Events from Thu 7/11 to Sun 7/14/2002

Events from Thu 7/11 to Sun 7/14.
partyvolcano@yahoo.com

Thu 7/11:
7:00 PM Summer @ Henry Art Gallery.
9:00 PM Hale, Togerson, Chris von Sneidern @Tractor.

Fri 7/12:
11:00 AM Oregon Country Fair (Eugene, OR) - 1st day.
6:00 PM Kreepy Krafts @ Roq La Rue.
6:30 PM Michael Kenna Lecture @ SAAM.
7:00 PM Lula's Bedroom (by Sam Trout) @ 321 3rd Ave S.
7:00 PM Mike Albano’s Twisted Paintings @ Aftermath.
8:00 PM? 7th Annual Photographic Competition @PCNW.
8:00 PM 14/48 @ Consolidated Works, 1st show.
9:00 PM BONAFIDE @ Nation.
10:30 PM 14/48 @ Consolidated Works, 2nd show.

Sat 7/13:
8:00 PM 14/48 @ Consolidated Works, 3rd show.
9:00 PM Butoh-A-Go-Go @ FuNC.
10:30 PM 14/48 @ Consolidated Works, 4th show.
11:00 AM Oregon Country Fair (Eugene, OR) – 2nd day.
11:30 PM Capitol Hill Block Party at Pine/11th – 1st day.

Sun 7/14:
9:00 AM Hispanic Seafair @ Seward Park.
11:00 AM Oregon Country Fair (Eugene, OR) – 3nd day.
11:30 PM Capitol Hill Block Party at Pine/11th – 2nd day.
3:00 PM Escape from Pugetopolis @ Vital 5.

Thursday 7/11

Summer @ Henry Art Gallery. The Henry is celebrating summer with three new exhibitions. The main exhibition Gene(sis) is still on and you should definitely see it if you haven’t. My favorites are Susan’s photos and the frogs in the pants. Music will be provided by DJs Gill Rock and Double Jointed, break dancing by BYC. But there is more than music and art: s-n-a-c-k-s. Party Volcano currently gives Henry’s snacks the highest rating: five stars. Second place is still PCNW (four snack stars), which will have an opening on the follow! ing day. Note that Henry is getting support by two alcoholic beverages producing companies: Hogue and Pyramid. Cheers!

Henry Art Gallery. 7-9pm, free. The Henry Art Gallery is located on the western edge of the University of Washington campus at 15th Avenue NE and NE 41st Street.

Summer: http://www.henryart.org/summer.htm
Gene(sis): http://www.gene-sis.net/
Three new exhibitions:
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMPULSE: http://www.henryart.org/photo_impulse.htm
ELIZABETH JAMESON: SPLENDORFORM: http://www.henryart.org/splendorform.htm
MEDITATION ON A PAINTING BY DIEBENKORN: http://www.henryart.org/diebenkorn.htm

Terry Lee Hale, Carla Togerson (from The Walkabouts), Chris von Sneidern @Tractor.
Scott Greer is recommending this music event: “Come to the Tractor tomorrow and see my buddy Chris Von Sneidern from San Francisco. What a freakin' talent (and a freakin' freak!) He opens for Terry Lee Hale.“

Tractor Tavern. 5213 Ballard Ave NW, 9:00pm. $7.
www.terryleehale.com
www.thewalkabouts.com
www.cvsmusic.com

Friday 7/12

Kreepy Krafts @ Roq La Rue.
Roq La Rue says in its press release:

“Kreepy Krafts is a group show of local and national artists working in traditional ‘arts and crafts’, yet whose subject matter veers way off kilter of anything traditionally associated with such usually sedate arts such as sewing, beading, and ceramics. Charles Krafft shows his newest porcelain objects de war, a series of biohazard gas cans painted in delft style. L.A. artist Liz McGrath and local Sara Lanzillota (fresh from her show at SAM) create wonderfully detailed and outfitted dolls befitting a young aspiring circus freak or Wednesday Addams. Teresa Sullivan makes hot rod inspired beaded sculptures and wall pieces, such as a 3-D beaded flying eyeball in the tradition of the Von Dutch icon…”

Noted art critic, Scott Greer, comments:

There is nothing "kreepier" than twisted home-style arts and crafts. If McGuyver was a sadistic, hillbilly, Sunday school teacher (instead of a top, uh, escaping from dangerous situations guy)- this is the kind of art he would create. You know the kind of hillbilly I'm talking about. You're out in the sticks getting high with him and his sister. Everything seems fine until he gets that weird look in his eye and starts rubbing his pants. You know you better play along or you may end up in some creek bed under a large boulder! Memories. Where was I? Oh yes- there's no risk of this sort of thing at Roq la Rue. The substitution of K for C (Kustom Kulture, Krispy Kreme, Krappy Krap) is your assurance of style over danger! Best bet: Start with a bite from Mama's or Noodle Ranch. Score some rock from any of the hundreds of talkative crack dealers. Follow smoking girls in funny coats to Roq la Rue and enjoy some Kreepy Krafts! Wooohoo!

