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CONGRATULATIONS! All-State honors for two Chief Sealth student musicians
February 9, 2024 9:36 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

We have news of statewide honors for two local students – and an opportunity for you to support them. The announcement is from Denny-Sealth Performing Arts:

Two Chief Sealth International High School students have received top honors by being selected by the Washington Music Educators Association to participate in prestigious WMEA High School All-State performing groups.

Please join us in celebrating senior Tyler Peace Jones (pictured on the right), who has been selected to play viola in the All-State Orchestra, and senior Dylan Sagahon Smith (pictured on the left), who was selected to play guitar in the All-State Jazz Band for the Jazz Choir.

Nearly 1,900 students applied for this opportunity. From those, the finest high school musicians will rehearse and perform in concert under the direction of world-renowned conductors. These WMEA All-State musicians were selected through auditions to participate in this outstanding event, which is sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Association.

Many professional musicians credit their All-State experience as crucial in their decision to choose music as a career. Thousands of others whose career paths took them in other directions have great memories of participating in this inspiring and motivating musical experience and claim that it was a life-changing experience for them.

Tyler plans to pursue a career in music as an orchestral conductor. Dylan plans on studying music along with entrepreneurial business and technology. We are so proud of their achievement and can’t wait to see how it launches them forward!

The WMEA High School All-State Honor Ensembles will meet in Yakima, February 15-17, 2024. But registration and the cost of making this trip are not covered by school funds. Help us celebrate Tyler and Dylan by contributing to the Denny Sealth Performing Arts Scholarship Fund to support their participation: PayPal “Denny Sealth Performing Arts” or Venmo @DennySealthPerforming Arts, and indicate “scholarship.”

Support Tyler and Dylan. Support the arts. Be a part of their journey!

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Scenes from February 2024 West Seattle Art Walk!
February 8, 2024 5:44 pm
|    Comments Off on Scenes from February 2024 West Seattle Art Walk!
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

5:44 PM: For the next few hours, it’s all about art, all over the peninsula, during the monthly West Seattle Art Walk!

Our first stop is Alki Arts (6030 California SW; WSB sponsor), hosting a “reunion show” tonight, with proprietor Diane Venti (at right in our photo) featuring “10 of the artists that we had when we first started out 14 years ago on Alki Beach at our first gallery space!” With her above, from left, are three of those artists – Brooke Borcherding, Karen Dedrickson, and Joanne Shellan. Tonight’s reception is scheduled until 8 pm.

6:40 PM: Heading north, we stopped to say hi to photographer Jamie Kinney (above), who has often shared photos on WSB – he’s at Windermere West Seattle (4526 California SW) tonight. From there, we continued north to The Admiral District, where West Seattle Realty (2715 California SW; WSB sponsor) is hosting artist Splicy:

Visitors are collaborating with her on a community collage:

More to come; see the full list of venues – including times, addresses, featured artists, plus restaurants/bars with food/drink specials – by going here.

8:54 PM: Our final two stops were in The Junction – Alex Guyon is showing his work at Rush Hour (4517 California SW):

And last but not least – Brent Amaker and The Rodeo‘s show at Easy Street Records, celebrating their new album Philaphobia:

Next month’s West Seattle Art Walk will be on March 14.

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THURSDAY: Seven suggestions for this month’s West Seattle Art Walk
February 7, 2024 1:51 pm
|    Comments Off on THURSDAY: Seven suggestions for this month’s West Seattle Art Walk
 |   West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s the official poster for the winter West Seattle Art Walk events – with art by Suzanne Uschold, one of the artists you can meet tomorrow night during the February Art Walk. She’ll be at Hawthorne Massage and Self-Care in North Admiral (2237 California SW). We asked Art Walk director Mia Manzulli for some Thursday night suggestions; in South Admiral, she says, you’ll find Magdalena Cooney featured at Forever Young Aesthetics (3813 California SW). In The Junction, one of the newer businesses to join the Art Walk is Rush Hour (4517 California SW), spotlighting artist Alex Guyon “in their sweet little gallery space at the back of the store,” Mia tells us. Also in The Junction, ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor) is having an artist reception for their new show, Scott Coffey‘s “Friend of Achilles.” Among the other Junction venues, as previewed here earlier this week, Easy Street Records has art and music (the latter, with West Seattle’s own Brent Amaker & The Rodeo at 7 pm). In Morgan Junction, Diane Venti is hosting a “reunion” show at Alki Arts (6030 California SW; WSB sponsor), with 10 artists from her original gallery space on Alki Beach. Nearby West Seattle Cellars (6026 California SW) is hosting artist Steffanie Lorig and tasting Portuguese wines. Those are just a few places you can stop; official Art Walk hours are 5 pm-“late,” but individual venues’ hours may vary. Be sure to check the walking map/full preview list, which also notes the venues with food/drink specials you can get by mentioning you’re there for Art Walk night.

