheet lifted straight out of a mumblecore movie about twentysomethings too bored to care about love. PETE COTTELL. Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E Burnside St., 503-231-9663. 9 pm. Sold out. 21+.
Mac DeMarco, the Garden
[JIZZ JAZZ] See Get Busy, page 35. Oregon Zoo, 4001 SW Canyon Rd., 503-226-1561. 7 pm. $30-$90. All ages.
CONT. on page 44
DATES HERE
C O U R T E S Y O F B A N D C A M P. C O M
INTRODUCING
Black Belt Eagle Scout WHO: Katherine Paul (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals). SOUNDS LIKE: The prayer songs of America’s last chance to save humanity from the coming Armageddon. FOR FANS OF: Feist, Karen O’s film soundtracks, early Cat Power. It took Katherine Paul 10 years, four bands and the mastery of numerous instruments to discover that her most important asset was one she had all along. With Black Belt Eagle Scout, she’s finally found her voice. Well, sort of. “I don’t really write lyrics,” Paul says in between bites of scone at Good Coffee on Southeast Division Street. “The best way I can explain it is, I play music to help me feel better. All the songs, everything I’m playing, i’m just pushing out of myself.” As a member of beloved local projects like Forrest Park and Genders, Paul employed her musical endeavors as a therapeutic release of tension, a sort of proactive way of dealing with negative emotional territory. And it worked for a while—until last winter, during an especially difficult time over the Christmas holiday. Paul began writing some of what would become the first Black Belt Eagle Scout album, Mother of My Children, and realized a whole new level of catharsis. “Someone who I admired, looked up to and was a mentor for me, died,” she says. “My best friend and I were also going through some rocky stuff in our relationship. I felt like people were abandoning me.” She describes some of the louder, more chaotic moments on the record in an attempt to translate her intention behind them. She specifies the immense feelings of anger and inner turmoil she was feeling on songs like “Just Lie Down,” a furious cascade of distortion that washes out into a sinister, palmmuted riff over a booming tom beat. But it’s ultimately the quieter, more complex moments that resonate the most. “Indians Never Die” is the quintessential Black Belt track, with a slow, minor-chord momentum creeping up the neck of Paul’s guitar over and over on a seemingly endless burn. It builds up to the audio equivalent of an explosion captured in a vacuum—a sort of anticlimactic groove sparked and carried through to a sudden end. “That song is about indigenous people,” says Paul, who grew up in northwest Washington on the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Reservation. “It’s about how no one can kill us. I come from a line of native people, and I’m a survivor. We’re all survivors. The spirit of the indigenous people has kept the world going. We are always the protectors of Mother Earth.” Growing up on the reservation, Paul was steeped in a culture and tradition most Americans would be unfamiliar with. But the experience helped shape her into a singular singer, with a voice wholly her own. “I don’t know if people will totally get what the album’s about because it’s very personal. My identity is very unique,” she says. “I don’t meet many people like me.” CRIS LANKENAU. SEE IT: Black Belt Eagle Scout plays Fremont Theater, 2393 NE Fremont St., with Blackwater (Holylight) and Shortline, on Thursday, Sept. 7. 8 pm. $8 advance, $10 day of show. All ages. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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Western Centuries Thur September 12
2393 NE Fremont • fremonttheater.com
WWEEK.COM NEWS ARTS & CULTURE FOOD & DRINK EVENTS MUSIC MOVIES CONTESTS GIVEAWAYS Want to advertise? Email advertising@wweek.com for details.
MUSIC Broncho, Billy Changer
Wilsen, Rare Monk
SUNDAY, SEPT. 10
Blu & Exile, Dag Savage, Choosey, Cashus King, The Last Artful, Dodgr, Tope
[IN THE GARAGE] If you’re looking for some classic, fuzzed-out, Ramones-style guitar riffs, Broncho will give ‘em to you. The Oklahoma quartet has doled out three albums of reliable, catchy garage rock with a snarl, which you may recognize from the HBO show Girls, which featured one of their songs in 2014. Their latest single “Get In My Car,” is a move toward a sweeter, more melodic Broncho, who’ve traded in the angry riffage and are ready to cruise down the highway with the windows open. SOPHIA JUNE. Star Theater, 13 NW 6th Ave., 503-2484700. 9 pm. $10 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.
Perturbator, Stöller, The Great Sorcerer
[SYNTHWAVE] Like their countrymen Carpenter Brut, Perturbator is riding a wave of synthesizers right into the metal scene. Former French black-metal musician James Kent has been prolific with his Perturbator project, penning videogame soundtracks and releasing a breakthrough album, Uncanny Valley, in 2016. His disco-inspired electronic rock leans heavily on nostalgia for the Miami Vice theme and Playstation jams, but borrows an artistic aesthetic from metal. It’s a style that’s proliferating rapidly, and Perturbator is at the forefront. This is the first time the band is playing Portland, so insert coin. NATHAN CARSON. Bossanova Ballroom, 722 E Burnside, 5032036-7630. 8 pm. $20 advance, $25 dos. All ages.
Mdou Moctar, Galaxy Research, Savila
[TRANCE GUITAR] See Get Busy, page 35. The Know, 3728 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-473-8729. 8 pm. Call venue for ticket prices. 21+.
Against Me!, Bleached, the Dirty Nil
[PERSONAL POLITICS] Since coming out as transgender, Against Me frontwoman Laura Jane Grace has turned her fiery take on punk politics inward, documenting the struggle of her transition on 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues. If last year’s Shape Shift with Me is to be heard as an indicator of her progress, it sounds like she’s managed to settle into herself while retaining the razor-sharp wit and disarmingly personal songwriting that’s drawn punks of all shapes and sizes to Against Me’s music for almost 20 years. The journey is far from over, which is good news for fans with an insatiable thirst for their unique brand of loud and fast activism. PETE COTTELL. Wonder Ballroom, 128 NE Russell St., 503284-8686. 8:30 pm. $22.50. Sold out. All ages.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 12 Donald Fagen and The Nightflyers
[STEELY DON] According to his recent non-memoir Eminent Hipsters, Donald Fagen loathes touring and dismisses the tastes of people born after 1960. So why is he bringing a new young band of mostly twentysomethings to town? The Steely Dan co-founder will claim that he needs the income from touring to finance his lavish album recording sessions. But that’s just Fagen in Grumpy Old Dude guise. Now backed by the Nightflyers, Fagen may shake off the overcooked ironic torpor that has sometimes plagued latterday Steely Dan in this program of music from his four solo albums. Expect this show to take on added emotional heft following the recent passing of Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker. BRETT CAMPBELL. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway, 503-248-4335. 7:30 pm. $50. All ages.
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
[CEREBRAL FOLK] Brooklyn-based Tamsin Wilson has been quietly impressing music writers from coast to coast with her busy yet elegant folk. The London-born singer-songwriter released a couple of strong EPs before her debut full-length earlier this year in I Go Missing In My Sleep. The album’s emotional fluidity and gently percussive backbone reminds of early Lord Huron and Lady Lamb. Even in its sleepiest moments, Wilson’s sound is alive with a fetching and engaging cerebral tone given added depth thanks to her strong backing band. MARK STOCK. Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water Ave., 503-328-2865. 9 pm. $8 advance, $10 day of show. 21+.
[ALT-RAP]See Get Busy, page 35. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-288-3895. 9 pm. $18 advance, $20 day of show. 21+.
CLASSICAL, JAZZ & WORLD George Colligan
[PROLIFIC PIANIST] Local piano giant George Colligan will never stop exploring. Between appearances on countless stages and sideman work on over 130 recordings with some of the biggest names in jazz, the Portland State jazz professor has somehow made time to record dozens of albums full of his own original compositions, the 28th of which gets its release celebration tonight. Called More Powerful, the new album is a set of nine modern jazz compositions highlighting Colligan’s talent for marrying heart-wrenching melodies with profound improvisational ideas, and it’s easily among the finest Portland jazz releases of the year. PARKER HALL. Fremont Theater, 2393 NE Fremont Street, 503-946-1962. 8 pm Friday, Sept. 8. $10. All ages.
Raul Midón
[MULTI-INSTRUMENTAL] Sightless multi-instrumentalist Raul Midón is a one-man band that blends guitar and horn-imitating vocals with a loop pedal and hand percussion to create a formidable wall of sound more complex than most fully staffed ensembles. On his latest album, Bad Ass and Blind, the inspiration from fellow blind badass Stevie Wonder is obvious, with the musician offering lush and palatable jazz-inspired works, showcasing an impeccable sense of musical taste— and blowing your mind with his absolute mastery of countless string and percussion instruments. PARKER HALL. Jack London Revue, 529 SW 4th Ave., 503-228-7605. 8 and 10 pm Friday, Sept. 8. $15. 21+.
Dave King Trucking Co., Blue Cranes
[MIDWEST SWING] Acclaimed jazz drummer and composer Dave King first made waves in the early aughts as a member of contemporary jazz trio the Bad Plus, where he showcased a ragged and extremely melodic approach to his instrument. In his Trucking Company ensemble, King takes his group-centered musicianship—and love of connecting Midwest and New York jazz allies— to the edge of contemporary jazz, with a quintet that features astounding musicians like tenor saxophonists Chris Speed and Brandon Wozniak, bassist Chris Morrissey and guitarist Erik Fratzke. On the band’s latest album Surrounded By Night, whirling horn lines meet jagged-edged guitar, in a musical mashup that puts Rust Belt determination inside the body of New York’s finest art music. PARKER HALL. Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., 503-2883895. 8 pm Sunday, Sept. 10. $13 advance, $15 day of show. 21+.
For more Music listings, visit
dates here ALBUM REVIEWS
EMA EXILE IN THE OUTER RING (City Slang) [POST-INDUSTRIAL SPRAWL] On Erika M. Anderson’s latest deep recon mission into the American psyche, she inhabits the Outer Ring, a fictionalized reference to the very real zone surrounding most cities inhabited by those who’ve been pushed out of urban centers. These are songs of the hopeless, the disenfranchised, the angry—those who, in Anderson’s own words, “drive Toyota Camrys and get fucked up in Best Buy parking lots.” Giving their lives an eerie sheen redolent of dingy alleys lit only by headlights, she smears noise, clanging beats and mangled synths across a bleak, lyrical canvas. At this point in Anderson’s career, she sounds like a hybrid cooked up in Trent Reznor’s laboratory, an experiment in splicing Karen O at her scuzziest with Julee Cruise at her creepiest. She may critique some aspects of Outer Ringers’ lives—most notably on “Aryan Nation,” in which she sings, “Tell me stories of famous men/I can’t see myself in them”—but she’s not removed from the narrative. Describing herself as “33, nihilistic and female,” the transplanted Portlander pulls from her experience growing up in South Dakota, placing herself outside the nü-bourgeois institutions of the Inner Ring. Were Exile in the Outer Ring simply a smear piece on the new blue-collar class—or worse, a Hillbilly Elegy—it wouldn’t be nearly as effective or harrowing. As it is, the album presents a frightening-but-empathetic look at the forgotten living in impoverished limbo between urban and rural. PATRICK LYONS. SEE IT: EMA plays PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St., as part of the Time-Based Art Festival, on Sunday, Sept. 10. 10:30 pm. $8 PICA members, $10 general admission. All ages.
