Tip the Talent

A member of the Dresden Dolls' extended family, Jason Webley shares that duo's musical preferences (cabaret punk, showtune-style ballads, sea chanteys) and its penchant for dramatic presentation. Webley uses the accordion's full emotional spectrum, playing the sort of laments that prompt tears in classic French films and the kind of fast-paced romps that get mugs clinking at Polish wedding receptions. As a busker on the streets of Seattle, Webley learned how to grab the attention of passers-by. Playing at indoor venues such as the Skinless Productions Gallery (504 East 18th Street, No. 102), he doesn't have the luxury of serenading foot traffic, but he does lavish individual attention upon audience members, as if each one had just dropped a dollar in his coin-filled vodka bottle. Crowd interaction culminates with "The Drinking Song," during which he urges fans to drunkenly slur along with the lyrics, even if they're not actually intoxicated. Webley's show starts tonight at 8. Tickets are $8. For more information, call 816-699-8613. Jason Webley SKinless Productions
Fri., March 21, 8 p.m., 2008