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WEST SEATTLE MUSIC: New album out, Easy Street show ahead for Brent Amaker & The Rodeo
February 5, 2024 5:36 pm
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 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s “Wanted,” from what West Seattle musician Brent Amaker calls the “first proper album in 10 years” from him and his band The Rodeo, titled Philaphobia. This Thursday (February 8), 6-9 pm, Brent Amaker & The Rodeo will perform at Easy Street Records as part of a West Seattle Art Walk slate; it’s the kickoff to a West Coast tour that will also take them to Oregon, California, and Nevada before they return home to Seattle. If you haven’t seen them before – every member performing in black cowboy gear – Amaker describes their genre in the album announcement as “cowboy music” and “Western performance art,” filling Philaphobia with “tracks that span from rollicking motivational romps, to criminal confessions.” Thursday’s show at Easy Street is free, and the evening also will feature DJ Aleens and an art-print show by Bella Petro and Chicle de Uva.

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Desmond Hansen’s newest signal-box portrait
February 4, 2024 1:51 pm
|      28 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks for the tips! We just caught up with West Seattle artist Desmond Hansen finishing this new signal-box portrait, on the southwest corner of California/Frontenac south of Morgan Junction. It’s a portrait of Mike Starr, original Alice in Chains bassist, who died in 2011 at age 44. Hansen estimates he’s painted about 75 boxes – in and outside of West Seattle – since starting in 2018 with Jimi Hendrix at California/Fauntleroy. You can see many of them, and some of his other work, on his website. We asked him what’s next; nothing specific yet, but he said there’s a lot of maintenance to be done this spring.

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VIDEO: West Seattle High School’s Chinese Program gets a visit from Consul General
January 30, 2024 9:40 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos. Above, Consul General Zhang Jianmin and wife Zheng Xin with WSHS Chinese teacher Ying Yu)

“I’m sure that if we work together, both sides will be better off, the world will be better off.”

China’s San Francisco-based Consul General Zhang Jianmin offered that thought toward the end of a short speech in West Seattle High School‘s theater today, following a presentation by students from the WSHS Chinese Program. It was the highlight of the short visit by the Consul General and wife Zheng Zin to learn about the program. The area inside WSHS’s south entrance was decorated to welcome them:

During the program in the theater, several students talked about what the Chinese-language program meant to them – “one of those classes you look forward to every day” – and one detailed what he’d learned about China, noting the combined economic power of the U.S. and China. And with the Lunar New Year approaching, students presented cultural performances including a lion and dragon dance:

Other performances spotlighted music and martial arts.

The consul general then took the stage to say he found it a “joy” to meet teacher Ying Yu and her students on the eve of the Year of the Dragon:

He told the students that while the U.S. and China have different cultures, that’s “not to be feared as long as you … reach out to understand.” He noted last year’s U.S.-China presidential summit in California, saying it’s important for the two nations to “jointly share our responsibilities as major powers.”

He also told the students they had many counterparts in his nation learning English, which he started studying at age 12.

He invited them all to apply to visit China through a program of the Institute for International Education. (They might not find it so foreign, he noted as an aside, given that China has about 9,000 Starbucks stores.)

P.S. This wasn’t the Consul General’s first West Seattle visit – we noted this online report of a trip last week including a stop at the Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge.

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THEATER: ‘Born With Teeth’ previews Wednesday, opens Thursday at ArtsWest
January 30, 2024 4:41 pm
|    Comments Off on THEATER: ‘Born With Teeth’ previews Wednesday, opens Thursday at ArtsWest
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The next production at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor) is about to open. The preview night for “Born With Teeth” – by Liz Duffy Adams, directed by Mathew Wright – is tomorrow, and the official opening night is Thursday (7:30 pm both nights). ArtsWest notes, “‘Born with Teeth’ features Michael Monicatti as Kit Marlowe and Ricky Spaulding as William Shakespeare. The two actors went to college together at the University of Washington and are now featured on stages all over Seattle and beyond. ArtsWest welcomes both to our stage for the first time.” More about the play – including the link for tickets – is on ArtsWest’s website.

