SUNDAY, APRIL 27 2014 >>>
1. Acclaimed British pop songwriter David Gray - a gentle-voiced vocalist known best for his 2000 single "Babylon" - will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Gray creates soulful pop that combines folk immediacy with subtle electronic flourishes. His vocals have a tossed-off, over-the-top quality that qualifies him as a cousin to Dave Matthews, and his forthcoming full-length Mutineers should be front and center.
2. Each year, the Lakewood Sister Cities Association holds a three-day festival highlighting the culture of one of its sister cities. This year, the organization is proud to bring the rich culture of Okinawa, Japan to the area with its 2014 International Festival and ArtsFest Celebration. The festival concludes today with a fun-filled lineup planned. Entertainment for the day will include the Shahdaroba Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, the Chang Hee Suk Woman Drummers, Lakewood Playhouse Performers, art exhibits, food, crafts, Kids' Corner and more from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Pierce College in Lakewood.
3. Paul Fritts' organ has a following. In fact, it's so awesome he's being honored for it 2 p.m. in Kilworth Chapel. Fritts and his team of artisans in Tacoma craft thousands of wood and steel components into some of the most graceful and inspiring modern pipe organs in the world. One of these artworks is the Bethel Schneebeck Organ in Kilworth, on the campus of University of Puget Sound, where Fritts graduated in 1973. The public is invited to presentation in Kilworth, which will take place following intermission during the 23rd Annual Bethel Schneebeck Organ Recital, with university organist Joseph Adam performing. The concert will include works by Heinrich Scheidemann, Francois Couperin, Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, and Maurice Duruflé. Admission is complimentary and no tickets are required.
4. Little Bill Engelhart is soul on wheels. He’s also probably one of the most inspirational musicians that you’re likely to meet in person. He grew up on Hilltop Tacoma and learned rock ’n’ roll by playing rhythm and blues with the black musicians’ downtown, which was unusual for a young white kid at the time. He formed a band with some of his teenage friends and had a national hit when he was just 19 titled “I’m in Love with an Angel." These days, Little Bill & the Blue Notes play all over the South Sound. But they always make time for the Spar in Old Town, and the quintessential Tacoma restaurant's Sunday Night Blues. Little Bill and the Blue Notes will stop in again at 7 p.m., making it the perfect time for you to drop in.
5. Portland dream pop band WL doesn't suffer from gauzy translucence. Though their songs do hazily float along, there's a very clear backbone to their music, defined by crisp percussion and strong melodies. Nothing by WL sounds like a whale so. Occasionally, some honest-to-goodness aggression peaks its head up through the clouds, as seen on "Sugar Pill," whose fuzzy crunch does wonders for lead singer Misty Mary's serene vocals. Catch the band with Appendixes and Red Alder at 8 p.m. in Northern.
LINK: Sunday, April 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
