Nathan Weinbender

When “Saturday Night Live” alum Dan Aykroyd first conceptualized the Ghostbusters, a trio of misfit scientists who become a supernatural pest control squad, there’s no way he could have predicted the 1984 film those characters inspired would still be relevant three decades later. Yes, you read that correctly – three decades – and in celebration of the film’s 30th anniversary, “Ghostbusters” has been restored and re-released for a limited theatrical run.

‘Dog Day’ documentary offers reprieve from dog days of summer

When Seattle-based neo-soul duo Fly Moon Royalty set out to write new material, they’re inspired by a number of things: an individual keyboard riff, a particular electronic beat, a specific vocal line they can hang the rest of the song on. But what they’re really trying to capture in their music is something more intangible – a feeling. “There’s a way you feel when you listen to it,” vocalist Adra Boo said of the group’s sound. “When I grew up, my uncles were in bands; they played bass and guitar, and there was a lot of Parliament, a lot of Prince, people who made music with the intention of it being a good time. … Some of those tracks were, like, 18 minutes long, and people would dance for 18 minutes. There was just a feeling in the music, and these are things we like about the songs we like.”

For most of their long career, Arizona rockers the Supersuckers have been called “the greatest rock ’n’ roll band in the world.” It’s a lofty distinction, one that the band inadvertently gave itself: According to lead singer and bassist Eddie Spaghetti, it started as an off-hand joke years ago before a concert. (Your first clue they’re a bit tongue-in-cheek: Their lead singer and bassist calls himself Eddie Spaghetti.)

It might be the most famous four notes in all of classical music: The opening motif of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is stirring and evocative in ways that few other compositions are, and it’s so recognizable that it very nearly defines the classical genre as a whole. The Spokane Symphony will perform Beethoven’s most iconic piece Wednesday evening, but leave your formal wear at home. The symphony’s short summer concert series Soiree on the Edge transplants the orchestra to the lawn of Arbor Crest Winery, 4705 N. Fruit Hill Road, where it will be situated on a ridge that offers a stunning view overlooking the city.

It’s a Monday afternoon, and Myles Kennedy is in a hotel room in San Francisco. Or, at least, he thinks he’s in San Francisco. “I don’t know where I am half the time,” he said with a laugh. And no wonder: Kennedy, a Spokane native, has been busy on tour opening for Aerosmith with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash, and as soon as he has a break from that, he’ll be hitting the road again with his band Alter Bridge. He still lives in Spokane, but he’s rarely home these days, and he hasn’t played a major local show since Alter Bridge passed through here in 2010.

Looking at country artist Dustin Lynch’s recorded output, you’d think he was a success right out of the gate. His first single, called “Cowboys and Angels,” was released in early 2012 and became a sizable radio hit, and his self-titled debut record went on to top Billboard’s country albums chart later that year. In 2013, Lynch supported Keith Urban on part of his North American tour, and the latest single from his upcoming sophomore album, “Where It’s At,” is already getting significant airplay.

It’s a Monday afternoon, and Myles Kennedy is in a hotel room in San Francisco. Or, at least, he thinks he’s in San Francisco. “I don’t know where I am half the time,” he said with a laugh. And no wonder: Kennedy, a Spokane native, has been busy on tour opening for Aerosmith with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash, and as soon as he has a break from that, he’ll be hitting the road again with his band Alter Bridge. He still lives in Spokane, but he’s rarely home these days, and he hasn’t played a major local show since Alter Bridge passed through here in 2010.

"Boyhood" lives up to - and transcends - its audacious concept

When “South Park” premiered on a fledgling network called Comedy Central in August 1997, it instantly shook up the pop culture landscape, inspiring debates about the decay of moral decency in America and shattering cable ratings records. Few people could have guessed that the show would still be churning out new episodes nearly two decades later; even fewer could have imagined that its creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, would one day be two of the biggest names on Broadway.

