The Stranger

Our Favorite Bowls of Hot Soup in Seattle

Julianne Bell — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:20:00 -0800

Don’t worry, we’ll start yelling at politicians again soon. by Julianne Bell

It’s cold. Earlier this week we saw a few tiny flurries of snow, even! And while some weather reports suggest we might soon break out of this chilly, mid-40s prison we’ve been locked in, it’ll be by just a few degrees. And probably rainy. It’s the perfect weather for soup. So we took a break from screaming about Trump and City Hall, and switched gears for a minute to appreciate some of our favorite warm and comforting bowls of soup. Don’t worry, we’ll start yelling at politicians again soon.

Isarn’s Chiang Mai

Look, this whole soup is fucked up. The curry noodle soup from Northern Thailand comes out looking like a sculpture, with a nest of fried noodles perched on top of perfectly poached chicken and surrounded by a thick curry broth—creamy and spiced so it feels like it warms you from the inside out. When it’s served, you’ll get three things on the side: raw red onion, chopped pickled veg, and a deep red chili oil. After your first bite, you’ll be tempted to roll up your sleeves and forget about these little treats. Do not be that fool. These bits and bobs are what turn each bite into its own experience. Is your palate feeling a little tired of the richness of the broth? Add a little pickle on top of that spoonful of noodles. Repeat until you see the bottom of the bowl. HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

Situ Tacos’ Soup of the Day

Yes, the Ballard oasis Situ Tacos is primarily known for its fried Lebanese Mexican tacos, but soups are one of owner Lupe Flores’s favorite things to make, and it shows. As the shop’s resident animatronic parrot, Armando, occasionally squawks: “Don’t sleep on the soups…uh, don’t sleep in the soup. Uh, the soup is super!” They rotate weekly, and there’s a meat and veggie option each day, so you might encounter molokhia (Lebanese seven-spice chicken and rice stew), chorizo potato kale, Lebanese veggie stew, fideo con bistec, vegan pozole rojo, zuppa toscana, pumpkin curry, broccoli cheddar, chicken tortilla, or something else altogether. Whatever it is, it’s sure to be soul-soothing and seasoned to perfection—you really can’t go wrong. Get a combo with tangy, crunchy slaw and/or a couple of tacos for dunking. JULIANNE BELL

Halcyon Brewing's Vegan Butternut Bisque

I first happened upon Halcyon Brewing’s vegan butternut bisque by chance. Well, sort of. I was attending Ravenna Brewing Company’s annual “Soup Battle,” where local bars and breweries go head-to-head with their best soups, mostly because my good friend runs the event. Saddled with four delicious soups, I didn’t know where to begin. But Halcyon’s yellow-y orange soup with a swoop of coconut milk and a crack of black pepper on the top beckoned. I finished my bowl. It was sweet, it was savory, and it had a nice kick of spice—the brewery’s homemade chili crisp— that warmed my insides. Something vegan had no right to be so good and so creamy. Everyone at my table agreed that it should take the top prize.The rest of the Soup Battle patrons thought so, too—Halcyon’s vegan butternut bisque won the coveted Golden Ladle. NATHALIE GRAHAM

Pho Than Bros’ Veggie Pho with No Mushrooms and No Cilantro and Extra Broccoli

I’m not about to tell you how to order pho. And I’m not going to try to convince you that Pho Than Bros is the best pho in Seattle, even though every bowl comes with a sweet little custard-stuffed pastry puff. Pho is personal, pho is sacred. How I pho and how you pho can be—and should be!—very different experiences, each one custom-tailored after years of slurping and experimenting and learning the hard way that your sriracha threshold isn’t nearly as high as you thought it’d be. And, at Than Bros, I have perfected my order. I get a small veggie pho with no mushrooms, no cilantro, and extra broccoli, then I load it up with black pepper, a fat ring of hoisin sauce, a delicate squeeze of sriracha, and as many of the bean sprouts that I can manage before my husband says, “Stop taking all the bean sprouts.” I finish it off with a squeeze of lime and dig in.

This isn’t an invitation for you to try what I think is the best pho in Seattle; this is an invitation for you to find your own. But if you’re looking for a place to start, or a change up from your usual, to me, Than Bros is perfect. It’s my happy place. And it comes with a cream puff. MEGAN SELING

Metropolitan Market’s Cioppino

Metropolitan Market’s cioppino has been there for me since I was a child, when my parents would bring home a pint of the hot seafood stew on chilly winter nights when they didn’t feel like cooking. The rich, tomato broth, seasoned with white wine, and filled with a potpourri of shrimp, mussels, salmon, and white fish, will always feel like a luxurious treat, despite coming from a grocery store’s hot food buffet. Considering that cioppino was created as a way for fishermen to use up unsold seafood at the end of the day, I would advise not making it yourself. Not because it’s difficult, but because it will cost you approximately $5 million to buy four types of fresh seafood. Instead, buy a 16-ounce cup from your nearest Metropolitan Market store for a mere $7.39, and buy yourself a nice warm cookie while you're at it. AUDREY VANN

Biang Biang Noodles’ Curry Tofu Dry Mix

Massive Chinese hand-pulled noodles boiled to a perfect chewiness texture, doused in a delectable yellow curry sauce and flavorful broth with chunks of tofu and cabbage, in a bowl so massive you might need two people to finish it. It’s the hearty Asian noodle dish you dream of on a frigid evening. It’s Biang Biang Noodles’ Curry Tofu Dry Mix.

If you’ve been to Biang Biang, you might be thinking, Seriously? This isn’t soup, it’s a quart of hot oil. Well, to that I say: 1) oil is a liquid, and Managing Editor Megan Seling said we could write about “anything served in a bowl that is at least 50 percent liquid,” and (2) this oil is delicious.

Call it soup, call it hot oil, call it a bowl of molten comfort—the Curry Tofu Dry Mix does exactly what the best soups are supposed to. It satisfies your savory tooth and warms you up when the weather’s unforgiving. So if you’re asking me to grab a casual dinner with you on a dreary winter day, gimme those chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon and find me at Biang Biang. MICAH YIP

Gorditos’ Vegan Pozole

The biggest mistake I’ve made in my life was going to Gorditos for years and only ordering one thing from the menu: A veggie burrito, wet, with a side of chips and salsa. It’s no Veggie Nolasco from Mama’s, but I love it, and I have probably eaten hundreds of them in my 45 years on the planet with zero regrets. Well, zero regrets until one fated day in December. On that day, I was finally turned on to other parts of Gordito’s menu. Did you know they have tacos! And enchiladas! They even serve breakfast! What have I been doing all my life!? And, most importantly on a cold winter’s day such as the ones we’ve been experiencing this week, they have soup. Their current soup is a vegan pozole that is an explosion of flavor in your mouth. A savory red base that tastes not unlike a brothier version of the red sauce they ladle over my beloved burrito is loaded with onions, zucchini, corn, mushrooms, and hominy, which gives each spoonful a toothsome, meaty bite. The broth is salty and rich, in a craveable way, and while eight-ounces with a side of chips is definitely enough to be its own meal, I recommend opting for the four-ounce cup, adding a taco to your order, and then proceeding to use every curved chip in the bag as your spoon. MEGAN SELING

Ooink’s Spicy Vegetarian Miso Ramen

If I am going to pay to eat soup outside of my home, it’s going to be ramen. And the best ramen I’ve found, for a vegetarian such as myself, is from Ooink. There’s a Fremont location, but I can only speak for the Capitol Hill spot—the one in the strip-mall above the lit QFC on Broadway and Pike.

My order is the Spicy Vegetarian Miso Ramen (it can be made vegan, and there’s a version without “spicy” in the title). Not to worry: it has a warm kick, but is not the kind of spice that will make you cough or harsh your tastebuds.

The sturdy buckwheat noodles have just the right amount of tooth, and the miso broth has depth without being too salty or greasy—common traps that many vegetarian broths fall into when trying to overcompensate for something they do not need to overcompensate for. The toppings are correct: a springy pile of kikurage, little heaps of corn and green onions, a few sheets of seaweed, and a handful of happy baby bok choy that are blessedly not soggy and therefore retain a hint of peppery mustard flavor. This ramen also features a pat of melting corn butter, and a subtle sesame dressing drizzled onto the greens. I get mine without the tofu skin, but that’s just a personal preference (or aversion, maybe, that has something to do with its resemblance to, um, the second word there).

The star of the bowl is the house-made chili crisp. I sometimes wait until I absolutely have to stir it in because it’s such a banger taste all on its own; it’s crunchy and a little smoky and a little sweet, and the sesame seeds and spicy peanuts keep it interesting as you make your way to the bottom. Vegetarian ramens can get weird, and feel half-assed, but Ooink’s well-balanced version is the way to do it. EMILY NOKES

Stranger Suggests: An Award-Winning Author, Young Bruce Lee, and Clubbing at the Cottage

Julianne Bell — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 11:42:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week! by Julianne Bell MONDAY 2/16

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart with Living Hour

(MUSIC) The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is one of those indie bands that shaped the soundscape of the late aughts. Their shoegazey, synth-spiked rock blossomed out of New York as the band played shows around the city and shared songs on MySpace (RIP). The Pains—as they're affectionately known—disbanded in 2019 after releasing five albums, but announced a reunion in 2024 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut album with shows across Europe and North America. It's been over 10 years since the group played Seattle, and I can't wait to sing along to every word of "A Teenager in Love," a bouncy track off their self-titled debut fitting for the week after Valentine's Day. Canadian dream pop/fuzzy rock band Living Hour and Portland alt-rock group the Prids round out the lineup. (Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

TUESDAY 2/17

Nicola Griffith

(BOOKS) Seattle-based author and self-described “queer cripple with a PhD” Nicola Griffith has received countless honors, including two Washington State Book Awards and six Lambda Literary Awards, and was inducted into MOPOP’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2024. Her novels Hild, Spear, and Menewood explore the medieval era through a queer perspective, and she also cofounded the #CripLit movement with the late activist Alice Wong. Her latest work, She Is Here, is a new installment in PM Press’s Outspoken Authors series, in which “today’s edgiest fiction writers showcase their most provocative and politically challenging stories.” Griffith’s contribution combines fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and artwork to discuss topics ranging from disability justice to the distinction between love and ownership. (Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 2/18

History Pub: The Vanguard Generation: African American Artists, 1880-1918

(TALKS) Before the Harlem Renaissance, there was the Vanguard Generation, aka the first wave of Black artists and performers who helped shape American popular culture in the shadow of Jim Crow. Active in the years between the Civil War and World War I, many were the first in their families to be born free (or to attend college), creating art under extraordinary constraints. Drawing from newly uncovered archival documents, scholar Daniel E. Atkinson brings their stories of talent, conflict, and solidarity to life for this unique edition of History Pub. Hosted in partnership with Humanities Washington, this event is a reminder that Black innovation has always been foundational. (Spanish Ballroom, Tacoma, 7 pm, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

THURSDAY 2/19

Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story

(PERFORMANCE) Keiko Green is a playwright, screenwriter, and performer who splits her time between Seattle and LA, and has written for TV shows like Hulu’s Interior Chinatown and the upcoming Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Last fall, Seattle hosted productions of two of her plays: Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play, a wacky time-traveling comedy set in 1999, and Hells Canyon, a chilling horror thriller. Now, there’s another opportunity to glimpse even more of Green’s impressive range with the Seattle Children’s Theatre premiere of her play Young Dragon, which shows Bruce Lee as an ambitious young man finding his place in the world in Seattle. I’m willing to bet audience members of all ages will be moved by Bruce’s journey to becoming a “flexible, fluid, and flowing master.” Seattle Children’s Theatre recently made the difficult decision to pull a two-week April run of Young Dragon from the Kennedy Center due to the impact of the Trump administration, which makes it even more important to support local productions like this one. (Seattle Children’s Theatre, times vary) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 2/20

Next Exit

(PERFORMANCE) Meet j. chavez, a Seattle theatre maven who won the KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival)’s National Undergraduate Playwriting Award (whew), for their opus how to clean your room (and remember all your trauma). Their new play Next Exit deals passionately, yet sympathetically, with a man named Miguel trapped on a highway (sans car, I think), who is communing with and deriving philosophical companionship from a dead possum called Orlando. Some deer come out, and a Lady In Yellow, and a sinister force that threatens to eat up anyone and anything lingering too long by the sizzling side of I-5. I’m not clear on how this all flows together. But you should indubitably find out. (Annex Theatre, times vary, all ages) ANDREW HAMLIN

SATURDAY 2/21

Club 90s: Heated Rivalry

(PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE) I’m grateful for the spark of euphoria that the low-budget Canadian hockey drama Heated Rivalry has brought to the internet over the last few months. No matter what horrifying apocalyptic shit is happening in the news, NO ONE CAN TAKE THE COTTAGE FROM US. Composer Peter Peter’s soundtrack to the blockbuster show is equally as hot-and-heavy and obsession-worthy, and episodes also include some banger needle drops. At this rave, dance to Wolf Parade’s "I'll Believe in Anything,” and reenact the haunted club scene as Harrison’s cover of t.A.T.u.’s “All the Things She Said” blares. This trendy event aims to let off some collective steam and celebrate queer joy—all this sexual tension has to go somewhere outside of streaming “KISS!” at every Kraken game. (The Showbox, 8:30 pm, 18+) BRI BREY

SUNDAY 2/22

Bitchin Bajas, Geologist

(MUSIC) Don’t be deceived by Chicago trio Bitchin Bajas’ goofy name: They’re one of the world’s headiest groups. Evolving out of neo-krautrockers Cave, BB synthesists Cooper Crain and Dan Quinlivan and saxophonist Rob Frye have been enhancing their melodic chops, creating majestic tracks that would sound righteous filling Europe’s most ornate cathedrals. This past October at Neptune Theatre, they outshone their much more celebrated headliners Stereolab in a set that made me feel as if I were on five hits of Owsley. Animal Collective member Geologist (aka Brian Weitz) just released Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?, the follow-up to last year’s arcane, abstracted Americana LP, A Shaw Deal, with Sleepy Doug Shaw. The new hurdy-gurdy-powered album’s a mystical avant-rock trip that I dig more than anything his parent group have done. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Romancing the Tome

Julianne Bell — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

Talking Valentines, Heated Rivalry, and Sexy Fish Scaling with Author Olivia Waite

by Julianne Bell

Olivia Waite is a Seattle-based romance, sci-fi, and fantasy author, New York Times romance columnist, Jeopardy! champion, and accomplished fiber artist. I was introduced to her via her novel The Lady’s Guide to Celestial Mechanics, which is not only a beguiling sapphic love story, but also a brilliant ode to the art of science and the science of art. Her latest book, Murder by Memory, a cozy sci-fi mystery set aboard an interstellar passenger liner and the first installment in her Dorothy Gentleman series, came out last March, and the sequel Nobody’s Baby comes out next month. (She’s also currently working on releasing a knitting pattern for the fern shawl that makes a cameo in Murder by Memory.) The Stranger caught up with her about Heated Rivalry, falling in love at karaoke, and how fish-scaling can be surprisingly romantic.

How did you first fall in love with the romance genre?
I stole my first romance novel from my mom when I was 5. It was a Johanna Lindsey sci-fi romance, so imagine Jupiter Ascending, but with orgasms, and my mom took it away, because nobody wants to explain that kind of thing to a toddler. I picked it up because the cover looked like Star Wars, which also tracks—the whole slave Leia bikini thing was absolutely in the marketing. And I wanted to see how it ended, so as soon as I was old enough to get a library card, I tracked down a copy and managed to finish it. I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s funny, because that’s both the first romance and the first sci-fi novel that I read.

As a romance author, what is it like to witness the Heated Rivalry craze erupt into the mainstream right now?
The audience reaction has been really gratifying, and then the nonstop bad takes have been deeply irritating. I’ve read the book [series Game Changers by Rachel Reid, from which the show is adapted] before, and I was also a fan of [director Jacob Tierney’s previous show] Letterkenny, so in that slim little Venn diagram of those two things, there were, like, five of us, and we were all so excited. People [were] like, romance adaptations are never good, and I’m like, No, you don’t understand this! Man will point a camera at a dude in a flannel shirt, and you have 18 feelings about it! I think one of the best things about it is that a lot of the conversations, even the difficult ones, have been very productive. People in very closeted industries who can’t come out are finding ways to talk about that with people that they know.

What adaptations would you like to see follow in the wake of its success?
I want the Alyssa Cole and Beverly Jenkins books, American historical romances specifically set around the experience of Black Americans. Beverly Jenkins has one called Forbidden that is set in a mining town where the machinery never stops whirring, and the hero is a Black man who can pass as white, which means he has access to bank accounts, so he’s helping the Black residents of the town gain credit and build up savings in a way that the bank wouldn’t let them. But in order to live as the authentic Black man he actually is, he has to give that up, and decide whether the job he’s doing is more important than his need to be acknowledged as someone with a family connection, rather than just a good ally. There’s part of himself that he’s had to keep very locked down. It’s gorgeous. There’s an old-timey baseball game, and there’s the heroine carrying her stove as she treks across the desert. It’s the book that made me say, God, fish-scaling is so romantic! And no, it’s not. Beverly Jenkins, what witchcraft is this?! I would love a big, splashy, Yellowstone-level adaptation.

What lessons can romance teach us during this difficult time in history?
Romance has lessons both positive and negative. I’ve read too much about romance history to pretend it’s all sunshine and rainbows. You get a lot of people saying, well, romance is by women, for women, therefore it’s automatically feminist, and, no. There are terrible and repressive romances being written, and it’s silly to pretend that’s not happening. But the thing that keeps me coming back to this genre as a source of optimism and strength and resilience is that sense that it’s an optimistic genre at its heart—it assumes that the world is improvable, and people can learn. People are worth keeping. They can learn better. Love is possible, and it just might not look like what you intended.

What is one romance book you think everyone should read?
After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian. It’s set in New York, 1968. It’s about a used bookstore owner and a down-on-his-luck mystery man. It’s also about the protests that are happening in the Civil Rights Movement and labor issues and queer issues in New York, and it’s an entire book list on its own. It is so sad and so good. It feels like somebody wrote you a love letter from 60 years ago to tell you it’s okay and we’ve been through this before.

You mentioned over email that you’ve submitted some Stranger valentines in the past; can you tell us about that?
They were actually for the man I ended up marrying. I can confirm that I met him singing Peter Gabriel in an Irish dive bar in Fremont. It was this absolute karaoke romance, and this guy gets up and starts screaming, and I go, “There he is. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” We were dating about three months after that, and then we were engaged within the year. Then we spent like two and a half years planning the wedding. For those two and a half years, when I was still in that little Fremont apartment and just about to graduate from grad school and going to this karaoke bar down the corner every Monday night, February would come around, and we would send each other little notes in The Stranger, and it was fantastic.

Nobody’s Baby is out March 10 on Tor Publishing.

Stranger Suggests: Wikipedia Rabbit Holes, a Masked Chillwave Band, and a Retelling of Cupid and Psyche

Julianne Bell — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:17:00 -0800

One Really Great Thing to Do Every Day of the Week

by Julianne Bell MONDAY 2/9

Asher Perlman & Tom Toro

(LITERATURE) If you’ve ever found yourself shedding a tear at a comic strip or recoiling with existential dread from a political cartoon, this one’s for you. New Yorker contributors Asher Perlman and Tom Toro are coming to Elliott Bay Book Company to discuss their new cartoon collections, Hi, It’s Me Again and And to Think We Started As a Book Club…. The former from Perlman (also a writer for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) pairs sharp, surreal humor with relatable existential spirals, while Toro’s new release skews wry and whimsical. With both artists exploring everything from anxiety to mortality to modern bureaucracy, expect a dynamic conversation about why life’s strangest moments often make the best punchlines. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free with RSVP, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

TUESDAY 2/10

Olivia Barton: For Myself and For You Tour

Cry along to Olivia Barton's cathartic music at Barboza on Tuesday, February 10. BLAIRE BEAMER

(MUSIC) It's hard to ignore the similarities between Orlando-born indie folk artist Olivia Barton and folk-rock darling Phoebe Bridgers. Barton's recent track "Dad Song" brings to mind Bridgers' "Kyoto"—both songs allude to complicated relationships with their fathers as Barton laments "God, I'm such a hypocrite, writing this instead of picking up the phone" and Bridgers sings "You called me from a payphone / They still got payphones / It cost a dollar a minute / To tell me you're getting sober." Barton also explores queer love, heartbreak, and anxiety on her third full-length For Myself and For You, which was co-produced by Pinegrove’s Sam Skinner and highlights her songwriting talent and ability to balance delicacy with an emotional punch. Don't miss this show from the singer-songwriter who's toured with Lizzy McAlpine and Madi Diaz; this time, she's headlining with support from confessional Utah artist Rachael Jenkins. (Barboza, 7 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

WEDNESDAY 2/11

Blood Cultures

(MUSIC) They’re an anonymous, experimental indie-pop band who rock out on chillwave in hoods. What more do you need? I’m all about bands wearing disguises, and with the Residents out of commission for the moment (sigh), a quartet that tinks and reverbs and chirps along to videos of themselves (or somebody in hoods) lifting weights, shooting guns, making a mess with Chinese takeout, and turning themselves into scarecrows, just might fill dat gap. That was the gist of their video for the “Set It on Fire” single from their 2021 album LUNO, at least. What they’ll do in concert, I have no idea whatsoever, but it’s got to be conceptual. (Neumos, 7 pm, 21+) ANDREW HAMLIN

THURSDAY 2/12

Depths of Wikipedia

Dive deep into the weirdest corners of Wikipedia with comedian and journalist Annie Rauwerda at the Neptune on Thursday, February 12. IAN SHIFF

(COMEDY) Launched in 2001 as an end-all, be-all online encyclopedia, Wikipedia has fully reached cultural icon status in today’s world—not necessarily for its reliability (s/o misinformation and donation pop-ups), but for the absolutely ridiculous humans who write, edit, and speedrun it ad nauseam. Wildly popular (1.6 million followers and counting) account Depths of Wikipedia bears witness to this chaos, spotlighting the site’s strangest corners. Comedian and journalist Annie Rauwerda, who helms the site, has turned the most absurd Wikipedia gems into a live show that’s part comedy, part podcast, part beautifully deranged PowerPoint presentation, and she’ll kick off the latest tour in Seattle! I have no idea what to expect, but that’s kind of the point. (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

FRIDAY 2/13

Till We Have Faces

See Taproot Theatre's production of C.S. Lewis's Greek mythology retelling Till We Have Faces, running Tuesday through Saturday until February 21. GIAO NGUYEN

(THEATRE) In one of his letters, C.S. Lewis wrote that he believed that his final novel, Till We Have Faces, was “far and away” his best, “but it has, with critics and the public, been my greatest failure.” So when I saw that Taproot Theatre was premiering an adaptation of the book, I figured it was time to read it. I’m happy to report the critics were wrong. The book is a reinterpretation of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, written from the perspective of Psyche’s older sister. She’s filing a complaint to the gods (relatable). Taproot’s staged production is the first of its kind—a passion project of the theater’s producing artistic director Karen Lund—and it’s only running through this month. (Taproot Theatre, 7:30–10 pm, 16+) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

SATURDAY 2/14

Valentine's Day Show: Glenn Hendrick with John Bellows, babyboy, and Plastic Wildflowers

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(MUSIC) Disclaimer: My best friend Kirsten is helping organize this event and will be performing, but even if they weren't, I'd still recommend it—it's a night of excellent artists at a cozy, intimate venue, all in support of some truly essential causes. The lineup includes the lush, groovy quintet babyboy, the nostalgic yet lyrically frank Cleveland group Plastic Wildflowers, and the San Juan Island artist and musician Glenn Hendrick, who weaves "heartbreaking lyrics with stripped down hooks to reel you into the apocalypse" and will perform alongside singer-songwriter John Bellows. Merch sales and a raffle will raise funds for Gaza and for supporting Seattle families with legal fees for immigration court. What better way to spend your Valentine's Day than honoring art, love, and community in all of its myriad forms? (The Rabbit Box Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 2/15

Cécile McLorin Salvant

(MUSIC) Cécile McLorin Salvant has the most exciting voice in contemporary jazz. It’s not just her pitch-perfect voice, which reaches the heights of Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, and Kate Bush, but the inventiveness with which she flexes her vocals. On her most recent album, Oh Snap, the three-time Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow croons through a dozen short, intimate original songs (plus an a cappella cover of the Commodores’ “Brick House”) that she never intended to see the light of day. Setting out on a personal creative quest to place spontaneity and joy at the heart of her writing process, Salvant tinkered with home recording programs to craft personal songs inspired by the music that soundtracked her childhood in 1990s Miami, from grunge and pop boy bands to classical and folk music. The result of the album is a delightfully chaotic audio journal that will please fans of traditional jazz as well as genre rule-breakers like Erykah Badu and Solange. (Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

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February Things to Do: Music

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best February music events in Seattle. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

Jade: That’s Showbiz Baby! Tour

FEB 6

I constantly annoy everyone I know by bragging that I was three years early to knowing about Chappell Roan, so I need you to believe me when I say that former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall is going to be a main pop girlie within the next couple of years. She’s already big in the UK and steadily gaining popularity stateside. No one else out there is doing it like her—I mean, who drops a fully art-directed visual album for their solo debut?? There are no skips, either. You can hear touches of all the great pop divas, like Gaga, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Diana Ross. The opener, “Angel of My Dreams,” about Jade’s ambivalent relationship to fame, is dreamy, celestial pop goodness reminiscent of “Lucky” by Britney Spears. I also love the track “Before You Break My Heart,” which samples a recording of Jade singing the Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love” as a little girl, and which she says is written from the POV of her “younger self, begging me not to forget her and how far we’ve come.” (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Robyn Hitchcock

FEB 6

There is only one musician alive who could write a song titled “Tropical Flesh Mandala,” and that magus is 72-year-old Englishman in Nashville Robyn Hitchcock. A veteran psychedelic-rock court jester whom you should take very seriously, he continues to rock unorthodoxly and spin surrealistic yarns of deep mirth and poignancy at an age when most of his peers have declined creatively or dropped out of the game. Had the man with the lightbulb head only released those Soft Boys records—especially 1980’s jangly, neo-retro-psych classic Underwater Moonlight—he’d still be a hall-of-famer. But, of course, Hitchcock’s also built a prolific solo career studded with idiosyncratic gems that extrapolate on the brain-tickling elements of sonic soul mates Syd Barrett and John Lennon. Recent albums such as the earworm-intensive Shufflemania! and the acoustic-guitar-heavy, instrumental Life After Infinity prove that Robyn’s noggin’s still teeming with great, weird ideas. You never quite know which gaggle of tunes you’ll get at a Hitch gig, but you’re always guaranteed transport to more fascinating headspaces—particularly if he dips into 1981’s Black Snake Diamond Röle (hint, hint). (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Blood Cultures

FEB 11

They’re an anonymous, experimental indie-pop band who rock out on chillwave in hoods. What more do you need? I’m all about bands wearing disguises, and with the Residents out of commission for the moment (sigh), a quartet that tinks and reverbs and chirps along to videos of themselves (or somebody in hoods) lifting weights, shooting guns, making a mess with Chinese takeout, and turning themselves into scarecrows, just might fill dat gap. That was the gist of their video for the “Set It on Fire” single from their 2021 album LUNO, at least. What they’ll do in concert, I have no idea whatsoever, but it’s got to be conceptual. (Neumos,
7 pm, 21+) ANDREW HAMLIN

GZA

FEB 11

The fact that “Does GZA have a degree in physics?” pops up as the top GZA-related query on Google is a fitting testament to the scientific rhymes of the Wu-Tang cofounder and eldest statesman. Though he has appeared as a guest lecturer at Harvard and several other lauded institutions of learning (mostly about the field of life rather than the official study of physics), GZA—aka the Genius—keeps his most heralded published material on wax. His current tour is in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of his classic RZA-produced sophomore album, Liquid Swords. The album is an important document in the Wu catalog as it captured the essential Wu formula in amber—RZA’s developing cinematic, hard-knocking East Coast beats, heavy kung-fu samples, stacked guest verses from bandmates—while the group was in the process of taking over the rap world. Seeing a legendary artist perform a classic album, especially with a live band, is always a great opportunity to shout your favorite lines with a bunch of rowdy fans, and who knows, maybe he’ll give us a taste of his long-awaited Dark Matter project. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Cécile McLorin Salvant

FEB 12–13 & 15

Cécile McLorin Salvant has the most exciting voice in contemporary jazz. It’s not just her pitch-perfect voice, which reaches the heights of Edith Piaf, Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, and Kate Bush, but the inventiveness with which she flexes her vocals. On her most recent album, Oh Snap, the three-time Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow croons through a dozen short, intimate original songs (plus an a cappella cover of the Commodores’ “Brick House”) that she never intended to see the light of day. Setting out on a personal creative quest to place spontaneity and joy at the heart of her writing process, Salvant tinkered with home recording programs to craft personal songs inspired by the music that soundtracked her childhood in 1990s Miami, from grunge and pop boy bands to classical and folk music. The result of the album is a delightfully chaotic audio journal that will please traditional jazz fans as well as genre rulebreakers like Erykah Badu and Solange. (Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Ghostface Killah

FEB 15

Four days after his brother in Wu, GZA, touches the stage at Nectar, Ghostface Killah—he of many names and statement furs—plays the Crocodile. The silver-tongued storyteller is perhaps the greatest yarn-spinner in rap history; his extensive catalog stretches, of course, back to the Staten Island genesis of Wu-Tang Clan, and with very few breaks, extends to this past summer’s Supreme Clientele 2, which arrived complete with the typically preposterous skits, dicey slang, and tall tales of street corner business ethics you’d expect. It does pay to mention that not all Ghost’s exploits have aged well, and recent reports of homophobia and paternal negligence in relation to his queer son, who happens to be the rapper/singer Infinite Coles, show that he may have carried some of the uglier side of ’90s rap with him into the current day. Here’s hoping he makes an effort to clear things up by showtime. (Crocodile, 7 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore with Tiny Vipers

FEB 17

After touring together for several years, ambient musician/vocalist Julianna Barwick and experimental harpist Mary Lattimore developed a “musical telepathy” that became the basis for their newly released collaborative album, Tragic Magic. The result sounds like what would have been if there were synthesizers in the 18th century, thanks in part to their access to the Philharmonie de Paris’ Musée de la Musique’s instrument collection while recording the album. The duo miraculously recorded the album over just nine days, shortly after the 2025 LA wildfires, and poured their emotions from the tragedy into this meditation on the healing power of improvisation and shared experiences. They will support the album alongside Seattle-based experimental folk musician Tiny Vipers. (Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Bitchin Bajas, Geologist

FEB 22

Don’t be deceived by Chicago trio Bitchin Bajas’ goofy name: They’re one of the world’s headiest groups. Evolving out of neo-krautrockers Cave, BB synthesists Cooper Crain and Dan Quinlivan and saxophonist Rob Frye have been enhancing their melodic chops, creating majestic tracks that would sound righteous filling Europe’s most ornate cathedrals. This past October at Neptune Theatre, they outshone their much more celebrated headliners Stereolab in a set that made me feel as if I were on five hits of Owsley. Animal Collective member Geologist (aka Brian Weitz) just released Can I Get a Pack of Camel Lights?, the follow-up to last year’s arcane, abstracted Americana LP, A Shaw Deal, with Sleepy Doug Shaw. The new hurdy-gurdy-powered album’s a mystical avant-rock trip that I dig more than anything his parent group have done. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

clipping.

