TEDxSeattle, The International Truffle Expo, The Neuroscience of Game of Thrones, And More Unusual Picks
by Stranger Things To Do Staff
To prevent some of the quirky, strange, and extraordinary events happening this week from slipping through the cracks, we've compiled them here—ranging from the 2016 International Truffle Expo to TEDxSeattle, and from the The Neuroscience of Game of Thrones to Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird.
TUESDAY
1. Cybersecurity for Everyone
In the wake of the election, prepare to organize by learning techniques that will help maintain privacy and security on the internet—they'll help you identify security threats, and set up 2-factor authentication, Signal, Tor, VPNs, and other tools. Bring your devices.
2. Emily Witt with Dr. Pepper Schwartz: Future Sex
Author Emily Witt will speak about her book Future Sex—a personal exploration of dating, sex, relationships, and forms of intimacy—with sociologist and sexologist Dr. Pepper Schwartz.
3. An Evening with Garrison Keillor
A Prairie Home Companion legend Garrison Keillor (also known for his program The Writers Almanac, and his work editing poetry anthologies) will speak at the Paramount.
4. Trivia Tuesday: Gilmore Girls
Flaunt your knowledge of the Connecticut-set family drama series and prepare for the new Netflix series that will be released next week.
TUESDAY-SUNDAY
5. Dangerous Liaisons
Two bored and cynical aristocrats (former lovers) in the period before the French revolution take part in a "dangerous game of seduction, revenge and erotic one-upmanship, with sex the only power the women wield."
WEDNESDAY
6. 50 Minutes with Jesse Jones
KIRO's consumer reporter Jesse Jones—who recently appeared in a series of advertisements where he appeared to be personally solving consumers' paperwork problems, sorting out their legal issues, and doing everything short of their taxes—will stop by The Butcher's Table to chat over wine and appetizers.
7. American Murder Song
Experience the legacy of frontier horror with this performance of original murder ballads presented by the stars of the film American Murder Song.
8. Celtic Thunder
Join eclectic Irish singing group Celtic Thunder on their Legacy Tour as they perform a wide variety of solo selections and fan favorites, all recently recorded to reflect the current cast of Celtic Thunder vocalists. They'll be backed by the eight-piece Celtic Thunder Band on strings, guitars, percussion, whistles, pipes, and more, and led by musical director David Munro.
9. Daybreaker SEA: Underground Get Down
Jump up, little daisies: times are tough and so are mornings, but you're stronger than you ever were. Cleanse your mind and sweat out your cares before most of Seattle reaches blearily for its first coffee. Yoga from 6am-7am, party with DJ Kryspin and Julie Herrera afterward, plus surprise performances and free, healthy breakfast treats.
10. Epica, FleshGod Apocalypse, Arkona, The Agonist
Symphonic heavy metal band Epica marries the worlds of orchestral grandeur and pure grit, and are joined in sonic opulence by FleshGod Apocalypse, Arkona, and The Agonist.
11. Esoteric Thai Cuisine with Chef Kristina Glinoga
Nope, not pad thai or pad see yew: learn to make fried pork belly, pickled greens, Thai chili jam, and Glinoga's Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream Pie.
12. Jeanne Kohl-Welles 23rd Annual Post-Election Analysis Fundraiser
Join King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles and 36th District Democrats for a discussion of the election results with panelists like Representative-Elect Pramila Jayapal, Senator Reuven Carlyle, and other candidates or elected officials, plus representatives from the ACLU, the Clinton campaign, and the media.
13. Learn To Make Bubble Hash
Learn how to make the most of your lesser bud by concentrating its THC-rich glands into hash with "Cannabis Reverend" Jeff Church and the Vashon Island Marijuana Enthusiasts Alliance. Admission is free, but consider throwing some bucks these helpful folks' way.
14. Map Theatre Presents: Harry Potter Films Trivia Night
Here's your chance to cry out "Expecto triviam!" Which actually means "I await a three-road crossing" in Latin, but Expecto patronum means "I anticipate an advocate," so it doesn't make much sense either. Anyway, flaunt your knowledge of the most magical school in all of fiction, as rendered by magical CGI and British children.