Roq La Rue Gallery, 2224 2nd Ave. Free. 6-10pm. www.roqlarue.com
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/partyvolcano/vwp?.dir=/Invitations&.dnm=T.Sullivan.jpg
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/partyvolcano/vwp?.dir=/Invitations&.dnm=T.Miller.jpg

Michael Kenna Lecture @ SAAM. Trust us: If you are even remotely interested in photography, go to these two events. For the last couple of years, Party Volcano has been attending Photographic Center Northwest’s annual lecture by a noted photographer and the attendant photo competition that he or she juries. This is one of the few opportunities in Seattle to hear world-class artists speak about their work, and as such feels like an all too infrequent privilege.

This year the lecturer will be Michael Kenna who shoots black and white landscapes. His work is simple, gorgeous, dramatic, and is suffused with a mysterious, aching stillness (check out his photos through the link below). Kenna will show slides from his work and give a lecture at Seattle ASIAN Art Museum (don’t mistake it with SAM in downtown).

Michael Kenna lecture: $12 (tix can be purchased at door of
Seattle ASIAN Art Museum (SAAM) on night of lecture, or in advance by calling PCNW @ 206-720-7222),
6:30 PM, SAAM, in Volunteer Park
http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/visit/visitSAAM.asp

Sam Trout presents Lula's Bedroom. This is the 6th show of a package called “11 Shows in 11 Months”. Like our colleagues from Seattle Fools we are puzzled yet fascinated by this event. Seattle Fools recently wrote:

In this play, the creator of kiddy cartoon show ‘Lula's bedroom’ Lula's moves into the merchandise biz in an effort to sell his creation. Sez Trout: "She's growing up to be quite a popular individual, yet, paradoxically, she's in danger of becoming extinct. Unless the public is willing to help Lula grow into a fully mature cartoon character, her career may follow in the footsteps of such doomed characters as Disgruntled Goat, The Monchichis, Poochie, The Littles, or even Popples."

PV did some additonal research and learned that for this event a Pioneer Square warehouse space is taken over and obsessively filled with Lula. On the same floor, a separate warehouse space will be filled with the works of Joon Miette, who will be selling her works for a very low price before her move to Prague in September. Within that space, music will be provided by the ambient works of LSDj in a live and impromptu collaboration with an operatic tenor vocalist and a cellist.
It seems that to get a further understanding of Lula’s Bedroom, you will have to go and see for yourself.

Lula's Bedroom . 321 3rd Ave S. (between King Street Station and Seattle Lighting) 7-11pm. Free?
Seattle Fools: www.seattlefools.org
Sam Trout: www.samtrout.com
Lula 2001: http://www.thestranger.com/2001-07-12/art_news.html

Mike Albano's Twisted Paintings. Aftermath presents work by Mike Albano, who is “a new resident to Portland after living in Los Angeles where he was a successful artist for three years. Before that he lived in New York and is originally from New Jersey. He will be present at the opening and will be signing limited edition photographic prints of his paintings.”
You might want to stop by at Aftermath while you are on your way to PCNW. Maybe you have to stop there anyway. The last time I went to a PCNW opening their four star snacks were already gone and I had to go over to Aftermath, where I filled my empty stomach with reasonable crackers and broccoli. I never eat before PCNW but that one evening I was beaten by all those other hungry art enthusiasts. This Friday, you’ll get the broccoli!

Aftermath Gallery. 928 12th Ave. 7-10pm. Free.
Flyer: http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/partyvolcano/vwp?.dir=/Invitations&.dnm=emailinvite.jpg

7th Annual Photographic Competition @PCNW. Following the Michael Kenna lecture there will be an opening of a photo contest at Photographic Center Northwest that was juried by Kenna. Photographers from all over the country sent in work. If past competitions are any indication, the photos will be excellent. (Look for the work of local photographers, Tomiko Jones and Steven Miller, who won admittance to the exhibition.) Added bonus: the snacks at PCNW openings are really good.