FEB 25

clipping. have let it be known that they spend a lot of time thinking about what space sounds like, but it’s their creative process that may capture the idea best: Aside from a few notable exceptions, they use no samples, no presets—they make every sound from scratch. In short, they create in a vacuum. Space also permeates their lyrics and concepts. Octavia Butler and Samuel R. Delany pop up in verses; they have entire albums billed as Afrofuturist space operas. But it’s important to remember the three humanoids amidst the sci-fi poetry: vocalist Daveed Diggs (whom you may remember as ol’ Tommie Jefferson in the original cast of Hamilton), and producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. Hutson and Snipes graft jagged power electronics to the cyberpunk quilt, bold and discordant by design, while Diggs pens horrorcore anthems that he unleashes breathlessly. The result is like a cleaner, more theatrical Death Grips—both of which are equally beautiful and terrifying. Tonight’s show opener, Open Mike Eagle, is also not to be missed. (Showbox, 8 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Patty Griffin, Rickie Lee Jones

FEB 26

Patty Griffin is one of the of the most consistently underrated American singer/songwriters in recent decades, boasting shotgun pipes and writing chops that have led Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, Kelly Clarkson, Rory Block, Dave Hause, Sugarland, Bette Midler and the Chicks, to cover her. And if you don’t believe them, take the word of Robert Plant, who installed her in his Band of Joy and still comes around to sing backups, notably on her latest album Crown of Roses, a tribute to her late mother. Rickie Lee Jones has a new live album out, Way Up High (Live Boston ’89); she’s looking to consolidate her longer-running position in the firmament. Not that it needs much consolidation—she had a hit on the singles chart with “Chuck E.’s in Love” back in 1979, and in 2012 she sang “Sympathy for the Devil” in the matter-of-fact scratchy diction of Mr. Scratch himself. Not even Jagger managed that. (Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm) ANDREW HAMLIN

säje

FEB 26–MARCH 1

The jazz-vocal quartet säje (rhymes with “beige”), took home two Grammys between 2023 and 2025. They consist of Sara Gazarek, Seattle native and graduate of Roosevelt High’s mighty jazz program; Amanda Taylor, also of our fair city; Johnaye Kendrick, a San Diego native who moved north to teach at Cornish College of the Arts; and Erin Bentlage, who came out from Vermont to teach in Los Angeles. They blend jazz, soul, blues, pop, folk, and Gazarek’s ever-evolving experimental edge, into an elaborate mix emphasizing complex chords and braided vocal parts. They solve problems neatly, too—stuck without a recording studio during the pandemic, they rented an Airbnb and dragged their own gear into it. That’s how they clocked their first Grammy. Excelsior! (Jazz Alley, 7:30 and 9:30 pm, all ages) ANDREW HAMLIN

Jackie O Motherfucker, Abronia, Von Wildenhaus

FEB 27

Way back in the ’00s, Pacific Northwest psychonauts Jackie O Motherfucker were standard-bearers for what venerable British mag The Wire termed “New Weird America”—a hazy axis of US musicians who infused folk and rock with a lysergic looseness and who mutated songforms into third-eye-punching jams. At their best, JOMF boast the opiated tunefulness of Relatively Clean Rivers and the organic, free-range rock sprawl of Amon Düül I. Leader and sole constant Tom Greenwood keeps changing the design of JOMF’s freak flag (as well as personnel), but the colors always astound. Portland’s Abronia have been steadily rising in the underground with five albums of peyote-spiked, Popol Vuh-like soundtrack grandeur, including the new Shapes Unravel (out 2/20 on Cardinal Fuzz/Feeding Tube). Listen to songs such as “Cauldron’s Gold,” “Smoke Fingers,” and “Walker’s Dead Birds,” and feel mountain-sized. Tacoma’s Von Wildenhaus are unpredictable eclecticists whose songs range from chamber-jazz torch songs sung by the alluring vocalist Billie Bloom to anthemic, Grandaddy-esque indie rock to Middle Eastern–inflected electronic pop to the most gorgeous song ever about ketamine. (Add-a-Ball, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

cupcakKe

FEB 27

Get your loved one what they really want this Valentine’s Day: tickets to see cupcakKe. I was introduced to the Chicago rapper in 2018 when she released Ephorize, and was immediately obsessed with the icy percussion that is just as frosty as her blue metallic lipstick on the cover. It belongs in the holy trinity of winter albums alongside Björk’s Vespertine and Whitney Houston’s My Love Is Your Love. On her newest album, The BakKery, cupcakKe serves up a fresh batch of witty, pearl-clutching poetry with memorable tracks like “One of My Bedbugs Ate My Pussy” and the very romantic “Fist Me.” As always, cupcakKe’s magic lies in her ability to pair the most random topics and references with unexpected production styles, such as the silky-smooth “Akeelah,” a city-pop-inspired breakup song with references to the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee. (Showbox, 8:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Esther Rose

MAR 3

I discovered Esther Rose in 2017 when she released her debut, This Time Last Night, an intimate country/folk album that feels like she’s playing for you around a campfire. Now on her fifth studio album, Want, the New Orleans native defies the expectations of what an Esther Rose album can be with bold indie rock arrangements and fuzzed-out guitars. As it’s depicted on the album’s cover, with Rose in a gauzy white cotton dress beside a Rose in a black pleather catsuit, the album balances hard and soft, juxtaposing songs like the Liz Phair–esque track “Ketamine” with the stripped-down piano ballad “Color Wheel.” The album also includes “Scars,” a duet with Seattle-based troubadour Dean Johnson—we love to see it! For this local date, Rose will be joined by fellow New Orleans singer-songwriter Thomas Dollbaum. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

More

The Wayne Horvitz Ensemble Feb 2, 9, 16, 23 and March 2 & 9, Royal Room, 7:30 and 8:30 pm, all ages until 10 pm

The Stylistics Feb 5–8, Jazz Alley, times vary, all ages

Purelink, 'no hup,' Hünter Feb 10, Substation, 7 pm, 21+

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Feb 11, Woodlawn Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages

Iris Unveiled Feb 12–15, Benaroya Hall, times vary, all ages

Biblioteka, TeZATalks, Acapulco Lips Feb 12, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Sudan Archives Feb 14, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Christopher Owens Feb 17, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Living Hour Feb 16, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

Cat Power Feb 20, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Lola Kirke Feb 21, Fremont Abbey, 8 pm, all ages

SRJO Presents: The Music of Jimmy Smith and Oliver Nelson Feb 21–22, Benaroya Hall, times vary, all ages

Cardi B: Little Miss Drama Tour Feb 22, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Joan Shelley Feb 22, Ballard Homestead, 7:30 pm, all ages

Suzanne Vega Feb 22, Neptune Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Neko Case Feb 27, Edmonds Center for the Arts, 7:30 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

St. Vincent Mar 5, Town Hall Seattle, 8 pm, all ages

Toody Cole, Semisoft Mar 6, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Blackwater Holylight, Som, Muñeca Mar 10, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Indigo De Souza Mar 10, Showbox, 8 pm, all ages

Mt Fog, iroiro, DJ Martin Douglas Mar 12, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Peaches Mar 14, Showbox, 8:30 pm, 21+

Aimee Mann: 22 ½ Lost in Space Anniversary Mar 15, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Conan Gray Mar 16, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm

Dirty Three Mar 21, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Marissa Nadler Mar 26, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Skullcrusher Mar 30, Barboza, 7 pm, 21+

Eliza McLamb Mar 31, Neumos, 7 pm, all ages

Raye: This Tour May Contain New Music Apr 3, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages

Cass McCombs, Hand Habits Apr 4, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman May 3, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Florence + the Machine May 12, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

The Last Dinner Party May 22–23, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages

February Things to Do: Literature

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best book events in February in Seattle. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

Mark Z. Danielewski

FEB 4

Mark Z. Danielewski is most well known for his debut novel and postmodern horror cult classic House of Leaves, which famously requires active participation (including turning the book upside down at times) from the reader to decipher its multiple nonlinear narratives, cryptic text, and copious footnotes. Reading it feels like a descent into madness and will have you glancing around to make sure no one (or nothing) else is in the room with you. He’s now embarking on a tour to promote his longest novel to date, Tom’s Crossing, which came out last October and clocks in at 1,200 pages. It’s a dark, epic Western/ horror hybrid that required 10 drafts and which Danielewski has said he considers the “pinnacle” of his work. Here’s a chance to catch a living horror legend in the flesh. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

‘Document’ by Amelia Rosselli with Translator Deborah Woodard with Rachel Karyo

FEB 4

A newly translated collection of 1970s anti-fascist poetry by a female poet? I’m listening! Italian poet Amelia Rosselli’s last collection to be translated into English, Document, explores how poetry can document our contemporary experiences through the lens of classical models. Rosselli was long obsessed with classical sonnets, particularly Petrarchan sonnets, in which meaning is conveyed through sequence and structure. Through the collection of 175 poems, Rosselli speaks to her experiences in postwar Italy, meditating on violence, class struggle, religion, consumerism, and capitalism, all topics that unfortunately still resonate 50 years after they were written. For this Q&A and book signing, Document translator Deborah Woodard will be joined by poet Rachel Karyo. (Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, all ages, free) AUDREY VANN

Chuck Klosterman

FEB 15

Chuck Klosterman bucked himself up from tiny-town obscurity all the way to toast of Manhattan and staff position at the Gray Lady itself (though he’s since moved to Portland). Music scribing put him on top, but he’s branched out into broader cultural criticism, plus the occasional novel; now he’s tackling “America’s game” in time for Super Bowl weekend. His new book, Football, approaches the mighty gridiron as a “hyperobject” so massive in time/space that its true contours can’t be mapped. As an honest effort, though, he essays the six-man variant (silly me, I only knew about eight-man), the myth of the Great Man Theory (or at least Great Jock Theory), the sport’s seamless melding with television, and the morality of potentially crippling violence as public spectacle. No word on whether he’ll tackle arena football (Washington Wolfpack and Seattle Sabercats represent!), women’s football (we’ve got the Majestics, the Spartans, and the Thunder), fantasy football (I vote ecchh), and/or video games (scratch Madden, I’m sticking with Atari). Want to know more? Ask the answer man himself. (Town Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages) ANDREW HAMLIN

Nicola Griffith

FEB 17

Seattle-based author and self-described “queer cripple with a PhD” Nicola Griffith has received countless honors, including two Washington State Book Awards and six Lambda Literary Awards, and was inducted into MOPOP’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2024. Her novels Hild, Spear, and Menewood explore the medieval era through a queer perspective, and she also cofounded the #CripLit movement with the late activist Alice Wong. Her latest work, She Is Here, is a new installment in PM Press’s Outspoken Authors series, in which “today’s edgiest fiction writers showcase their most provocative and politically challenging stories.” Griffith’s contribution combines fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and artwork to discuss topics ranging from disability justice to the distinction between love and ownership. (Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

More

Aja Monet Feb 5, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Emily Nemens Feb 11, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Roddy Bottum Feb 13, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Nick Offerman Feb 15, Moore Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

Cristina Rivera Garza & Javier Zamora Feb 24, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Early Warnings

James McBride March 3, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Stephen Graham Jones March 30, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

George Saunders: Vigil: A Novel Apr 7, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Patrick Radden Keefe April 22, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Marlon James May 6, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Emily Wilson May 12, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Tommy Orange May 21, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

February Things to Do: Performance

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best performance events in February in Seattle. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

Next Exit

FEB 5–21

Meet j. chavez, a Seattle theatre maven who won the KCACTF (Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival)’s National Undergraduate Playwriting Award (whew), for their opus how to clean your room (and remember all your trauma). Their new play Next Exit deals passionately, yet sympathetically, with a man named Miguel trapped on a highway (sans car, I think), who is communing with and deriving philosophical companionship from a dead possum called Orlando. Some deer come out, and a Lady In Yellow, and a sinister force that threatens to eat up anyone and anything lingering too long by the sizzling side of I-5. I’m not clear on how this all flows together. But you should indubitably find out. (Annex Theatre, times vary, all ages) ANDREW HAMLIN

Depths of Wikipedia Live

FEB 12

These days, there are only a handful of accounts that keep me from deleting Instagram altogether: Flamenco diva Charo (whom regularly gives life advice with a massive glass of wine), Our Lord and Savior Britney Spears (who I honestly just need to check on once a week to make sure she’s okay), and, of course, Depths of Wikipedia. Run by journalist and comedian Annie Rauwerda, Depths of Wikipedia scours the deep, dark depths of the free online encyclopedia for the site's most obscure, magical, and bizarre entries. Some memorable examples include a moth species named Freak, a medieval tradition called Feast of the Ass, and the Japanese concept of “hatsuyume,” referring to the first dream one has in the New Year. Rauwerda is bringing her live show of comedy and research back to Seattle to answer all your burning questions, like “When was ciabatta invented?” and “Why is there anything at all?” (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story

FEB 19–MAR 15

Keiko Green is a playwright, screenwriter, and performer who splits her time between Seattle and LA, and has written for TV shows like Hulu’s Interior Chinatown and the upcoming Apple TV series Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Last fall, Seattle hosted productions of two of her plays: Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play, a wacky time-traveling comedy set in 1999, and Hells Canyon, a chilling horror thriller. Now, there’s another opportunity to glimpse even more of Green’s impressive range with the Seattle Children’s Theatre premiere of her play Young Dragon, which shows Bruce Lee as an ambitious young man finding his place in the world in Seattle. I’m willing to bet audience members of all ages will be moved by Bruce’s journey to becoming a “flexible, fluid, and flowing master.” Seattle Children’s Theatre recently made the difficult decision to pull a two-week April run of Young Dragon from the Kennedy Center due to the impact of the Trump administration, which makes it even more important to support local productions like this one. (Seattle Children’s Theatre, times vary) JULIANNE BELL

Jimmy O. Yang

FEB 27 & 28

Hilarious Asian-Millennial perspectives spill forth from Jimmy O. Yang at a rapid pace in his stand-up performances. Sure, the actor and former strip-joint DJ covers some familiar ground: relationships, parent-child interactions, the importance of friendships, how different cultures talk about money, media representation of his people—and the pressure he feels as a high-profile Asian to do his tribe proud. But the Chinese American comic also tackles some less common subjects, such as the feet etiquette of different cultures, the limited options for Halloween costumes among Asians (“I was Bruce Lee for six years.”), whether it’s okay for Asians to say the N-word when singing along to rap songs, as well as an advanced lesson on how to tell Asians apart by the sound they make when they’re disappointed. He also does the best tai chi joke I’ve ever heard. With his acting chops honed in TV comedy shows such as Silicon Valley and Space Force and the movie Crazy Rich Asians, Yang has become an efficient and super-expressive joke machine. (Paramount Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

More

Topdog/Underdog Feb 4–Mar 1, ArtsWest, times vary

Bridge Project 2025 with DaeZhane Day, kelly langeslay, and No Girls No Masters Feb 6–8, Velocity, times vary

Bosco Presents: GRINDHAUS Feb 7, Crocodile, 10:30 pm, 21+

The Wiz Feb 10–15, Paramount Theatre, times vary, all ages

The Serpent Sisters Tour: Nymphia Wind and Plastique Tiara Feb 15, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Rose Jarboe’s Rose: You Are Who You Eat Feb 19–21, On the Boards, 8 pm

Fellow Travelers Feb 21–Mar 1, McCaw Hall, times vary

Early Warnings

Amy O’Neal: Again, There Is No Other (The Remix) Mar 26–28, On the Boards, 8 pm

Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Giselle Apr 10–19, McCaw Hall, times vary, all ages

Jonathan Van Ness Apr 24, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Margaret Cho Apr 19, Moore Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

Seattle Opera: Carmen May 2–17, McCaw Hall, times vary

Fauxnique: How Do I Look? May 7–9, On the Boards, 8 pm

February Things to Do: Film

Audrey Vann — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best film events in February in Seattle. by Audrey Vann

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

The Pacific Northwestern

TUESDAYS THROUGH FEB 24

Despite the Western genre being associated with images of cowboys in dusty deserts, there are, surprisingly, a large number of Western films set in the lush Pacific Northwest, and SIFF’s Pacific Northwestern series is bringing these gorgeous movies to the big screen. The series kicked off last month, but there is still so much great programming to come, like 1959’s The Hanging Tree, starring Gary Cooper as a doctor in a Montana gold rush town (but filmed entirely in Yakima), Kelly Reichardt’s First Cow, following a cook and a Chinese immigrant as they team up to steal milk from a prized cow in Oregon Country, and, my personal favorite, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Robert Altman’s snowbound Western starring Warren Beatty and soundtracked by Leonard Cohen. (SIFF Film Center, 6:30 pm) AUDREY VANN

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

FEB 5–8

Set in the Chilean desert in the early ‘80s, director Diego Céspedes’s feature debut follows Lidia, an 11-year-old who was abandoned as a baby and raised by a fiercely loving queer found family. Their ragtag clan is ostracized by their sleepy mining town, blamed for a mysterious plague that is believed to be transmitted by a single gaze when two people fall in love. Lidia sets out to defend her loved ones and determine whether the rumor is true or not. The surreal Western explores AIDS panic, transphobia, violence, revenge, marginalization, and prejudice, mixing folktale vibes with the scrappy tenderness of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters. (Northwest Film Forum, times vary) JULIANNE BELL

HUMP! Film Fest

FEB 26–APRIL 30

Look, HUMP! is always good. You already know that this indie porn festival is nothing like the 5-minute clips you watch while bathed in the cold, blue, loveless light of your laptop. They’re creative and silly and usually feel like a friend is sharing their new, naked, art project with you. But if the trailer for this year is any indication, this year’s spring lineup isn't one to miss. It has stop-motion praying mantises, pottery, a sexy Bop It, and the Starfish Sex Beetle. One person managed to weave in sanitation workers and labor solidarity into their submission. Another clearly knows what it’s like to bomb on stage as a standup comedian, and used the power of porn to reimagine it. This festival only happens twice a year, and it’s never the same. Don’t miss this one. (Various locations) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

More

Truth to Fiction: Black Is… Black Ain’t Feb 5, Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm

Fools’ Paradise (lost?) Feb 6–7, SIFF Film Center, 7 pm

Resurrection Feb 6–8, Northwest Film Forum, times vary

A Void in the Cosmos and From There You Sing: Early Pasolini Feb 8–Mar 5, Beacon, times vary

Friday the 13th Feb 13, Beacon, 10 pm

The Bridges of Madison County Feb 14, Beacon, 7 pm

In the Mood for Love Feb 14, Beacon, 10 pm

2026 Sakinah Film Festival Feb 14–15, Northwest Film Forum, 3 pm

Daisies (with Velocity Dance Center) Feb 18–19, Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm

Star 80 Feb 22 & 25, Beacon, times vary

Martin Scorsese: Maestro of Cinema Wednesdays Feb 25–Apr 29, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 7:30 pm

February Things to Do: Food

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best food and drink events in Seattle in February. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

Polina Chesnakova, ‘Chesnok’

FEB 5

Local author (and former Book Larder culinary director) Polina Chesnakova returns with her third and latest cookbook Chesnok: Cooking from My Corner of the Diaspora: Recipes from Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, a love letter to the food of the Soviet diaspora. Chesnakova, who was born in Ukraine to Russian and Armenian parents from Georgia, has painstakingly documented over 110 regional recipes ranging from Ukrainian varenyky (dumplings) to medovik (honey cake), alongside essays and stories of her childhood memories of cooking and eating. (Book Larder, 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Nicki Sizemore, ‘Mind, Body, Spirit, Food’

FEB 9

Trained chef, professional recipe developer, and cookbook author Nicki Sizemore has nearly 20 years of experience in the food industry, but she hasn’t always had an easy relationship with food. She’s shared her journey of overcoming diet culture and health issues on her Substack newsletter and podcast Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD and offers recipes paired with mindfulness techniques, as well as interviews with guests on their relationships with food. Her newest book, also called Mind, Body, Spirit, Food, contains 51 recipes (that just so happen to be free of gluten, due to her medical necessity) alongside mindfulness prompts that invite home cooks to slow down, invoke the five senses, and enjoy the process. (Book Larder, 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Naoko Takei Moore, ‘Simply Donabe’

FEB 26

Meals cooked in a donabe (a traditional Japanese earthenware pot) are the original one-pot meals. Besides being energy-efficient and having even heat distribution thanks to their porous material, they’ve also given rise to “nabe o kakomu” (“surrounding the pot”), a culture of communal meals centered around the donabe. Naoko Takei Moore’s new cookbook Simply Donabe demonstrates how you can recreate some of this comforting, nourishing magic in your own kitchen, with recipes like sour minced pork hotpot and miso-simmered ramen, plus side dishes like quick-pickled Napa cabbage and desserts like matcha ice cream. (Book Larder, 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

More

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–noon, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

Strong And Dark Beer Festival Feb 7, Figurehead Brewing Magnolia, noon–5 pm

Hops & Props Feb 21, Museum of Flight, 7–10 pm, 21+

Tacoma Beer Week Feb 27–March 8, various locations across Tacoma

Early Warnings

Taste Washington March 21–22, various locations, 21+

February Things to Do: This & That

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

The best culture and community events in Seattle in February. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, and This & That.

Tết in Seattle

FEB 14–15

Gallop into the Year of the Horse with the Tết Festival, a free, family-friendly event hosted at Seattle Center as part of the Festal World Cultural Program. Browse vendors and health-related booths with free screenings and services, check out lion dances and other performances, enter some eating competitions if you’re feeling bold, and watch a fashion show with traditional Vietnamese garments. Don’t forget to wear red and yellow or gold for good luck! (Seattle Center, 11 am–6 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

Babylon Death Party

FEB 27

The intimate Rabbit Box Theatre will host this evening of witchcraft, led by the psychic, medium, and ceremonial artist Mugga Rose (formerly KOOK Teflon), who recently returned to Seattle. Shamanic arts throat singer Soriah will cultivate otherworldly vibrations, followed by an occult performance by storyteller and psychic Doña Macabra. Meagan Angus, Hannah Haddix, and Gabriela of All Gates Within will impart stories and spoken word, Mugga Rose will read from her book, and Jessica Henry and CURRĄŊ will curate a market full of “unique, peculiar, one-of-a-kind creations” from artists. The night is also in part a tribute to the late “fire-tongued, spell-bright, never forgotten” witch Jaguar Bullet. (Rabbit Box Theatre, 7–10 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

More

The Real Twin Peaks Various locations across Snoqualmie Valley, Feb 19–22

Riding Together: 135 Years of Cycling in Seattle Through Apr 26, Museum of History & Industry

Early Warnings

Isaac Mizrahi April 9, Triple Door, 7:30 pm

Stranger Suggests: A Surreal Queer Western, Nose Poems, and the Next Main Pop Girlie

Julianne Bell — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 10:55:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 2/2

Rituals of Mine with LabRats & Rose Peak

See Rituals of Mine play her brand of electronic-influenced alt-R&B at Baba Yaga. JEFFREY LATOUR

(MUSIC) Terra Lopez has been making electronic-influenced alt-R&B since 2010—first under the moniker Sister Crayon, then changing the project’s name to Rituals of Mine in 2016. That year was a landmark one for the group, touring with alternative metal band the Deftones and celebrating the re-release of their sophomore album Devoted on a major label, but Lopez was on the verge of a mental health crisis. After processing the trauma of losing her father and best friend in a six-month span, Lopez released her third record—and first solo venture—HYPE NOSTALGIA in 2020. Rituals of Mine has since released a handful of singles, groovy and emotional tracks that have left me wanting more. They're on tour with support from jazz hip-hop fusion group LabRats, who double as the headliner's backing band. (Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+) SHANNON LUBETICH

TUESDAY 2/3

Yeobo Cafe and Bar

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(FOOD) Yeobo, will you be our Valentine?? The name "yeobo" is a Korean term of endearment like "honey" or "sweetheart," which is fitting, because I'm extremely smitten with this Capitol Hill coffee shop. In fact, I'm writing this blurb there right now, enjoying a cup of roasted oolong tea while Norah Jones plays in the background. In our recent Complaints Issue, arts editor Emily Nokes begged local businesses to stay open later, whereas I lamented the lack of truly cozy coffee shops in Seattle, and Yeobo might just be the answer to both of our prayers—they even extended their hours to 9-ish pm daily as a direct response to Emily's complaint! They have delicious coffee drinks (I love the burnt honey miso latte), a selection of Friday Afternoon tea, and both alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails, plus kimchi breakfast sandwiches made with house-made gluten-free English muffins. There's always something fun playing on the TV, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, anime, or Kim's Convenience, and if you want some analog entertainment, they have a community library, puzzle exchange, and board games. This is the inclusive third space that the neighborhood desperately needed. Also, if you have some spare cash, consider donating to their GoFundMe to help them out with critical repairs and unexpected expenses so they can keep the lights on. (2332 E Madison St, 7 am-9ish pm) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 2/4

Mark Z. Danielewski

Horror legend Mark Z. Danielewski will appear at Elliott Bay Book Company on Wednesday, February 2. LINDSEY BEST

(LITERATURE) Mark Z. Danielewski is most well known for his debut novel and postmodern horror cult classic House of Leaves, which famously requires active participation (including turning the book upside down at times) from the reader to decipher its multiple nonlinear narratives, cryptic text, and copious footnotes. Reading it feels like a descent into madness and will have you glancing around to make sure no one (or nothing) else is in the room with you. He’s now embarking on tour to promote his longest novel to date, Tom’s Crossing, which came out last October and clocks in at 1,200 pages. It’s a dark, epic Western horror hybrid that required 10 drafts and which Danielewski has said he considers the “pinnacle” of his work. Here’s a chance to catch a living horror legend in the flesh. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, all ages, free) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 2/5

aja monet

Experience poet, organizer, and musician aja monet's galvanizing voice at Town Hall Seattle on Thursday, February 5. FANNY CHU

(LITERATURE) Poet, organizer, and musician aja monet is a triple threat who’s in the business of activating rooms. Drawing from a lineage rooted in oratory practice, monet blends spoken word, music, and experience into something that feels more akin to a performance or communal offering than a standard reading. Her latest book, Florida Water, explores love, migration, climate grief, and community with a clarity that reflects, reveals, and unravels in equal measure. A Grammy-nominated spoken word artist and Nuyorican Poets Cafe Grand Slam Champion, monet creates urgent and intimate work. If you plan to attend, you’re in for a treat. Just be sure to stick around for the post-event Q&A hosted by Kiesha B. Free. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

FRIDAY 2/6

Jade: That’s Showbiz Baby! Tour

(MUSIC) I constantly annoy everyone I know by bragging that I was three years early to knowing about Chappell Roan, so I need you to believe me when I say that former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall is going to be a main pop girlie within the next couple of years. She’s already big in the UK and steadily gaining popularity stateside. No one else out there is doing it like her—I can't name another artist who dropped a fully art-directed visual album for their solo debut, but that's exactly what she did with That's Showbiz Baby. There are no skips, either. You can hear touches of all the great pop divas, like Gaga, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Diana Ross. The opener, “Angel of My Dreams,” about Jade’s ambivalent relationship to fame, is dreamy, celestial pop goodness reminiscent of “Lucky” by Britney Spears. I also love the track “Before You Break My Heart,” which samples a recording of Jade singing the Supremes’ "Stop! In the Name of Love" as a little girl, and which she says is written from the POV of her “younger self, begging me not to forget her and how far we’ve come.” (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SATURDAY 2/7

Scent Lending Library at Fogue Studios

Follow your nose to the Scent Lending Library. FOGUE STUDIOS

(ART) What does God’s sweat smell like? Or the anoxic cold of Eau De Space? Smell for yourself out at the Scent Lending Library, an olfactory exhibition that arrived at Fogue after its five-month run at Olfactory Art Keller in New York. While determining the base note of divine perspiration may involve a smidge of poetic license, NASA did actually work with chemists in 2008 to recreate the smell of the void (as relayed by space-walking astronauts), and Australian-born documentary filmmaker turned olfactory artist Donna Lipowitz has bottled these distillations for your sniffing pleasure. There are over 100 scents to explore (70 of which are available to check out for two weeks at a time), including delightful nose poems like Old Luggage, Bermuda Triangle, and American Psycho, as well as more classic fare, including the oldest continuously produced perfume, Guerlain's 1889 Jicky. The sensory excursion to the world right under our nose is the perfect antidote to algorithm purgatory. (Fogue Studios and Gallery) AMANDA MANITACH

SUNDAY 2/8

The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo

(FILM) Set in the Chilean desert in the early '80s, director Diego Céspedes’s feature debut follows Lidia, an 11-year-old who was abandoned as a baby and raised by a fiercely loving queer found family. Their ragtag clan is ostracized by their sleepy mining town, blamed for a mysterious plague that is believed to be transmitted by a single gaze when two people fall in love. Lidia sets out to defend her loved ones and determine whether the rumor is true or not. The surreal Western explores AIDS panic, transphobia, violence, revenge, marginalization, and prejudice, mixing folktale vibes with the scrappy tenderness of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters. (Northwest Film Forum, 3 pm and 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Playwright Keiko Green On Pulling Her Play from the Kennedy Center

Julianne Bell — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:00:00 -0800

Last week, Seattle Children’s Theatre announced their decision to pull their two-week run of the play Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story from the Kennedy Center due to the impact of the Trump administration—namely, Trump installing himself as chairman, dismissing and replacing staff, and installing his name above Kennedy's. The Stranger caught up with playwright Keiko Green about the decision. by Julianne Bell

Last week, Seattle Children’s Theatre announced their decision to pull their two-week run of the play Young Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story from the Kennedy Center due to the impact of the Trump administration—namely, Trump installing himself as chairman, dismissing and replacing staff, and installing his name above Kennedy's. Many other artists, including Issa Rae, Phillip Glass, and the cast of Hamilton, have also canceled their upcoming performances at the theater for political reasons.

