Results tagged “common”

LET'S TALK ABOUT CHILDREN WHO BREED: Spring Awakening is a musical about teens (really young teens) who have sex. Sex is always a controversial topic, and according to a press release, Roosevelt High School is hosting a community conversation about the musical and its themes for interested locals. A diverse group of people are participating in the discussion, including members of the theatre community and students and teachers from Seattle schools. Two cast members from Spring Awakening will also be on hand to lend their perspective.

We usually stay pretty hog-tied to the folk and roots music world, but a year or so ago, we found ourselves volunteering to cover a show at Neumo's featuring Common Market and The Coup. Hot damn! That was a good show.

What have you been up to for the past six months or so? Professionally, artistically, personally?

First of all, we have grown slightly disenchanted with the SyncLive method of experiencing The Program. Though we were most certainly not enamoured with the Swollen Members and Blue Scholars shows on Tuesday, our friends who were actually there say the energy in the room made a weak set from Swollen 100% more bearable.

Katelyn just mentioned Common Market, but there's also hip-hop aplenty at the Showbox this weekend, with Portland's Lifesavas and New Orleans' funk-tastic Galactic (featuring Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Boots Riley of The Coup) tonight

Common Market is doing their smart, earnest, appealing thing at Chop Suey this weekend, with J. Pinder and The Physics sweetening the pot for Seattle hiphop fans.

We normally run from a restaurant that’s advertised as Chinese and American. Common sense, but it also dates back to a day in New Hampshire when we walked into “Judy’s (or whatever her name was) Chinese Restaurant” and were given dinner rolls and butter along with our menus.

Rifling through the remains of the house's cookbook library (which was amassed sometime in the 50's when it was used as the high school's home ec facility), we came across a promotional brochure from the Vermont Maple Promotion Board. It gave information about maple trees and sugar houses (it takes 35 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of delicious Vermont maple syrup!) and a few maple-laden recipes, a surprising number of which actually sounded good.

Are you there Seattle art world? It's us, Seattlest. We're trying our best to talk up your First Thursday openings, but it looks like you've crapped out on us this month. We understand: you're on vacation or something, it's kinda hot out, the BLUE ANGELS are in the sky ... We've got posts to post, however, and damned if we won't find something to recommend from your namby-pamby Art Walk offerings.

I love Al Gore and I was really looking forward to seeing him talk at Town Hall on Monday night, but I was under no illusions that I would get to see him announce that he was running for President. I fell for that one before. When Barack Obama came through town on a book tour I got in a blood-boiling, fist-pumping frenzy for some kind of announcement, but what I got was a tepid book tour speech that was more brains than brawn. Same thing Monday night, except this time I knew what I was getting into. Besides, no politician (or “recovering politician” as Gore referred to himself) is going to make a major announcement in the latte-sippin’, Volvo-drivin’, tree-humpin’ Pacific Northwest. Sorry, Seattle.

For some reason we're more willing to devote an hour of our Friday lunch than an hour of our Tuesday evening to the American Idol cause. Seattlest hasn't seen a whole lot of the show but we decided to run down and check out Blake Lewis just now and we're glad we did. We showed up at noon on the dot and were subjected to 15 minutes of banter from some Q13 chick trying to interview Blake's old bandmates. "You're not giving us any dirt on Blaaaake!" she whined over and over. Kind of a performance art piece, that. He finally showed, fussed with equipment for another 15 and then did a Jamiroquai song and a Sublime song and an orignial which was, of course, full of the beat box. Oddly, B Lewis wasn't the best rythmist on stage as K.J. Sawka was backing him. If a friend hadn't told us that they used to appear at the Seamonster on 45th together we'd have figured Sawka for a straight-up poaching, K.J. remains the only percussionist we can think of who can carry a show on his own, and this was the most subdued we've ever seen him. And then Blake wasn't the best MC on the stage--Common Market showed and Blake rightly groveled at the feet of Scion. And then Mix-a-lot showed up and made Blake beat box for "Baby Got Back." And then Kenny G got on stage. Ok, he didn't, but a city councilwoman did drop his name to muted cheers and confused looks amongst the kinder set. We had to shuffle off through the crowd as Blake, Scion, Mix-a-lot, Sawka and the rest of Blake's band wrapped up an all-hands number. For the entire time Blake Lewis was the best final-3 American Idol contestant in the square.

