Wednesday, Nov. 13 Killer Mike Last year, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music was

Wednesday, Nov. 13

Killer Mike

Last year, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music was a clarion call to anyone listening that the Atlanta rapper was on top of the world. As soon as the bass drops in lead single “Big Beast,” the MC erupts, growling “POW, motherfucker! POW!” like an action hero roundhouse-kicking a peon in the face. That’s what’s great about Killer Mike: He’s not afraid to pick a few bones. The album’s second single, “Reagan,” takes the late president to task for the war on drugs, trickle-down economics, and the inherent racism of his policies. “I leave you with four words: I’m glad Reagan dead,” the song chillingly ends. With his new Run the Jewels, Killer Mike continues on the same warpath. Tonight’s performance is the latest installment of the Red Bull Sound Select series, this time curated by Sub Pop. That means if you RSVP, you can see Killer Mike for a measly $3, a steal by any measure. Also on the bill, locals OCnotes and Porter Ray are opening, both gems in their own right. OCnotes’ self-described “Alien BootyBass” is exactly what it sounds like: spacey, warped jazz beats that float around behind the rapper’s philosophical musings. Porter Ray’s story goes back to the main inspiration for his funky, soul-infused tracks: the murder of his brother. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $3 with RSVP/$12 without. All ages. 8 p.m.

KELTON SEARS

Jerome Bel & Cedric Andrieux

In our first-person world, choreographer Bel has made a third-person autobiography. Cedric Andrieux is the title of the dance, the name of its performer, and the subject of the work. Bel combines spoken interview text with excerpts from the repertory Andrieux has danced in the companies of Merce Cunningham and Tricia Brown. The show is a panoramic view of 21st-century postmodern dance as well as a singular look at one of its famed practitioners. (Through Sun.) On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., 217-9888, ontheboards.org. $25. 8 p.m.

SANDRA KURTZ

Thursday, Nov. 14

Cinema Italian Style

SIFF begins this 18-film series with a thoroughly silly comedy about amateur soccer players on the island of Sardinia, though you don’t need to know anything about the sport to enjoy it. L’Arbitro intercuts scenes of village life with the declining fortunes of a smug, slick soccer ref (“l’arbitro”). For director Paolo Zucca, the comic spin matters more than the trajectory of the ball. For no good reason, the ref does a slo-mo ballet of sorts on the dusty soccer pitch. The local star, recently returned from Argentina, sports a mullet, a handlebar mustache, and a fashion sense belonging to the mid-’70s. His team’s coach is actually blind, and their dark-shirted rivals are lead by the nefarious local land baron. And while the ref preaches “respect for the rules,” what L’Arbitro celebrates is anarchic disrespect. Or rather, it’s as if civilization and rules are just a thin veneer over medieval codes for sport, courtship, and revenge—all of which we see enacted. Appropriately, the movie ends with a raucous festival, which can launch you to the after-party at the Hunt Club up at the Sorrento. The series ends Thursday with the highly acclaimed and anticipated The Great Beauty, about Italy’s glamorous national stasis, by director Paolo Sorrentino (This Must Be the Place, Il Divo). SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., 324-9996, siff.net. $20–$25 with party, $6–$11 without. 7 p.m.

BRIAN MILLER

Joe Sacco

Over in London, they could hear the artillery thunder and feel the ground shake on July 1, 1916, when the Battle of the Somme began in France. That horrific quagmire would haunt an entire generation of British soldiers and historians; over here, it barely registers. (The U.S. only entered World War I the following April.) Today based in Portland, the Australian-raised cartoonist/journalist Joe Sacco read about the battle as a boy, and now he’s drawn a continuous, 24-foot-long account of July 1, called The Great War (Norton, $35). It’s a wordless, intricate panorama based on years of research. There are no heroes and only one historical figure (English Gen. Douglas Haig) as the day literally unfolds—you can read the spineless book in your lap by flipping panels, or lay the whole thing on the floor. Sacco’s separate annotations and a companion essay by Adam Hochschild helps make sense of the carnage, in which 21,000 Brits died on day one. What the black-and-white illustration captures is the sense of scale, as a veritable river of troops pours into the trenches and over the top, then becomes snared in the barbed wire, where German machine guns cut them to ribbons. We see horses near the start of Sacco’s graphic narrative, which then details the new industrial scale of war: the armaments and supplies that made possible this massive, inconclusive gathering of men. The battle lasted into October, with an aggregate death toll estimated at 300,000, which makes Sacco’s 24-foot tale seem small. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m.

BRIAN MILLER

Friday, Nov. 15

Matt Haimovitz

The move to get chamber music out of dedicated concert halls (and the occasional church), in an attempt to broaden its audience, is really a return to its roots: It was born and bred for domestic use (and the occasional pub). As good as a Haydn string quartet can sound in Meany Hall, it’s even more powerful in a living room. No classical soloist has been more devoted to just this mission than cellist Matt Haimovitz, who’s toured the country playing music from baroque to Led Zeppelin in all sorts of non-traditional venues—even including our Tractor Tavern. Locally, this banner is flown by Simple Measures, a chamber-music series that prefers cafes and community centers to the usual venues. It’s natural they should team up; and for Simple Measures’ first program of its season, guest Haimovitz will join Rajan Krishnaswami, Meeka Quan DiLorenzo, and John Michel for a four-cello blowout: half solo (Haimovitz plays Bach, John Corigliano, and the Beatles) and half the full quartet (Bartok, Gershwin, and more). Town Hall, simplemeasures.org. $15–$30. 7:30 p.m. (Also Mt. Baker Community Club, 2811 Mt. Rainier Dr. S., 2 p.m. Sun., Nov. 17. )

GAVIN BORCHERT

Tuesday, Nov. 19

So You Think You Can Dance

There’s been a little flurry of dance programming on television lately, with the full-scripted drama of Bunheads and the selectively edited revelations of Breaking Pointe, but competition shows like So You Think You Can Dance deliver their drama in quick-time. We learn a little bit about the dancers and their journey to the television studio, but the emphasis is on the performance; and it’s make-or-break at competition time. The finalists from season 10 have hit the road and are dancing their eye-popping combination of jazz and acrobatics in this touring show. Don’t pretend you’ve forgotten Fik-Shun. Here’s your chance to see him again, along with Aaron Turner, Amy Yakima, Hayley Erbert, Jasmine Harper, Jenna Johnson, Makenzie Dustman, Nico Greetham, Paul Karmiryan, and Tucker Knox. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $32–$62. 7:30 p.m.

SANDRA KURTZ