Fans of electronic music seem to live on a constant hunt for what’s next—the subgenre or reimagining of a familiar sound that they can add to their playlists or DJ crates. It’s an endless pursuit that Ben Fuller knows all too well. Since arriving in Portland in 2009, the DJ (he spins as Ben Tactic) and show promoter has spent much of his free time attending dance nights and spinning online mixes in search of inspiration. Now 43, it's somewhat ironic that the creator of regular dance party Spend the Night often wishes he could be in bed by 10 pm.

"I try to as much as I can, but it’s hard,” Fuller told the Mercury. “It’s important to get out and support, especially with some of the newer people in town. Like, ‘Who are you guys? I’m really interested to see what you do.’” 

This Saturday will be another late one for Fuller, as he and his collaborators celebrate Spend the Night's ninth anniversary at Holocene, where resident DJs Nathan Detroit, Leeonn, Sunrise Energy Club, and Tactic will open for headliners Todd Edwards and Conducta going back-to-back playing their unique spins on UK garage.

Who's ready to have some fun? Well, the Mercury is here to help with FREE TICKETS to see some of Portland's best concerts and events—our way of saying thanks to our great readers and spread the word about some fantastic upcoming performances! (Psst... if you want to say thanks to the Mercury, please consider making a small monthly contribution to keep us alive and kickin'!) And oh boy, do we have some fun events coming at ya this week! CHECK IT OUT!

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see ALOK on May 19 (late show) at Revolution Hall! 

ALOK visits Revolution Hall on May 19th! Transfeminine performance artist ALOK delivers a distinctive blend of poetry, comedy and lecture to Rev Hall. Note: The early show is SOLD OUT so get your tickets for the late show now or enter to win a free pair!

Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark, Sun May 19, 9:30 pm, $35-$65, 18+

• Enter to WIN FREE TICKETS to see Cedric Burnside on May 21 at Mississippi Studios!

Cedric Burnside plays Mississippi Studios on May 21st! GRAMMY-winning blues songwriter Cedric Burnside returns to Portland, sharing upfront storytelling and move-your-feet grooves from his new record, ‘Hill Country Love.’ Get your tickets now or enter to win a free pair!

Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, Tues May 21, 8 pm, $20, 21+

LET'S GO, BRAINIACS! It's time once again to put your brainy-brain to the test with this week's edition of POP QUIZ PDX—our weekly, local, sassy-ass trivia quiz. And this week, your brain will be tested on how much you know about zebras, local protests, sketchy election shenanigans, and... *checks notes*... GUM. (Not sure if you realize this, but I seem to write very odd quizzes. 🤔)

But first, how did you do on the previous quiz? Pretty ding-dang good! AND for the first time ever, I am in COMPLETE AGREEMENT with what the majority of you said you would buy if you won the Powerball lottery! (Can you please just buy it for me anyway? 🥺)

OKAY, TIME FOR A NEW QUIZ! Take this week's quiz below, take our previous pop quizzes here, and come back next week for a brand spankin' new quiz! (Having a tough time answering this quiz? It's probably because you aren't getting Mercury newsletters! HINT! HINT!) Now crank up that cerebellum, because it's time to get BRAINY!

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! Get ready for a gloriously sunny stretch of days starting today with the high reaching 83 degrees, and then scootin' up to 90 tomorrow! And then? 532 degrees by Sunday!! (Okay, that's not true... but one day it will be. 💀) And on that dark note, let's read some NEWS.

IN LOCAL NEWS:

• Before we start, I just wanna say "HELLO!" to a bunch of new Mercury readers who have decided to jump into our Twitter feed after learning that we've endorsed Mike Schmidt in the upcoming Multnomah County District Attorney election instead of his (former Republican) competitor Nathan Vasquez, who's also supported by the city's millionaires and conservative class. But here's what most of Vasquez's supporters wanted us to know:

Welcome to the Mercury, you guys! Reminder that election day is May 21.

• After passing a draconian anti-homeless ordinance that criminalized poverty, but could've gotten the city in legal trouble, Portland's city council unanimously passed Mayor Wheeler's new scaled down version. This proposal would still prohibit using propane heaters, making a fire, blocking pathways to businesses and private property, among other things, but will allow public camping if the city cannot provide them shelter (which they often can't). Violators would be fined $100 and could spend a week in jail. Still not great, but of course the increasingly cruel Commissioner Rene Gonzalez threw a hissy-fit about it, accusing homeless people of being a group of being criminals who commit "relentless violence," and create "unsanitary conditions." But he voted for the revised proposal anyway, probably thinking that a somewhat evil plan is better than no evil plan at all. (This is why he was chosen as the Mercury's top Villain of 2023, and it appears as if he's gunning for 2024 as well!) In any case, our Courtney Vaughn has all the details. 

