Vashon Island will be alive with the sound of music this weekend, with performances and talks on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, spanning genres from rock to classical music to Americana. Take your pick, or attend all three.
Kuinka comes to Open Space
Islanders can wear their dancing shoes to a show by the folk/pop band Kuinka, set for 8 p.m. Friday, April 13, at the Bruce Black Box Theatre at Open Space for Arts and Community.
Kuinka’s music features several different lead singers, four-part harmony and instrumentation including cello, banjo, synthesizers, ukulele and electronic percussion.
The band, formed in 2014, includes brothers Zach and Nathan Hamer, along with Miranda Zickler and Jillian Walker.
The group’s 2014 debut album, “The Wild North,” propelled the band onto stages across the country and was followed by a 2016 album, “The Heartland.” Both records were recorded at the famed Bear Creek Studio in Woodinville, Washington, and led to performances at dozens of festivals and several successful national headlining tours.
Kuinka’s latest album, “Stay Up Late,” was produced near Portland, Oregon, by producer Jerry Streeter, who has also worked with Brandi Carlile and The Lumineers.
“We’ve spent our time as a band in pursuit of a unique sound that captures our energy and essence,” said band member Zickler. “We’d love for our music to be a soundtrack to adventure.”
The concert will also give islanders a chance to cut a rug on a new dance floor installed at Open Space.
The new floor was made possible by a $17,500 King County’s 4Culture grant to UMO Ensemble, in conjunction with Open Space, for new rigging for the black box theater, as well as a semi-sprung movement floor.
Made from a base layer of blocks of closed cell foam covered with layers of flexible wood and topped with a resilient durable layer, the state-of-the-art floor is already being used by UMO School students of all ages.
David Godsey, Open Space co-founder, said he is also excited for the floor to be used by the community for Club O events and shows such as the Kuinka concert.
“The Bruce Black Box Theatre now offers a floor that takes the strain off knees, ankles and hips,” said Godsey. “We can all dance for hours and hours now.”
Tickets for Kuinka, $15 general, $10 student and youth or $20 table, are available online at brownpapertickets.com, at Vashon Bookshop and at the door.
Dive into Chopin at Vashon Center for the Arts
Join Vashon resident, musician and musicologist Michael Tracy for a multimedia presentation on Frederic Chopin that includes a lecture, slideshow and a live piano performance. The lecture will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at Vashon Center for the Arts.
By age 20, Chopin, who lived from 1810 to 1849, had published 24 etudes of piano technique that revolutionized how the piano was played. Tracy’s lecture will explain how improvements in piano construction, especially the keyboard action, made this playing technique possible and necessary.
Tracy will be joined by Mark Salman at the piano.
A native of Connecticut, Salman began his studies at age 8 and made his first recital debut at age 11. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Salman also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years concentrating on chamber music and composition. He now lives and teaches in Seattle, where he performed “A Chopin Celebration,” a series of three recitals that celebrated the composer’s 200th birthday in 2010.
Tickets to the Chopin talk and performance are $14 for VCA members, $16 for seniors and students and $18 general admission. For more information, visit vashoncenterforthearts.org.
Ike Harmon plays the Snap
Singer-songwriter Ike Harmon will play at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at Snapdragon Café. Billed as an evening of straight-up rock music, the show will include music from Harmon’s 2017 album, “These Mansions Made of Sky,” as well as selections from a new album, currently being recorded on Vashon.
Musicians slated to join Harmon for the show are Ben McQuillin, Rick Dahms, Andy James and Luke McQuillin.
