Seattle Twist

Comics connoisseurs can view “Counterculture Comix: A 30-Year Survey of Seattle Alternative Cartoonists” for free this Friday, September 3 from noon to 7:00 PM in the Olympic Room on the Northwest corner of the Seattle Center grounds near Key Arena.)

The exhibition features 3 generations of cartoonists from the city that gave birth and momentum to the alternative comix movement. More than 250 artworks and artifacts are on display, with a comix reading lounge, a continuous screening of David Moore’s seminal Hooked on Comix documentary, and cartooning demonstrations by Friends of the Nib and Bureau of Drawers. All Bumbershoot visual art shows are free on Friday, and hizzoner the mayor will tour the exhibitions in the afternoon.

Bumbershoot, Seattle’s annual Labor Day weekend arts festival, looks promising this year. In addition to the comix exhibition, there’s the daily Flatstock poster show, a special preview of the anxiously-awaited Jesse Bernstein documentary “I Am Secretly an Important Man” on Saturday, a concert by Hole, featuring the lovely and talented Courtney Love on Sunday, and the equally lovely and talented Tony Millionaire on Monday.

BREAKTHROUGH: Elizabeth Hughes, the Discovery of Insulin, and the Making of a Medical Miracle, by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg is the dramatic true story of one of the most significant medical breakthroughs of the 20th century: insulin. Told with the suspense and drama of a thriller, BREAKTHROUGH chronicles the discovery through the fragile life of young girl.

The book was written by Thea Cooper and Arthur Ainsberg and together, they embarked on an exploratory research effort that would ultimately take them to medical centers, universities, libraries, archives, and other sites of significance located in twenty-five cities and towns in eight states and four countries over the course of five years.

Seattle resident Thea Cooper will be talking about Breakthrough and signing copies of the book at Elliott Bay Books in Seattle on September 18 and at Third Place Books in Seattle on November 16, and more events will be posted on the book’s website and on Thea’s Amazon author page.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Breakthrough will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Life for a Child Program of the International Diabetes Federation.

Enter the dark world of creepy cute ghouls and girls with new paintings by Xavier Lopez Jr. and soft sculpted dolls by Sara Lanzillotta at Gargoyles Statuary.

The artists have worked on a couple of fun collaboration pieces plus Sara has created a new collection of spooky dolls outfitted in lush Victorian style costumes titled Monsters Among Us.

Opening reception
Friday, August 20th, 5-9 pm at Gargoyles Statuary
4550 University Way NE, Seattle, WA 98105
(206)632-4940
http://www.gargoylestatuary.com
http://www.DevoutDolls.com

Be There, Monday, August 16th 2010

Elvis died on August 16, 1977 in the bathroom at Graceland.

Re-live the glory, the agony and the ecstasy on Monday, August 16th 2010 at Cafe Racer and the Official Bad Art Museum of Art at Elvis Tribute Night, starting at 7pm.

Meet Elvis book author Gillian G. Gaar, author of “Return of the King” Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback. Gillian will be on hand to read from her book and sign copies.

Come and sing Elvis Karaoke or enjoy fabulous ETA’s (Elvis Tribute Artists) perform Elvis favorites.

Elvis Music
Elvis Favorite Food!
Elvis Favorite Drinks!

Come see the Mighty Elvis Mobile and Traveling Elvis Museum. Take a tour of Graceland and renew your wedding vows at the Elvis Chapel of Love.

Party at the Official Bad Art Museum of Art and Cafe Racer at 5828 Roosevelt Way NE in Seattle, August 16th, starting at 7pm.

Come on down to the Tractor Tavern, August 20 for Sweetpea’s Birthday Shindig! Bring $6 to get in, some money for your favorite beverage, and a buck or two to put in my donation jar for www.purrfectpals.org if you can’t make it but want to donate anyway, please feel free to go to the purrfectpals.org site, or any other animal rescue site of your choice. Hope to see you there!

Roq La Rue Gallery is very pleased to present a series of new paintings by Edward Walton Wilcox. In addition, we will also be hosting a small “mini-show” of new watercolors by Liz McGrath. August 13 – September 4.  

The opening reception is Friday August 13th from 6-9pm. 

