ByGD
China has a well-earned reputation for ugly, industrial cities blanketed in choking smog. But that’s not the whole story. The haze you see here is only partly smog; most of it is mist above the ocean water, and that burns off by midmorning. Qingdao is a city of hills and trees. It has its ugly industrial suburbs and it’s sterile districts sprouting glass towers. But the old part of town is red roofs and green trees, with fresh air blown in off the sea.
ByGD
This year was the 20th anniversary of the Pickathon music festival. The festival is older than my kids. Maybe Pickathon was always family-friendly, but they definitely think like parents now. But why take my word for it? My 14-year-old daughter attended the festival on my press pass. So like me, she must sing write for her supper tickets by sharing her experiences online.
The following is a teenager’s review of Pickathon. It is edited for punctuation, spelling and formatting. Enjoy!
ByGD
Last year, on Memorial Day, I was thinking about the sorry state of American politics and wondering how we ended up with a president who hadn’t even read the Constitution. I realized that was only possible because most Americans haven’t read it either. We’ve become a nation of consumers instead citizens. We expect good service from our politicians without even reading the yelp reviews before we let someone else elect them. That Memorial Day, I decided to be better than the president and read the Constitution. It took, like, 15 minutes. But when I was done, I couldn’t really remember what I read. I mean, the language is dated and there’s no plot. It’s pretty dry.
ByGD
This week I finally started exploring new music again, even though I’m still marinating on everything I heard at Pickathon. Things I liked included Jess Sah Bi & Peter One, Cemetery Urn, Mitski, and Aretha Franklin.
ByGD
Elizabeth Llewellyn (Bess) and Kevin Short (Porgy). Philip Newton photo c/o Seattle Opera
Porgy and Bess, the first opera in Seattle Opera’s new season, is either loved as a pillar of the opera canon or reviled as a racist tool of oppression. Earlier this week I talked about the reasons for the differing opinions. Today I want to talk about the one thing everyone can agree on – the quality of Seattle Opera’s production of the divisive Porgy and Bess.