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Alki Arts (in Morgan Junction): Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!
January 26, 2024 1:30 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Today we’re welcoming Alki Arts as a new WSB sponsor. When new sponsors join us to advertise their local businesses to you, they get the opportunity to tell you about themselves – here’s what Alki Arts would like you to know:

Alki Arts proprietor Diane Venti says her mission at her new location in Morgan Junction, at 6030 California Avenue SW, remains the same as it’s been since her first gallery opened on Alki in 2010 – to provide original art from local artists at a reasonable price. She says that if you’re looking for something to put over the mantle that makes a statement, she can help you do that without breaking the bank.

To find art for Alki Arts, Diane tours shows in the Pacific Northwest to find the highest caliber of professional art created by people who aren’t necessarily famous, but have years of experience creating work for shows and art tours. Diane says that means you’ll find art at Alki Arts from established artists with impressive resumes. Every month, Diane brings in new groups of artists to exhibit at Alki Arts. Some of the featured artists have been showing at her galleries for more than a decade; she also brings in new and upcoming artists.

Alki Arts is also an event space, and you can go there to enjoy music, too – Diane has launched an “Intimate Concert Series” (see the schedule on the website).

Alki Arts is open 12 pm-6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays and by appointment; it’s closed Sundays and Mondays. Diane also works with private clients.

We thank Alki Arts for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!

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CONGRATULATIONS! Poster-art winner revealed for 2024 West Seattle Garden Tour
January 23, 2024 8:46 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

We are exactly five months from the 2024 West Seattle Garden Tour, set for June 23. But you’re invited to daydream about that summer day now, with the announcement of this year’s poster-art winner:

Each year, West Seattle Garden Tour provides an opportunity for one talented artist to showcase their original artwork on tour marketing materials and to take home a $750 cash prize. We are pleased to announce Sammamish artist Pam Lustig as the winning artist for our 2024 tour.

Garden Pose (18”w x 24”h; watercolor and pen) will be featured on the 2024 West Seattle Garden Tour’s official poster and ticket book. Ms. Lustig will also receive a $750 cash prize. West Seattle Garden Tour will conduct a silent auction of the artwork beginning at the May 2024 West Seattle Art Walk (at Capers Home) and concluding on the day of the tour, Sunday, June 23, 2024. Bids will also be taken on tour day in one of the gardens from 9 am to 5 pm. Proceeds will benefit this year’s designated grant recipient nonprofit organizations.

Garden Pose, along with works by four West Seattle Garden Tour Art Competition finalists, will be on view at Capers Home during the West Seattle Art Walk, 5-8 pm, May 9.

The Garden Tour usually sells out; you can order tickets right now online (in-person retail sales start in mid-May).

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Sleater-Kinney meet-and-greet at Easy Street Records
January 16, 2024 11:04 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photos)

The line for tonight’s rock-star guests wound throughout the warm confines of Easy Street Records, so customers didn’t have to wait in the cold. Here’s who they were here to see:

Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein are carrying on as Sleater-Kinney, the band they founded in Olympia 30 years ago (naming it after a street in Lacey that’s an exit off I-5). Tonight’s Easy Street meet-and-greet provided a preview of their about-to-be-released album “Little Rope,” displayed below by Archie Coltrane Vaughan, one of the youngest members of the family that owns the shop:

The album’s official release date is this Friday – but the vinyl version was available tonight at Easy Street, as were the musicians’ autographs for album-buyers:

Sleater-Kinney relaunched in 2014 after an eight-year hiatus; during that hiatus, Brownstein gained TV fame for co-creating and co-starring in the satirical series “Portlandia.” That ran 2011-2018; all the while she and Tucker kept making music. “Little Rope” is their first album in two and a half years; they’ll be touring (here’s the schedule) starting in late February, with two gigs at The Showbox in early April. You can check out their music here.

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THINK SUMMER (CAMP)! Sign up now for music and theater with Mode
January 16, 2024 9:21 pm
|    Comments Off on THINK SUMMER (CAMP)! Sign up now for music and theater with Mode
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

It’s a warming thought in the winter chill … time for families to book summer camps. West Seattle’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) and Mode Music and Performing Arts have opened registration for theirs – here’s the info:

MODE MUSIC STUDIOS SUMMER ROCK BAND CAMPS

ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!
It’s time for a summer of Rock Bands with Mode Music Studios! We’re offering camps for ages 6-11 and 12+ this time around. Camps run 9-12:00 for our 6-11 crowd and 12:30-2:30 for our 12+. Finish up the week with a Saturday live performance at our favorite neighbor venue, The Skylark, next door!

