Comedian Nikki Glaser won’t mince words when she heads to Parlor Live Seattle.
Tue, May 18
Timber Timbre
Timber Timbre’s slow, silky, and haunting songs softly meander in front of the ear; always several steps out of reach of any prediction or assumption about song structure. The Canadian four-piece leads listeners down the musical rabbit hole with quiet bass, electric keyboard, twangy guitar, harmonized vocals, and occasional horror-movie-soundtrack-esque anxiety-inducing violin, vacillating between being soothing and discomforting. Neumos, $18
May 21–23
Nikki Glaser
Nikki Glaser can turn from effervescent to comically cutting in the blink of an eye, and it’s a delightful thing to see firsthand. Whether as a host of the short-lived MTV talk show Nikki and Sara Live!, popping up on Inside Amy Schumer, or as one of the best @Midnight contestants, Glaser consistently delivers laughs with wonderfully blunt force. Parlor Live Seattle, $20–$30
May 22–25
Northwest Folklife Festival
In an age of increasingly corporate festivals, there’s something refreshingly anachronistic about Northwest Folklife. The Seattle Center comes to life over Memorial Day weekend as this street fair on steroids bustles with the energy of world music, vendors, crafts, buskers, food, and family entertainment. Seattle Center, Free (Donation suggested)
Thru May 30
Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling
Hailing from the English town of Stroud, Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling are woodworkers in the most traditional sense. The duo eschews modern techniques and uses simple handheld tools when crafting the indentations and wavy lines that decorate the surfaces of their carved wooden vessels. It’s easy to sense the amount of effort and care that went into each of the nearly 30 works on display at their first Traver Gallery showcase. Traver Gallery, Free
Thru May 26
Heaven Adores You
Elliott Smith was the poet laureate of sad Northwest indie outcasts. With a guitar and his beautifully hushed and delicate voice, the Portland-based singer-songwriter crafted perfect odes to love and sorrow on albums like Either/Or and XO, before eventually garnering national acclaim and an Oscar nomination as the musical soul of Good Will Hunting. The documentary Heaven Adores You finally captures Smith’s story via interviews, a wealth of personal photos and footage from friends, and previously unheard Smith recordings. While his suicide in 2003 still haunts the musical community, the film serves as an emotional tribute to the lasting brilliance he achieved in his all-too-brief life. Northwest Film Forum, $11
|
|
|