Pulling off an extended shot proves quite a feat. The payoff: it sticks on memory like a Red Fang riff. 

And why not go for it? The masters do. 

Who would dare walk out after witnessing Orsen Welles's perfect extended shot in A Touch of Evil? Who doesn't feel like their getting the V.I.P. treatment when Henry Hill takes his date KA-ren through the back door of the Copa and meets all the wise guys in Goodfellas?

Even the overrated and pretentious Jean Luc Godard can trick an audience into sitting through his painful Weekend with a brilliant extended shot.

Any fan of cinema knows the extended shot is Brian De Palma's move, though. Just look at Snake Eyes and audiences will truly comprehend the meaning of polishing a turd. 

On Wednesday, January 25 electro-house DJ Avicii is making his Seattle debut at the Paramount Theater. 

Few DJ’s have reached their stardom as quickly as Avicii. In the last three years, the 22 year old Swede has climbed to the sixth rank on the coveted DJ Mag Top 100 DJ’s. 

Tracks like "Seek Bromance," "ID," "Fade into Darkness," and club favorite "Levels" have propelled Avicii to stardom. His BBC-Radio 1 Essential Mix dated December 10, 2011 is also incredible.

A Hope Not Forgotten at Faith Fest
Saturday, January 7
El Corazon 

A Hope Not Forgotten is a “Melodic Hardcore” band from Seattle. If you enjoy screaming, hardcore breakdowns or just awesome metal guitar riffs, then seeing these guys live is a must!

You'll have the chance January 7 at 5 p.m. when they play an all ages hardcore faith-fest show at El Corazon. The night opens with Tommorow May Fail followed by Prepare the Bride, Vices, Vessels, Prestige and of course a band that is sure to have success for years to come, AHNF.

Pterodactyl Live at the Vera Project
The Sea and Cake Live at the Crocodile
December 2, 2011

Friday, December 2 turned out to be a frosty night, which made it easy to linger in the cozy confines of my favorite watering hole while I pre-gamed for the evening ahead. It’s always a good idea to have a couple extra beverages before venturing over to the all-ages Vera Project.

My timing was perfect. As I entered the building I was greeted with the opening chords of Pterodactyl’s “School Glue”, the first song on Spills Out and their opener for the evening. It’s a great song with a driving rhythm that grabs your attention with jangly chords and melodic vocals. Mixed in are a smattering of noise and nonsense for good measure.

I understand Pterodactyl isn’t that well known, but bands "on the come" typically do well at the Vera, and this was a light crowd. Light enough that the lead singer called a guy out for texting during the set. Luckily it wasn’t me. (For the record, I was Tweeting for their benefit, but my typing became more discrete after that.)

The Crocodile Presents: THE SEA AND CAKE w/Lia Ices & Elba / Tickets $13
Pterodactyl w/Tom Greenwood (of Jackie O Motherfucker) & Philip Sambol (of The Strange Boys) / Tickets $8

On what is sure to be a dark, frigid evening in early December, Seattle will be awash with the sounds of flying dinosaurs and maritime dessert tonight.

I love living in a city with such a rich local and touring music scene, but sometimes it can make my evenings challenging, logistically.

The Sea and Cake, an Indie rock band fronted by the talented Sam Prekop, are playing the Crocodile. I have always liked their music, but haven’t seen them live, so I’m really excited to check them out.

On the other hand, I was asked to review the new Pterodactyl album, Spills Out, a couple weeks ago. I liked their psychedelic folk pop so much I looked into their tour schedule, and it turns out they are in fact playing Seattle tonight too.

Hey Kids.

Tonight at the High Dive, former members of Tad and Murder City Devils will inhabit the space in front of the stage to deliver heavy doses of psychedelic rock. Their band, the Annunaki, headline our monthly Four on the Floor show.

Four on the Floor puts four emerging local bands on the floor of this intimate Fremont venue, standing out among the good people of Seattle without a separation between artist and fan. Imagine it's like a house party, only with air conditioning and better drinks. 

Before Annunaki, we'll also see sets from similarly heavy Seattle bands The Mother's Anger, Julien and The Underwater Tiger. 

Below are some sights and sounds of what you can expect at the show tonight. See you there.