PV gives the Kenna lecture and the Photo Competition Exhibition the coveted MOLTEN LAVA status.

Opening Reception for Photo Competition Exhibition: Free, 8 pm-ish, Photographic Center Northwest, 900 12th Ave (in Capitol Hill, across the street from Seattle University), map link: http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?addtohistory=&countrycode=250&country=US&address=900+12th+ave&city=seattle&state=wa&zipcode=98122&submit.x=51&submit.y=9 Info on PCNW Photo Contest: http://www.pcnw.org/gallery/viewpts.html
Tomiko Jones: http://www.tomikojonesphoto.com/

BONAFIDE @ Nation. J-Justice just returned from NYC and lets us know that this Friday’s Bonafide will be a special one: “We'll be celebrating MY birthday. It actually was on the 5th, but since I was out of town I haven't had the chance for a proper celebration. Let the spankings commence!(Oh, and all Cancerians get in for free!) On the decks will be yours truly and a very, very special guest: The hardest workin' DJ in town MissKick (http://www.aural-fixations.com)”.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

BONAFIDE. Every Friday at Nation 1921 5th Ave, 9p-2a, $5/Cancer signs get in for free this time.
More info at http://www.sub-sonic.org
Guest list info at bonafide@attbi.com

14/48 @ Consolidated Works. Seattle’s annual “14/48” claims to be The World's Quickest Theater Festival. Fourteen plays written, rehearsed, scored, built, and presented in a 48-hour incredible marathon of creativity. The press release says:

Seven playwrights assemble on Thursday night to write seven original ten-minute plays. Friday morning the playwrights each give their plays to one of seven directors who, with a randomly assigned composer, designer, and a cast, have the remainder of that day to produce, rehearse, design, tech, and dress rehearse their pieces. Friday night all seven plays are presented to an audience back-to-back. The playwrights reconvene Friday night to write seven more pieces and the process repeats, each actor working with a new director, new composer, new designer, all with a new play from a different writer.

On special assignment for Party Volcano and still PO'd on account of the disparaging remarks made by PV's editorial staff in reference to 1) the structural integrity of his manhood after his tour of Afghanistan under the Taliban, and 2) the factual accuracy of his investigative reporting [see, PV 6/7/02, "Mexican Smack Down CORRECTION and FuNC Diet REVISION"] Sebastian Junger comments on 14/48 as follows:

Writing, directing, and performing a play for 14/48, a.k.a.-- the World's Quickest Theater Festival, must be much like my tandem High-Altitude Low-Opening (HALO) parajump with a barmy ppplaywright during the Great War. One moment, I was comfortably in the belly of an Andrea Gail class B-52 troop transport nuclear helicopter at cruising altitude over the Grand Banks, basking in the warmth of camaraderie, enjoying Swiss Belon oysters, and washing them down with cold and crisp Red Zinfandel, when suddenly I found my backside spooned and firmly tethered to the front side of David Mamet and both of us were hurtling in thin air at 32 feet per-second-per-second toward the angry, battle-scarred beaches of Anzio, Afghanistan, during the Tet Offensive, and over my shoulder I heard Mamet yell, "Sebastian, my friend Margaux Hemingway once told me that 'courage is grace under pressure like that of the matador in the sequined suit of lights when the sword is unsheathed and the buffalo is full of fight', but Hemingway was full of shit, we have little time, I’ve got the only rip cord that deploys the parachute, my wife is quite frankly a pathetically lousy actress, and at this moment I find myself powerfully drawn to you and strongly urge you to memorize these lines, break a leg, and pretend for the final ten minutes of our rapid descent that you are a ravishingly lovely potty-mouthed nubile nymphet wearing nothing but Tara Lipinski’s tutu".

For, indeed, theater under pressure, like tandem HALO jumping, is an enterprise fraught with peril –at times exhilarating, at others, terrifying, but always potentially rich in rewards. To those venturesome souls willing to experience the unpredictable troughs and delirious heights of the stage, 14/48 offers measured doses of mad genius and rash hubris. My most recent foray into this manic theatrical event was early in January of this year.
The theme for the evening was "Environmental Pollution" and there was tension in the air. I wore my extreme thespian survival thong, and my PV-sponsored fact-checker --the lovely, if sadly incompetent, Inga-- tested its tensile strength at regular intervals. Some of the plays were monumentalll, others were clever, if less compelling, and one would have greatly benefited from either full frontal Harvey Keitel or, better yet, from a humongous mother of a rogue wave. But I digress.

Thank you, Mr. Junger. Notice that 14/48 is having four shows on Friday and Saturday at 8pm and 10:30pm. They will repeat 14/48 next weekend (7/19-7/20). PV has been told that the 10:30pm shows are usually a bit 'warmer', but you never know what you’re gonna get!

Consolidated Works, 500 Boren Avenue North. $14.48. For advance tickets call 264-1735.
Wanna volunteer? – send an email to volunteer@conworks.org
Sebastian Junger's website: http://literati.net/Junger/
Sebastian in Afghanistan: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/0103/life.html Books by Sebastian: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/ref=s_sf_b! _as/104-2741558-2984748

Saturday 7/13

Oregon Country Fair. Seattle Fools is excited: “Oh my god, it's another big annual regional festival! Chock full of the usual giant puppets, people in faux renaissance costumes, art, all kinds of live music practically 'round the clock, and the finest in underground pharmacy stands. It's like a 3-day long Fremont Solstice Parade!”
Hmm, I don’t remember seeing any underground pharmacy stands at the Fremont Solstice Parade two weeks ago. But let’s make it clear: the Oregon Country Fair is a huge hippy festival for people that are into drugs and drum circles. If you are more into eating spicy tuna sushi while you are waiting in line for the mutant-kissing-booth you should stay in Seattle and join Butoh-A-Go-Go (see below).

July 12 -14, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day
Veneta, Oregon, 13 miles west of Eugene. Friday $12, Saturday $15, Sunday $12
http://www.oregoncountryfair.org/

Capital Hill Block Party at Pine/11th . Seattle Weekly writes: “A virtual encylopedia of Seattle's most critically and popularly adored bands, with a couple expats of the Olympia/Portland Northwest corridor, local city council members, and infamously nasty-as-they-wanna-be drag hostesses Ursula Android and Jackie Hell thrown in the mix for good (loud) measure.
Saturday starts at noonish with Teen Cthulu, then it's on to the Long Winters, The Gossip, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Jackie & the Control Tops, and Hell's Belles, closing out with an 8:30 p.m. Mudhoney set. More up-and-comer types like the Charming Snakes, Automaton, and Bearskin Rugburn will simultaneously be playing the smaller Bad Ju Ju stage.”
Pine/11th Ave. 11:30am, $10.
Tix: http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=wa&query=schedule&attract=56984

BUTOH-A-GO-GO. Party Volcano is highly recommending this benefit fundraiser for P.A.N. This event is to raise funds for touring expenses - P.A.N. has been honored to represent the Northwest at this year's San Francisco Butoh Festival's showcase, "American Visions", highlighting the development of Butoh in the US...we have also been invited to create an installation at the RAID Projects Gallery in Los Angeles, a group show entitled "Earthworks". P.A.N is very excited about these opportunities and looks forward to staging a full-evening show in Seattle in the fall.

Of course you’ll be able to see plenty of Butoh performances at the non-stop Butoh stage ("watch Seattle's hottest Butoh dancers bare all"). The list of spoken word artists, dance performers, visual artists, and DJs is too long to print it here. But let me highlight some non-Butoh related activities: There will be a sushi bar, a mutant kissing booth, a confession booth ("it's all good in the eyes of the Lard...”) and at least two bands will be playing: Nequaquam Vacuum (Portland's post-Asiatic noise ensemble) and Marrow (5-piece experimental pop band). I hope Pastor Kaleb will give one of his sermons – I saw him putting ‘fun’ back into ‘funeral’ two months ago.

What else? - Party Volcano is volunteering! DJ GOATMAX1 is providing great music from the dance floor while I will be happy to support you on the drinking floor as your trusted bartender.
It almost doesn’t matter that it will be held at FuNC!

Fremont UnConventional Center (FuNC). 160 N. Canal St. $10 - sliding scale.
What is Butoh? - http://www.butoh.net/define.html

Sunday 7/14

Hispanic Seafair @ Seward Park. To me, the best thing about visiting San Diego is not the beaches or the palm trees or the sun, but the fantastic spots of Mexican culture popping out like bright lights on the So Cal landscape. Mexican groceries loaded up with tortillas and dried chili peppers; funky little stores selling handmade piñatas; the taquerias selling absurdly cheap and incredibly delicious food; watching the young Hispanic guys and girls hanging out, flirting. It’s a shot of life.

I’m always baffled as to why I rarely see white San Diegans in these joints. Does the prejudice or de facto segregation or discomfort with “otherness” or whatever run so deep that people forgo even delicious food?

