by Stranger Things To Do Staff
This week, our arts critics have recommended the best events in every genre—from the first weekend of the Seattle International Film Festival to the last event in the old Hugo House, and from Beyoncé's world tour to a Blonde Redhead concert. See all of your options below, and find even more events on our complete Things To Do calendar.
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MONDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Andi Zeisler with Amelia Bonow: Where Did All the Feminists Go?
Andi Zeisler (co-founder and head creative/editorial honcho of Bitch Media) will speak at Town Hall about her newest book, We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to CoverGirl®, the Buying and Selling of a Political Movement, about the commercial co-optation of feminism, in a conversation moderated by Amelia Bonow of #Shoutyourabortion.
National Geographic Live: Ocean Wild
Photographer Brian Skerry is an expert at capturing shots under the waves, having spent more than 10,000 hours underwater using his camera to portray rare and isolated creatures. Come to this National Geographic Live event for Brian's wildlife photography, and stay for the educational material on the wonders of the sea. (Through Tuesday)
FOOD & DRINK
Women in Beer
The fifth annual Women in Beer event (part of Seattle Beer Week, and 21+) will celebrate "women in our local beer, wine, spirits and food industries" with tastes, sips, and bites from over 35 local venues with proceeds benefiting Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands.
This is Washington Dammit!
Celebrate our state's brewing prowess with $3.50 pints of 36 Washington beers from 36 different breweries at this Seattle Beer Week event.
Food & Sh*t presents The Comfort Room
Chera Amlag and Geo Quibuyen, creators of Food & Sh*t, have moved their popular Filipino pop-up from Beacon Hill to Pioneer Square’s Kraken Congee, and expanded the menu from prix-fixe to à la carte. The Comfort Room features a rotating, seasonal menu of Filipino comfort food dishes such as pork sisig, bagoong fried chicken, and, as always, use cheescake. No reservations necessary; just show up and dig in. ANGELA GARBES
Yalla Pop-Up
Chef Taylor Cheney has an impressive résumé, having worked in the kitchens at MistralKitchen and the Harvest Vine (as well as the dearly departed La Bete, Licorous, and Lampreia). More importantly, she’s also spent significant amounts of time in Egypt, studying and immersing herself in the country’s cuisine. On Mondays, Cheney is taking over Capitol Hill’s Marjorie with Yalla (it means “Let’s go!” in Arabic), her Middle Eastern pop-up featuring dishes such as mutabal (charred eggplant with yogurt, tahini, and pomegranate), tabbouleh, maftoul (braised chicken with chickpea stew and couscous), and even a Moroccan mint tea julep. ANGELA GARBES
MUSIC
Horse Lords
Baltimore quartet Horse Lords are what happens when Glenn Branca and Rhys Chatham aficionados get turned on by the African trance rock of Group Doueh and Tinariwen and 20th-century minimalism. That’s not a confluence of elements you normally hear in the 21st century. Thankfully, Horse Lords infuse these influences with a powerful life force, so rather than seeming like connect-the-dots record-collector pastiche, their music packs a rare hybridized zing. DAVE SEGAL
Wireheads
Wireheads evoke the fascinating bleakness and nonchalantly brilliant tunefulness of New Zealand semi-legends like the Gordons and post-punk mavericks like Afflicted Man and 39 Clocks... There’s something slightly off-center and alienated about the songs here, something that makes you want to listen repeatedly to their odd, anomic atmospheres and intriguing air of disaffection—and, not least of all, the ultra-cool guitar tones. It’s rare for rock to sound this vitally dismal in 2016. DAVE SEGAL
TUESDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Salon of Shame #66
Writing that makes you cringe ("middle school diaries, high school poetry, unsent letters") is displayed with unapologetic hilarity at this Salon of Shame.
FOOD & DRINK
Slow Boat to Holy Mountain
For Seattle Beer Week, Holy Mountain will take over the taps at Slow Boat Tavern (with "their team of male model bartenders") and bring along ten kegs of rare/vintage beers. The Masonry will serve wood-fired pizzas for a rounded evening.
