Arts & Events: November 2009 Archives

Tonight is the last chance to catch Manifold Motion's Miscellenea II program, presented at the Canoe Social Club in the International District. To sum up: Manifold Motion is a company - helmed by Artistic Director Keely Isaak Meehan - that produces work by collaborating interdisciplinary artists. The Miscellanea programs are an extension of Manifold Motion's normal productions, an opportunity for Manifold to further support their collaborators by giving them additional exposure and a platform to present new work.

"FALL DROPS" by MIKE FIECHTNER, from our Flickr pool

"091031 TRICK" by RYAN CUNNINGHAM, from our Flickr pool

Rainy Dawg Radio, the University of Washington student-run radio station, presents its third annual local music showcase tonight with Phil Elvrum of Mount Eerie, Portlanders Cars + Trains, Naomi Punk, and Secret Colors (aka Matt Lawson).

Before the seasons changed and our rain-induced pseudo-hibernation began, we were able to gather up many fond musical memories during festival season. During one such venture we were able to talk to Hey Marseilles and Fences as part of our Better Know a CHBP Band series. As luck has it the two bands will be playing the Vera Project this Saturday. (Tickets $10, all ages, 7:30 PM)

Tonight Girls Rock! Seattle will host a "50 Shows in 50 States" fundraiser at The High Dive, featuring performances by Goodness, The Redwood Plan, Eighteen Individual Eyes, and Alicia Dara. The fundraiser is part of a nationwide effort to raise money and awareness for Girls Rock! Seattle and the Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA), an international coalition unifying girls’ rock camps and girls’ music projects around the world. The goal of the fundraiser is to hold 50 shows in 50 states on the same day to benefit the cause.

Meet Gene Tagaban, storyteller, musician, motivational speaker, life trainer, and the emcee for a wonderful event tonight presented by The Burke Museum called Tribute to the Spirit: Little Big Band. The event, which features representatives from seven different First Nations on one stage, is "an unprecedented gathering of Native American performers."

BALLARD JAZZ WALK: Over the past six years, the Ballard Jazz Festival has moved from a community event into a nationally recognized festival before deciding that being a neighborhood party with international cred is a rather sweet niche. You know, creamy big band with a hard bop nougat. The Walk starts at 7 p.m. and offers 18 bands spread over 12 venues. Schedule here [pdf]. Come walk around the candy store.

"UNTITLED" by PHOTOBYNANI, from our Flickr pool

Far be it from us to say that the Twilight franchise of books and movies is bad--they're super-entertaining and enjoyable. We just think Twilight is wrong about two things: Forks, Washington, and vampires.

A hungry horde of local bloggers descended upon Central Cinema, bearing offerings of canned food and five dollar bills and baying for mulled wine, caramel apples, and camaraderie. On hand were bloggers and readers from CHS, CDNews, Seattle Metblogs, the SunBreak, the PI...the list goes on. Thanks to Neighborlogs for sponsoring it and to Central Cinema for hosting. That pizza was la bamba.

Hugo House will be hosting Visiting Hours this Friday at 7:30 p.m., featuring Northwest favorites such as Benjamin Parzybok, Elizabeth Austen, Matt Smith, and Molly Rose. Tickets range from $15-25.

NEW ITALY: Few countries do art and design (and wine) better than Italy. And Italian cinema has always been among the best, which is why SIFF is presenting The New Italian Film Festival, a series of 8 Euro festival movies selected by a jury and sent to Seattle. Tonight’s two showings are Different From Whom?, the satirical story of a gay man who runs for mayor in a right-wing town, and The House in the Clouds, a drama in which disparate brothers deal with their self-absorbed father.

Squid have three hearts, while anchovies have orgies of sorts. This was part of the message that actress, model, and author Isabella Rosselini brought to Benaroya Hall last night, where she spoke in support of Green Porno, her two-year-old short film series on the sex lives of insects for the Sundance Channel. The event was part of Seattle Arts & Lectures' calendar of events.

John Oliver is a funny Englishman. To his credit, he’s very upfront about it. A longtime stand-up and current correspondent for The Daily Show, Oliver has perfected a wry, incisive voice, one deeply informed by history, which develops subversive undertones when placed in contrast to his surroundings. Like, say, when he’s doing an impression of a foul-mouthed New Jersey squirrel in the back corner of a tribal casino.

