1. Jason Webley plays an accordion and sings with a Tom Waits gruffness. His twisty gypsy folk, layered with violins, is alternately heartfelt and heart-thumping. His shows usually turn into jumpy punk rock manias.
Tonight at the Fremont Abbey. $9. All ages.
2. Tonight, a workshop on how to make fermented foods, like kimchi, sauerkraut, and, “raw” cheese. It’s being put on by Thrive, a group of vegan, gluten-free raw fooders who are dedicated to spreading the message of bean sprouts and kombucha. They call their series of classes the “Dojo of Deliciousness.”
Tonight’s class is from 5 pm to 7pm. It costs $35. At 1026 NE 65th Street, #A-102. Register here.
3. “Awesome” are something like a theater troupe meets a jam band becalmed. They perform knotty, winding compositions on a wide range of instruments, including banjos, saxophones, and typewriters, play with bouncing vocal harmonies, and sing songs about sunshine and philosophy.
I’ve never seen them live, but they have a reputation for being hugely entertaining–a couple of years ago, they put on a play at the Seattle Children’s Theater that had something to do with whales and overhead projectors. If this kind of consciously-cute zaniness doesn’t do it for you, listen to their truly pretty song Memory Leak–the tiptoeing banjo and high harmonies have a kind of calm, early-morning darkness about them.
Awesome is in the midst of a three-night run at the Seattle Center. Tonight’s the second show; it’s called “Logjam!”
Tonight at 7 pm, at the Seattle Center’s Center House. Free.
