At the end of this week, Portland's arts community blossoms gloriously as the Fertile Ground Festival envelops the city in so much theater—but on the way there, make sure to stop and enjoy some Stuff You Should Know, a good old-fashioned Dog Show, local stand-up in Sample Sizes, and a local songstress recording her latest album, live. It's a ridiculous bounty of wonderfulness on the calendar; hit the links below and load your plate accordingly.


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Monday, Jan 15

MLK Day of Service
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, "What are you doing for others?" Martin Luther King Jr. said that, and lots of folks are putting this great advice into action with the annual MLK Day of Service. There are tons of opportunities around town, such as volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, supporting women affected by domestic violence at Impact NW, helping clear the scourge of ivy from Portland Parks, serving the homeless food at Potluck in the Park, cleaning up MLK Boulevard, and so much more! Do good and feel good. WM. STEVEN HUMPHREY
Various Locations, see handsonportland.org for a full list of volunteer opportunities.

Robt Sarazin Blake, Corwin Bolt, Jeff Donovan
Robt Sarazin Blake is a folksinger with punk-rock DIY ethics. For two decades, Blake has recorded and released his own albums while also booking his own tours, driving his own van, and selling his own merch. Logging hundreds of gigs each year, Blake seems at home performing virtually anywhere, from punk clubs and dive bars to coffee shops and bookstores. Like his baritone-voiced predecessor Cisco Houston, Blake sings songs championing the working class and supporting leftist politics, but he also writes love songs and heartbreak songs that’ll stop you cold. Listen to “Up in Your Attic Room” from 2001’s A Crowd of Drunken Lovers, which sounds like it could be a Blood on the Tracks outtake. The Bellingham, Washington-based singer is returning to Portland in support of his 2017 double album, Recitative. SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY
8 pm, Turn! Turn! Turn!

Alien Boy, awakebutstillinbed, Young Elvis, Grandfather
Portland's Alien Boy bring their goth-tinged pop-punk sounds out to the Black Water Bar for an all-ages show to kick-start the new year. Like-minded Bay Area outfit awakebutstillinbed lend their sounds to the bill, with locals Young Elvis and Grandfather rounding out the proceedings.
7 pm, Black Water Bar, $6, all ages

Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart
Tracy Heather Strain's documentary on Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun, friend of James Baldwin, and a gone-too-soon presence in the civil rights movement. Director in attendance.
7:30 pm, NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium

Storm Large
The renowned local singer/songwriter and Pink Martini vocalist takes to the Old Church stage for two nights to lay down a brand new live album.
Jan 15-16, 7:30 pm, The Old Church, $25, all ages

Alex Marshall, Robert Brockway
Alex Marshall reads from his new fantasy epic, A War in Crimson Embers, the final installment of his Crimson Empire trilogy. Robert Brockway reads from his '80s LA punk scene adventure Kill All Angels, the third and final chapter in the Vicious Circuit trilogy.
7 pm, Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
Igor Stravinsky’s violent ballet score has been circulating among the world’s concert halls for over a century now, but The Rite of Spring still manages to jolt modern ears with riotous noise, often whipping the orchestra into a seemingly uncontained frenzy. The Oregon Symphony has decided to crank this particular performance to 11, commissioning Brooklyn-based multimedia artist Matthew Haber to create a video installation that will accompany Stravinsky’s music. As if that weren’t enough, the show’s setlist also includes Joseph Haydn’s brilliant Symphony No. 70 and BĂ©la BartĂłk’s fascinating Violin Concerto No. 2—the latter featuring Finnish soloist Elina VĂ€hĂ€lĂ€ and her 237-year-old fiddle. BRIAN HORAY
7:30 pm, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, $24-120, all ages


Tuesday, Jan 16

Stuff You Should Know
A live episode of the award-winning podcast from HowStuffWorks, about... well, it's pretty much right there in the title. There's stuff out there. You need to know about it. Chuck Bryant and Josh Clark are really good at teaching it to you in an engrossing way.
8 pm, Revolution Hall, $25, all ages