"TITLE OF PHOTO" by Photocoyote, from our Flickr pool

Being band nerds from way back, how could we not be in love with Pillow Army? A Seattle six-piece, Pillow Army wraps pop ingenuity in baroque expressions of confusion, conformity, love, sadness, and anger. They recently released their debut EP, To Comfort and Destroy, and tonight they play at The Crocodile.

Fashionistas, alert! Neodandi House of Couture, which opened its doors this August in Pioneer Square, will be hosting their debut fashion event Saturday, December 5. Off The Wall: A Neodandi Fashion Opera, a tribute to Michael Jackson’s life and unique style, promises "an eclectic evening of Michael Jackson inspired music, dancing and fashion collections for men and women, chronicling the famous entertainer’s career."

GREEN PORNO: Daughter of Ingrid Bergman, former Mrs. Scorsese, ex-Lancome model, and creator of a series of short films about the sex lives of animals, Isabella Rossellini makes an appearance as part of the Seattle Arts & Lectures series. The Blue Velvet songstress even designs her own costumes for the show.

Friday, Jazzanova will hit Chop Suey, where they'll be joined by Suntzu Sound, KEXP's DJ RIZ, and in the lounge will be Made Like a Tree. That's two rooms of dance music for an otherwise gloomy Friday. We've got two tickets to give away to brighten your weekend. To enter yourself, leave a comment on this post before 6:00 p.m. today. We'll randomly pick the winner Thursday.

"eye" by Megan Kirschenbaum, from our Flickr pool

Also included is the story from Toto’s perspective: "It was stormy, then she fell asleep, then she woke up," and Glinda’s explanation of why she didn’t tell Dorothy in the first place that all she had to do to get home was click her heels together a few times.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER: If you haven't heard already, Dine Around Seattle is once again happening--but only until November 30th. The deal is that you can go to any restaurant listed Sunday-Thursday for a three-course dinner for only $30. It makes our mouth water just thinking about it.... Earth & Ocean on a Tuesday night for a three-course meal at thirty bucks?! Ahhhhh, happiness. Besides Earth & Ocean, the list includes many greats--such as Spring Hill, Nell's, Campagne, and Chez Shea, along with a handful of Tom Douglas' restaurants. Too bad Lark isn't on the list, but we're sure we'll find a way to manage. Also keep in mind--many of the restaurants listed are additionally offering $15 lunch specials, so take advantage of it while you can! And as a courteous reminder--don't forget to tip!

Wednesday the 18th is our second annual Blogsgiving! Blogsgiving is a chance for a bunch of local blogs (and their readers!) to meet up, mingle, and get some face time while also raising money for Northwest Harvest.

"popular_states-8514" by Kyle Johnson, from our Flickr pool

There's only one reason to see this movie, and that's if you enjoy things that are awesome. Then again, that's one more reason than exists not to go see it, because there are none.

Though Doolittle was released two decades ago and the Pixies haven’t recorded an album since 1991, their sound is just as relevant and could easily pass for something recorded much more recently. Francis’s shrieks haven’t faded and Deal’s soft voice has withstood the test of time.

LOVE THAT GIRL: Raphael Saadiq brings his so-real-it-hurts band to Showbox at the Market tonight. This guy couldn't stop oozing cool if he tried! Check out his tasteful blog, listen to the sweet, sweet jams, then get a dose this evening!

"Untitled" by Bifocal Studios, from our Flickr pool

"-" by Bifocal Studios, from our Flickr pool

"capitol hill" by Bifocal Studios, from our Flickr pool

SHANGRI-LA SECRETS: Renowned mountaineer Peter Athans--or as he's known in certain circles "Mr. Everest"--will share images and video from his travels. Athans, who has reached the summit of his nickname seven times, is also a high altitude film-maker/cinematographer. We were surprised to remember he was the director for , which covers his recent explorations into Nepal's remote Kingdom of Mustang. We were further surprised that such a place exists. Another location for the travel list. He'll give attendees a sneak peak and answer questions, of which we already have more than a few.

"_DSC5533" by Some Guy, from our Flickr pool

IMPOSSIBLE PIXIES: You can’t miss it, but you probably will because both of the Pixies’ two nights in Seattle are sold out. So unless you’re willing to exchange your own soul for a scalper’s ticket or a questionable one online (worth it?) you’ll have to jam out to Doolittle all by your lonesome. The good news, though, is that the Pixies have been getting back together more often than junior high lovers, so it’s only a matter of time until they come back around. Tonight’s gig is supported by Rain Machine, aka Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio.

