The Guide Listings: Friday, October 22

by Tim Appelo, Mark Baumgarten, Katelyn Hackett, Robert Ham, Todd Hamm, Bond Huberman, Heather Kirnak, Seth Kolloen, Whitney Ricketts and Kim Ruehl. Venue photography by Andrew Waits

MUSIC

THE CROCODILE

11:45PM HEAD LIKE A KITE
featuring ATOMIC BOMBSHELL BURLESQUE
Seattle’s favorite electronic-rock party band ups the ante for Heineken City Arts Fest by inviting Atomic Bombshells Burlesque to be part of its always eclectic ensemble. The ladies will find space between the group’s seemingly permanent guest emcee Tilson, the colorful Crayolas and the enormous personality of front man David Einmo to make the undeniably catchy tracks off the band’s latest, Dreams Suspend Night, even more so. MB

10:45PM BRENT AMAKER AND THE RODEO
Expect this Seattle five-piece to be dressed from head to toe in black – much like Johnny Cash, a clear influence – and be prepared for a hootenanny. Led by Amaker’s penetrating baritone, this western-themed troupe lays down the law on everything from women, love and relationships to, well ... women, love and relationships. With a forthcoming LP on Northwest label Spark and Shine, these duded-up dudes will likely deliver a raucous live show worth remembering. GE

9PM RA SCION
Known for elaborate high-concept stage productions, intelligent, fiery verses, and partnerships with some of the city’s most sought-after producers, RA Scion is guaranteed to bring a certain intensity to his performance that will have you reluctant to tear your eyes away from whatever he’s up to. If the crowd is lucky, the emcee will perform material both from Common Market and from his most recent project as introspective superhero Victor Shade. KH

NEUMOS

11:15PM THE VASELINES
Back in the heady days of the ’90s, when Nirvana upended the music marketplace, Seattle’s son used his position as tastemaker to put the spotlight on a number of as yet unheralded groups, including this outfit from Scotland that played coy, childlike pop with a naughty edge. Cobain covered Vaselines songs like “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun” in concert and on record and sang the praises of the band’s founding members Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly as his “favorite songwriters in the whole world.” When the Vaselines hit the stage at the first Heineken City Arts Fest, it will be the third time the band has performed live in Seattle.RH

10PM DUM DUM GIRLS
It’s fitting to find Dum Dum Girls opening for the Vaselines. The all-girl lo-fi garage-pop group’s name is a nod to that Scottish band’s first full-length, Dum Dum, and the Girls’ sound has obviously been inspired by the galloping rhythms and plain-speaking guitar work found on it. The band’s much-lauded debut, I Will Be, takes that template and adds its own sun-kissed swing and a thick coating of AM radio haze. RH

9:15PM THE YOUNG EVILS
Don’t let its name fool you: this charming folk- and country-inspired twee pop outfit from Seattle is the least evil-sounding band you’re likely to come across. Its lovely self-released debut album puts the focus on the loving harmonies of Troy Nelson (erstwhile DJ at KEXP) and Mackenzie Mercer, shuffling acoustic guitars and soul-weary lyrics that proclaim things like “this rock ’n’ roll city is done” and speak on behalf of “crazy people.” RH

TRIPLE DOOR

7PM, 9:30PM JOHN MEDESKI & JAMES CARTER
This performance will be one of only two dates this year featuring these two jazz virtuosos, keyboardist John Medeski and saxophonist James Carter, in collaboration. When they get together, the focus will be on adventurous post-bop beauty that will swing, squelch and bounce. And if they are feeling particularly frisky, it could turn into a free-form blowout that will have the hairs on your neck knotting up out of delight. RH

SHOWBOX MARKET

10:45PM BLITZEN TRAPPER
Since dropping its 2008 Sub Pop debut album, Furr, Portland’s Blitzen Trapper has become one of the most highly regarded indie rock bands from the Pacific Northwest. This June, the band released the album’s follow-up, the tightly arranged if sonically nostalgic Destroyer of the Void. No doubt, its Heineken City Arts Fest show will be thick with tunes from that release, with the band’s palpable passion and aplomb. KR

9:45PM FRUIT BATS
Born of the songwriting talents of front man Eric D. Johnson, Fruit Bats has been rocking the contemporary folk and indie roots music scenes for about a decade now. The band’s latest release, The Ruminant Band (2009), scored positive reviews from Pitchfork and Spin magazine and put the band in front of a considerably larger audience than ever before. They land at Heineken City Arts Fest after a summer full of club and festival dates (including Sasquatch!). KR