Frankenocchio returns for its third run in Seattle at the Lee Center for the Arts, August 12th – September 4th

Prepare to be regaled, titillated, and made slightly squeamish by the earthbound stumblings of the mute boy, Frankenocchio, as he seeks to rejoin his nimble head with the rest of his body, wending his way through the dark bellows and performances of a third rate traveling circus.

This is a  story of a stringed puppet made by God, who in a fit of boredom cuts his strings.   The poor puppet plummets to earth, where his head and body pop apart. Searching for its body, Frankenocchio’s head arrives in a dark and rundown circus.   While mad barkers and accident prone clowns attempt to use  his headless body to fulfill their own dreams, Frankenocchio searches for a way to be made whole again and return to his former life as God’s favorite plaything.

Conceived and Created by Brian Kooser, with script by Stephanie Timm, and touted as a “nightmarish world that might have been dreamt by Tim Burton after listening to Tom Waits while dosed up on codeine cough syrup”, this bizarrely delightful story, set aglow with gaudily gorgeous bunraku puppets and scenery, will leave you strangely inspired.

Accompanied by the live, kaleidoscopic, musical barkings of God’s Favorite Beefcake http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vLycseGX5k,

Kooser and his cadre of deft puppeteers bring this sweet, nightmarish saga to life for Seattle audiences.

8pm Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays
August 12th – September 4th
Tickets $18 at the door or BrownPaperTickets.com
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/120745

Lee Center for the Arts, 901 12th Ave, on Seattle University campus:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/lee_center_for_the_arts/Location?oid=33949

For a sneak peak: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dERwHAQTZeQ

Please note: this puppet show is not suitable for children.

- more info and tickets -

Facebook Page for Hootenanny For A Healthy Gulf

- More info here – South Lake Union Block Party -

-  The Seattle Founders Day Festival website  -

I’ve always been intrigued by the art of Timothy Siciliano. One part cotton candy circus fun and another part darkest Jeffrey Daumer-esk nightmares, it’s fun and colorful while at the same time dangerous, dark and scary.

Look! Is that a kitty? A little pink pig? Oh wait, is that blood?!? His sweetly dangerous art is like the evil circus clown that you always see in your nightmares.

Catherine Person Gallery celebrates their fifth anniversary with a solo exhibition of Timothy’s work, opening First Thursday, Sept. 2nd, where Timothy will transform the gallery into a fabulous day-glo environment, resplendent with funky sculpture, hand-crafted altars and hot pink hanging lanterns.

Dongguan Highways Hot Pink is a new body of work of paintings on paper and mixed media sculptures. They depict a hallucinatory landscape of industry and decadence while traveling across the endless freeways on my many visits to Guangdong province, in southern China. It is the “Heart of Darkness” of the new industrial age.

Hundreds of thousands of factories line the freeways burning the eyes and senses. Through this smoky haze psychotic visions of human & animal sacrifice, freeway altars and alien deities create a glitzy carnival of dehumanization. It is the “Wild West” of the new century.’

Dongguan Highways Hot Pink
Timothy Siciliano
September 2 – October 9, 2010
Opening: September 2, 6-8 pm
Catherine Person Gallery
319 3rd Ave. S., Seattle

• Twist Pic of the Week Archives Page •

Elvis died on August 16, 1977 in the bathroom at Graceland.

Re-live the glory, the agony and the ecstasy on Monday, August 16th 2010 at Cafe Racer at Elvis Tribute Night, starting at 7pm.

Meet Elvis book author Gillian G. Gaar, author of “Return of the King” Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback. Gillian will be on hand to read from her book and sign copies.

Come and sing Elvis Karaoke or enjoy fabulous ETA’s (Elvis Tribute Artists) perform Elvis favorites.

Elvis Music
Elvis Favorite Food!
Elvis Favorite Drinks!

Come see the Mighty Elvis Mobile and Traveling Elvis Museum. Take a tour of Graceland and renew your wedding vows at the Elvis Chapel of Love.

Party at the Official Bad Art Museum of Art and Cafe Racer at 5828 Roosevelt Way NE in Seattle, August 16th, starting at 7pm.

