Taking place over two intense nights at the Alleyway on NE Alberta, Portland's first annual Ceremony of Sludge is collecting together some of the best upcoming metal bands around. PDX has grown a bit of a metal rep the last few years, and now some lesser known, though no less brutal acts get to take the stage and show off their head-banging, face-tearing, genre-spanning sounds.

Friday, March 2nd, features Heavy Voodoo, Axxicorn, Avi Dei and Zmoke. , The next night, Saturday, will have Lamprey, Towers, Doomsower, and Witch Throne. Now, get this, each show is only four bucks and each ticket gets you a voucher for a download of the Ceremony of Sludge Vol. I mix. Click the links to familiarize yourself, and then plan on getting that long hair and vintage Slayer jacket ready for what's being billed as a "literal meeting of metal minds."

Portland's getting a very special Valentine from none other than Deer Tick. The Providence, Rhode Island, group plays everything from roots to rock—as long as it's raw, rowdy, and rambunctious—and they'll be puckering up their lips and lining up their candy hearts for a cozy show at Bunk Bar on Tuesday, February 14. It's a venue Deer Tick could have played three or four years ago, but they generally fill bigger rooms these days. It's also a special one-off show for Deer Tick, who kick off a European tour in March, but otherwise have a pretty quiet tour schedule until then.

So bring a sweetie, or maybe you'll find one at the show—Deer Tick shows are never tidy, sober affairs, so anything could happen. Get tickets here.

Deer Tick at Bunk Bar, Tues Feb 14, 9 pm, $15

Purple? That means Prince, and Prince means Superfunkycalifragisexy. The new monthly night is called Pussy Control, or as the hosts type it out, "P U S S Y C O N T R O L," which sounds the same but takes twice as long to say. It "is a Prince night, but it's also a tribute to everything sexy—to funk, hip-hop, R&B, and all things dance... Remember, Sexy Never Left."

There'll be Prince aplenty, but also tunes from his peers, his collaborators, his ingenues, and the countless musicians he influenced. In other words, it'll be an '80s- and '90s-themed dance party, probably not totally different from any other '80s or '90s-themed dance party you've been to, but with a way higher batting average of quality tracks.

DJs Black Dog and Nathan Detroit get it all going at the Yes and No (20 NW 3rd) tomorrow night at 10 pm; Pussy Control will continue every third Wednesday Thursday of the month. Here's where it's appropriate to post a Prince song or video, but wouldn't you know? They're really hard to find on the internet. BUT! I found this, and it is awesome. Enjoy.

What happens when four Portland venues open up their doors to 20 local bands for one night of free music? Apparently it's called a Big Ass Boombox, and it's going down next Friday, January 13. BAB is a loud pop festival featuring a promising lineup of Portland's best up-and-coming pop acts, and you can bet it's going to be a good time—each of the four inner NW venues are a within a single block of each other so you'll be able to pinball between stages to your heart's content. And what's more, the whole thing is under-21 friendly—three of the clubs are all-ages. It's one of those rare festivals that local underage fans thirst for, but unfortunately only get once or twice a year.

You see, Big Ass Boombox is about more than just having a good time. It's about getting people together. Festival heads Eirean Bradley and Arya Imig told the Mercury that their aim is not only exposing the city to some of its unheralded talent, but also "fostering a community of bands who play a like-minded brand of high-energy rock music, who may not necessarily have gotten a chance to have been exposed to each other." Right on, guys. And you know what? The lineup is pretty damned good. The Facebook event page is even promising that you'll find your new favorite band in Portland, and with all the names on board for this one, it's quite possible that you will.

Click the jump for your Big Ass festival lineup:

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Nationale has truly exponentially surpassed the expectations of your average shop. What began as a way for native Frenchwoman May Juliette Barruel to share the little things she missed from home—soaps, candies, those weird little pieces of paper that smell nice when you burn them—has blossomed into a hub for visual and performance art, hard-to-find, and/or highly curated literature and music, tasteful independent design, plus all the delightful imports that stoked our Francophilic urges in the first place.