Three For Silver
THE WAY WE BURN (Foggy Night) [DEVIL’S CABARET] The nocturnal sound of Portland trio Three For Silver lurks so heavily in the shadows it’s hard to imagine that it ever sees the light of day. Newest effort The Way We Burn is a zealous concoction of old timey folk, brooding pop and misty chamber arrangements. The Tom Waits influence on vocalist Lucas Warford is unmistakable, his guttural tirades offset by bandmate Willo Sertain’s much lighter register. The torchlit, cavernous feel of the record is its signature attribute, grounded in the bellows of a custom bass banjo, sullen strings and Warford’s of-the-grave singing. Opener “This Time Tomorrow” is a murky blues number that seems to run from the insect-like pestering of accordion and violin while “Take Me Away” contemplates death to busy bass work and a seesawing violin. There’s some eerie filler, but for the most part, the album puts craft before kitsch. The trio even has a ready-made hit in “Get Thee Hence,” an emotive ballad that comes across as a delightfully grizzly version of “What A Wonderful World,” before igniting into a frantic haunted hoedown. Post-apocalyptic sounds may be en vogue right now, but Three For Silver seems deliberately stationed under their own rock, far away from any trends, and on The Way We Burn, that’s all for the better. MARK STOCK. SEE IT: Three For Silver plays the Old Church, 1422 SW 11th Ave., with Eliza Rickman, on Friday, Sept. 8. 8 pm. $10 advance, $15 day of show. All ages. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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WILSEN TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH AT 6PM Wilsen is a Brooklyn band centered around lead singer Tamsin Wilson’s moody, calmly dreamy voice. Spare but sparkling arrangements provide a backdrop for warm, approachable vocals.
JOSH RITTER
ALBUM RELEASE SHOW!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH AT 7PM
Critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Josh Ritter comes to Music Millennium to celebrate the release of his new record “The Gathering”. Pre-buy the new album for guaranteed admission.
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
MUSIC MILLENNIUM RECOMMENDS:
MUTEMATH
PLAY DEAD
OUT SEPTEMBER 8TH Alternative rock mainstay MUTEMATH returns with their first album since 2015. The band describes the new album as their most progressive work to date!
JD MCPHERSON ALBUM RELEASE SHOW!
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6TH AT 6PM
Rocker JD McPherson will play a release show for his third album “Undivided Heart & Soul” on October 6th. Pre-buy the new album for guaranteed admission.
MUSIC CALENDAR WED. SEPT. 6 Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. Gold Casio, Ellis Pink
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Ave. Robbie Laws Jam Session
Crystal Ballroom 1332 W Burnside St Thundercat, PBDY
Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St. Now, Now
Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Moody Little Sister (The Winery Tasting Room)
Fremont Theater
2393 NE Fremont St. Alan Jones Sextet
Hawthorne Theatre
1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd. Quicksand, No Joy
Holocene
1001 SE Morrison St. SassyBlack, Blossom, DNVN, DJ VNPRT
Justa Pasta
1336 NW 19th Ave. Anson Wright Duo
LaurelThirst Public House 2958 NE Glisan St. Bakersfield Rejects
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Thelma and the Sleaze, Lavender Country & Cool Schmool
The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark St. Resolectrics, Foster’s Kids
The Know
3728 NE Sandy Blvd. Lavender Flu, Dreamdecay, Home Blitz, LOX
The Liquor Store
3341 SE Belmont St. PROBLEMS, Virgil, Tall Women
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave. Emergency Relief Benefit Show
The Old Church
1422 SW 11th Ave. TOC presents Myshkin Warbler’s Warning Signs
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd. Wovenhand, King Dude, Benjamin Caragol
White Eagle Saloon
836 N Russell St. Amoramora, Bamboozle, Joytribe; Ronnie Carrier’s Driftin’ Inn, Lumbercat
White Owl Social Club
1305 SE 8th Ave. We are Parasols, Sex Park & Vacant Stares
THU. SEPT. 7 Bossanova Ballroom
722 E Burnside St. Days N Daze, Rum Rebellion, Ground Score, Juicy Karkass
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Avenue Terry Hanck Band
Dante’s
350 W Burnside St. From the Basement: Mouthbreather, Stargarbage, Tino’s Dream
Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St Alexandra Savior
Edgefield
LAST WEEK LIVE
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Silver Lake 66 (The Winery Tasting Room)
Fremont Theater
2393 NE Fremont St. Black Belt Eagle Scout 1001 SE Morrison St. GET WEIRD with The Heavy Hustle, Karma Rivera, Courtney Noe, ADDverse Effects
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Ave. Ben Rice
Dante’s
350 W Burnside St. Karaoke From Hell
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Coast Modern, Salt Cathedral
Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St. TOPS
Muddy Rudder Public House
Edgefield
8105 SE 7th Ave. Sleepy Eyed Johns
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Groovy Wallpaper (The Winery Tasting Room)
The Fixin’ To
8218 N. Lombard St. Anna Hoone, Leslie Christine, Matty Charles, Katy Rose
Keller Auditorium
222 SW Clay St. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
The Know
The Secret Society
116 NE Russell St Thursday Swing featuring The Cherry Blossom Hot 4, Baby & The Pearl Blowers
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd Chameleons Vox, Soft Kill, Draa, Human Leather
White Eagle Saloon 836 N Russell St Parsonsfield
White Owl Social Club 1305 SE 8th Ave. Thick Business & Night Heron
Wilf’s
800 NW 6th Ave. Women With Standards Sextet
FRI. SEPT. 8 Bossanova Ballroom 722 E Burnside St Blaze Bayley, Perseverance, Leathurbitch
Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. The Yawpers
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Avenue Bottleneck Blues Band
Dante’s
350 West Burnside Theatre of Hate, Shadowhouse, Deathcharge
Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St. Ages and Ages
Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale The Resolectrics (The Winery Tasting Room)
Fremont Theater
2393 NE Fremont St. George Colligan
Imago Theatre 17 SE 8th Ave. Kip Richardson
Jack London Revue
529 SW 4th Ave Raul Midón
Kenton Club
Coronation, Sustentacula, RLLRBLL
128 NE Russell St Against Me!, Bleached, the Dirty Nil
1028 SE Water Ave. Cobi
529 SW 4th Ave. Hot Club of Cowtown
1422 SW 11th Ave. Phoebe Hunt and the Gatherers
Wonder Ballroom
Bunk Bar
Jack London Revue
The Old Church
The Two Tracks, Julie & The WayVes, Scratchdog Stringband
MON. SEPT. 11
Holocene
3728 NE Sandy Blvd. Piss Test, Macho Boys, Vog, Rubble
[SEPT. 6-12]
For more listings, check out wweek.com.
LIZ ALLAN
= WW Pick. Highly recommended.
Editor: Matthew Singer. TO HAVE YOUR EVENT LISTED, send show information at least two weeks in advance on the web at wweek.com/ submitevents. Press kits, CDs and especially vinyl can be sent to Music Desk, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Please include show or release date information with all physical mailings. Email: music@wweek.com.
Mississippi Studios
ROOTS MUSIC: Edgefield usually feels intimate for an amphitheater. There are often shows here where families at the back of the lawn stay seated on their quilts throughout. But the Roots’ show on Sept. 1 was not one of those shows. “We’re gonna take a second now to raise our vibration,” frontman Black Thought said to the soldout crowd, Questlove drumming continuously behind him like a pulse. “Let’s just focus on our breathing. Everybody take a full breath in”—every person in Edgefield, I shit you not, breathed in—“aaaaand a full breath out.” Less than 30 minutes into the show, this was a necessary exercise, with everyone already sticky and breathless from dancing. The Roots, once true sons of Philadelphia, have effectively become America’s hip-hop collective, ubiquitous in a way that fractured pop culture hardly allows for any more. They sit on three Grammy wins, and they’re also the house band on The Tonight Show. And that’s to say nothing of their dense, 12-album discography, which swings from radio-friendly singles to literary meditations on the African-American experience. In fact, the only small hitch at Edgefield was that they didn’t dig through more of that discography wasn’t played. Smartly, they drew a healthy chunk of the set from 1999 breakthrough Things Fall Apart. But it mostly felt like cover after cover—“Spottieottiedopalicious,” “Move On Up,” “Hand Clapping Song” and Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow.” It’s hard to complain too much, though. After all these years, the rapport between Questlove and Black Thought was like two halves of the same musical organism—man, that shit is magical. ISABEL ZACHARIAS. Lincoln Performance Hall
1620 SW Park Ave. The Negro Problem
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Carbon Leaf
Mock Crest Tavern 3435 N Lombard St. Alexa Wiley & the Wilderness
Muddy Rudder Public House 8105 SE 7th Ave. Lauren Sheehan, Terry Robb
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St #110 The Church, Helio Sequence
Rock Hard PDX
13639 SE Powell Blvd. Sickness In September with the Mentors
Roseland Theater
8 NW 6th Ave. OK Go, Paper Pilots
Star Theater
13 NW 6th Ave. Ott
Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
17200 NE Delfel Rd, Ridgefield, Wash. Foreigner, Cheap Trick
The Fixin’ To
8218 N. Lombard St The Loved, Maurice Spencer & The Stiff Sisters, Shoring
The Fixin’ To
8218 N. Lombard St. The Loved, Maurice and the Stiff Sisters, Shoring
The Old Church
1422 SW 11th Ave. Three for Silver, Eliza Rickman
The O’Neil Public House 6000 NE Glisan St Copper & Crow
The Secret Society 116 NE Russell St. Pete Krebs and his Portland Playboys
Wonder Ballroom
128 NE Russell St. Benjamin Booker, She Keeps Bees, The New Respects
SAT. SEPT. 9 Ash Street Saloon
225 SW Ash St. Monolord, Beastmaker, Sweat Lodge
Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. Chuck Westmoreland, Mission Spotlight
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Avenue Billy D & The Hoodoos
Classic Pianos
3003 SE Milwaukie Ave Sounds of Brazil: Paula Santoro
Dante’s
350 W Burnside St. Window to the Abbey featuring Troy Baker
Doug Fir Lounge
830 E Burnside St Cigarettes After Sex
Edgefield
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Jacob Westfall (The Winery Tasting Room); Michael Franti & Spearhead
Jack London Revue 529 SW 4th Ave 5 Grand Band
Maryhill Winery
9774 WA-14, Goldendale, Wash. Steve Winwood
Muddy Rudder Public House 8105 SE 7th Ave. Dan McCoy
Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Rd. Mac DeMarco, the Garden
Revolution Hall
1300 SE Stark St #110 Pigs On The Wing: The Wall
Roseland Theater
8 NW 6th Ave. Reverend Horton Heat
Skyline Tavern
8031 NW Skyline Blvd. Tumbledown
Star Theater
13 NW 6th Ave. Broncho, Billy Changer
Tall Paul Fest
Fins, Grammarhorn Wren, Fir
LiquidLight, Hollow Sidewalks, Down Gown
The Fixin’ To
Dante’s
The Goodfoot
Edgefield
8218 N. Lombard St. Eyelids, Echo Echo Echo, Lonesome Radio Heart 2845 SE Stark St. Garcia Birthday Band
The Know
3728 NE Sandy Blvd. Shameover, Paper Thin Youth, Lost Nerves, Brave Hands
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Lewi Longmire & Anita Lee Elliott (The Winery Tasting Room)
Fremont Theater
The Lovecraft Bar
2393 NE Fremont St. The Hillwilliams
The O’Neil Public House
529 SW 4th Ave. Neo-Soul Sunday: Thankyousomuch
421 SE Grand Ave. Volt Divers
6000 NE Glisan St. Special Purpose
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd. Old Kingdom, Ice Kream Social, Floom, Heavy Baang Staang
