Arts & Events: August 2009 Archives

CLEANUP IN REACTOR B: Oh Hanford. In the '40s, Southeast Washington's Columbia Basin was a burgeoning industrial center, thanks to plutonium production as part of the Manhattan Project. Spoiler alert: There are future repercussions. As the winner of Best Film at last year's Local Sightings Film Festival, Grant Aaker and Josh Wallaert's documentary Arid Lands explores the many facets of the nuclear cleanup and the myriad players--Native Americans, farmers, developers, activists, fishermen, and scientists--in the community. The film plays at the NWFF through Thursday.

"Reading Time" by M. V. Jantzen, from our Flickr pool.

Amused, Confused, & More Bad News, the third (or fourth, depending on how you look at it) studio album from local post-psych outfit The Purrs, comes across as guardedly autobiographical. Amidst the jangly guitar rock and fuzzed-out riffs, you can read the album as a document of the band's struggles since their 2005 debut The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of. With songs like "Loose Talk" and "Taste of Monday" garnering regular play on KEXP, the self-released album did about as well as they could have hoped for. They signed to a local label, and things were looking good. Then, well, not much happened.

Here at Seattlest, we’ve always been big fans of local purveyors of goofy indie rock, BOAT. With their latest album scheduled to be released on Magic Marker records on October 27, we’ve been delighted to see they’ve been added quite a few PacNW dates to their schedule.

"ride with morning" by Kevin Rosinbum (chickentender ™), from our Flickr pool

WHAT WE NEED: Coffee. Like, right now. These events today don't make any sense, and writing this is proving unusually difficult. And, of course, there's no coffee in the cupboard. Also, we don't live anywhere near a Macrina Bakery. They turn 16 today, and to celebrate you get a free coffee if you buy bread. But bread we do have. It's the coffee we're out of. All this is hard.

Leave it to one of Seattle's weirdest and coolest bands to be the first to perform at an active volcano in the continental U.S. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band performed a special benefit show at the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mt. St. Helens on August 15th as part of the celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the volcano's eruption.

"Stop smoking" by cliklix, from the Seattlest Flickr Pool

EVERYONE IN THE CULT LOVES YOU: As we were saying the other week, tonight is a night that will live in Seattle rock 'n' roll history. The Cult is at the Moore, playing a live version of their smash 1985 album Love. That's hits like "Nirvana," "Big Neon Glitter," "Brother Wolf, Sister Moon," "Revolution," and "She Sells Sanctuary"--now how much would you pay? (Hopefully $30 or $40 because that's what tickets are going for.)

"cocoon man" by Jessica Warren (jessiqua), from our Flickr pool

Two weekends ago, Baltimore's Missoula Oblongata rocked our theatrical world with The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen down at Theatre off Jackson. Taking an extremely creative approach to doing theatre, the company builds compelling shows on a tight budget and tours them all around the country. By bringing all their settings as well as their own lighting and operating it all onstage live, they can perform anywhere, from a classy theatre like ToJ to someone's backyard.

Remember Pearl Jam? They were in Singles, too. That's probably why Cameron Crowe directed the video of "The Fixer." Glory days, huh, Cameron?

A PLAY OF MAGICAL THINKING: Intiman Theatre presents The Year of Magical Thinking, a play by well-known and much-loved author Joan Didion, based on her bestselling memoir of the same name. Directed by Sama Lapine and starring Judith Roberts, this beautiful show relives the heartbreaking aftermath of Didion losing her husband of 40 years while her daughter lay in intensive care, and how she coped with her grief.

"Angel Wings" by Jeff Carlson, from our Flickr pool

CHILEAN NIGHT FEVER: It's Santiago in 1978, and even in the suffocating midst of the oppressive Pinochet regime, all that Raul wants to do is dance. Despite being middle-aged, the main character of Pablo Larraín's second film fantasizes that he's John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever and performs his disco dance moves at the local bar. But soon Raul's fantasy becomes an obsession, especially after it's announced that there will be a Tony Manero impersonation contest throughout all of Chile. Tony Manero plays at the NWFF through Thursday.

"Second Avenue at night, 1928" courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives, from our Flickr pool

"Project Gallery Space" by SHAUNIQUA™ from our Flickr pool.

