Carolyn Lamberson

One of the best parts of my job is watching pop culture collide. For instance, look ahead to Oct. 1. On that night, in venues that are next door to each other on West Sprague Avenue, are shows scheduled by the Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band that recreates specific set lists from specific Dead shows, and Tech N9ne, the nationally known hip-hop artist and frequent Spokane visitor. I can only guess that there will be some excellent people-watching opportunities from my desk, which happens to look over both the Bing Crosby Theater and the Knitting Factory. This coming weekend, there are plenty of chances to watch pop culture collisions. Ephrata, for instance, is hosting Basin Summer Sounds, where for free you can hear the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – the band that hit it big during the neo-swing revival of the late 1990s.

One of the best parts of my job is watching pop culture collide. For instance, look ahead to Oct. 1. On that night, in venues that are next door to each other on West Sprague Avenue, are shows scheduled by the Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band that recreates specific set lists from specific Dead shows, and Tech N9ne, the nationally known hip-hop artist and frequent Spokane visitor. I can only guess that there will be some excellent people-watching opportunities from my desk, which happens to look over both the Bing Crosby Theater and the Knitting Factory. This coming weekend, there are plenty of chances to watch pop culture collisions. Ephrata, for instance, is hosting Basin Summer Sounds, where for free you can hear the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – the band that hit it big during the neo-swing revival of the late 1990s.

Spokane Civic Theatre has tapped a Broadway veteran to direct its upcoming production of “Les Miserables,” in the wake of Friday’s firing of artistic director Yvonne A.K. Johnson. Douglas Webster, who was in the Broadway cast of “Les Mis” and who played Jean Valjean in regional productions across the country, including an acclaimed run at Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre, will take over directing duties from Johnson, according to a Civic news release.

The North Carolina bluegrass quintet Town Mountain will swing through Spokane during a nationwide tour, landing at Bob Rice’s Studio, 1514 S. Cedar St. Town Mountain, based in Asheville, is touring in support of its fourth record, “Leave the Bottle.” As the bluegrass website The Bluegrass Situation (co-founded by actor-comedian-musician Ed Helms) noted recently: “In the spirit of blending traditional bluegrass instrumentation with modern musicality, Town Mountain has continued to develop with their cover of the Bruce Springsteen tune ‘I’m On Fire.’ And they make it sound like the Boss’ words came straight out of Appalachia. Needless to say, Town Mountain is the real deal. See y’all down the road.”

The Spokane Civic Theatre board of directors on Friday fired Executive Artistic Director Yvonne A.K. Johnson. In a news release, Civic announced that the board and Johnson “terminated their association” after more than eight years of “the director’s remarkable service to the community.”

Patty Duke and her neighbor, Broadway producer Laura Little, had been looking for projects to work on together. But it didn’t prove to be an easy task for the two Coeur d’Alene women. “We kept coming up with one-woman plays that just didn’t hit me right,” Duke said. “Then one day she said, ‘Are you aware of a book named ‘The Giver’? And I’m ashamed to say I wasn’t.”

Waldo is back in Spokane. The bespectacled boy in the red-and-white striped hat – the kid who has a knack for blending in with large crowds in the book series created by Martin Handford – is hanging out at Spokane businesses this month. Those who find him have a chance to win prizes.

Ever dream of being a Rockette? Does the song “One” from “A Chorus Line” put you in a high-kicking mood? If so, Laura Little Productions is looking for you.

It appears that Broadway producer Cameron Mackintosh and Disney chose wisely when they entrusted their stage musical “Mary Poppins” to Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre. Co-directors Roger Welch and Rommy Sandhu – himself a veteran of “Poppins” on Broadway – made every correct decision in bringing this big show to North Idaho, from costumes and sets to (most importantly) casting. It’s a production that really rises above the flaws in the source material.

Two carilloneurs will team up Thursday for the annual Fourth of July concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Wesley Arai, the associate carillonist at the University of California, Berkeley, will team with cathedral carilloneur Byrl Cinnamon to perform John Philip Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Arai also will perform a selection of music keeping in the spirit of the holiday.

“Big River” is not a flashy musical. There are no gigantic, complicated dance numbers. The songs are not overbearing. The effects are not wrapped up in over-the-top pyrotechnics.

Linda Beeman’s poetry is set in the hard country of Idaho’s Silver Valley. In her chapbook of poems simply titled “Wallace, Idaho,” the Wallace native writes about mine deaths and labor wars, the “Big Burn” of 1910, Bunker Hill, the Sunshine Mine. The Whidbey Island, Wash., resident will be visiting her old stomping grounds next weekend for a series of readings and book signings.

Since I rounded up a host of new concerts in Friday’s 7 section, several more have been announced. The Spokane County Interstate Fair posted its lineup of Grandstand Concerts in September: