SATURDAY, JAN. 25 2014 >>>
1. In the early ‘80s, Donald Glaude filled Lakes High School house parties with Funkadelic, Commodores and underground hip-hop. While the dudes played REAL quarters the women flocked around Glaude. His musical knowledge, good looks and outgoing personality made him king of Lakes High School. From there, he emerged himself in the Seattle house and rave music scene before becoming one of the most traveled international DJs of our time. Always a smile, and women on both side of his decks, Glaude still commands the worldwide house music scene, in front of the turntables and behind the studio mixing board. Glaude returns home for a night at Jazzbones, with Skeemer and Mr. Clean opening, and the Northwest DJ roster before him. Respect.
2. The Proctor Art Gallery celebrates its fifth anniversary from 1-5 p.m. Drop by and chat with the artists, take advantage of sales, enjoy refreshments, entertainment and door prizes.
3. In its 12th year and for the seventh straight year in Olympia, the community is invited to take part in an active weekend of highlighting the plagues of poverty, discrimination, inhumanity and homelessness while simultaneously celebrating the spirit of togetherness during the annual Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless benefit. For the cost of donated items such as food, clean clothing, hygiene items and cash, the 5 p.m. family friendly concert in The Olympia Ballroom features Afrok & The Movement, Speaker Minds (Portland), AKA & The Heart Hurt Goods, The Sharp Five and Real Life Click, plus the annual 25360 Awards celebration.
4. A few decades ago, the term "early music" (generally speaking, any music written before J.S. Bach) had the same cachet as brown rice or granola: esoteric stuff that was vaguely good for you, but none too tasty or easy to digest. And as for performing early music, only specialists need apply. Nowadays, performances of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music on period instruments - not to mention instrumentalists and vocalists versed in early performance styles as a matter of course in their studies - are the very enjoyable norm, and a lot of great, previously unknown music has become popular and beloved by audiences. At 7 p.m. in Tacoma's Trinity Lutheran Church, the Salish Sea Early Music Festival will focus on the musical styles during the reign of Louis XV, who became king in 1715 at the age of five upon the death of his grandfather Louis XIV.
Producing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is like saddling a dragon. We caught struggles for lines, most adroitly concealed. The blocking isn't great for performance in the round. There are patrons who won't know what to make of all its profanity, carnality and perma-drunk savagery. What unnerves most, though, is the fact that this drama has no hero or heroine for us to cheer. There's no tragic downfall, as its characters bring misery on themselves. Yet the acting in this Lakewood Playhouse production, on all four counts but especially from Deane and Garman, is extraordinary, some of the best we'll see all year. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in the Music & Culture section, then catch the 8 p.m. show.
LINK: Saturday, Jan. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
