With his sweet smile, unflappable gentlemanliness, and encyclopedic mental songbook, piano man Howard Bulson was a true Seattle icon, spending four decades tinkling the keys at a plethora of Seattle nightclubs: Sorry Charlie’s, the Mirabeau Room, Julia’s on Broadway, the Dexter and Hayes Pub, and many more. On May 7, Bulson passed on. Tonight, friends and fans pay tribute to the man with a benefit show (for Bulson’s family), organized by and featuring Paul Jensen of Dudley Manlove Quartet. (The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333. 7 pm, $20.)

David Schmader—former weed columnist and Stranger associate editor—is the author of the solo plays Straight and Letter to Axl, which he’s performed in Seattle and across the US. His latest...