Turn it into a full day of camp for our 6-11’s by signing up for an afternoon of music and theatre classes at our nonprofit MMPA – keep scrolling for more info and sign up for a rock band at the link below!

modemusicstudios.com/camps

MMPA PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN MUSIC AND THEATER SUMMER CAMPS

LET’S GET CREATIVE!
All of our MMPA camps are offered as half and full days at a pay-what you can rate, so they’re accessible to everyone. Half day camps run 9-12:00 and 12:30-3:30 and are available for grades K-5. Hang with us for lunch in-between and double up for a full day of fun!

Don’t miss out on another creative summer with us. Click the link below to sign up!

modemusicandperformingarts.org/camps

Summer’s closer than you think!

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BIZNOTE: Easy Street Records hosts Sleater-Kinney signing Tuesday
January 13, 2024 8:29 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Northwest rock legends visit Easy Street Records in The Junction on Tuesday (January 16th) – Sleater-Kinney will be signing their 11th studio album, “Little Rope,” three days before its official release date. Easy Street’s Matt Vaughan calls them “one of the most essential bands to ever come out of the NW … queens of the riot-grrrl movement.” To get in to the signing, Easy Street says, you have to buy the album – pre-orders are available here, and the store will sell copies of the album on the day of the event, which will start at 6 pm. The band is going on tour next month, including dates at The Showbox in April.

P.S. Even if you don’t know Sleater-Kinney, you might know one of its members, Carrie Brownstein, as co-founder and co-star of the award-winning parody series Portlandia, which ran for eight seasons last decade.

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Young writer in your household? Signups open for free ‘Write Your Story’ workshops in West Seattle
January 7, 2024 10:41 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The next session of “Write Your Story” – a series of free workshops for young readers/writers – is open for registration, and this time it’s happening in West Seattle. Here’s the announcement from founder Julia Douthwaite Viglione:

Winter / Spring 2024 Enrolling now!

Theme: Friends

Who is invited? People age 8-12 who like stories

When? Every Tuesday, January 16 – April 2, 2024, 4:30—5:30 pm

Where? Upstairs activity room, Curious Kidstuff toy store, 4740 California Ave SW

Stories we’ll read:

“The Brownie of Fern Glen” by Kate Forrester
“The Queen Bee” by the Brothers Grimm

Write YOUR Story, est. 2012, is a free workshop led by local writers for local kids. “We read, we write, and we have a lot of fun.” For info or to enroll, contact: juliawsea@gmail.com

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WEEKEND SCENE: Washington State Black Legacy Institute hosts Business Festival During Kwanzaa at new Admiral home
December 31, 2023 12:51 pm
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 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Since our visit for this story earlier this month, the Washington State Black Legacy Institute has added new displays at its new home in the city-landmark former church previously known as The Sanctuary at Admiral. Portraits of historic Black community leaders and entrepreneurs line the lobby’s main wall, and curator Roger Evans says more are on the way. But today the focus is on modern-day entrepreneurs, as the three-day Business Festival During Kwanzaa concludes. An afternoon of free workshops complements a vendor fair in the main room.

Among the participating entrepreneurs is Denise Leonard, with hats and jewelry from her business A Sista Thang Fashions:

She told us these creations channel her passions, and she’s hoping to inspire young women. She’s on the north side of the room, while on the south side you’ll find art by Edimbo Lekea of Natty Dread Illustration:

Other vendors are listed here. Here’s the workshop schedule for the rest of the afternoon:

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Pearl Nelson. “1st-time Homebuyer”

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Melany Bell. “Food is First”

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Evan Poncelet. “Fundraising for Community and Venture Scale Businesses”

All are welcome; WSBLI is at 2656 42nd SW, and the festival concludes at 5 pm.

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Sing in 2024! Boeing Employees Choir – open to all – invites you to its West Seattle rehearsals
December 30, 2023 3:26 pm
|    Comments Off on Sing in 2024! Boeing Employees Choir – open to all – invites you to its West Seattle rehearsals
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

You don’t have to be a Boeing employee to sing in the Boeing Employees Choir! In fact, the choir is casting a wide net for new members, and the first step is to show up for one of its West Seattle rehearsals. Here’s the announcement from the choir’s marketing director Mika Kitamura:

The Boeing Employees Choir has Open Rehearsals January 9, 16, 23, 30 and February 6, 2024 (Tuesdays), in West Seattle @ 6:30 PM at the West Seattle American Legion Hall, 3618 SW Alaska St.