The play would have been staged at the Center in April, after its still-planned run at the Children’s Theatre from February 19 to March 15. "The landscape in which the production was originally created has changed to an extent that after careful consideration, we have come to the decision that this is not the right time to transfer a SCT production to the Kennedy Center,” said SCT managing director Kevin Malgesini in a statement. “Our priority is to honor Bruce Lee's story with integrity and to uphold the trust our community places in us.”

Keiko Green, the playwright, has been a celebrated contributor to Seattle’s wider theatre landscape. She was commissioned to write the script for Young Dragon by SCT and the Kennedy Center two years ago. And in the meantime, Seattle hosted productions of two of her plays: Exotic Deadly: Or the MSG Play, a wacky time-traveling comedy set in 1999, and Hells Canyon, a chilling horror thriller. Green has also written for TV shows like Hulu’s Interior Chinatown and the upcoming series Margo’s Got Money Troubles, which stars Elle Fanning and Nicole Kidman and premieres on Apple TV on April 15.

The Stranger caught up with her after the announcement to pull the Young Dragon from the Kennedy Center.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

This decision means that the play isn't associated with the Trump administration, but it also limits its chance to reach a wider audience. How do you feel about that?

It's really complicated, to be totally honest with you. I really feel a lot of relief about this decision, personally. I can't really speak for the theater. I mean, there's obviously a lot of stress and complexity along with it too. I know that we had school shows that were going to be pretty heavily attended. When it comes to the public shows, the audience space has declined to around 20 percent of what it used to be, so I know that there's already been such a lack of support from their previous audiences.

I'm very sad about the school shows that will be canceled. In a way, the fact that the ticket sales for the Kennedy Center at large are down [makes me think] okay, at least we're not robbing a huge plethora of people. And the people who are upset about us not going probably weren't ever going to come to the show anyway. They're not really people who are supporting a story about a cool Asian American, and they're not necessarily supporting children's theater, either.

I also think that this was really an opportunity for us to tell the country and the world morally where we stand with this play. As much as it's sad to not be able to reach this audience immediately, I actually think we can use this as a launching point to try to reach out to new partners and find a future. My hope is that it'll end up in DC at some point, whether it's with the Kennedy Center in the future or a different location. It's just not going to be at this very moment, at that very place.

Are you and Seattle Children’s Theatre looking into any alternative venues?

I have personally been in touch with a few other theaters that have just reached out to read the script in completely different locations outside of DC—I’ve [been in contact with] a theater in Southern California and a theater in Kansas City. I've heard that [Seattle Children’s Theatre] plans to hopefully bring people from other regions in to see the production itself.

I am so proud of this team. What's really great about the play right now is that we have all this attention for pulling out, and with that comes a bit of pressure to make sure the show is good. I think the show is really, really cool, so the moment that we get people to come in and see what we're offering, I feel really confident that the show is going to have a future.

How were you involved in the decision making process, and how long were you and Seattle Children’s Theatre thinking about this?

We've been having these conversations for a long time. About a year ago, we had this workshop in New York, and at that time, there were a lot of conversations that were happening separately.

Before the [Kennedy Center’s] name changed, when the board was first fired and replaced, there was a conversation with myself and the director, Jess McLeod, about what that meant. For me, growing up in the South and seeing so little representation, for a long time I was like, those kids need it maybe more than ever. It was always a decision where we were going to have to see how things were evolving and moving.

For me, a big clincher is that no one who I was ever in communication with [at the Kennedy Center], who were giving notes through the process and were originally part of the commissioning team, works there anymore. We don't even know what to call this institution anymore, legally. There are still great people working there, and my heart goes out to them, but they're not the people who I originally was in contact with. So in addition to the big blowup and snowballing of everything that's been happening, there's just been a very real sense that I don't know what we're walking into.

I really applaud Seattle Children's Theatre for this. There are very real consequences that are not just affecting them—there are actors who are losing two weeks of work and two weeks of health insurance. There are crew members in DC who were going to be rebuilding the set and bringing it in and working the show, who are now going to be out of a job. [SCT] was really trying to talk to as many people who would be affected as possible, and in between that, Jess McLeod and I were chatting with the leaders at SCT, probably every other day, to help them as they were making a decision. But ultimately, we were saying, it's their name on the line, it's their contracts, and so I'm here to support them. I'm not going to sabotage anybody, I'm not going to leave if the choice is to go, I'm not going to leave actors hanging. But we were pretty vocal that our hope was that we would be able to pull out of the contract.

I know this play is at the Seattle Children’s Theatre, but would you encourage adults without children to attend too?

We were originally hoping to write something that was mostly for teens, and we started opening up that age [group] a little bit. That means we're not dumbing it down or talking down to kids at all on this play, which serves the play and who Bruce was. It just means that instead of a lot of dialogue-heavy scenes, we might be leaning more into letting physicality and visual storytelling do some work. The play itself is really cool, even for diehard Bruce Lee fans—it's about a lesser-known part of his life, which is when he was in Seattle. Before, he had been basically banished from Hong Kong for getting into too much trouble and was feeling a lot of shame about where he was in his life and what that meant for his future. It was a huge, sobering wake-up call.

Suddenly he's a dishwasher at a restaurant, and slowly, he's enrolling in college at University of Washington and becoming an instructor and getting the first little seeds of creating this new style of martial arts, Jeet Kune Do. What's really cool about the play is that even the parents or adults on their own who want to come see the show [will have] a really fun time. It'll be visually entertaining, but it's also a lot about his philosophies.

The play is full of a lot of moments in Bruce Lee's life that are going to be a little less familiar, even to a lot of adults. I’m really excited. I think it's the most fully intergenerational thing I've ever written. My hope is always that number one, I don't want to talk down to kids because they're smarter than we think, and two, I just want to make sure that those parents who may already have a relationship to Bruce Lee can gain something from the story.

What do you hope Seattle audiences take away from Young Dragon?

The trickiest part of this play has been making a play that's about Bruce Lee, before he's the legend. I had a meeting with Shannon Lee, Bruce's daughter, and I asked her, “What do you hope that young people take away from the show?” She said, “I really want people to know how curious he was, how he was trying everything. How he was a real renaissance man.” He loved the arts, and he was also writing poetry and drawing and dancing—he was a cha cha champion!— in addition to being this movie star and the creator of Jeet Kune Do.

Also, because the show so heavily features his philosophies, specifically the “be like water” philosophy, the play itself is about how Bruce Lee—who, as a kid, is this hothead, who we associate with in our play with fire—every single obstacle he's encountering, he’s hitting back as hard as he can, and there's this rageful fire. That's how he's approaching all of the obstacles in his life. Through the story, and in his time in Seattle, he's discovering truly what it means to be like water: When these obstacles present themselves, how do we find the cracks and the paths around to ultimately peacefully and more efficiently reach our goal? I think that the decision feels true to that message. We were hit with this big obstacle of having [to adapt from] the idea that we're going to be presenting the show at the Kennedy Center, and now we have this opportunity to find a new way around and hopefully find an even more exciting path forward for the play.

Stranger Suggests: Sparkly Majorettes, a Classic Fairy-Tale Ballet, and an Underwater City Made of Trash

Julianne Bell — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:20:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 1/26

Lady Windermere's Fan

(FILM) I attended my first Silent Movie Monday last month, and now I am completely obsessed. The film series pays homage to the history of our beloved Paramount Theatre, which opened in 1928, showing silent films accompanied by live musicians on the theater’s original Mighty Wurlitzer (a single organ that’s connected to various pipes and percussion instruments), and serving free, old-fashioned bags of popcorn—it’s truly like stepping into a time machine. For the next Silent Movie Monday, organist Donna Parker will soundtrack Ernst Lubitsch’s 1925 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. Set in 1890s London, the film follows an elegant society woman who’s convinced her husband is having an affair. It’s full of drama, scandals, and stunning costumes. Warning: You will likely leave the theater wanting to cut your hair into a 1920s bob. (Paramount Theatre, 7 pm) AUDREY VANN

TUESDAY 1/27

Honorée Fanone Jeffers

See Honorée Fanonne Jeffers at Town Hall Seattle Tuesday, January 27. SYDNEY A. FOSTER

(LITERATURE) National Book Award-nominated fiction writer, poet, and essayist Honorée Fanonne Jeffers spent 15 years researching archives for her critically acclaimed 2020 collection The Age of Phillis, which reimagines the life of revolutionary 18th-century poet Phillis Wheatley. For her next act, she published her 2021 debut novel The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, an ambitious 816-page intergenerational epic that traces a Black family’s lineage from before the Civil War to the present. Her latest work is her nonfiction debut Misbehaving at the Crossroads, which explores the crossroads—defined by Jeffers as “a location of difficulty and possibility, a boundary between the divine and the human”—in Black American and African cultures. Jeffers will join host Colleen Echohawk, Community Roots Housing CEO and Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Community Curated Series director, for a discussion on this fascinating intersection. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Cate Le Bon, Frances Chang

(MUSIC) Sometimes you listen to an album, and your first thought is “Well, this is gonna be my whole personality for a while.” Cate Le Bon’s newest, Michelangelo Dying, is one of those. It’s a no-skip record, and one of my favorites, “Is It Worth It? (Happy Birthday),” could be a B-side on Ziggy Stardust. You have two chances to see Madame Le Bon today: first at 11 a.m. at the KEXP In-Studio show (which is free! As long as you’re willing to get there early and snag your spot), and second, at 8 p.m. at the Neptune, with special guest Frances Chang. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

WEDNESDAY 1/28

Stuff You Should Know

(COMEDY) If you’ve ever lost an hour falling down an internet rabbit hole, there’s a good chance Stuff You Should Know contributed to it in some way. Hosted by Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, the SYSK podcast has spent nearly two decades unpacking the history, science, and cultural weirdness of everything from Ouija boards to Pop-Tarts to Nazis on meth (yes, really). Racking up 2,700+ episodes and billions of downloads across the web, the pod has been the inspiration of many a YouTube deep dive, and now it’s coming to Seattle, live! It’s all that curiosity, joking, and banter delivered directly to a room full of fact-loving nerds, sans the HelloFresh commercials. (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm) LANGSTON THOMAS

THURSDAY 1/29

Ogemdi Ude: MAJOR

(PERFORMANCE) Majorette dance has been a staple of Black girlhood since the 1960s, when it was popularized at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the American South. Dressed in their signature glittery costumes, majorettes dance alongside marching bands and display bold showmanship, glamour, precision, power, and sensuality. In this contemporary performance directed and choreographed by Ogemdi Ude, six Black femmes will pay homage to the majorette dance form, accompanied by composer Lambkin’s score blending “Southern rap, horns, drumlines, and melodic R&B and soul.” Back in September, On the Boards executive director Megan Kiskaddon told Stranger staff writer Nathalie Graham that MAJOR is the show everyone must see in the venue’s 2025–2026 season, explaining, “It’s one of those pieces that anyone would get something out of, because it’s so exuberant.” (On the Boards, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 1/30

Merlantis, or the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

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(VISUAL ART) What lies beneath the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? An underwater city loosely based on Seattle and built of fallen trash, of course. While “the damaging effects of commodification and rampant capitalism on our planet” sound like heavy themes for troubled times, this exhibition put on by the group True Misschiff promises to handle the subject with campy panache in an attempt to “normalize non-normative approaches to life and gender” through the adventures of characters like Brosiedon, the douchey ruler of the merpeople. Base Camp 2 has recently restructured its exhibition timeline to focus on four big shows a year, which is great news, as the massive old luggage store space lends itself to immersive worlds such as Merlantis promises to be. In addition to ticketed events and cabaret performances (sponsored by the fictional corporation Blissfish), there will be art for sale, a thematic gift shop, and more fishy shenanigans available through March. (Base Camp 2, through Feb 28) AMANDA MANITACH

SATURDAY 1/31

Cinderella

The Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of Cinderella runs through February 8. ANGELA STERLING

(PERFORMANCE) Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Cinderella was conceived and choreographed in 1994 by founding artistic director and choreographer Kent Stowell, who sought to emphasize the romantic nature of the fairy tale in contrast to the tragicomic sensibilities of earlier modern productions. The result is an enchanting, swoon-worthy confection filled with dazzling costumes by Tony Award-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and fantastical sets by scenic designer Tony Straiges. Fun facts: The production features over 120 costumes, which required more than a mile of tulle to make, and the trim on Cinderella’s ball gown alone took over 100 hours to create and sew. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 2/2

The Chronology of Water

Imogen Poots as Lidia in The Chronology of Water. THE FORGE

(FILM) “I remember things in retinal flashes. Without order. Your life doesn’t happen in any kind of order… It’s all a series of fragments and repetitions and pattern formations. Language and water have this in common,” the Oregon-based author Lidia Yuknavitch writes in her 2011 memoir, The Chronology of Water. It follows, then, that director Kristen Stewart’s film adaptation of the book opens without clear exposition. Instead, the camera is submerged, trained upward toward a figure in a red swimsuit. Blood spills onto a shower’s tile floor. The two images—which happen years apart in Lidia’s (Imogen Poots) life—set the tone for a film revealed in fragments of trauma. Read the full review at the Mercury. (SIFF Film Center, 7 pm) LINDSAY COSTELLO

Stranger Suggests: A Psychosexual NC-17 Sensation, the Beginning of Your Year of Opera, and a Stoic White-Guy Worth Your Time

Julianne Bell — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 1/12

Collide-O-Scope 16th Anniversary

(FILM) For a whopping 16 years, Collide-O-Scope has been a fixture of Seattle’s underground film and performance scene. It’s an institution that’s evolved alongside our city’s venues and creative spaces, putting in a decade at the (dearly missed) Re-bar, shifting online during the pandemic era, and finding a four-year home at the Crocodile’s recently closed Here-After before landing at its newest venue, the Clock-Out Lounge! For the uninitiated, the 16th-anniversary show is the perfect entry point into the cabaret, the chaos, and the community that have cemented Collide-O-Scope as a resilient part of Seattle nightlife history. (Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) LANGSTON THOMAS

TUESDAY 1/13

Colm Tóibín

(LITERATURE) Celebrated Irish author Colm Tóibín follows in the footsteps of literary giants like Henry James, James Baldwin, and Elizabeth Bishop, writing intensely human stories with unadorned, rhythmic prose. You’re most likely familiar with him through his sixth novel, Brooklyn, a breakout success that was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2015 film of the same name starring Saoirse Ronan. Brooklyn revolves around young midcentury Irish immigrant Eilis Lace’s struggle to reconcile her past in Ireland with her new life in New York. Tóibín continued the saga with his 2024 sequel, Long Island, which picks up 30 years later as Eilis finds her marriage with her Italian husband Tony in disarray. Join him for this conversation at Town Hall for a glimpse into the mind of what the Boston Globe called “one of the world’s best living literary writers.” (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 1/14

Steve Gunn, Jeffrey Silverstein

(MUSIC) It’s understandable if you’ve had your fill of stoic, white-guy guitarists with limited (yet pleasant) vocal ranges. But you should leave a sliver of precious time in your hectic life for Steve Gunn. What he lacks in singing prowess, he makes up for in instrumental expressiveness. Gunn’s a guitarist of rare melodic elegance and deceptive soulfulness, as evidenced by his 2013 breakthrough, Time Off, which found him contending with the legacies of British psych-folk masters such as Michael Chapman and Bert Jansch. Since then, Steve’s kept busy with several collabs (Kim Gordon, Mdou Moctar, Mike Cooper, Natural Information Society, etc.) and solo works, steadily building a fan base, with help via Matador Records’ marketing might. This year, Gunn’s released Daylight Daylight and Music for Writers for the more underground No Quarter and Three Lobed labels. The former thrums with chamber-art-pop splendor; the latter zones out in glowing ambient-drone-fingerpicking space, sans vox. The Triple Door should be a copacetic setting for this music’s understated grandeur. (Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

THURSDAY 1/15

Fatlesque Fest NW at Triple Door

(PERFORMANCE) Fatlesque Fest NW is back with burlesque that challenges expectations and expands upon what the art form can look like onstage. Rooted in fat liberation and body positivity, the festival showcases performers from across the US, Canada, and the UK, with each night featuring a different cast and its own distinct energy. Headliners Lady Drew Blood and Lady Lola LeStrange anchor the lineup alongside a roster of featured performers serving humor and glamor. Produced by Puckduction, the same team behind Fat Con (also recommended), the fest carries a community- and visibility-first ethos into a bold, high-glam performance space. More than a showcase, Fatlesque Fest NW is a statement that celebrates joy, artistry, and bodies. (Triple Door, 7:30 pm, 18+) LANGSTON THOMAS

FRIDAY 1/16

Monster Rally

(MUSIC) For the past 15 years, Cleveland’s Ted Feighan has created a trove of transportive sound collages as Monster Rally. Envision your mid-century Pan Am touching down for several minutes at a time on a volcanic tiki retreat as imagined by the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes; a bustling, sand-swept day market bearing bold spices and vibrant fabrics from across the empire; a Los Angeles Chinatown bossa nova jazz joint where the password is an inside joke. Alternately, the great thing about Monster Rally is that most of what your brain conjures when dosed with the sounds, Feighan has already made in visual form—most every release has been coupled with an extraordinary magazine cut-out piece of artwork that matches the escapist, exotically colored sounds he’s made, and his live shows are no different. By trade, a multi-instrumentalist beatmaker in the vein of Dirty Art Club, Teebs, or Madlib on his “Curls” beat shit, Feighan has chosen to open his studio for only the second time to outside vocalists (after his 2015 Foreign Pedestrians collab with Bay Area rapper Jay Stone), and the singles so far have displayed the telltale signs of crossover appeal. (Barboza, 6:30 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

SATURDAY 1/17

Mourning Sickness: Showgirls

(FILM) What can I say about Paul Verhoeven’s landmark 1995 erotic drama that hasn’t already been said? That I felt like a changed person after watching it for the first time? That it is tacky and absurd to a degree approaching transcendence? That never in my life have I seen anything quite like Gina Gershon flirting with Elizabeth Berkley by talking about eating doggy chow? Whether you love or hate the critically panned movie, I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not indifferent. (I’m solidly in the love camp myself, in case you couldn’t guess.) See the psychosexual NC-17 sensation and its bevy of naked breasts on the big screen—drag queen and self-described “bird-brained bombshell” Monday Mourning will give an introduction to the film, which is part of her “Mourning Sickness” series of camp and cult classics. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 1/18

Seattle Opera: Daphne

The Seattle Opera presents Daphne at McCaw Hall January 16 and 18. COURTESY OF SEATTLE OPERA

(PERFORMANCE) One of my goals for 2026 is to start frequenting the opera—who’s with me? I want to see Seattleites step out of their Blundstones and Patagonias and into their opera gloves, faux furs, and antique opera glasses for an evening of art and glamour. I’ll be kicking off my Year of Opera with Strauss’s underrated masterpiece, Daphne, inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Strauss’s take on the Greek myth tells the story of Daphne, a woman who loves nature but has no interest in human romance, who turns into her favorite laurel tree after mourning the death of her suitor. Not only will this whimsical tale be brought to life on stage by the Seattle Opera, but the Seattle Symphony will join, playing the lush, pastoral score. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN

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Stranger Suggests: Lord of the Rings Weed Pairings, a Comedian Who Speaks Truth to Power, and TRAINS!

Julianne Bell — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:28:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 12/22

Sippin Santa

(FOOD & DRINK) This holiday-tiki-themed pop-up (a spinoff of Miracle on 2nd at nearby Rob Roy) returns to Belltown with a curated list of cocktails served in seasonal vessels. From classic drinks like a Jungle Bird served in a Santa-hat-wearing pelican mug to inventive originals like the "Frost Bite" (tequila, sage, pineapple, lime, cranberry syrup, and spiced cranberry bitters in a Santa shark cup), the menu has fun options that will warm the ice-cold heart in even the Scroogiest of us. New for 2025: the "Designated Sledder," a zero-proof option made with lime, coconut, pineapple, pandan syrup, and tonic water. The bar’s soundtrack of remixed holiday tunes and classics matches its decor, where stockings and lights have been hung with care and everything that could be covered in wrapping paper is. (Navy Strength, through Dec 25, 21+) SHANNON LUBETICH

TUESDAY 12/23

The 29th Annual Model Train Festival

(TRAINS) If you think model trains are boring, this is the perfect event to broaden your horizons. The Model Train Festival returns to the Washington State History Museum with a vast array of meticulously crafted layouts from railroad clubs across the region. Visitors can marvel at miniature steam engines, downsized Western Washington landscapes, and even the museum’s own massive permanent layout, which is apparently the largest in the state. Train operators are on hand to answer questions, and the auditorium is screening train-themed flicks throughout the festival. (Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, through Jan 1, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

WEDNESDAY 12/24

Lady Vengeance

(FILM) This bloody 2005 South Korean thriller, the third and final installment in director Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy, made the short list for my personal favorites of 2025 and has unexpectedly become my new favorite feel-good holiday movie. It tells the story of Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young-ae), a female prisoner who was framed for the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old schoolboy. While in prison, she performs remorse and spiritual conversion to curry favor with the public, but as soon as she’s out, she is hell-bent on revenge. The film juxtaposes the potential for ugliness and sweetness in humanity to great effect, culminating in a surprisingly poignant conclusion in the snow that would be perfect to watch on Christmas Eve. It will also make you really want a polka dot dress, a leather trench coat, and blood-red eyeshadow. (Be warned that this movie contains some hard-to-watch scenes of sexual violence and child abuse, so proceed with caution. For a less violent Christmas Eve viewing alternative, may I suggest The Umbrellas of Cherbourg?) (Streaming free on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Kanopy, and also available to rent at Scarecrow Video) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 12/25

Watch Lord of the Rings and Get High

(CHRISTMAS) I’m a Seattle transplant celebrating my tenth holiday season away from family. But even without family, you are never really alone when you have a fellowship and some pipe weed to ring in the holiday. That’s why my Christmas Day suggestion is simple: Get high and watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy straight through. True LOTRians know this means the extended editions. (I can’t believe how many people have never seen the Funeral of Theodred.) If you are committing to a full journey through Middle-earth, strain choice matters. Fellowship is cozy, hopeful, and Shire-heavy, so start with something relaxing and euphoric like Space Queen. By The Two Towers, the plot thickens and demands focus, making Jack Herer the ideal companion. Return of the King is epic battles and emotional payoff, and Gelato 33 keeps things euphoric and grounded, and will prep you for a good cry all the way to the shores of Valinor. CHRISTIAN PAROCCO

FRIDAY 12/26

The Jinkx & Dela Holiday Show

(PERFORMANCE) After eight years of extravagant holiday shows from drag queen icon besties Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, I think it’s time to ask: Is this just The Nutcracker now? Do we still need The Nutcracker? In this theatrical tradition, the pair interview sentient snacks before being kidnapped and held for ransom by holiday traditions. Imagine if that lay on the shoulders of a junior high drama department. Well, it’s not a canon work yet; it changes every year. Don’t miss the singing-dancing sweetness of these two very different queens serving Christmas—because I’ll be telling your kids this is The Nutcracker. (Moore Theatre, various showtimes through Dec 28, all ages) SUZETTE SMITH

SATURDAY 12/27

Eat Dumplings at Korochka Tavern

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(FOOD & DRINK) This little nook of a bar is easy to miss—a tiny storefront on 45th, tucked between Tres Lecheria and the Stop N Shop. But on a cold, wintry day, it’ll cure whatever’s ailing your soul. Their Eastern European menu is small, but I’ll tell you what to do anyway: at the very least, order the pickle plate and the vareniki (there are meat, vegetarian, and vegan options). If you’re still hungry, it’s time for Piroshki. And in the meantime, their cocktail menu is worth every moment of your time. We’ve emphatically recommended the Bonfire before, but we’ll do it again. And they house-make beet-infused vodka for their take on a lemon drop—the Lenin Drop. Once you’ve finished your food, and you realize that you’re not ready to leave the warm red light of the bar, it’s time for the Honey Cake. And when you leave, you’ll notice that you barely feel the winter chill through the padding of dumplings, good hospitality, and the beet vodka. (Korochka Tavern, open Tues-Sun [closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day], 21+) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

SUNDAY 12/28

Roy Wood Jr.

(COMEDY) Now more than ever, we need comedians who speak truth to power (with caustic wit, of course), because the MSM have proved themselves to be entirely too complicit in downplaying and normalizing 47’s world-class corruption and enshittifcation of America. Thankfully, Roy Wood Jr. is on the case. He’s shown his heady mettle as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and as host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You. His jabs and uppercuts from the left have caused deep bruises on many deserving mofos. As MC of the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Wood hilariously roasted Dems, Repubs, and the media in a tight 25 minutes. And his takes on race are among the most sizzling in the business, including this one: “But if we get rid of the Confederate flag, how am I gonna know who the dangerous white people are?” Beyond those topics, Wood has funny thoughts about relationships, fatherhood, white allies, the travails of grocery shopping, and the ramifications of getting a BBL, among other things. (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Stranger Suggests: Seattle's Favorite Holiday Light Display, One of Hip-Hop’s Old-Soul Success Stories, and a True Hockey Rivalry

Julianne Bell — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:25:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 12/15

Vengeance Is Mine

(FILM) The late German-American filmmaker Michael Roemer is primarily known for his landmark films Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Plot Against Harry (1971), but his lesser-known family drama Vengeance Is Mine (1984) could give them a run for their money. On a trip to her family home in Rhode Island, where she hopes to get closure from her traumatic childhood, Jo (Brooke Adams) befriends neighbor Donna (Trish Van Devere) and finds herself ensnared in another domestic conflict altogether. Criterion Collection writes, “Bringing vérité naturalism to a seemingly melodramatic premise, Roemer crafts a miracle of novelistic psychological insight that, as it unspools, reveals ever-greater depths of human understanding.” (The Beacon, various times, through Dec 17) JULIANNE BELL

TUESDAY 12/16

Earl Sweatshirt, Liv.e, Zeloopers, Cletus Strap

(MUSIC) Earl Sweatshirt has been trying to turn the volume down for years. Once a teenage rap prodigy who found cult fame with, and brotherhood in, “the potty mouth posse” Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Earl Sweatshirt now stands at age 31 as one of hip-hop’s old-soul success stories. Having just welcomed his second child and given up booze (and ramped up weed), he confidently told The New York Times’ Popcast this summer that his life is “fuckin’ normal, finally.” The recorded discography of Sweatshirt, born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, documents the life journey of someone who once helped define, then survived to outgrow, a generation of youthful nihilism. But more than a post-nihilist victory lap, his new album, Live Laugh Love, is a bombastic celebration of passion. Gone are the days where each line was an avalanche of syllables that tumbled across the page like a chorus of cracking double-jointed knuckles; today, Sweatshirt raps with a blunted calm that sounds well-earned, but what remains is the vivid imagery and referential depth you have to rewind (gladly) to fully appreciate, proving he’s still one of the best to ever do it. (Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

WEDNESDAY 12/17

Bait Shop Holiday Light Show

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(HOLIDAY) Everyone’s favorite Capitol Hill dive bar is back with its annual holiday light show! Bait Shop always goes whole hog with holiday decorations, and its epic musical light show illuminates every hour on the hour(ish). The staff manually flips the light switches, so be sure to tap into the holiday spirit and tip them extra for their hard work. We love the bar’s seasonal bevvies and details like the decked-out bathrooms, dick-covered wrapping paper, and tiny Santa hats on every animal. (Bait Shop, 4 pm-2 am daily, 21+, free) SHANNON LUBETICH

THURSDAY 12/18

In Tandem: A Trio of Duets

(PERFORMANCE) This evening of performances treats audiences to three different duets, each springing from long-term creative collaborations and exhibiting different choreographic styles. First up is the US premiere of Fable, a work from Bebe Miller with Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones that promises to explore “findings from a 25-year perspective on the contexts of art making through the body over a lifetime, exposing the collision of their internal processes as dance artists, friends, and citizens.” Next, Maurya Kerr, artistic director of the Bay Area-based company tinypistol, will present comet, whom I love, a “duet full of rapture, orbit, intimacy, fury, and presence.” Rachael Lincoln and Leslie Seiters will cap off the night with Fast Craft: Still Unlike Diving, a “study in pause, friction, and the beautiful collapse of certainty” 25 years in the making. (On the Boards, 8 pm, through Dec 20, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 12/19

Jay Som, Sea Lemon

(MUSIC) Melina Mae Cortez Duterte, better known by her stage name Jay Som, dubs her brand of dreamy, intimate DIY bedroom pop “headphone music,” citing influences as disparate as Carly Rae Jepsen, Phil Elverum, and Alanis Morissette. She’s opened for musicians like Mitski and Japanese Breakfast, and contributed a song to the 2024 film I Saw the TV Glow. After a six-year break from solo music, during which she meticulously trained her technical skills, she’s released her latest album, Belong, which showcases her growth and leans into pop-punk territory with guest vocals from Hayley Williams of Paramore and Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. Don’t miss an opening set from local artist Natalie Lew of Sea Lemon, who takes inspiration from the eerie beauty of the ocean and describes her vibe as “Costco Cocteau Twins.” (Neumos, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SATURDAY 12/20

