portland
through saturday 16
Northwest Filmmakers Festival
For 40 years running, the Northwest Filmmakers Festival has collected independent flicks of all lengths and genres from filmmaking hotbeds like Seattle and Portland. Selections from more than 400 entries from Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington make up this year's program covering a range of topics, with narratives following aspiring actors (City Baby, Oregon) to documentaries about the model immigrant family (Barzan, Washington). Various times and venues. Full schedule at nwfilm.org.
tuesday 12-saturday 16
American Idiot
There's a Broadway show based on pretty much everything, the Lion King, the Wicked Witch of the West, and even an episode of "The Jerry Springer Show" turned musical. It's my bet that in 1994, when pop-punk band Green Day released the album "Dookie," they never guessed that some 15 years later they would make a concept rock-opera that would be adapted for the stage and go on to win two Tonys and a Grammy. Keller Auditorium. Various times. $35.
friday 15
Cults, Sacco and Mood Ring
Cults' 2013 record Static is anything but it's title. It's filled with twinkling indie pop gems, with catchy hooks and layers of fluttering synthesizers and reverby waylay guitar. Sacco's nasally surf rock and Mood Ring's dreamy jams make a trifecta of slow-dance pop. 9 pm. Wonder Ballroom. $15-17.
seattle
wednesday 20
James Blake
James Blake is an innovator, when it comes to music production and song writing. His minimalist piano riffs coupled with wobbly baselines rattle speakers on a new level. His use of vocal loops, distortion and vocoaters over his multi-octave voice mixed with massive bass drops make for epic songs that build to computerized summits and dip into acoustic ballads. Showbox. 8 pm. $30-35.