15. Ogopogo
Small press Babel/Salvage hosts a literary variety show with Morris Stegosaurus, Vis-à-vis Society, and Sara June Woods.
16. Smart Homes
Houses of the future will know you. As the event description cheerfully assures us, they will remember "your face, your voice, even your heartbeat." They'll adapt your whole environment to your every urge before you're even aware of what you want. We're trying really hard not to think of Ray Bradbury, but on the other hand, future houses will do your laundry and dishes for you, so maybe it's worth being a little creeped out.
17. Stomp the Hate: Nasty Women Dance Party
Non-binary and women-identified humans are invited to this inclusive, body-positive, mindful dance party to protest "hatred, dehumanization, and abuse."
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY
18. Seattle Puppetry Improvisation Festival
Do you like puppets, but feel bothered that their every move is predestined? This festivals allows puppets to cut loose, so to speak. Watch improv puppet crime dramas, bar scenes, shadow plays, and more.
WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY
19. Pump Boys and Dinettes
This folksy, country rock/pop musical features "a simple group of boys who love fishin’, beer, and a great slice of pie from the local diner, run by the Cupp sisters." Look forward to performances on piano, guitar, bass...and even kitchen utensils.
THURSDAY
20. Cinema Italian Style 2016 Closing Night Party
Cinema Italian Style wraps up with a romance called Opposites Attract and a party at Il Fornaio (your ticket includes both, but you can also buy admission to the film only).
21. Cucci's Critter Barn Try Outs
Try your luck at performing your way into the ranks of Cucci's Critter Barn among the hopefuls of Seattle drag society, with local stand-outs like Cookie Couture of Halfway Haus on the docket.
22. Debauchery
Debauchery is all about queers stripping for queers, but open to interpretation. Support sweaty, anti-oppression spaces and raise money for organizations that serve the queer community by showing up and getting ready to whip out your singles.
23. Firestone Walker Sweater Party
See if your sweater can out-ugly all the other sweaters at Brouwer's in this not-so-fierce competition with games and Firestone Walker beers. Prizes for Best Male or Best Female ugly sweater; you can also team up with a sweetie and try to look like the cat vomited you both out of the same tangle of yarn.
24. Glaciers of the North Cascades
In conjunction with the Wild Nearby exhibit, Tom Hammond, a photographer and "exemplar of citizen science," will talk about his North Cascades Glacier Climate Project, which has led him to trek to 10 glaciers in the North Cascades over the last 15 seasons and measure their mass and location.
25. The Neuroscience of Game of Thrones
Bring some blankets to huddle under and watch the infamous "Rains of Castamere" episode of Game of Thrones, followed by a discussion with Ph.D student Kaitlyn Casimo on the "neuroscience of sensation and movement" (i.e., are wargs real?). Wear a costume if you don't plan to spend the entire time hiding under the covers. Snacks are provided.
26. Pray For Snow Bash & 20th Anniversary
Party with fellow snow bunnies, athletes, and the Everett rockers of The Moondoggies at an evening of drinking, fun, and film. REI will host a retro ski gear contest with prizes and screen Monumental: Skiing Our National Parks. Plus, you can try your luck at Steamboat Resort's giveaway or buy a special three-day pass to the mountain vacation spot. (The name of REI's party may or may not be facetious, but please, pray for snow anyway.)
27. Tim Wu: The Attention Merchants
Author and media/technology scholar Tim Wu (who coined and popularized the term "net neutrality") will read from and discuss his book The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads.
THURSDAY-SATURDAY
28. Pacific Marine Expo
This expo invites fishers, crabbers, and all who work on the sea to meet vendors and take part in safety demonstrations, conferences, and parties. Learn about commercial, regulatory, environmental, and safety issues.
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
29. Hotel Nordo
Did you hear about that summer camp in Los Angeles where participants are whisked back to the 1920s? Despite the fact that almost no one should really want to travel that far back in time, the concept is popular because the fashion was gorgeous. Embrace it for an evening—dress up, have some drinks, and visit a 1920s hotel at this dinner theater production.