"Chilly Dog!" by Shawn McClung, from our Flickr pool

Keenan's televangelist character rolled out to the stage on a Segway, dressed in a sweat suit with "Jesus" printed across his ass. That skit segued into a performance of "Sour Grapes," a gospel sounding track from V Is For Vagina.

The long and narrow interior is full of sturdy wooden cabinets, shelves, and barrels, full of random odds and ends like various food products, but also other unpredictables like soaps, candles, tools, seashells, and perfumes.

PROJECTS ON THE SIDE: Maynard James Keenan (Tool, A Perfect Circle) is touring the Western U.S. with his latest side project Puscifer. He released albums under the Puscifer moniker in 2007 and 2008 but this is the first time he's taking the act on the road since debuting it in Las Vegas in February. Sweethead, the new project of Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen is the opener. Our review will be up shortly.

"2009-11-02: Vedera @ The Moore Theatre, Seattle, WA" by Jason Tang, from our Flickr pool

Long gone are the days of showing up to an empty SAM After Hours event and damning yourself for thinking it might have been cool this time. On the contrary, if you felt the bar scene was a little empty last Friday night, SAM might owe you an apology (and a reason to go ahead and mark your calendars for February 26th).

         

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Director’s Choice premiered last weekend with a program that showcases Artistic Director Peter Boal’s devotion to keeping his company on their toes. The second repertory of the season, hot on the heels of Jean-Christophe Maillot’s widely praised modern re-imagining of Roméo et Juliet, maintains the company's innovative works impetus, fulfilling Boal’s vision to increase the versatility of not just his dancers, but also PNB’s orchestra, costume and production teams.

ONE-MAN PUPPET SHOW: Capitol Hill's Annex Theatre will be hosting my dear Lewis tonight. Written and performed by Kyle Loven, recipient of the Jim Henson Foundation 2009 grant and recent Seattle transplant, this "one-man show explores the ordinary and the extraordinary events that make up a person's life, and what remains when it's no longer in our hands." Though this description is slightly confusing to us (whose hands are our lives in then?), we're hoping it refers to the muppets puppets that will be featured as a part of this "dreamlike reality" that includes image-driven work such as music, objects, and projections. And hey, it's got be spectacular if the Henson folks love it! Too bad they probably won't be including the Riverbottom Nightmare Band as an opening act.

"Ballard Sunday Market" by Steve Mohundro, from our Flickr pool

The party begins at 6 p.m. Enjoy some mulled wine and caramel apples. On top of that, we're bringing back the amateur paper turkey contest, a big hit from last year. Will you see amazing things transpire on the big screen? Yes, obviously, or we wouldn't have brought it up. Invite your friends, family, and fellow bloggers, journalers, or tumblrs. See you there!

Q: ARE WE NOT MEN?: A: Nah, we're new wave! Get out your red plastic hat, get de-evolved, and get boogying!

"Caution!" by Shawn McClung, from our Flickr pool">

"Obligatory lighthouse shot" by Mary Land, from our Flickr pool

Starting today, you can get discount 3-day festival passes for the 2010 Sasquatch! festival. So far, Pavement has been confirmed to perform, and the complete festival lineup will be announced on February 16.

"On the Loop trail" by Mary Land, from our Flickr pool

The unconventional symphony is a celebration of inspiration and fantastic bravery by real heroes like doctors, nurses, and family members who make a difference in young lives. (Sorry Superman. You may have saved Lois Lane a bajillion times, but you probably don’t know how to set up an IV.)

In true West Coast style, this event is stripping away all barriers of exclusivity and getting its "do-gooder" on by making the event free and donating all profits from their raffle to Art Corps for kids.

TIGER LILLIES: Seattle’s Cabaret Festival kicks off tonight with the beautifully hellish Tiger Lillies. The UK trio uses accordion, ukulele, upright bass, saw, theremin, the tiniest adult drum set we’ve ever seen, and leader Martyn Jacques’ beautifully tortured falsetto to tell tales of doomed prostitutes, pressganged sailors, and the terrifically deformed. Tonight, they’re focusing on songs from Shockheaded Peter, the musical adaptation of the German fable book (Hint: the children don’t fare well), and The Gorey End, their collaboration with dark cartoonist Edward Gorey that began with some of his unpublished stories and ended with his death. We can’t wait.

"Architecture puzzle." by Elliot Norwood, from our Flickr pool