Reuben's Brews x Brave Horse Tavern Beer Dinner
Reuben's Brews is teaming up with Brave Horse Tavern for a six-course beer dinner, including the Daily Pale (the official Seattle Beer Week beer) paired with poached Alaskan King Crab, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout paired with a cocoa nib-rubbed New York strip steak, and a rye sour paired with cheesecake.
Wood Aged Washington
More than 24 wood-aged beers from Washington State breweries are on offer at Naked City for this Seattle Beer Week event.
COMEDY
Comedy Nest Open Mic
The rules of this pro-lady stand-up night are refreshing in their simplicity: no misogyny, racism, homophobia, hatred, or heckling. Tonight, Anica Cihla, who has performed at the Redwood Comedy Festival and the 36th Annual Seattle Comedy Competition, will bring her "approachable blend of observational humor, self-deprecating anecdotes, and gypsy curses" to the stage.
MUSIC
Amon Amarth
The AC/DC of melodic Swedish Viking death metal sans the paunchy, cake-fed replacement singer with Loki-like ’tude, Amon Amarth swill brew from rams’ horns and remain forever drunk on Norse mythology. This hirsute bunch chases a Cal Ripken–like consistency: Their hooky, Thor’s-hammer-heavy jams have evolved little from album to album in recent years, but that’s only because they’ve arguably perfected the catchy yet concussive crunch that propels their latest record, Jomsviking, like a longship crashing through ocean waves en route to foreign shores. JASON BRACELIN
WEDNESDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Marieka M. Klawitter
The UW professor of Public Policy and Governance will give a talk titled "I'm Coming Out: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in the US."
The Moth Mainstage
Five storytellers take the stage at Benaroya for a night of memoir-ish oral history, as part of radio sensation The Moth's Mainstage series. Tonight's theme is "The Ties That Bind," the host is LA comedian and storyteller David Crabb, and storytellers are David Alexander, Yassmin Fashir, Chris McKinlay, Danusia Trevino, and Dame Wilburn.
ART
Martha Rosler: Housing Is a Human Right: Frontlines of the Housing Crisis
The Central Library hosts the second Housing Is a Human Right community talk, featuring the voices of people affected by Seattle's housing crisis.
The Atomic Frontier: Black Life in Hanford, WA
In 1943, the federal government established a project in Hanford, Washington, that provided many working-class Americans with something they desperately needed: jobs. A good number of the people who came to Hanford to do jobs like welding, cutting, digging, hammering, typing, serving, and cooking were black and from the South. They too needed jobs, had American dreams, and wanted a piece of the wartime pie. This exhibit is devoted to their stories and includes recruitment posters, oral histories, maps, declassified photographs by the federal government, and more. CHARLES MUDEDE (Closes Sunday)
MUSIC
Beyoncé: Formation World Tour
In the weeks after the release of the album Lemonade, Beyoncé discussions tend to focus on the pain, rage, and grief explored in its songs. Don’t expect too much of that tonight at CenturyLink Field, though. Expect juicy, military-precision choreography with women who show the diversity of blackness. Expect Beyoncé to keep pace with her blazingly kinetic dancers while simultaneously, casually holding a clinic in vocal performance. Don’t expect anything less than a joyous fucking celebration. ANGELA GARBES
Jazz Innovations
I played sax in the Garfield High School jazz band for four years. And numbnuts that I am, I just figured that writing a “chart,” as jazzers call a big-band arrangement, couldn’t be that difficult. And I never knew, until some bandmates tried (after I’d graduated) to do just that. Zoinks! First you have a melody—easy enough. Then you’ve got this shit called harmony, expressed with this shit called voicings. And the different instruments play in different keys except the trombones, which play in “concert key” but read in the bass clef… Well, this Jazz Innovations show, the first of several, promises charts by UW jazz students who have presumably solved all these problems and cooked up something tasty into the bargain. Hope lives. ANDREW HAMLIN
THURSDAY
FILM
Seattle International Film Festival
My money is on this: 2016 will be a strong year for the Seattle International Film Festival. Why? If you look at our SIFF Guide, you will find an usually high number of recommended and highly recommend films. In fact, in all of the years I have covered the festival, I have never seen so many stars and don't-misses next to films. CHARLES MUDEDE (Through June 12)
Puget Soundtrack: Under the Cherry Moon
Puget Soundtrack, presented by Northwest Film Forum, invites musicians to create a live score for a film of their own choosing. This time, various musicians (Laura Moreau, Holly Ricciardo, John DeShazo and more) will perform an original soundtrack to cult classic Under the Cherry Moon, the directorial debut of the late, great Prince.
