THURSDAY JAN 31

eE

(MUSIC) Though it’s pronounced like one long “e,” California’s eE can be described by any number of words beginning with the letter M: melodious, mellifluous, mellow… you get the drift. Cello augments a spare lineup of acoustic and electric guitar and thoughtful, understated drumming; check out the band’s recent album, Ramadan (Curry Records), for a satisfyingly subtle listening experience. Fans of Mojave 3 or Carissa’s Wierd, or even Radiohead’s quieter moments (as well as devotees of the band Seam, whose Sooyoung Park recently joined eE’s lineup) will find much to love in tonight’s performance at the Crocodile, which also features local band Charming Snakes. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, $7.) KATHLEEN WILSON

FRIDAY Feb 1

Dancing Outlaw

(FILM) Though I probably hate white-trash chic more than anyone you’ve ever met, that doesn’t mean I can’t love Jesse White, the multiple-personality-havin’, booze-guzzlin’, vapor-huffin’, mountain-dancing shitbird cracker from the hills of West Virginny. This titanic 1991 documentary, produced for WV public TV, spawned a thousand late-night “dude, you’ve GOT to see this” sessions, and for good reason. Jesse White, a.k.a. Jesco, a.k.a. Elvis, is an American original, and so is his family. The chance to watch him work should never be passed up. (911 Media Arts Center, 117 Yale Ave N, 682-6552, 8 pm, $4/$6.) SEAN NELSON

SATURDAY Feb 2

French Kicks

(MUSIC) Although they have been alternately described as Television meets the Rolling Stones and Fugazi meets the Kinks, neither declaration truly does the French Kicks justice. 2000’s Young Lawyer is a mere six songs, but those six recordings are just about as perfect as indie rock can be. Brief, packed yet simple, each song sheds the girth of what much of indie rock has become, and instead leaves behind what you want and expect–a smart, catchy, and ridiculously creative recording. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, $8.) BRADLEY STEINBACHER

Alex Steinweiss Slide Show

(LECTURE) In 1939, a 23-year-old design school grad named Alex Steinweiss began working for Columbia Records as its first art director. Inspired by his love of European posters, Steinweiss created original art that captured the spirit of the music. Until then, most record sleeves had been drab and generic, featuring little more than the recording artist’s name. His beautiful typography and illustration helped establish and define a new art form. Steinweiss will give a slide presentation of his work, followed by a Q&A session. A must for lovers of the American cultural art form we call design. (JBL Theater at EMP, 325 Fifth Ave N, 367-5483, 6:30-8:30 pm. $5/$7.) JOE NEWTON

SUNDAY Feb 3

Chasing Sleep

(FILM) Jeff Daniels plays an insomniac college professor with a missing wife and a houseful of surreal secrets in this thrillingly good dramatic thriller. Facts trade places with hallucinations as Daniels’ prof loses time, swallows pills by the handful, and goes from anxious to anxiouser for a number of troubling reasons. Director Michael Walker (a Seattle native) invests this already promising premise with an artful, detached atmosphere–a pinch of Lynch, a dab of Serling–which, though contained in a single location, maintains a vivid paranoia throughout. (Little Theatre, 1608 19th Ave E, 675-8055, Thurs Jan 31-Sun Feb 3, 7 & 9 pm, $7.) SEAN NELSON

MONDAY Feb 4

Starters

(FILM, BASKETBALL, HIPHOP) I don’t know why there’s all this talk about Franklin and Garfield high school basketball. If you haven’t witnessed Rainier Beach High School mop the floor with any of their so-called opponents this season (they’re 14-0 with an average victory margin nearing 40 points), now’s your chance. Catch the premiere screening of Starters, a documentary film about the RBHS Vikings and the astonishing talents of twin stars Lodrick and Rodrick Stewart. After the screening, shoot some hoops with the Vikings to a hiphop soundtrack by City Soul DJs. (Local 46, 2700 First Ave, 956-VERA, 7 pm, donation; proceeds benefit the Rainier Beach High School Basketball program.) JOSH FEIT

TUESDAY Feb 5

Enigma of Arrival

(READING GROUP) Though I’m not a fan of V. S. Naipaul‘s late work, his 1987 novel, The Enigma of Arrival, is impressive. Impressive not as a work of literary art, but as a slow, deliberate act of insanity. The book’s language is proper, stiff, precise English, the setting is rural England, and the writer is a colonial subject (V. S. Naipaul is from Trinidad). You should never read The Enigma of Arrival alone but as a group, because there is much to work through and talk about. The Elliott Bay Book Discussion Group, which consistently selects excellent books to discuss, has picked The Enigma of Arrival for tonight’s gathering. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.) CHARLES MUDEDE

WEDNESDAY Feb 6

Smell-O-Vision

(ART) What does true love smell like? And here I mean true photogenic movie love, not the run-of-the-mill kind that takes place among dirty feet and piles of laundry. Artist David Yonge knows–and you can find out at Smell-O-Vision, his attempt to re-create one of the cinema’s least successful gimmicks. Using aerosol sprays (hello ozone layer!), a hot plate, and a fan, Yonge will create an olfactory-track to scenes from some of history’s great films and biggest tankers, plus a sing-along and a fabulous finale. Can you afford to miss this risky artistic undertaking? (The Little Theatre, 608 19th Ave E, 7 & 9 pm, $7.) EMILY HALL