Burien’s KidSounds, YouthSounds & TeenSounds are joining forces to present “The Night Before Christmas” holiday concert on Friday, Dec. 11th at 7pm at the Highline Performing Arts Center.

Here are the details:

WHAT: KidSounds, YouthSounds & TeenSounds join forces to present “The Night Before Christmas” holiday concert.

WHEN: Friday Dec. 11th beginning at 7pm

WHERE: Highline Performing Arts Center, next door to Highline High School in Burien

COST:  $10-$15 (17 & under free with a paid adult ticket). Tickets can be purchased online here or via phone: 206-246-6040.

INFO: From their press release:

Under the direction of Paula Hawkins, KidSounds, YouthSounds and TeenSounds Northwest will join forces with a fun-filled program designed just for families.

“The Night Before Christmas” combines colorful costumes and creative sets with traditional holiday favorites like “Silent Night” and “O Come, All Ye Faithful.” Popular newer gems such as “We Need a Little Christmas” and “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” are included to showcase the budding musical talents of even the youngest 8-, 9- and 10-year old singers.

Families hunting for affordable entertainment will delight and parents looking for a risk-free way to introduce their children to the joys of choral music can rest easy because Northwest Associated Arts youth ticket program lets young people 17 and under in free with a paid adult ticket.

YouthSounds & TeenSounds Northwest demonstrate Northwest Associated Arts’ commitment to providing musical education and performance opportunity for young people from grades 3 through 12 in South King County. Each year the three choruses perform together for two mainstage concerts at the Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien. In a time of radical funding cuts to music programs in the schools, these ensembles provide an important and life-changing opportunity for students to learn through the discipline of music. Along the way, audiences are delighted with the entertaining performances of these dedicated young singers. The goal of KidSounds, YouthSounds & TeenSounds Northwest is to foster a love of singing by engaging a wide variety of music repertoire. Proper vocal technique, theory and artistry are emphasized with an eye towards developing well-rounded young musicians.

The NWAA young people’s music education program is funded, in part, by the generous support of:

• Lucky 7 Foundation
• Glaser Foundation
• Norcliffe Foundation
• City of Burien
• JR Mailing Services, Inc.
• Many individuals & families throughout our community

For more information, visit their website here.

The 5th Annual Hip-Hop Summit is returning to Highline Community College on Thursday Feb. 26th and Friday, Feb. 27th, and it should be an all gravy, all raw, bustin’ time (in other words…it’ll be all good).

Here are the details:

Some believe that hip-hop is dead.

According to Northwest based hip-hop group, Blue Scholars, “it’s not, it’s just malnourished and underfed.” True story. Hip-hop music and culture is continuously thriving and evolving. Since its inception, each day has been a stepping stone for this multifaceted channel of expression.

On February 26 and 27, 2009, Highline Community College presents “The Hip-Hop Summit.” A two day long event showcasing a culture defined by creativity, diversity, knowledge and evolution.

Help us gain strength in our movement and spread the word. Hip-hop don’t stop!

WHAT: Hip Hop Summit, to be held over two days:

WHEN:

THURSDAY, FEB. 26th:

• 9:00am-9:50am: The History & Evolution of Hip-Hop with King Khazm (founder of Zulu Nation-Seattle Chapter, Hip Hop emcee & activist) in Mt. Constance Room
• 10:00am-11:30am: Keynote: Hip Hop Politics with Dr. Tricia Rose of Brown University in Mt. Constance Room
• 12:00pm-1:30pm: Panel Discussion: Misconceptions of Hip-Hop in Mt. Constance Room

FRIDAY, FEB. 27th:

• 10:00am-10:50am: Art Showcase in Mt. Constance Room
• 11:00am-12:00pm: ICC – Poetry Lounge and Open Mic in Mt. Constance Room
• 7pm: Doors Open at Mt. Townsend Room Stage: 2 v. 2 Break Battle, With Performances by:
  • So HyDef
  • Nam
  • Khingz
  • Gabriel Teodros
  • The Parker Brothers
  • Common Market

WHERE: Highline Community College Student Union (Building 8), located at 2400 S. 240th St, Des Moines, WA 98198 (map below)

COST: Highline Students $5, General Admission $10

INFO: Highline Community College Events Calendar or on MySpace


View Larger Map

Aside from making airplanes and being blasted by Sir Richard Branson, Boeing has a collection of talented musicians who make up the Boeing Orchestra of Flight.

