The Stage Door Café, 208 N. 85th St., at Taproot Theatre offers free music on Monday nights in February. The café’s full dinner menu is available during the concerts, along with beer and wine.
- Monday, Feb. 8, 6-8 p.m.: Hanschen & Ilse
Hanschen & Ilse are Seattle actor-musicians Justin Huertas and Kirsten deLohr Helland. Hanschen and Ilse are also characters out of Frank Wedekind’s play Spring Awakening, characters who sought fulfillment beyond the confines of their present society. Justin and Kirsten appeared on stage together for the first time since college in Balagan Theatre’s Seattle premiere of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s adaptation of Spring Awakening as Hanschen and Ilse. Justin and Kirsten met at Pacific Lutheran University where they each earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. Since graduating, they’ve appeared together on Seattle stages in Spring Awakening, Avenue Q (Balagan Theatre), Lizard Boy (Seattle Repertory Theatre), and Grease (The 5th Avenue Theatre).
- Monday, Feb. 15, 5-7 p.m.: Ninjanun
Stage Door Café invites you to live music with one of Seattle’s “boldest unheard of voices” (Northwest Music Scene). Combining hammered dulcimer, guitar, and piano with layered vocals and synth beats, Ninjanun delivers a folktronica twist to a quirky pop style. Her songs are just as likely to speak of the cosmos and comic books as they are to romanticize relationships.
- Monday, Feb. 22, 5-7 p.m.: IvyLane
Stage Door Café invites you a free music event with the musical combination of the skilled and eclectic Ivan Lee with the talented and effervescent Elaine Skeffington. With a growing fan base throughout the area, this Seattle area-based duo is a potent match of vocal and guitar talent resulting in not just the expected harmonies and repertoire, but also a consistently unique and engaging knack for re-arranging familiar tunes into IvyLane-itized versions!
Add to this the reputation for their wry and spirited stage presence, these two are a rare and special musical match. With a blend likened to Lady Antebellum and Pink Martini, they tackle everything from Yes to The Civil Wars and Jason Mraz to Squeeze & everything in between (even Nirvana!) with impressive musicianship & wit.