Leni Zumas
Leni Zumas writes wonderful, dark fiction, and her latest, Red Clocks, imagines a Mike Pence-approved future where abortion is illegal and women have fewer civil liberties than embryos (doesn’t sound “imagined” at all, actually). It’s somehow also supposed to be funny and good. How will Zumas pull off such a delicate balance? I have no idea, but I can’t wait to find out. MEGAN BURBANK
7:30 pm, Powell's City of Books, free

Science on Tap - Cause and Effect: Racism, Poverty, and Public Health
The effects of racism are real. From systematic exclusion that hinders access to resources, disproportionate rates of incarceration, and emotional trauma, all can take a toll on health. Science of Tap epidemiologist Dr. Frank A. Franklin will discuss the intersections of inequality and public health and explore solutions for improvement. EMILLY PRADO
7 pm, Alberta Rose Theatre, $8-15

Coco Columbia, LiquidLight, Childspeak
It might seem like power pop and prog rock are diametrically opposed—the former genre values tightly constructed, sub-three-minute gems, while the latter is defined by sweeping, neoclassical epics and Tolkien allusions—Portland’s Liquidlight are one of the only modern bands I can think of that embraces this forbidden union, and their new album Wicked Radio is like if someone put the contents of my iPod Shuffle from high school into a blender. MORGAN TROPER
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $5

And And And, Tribe Mars, MELT
The long-running Portland institution bring their Pacific NW-bred indie-rock back to the Doug Fir Lounge to celebrate the release of their latest album, Idiot.
9 pm, Doug Fir, $10-13

The Post
We’ve seen a lot of iterations of Steven Spielberg, from Sci-Fi Spielberg (Minority Report, War of the Worlds) to Prestige Spielberg (Schindler’s List, Lincoln) to Middlebrow Schmaltz Spielberg (The Terminal, War Horse). The Post reveals yet another Spielberg: Message Spielberg. The Post is Spielberg’s clear and passionate ode to the adversarial press, and not only is it a refreshing departure from his past work, it also turns out to be a good fit for his slick storytelling style. VINCE MANCINI
Various Theaters, see Movie Times for showtimes and locations.

Kali Masi, The Hague, Soccer Babes
Chicago-hailing quartet Kali Masi bring their melodic, fist-pumping punk rock out west in support of their 2017 full-length, Wind Instrument. Like-minded locals The Hague and Soccer Babes round out the bill.
8 pm, The Know


Wednesday, Jan 17

Rose City Classic Dog Show
I’ve wondered how closely actual dog shows resemble Christopher Guest's Best in Show (and now I wonder how annoyed dog-show people are when Best in Show gets brought up—probably a lot). So let’s find out together this week at the five-day event hosted by the Dog Fanciers Association of Oregon (that’s a real name), the Tualatin Kennel Club, and others. It’s one of the biggest and best dog shows out there, apparently, (it’s 70 years old!) with canine competitors and judges coming in from around the country. There are so many breeds, so many events, and so much stuff going on so check out rosecityclassic.org for the details. DOUG BROWN
Jan 17-21, 7:30 am, $10-30, all ages

Sample Size
Comedians Chris Johnson, Dylan Jenkins, and Ali Reingold spearhead the latest installment of "Sample Size", in which host Nick Walker mixes an array of carefully times audio drops over each comedian's performance to ensure things get a little stranger than your run-of-the-mill stand-up showcase.
9 pm, Siren Theater, free

Suzanne Santo, Mapache
The HoneyHoney vocalist and multi-instrumentalist steps out from her main band to bring a blend of Americana, roots, and soul to the Doug Fir in support of her debut solo album, Ruby Red.
8 pm, Doug Fir, $12-14