A revised ordinance regulating camping in Portland city limits was given final approval Wednesday, after a previous version was challenged in court.

With a unanimous Portland City Council vote, officers will soon have authority to issue warnings or penalize people living outside if they refuse shelter.

The new ordinance, which will be added to city codes, clarifies the definition of camping (setting up or occupying tents, tarps, sleeping bags, shacks, or similar temporary supplies) and spells out which activities are prohibited on public property and rights-of-way like sidewalks and streets.

The new city codes are a major departure from what was adopted last year. Previous code language required unhoused people to pack up and clear their belongings from public spaces each day from 8 am to 8 pm. Those rules were eliminated this time around, after a lawsuit against the city filed last fall argued those requirements were unreasonable and nearly impossible to comply with.  

This week we’re stoked about three upcoming shows happening in May. And looking forward to summer, July will bring a chance to see teenage emcee That Girl Lay Lay take the Roseland stage for her first ever headliner tour. Get into all the good stuff that’s happening right... Hear in Portland. 

MUST SEE: 

Upcoming local event(s) featuring local artist(s).    

Nonbinary Girlfriend/Forty Feet Tall/Bijoux Cone

Exceptional rock band Nonbinary Girlfriend has stolen our hearts with frontperson Anaïs Genevieve’s raw, emotive sound, the band’s witchy blues aesthetic, and refreshingly literal, compassionate, matter-of-fact lyricism. On the band’s expansive title track, Genevieve sings “Being kind is not the same as being small / Sometimes, many times kindness requires you to be big and tall / It’s so kind of you to state your boundaries / It’s kind to say no / You are big and kind, babe I love you.” Here the band co-headlines with punk band Forty Feet Tall, who are known for their loud and confrontational live show, and music that can be both volatile and intimate. Art pop, goth and synth pop artist Bijoux Cone adds even more support to the already stacked bill.

Fri May 10, 9 pm, Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 21+, tickets 

Northwest Portland has seen significant changes over the last several decades. The Pearl District and Slabtown neighborhoods, formerly dominated by industry, are now some of the city’s chicest enclaves—with an impressive number of affordable housing developments and public transit options to boot. 

But Northwest Portland's transformative projects have mostly remained south of NW Vaughn Street, leaving a lot of formerly-industrial land underutilized. Enter the Montgomery Park Area Plan (MPAP), a joint venture out of the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) and Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS). The plan proposes land use and transportation changes to effectively create an entirely new neighborhood west of Highway 30 between NW Vaughn and NW Nicolai streets. 

For public transit enthusiasts, the MPAP’s biggest draw is its proposal to add 1.3 miles of new Portland Streetcar track alongside NW 23rd Avenue to Montgomery Park. But what good is a new streetcar line if there’s no destination to travel to? That’s where the land use changes come in. Ultimately, planners envision a neighborhood with thousands of new housing units, more job opportunities, increased green space, and other amenities. 

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! The weather is going to be PERFECT today: About 70 degrees, mostly sunny with a few clouds. Tomorrow begins a streak of much-too-hot weather. (90 degrees!?? NOOO!) But we'll cross that bridge when we get there. 

As a wave of nearly $3 million in dark money enters Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District race, voters are questioning the donors backing Maxine Dexter’s campaign, and whether the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is among them.

A political action committee (PAC) known as 314 Action Fund, has spent  $1.67 million to support Dexter's campaign. Dexter is a current state representative now seeking election to Congress. The PAC claims its mission is to elect Democrats with a background in science. 

While Dexter is a physician, this level of spending on one candidate is unprecedented for 314. 

The money trail came under heightened scrutiny late last week, after The Intercept reported on claims from two anonymous Democratic members of Congress who say AIPAC was discreetly funneling money through 314 to target Susheela Jayapal’s campaign in favor of Dexter. 

At the center of Evil Does Not Exist—the latest narrative feature from Japanese writer-director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)—a town hall meeting unfolds. As is the nature of most town hall meetings, the intent is to gather feedback, in this case from the locals of Mizubiki village, a rural community just a few hours outside of Tokyo, regarding the new glamping site coming to their town. A pat video presentation clarifies that “glamping” is a portmanteau of “glamorous” and “camping.” The locals stare blankly at the screen. 

