THURSDAY SEPT 11
The High Violets
(MUSIC) No, it wouldn't be an overstatement to say the Northwest is awash in swirling guitars and feedback these days. But some bands do the shoegazer thing better than others, and the ones that do excel because they do it heavier, and hotter. Here's what says it all: "44 Down," off the High Violets' 2002 release of the same name, calls to mind the sexiest song ("Gimme Hell") off the Jesus and Mary Chain's sexiest album (Automatic). Imagine that heat and liquid churning below as singer Kaitlyn Ni Donovan sings coolly within it: uh, yeah. You get it. (Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave, 441-5611, 9 pm, $5. ) KATHLEEN WILSON


FRIDAY SEPT 12
A Tribute to Blassie
(FILM) Recently deceased professional wrestler "Classy" Fred Blassie, the self-mythologizing "King of Men," may in name be the human focal point of this evening's series, but its clear star is something altogether more abstract: the painful (and painfully hilarious) specter of self-parody. In the last 20 years of his life, Blassie unknowingly teamed with the late-20th-century masters of the medium to produce two unrelated faux-documentaries--Andy Kaufman's My Dinner with Andre parody, My Breakfast with Blassie, and Heavy Metal Parking Lot director Jeff Krulik's Mr. Blassie Goes to Washington. The results are absurd, a little sad, and, of course, hilarious. (Little Theatre, 610 19th Ave E, 329-2629, 9 pm, $7.50. ) ZAC PENNINGTON


SATURDAY SEPT 13
'Taal'
(FILM) Following the success of I ♥ Shiva, which plays electronic dance music from India every Monday night and every other Saturday night, Baltic Room is to screen full-length Indian musicals during its Bollywood Saturdays. To inaugurate this fairly bold addition, I ♥ Shiva will screen the musical Taal, which is scored by the great and prolific Indian composer A. R. Rahman. Only 36 years old, Rahman has scored over 60 pictures and is currently working on 13 projects. Rahman is not a hack; he is a genius, whose voluptuous body of Bollywood scores will one day eclipse Bernard Herrmann's vertiginous body of Holly-wood scores. (Baltic Room, 1207 Pine St, 625-4444, 8 pm, $5. ) CHARLES MUDEDE

SUNDAY SEPT 14
'Shiny Hot Nights'
(MINDBLOWING MUSIC PERFORMANCE) I've been dying to see John Kelly's legendary Joni Mitchell act for what feels like a decade, and thank God for On the Boards for finally making it happen. In Shiny Hot Nights, celebrated countertenor-falsettist-drag artist Kelly takes the stage as his beloved Ms. Mitchell, channeling a "performance tribute" so heartfelt and profound it even moved cranky old Joni to tears when she caught Kelly's act in New York. Now it's here, and you'd be a fool to miss it. (On the Boards, 100 W Roy St, 217-9886. $12-$22. Thurs-Sun Sept 11-14 at 8 pm. ) DAVID SCHMADER


MONDAY SEPT 15
Sarah Rudinoff at Town Hall
(PERFORMANCE/INTERVIEW) Fresh from a sold-out run of her one-broad show Go There (which could make a dandy cash cow for ACT's Bullitt Cabaret), actress/chanteuse Sarah Rudinoff takes the stage at Seattle's Town Hall for the first of three consecutive evenings of performance, interviews, and audience Q&As with hotshot female art- makers of the Northwest. Tuesday and Wednesday showcase musicians Amy Denio and Alice Stuart, respectively, but tonight it's all about La Rudinoff, who'll perform selections from Go There, as well as The Last State, her new work in progress about growing up in the lei-drenched wilds of Hawaii. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, $10. ) DAVID SCHMADER

TUESDAY SEPT 16
Fourthcity Laptop Battle
(ELECTRONIC MUSIC SHOWDOWN) Who's the (i)Mac(k)? That's what'll be determined tonight as 16 of Seattle's elite electronic musicians vie for moolah and gifts from Ableton audio software makers (spectators can score freebies, too). Competition should be fierce, with ringers like Choncey Langford, Aaron Bolton, Firestorm Viper, Randy Jones, Kris Moon, Terso, Cass Corridor, and XISIX wrenching the craziest sounds from their PowerBooks in three-minute bursts of spontaneous creativity. The last laptop battle generated raucous excitement; tonight's show (co-sponsored by The Stranger) should be even more over-the-top. (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000, 9 pm-2 am, $6, 21+. ) DAVE SEGAL


Primary Election and Post-Election Parties
(VOTE FIRST, THEN PARTY) So if you aren't an absentee voter who's already diligently dropped your ballot in the mail, today's the day to go to the polls and vote! There's plenty at stake, like who advances to the general election for Seattle City Council races, plus whether Seattle will deprioritize pot prosecutions and start taxing your espresso. (Find out who The Stranger thinks you should vote for on page 10.) Afterward, head to Capitol Hill's Hopvine (507 15th Ave E) to get drunk with Stranger city council endorsee Judy Nicastro. (King County Elections information: 296-VOTE.) AMY JENNIGES


WEDNESDAY SEPT 17
Monica Ali
(READING) Monica Ali's first novel, Brick Lane, made the cover of the New York Times Book Review this last Sunday. Often it seems like all that a young first novelist has to do to make the cover of the New York Times Book Review is to write something self-centered and frantically ironic, which is why I was surprised to learn, upon opening the book, that Brick Lane is neither; it is impeccably controlled, uncommonly rich, and thoroughly modern. It is the kind of book that matters. See Ali now so that when she wins the Booker Prize you can say you saw her when. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600, 7:30 pm, free.) CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE