Produced in part by NBA All-Star and former Seattle Super Sonic Kevin Durant, Q Ball profiles a handful of men whose crimes range from domestic abuse to gun possession to murder. While many of their crimes are severe, Q Ball paints a picture of at-times broken people in real need of love, support and rehabilitation. Prison, after all, is a place where people should reform and at San Quentin, for many, that reformation happens through sport and competition.
Read MoreSan Francisco-based singer, Meklit Hadero, considers Seattle a second home — or a third home, or maybe a fourth. For the soulful, jazzy singer-songwriter, who was born in Ethiopia and raised in the United States, the Emerald City is a place where she can reconnect with family and with a part of the world in which she lived for more than a year. And Hadero will do just that on Nov. 30 at the Columbia City Theater, when she graces the stage to perform songs from her immaculate and expansive catalogue. To preview the gig, we caught up with the songwriter to ask her about her beginnings as an artist, how she honed her writing style and what she looks to, when the world can seem too much.
Read MoreEven though he’s won eight state championships and coached some of the most talented and successful players in the world in his nearly 25-year career, Rainier Beach high school boys basketball coach Mike Bethea approaches each season like it’s his very first.
Read MoreThe Seattle-based rock ‘n’ roll band, Tres Leches, thrives in poorly lit, vulnerable spaces. The group, however, doesn’t use darkness as a cause for being closed off. Rather, the trio, which is known for strapping on instruments only to switch them mid-song, uses dim spaces to open up to one another within them, exchanging the creative energies and personal conversations that have helped fuel their punk prowess.
Comprised of Alaia D’Alessandro, Ulises Mariscal, and Zander Yates, Tres Leches began three years ago in D’Alessandro’s parents’ basement. They flourished as a result of their lighting feng shui.
“Playing in dark spaces influenced our songwriting,” says D’Alessandro, “Not in a way that we’re sad about, or anything. It’s more like that feeling of being there but you’re with your friends and you can open up.”
Read MoreLike guerrilla outposts packed with tallboy Rainier cans and old guitar cases, the venues invite people out of their apartments to fill small rooms and play at open mics across Seattle. In Fremont, Mo’ Jam hosts weekly improvised group jams. In Capitol Hill, Capitol Cider hosts regular open mics in its basement. In Ballard, Conor Byrne has long kept its open mic going. In Wallingford, the Seamonster is an oasis for jams. And in Columbia City, the community has turned the open mic into an art form.
Read MoreThere are many ways front people try to connect with their audience. For some, it could be a sunny song about tequila and the beach. For others, maybe a short skirt lures listeners. But for Shaina Shepherd, lead singer of the Seattle-based band BEARAXE, the connection is rooted in stories of resilience.
Read MoreTarik Abdullah is one of Seattle’s most accomplished chefs. Whether he’s hosting a new pop-up restaurant or starring on an episode of Vice’s MUNCHIES, Abdullah’s fresh ideas and fresh ingredients delight his fans. To get a sense of Abdullah’s journey becoming a chef, we sat down with the man and asked him a few culinary questions.
Read MoreIf you’re over 30, chances are you know the name Lisa Loeb. Better yet, chances are you know her hit song, “Stay.” But, in case you aren’t familiar with the talented and prolific songwriter, who will play Seattle May 11th at the historic Columbia City Theater, let us say this: Lisa Loeb is the consummate professional. She writes music for “grownups,” as she calls ‘em, as well as kids and the entire family. She is a Grammy winner.
Read MoreSeattle’s Sax G makes music capable of floating you into a pleasant ether while also somehow rooting your feet into actual, tangible experience. It’s like a bird singing on a statue in your 3am dream. The sound is eerie, haunting, and beautiful.
Sax has a new album out, “Tomorrow’s New Villain,” which you can stream here. The record is an amalgam of movie scenes, hip-hop breaks, French aesthetics, philosophy, sadness, and care for family. In some numinous way, it also feels like you’ve been listening to this record your whole adult life. To get a sense of where it came from and what’s up next for Sax, the Emerald spoke with the musician while he was in Austin, Texas for a SXSW performance.
Read MoreWhen you walk into the historic On The Boards theater, the music is already playing. In one moment it’s the theme from Scrubs. At another, “My Girl.” In front of you sits a 30-plus-piece ensemble ranging from French horn to stand-up bass to a full string section.
Read MoreMs. Briq House—a burlesque performer, sex work advocate, professional cuddler, stripper, educator, and entertainer—wants you to see the light. Raised by her grandparents as a Southern Baptist Christian, House was an active member of the church as a youth. She worshiped. She spread the word. But, at twenty-five, she sought a divorce from her then-husband (with whom she remains in amicable contact), and that is when, “We saw people’s true colors,” she says.
Read MoreTrombone Shorty, playing Seattle on Sunday, August 20 as part of the annual Woodland Park Zoo series, is well known for his prowess on brass instruments. Famous for his skills on the trumpet, trombone and as a bandleader, Trombone Shorty (aka New Orleans’ Troy Andrews) has been fronting groups since he was a child. An affable, thoughtful and generous fellow, the musician recently began a summer tour showcasing the music from his hometown, including cuts off his new record, 2017’s Parking Lot Symphony. We had a chance to catch up with the virtuoso to ask him about the Big Easy, how his musical ear developed, his thoughts on his lineage and much more.
Read MoreSince his debut album in 2004, Shadows On The Sun, Brother Ali has represented a powerful voice in hip-hop. He’s reflective and eloquent. You can hear his heartbeat pound through his music. He’s the sort of person you’d want to ask for advice – not, say, if you wanted to buy a new car, but if you needed guidance on how to deal with a sick family member.
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