MUSIC

Broncho
9 pm Thursday, Doug Fir Lounge
Hooks? Broncho’s got plenty. The band from Norman, Oklahoma, reportedly benefits from an online viral composition course once taken by lead singer Ryan Lindsey—or was that a joke? Regardless, the results are good enough to play over the closing credits of HBO’s Girls. They tour with more hits from 2014 album Just Enough Hip To Be Woman. 

Claire Chase
7:30 pm Thursday-Friday, Studio [email protected]
Hailed by American Record Guide as "a monster," New York-based flutist Claire Chase—a MacArthur Fellow with both remarkable technique and offbeat style—hits Portland for a two-night run. Each evening features a different program from her 23-year (!) project, Density 2036. And check out our interview with Chase.

PDX Jazz Festival
The city's grooviest gather for this 13th annual cross-town celebration, this year paying tribute to the legacy of John Coltrane. In addition to these picks, check out our full preview.
Charles Lloyd Quartet
7 pm Friday, Newmark Theatre
The Memphis saxophone star has played with the likes of Ornette Coleman and Cannonball Adderley.
Dianne Reeves
7:30 pm Sunday, Newmark Theatre
A disciple of Sarah Vaughan, Reeves has won Grammys as best jazz vocalist for three consecutive albums.

THEATER

OPENING Chapatti
7:30 pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, CoHo Theatre
A humorous tale about love found in the most unexpected circumstances: Dan and Betty both live alone in Dublin with their respective companions—Dan with his dog Chapatti, and Betty with a gaggle of 19 cats. Gemma Whelan directs Christian O’Reilly’s tender drama about human connection and collective experience.

Each and Every Thing
7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 2 pm Saturday-Sunday, Gerding Theatre
A year or so ago, impresario Dan Hoyle charmed Portland with his gritty one-man travelogue The Real Americans. The “slow tech” devotee now expands his critical lens to connection (or lack thereof) in the digital world.

CLOSING The Call
7:30 pm Thursday-Saturday and 2 pm Sunday, Morrison Stage at Artists Repertory Theatre
Things go awry when childless couple Annie and Peter attempt to adopt an orphan from Africa. Gemma Whelan directs Tanya Barfield’s 2013 drama for Profile Theatre. Plus, read our Q&A with Barfield.

DANCE/CABARET

FILM

25th Cascade Festival of African Films
Various times Thursday-Saturday
From four films in 1991 to this year’s lineup of 36 shorts and features, this ambitious month-long undertaking spans the continent, from Lesotho to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All films will screen at PCC Cascade with the exception of Opening Night and Centerpiece Films, which will play at the Hollywood Theatre.

Portland International Film Festival
Various times Thursday-Sunday, various locations
Screening upwards of 130 films and luring more than 45,000 cinephiles, Oregon’s largest film confab features global indie favorites alongside works from the likes of Irene Taylor Brodsky, Michael Palmieri, and Donal Mosher. Multiple screenings occur daily at various theaters including Cinema 21 and Regal Fox Tower. Check out some of our picks here.

Malheur: Seasons of Change
7 pm Sunday, Alberta Rose Theatre
Now that the militias are gone, let's put our attention back where it belongs: on the wildlife. Diantha and Jan Knott present the first public screening of their documentary, with live musical accompaniment from Portland Cello Project's Skip vonKuske.

BOOKS & TALKS

Mo Daviau
7:30 pm Friday, Powell's City of Books
The debut novel from Mo Daviau, Every Anxious Wave centers on a 40-year-old dive bar owner in Chicago who discovers a wormhole in his apartment—as you do—and winds up in the year 980. NPR called it "a bittersweet, century-hopping odyssey of love, laced with weird science, music geekery, and heart-wrenching laughs."

COMEDY

Janeane Garofolo
7 and 8:30 pm Sunday, Mississippi Studios. SOLD OUT.
Kookier than a bag of Spanx, the actor and radio host was one of the biggest draws of the 2015 Bridgetown Comedy Festival. Now, more lacerating stand-up!

VISUAL ARTS

Forest for the Trees
10 am-6 pm Thursday-Saturday, Eutectic Gallery
Matte black birds on silver twigs, chalky sculptures that evoke tree limbs—or severed veins. Witness this exhibit of new, nature-inspired ceramic work from Jeff Irwin and Ted Vogel.

Gigi Conot: Coalesce
8:30 am-5 pm Thursday-Friday, Pushdot Studio
The Portland-based photographer meshes hundreds of images culled from city walks into vivid, “digitally blended” kaleidoscopes of color.

Into the Trees
12 pm-4 pm Thursday-Friday, White Gallery
Savannah College of Art and Design grad Nicole Baker constructs an illusional, dreamy “patch of forest” using direct animation on film, hand drawn images, and sculptures of trees. The aim? To create a space to “reflect upon the fleeting nature of perception and control” in humanity’s relationship with the natural world.

SPECIAL EVENTS

10th Annual Chowder Challenge
12-3 pm Saturday, 5th Quadrant (3901 N Williams)
If your inner New Englander is fighting to get out, put on a blindfold for this chowder challenge from Lompoc Brewing benefitting the Community Transitional School. The competition sees a dozen regional restaurants and pubs—5th Quadrant, Burnside Brewing, Cascade Brewing Barrel House, Farm House Café, and Produce Row to name a few—compete for the coveted Chowder Cup and a cash prize. Paying patrons will slurp blindly from a tray featuring two-ounce samples of New England-style clam chowders from each participating restaurant, voting for their favorite to name the People’s Choice Winner. Chowder-down, spectate, or just enjoy the live music, beer garden, and pub food.