8:45PM SEABEAR
Started as the solo project of breathy and brooding songwriter Sindri Már Sigfússon, Iceland’s Seabear quickly grew to seven members and has released two full-length albums of intricate and tender indie pop. Through placements on two of television’s biggest music promoters, Gossip Girl and Grey’s Anatomy, the band has now found an international audience for its moody ballads and appeared stateside for the first time earlier this year. MB

8PM WYE OAK
This Baltimore lo-fi rock duo, consisting of Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack, is one hard-working band. Stack does double duty on a keyboard–drum kit hybrid, playing both instruments simultaneously, and guitarist Wasner, when not on tour or recording her warm, balanced alto, still waits tables from time to time back home in Maryland. Their live show, which features both performers singing, is raw and genuine and not to be missed. GE

PERFORMANCE

CENTURY BALLROOM

8:30PM DOLLS ’N’ GUYS REVUE
The Dolls ’n’ Guys Revue will feature a diverse group of performers interpreting the songs from Les Misérables, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls and The King and I. In other words, the hits. Like you’ve never heard them before. Hosts Nick Garrison and Sarah Rudinoff have gathered a group including rock vocalist Shawn Smith (Satchel, Brad), Hollis from hip-hop group Canary Sing, New York gospel performer Our Lady J, the performance artists and musicians in the music collective Awesome and more. SK

TOWN HALL

7PM SOLILOQUY:
TIMELESS LANGUAGE IN THE PRESENT TENSE
A selection of the city’s culture makers work together to present contemporary performances of classic texts, scored with original live music by composer Paul Rucker. Spectrum Dance’s Donald Byrd is paired with PNB’s Peter Boal and internationally renowned filmmaker Gus Van Sant joins forces with local legend Karl Krogstad, among other intriguing match-ups. This exciting lineup of never-before-seen collaborations perfectly embodies the philosophical heart of Heineken City Arts Fest’s programming: adventuresome work in surprising contexts. Participants also include Robinson Devor, DJ Riz Rollins, Jerry Manning and Charles Mudede. Read our feature (page 28) to go behind the scenes with Lane Czaplinski and Lesley Hazleton as they rehearse a piece drawn from the Beat canon. BH

FILM

SEATTLE ART MUSEUM

7:30–9:15PM PICASSO AND BRAQUE
GO TO THE MOVIES
Cubism’s coinventors Picasso and Braque called each other Orville and Wilbur – but did you know it was the movies that made their imagination take flight? Arne Glimcher’s Picasso and Braque Go to the Movies, making its Seattle premiere at the Heineken City Arts Fest, is a thrilling, eye-opening look at the entwined rise of film and modern art. The movie is peppered with commentary from the likes of Chuck Close, Julian Schnabel and Martin Scorsese, who said, “I learned a lot about cinema from this movie.” TA

CONVERSATION

CREATIVELIVE

11AM–1PM FIRESIDE CHAT:
CHASE JARVIS AND THE SEATTLE 100
Hosts Chase Jarvis, photographer and creator of Seattle 100 Project: Portrait of a City (see our spotlight on page 33), and City Arts executive editor Mark Baumgarten discuss the process behind finding and photographing the Seattle 100 and talk with a small sample of folks who were chosen to be photographed for the book. Visit CityArtsFest.com for updates on the guest lineup and information on how you can watch the event via live Web broadcast. BH

SORRENTO HOTEL, FIRESIDE ROOM

4PM–5:45PM AUTHORING CHANGE:
ACTIVISM AND THE ARTIST
This Fireside Chat focuses on the relationship between artists and social change. Hosts Nassim Assefi, author, filmmaker, TED fellow and global women’s health specialist, and Amy Wheeler, a nationally produced playwright and director of Hedgebrook, a retreat for women writers, will moderate the discussion between poets Susan Rich and Carletta Wilson and novelists Erika Bauermeister and Bharti Kirchner. BH

EXHIBITION

CREATIVELIVE

1PM–6PM SEATTLE 100 PROJECT
At Heineken City Arts Fest only, Chase Jarvis’s Seattle 100, the book, comes to life.  If you’re a VIP wristband holder, you can attend the opening party (Oct. 21, 5pm) at Chase Jarvis Studio and see where the book was created. You can also sit in on one-of-a-kind discussions with the book’s subjects at the Fireside Chat at the Sorrento Hotel (Oct. 22, 11am) or watch live broadcasts of interviews at chasejarvislive.com. Finally, attend the art exhibit (Oct. 22-23, 234 Dexter Ave N., 11am–6 pm) where large-size prints of the portraits will be on display (and for sale)!  Make sure to buy a copy of the book; all proceeds benefit 4Culture artist grants. Buy the book now at Amazon.com. BH
Also October 22, 1–6pm.