Mobile Food Rodeo, Best of the Northwest Craft Show, Hari Kondabolu Scratch Night, And More Events Under $10
by Stranger Things To Do Staff
This weekend looks like a promising one for procrastinators, with plenty options for easy entertainment that won't cost you more than $10—from two festivals at Seattle Center (Vegfest and the World Rhythm Festival) to specialty markets (Mobile Food Rodeo Round-up and the Best of the Northwest Art & Fine Craft Show) to local benefit celebrations (a meeting of the Aaron Huffman Admiration Society and the Encyclopedia Greenwoodia release) to themed DJ nights (Kanye Night and Onesie Night). Believe it or not, you'll find even more cheap and easy options if you keep reading, or, if you have a slightly larger budget, check out our critics' picks for the 53 best things to do this week.
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FRIDAY
1. 23rd Annual World Rhythm Festival
Produced by the Seattle World Percussion Society, the 23rd Annual World Rhythm Festival promises a weekend of music, drums, and dance, with tons of performances and workshops, and even a Saturday night dance party. (Seattle Center, free, through Sun)
2. Art Up PhinneyWood
Walk around charming Greenwood/Phinney (just north of the zoo) and take in art from more than forty venues, from galleries to restaurants to bookshops, including Couth Buzzard Books, Naked City Brewery, and Push/Pull Gallery. (Greenwood/Phinney, free)
3. A.S.H.E.S. The Chosen, Marc Payne, Saemonae, and Brynn Elyzabeth
Seattle emcee A.S.H.E.S the CHOSEN will be hosting a benefit show on April 8th at the Funhouse to raise awareness for the Kashechewan First Nation's Tainted Waters Crisis. A portion of proceeds will be donated to a credible Seattle organization that can allocate the funds to the children in Ontario. A.S.H.E.S the Chosen has been described as "a soulful, hiphop meets folk revival music mosaic." (Eastlake, $8-$10)
4. Belltown Art Walk
Wander around Belltown and check out their hyperlocal art scene amidst the waves of drinkers and clubbers. Convene at the Belltown Community Center to pick up a map (and maybe some snacks/goodies), then head out to explore nearby galleries while taking advantage of all the artists' exhibitions (and provided refreshments). (Belltown, free)
5. Bootie Seattle: Onesie Night
Wear a onesie and prepare for a typically Bootie-style mashup dance party. "Onesie" is open to interpretation, however: "Whether you go for your favorite 'wonder pajamas,' or show up in a sexy romper or jumpsuit, just be ready to let loose on the dance floor." (Capitol Hill, $5/$10)
6. Bottlenose Koffins, The Boss Martians, The Bloodtypes, and Tan Sedan
Bottlenose Koffins, The Boss Martians, The Bloodtypes, and Tan Sedan will perform a variety of garage rock/punk/power-pop at LoFi. (Eastlake, $8)
7. Buzz Brümp, Brass Monkeys, and Alki Jones
Buzz Brümp describes their music as "a uniquely diverse sound that sweats it out on the dance floor." They'll split the bill with Beastie Boys tribute act Brass Monkeys and alt-country band Alki Jones. (Fremont, $8/$10)
8. El Chupacabra Alki's 5-Year Anniversary
Celebrate El Chupacabra Alki's 5 Year Anniversary and take in a great view at this party where there will be plenty of burritos, $3.50 draft beers and well drinks, $5 house margaritas, and $7 bartender and Cadillac margaritas. (West Seattle, free entry)
9. Hometown Heroes
Celebrate Seattle's underground comic art community at this one night only event, promising comic books, posters, original art, clothing and more from a variety of locally and nationally recognized artists. (Downtown, free)
10. The Jam
A+ rap and hiphop spun by DJ Able One, with Specs Wizard on the MPC 2000, every second Friday. (Capitol Hill, free)
11. James Borchers: Obiectum Resonare
Tonight is the opening reception for this exhibit by James Borchers, which invites audience participation that will slowly shape the nature of the experience over time. He explains, "By using a series of sensors, speakers, and software, the piece invites viewers to transform the musical discourse by subtly altering the electronic sound and acoustic resonance of objects in the room. These transformations are recorded and recycled throughout the exhibition, gradually incorporated into the piece over time.” (University District, free)
12. Kanye Night