If you haven’t taken advantage of the summer months to see some live music, the week ahead presents plenty of opportunities. We’re inching closer to the last gasp of summer, and in anticipation of the end of festival season, the music gods have granted us a week so jam-packed with music that it’s almost overwhelming. Here are some of your best live music options in the coming days, from burgeoning local artists to Grammy-winning superstars.

Early last week, “This American Life” host Ira Glass took to his Twitter account following a production of “King Lear” to announce to the world that “Shakespeare sucks,” calling the Bard “not relatable” and “unemotional.” Glass immediately suffered the slings and arrows of outraged English majors everywhere, and although he later retracted his comments, the Twitterverse seemed to be in agreement that he doth protest too much. Jeff Sanders, who is directing a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that premieres tonight at Interplayers Theatre, takes particular umbrage with Glass’ criticism, as he believes the Bard’s legacy is so indelible precisely because it’s relatable.

If you haven’t taken advantage of the summer months to see some live music, the week ahead presents plenty of opportunities. We’re inching closer to the last gasp of summer, and in anticipation of the end of festival season, the music gods have granted us a week so jam-packed with music that it’s almost overwhelming. Here are some of your best live music options in the coming days, from burgeoning local artists to Grammy-winning superstars.

Last weekend I attended Capitol Hill Block Party, an annual three-day festival that essentially shuts down one of Seattle’s hippest neighborhoods with wall-to-wall live music. It was a lot of fun, and I saw some great bands. But by the third afternoon, I never wanted to stand again. I made a mistake wearing the shoes I did – these thin-soled canvas things I bought for less than $20 at H&M – and after walking and standing all day on baking asphalt, they started to feel like ever-tightening vices on my feet.

A lot of bands from the late ’70s can claim to be elder statesmen of that era’s rock ’n’ roll scene, but Foreigner puts many of them to shame. The group was formed in 1976 by Mick Jones, formerly of the British rock band Spooky Tooth, and Ian McDonald, a founding member of influential prog rockers King Crimson. While the lineup has changed a number of times over the years, Foreigner has never quit performing.

Last weekend I attended Capitol Hill Block Party, an annual three-day festival that essentially shuts down one of Seattle’s hippest neighborhoods with wall-to-wall live music. It was a lot of fun, and I saw some great bands. But by the third afternoon, I never wanted to stand again. I made a mistake wearing the shoes I did – these thin-soled canvas things I bought for less than $20 at H&M – and after walking and standing all day on baking asphalt, they started to feel like ever-tightening vices on my feet.

While listening to Missouri-based singer-songwriter Angel Olsen’s third album “Burn Your Fire for No Witness,” it’s tempting to start making a list of all the artists she’s evoking. It’s not because she’s parroting other musicians or aping styles that aren’t her own; it’s because she exists in that nebulous in-between where you’re thinking, “Who is this, and where have I heard her before?” Olsen, who brings her striking brand of indie folk to the Bartlett on Wednesday, has one of those voices that’s difficult to pin down. It can drip with angst one minute and snarl with contempt the next, and it combines the otherworldly quavering of Joanna Newsom with the airy lilt of Joan Baez. If you were to take out some of the guitar fuzz and vocal reverb from her songs, you might be left with an early ’60s pop ballad, a ’70s countrypolitan heartbreaker or an evocative Joni Mitchell vignette.

In the Tony Award-winning musical “Avenue Q,” no topic is too taboo to skewer: race relations, poverty, religion, sexuality, politics, pornography. That’s nothing new – shows like “Rent” and “Spring Awakening” have tackled most of the same issues – but the twist here is that a majority of the characters are puppets, cheerful-looking but gleefully vulgar cloth-and-felt creations that would likely get evicted if they moved onto Sesame Street. “Avenue Q,” which beat “Wicked” for the Best Musical Tony in 2004, is one of the longest-running shows in Broadway history, but it’s just now making its Inland Northwest community theater premiere at Lake City Playhouse. Why the delay? George Green, LCP’s artistic director, said the complicated production – it requires about a dozen puppets, all of which are operated by the actors onstage – and the risqué content have prevented “Avenue Q” from becoming a community theater staple.