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Fall Arts Preview 2013: Music
Fall offers a veritable satellite radio of music choices to match every mood
This article originally appeared in the September 2013 issue of Seattle magazine.
A CAPPELLA Experimental vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth earns automatic points for its excellent name. In addition, the group combines Tuvan throat singing with yodeling and pop-style belting, and one of the members is composer Caroline Shaw, who took home the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for music. We call that a win-win-win. 9/19. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Town Hall. townhallseattle.org
BLUES A lesson in stick-to-it-iveness, gospel and R&B singer Mavis Staples has been performing for more than 60 years, and earned her first Grammy in 2011. In June, she released her 13th album, One True Vine, with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. If you haven’t heard her yet, trust that this woman can sing the hell out of any song. 9/27. 8 p.m. Prices vary. The Moore Theatre. stgpresents.org
BLUEGRASS Comedian Steve Martin is serious about his banjo playing. In recent years, he has won a Grammy and, in 2011, the International Bluegrass Music Association named him Entertainer of the Year. He’s touring with the Steep Canyon Rangers and songstress Edie Brickell. 10/2. 7:30 p.m. Prices vary. Benaroya Hall. benaroyahall.com
JAZZ For its 25th anniversary, the Earshot Jazz Festival is going all out with an incredible lineup of 60 performances, including by local jazz stars Robin Holcomb, Eyvind Kang, Bill Frisell, Cuong Vu and Samantha Boshnack, plus Manhattan Transfer and Philip Glass. 10/1–11/17. Times, prices and venues vary. earshot.org
OPERA It’s not always about horned helmets and blond braids. Witness the Seattle Opera production of The Daughter of the Regiment, a light, funny take on 19th-century composer Donizetti’s tomboy story, set in the 1940s. 10/19–11/2. Times and prices vary. McCaw Hall. seattleopera.com
SYMPHONY Having received an absolute rave review in The New Yorker this summer for its performance of a contemporary symphony by John Luther Adams, the Seattle Symphony is flying high on innovative programming, including the awesome (albeit confusingly titled) [untitled] series—late-night, clubby performances of new work, performed in the lobby of Benaroya Hall. 10/18. 10 p.m. $20. Benaroya Hall. seattlesymphony.org
ROCK Seattle’s indie Barsuk Records can boast having had Death Cab for Cutie, The Long Winters and Jesse Sykes on the roster before the bands rocketed to fame, so you can bet the label’s 15th-anniversary concert series is going to be killer. Check the website for the (TBD) lineup, then run—don’t walk—for tickets. 11/7–11/10. Times, venues and prices vary. barsuk.com
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