If you're going to be in town this weekend to run or watch that silly foot race on Sunday, don't let Saturday night slip by without scoring a taste of what downtown Spokane has to offer. In addition to great, modestly priced restaurants just about everywhere you look, the nightlife scene here sports enough variety, energy and excitement to keep you thoroughly entertained until well past your bedtime. And don't give us any of that flap about "resting up for the race" -- you can sleep all you want when you're dead, right? OK then. Allow us to suggest the following as worthy ways to while away your pre-Bloomsday Saturday night.
Live Music
Jazz with the Brent Edstrom Trio
7-10 pm at Ella's Supper Club, upstairs at CenterStage, 1017 W. First Ave.
Like an NYC supper club right here in River City, Ella's combines fine dining, a chic (yet fairly casual) atmosphere and the winning live sounds of local jazz performers. The Brent Edstrom Trio is on tap this weekend.
The Accident Experiment, Alston, Life's Lie
8 pm at Fat Tuesday's, 109 W. Pacific
Heavy rockers might want to check into Fat Tuesday's rock club for this one, as Accident Experiment features Marcos Curiel (of P.O.D.). The opening bands look decent as well. All-ages show with full bar available for those 21 and older.
Sushi + sake + DJ
Aki's Grill, 523 W. First Ave.
The space is long and narrow with tables, booths, a bar and sleek contemporary style. It's a great place to enjoy intimate conversation along with cool modern sounds from a selection of top local DJs. Beer, wine and sake are available. And the sushi is outstanding.
Rock with the Kings of Leon
8 pm at the Big Easy Concert House,
911 W. Sprague
Southern rock kids with attitude and looks to burn. Oh, and pretty fair chops, too.
Reggae with the Planetary Refugees 9 pm at the Blue Spark, 15 S. Howard St.
A fun hangout with lots of great beers on tap, the Blue Spark hosts local purveyors of reggae, the Planetary Refugees.
Theater, Comedy, Dance
Othello
8 pm at Interplayers, 174 S. Howard St.
This subtle treatment of the Shakespeare play by director Nike Imoru is made all the more mesmerizing for its lack of spectacle. The excellent cast is given the space to allow this timeless and tragic tale of manipulation, jealousy, madness and self-destruction to unfold at a measured pace. Most satisfying. Tickets are $20, $18 for seniors and students.
York
8 pm at Spokane Civic Theatre,
1020 N. Howard St.
Spokane playwright Bryan Harnetiaux's new play about Capt. William Clark's manservant during the 1804-06 expedition. The show was developed in collaboration with David Casteal, who will play York and display his drumming skills. Tickets: $12.
ComedySportz
8 pm at 227 W. Riverside Ave.
Check out local improv laughs from a troupe that plays comedy like it's a sport. It's wild, people -- and quite frequently hilarious. Tickets are $10 at the door and only $5 for students.
Get Your Groove on at Dempsey's
9 pm until whenever at 909 W. First Ave.
Dempsey's Brass Rail is the place in downtown Spokane to drink while you dance your fool head off. The club is very inclusive and the crowd is generally very pleasant, if sometimes a little crazy (in a good way).
Film
Along with the AMC Theaters at River Park Square, there are a couple of other places to catch films in downtown Spokane.
Downfall -- 5:30 pm and 8:30 pm at the Met Cinema, 901 W. Sprague
An absorbing look at the final days of Adolf Hitler -- from inside the Berlin bunker that represented his last stand. Downfall is fiction based on fact and told through the eyes and ears of Hitler's personal secretary. The straightforward storytelling portrays the members of the Third Reich's inner circle as neither demons nor heroes but rather, as human beings confronting defeat and desperation.
Worst Midnight Movie Series Ever Midnight at CenterStage, 1017 W. First
This series features laughably horrible movies each Saturday at the witching hour for just three bucks -- with cocktails, beer, popcorn and other treats available to help make it all go down easy. Good times. This week's offering is 1989's C.H.U.D. 2 (as if the original wasn't enough), which features a gaggle of dumb teens and the "cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers" promised in the title. More comedic than horrific. But then you already guessed that.
Publication date: 04/28/05