They’re seeking more musicians, and here’s some info from their press release:

The Boeing Orchestra of flight is a volunteer ,community orchestra open to all adult instrumentalists, including musicians not affiliated with Boeing. We have been performing in the Puget Sound area since 1983.

We strive to provide a fun, non-competitive and improvement-oriented experience for our members. Our music includes works from the Baroque and classical to contemporary Broadway and Hollywood film scores.

We would particularly like to invite string players, double reed players, and percussionists to join us.

There are no auditions required. Musicians who perhaps have not played for some time are definitely encouraged to return to their instrument and lend their talents to the group. We strive to provide a fun, non-competitive and improvement oriented organization.

Musicians young and old are welcome with the following qualifications:

You should be able to:

• Read music for your instrument
• Play at a high school level or better
• Be willing to commit to the rehearsal and concert schedules
• Be able to get to and from rehearsals and concerts

Dues are $70 for the season (September to June), or $35 for the combined Fall and Christmas series or $35 for the combined Winter and Spring series of concerts. You are welcome to come play with us for a rehearsal, or just listen, before you join the orchestra.

Rehearsals are Mondays from 7:30 to 9:30 P.M. and are held in Boeing’s South Park Cafeteria, the 15-35 Bldg. The first rehearsal of the Fall Series is in September on the first Monday after Labor Day. Rehearsals continue weekly (except during the Christmas break) through the end of the season, usually in June.

The South Park facility can be seen from the air in Google Maps.

For more information, e-mail Paul at pandmo@msn.com.

You can learn more about us at http://www/flightorchestra.org

12/19/08 UPDATE: THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SATURDAY, JAN. 3rd; David sent us this email:

This year’s Christmas Concert has been postponed to Saturday night, January 3rd.  Same place, same time.  For more info, go to www.davidtempleton.com and click on “Calendar”.

Burien resident David Templeton, an amazingly-talented classical/jazz pianist who’s released five albums, will be performing an evening of Christmas music at the Landmark on the Sound on Saturday, Dec. 20th starting at 7pm Saturday, Jan. 3rd!

This venue is a chateau-like castle built in the 1920s overlooking Puget Sound. Located in Des Moines, this theater harkens back to the romantic days of the Grand Hotel featured in the movie “Somewhere In Time.”

We met with Mr. Templeton recently, and found him to be a charming, engaging, intelligent artist who knows the Burien area quite well. In fact, he’s lived in the Three Tree Point neighborhood since 1987, where he has his own music studio.

He even loaned us a CD called “The Crossing,” with permission to include some tracks – so if you haven’t yet heard his music, click on the “Play” buttons below:

[display_podcast]

Here’s his website bio:

I began playing the piano at the age of three, before I could even reach the pedals. I have never been able to read or write music, I just hear it in my head and then play it. People often ask me how I come up with the ideas for my songs. The source of my inspiration varies from people I’ve known to places I’ve been, to those that I dream of knowing. Sometimes I get inspired by walks along the beach around Seattle and spending time in Washington State’s beautiful San Juan Islands.

I always hear music in my head, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I listen for the best ideas and work them into songs, refining them until I say only what I need to say in the most elegant way possible. Then I record them at home in my studio. The piano I play and record on is called a Bosendorfer, a hand made instrument, which some say is the finest in the world. Take a look at some photos of the Bosendorfer in the image gallery. It takes seven years from start to finish to build and the one I play has 92 keys instead of the usual 88. Having such a wonderful piano to practice and record on inspires and motivates me to create better and higher caliber music.

WHAT: David Templeton’s Christmas Concert

WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 20th at 7pm. SATURDAY, JAN, 3rd. Refreshments will be served.

WHERE: Landmark on the Sound is located at 23660 Marine View Drive South, Des Moines (map below)

COST: Advance ticket price is $25. Night of event, $30. To order tickets, click here.

View Larger Map

Seattle’s internationally-famous Total Experience Gospel Choir is bringing its collective spiritual voice to Burien on Sunday, Dec. 7th at 9:30am, when they sing at Lake Burien Presbyterian Church.

Here’s a video to prep you for this experience, which is truly impressive:

WHAT: Total Experience Gospel Choir performs

WHEN: Sunday, Dec. 7 at 9:30am

WHERE: Lake Burien Presbyterian Church, located at 15003 14th Avenue SW in Burien (map below)

INFO: The Messenger’s Perspective Seattle’s legendary Total Experience Gospel Choir will lead worship at Lake Burien Presbyterian with infectiously joyful selections from their Intiman Theatre show, Black Nativity. A popular Northwest holiday tradition, Black Nativity is a mix of gospel music, dance, poetry and a re-telling of the Christmas story like you’ve never seen before. Don’t miss this chance to preview musical portions of the 2008 show right here at Lake Burien Presbyterian!

