Ellington

A new open-air market in Pioneer Square hopes to revitalize the neighborhood

Local artists and craftsmen took over Pioneer Square on Saturday for the first Seattle Square. The open-air market began as a response to the Elliot Bay Book Co. moving to Capitol Hill, and it will take place every Saturday through Sept. 25.

After Elliot Bay moved, the square’s co-founders, Don Blakeney and Jen Kelly, believed Pioneer Square needed some kind of feature to support the community. The idea for the volunteer-run Seattle Square was born.

Blakeney said the market is different from other Seattle farmer’s markets because they combine the vintage, crafts, mobile food and music in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. Vendors sell a variety of items, such as clothes, accessories, letter-pressed cards, furniture and jewelry, most of which is homemade. Mobile food will also be available.

Occidental Park is scheduled to receive artwork and installations throughout the summer as a part of artSparks, a collaboration between 4Culture and Seattle Parks and Recreation. Shoppers can experience the outdoor decor while at the Seattle Square.

The trend for open-air markets isn’t limited to Seattle. A sister market opened in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, too. Both street fairs have similar goals, as they combine local vendors and live music, and hope to revitalize historic districts in their respective cities.

For more information on the Seattle Square, visit theseattlesquare.com.

U-Village offers free music throughout the season with Sounds of Summer Concert Series

It’s hard to argue that there are much better things to do on a Wednesday night than go see a free show, and U-Village is making that happen. U-Village presents the Sounds of Summer Concert Series, offering free concerts every Wednesday evening between July 14 and August 18, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The north end of U-Village — near Crate & Barrel — is cordoned off for the weekly event.

The Paperboys, an eclectic folk-rock band based out of Vancouver, B.C., opened the series last week, and Tacoma, Wash., singer-songwriter Vicci Martinez continues the string of shows tonight. Martinez has five full-length albums under her experienced belt, and she has opened for such musical heavyweights as Annie Lennox, Sting, and The Presidents of the United States of America.

Next Wednesday, The Beatniks heads the bill. The band covers ‘60s- and ‘70s-rock classics and plays requests, boasting “The Beatniks will try almost anything” on the band website.

The Dusty 45s is a local roots-rock quartet whose front-man, Billy Joe Huels, starred as Buddy Holly in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story at the 5th Avenue Theatre in 2007. The influence of the famous blues guitarist can be heard in the Dusty 45s’ unique sound. They are set to play August 4.

After a long career with reggae bands during the ‘70s and ‘80s, Clinton Fearon immigrated to Seattle in the late ‘80s to establish a solo career. After he added the Boogie Brown Band in the early ‘90s, Fearon found success and continued to experiment with live dub performances, which he is expected to show August 11.

Hit Explosion was voted “Best Live Performance Cover Band” by the Northwest Music Awards Association, and the disco cover band is slated to finish the summer series August 18.

Indian musician comes to Meany

Classical Indian musician Amjad Ali Khan is slated to perform at Meany Hall this Saturday, July 24. His sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, will join their Grammy-nominated father on stage.

The three musicians play the sarod, an instrument similar to a small sitar. The sarod has been passed down from Khan-father to son since the invention of the instrument, which the Khan family claims to have done. Amjad Ali Khan said he continually tries to reinvent the instrument.

“From the time it was first invented, the sarod has been modified. … I’m always looking for a different kind of resonance, a deeper sound,” he said in an article in The New York Times.

Khan has created many new ragas — melodic themes — throughout his career, pushing the innovation of his craft while respecting tradition. He is considered by many to be the best living sarodist, having been referred to as the Eric Clapton or Itzhak Perlman of Indian music, especially in his live performances.

The Herald described Khan as “god-like in his dramatic powers on the sarod, [he] delivered his music with the emotional voltage of the blues, and a flexible instrument line that was almost vocal in its expressiveness.”

For ticket information, visit seattleindian.com. For information on having dinner with Khan, visit iahswa.org.

Reach reporter Ashleen Aguilar at arts@dailyuw.com.

Amjad Ali Khan

July 24 at 7 p.m., Meany Hall

Students with ID $25

General $55

V.I.P $55

V.I.P. and dinner with the artists $100

U-Village Concerts

July 21 – Vicci Martinez

July 28 – The Beatniks

August 4 – The Dusty 45s

August 11 – Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band

August 18 – Hit Explosion

FREE 6 to 8:30 p.m.