Drink up, Baby: Elliott Smith's Music, on strings

New BodyVox show Cosmosis opens this weekend, and with it a new string arrangement of beloved Portland musician Elliott Smith's searing ballads "Between the Bars" and "Waltz #2 (XO)." The dynamic East Coast chamber group Amphion String Quartet. Also on the eclectic playbill: music from Samuel Barber, Kui Dong, Maurice Ravel, and more.

All the shows you can watch

The "Netflix of live music" lands in Portland; Jukely, a subscriber-based concert service launched in New York this past October, has added Portland to its rapidly expanding list of major US cities. The concept: $25 a month for unlimited access to shows (well, one show a night) across town. The LA Times says "no promoter has yet rejected Jukely's pitch," which we find...unbelievable!

Unbelievable!

The Science of Ripley's Believe It Or Not opens May 21 at OMSI's Featured Hall. Stand inside a life-sized Megalodon Jaw (good prep for next month's blockbuster Jurassic World, hey?), ponder a portrait of Albert Einstein made from toast—or one of Jusin Bieber made from candy—and meet a massive prehistoric snake called Titanoboa.

Also massive: Esperanza Spalding

The Portland singer/composer has performed for President Obama at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies, wowed Paul Shafer as a Letterman musical guest, and defeated Justin Bieber for Best New Artist at the 2011 Grammies. Now, she's just confirmed a July 28 show at the Crystal Ballroom, with new project, Emily's D+Evolution (yes, her middle name is Emily)—an experimental set that promises to create an entire "world around each song." Tickets go on sale at 10 am on Friday, May 22. Ready, set, go!

Lit, Hop...Beer, Hops? 

The latest line-up for LitHop—June's most hotly anticipated boozy book reading—has over forty local readers confirmed, including Frayn Masters, Rene Denfeld, Nick Jaina, Viva Las Vegas, Emily Kendall Frey, and Monica Drake. And where will these and other literary impresarios expound? At a tightly formed knot of downtown venues (all bars fully stocked) like Valentine's, Floating World Comics, and the suitably subterranean Shanghai Tunnel. All readings start at 7 pm on Thursday, June 25.