Articles

Greta Matassa Quartet will perform Saturday, Nov.12, 8 pm in VAA Panache Jazz Series for Island audiences. Mega-talented jazz singer Matassa, touted as ‘a marvel of virtuosity’ by the Los Angeles Times returns tp Vashon for a much awaited encore. Joining her on stage will be one of the Northwest’s finest pianist and keyboard artists, Darin Clendenin, on of the region’s leading bassists Clipper Anderson and versatile freelance drummer/percussionist Mark Ivester. She will perform music from her latest CD I Wanna Be Loved and take listener requests.

Avaaza, (Ah-Va-ZAH) derived from "Avaaz" the Persian word for "voice," is the newest world music ensemble to emerge from the vibrant music scene on Vashon Island will have their much-anticipated debut at the Red Bicycle Bistro on November 11th at 9:00.

"Eleven, eleven, eleven (11/11/11) is a very special date," said Azula, the lead vocalist for the group. "We are excited to celebrate this auspicious occasion by doing what we love…

 October 4, 2011, 5:13pm PST, SeaTac Airport.  The British Airways jet touches down and Amanda Knox is home!  Those are the words that I have wanted to print for years.

October 3, 2011, 1:30 am PST, Raffaele Sollecito’s statement to the court:  “I never hurt anyone, never in my whole life.  The charge against me, it was so outlandish that I thought that it could disappear within a little amount of time, everything could be clarified.  But this did not happen and somehow I had to endure and go on day by day and I’ve been living a nightmare. 

Get ready to laugh when two-time Guinness World Record holder Alex Zerbe, voted Seattle’s Funniest Prop Comic, launches VAA’s 2011-12 Family Series into the stratosphere. Add some fun to your Sunday, October 23, 2 pm, at the Blue Heron. Zerbe serves up a full hour of amazing stunts, physical comedy and audience participation in a high energy, all-ages show.

The first thing I noticed was an abundance of sky where leaves and branches used to be. I knew what had been there, why it was there and where it had come from. I also knew what had been there just a year before and, like the present vanishment, had come and gone with little to no fanfare. As there was not much fanfare when we put them in, one could say that it’s easy come, easy go, although for some the going part is not so easy.

Amrita will perform Kirtan at the Puget Sound Zen Center on November 12th at 7:30 PM. Admission is a suggested donation of $10 and all are welcome.

"World Kirtan is the singing of sacred songs from around the globe as well as the traditional sanskrit from the Hindu tradition," said bandleader, Carol Lutra-Johns. "We are bringing the World of sacred chants to the island, creating community, harmony and joyful self-expression celebrating the Divine within and without," she added. 

Vashon’s streets and neighborhoods will soon be shinning purple lights to send a strong message that, ‘Domestic Violence has No Place in Our Community.’ The campaign is part of a national awareness initiative that involves businesses and residents shining a purple light bulb or string of purple lights on their front porch or front windows for the entire month of October to remember the victims and honor the survivors of domestic violence.

I don’t get writer’s block. It’s an incredible blessing. I have so many projects I’m working on I always have a rotation that keeps things fresh and flowing.

This column I have been stuck on for two weeks or more. Why? … It’s my learning curve. ( By the way I’ve been reading articles about how my use of ‘three dots’ and parenthesis is becoming passé. I’m going to keep using them. They approximate my speech delivery the best).

As most know by now, the news on the budget front is not good. The revenue forecast for the 2011-2013 biennium (July 2011-June 2013) dropped last week by $1.4 billion. That is a significant drop given that the general fund budget, which funds education among other programs, is $32 billion. There is pessimism regarding the November revenue forecast which may bring revenues down again. The Governor and Legislature are probably looking at a $1-$2 billion deficit in the current biennium. For this reason, the Governor has announced that she will call the Legislature back into special session November 28th in advance of the regular session that begins in January.  

Vashon Islander, Dr. William Foege, is credited with devising the global strategy that led to the eradication of smallpox. It has been estimated that Dr. Foege’s work has saved the lives of more than 122 million people worldwide. Vashon Community Care is excited to announce that the next speaker in the Telling Stories Speaker Series, by and about Vashon locals, will be Dr. Foege.  

Community Cinema Vashon will be screening the film DEAF JAM this Sunday, October 16th at 3pm at the Ober Park Performance Room. This event is FREE and happens on the third Sunday of every month. The Community Cinema monthly series from ITVS, Independent Television Service, premiers documentary films which will soon be aired on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. These films cover a wide range of interesting topics about important issues of our time as well as audience favorites from film festivals across the country. Viewers are taken to places that they would not otherwise see, and encounter people that they would not otherwise meet.