The Stranger

Britain's Sian Alice Group follow in the hallowed tradition of Spacemen 3 and Spiritualized's elevation-through-downer-chord-progressions approach to music making. On albums like last year's 59.59 and the new Troubled, Shaken, Etc., the band's subdued siren, Sian Ahern, emotes at an even keel with solemn, diaphanous white-girl soul. Sian Alice Group err on the eerie side of psych-rock songcraft, sometimes drifting into orchestral beauty, other times dispersing into interstellar abstraction, and yet other times evoking Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. (Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW, 784-4880. 10 pm, $8, 21+.) by Dave Segal

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If the old weird is the new normal, then what is going on? The Old, Weird America: Folk Themes in Contemporary Art, organized by the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, is a much-loved traveling circus of contemporary art's fascination with folk techniques and traditions (the title is taken from Greil Marcus's book on Bob Dylan's basement tapes). In Seattle it comes to the Frye, which has old/new, weird/normal dynamics all its own. The artists are popular favorites: Kara Walker, Dario Robleto, Matthew Day Jackson, Jeremy Blake, and more. (Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave, 622-9250. 10 am–5 pm with curator lecture at 2 pm, free.) by Jen Graves

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An adaptation of a favorite book is almost always a colossal letdown. How can it compete with the version in your heart? Book-It's production of A Confederacy of Dunces is exceptional: It is absolutely, unbelievably anti-disappointing. Brandon Whitehead deserves a Nobel Prize for his embodiment of flatulent, grandiose grump Ignatius J. Reilly. The rest of the cast is just fantastic. Mary Machala, the director and scriptwriter, should be the patron saint of adapters. This is funny, funny stuff! You must go. (Center House Theatre, Seattle Center, 684-7200. 2 and 7:30 pm, $35. Through Oct 11.) by Bethany Jean Clement

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This thoughtfully curated collection of locally produced shorts, features, and archival films is unafraid of experimentation and steps outside of the standard no-budget tropes of so many amateur productions (seriously, people, enough with the horror comedies). Today's feature is American Collectors, which David Schmader called "fascinating" if "a bit of a rough cut," but worthwhile films are playing all week. (Friday's opening-night selection, The Mountain, the River, and the Road, is a sweet mumblecore love story.) (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, www.nwfilmforum.org. 7 pm, $9.) by Lindy West

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Last year's Stranger Genius for literature is perhaps the greatest reader of his own work in the writing business. He makes his listeners literally slap their knees with laughter one moment and moves them to tears the next. (I've seen it happen.) He's debuting his new collection of stories, War Dances, tonight. Alexie is always at his best when he reads new material. Many of these stories are about bad decisions (hate crimes, affairs), and there's nothing funnier—or sadder—than stories about bad decisions. This reading should be amazing. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 652-4255. 7:30 pm, $5.)

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Christians are right about one thing when it comes to atheists: We can be obnoxious when we confront believers. Usually, being a good atheist means quietly affirming your disbelief and demonstrating atheism's worth by example. But not tonight. Leading atheist rabble-rouser Richard Dawkins reads from his newest book, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. It soundly refutes the dumb Christian argument that evolution is "just a theory." Tonight, let your unbeliever freak flag fly and celebrate your godlessness. (Hec Edmundson Pavilion, 3870 Montlake Blvd NE, 634-3400. 7:30 pm, free.) by Paul Constant

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