Nolan Parker by Nolan Parker Angels exist, I swear! If you were at the sold out Austra show on Monday, you would have witnessed Portland-born, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Colin Self descending from the heavens to bless us mere mortals with their angelic vocals and cherub-like presence. If you're looking for something to believe in, believe in music—it's one of the very few things with ability to unite complete strangers in dialog, movement, and tears.  What's been going on Portland, what's exciting you and bringing you joy right now? Below are a few things that might bring joy and excitement into you life in the next seven days. Don't be shy, dive in! Wednesday, January 28 Cate Le Bon / Frances Chang  For fans of Laurel Halo, Anika, Broadcast This show is sold out, but, if you can snag a ticket, hear Le Bon’s music that arts and culture writer Lindsay Costello is calling, “surreal soundscapes with a neo-psychedelic, arty sensibility,” and what Pulitzer Prize-winning ProPublica research reporter Alex Mierjeski describes as, “Cate Labubu.” (Revolution Hall, 8 pm, more info here, all ages) Thursday, January 29 Third Angle presents Steve Reich’s Counterpoints For fans of Philip Glass, Julius Eastman, Pauline Oliveros Putting in the work for over 41 years, the folks at Third Angle New Music continually deliver lush “new music” performances in some of Portland’s most captivating spaces for their site-specific sounds, this one-night-only presentation is no exception. The soft intensity of Steve Reich’s dizzying mallet work on his celebrated Counterpoints has that beguiling power to either fully energize you, or can act as a mother’s whisper cooing you to sleep. The repetitious staccato of Counterpoints’ four iterations—Cello, Electric, New York, and Vermont—backdropped by the intricate light works of Hopscotch is a delicious treat for both eyes and ears. (Hopscotch, timed entry 6-9 pm, more info here, all ages)           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Third Angle New Music (@thirdanglenewmusic) Friday, January 30 SH / athing / digifae / GF Simulator  For fans of QT, Colin Self, Machine Girl A four band lineup including three of Portland’s best-named music projects, this bill is miiiiiixed. The new, intensely digital compositions of athing are getting the EP treatment with the release of agirl—if it’s a sound building on their 2022 EP Mixed Emotions, we’re in for a treat. The SEO for SH is terrible, so IDEK what they sound like, but the emo-infused hyperpop of Ohio’s digifae couples perfectly with GF Simulator’s micro beats that build into dancefloor euphoria. Gf Simulator wants you to know that “beauty fades, hole is forever.” Masks required at this one, friends! (Wyrd Hut, 6:30 pm, more info here, all ages) Saturday, January 31 Mississippi Masala Mira Nair—a filmmaker with a keen eye for cultural narratives who also happens to be New York mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mom—directed this romance between Mina (Sarita Choudhury), an Indian-Ugandan woman, and a Black Southerner carpet cleaner named Demetrius (Denzel Washington). Presented by Portland Panorama and screening as part of Clinton Street Theater’s Color Sound series, the film’s cross-genre soundtrack and vibrant palette will shake off the post-holiday grays, and half of ticket proceeds go to support the Portland Immigrant Rights Coalition’s legal defense and rapid response work. (Clinton Street Theater, 7 pm, more info here, all ages) LINDSAY COSTELLO Monday, February 2 Monk in Pieces  For fans of Fire Music, A Life in Waves, The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye Prolific avant-garde musician, composer, performer, filmmaker, and choreographer Meredith Monk started innovating sound and movement in the ’60s, and hasn’t stopped since. Co-presented with Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Monk in Pieces takes a look at Monk’s creative output through the lens of an artist confronted with mortality. The documentary features interviews with Björk and David Byrne, and should indeed be absorbed on the big screen. (Hollywood Theatre, 7 pm, more info here, all ages) Also very worth it… Production Unit Xero / Casual Decay / Feu Du Camp / Joel Noct / Ahpook at Process - Jan 29, more info here Celluloid Jukebox: Scopitone-a-Go-Go at Clinton Street Theater - Jan 29, more info here Guilt Tradition / Plague Mind / Witness the End / Ripped Off / Found Out at high Limit Room - Jan 30, more info here Maps Good Space Grand Reopening - Jan 30, more info here Portland Folk Festival at Crystal Ballroom - Jan 30 31, more info here Brown Suga ft. DJ Pounce / Jupiter Williams / Trust Kimani / SoundsByDontā at La Factoria - Jan 31, more info here Cherry Cheeks / George Jr. The 9/11’s / The Dumpies / Chatterbox at Kenton Club - Jan 31, more info here New Music Portland:  This is it friends, the hard launch of a new Mercury Music Picks section: New Music Portland. This is where we’ll keep you apprised of new singles, EPs, and albums, as well as music videos, by Portland bands and artists. Got something you think is extra special, or especially extra? Email me!  Last week, the young shoegazers As Above released their new single “Upside Down.” After seeing them open for House of Warmth a couple weeks ago, they’re new favorites. I’ve got it on good authority that “Upside Down” is foreshadowing a debut LP from the band, stay tuned. Slowdive, if you’re reading this, I’ve found a tour opener for you! Queer, post-hardcore, emo-rockers, It’s You! It’s Me! And There’s Dancing! just announced the release of their debut album Tell Me All About It. As the exclamation marks might insinuate, the band’s music is high energy in ways shared by those harnessing the power of similar punctuation: !!!, !mindparade, Against Me!, The Go! Team, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, ¡Gonzales!, Panic! At The Disco, and Wham! After beautifully blindsiding the audience while opening for Dustbunny earlier this month, the Portland noisy shoegazers Pileup released the fourth single, “Going Away,” from their upcoming album, Leave the Light On, this week. The sludgy hardcore band Slime has released their new Vicious Oblivion EP, saying this, “[Vicious Oblivion] is dedicated to every outcast that has the heart to carry on in a world of ever changing subjective values that tells them they don't belong. Shout out to the virtue signaling mob for giving us the fuel to write these tracks.” Bless.  The new Live at Nonseq release from WNDFRM consists of a single 37 minute track of subtle drama. The set was recorded during a rare, live WNDFRM performance at Seattle’s Nonseq series. The hushed vibrancy of electronics here makes me shudder to think I’ve yet to have the privilege of seeing WNDFRM live.  Portland Music News:  Did y’all hear the extremely bummer news that Redmond, Oregon’s fabulous country music festival, FairWell Fest, won’t be coming back in 2026? SAD. Sad because the fest’s music curation is spot-fucking-on and an enormous boon for all of Central Oregon’s music communities. Last year at the fest I saw country heavy hitters Sturgill Simpson, Dwight Yokum, Tanya Tucker, Marty Stuart, and Kaitlin Butts. All-time favorite Ludacris was there, as was one of my new favorite artists (introduced to me by FairWell), Sierra Ferrell. The Mercury has reached out for comment with no reply, we will be keeping a close eye on this one. Hopefully the fest returns in 2027!  Dry those FairWell tears knowing that Pickathon is back in 2026! Dropping this year’s lineup earlier this week, Pickathon once again does the lordt’s work bringing an outlandishly diverse roster of music from around the world to Happy Valley, OR. Established obsessions like Marcos Valle and The Cosmic Tones Research Trio will mix and mingle with future favorites El Khat and Prewn out in the woods around Pendarvis Farm. Check out our take on the initial lineup announce and keep your eyes peeled for more Pick26 coverage in the Mercury.            View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Janet Weiss (@theejazzzhand) ...read more read less