Nathan Weinbender

When you’re a musician, your image can be just as integral to your success as your sound. Music videos are, of course, a perfect way to document both, and they’re still as popular as they were the year MTV launched. In fact, a music video’s YouTube hits are now factored in a song’s standings on the Billboard charts. But according to Bartlett co-owner Karli Ingersoll, few local artists are putting out their own promotional videos.

When you’re a musician, your image can be just as integral to your success as your sound. Music videos are, of course, a perfect way to document both, and they’re still as popular as they were the year MTV launched. In fact, a music video’s YouTube hits are now factored in a song’s standings on the Billboard charts. But according to Bartlett co-owner Karli Ingersoll, few local artists are putting out their own promotional videos.

You’re encouraged to be relatively quiet in a bookstore, to browse and read silently without disturbing anybody. That’s not the case with 3-Minute Mic. On the first Friday of every month, the main floor of Auntie’s Bookstore is overrun by poets, and they aren’t shy about being heard. “We’re pretty loud, we clap,” said local poet and 3-Minute Mic host Chris Cook. “It’s not a typical book reading at a bookstore. We don’t do the library thing.”

Because the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday this year, you now have a decent excuse to turn the holiday into a two-day celebration. If you’re not beating the heat inside or floating on a lake somewhere, consider taking in some live music. There are plenty of shows going on both tonight and Saturday evening. Here are some of your choices for great local music on Independence Day weekend. (See our listings on page C4 for more regional and local events.) • Red Lion at the Park – The new summer concert series at the Red Lion, 303 W. North River Drive, kicked off last weekend and continues tonight and Saturday with a performance by local bluesman Sammy Eubanks. Future concerts in the series, dubbed Jammin’ by the Dam, will boast appearances by the Sweeplings, Soul Proprietor, Bakin’ Phat and Pine League. Saturday’s concert starts at 1 p.m.; all other shows start at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/HotelRLsummerconcerts.

Listening to San Francisco-based six-piece the Stone Foxes is almost like stepping into a time machine. Their sound, gritty and boozy and full of verve, is a loving throwback to the great rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s, many of which also hailed from the Bay Area. Listening to their single “I Want to Be You,” the fuzz of the guitars and the wailing of the Hammond organ transport you to an era when groups like Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane ruled the city. “I think there’s something kind of spiritual about rock in a pure form,” said Stone Foxes bassist Vince DeWald. “This band really believes in what rock ’n’ roll can do – to an audience, to a culture, to ourselves. I think that’s most convincingly expressed in our live shows, because we go all in. We try to be in the moment.”

Listening to San Francisco-based six-piece the Stone Foxes is almost like stepping into a time machine. Their sound, gritty and boozy and full of verve, is a loving throwback to the great rock bands of the ’60s and ’70s, many of which also hailed from the Bay Area. Listening to their single “I Want to Be You,” the fuzz of the guitars and the wailing of the Hammond organ transport you to an era when groups like Moby Grape and Jefferson Airplane ruled the city. “I think there’s something kind of spiritual about rock in a pure form,” said Stone Foxes bassist Vince DeWald. “This band really believes in what rock ’n’ roll can do – to an audience, to a culture, to ourselves. I think that’s most convincingly expressed in our live shows, because we go all in. We try to be in the moment.”

Last June, the local foursome behind Terrain – Luke Baumgarten, Ginger Ewing, Patrick Kendrick and Diego Sanchez – started another one-day-only event that likewise focused on Spokane’s art community. Bazaar was designed as a marketplace for local artists to sell their wares. The event was all about economy: The cost to rent a booth was kept to a minimum, and artists were encouraged to price their work as reasonably as possible. The idea was to not only encourage people to buy more art but for the artists to actually turn a profit.

Laughter is a curious thing. It can be a kind of catharsis, a response of recognition, a defense mechanism to mask discomfort, the purest way of expressing happiness. Sometimes we laugh because it’s easier than not laughing at all, and sometimes it’s the only way to really deal with the bizarre complications life throws at us. But happiness is just as curious: It’s the ultimate state of being, the most desirable frame of mind, and yet it can also be the most frustratingly elusive. If you see Neil LaBute’s play “Reasons to Be Happy” during its run at the Modern Theater Spokane, pay attention to when and why the audience laughs. The show does contain a few broadly comic situations, but more often than not you’ll notice people laughing in shock or disbelief. Sometimes they’re laughing as a result of uneasiness, and there are moments where laughter functions almost like a defense mechanism. It’s the only thing we have to hide behind.