Seattle Twist

The Labor Day weekend, harbenger of the end of summer, brings North America’s largest urban arts festival, Bumbershoot to Seattle.

Now in the 41st year,  Bumbershoot is world renowned for showcasing musical talent.  And while there are a myriad of music choices, Bumbershoot by it’s very name is an umbrella of the arts (from the slang: bum•ber•shoot —n. informal An umbrella.)

So be sure not to miss:

The Magic Show at the Center Pavilion everyday from 11am-8pm, a multimedia exhibit that explores illusion, conjuring, levitation, and transformation.

Get your guns up with 2010 Stranger Genius Award winner Marya Sea Kaminski’s Bonnie and the Robberi, a collection of rock covers, original songs, and monologues that explore societal themes of women with firearms, love, and violence and is backed by the musical talents of Landlords Daughter.

Bumber by Number a fully interactive color by number show featuring some of Seattle’s favorite visual art talents and is curated by the beloved Marlow Harris & Jo David.  Pick up a veggie and join in the communal art creation.

Movies at SIFF Cinema and McCaw Hall feature projects: Films4Families, 48 Hour Film Project, Nerds Unite, and Animation for Adults, just to name a few.

Just in case you spend all your Bumbershoot days watching movies, seeing visual art shows, eating and shopping the vendor booths.  You can still catch a fabulous line up of musicians at Bumbershoot After Dark, a collaboration with Decibel, One Reel,  Seattle Center, & Kaos Theory.  This late night (10pm-4am) celebration at Exhibition Hall, features some of the most acclaimed electronic music performers and deejays.  Saturday brings the musical stylings of Craze, Claude Van Stroke, Jokers of the Scene, and The Dowlz. Sunday’s line-up is Z-Trip, Four Tet, and Dam Funk. Bumbershoot After Dark is boasting this collaboration “to be the most adventurous stage configuration that any of the organizations have ever produced throughout their 100+ years of collective experience.”

Be warned if you go to Bumbershoot expecting to get a glimpse of John Oates fabulous mustache, you will be disappointed.  It has only been seen once in the last 25 years: last year’s National Moustache Convention where he was a special guest.  

For a breakdown of all the Bumbershoot events & happenings check the official SCHEDULE. Hall & Oates take the Bumbershoot main stage on Monday.

Come out for a free movie night!!! Monday, March 21! Be there by 8 for a good seat, earlier for some dinner. Hoping to start the movie around 8:30! The film will be showing at Slims last chance chili shack at 5606 1st ave S

.Also, I have 20 dvds on hand for sale. Please feel free to invite more people, we wanna pack the joint. Oh yeah, it’s a bar, so its 21+ …

Modern B-Movie Cult Film with Hot Rods, Zombies, Aliens and a killer soundtrack.
When big city newspaper reporter Vanessa Trojan (Lindsay Calkins) goes to a small backwater town, named Anywhere, Washington, to do a feature article on two female Street Racing icons, she doesn’t realize that this will be the last article she ever writes. When the icons- the always talkative Jo Leene Dodge (Melene Marie Brown) and permanently mute Betty Petty (Kimberly Layfield) take Vanessa to a rukus rockabilly house party, a stange light appears from the sky, and people start to feel sick. The party ends in a vicious brawl between Jo Leene and jealous rival Vikki Lee (Heather Lewis).

The next day Jo Leene is accused of killing Vikki Lee, whohas dissappeared with only her severed fingers found on the seat of her wrecked car. As more people turn up missing or murdered Anywhere’s only detective- Detective LLoyd (Jimmi Davies) soon realizes that this is not a simple murder case, but something much, much bigger…

October 12th – Joey Arias and Eliot Douglass in “Strange Fruit”

Tuesday October 12, 7:30 PM The Triple Door

For those of you who are uninitiated to the magic that Joey Arias conjures up when he takes to the stage to sing the songs of Billie Holiday you are in for a treat and will be delighted by this sublime 90 minute sojourn of song and banter.  A dear friends mother (now in her 80’s) came to see the show last year sums it up best “ I never thought I would live to see Billie Holiday perform live!” or Christopher Frizelle of The Stranger “It will blow your fucking head open! ”, mind bending indeed.

For one night only, the legendary New York performance artist  Joey Arias and Eliot Douglass will appear at the Triple Door, performing original works alongside the material of Ms. Holiday–as only Joey Arias can conjure her. A two-time “Critic’s Choice” and “Pick of the Week” (Los Angeles Times), Seattle Gay News writer Sara Michelle Fetters said this of his last Triple Door performance:  “To say he left victorious would be something of an understatement… the only thing strange about this particular fruit is just how darn brilliant he really is.” -SGN, April 9 ’08

Seattle musicians Craig Flory – Saxophone, Geoff Harper -Bass and Denali Williams – Drums will be joining Joey and Eliot on stage Tuesday night.

Buy Tickets for this event HERE

October 16th – Arias With A Twist : The Docufantasy

Saturday, October 16, 5:00PM , The Egyptian Theatre

Bobby Sheehan; 2010; US; 88 min.

