Music – Page 47 – Gemma D. Alexander

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How to get to Eistnaflug

Eistnaflug is a remote and mysterious ritual, underground even among the denizens of its home country and virtually unheard of outside of Iceland. More famous festivals like Wacken or Maryland Deathfest make it on to metalhead’s bucket lists. Eistnaflug is more like a Holy Grail, a mythical goal that few expect to find.

But I am here to tell you it is not impossible.

Mere mortals who are not even particularly metal can and have drunk from the Eistnaflug chalice (Icelandic speakers may have just thrown up a little in their mouths at that term). Read on, and I will tell you how. Read More

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Ballard, Hilliard's, opera, Opera on Tap

Opera on Tap

On a recent Wednesday night, while the rest of the family was upstairs reading bedtime stories, I snuck out of the house and met my friend parked car on the corner. We drove to Ballard, where a meet-up of over a hundred motorcycle riders restored some of the neighborhood’s old, salty character. Drifting uncertainly through a sea of leather-clad riders and parked bikes, we found the warehouse with the letter H painted on the side.

“I think that’s it. Doesn’t the name of the bar start with H?”

“Yes, this is it. See, there’s a sign.”

Next to the door of the warehouse was a white homemade sandwich board. Stenciled in black block letters was the word, “Opera.”

We were in the right place.

Tales of Hoffmann at Seattle Opera

A while back I wrote a post about the erroneous perception that heavy metal has to be grim and angry and depressing. Even a lot of heavy metal fans fall into this way of thinking despite the fact that they have a lot of fun listening to heavy metal. Last weekend, Tales of Hoffmann at Seattle Opera reminded me that opera shares a similar image problem. Heavy metal and opera are both technically challenging styles of music that can seem inaccessible to the uninitiated, but both are actually a lot of fun. In fact, they can be quite silly.

Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak at Showbox SoDo

Good fortune can be more challenging than hardship.

Sometimes I wish I didn’t live in such a fabulous city. On any given day, there is not only some kind of art event going on, but usually a painful choice between events. When I was a child I never wanted to go to bed because I was afraid to miss something. I haven’t gotten any better as an adult. At Iceland Writers Retreat I overdid it so much that I completely lost my voice and had to communicate by handwritten notes. And yet I found myself at Showbox SoDo on Monday night, only two days after covering the sixth anniversary of Seattle Living Room Shows for Three Imaginary Girls, and still medicated for a cold that I’ve had for roughly six weeks. But… Mastodon! And Gojira!

Have a Good Time

I’ve already written up the Decibel Magazine Tour at Showbox, with its dream team of a lineup: Carcass, Black Dahlia Murder, Gorguts, Noisem, and Bastard Feast. It was a lot of fun. So I’m going to talk about it some more now.

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How to get to Eistnaflug

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Opera on Tap

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Tales of Hoffmann at Seattle Opera

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Mastodon, Gojira, Kvelertak at Showbox SoDo

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Have a Good Time

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