This weekend, get within arm's length of itty bitty snakes, touch the face of language, and do something nice for yourself and the environment. more ›

SOMEWHERE OUT THERE: Ralph Lemon, pillar of postmodern dance and multimedia conceptual artist, makes his Seattle debut with How Can You Stay in the House All Day and Not Go Anywhere? The mixed media performance investigates loss and transcendence experienced in human partnerships, particularly regarding Lemon's recent loss of his artistic mentor, 102-year-old former sharecropper Walter Carter. Lemon, who is regarded as one of the most important American choreographers in the business, always challenges expectations and definitions of dance performance. How Can You Stay... includes film, live narration and dance. Tonight's performance is the first of four nights in Seattle. For more on Lemon and tonight's performance, click here. more ›

PURE VENOM: Jesy Fortino, aka Sup Pop’s Tiny Vipers, plays a delicate style of acoustic guitar, no more involved than a few plucked chords. But there’s much more to Tiny Vipers than the quiet instrumentation. Fortino’s style reminds listeners of a simpler, more organic time called the 1990s, when a wooden guitar, a few metal strings and a heart felt delivery were all it took to convey messages of Truth, stripped of unnecessary bells and whistles, fashion or avant-garde. You could call it grunge if you wanted, yet Tiny Vipers is more interested in holding a minimalist mirror up to the modern world, and its plain to see Fortino conveys her Truths unreservedly. It’d be almost silly to miss this show with Charles Leo Gebhardt, and Secret Colors. more ›

VINYL IS SO IN RIGHT NOW: DJs, music collectors, and music lovers of all sorts who also happen to own a record player should consider heading down to the powerhouse Big Dig Record Show in Eastlake tonight. You'll probably score some great deals on the vinyl you've been lusting after, and in the process you'll get the opportunity to meet (and get drunk with) fellow collectors. The truly picky passionate will need to pay an extra chunk of change to get in the doors at 3 p.m. for the best chance of finding that rare EP you can't even get on eBay. There's an official afterparty, too, featuring the Emerald City Soul Club and Mr Supreme, legendary Seattle dj and record collector extraordinaire. more ›

It may not feel like summer in Seattle, but tomorrow afternoon is The End's Summer Camp II at Marymoor Park. It's a mix of the good (Nada Surf, MGMT), the bad (Flogging Molly, Pennywise), and the emo-ey (Armor for Sleep). Meanwhile, all weekend long Noise for the Needy marches on, raising money for Urban Rest Stop. Come tomorrow night, it's Matt and Kim, YACHT, and local band Feral Children at Neumo's. Here's a clip of the ferociously experimental indie Sarathan quintet. more ›

People are strange. They say Ann Coulter is funny. They pay a $20 cover to have a conversation in a club. At the Showbox a few weeks ago, we saw Lavender Diamond, opening for the New Pornographers, cut their set short after telling the audience it was hard to play with all the talking going on. So we were worried heading back to the Showbox for the Jose Gonzalez/Tiny Vipers show because neither of them promised to be able to crush a babbling crowd into submission like the Pornographers could, and did. more ›

Last night at the Crocodile was one of those evenings you stumble on where things just keep getting better and better. We went down to see headliners Sea Wolf [MySpace] after hearing them do an in-studio bit at KEXP (not posted yet). About two songs in, the indie-folk melodies and lead singer's baritone duets with cello swept us and Shelves of Vinyl off our feet. more ›

The holiday spirit was in full-swing Friday night at The Crocodile, as Three Imaginary Girls hosted a jolly evening of karaoke, preceeded by a special performance from the U.K.'s Jim Noir and solo sets from members of Tiny Vipers and the Fruit Bats. more ›

Just like Saturday's Wilderness show, last night at Neumo's was a major sausage fest, this time for the 70's folk-tinged psychedelic rock of Swedish boys Dungen. Not much has changed since we saw the band last fall: they still insist on singing in their native tongue; lead singer Gustav Ejstes continues to remind us of Robert Plant (though his hair's a little shorter now); they again played a relatively brief set (only ten songs), primarily from 2004's highly-acclaimed Ta Det Lungt; the band is still prone to ending their songs with the extended hippie jam; and Ejstes remains in command of an arsenal of instruments, including acoustic and electric guitars, keyboard, organ, flute, and his near-constantly used tambourine. more ›