When legendary performance artist Joey Arias and internationally renowned puppeteer Basil Twist collaborated to make the avant-garde show “Arias with a Twist,” the result was a trip into the dreamworld imaginations of two extraordinary artists. In between jaw-droppingly beautiful scenes from the show’s world tour, this Docufantasy explores the lives and art of both Arias and Twist. Along the way, we met their friends and collaborators, including Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Klaus Nomi, Jim Henson, Keith Haring, Grace Jones, Elvira, Pee-wee Herman, Paula the Swedish Housewife, and many others. Be prepared for a groundbreaking, magical, and surreal experience! Read more about this event HERE

I’m an honored to be joining up with Three Dollar Bill Cinema to extend a limited offer joint cover to attend both of the spectacular Joey Arias events to hit  Seattle this October!

For $25 you can attend both “Strange Fruit” at The Triple Door October 12th, and the Docufantasy “Arias with a Twist”‘ at The Lesbian Gay Film Festival, October 16th at The Egyptian. Joey will be staying on after his performance at The Triple Door to attend the screening on Saturday and partake in a Q&A.

To take advantage of this offer please call The Triple Door Box Office 206- 838-4333 and use the code ” Holiday” to make your reservation. You will receive a voucher to attend the screening on October 16, when you check in with the hostess at The Triple Door to attend “Strange Fruit”.

I’m betting that if you know what fun really is,  that you’ll be there too!

December 2, 2009 – SEATTLE, WA. The third anniversary celebration for Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery on Saturday, December 12, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, promises to be an unforgettable affair. The event features appearances by an international cadre of compelling cartoonists and artists as well as the world premiere of PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE with editor Jacques Boyreau. An entertaining panel discussion will be held the following Sunday afternoon, December 13.

PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE: The Lost Art of the VHS Box collects colorful cover art from a selection of vintage exploitation genre films. Cleverly packaged in a VHS slipcase, this anthology celebrates the film format that changed pop culture forever. On opening night Portland-based editor and B movie aficionado Jacques Boyreau will unveil a monumental site-specific “Portable Grindhouse” mural designed by Candice Schroeder. Boyreau commissioned Schroeder to create an equally impressive mural for his “SuperTrash” movie memorabilia exhibition currently on display at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

December 12 also marks the third anniversary of Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery. To celebrate the occasion, Fantagraphics Books has assembled an amazing group of cartoonists to socialize and sign books. Among the stellar line-up of guests: Femke Hiemstra (ROCK CANDY) from Amsterdam, Paul Hornschemeier (ALL & SUNDRY) and Jay Ryan (BEASTS!) from Chicago, Portland’s Dame Darcy (MEAT CAKE), and Seattle’s own Peter Bagge (HATE), Jim Woodring (FRANK), Ellen Forney (LUST), Scott Musgrove (THE LATE FAUNA OF EARLY NORTH AMERICA), and Jim Blanchard (TRUCKER FAGS IN DENIAL.) Musical entertainment will be provided by Bagge’s pop combo CAN YOU IMAGINE? featuring Steve Fisk and an opening set by the enchanting DAME DARCY.

On Sunday, December 13 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery presents a panel discussion focusing on PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE. Five distinguished experts in the field will screen short clips from their favorite exploitation film and discuss its influence on their work, as well as the broader social implications of the genre.

Panelists include artist Lisa Petrucci (KICKASS KUTIES) of Something Weird, cartoonist Marc Palm of Scarecrow Video, Seattle Times pop culture critic Mark Rahner with film critic and curator Robert Horton, co-writers of horror comic ROTTEN. The panel is moderated by PORTABLE GRINDHOUSE editor Jacques Boyreau and will be followed by a book signing and reception. Admission is free as always.

Think origami is just paper planes and cranes? Meet a determined group of theoretical scientists and fine artists who have abandoned careers and scoffed at graduate degrees to forge new lives as modern-day paper folders. Together they reinterpret the world in paper, creating a wild mix of sensibilities towards art, science, creativity and meaning.

I guess I’m a paper geek. I’ve always loved the art of paper. That’s why I’ll be at the free showing of Between the Folds at SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall this Saturday, November 21st, 3:30pm to 5:30pm.

If you miss this presentation, it will be aired on PBS channel KCTS9 on December 15,’09 at 10pm. - jd

SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall is located at 321 Mercer St. Seattle WA 98109

Saturday, November 21st, 3:30pm to 5:30pm

Community Cinema and Between the Folds – Green Fuse Films

Experience FREE movies by moonlight at Seattle Center this August. Picnic on the gently sloping Mural Amphitheatre lawn, in front of a state-of-the-art giant screen, with the Space Needle standing sentry in the starry skies above you.

August 2009 Line-Up

August 1, The Princess Bride – PG

August 15, Grease – PG

August 22, Iron Man – PG 13

August 28, Kung Fu Panda – PG

August 29, Mamma Mia! – PG 13