As charming as Seattle can be, one of its shortcomings is the paucity of distinct Latin spots. Sure, there are Salsa dancing nights at clubs here and there, but there is very little in the way of sustained concentrated groupings of Latin people. I remember one newly arrived Mexican-American girl stopping me on the street and asking, “Where’s the barrio here?”

So, I, for one, am very much looking forward to Sunday’s Hispanic Seafair, featuring all sorts of events—comedy, dance demonstrations, mariachi, martial arts—but best of all bringing Hispanics together in one locale.

Seward Park Amphitheater, 9am to 6pm, Free.
For schedule of events see: http://hispanicseafair.homestead.com/
For directions to Seward Park see: http://hispanicseafair.homestead.com/Directions.html

Escape from Pugetopolis. This is a very special farewell show for Meghan Trainor and Christine Taylor, who are moving to New York and Chicago respectively. Meghan is exhibiting mainly paintings and some sculpture, as well as drawings and sketches never before shown. Christine will be showing photographs and other work. Say goodbye and pick up some art. Work will be for sale at studio prices.

I am sure many of you still want to place a bid for the Trainor Piñata. Unfortunately the Trainor Piñata is not for sale anymore. In a press release recently published the artist stated that the Piñata was filled with candy and a three-year-old busted it open with an aluminum baseball bat last weekend. We sadly accept this ceremony as being a genuine part of the Trainor Piñata experience and feel reminded on the burning ceremony of Superflat’s Zero fighter plane at Magnuson Park in March this year. Meghan said: “the piñata was never a work of art...only a piñata I found in a dumpster.” Party Volcano is impressed by such humble words and wonders: Why do most great contemporary art pieces eventually return to where they came from - the dumpster?

Vital 5 Productions, 2200 Westlake Ave, Denny & Westlake. 3-9pm. Free. One day only, refreshments provided. No piñatas, sorry.
Nakahashi’s ZERO Project: www.henryart.org/news.htm#zero

Capital Hill Block Party at Pine/11th . Seattle Weekly writes: “Catch the Briefs, Crictor, 764-HERO, Dead Low Tide, the Catheters, and Sleater-Kinney on Sunday, while also perusing the various food, art and commerce booths and sampling the fermented fruits of a fully appointed beer garden.”

Pine/11th Ave. 11:30am, $10.
Tix: http://www.ticketweb.com/user/?region=wa&query=schedule&attract=56984

Cold Lava.

Adam’s Kite Surfing Party (Fri 6/28). What a great party! Adam forwarded us the link to the party photo gallery: http://www.pbase.com/shellyshelly/virginskitesurf
He concludes: “This proves we weren’t all having a simultaneous delusion and that it did in fact happen as we (partially recall)...”
At least this time I remember how I got home. Unfortunately I didn’t find any weird notes in my pockets the next morning.
Adam: http://www.seattlekitesurfing.org/Advance.htm

Tanabata (Sun 7/7). The star festival (Tanabata), which is very popular in Japan, takes place on July 7. On this day two stars (Altair and Vega), that are usually separated from each other by the Milky Way, come together. In the night of July 7, people in Japan plant little bamboo trees and decorate them with little paper rolls, that have wishes written on them in the hope they will become true.

How come? According to an ancient Japanese myth Tentei, the ruler of the heavens, arranged a marriage between his daughter Orihime (Altair) and Kengyuu (Vega), who lived just across the river (Milky Way). Happily married to Kengyuu Orihime apparently was enjoying her life a little bit too much and started neglecting her weaving for the emperor. Tentei probably didn’t want to be voted for the worst dressed emperor in the universe and decided to separate Orihime and Kengyuu by placing them back in their original places separated by the Milky Way. The fine print of the divorce papers seems unreasonable and harsh for today’s standards: “On only one night of the year would he [Tentei] allow them to meet, the 7th day of the 7th month. Every year on that day, from the mouth of the river (the Milky Way), the boatman (of the moon) comes to ferry Orihime over to her beloved Kengyuu. But if Orihime has not done her weaving to the best of her skills and ability, Tentei may make it rain. When it rains, the boatman will not come (because the river is flooded).” I guess Orihime had done a lousy job the last twelve months. Here in Seattle it was raining all Sunday, July 7th. I didn’t see any boatmen.

Tanabata in Japan: http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/tana2000.htm
The Sad Love Story of Orihime and Kengyu: http://mhtml.ulis.ac.jp/~myriam/futsu/tanabatagb.html
Astronomical aspects: http://www2.gol.com/users/stever/orihime.htm
La Voie lactée (The Milky Way, Buñuel 1996): http://us.imdb.com/Title?0066534