READINGS & TALKS
Where the House Was
Hugo House co-founder Frances McCue will read from her long poem about the history and transformation of the house (the poem is the centerpiece of an upcoming documentary film) with author Rebecca Brown and cellist Lori Goldston; writers Cali Kopczick and Jack Chelgren will open the evening.
FOOD & DRINK
Happy Hour Food Walk
Every third Thursday starting today, participating restaurants in the Chinatown-International District will have $2, $4, or $6 bites.
THEATER
Bernie's Apartment
Ese Teatro presents the world premiere of Bernie's Apartment, written by Rose Cano and directed by Julie Beckman—a modern day take on the terrifying and engrossing La Casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca. (Through Sunday)
A Rap on Race
In 1970, James Baldwin (one of the best writers America has ever produced) and anthropologist Margaret Mead (the only anthropologist America has ever heard of) recorded a passionate and prescient seven-and-a-half-hour conversation, which was later turned into the book A Rap on Race. In a show with the same title, created by Spectrum Dance Theater, Tony Award–nominated local choreographer Donald Byrd and MacArthur genius playwright/performer Anna Deavere Smith reproduced sections of Baldwin and Mead's long-form, heady, booze-buoyed discussion and cut it with spurts of drunk-jazz dance numbers. RICH SMITH (Through Sunday)
reSET
Curated by Mark Haim, Babette Pendleton, and Ali Mohamed el-Gasseir, reSET is a sort of arts-share dance series put on by the Washington Ensemble Theatre. Choreographers perform new pieces using the set for whatever play the company happens to be producing at that time. Lily Verlaine and Markeith Wiley will reimagine the stage for The Things Are Against Us to suit their artistic needs. RICH SMITH (Through Friday)
ART
JuárezX: Dragged Across Borders
Undocumented immigrants and other artists who are making art at the militarized Mexican border find they have a double life: There's meaning in working in public, in graffiti and murals and guerrilla street installations and video projections, but they often have to keep their true identities to themselves. In this exhibition, each artist lives in or around Juárez, Mexico, but sometimes that's all they have in common. One might be an undocumented immigrant and desperate for work, another might be a professor. But several, importantly, are pushing at the invisible but powerful borders of gender and sexuality, too. It's a complex confluence, but the imagery is direct and eye-popping. JEN GRAVES (Through Saturday)
MUSIC
Studio 4/4: Alan Fitzpatrick
If a DJ or a producer is affiliated with the Swedish Drumcode label, you should make it a priority to see her or him perform. Ergo, do your best to check out England’s Alan Fitzpatrick, who also runs Brain Damage Recordings. His no-nonsense techno tracks bang with authoritarian authority and will whip you into a lather with utmost boom-tick efficiency. His melodies are minimal, but his evocative vocal samples do a lot of the heavy lifting to get you moving. It’s the Drumcode way, and it’s succeeded for 20 years. These Studio 4/4 cats know what they’re doing. DAVE SEGAL
FRIDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Hugo Literary Series: The Writing’s on the Wall
This will be the last reading in the old Hugo House! Right now, the Hugo House walls are literally covered in writing from last week's good-bye party, which is a fitting environment for the theme of this event, "The Writing's on the Wall." Novelist Jenny Offill will present new work on the theme, along with Stranger Genius Maged Zaher (whose new book of poems, The Consequences of My Body, is very good), fiction writer Laura van den Berg (whose novel Find Me was on many best of 2015 lists), and Stranger Genius nominee Dawn Cerny, whose work has "a sense of humor that's pointed and anarchic at the same time," according to Jen Graves. RICH SMITH
FOOD & DRINK
May is for Morels
Learn how to work with wild morel mushrooms, roses, asparagus, nettles, watercress, and "the abundance of full-on Spring!" in this hands-on class from Le Gourmand Seattle. Tickets also include a four-course meal with wine.
