Seattle Opera kicked off its 50th season with Donizetti’s La fille du régiment. It seemed like a strange choice to me, because, well, it is not the best opera. In fact, it almost doesn’t seem like opera. It reminded me more of Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance than a comedic bel canto like Così fan tutte. Read More
ByGD
La fille du régiment at Seattle Opera
ByGD
Optical 2: Erased Tapes Showcase at Decibel Festival
Subtitle: Who the hell is Nils Frahm and why haven’t I heard of him before?
Nils Frahm (obviously a press photo and not one of mine)
Seattle’s Decibel Festival turns 10 this year, which means it was born just about the same time I quit following electronic music. While I wasn’t paying attention, Decibel grew into a world class celebration of underground and experimental electronic music. The only reason I went this year was to see Ólafur Arnalds. But what I will remember most is Nils Frahm.
ByGD
Feeling The National and Frightened Rabbit at the Paramount
With The National and Frightened Rabbit sharing the Paramount stage, I knew it would be a night for feeling all the feels. And it was. But not quite in the way I expected. Read More
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Discovering the Secret of Life at Bumbershoot
Dave B.
I didn’t plan to drag two children under the age of 10 to all three days of Bumbershoot. But that is exactly what I did.
My festival preview lives here, and my survival guide is here. My compatriots over at Three Imaginary Girls and the KEXP blog (not my compatriots- just good coverage) have, I think, covered most of the shows. So I am free to talk about the secret of life. Read More
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Doe Bay Moments
Doe Bay Fest is only six years old, but with its stellar record for booking the best of the Northwest, it is already legendary. Festival-goers recognize each other on the street and nod – “Doe Bay?” “Doe Bay” – like members of a secret society sharing a password. This was my first year at Doe Bay, and because of the type of writing I do for a living, I wanted to tell you how to score tickets to Doe Bay Fest, which always seems to sell out before tickets go on sale. I planned to describe the camping areas and give advice about meal planning and festival food.
But now that I’ve been there, I’m not going to write any of that. Read More