30. Sweeney Todd
Murder, cannibalism, and barbershops—what more could you want from a musical? Songs that are creepy, catchy, quick and witty? You got it.
FRIDAY
31. Amanda Hendrix and Charles Wohlforth
Indulge your dreams of space colonization at this event featuring Amanda Hendrix and Charles Wohlforth, the authors of Beyond Earth: Our Path to a New Home in the Planets.
32. AMDEF Variety Show
AMDEF strives to bring together art, music, dance, entertainment, and fashion in this quarterly talent show. This edition will feature a "bikini show" from Backpack Girl Bikinis, music from vocalist Joseph A Murphy and music/dance duo Mental Tronde de Jambe, belly dancing from Lacey NhicDoom, and burlesque from Scandal from Bohemia.
33. Cash'd Out: A Tribute to Johnny Cash
Because the man can never be honored enough, Johnny Cash tribute band Cash’d Out present an homage to Johnny Cash in a channelling of that bluesy, back-home spirit.
34. Duwamish River Chocolate Fest
The Duwamish River needs our help. Specifically, it needs us to get mellow with local beer, cider, wine, and chocolate to benefit the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group and their "boat tours, interactive engagement events, community-driven projects." So be the happiest environmentalist in the world with Theo Chocolate treats, appetizers, Georgetown Brewing, Two Beers, and more while you help undo years of pollution and indifference.
35. Global Party
This cultural and artistic celebration will feature young local artists performing music and dance from around the world, including China, Ireland, Japan, Bulgaria, Mexico, and the US.
36. Max Schwasty
It's hard to say what exactly is happening here outside of a DJ-helmed dance party, but "Shoopolish & Friends" will be throwing down at Contour and they say that "intergalactically schwasty behavior is highly encouraged."
37. The Panel Jumper Live: Episode III
The Panel Jumper series takes you deep into the art of comic books and graphic novels. This night enlists comedian Alison Lizotte, composer Michael Owcharuk, burlesque dancer Miss Daisy ODay, playwright Scotto Moore, and others to explore storytelling in panel form.
38. Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox
In a reimagining of contemporary pop hits in the styles of jazz, ragtime, and swing classics of the '20s though the '50s, Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox busts genres with a rotating collective of musicians and vocalists who attempt to cross all musical boundaries and generations.
39. Seattle Rock Orchestra: David Bowie
Seattle Rock Orchestra throws down with a full set of rollicking glam and dance rock hits from greats like David Bowie, T. Rex, and ELO. Dress the part and show up to boogie to classics like "Young Americans," "Get It On (Bang A Gong)," and "Don't Bring Me Down," with many more jammers throughout the night by all three artists.
40. Subrosa, Eight Bells, Eye of Nix, Nox Vellum
Experimental sludge-doom band SubRosa take inspiration for their dark, divisive music from their hometown of Salt Lake City, which they describe as "a city plagued by the tension of opposites, bleeding with churning counterculture, and a fertile breeding ground for modern pioneers." They'll be joined by Eight Bells, Eye of Nix, and Nox Vellum.
41. Trap Kitchen
Los Angeles' Trap Kitchen comes to Seattle for one night to collaborate with local chefs like Tarik Abdullah, Edouardo Jordan, Donna Moodie, and Lindsay Hayter. Proceeds benefit the TEACH program.
42. TRL: Spice Up Your Life
Chop Suey's throwback dance party features late '90s and early '00s music from DJs Indica Jones and Moynilectric that get you in the mood for some hardcore Tiger Beat crushing, plus a live set from #ALL4DORAS, Seattle's only tribute boy band.
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
43. Embers: Stories from Around the Campfire
The youth Cirrus Circus gives an acrobat's interpretation of going camping, featuring "unicycle, triple trapeze, chinese pole, aerial hoop, contortion, hand balancing, and a never-before-seen tumbling and aerial sling combination!" And a bear.
