The Mercury’s Do This, Do That: Your Top Events for January 19-25

by Lindsay Costello

The word "January" developed from the Latin word Ianuarius or "Janus," referring to an ancient Roman diety associated with beginnings, transitions, and passageways. In other words, January is about deciding how you want to walk through the door. So, let’s get to it. If you have the day off work on January 19, why not use it to volunteer? You'll find one such opportunity below, plus other events worth your attention: the Portland Fine Print Fair, the release of a rock-climbing novel, and a handful of repertory film screenings to hold you down while winter does its thing. Lessgo!

Monday, January 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Cleanup Honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by helping clean up one of Portland’s most treasured parks, situated just south of the King neighborhood. The federal holiday, which is also known as a national day of service, brings plenty of volunteer opportunities across the city and state, but sprucing up an outdoor space that contains Portland’s largest nature patch is a prime use of your time off. Show up in closed-toed shoes and weather appropriate clothing; materials will be provided by environmental stewardship nonprofit SOLVE, which is hosting several more service opportunities across the metro area. (Irving Park, NE 7th and Fremont, 10 am-12 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) BRI BREY   Tuesday, January 20 Tár

Todd Field’s masterpiece Tár follows the fall of fictional problematic fav Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) as she tries to egomaniacal-genius-conductor her way out of one controversy, only to land in another. Tár also capped a 16-year hiatus between film releases for Field (In the Bedroom, Little Children), who we would build monuments to even if he weren’t a local director, but he is. Come for the sensual and charismatic portrait of power; stay for Blanchett’s original accordion composition, “Apartment for Sale.” (Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton, 7 pm, $10, more info, R) SUZETTE SMITH

Wednesday, January 21 Crushed with Swinging

Swinging's mix of shoegaze-esque fuzz and natural field recordings made the Portland band's debut, My Bed is a Boat, one of 2025's most lush and cacophonous albums. Vale’s lyrics are diaristic and vulnerable, often delivered in straightforward language that evokes a kind of Artist’s Way, morning-pages intimacy. (Read the rest of our review at the Mercury.) They're a fitting opener for Crushed, whose video game influence is contained mostly in their album titles (extra life and no scope). Beyond those titles, the duo's dream pop is electronic-inflected, experimental, and full of dreamy atmosphere. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth, 8 pm, $21.17, more info, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO

Also worth it:

The Testament Of Ann Lee in 70mm, Hollywood Theatre, more info
Shaker gift drawing hive, rise up!!! If you're anything like me—and I know there are dozens of us—you'll be interested in The Testament of Ann Lee, which traces the spiritual leader's founding of the radical Shaker religious movement in colonial America.

Thursday, January 22 Gabriel Tallent in Conversation With Jeff O’Neal Rock climbing culture is as strong as the scalable boulders it’s built on, and Crux, a new novel from author Gabriel Tallent, explores how the sport builds relationships and community, and grounds us in nature. A coming-of-age story full of evocative environmental writing, the story is an ode to a friendship between two teens from different sides of the tracks who connect through their search for a steady hold. Tallent’s previous novel, My Absolute Darling, is a New York Times-bestseller and his latest is sure to be similarly engaging and heartbreaking in equal measure. Tallent will be joined in conversation by Jeff O’Neal, CEO and co-founder of Book Riot. (Powell's City of Books, 1005 W Burnside, 7 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) BB   Friday, January 23 The Antlers Starting as the solo project of vocalist and guitarist Peter Silberman, the Antlers became a collaborative group before the release of their third full length Hospice in 2009, which features guest vocals by Sharon Van Etten and earned them high praise and a dedicated following. After Silberman suffered hearing loss in 2014, the band went on hiatus while he retreated to a cabin and recorded a whisper-soft solo album. The Antlers returned to the stage in 2019 to celebrate the 10-year anniversary reissue of Hospice with a tour before recording and releasing new music. Listening to Blight, the band's seventh studio album that came out in October, is almost a religious experience. Songs swirl and swell from vulnerable piano and vocals to a crescendo of electronic-influenced rock; I recommend checking out "Something In The Air" for a goosebump-inducing taste. (Polaris Hall, 635 N Killingsworth, 8 pm, $32.21, more info, 21+) SHANNON LUBETICH