White Eagle Saloon 836 N Russell St. Shootdang
Wonder Ballroom 128 NE Russell St. Ásgeir
SUN. SEPT. 10 Aladdin Theater
N Willis between N Brandon and N Denver Tall Paul Fest
3017 SE Milwaukie Ave. Judy Collins
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Bloco Alegria, JuJBa
722 E Burnside St. Perturbator, Stöller, The Great Sorcerer
The Firkin Tavern
Bunk Bar
1937 SE 11th Ave.
350 W Burnside St. Micah Schnabel & Michael Dean Damron
Bossanova Ballroom
1028 SE Water Ave.
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Monsieur Periné
Muddy Rudder Public House 8105 SE 7th Ave. Lloyd Jones
The Fixin’ To
8218 N Lombard St. The English Language, Bread & Butter, Royal Trash
The Know
3728 NE Sandy Blvd. Vacation, Howardian, Muscle Dungeon, Mala Fides
TUE. SEPT. 12 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
1037 SW Broadway Donald Fagen and The Nightflyers
Ash Street Saloon 225 SW Ash St. Dwight Church with Dwight Dickinson
Bunk Bar
1028 SE Water Ave. Wilsen, Rare Monk
Catfish Lou’s
2460 NW 24th Ave. Billy D & Kathryn Grimm
Doug Fir Lounge 830 E Burnside St. Wild Cub
Edgefield
Jack London Revue
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale Pete Krebs (The Winery Tasting Room)
Mississippi Studios
Fremont Theater
Muddy Rudder Public House
Hawthorne Theatre
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Dave King Trucking Co., Blue Cranes
8105 SE 7th Ave. Dan & Fran
PICA at Hancock
15 NE Hancock St. EMA
Rontoms
600 E Burnside St. Ezza Rose, Kelli Schaefer, The Wild Body
St. Johns Music
8044 N Richmond Ave. Moonlight Sonata and Other Delights
The Know
3728 NE Sandy Blvd. Mdou Moctar, Galaxy Research, Sávila
2393 NE Fremont St. Western Centuries, Zach Bryson & The Meat Shack 1507 SE César E. Chávez Blvd Epica
Mississippi Studios
3939 N Mississippi Ave. Blu & Exile, Dag Savage, Choosey, Cashus King, The Last Artful, Dodgr, Tope
The Goodfoot
2845 SE Stark St. Fresh Track
The Ranger Station
4260 SE Hawthorne Blvd Bluegrass Tuesday
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd Black Mass, Soul Grinder
The Secret Society 116 NE Russell St.
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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MUSIC C O U R T E S Y O F N ATA S H A K M E TO
NEEDLE EXCHANGE
LIVE MUSIC FRIDAY KARAOKE SATURDAY Classic Rock Hour M-F 2-6pm
Where to drink this week. 1. Level Beer
5211 SE 148th Ave., 503-714-1222, levelbeer.com. Out in Argay, Level has graduated from collaboration brews to actual beers—including two different fresh hop beers to kick off the season.
2. Jack London Revue
529 SW 4th Ave., jacklondonrevue.com. Jazz is back on the westside, in the no-nonsense velvet-curtained basement of classic pool hall Rialto, lit up with candles and Christmas lights and outfitted with deep vinyl booths.
304 SW 2nd (& Oak) // 971-242-8725
@wweek
3. Les Caves
Nasty Tasha (A.K.A. NATASHA KMETO)
S W NE
Years DJing: Six years. I first started DJing as a resident for a night I promoted with Danny Corn and Graintable called PDneXt and then sort of as a natural extension of being an electronic music producer.
1719 NE Alberta St., 503-206-6852, ovumwines.com/les-caves. Les Caves is a dark, denlike winery bar in a literal underground cave—with some of the most adventurous and rarest wines from all over the world— often at surprising discounts on “off ” years less valued by collectors.
4. Lafitte’s
Genre: House, tech house, techno, disco, R&B. Where you can catch me regularly: Jump Jack Sound Machine, which is every second Saturday at Mississippi Studios. Craziest gig: I once DJ’d a side stage at Coachella in 108 degree weather while half-naked people onstage were hosing the dance floor down with giant firehoses. I was mainly concerned with my computer not overheating and shutting down, but it was pretty wild. My go-to records: Jimmy Edgar’s “Strike”; Inner City’s “Big Fun”; Mr. Fingers, “Can You Feel It”; Machinedrum’s remix of Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control.” Don’t ever ask me to play…: Anything that’s not fitting the vibe of the night. I don’t usually take requests unless they’re particularly fitting for the set I’m playing. NEXT GIG: Nasty Tasha plays Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi Ave., for Jump Jack Sound Machine, on Saturday, Sept. 9. 10 pm. $7. 21+.
2327 NW Kearney St., thewaitingroompdx.com. The upstairs at already hidden bar the Waiting Room is a double-hidden ode to old New Orleans, with absinthe paraphernalia and classic crystal glassware holding some seriously evolved cocktails from barman Chazz Madrigal.
3565 SE Division St., 503-719-5189. Cat’s Paw is a pro-skaterowned, slightly punky refuge on bougie Division Street—splitting the difference among $9 lavender cocktails, $2 happy-hour Rainiers and a decent mess of craft brews.
Killingsworth Dynasty
Black Book
Moloko
Crush Bar
832 N Killingsworth St Goth Nite
3967 N. Mississippi Ave Sappho Digs Deep (disco)
WED, SEPT. 6 Elvis Room
203 SE Grand Ave. DJ Mattlock
Ground Kontrol
511 NW Couch St TRONix: DJ Metronome (techno)
Killingsworth Dynasty 832 N Killingsworth St Finite Plan
Sandy Hut
1430 NE Sandy Blvd DJ Hot Lips
The Embers Avenue 100 NW Broadway Recycle (dark dance)
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Event Horizon (darkwave, industrial)
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd Death Throes (death rock, post punk, dark wave)
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5. Cat’s Paw Saloon
20 NW 3rd Ave The Cave (rap, r&b, club)
Tube
Sandy Hut
1400 SE Morrison Fang-O-Rama! A Vampire Variety Show
Valentines
The Analog Cafe
1332 W Burnside St 80’s Video Dance Attack
18 NW 3rd Ave Dubblife 232 SW Ankeny St Psychotic Reaction // Spurious Signals
THU, SEPT. 7 Black Book
20 NW 3rd Ave Ladies Night (rap, r&b, club)
Double Barrel Tavern 2002 SE Division St DJ Easy Fingers
Elvis Room
203 SE Grand Ave. DJ Buzzkill
Ground Kontrol
511 NW Couch St Community Library DJs: DJ Brokenwindow & Strategy
Jade Club
315 SE 3rd Ave Royals
1430 NE Sandy Blvd DJ Just Dave
Crystal Ballroom
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd LOST IN BASS w/ Deformaty, Alex Lightspeed, Strive, Sidetracked
Ground Kontrol
The Lovecraft Bar
Holocene
The Paris Theatre
Killingsworth Dynasty
421 SE Grand Ave Shadowplay (goth, industrial, 80s) 6 SW 3rd Ave Dysphemic and Charlie Rocket
White Owl Social Club 1305 SE 8th Ave East Taken by Force (rock ‘n roll)
FRI, SEPT. 8 45 East
315 SE 3rd Ave Boombox Cartel
511 NW Couch St DJ Mechlo (chiptune, retrowave) 1001 SE Morrison St Dance Yourself Clean (indie pop) 832 N Killingsworth St Cake Party
Lay Low Tavern
6015 SE Powell Blvd DJ Joey Prude
Moloko
3967 N. Mississippi Ave King Tim 33 1/3 (aqua boogie, underwater rhymes)
Quarterworld
4811 SE Hawthorne Blvd Quarter Flashback (80s)
THE NEW PARIS THEATRE
E M I LY J O A N G R E E N E
BAR REVIEW
6 SW THIRD NEXT TO VOODOO
THURS SEPT 7 9PM HYPE$H!T & EIDOLIN ENT. PRESENT:
DYSPHEMIC AND CHARLIE ROCKET FRI SEPT 8 9PM
BURN UP WITH DJ DAN TUPELO OR BUST: The top floor of Elvis Room (203 SE Grand Ave., 503-235-5690) looks less like Graceland than a bachelor lounge at Monticello: It’s a white-painted, French-Colonial hall of gilded mirrors and painted naked ladies. With Sandy Hut and the Alibi, owners Marcus Archambeault and Warren Boothby have become the unofficial caretakers of the Portland classic bar—and with Elvis Room, they’re reviving the space of former punk haunt East End, which burned in a fire a few years back. But the aesthetic in the two-story space is now a lot closer to the building’s rumored original purpose as a brothel. The E-Room is a winking quotation of luxury—a belt-buckled pelvic thrust of budget extravagance stacking liquor to the heavens. As at pretty much all of the owners’ non-Alibi spots, the burgers are great, but don’t ever order those $9-$10 menu cocktails: Most of the rocker-scene bartenders are a lot more accustomed to making drinks with their ingredients in the name. Still, the Elvis-approved peanut-butter-bacon-pickle Graceland burger ($8) is classic in its decadence, and the bun was toasted just right. The overall effect at the bar is less Elvis than Elvis’ drunk nephew taking over the place, hanging up a beer sign and kicking out the Stooges on Spotify. The crowd so far isn’t Elvis-obsessive or rockabilly, but a Portland for whom Elvis is less music than a symbol of gaud, irony and sweat-stained excess. If the upstairs is relentlessly sunny kitsch, the downstairs is a pitch-black ode to Elvis’ quaalude years—a dank, carpeted hole with bar glass, deep booths, velvet paintings of cats and a whiff of ammoniac must illustrated by a naked Cupid eternally pissing under the stairs. Trapped halfway between the stacked bar scenes of Burnside and Morrison, Elvis Room is also interestingly trapped between theme bar and drinking dive— a little bit country glam, a little bit rock ‘n’ roll. MATTHEW KORFHAGE. Star Bar
639 SE Morrison St DJ Smooth Hopperator
Ground Kontrol
511 NW Couch St DJ Chip (hiphop, r&b)
The Goodfoot
Holocene
The Lovecraft Bar
Killingsworth Dynasty
2845 SE Stark St Soul Stew (funk, soul, disco) 421 SE Grand Ave NecroNancy
The Paris Theatre
6 SW 3rd Ave Burn Up with DJ Dan
The Secret Society 116 NE Russell St Jai Ho! Dance Party
Valentines
232 SW Ankeny St Honesty 5 (hip hop, club)
SAT, SEPT. 9 45 East
315 SE 3rd Ave Nora En Pure
Black Book
20 NW 3rd Ave The Ruckus (rap, r&b, club)
Crystal Ballroom
1332 W Burnside St Come As You Are: 90’s Dance Flashback
1001 SE Morrison St Verified (bass, rap, trap) 832 N Killingsworth St Electric Dreams w/ DJ Drew Groove (new wave, synthpop, 80s)
SUN, SEPT. 10 Black Book
20 NW 3rd Ave Flux (rap, r&b, club)
Killingsworth Dynasty 832 N Killingsworth St DJ Skye (SF)
Star Theater
13 NW 6th Ave Hive (goth, industrial)
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd A Night For Dancers: Mambo/Salsa Social
TUE, SEPT. 12
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Infinity Mirror (occult techno, esoteric ambiance)
426 SW Washington St Party Damage: DJ Stonebunny
Moloko
White Owl Social Club
Killingsworth Dynasty
3967 N. Mississippi Ave Klavical (modern soul, heavy breaks, hip-hop)
Spare Room
4830 NE 42nd Ave The Hustle (disco)
The Lovecraft Bar
421 SE Grand Ave Musick For Mannequins w/ DDDJJJ666, Magnolia Bouvier & DJ Acid Rick (sexbeat, creep-o-rama)
Valentines
232 SW Ankeny St Devil’s Pie (hip-hop, r&b)
MON, SEPT. 11 Elvis Room
203 SE Grand Ave. Down The Rabbit Hole w/ DJ King Fader (wizard farts)
Ground Kontrol 511 NW Couch St Reaganomix: DJ Nate C. (80s)
Sandy Hut
1430 NE Sandy Blvd DJ Wes Craven
THURS SEPT 14 9PM SYNERGETIC NW PRESENTS:
DOOZY, CHENBEAR, STRITCH, MUTAGEN
PUNK TUESDAYS: COMING SOON
421 SE Grand Ave Black Mass (goth, new wave, post-punk)
Mississippi Studios
1305 SE 8th Ave East Your Sunday Best Local Love Edition
MAJORAH’S MUSIC BOX
The Lovecraft Bar
Kelly’s Olympian
3939 N Mississippi Ave Jump Jack Sound Machine: Summers End
SAT SEPT 9 10PM
832 N Killingsworth St Final Report
The Analog Cafe
720 SE Hawthorne Blvd Rose Room Swing Dance
The Secret Society 116 NE Russell St Tuesday Salsa with Lynn and Mark
Tonic Lounge
3100 NE Sandy Blvd Toxic Tuesdays (goth, postpunk, spooky)
Tube
18 NW 3rd Ave Tubesdays w/ DJ Jack
EVENT INFO
(503)847-9177 WEB
THEPARISPDX.COM FACEBOOK.COM/
THEPARISPDX Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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PERFORMANCE COURTESY OF PICA.ORG
PREVIEW
Fighting the Formula
CRITICAL MASCARA
FIFTEEN YEARS IN, TIME-BASED ART FESTIVAL IS STILL WEIRD AS HELL. BY JAC K R US H A L L
There’s no real way to pin down TimeBased Art Festival. Every year, PICA’s festival floods Portland with some of the most intriguing, and sometimes baffling, contemporary artists. But while the works tend to be highconcept, TBA is hardly a snooty arts festival—basically, it’s one big party. Over the course of 11 days, you can culturally binge an impressive lineup of performances, films, queer dance parties and large-scale art installations dispersed throughout Portland. But what makes TBA so special isn’t just its quality and scope—it’s that you’re not just seeing art, you’re watching it materialize. Unlike most art festivals, the 15-year-old festival doesn’t have a theme. Instead, it’s an interactive free-for-all. You can’t see everything, but below are eight things you’ll feel horrible for missing.