The Boeing Employees Choir strives to be an exceptional concert choir with an international reputation, reflecting the world-class standards Boeing has set for its airplanes and other exciting products. Our next international tour to Greece is set for Fall 2024 and we would love any new qualified members to join us!

Read more about the process of joining the choir here.

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Jamie Kinney’s first photo show
December 22, 2023 4:33 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Next time you go to Bakery Nouveau in The Junction, take a look at the walls as well as at the cases full of treats. You’ll see photos by Jamie Kinney, a West Seattle photographer who has contributed many images to WSB over the years. (That’s Jamie, above, in a photo taken at Don Armeni Boat Ramp by his son Owen Kinney.) We asked him for one of his favorites; he sent this owl-in-cherry-blossoms image published here last year.

The Bakery Nouveau exhibition is Jamie’s first photo show; the framed prints on display are available for purchase (there’s a QR code next to each one), and he’s also selling photo calendars via his website. Next year, Jamie plans to start offering workshops in the field – his first one will be a wildlife-photography workshop in British Columbia in July. (Registration information will appear on his website soon.)

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NEW YEAR’S EVE: West Seattle band THEM to play at the city’s biggest party
December 18, 2023 3:19 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Photo courtesy THEM)

There is no more-iconic place to spend New Year’s Eve in Seattle than the Space Needle – and that’s exactly where the West Seattle band THEM will be on Sunday night, December 31. Ellie from THEM emailed us with the news that they’ll be featured on the KING 5 “New Year’s at the Needle” broadcast: “We would just love to get as many people watching the broadcast as possible! It sounds like we will be playing a few songs, right around 11:45 pm, when the fireworks/drone show start. We will be performing on the revolving glass floor right at the top of the Needle!” THEM has been ascending since debuting two years ago after forming at Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor), when Ellie and bandmates Hudson, Maia, and Thompson were all still teenagers. If you haven’t seen/heard THEM, you can sample their music via channels including YouTube.

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Help shape project at site of new 1.25 million-gallon overflow-storage tank
December 17, 2023 2:50 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Project rendering)

Another public-art project is in the works for West Seattle, and a survey has just opened to seek your feedback in shaping it. From the King County Wastewater Treatment District‘s announcement:

King County will build a 1.25-million-gallon underground storage tank on the west side of the First Avenue Bridge to reduce sewage and stormwater overflows into the Duwamish River during large storms. Water stored in the West Duwamish Wet Weather Facility will flow to the West Point Treatment Plant for cleaning before it is safely released into the Puget Sound. To learn more about the project, visit the project website.

Fencing Panel Art

Help shape the facility’s public appearance by sharing your perspectives about the Duwamish River valley! Fencing designed by Seattle artist Ann Marie Schneider will ring the new facility. Input from the community will be incorporated into the fence-panels art. We would love to learn how you see this dynamic river valley landscape can be integrated into the facility fencing appearance to reflect our commitment to stewardship in concert with the resiliency of our river.

The project had a separate community survey last year; results were part of a briefing at HPAC‘s meeting last April. To answer the new survey, which is open until January 24, go here. The facility is expected to start construction in 2025.

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Holiday Makers’ Market in North Delridge
December 17, 2023 12:46 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Holiday Makers’ Market in North Delridge
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Inside a vintage commercial building that is currently home to a photography studio, you’ll find the first Sweet Reel Makers’ Market until 4 pm. Your host at 5001 Delridge Way SW is photographer Angie Norwood Browne:

The cozy space is hosting 11 makers and artists – the needle-felted animals by Paula Wittmann caught our eye, including ornaments:

The West Seattle Art Walk‘s former longtime coordinator, artist Reeve Washburn, is there with her work too:

The listing for the market also promised “trinkets” – we noticed vintage china and jewelry:

(The building is vintage too – we mentioned it in 2021, when renovations briefly uncovered a “ghost sign.”) For more info on the market, including the list of artists/makers participating, see our calendar listing.

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THURSDAY: Southwest Seattle Historical Society presents ‘Hip Hop and It Don’t Stop’ with King Khazm
December 13, 2023 8:55 pm
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 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Another regular feature of second Thursdays is the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s Words, Writers, Southwest Stories speaker series. Tomorrow night, SWSHS presents Seattle hip-hop luminary and community organizer King Khazm, in an online event – here’s the preview from SWSHS:

Hip-hop culture and its founding principles are often misunderstood due to its commodification and exploitation by corporate interests and mainstream media. Few know its humble roots as a tool to unify, uplift, and amplify voices, particularly for youth of color.