Over the course of the 20-minute scene, villagers politely embarrass the two talent agents leading the meeting, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayazumi (Ayaka Shibutani), by listing several red flags as to why the glamping plan, as it stands, won’t work: The septic tank isn’t big enough or in the right place. The site requires 24-hour supervision. The schedule isn’t feasible. While Mayazumi grows increasingly uncomfortable and apologetic, Takahashi placates each speaker bureaucratically. The company hears you. Thank you for your input.

Of course, the likelihood of the meeting is that the meeting hardly matters.

The current US rep in the 3rd District, Earl Blumenauer, is Portland's staple politician, having served in the role since 1996. And he's going to be a tough act to follow—I mean, we named a bike and pedestrian bridge after the guy. But with Blumenauer retiring, a lot of local Democrats are vying for his seat, many of them with strong credentials. But we're going with Susheela Jayapal, the former Multnomah County commissioner who is both progressive and politically pragmatic, and who we trust will be a voice for forward movement—not murky centrist stagnation. 

I recently discovered that my on-again/off-again boyfriend of ten years has been using online classifieds to schedule encounters with men. He creates posts when he’s out of town for work and he’s very specific about what he’s looking for. The acts are punitive in nature (but consensual) and he is always on the receiving end of these punitive activities. I wish to note that I am not someone who snoops. Rather, I am the sort of person who notices patterns of behavior and things suddenly come to me when I’m cooking or on a walk. Based on the secular community my boyfriend grew up in, I suspect that his anonymous activities are the result of some early childhood trauma. Based on the activities involved, I believe he was either abused or witnessed abuse while his brain was still developing and these activities — along with his chronic use of pot (on top painkillers and a couple of drinks each day) — are an unhealthy coping mechanism. I don’t judge him for the acts themselves, nor do I judge him for his sexuality. But I am not okay with his lying and cheating and I very much resent his haphazard attitude towards my sexual health. He refuses to talk with me about this and the silence is further eroding my trust, to say nothing of the plans we made for our future together. Since he won’t discuss it, I have no way of knowing if he’s sought help, as he has in the past with other issues. I’ve spoken with one trusted friend about this, but I have otherwise kept it to myself. I love him and that will never change. But now what?

Boyfriend Troubling Secrets

The Mercury provides news and fun every single day—but your help is essential. If you believe Portland benefits from smart, local journalism and arts coverage, please consider making a small monthly contribution, because without you, there is no us. Thanks for your support!

GOOD MORNING, PORTLAND! If you're upset about seeing a photo of Palestinians carrying the dead to a burial site, you're mad at the wrong thing.

We’re in for a mashup of sunshine, clouds and rain today (all the seasons packed into a day!) before we get weather predicted to be spicier than an episode of Hot Ones (low to mid 80s).

Here, for no reason at all, is Kid Rock getting called out for sporting a Budweiser hat after famously taking an automatic weapon to a case of the crappy beer, in a crusade against the company for hiring a transgender influencer for an Instagram ad.

 

 

 

 

 

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Let’s feast on the spicy news headlines 🌶. 

In LOCAL NEWS:

• Portland police shot and killed a man shortly after 6:30 pm Monday, while serving a warrant. Very few details have been released, but Portland Police Bureau says officers were serving a warrant related to a Major Crimes Unit investigation in the 100 block of SE 124th Ave. PPB says a man shot at officers, who returned fire and killed him. No one else was injured.

  Not much new info. 4 officers/ SERT team involved. PPB says the warrant was connected to a Major Crimes Unit investigation. Here's some recent reporting on the frequency of officer-involved shootings and a look at repeat shooters within the bureau: https://t.co/CrwwU9kEos

  — Courtney Vaughn (@C__Vaughn) May 7, 2024

  Continue reading »

Since taking the reins at the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in 2020, Mike Schmidt has faced a deluge of crises, and criticism. 

Schmidt took office in August 2020 amid a global pandemic and nationwide racial justice reckoning that spurred prolonged protests in Portland. Those external factors, coupled with a nationwide rise in crime during the pandemic (that has since fallen) painted the picture for many residents that Multnomah County was in dire straits. 

Unsurprisingly, residents placed the blame on those in power, and Schmidt, who got elected on a progressive campaign of criminal justice reform, was an easy target.