The Game Show

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(VISUAL ART) What happens when art plays by its own rules? Or makes up new ones entirely? The Game Show is a two-weekend exhibition exploring this concept and the space between where games become art and art becomes play. Curated from an open call for work back in October, thirty artists now present whimsical, interactive, and delightfully odd projects, including dancers with bubble wrap, octopus roleplay, cardboard hotels built by mathematicians, projections that speak through walls, and, my personal favorite, a claw machine. Inspired by 20th-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s idea that rules shift as we play, the show invites visitors to experiment, question, and engage through chance, movement, strategy, and mischief. (Vestibule, through Dec 21, free) LANGSTON THOMAS

SUNDAY 12/21

Seattle Torrent vs. Boston Fleet

Seattle Torrent forward Julia Gosling (#88) and captain Hilary Knight (#21) make a play for the puck in the team's first game on Friday, November 21. BILLIE WINTER

(SPORTS) A lot of energy has been poured into developing a rivalry between the Seattle Torrent and the Vancouver Goldeneyes. I get it. Both clubs made their PWHL debut this year, and the cities are just a few hours apart, making it easy for fans to follow the teams on the road. I’m all for anything that drums up more excitement about women’s hockey. But I say the true Torrent rivals are the Boston Fleet, aka the team that put our Captain Hilary Knight up for grabs during the expansion draft (thanks, dummies!), and was formerly home to our GM, Meghan Turner. Other one-time Mass-holes on the Torrent roster include Alternate Captain Emily Brown, forward Lexie Adzija, and forward Hannah Bilka, who has a goal and two assists in three games. Hopefully, at Sunday’s matinee game, the Torrent can show the Fleet the error of their ways. (Climate Pledge Arena, 2 pm, all ages) MEGAN SELING

Stranger Suggests: A Campy Christmas Movie Night, a Band for Fans of Kate Bush, and a Weirdo Art Party in Georgetown

Julianne Bell — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 12/8

Collide-O-Scope Xmess: Final Show Hosted by Shane Wahlund and Michael Anderson

(FILM) We’ve reached the end of an era, and it's time to take the strangest sleigh ride you’ll ever embark on. Collide-O-Scope is back with an all-new Xmess spectacular: a deliriously demented collage of vintage holiday oddities, freaky film scraps, and found-footage delights, all stitched together by hosts Shane Wahlund and Michael Anderson. This year’s show is especially poignant, as it’s the final Collide-O at Here-After—the beloved Crocodile venue closing its doors along with Madame Lou’s. Be sure to show up and support the campy thrills, deep-cut ephemera, and big laughs that make Collide-O so special. Plus, enter for some special prize drawings to send you off with a sugar-plum sparkle. (Here-After, 8 pm, 21+) LANGSTON THOMAS

TUESDAY 12/9

Bye Bye Love

(FILM) This lost gem of Japanese independent cinema came out in 1974 and was rediscovered in a film lab warehouse in 2018, leading to its restoration and distribution in America for the first time in 50 years. Evoking the doomed atmosphere of Gregg Araki and the stylish surrealism of Jean-Luc Godard, director Isao Fujisawa’s sole feature film introduces us to Utamaro, a nihilistic vagabond who crosses paths with the beautiful genderfluid shoplifter Giko. Before long, the star-crossed pair must go on the lam for murder and embark on a summer trek through Japan. In short, it’s a queer crime road-trip movie with a Japanese take on French New Wave—what more could you possibly ask for? (The Beacon, various showtimes, through Dec 11) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 12/10

The Stranger's Holiday Drink Week 2025

Drinks from left: The Dandy of King Street Crossing's Port Moody, the Runaway's Chocolate Peppermint Martini, and Big Mario's Spiced Cranberry Orange Mule. COURTESY OF RESPECTIVE BARS

(FOOD & DRINK) Ready to get your nog on? The Stranger’s Holiday Drink Week is back, serving up a citywide lineup of festive libations that put mulled wine and spiked hot chocolate to shame. Once again, every limited-edition beverage is just $12 as participating bars and restaurants roll out exclusive holiday-themed cocktails ranging from cozy classics to creative “cups of cheer” you will not find on a normal menu. Round up your band of merry fools and bundle up in your warmest gear to embark on this year’s self-guided winter bar crawl. (Full list of participants here, through Dec 14) LANGSTON THOMAS

THURSDAY 12/11

Mt Fog, Von Wildenhaus, Power Strip

(MUSIC) Seattle-born trio Mt Fog uses minimalist electronic sounds and ethereal vocals as a magic wand to “evoke magical spaces, real and imagined.” Their 2024 album, ultraviolet heart machine, gained critical praise due to its whimsical marrying of Björk-style growls with sparkly ’80s synths. Now, the band is back with a new song, “Look Inside,” which they will debut at this single release show along with a snazzy new music video directed by artist Sean Downey with illustrations by Dena Zilber. This show is a must for fans of Cocteau Twins, the Sugarcubes, Kate Bush, Sinéad O’Connor, and Siouxsie & the Banshees. Don’t miss opening sets from cinematic indie-pop outfit Von Wildenhaus and improvisational ambient project Power Strip. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 12/12

Peter Ferguson + John Brophy + Jean Labourdette

Peter Ferguson's "The Elopement of Our Beloved Comrades" will be at Roq La Rue through January 11. COURTESY OF ROQ LA RUE

(VISUAL ART) Three solo shows under one roof at Roq La Rue offer paintings of the jaw-dropping ilk. Each artist wields the paintbrush like a Dutch master, and each delves headlong into the realm of dark fairy tale with their unique twist. Montreal-based Peter Ferguson (described as “Norman Rockwell meets H.P. Lovecraft”) offers luminous (yet somehow dim) visions of sepia-drunk cityscapes and other scenes frozen in time that send the mind spiraling in search of a story. Jean Labourdette’s hyperrealistic miniatures of birds, skulls, and other ephemera are often only two or three inches in size, encased in vintage hinged gilt wood casings or antique reliquaries. John Brophy’s oil paintings of characters seem to glow from within: The shimmer of gathered fabrics, reflecting pools of satin, gloss of grass, and threads of delicate pointelle lace will have you hopelessly, luxuriously lost in the details. (Roq La Rue, 6-9 pm, through Jan 11) AMANDA MANITACH

SATURDAY 12/13

Equinox Studios: 19th Annual Very Open House

(PARTY) For nearly two decades, Equinox Studios in Georgetown has been a hub for arts. Sited in a World War II-era factory, the complex oozes that Georgetown gearhead grit and realness and is home to over 150 artists, from dancers and ceramicists to blacksmiths and painters (such as the brilliant Beth Gehan and Mary Ann Peters). We know that Georgetown loves to throw a good party, and this December iteration of the Georgetown Art Attack will be one for the books, as it syncs up with the Equinox open house (the annual event usually draws 6-8k visitors). Festivities this year include a pop-up Native Art Market, a host of food trucks, and artist-made fire pits scattered through the block. Live music starts at 4 p.m. with nance!, Flesh Produce, the Noble Manes, Bandski, Sirens of Serpentine Bellydancers, Night Owl, Town Forest, and Lil Lebowsxi. And since it’s Georgetown, of course there will also be a renegade marching band on the premises. (Equinox Studios, 3 pm–late) AMANDA MANITACH

SUNDAY 12/14

Antibalas, Midpak

(MUSIC) Fela Kuti and Tony Allen may be dead, but their pioneering Afrobeat legacy powers on with more voltage than ever in the 2020s. One of these revolutionary Nigerian musicians’ most skillful disciples, NYC’s Antibalas, have been fanning Fela and Tony’s artistic flames with unmatched fluency and funkiness for a quarter century. The intricate, interlocking polyrhythms, the triumphant horn charts, and the liberatory political lyrics build into perpetual-motion machines that make you think, against all logic, a more just world is possible. Following the departure of long-running singer Duke Amayo after 2020’s Fu Chronicles, Antibalas have returned with the all-instrumental album, Hourglass, which harks back to the group’s first principles, but with greater subtlety. It’s fairly certain that Fela and Tony would bust moves in approval. Opening will be Seattle quartet Midpak, whose serpentine and explosive funk laces African, Latin, and psychedelic elements into potent, party-starting jams. (Hidden Hall, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

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Stranger Suggests: A Singer-Songwriter Obsessed with Weddings, One Half of 'Las Culturistas,' and a Holiday Pop-Up Bar that Doesn’t Suck

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 13:30:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 12/1

Anna of the North

(MUSIC) Oslo-based pop singer Anna of the North knows a little something about finding joy in long, dark winters. The artist has been in the music game for a while, from having her 2015 debut single "Sway" remixed by the Chainsmokers to opening for Kygo's European tour and providing guest vocals for tracks on Tyler, the Creator's 2017 album Flower Boy. She's had two songs featured in the To All the Boys Netflix film series; her catchy track "Dream Girl" was also in an iPad commercial, and the 2017 single "Lovers" found new life on TikTok more recently. Her latest music has drifted toward danceable soul-inspired synthpop, promising a ridiculously fun live show. The singer has teased on social media that this could be her last US tour, so don't miss out. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

TUESDAY 12/2

A John Waters Christmas

(COMEDY) John Waters is an icon—a pencil-thin moustache, dark sunglasses, a transgressive catalog of films, and an overall dedication to filth. But, on his string of novelty singles on Sub Pop Records (“Jingle Bells” / “It's a Punk Rock Christmas” and "John Waters Covers Little Cindy 'Happy Birthday Jesus'” / “A Pig Latin Visit from St. Nicholas”), Waters has an outlet to transform into new characters and direct himself à la Cindy Sherman. On “Happy Birthday Jesus,” Waters morphs into a little Christian girl from the South speaking directly to Jesus on Christmas night. On his cover of the Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells,” he splits into a pack of barking dogs, scaring away unwanted carolers and guests who have overstayed their welcome. I caught up with the legendary filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist ahead of his annual Christmas tour to discuss his upcoming stop in Seattle, his own Christmas traditions, and why he doesn’t want your stupid fruitcake. Gather around the electric chair, children, because the man with the bag has landed! Read the interview here! (The Neptune, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

WEDNESDAY 12/3

Jens Lekman, Jordan Patterson

(MUSIC) I fell in love with Swedish musician Jens Lekman’s music the very first time I heard “You Are the Light (by Which I Travel Into This and That)” on KEXP as a teen and soon graduated to listening to a burned CD of his 2004 debut album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog on repeat, becoming fixated on his melodramatic yearning and witty storytelling. The hopeless romantic has since fulfilled the prophecy he set for himself in the early track “If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding),” in which he volunteered himself as a wedding singer: “You think it’s funny / My obsession with the holy matrimony / But I’m just so amazed to witness true love.” Since then, he’s performed at countless weddings, and his seventh album, Songs for Other People’s Weddings, is a narrative concept album inspired by his experience, accompanied by a tie-in novel by author David Levithan. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 12/4

Megha Majumdar

See author Megha Majumadar at Elliott Bay Book Company Thursday.

(BOOKS) Kolkata-born author Megha Majumdar’s incendiary 2020 debut novel A Burning, which follows the story of an Indian woman who witnesses a terrorist attack on a train, became a New York Times bestseller and was longlisted for the National Book Award that year. Set in the near future of Kolkata, Majumdar’s sophomore novel A Guardian and a Thief tells the intertwining stories of Ma, whose purse containing crucial immigration documents is stolen just before her family’s move to America, and Boomba, the thief who is driven to crime out of his desperation to support his own family. Majumdar will drop by Elliott Bay to discuss her work with local writer Kim Fu, author of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 12/5

Immortal Technique, w/Poison Pen & DJ Static, True II Form, Premium Smoke, DJ Indica Jones

(MUSIC) Felipe Andres Coronel, the Peruvian-bred, Harlem-hardened MC better known as Immortal Technique, is not touring in support of a new album—in fact, the rapper hasn’t released a full-length in roughly 15 years—however, his return to the stage does seem born of the same call to action that led him to release venomous underground-rap classics like Revolutionary Vol. 1 and 2 during the younger Bush presidency. During that time, Tech established himself as the militant mouthpiece of conscious rap, harvesting the revolutionary ethos of bands like Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy, and cramming it through the meat grinder of the era’s energized battle-rap scene. In more recent years, he has done work counseling prison inmates (of which he was once one), and mentoring young writers, as well as partnering with a nonprofit group to help build an orphanage in Afghanistan. The man walks the walk, and for obvious reasons, there may not be a more appropriate and cathartic time to see an Immortal Technique show that will likely be peppered with political diatribes. We fully recommend you go get an earful. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

SATURDAY 12/6

Matt Rogers: Christmas in December

(COMEDY) [Mariah Carey voice] “It’s tiiiime!” Mimi might be the holiday’s reigning queen, but comedian and actor Matt Rogers, cohost of your pop-culture-savvy queer friend’s favorite podcast Las Culturistas, has undoubtedly earned the title of “Pop Prince of Christmas” with his musical comedy TV special and album Have You Heard of Christmas? The hysterical romp features appearances from friends like Bowen Yang and MUNA and is the perfect antidote to Christmas fatigue with its joyfully irreverent take on Yuletide cheer. At his live performance at the Neptune, Rogers will perform songs like “God’s Up to His Tricks!” (in which he calls God a “stupid bitch”), “Lube for the Sleigh,” and “The Hottest Female Up in Whoville.” (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 12/7

Miracle on 2nd

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(FOOD & DRINK) In 2014, New York bar owner Greg Boehm temporarily transformed his space into a kitschy Christmas wonderland replete with gewgaws and tchotchkes galore. Now, the pop-up has expanded to more than 100 locations all over the world and returns to Belltown’s Rob Roy. Beverages are housed in tacky-tastic vessels, bedecked with fanciful garnishes like peppers and dried pineapple, and christened with cheeky, pop- culture-referencing names like the “Bad Santa,” the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r” (their asterisks, not ours), and the “You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out.” (Rob Roy, 4 pm–2 am, through December 25) JULIANNE BELL

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December Things to Do: Food

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:57:00 -0800

The best food events happening in December. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Miracle on 2nd

Through Dec 25

In 2014, New York bar owner Greg Boehm temporarily transformed his space into a kitschy Christmas wonderland replete with gewgaws and tchotchkes galore. Now, the pop-up has expanded to more than 100 locations all over the world and returns to Belltown’s Rob Roy. Beverages are housed in tacky-tastic vessels, bedecked with fanciful garnishes like peppers and dried pineapple, and christened with cheeky, pop- culture-referencing names like the “Bad Santa,” the “Yippie Ki Yay Mother F****r” (their asterisks, not ours), and the “You’ll Shoot Your Rye Out.” (Rob Roy, 4 pm–2 am) JULIANNE BELL

We Are Where We Eat: Seattle’s Food Culture

Dec 11

Our city may have its own regional specialties like teriyaki and Seattle dogs, but does it have its own food culture, and if so, what defines it? Inspired by the exhibition Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism, this talk hosted by Seattle Art Museum will explore these burning questions, as well as the future of Seattle’s restaurant scene and how other cooking traditions have influenced local cuisine. Ruby de Luna of KUOW will moderate a conversation with Cafe Campagne chef/co-owner Daisley Gordon and chef/food writer J. Kenji López-Alt as they contemplate our culinary landscape. (Seattle Art Museum, 6–8 pm, free with admission, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Seattle Christmas Market

Through Dec 24

Lately, I’ve been jealously poring over YouTube videos of German Christmas markets aglow with twinkly lights and full of bustling shoppers bundled up in their puffy winter coats, purchasing everything from handmade gifts to glühwein. I’ve been daydreaming of a Yuletide escape to experience one of these idyllic bazaars for myself, but since that’s not likely in the cards anytime soon, my next best option is Seattle’s Christmas Market, the local take on this Old-World European tradition. The event features live entertainment, over 60 artisan vendors, a lineup of German beers, sweet and savory treats, and of course, the requisite mulled wine to cup in your gloved hands as you peruse the booths. Plus, ride a Christmas carousel, embark on a scavenger hunt, and snap selfies with the festive mascots Holly and Jolly. (Seattle Center, various times, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Holiday Makers’ Market at Fast Penny Spirits

Dec 6

Get ahead of the holiday hubbub and build an arsenal of classy host gifts and stocking stuffers at this market featuring local vendors, hosted by the woman-owned amaro distillery Fast Penny Spirits. One of their amaros, which come in gorgeous bottles with gilded Art-Deco-inspired art, would be a welcome addition to any aspiring mixologist’s bar cart, but you can also choose from items like cocktail kits from Crafted Taste, deluxe cherries from Orasella, vintage glassware from Mix Century Vintage, hand-poured candles from Pumarosa Candles, tonic from Bradley’s Tonic, and cookbooks from Book Larder, among others. (Fast Penny Spirits, 1–4:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

More

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–noon, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

Osteria la Spiga’s Fifth Annual Holiday Market Dec 7, Osteria la Spiga, 12–4 pm

Ballard Cocktail Trail Dec 12, Columbia Bank, 6–9 pm

WA Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest Dec 19–20, Victory Hall at The Boxyard, 21+

Ellensburg Winterhop Brewfest Jan 17, Downtown Ellensburg, 12–5 pm

Strange Brewfest Jan 30–31, Port Townsend

Early Warnings

Tacoma Beer Week Feb 27–March 8, various locations across Tacoma

December Things to Do: Film

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:57:00 -0800

The best film events happening in December. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Reveries: The Mind Prison

Dec 4

If the Big Dark has you feeling glum and you’re in the mood to expand your consciousness with some big laughs along the way, consider this unique comedy/art film hybrid, which was released earlier this year. Through a combination of “narrative scenes, abstract video montages, and meditative voiceovers,” the psychedelic movie follows two drifters wandering through a desert on an existential journey of self-discovery—New York Magazine’s Vulture likened it to “an ayahuasca session conducted by Mitch Hedberg.” Better yet, co-writer and star Anthony Oberbeck will be present at this special screening. (The Beacon Cinema, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Bye Bye Love

Dec 9–11

This lost gem of Japanese independent cinema came out in 1974 and was rediscovered in a film lab warehouse in 2018, leading to its restoration and distribution in America for the first time in 50 years. Evoking the doomed atmosphere of Gregg Araki and the stylish surrealism of Jean-Luc Godard, director Isao Fujisawa’s sole feature film introduces us to Utamaro, a nihilistic vagabond who crosses paths with the beautiful genderfluid shoplifter Giko. Before long, the star-crossed pair must go on the lam for murder and embark on a summer trek through Japan. In short, it’s a queer crime road-trip movie with a Japanese take on French New Wave—what more could you possibly ask for? (The Beacon Cinema, various times) JULIANNE BELL

Female Misbehavior

Dec 13

I won’t pretend that Monika Treut’s Female Misbehavior is for everyone, but if you are interested in feminist post-structuralism, lesbian sadomasochism, or stories of gender- non-conforming artists, keep reading! Released in 1992, Female Misbehavior is a collection of four short documentaries that explore individuals who live outside of society’s expectations of gender and womanhood, or, as one of the film’s subjects, Camille Paglia, puts it, “my everyday life as a social and sexual alien.” The films range from an interview with the aforementioned academic, a portrait of trans poet Max Wolf Valerio, a PCA (Public Cervix Announcement) from “post porn modernist” Annie Sparkle, and a look at New York’s Lesbian Sex Mafia. (NW Film Forum, 4:30 pm) AUDREY VANN

Vengeance Is Mine

Dec 15–17

The late German-American filmmaker Michael Roemer is primarily known for his landmark films Nothing But a Man (1964) and The Plot Against Harry (1971), but his lesser-known family drama Vengeance Is Mine (1984) could give them a run for their money. On a trip to her family home in Rhode Island, where she hopes to get closure from her traumatic childhood, Jo (Brooke Adams) befriends neighbor Donna (Trish Van Devere) and finds herself ensnared in another domestic conflict altogether. Criterion Collection writes, “Bringing vérité naturalism to a seemingly melodramatic premise, Roemer crafts a miracle of novelistic psychological insight that, as it unspools, reveals ever-greater depths of human understanding.” (The Beacon Cinema, various times) JULIANNE BELL

Mourning Sickness: Showgirls

Jan 17–18

What can I say about Paul Verhoeven’s landmark 1995 erotic drama that hasn’t already been said? That I felt like a changed person after watching it for the first time? That it is tacky and absurd to a degree approaching transcendence? That never in my life have I seen anything quite like Gina Gershon flirting with Elizabeth Berkley by talking about eating doggy chow? Whether you love or hate the critically panned movie, I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not indifferent. (I’m solidly in the love camp myself, in case you couldn’t guess.) See the psychosexual NC-17 sensation and its bevy of naked breasts on the big screen—drag queen and self-described “bird-brained bombshell” Monday Mourning will give an introduction to the film, which is part of her “Mourning Sickness” series of camp and cult classics. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Lady Windermere’s Fan

Jan 26

I attended my first Silent Movie Monday last month, and now I am completely obsessed. The film series pays homage to the history of our beloved Paramount Theatre, which opened in 1928, showing silent films accompanied by live musicians on the theater’s original Mighty Wurlitzer (a single organ that’s connected to various pipes and percussion instruments), and serving free, old-fashioned bags of popcorn—it’s truly like stepping into a time machine. For the next Silent Movie Monday, organist Donna Parker will soundtrack Ernst Lubitsch’s 1925 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan. Set in 1890s London, the film follows an elegant society woman who’s convinced her husband is having an affair. It’s full of drama, scandals, and stunning costumes. Warning: You will likely leave the theater wanting to cut your hair into a 1920s bob. (Paramount Theatre, 7 pm) AUDREY VANN

More

Truth to Fiction: Blue Dec 4, Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm

WTO/99 Dec 5–14, Northwest Film Forum

SIFF ‘n’ Stitch: Elf Dec 7, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 12 pm

The Muppet Christmas Carol Dec 11–14, SIFF Cinema Uptown

Gremlins Dec 12–18, the Beacon

Gendernauts Dec 13, Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm

Deaf Santa Claus Dec 14, SIFF Film Center, 1 pm

Genderation Dec 14, Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm

The Snow Queen Dec 18–19, the Beacon

It’s a Wonderful Life Dec 18–24, Northwest Film Forum

Who Killed Santa Claus? Dec 21, the Beacon, 5 pm

Christmas in Connecticut Dec 21 & 23, the Beacon

Ghost Stories for Christmas Dec 23, the Beacon, 7:30 pm

Fanny and Alexander Dec 24, the Beacon, 2 pm

Together Dec 27 & 30, the Beacon

Moulin Rouge! New Year’s Eve Sing-along Dec 31, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 6 pm

Peaches Goes Bananas Jan 24–Feb 1, Northwest Film Forum

December Things to Do: Literature

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:56:00 -0800

The best literature events in December. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Megha Majumdar

Dec 4

Kolkata-born author Megha Majumdar’s incendiary 2020 debut novel A Burning, which follows the story of an Indian woman who witnesses a terrorist attack on a train, became a New York Times bestseller and was longlisted for the National Book Award that year. Set in the near future of Kolkata, Majumdar’s sophomore novel A Guardian and a Thief tells the intertwining stories of Ma, whose purse containing crucial immigration documents is stolen just before her family’s move to America, and Boomba, the thief who is driven to crime out of his desperation to support his own family. Majumdar will drop by Elliott Bay to discuss her work with local writer Kim Fu, author of Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free) JULIANNE BELL

Colm Tóibín

Jan 13

Celebrated Irish author Colm Tóibín follows in the footsteps of literary giants like Henry James, James Baldwin, and Elizabeth Bishop, writing intensely human stories with unadorned, rhythmic prose. You’re most likely familiar with him through his sixth novel, Brooklyn, a breakout success that was adapted into the Oscar-nominated 2015 film of the same name starring Saoirse Ronan. Brooklyn revolves around young midcentury Irish immigrant Eilis Lace’s struggle to reconcile her past in Ireland with her new life in New York. Tóibín continued the saga with his 2024 sequel, Long Island, which picks up 30 years later as Eilis finds her marriage with her Italian husband Tony in disarray. Join him for this conversation at Town Hall for a glimpse into the mind of what the Boston Globe called “one of the world’s best living literary writers.” (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers

Jan 27

National Book Award-nominated fiction writer, poet, and essayist Honorée Fanonne Jeffers spent 15 years researching archives for her critically acclaimed 2020 collection The Age of Phillis, which reimagines the life of revolutionary 18th-century poet Phillis Wheatley. For her next act, she published her 2021 debut novel The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois, an ambitious 816-page intergenerational epic that traces a Black family’s lineage from before the Civil War to the present. Her latest work is her nonfiction debut Misbehaving at the Crossroads, which explores the crossroads—defined by Jeffers as “a location of difficulty and possibility, a boundary between the divine and the human”—in Black American and African cultures. Jeffers will join host Colleen Echohawk, Community Roots Housing CEO and Seattle Arts and Lectures’ Community Curated Series director, for a discussion on this fascinating intersection. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

More

Pamela Gullard Dec 3, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Limitless: Stories from the Neighborhood That Shaped Seattle Dec 4, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm

Polly Dugan Dec 5, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Thom Hartmann with Special Guest Mayor-Elect Katie Wilson Dec 6, Town Hall Seattle, 7 pm

Yume Kitasei Dec 7, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Tyler J. Bieber Dec 8, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

Cynthia Miller-Idriss and Jen Barnes Dec 10, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

A ‘Birdbrains’ Reading with Susan Rich & Contributors Dec 14, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm

‘We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth’ A Community Reading Jan 29, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm

Early Warnings

Aja Monet Feb 5, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Cristina Rivera Garza & Javier Zamora Feb 24, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

James McBride March 3, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Stephen Graham Jones March 30, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

George Saunders: ‘Vigil: A Novel’ Apr 7, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Patrick Radden Keefe April 22, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Marlon James May 6, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Emily Wilson May 12, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Tommy Orange May 21, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

December Things to Do: Performance

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:56:00 -0800

The best theater and performance events in December. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Matt Rogers: Christmas in December

Dec 6

[Mariah Carey voice] “It’s tiiiime!” Mimi might be the holiday’s reigning queen, but comedian and actor Matt Rogers, cohost of your pop-culture-savvy queer friend’s favorite podcast Las Culturistas, has undoubtedly earned the title of “Pop Prince of Christmas” with his musical comedy TV special and album Have You Heard of Christmas? The hysterical romp features appearances from friends like Bowen Yang and MUNA and is the perfect antidote to Christmas fatigue with its joyfully irreverent take on Yuletide cheer. At his live performance at the Neptune, Rogers will perform songs like “God’s Up to His Tricks!” (in which he calls God a “stupid bitch”), “Lube for the Sleigh,” and “The Hottest Female Up in Whoville.” (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

In Tandem: A Trio of Duets

Dec 18–20

This evening of performances treats audiences to three different duets, each springing from long-term creative collaborations and exhibiting different choreographic styles. First up is the US premiere of Fable, a work from Bebe Miller with Angie Hauser and Darrell Jones that promises to explore “findings from a 25-year perspective on the contexts of art making through the body over a lifetime, exposing the collision of their internal processes as dance artists, friends, and citizens.” Next, Maurya Kerr, artistic director of the Bay Area-based company tinypistol, will present comet, whom I love, a “duet full of rapture, orbit, intimacy, fury, and presence.” Rachael Lincoln and Leslie Seiters will cap off the night with Fast Craft: Still Unlike Diving, a “study in pause, friction, and the beautiful collapse of certainty” 25 years in the making. (On the Boards, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Roy Wood Jr.