Opening Night: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
TBA’s kick-off is a block party/banquet at its headquarters where you can hang out with some of the world’s finest contemporary artists. If you can’t afford the dinner, there is a complimentary psychedelic visual art performance from avant-garde, industrial music performer Genesis Breyer P- Orridge to kick off the coming festivities. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 6 pm Thursday, Sept. 7. $100 for dinner. Performance is free. All ages. 50
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
They, Themself and Schmerm Pepper, Critical Mascara’s host, is moving Ghost Rings The simplest way to describe Becca Blackwell’s show is to call it standup. But it might be more apt to describe it as a tragicomedy, or in Blackwell’s own words, a “teen zine vomit confessional.” Led by Becca, a trans actor, director and performer, They, Themself and Schmerm investigates gender through Becca’s experience growing up in a religious, staunchly binary household. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison St. 8:30-9:30 pm FridaySaturday. 6:30-7:30 pm Friday-Monday, Sept. 8-11. $25.
Bight of the Twin
The only film that’s part of this year’s main programming, director Hazel Hill McCarthy ’s Bight of the Twin depicts Genesis Breyer P- Orridge’s journey to Ouidah, Benin, to learn about the origins of Vodoun, the Voodoo religion. The film depicts McCarthy and P- Orridge’s artistic collaboration, which means to meld Vodoun with Western performance art. After the Sunday screening, there’s a Q&A with McCarthy. NW Film Center: Whitsell Auditorium at Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Ave. 7 pm Friday, Sept. 8. 4 pm Sunday Sept. 10. $10.
Critical Mascara
These past five years, Critical Mascara has established itself as one of the best parts of TBA. The coveted drag show morphs into a supersized queer dance party—imagine BlowPony if it wasn’t all dudes. Pepper
on to different artistic pursuits, so this is the show’s last at TBA. It’s a swan song not to be missed. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 10:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 9. $10. 21+.
Founded almost 10 years ago, Portland group Fin de Cinema invites local musicians to reimagine film soundtracks. This time, it’s ’70s Russian art film The Mirror. A bunch of local, contemporary pop and experimental artists will reinvent the soundtrack for the film for a live audience. PICA at Hancock, 15 NE Hancock St. 9:30 pm Monday, Sept. 11. $10.
Part play, part concert performed by a fake band, the new performance by Brooklyn experimental theater ensemble Half Straddle tells a story of two siblings formerly united by a childhood band who are now estranged in adulthood. Told with glittery costumes and animal puppets, it’s based off artistic director Tina Satter’s own relationship with her sister. Satter grew up in Portland and started her career at Imago Theatre, but this will be the first time the company has performed Ghost Rings in Satter’s hometown. PSU: Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., Room 75. 8:30-9:30 pm, WednesdayThursday, Sept. 13-14. $25.
Thank You for Coming
Tanya Tagaq
Fin de Cinema
In the world of contemporary dance, Faye Driscoll is a pretty big deal. Though she’s gone from fringe renegade to one of the most celebrated choreographers in narrative contemporary dance, Driscoll’s work still manages to be rebellious and challenging. In the second act in the Bessie Award-winning choreographer’s Thank You for Coming series, performers expose conversational lapses–stutters, repetitions and gaps–by providing dialogue for one another. But the show is more than just an exercise in oddness, it’s an emphasis on human language and how it defines us, sometimes unknowingly. Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave. 8:30 pm Tuesday-Wednesday, Sept. 12-13. 6:30 pm Thursday Sept. 14. $25.
The fact that Tanya Tagaq has worked both Kronos Quartet and Fucked Up should give you a pretty good sense of her musical range. The Canadian throat singer is basically a more aggro Björk. Her music is spine-tingling, witchy and, most importantly, perplexing. Tagaq’s vocal style can sound a bit more like howling than singing, and denounces toxic masculinity and insensitive colonialism. PSU: Lincoln Performance Hall, 1620 SW Park Ave., Room 75. 8:30-9:40 pm, FridaySaturday, Sept. 15-16. $30. SEE IT: TBA is from Sept. 7-17. Go to pica.org/tba to see the full schedule. Festival passes are $60-$500.
REVIEW COURTESTY OF REVEAL ALL FEAR NOTHING
= WW Pick. Highly recommended. Most prices listed are for advance ticket sales. At-the-door increases and so-called convenience charges may apply, so it’s best to call ahead. Editor: SHANNON GORMLEY (sgormley@wweek.com). TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, submit information at least two weeks in advance to: sgormley@wweek.com.
THEATER OPENINGS & PREVIEWS Hands Up
Commissioned by the New Black Fest after the death of Michael Brown, Hands Up is seven monologues by black playwrights about their experiences with institutionalized racial profiling. It’s an intense collection of monologues that all seven actors in Red Door’s production deliver with deeply visceral performances. Wieden+Kennedy, 224 NW 13th Ave., reddoorproject.org. 7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 9. 2 pm Sunday, Sept. 10. Free with reservation, donations accepted.
An Octoroon
Artists Rep’s new season is getting off to a bold start. First premiered in 2013, An Octoroon is a a dark satire of a 19th century melodrama, The Octoroon, about a relationship between a plantation owner and a mixed race woman. An Octoroon is a strange, difficult play. But it’s in good hands—written by much celebrated D.C. playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Artists Rep’s production will feature some of Portland’s best actors. Artists Repertory Theatre, 1515 SW Morrison, 503-241-1278, artistsrep.org. 7:30 pm Wednesday-Sunday, 2 pm Sunday, through Oct. 1. $25-$50.
The (Curious Case of the) Watson Intelligence
Coho Theater’s season opener is a time-hopping play that tells the stories of three different Watsons. And yes, that includes the Watson who was sidekick to Sherlock Holmes, plus another that’s a robot. Coho Theater, 2257 NW Raleigh St., cohoproductions.org. 7:30 pm. Through Sept. 30. $25-$32.
DANCE Cirque du Soleil: Kurios
The only thing surprising about Cirque du Soleil going steampunk is that it didn’t happen sooner. Kurios has the distinction of being hailed as the company’s strongest show in years. That seems fair enough, as the Victorian age of innovation proves fertile ground for creative costumes, set pieces and off-kilter storytelling. MARTIN CIZMAR. Portland Expo Center, 2060 North Marine Dr., expocenter.org/events/ cirque-du-soleil-presents-kurios. 8 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 4:30 pm Saturday, 1:30 pm and 5 pm Sunday, through Oct. 8. $29-$280.
COMEDY Cat Patrol
Cat Patrol is the Ape Theater’s first long-form scripted work. Cat Patrol is less interested in telling a story than it is in showcasing the chameleonic talents of Alissa Jessup and Brooke Totman, the show’s only actors. The show offers jolts of joyous silliness and canny satire of gender roles from show writers Jessup andTotman, who have a cheerful but gutsy way of sending up sexism. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Ape Theater, 126 NE Alberta St., catpatrols.com. 7:30 Friday-Saturday, through September 16. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
NATURAL INSTINCT: Madison Young
Feminist Porn Manifesto Reveal All Fear Nothing is a madcap memoir of sex work.