Barruel's baby is coming up on its third birthday, and she is extending her over-achievement to the celebration—big time. Scout Niblett, Woolly Mammoth Comes to Dinner, and Tom Greenwood (Jackie O Motherfucker) are all set to perform, plus DJ Hostile Tapeover, Alicia McDaid, DJ Sleep Less, and a Free Advice™ booth manned by Nationale regular Jenn Armbrust. Save the date for January 25 at Holocene, and in the meantime you can stop by the shop tonight as late as 8 pm for last-minute shopping (best. stocking. stuffers. ever.) Plus, we hear there will be sandwiches.

• Nationale

Mark your calendars, Apes enthusiasts (no, Jane Goodall... not those kind of apes). On November 17th, Portland's only all-cassette label* Apes Tapes—as manned by Radiation City's Cameron Spies and Lizzy Ellison—will celebrate their one year anniversary with a special celebration at Holocene. Come out and praise them for their ingenuity in completing the tasks of winding and rewinding, their ability to navigate through webs of magnetic tape, and their great addition to the ever-textured Portland music scene. Also, this show will be your first chance to get your grubby hands (which evolved from primates, no less), on their latest release, Mixed Ape 3. It's a super fun compilation featuring 16 local artists, including: Adventures! With Might, Vanimal, dopebeds, Onuinu, Pegasus Dream, Queen Leaf (formerly Housefire), Rico All The Time, Summer Ono, XDS, Grandparents, Death Songs, Aan, Youth, And And And, Support Force, and The Tomorrow People. Methinks it's high time to fix that broken cassette player in your car, or invest in one of these... stat.

Here is the line-up for the show:
Onuinu
Adventures! With Might
Vanimal (reunion performance!)
XDS
Pegasus Dream

Not to mention that the press release boasts a mini set by three surprise bands AND a surprise guest DJ. YOU LOVE SURPRISES!

And lastly, a fantastic track from the compilation to get you primed:

Pegasus Dream- "In Absentia"

The show starts at 8:30, and the first 25 people through the door get a special limited-edition screen printed tote bag filled with free music and other goodies, so no monkeying around (I hate me as much as you hate me, I promise): get there early.

*Thanks to John Rau for pointing out Portland's many other fine cassette labels, including Eggy Tapes and Stunned Records.—Ed.

Tomorrow night will feature everything from synthpop gloss to hardcore punk, wiry funk sitting alongside metal, and tons of MTV hits. There's a veritable parade of all-stars and one-off bands, including Sean Croghan and a crew of old-school Portland mainstays performing as the Eastsiders: They've got the year 1989, which could mean some Pixies, some Fugazi, and even early Nirvana. Plus Nathan Junior (M. Ward, Fruit Bats) and Ryan Stowe (Swords Project) are performing as Future Proof, who killed totally it on '70s night with a righteous Skynyrd cover. Little Sue and Lara Mitchell are performing as Henpeck, plus Ezra Holbrooks' the My Oh Mys, and Jim Brunberg's band, and a hot ton more. Also—it is totally, 100% FREE.

Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, tomorrow night, 9 pm, FREE

First of all, watch this NSFW trailer to the upcoming award winning documentary Beyond This Place, featuring a hippie dad, a conflicted son, and about 500 miles of Pacific Northwest biking.

Now, take note on the part of the trailer that said music by Sufjan Stevens and Ray Raposa (of Castanets), because both musicians will be performing the score for this film live when it screens next month at the Hollywood Theater in Portland.

Now, just let that sink in.

Taking the film to three cities across the country, Beyond This Place director/conflicted son Kaleo La Belle will be joined by both Stevens and Raposa when he brings his documentary to town November 3rd. In addition to the usual Q & A these kinds of screenings get, both artists will be performing the score live. This is your basic once in a lifetime kind of show, so I'm letting you know now in case you want to get in on it. Check out tickets here, and the movie's website here.

• Really Daniel? You need a bag to eat in the restaurant?

Outsider pop songwriter Daniel Johnston's brilliantly titled new comic Space Ducks has been hanging all month over at the Wieden+Kennedy gallery space, and apparently the show was a big success—every piece sold before the show could even begin.

Now the gallery is hosting a free live performance by everyone's favorite oddball this Thursday at 6:00 PM in the W+K gallery space (224 NW 13th Avenue). Those who arrive early will be treated to one last viewing of the Space Ducks exhibit, which also features popular selections from his previous work.

While you're at it, make sure you visit the re-launch of Johnston's website hihowareyou.com.