Can't Miss It: Thursday
CARIBOUUUUU: Daniel Snaith has two things, well much more than two things, but two very interesting things. The first is a PhD in Mathematics, and the second is Swim (Merge), one of the best albums released this year. He goes by the name of Caribou, though he used to be called Manitoba, before being sued by a dude named Richard “Handsome Dick” Manitoba. Snaith is a one-man-band in the studio, recording everything himself, and he’s a perfectionist behind the mixing board. He generally brings a full band on tour to recreate his songs live, spending most of his live time behind the drumset. Each of his five full lengths exist in very different worlds, from shoegaze, to the aptly named folktronica, and in the case of his much lauded Andorra, 60s-ish synth summer pop. He switches it up again with Swim, this time creating a dark, modern dance foil to Andorra -- think of the new sound as an even better version of Hot Chip. Listen to the single, Odessa, for a sampling. Chillwave musician Toro y Moi aka Chazwick Bundick, who has earned much praise for his debut release Causers of This, supports.
8:00 p.m. // Neumos // $13
SIFF THIS: When SIFF is going down, the question “What are we going to do tonight?” should probably only be answered with a good, hearty laugh. The festival starts at 4 p.m. today and runs past midnight with 19, count ‘em, 19 films screening at 8 cinemas around town. Wish to start it off early at 4? Try out the documentary Mount St. Elias, a film about a team that climbs the Alaskan peak so they can ski down it. More the late night type? Spend some time at SIFF Cinema with Bakal Boys, a docudrama about children who scavenge for metal in Manila Bay. Our Amy Mikel remarked on Bakal Boys, “Man oh man, is this a beautiful film.” Click here for the full menu of this evening’s offerings.
All Evening // Various Cinemas // $8-$11
SHELS BY THE SEASHORE: Though Shel Silverstein gained plenty of notoriety as a children’s poet and cartoonist -- we still have Where the Sidewalk Ends memorized all these years later - his contribution to adult literature cannot be overlooked. He was a Playboy cartoonist for nearly 20 years. That’s literature, right? He was also a musician and screenwriter. His bibliography and discography are surprisingly expansive. He also wrote dozens of one-act plays, ten of which are featured in An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein, appearing through June 12th at Theater Schmeater. The vignettes include “Going Once,” in which a woman auctions herself, “The Best Daddy,” concerning a father who claims to have shot his daughter’s birthday pony, and “Smile,” when a man wants to punish whoever created the term “have a nice day.” Like many of his children’s poems, these acts are smart and strange but also thought provoking and somewhat cynical, all areas in which Silverstein excelled, no matter the medium. Because this is an "adult evening," no one under 17 is permitted.
8:00 p.m. // Theater Schmeater 1500 Summit Ave. // $18
