Even the Competitions are Competing
There are plenty of us for whom both the successful season of the Seahawks and the less-than-stellar season of the Supersonics mean absolutely nothing, other than potential for increased traffic. While we may watch highlights on ESPN, most professional sports just don't have any appeal. Watching the less than heralded sports is where the real action is. Who doesn't marvel at the technique of Kobayashi, the overexcited commentators of the dart championships, or the sublime grace of curling? For sheer entertainment, it's the offbeat competitions that can't be beat, and they're well worth the strange looks you get when you tell people what you're doing with your time. We've already touched on Seattle's propensity for finding new ways to declare winners and losers, part of the reason we love this town. Tonight features two very different takes on the "battle" concept, one for head nodding, the other for more corporeal reactions.
Organized by Tall Homie Productions (aka Seattle producer Vitamin D) and Hip-hop.net, Big Tune is a head to head producer beat battle. Featuring an array of 206 talent, this is an opportunity to hear some of the best that the area has to offer as they vie for the $500 prize. Who knows, maybe the next Kanye is in our midst (hopefully minus the overblown ego).
The Pop Smear Test is even more...unconventional. Like Iron Composer, this involves creating songs within a set of constraints. Rather than thematic confines however, Pop Smear limits the musicians to only using recorded sounds from the bodies of the audience. Accordingly, the winners are chosen by the involuntary reactions of the audience (heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature), as measured by real nurses. It's certainly something different, so it gets a thumbs-up from us.
(Also, registration is open for the Rock Paper Scissors Tournament at Mission February 4th. More information is forthcoming, but for now just know that Seattlest is planning to take home the gold.)
Big Tune Beat Battle
Wednesday, January 18th
The War Room, 722 East Pike St.
Doors @ 9pm, $5 cover, 21+
The Pop Smear Test
Wednesday, January 18th
Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison
Doors @ 8pm, Competition @ 10pm, $5 cover, 21+