"Delancey, Ballard, Seattle" by suomynona , from our Flickr pool

RECOMMENDED The Importance of Being Earnest @ Rendezvous Jewelbox Theatre. "In Earnest, meaning keeps coming into focus then slipping away before you can make heads or tails of it, but it's never boring, never arty and abstract for its own sake. In fact, in the end, Helsinki Syndrome's show comes off as sincere in a way Wilde never managed in his own work." [Read our review/profile] (Fri. 8 p.m. 2322 Second Ave. $12/$10, 21+)

       

The success of Travis Louie's work rests on his uncanny ability to juggle two completely contradictory tendencies at once. On the one hand, the aesthetic of his work is a brilliant pastiche; with photorealistic precision, he carefully crafts works that nail the particular qualities of Victorian photographs that makes them look incredibly "real." On the other, he's creating a dream world of monsters that never existed in reality. And beyond the simple derangement of the creatures he portrays with life-like faithfulness, he adds yet another layer of complexity by crafting them with these inscrutable facial expressions. It's verisimilitude meets fantasy meets something deeper, and the magic of how all those layers collapse is what gives his work its oddly compelling quality and charm.

       

Yesterday afternoon we got a last-minute invitation to captothehill's remembrance of the 500 block of East Pine, a $10,000 party the bloggers won back in July.

"Shadow play" by Scott Cahill Rude (seattlescott69) , from our Flickr pool

"I think the thing is, we want to alienate people, but at the same time, we don't want to alienate people," said Rachel Hynes, sitting in the courtyard in from of Crawl Space Gallery last weekend. "Like, maybe I'd like to say: 'Come. If you want. We don't, like, care what anybody thinks, and if you don't like it, walk out. That would make me happy.' But then I'm like, 'Oh! That makes me sound so angry!'"

With the premiere of Project Runway tonight and Product Runway coming up on August 28th, what better time than now to catch up with Project Runway alum and Seattle native Jack Mackenroth? We got a chance to catch up with Jack and get the deets on PR, Tim Gunn, Kevin Christiana, and the fashion design event coming to Seattle next week.

So Kia has a new car, right? It's actually an "urban passenger vehicle"--as opposed to those modes of transport that only work in rural areas with a solo driver--and it's called the Soul. In order to celebrate its launch, Kia is hosting a ten-city tour featuring test drives and loads of live music. The Soul Collective hits up Seattle tonight and sticks around for the next four days at SoDo's Pacific Industrial Center.

COOLEST PARTY IN TOWN: Tonight's the night when Cap to the Hill throws their $10K party in the parking lot of Havana. To back up and explain, Creature, a Capitol Hill ad agency, had a contest last month to find someone who could throw a really awesome, $10K party to produce material for a JanSport campaign. Cap to the Hill won, and now they're having a party celebrating the old Pine St. corridor, when the Bus Stop, Bimbo's, and the Cha Cha were all destinations. That said, the party's not open to the public, just to 400 or so of Cap to the Hill's closest friends, so you can either beg them, or turn up and hope someone's got a +1 for you.

"Brazilfest0054" by wyldephotos, from the Seattlest Flickr Pool

The Tillamook County Creamery Association 100th Anniversary Celebration at the Woodland Park Zoo.

"Machismo and mysticism" is one way to describe The Cult. But if you love them like we do, they're "The Motherfucking Cult." And they're coming to Seattle next Wednesday, to the Moore, to play their 1985 album Love (tickets: $27.50-$37.50 plus fees).

THE CHILDREN ARE OUR RALLY: Friends of Children’s Hospital, your friendly neighborhood Fearey Group-promoted advocacy group for Seattle Children's Hospital is taking it the steps of City Hall. The rally is to show support for Children's after Laurelhurst Community Club protested Children's proposed expansion and won the city hearing. Few moments in life offer the moral high ground of this rally, and it should be a great way to meet hot nurses and doctors. noon-1:30 p.m. // City Hall's west side steps, 600 4th Avenue // FREE

"keen love" by Craig (EdgarDiazRocks), from our Flickr pool

TIME WARP: Third Eye Cinema and the Northwest Film Forum present Time Machine, with Bill Brown and Sabine Gruffat. The two will be traveling through the past, present, and future via spoken word, video performance, 35mm slides, and good old scratchy records. Discover Real-Time rendering, Quartz, and Max patches as Gruffat steers you through the strange world of digital and analog hyperspace. If your girlfriend or wife has been on you to go see The Time Traveler's Wife, this may be a good distraction...the book is always better anyway.

"Untitled" by PhotoByNani, from our Flickr pool

     

This last weekend at Theatre off Jackson, the Missoula Oblongata, out of Baltimore, got us revved up for what's looking to be a killer week of experimental theatre and performance. And yes, yes...we can see the eyes of readers rolling already. More performance art! Well, here's the trick--if there's one thing we took away from Missoula Oblongata's The 50 Greatest Ladies and Gentlemen, it's that, quite the opposite of what you might expect, the off-the-wall stuff is (often) more approachable than the mainstream stuff you'd get at the Rep or Intiman or the like.

Foreground, Emerald Downs racetrack, where the Longacres Mile was run yesterday, and wiener dog racing took place on Friday night. Background, Mt. Rainier, overlooking it all. More on both races in today's Neighborhood News.