Dec 28

Now more than ever, we need comedians who speak truth to power (with caustic wit, of course), because the MSM have proved themselves to be entirely too complicit in downplaying and normalizing 47’s world-class corruption and enshittifcation of America. Thankfully, Roy Wood Jr. is on the case. He’s shown his heady mettle as a correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and as host of CNN’s Have I Got News for You. His jabs and uppercuts from the left have caused deep bruises on many deserving mofos. As MC of the 2023 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Wood hilariously roasted Dems, Repubs, and the media in a tight 25 minutes. And his takes on race are among the most sizzling in the business, including this one: “But if we get rid of the Confederate flag, how am I gonna know who the dangerous white people are?” Beyond those topics, Wood has funny thoughts about relationships, fatherhood, white allies, the travails of grocery shopping, and the ramifications of getting a BBL, among other things. (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Seattle Opera: Daphne

Jan 16 & 18

One of my goals for 2026 is to start frequenting the opera—who’s with me? I want to see Seattleites step out of their Blundstones and Patagonias and into their opera gloves, faux furs, and antique opera glasses for an evening of art and glamour. I’ll be kicking off my Year of Opera with Strauss’s underrated masterpiece, Daphne, inspired by Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Strauss’s take on the Greek myth tells the story of Daphne, a woman who loves nature but has no interest in human romance, who turns into her favorite laurel tree after mourning the death of her suitor. Not only will this whimsical tale be brought to life on stage by the Seattle Opera, but the Seattle Symphony will join, playing the lush, pastoral score. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN

MAJOR

Jan 29–31

Majorette dance has been a staple of Black girlhood since the 1960s, when it was popularized at HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the American South. Dressed in their signature glittery costumes, majorettes dance alongside marching bands and display bold showmanship, glamour, precision, power, and sensuality. In this contemporary performance directed and choreographed by Ogemdi Ude, six Black femmes will pay homage to the majorette dance form, accompanied by composer Lambkin’s score blending “Southern rap, horns, drumlines, and melodic R&B and soul.” Back in September, On the Boards executive director Megan Kiskaddon told Stranger staff writer Nathalie Graham that MAJOR is the show everyone must see in the venue’s 2025–2026 season, explaining, “It’s one of those pieces that anyone would get something out of, because it’s so exuberant.” (On the Boards, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Cinderella

Jan 30–Feb 8

Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of Cinderella was conceived and choreographed in 1994 by founding artistic director and choreographer Kent Stowell, who sought to emphasize the romantic nature of the fairy tale in contrast to the tragicomic sensibilities of earlier modern productions. The result is an enchanting, swoon-worthy confection filled with dazzling costumes by Tony Award-winning costume designer Martin Pakledinaz and fantastical sets by scenic designer Tony Straiges. Fun facts: The production features over 120 costumes, which required more than a mile of tulle to make, and the trim on Cinderella’s ball gown alone took over 100 hours to create and sew. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

More

A Very Die Hard Christmas Through Dec 21, Seattle Public Theater, all ages

Scott Shoemaker’s War on Christmas Through Dec 26, Theatre Off Jackson

How the Queens Stole Christmas Through Dec 28, Queer/Bar, 21+

Pacific Northwest Ballet: The Nutcracker Through Dec 28, McCaw Hall, all ages

A John Waters Christmas Dec 2, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

A Drag Queen Christmas with Nina West, Lexi Love, Shea Coulee, and more Dec 3, McCaw Hall, 7:30 pm, 18+

Derek Sheen: Unrelatable (Live Taping) with Emma Schmuckler Dec 4, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+

Disney’s The Lion King Dec 4–Jan 4, Paramount Theatre, all ages

Alaska: A Very Alaska Christmas Show Dec 5, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

The 5th Annual Holly Jolly Holiday Show Dec 7, Neumos, 6 pm, 21+

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker Dec 10–28, Triple Door

Blue Xmas with Betty Wetter Dec 11, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+

Kitten N’ Lou Present: Jingle All the Gay Dec 12–14, Neptune Theatre, all ages

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show Dec 23-28, Moore Theatre, all ages

Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Dec 31, McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages

Seattle Rep Presents: The Heart Sellers Jan 2–Feb 1, Leo K. Theater

Tectonic Theater Project’s Here There Are Blueberries Jan 21–Feb 15, Bagley Wright Theater

Early Warnings

Topdog/Underdog Feb 4–Mar 1, ArtsWest

Bridge Project 2025 with DaeZhane Day, kelly langeslay, and No Girls No Masters Feb 6–8, Velocity

Bosco Presents: GRINDHAUS Feb 7, The Crocodile, 10:30 pm, 21+

The Wiz Feb 10, Paramount Theatre, all ages

The Serpent Sisters Tour: Nymphia Wind and Plastique Tiara Feb 15, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

John Jarboe’s Rose: You Are Who You Eat Feb 19–21, On the Boards, 8 pm

Fellow Travellers Feb 21–Mar 1, McCaw Hall

Amy O’Neal: Again, There Is No Other (The Remix) Mar 26–28, On the Boards, 8 pm

Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Giselle Apr 10–19, McCaw Hall, all ages

Jonathan Van Ness Apr 24, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Margaret Cho Apr 29, Moore Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

December Things to Do: Music

Julianne Bell — Mon, 01 Dec 2025 11:55:00 -0800

The best music events in December. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, and Food.

Jens Lekman, Jordan Patterson

Dec 3

I fell in love with Swedish musician Jens Lekman’s music the very first time I heard “You Are the Light (by Which I Travel Into This and That)” on KEXP as a teen and soon graduated to listening to a burned CD of his 2004 debut album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog on repeat, becoming fixated on his melodramatic yearning and witty storytelling. The hopeless romantic has since fulfilled the prophecy he set for himself in the early track “If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding),” in which he volunteered himself as a wedding singer: “You think it’s funny / My obsession with the holy matrimony / But I’m just so amazed to witness true love.” Since then, he’s performed at countless weddings, and his seventh album, Songs for Other People’s Weddings, is a narrative concept album inspired by his experience, accompanied by a tie-in novel by author David Levithan. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Rochelle Jordan, Essosa, Parisalexa

Dec 4

Rochelle Jordan’s third full-length album, Through the Wall, has made me more excited about new music than I’ve been in a long time, reminding me of when I first heard luminary breakthrough releases like Solange’s A Seat at the Table, SZA’s Ctrl, or Azealia Banks’s 1991. The album leans into a nostalgic club sound, reminiscent of a ’90s fashion show or incidental music on Sex and the City. On the Kaytranada-produced track “The Boy,” Jordan’s velvety vocals sing a radio-ready hook suitable for Brandy or Aaliyah. My crystal ball says that she will blow up any day now, so don’t miss this intimate show at Barboza. Plus, with openers like London’s Essosa and Seattle’s own Parisalexa, I’m certain that this show will be the dance party of the year. (Barboza, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Immortal Technique, w/Poison Pen & DJ Static, True II Form, Premium Smoke, DJ Indica Jones

Dec 5

Felipe Andres Coronel, the Peruvian-bred, Harlem-hardened MC better known as Immortal Technique, is not touring in support of a new album—in fact, the rapper hasn’t released a full-length in roughly 15 years—however, his return to the stage does seem born of the same call to action that led him to release venomous underground-rap classics like Revolutionary Vol. 1 and 2 during the younger Bush presidency. During that time, Tech established himself as the militant mouthpiece of conscious rap, harvesting the revolutionary ethos of bands like Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy, and cramming it through the meat grinder of the era’s energized battle-rap scene. In more recent years, he has done work counseling prison inmates (of which he was once one), and mentoring young writers, as well as partnering with a nonprofit group to help build an orphanage in Afghanistan. The man walks the walk, and for obvious reasons, there may not be a more appropriate and cathartic time to see an Immortal Technique show that will likely be peppered with political diatribes. We fully recommend you go get an earful. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Takuya Nakamura, Nick Carroll

Dec 11

Takuya Nakamura is not your typical electronic-music producer. The trumpeter and keyboardist moved from Japan to the US in 1990 to study at the New England Conservatory of Music under innovative jazz composer George Russell. This was a big fucking deal, as Russell’s concepts influenced John Coltrane and Miles Davis’s modal music. Nakamura applied those ideas to his own playing, doing sessions with Quincy Jones, David Byrne, Lee “Scratch” Perry, the GZA, Arto Lindsay, and many other notables. Takuya’s solo output encompasses highly musical takes on jazzy drum ‘n’ bass, ambient, broken beat, and funky techno. Check out recent tracks such as “BonJah” and “Caged Bird Flying” and the Jon Hassell-esque dub-jazz of Mysteries of the Cosmos for examples of his fascinating fusions. Opener Nick Carroll—who used to serve as talent buyer at electronic-music hotbed Kremwerk—is an excellent, eclectic DJ who’s more used to making folks dance for hours at off-the-grid parties than at conventional venues. Trust me, you don’t want to miss his set. (Barboza, 7 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Mt Fog, Von Wildenhaus, Power Strip

Dec 11

Seattle-born trio Mt Fog uses minimalist electronic sounds and ethereal vocals as a magic wand to “evoke magical spaces, real and imagined.” Their 2024 album, ultraviolet heart machine, gained critical praise due to its whimsical marrying of Björk-style growls with sparkly ’80s synths. Now, the band is back with a new song, “Look Inside,” which they will debut at this single release show along with a snazzy new music video directed by artist Sean Downey with illustrations by Dena Zilber. This show is a must for fans of Cocteau Twins, the Sugarcubes, Kate Bush, Sinéad O’Connor, and Siouxsie & the Banshees. Don’t miss opening sets from cinematic indie-pop outfit Von Wildenhaus and improvisational ambient project Power Strip. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Modern Nature, Brigid Dawson and the Mother’s Network

Dec 12

There’s a small but important coterie of UK groups who respectfully and deftly emulate the motorik rhythms blueprinted by the OG krautrockers. They include Beak>, Cavern of Anti-Matter, Snapped Ankles, Fujiya & Miyagi, and Th’ Faith Healers. Add Cambridge’s Modern Nature to that clique, although they also embrace the sort of wide-screen, brooding rock that Radiohead have taken to the credit union, albeit with less bombast. Led by Ultimate Painting member Jack Cooper (a serious composer who’s had work performed by Apartment House), Modern Nature also have strains of jazzy folk in their DNA, which should appeal to fans of John Martyn and late-career Talk Talk. On this tour, Modern Nature are supporting The Heat Warps, a wonderfully intimate album that imbues minimalist post-rock with beautiful songcraft—a real rarity these days. The sweet-voiced leader of Brigid Dawson and the Mother’s Network formerly played bass and keyboards with Thee Oh Sees. The band’s brilliant 2020 album Ballet of the Apes hovers in the shivery, nocturnal-rock zone of Brightblack Morning Light, but with more instrumental oomph. (Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Antibalas, Midpak

Dec 13 & 14

Fela Kuti and Tony Allen may be dead, but their pioneering Afrobeat legacy powers on with more voltage than ever in the 2020s. One of these revolutionary Nigerian musicians’ most skillful disciples, NYC’s Antibalas, have been fanning Fela and Tony’s artistic flames with unmatched fluency and funkiness for a quarter century. The intricate, interlocking polyrhythms, the triumphant horn charts, and the liberatory political lyrics build into perpetual-motion machines that make you think, against all logic, a more just world is possible. Following the departure of long-running singer Duke Amayo after 2020’s Fu Chronicles, Antibalas have returned with the all-instrumental album, Hourglass, which harks back to the group’s first principles, but with greater subtlety. It’s fairly certain that Fela and Tony would bust moves in approval. Opening will be Seattle quartet Midpak, whose serpentine and explosive funk laces African, Latin, and psychedelic elements into potent, party-starting jams. (Hidden Hall, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Rose City Band, Pearl Charles

Dec 16

Earlier in this century with Wooden Shjips, guitarist/vocalist Ripley Johnson took rock to sky-high places through transcendent repetition. Shortly after with keyboardist Sanae Yamada in Moon Duo, he “helped to forge a cool-browed strain of electronic rock that’s ideal for zipping down the Autobahn at breathtaking speeds,” if I may quote myself. Over the last six years, Johnson’s focused on Rose City Band with some of the mellowest and headiest players in Portland. Deviating from Johnson’s previous projects, they ease the foot off the gas pedal and engage in amiable country rock for people who also dabble with microdosing. Ripley has fashioned an appealing sotto voce singing style (with occasional forays into falsetto) that meshes nicely into the undulating and fluid pedal-steel and faded-denim guitar explorations that dominate RCB recordings. Thankfully, Johnson hasn’t altogether ditched mantric repetition; check out the hypnotic, lysergic “Fear Song” from 2019’s self-titled debut. To reiterate the guiding ethos of my music criticism, the more psychedelic Rose City Band get, the better they sound. So, let’s hope that they enter a reality-altering headspace and get real long gone. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Earl Sweatshirt, Liv.e, Zeloopers, Cletus Strap

Dec 16

Earl Sweatshirt has been trying to turn the volume down for years. Once a teenage rap prodigy who found cult fame with, and brotherhood in, “the potty mouth posse” Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, Earl Sweatshirt now stands at age 31 as one of hip-hop’s old-soul success stories. Having just welcomed his second child and given up booze (and ramped up weed), he confidently told The New York Times’ Popcast this summer that his life is “fuckin’ normal, finally.” The recorded discography of Sweatshirt, born Thebe Neruda Kgositsile, documents the life journey of someone who once helped define, then survived to outgrow, a generation of youthful nihilism. But more than a post-nihilist victory lap, his new album, Live Laugh Love, is a bombastic celebration of passion. Gone are the days where each line was an avalanche of syllables that tumbled across the page like a chorus of cracking double-jointed knuckles; today, Sweatshirt raps with a blunted calm that sounds well-earned, but what remains is the vivid imagery and referential depth you have to rewind (gladly) to fully appreciate, proving he’s still one of the best to ever do it. (Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Jay Som, Sea Lemon

Dec 19

Melina Mae Cortez Duterte, better known by her stage name Jay Som, dubs her brand of dreamy, intimate DIY bedroom pop “headphone music,” citing influences as disparate as Carly Rae Jepsen, Phil Elverum, and Alanis Morissette. She’s opened for musicians like Mitski and Japanese Breakfast, and contributed a song to the 2024 film I Saw the TV Glow. After a six-year break from solo music, during which she meticulously trained her technical skills, she’s released her latest album, Belong, which showcases her growth and leans into pop-punk territory with guest vocals from Hayley Williams of Paramore and Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. Don’t miss an opening set from local artist Natalie Lew of Sea Lemon, who takes inspiration from the eerie beauty of the ocean and describes her vibe as “Costco Cocteau Twins.” (Neumos, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Mudhoney, Student Nurse

Dec 31

Perhaps this is an unpopular opinion, but Mudhoney could have retired after releasing their 1988 debut single “Touch Me I’m Sick” and still achieved god-tier status in Seattle’s—and Earth’s—underground-rock scene. The foursome’s signature song swerved into the Stooges’ Fun House and pinched Iggy’s nipples hard, while vomiting into Scott Asheton’s kickdrum. How do you follow up such a monumental first release? Well, Mudhoney have soldiered on for 37 years with the same creative nucleus of Mark Arm and Steve Turner, putting subtle variations on their thunderous garage- and psych- rock templates, augmented by abundant and astringent guitar FX. One key to their greatness is, they’re masculine, not macho. Another key is, they possess humor and self-awareness; so even though their sound hasn’t changed much, they still don’t obviously repeat themselves. The band’s riffs and melodies still sting with the vitality of musicians a third of their ages, and even their last four albums—delivered at five-year intervals—rip musically, while spanking all the right people lyrically. These gr*nge warhorses are still thoroughbreds. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

High on Fire, King Woman

Jan 3

Consistency, as a critique of art, may connote poorly, but in a medium like metal, which requires an artist to retain an ungodly amount of thunderous energy to remain true and relevant, long-term consistency is rare. To see a High on Fire show—guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike inevitably bare-chested and imposing, bassist Jeff Matz gray-beardly purveying low-end sludge, and smashing new drummer Coady Willis (who happens to be the same Coady Willis of legendary Northwest outfits the Murder City Devils, Big Business, and occasionally the Melvins)—is to affirm heavy music as the lifeblood of eternal youth. The power trio’s ninth album, 2024’s Cometh the Storm, the first with Willis on kit, carries the same level of fire Pike and co. originally got high on, sounding nothing like you might expect from a group that has earned every right to have gone hoarse and nappy by now. That angle aside, the band still stands in 2025 as a torch-bearer of crunchy sludge metal, continuing to frolic in trippy metal pastures when similar bands of the era like Mastodon sadly could not. (Showbox,
7 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Steve Gunn, Jeffrey Silverstein

Jan 14

It’s understandable if you’ve had your fill of stoic, white-guy guitarists with limited (yet pleasant) vocal ranges. But you should leave a sliver of precious time in your hectic life for Steve Gunn. What he lacks in singing prowess he makes up for in instrumental expressiveness. Gunn’s a guitarist of rare melodic elegance and deceptive soulfulness, as evidenced by his 2013 breakthrough, Time Off, which found him contending with the legacies of British psych-folk masters such as Michael Chapman and Bert Jansch. Since then, Steve’s kept busy with several collabs (Kim Gordon, Mdou Moctar, Mike Cooper, Natural Information Society, etc.) and solo works, steadily building a fan base, with help via Matador Records’ marketing might. This year, Gunn’s released Daylight Daylight and Music for Writers for the more underground No Quarter and Three Lobed labels. The former thrums with chamber-art-pop splendor; the latter zones out in glowing ambient-drone-fingerpicking space, sans vox. The Triple Door should be a copacetic setting for this music’s understated grandeur. (Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Monster Rally

Jan 16

For the past 15 years, Cleveland’s Ted Feighan has created a trove of transportive sound collages as Monster Rally. Envision your mid-century Pan Am touching down for several minutes at a time on a volcanic tiki retreat as imagined by the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes; a bustling, sand-swept day market bearing bold spices and vibrant fabrics from across the empire; a Los Angeles Chinatown bossa nova jazz joint where the password is an inside joke. Alternately, the great thing about Monster Rally is that most of what your brain conjures when dosed with the sounds, Feighan has already made in visual form—most every release has been coupled with an extraordinary magazine cut-out piece of artwork that matches the escapist, exotically colored sounds he’s made, and his live shows are no different. By trade, a multi-instrumentalist beatmaker in the vein of Dirty Art Club, Teebs, or Madlib on his “Curls” beat shit, Feighan has chosen to open his studio for only the second time to outside vocalists (after his 2015 Foreign Pedestrians collab with Bay Area rapper Jay Stone), and the singles so far have displayed the telltale signs of crossover appeal. (Barboza, 6:30 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Yarn/Wire, Yiğit Kolat, Yonatan Ron

Jan 22

The sound of avant-garde classical ensemble Yarn/Wire is in the name—fuzzy, fibrous threads interwoven with scratchy, metallic chords. Founded in NYC back in 2005, the adventurous piano/percussion quartet pushes the boundaries of contemporary music with their annual Currents project, which serves as an incubator for innovative experimental music. While their music can be unconventional, the pianos maintain a sound within the classical music realm that is accessible to the general public—meaning, yes, you can bring your parents or grandparents to this without fearing their judgment or discomfort. This is the relaxing kind of experimental music, not the chaotic kind. (Meany Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Cate Le Bon, Frances Chang

Jan 27

I first heard Welsh musician Cate Le Bon after the release of her 2013 album, Mug Museum, and have been an unabashed fan girl ever since. Her signature sound, which I can only describe as angular, self-assured, and surreal, is a bulletproof formula that has yet to produce a bad album. Her seventh release, Michelangelo Dying, is no exception. The album is slow-paced and melancholy, with more shoegaze elements than we’ve ever seen from her before, largely due to the all-consuming heartache Le Bon experienced while making the album. The album reaches its apex on “Ride,” featuring my boyfriend John Cale (of the Velvet Underground), which is a molasses-y duet between the Welsh experimentalists bolstered by layered vocals and echoing saxophones. Singer-songwriter/poet Frances Chang will open. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

More

Pansy, Torch, All Friends Here Dec 3, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

19th Annual Tom Waits Tribute Night Dec 6, Conor Byrne Pub, 8 pm, 21+

DJ Mandy Dec 6, Neumos, 10 pm, 21+

Damien Jurado’s December Residency Sundays Dec 7-28, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

John Prine Christmas with Jenner Fox Band Dec 9, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

The Intelligence, Ononos, Dish Pit Dec 10, Chop Suey, 8 pm, 21+

Acapulco Lips, New Age Healers, and iroiro Dec 11, Chop Suey, 8 pm, 21+

Thunderpussy x Mike McCready Dec 11, the Showbox, 8:30 pm, 21+

SMOOCH with Bob Mould and Blondshell Dec 13, the Showbox, 7:30 pm, 21+

Sera Cahoone Band with Carrie Biell Dec 18, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

Yob with Hell Dec 18, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown with Courtney Fortune Dec 18-21, Jazz Alley, all ages

Jenny Don’t and the Spurs: Pre-NYE Bash Dec 30, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

New Year’s Eve with Kenny G Dec 31, Jazz Alley, 7:30 & 10:30 pm, all ages

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony Jan 9, Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

Madison Cunningham Jan 10, St. Mark’s Cathedral, 7:30 pm, all ages

The Residents Jan 10, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Seattle Retro Fest Jan 16-17, Crocodile Complex, 6 pm, 21+

Clinton Fearon Jan 17, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Judy Collins Jan 22-25, Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm, all ages

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe Jan 24, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

WAR Jan 29-Feb 1, Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

Robyn Hitchcock Feb 6, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

GZA Feb 11, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Sudan Archives Feb 14, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Living Hour Feb 16, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

Cat Power Feb 20, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Suzanne Vega Feb 22, 7:30 pm, Neptune Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Cardi B: Little Miss Drama Tour Feb 22, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Aimee Mann: 22 ½ Lost in Space Anniversary Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Marissa Nadler Mar 26, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Skullcrusher Mar 30, Barboza, 7 pm, 21+

Raye: This Tour May Contain New Music Apr 3, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages

Cass McCombs with Hand Habits Apr 4, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Waxahatchee with MJ Lenderman May 3, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

What’s Next for Harbor Island Studios?

Julianne Bell — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:18:00 -0800

King County Council Saved the Sound Stage, but It’s Only Funded for the Next Six Months

by Julianne Bell

On Monday, members of the Washington film community sent out an emergency call to action. King County was about to finalize the biennial budget, they said, and the County Council planned to withdraw funding from Harbor Island Studios, Washington’s only county-owned sound stage asset.

At the County Council meeting the next day, a staggering 67 out of the 92 in-person public commenters were there to talk about the importance of retaining funds for Harbor Island. The resounding takeaway was that Harbor Island Studios is a critical resource for the local film industry and that a loss of funds would be devastating, forcing many workers to move out of state to pursue their livelihood. Several speakers also pointed out that the film industry supports surrounding businesses and that its loss could have a profound ripple effect on the local economy.

Through a last minute amendment, the Council saved the film stage. But it’s only funded for the next six months. “We're going to have to find a different funding source,” said County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “But I want you all to know that your testimony has been very meaningful, and we're going to work very hard this afternoon to try to find a way to buy that time so that we can then find a better funding source… If there's any movement today, please know it is only because you showed up.”

Peter Cowell, an independent freelance filmmaker and sound mixer, told the council that he’d left the house for the first time since he and his wife welcomed their first newborn three days ago in order to make it, but that it was “worth it” to show up for an issue he felt so passionately about.

“My wife and I decided to stay here in Seattle, even though everyone told us we have to go to Los Angeles or New York or Vancouver to work in the film industry, because we had heard that there was a potential for it to become a new hub,” Cowell said. “Three weeks ago, I actually wrapped on a three-month network TV show that was shot at Harbor Island. And that show, I can certainly tell you, only came here because of Harbor Island. The studios are moving out of Los Angeles. They're spreading all across the United States. It's an incredibly unprecedented time, and this is the chance to secure Seattle as one of the next big hubs of production. On that production, we rented floors of hotels and got cars [and bought] hundreds of meals a day. It's a great economic boon.”

King County Executive Dow Constantine introduced Harbor Island Studios in April 2021 in an effort to revitalize Washington’s once-thriving film industry and provide jobs in the creative economy as the state recovered from the financial crisis of the pandemic. “This is about making a smart public investment to help this creative industry grow and thrive here in King County,” Constantine said. “We don’t want Vancouver or Portland or Atlanta to keep serving as Seattle’s stand-in. We’re ready to spotlight the amazing talent of our region.” Since then, the studio has contributed 2,334 unique industry jobs and hosted 182 productions, including Adult Swim’s surreal comedy series Three Busy Debras and the Seattle season of the hit Netflix reality dating show Love Is Blind.

Councilmember Claudia Balducci tells The Stranger that around $200,000 was originally earmarked in the budget for maintenance and that the council planned to cut $30,000 from its funding. She explains that the funding conflict was over rent—Harbor Island Studios’ building is owned by King County Solid Waste Division, which purchased it in anticipation of the Cedar Hills landfill in East King County eventually filling up and closing. Once that happens, likely several years in the future, King County will need to ship its waste elsewhere and will use the Harbor Island property as a shipping terminal. In the meantime, the empty building has sat unused for over a decade, which led to the idea of offering it as a video production stage. If the property is used by another part of the County, they must pay rent to the Solid Waste Division.

“In the past, until this budget, that rent was essentially paid by in kind contributions,” Balducci says. “So the general fund, which is what pays for the studios, fixed the roof on this big building, so that money counted as the rent, but now all of those projects that were funded are all done. This year, they were faced with a $1.5 million [annual] rent bill that they had never had to pay before. The executive’s proposed budget allowed for that rent to be paid and balanced the budget. Nothing else got cut in order for that to happen.” But in the final version of the Council’s budget, they’d redirected the funds.

On Tuesday, Balducci sponsored an amendment to waive six months of rent for Harbor Island Studios and to reallocate $30,000 in funding for maintenance, which was approved by unanimous vote. She remarked that the council had been impacted by the sheer volume of public commenters in support of the organization. However, she cautioned that this was a stopgap measure that would only “buy time” for Harbor Island and that additional solutions will be needed to ensure the studio’s long-term future. The council has ordered a study to evaluate the economic value of the studio in addition to a rent assessment.

In a statement, King County Executive-elect Girmay Zahilay echoed Balducci’s sentiment: “Harbor Island Studios is an incredibly valuable asset for King County’s creative economy, and I want it to succeed for the long term. But the general fund is the wrong funding source because it’s volatile, very constrained, and it’s also what we rely on for food security, public health, public safety, and other basic safety-net services. For years, the council has asked the Executive for a sustainable plan for Harbor Island Studios, and we still don’t have one. My goal is to work with all parties to finally create a long-term solution that protects this important facility without putting additional strain on other essential services.”

While the studio has gained a temporary reprieve, its advocates will have its work cut out for them over the following six months to secure its future. “I think we need to get together with the folks who are the most engaged and see the value of being able to have this,” says Balducci, who calls herself a “convert” on the issue. “This is a very unique place. There's no other affordable film studio capacity like it anywhere in the state, certainly not in King County. So if you want these smaller up-and-coming productions, or even some of the bigger ones, [to be] filmed in Seattle instead of Vancouver, then we need to figure out a way to pay whatever that rent is.”

Right now, they have a lot of ideas and no plan. “A number of ideas were thrown out on Tuesday—can we pass the hat and have a fundraiser? Have a nonprofit operate it and have them raise the money? Can we use some of the arts and culture-dedicated funding that exists to support this kind of effort?” Balducci says. “It would probably take a legal change to do that, because they largely are not eligible to use this money for profit, and films are for profit. So are there any economic development funds?...We're going to have to really take a look at all the possibilities and see what works. And I suspect it'll be a stack of a lot of little things that add up to a bigger thing.”

It’s not just the economic benefits that are at stake. Thomas Ackels, CEO of the video production company Offbeat Films, tells The Stranger that he views Harbor Island Studios as a “symbol of hope” for the film community and that it has significant value aside from its financial perks.

“I do think that there's a lot of economic reasons why people support Harbor Island Studios,” he says. “But I also think there's this indirect emotional connection, that maybe doesn't bring in dollar bills in that way, but it supports people's careers. It supports people's dreams. It gives them a space to do this.”

Stranger Suggests: Selfie Paradise, Taiyaki Stuffed With Tater Tots, and a Soft-Spoken Troubadour's Homecoming Show

Julianne Bell — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 14:50:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 11/17

Lucius, Attention Bird Utopia

(MUSIC) The last time indie pop-rockers Lucius were in town, they opened for the National and the War on Drugs at Climate Pledge Arena. This time, they're headlining a show in support of their self-titled album, returning to a moodier guitar-forward sound after the bouncy, funky pop of 2022's Second Nature, which was co-produced by acclaimed singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile. I'm personally a huge fan of the new release—the song "Old Tape" has made its way onto several of my playlists since it came out in May, and Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig's soaring harmonies still give me goosebumps. The two vocalists aren’t twins or even sisters, but they enjoy pulling fun live show antics like dressing in identical wigs and clothing on stage. Get there early to catch a set from folk duo Attention Bird Utopia, a new collaborative project from indie darlings Harrison Whitford (Phoebe Bridgers' guitarist) and Eli Hirsch (the producer of Suki Waterhouse's latest album). (Showbox, 8 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

TUESDAY 11/18

Finally We Have Met: Neon Works by Yale Wolf

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(VISUAL ART) Yale Wolf stands out among his contemporaries not only as a master of neon, but as a master of mise-en-scène, crafting environments where neon plays both centerpiece and supporting role in larger poetic tableaux. His work reveals a knack for pulling meaning from free-form simulacral doodles and fragmented flourishes designed to illuminate and transform the objects around them, as seen earlier this year in Reclaimed, where pops of neon (steering wheel, sunroof, headlights) detailed the ghostly carcass of a rusted-out scrapyard sedan blistered by fire and pummelled by bullets. Ethereal decadence wreathed in decay! In Finally We Have Met, Wolf is bringing mirrors into the equation, including a nearly six-foot reflecting pool ringed with searing pink barbed wire. Let’s just say it: This exhibition will be a selfie paradise. But that’s no doubt by design—a case where Wolf’s mise-en-scène becomes the site of mise-en-abyme. (Hometeam Gallery, free) AMANDA MANITACH

WEDNESDAY 11/19

BeanFish

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(FOOD) I’ve passed BeanFish, a former food truck turned taiyaki stall in the Uwajimaya food court, countless times without a second thought, figuring the little fish-shaped cakes probably looked better than they tasted. I now humbly stand corrected—BeanFish’s made-to-order taiyaki is the real deal, unlike inferior pre-made versions I’ve had in the past. Last week, I stood gazing through the kitchen window, watching the workers scoop batter and fillings into the intricate iron molds and smashing them together (extremely satisfying). Curiosity got the best of me, and I ordered the Elvis taiyaki stuffed with chunky peanut butter and banana. It was served to me piping hot, with a crisp exterior and fluffy interior, and was the perfect rainy afternoon pick-me-up. Now I’m on a mission to try them all. So far, I’ve also tried the “Mrs. Smith” (apple pie filling), #19 (honey mustard tuna with melty cheddar and delightfully chewy Japanese rice crackers), and mini “Donkii Kongu” taiyaki (toasted coconut, banana, and vanilla custard). I can’t wait to try the fan favorites “Mmm Bacon” (thick-cut peppered bacon, egg, tater tots, Tillamook cheddar, and scallions) and “Harajuku Chic” (Fruity Pebbles and a jumbo marshmallow waffle, with sweetened condensed milk on the side). (BeanFish, 11 am-7 pm daily) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 11/20

Conner O’Malley

(COMEDY) I’ll be honest, I used to refer to Conner O’Malley as “Aidy Bryant’s husband,” until I saw him in Joe Pera Talks With You as a depressed father who eats chicken in the shower, followed by his feature-length, the straight-to-YouTube film Rap World. He isn’t the typical comedian I’d ride for—in general, I have an aversion to male comics—but his loud, aggressive take on comedy ultimately makes a subversive statement about the absurdity of modern-day masculinity. The Chicago-born comedian, whom the New Yorker has called “the bard of the Manosphere,” plays pathetic, reply-guy characters that shed light on the idiocy of alpha males and/or incel men who have largely gotten us to our current hellscape. In a message on his Instagram, an AI-generated O’Malley states, “I have been in the General Motors psychological experiments labs generating humor sequences infused with alternative political ideas, and I’m finally ready to take it out on the road.” (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm & 9:45 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 11/21

Dean Johnson, Theo Lawrence

(MUSIC) Seattle's folk scene has been rumbling about Dean Johnson for quite a while now, but it wasn't until his song "Faraway Skies" off his 2023 debut album went somewhat viral that most people started paying attention. With a second full-length release under his belt this summer and the backing of a label (he's on Saddle Creek Records with the likes of Big Thief and Indigo De Souza), the soft-spoken troubadour rounds out a 13-date tour of the Western United States with a homecoming show at his biggest Seattle venue yet—the historic Showbox. Johnson's music is filled with honest alt-folk charm, and his stage banter never fails to make me laugh. I'm looking forward to hearing the closing track off 2025's I Hope We Can Still Be Friends, "A Long Goodbye," which happens to be the first song he ever wrote back in 2004. Get there early for a set from French-Canadian country artist Theo Lawrence—a '90s baby who sounds and looks like he time-traveled here from the 1960s. (Showbox, 8 pm, 21+) SHANNON LUBETICH

SATURDAY 11/22

Tricia Romano w/Erica C. Barnett and Charles Mudede

(BOOKS) Did you happen to catch the front page of the New York Times’ business section over the weekend? Right there on page B1, Seattle’s only newspaper was praised for being a “progressive kingmaker” in local elections. *insert nail polish emoji here* But our hard work isn’t new. For decades, The Stranger and other alt-weekly brethren across the country have been a much-needed voice in our media landscape and local elections. If you want to learn more about just how important alt-weeklies are in our past and current media landscape, read The Freaks Came Out to Write, Tricia Romano’s oral history of America’s first alt-weekly newspaper, The Village Voice. To celebrate the paperback release of the Freaks, Romano will join fellow alt-weekly diehards—and past and current Stranger staffers, respectively—Erica C. Barnett and Charles Mudede to discuss the vital role alternative newspapers have historically played in the country’s media landscape. And, if we’re lucky, they'll dish a little on the snacks and gossip from Stranger Election Control Board meetings of decades past, too. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free) MEGAN SELING

SUNDAY 11/23

Heart, Cheap Trick

(MUSIC) Heart’s spell is enduring. I’ve been under it since I was 10, the tomboy middle sister of three who played the drums, practiced karate, and took music recommendations from my dad. I don’t recall the first time I heard hits like “Barracuda” or “Crazy on You,” but they were always there for me to angrily lip-sync in the mirror when I felt disenfranchised by adults. I worshipped them the way that I saw boys my age worship Led Zeppelin and AC/DC—two bands I never liked. I didn’t prefer Heart because I identified with their femaleness, I preferred Heart because their songs were better. In Heart’s music, you feel what they feel; they don’t have to say it explicitly. Ann’s lyrics are poetic, Nancy’s guitar solos are nuanced; both are masters of subtlety and power. The way the Wilson sisters communicated through their instruments was something I knew well with my own sisters—a magical connection that can only be described as sorcery. Ahead of their show at Climate Pledge Arena, read my interview with Nancy and Ann here. (Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Prizefight!