Be a part of the dance night shrine to Kanye's greatness — celebrating his existence with tracks from every album, including his newest drop, The Life of Pablo. First 50 people are free, all late-comers have to shell out $8. (Rainier Valley)
13. Kracklefest 6
After Comicon is over for the day, the Hard Rock will play host to this "after-hours nerd-music variety show" featuring Texas band Married with Sea Monsters and hosted by Aaron Roden of the Air-Raid Podcast. (Downtown, $10)
14. Maracuja
Get ready to be swept away by the smooth Latin sounds of Maracujá, as they take you from "fiery Cuban son and Brazilian samba-funk to soothing bossa nova and wistful boleros.” (Downtown, free)
15. A Province of Thay, Into the Storm, and Mulder It’s Me
This heavy show features Seattle-based A Province of Thay, described as a "postmetal band that balances aggression with ambience, and melody with muscle," "devil music" from Mulder, It's Me, and Into the Storm, described as "noisy blasts of heavy emanating from the Pacific Northwest.” (Eastlake, $5)
16. Seattle Mariners' Opening Day Party
Get ready for baseball season with the Mariners' Opening Day Party. Local indie rock bands P.S. and Uh Oh Eskimo will be playing sets along with some special guests. (Pioneer Square, $5)
17. Wild Powwers
Tonight is the record-release show for Wild Powwers’ (formerly just Powers and/or Powwers) second full-length, Hugs and Kisses and Other Things. Much like its predecessor, Doris Rising, Hugs finds the Seattle trio dispersing an ardent guitar-driven rock record with its share of mixtape/playlist fodder. GRANT BRISSEY (Ballard, $10)
SATURDAY
18. Ballard Art Walk
On the second Saturday of every month, take an evening stroll around Ballard to enjoy free artwork in local galleries, studios, restaurants, and shops. (Ballard, free)
19. Benefit for Seattle Homeless Healthcare
All proceeds of this event featuring Jonny Sonic, Butt Dial, Clayton Ballard & The Unkindness, and Filty Femcorps Marching Band will go towards the Alternative Health Access Campaign. (Fremont, $10)
20. Benefit for Wheel Lab
This benefit for Wheel Lab, which aims to raise money via a bike raffle, celebrates community awareness with energetic local punk bands like Private Room, Vacant Life, Darto, and Amante Negative. (Seattle Center, $6-$8)
21. Best of the Northwest Art & Fine Craft Show
This event promises handmade crafts including jewelry, clothing, paintings, and photographs, along with works in wood, glass, metal, and more. Presented by Northwest Art Alliance. (Sand Point, free entry, through Sun)
22. BK The Artist: God of Sun, Son of God
Brian Kirhagis, better known as BK The Artist, will deliver a lecture on his celebrated painting God of Sun, Son of God, tying in religious themes and understandings from modern Egypt to today. (Pioneer Square, free)
23. Broke Off
There's a new dance night in town, and this time it's break beat-focused. Think old school '90s party jams and top shelf electro-rave without any Kidz Bop infiltration. Broke Off starts April 9th, and will echo through the Underground at Last Supper Club every second Saturday. (Pioneer Square, free/$10)
24. Chance Fashion's Spring & Summer Edition
Neighbors hosts this show by Chance Fashion, a nonprofit aiming to expand the accessibility of fashion arts. Their spring and summer edition features a meet and greet, model photo session, runway walk, post-show reception, and music by DJ Martini. (Capitol Hill, $10/$15)
25. Crepax Exhibition and Book Launch Party
Fantagraphics presents an exhibition and book launch party for Italian cartoonist Guido Crepax (1933-2003), known for his depictions of heroines as well as his retellings of literary classics. Celebrate the release of this selection of his works, spanning Valentina to Dracula to Frankenstein. (Georgetown, free)
26. Drone Cinema Film Festival
Created and curated by Kim Cascone—respected ambient-music producer behind Heavenly Music Corporation and assistant music editor for David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Wild at Heart—Drone Cinema combines drone-based music with complementary filmic imagery. Seems like a pretty straightforward concept, but with a mind as immersed in immersive sound and vision as Cascone’s, you can expect some deeply meditative and transportive sensory stimuli. DAVE SEGAL (University District, $9)
27. Emerald City Soul Club