From the Total Experience Gospel Choir website:

The Total Experience Gospel Choir bursts with love, joy and enthusiasm – humanity! It is hailed as one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest soulful ensembles. Pastor Patrinell Staten Wright started the group as a gospel music class at Seattle’s Franklin High School in 1973. Since then the choir has grown to become a nationally and internationally known gospel singing group.

Another interesting anecdote about Total Experience Gospel Choir is that in January they teamed up with Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron and a host of other talented musicians to record this song called “Fired Up, Ready To Go”:

To learn more about Total Experience Gospel Choir:

http://www.totalexperiencegospelchoir.org/

For tickets and information on the Intiman Theatre’s Black Nativity:

http://www.intiman.org/2008Season/bn.html

View Larger Map

Tonight’s “Jam Night” at The Breaktime, which is a sometimes-overlooked bar in downtown Burien at 635 SW 152nd Street, between Sixth and Ambaum Blvd. and right across the street from Miller Paint.

Hosted by Scott Rogney on drums, the regular jammin’ lineup also includes award-winning guitarist Rod Cook and Ken “Bernie Nitro” Lacombe on bass.

The music is mostly blues, older rock, country, jazz, and yes, there is a dance floor.

We’ve never been but we think it’s worth checkin’ out.

View Larger Map

Saturday’s annual Artwalk (aka Arts A-Glow) was a resounding success, with a wide variety of art, artists, musicians, performers and more spread throughout downtown Burien on SW 152nd all day long.

We had a booth outside Jay Lauris Jewelry and met quite a few friendly neighbors, then managed to find time to sneak away to enjoy a few of the festivities ourselves.

Hours of video were shot, dozens of photos taken, all of which will be edited and doled out over the next several days here, so be sure to check back often.

Some of our fave moments of the day included:

• Stumbling upon an acrobat rehearsal in the parking lot of Karuna Yoga
• Writing messages on the glass to the artists living inside the storefront windows
• Seeing autistic artist Chris Stiles’ original paintings up close at Sterling Savings Bank
• Seeing children dance the night away during the first-ever BlogstockAPalooza Music Fest
• Gathering new “slogan ideas” for Burien and reading them aloud between bands at BlogstockAPalooza (which we’ll be revealing over the next several days so stay tuned…)
• Watching great local bands with distinctly different original styles
• Happening upon the Ballard Ave Jug Busters, who played good ol’ boy honkytonk music on the sidewalk outside the Continuing Education office on SW 15nd:

[CORRECTION: we mistakenly originally posted this as happening Sat. Aug. 10th when in actuality it's happening SUNDAY Aug. 10th...sorry for any mixup!]

The Seattle band Sonando will be grooving their jazzy latin rhythms live at Dottie Harper Park this Sat. Sun. Aug. 10th, from 4-6pm, for FREE!

Here’s a bio from their website:

Sonando was founded in 1990 by Fred Hoadley and Lary Barilleau to explore new directions in the blending of Afro-Cuban rhythms and Jazz.

For over a decade, Sonando has performed original Latin Jazz at festivals, clubs & concerts throughout the Northwest.

Our first two recordings, Sonando (1995) & La Rumba Esta Buena (1998), received airplay and critical acclaim throughout the country. Our third, Sonando Tres, was released May 16, 2006 on the Origin Arts label, and is currently being aired around the country.

Sonando’s repertoire includes traditional & modern interpretations of Afro-Cuban styles such as Son, Changui, Bata & Rumba, as well as our signature Latin Jazz. We perform on folkloric instruments such as bata, marimbula, tres, congas, & shekere, as well as modern jazz instruments including flute, sax, trombone, piano, bass, & drumset.

And here’s a taste of what kind of music to expect (for fun, after listening to each song on its own, try playing them all at once!):

[display_podcast]

View Larger Map

Tonight is Jam Night at the Barrel Tavern, located at 11051 1st Ave South in Burien.

Special guest is Ted Beluci.

Gee-tars and Amps started getting turned up to 11 around 8pm.

The best part? There’s NO Cover!

The Barrel Tavern is located at 11051 1st Ave South; Phone: (206) 244-7390

View Larger Map