ART
Patte Loper: Seeking Higher Ground
Patte Loper takes on the ever-pressing issue of rising sea levels, while also engaging with Lebbeus Woods, known for his architectural drawings that can't be translated to buildings. In this exhibit, Loper creates structures that can't be sketched. Tonight is the opening reception, she'll give an artist talk on Saturday, and the exhibition opens on May 23.
FILM
UCLA Festival of Preservation
See newly restored versions of "classics and seldom-seen gems" at the touring UCLA Festival of Preservation, hosted by Northwest Film Forum and co-hosted by the Grand Illusion. Today, Northwest Film Forum will screen Anthony Mann's 1957 film Men in War.
MUSIC
Bob Dylan at 75
Now on the verge of turning 75, Dylan will surely be lionized a bunch in 2016, but this multi-night celebration of perhaps the most written-about American musician looks better than most. Tonight a large, rotating cast of local luminaries will pay tribute to two of the mercurial poet/composer’s peaks: 1965’s Highway 61 Revisited and 1975’s Blood on the Tracks. DAVE SEGAL
Billy Joel
All these years I thought “Miami 2017” was about everyone moving down from NYC to retire. My favorite Billy Joel fan told me that, so I never read the lyrics. How wrong a Billy Joel fan can be! “Miami 2017” is about the apocalypse, and some of what he intimated in it came true. But Joel told NYC, after the Twin Towers fell, that they weren’t going anywhere, and they cheered. As they should have. He did not, of course, predict that a man from NYC, only a few years older than himself, would waver within a whisker of precipitating the apocalypse. But no one’s perfect. I wonder if Billy will have anything to say about that man, from the stage, this time. Shout-out for the song and find out? ANDREW HAMLIN
Dayglo Abortions
While Victoria, BC’s Dayglo Abortions might not be considered as crucial to the landscape of punk and hardcore as bands like the Dead Kennedys or Black Flag, their first couple of albums, 1981’s Out of the Womb and 1986’s Feed Us a Fetus, still hold up, with a raw, thrashing edge and catchy hooks filled with goofy lyrics. For example—“Ozzy Osbourne is so out in space that he’d probably love me if I pissed in his face.” These days, Dayglo Abortions include one original member (guitarist/vocalist “The Cretin”), are touring harder than ever, and releasing new music. Punk’s not dead; it just rotates lineups. KEVIN DIERS
He Whose Ox Is Gored, Haunted Horses, the Family Curse, Bali Girls, Transmissionary
Local industrial-punk brutalists Haunted Horses called it quits at the end of 2014 after becoming a local weirdo-punk institution with their nightmare-provoking exorcism soundtracks. Tonight’s stacked five-band bill marks their final show, a posthumous last hurrah for their harsh alien-synth dirge. This show also serves as the release party for the Triple Six Records–produced box set, which compiles all six 7-inches the label has released over the past two years, pairing each act with a local visual artist for the covers, as well. All the bands from the series will be playing tonight, minus saxy punks Stickers (RIP), who have also broken up since their 7-inch release. BRITTNIE FULLER
SATURDAY
FOOD & DRINK
Taste Test and Sensory Evaluation
Optimism Brewing is offering free blind taste tests and sensory evaluations for Seattle Beer Week. You'll also learn about how beers are evaluated and what goes into sensory analysis in the laboratory.