In Reveal All Fear Nothing, Madison Young explains the porn industry through what she calls “anal statistics.” When Young worked in mainstream porn, lucrative anal scenes paid for rent and living expenses, and eventually allowed her the funds to open a feminist art gallery in the Bay Area. “I saw my anus as a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from the patriarchy,” says Young. Before Young’s memoir of her experiences in the sex industry starts, you walk into the theater through a curtain bearing an enormous illustration of Young ’s anus. During the show, Young asks the curtain for permission to fist herself. Later, Young performs what she calls an ecosexual magic ritual: She sits nude, crisscross on a rug amid crystals, antlers and candles. Somewhere between a seance and a masturbation session, Young asks the audience to stomp their feet and howl as she climaxes with the help of a Hitachi massager and a crystal dildo. Young, who recently moved to Portland, worked in mainstream porn before making her own feminist erotic films and curating visual art exhibitions. Through all the arty production, Young’s commentary is as witty as it is biting, and the real drive behind Reveal All. “Want to know one of the biggest differences between feminist porn and mainstream porn? Organic, glycerin-free lube versus spit,” quips Young. The show has dark moments, too. On the bed that serves as the set, there’s a clitoris pillow, red silks and a blood-stained slip that Young tightly balls in her fists when recalling an injury after a particularly rough scene, and her agent’s refusal to cancel that week’s bookings. Over the theater’s sound system, a loop of voices give directions like, “take it, bitch” and “she’s fine, keep going.” The voices play with increased intensity as the lighting shifts to blue and a spotlight forms around Young. Through its bluntness, Reveal All demystifies fetish culture—Young tells us her own greatest turn-on is being bound and/or photographed. Putting women’s experiences in front of the camera, Reveal All concludes, is what defines feminist porn. LAUREN TERRY. SEE IT. Reveal All Fear Nothing is at Mister Theater, 1847 E Burnside St., mistertheater.com. 8 pm Thursday-Sunday, through Sept. 10. $30-$99. 21+. Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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VISUAL ARTS SEQUENTIAL ART GALLERY
PREVIEW
High/Low
COURTESY OF
THE FIVE ART SHOWS WE’RE MOST EXCITED TO SEE THIS SEPTEMBER. BY SHA N N ON GOR MLEY sgormley@wweek.com
Portland isn’t really concerned with the difference between highbrow and lowbrow art. Here, it’s not unusual to see the pages of a comic book on the white walls of a contemporary gallery. We even have a gallery dedicated to displaying comic book art, Northwest’s Sequential Art. This month, Sequential is showcasing artist Portland-based Leila Del Duca’s contributions to SHUTTER. The series, which released new issues through recent Portland transplant Image Comics up until this year, was just as significant for its epic plot as for its detailed art. SHUTTER convincingly created a sprawling, alternate world full of animals, robots and fantasy creatures that are just as sentient as humans, and chronicles the action-packed travels of adventurer Kate Kristopher. A compilation of all 30 issues is due out this month. September is when the Portland art hits its restart button, and it seems like this year, galleries are interested in giving space to a crop of local artists who operate outside the expectations of contemporary fine art. With the exception of Alison Saar, all of our picks for art-show openings are solo exhibits by Portland artists. Erika Rier’s two-dimensional, pattern-heavy scenes are a surreal take on folk art. When he relocated from North Carolina, Jeremy Okai Davis made his name in Portland by meticulously painting colorful, multilayered portraits of partygoers. Here are the five exhibits we’re most excited to see this month—most of which just so happen to be by local artists. The Art of SHUTTER by Leila Del Duca SHUTTER follows the action-packed adventures of Kate Kristopher through a vividly conjured, alternate world in which foxes grow mohawks, animatronic cats are sidekicks and minotaurs commute by public transit. Del Duca’s strikingly detailed panels range from sparkling, futuristic cities to explosive car chases featuring lions in pinstripe suits to astronauts transferring a starry-blue void. Sequential Art Gallery, 328 NW Broadway, Apt 113, sequentialartgallery.com. Sept. 7-30. They Were Wrong, So We Drowned Violet Aveline’s paintings depict anything from the Oregon Trail to Poseidon emerging from the sea. There’s something nightmarish about her work. The people in her landscapes are rendered with simple shapes and bright colors, but with just enough texture that they seem eerily real. Her work is frequently exhibited on the coffeehouse circuit, and last June, she held an exhibit in a Southeast synthesizer showroom. But They Were Wrong, So We Drowned, an exhibit of new paintings by Aveline, has found its way to Union Knott’s white box gallery. If nothing else, the show has a terrifying title. Union Knott, 2726 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., instagram.com/unionknott. Through Sept. 30. 52
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NEW EARTH: The cover of SHUTTER’s first issue.
Goddesses & Villains Each of the illustrations in Erika Rier’s Goddesses & Villains seems to exist in its own bizarre universe: Women with eyes for mouths, others who raise a glass of wine while snuggling with a lion or are tied to a chair among women with bird heads and feet. Line drawings that are heavy on patterns and filled in with bright watercolor hues—Rier’s works almost look like doodles, except for the fact that they’re far too intricate and imaginative to be mindless creations. Multnomah Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy.,multnomahartscenter.org/events/ gallery. Through Oct. 3. An Education Painter Jeremy Okai Davis’ style has hardly changed in the last few years. He paints portraits blurred by large blotches of color in heavily layered, viscous paint. But somehow, his career doesn’t feel static. He’s gone from painting vibrant scenes of women showing off their tattooed knuckles, smiling as water gets poured on their head (or just generally having a great time not giving a fuck), to sparser, introspective works. His new exhibit will debut paintings of family photos, basketball jerseys and other fragments of Davis’ psyche. Gallery 135, 135 NW Park Ave., facebook.com/ gallery135. Sept. 7-Oct. 1. Crepuscular Blue Alison Saar has been winning prestigious artists residencies since the mid ’80s. Her career can’t really be summed up in a single work. Saar’s works tend to reference the African diaspora, but they range from prints to sculptures of just about every medium: clay, coal, cooper and even blown glass. Portland has been lucky enough to host several Alison Saar exhibits over the years. For this show, Saar will exhibit works from her private studio as well as new and old prints. PNCA’s 511 Gallery, 511 NW Broadway, pnca.edu. Sept. 7-Oct. 14.
BOOKS LONG PERSONAL ESSAY
This Is Chuck A HIGHLY SPECIFIC, DEFIANTLY INCOMPLETE BIOGRAPHY OF CHUCK KLOSTERMAN BY AN INTERN WHO SAT AT HIS OLD DESK. MA RT I N C I Z M A R
MCIZMAR@WWEEK.COM
Chuck Klosterman lightly misquoted me once, but I’ve never held it against him. It was the second day of my senior year of high school, and I was standing outside a Pearl Jam concert when the rock critic from the local daily newspaper approached. My buddy Tim and I had been traveling to see the band that summer. We’d just gotten back from a huge outdoor show in Barrie, Ontario—in those days it wasn’t unheard of for 17-year-old kids to drive across an international border to see a rock concert.1 Klosterman didn’t care about any of that, though. He had his Pearl Jam story, and he just needed a couple of saps to pin it on. He asked us a few prodding questions, formulated other questions in ways that invited replies, name-checking things he wanted namechecked, and then twisted our answers just a little to fit them into the box he’d carefully built. The payoff was classic Klosterman, a counterintuitive argument that the survivors of grunge meant something different to us Xennials: “To these kids, Pearl Jam is not the angst-ridden voice of alienated youth; Pearl Jam is an uplifting, feel-good band with insightful lyrics.” At the time, I was a little confused. Not now—now I know that Klosterman was Klosterman and he wanted to Klosterman. And so he did.2 No great harm was done. Klosterman didn’t misrepresent our ideas or opinions, and his essay was much better than any concert review you’d expect from a midsized Midwestern daily newspaper. His options were pretty limited. The Beacon Journal had brutal deadlines on concert reviews, which meant that Klosterman could either half-write something intelligent in advance or fart out a piece about how the crowd reacted to “Jeremy.” The shape of a feature story demanded by daily newspapers of the era required quotes, so he stuffed his words in the mouths of some random kids. I’m sure there are people all over Akron who Klosterman lightly misquoted while sharing his own ideas about Lilith Fair and Shania Twain. Funny thing is, everyone now claims they loved Klosterman during his years at the Beacon Journal. A review of one of his recent books in the local sports newsletter, the Plain Dealer, opened with a complaint about how Klosterman used to be funny but isn’t anymore. “As a longtime reader of the Akron Beacon Journal, I can’t forget Klosterman’s brilliant stint there…” the writer wrote. This is a shameless and obvious lie. No one liked Chuck Klosterman during his stint as the Beacon Journal, because no one understood what the fuck he was doing. Not his editors, not his colleagues and surely not some random Plain Dealer freelancer— who further diminishes his credibility by being a full professor of literature at Kent State University. Before Klosterman, there wasn’t any Klostermans. And now you look around and there are so many
TRICIA HIPPS
AUGUST 27, 1998 CUYAHOGA FALLS, OHIO
Klostermans. More than anyone, Klosterman has shaped the voice of the contemporary High Internet.3 Klosterman is, if not the originator, than certainly the foremost populizer of the genre of the 6,000-word essay that involves drawing tenuous comparisons between something random that pop-culture followers vaguely remember (Darko Milicic!) with something else more or less equally random (Liam Gallagher?). He’s also the most fearless interjector of highly detailed personal anecdotes that American Letters has yet known—I should know, I’ve been reading him since I was a teenager driving my black Ford Taurus to see concerts he previewed in the newspaper. He’s also indisputably the greatest-ever user of simple adverbs. Klosterman blends hot takes, absurdities, factoids and accepted knowledge with such blazing velocity that you can’t pause long enough to consider whether he might be wrong before your head is nodding along in agreement again. When he tells you something is definitely true, as if by magic it seems more true—this is a rare and precious gift.
OCTOBER 23, 2004 AKRON, OHIO A few years later, I interned at the Beacon Journal. I got to sit at Chuck Klosterman’s old desk. This was not an honor, though Klosterman was at that point already very successful, a senior editor at Spin and a well-known essayist about to release his third book. Rather, it was the worst desk in the features department, and, thus, the one available to interns. Klosterman’s old desk faced a wall in the back of the room right next to the entrance, so that everyone who walked in the room could not help but look over the shoulder of the person seated there. For any writer, this is hell. Taped to the wall above the desk was a snippet of an envelope, cut out carefully and hung like the little brass historical plaques you’d find at the county’s oldest tree: Chuck Klosterman Gay & Lesbian Writer The Akron Beacon Journal 44 East Exchange St., Akron, OH 44308
My memories are fuzzy, but in my mind this was the handiwork of Rich Heldenfels, the paper’s other pop culture writer, who hated Chuck Klosterman more than anybody— though certainly everybody except David Giffels hated Klosterman at least a little bit.4
This wasn’t just jealousy, though obviously that was a factor. These were smart, hard-working professional newspaper people with guild cards and pensions. Stern, decent, patrician people with degrees from colleges that label themselves “Harvard on the Hocking,” who were flown to Japan to cover the Olympics with “a local angle.” These were people in pleated khakis, and Klosterman was obviously not one of them. Also, as you might expect from his prodigious writing on widely divergent subjects, he’s somewhat notorious as a loudmouthed know-it-all.5
NOVEMBER 24, 2004 AKRON, OHIO Writing concert reviews for the Beacon Journal was tough sledding given the early deadlines. I did it only once, while interning, with help from Klosterman’s replacement, a guy named Malcolm X. Abram. Abram and I went to the show together, the Pixies reunion tour at the college basketball arena. “One thing I’ve learned in my life is, it’s always good when you get a new job if everyone you work with hated the guy who had the job before you,” he told me, while we waited to see the Pixies. Malcolm was there to make sure I filed my review by 10 pm. The encore started at 9:50, so I was not done until 10:05 pm. I asked Malcolm to look over my review. Instead, he hit “send” without reading a word. “Deadline is 10, you’re already late,” he said. It’s been 15 years, and Malcolm X. Abram is still the pop music critic at the Akron Beacon Journal.