Join artist and activist King Khazm as he explores the art, history, philosophy, and ethics of hip-hop—an international phenomenon and billion-dollar industry whose legacy is centered in community empowerment, cultural exchange, and resilience. Khazm shows how hip-hop is much more than just a genre of music; it has the capacity to challenge the status quo, address systemic oppression, and provide opportunities for the development of life skills, civic engagement, and global connections.

Khazm “King Khazm” Kogita (he/him) is a multifaceted artist, producer, and community organizer. He has been engaged in art and community service for over 25 years. He is the executive director of 206 Zulu and serves on several boards including 4Culture, the Seattle Disability Commission, and The Here & Now Project. Khazm lives in Seattle.

Go here to RSVP. (Photo courtesy SWSHS)

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WEST SEATTLE MUSIC: Endolyne Children’s Choir registration time
December 13, 2023 9:49 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

If you were at the West Seattle Junction GLOWS festival in the early going this past Saturday, you saw/heard the Endolyne Children’s Choir. (We featured a video clip in our first festival report.) Starting today, the choir is opening registration for new members – here’s the announcement:

Embark on a musical journey with Endolyne Children’s Choir at our upcoming winter session, featuring “We Are the Voices” by the incredible Jim Papoulis! 🎶 Explore songs that nurture personal and vocal confidence through expressive lines and harmonies. Join Megan Booth, Clara Dorst, and Dylan Petersen as we discover the power of your voice together!

Endolyne Children’s Choir is a secular, non-audition, community choir, open to any child in grades K-12 who loves to sing. We offer a joyful, inclusive environment that supports children’s emotional, social, and musical development.

Registration is open December 13-22. Learn more at endolynechoir.org

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Missed the GLOWS community-art projections? Encore all week!
December 11, 2023 7:13 pm
|    Comments Off on Missed the GLOWS community-art projections? Encore all week!
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo, Saturday night, projected art by B Anthony Nelson)

If you weren’t at Saturday night’s GLOWS (Glorious Lights of West Seattle) festival in The Junction to see the community-created art – you have another chance: All week, the projections continue on the south-facing wall of Alaska House (the apartment building bordering Junction Plaza Park). We don’t have the exact hours but we went through The Junction around 6:30 pm and the projections, with the artists’ name and their creations, were already under way. West Seattle Junction Association executive director Chris Mackay says they’re working on making the art available online, too.

P.S. If you skipped the festival, you also missed an hour of amazing holiday performances by an all-star group of local singers and musicians – we have 10 clips, plus the set list, in this report.

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REPORT #3: West Seattle musical All-Stars’ holiday tunes at GLOWS
December 10, 2023 4:03 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That was a curtain call of sorts for local musicians who were part of a musical showcase during The Junction’s GLOWS festival that could have been an event all its own – an assemblage of “West Seattle All-Stars” led by Jay Cates, performing holiday songs for about an hour right before the tree lighting and projected-art show. For the finale, Ayron Jones – soon to head out on a world tour – with a wistful rendition of “Silent Night“:

Some holiday history, with The Sonics‘ “Santa Claus” performed by Scott Helgason, David Cinnamon, and Zach Rourke here’s a sample:

Tomo Nakayama took on “White Christmas“:

And then there was “Blue Christmas” by BB Jones and Peder Nelson of Sulk:

The inescapable classic “All I Want for Christmas” sung by Z:

Rachael Reis, Billy Joe Huels, and friends with “Santa Baby“:

“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” promised Cameron Lavi-Jones of King Youngblood:

B Anthony Nelson and Johnny Nails delivered a bluesy “Run Run Rudolph“:

Cates – who credited Nelson with producing the All-Star assemblage – contributed “Winter Wonderland”:

And our last clip features Cates and “Voice of the Mariners” Tom Hutyler dueting on “Little Drummer Boy“:

That’s not even the entirety of the show – but enough to give you an idea of what an epic holiday concert it turned out to be. (Asterisks mark a few performers whose names we didn’t catch – we hope to fix that by obtaining a list ASAP.)

MONDAY UPDATE: We’ve replaced those asterisks with names – here’s the set list; here’s the slide deck of performer names with QR codes you can use to find out more about them.

Earlier coverage: Festival’s first two hours – including video of Endolyne Children’s Choir, West Seattle School of Rock, and ArtsWest‘s “Snowed In” cast – covered here; the tree lighting and art projection, here.

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