ART
Cris Bruch and Anders Bergstrom
Anders Bergstrom's prints of, about, and inspired by brown bags, alongside a series of sculptures by Cris Bruch. Bruch recently had a solo show at the Frye that Jen Graves described as "an elegy in large-scale sculpture for the hardscrabble lives of his farmer ancestors in Colorado and Kansas," which is "as materially ingenious as ever, but this time it feels as if he is mourning an entire lost civilization, one he didn't live and distantly romanticizes." (Closes Saturday)
QUEER
Deeper: A Dark and Dirty Underwear Party
Ugh, pants are the worst. As a work-from-home freelancer, I seriously do not understand how you people spend your entire day in them. So I insist that you tear off your clothing immediately upon arriving at Deeper, an underwear dance party at the Eagle. "Serious underground sex dungeon vibes" promises promoter DJ Pavone, thanks to the dark techno of German DJ Ertönen. (And don't miss the mix Ertönen just dropped for local label Bottom Forty.) Bring your crisp dollar bills for fuzzy-faced go-gos Josh and Robbie, who'll attempt to contain their sexual magnetism in the cage all night. May you never wear pants again. MATT BAUME
MUSIC
Acapulco Lips
I haven’t been able to get anyone excited about Acapulco Lips—what a goddamn shame. Except for my mother. I gave her the band’s CD for her birthday, and she says she loves it and cruises around listening to it for her cruising music. They hollow out the Shangri-Las and pour in some spiky surf chords, some Jesus and Mary Chain fuzz, a drummer going Keith Moon–crazy on the fills, and a vocalist (Maria-Elena Juarez) who sounds like she’s singing into a pay phone receiver dangling from its metal cord across the boardwalk from the beach while the sun goes down and the sinister stars wink in. Sometimes she makes sense and sometimes she doesn’t. But with all that going for them, who needs puny sense? Hi, Mom! Tach it up! ANDREW HAMLIN
Blonde Redhead
The obvious joke here is that the best Blonde Redhead album I ever heard was Daydream Nation, but there is possibly slightly more to be mined from them than post-no-wave peer parallels. Though clear in influence (and name acknowledgment), Blonde Redhead hovered at the forefront of burgeoning alt-ness for American teens through the 1990s and early 2000s because they remain fuzzy in intent. Are they truly carving out a place for emotionally apathetic yet sonically pointed noise rock (and occasional electronic balladeering), or will being the coolest kids at the party (the party being the Cooler or the Chelsea 20 years ago), for them, suffice? KIM SELLING
Pulse Emitter, Bardo:Basho, Marcus Price, J. Ryan
Portland’s Pulse Emitter (Daryl Groetsch) has risen to the summit of America’s modular-synthesizer holy mountain with several releases that tap into the cosmic vein of the deepest new-age masters—Laraaji, J.D. Emmanuel, Suzanne Ciani, et al. Pulse Emitter’s 2015 album Digital Rainforest bears a title that’s a bit too on the nose, but who cares when the sounds are this rapturous and eccentrically beautiful? Groetsch’s compositional skills and tonal palette are stimulating in the extreme. Bardo:Basho (Kirsten Thom of the Elevator crew), Marcus Price, and J. Ryan (formerly Lightning Kills Eagle) represent some of the Northwest’s most promising talent, thanks to their frequently evolving takes on techno, ambient, IDM, and other imaginative permutations of electronic music. DAVE SEGAL
Research: Bambounou, Biome, Fugal
Research goes to France for its headliner this month. Parisian producer/DJ Bambounou (Jéremy Guindo-Zegiestowski) records for the vaunted 50Weapons label, and his odd takes on house and techno go wonderfully against the grain of the smooth orthodoxy of those genres’ multitudes. Rhythmically and texturally, Bambounou’s productions sound off the goddamn grid, rugged, organically crunchy, and as psychedelic as a jungle. His tracks bristle with rarely heard, exotic timbres, and it’s very welcome. DJs Biome (Louise Croff Blake) and Fugal (Ted Shin) stand as two of Seattle’s finest purveyors of deep minimal techno that makes you forget what time it is—or indeed, what time is. DAVE SEGAL
Sumac
Luminaries of the heavy, Sumac tend to keep their sun-less songs long and deliberately paced for a reason: to give you as much time as possible to absorb the weight of their osmium-dense catalog. Not sure if it’s a courtesy or a punishment, considering how rigorous a listen these dudes conjure. Consisting of former Isis/current Old Man Gloom frontman Aaron Turner, Baptists drummer Nick Yacyshyn, and Russian Circles bassist/Stranger freelancer Brian Cook, Sumac trawl the depths of a number of metal’s murkiest subgenres (doom, death, sludge). JASON BRACELIN