Why do I love Emerald City Soul Club? Because ECSC is one night's blissful reprieve from the same old musical palette and constant THUMP THUMP THUMP of other club nights. Every 45 that the DJs play sounds familiar, even the ones I'm sure I don't know, and every song swings and spins and steps across a floor that's been sprinkled with baby powder for your dressed-up dancing pleasure. It's perfect. ERIC GRANDY (Eastlake, $10)
28. Encyclopedia Greenwoodia Release
Celebrate the release of Encyclopedia Greenwoodia, a new anthology about the Seattle neighborhood that includes pieces from both children and grown-up authors like David Shields and David Schmader. The party, held at the Greenwood Room in the Greenwood Senior Center, will feature interviews with and readings from featured writers, and all proceeds from book sales (which will be sold for $10) will go towards the Greenwood Recovery Fund, helping rebuild what was lost in the recent explosion. (Greenwood, free entry)
29. First Folio Performance of Scenes from "Romeo and Juliet”
Actors from Seattle Shakespeare Company's touring production of Romeo and Juliet will perform selected scenes, beginning with the Capulet ball, in conjunction with the Central Library's First Folio exhibit. (Downtown, free)
30. Georgetown Art Attack
Once a month, the art that resides in the tiny airport hamlet of Georgetown ATTACKS all passersby. In more literal terms, it's the day of art openings and street wonderment. (Georgetown, free)
31. Great Grandpa Birthday Show
Great Grandpa may be young, but their sound is mature enough to make Stereogum describe it as "knotty, twisted, and warm rock music that’s as melodically satisfying as it is, at times, confounding." Now that all the band members are finally 21 years old, they're throwing a self-congratulatory birthday show at Monkey Pub, with buds Koda Sequoia, Tangler, and Trashlord there to help start the party. Prepare yourself for a night of empowering alt-grunge younghead rock, and probably a lot of terrible 21-run decisions. (University District, free)
32. Gretchen Bennett Artist Talk
Presented by INCA and "This Might Not Work," the Open Forum series features monthly events centered around art, poetry, history, culture, and more. Today, they welcome Seattle's Gretchen Bennett for an artist talk. (Queen Anne, free)
33. Heroes of the Dorm: The Heroic Four
It's the finals of nerd March Madness (the collegiate tournament for Blizzard's popular battle video game Heroes of the Storm), which will be broadcast live on ESPN2. Seattle fans can watch the Heroic Four and the Grand Finals live in person at the CenturyLink Field Events Center, where Blizzard will give away special prizes. (Downtown, free, through Sun)
34. Jason Hirata Artist Talk
Jason Hirata (whose recommended "funny, sad, wonky, scruffy Brink Award show" The Brink is on display at Henry Art Gallery) will speak with University of Washington professor Chandan Reddy. (University District, free)
35. Look Ball
Kremwerk presents the first edition of their competitive, judged fashion show, where there's a $250 prize for the winner in each of three categories: Down to Fashion, Down to Clown, and Down to Hot Glue. (Downtown, $10)
36. Orchids That Look Good in Bad Lighting
Jueqian Fang (also known as Ripple, or one half of Mystical Orchid) shows her work for a solo exhibit at Interstitial. Tonight is the opening reception. (Georgetown, free)
37. The Photograph: Gallery Talk
Elizabeth Brown, Rebecca Cummins, and Ellen Garvens will speak about the recommended exhibit The Photograph, featuring work by several photographers, including Ansel Adams. (Downtown, free)
38. Push/Pull Book Club presents art inspired by The Master & Margarita
At the Push/Pull Book Club, get inspired to work on your craft by reading and discussing a piece of literature alongside a group of artists and community members. Afterwards, thematically related ideas and personal/collective art projects will run the show. Tonight is the opening reception. (Ballard, free)
39. Saturday Family Events: Recycled City
Bring the kids (ages 6-11) and any recycled materials you have to help build a city at the Seattle Architecture Foundation's environmental celebration. They will provide additional materials (collected from local architecture firms) and tools for construction. (Downtown, free)
40. Scarlet Parke, Jerett Samples, Arthur James, and Honey Mustard
Smooth songstress Scarlet Parke will be lighting up the Rendezvous, with Jerett Samples, Arthur James, and Honey Mustard. (Belltown, $8/$10)
41. Seijun Suzuki Retrospective
