The Stranger

(FRANKENSTEIN HIPHOP) From the brain productions of Dan the Automator we get Dr. Octagon, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030, Gorillaz, and Lovage. In the way Tarantino reanimated the dead careers of Hollywood actors (Harvey Keitel, John Travolta), Dan the Automator reanimated the dead careers of hiphop rappers (Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Kool Keith). Tonight, Chali 2na of Jurassic Five opens for the Automator, but in subsequent West Coast shows it will be our own Common Market and Blue Scholars. (Neumo's, 925 E Pike St, 709-9442. 8 pm, $15 adv, all ages.) by Charles Mudede

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(ABSURDIST COMEDY) Bumbershoot has proved to Seattle's clubs that they need to start booking comedy acts (remember those lines around the Charlotte Martin Theatre?), and thank goodness, because now we are getting to see nationally recognized alternative comedians with some regularity. Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter are two of the members of the Stella comedy troupe. They are both ridiculously hilarious. (Neumo's, 925 E Pike Street, 709-9467, 8 pm, $20 adv, all ages.) by Ari Spool

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(MUSIC) In 1970, the popular singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson released Nilsson Sings Newman, an LP of songs by the less-popular singer/songwriter Randy Newman that introduced scores of listeners to the brilliance of the Newman songbook. Tonight singer/songwriter/Harvey Danger frontman Sean Nelson returns the favor with Nelson Sings Nilsson, a one-night-only evening of songs from the incomparable Harry Nilsson. Performed with a 24-piece orchestra and the band "Awesome," it's a win-win gimmick, drawing much-deserved attention to the Nilsson songbook while providing a most attractive setting for Nelson's simply lovely voice. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, brownpapertickets.com, 7 pm, $10 adv/$12 DOS, all ages.) by David Schmader

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(ART/BOOK) While Independent Curator Jess Van Nostrand's show at the Aqua Hotel in Miami this week represents members of SOIL Gallery during the art fair/megalopolis Art Basel Miami Beach, her last 20 exhibitions are being celebrated in a cozier way, at Joe Bar, over crepes and wine. Since 2004 at Joe Bar, Van Nostrand has done the hardest job in curating: nosing out talent without a stamp already on it. A tour of her choices—like Alice Tippit, Diem Chau, and Maija Fiebig—is on the walls, and there's even a full-color book out for the occasion. (Joe Bar, 810 E Roy St, 324-0407, free.) by Jen Graves

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(MUSIC) Yes, the Juno reunion is exciting, but Ted Leo & the Pharmacists are a big part of this bill's appeal. Though adoration for the D.C.-based Leo has been spreading widely over the last few years, it wasn't until I caught him at the Touch and Go anniversary show in Chicago this year that I really understood how close this kid is to becoming a modern-day incarnation of Alex Chilton. With Juno, Junior Boys, and Cold War Kids. (Neumo's, 925 E Pike St, ticketswest.com, 7 pm, $20, all ages, balcony only.) by Hannah Levin

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(THEATER) Two men—once childhood friends, now adult rivals pretending to be friends—face off in a game show broken into 13 rounds: "Power Lunch," "Business Ties," "Who Falls Dead the Best," etc. Their competition is scored and refereed by a young woman, a ghost from their shared past, and she takes unholy pleasure in announcing that one of these men has a gun. The acting is good and the script is great. This is what WET does best—tight, tense, and funny little plays that aren't boring. (Washington Ensemble Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 800-838-3006, $10—$18, 8 pm.) by Brendan Kiley

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(LUNCH) The other day I ventured over to Stellina and had a curry vegetable potpie—less a potpie and more a bowl of vegetables in curry with a pastry hat. Delicious. The guys sitting next to me were real-estate businessmen who took off their hardhats as they sat down. That noise? The construction next door. The view? Another construction site across the street. The catch? Stellina's only open for breakfast and lunch—for now. (Stellina, 1429 12th Ave, 322-2688, 8 am—5 pm, closed Sundays.) by Christopher Frizzelle

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