44. Symphonie Fantastique
This relaxed gymnasium concert incorporates the casual atmosphere into the orchestra's reimagining of works by Berlioz, Offenbach, and Grondahl, featuring Wayne Jordheim on trombone.
45. The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge
What would happen if Scrooge, after being shown the error of his ways, charged Jacob Marley and the Christmas Spirits with trespassing, kidnapping, assault, and battery? Find out in this new adaptation by Mark Brown.
46. The Twilight Zone: LIVE!
The Twilight Zone: LIVE! is a popular series that has been going on (off and on) for years, and it provides exactly what one would expect: three re-created 22-ish-minute episodes, each one a really quite excellent facsimile of an original episode culled from the creepy ancient TV classic. ADRIAN RYAN
FRIDAY-SUNDAY
47. Romanian Film Festival
Now in its third year, the festival lives up to its motto "One Eye Laughing, One Eye Crying" with black comedies, political thrillers, westerns, and family dramas. Special guests include directors Horatiu Maelele, Oana Giurgiu, and Tudor Giurgiu, film critics, and others. Expect an enthusiastic local crowd. All films in Romanian with English subtitles. Full schedule here.
SATURDAY
48. 5th Annual Rain City Rock Camp For Girls Fall Gala
Celebrate the music community cornerstone that is Rain City Rock Camp For Girls at their fifth annual gala fundraiser party. Enjoy a full dinner by Herban Feast, with unlimited beer and wine, silent and live auctions, live youth performances, and much more.
49. Art + Architecture Tour: Let the Streets Be Your Museum!
What would Seattle look like without public art? On a special tour that reveals beauty in the streets from "hatch covers to fountains to sculpture," the Seattle Architecture Foundation will emphasize art as a "civic resource."
50. Asian Art Museum Renovation and Proposed Expansion Community Meeting
Weigh in on plans for the Asian Art Museum's impending renovation—which includes an expansion—at this community outreach gathering.
51. C89.5's Listener Appreciation Party
Share your love of Seattle Public School's C89.5 dance radio channel, operated by professionals and kids, and appreciated by hundreds of thousands of teen and adult listeners. Revisit your brooding teenagerhood with the help of the dark-hearted cosmeticians at the Goth Terminal, and then boogie. Donations are happily accepted.
52. Campout Cinema: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
This all-ages Campout Cinema screening brings the "outdoor movie experience" indoors—remember blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags, and they'll provide the food, themed drinks, and "other surprises." Watch E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on the Sky Church screen. For a 21+ experience, check out Campout Cinema: Jurassic Park, also happening today.
53. Clay Jenkinson as President Theodore Roosevelt
A historian brings the big-stick-carrier himself back to life to answer your questions and wow you with his mustache.
54. Fake It 'Til You're Naked
For one special hour, sketch comedy group Getting Naked with Friends will act out awkward and hilarious stories. We think the nudity will be of the metaphorical sort, so expect all sorts of emotions to spill on out of their metaphorical pants.
55. The Gay Uncle Presents The Good Life
Puget Sound raconteur Jeffrey Robert/The Gay Uncle (host of "The Gay Uncle Time: A Celebration of Pop, Camp, Gay, Underground and Trash Culture of the 60's & 70's and BEYOND") offers cheer and celebration of "the good things."
56. Gothic Fairy Tales
Crystal Tassels, Miz Melancholy, Mahria Zook, Onyx Asili, and other performers will interpret the dark hearts of classic fairy tales, featuring live music. VIP tickets get you a goody bag and front-row seating.
57. Hardcore German Sparkle Party 6
Join the non-stop erotic cabaret scene with this evening of hardcore dance music and teutonic electronics played by DJs Hana Solo and Destrukt. Don your most outrageous club wear and go sweat out the sparkle.
58. John Cage Musicircus
Given that it's John Cage's music, you can take for granted that this is no ordinary concert. You're free to wander and listen up close to the 42-some musicians stationed around the auditorium. Come at 6:30 for a lecture on the inventor of such concepts as the "prepared piano" (piano with random stuff sitting on the strings) and silent music, or go straight to the concert at seven.
