It’s a beautiful night to do some good and enjoy an evening of music, art and poetry.

The Round is turning 5 tonight! But it’s also the 60th multi-arts evening presented by the Fremont Abbey Arts Center at 8 p.m. tonight (doors open at 7:30). 4272 Fremont Ave. N., $7 advanced, $10 at the door.

This evening will benefit America SCORES Seattle which provides elementary school students from under-served communities with a five-day-a-week after-school program combining literacy and athletics.

The Round is a monthly multi-arts event held in Seattle since 2005.

Three curated singer songwriters share the stage with slam poets and live painters as well as an improv backing band. The selected artists are invited to share their craft in a setting focused on collaboration and community.

Tonight’s line-up: Zach Tillman of Pearly Gates, Jenna Conrad of Troubletown and special guests including an improv band. Poets: Karen Finneyfrock (published author) and Joshua Boyd (from Iowa) plus three painters Jen Grabarzcyk, Brent Holland and Christen Mattix.

Past rounds have featured some stellar local talent: David Bazan, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Rosie Thomas, Jesse Sykes and Damien Jurado to slam poet champs like Danny Sherrard, Buddy Wakefield, Karen Finneyfrock and Matt Gano alongside painters like Emily Leonard, Jesse Brown, Scott Erickson, Christen Mattix and Kate Protage. Podcasts, videos, photos and more are available at the website.

If spring ever decides to make a consistent appearance in Seattle, this weekend should be a perfect way to enjoy it, starting with the second annual Fremont Village Festival on Saturday, May 1, which begins with workshops at 10 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. after an evening benefit concert featuring performers such as Carrie Akre, Curtains For You and Grant Geertsma.

It’s one of several events happening in Fremont this weekend (more posts will follow, including one on the Fremont Arts Council May Pole celebration at Woodland Park).

In Fremont, known affectionately to residents as the “Center of the Universe” (which would also account for this blog’s moniker), there is a part of the neighborhood that’s come to be known as “Fremont Village” - “the peak of the universe” on Fremont Avenue from BF Day school to the Zoo, with a hub at Fremont Abbey Arts Center on 43rd, stretching over to Peak Park on the ridge.

“We see this area as a fun place to live and visit. Come and see it all: the arts center, restaurants, the community center,” said Nathan Marion, the director of Fremont Abbey Arts Center since it began 5 years ago.

The event is a celebration of early springtime and coincides with opening events and exhibits at the Zoo (Meerkats!) and also serves as a warm up for the Fremont Fair, June 19-20.

Fee-based workshops at Fremont Abbey kickstart the day at 10 a.m.: turning recycled sweaters into wristwarmers, yoga for two and Tuning the Air guitar.

Then free giveaways such as family passes to the Zoo and local music CD’s begin around 2. Family fun looks certain, with all-ages activities such as:

• Face painting by Robin - www.PartyArtByRobin.com
• Singer/songwriter Andrew Vait
• Advise on final artwork for the NEW 46th Street Mural
• Modern dance demonstrations by Karin Stevens Dancers
• Swing dance lessons by Kevin Buster & Amy Best
• Culinary arts demos, samples & teaching with Dannika Underhill
• Artwork on display from BF Day elementary students
• Neighborhood safety information from FAWN
• Self-defense demos by local martial arts instructor
• Urban farms & local farm CSA information
• Community painting outside
• Sidewalk chalk art contest (with prizes!)

The concert begins at 7, with a suggested $7-10+ donation. Proceeds support Fremont Abbey’s ALL-ages arts programs. Along with these programs, “community driven and volunteer powered” Fremont Abbey also hosts performances, classes and a music school.

Festival goers can also enjoy free hot chocolate for kids at Caffe Vita, $5 pizzas at Tribunal from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and help out at the Neighborhood Council Adopt-A-Street Clean-up from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. (starting at FAC’s Powerhouse).

A collaborative arts show called “The Round” including musicians, poets and painters was held tonight at Fremont Abbey Arts Center. It was the 41st installation of this monthly experience that began in 2005 and has since expanded to Portland and Tacoma. The Round has settled into the cozy basement of the Arts Center, and successfully blossomed into an intimate showcase of diverse local artists.

Musicians David Bazan of Pedro the Lion andHeadphones, Aaron Sprinkle of Fair, and Gabe Archer of The Pale Pacific were joined by painters Scott Erickson and Skye Graves, as well as a traveling poet who called herself Grey Anne, a last-minute addition to the show. The show is constantly changing; musicians are only allowed to participate once a year, poets twice a year, and painters up to three times per year. Curator Nathan Marion, also Executive Director of the Arts Center, handpicks the lineup (with assistance and recommendations from previous artists).

This particular iteration sold out a week in advance, and the basement of the Arts Center was packed by 7:45 for a show starting at 8:15. Candles surrounded the stage, while lights above the easels provided much of the light throughout the performance. The acoustic songs set an appropriate mood for the show’s overall tone, while the painters created work with two very different methods.

During the round, each musician sings- the flavor of the month seemed to be folk ballads, like Sprinkle’s cover of “Angel Band,” an old Emmylou Harris tune. After each musician has his or her ’round’, the poet follows up with some spoken word poetry, like Anne, who quipped “One goes to the altar/one goes to war/We’re not going anywhere/We haven’t been before.” Throughout the songs and poetry, the painters splash their canvases with colorful (or muted) images.

Round #42 will be held Nov. 11th and feature Aaron Manino, Kaz, Chris Mansfield, and Josh Dawson, as well as painter Jessica Graca.  More information can be found at The Round’s website.