Georgetown Art Attack 
Saturday August 14th, 6-9pm

Seattle, WA. The tradition of cool art in a hot neighborhood continues with the Georgetown Second Saturday Art Attack on August 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Fabulous food, fine art, friendly bars and a few surprises are in store at this colorful monthly event in one of Seattle’s most compelling communities.

Among the many free visual and performing arts events: Georgetown Records and Fantagraphics Bookstore present the book launch party for “Cover Story: Odd, Obscure, and Outrageous Album Art” featuring an exhibition of album art from the book, a book signing, and DJ sets from contributors Aja West and Cheeba; The Georgetown Arts and Cultural Center presents a solo show “Archetypes and Lucky Charms” which combines universal archetypes with individual portraiture by Seattle artist Deborah Scott; the return of the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall featuring a Market of Curiosities – a collective of local artists with hands-on activities – followed by an outdoor screening of highlights from the Georgetown Super 8 Film Festival at dusk; new paintings by Julie Lukes at Calamity Jane’s; photography by Robin Crookall with musical guests presented by the Twilight art collective at the Stables; the grand reopening of Krab Jab Studio, having moved from suite 335 to suite 250 of the Original Rainier Brewery, featuring new member, painter Michael Hoppe, as well as works by Julie Baroh, Kyle Abernethy, and Mark Tedin.

For a map of participants, please see: www.georgetownartattack.com.

Cal Anderson Park hosts MadArt this Thursday August 12th, 7 pm to 10 pm at the kick off event.

Jason Puccinelli – Rocket photo by Liz Potter

Rocket  - Featured Installation for MadArt in the Park

Early one summer morning, a rocket fuselage smashed into earth right in the middle of Cal Anderson Park.   The two-story projectile will no doubt capture the imagination of park visitors, compelling them to draw close.   From what strange place did it come?  Is there any life form aboard?  One can only discover the truth when they walk up and touch a few buttons.

Lushy plays 9pm until Midnight at Triple Door Musicquarium, Friday 8/6.

It’s Cal Tjader meets Stereolab meets Brazil 66 in a bar in Berlin. Drink up people–it’s LUSHY! Bossa beat flavored alterna-pop that goes down nice and easy. Lounge-y and danceable with hints of exotica and a touch of electronica…nutty and hip…intriguing and soothing–must see live!

Led by the powerful and dynamic vocalist Annabella Kirby, musical mastermind Andy Sodt, and guitar wizard Matt Nims, Lushy holds sway over every stage they inhabit. If you like the Brazilian Girls, B-52?s, Portishead, Os Mutantes, Pink Martini, Astrud Gilberto and Martin Denny you’ll love Lushy! No matter what the comparison, Lushy is simply extraordinary.

For more information, visit Lushy.com

DON’T MISS SEATTLE’S PREMIER MULTI-FACETED 60′S/MOD STYLE EVENT!!!

Saturday August 7, 9PM Doors

STUDIO 66 www.myspace.com/studio66

At Lo-Fi Performance Gallery (429 Eastlake Ave E, 2 doors down from the Victory Lounge (www.thelofi.net).

A night of 60′s mod, psychedelic and garage rock, vintage soul, Brit-pop, acid jazz and international pop.

FEATURING:

The rockin’ soul sounds of
SUGARSMACKS

And the Brit-sounds of a new band featuring members of Boss Martians & The Pranks –
DIRTY SIDEWALKS

As always with Resident DJ’s DJ CHRISPO, DJ GORT, DJ VODKA TWIST

SPECIAL GUEST DJ – MR. MARK

Plus Dancing by TANGERINE TONIC

$8 cover

21 + admitted

Shoreline City Hall Gallery presents “Details,” a new exhibit focusing
on micro views of our environment and human introspection. artists include
laura brodax, gudrun bayerlein, judith heim, janice maple, and jan primous.
August 4 – October 29, 2010

There will be a gallery opening Monday August 9th, 5:30-7:00 p.m.
Shoreline city hall gallery is located at 17500 Midvale Ave. N., Shoreline 98133.
For more information please contact the arts council at 206-417-4645.

Yes, it’s official.  Read all about it in the Stranger’s blog Slog.  Congratulations Jim!

(Photo by The Stranger‘s Kelly O.)