59. Legends and Lore
This homegrown, non-audition concert band plays music based on lore "from Stonehenge to Middle Earth."
60. MC Chris, MC Lars, Mega Ran
Chi-town nerd-rapper MC Chris focuses solely on nerd life, rapping about Star Wars, Harry Potter, ninjas, and crushes, with an active Comicon bent. He'll be joined by MC Lars and Mega Ran.
61. Reimagine Belonging: NW - Media Workshop for Young Women
with WINGS and ROOTS and Young Women Empowered (Y-WE) have organized a day of artistic action for women and trans people ages 14-22. Collaborate on "filmmaking, writing and visual art activities" with a focus on immigrant experiences, oppression, and politics today.
62. Obscura Society Seattle: Other Peoples Polyester
With the instruction of Malia Peoples of Other Peoples Polyester, sew your own kinchaku or drawstring pouch. Take the opportunity to ask the fashion designer any technical or artistic questions you may have.
63. Periods In History
The past sucked. Let the all-female cast of improvisers of Periods of History show you why as they consider your contemporary stories and act out the brutal, stupid, sensationally crappy events of the past that reflect them. Thus, you can take comfort in the fact that your woes are rooted in time immemorial. Learn real and possibly fake history from funny women who know that misery was, misery is, and misery will be.
64. Pop Culture Party
There is so much on offer at this celebration of popular sci-fi, fantasy, music, and games that we can't list everything here. Free admission to the Star Trek: Exploring New Worlds and WearableArt exhibits, a Fandom Photo Hunt, video and board games, coloring contests, free manicures, special merch deals, free architectural tours, and so on. Reserve a spot to bask in pop history. This event also serves as the inauguration party for the EMP's new name: MoPOP.
65. Poultry Predictor Race
You don't need to run, and you don't need to walk especially quickly to be one of five participants in this 5K to take home a frozen turkey. Predict your finish time, get rid of your watch, phone, or timer, and try to match your guess as closely as possible.
66. A Prayer for Unity | Fauré “Requiem”
The Red Thread Ensemble, a group of choral singers of various ages and backgrounds, will come together to "create the aural impression of disparate segments of our community coming together in song." The program will include two musical prayers—Vasks's "Pater Noster" and Levine's "A Prayer for Unity"—and, as the centerpiece, the Fauré Requiem.
67. Saturday Morning Cartoons: Kirikou et La Sorcière!
Your reward for getting up early: an animated film set in West Africa, Kirikou and the Sorceress, about a magical boy and his quest to stop an evil magician. Donate to receive some Ballard Coffee Works hot brew and baked goods, then discuss this inventive, colorful work (by the wonderfully-named Michel Ocelot) with other enthusiasts after the screening.
68. Seattle Rock Orchestra Social Club #1 Performs The Beatles
Seattle Rock Orchestra kicks off its second season of Social Club, as well as its return to the Fremont Abbey Arts Center, with the discography of The Beatles, featuring vocal performances by Dane Ueland and members of Hannalee, and SRO Quintet to open the show (playing even more Beatles tracks).
69. Seattle's Last Waltz Tribute
Now in its second year, Seattle's Tribute to the Last Waltz, comprised of dozens of Seattle's most renowned musicians, perform songs from The Band's seminal album Last Waltz in a communal creative effort to raise money for regional food bank Northwest Harvest.
70. Sessions of She: November Showcase
This multidisciplinary arts event (with art, comedy, and music) aims to establish a sense of comfort and community between artists and audience members by interspersing performances with on-stage interviews. This month's featured guests include Brittany Hunt (art), Mona Concepcion (comedy), and Alaia D’Alessandro (music).
71. Tables of Istanbul and Istanbul Notes
Turkish food and movies together? Evet lütfen! (That means "yes, please" in Turkish. We just looked it up.) Two films will screen on a special night of the Seattle Turkish Film Festival. Tables of Istanbul investigates the great city's food culture. Istanbul Notes is an experimental film about five musicians who move to Istanbul to be close to the birthplace of classical Ottoman music. And in between the two docs, you get to try wonderful Turkish cuisine. Really, we don't know what more you could ask of an evening.