Win tickets to rad upcoming events!*

Heart
November 23, Climate Pledge Arena

ENTER NOW!

Contest ends November 20 at 10 am

Damiano David
November 21, Paramount Theatre

ENTER NOW!

Contest ends November 19 at 10 am

November Things to Do: Music

Julianne Bell — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0800

The best music events in November. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food.

Ginger Root

Nov 4–5

Once upon a time, Ginger Root’s DIY visionary Cameron Lew told Atwood Magazine he hasn’t considered working with an outside producer because each idea he has “moves so fast that I’m afraid if I lose momentum, then the whole song is going to go away.” Lew’s frantic creative energy is apparent in most everything he puts out. Ginger Root’s most recent full-length, 2024’s SHINBANGUMI, was accompanied by a 20-minute mockumentary about a struggling video producer in 1987 Japan who finds the courage to start his own production company. His live show is no exception. Rounded out by a jumpsuit-clad video-effects specialist wielding a newscast-grade camera for live video mixing, a Ginger Root show is a multimedia delight where every aspect is both unexpected and essential. Lew’s quirky Huntington Beach outfit performs as a quartet (gotta count the cameraman), and if you showed up to Japanese Breakfast’s ZooTunes show in September, for which Ginger Root opened, you already get the draw. Musically, Lew and co. zip between bedroom city pop, goofball soul, and jammy, Mattson 2–esque jazz, all buoyed by Lew’s sketch-comedy banter and nasty electro-slide-whistle riffs. (Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Triathalon, YUNGMORPHEUS

Nov 5

When Triathalon’s 2014 debut, Lo-Tide, came out, beach-goth rock arrangements and whammy bar surf-guitar work were their calling card, but soon, any coarseness in tone was smoothed out like fine-grain beach sand. By the time 2018’s Online came around, keyboards and a drum machine had entered the chat, and we were left with the suave, breathy, post-chillwave beats we would come to rely on. Their guitars had become seductive garnish, and cinematic postcoital shower vibes were on the menu. Fast forward to 2025, and the only thing remaining in the New York trio’s creative story arc was, you guessed it: existential dread. The band has said their newest effort, Funeral Music, answers the growing question of what sort of vibe their memorial services would put out, and interestingly enough, the tracks find the band leaning back into their more foundational rock and specifically shoegaze impulses. (Barboza, 7 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Freakout Festival

Nov 6–9

You may not know most of the lineup, but if you’re agile enough to hit up multiple rooms per night and you Do Your Own Research™, you can discover several new artists—local and foreign—who’ll long-term enrich your life. That’s the magic of Freakout Fest, now in its 13th year. With 70 acts performing at nine venues in Ballard and Fremont, Freakout promises a diversity of sonic adventures. Japanese noise-rockers Melt-Banana are as wild as ever, 32 years on. Portland’s Møtrik honor their name with klassik, ekstatik krautrock accelerations. Switzerland’s L’Eclair—some of whose members moonlight in Zambian rock gods W.I.T.C.H.—elegantly and cinematically funk you up (and down and all around) and will make you feel very sophisticated. Seattle shoegazers glass egg will unveil songs from their new, serenely misty visions & ecstasies album. The industrial-electronic group Chalk will bring their foundation-shaking capabilities all the way from Northern Ireland. My can’t-miss pick is Mexican psych-rock group Diles Que No Me Maten, who purvey an eerie, mysterious strain of post-punk. I could go on, but I don’t want to annoy my editor. [Ed. note: I did in fact let Dave go on—check out his 20 (!) Freakout Festival picks at TheStranger.com.] (Various venues and times, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

ECSC: 20th Rare Soul Weekender with Bernadette Bascom

Nov 7

In the early and mid 1980s—when grunge was merely a sprout in the dirt—Bernadette Bascom, the daughter of civil rights activist Rev. Marion C. Bascom, was keeping R&B and soul flowing through the Pacific Northwest with jams like “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” and “Seattle Sunshine.” This is just a small fraction of what makes Bascom a local legend, along with being a member of funk groups Acapulco Gold and Robbie Hill’s Family Affair, becoming the first artist signed to Stevie Wonder’s Black Bull label, and teaching singing lessons across the region for decades. Long-running DJ collective Emerald City Soul Club will kick off their 20th annual Rare Soul Weekender with a live performance from the local legend, along with DJs spinning heat from their rare vinyl collections. (Black Lodge, 9 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist, Mavi, Sven Wunder

Nov 7

Individually, Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist are two of the finest remaining practitioners of classic rap orthodoxy. The two have shown that hard-bodied street rhymes (Gibbs) and sample-based, neck-snapping beats (the Alchemist) never really went out of style, it’s just that fewer people were doing them hard enough. The Gary, Indiana–bred emcee is also hilarious. On record, Gibbs is quick to rap about “smashing like mashed potatoes,” and lament forgetting how many kids he has, like he did between songs at his Bumbershoot set last summer. For his part, the Beverly Hills–raised Alan Daniel Maman, aka the Alchemist, has produced for an enormous chunk of the rap pantheon, ranging in style from Action Bronson to Dilated Peoples, Schoolboy Q to Earl Sweatshirt. Of late, his penchant for album-length collabs has resulted in more than a few gems, but most notably, 2020’s Alfredo with Gibbs, which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the following year’s Grammys. This year’s sequel, Alfredo 2, is another notch in the duo’s illustrious win column. (Showbox SoDo, 8:30 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Reyna Tropical

Nov 8

Fabiola Reyna has mastered both the agile guitar picking of several vintage Southern Hemisphere subgenres and the art of homage, to turn tragedy into enduring legacy. Originally one half of Reyna Tropical, Reyna suddenly found herself the sole remaining band member when, in 2022, her musical partner Nectali “Sumohair” Díaz died in a scooter accident. After much contemplation, Reyna decided to carry on, keeping the moniker as tribute. Early RT EPs featured equal guitar/vocal songwriting and MPC input in the vein of a sunny Chico Mann/Captain Planet collab, and while Reyna’s 2024 solo debut, Malegría (a fitting mashup of the Spanish words for “bad” and “happiness”), does contain a dose of dance flare à la Bomba Estéreo, the album features her brilliant soukous-inspired, high-register guitar flourishes and lively dance BPM, with moments of more loping chicha tempos, all while honoring the band’s original motto, “Queer love and Afro-Mexico.” (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) TODD HAMM

Shudder to Think, Zwei Null Zwei

Nov 8

Shudder to Think made the rare leap from DC punk stronghold Dischord to major label Epic (thanks to an Eddie Vedder endorsement), but it was hard for indie die-hards to be mad at them in those nutty, post-Nevermind ’90s. Bands as weird and audacious as Shudder to Think deserved to get a shot at next-medium-sized-thing status, damn it. Despite the Dischord association, STT were never punk, per se. Rather, they were actually a strange mix of math rock, post-punk, and glam rock, which Craig Wedren then launched skyward with a voice that swooped from delicate falsetto to powerful roar like an American Freddie Mercury. STT really bloomed on 1992’s Get Your Goat, a dazzling collection of songs that swerved unpredictably, flexed impressive guitar muscles, and invented new forms of rock beauty, thanks largely to Wedren’s demonically angelic vibrato. The 1994 Pony Express Record solidified STT’s status as quirky genii; its slanted and enchanted rock left Pavement sounding like flat-footed normies. Seeing a reunited Shudder to Think—one of the featheriest heavy bands that America’s produced—in 2025 seems like an improbable yet necessary dream. (Barboza, 6:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

The Saints ’73-’78

Nov 9

Who was the first punk qua punk band? It’s an argument that can last for days, but Australia’s the Saints can legitimately contend for that honor. Although the Ramones’ first LP came out months earlier than the Saints’ 1976 debut single, “(I’m) Stranded”/“No Time,” both groups were germinating their fast and noisy songs synchronously on different continents in ’73 and ’74. Whatever the case, the Saints’ early tunes have aged very well, and new generations of punk-rock lovers still hunger to hear them played live. Ergo, this tour. Mudhoney front man Mark Arm’s replacing the Saints’ late, raw-throated singer Chris Bailey, and though his voice isn’t as adenoidal, Arm has the pipes and agitational energy to do these snarling anthems justice. Thankfully, original guitarist/songwriter Ed Kuepper’s still kicking ass, and he’ll be joined by OG Saints drummer Ivor Hay, ex–Birthday Party/Bad Seeds mensch Mick Harvey, and bassist Peter Oxley. Expect middle-aged folks moshing to the swashbuckling punk nuggets of (I’m) Stranded, Eternally Yours, and Prehistoric Sounds, plus singles from this vital era that have never been performed in North America. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Doechii

Nov 10

All hail Doechii the don, Doechii the dean, Doechii supreme, the Swamp Ruler! Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last two years, I feel confident in assuming that you’re probably already familiar with the Grammy Award–winning rapper, singer, and fashion icon and her insanely brilliant, inventive 2024 mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal. In that case, maybe you, too, shed a few tears over her historic Grammys performance, cackled over the sitcom-inspired “Denial Is a River” video, and braved Ticketmaster to secure tickets to the Seattle stop on her Live From the Swamp Tour. The Swamp Princess herself has decreed a school-inspired dress code for the tour and proclaimed that the “runway starts at the venue,” so I suggest treating this assignment like the Met Gala and taking a cue from Doechii’s chic, menswear-inspired personal style—time to start raiding the thrift stores for sweater vests, pleated skirts, blazers, and button-downs! (WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Patti Smith

Nov 10

Patti Smith (who will also be in town the night before for a book event) is the punk poet laureate, a National Book Award–winning author, Instagram sensation, and overall national treasure. And, despite her status as an American icon, I am constantly in awe of her down-to-earth personality and approachability. In 2015, during the release of her second memoir, M Train, I caught Patti at a now-demolished U-District cathedral for a reading. To my surprise, the evening was delightfully unstructured, with acoustic songs, stories, and an unmoderated Q&A. Having now seen her on three different occasions, I’ve found that she brings that authentic, inviting energy to every show she plays. Smith will celebrate the 50th anniversary of her debut album, Horses, by playing the album in its entirety. My fingers are crossed that she’ll also perform her first single, “Piss Factory,” which also happens to be my go-to karaoke song. (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

David Byrne

Nov 11–13

When Byrne released Who Is the Sky? earlier this year, he posted a full-album listening party on YouTube. “Hello and thank you for listening to my record for the first time,” he said to the screen before the first track, in that David Byrne voice that is somehow awkward and stilted and completely charismatic. “Now, since this is the first time you’ve heard this record, there’s some tips I suggest: Be with someone you love, and cut some onions. Prepare a nice meal, together. Eat it when the record’s over.” He’s a delightful weirdo on stage and on screen, and one of the few boomer white men I still want to give a mic to. He won’t tour forever, so take advantage of this chance to see him. And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

Neko Case, John Grant

Nov 14

Good things come to those who wait, and for me, that good thing is Neko Case’s first album in seven years, Neon Grey Midnight Green. Between the breezy, Virginia Astley–esque “Winchester Mansion of Sound,” which is an ode to her dearly departed friend/collaborator Dexter Romweber, and the cinematic love song “Wreck,” the album is already in the running to be my favorite of the year. Before I had even heard the full album, I was immediately drawn to its cover, which features Case swathed in green fur beside a fallen chandelier, with a puff of smoke in her hand, evoking the 19th-century surrealist artists Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington. The album was recorded at her home studio in Vermont—Carnassial Sound—and is her first produced by her alone. Case writes: “I’m proud to say I produced this record. It is my vision. It is my veto power. It is my taste.” She will support the new album alongside singer-songwriter John Grant (formerly of the Czars). (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Seattle Bands Stand With Gaza: Mt Fog, Reverse Death, Westmoreland

Nov 16

Good cause/good bands alert. Seattle’s Mt Fog have morphed from the solo project of vocalist/musician/songwriter Carolyn B. into a trio featuring Afrocop drummer/Select Level keyboardist Andy Sells and bassist Casey Rosebridge. Carolyn’s kaleidoscopic vocals hint at the artful acrobatics of Kate Bush, Björk, and Sinéad O’Connor while the songs on their latest album, 2024’s Ultraviolet Heart Machine, cohere into compelling hybrids of emotion-laden synth-pop and funk. They should be much better known. Led by multi-instrumentalist Daniel Onufer, Reverse Death have become one of my favorite local rock bands, making psychedelic music that’s beautiful, languorous, and suffused with mystery. Their 2022 album, Stretching to Infinity, basks in a tranquil, sacred aura of liquid guitar chime-bliss that’s as devotional as German mystics Popol Vuh. The track title “Floating Delight” telegraphs its effect. The new Reflectors, Vol. 1 showcases Reverse Death’s affinity for gorgeous minimalist psychedelia à la Spiritualized, with hints of a more chill 21st-century Beach Boys. Seattle seldom produces music of this beatific nature, so treasure it, you ingrates. (Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Julie Doiron, Black Belt Eagle Scout

Nov 16

Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron is the only person on Earth who wrote a song about a dying grandma so catchy and affecting that it’s a Vivian go-to when a fool passes me the aux cord (Broken Girl is foundational for sad girls everywhere). A former member of the dreamy, punky Eric’s Trip, Doiron is a songwriter’s songwriter who has consistently released interesting folk-ish alternative music for three decades. She’ll share the stage with Black Belt Eagle Scout, or Katherine Paul, the Anacortes-born, Portland-based Indigenous singer-songwriter whose 2023 record The Land, the Water, the Sky, is a beautiful heart-ripper. Recommended for fans of Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie/the Microphones), who is musically and personally connected to both artists. (Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages) VIVIAN McCALL

Shrek Rave

Nov 21

The lords, ladies, and fairy-tale creatures of Far Far Away are gathering for a night of absolute bedlam in Shrek’s Swamp—regardless of his “KEEP OUT OGRE” signs. There will be costumes, a kaleidoscope of Shrek-meme visuals, and an EDM-ified Shrek soundtrack. People will be sipping on swamp juice. What’s in it? Nobody knows, but definitely a fuckton of alcohol. This is the Shrek Rave. Be warned: This is literally a rave. If you go into it thinking it’ll be a fun Shrek costume party like some of us did back in 2023 or whenever this party went on its viral national tour, you may be disappointed. That happened to me. Go expecting a sweaty, bass-thumping party with a pocketful of MDMA in a pair of donkey ears and you’ll have the time of your life. (Crocodile, 10 pm, 21+) NATHALIE GRAHAM

Built to Spill, Papas, Larry Yes

Nov 25–26

Built to Spill is the best thing to come out of Idaho since the potato crop. Doug Martsch has been rocking out Boise-style since ’92. In that sense, they’re a “legacy act.” But good songs never die, and There’s Nothing Wrong With Love and Keep It Like a Secret are timeless because they were never super on trend. Built to Spill always did its own thing. (But if you’re worried the new-ish songs from 2022’s When the Wind Forgets Your Name will ruin your precious nostalgia, even these “new” songs were written a long time ago.) The band is joined by Boise’s Papas and Portland’s Larry Yes, two artists so small that putting them on this bill with indie-rock legends is, like Built to Spill, rad, old-school scene love. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) VIVIAN McCALL

More

Sir Chloe, Venus & the Flytraps Nov 5, Showbox, 8:30 pm, all ages

Tomo Nakayama ‘Ocean’ Album Release Nov 7, Fremont Abbey, 7:30 pm, all ages

Belly: 30th Anniversary of ‘King’ Nov 9, Crocodile, 7 pm, 21+

Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass & Other Delights Nov 9, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages

TeZATalks, N3PTUNE, Pussy Willow, and Porcelain Nov 9, Barboza, 7 pm, 21+

‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Live in Concert Nov 15, Paramount Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Federale Nov 15, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+

King Princess: The Girl Violence Tour Nov 16, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages

Boris: ‘Pink’ 20th Anniversary Tour Nov 17, Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages

Donnie Emerson & Nancy Sophia Rabbit Box Nov 19, 8 pm, all ages

Khruangbin Nov 19, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Piano Starts Here Presents: The Music of Sun Ra & Fletcher Henderson Nov 19, Royal Room, 7:30 pm, all ages until 10 pm

An Evening with the Residency in 3-D with Macklemore Nov 20, Showbox, 7:30 pm, all ages

Bryan Adams: Roll with the Punches with Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Nov 21, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Dean Johnson, Theo Lawrence Nov 21, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+

Tei Shi, Harmony Nov 21, Madame Lou’s, 6:30 pm, 21+

Heart, Cheap Trick Nov 23, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

Oblé Reed, Parisalexa, and Esebree Nov 26, Neumos, 7 pm, all ages

Sarah McLachlan Nov 26, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Deep Sea Diver: Homecoming Concert Nov 28, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Seattle’s Tribute to The Last Waltz Nov 29, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

The Mountain Goats Dec 3–4, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

SYML Dec 5, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

A John Prine Christmas with Jenner Fox Band Dec 9, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Smokey Brights: ‘Dashboard Heat’ Album Release Dec 11, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

Thunderpussy with Mike McCready Dec 11, Showbox, 8:30 pm, 21+

Earl Sweatshirt Dec 15, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages

David Benoit’s Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown with Courtney Fortune Dec 18–21, Jazz Alley, various times, all ages

Jenny Don’t & the Spurs Pre-NYE Bash Dec 30, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Mudhoney Dec 31, Neptune Theatre, 9 pm, all ages

New Year’s Eve with Kenny G Dec 31, Jazz Alley, various times, all ages

The Residents Jan 10, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Cate Le Bon Jan 27, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Julianna Barwick with Mary Lattimore Feb 17, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

Cardi B Feb 22, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Suzanne Vega Feb 22, Neptune Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

November Things to Do: Literature

Julianne Bell — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0800

The best literature events in November. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food.

Quan Barry

Nov 5

Poet, novelist, and playwright Quan Barry’s 2019 novel We Ride Upon Sticks—which revolves around a girls’ high-school field-hockey team in Massachusetts in 1989, and their foray into witchcraft—is one of the most original, charming, weird, nostalgic, and witty books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. So naturally, I have high hopes for her newest release, The Unveiling. The literary horror novel follows Striker, a Black film scout who joins a very white luxury Antarctic cruise in order to photograph potential locations for a splashy Ernest Shackleton biopic. After an ill-fated kayaking excursion, Striker finds herself stranded with a select group of survivors. Gradually, everyone’s “secrets, prejudices, and inner demons” emerge among the frozen, desolate landscape, and Striker begins to lose her grip on reality. It sounds like a combination of The Shining and Get Out with eldritch vibes, and what’s not to love about that? (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Susan Orlean with Claire Dederer

Nov 7

Longtime author and New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean has written non-fiction books about orchid thieves, library fires, famous dogs, and animal-human relationships, but not until her new book, Joyride, has she ever written a book about herself. The memoir details her life as a writer, including managing deadlines and overcoming writer’s block (consider my interest piqued!) as well as losing love, finding love, and facing her own mortality. Orlean will sit down with one of my favorite writers, essayist and critic Claire Dederer, to discuss the new book and how she adapted from exploring other people’s lives to tackling her own. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

An Evening with Patti Smith

Nov 9

Punk-rock poet laureate, writer, and just general rock star Patti Smith is coming to Meany Hall (the day before her Paramount Theatre show) to talk about her latest memoir, Bread of Angels. The book dives deeper into Smith’s life, covering the ground her 2010 book Just Kids—about her relationship with lover Robert Mapplethorpe—only hinted at. Bread of Angels touches on Smith’s childhood growing up as the eldest of four kids, her teenage years, her marriage to the late guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and how she found writing again after experiencing great loss. Bread of Angels publishes on Nov. 4, Mapplethorpe’s birthday and the day Fred “Sonic” Smith passed. Tickets include a copy of Bread of Angels from Elliott Bay Book Company. (Meany Hall, 7:30 pm) NATHALIE GRAHAM

Oyinkan Braithwaite

Nov 12

Nigerian author Oyinkan Braithwaite’s morbidly hilarious debut novel My Sister, the Serial Killer, a dark comedic thriller about a long-suffering nurse’s toxic relationship with her beautiful sociopathic sister, was a breakout hit that climbed the bestsellers lists and cemented her status as an author to watch. Now she’s back with her latest novel, Cursed Daughters, which explores similar themes of family, death, and love in a much different way. Eniiyi’s family believes her to be the reincarnation of her mother Ebun’s cousin, Monife, since she was born on the day of Monife’s funeral and bears an eerie resemblance to her. They believe this means that she, too, will be doomed to a tragic premature death. To make matters worse, the family also suffers from another curse: “No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace.” When Eniiyi saves a man from drowning and inconveniently falls for him, she must fight to prove that she is not destined to the same fate as her foremothers. (Seattle Central Public Library, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Jazmina Barrera and Megan McDowell: ‘The Queen of Swords’ and ‘The Week of Colors’ by Elena Garro

Nov 20

We are living in a golden era of translated literature, and, as a devourer of previously underrated authors like Clarice Lispector, Tove Jansson, and Tarijei Vesaas, I am loving every moment of it. The late Mexican author Elena Garro is the latest translated 20th-century author on my radar, as she is known as a trailblazer of magical realism, feminist horror, and anticolonial speculative fiction, who wrote with palpable rage and a vivid imagination. This talk between biographer Jazmina Barrera and translator Megan McDowell will celebrate the two book releases: Barrera’s exploration of Garro’s life, The Queen of Swords, and McDowell’s translation of Garro’s short story collection, The Week of Colors. Both books document Garro’s legacy as a forward-thinking writer, mystic, socialite, and activist. (Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free) AUDREY VANN

More

Li-Young Lee Nov 3, Rainier Arts Center, 7:30 pm

Becky Spratford Nov 6, Central Library, 8:30 pm, free

Maya Jewell Zeller ‘The Wonder of Mushrooms: The Mysterious World of Fungi’ Nov 11, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Nicholas Boggs ‘Baldwin: A Love Story’ Nov 11, Hugo House, 6 pm

Miranda July Nov 13, Moore Theatre, 8 pm (see pg. 40 for preview)

David Sedaris Nov 16, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

Cameron Crowe: The Uncool Book Tour Nov 17, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages

Malala Yousafzai: Finding My Way Book Tour Nov 17, Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Tuck Woodstock with Serena Hommes ‘Sex Change and the City’ Nov 17, Elliott Bay, 7 pm

A Conversation with Padma Lakshmi Nov 18, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm

Early Warnings

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers Jan 27, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

‘We Are Not Numbers: The Voices of Gaza’s Youth’ A Community Reading Jan 29, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm

Aja Monet Feb 5, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

George Saunders: ‘Vigil: A Novel’ Apr 7, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

November Things to Do: Performance

Julianne Bell — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0800

The best theater and performance events in November. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food.

PNB: In the Upper Room

Nov 7–16

Premiering in 1986, Twyla Tharp’s high-energy ballet, In the Upper Room, has become one of the most iconic ballets of the 20th century, admired for its athletic choreography, minimalist costume design, dramatic lighting, and a transcendent score by Philip Glass. The Pacific Northwest Ballet will take on Tharp’s contemporary classic, along with Dani Rowe’s emotionally compelling one-act ballet, The Window. This is a must for not only ballet and contemporary dance fanatics, but for lovers of experimental music and performance art. These performances will also debut the newly minted PNB dancers Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Aya Ogawa, the Nosebleed

Nov 13–15

Doris Duke Award–winning playwright and director Aya Ogawa’s autobiographical play The Nosebleed explores themes of failure, humanity, empathy, and connection, as well as their strained relationship with their late, estranged father. Ogawa enlisted four actors to play various facets of themself, while taking on the role of both their father and their 5-year-old son. Audiences are invited to project their own experiences onto the blank, minimal set and are engaged in the “theatrical memorial and healing ritual” through audience participation. The New York Times selected it as a critic pick and called it “conversational, unflinching and delicately layered,” writing that “Ogawa’s memoir-like excavation tests the boundaries of love and family obligation through intimate confession.” (On the Boards, 8 pm, 6+) JULIANNE BELL

Conner O’Malley

Nov 20

I’ll be honest, I used to refer to Conner O’Malley as “Aidy Bryant’s husband,” until I saw him in Joe Pera Talks With You as a depressed father who eats chicken in the shower, followed by his feature-length, the straight-to-YouTube film Rap World. He isn’t the typical comedian I’d ride for—in general, I have an aversion to male comics—but his loud, aggressive take on comedy ultimately makes a subversive statement about the absurdity of modern-day masculinity. The Chicago-born comedian, whom the New Yorker has called “the bard of the Manosphere,” plays pathetic, reply-guy characters that shed light on the idiocy of alpha males and/or incel men who have largely gotten us to our current hellscape. In a message on his Instagram, an AI-generated O’Malley states, “I have been in the General Motors psychological experiments labs generating humor sequences infused with alternative political ideas, and I’m finally ready to take it out on the road.” (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm & 9:45 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Come From Away

Nov 28–Jan 4, 2026

Ugh, I love Come From Away more than I can articulate. The hit musical tells the story about the small town of Gander, Newfoundland coming together to help the passengers on 38 planes stranded there after American airspace closed on 9/11. It is a musical that reminds us of the generosity of strangers and the goodness that persists in spite of large-scale evils. Come From Away got its start at the Seattle Repertory Theatre a decade ago when producers staged an early version of the show. It returns to that stage this fall, but the show won’t be the same version we all know. The Rep is putting a twist on Come from Away this year. All I know is there will be an emphasis on actors also playing musical instruments. Whatever version of Come From Away graces Seattle stages, I’m excited to see it and be welcomed back to The Rock. (Seattle Repertory Theatre, various times) NATHALIE GRAHAM

More

Violet vs Gottmik: The Knockout Tour Nov 6, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Whitmer Thomas with Clay Tatum Nov 6, Madame Lou’s, 7 pm, 21+

Nate Bargatze Nov 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

Countess Luann Nov 7, The Showbox, 8:30 pm, 21+

Ally J Ward: Imposter Syndrome Nov 9, Here-After, 7 pm, 21+

Manual Cinema: The 4th Witch Nov 12, Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet Nov 16, Paramount Theatre, 2 & 6 pm, all ages

World Ballet Company: The Great Gatsby Ballet Nov 16, Moore Theatre, 6 pm, all ages

Penelope Nov 28–Dec 21, ArtsWest, various times

Pacific Northwest Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker Nov 28–Dec 28, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

Spanksgiving Burlesque & Drag Show Nov 30, Tractor Tavern, 7 pm, 21+

A John Waters Christmas Dec 2, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

A Drag Queen Christmas with Nina West, Lexi Love, Shea Coulee, Jewels Sparkles, Crystal Methyd, Suzie Toot, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Bosco, and Lydia B. Kollins Dec 3, McCaw Hall, 7:30 pm, 18+

Disney’s The Lion King Dec 4–Jan 4, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

Early Warnings

Alaska: A Very Alaska Christmas Show Dec 5, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Matt Rogers: Christmas in December Dec 6, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

The 5th Annual Holly Jolly Holiday Show Dec 7, Neumos, 6 pm, 21+

Blue Xmas with Betty Wetter Dec 11, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+

Kitten N’ Lou Present: Jingle All the Gay Dec 12–14, Neptune Theatre, various times, all ages

In Tandem: A Trio of Duets Dec 18–20, On the Boards, 8 pm, ages 6+

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show Dec 23–28, Moore Theatre, all ages

Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Dec 31, McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages

Seattle Opera: Daphne in Concert Jan 16 & 18, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

Pacific Northwest Ballet: Cinderella Jan 30–Feb 8, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

November Things to Do: Food

Julianne Bell — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 04:00:00 -0800

The best food events happening in November. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food.

