RABID, CULT PHENOMENON: are just a few of the words used to describe Boris. Also? "Utterly hypnotic". Obviously, you're interested. Their recent album BXI is their nearly 20th album. Prolific much? The Japanese trio stops by Neumos tonight with Red Sparowes and Helms Alee. more ›

AT LONG LAST: The Colored Pencil Society of America will be presenting its 16th Annual Colored Pencil Society International Exhibition for the next month or so, starting today. We've been wondering all year if we're alone in our colored pencil hording, but alas! There are others like us. No, we haven't actually been hording colored pencils. But, it's good that there are people who do such a thing, and that they'll be gathering downtown today through August 22, giving substance to the argument that colored pencils are far better than crayons. No, crayons, last we checked, didn't have their own society. more ›

If you attended a Seattle Opera performance anytime between now and 1968, there's a good chance you saw beloved English bass Archie Drake. In his 39 seasons at Seattle Opera, he played 109 roles, in over 1,000 performances. In fact, Drake sang in last Saturday's Macbeth. Sunday morning he sustained a massive coronary. He died Wednesday, at age 81. [Opera News, Seattle Times, Seattle P-I] Seattle Opera's Jon Dean, in Denmark for a Ring, has a touching post about Drake, too. more ›