The dominant image we have of Japanese culture is that it’s a very orderly society... But that view of Japan is very limited and is contradicted by the films of directors who constitute what is known as Japan’s silver age, 1960 to 1980. One leading figure of this moment is Seijun Suzuki, whose movies are celebrated for their visual and narrative excesses. His work often overflows with violence, sex, madness, and criminals. It’s not at all surprising that they influenced Quentin Tarantino. The copresented (Northwest Film Forum and Grand Illusion) Seijun Suzuki Retrospective starts tonight with a screening of Passport to Darkness. CHARLES MUDEDE (University District, $9)
42. Six Degrees of Inebriation
Raise money for local charities while trying beers from six different breweries: Firestone Walker, New Belgium, Deschutes, HUB, Sierra Nevada and Two Beers. They also promise an interactive game show from 4-6 pm—sign up early! (Fremont, free entry)
43. SuperHard Comicon
Celebrate Emerald City Comicon with a totally unofficial, totally unsanctioned, totally hot superhero party at, where else, the Eagle. From the nerds who bring you Pink Party Prime and Pink Party Comicon comes SuperHard, featuring go-go lust objects Tyler Rush and Cass Bolton (of Watts the Safeword) and DJs Krot and Rob Winter. But wait, what's that in the sky? It's Zan Christensen of Northwest Press with guests Justin Hall and Dave Davenport, giving away copies their new gay porn anthology Hard to Swallow! MATT BAUME (Capitol Hill, $10)
44. Vegfest 2016
A food festival celebrating healthy vegetarian food. Enjoy free food samples (over 500 kinds to try), see cooking demonstrations, hear about nutrition from medical doctors, receive free health checks, and get a free deluxe tote swag bag filled with free food and coupons. (Seattle Center, $9, through Sun)
SUNDAY
45. African Children's Choir
The African Children's Choir will visit the Seattle Community Church and the Philadelphia Church and perform "lively African songs and dances, traditional Spirituals and Gospel favorites." (Ballard and University District, donations welcome)
46. Books, Beer, and The Bard: Shakesbeerience Greatest Hits
To celebrate First Folio at SPL, Seattle Shakesbeerience ("script in one hand, drink in the other") will perform their greatest hits including Taming of the Brew, Rumeo & Brewliet, and "The Hangover Part 4 (popularly known as A Midsummer Night's Dream).” You can get on their level by purchasing beverages from Little Oddfellows in Elliott Bay Book Company. (Capitol Hill, free)
47. The Crossroads Exchange, Buckets of Rain, Timmy Tombstone, and The Mean Street Meanie
The Crossroads Exchange, who blends "country, blues, folk, pop, ragtime, rock 'n' roll, bluegrass and even a bit of Klezmer," headlines this bill. (Fremont, $6/$8)
48. Hari Kondabolu's Scratch Night
It's not always a guaranteed pleasure to watch comedians working out new material, but Hari Kondabolu is not just any comedian. You could make the case that his asides, self-edits, and ad-libs are as funny as the individual finished bits. Though the finished work is, all in all, a whole other level of funny. These shows give small audiences an intimate look at the process of a comic whose trajectory is thrilling to behold. SEAN NELSON (Capitol Hill, $7)
49. Kill the Keg: Re-Ignition, The Stuntmen, Kids on Fire, and The Know Nothingz
This Kill the Keg concert features $1 drafts "until the keg blows," as well as music from the Seattle Bad Brains tribute band Re-Ignition, Olympia hard rockers The Stuntmen, Seattle street pop band Kids on Fire, and post-punk band The Know Nothingz. (Capitol Hill, $6)
50. LMC Free Public Classical Concert
Selections for this free public anniversary concert include instrumental pieces both composed and performed by past and present members of the Ladies Musical Club. (West Seattle, free)
51. A Meeting of the Aaron Huffman Admiration Society
Family, friends, and fans gather to celebrate the life of Aaron Huffman, a beloved member of the Seattle music and arts communities, with songs and stories. The event is free, but donations to offset medical expenses for his family are always welcome. SEAN NELSON (Capitol Hill, free)
52. Mobile Food Rodeo Round-Up #5
Come to Fremont Sunday Market to browse local artisanal wares, thrift finds, and locally sourced food and goods—then stay for the wide variety of awesome food trucks. (Fremont, free entry)