Michael W. Twitty with Kristi Brown

Nov 7

Acclaimed culinary historian, speaker, educator, and independent scholar Michael W. Twitty has dedicated his life’s work to studying African American food and folk culture. His 2017 nonfiction book, The Cooking Gene, which delves deep into the African American culinary history of the South, received two James Beard Awards for literary writing and book of the year. He writes, “Our cuisine, with its grits and black-eyed peas, crab cakes, red rice, and endless variations on the staple foods of the region, casts a spell that, if you’re lucky, gets passed down with snapping string beans at the table and chewing cane on the back porch.” His new cookbook, Recipes From the American South, acquaints readers with that rich tradition in the best way possible, via hands-on recipes for dishes like chicken and dumplings, hummingbird cake, and chorizo dirty rice. Twitty will be joined by Communion chef Kristi Brown for a conversation about the book and the roots of Southern cuisine. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30–9 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Oyster New Year

Nov 8

The apotheosis of the Pacific Northwest’s unofficial regional pastime—slurping oysters—is the eco-friendly Oyster New Year at Elliott’s Oyster House. The all-out briny bash features more than 25 varieties of bivalves served to order by over 40 expert shuckers at a 150-foot oyster bar, plus a selection of over 40 drinks, DJ tunes, a photo booth, raffle drawings, educational shucking demos, and a shucking competition. Be a little superficial and cast your vote for the People’s Choice “Most Beautiful Oyster,” and don’t miss the oyster luge, in which a shucked oyster glides down a frozen ice-sculpture slide, and into your mouth. This year, to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary, 50 golden oyster shells will be hidden around the venue and the lucky finders can redeem them for prizes. All proceeds benefit Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s efforts to preserve marine ecosystems. (Elliott’s Oyster House, 5:30–9 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Seattle Eats Live with Tan Vinh, Rachel Belle, and J. Kenji López-Alt

Nov 10

Seattle Times food critic Tanh Vinh’s podcast Seattle Eats is dedicated to sharing “the area’s hottest restaurants, road-side food stalls, and everywhere in between, to find the best meals in the city and to meet the people who make them sing.” For this special live edition, he’s enlisting the help of two local culinary heavy-hitters: chef/writer and noted teriyaki connoisseur J. Kenji López-Alt, and radio personality and author Rachel Belle, who hosts the Your Last Meal podcast. The trio will take questions from the audience and dispense advice on navigating the local food scene, from the best steakhouse in Seattle to how to recreate your favorite takeout meal at home. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Gobble Up

Nov 15

Just in time for Thanksgiving and the subsequent holidays, Urban Craft Uprising will host this specialty food show for the eighth year in a row, promising over 100 local vendors hawking everything from bean-to-bar chocolates to baked goods to spirits to small-batch hot sauce (and yes, there are free samples). If you work up an appetite while shopping, a selection of food trucks will be on site to fuel your browsing journey with delicacies like bubble waffles, Himalayan dumplings, and sushi burritos. This year will also feature free raffles throughout the day and cookbook signings with local authors every hour, including Open Sesame author Rachel Belle, The Pastry Temple author Christina Wood, The Art of Gluten-Free Bread author Aran Goyoaga, and Veggies for Breakfast author Willi Galloway. (Magnuson Park Hangar 30,
10 am–5 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

More

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–noon, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

Whiskies of the World Nov 22, the Rainier Club, 6:45–9:30 pm

Early Warnings

Osteria la Spiga’s Fifth Annual Holiday Market Dec 7, Osteria la Spiga, 12–4 pm

WA Brewers Guild Winter Beer Fest Dec 19-20, Victory Hall at the Boxyard, 21+

Body Language

Julianne Bell — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:11:00 -0800

Filmmaker and All Fours Author Miranda July Discusses Weight Lifting, Intimacy, and Her Dream Journal

by Julianne Bell

Miranda July is known for her prolific and expansive body of work, which includes performance art; her films Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), The Future (2011), and Kajillionaire (2020); and her books No One Belongs Here More Than You, It Chooses You, and The First Bad Man. Most recently, her 2024 novel, All Fours—which follows an unnamed 45-year-old married perimenopausal artist who embarks on a road trip and undergoes an intense sexual awakening—has become a galvanizing cultural phenomenon, sparking countless group chats and book club discussions. The New York Times called it “the first great perimenopause novel,” and Starz has acquired the rights to adapt it into a TV series. July has kept the dialogue going with her Substack chat, where her fans swap wisdom on subjects like divorce, polyamory, and hormone replacement therapy.

What was it like to be a part of the Pacific Northwest arts scene just after the riot grrrl movement?
Girls were still making bands and living in named houses, you know, like “The Curse,” after menstruation. We had a studio in the basement and I was briefly in a band called the Need. But more than that, I think the very do-it-yourself ethic was perfect for me, because I had just dropped out of college and didn’t want to be taught, and my chosen art was filmmaking and performance. I think starting Joanie 4 Jackie, which was an underground movie distribution network, was my most riot-grrrl project, in the sense that it was creating an institution in opposition to existing institutions for film, which were so patriarchal.

Technology has changed so much since you started Joanie 4 Jackie. Do you see anything that reminds you of that same DIY spirit today?
I was actually just looking yesterday at a Joanie 4 Jackie pamphlet, and I was arguing then that because of the new invention of video—which, remember, was a clunky video camera, not a phone—we could now make videos, short movies in a much more colloquial and interpersonal way. You could make a video just for one other person, which was kind of an artistic and weird idea [at the time]. When I actually look around at the number of movies I shoot every day [on my phone] and send to friends, and that they send to me, I feel like that is still filmmaking. I feel like we’re in the infancy of how that shapes art and the industry.

In All Fours, the narrator starts a weight lifting regimen, and I know you’ve said in the past that you worked with a trainer while writing the book. How has lifting affected your life?
I still do it—twice a week, for six years now. I think it was the very clunky beginning of wondering if a more embodied life was possible. Literally building strength, having the body be more capable of the things it does every day, was a first step in that direction. It’s actually a very subtle, slow thing, to truly shift from the brain, to just having experiences and enjoying them and understanding them in a physical way. I’m still figuring that out.

You’ve worked in so many different mediums during your career, is there a discipline you’ve never tried that you’d like to?
I would say the discipline of no discipline is what I’m exploring now, which is to say after much relentless rigor, I find that there’s all these unworked muscles and they don’t have anything to do with trying. These other parts of myself need to catch up. It’s a little like in the book—I’m following in her footsteps, more or less, giving this new girl a chance.

How is that manifesting in your life right now?
I mean, it’s huge. It’s kind of like this ongoing release, like when you get bodywork or massage, and suddenly you’re crying and you have no idea why. I’ll have a lot of instances like that, but it’ll just be some ordinary experience, like tasting food or something. I really lived as if I was in the Olympics or something, 24/7, everything focused on work. Pretty much anything you might think of in life is new to me, [other than] making something. I love to make things, I’ll always do that, but I’m glad I’m not 97 and figuring this out.

Where did that work ethic and inner drive come from?
I found that that was a world I could control, and it was very tied to fantasy, making fantasies real. As a kid, you cope by having fantasies in your head. At a pretty young age, I graduated to “Oh, if you work really hard, you can make them for other people, so they can see them.” And what could be better than that? Because it’s already your escape, and you’re giving them your escape as an internal world. And then to not be totally alone in that, to actually connect with other people through it in a real but limited way—I mean, how beguiling. What’s not to like there?

It seems like the search for connection and intimacy is a throughline of much of your work. What do you think brings you back to that topic again and again?
On the one hand, it’s right there, it’s easy to connect. But on the other hand, it’s completely elusive to me. I am only just beginning to realize how easily I absent myself when real connection is on the line. I think in different ways, we all do this. Often, it’s with the things we think we’re the best at—I mean, I’m great at intimacy! No one’s better at intimacy than me! [Laughs] But truly, you could be working so hard on that that you’re not actually risking anything.

You’ve cultivated a really supportive and intimate community on your Substack, what inspired you to start it?
I was getting so many DMs and emails and messages from women about their lives, each of them feeling that they were unique and alone. And I was like, oh shit, I’m the only one who can see that none of you are alone. I was in this weird position. I felt like the support operator—how do I put these people in connection with each other? The Substack came out of that. This idea of the “All Fours group chat” has come about through a combination of media and the public. I was still seeing that there were a lot of people who did not actually have a friend group that they were texting about these issues and who longed for that. I think every writer I know has a mixed relationship with Substack, so I’m still wrestling with it, but as far as the chat, I love it. I’ve always wanted an ongoing hangout where people could ask the most intimate questions and share advice. It’s just great. The chat feels very pure to me, in a grassroots feminist sense.

All Fours is fiction but shares many parallels with your life, which has led many readers to assume it’s autobiographical. What does it feel like to have strangers think they know everything about your personal life?
I really set up the book playfully around the idea of conflating the narrator and the author; I did that to create a certain kind of energy. And thus, of course, people do what they should, which is [think] maybe this is all true. That only bugs me when I’m like, oh god, it was so much work to make that story, it was the best fiction I’ve ever written, and I’m so proud of it that; when I realize that probably 75 percent of people just think it was my journal, I get a little deflated. But I have to laugh, because I went out of my way to invite that. Or at least, I’m not going to try to prove to you that it’s fiction, because that’s tacky and beneath me as a fiction writer.

What’s your favorite outfit right now?
I don’t know that I have one, but I’m going to Portland for [friend and artist Isabelle Albuquerque’s] show at the lumber room, and I was packing for that and wearing a silk scarf. I felt like I was sort of cosplaying a rich bitch or something, wearing a giant silk scarf folded in half in a triangle and then tied so it’s hanging over one shoulder. It was the maiden voyage of this scarf idea. We’ll see if I feel like I can pull it off outside of my house.

I know you keep a record of your dreams. What’s the most interesting dream you had recently that you’re willing to share?
I was making out with someone, and I was surprised that his uvula was dangling by a thread, but I went with it, a new kissing experience. And then it broke off entirely and ended up in my mouth, and I handed it to him, and he put it back nonchalantly by swallowing it.

See Miranda July in Conversation with Emily Nokes at the Moore Theatre on November 13, 8 pm, all ages.

Stranger Suggests: A Bloody Theatrical Performance, an Art Show That Oozes Chimeric Chemistry, and Singer-Songwriters Who’ll Rip Your Heart Out

Julianne Bell — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 14:30:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 11/10

Seattle Eats Live with Tan Vinh, Rachel Belle, and J. Kenji López-Alt

(FOOD) Seattle Times food critic Tanh Vinh’s podcast Seattle Eats is dedicated to sharing “the area’s hottest restaurants, road-side food stalls, and everywhere in between, to find the best meals in the city and to meet the people who make them sing.” For this special live edition, he’s enlisting the help of two local culinary heavy-hitters: chef/writer and noted teriyaki connoisseur J. Kenji López-Alt, and radio personality and author Rachel Belle, who hosts the Your Last Meal podcast. The trio will take questions from the audience and dispense advice on navigating the local food scene, from the best steakhouse in Seattle to how to recreate your favorite takeout meal at home. (Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

TUESDAY 11/11

David Byrne

(MUSIC) When Byrne released Who Is the Sky? earlier this year, he posted a full-album listening party on YouTube. “Hello and thank you for listening to my record for the first time,” he said to the screen before the first track, in that David Byrne voice that is somehow awkward and stilted and completely charismatic. “Now, since this is the first time you’ve heard this record, there’s some tips I suggest: Be with someone you love, and cut some onions. Prepare a nice meal, together. Eat it when the record’s over.” He’s a delightful weirdo on stage and on screen, and one of the few boomer white men I still want to give a mic to. He won’t tour forever, so take advantage of this chance to see him. And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

WEDNESDAY 11/12

LAnd SEA

See 'Through the Overgrowth' by Sarah Gordon at LAnd and SEA through January 9. SARAH GORDON/COURTESY OF AMcE CREATIVE ARTS

(VISUAL ART) Before opening their Seattle galleries, longtime friends Eleana Del Rio (Koplin Del Rio) and McLean Emenegger (AMcE) ran separate art spaces in Los Angeles. Their camaraderie continues as they team up for the group exhibit LAnd SEA, which pairs artists from both galleries to make new collaborative works. While some group shows can be meh, this one promises to ooze genuine chimeric chemistry from powerhouse duos like painters Niki Keenan + Drie Chapek, photographers Daniel Carrillo + Eirik Johnson, and artists-who-defy-boxes Tim Cross + Robert Hardgrave (who are constructing their own mini-gallery to go within the gallery). Bring cash for holiday purchases, not only from AMcE’s Niche Market in the front, but for craveable collabs like Tommy Gregory’s memento-mori mash-up with the renowned de la Torre brothers: a 30-inch hand-blown glass figure encircled by serpents, crowned with a dove where his genitals should be, grasping a tiny bottle of liquor, with a bronze skull for a head. Says Gregory: “It’s about drinking too much (and life and death, obviously).” (AMcE Creative Arts, Wed-Sun, various hours, free) AMANDA MANITACH

THURSDAY 11/13

Miranda July

See Miranda July at Moore Theatre Thursday, November 13. AUTHOR PHOTO BY ELIZABETH WEINBERG

(BOOKS) Miranda July is known for her prolific and expansive body of work, which includes performance art; her films Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005), The Future (2011), and Kajillionaire (2020); and her books No One Belongs Here More Than You, It Chooses You, and The First Man. Most recently, her 2024 novel, All Fours—which follows an unnamed 45-year-old married perimenopausal artist who embarks on a road trip and undergoes an intense sexual awakening—has become a galvanizing cultural phenomenon, sparking countless group chats and book club discussions. The New York Times called it "the first great perimenopause novel," and Starz has acquired the rights to adapt it into a TV series. July has kept the dialogue going with her Substack chat, where her fans swap wisdom on subjects like divorce, polyamory, and hormone replacement therapy. The multi-hyphenate creative joins Stranger arts editor Emily Nokes for this conversation. (Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 11/14

Neko Case, John Grant

(MUSIC) Good things come to those who wait, and for me, that good thing is Neko Case’s first album in seven years, Neon Grey Midnight Green. Between the breezy, Virginia Astley–esque “Winchester Mansion of Sound,” which is an ode to her dearly departed friend/collaborator Dexter Romweber, and the cinematic love song “Wreck,” the album is already in the running to be my favorite of the year. Before I had even heard the full album, I was immediately drawn to its cover, which features Case swathed in green fur beside a fallen chandelier, with a puff of smoke in her hand, evoking the 19th-century surrealist artists Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington. The album was recorded at her home studio in Vermont—Carnassial Sound—and is her first produced by her alone. Case writes: “I’m proud to say I produced this record. It is my vision. It is my veto power. It is my taste.” She will support the new album alongside singer-songwriter John Grant (formerly of the Czars). (Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

SATURDAY 11/15

'The Nosebleed'

See 'The Nosebleed' at On the Boards November 13-15. COURTESY OF ON THE BOARDS

(PERFORMANCE) Doris Duke Award–winning playwright and director Aya Ogawa’s autobiographical play The Nosebleed explores themes of failure, humanity, empathy, and connection, as well as their strained relationship with their late, estranged father. Ogawa enlisted four actors to play various facets of themself, while taking on the role of both their father and their 5-year-old son. Audiences are invited to project their own experiences onto the blank, minimal set and are engaged in the “theatrical memorial and healing ritual” through audience participation. The New York Times selected it as a critic pick and called it “conversational, unflinching and delicately layered,” writing that “Ogawa’s memoir-like excavation tests the boundaries of love and family obligation through intimate confession.” (On the Boards, 8 pm, 6+) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 11/16

Julie Doiron, Black Belt Eagle Scout

(MUSIC) Canadian singer-songwriter Julie Doiron is the only person on Earth who wrote a song about a dying grandma so catchy and affecting that it’s a Vivian go-to when a fool passes me the aux cord (Broken Girl is foundational for sad girls everywhere). A former member of the dreamy, punky Eric’s Trip, Doiron is a songwriter’s songwriter who has consistently released interesting folk-ish alternative music for three decades. She’ll share the stage with Black Belt Eagle Scout, or Katherine Paul, the Anacortes-born, Portland-based Indigenous singer-songwriter whose 2023 record The Land, the Water, the Sky, is a beautiful heart-ripper. Recommended for fans of Phil Elverum (Mount Eerie/the Microphones), who is musically and personally connected to both artists. (Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages) VIVIAN McCALL

Stranger Suggests: A Music Fest Worth Freaking Out About, a Party with an Oyster Luge, and Don’t Forget to Vote!

Julianne Bell — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 11:20:00 -0800

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 11/3

Lael Neale, Guy Blakeslee

(MUSIC) In her bio, singer-songwriter Lael Neale writes that she loves “not listening to music”—and it shows (in the best way). Employing drum machines, power chords, and a Suzuki Omnichord, Neale creates a singular sound that’s all her own: equal parts dream pop, classic country, and gospel. Her latest album, Altogether Stranger, sounds like an ’80s private press record that would eventually land a coveted Light in the Attic reissue (IYKYK). Neale will support the album after a set from LA-based experimental artist Guy Blakeslee. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

TUESDAY 11/4

VOTE!

Choose your fighter. HARRISON FREEMAN

(CIVIC DUTY) The primary was an acid trip for the history books. We gotta make it real. Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote. Just because progressives did well in the primary, doesn’t mean this is a shoe-in. Money has been pouring in for Harrell since his pitiful primary performance. He’s accumulated over $1.5 million from business CEOs and real-estate developers. And that’s just counting his PAC’s money. He’s rocking another million in campaign contributions. They believe this election can be bought. If you don’t show up, it will be. We’re living in hell. Life is expensive, the history book horrors are at our doorstep, the kids have rotted brains, but Seattle can still be a haven. Sometimes bubbles are good. Vote for this city. Vote for your future. Vote for the kids. Vote against your uncle’s next heart attack. Vote like you’ll need to join a naked bike ride for freedom. Vote. STRANGER ELECTION CONTROL BOARD

WEDNESDAY 11/5

Quan Barry

COURTESY OF GROVE ATLANTIC

(BOOKS) Poet, novelist, and playwright Quan Barry’s 2019 novel We Ride Upon Sticks—which revolves around a girls’ high-school field-hockey team in Massachusetts in 1989, and their foray into witchcraft—is one of the most original, charming, weird, nostalgic, and witty books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. So naturally, I have high hopes for her newest release, The Unveiling. The literary horror novel follows Striker, a Black film scout who joins a very white luxury Antarctic cruise in order to photograph potential locations for a splashy Ernest Shackleton biopic. After an ill-fated kayaking excursion, Striker finds herself stranded with a select group of survivors. Gradually, everyone’s “secrets, prejudices, and inner demons” emerge among the frozen, desolate landscape, and Striker begins to lose her grip on reality. It sounds like a combination of The Shining and Get Out with eldritch vibes, and what’s not to love about that? (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 11/6

Freakout Festival

(MUSIC) You may not know most of the lineup, but if you’re agile enough to hit up multiple rooms per night and you Do Your Own Research™, you can discover several new artists—local and foreign—who’ll long-term enrich your life. That’s the magic of Freakout Fest, now in its 13th year. With 70 acts performing at nine venues in Ballard and Fremont, Freakout promises a diversity of sonic adventures. Japanese noise-rockers Melt-Banana are as wild as ever, 32 years on. Portland’s Møtrik honor their name with klassik, ekstatik krautrock accelerations. Switzerland’s L’Eclair—some of whose members moonlight in Zambian rock gods W.I.T.C.H.—elegantly and cinematically funk you up (and down and all around) and will make you feel very sophisticated. Seattle shoegazers glass egg will unveil songs from their new, serenely misty visions & ecstasies album. The industrial-electronic group Chalk will bring their foundation-shaking capabilities all the way from Northern Ireland. My can’t-miss pick is Mexican psych-rock group Diles Que No Me Maten, who purvey an eerie, mysterious strain of post-punk. I could go on, but I don’t want to annoy my editor. (Various venues and times, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

FRIDAY 11/7

PNB: In the Upper Room

In the Upper Room runs at McCaw Hall through November 16. ANGELA STERLING

(PERFORMANCE) Premiering in 1986, Twyla Tharp’s high-energy ballet, In the Upper Room, has become one of the most iconic ballets of the 20th century, admired for its athletic choreography, minimalist costume design, dramatic lighting, and a transcendent score by Philip Glass. The Pacific Northwest Ballet will take on Tharp’s contemporary classic, along with Dani Rowe’s emotionally compelling one-act ballet, The Window. This is a must for not only ballet and contemporary dance fanatics, but for lovers of experimental music and performance art. These performances will also debut the newly minted PNB dancers Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN

SATURDAY 11/8

Oyster New Year

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A post shared by Elliott's Oyster House (@elliottsoysterhouse)

(FOOD) The apotheosis of the Pacific Northwest’s unofficial regional pastime—slurping oysters—is the eco-friendly Oyster New Year at Elliott’s Oyster House. The all-out briny bash features more than 25 varieties of bivalves served to order by over 40 expert shuckers at a 150-foot oyster bar, plus a selection of over 40 drinks, DJ tunes, a photo booth, raffle drawings, educational shucking demos, and a shucking competition. Be a little superficial and cast your vote for the People’s Choice “Most Beautiful Oyster,” and don’t miss the oyster luge, in which a shucked oyster glides down a frozen ice-sculpture slide, and into your mouth. This year, to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary, 50 golden oyster shells will be hidden around the venue and the lucky finders can redeem them for prizes. All proceeds benefit Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s efforts to preserve marine ecosystems. (Elliott’s Oyster House, 5:30–9 pm) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 11/9

An Evening with Patti Smith

See Patti Smith at Meany Hall on November 9 and the Paramount on November 10. RICH FURY/GETTY IMAGES

(BOOKS/MUSIC) Punk-rock poet laureate, writer, and just general rock star Patti Smith is coming to Meany Hall (the day before her Paramount Theatre show) to talk about her latest memoir, Bread of Angels. The book dives deeper into Smith’s life, covering the ground her 2010 book Just Kids—about her relationship with lover Robert Mapplethorpe—only hinted at. Bread of Angels touches on Smith’s childhood growing up as the eldest of four kids, her teenage years, her marriage to the late guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and how she found writing again after experiencing great loss. Bread of Angels publishes on Nov. 4, Mapplethorpe’s birthday and the day Fred “Sonic” Smith passed. Tickets include a copy of Bread of Angels from Elliott Bay Book Company. (Meany Hall, 7:30 pm) NATHALIE GRAHAM

Goodbye to Madame Lou’s and Here-After

Julianne Bell — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 13:46:00 -0700

In a devastating blow to Seattle’s arts and culture scene, Belltown’s celebrated live music venue the Crocodile plans to permanently close its two downstairs venues, Madame Lou’s and Here-After, in mid-December. by Julianne Bell

As City Cast Seattle reported on Monday, Crocodile staff confirmed that the closures were announced to employees at an all-hands meeting last week. Madame Lou’s, a 300-capacity live music club located in the Crocodile’s basement, is a mainstay for smaller artists, while the adjacent 100-seat Here-After includes a comedy club, movie theater, and bar. According to an email announcement from The Crocodile, “regular operations” will cease at Here-After on December 20, then at Madame Lou's on December 27.

The Crocodile, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year, will continue operations uninterrupted, as will the upstairs Hotel Crocodile.

After the lease on its original location in Belltown expired, the Crocodile moved to a new, larger building four blocks away in 2020. Madame Lou’s opened in November 2021, followed by Here-After on New Year’s Day 2022.

The Crocodile’s creative director Hunter Motto tells The Stranger that half of the staff were laid off, including many part-time workers, such as security, box office, bartenders, and production managers, who will see their hours significantly reduced after mid-December. In addition, the Crocodile is transferring about 80 events booked at Madame Lou’s and Here-After to other similarly sized venues around town, such as the Sunset Tavern, Barboza, Clock-Out Lounge, and Tractor Tavern. These shows will still be produced by the Crocodile.

Motto has a laundry list of reasons that the venues are closing: the “skyrocketing” costs of goods, insurance, and operations, plus the state of the economy and decreased food and drink sales. “It’s hard to explain to the general public because we have sold-out shows on our calendar, and we did 1000 events last year. We’re so busy, and yet it’s unfortunately not enough,” he says.

The shift in food and drink sales has been particularly challenging. “The live events industry was built on a foundation of selling alcohol, and that was what subsidized the arts for music venues and clubs, particularly of the small and independent variety. And alcohol sales have ticked down every year we’ve been open, on average,” Motto says. A “good night at the Crocodile in 2019” might have meant an average of $20 in food and beverage revenue per guest, and now that number has dropped to around $15. Motto also notes that he’s been in contact with venues across the country who have noticed similar trends and had “challenging” months in August and September: “People are talking about being 25% down, anecdotally.”

According to Motto, the Crocodile tried a number of tactics before opting to close, including raising prices, enlisting help from sponsors, making staffing changes, and attempting to increase profits through private events. “We’ve changed staffing, we’ve brought on folks to help with sponsorship, we’ve refocused energy on private events, we’ve had to increase the price of our food and drinks to keep up with the cost, and it’s not enough,” he says.

“This is definitely the last thing we ever wanted to do. We’re laying off half our staff, and that includes people we mentored and helped start their careers and people who have poured so much care and attention and love into these venues,” Motto told The Stranger. “I’ve been at the Crocodile for 13 years, and this is the worst week of my time here.”

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect more up-to-date information about the final shows at both venues.

SNAP Benefits Hit a Cliff on November 1

Julianne Bell — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 11:56:00 -0700

All of These Resources Are Ready to Help

by Julianne Bell

The government shutdown is on its 31st day, and come Saturday, November 1, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will run out of funding. On Friday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration would have to fund the food assistance program, but the impact of the ruling is unclear. And even if the program is completely re-funded, SNAP recipients should still expect delays in November.

About 8 percent of King County residents use SNAP to help pay for their groceries every month. Yesterday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that the city will pour $8 million into our local food bank and meal service system to try to cushion the blow. And our local food scene and small businesses have stepped up to do a small part to fill the gaps: Toasted Seattle is offering free meals to anyone who lost benefits, no questions asked, ChuMinh Tofu continues to run their free community meal program every Sunday, along with so many more.

We’ve compiled this (very long but surely incomplete) list of resources for neighbors in need. Plus, at the bottom, you can find suggestions for ways that community members can lend their support.

Where to Find Groceries

Food banks are the most obvious choice to replace your lost SNAP benefits. The city and state have poured millions in extra funding into food banks to try to cope with the spike in need, but they’re still bracing for impact: long lines, food shortages, etc.

Food Lifeline Food Finder Map
Northwest Harvest Food Access Network
Washington 211 Food Pantry Search
Farm to Food Pantry
Emergency Food Network
Hunger Free Washington
Little Free Pantry Finder
Seattle Community Fridge
Eloise's Cooking Pot (Tacoma)

Where to Find Meals

If you're more interested in a hot meal than a pile of groceries, here's some of the businesses, nonprofits, and meal programs where you can get a free meal, no questions asked.

Toasted Seattle

Free breakfast to families on SNAP benefits beginning Nov 1. The bagel shop is offering the first 100 meals, then relying on community donations of $5 each to keep the program going.

Garden Club Cafe

Free food, coffee, and community resources, plus participation from local food banks at an event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov 2 at Sabine's Back Bar in Ballard.

Howdy Bagel

Tab covered for those losing SNAP benefits starting Nov 1 at all locations.

ChuMinh Tofu

Free vegetarian meals every Sunday at their International District location.

Food Not Bombs

Free hot meals every Saturday and Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in Occidental Park.

Northwest Share Food Truck

Free vegetarian food truck every Sunday in the University District.

Seattle Indian Center

Free hot meals served Monday through Friday in the International District.

Community Lunch

Free breakfast, coffee, and lunch served Monday through Friday on Capitol Hill.

OSL Serves

Free lunch and dinner Monday through Friday, lunch served on Saturdays in Pioneer Square.

Phinney Neighborhood Association

Free hot meals served Monday through Wednesday in the Phinney Neighborhood.

Roots
Free, to-go-style dinner served on Fridays in the University District.

Additional Resources and Services

WSDA Programs and Services
Washington 211 Food Resource List
DoorDash (DoorDash has vowed to waive the fees for 300,000 SNAP recipient grocery orders to help families stretch any remaining funds from November 1 through November 30.)
Gopuff (The Gopuff grocery delivery app is offering credit toward SNAP-eligible grocery items and free delivery on orders beginning Nov 1 for the first 200,000 customers. SNAP recipients with their SNAP EBT card connected to the Gopuff app can receive one $25 credit and free delivery during the first half of November, and a second credit and free delivery in the second half.)

Those with a remaining balance on their EBT card can participate in the following programs:

Where to Donate

Food Lifeline
Food Lifeline, a nonprofit that supplies food to various food banks across Western Washington, is seeking donations to help keep shelves stocked.

Emergency Food Network (EFN)
Emergency Food Network distributes over a million pounds of food every month to the 75+ food programs it serves. They have numerous ways to support the program, including monetary donations, food donations, and volunteer opportunities. For every dollar donated, EFN provides two meals to folks in need.

Food Bank Farm in Snohomish
Snohomish’s Food Bank Farm grows food on 20 acres in the Snoqualmie River Valley. With the help of local volunteers, the farm has delivered over two million pounds of food to local food banks. You can donate directly to the farm or volunteer with harvesting crops through their Facebook page.

The Auburn Food Bank
The volunteer-run organization supplies food, referrals, and emergency assistance to those in need in the Auburn area and surrounding cities (Algona, Pacific, Lake Tapps, and Kent). You can donate directly to the effort, volunteer in person, or host your own food drive.

West Seattle Food Bank
The West Seattle Food Bank provides access to food, clothing, rent/utility assistance, bus tickets, community resources, and other essential services for thousands of West Seattle residents. They are seeking direct donations, food donations, and volunteers.

