Making the Holiday Rounds

Round and round 55 times. Some snowballs get bigger and better. This is the case for the four-year-old Seattle innovation The Round, a once monthly event featuring anywhere between 3-7 musicians, slam poets, live painters, and at times an improv band, all on stage together taking turns presenting unique performances to an intimate and willing crowd for the benefit of Fremont Abbey Arts Center and other various non-profits.

This year’s Holiday Edition--Round 55--features ’09 Round veterans including songwriter Damien Jurado, Mark Pickerel of Screaming Trees, Kate Tucker, and Matt Bishop of Hey Marseilles, slam poets Buddy Wakefield and Elaina Ellis, and painter Siolo Thompson. The Round, which normally takes place at Fremont Abbey, is as much for the performers as the audience, providing established and emerging artists a small stage to cozy up to each other and viewers. Few events qualify as sincerely intimate and art absorbed, but this gathering, simple yet boundless, certainly qualifies.

If you’ve been good this year, perhaps other Northwest vets will make appearances at the Holiday celebration. David Bazan performed in Round 41 last year, and Tiny Vipers performed on April 14th along with half of Arthur and Yu at Round 47. Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold has also appeared in the past. The Round has managed to bring in some of the Northwest’s biggest names throughout the years, keeping that snowball rolling, and tonight’s event (this year’s last) will cap another tremendous year.

7:30 p.m. // The Triple Door // $15