Last year's Sasquatch line up was good, but not good enough to get us to spend three days at the Gorge. We still prefer the festival in its one-day, all-in-one-fell-swoop form, but with the lineup that's been announced for this year's two-day fest, we may just have to make the trip. Out of the two days, it was Saturday that really made us coo. Bjork *and* Arcade Fire? Consider us sold. There are still bands to be announced, but here's how things stand as of right now:

8pm // Neumo's // $20. 21+

SEX: Sex-positive retailer Babeland closes out 2006 with their annual three day sale, with even some of their most popular toys marked down 25%. Let's face it, the other gifts you may have received this holiday season won't provide the long-term satisfaction something you pick up here will.

As it should be, it's quiet this week in Seattle, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do -- especially the closer we get to New Year's Eve. So without further ado, Seattlest's belated gift to you -- some shows:

In the spirit of an earlier post in which we asked you to vote for your top-five albums of 2006 via KEXP, Seattlest would now love it if you'd narrow it down to your top-five Northwest albums via Three Imaginary Girls. In addition to letting your voice be heard, the girls are promising that every ballot cast will be entered into a drawing for a "prize pack of fun imaginary goodies."

Tuesday 17th

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We hate to sound cynical and old, but my god! Day two at Bumbershoot felt a lot like a tenth grade field trip to white people's rock and roll camp. We ain't dissing the kiddies, but when we head to the overcrowded, sweat-drenched beer gardens just to be amongst people our age, it's worth mentioning.

What a great way to close out the summer: Beer, fried food on stick, irritatingly large crowds, great music, and a slight chance of rain (remember last year?). Seattlest loves us some Bumbershoot though, and we wouldn't let some pesky weather ruin our fun. This year looks to be a good one. A couple things we are digging right off the bat are the addition of good bands on the outdoor stages and ditching the Friday festivities before the weekend (we never went on that day anyway).

You got something better to do? We don't believe you.

Seattlest was admittedly skeptical about fiber arts. It sounds a little Metamucil. Then we saw On Mapping: New Perspectives with a Common Thread, now up at Bellevue Arts Museum.

Bumbershoot sent out an email this morning announcing a bunch of acts for this year's Smaller, Better Festival. There's even more hiphop on the bill with the addition of local act Blue Scholars and Common Market and Brit chick Lady Sovereign (who we're looking forward to seeing with The Streets soon). Area indie rockers Crystal Skulls and Rocky Votolato will be there and to continue the trend of one Brit band for every couple of local acts Badly Drawn Boy is now scheduled.

About three songs into her set, Neko Case gave up on it. Hail the size of dice had the crowd shouting in excitement and alarmed pain. (Note to self: never wait for the weather you see coming across the plain out here to arrive.) The storm, with lightning, lasted about 45 minutes, sending everyone streaming toward cars and tents.

Another week of Seattlest making all your plans for you. You don’t even have to think! Joy!

Okay, okay, we know that this year’s Bumbershoot lineup will leave you wondering what year it is, since we wouldn’t really call most of the acts especially current or relevant, but there are some things worth checking out.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or in Bumbershoot's case, when headliners Ani DiFranco and Devo both cancel, scramble like mad and book Iggy and The Stooges and Elvis Costello in their places.

By now the offense is buried under an ever-increasing landfill of journalistic sins commited by what Seattlest enjoys referring to as "Old Media," but once upon a time the plagiarism scandal at the Seattle Times business desk actually seemed, well, scandalous. In the face of our government's planted "reporters" and bribed commentators, though, plagiarism seems like a college crime, but let's congratulate the Times on the small scale of its problems instead of attributing a provincial crime to a provincial paper.