We Recommend
Baltimore artist Abdu Ali is a tough one to pin down. Combining surreal poetry with droning R&B, Abdu Ali comes across as a restless experimenter, switching back and forth from rapping, chanting, singing and startling outbursts. His recent, lurching "Thornz" is as unsettling as it is oddly sensual. Elsewhere, "Machete
Show And Tell
My recommendation last week (The Broken Circle Breakdown) was an excellent film, but also a very depressing piece of cinema. It was certainly an odd way to start the New Year, but I didn't take it as a taste of things to come. Let's see what this week's film is
We Recommend
"Grand opening!" "Grand closing!" These two words grace South Sound hip-hop music venue posters too often, many times within two months. Somebody with an attitude, somebody messin' with somebody's somebody or somebody trippin' in general - dope hip-hop shows or parties disappear because somebody acts "ignint." This isn't the case for
News Front
Whether Jason Truskowski was in the back of an ambulance racing to an accident, or standing in front of a group of women teaching self defense, or putting away tables and chairs at an annual hunter's breakfast, he always had the same feeling - satisfaction. It's the payment of volunteering. And that
We Recommend
The Echo Echo Echoes are a Seattle band, far from the sunny beaches that they love to evoke. Though they call themselves a surf-pop band, and they have a song nostalgically titled "Surfer Girl," they are very quick to joke that wearing wetsuits and catching waves is something very far
Concert Alert
We list major concerts going on sale this weekend, as well as national touring acts performing in the Puget Sound this week and down
Heroes & Awards
Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Ken" Wheeler, almost 91, has a story to tell and, if you ask nicely, he'll leave you enthralled. Wheeler, who resides in Gig Harbor with his second wife, Sharon, is a World War II veteran that survived the harrowing ordeal of being shot down over German territory.
Reviews
Ah, winter. Even while wishing for a mountaintop fireplace, darting from place to place for warmth, the first layering of woolens, drabbest down or brightest fleece begin to muffle forms and features. The back of the closet comes to the front, here's the Siberian mufti, the Antarctic-suited yakwear. Fake fur
Music
If you'll allow me a brief aside, I'd like to have the opportunity to get this observation out of my brain. "Laguna," the opening track off an EP of demos by the Echo Echo Echoes, reminds me so viscerally of Some Loud Thunder - the effectively career-ruining sophomore slump from
Music
Conventional wisdom suggests that one's best bet for combating those bleak Winter doldrums is to stay cooped up inside, shielding oneself against the elements, drinking heavily, and awaiting that glorious day when the weather turns. As a counterargument against conventional wisdom, I think it's vital to brave the outdoors and push
Arts
Walking into BramCo Entertainment studios, the brainchild of Isaac Cooper and David Bramwell, two friends from Olympia who have known each other since middle school, I was led to a room with a microphone, a pitcher of water, and a Mac computer. Despite the minimal set up, the duo produces a
Stage
The latest show at The Gallery at Tacoma Community College is outstanding. It provides a look into the art and cultures - and most particularly the lives of working class people throughout the world as seen through the eyes of local artists. Included are paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography by
Critics' Picks
[POET/RAPPER/VOCALIST] + FRI, JAN. 10 Baltimore artist Abdu Ali is a tough one to pin down. Combining surreal poetry with droning R&B, Abdu Ali comes across as a restless experimenter, switching back and forth from rapping, chanting, singing and startling outbursts. His recent, lurching "Thornz" is as unsettling as it is
News Front
This year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be celebrated Jan. 20 and 2014 also marks the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize. The holiday was signed into law in 1983 and it was officially observed in all 50 states for
We Recommend
It's winter, and you're hankerin' for some good old-fashioned outdoor fun, but all you can do is sit by the fireplace and watch Aunt Tilly do the mendin'. Never fear, the Washington Sportsmen's Show is here, with all the fish catching, bow hunting and turkey calling seminars you can cram
Style
As one may imagine, any town dubbed "the Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World" is likely to maintain a small-town charm built upon a history built on agriculture. This stands true for the city of Sumner. Sumner's downtown boasts a plethora of spots prime for antique shopping excursions, fun retail
News
"When I started my organization my love was to take care of my comrades because of the bond we had," explained Kelly Carroll, an Army and National Guard disabled veteran who founded the "R Place of Refuge" charity out of her home in Kent in 2000. "I wanted to continue
We Recommend
Carla Paine's paintings at Olyphant Art Supply in Olympia are as rich and luscious as the settings for her portraits and still-lifes. They harken back to a time when artists were considered to have been chosen and blessed by God, when they painted their pictures for kings and popes and