Also worth it:

The Humbling of Thor, Nordia House, more info
Musician and storyteller Casey Schissler reimagines minor mythology figure Elli the All-Wise as a hero tasked with teaching the Poetic Edda’s most notorious hot head a lesson.

          View this post on Instagram                      

A post shared by Nordic Northwest (@nordicnorthwest)

Saturday, January 24 Portland Fine Print Fair

Portland Art Museum hosts the largest art print fair on the West Coast for its 13th year, welcoming 16 top dealers—from Tolman Collection of New York to Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts in Pendleton—to advise, answer questions, and sell prints (of course!) to interested buyers. We can’t all have a six-feet-tall, eight-and-a-half-feet-wide portrait of 42 cats over our mantel, but we MIGHT be able to snag a print. Disclaimer: No actual cat prints promised. (Portland Art Museum Fields Ballroom, 1119 SW Park, Sat Jan 24 10 am-6 pm; Sun Jan 25 11 am-5 pm, FREE, more info, all ages) SS

Portland Seafood & Wine Festival Have you ever dipped a crab leg in a glass of chardonnay? Yeah, me neither. But more traditional combinations of seafood and wine will be showcased at this festival highlighting Oregon's coastal bounty and prolific winemaking scene. Taking place during peak Dungeness crab season, sip samples from 30 Oregon wineries, meet craft beer and spirits vendors, and of course, scarf down pounds and pounds of fresh catch. Last year even featured a giant inflatable crab for photos! (Portland Expo Center, 2060 N Marine, Sat Jan 24 12 pm-9 pm, Sun Jan 25 12 pm-5 pm, FREE-$132, more info, all ages) BB

Also worth it:

Rope, Cinema 21, more info
Hitchcock's ’48 thriller follows two dapper psychopaths as they strangle a guy, stuff his body in an antique chest, and proceed to host a dinner party. Naturally, they start acting weird about it, and dramatics ensue. 

Mothra vs. Godzilla, Academy Theater, more info
With her rebellious attitude and atmospheric theme song/hymn sung by miniature priestess-fairies the Shobijin, mystical Mothra rules. Witness the divine kaiju in all her genetically engineered glory as she whips ass on Godzilla in this ’64 entry.

Sunday, January 25 The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover

For fans of Dutch Baroque painting, Angela Carter, Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1986).

Peter Greenaway’s 1989 class critique unfolds almost entirely inside a fancy French restaurant. Lateral dolly shots glide through luxe dining rooms drenched in red velvet and painterly kitchen scenes; the visual impact is akin to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things with more decadence and cruelty. (This recommendation carries a content warning for just about everything, including domestic violence and a dog death.) Catch it at the Portland Art Museum’s Whitsell Auditorium, which reopened for PAM CUT programming earlier this month, and read more about the film in this month's Second Run. (PAM CUT at the Whitsell, 1219 SW Park, 2 pm, more info, unrated) LC

Also worth it: 

Rest Haven, Bardo Tea, more info
In collaboration with contemporary gallery Helen's Costume, this exhibition installed at Concordia's most peaceful teahouse includes interesting wall works by Shelley Turley, Andy Heck Boyd, and Noah Greene.

All the Colors of the Dark, Academy Theater, more info
There's nothing quite like ’70s Italian horror. You want occult paranoia, psychedelic tailspins, and sexual tension? You got it. Prime example: Sergio Martino's giallo flick All the Colors of the Dark, featuring black masses and devilish detours à la Rosemary's Baby.

Looking for even more events happening this week? Head on over to EverOut!