SUNDAY
FOOD & DRINK
Seattle Ice Cream Festival
If you’re looking for some of the most creative minds in Seattle’s dining scene, try looking at our pastry chefs and ice-cream makers. Matt Bumpas, owner of Sweet Bumpas, is currently making flavors such as rhubarb pineapple and chipotle peanut brittle. The folks at Parfait, where everything is made entirely from scratch and with all organic ingredients, are scooping up coffee with house-made cookies as well as a raspberry rose ice cream. Right now, chef Renee Bolstad’s rotating menu of vibrantly flavored—and textured—parfaits at Trove incudes “Holla Halo,” made with ube frozen custard, tapioca fruit salad, and toasted coconut. You can sample all of these flavors—and much more, including the stunningly rich and simple Jersey cream ice cream from Kurt Farm Shop—at the first annual Seattle Ice Cream Festival at Chophouse Row. ANGELA GARBES
Tide Dinner
Bar Melusine's first annual Tide Dinner should perhaps be called a tide lunch, since it starts at noon, when the tide is lowest. You'll start the day by walking along the beach and collecting oysters for Bar Melusine staff to shuck for you and serve with champagne. Then, Renee Erickson will prepare a four-course, family style meal.
FILM
Campout Cinema: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
EMP presents this screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (considered by some the best in the Star Trek franchise) as part of their Campout Cinema series, where you get comfy in the Sky Church with your pillow and sleeping bag, and there is a bar and snacks like hot dogs and s’mores.
QUEER
Mimosas with Mama
Good morning, Baltimore/Seattle. Mama's show, "30 Minute-ish Hairspray," features all your favorite songs from the Broadway show plus some elaborate quick-change drag-queen magic, and today's the last chance you have to see it. They've mushed together the best of the original film and the Travolta travesty for a whirlwind of big-boned euphoria. But that's not all. The musical is just the culmination of the experience: The first half of the two-ish hour experience is a delightful drag cabaret/brunch buffet, with singing, dancing, comedy, and more naughty entendres than you can shake a stick at. MATT BAUME
MUSIC
Buzzcocks, Residuels
I’d wager the Buzzcocks are the most loved of all the punk bands, ever. Ask anyone, any punter, what their top three punk albums are and it’ll prolly include the Buzzcocks’ singles collection, Singles Going Steady. In 1976, they were a revolution: Their driving, hook-filled, melodic riffs were mated to narratives that sounded, to teenage ears, like truths. Their immediacy felt new and their energy was arresting. This tour, dubbed “Buzzcocks 40,” celebrates their on-and-off four-decade run, and, if you haven’t seen ’em at this point, well, it’s about goddamn time. I can promise they’re sure to bring a different kind of tension! MIKE NIPPER
Empyrean Throne, Unicorn Death, Exila, and Guests
There are plenty of things seldom seen in death metal: love songs about non-dead girls, pastel-colored stage garb, a hope for a better tomorrow. With the help of California’s Empyrean Throne, the cello can be stricken from that list. Yes, these symphonic-minded gutturalists incorporate that most majestic of stringed instruments into their assaultive, blackened repertoire. Cellist Kakophonix (take that for a name, stupid, stupid Yo-Yo Ma) gilds this Throne in drama and melody—as does pianist Daniel Pappas, who guests on the band’s 2013 full-length, Demonseed. Hey, even Satan enjoys a night at the orchestra every now and then, you know? JASON BRACELIN
CLASSICAL
Out of Darkness: Music of Remembrance
Notable composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer have written an opera after Auschwitz. Their work in three parts, each part premiering in Seattle with Music of Remembrance, begins with the life and work of daring Auschwitz survivor, poet, and songwriter Krystyna Zywulska. Now comes the third and final part of Out of Darkness, called For a Look or A Touch, written for baritone and actor. It's based on the story of the young lovers Gad Beck and Manfred Lewin, just two of the so many gay men persecuted and killed in the Holocaust. JEN GRAVES