Rainn Wilson put on one heck of a show to benefit the MONA Foundation. Complete with a marriage proposal, Phoenix Jones, Mindy Kaling and Colin Meloy performing. Check out the shots we captured from the evening and bank on being at next year's event. more ›

Breathe Owl Breathe (BOB) had impeccable timing in my life on Wednesday night as I listened to their two new songs (found on two separate 7" records) dubbed The Listeners and These Train Tracks that accompany their new children's stories with the same names. more ›

There are times when we hear covers that just sound like nails on a chalkboard. Then, there are times when one song is so beautiful that everyone with a half-decent (or maybe not even that) voice loves singing it, (ahem) Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". There are also those times when a song is covered when it never ever should be and then repeated over and over again on the radio. We've experienced all of these and sure you have too. more ›

Today is jam packed with stuff to do. There is Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis talking about their new book. Or there's the new play at the Seattle Repertory Theater. Or you could see what's going on with Arts Crush. more ›

You may know Colin Meloy as the enigmatic frontman for Portland-based band the Decemberists. You may know Carson Ellis as an incredible illustrator for many children's books as well as the Decemberists album covers. They've decided to collaborate on a children's book where Colin writes the story and Carson illustrates. The best part is they're visiting the downtown Seattle Public Library tomorrow to chat about their new literary adventure. more ›

Making music together since the turn of the millennium, Portland’s The Decemberists are one of the Pacific Northwest's most dynamic musical acts. Among other accomplishments, the band has established themselves as strong storytellers who artfully blend disparate elements of folk, rock, and country. The band’s often weird and winding narratives parallel the kudos picked up by the band along the way, including participation in a one-on-one shred-fest against Stephen Colbert (and his pinch guitarist Peter Frampton), among many other more traditional honors. This evening, the band will be playing in Redmond for the first time and are looking forward to exploring the sonic expanses through a live performance that may or may not include their cover of a local legend. We were album to catch up with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk on the eve of tonight's Marymoor Park show. more ›

Their bloodfeud over use of greenscreen long forgotten, our precious Stephen Colbert allowed the Decemberists back on the Report last night, and he even let them have two segments, one with a mini-interview and one with a song performance (a la TV on the Radio). Above is the interview, in which Stephen tells them they should name an album You're Beautiful, Honey, makes a crack about biking in Portland, and mocks Colin Meloy's ample 19th-century sideburns. more ›

Laura Veirs has been writing and performing dreamy folk and pop songs for nearly a decade. She graces Seattle with a solo performance this Friday night at the Triple Door. more ›

The third annual 826 Seattle benefit People Talking and Singing will fill the seats at Town Hall next Thursday. Comedian Patton Oswalt had to cancel, but the event still features host John Roderick of the Long Winters, Dave Eggers, comedians Todd Barry and Eugene Mirman, New Yorker music critic (and current blogosphere gadfly) Sasha Frere-Jones, local songstress Rosie Thomas, and Geologic of the Blue Scholars. more ›

Bumbershoot 2005 hosted the inaugural People Talking and Singing show, where 2,800 festival attendees packed McCaw Hall to see Dave Eggers, Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket), Mike Doughty, Sarah Vowell, and Death Cab for Cutie, all the while raising $18K for 826 Seattle, the youth writing center in Greenwood. Last year's event, also at Bumbershoot, was hosted by Daily Show Resident Expert™ John Hodgman and singer Jonathan Coulton. Eggers, Handler, Gibbard, and Vowell were back for more, along with Decemberist Colin Meloy, Smoosh, and Stephin Merritt. All together, the benefit raised another $10K. more ›

This was not a very happy week for the -ist network as one of our own, more ›

To have been at McCaw Hall Friday night, is to have been truly blessed. It was a night filled with smiles, laughter and bottomless admiration – not only for the performers, but also for the people behind the scenes for whom this night was meant to benefit. It was a night which, at one point, brought a couple tears to our eyes. But we’re sensitive like that. more ›

So, there's that big, crowded festival-thingy going on this weekend and we could recommend a bunch of stuff to hit there, but ah, we're far too lazy to do that. Here's the schedule - make yourself happy. No one's looking. more ›