Can't Miss It: Thursday
FROM MALI WITH LOVE: Mali is the heart of African pop music. Or perhaps its more like a tree that just keeps producing some of the world’s tastiest tunes and talented musicians. With internationally renowned artists like Amadou et Miriam, Super Rail Band, Oumou Sangaré, and most recently Bassekou Kouyate, the landlocked west African nation hasn’t stopped exporting excellent music. Bassekou Kouyate and his band Ngoni ba were the first group signed to Sub Pop and KEXP collaborative world music imprint, Next Ambiance, releasing I Speak Fula earlier this year. Kouyate and others in the group play the ngoni, a string instrument and ancestor to the American banjo. Charged yet subtle, brisk but steady, Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni ba should not be missed.
8:00 p.m. // Neumos // $17
1 UP: There are few things more satisfying than saving the world from certain destruction. Or if the world has already been all but destroyed, there’s nothing better than staying alive, battling off zombies, radiation monsters, weird and wicked aliens. And all we need to do it is a little joystick and a few colorful buttons. There isn’t much need to argue the importance of video games in -- and to -- this city, but Tom Bissell will do it anyway, and it should be entertaining. The award-winning book and magazine writer, international traveler, and video game addict speaks about his latest book, Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. Part memoir, part critical analysis, Extra Lives is a critique and defense of video games as well as an exploration into potentially destructive addiction.
7:00 p.m. // University Bookstore // Free
YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION: Lying back in the grass and picnicking in the park, watching the Tour de France unfold on a large outdoor television, tossing back a beer, and all the while professional stunt rider Nick Halsey is twisting and flipping tricks to many an oooh and ahhh. If this isn’t a picture of bike heaven, bike heaven better live up. This year at Magnuson Park, Cyclefest and BikeMania are one, which means there’s something for everyone to enjoy. There will be obstacle courses, a bike parade, and a treasure hunt for kids, and beer vendors, stage 17 of Le Tour, and a chance to win a Lapierre Sensium 100 road bicycle worth $2,300 for the ol’ pros.
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. // Magnuson Park // Free