SEPTEMBER 21, 2005 HARRISONBURG, VIRGINIA The thing about Peak Klosterman is, it’s pretty much perfect. Perhaps you remember one of his most famous essays, “Appetite for Replication,” about a Guns N’ Roses cover band called Paradise City, playing a show at Mainstreet Bar & Grill, a dingy bar in college town called Harrisonburg, Virginia. Klosterman called Harrisonburg “a strange part of the country,” which more or less describes a city full of Jersey Shore types sandwiched between the gentlemen farmers of the Piedmont and the meth cooks of Appalachia. As it happens, I worked there as a features reporter. The Mainstreet Bar & Grill Klosterman visited with CONT. on page 54 Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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Paradise City burned down a few months after his trip. I was working there a year later when it reopened, and so it fell to me to cover it. Here’s the thing: Klosterman’s description remained eerily precise. All of the people he described were there—the guy wearing a FUBU sweatshirt with a baseball hat that features the Confederate flag, the girl buying a $2.25 glass of Natty Light with her credit card and having it declined. Chuck Klosterman can write about a club before the club burns to the ground. When the club reopens a year later, the things Klosterman wrote about the club will remain true.
The problem? The comparison was so obvious— Cobain and Koresh do kinda look alike!—and yet so stupid. So stupid. I owned In Utero on tape and listened to it while walking to school every morning for three months. I know every word and every note. I also followed the Waco siege in a weirdly obsessive way. David Koresh and In Utero have nothing in common. So stupid.
OCTOBER 22, 2007 WACO, TEXAS
The second time I met Chuck Klosterman, I liked him less than the time he misquoted me. The week I moved to Portland to start as the Culture editor here, he was reading at Powell’s on his tour for his first novel, Downtown Owl. He was an inspiration, and this was a major milestone in my life, so it felt weirdly kismetty. I went to the reading. I waited at the end of the long line, and when my time came I told him I was from Akron, and had read him growing up, loved his work had worked at the Beacon Journal and sat at his old desk, had myself become a music critic and had just moved here to start a new job. I had a copy of Downtown Owl in my hands, but I also had a copy of the old Beacon Journal story. “You quoted me in the lead, which was really cool to me at the time,” I said.6 Chuck was noticeably disinterested in my brief personal anecdote. “So do you want me to sign that paper or what?” he asked. I had him sign his novel. It sits unread.
My tastes and interests are very much informed by the mid-’90s. For whatever reason, I remember the most random of things from my middle school years in oddly rich detail. I can’t remember what I ate for lunch last week, but I know a lot about Slobodan Miloševic. And so it was that I made my way to the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas, a few years ago. It’s just a slab of concrete surrounded by brown dirt and dead bushes. But I wanted to see the place where all those people died—and where a piece of Klosterman died, too. The thing is, if you read enough Klosterman, it becomes very obvious that this guy smokes a lot of weed and transcribes his thoughts more or less verbatim. He is very smart, so it mostly works. But when you’re a very successful writer whose weirdest ideas are given the presumption of credibility, there’s a natural inclination to maybe push things a little too far and outsmart yourself. And so it was that Chuck Klosterman lost his cloak of plausibility by penning an essay comparing In Utero to David Koresh. FOOTNOTES That Barrie show is somewhat infamous for Eddie Vedder introducing “Habit” by pandering to the Canadian crowd with criticism of Bill Clinton’s recent military adventurism: “Speaking as a dumb-ass, beer-drinking, propaganda-believing, missile-shooting American...” America had, in fact, shot some missiles in Afghanistan that day. We missed the intended target, a then-obscure militant named Osama Bin Laden. Whoops. 1
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Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
OCTOBER 10, 2011 PORTLAND, OREGON
SEE IT: Chuck Klosterman will appear at Live Wire on Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Alberta Rose Theater, 3000 NE Alberta St., Live-wire.org. 7:30 pm. $15-$60.
Klosterman has more or less admitted this tendency—to this very newspaper, in fact. Here’s what he told WW music editor Matt Singer back in October 2011: “That’s always the main thing that pushes me toward ever writing fiction: that I just can’t get people in real life to say the things I want them to say, so I have to make up people to do it.”
2
The only other writer you would make a case for is Chuck’s good friend Bill Simmons. The main problem with that argument is
3
that Simmons is such a shitty-ass writer that, well, c’mon. “Heldenfels bitches about him to this day,” my sources say.
4
5 Klosterman’s direct supervisor, the deputy features editor, was a literal know-it-all—she later had a nice run on Jeopardy! My God, how her head must have ached from listening to him talk about Dio! 6 I did not mention the light misquote.
MOVIES C O U R T E S Y O F M E T R O - G O L D W Y N - M AY E R
Screener
GET YO U R REPS IN
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Stanley Kubrick’s magical tale of a giant rock that travels through time and space is visually stunning even in digital. But in 70mm, it’s fucking mind-blowing. Hollywood is one of the few movie theaters in the country that’s still equipped to screen movies in the wide format. 2001 will kick off its Kubrick on Film series. Hollywood. Friday, Sept. 8 and Sunday, Sept. 10.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Here’s Stanley
2001: A Space Odyssey
Caddyshack
dalston@wweek.com
Mario Falsetto probably knows more about Stanley Kubrick than anyone else in Portland. The locally based film professor, who teaches at Canada’s Concordia University, has written two massive tomes on Kubrick’s filmography (he’s also written a book on Portland director Gus Van Sant). Kubrick’s 13 films span over four decades, and make up arguably the most celebrated and groundbreaking career in American cinema. “Cinephiles” obsessively analyze his meticulously constructed works, which can be alienating to more casual movie viewers. But if you’re one of the intimidated, Falestto, who’s Portland based, is offering an introduction to Kubrick’s work. Starting this Sunday, he is hosting a public lecture series on nine of Kubrick’s movies. The films cover Kubrick’s career from 1957’s Paths of Glory to his 1999 final film, Eyes Wide Shut, each of which will screen before Falsetto’s lecture. This week, Hollywood is also kicking off its Kubrick on Film series—five of Kubrick’s movies all screened on 35mm print, except for 2001: A Space Odyssey, which will be on 70mm. In preperation, WW talked to Falsetto about why Kubrick wasn’t always perfect and what the hell happens at the end of A Space Odyssey. What makes Kubrick such a master? I was introduced to the films when they came out in their original release. So certain films had a particular effect on me. Space Odyssey for one. Everything starting with that. I
think it’s the film that made me want to be a film professor, and my life sort of centered around that film. He wasn’t just making entertainment; he was making very serious works of art. As you see them over and over, you can see how much work went into them, and also that these were really substantial artifacts or objects of our culture. Every aspect of his films was doing something to create meaning. Nothing was arbitrary. Were his films always that precise? He didn’t go to film school, so he had to create his own film school. And [that meant] making a few shorts, his first feature, second feature, and he handled the camera and did sound effects, etc. He didn’t start brilliantly, like Orson Welles or someone like that. He had talent, and the second feature was better and the third feature was better. By the time he does Paths of Glory in 1957, he’s a pretty precise filmmaker. But I think he was this hugely brilliant guy. His wife talked about his brain, and how it couldn’t contain all the things he was interested in. His brain was always working 50 times faster than everybody else. That kind of perfectionism started fairly early. Is it challenging to talk about a career that was so masterful? His work has to be experienced. You can’t tell someone what it feels like to watch a Stanley Kubrick film. You can’t describe it perfectly, ever. I’ve tried to describe his films and it’s really hard, the last 20 minutes of Space Odyssey in particular.
(1980)
If you’ve worn out your VHS tape of the classic golf comedy and miss when Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Rodney Dangerfield were in their heyday, Joy Cinema has got you covered. Joy, Sept. 7.
TWO NEW STANLEY KUBRICK SERIES OPEN THIS WEEK, SO WE TALKED TO PORTLAND’S RESIDENT KUBRICK EXPERT. BY DANA ALSTON
Kubrick’s ninth film also screens as part of Hollywood’s series. But we’d be remiss if this column didn’t include the movie that ruined the title song of Singing in the Rain for a whole bunch of people. Hollywood, Sept. 11.
Why do you think his films can be so difficult to talk about? Some filmmakers have a great script but the visuals are really dull, or you could say “the direction was pedestrian,” or whatever. You could never say that about Kubrick. Everything is working together. It exists as a whole. It’s really hard to isolate one thing in his films and say “let’s talk about that part.”
The Doors
If that’s true, how’s your lecture series going to work? I’m going to look at a lot of the aesthetics in his work, and think about how narrative works, ask questions about how the films are working. I’ve been thinking about Kubrick for a long, long time. [Laughs] I’ve done two books on Kubrick, so hopefully I’ll point to things the casual viewer might miss. There’ll be some back-and-forth, and it’ll be fun. I don’t want to make it sound so serious, but I want it to be intelligent and I want people to think about how movies work. Kubrick’s just one great example of a filmmaker from which you can learn a lot.
Office Space
SEE IT: The Kubrick Film Series with lectures by Mario Falsetto is at High Low Art Gallery, 936 SE 34th Ave., 971-285-9300. 1 pm Sunday, Sept. 10-Nov. 12. $15 for individual screenings, $100 for all nine, free for Paths of Glory this Sunday. Kubrick on Film is at Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., hollywoodtheatre.org. Friday Sept. 8 and Sunday, Sept. 10. $7 - $9.
(1991)
For this screening of Oliver Stone’s drama about Jim Morrison, screenwriter Randall Jahnson will attend to answer all your questions about how he created the material for Val Kilmer to perfectly replicate the pouting ’60s rock star. Hollywood, Sept. 6.
(1999)
Mike Judge’s tale of suburban white collar drudgery launched both a thousand forays into the back catalogue of the Geto Boys and a thousand teenage boys doing the “Oh face” scene at one another. Mission Theater, Sept. 11-16.
ALSO PLAYING: Academy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Sept. 8-14. Clinton Street: Dogs in Space (1986), Sept. 8. Network (1976), Sept. 11. Robin Hood (1922), Sept. 12. Hollywood: The Killing (1956), Sept. 9. Barry Lyndon (1975), Sept. 9. The Shining (1980), Sept. 10. Shaolin vs. Wu Tang (1983), Sept. 12. Joy: Back To The Future (1985), Sept. 6-7. Laurelhurst: Sixteen Candles (1984), Sept. 6-7. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Sept. 8-14. Kiggins: The Killers (1946), Sept. 11. Mission: Death Becomes Her (1992), Sept. 8-13. Conan The Barbarian (1982), Sept. 9-10. NW Film: Blow-Up (1966), Sept. 9-10.
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
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COURTESY OF FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES
MOVIES
PATTICAKE$ Editor: SHANNON GORMLEY. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR LISTINGS, send screening information at least two weeks in advance to Screen, WW, 2220 NW Quimby St., Portland, OR 97210. Email: sgormley@wweek.com. Fax: 243-1115. : This movie sucks, don’t watch it. : This movie is entertaining but flawed. : This movie is good. We recommend you watch it. : This movie is excellent, one of the best of the year.
