KPLU’s Saturday morning news and culture magazine, Sound Effect presents an evening of storytelling organized around the theme, “A Friend in Need”—May 18, 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall Seattle. The event will feature onstage interviews, a photo presentation and live music. It’s a benefit for the Save KPLU campaign as the station races to raise enough money to stay alive and independent. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets. Guests include the following:
· Seattle saxophonist Skerik will perform with his band BANDALABRA. The ensemble was the recipient of the Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Award for Alternative Jazz Group of the year. Skerik is a pioneer in a playing style that has been dubbed “saxophonics,” often augmenting his sonic palette though the use of electronics and loops. BANDALABRA is: Skerik on saxophone, Andy Coe on guitar, Evan Flory-Barnes on bass and D’Vonne Lewis on drums.
· Iconic author Tom Robbins will read from his memoir, "Tibetan Peach Pie" about his days in community radio. He’ll then listen, along with the audience, to excerpts of archived recordings of his 1960s broadcasts (courtesy of www.krab.fm, the KRAB archive), followed by a brief Q&A.
· Seattle photographer Tim Durkan will talk about the hidden side of Seattle and what has led him to dedicate himself to documenting it. He’ll share a series of his striking photos, chronicling “the pretty and the gritty”—a phrase that was coined after he recently began juxtaposing his more iconic landscapes with that of the homelessness and addiction crises on the city streets.
· The Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Kimya Dawson will share personal reflections and a song or two. She’s most widely known for her work on the "Juno" soundtrack and her former band, The Moldy Peaches, and she’s released six solo albums, including one for children.
· Seattle writer and critic Melanie McFarland will give a live storytelling performance. McFarland’s entertainment blog is McTelevision. She served as IMDb’s first TV editor where she curated television content and reviewed TV shows on the site’s first original web series, “What to Watch.” Prior to IMDb, McFarland spent five years as the TV critic for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
“Throughout the Save KPLU campaign, we’ve come face to face like never before with the people of this region and the stories they have to tell,” says KPLU’s Gabriel Spitzer, host of the weekly Sound Effect program and the evening’s MC. “So I’m even more excited to bring Sound Effect’s storytelling to life in three dimensions, live and onstage.”
The live show’s theme, “A Friend in Need” is particularly apropos since the Save KPLU campaign needs to raise the $7 million needed for 88.5 FM to become an independent, community-licensed station. To date, the campaign has raised over $3.7 million and is halfway to its goal. The community group Friends of 88-5 FM recently attained 501(c)(3) status as a tax-exempt organization, so all donations made to the Save KPLU at kplu.org are tax-deductible and eligible for employer matching programs.
A purchase of the license by the Friends of 88.5 FM means that the station will become independent with oversight from a governing board. KPLU’s award-winning, independent news department will remain intact, allowing for greater, in-depth local news coverage in the Puget Sound region. In addition, NPR programming will continue, as will the award-winning jazz and blues, including weekly live performances, and the station’s support of jazz education through local high schools and colleges.
KPLU’s Sound Effect is “your weekly tour of ideas, inspired by the place we live.” It’s heard every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on 88.5 KPLU and at kplu.org.