YOU AND EMILIANA: Supercute Italian-Icelandic chanteuse Emiliana Torrini hits the Croc tonight, still touring on her 2008 album Me and Armini. Emiliana ain't no Bjork; her music is a mélange of genres: a little trip-hop here, a little folk there, with a smattering of ska, psych-rock, and bossa nova for good measure. Here's proof of her musical diversity: Torrini both sang "Gollum's Song" over the credits of LoTR: The Two Towers and wrote "Slow" for Kylie Minogue. Now that's what we call delightfully all over the place. 9 p.m. // The Croc // 2200 2nd Ave // $15, 21+

"360 From Below" by Shawn McClung (Slightlynorth), from our Flickr pool

"On Hiding An Elephant In Plain Sight: A Performance Of Private Acts" by Slightlynorth from our Flickr pool.

"Kingdome implosion, 2000" by seattlemunicipalarchives , from our Flickr pool

RECOMMENDED For these Unclosings @ New City Theatre. Local visual artist phenom Susie J. Lee has taken her studious exploration of the transience of memory out of the art gallery in this collaboration with dancer/choreographer Ying Zhou. Utilizing some impressive technology, Lee has put together a dramatic live performance/art installation/dance piece that builds on her already impressive catalog of achievements. (1404 18th Ave. Fri. & Sat., 8 p.m. Tix $15.)

One of the words most frequently associated with Susie J. Lee's work is "ephemeral." Since her MFA work showed at the Henry in 2006, she's become a rising star in the Seattle art world, even scoring notice as an "Artist to Watch" in January's ARTNews, by creating works that capture a moment that's always slipping away into the imperfection of memory. She made a digital rainstorm in the main space of the Lawrimore Project in 2007, created rooms that converse with visitors, and used a variety of digital and non-digital techniques to explore the effect of light on surfaces.

"6th Avenue" by Taylor Hain (tthain), from our Flickr pool

Sci-fi as a genre really shines when it addresses social issues via metaphor, which has really been lacking in recent Hollywood films--and no, Transformers 2 is not chockful of metaphor. Lucky for us, there's alien apartheid allegory District 9 (opening tomorrow at the Neptune and the Meridian).

ARBITRARY ART: Vital 5's newest Arbitrary Art Grant happening is going down tonight. The guerrilla event is taking over part of the parking lot on the 500 block of East Pine Street (near the intersection with Summit Avenue)--the outline of an art gallery's walls will be on the ground. The trick here is to get people to show up with a work of art tied around their neck; the people stand on the lines, forming the walls of the gallery and displaying the art. One gets the $500 grant. Just don't be late. 6-7 p.m. // 500 Block, East Pine Street // free to gawk, may pay to participate!

"Gasworks cloudy sunset" by imtboo, from the Seattlest Flickr Pool

METEOR SHOWERS: Well, the Perseids are back and they've brought their cosmic trash with them to dump in the fire barrel that is our atmosphere. This morning and tomorrow morning is supposed to be prime-viewing-time, but if you miss it, there's more where that came from the next few days. Look for clear skies to the east (always with the negative waves, CHS?), stay up late, and maybe make a run out to Camano Island, Rattlesnake Ridge, Tiger Mountain, or Snoqualmie Pass, where light pollution won't get in your eyes. Failing that, it's on YouTube.

"Protest on fence, King Kong Mask as exterior house decor, Ballard, Seattle, Washington, USA" by Wonderlane, from our Flickr pool

It's a slow news day, other than...nope, there's really nothing out there. So why not enjoy Randy Bachman (BTO!) talking about the time the Doors, Led Zeppelin, the Byrds, Ike and Tina Turner, and a metric shit-ton of other rockstars gathered in Woodinville for a three-day musical happening, July 25-27, that Seattle has not seen since.

Playwright Brendan Healy uses a healthy dose of whimsy and charm to tackle big themes of loss and love in his new play, , which debuted at Annex Theatre last weekend (Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; tix $15/$10). And that's a good way to go about it, because a more serious take on a girl with a shut-in, hypochondriac mother in permanent mourning for her dead husband would probably be tedious as hell.

KARAOKE FILM CHALLENGE: Northwest Film Forum and Three Dollar Bill Cinema are once again presenting Karaoke Challenge tonight. They've invited Seattle filmmakers of all experience levels to try their hand in the genre of videos for karaoke songs we love, and love to hate. Not only will there be amusing videos to watch, but there will be plenty of foot-tapping and singing to go along.

"Millions and Millions at the Ferry Dock, Seattle" by Garret Veley (Mantis of Destiny), from our Flickr pool

Back in 1986, Lily Tomlin won a Tony Award appearing in Jane Wagner's solo show, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, which was a (mostly) comedic double-take on having lived through the consciousness-raising '70s. Now Balagan Theatre is reviving the show (through August 29; Thurs-Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m.; tickets: $15 online, $20 at the door), with the gifted Terri Weagant as your cracked guide to a cracked universe.