NOW PLAYING Patticake$
Patricia Dombrowski aka Killa P aka Patticake$ is an aspiring rapper. She’s undeniably talented, but she doesn’t fit the template of what the music industry expects a rapper to look like—she’s a fat white girl. The “chasing your dreams” picture is not a new idea. It usually goes something like this: The main character has a talent and a dream. They usually live in a shitty place and have a shitty job, which is only extra motivation for their ultimate goal. Obstacles and rivals rise and fall in front of them, and then there’s a final test which shows off their skills, heart, dedication. It probably doesn’t matter if they win or lose. Within that framework, director Geremy Jasper’s first feature film is pretty entertaining. Patti is charming and relatable. She’s filled simultaneously with self-confidence and self-doubt. Australian actress Danielle Macdonald gives one of those performances where it would be difficult to imagine anyone else playing them now: like Tony Soprano or Napoleon Dynamite. The story takes place in a fully developed world of suburban New Jersey’s hell of highways, parking lots and gas stations. Jasper, who also wrote the script, imbues the world with subtle attention to detail and tough love for his characters that reminds me a bit of Mike Leigh. But ultimately, Patticake$ is a simple story done well, with lively performances and positive energy. R. R MITCHELL MILLER. Hollywood.
The Only Living Boy in New York
In this coming-of-age story of the utmost pretensions, Jeff Bridges narrates the post-grad adventures of Thomas Webb (Callum Turner) through a mire of daddy issues and fragile masculinity. Fraught with the idea that authentic, creative, Lou Reed New York has “lost its soul,” Thomas is a lanky amalgamation of the uber-nostalgic-fuckboy aesthetic, including tortoiseshell-framed glasses and lines like, “I’m into rare, vintage
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books.” After a mysterious neighbor (Jeff Bridges) becomes a paternal spirit guide through his millennial malaise, Thomas spots his father (Pierce Brosnan) with another woman one night and his life becomes the 1970s erotic thriller he always hoped it’d be. Director Marc Webb offers some reprieve from eye rolls with brisk, whodunit pacing as Thomas’ mission to stalk and confront the beautiful other woman, Johanna (Kate Beckinsale), builds into a lusty infatuation. But the film is consistently dragged down by the trite conversations lamenting Thomas’ insecurities in the face of his father’s successful publishing career and sexual forays. The attempt at witty banter thinly veils the overall theme of bitter men who thought they’d be writers, and the women who they’ll think back on as muses. Though if you miss the sticky-sweet cliches in Webb’s previous work, 500 Days of Summer, you won’t be disappointed. R. LAUREN TERRY. Bridgeport, City Center, Fox Tower.
A Ghost Story
In David Lowry’s emotional exercise in magical realism, we’re treated to fine performances from Affleck and critical darling Rooney Mara in a time-hopping story about a ghost and the house where he lived. Lowry’s vision is on full display here, and the result is one of 2017’s most powerful films. R. DANA ALSTON. Academy, Kennedy School, Laurelhurst.
Atomic Blonde
An adaptation of the Oni Press graphic novel Coldest City, Atomic Blonde depicts Berlin at the Cold War’s last gasp. Charlize Theron plays a British secret agent set to meet up with James McAvoy’s rogue operative and rescue a vital informant from East Germany. Even with the playfully stylized flourishes teasing coherency from a pointlessly complicated narrative, the film has a giddy devotion to its own daft momentum. R. JAY HORTON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Eastport, Fox Tower, Lloyd, Tigard, Vancouver.
Willamette Week SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 wweek.com
Baby Driver
It takes a scant five minutes for Baby Driver to feel like one of the best car-chase films of all time. At the wheel is Baby (Ansel Elgort, whose face really sells the “Baby” business), who combats his tinnitus by constantly pumping tunes through his earbuds. Every sequence plays out perfectly to the music in Baby’s ears. This is a movie where violence and velocity are played up to surrealist levels while remaining relatively grounded in reality. It’s hysterically funny, but not a straight comedy. It’s often touching, but seldom cloying. It’s the hyper-stylish car chase opera the world deserves. R. AP KRYZA. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Division, Fox Tower, Tigard.
Brigsby Bear
We meet James Pope (Kyle Mooney), superfan of a show called Brigsby Bear Adventures, which is like if you mixed Buck Rogers with a firstgen Teddy Ruxpin doll. James lives in an underground fallout bunker. As it turns out, James was kidnapped Jwhen he was an infant and the bunker and Brigsby were merely tools to distract him from his imprisonment. So when James learns there is no such thing as Brigsby—aside from those episodes produced by Ted, now in prison —he sets out to finish the story. Brigsby Bear is whimsical, sweet and ambitious. Is it funny? Sort of. Brigsby Bear is not a film for most people, but if you suspect it might be for you, I encourage you to go and find out. PG-13. R MITCHELL MILLER. Bridgeport, Fox Tower, Kiggins, Vancouver.
Despicable Me 3
Conventional Hollywood wisdom dictates that animated children’s movies must vigorously trumpet the merits of kindness (good!) and condemn the evils of selfishness (bad!). But this anarchic entry in the Despicable Me franchise eschews forced wholesomeness and delivers a truckload of dumb fun. PG. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Division, Empirical, Milwaukie, Tigard, Vancouver.
Detroit
The beginning of Detroit, we’re in a war zone, but it’s Detroit, not Baghdad. Looting and destruction are inflicted by some, not all, and there are good cops and monstrous cops, and it’s not easy to tell what’s what. We meet Larry Reed (Algee Smith) and his R&B group the Dramatics at the Fox Theater. Just as they’re about to go onstage, the announcement comes that the show has been canceled due to rioting. Larry heads to
his $11 room at the Algiers Motel. One thing leads to another, and the Detroit police come to believe they’re under attack by the Algiers guests. What happens there is harrowing, and will leave you feeling emotionally drained. Perhaps the filmmakers thought it was too harrowing because the Algiers incident comes to an abrupt end and the last 30 minutes of the film deal with the aftermath. Despite a third act that doesn’t really fit with the first two, there’s a lot to like about Detroit, notably very strong performances by Smith and Poulter. R. R MITCHELL MILLER. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Living Room Theaters, Vancouver.
Dunkirk
In Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. we get to follow a few soldiers and pilots and civilians at sea, but they’re more like stand-ins for the other 400,000 like them marooned on the beach or assisting in the rescue effort. That’s fine, though. This movie doesn’t really need characters, and wasting time on distracting details like what’s waiting at home for these boys would only slow down the headlong pacing of the operation. I don’t think this film will win Best Picture at next year’s Oscars, but it’s a shoo-in a handful of technical nominations. PG-13. R. MITCHELL MILLER. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, Hollywood, Oak Grove, Tigard, Vancouver.
Get Out
Yes, this movie is as good as everyone says it is, enough so that it makes you ask why other horror movies aren’t better. R. Laurelhurst.
Good Time
Constantine Nikas is positive his little brother shouldn’t be institutionalized for his mental disability. And that’s all we learn about the hyperactive Queens street tough (Robert Pattinson) before he and his brother rob a bank. This pacing is crucial to the Safdie brothers’ forceful new thriller. As movies about robbery and the ensuing chase go, it’s more like being dragged behind the getaway car than observing from the passenger seat. Amid the chaos, Pattinson as Constantine cuts a fascinating figure. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Clackamas, Fox Tower, Hollywood.
Ingrid Goes West
Title character Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza)’s social media addiction has a dark side, as evidenced by that time she crashed a wedding and maced the bride, a stranger who snubbed her on Instagram. After a
brief stay in a mental health treatment facility, Ingrid wipes her slate clean by finding a new Instagram celebrity to stalk: the cool and worldly Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). This is the best part of the film, as Ingrid does whatever it takes to try to meet and impress her new friend. But once she does, Ingrid is no longer consumed by checking Instagram every moment of every day, and the film becomes less of a dark satire about social media addiction and fame. It devolves into more of a conventional comedy about quirky millennials.. R. R MITCHELL MILLER. Clackamas, Fox Tower.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
Films like The Hitman’s Bodyguard live and die on the addled chemistry between mismatched leads, and the endlessly enjoyable sparks that fly between Reynolds and Jackson render further criticism irrelevant. R. JAY HORTON. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Pioneer Place, St. Johns Twin Cinema & Pub, Tigard, Vancouver.
Logan Lucky
In his comeback heist film, Steven Soderbergh seems actively disinterested in challenging his legacy. This story of a supposedly cursed West Virginia family, The Logans, ripping off the Charlotte Motor Speedway, nickname themselves “Ocean’s 7-11” on an in-movie newscast. As the Logan brothers, Channing Tatum and Adam Driver, are laconic and weatherbeaten, gentle roughnecks who need a win in this life. And as explosives expert Joe Bang, Daniel Craig’s brilliance is in appearing like a maniac but never detonating. Soderbergh is perhaps Hollywood’s finest technician, and it’s a pleasure to watch him tour his Vegas act through Appalachia. PG-13. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Bagdad, Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Cinemagic Theatre, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Eastport, Fox Tower, Lloyd, Oak Grove, Roseway, St. Johns Twin Cinema & Pub, Tigard, Vancouver.
Rough Night
In Lucia Aniello’s first feature film about millennial women behaving badly, five college friends reunite for Jess’s (Scarlett Johansson) bachelorette weekend in Miami. The cast is packed with America’s stoner, foulmouthed sweethearts, including Ilana Glazer from Broad City, Jillian Bell (Workaholics), SNL’s Kate McKinnon and Zoë Kravitz. Rough Night doesn’t revolutionize wild weekend movies, but it’s a smart skewering of the bro’d out black comedies that have dominated the R-rated genre. R. LAUREN TERRY. Vancouver.
Wind River
Wyoming’s Wind River is a hell of a place to examine an ignored America and a fitting setting for a noir thriller. In the directorial debut from Taylor Sheridan (writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water) a game tracker (Jeremy Renner) discovers the frozen body of a young Native woman. A hardscrabble investigation unfolds, and the tracker joins forces with an FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen), the tribal police chief (Graham Greene) and myriad snowmobiles. There are constant references to predators and prey, and it’s fueled with male aggression and female pain. But while those pitfalls are common,
Wind River’s unexplored geography, depth of spirit and honoring of survivalism are not. R. CHANCE SOLEM-PFEIFER. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, Clackamas, Eastport, Fox Tower, Vancouver.
Wonder Woman
I never thought I’d get a lump in my throat watching a superhero movie, but here we are. Patty Jenkins’ telling of Diana Prince’s (Gal Gadot) WWI origin deftly balances action, romance, comedy and emotional heft like no other in genre has. PG-13. Bridgeport, Cedar Hills, City Center, Clackamas, Division, Milwaukie, Pioneer Place, Tigard, Vancouver.
COURTESY OF BIGHTOFTHETWIN.COM
REVIEW
BECOMING ONE: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
Skim Faith
At the center of the documentary the Bight of the Twin is a tale of grief. After Genesis Breyer P-Orridge’s wife died of stomach cancer, the English avant-garde artist embarked on a journey to conjure and then absorb her spirit. P-Orridge, who goes by pronouns h/er and s/he, is widely credited with founding the industrial music genre through the work of h/er mid-’70s band, Throbbing Gristle. Staring in the early ’90s, s/ he began surgery to reach a state of androgyny that would physically align P-Orridge with h/er wife, Lady Jaye Breyer P-Orridge. The process culminated on Valentine’s Day in 2003, when the couple received matching breast implants. Four years later, Lady Jaye passed away, leaving Genesis with their two children. Hazel Hill McCarthy III’s experimental documentary Bight of the Twin chronicles P-Orridge’s journey to Ouidah, Benin, to explore the Vodoun religion and to participate in the Twin Fetish, a ritual designed to activate a dead twin’s spirit. McCarthy doesn’t rely on traditional documentary trappings— the film doesn’t feature a single straightforward interview. Instead, she evokes P-Orridge’s life through nonlinear storytelling and psychedelic splashes of color. When P-Orridge arrives in Ouidah, the film’s imagery grows even wilder as we witness several surreal scenes, including a visit to a temple filled with pythons, one of which seems creepily fond of P-Orridge’s neck. McCarthy captures these arresting sights with beautiful and occasionally frightening clarity. Yet the film’s portrayal of P-Orridge is muddy and scattershot. H/er presence dominates the film as s/he leads us through Ouidah bedecked with long white braids. But we gain few insights into P-Orridge h/erself or the people she meets in Ouidah, most of whom go unnamed. Bight of the Twin focuses more on P-Orridge’s philosophical journey than h/er attempt to deal with the tragic loss of her wife. By doing so, Bight of the Twin misses the opportunity to submerge us into the mind of the extraordinary human being at the center of its story. BENNETT CAMPBELL FERGUSON. Bight of the Twin follows a psychedelic journey.