72. TEDxSeattle
This independently organized TED event promises fast-paced and engaging presentations on the theme "Greater Than," which "reinforces our sense of community which is greater than the sum of its parts."
73. Weedini: The Marijuana Magician
Weedini the Marijuana Magician will make you laugh while performing astounding feats, like "making your weed disappear."
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
74. 2016 International Truffle Expo
Truffle Dog Company wants our future to be bright, sustainable, and full of delicious fungus. Learn about cultivation, harvest, and expansion of the truffle market. You can also sign up for a cooking class, savor a nine-course dinner and drink local wine, meet "truffle industry celebrities," and/or make the acquaintance of some very good Truffle Doggies.
75. Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird
Come one, come all, ye connoisseurs of Ouija, ye wearers of rhinestone-encrusted bow ties, ye hunters of Pokemon cameo jewelry. Oddmall: Emporium of the Weird’s biggest show yet purveys whimsy, art and extravagance from over a hundred and fifty local vendors. Admission is free and for all ages, so bring your peculiar children to hear "songs for seeds" and get their picture taken with the Krampus (noon-2 pm and 3-5 pm). Trust us, it’s not as scary as braving the mall.
76. Seattle Turkish Film Festival
Meet brave orphans, police informants, refugee artists, determined widows, classical musicians, and other characters from a rich panoply of Turkish films. See the complete Turkish Film Festival schedule here.
SUNDAY
77. Chamber Music Works of George Enescu
If your knowledge of Romania includes nothing more than vague ideas about Vlad the Impaler, go to Benaroya Hall for a beautiful, classical remedy. Sandy Yamamoto and Virgil Boutellis-Taft, violin, Jacob Adams, viola, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, cello, and Angela Draghicescu, piano, present chamber works by one of the most famous Romanians of all time: George Enescu's Concertpiece for Viola and Piano and Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 3. They will also make the Seattle debut of the rarely-played Piano Trio in A minor and the Serenade Lointaine for violin, cello, and piano.
78. The Green Lake Gobble & Mashed Potato Munch Off
You have your choice of numerous activities: a 10K or 5K around Green Lake or a kids' dash, plus a post-race celebration, during which your alimentary tract can match wits with a mound of mashed potatoes in the competitive Munch Off. Seattle's Union Gospel Mission will receive funds from the event, and you can bring canned food for local residents as well.
79. Inkquisitive: Seattle Exhibition
Meet British visual artist Amandeep Singh, also known as "Inkquisitive Illustration," as he presents his work on Sikh culture and religion in Sleepless in Seattle. Dress up nice and dance to Seattle Kavrishi singers Harjot and Bhagirath Singh, plus Punjab culture group Virsa Panjab Da.
80. I've Got Friends in Low Places
Tenors and sopranos are always hogging the glory with their cochlea-piercing high C's and B's and E's. This Opera on Tap event favors the other end of the scale, with mezzo-sopranos, basses, contraltos, and sopranos who can sing really low. Featuring Glenda Williams on piano and the singers: Michael Dunlap, Mike Heitmann, Melissa Plagemann, Allison Pohl, Julian Riesenthal, and MC Rachelle Moss, Contralto.
81. "SAXY"
Prepare yourself for the fast-paced world of saxophone features, with the family-friendly presentation of Cartoon Music, Internal Combustion: "The history of the automobile in music," and continual variety of lyrical, humorous, and occasionally brilliant music performed by local sax artist Erik Steighner.
82. Swingin' A Lens! A Film Program Fundraiser
Show up for queer comedy with Marita DeLeon, dance by Jade Vogelsang and Kacey Wilson, and short films from the TWIST Queer Film Festival 3-Day Film Challenge. A punk dance party with Listen Lady will finish the evening. Your dollars will help fund the Motion Picture Community Education Programme, a Blanket Fort Films project promoting young queer moviemakers.