MY LIFE IS A MUSICAL: Regular karaoke not enough of a challenge for you? Head to the Rendezvous tonight for Cineoke, in which you sing along to your favorite scenes from musicals. Warm up with some Chicago, belt out The Sound of Music, and soon you'll be Singing in the Rain. Don't forget the jazz hands. 7-9:30 p.m. // Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater // 2322 2nd Ave // $5, 21+

"roll out" by Kevin Rosinbum (chickentender), from our Flickr pool

"Feel the Pain" by crickontour from our Flickr pool.

OPENING Catch Me If You Can @ 5th Avenue. A new musical based on the Spielberg film. (1308 Fifth Ave. Fri. 8, Sat. 2 & 8, Sun. 1:30 & 7. Tix $29-$93.) The Maids @ Stone Soup. Jean Genet's troubling one-act takes the true-life story of a pair of murderous maids and transforms it into a meditation on sex and power. (4035 Stone Way N. Fri. & Sat. 8 p.m. Tix $10-$12.)

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the lobby at On the Boards last Friday night, as the audience exiting the 8 p.m. performance of 14/48: The World's Quickest Theatre Festival, clashed with the incoming patrons for the 10:30 show, we found ourselves in the back corner chatting with Seattle director Aimee Bruneau.

Lots of great live music possibilities this weekend!

"Union Pacific 669" by Kurt Clark (kdavidclark) , from our Flickr pool

GUN HAPPY: Why the hell was everything so fucked up back in 1969? We ask that question every time we check out one of the films from NW Film Forum's '69 series. Tonight is your second and final chance to see the notorious Dillinger is Dead, from Italian auteur Marco Ferreri, about a man who finds a gun that allows him to act out his fantasies and escape and the soul-crushing construct of middle-class society.

"brightest calm" by chickentender, from the Seattlest Flickr Pool

HOT NGONI NIGHT: All the way from Mali, ladies and gentlemen, Issa Bagayogo, the international dancefloor sensation! He's touring for his new album Mali Koura, which offers blues, world beat, reggae, funk...a lot of stuff. The mixture of West African music with house music dance tends to knock people over when they hear it. Stylus magazine called his previous album a contender for world music album of the year.

"Milky Way over Mt. Rainier" by David Hogan (Cap'n Surly), from our Flickr pool

Get your nerd on tonight at Seattlest trivia. Converge with your fellow brainiacs at the Old Pequliar to win valuable cash (if you're one of the top three teams), the Valiant Effort award of valuable swag (if you're in last place), or a special mystery prize during the audio round.

JOHN WATERS FANS : Central Cinema is showing one of our favorite '80s movies, Cry-Baby, and there's never a bad excuse to watch this film. Especially right now, in an air-conditioned theatre with stone oven pizza, and beer to wash it down. Ricki Lake? Hatchet Face? That single slow-moving tear drop? It doesn't get much better than that.

"Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band" by Jean-Marc Luneau, from our Flickr pool

If you’re one of those people who can’t even sew on a button, then you might be dubious about the extent to which such a skill could translate into a lucrative business. Well, it most certainly can and, based on the high number of giddy participants at Urban Craft Uprising this weekend, it often does.

PIZZA, COMEDY, AND KIDDOS: This month's Pagliacci comedy night is headlined by Derek Sheen, known for his heavy metal, pop culture, sci-fi, and comic book humor. Hellooooo, nerds! While usual host PRoK's Emmett Montgomery is enjoying his honeymoon, Paul Merrill takes over MC duties, and joining Paul on stage are his two sons Charlie (3) and James (9). Because nothing says comedy like some dude's kids. 8 p.m. // Broadway Pagliacci Pizza // 426 Broadway Ave E // free

Saturday afternoon, Top Pot's 5th Ave location filled up as people arrived to watch their 3rd Annual Doughnut Eating Contest, sponsored by Light in the Attic Records and KEXP. Here are pics (and a grainy video) from the event, which was won once again by the intimidatingly-named Billy the Fridge (9 doughnuts in 5 minutes).

"Hoola Hooper" hot girl by lachance from our Flickr pool.

If you don't want to fight the crowds at Seafair today, there are plenty of local alternatives. Today, we are visiting the First Annual Elks Hot Rod and Auto Show at the Burien Elks Lodge in Burien. The show is free to visitors, and there is a $1 raffle. They have burgers and dogs for sale, as well as a beer garden. The proceeds go to the Elk's charities.

Seattlest reader David Hoffman took this gorgeous shot yesterday from Madrona Park, as the Blue Angels were doing their practice runs. They'll be out doing an official Seafair air show today and tomorrow from 1:30-2:30 p.m.