Mouthbreather, Shake the Baby Until the Love Comes Out, Dim Wit, Sea Moss
"This Second Annual Two-Piece Tuesday (except it's on Wednesday)" is spearheaded by Mouthbreather and their spazzed-out blend of indie rock and post-hardcore. Like-minded local duos Shake The Baby Until the Love Comes Out, Dim Wit, and Sea Moss round out the affair.
8:30 pm, High Water Mark, $6


Thursday, Jan 18

Frankie Simone, DoublePlusGood, Tents
Start your weekend early with Frankie Simone, the Portland singer/songwriter making glittery, danceable indie pop with empowering lyrics, like her 2017 anthem “Queer.” Simone’s releasing her debut LP early this year, but tide yourself over with this Holocene show featuring local openers Doubleplusgood and Tents. CIARA DOLAN
8:30 pm, Holocene, $8

Fertile Ground Festival
Get ready for SO MUCH THEATER, because Portland’s annual festival of new performance, Fertile Ground, is here! Fertile Ground is delightfully uncurated, which means it can be insane. More importantly, it’s one of Portland’s most accessible and affordable arts festivals. Don’t know where to start? I recommend Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble’s new production of Uncle Vanya; Rosa Red, Laura Christina Dunn’s play about socialist activist and philosopher Rosa Luxemburg; and sex-positive performance from Eleanor O’Brien. MEGAN BURBANK
Various Locations, click here for a complete list of shows and venues

The Mynabirds, Lenore
Laura Burhenn brings her politically-charged indie pop project back to Portland for a headlining show supporting their latest Saddle Creek-issued full-length, Be Here Now.
9 pm, Mississippi Studios, $12-14

Esham, Krazy K, Knocturnal, Day Dreamer, Grinch Mobb
The longtime Detroit-based hip-hop artist comes back to Portland with a fat dose of his acid rap style in support of Scribble, his 16th studio album.
8 pm, Hawthorne Theatre Lounge, $11-15

Reel Music
The NW Film Center’s Reel Music Festival returns for its 35th installment in a much humbler fashion than before: There are a mere 17 films screening this time around, a far cry from the 30 documentaries and concert films offered last year. With that shrinkage comes a narrowing of focus: Aside from a few notable films, the selections this year represent middle-of-the-road fare made to appeal to artists’ existing fanbases. ROBERT HAM
NW Film Center's Whitsell Auditorium, see nwfilm.org for titles and showtimes

Haley Heynderickx, Sufer Rosie
Portland singer/songwriter Haley Heynderickx's 2017 single "Oom Sha La La" was one of last year's best songs, local or otherwise. Catch her tonight when she heads down to PSU's Parkway North Project for a free headlining show supporting her upcoming full-length debut, I Need to Start a Garden.
6 pm, Parkway North at PSU's Smith Memorial Student Union, free

Carpe Diem String Quartet
The renowned string quartet out of Columbus, Ohio make their way back to the Winningstad Theatre stage where they'll tackle Vivaldi’s "Four Seasons" and Piazzolla’s "Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas" (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires).
7:30 pm, Winningstad Theatre, $35

MĂžtrik, Ferns, Trace Amounts
Portland four-piece MĂžtrik leave little to the imagination with their name, and the Portland krautrock unit drives straight down the autobahn with their excellent self-titled release. MARK LORE
8 pm, The Know

Reverend Horton heat, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Voodoo Glow Skulls
A night of rowdy-ass rockabilly rave-ups on the cheap from one of the masters of the genre.
8:30 pm, Wonder Ballroom, $5-10

Cambrian Explosion, SĂłl, Lasagna Palace, Urchin
Everywhere else, Cambrian Explosion refers to a significant evolutionary event. Here in Portland, it means a massive blast of psychedelic, doomy drone-rock. Catch them tonight when the headline the Doug Fir along with support from like-minded locals SĂłl, Lasagna Palace, and Urchin.
8:30 pm, Doug Fir, $8-10

Don't forget to check out our Things To Do calendar for even more things to do!