SEE IT. Bight of the Twin plays 7:00 pm Friday, September 8 and 4:00 pm Sunday, September 10 at the Whitsell Auditorium.
Cannabis Issue Publishes OctOber 4
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COVER ISSUE
HOOD LIFE Space & MaterialS DeaDline: SepteMber 15, 2017
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Publishes:
th Sept 20 , 2017
Hood Life
WILLAMETTE WEEK's 2015 OUTDOOR GUIDE
The more you poke around the roads and trails of Mount Hood, the more you realize just how special the land is - which is why we’re bringing back Hood Life! We’ll take you on a journey exploring everything Mount Hood has to offer during snow season. From hikes and camping to sightseeing at local lodges - we’ll have everything a reader needs for their winter mountain getaway.
Spreading Like Weed IS THERE A GOOD WAY TO BRING AN OUT-OF-STATE CANNABIS COMPANY INTO OREGON?
BY L AU R E N TE R RY
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Never mind that you probably do it all the time. It’s still illegal to bring cannabis across state lines. That’s true even if it’s legal in both states. But Botanica’s Lena Davidson isn’t trying just to bring cannabis from Washington to Oregon. She’s trying to bring over a whole multi-brand edibles company. Botanica is one of the biggest edibles companies in Washington, with products in 250 stores including Mr. Moxey’s Mints, the highest selling solid edible in the state. But until recently, those mints were pretty much unknown in Oregon, and illegal to sell. Plenty of companies and dispensaries have brought their brands into Oregon from elsewhere, of course—including familiar brands like Colorado-founded OpenVape cartridges. But it’s complicated: Creating a multi-state brand means building virtually an entirely new company in a new state. And in Oregon at least, it also means forming a small amount of co-ownership with a resident of our state. These fraternal companies are often wildly different, due to the unique legislative approaches from state to state, and from city to city. And companies already well-established in other states are stuck in the odd position of suddenly being the new kid on a very well-established block—a situation similar to Modern Times or Melvin Brewing trying to break into competitive Oregon taplists. “We were learning as we went in Washington,” says Davidson, who says Botanica jumped at every opportunity and ended up with too large a variety of products. “Our current challenge is paring down the brands and products to exactly what works. In Oregon, we are starting small with what we know works best.” That’s Mr. Moxey’s Mints, an Altoid-like selection of THC- and CBD-infused herbal pastilles in flavors ranging from peppermint to ginger. Davidson’s had enough time here to notice we don’t have anything quite like it yet. The mints contain other ingredients they call “herbal allies,” like
ginkgo leaf for focus and echinacea root to boost immunity. “I’m interested in getting people to think differently about cannabis,” Davidson asserts, “We all just bought pot before. You gave someone $40 and they came back with pot, and that was it.” But now the company is having to adapt a new approach in Oregon. During the purgatory of application processing for city permits while putting together the Portland Botanica company, Davidson took note of the tight relationship between cannabis producers and legislators in our state—and the lack of hard limits on the number of dispensaries. “Cannabis in Oregon is more mature, your community has the wisdom of an older medical law. I do think Portland has the most vibrant cannabis market anywhere I’ve seen,” says Davidson. “The city of Seattle has 50 recreational pot shops, while the Portland area is home to around 148. I think, like bars, there’s room for dives and superarticulated bars with seasonal offerings. There should always be a neighborhood pot shop as well as a ‘museum of cannabis’ experience.” But she also noted that many Oregonians are still driving north for Vancouver pick-ups, something that should be troubling to anybody looking to grow Oregon’s industry—especially with Oregon’s tight potency regulations on edibles. As we see big buyouts of farms like Chalice by Golden Leaf Holdings—a publicly traded Canadian extract company that already owns Golden XTRX and Proper Oil—concerns are very real that Oregon cannabis could lose out to fast-food-style corporatization. At least for now, though, companies like Botanica are showing how outof-state brands can try to join our community without erasing it. “We know we’re considered a bigger player in Washington, but Botanica doesn’t grow cannabis. We source from small local farms, visiting each one and making a real connection,” Davidson says. “Our origin story begins in Seattle, but now we’re building an Oregon company.”
(ROSIE STRUVE)
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Week of Septmeber 7
ARIES (March 21-April 19):
You’re half-intoxicated by your puzzling adventures -- and half-bewildered, as well. Sometimes you’re spinning out fancy moves, sweet tricks, and surprising gambits. On other occasions you’re stumbling and bumbling and mumbling. Are you really going to keep up this rhythm? I hope so, because your persistence in navigating through the challenging fun could generate big rewards. Like what, for example? Like the redemptive transformation of a mess into an asset.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
“Free your mind and your ass will follow,” sings funk pioneer George Clinton in his song “Good Thoughts, Bad Thoughts.” And what’s the best way to free your mind? Clinton advises you to “Be careful of the thought-seeds you plant in the garden of your mind.” That’s because the ideas you obsess on will eventually grow into the experiences you attract into your life. “Good thoughts bring forth good fruit,” he croons, while “Bullshit thoughts rot your meat.” Any questions, Taurus? According to my astrological analysis, this is the best possible counsel for you to receive right now.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
James Loewen wrote a book called Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. He said, for instance, that during the Europeans’ invasion and conquest of the continent, it wasn’t true that Native Americans scalped white settlers. In fact, it was mostly the other way around: whites scalped Indians. Here’s another example: The famous blind and deaf person, Helen Keller, was not a sentimental spokesperson for sweetness and light, but rather a radical feminist and socialist who advocated revolution. I invite you to apply Loewen’s investigative approach to your personal past, Gemini. The coming weeks will be an excellent time to uncover hidden, incomplete, and distorted versions of your history, and correct them.
CANCER (June 21-July 22):
Roger Hodge writes books now, but when he worked for Harper’s magazine, he had an unusual specialty. He gathered heaps of quirky facts, and assembled several at a time into long sentences that had a nutty poetic grace. Here’s an example: “British cattle have regional accents, elephants mourn their dead, nicotine sobers drunk rats, scientists have concluded that teenagers are physically incapable of being considerate, and clinical trials of an ‘orgasmatron’ are underway in North Carolina.” I’m offering Hodge as a worthy role model for you in the coming weeks, Cancerian. Be curious, miscellaneous, and free-flowing. Let your mind wander luxuriantly as you make unexpected connections. Capitalize on the potential blessings that appear through zesty twists and tangy turns.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
In Japan you can buy a brand of candy that’s called The Great Buddha’s Nose Snot. Each piece consists of a rice puff that resembles the Buddha’s nose filled with bits of brown sugar that symbolize the snot. The candymaking company assures customers that eating this treat brings them good luck. I invite you to be equally earthy and irreverent about your own spiritual values in the coming days. You’re in prime position to humanize your relationship with divine influences . . . to develop a more visceral passion for your holiest ideals . . . to translate your noblest aspirations into practical, enjoyable actions.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
Will a routine trip to carry out an errand take you on a detour to the suburbs of the promised land? Will you worry you’re turning into a monster, only to find the freakishness is just a phase that you had to pass through on your way to unveiling some of your dormant beauty? Will a provocative figure from the past lead you on a productive wild-goose chase into the future? These are some of the possible storylines I’ll be monitoring as I follow your progress in the coming weeks.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Let’s meet in the woods after midnight and tell each other stories about our origins, revealing the secrets we almost forgot we had. Let’s sing the songs that electrified our emotions all those years ago when we first fell in love with our lives. Starlight will glow on our ancient faces. The fragrance of loam will seep into our voices like rainwater feeding the trees’ roots. We’ll feel the earth turning on its axis, and sense the rumble of future memories coming to greet us. We’ll join hands, gaze into the dreams in each other’s eyes, and dive as deep as we need to go to find hidden treasures.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
I don’t usually recommend giving gifts with strings attached. On the contrary, I advise you to offer your blessings without having any expectations at all. Generosity often works best when the recipients are free to use it any way they see fit. In the coming weeks, however, I’m making an exception to my rule. According to my reading of the omens, now is a time to be specific and forceful about the way you’d like your gifts to be used. As an example of how not to proceed, consider the venture capitalist who donated $25,000 to the University of Colorado. All he got in return was a rest room in a campus building named after him. If you give away $25,000, Scorpio, make sure you at least get a whole building named after you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Now that you’re getting a taste of what life would be like if you ruled the world, I’ll recommend a manual. It’s called *How To Start Your Own Country,* by Erwin Strauss. (Get a free peek here: tinyurl.com/ YouSovereign.) You could study it for tips on how to obtain national sovereignty, how to recruit new citizens, and how to avoid paying taxes to yourself. (P.S.: You can make dramatic strides toward being the boss of yourself and your destiny even without forming your own nation.)
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
There was a time when not even the most ambitious explorers climbed mountains. In the western world, the first time it happened was in 1492, when a Frenchman named Antoine de Ville ascended to the top of Mont Aiguille, using ladders, ropes, and other props. I see you as having a kinship with de Ville in the coming weeks, Capricorn. I’d love to see you embark on a big adventure that would involve you trying on the role of a pioneer. This feat wouldn’t necessarily require strenuous training and physical courage. It might be more about daring creativity and moral courage.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
Science fiction proposes that there are alternate worlds alongside the visible one -- hidden, yes, but perhaps accessible with the right knowledge or luck. In recent years, maverick physicists have given the idea more credibility, theorizing that parallel universes exist right next to ours. Even if these hypothetical places aren’t literally real, they serve as an excellent metaphor. Most of us are so thoroughly embedded in our own chosen niche that we are oblivious to the realities that other people inhabit. I bring these thoughts to your attention, Aquarius, because it’s a favorable time to tap into those alternate, parallel, secret, unknown, or unofficial realms. Wake up to the rich sources that have been so close to you, but so far away.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
I’m always in favor of you cultivating a robust relationship with your primal longings. But I’ll be rooting extra hard for you to do that during the next eleven months. I hope you will dig deep to identify your primal longings, and I hope you will revere them as the wellspring of your life energy, and I hope you will figure out all the tricks and strategies you will need to fulfill them. Here’s a hint about how to achieve the best results as you do this noble work: Define your primal longings with as much precision as you can, so that you will never pursue passing fancies that bear just a superficial resemblance to the real things.
Homework Why is this a perfect moment? To hear my reasons why, tune in to my podcast: http://bit.ly/PerfectionNow.
check out Rob Brezsny’s Expanded Weekly Audio Horoscopes & Daily Text Message Horoscopes
freewillastrology.com
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