Pike Market Senior Center & Food Bank
The Pike Market Food Bank provides free groceries to downtown Seattle residents experiencing food insecurity. They are accepting donations as well as volunteers.

Making a Difference Foundation
The Making a Difference Foundation is a nonprofit charitable organization with the mission to make a difference in the lives of others by helping them acquire the most basic needs: food, housing, encouragement, and opportunity. Donations supply those in need with warm meals and household products.

Maddy’s Bakeshop
The Queen Anne bakery is hosting a bake sale active until Nov 8, with all proceeds donated to the Ballard Food Bank.

Boon Boona Coffee

Boon Boona is offering free drip coffee at all locations this weekend (Nov 1–2) with the opportunity to drop off nonperishable food items to support local food banks in Rainier Valley and the University District.

Washington 211
211 is a free and confidential three-digit telephone number that helps connect Washington residents to state and local community resources. They are seeking funds, volunteers, item donations, and service donations.

United Way
United Way works to ensure that everyone has access to housing, food security, educational opportunities, and financial stability. You can help by donating directly or signing up to volunteer.

November Harvests at Food Bank Farm

More Ways You Can Help

Host a community food drive.
Assist your neighbors with groceries or rides to food pantries.
Contact Congress and demand emergency SNAP funding.
Share information and resources, especially with friends and families in rural areas, who will be the most affected by SNAP cuts.
Vote in the upcoming general election for leaders who will prioritize food security.

Stranger Suggests: A Convention for Cats, an Intimate Evening with a Pop Culture Icon, and the Shrew We Deserve

Langston Thomas — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 14:18:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Langston Thomas MONDAY 10/27

Farmers Markets Halloween Trivia Night

(TRIVIA) It’s Halloween week, which means you’d better plan carefully if you’re going to stretch that costume through Sunday. To kick things off while you dial in your KPop Demon Hunters wig, head to Halcyon Brewing for a festive night of trivia hosted by Neighborhood Farmers Markets and the Phinney Neighborhood Association. Go solo or bring a team of up to six for brews, bites, and bragging rights. Prizes will be given out for best costume, best team name, and top trivia champs, plus raffle giveaways from local vendors, with proceeds from the night supporting Seattle’s seasonal and year-round farmers markets. (Halcyon Brewing Company, 5:45 pm, 21+) LANGSTON THOMAS

TUESDAY 10/28

Olivie Blake

Olivie Blake will be at Third Place Books Lake Forest Park Tuesday, October 28. MICHELLE TERRIS

(BOOKS) I’m very much here for the recent influx of dark feminist fiction about female appetites (e.g., Woman, Eating; A Certain Hunger; Hungerstone), so I was instantly hooked by the premise of The Atlas Six author Olivie Blake’s new novel, Girl Dinner. College sophomore Nina Kaur is accepted into The House, the most sought-after sorority on campus. Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley, who is struggling to manage her career alongside the travails of new motherhood and a less-than-supportive husband, becomes the mysterious society’s new academic liaison. Soon, the two women find themselves pulled progressively deeper into an uncanny world of cannibalistic rituals and feminine rage. Blake will discuss her book with local speculative fiction writer Isabel Cañas, author of The Possession of Alba Díaz. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 10/29

Shrew

(THEATER) We can all agree that Shakespeare is mad queer to begin with, but Union Arts Center’s Shrew really got the brief. This reimagining of The Taming of the Shrew is almost completely true to the original script, but through costuming, blocking, and performance, director Bobbin Ramsey tells the story that we all hope ol’ Bill was trying to get at in the first place. Most of the male roles are played in drag. And in case you were wondering how Ramsey felt about the minor male characters vying for ownership of our female leads, several of them are played by the same hand puppet passed around by the actors in drag. This is the first Shakespearean play the theater has done since ACT Theatre and Seattle Shakespeare joined forces to create Union Arts Center, and came out with a bang. This is not Shrew a la 10 Things I Hate About You (though if you listen closely, you’ll catch a few references to it). This is a Shrew for 2025, one where the Shrew is never tamed, and the patriarchy is a nightmare for everyone, not just her. (Union Arts Center, through November 2) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

THURSDAY 10/30

An Intimate Evening with Pamela Des Barres

Miss Pamela (Pamela Des Barres), pictured here at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco in 1973 with her beau, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. RICHARD CREAMER MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES

(BOOKS) Even if you have not read Pamela Des Barres’s 1987 memoir, I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie, I promise you’ve seen its mark on pop culture (see: Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous). Along with being a best-selling author and the original “rockstar girlfriend,” Des Barres was also a member of all-female performance art troupe the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), who released the incredible experimental rock album Permanent Damage, produced by Frank Zappa, back in 1969. Des Barres will bring her one-woman show to the Rabbit Box to share her wit, wisdom, and firsthand experiences with everyone from Mick Jagger to the Manson Family. (Rabbit Box Theatre, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 10/31

Shea Couleé Presents Creepy.Sexy.Cool.

(DRAG) Chicago-based drag icon, recording artist, and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Shea Couleé is embarking on their first-ever headline DJ tour and bringing a “Halloween-inspired celebration of fantasy and fierce beats” to six different cities, and Seattle is lucky enough to host their tour stop on actual Halloween. Famed Chicago DJ MISTER WALLACE will join them, as will their drag sisters Kerri Colby, Aja, and Luxx Noir London. According to Shea, costumes are “not just encouraged, but expected,” so be sure to serve “dark glamour meets ’90s nostalgia” to avoid having to sashay away—there might just be a prize awarded for the most sickening look. (Showbox, 9 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

SATURDAY 11/1

Seattle Catrinas Festival 2025

(FESTIVAL) Just like the spirits of our forebearers, Seattle’s Catrinas Festival is back with a vibrant tribute to the ancestors and Mexican tradition featuring music, folklore, and a towering altar adorned with flowers and ofrendas (offerings). Inspired by La Catrina (aka the iconic skeleton figure of Día de Muertos), this fest hosts live catrinas and catrines in full costume for an impressive living procession. Families are invited to bring photos and mementos of loved ones and enjoy a bustling street market with traditional food, crafts, art, face painting, and more. Plus, kids five and under are free. (Town Hall, Sat–Sun, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

Note: We previously had suggested Jimmy O. Yang, but that performance has been postponed to February.

SUNDAY 11/2

Sea-Meow Con

This beautiful beast made an appearance at last year's Sea-Meow convention. See more wonderful kitties this year at Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, November 1–2. MADISON KIRKMAN

(CATS) Dog people have the luxury of showing off their pets on daily walks, but we cat owners have to settle for photos, hoping that an image can convey our cat’s unique personality and star power—it’s not fair! Sea-Meow Con offers a rare oasis for cats and cat owners to strut their stuff in public, with two days dedicated to our feline friends. There will be merchants slinging cat-related goods (for both humans and cats), advocates, furries, speakers, musicians, filmmakers, and more. There will also be plenty of social cats on-site, including on leashes, in strollers, and in fenced areas for cuddling. (Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 10 am, all ages) AUDREY VANN

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Stranger Suggests: Dorie Greenspan’s Birthday Party, an Anti-AI Art Show, and the Band That Made Kurt Cobain a Giddy Fanboy

Julianne Bell — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 13:10:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 10/20

Rob Anderson: Are You Afraid of the '90s

(COMEDY) I was obsessed with the I Love the [insert decade here] series of VH1 specials that aired constantly in the mid-2000s and offered a window into the absurdity and history of past decades. Internet personality and comedian Rob Anderson first transformed this style of deep-dive nostalgic comedy into successful TikToks, and now he’s developed those into a full live stage show complete with video, songs, and pop culture factoids. Anderson seeks to answer ever-looming questions like, “What did our unhinged media from this decade teach us about teenage pregnancy, drug addiction, and questionable age gaps?” A LOT, it turns out. (Crocodile, 7 pm [sold out] & 9:30 pm, 21+) BRI BREY

TUEDAY 10/21

My Favorite Murder Live

(PODCAST) One of the first and best podcasts to capitalize on the nation's obsession with true crime, My Favorite Murder has been investigating cold cases and telling the stories of victims since 2016. Hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark have built a dedicated fan base of Murderinos with the convivial sign-off “stay sexy, and don’t get murdered.” It’s bullseye if you obsessively watch reruns of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Cold Case Files, and the like. This is the duo’s first tour in almost six years, so miss it at your own peril. (Paramount Theatre, Tues–Wed, 7 pm, all ages) BRI BREY

WEDNESDAY 10/22

Book Larder Presents: Dorie Greenspan

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(FOOD & DRINK) Over the course of her career, legendary New York Times–bestselling cookbook author Dorie Greenspan has won five James Beard Awards, collaborated with Julia Child, and developed thousands of recipes. In her new cookbook, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, the culinary grande dame turns her attention to simple, effortless cakes that can be whipped up with pantry staples at a moment’s notice, from “BFF brownie cake” to buttermilk plum cake. She’ll stop by Fremont Abbey for a conversation with food writer Nancy Leson, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Bonus: Cake will be provided in celebration of Dorie’s birthday week. (Fremont Abbey, 7 pm) JULIANNE BELL

THURSDAY 10/23

Miki Berenyi Trio, Gina Birch and the Unreasonables

(MUSIC) If you are a jazz dude and not familiar with this mysterious trio, don’t worry, your ego and masculinity aren’t tarnished! The Miki Berenyi Trio isn’t really a jazz trio at all, but a dream-pop supergroup consisting of Lush’s Miki Berenyi, Moose’s Kevin McKillop, and Aircooled’s Oliver Cherer. The ensemble’s debut, Tripla, is a richly layered kaleidoscope of trip-hop, dance music, shoegaze, and ’90s rock. Berenyi’s immediately recognizable voice meditates on the disrespect of Mother Earth (“8th Deadly Sin”), toxic masculinity (“Big I Am”), and misogyny spread on social media (“Grango”). Although the subject matter is often dark, the album is actually quite joyful. I suspect it will sound amazing live. And don’t you dare miss an opening set from feminist post-punk icon Gina Birch (of the Raincoats) and her new band, the Unreasonables. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 10/24

Form Over Function Artist Panel: Intimacy

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(VISUAL ART) In an era of screens, filters, and AI-generated… everything, what does real intimacy look like? Seattle Art Source invites you to explore this topic at an evening of conversation and contemplation with artists Barry Johnson, Kyler Pahang, and Kade Marsili, moderated by curator Seth Sexton. As part of the Form Over Function exhibition (on view through November 8), this panel explores how artists interpret the human form and the closeness it conveys in a hyper-digital age. If you missed last week’s panel on “Emergence,” this is your chance to join a thoughtful discussion and to engage directly with the exhibition's creators (no algorithm required). (Seattle Art Source, 5 pm, free, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

SATURDAY 10/25

Shonen Knife, the Pack A.D.

(MUSIC) Is there any band cooler than Shonen Knife? The answer is no. Formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981 by two college friends and their younger sister, the band was named after a knife marketed to boys, and the trio began writing pop-punk songs about candy, animals, and consumerism. They’ve had some lineup changes throughout the years, but the current touring band consists of founding sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano and drummer Risa Kawano (who has been with the band since 2011). Just take it from noted Shonen Knife fanboy Kurt Cobain, who once said, “When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical 9-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.” They will be joined by British garage-rock duo the Pack A.D. for two consecutive shows. The late show sold out quickly, so don’t sleep on these tickets! (Tractor Tavern, 4:30 pm & 8:30 pm [sold out], 21+) AUDREY VANN

SUNDAY 10/26

Makaya McCraven

(MUSIC) Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven’s riotous Earshot 2022 gig at Nectar had the crowd going as wild as a Sun Ra keyboard solo. A key figure in the current jazz resurgence as part of the crucial International Anthem label, McCraven shows a keen appreciation for the music’s ’60s/’70s avant-garde while adding his own distinctive spin with inventive post-production editing and electronic enhancements. His newest output consists of four EPs that will be collected under the title Off the Record (available on physical formats October 10 and digitally October 31). These tracks spawned from live improvisations over the years and then were chopped and spiced [sic] into the fascinating pieces you hear on record. Each EP has its own personality and personnel. Hidden Out! features some of McCraven’s most athletic, powerful drumming. The funky “Battleships” slinks in the vein of Mr. Ra’s “Twin Stars of Thence,” with spidery guitar filigree by Jeff Parker. The People’s Mixtape offers polyrhythmic avant-funk that should appeal to open-minded hip-hop fans. PopUp Shop’s serpentine post-bop jams could’ve earned Blue Note’s stamp of approval back in the day. The jaggedly rhythmic and electronics-laced Techno Logic, with cornetist Ben LaMar Gay and tubaist Theon Cross, represents Makaya’s most experimental material. Fortuitously, this studio magic translates to the stage. (Madame Lou’s, 6 pm & 9:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

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Stranger Suggests: A New Home for Actualize AiR, a Festival for Doc Lovers, and the Band Behind One of the Best Songs of the Year

Julianne Bell — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 16:38:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 10/13

Smerz

(MUSIC) If the idea of two sweetly harmonizing Norwegian women making nonchalantly brilliant electronic music doesn’t pique your interest, then you should probably reassess your aesthetics. Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina Stoltenberg have been creating interesting and varied electronica since 2018, like a less flamboyant Björk—although the intimate, orchestral work of France’s Colleen may be a more accurate touchstone. But with this year’s Big city life, Smerz take a graceful leap forward with their songwriting and arranging skills. They exude that irresistible deadpan cool, like Wet Leg, but Smerz come off as more bedroom auteurs than arena-filling entertainers. The title track is rock-ribbed, bass-heavy electro-pop with an oh-so-haunting keyboard melody. The sassy, methodical electroclash of “Roll the dice” sounds like a more understated Peaches. “You got time and I got money” is the lowest-key seduction anthem you’ll hear all year and boasts the excellent line “Baby, can I see you naked? / Even though I love how you dress.” “But I do” is enchanting, slow-motion funk with entrancing vocal harmonies and a killer, subliminal bass line. It’s one of the songs of 2025. (Do you know how many songs have been released this year??) (Hidden Hall, 7:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

TUESDAY 10/14

Good Things: An Evening with Samin Nosrat

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(FOOD & DRINK) Samin Nosrat revolutionized the cookbook world in 2017 with her James Beard Award–winning manifesto Salt Fat Acid Heat, which educates readers on the four fundamentals of flavor, so that they can cook well intuitively. (The recipes for buttermilk chicken and autumn panzanella are fall staples in my household.) She reached a wider audience and charmed viewers with her warmth and gusto on her 2018 Netflix series of the same name, in which she traveled to various destinations to learn more about the four elements. Eight years after the publication of Salt Fat Acid Heat, her highly anticipated follow-up, Good Things, has arrived. It contains 125 of Nosrat’s most cherished recipes, from saffron roast chicken to nostalgic yellow cake with chocolate frosting, as well as advice, anecdotes about her adorable dog Fava, and meditations on how food can nourish community. Samin will join her friend, author and former Stranger staff food writer Angela Garbes, for a conversation about food, creativity, and connection. (Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 10/15

‘The Little Foxes’ by Lillian Hellman

(THEATER) Set in a small Alabama town in 1900, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes follows Regina Giddens as she manipulates her way into receiving a hefty family inheritance in an era when sons were considered the only legal heirs. The story is the perfect example of how a lack of women’s rights can lead to a multitude of women’s wrongs—it’s the ultimate “good for her!” story. Since its original stage production, starring Tallulah Bankhead in 1939, the leading role has been revived for stars like Bette Davis (in the 1941 film adaptation), Elizabeth Taylor, Stockard Channing, Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon, and more. This group of actresses alone speaks volumes about the drama and camp of this theater masterpiece. (Intiman Theatre, various times through Nov 2, all ages) AUDREY VANN

THURSDAY 10/16

SIFF DocFest

See 'A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint' at this year's SIFF Doc Fest, which runs October 16–23. COURTESY OF SIFF

(FILM) Sure, it’s no Sundance, Cannes, or Venice Film Festival, but SIFF’S DocFest is a pretty big deal. In the last five years alone, the festival has screened Academy Award nominees like 2022’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and 2021’s Flee, as well as premiered heavy hitters like The Sanctity of Space. This year’s programming is possibly the best yet, with highlights like Sun Ra: Do the Impossible (about the dearly departed Afro-futurist jazz icon), A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint (following the life of the Broadway star and drag royal), and Steal This Story, Please! (about Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman). (SIFF Cinema Uptown, various times) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 10/17

Actualize AiR Fun-Raiser Carnival

(VISUAL ART) For the better part of two years, Actualize AiR has hosted a litany of fascinating art shows and experiences in the old downtown Seattle Coliseum building, from this summer’s Artists Doing: Nothing, a made-in-a-day performance experiment, to ICONS, a multidisciplinary exhibit from Alissa Dymally Williams and Noelle Whitaker that spread throughout several rooms in the partially unfinished basement. But there’s bad news for everyone who’s come to love stopping by during downtown’s Fourth Friday art walks: Actualize AiR lost their lease. But there’s good news, too! They’ve found a new space in Pioneer Square and will move in the coming months. To kick off their $40,000 moving cost fundraiser—and as one last goodbye to the Coliseum—Actualize AiR are throwing a “fun-raiser” with all your carnival favorites, including face painting, caricatures, airbrushed T-shirts, and cotton candy. It’s free, but you can buy bingo cards and raffle tickets to help ’em reach their one-night $15,000 goal. (The Coliseum, 6 pm, free, all ages) MEGAN SELING

SATURDAY 10/18

Pinback

(MUSIC) Pinback hasn't released a new album since 2012, but that doesn't stop them from playing sporadic shows for their adoring and supportive fanbase. With their unique rock-influenced take on indie pop, the duo of Armistead Burwell Smith IV and Rob Crow craft complex tracks that have kept listeners engaged for over two decades. (Their song "Good to Sea" started my obsession with indie music in high school.) Their live shows are always energetic affairs, with moshing teenagers and song requests taken via paper airplane. Hasco Enjoyments, an instrumental band that describes themselves as "a musical group featuring baritone guitar, flute, synthesizers and saxophones played by an ensemble of iridescent bubbles," opens the show. The LA-based ensemble has a song called "The Seattle Mariners Are My Favorite Baseball Team," and while I'm not entirely sure why, I obviously love it. (The Showbox, 8:30 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

SUNDAY 10/19

'House'

(HALLOWEEN) You’ll never forget your first time watching the bananas 1977 Japanese horror-comedy technicolor phantasmagoria that is House. The story follows a teen schoolgirl named Gorgeous who goes on a summer trip to visit her aunt’s home in the countryside, along with her six friends: the brainy Prof, music-loving Melody, athletic Kung Fu, perpetually hungry Mac, gentle Sweet, and daydreamer Fantasy. One by one, the classmates fall victim to the house’s supernatural traps. This movie has everything: a disembodied head biting someone in the ass, a flesh-eating piano, mattresses falling from the sky, and an evil white Persian cat named Blanche. Really, it must be seen to be believed. Drag queen and self-described “bird-brained bombshell” Monday Mourning will give an introduction to the film, which is part of her “Mourning Sickness” series of camp and cult classics. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Outer Planet Brewing Isn’t Closing After All!

Julianne Bell — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:08:00 -0700

At the end of August, we reported that 10-year-old Outer Planet Brewing, the smallest operating craft brewery on Capitol Hill, would close permanently on September 20 after unsuccessfully attempting to find new ownership. Now, a last-minute buyer will keep the dog-friendly, family-friendly taproom alive after all. by Julianne Bell

The new owner, local beer industry veteran and Capitol Hill resident Amory Carhart, read about the closure in The Stranger and reached out to Outer Planet to inquire about potentially purchasing the business. Discussions followed, and on September 24, just days after the nanobrewery’s official closing party, the former owners entered into an official agreement to sell to Carhart.

Carhart says he jumped on the opportunity to buy the nanobrewery because didn’t want the neighborhood to lose such a cherished third space. He’s dedicated to preserving Outer Planet’s “cozy gathering space” and signature small-batch European-style beers. He also hopes to add some American pale ales to the lineup and sell beer to other bars and restaurants, which the brewery hasn’t done before. “As a Capitol Hill resident it broke my heart to see one of the best small businesses on the hill shutter,” he says. “It's a place people come for book club, MTG games, DND, bingo, and trivia in addition to fantastic European-style beer. It's lowkey, it's small and intimate, and there truly is a community feel. It's a great place to make friends casually, and a great place to chat with the beertenders. I had the opportunity to keep it alive, and felt almost as if it was a civic duty to do so.”

Carhart graduated from South Puget Sound Community College’s Craft Brewing & Distilling program six years ago and has worked as a brewer at Mac & Jack’s, Elysian, Fremont, and most recently, Hellbent Brewing Company. His wife, Aimee Bessette, is an event planner and will help to round out Outer Planet’s community programming with board game nights, movie nights, and “intimate classes on the science behind your favorite beer,” according to a press release. But don’t worry: the popular trivia and bingo nights and members-exclusive events aren’t going away. “I'm extremely excited to build some new programs, introduce these new events, and continue making it a place that is inclusive, friendly, fun, and just an all-around good place to hang,” Carhart says.

The brewery reopened last Wednesday, October 1. According to a message on the website, the previous owners will work to transition ownership throughout the month. “We are excited about the opportunity to pass the torch for Outer Planet to live on,” they wrote, “and are grateful for the future owner to enter this new chapter of our beloved brewery.”

Stranger Suggests: Hypnotic Synth Music, an Exhibit with More Than 1,400 Artists, and a Cathartic Play Where the Bad Man Gets What's Comin'

Julianne Bell — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 15:45:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 10/6

Autechre, Mark Broom

(MUSIC) Every Autechre show is a hyperkinetic séance of rhythmic complexity and intense volume. Performing in total darkness without acknowledging the crowd, British abstract-techno innovators Sean Booth and Rob Brown get down to the serious business of submerging their loyal fans (there are no other kind, in my experience) in a shape-shifting torrent of convulsive electronic sorcery. At a typical Autechre gig, hallucinogens are superfluous, as the strangely angled and textured music is more than enough to discombobulate you. Cautionary tale: At a packed 2001 AE set in a bunker at the Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival, I was tripping on ac*d and felt as if I were trapped forever in a fucked-up maze. A friend who was there accurately described the sound as “castanets clacking on a crack-house floor.” It’s amazing that a group this improvisational and abstruse still has substantial drawing power more than 30 years into their existence. An awesome AE live show is one of the few sure things in the music biz and, frankly, the world at large. (Crocodile, 6:30 pm & 10:00 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

TUESDAY 10/7

Turnstile, Amyl and the Sniffers, Speed, Jane Remover

(MUSIC) Since their formation in 2010, the Baltimore-based hardcore punk band Turnstile has grown from hometown darling to mainstream breakout success, racking up multiple Grammy nominations in 2023, headlining festivals, and drawing praise from the likes of Hayley Williams and Dev Hynes. The group counts Bad Brains and Sade among their influences and mixes hardcore with melodic pop structures, resulting in eminently listenable songs with widespread appeal. If you’re still not convinced, the Seattle stop on their Never Enough tour will feature sets from rising digicore artist Jane Remover, Australian hardcore five-piece Speed, and fellow Aussie punks Amyl and the Sniffers. (WAMU Theater, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

WEDNESDAY 10/8

'Stage of Fools'

See 'Stage of Fools' at Seattle Public Theater through November 2. COLIN MADISON PHOTOGRAPHY

(Theater) Stage of Fools was supposed to be a farce. Joy McCullough wrote the play in the summer of 2024, when Project 2025 was a conservative pipe dream, and the idea of a small feminist theater collaborating with a toxic Hollywood has-been in a last-ditch effort to dig themselves out of financial ruin was an entertaining exercise in fiction. But now we’re living in a Trump 2.0 world. The bad men have the money and the power, and arts organizations unwilling to play Trump’s games are slashing budgets, laying off staff, and closing their doors for good. Still, Stage of Fools is hilariously cathartic, despite its depressingly on-the-nose echoes of our terrifying reality, and it’s a must-see for anyone who loves Bikini Kill, meta theater, and seeing the bad man get what he deserves. (There are some top-notch Shakespeare takedowns, too. Fuck that guy.) (Seattle Public Theater, multiple showtimes through Nov 2) MEGAN SELING

THURSDAY 10/9

Eiko Otake & Wen Hui: What Is War

(DANCE) Choreographers, performers, and filmmakers Wen Hui and Eiko Otake first met in 1995 at an experimental theater festival, sparking a collaborative relationship that would span decades. Eiko grew up in postwar Japan and now resides in New York, whereas Wen Hui was raised in China during the Cultural Revolution and currently lives in Germany. In January 2020, Eiko went to visit Wen Hui in China for a month-long artist fellowship, and the two began to excavate the war-related memories stored in their bodies. Throughout the pandemic, they worked together remotely on the documentary No Rule Is Our Rule, which explores their history, friendship, and trauma. This powerful dance performance, which the artists forged together in residencies, expands on that conversation—the women share their somatic stories through a “complex tapestry of language, movement, and video” and prompt the audience to question their own relationship to war. (On the Boards, 8 pm) JULIANNE BELL

FRIDAY 10/10

Telephone Opening Night

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(VISUAL ART) An exhibit that is an international game that starts with a single work of art that gets interpreted and translated hundreds of times, with more than 1,400 players and as many works of art? That’s TELEPHONE, an art experiment/exhibit in its third and largest iteration. Conceived by Seattle-based artist and software designer Nathan Langston, the premise is simple: Just like the children’s game, one work of art gets punted along (without context) to multiple recipients, who then interpret it as a new work of art, and so on until there’s a giant family tree of whispered artworks that have evolved in infinite ways. The results of the game will be revealed in a massive exhibit spanning two venues, with artworks ranging from musical compositions and poetry to painting, sculpture, and video. (Base Camp Studios 1 & 2, through December 13) AMANDA MANITACH

SATURDAY 10/11

NonSeq: Patricia Wolf, WNDFRM

(MUSIC) I was once shopping at a small Portland record store with the golden-hour sun shining through the windows, expensive incense smoke wisping through the air, and delightfully minimal ambient music blasting. Eager to recreate the bliss when I got back to Seattle (but too shy to ask the employee what the record was), I turned to good ol’ Shazam for answers. It turned out to be Patricia Wolf’s 2022 minimalist masterpiece, See-Through. Using field recordings, acoustic, and electronic instruments, Wolf unites the natural and synthetic worlds, creating a meditative and hypnotic experience. As a part of Wayward’s experimental music series, Nonsequitur, Wolf will debut new material on a variety of electronic instruments. She will be joined by sound artist WNDFRM (aka Tim Westcott) and trippy live visuals from video artist Leo Mayberry. (Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

SUNDAY 10/12

Go Apple Picking

These apples could be your apples! HMW

(FALL) Washington is apple country, so you can throw a fish and find an orchard that will let you fill a bushel full of fresh, delicious treats. But allow us to introduce you to Skipley Farms: seven acres in Snohomish, WA, with hundreds of varieties of apples you’ve never heard of, the tiniest, most delicious little pears, kiwi vines, and acres of wine and table grapes. The owner looks like he might have run a cult at one point (complimentary), and before he sets you free in the orchard, he shares the history of the farm, and explains what pests to look out for (some make the apples sweeter!) They’re also all organic (you don’t want to know what pesticides it takes to keep bugs off apples), and he runs an informal incubator program to teach up-and-coming farmers how to grow fruit of their own. (Skipley Farms, Snohomish) HANNAH MURPHY WINTER

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October 17, Climate Pledge Arena

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October Things to Do: Music

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:32:00 -0700

The best concerts and dance nights happening in October. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

Laufey, Suki Waterhouse

Oct 4

Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey captured the hearts and minds of a generation with her whimsical, jazzy 2023 album Bewitched, which took home a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. With her newest album, A Matter of Time, she explores influences from multiple genres and reveals a more complex, vulnerable side: As she told Uproxx, “People expect a pretty façade of girly clothes, fantastical stories, and romantic music. This time, I was interested in seeing how I could draw out the most flawed parts of myself and look at them directly in the mirror.” She’ll be joined on her tour by Brit model turned indie-pop singer Suki Waterhouse. (Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Lambrini Girls, Edging

Oct 5

Following in the tradition of X-Ray Spex and Huggy Bear, Brighton, England’s Lambrini Girls blow the cobwebs off punk with a hurricane of caustic energy and barbed lyrics about sexism, homophobia, gentrification, police brutality, rich bastards, music-biz nepotism, eating disorders, and frauds. (Their dance-pop anomaly “Cuntology 101” stands with the Slits’ “Typical Girls” in the Funny Feminist Rock Hall of Fame.) Boasting a fan club that includes Iggy Pop and Kathleen Hanna, the Girls have dropped one of the thorniest and most exhilarating albums of 2025, Who Let the Dogs Out. Lilly Macieira busts out filthy and thick basslines (think Daisy Chainsaw) while guitarist Phoebe Lunny cranks out wiry, mosh-pit-inspiring riffs and contributes asbestos-throated vocals. (Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Autechre, Mark Broom

Oct 6

Every Autechre show is a hyperkinetic séance of rhythmic complexity and intense volume. Performing in total darkness without acknowledging the crowd, British abstract-techno innovators Sean Booth and Rob Brown get down to the serious business of submerging their loyal fans (there are no other kind, in my experience) in a shape-shifting torrent of convulsive electronic sorcery. At a typical Autechre gig, hallucinogens are superfluous, as the strangely angled and textured music is more than enough to discombobulate you. Cautionary tale: At a packed 2001 AE set in a bunker at the Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival, I was tripping on ac*d and felt as if I were trapped forever in a fucked-up maze. A friend who was there accurately described the sound as “castanets clacking on a crack-house floor.” It’s amazing that a group this improvisational and abstruse still has substantial drawing power more than 30 years into their existence. An awesome AE live show is one of the few sure things in the music biz and, frankly, the world at large. (Crocodile, 6:30 pm & 10:00 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Turnstile, Amyl and the Sniffers, Speed, Jane Remover

Oct 7

Since their formation in 2010, the Baltimore-based hardcore punk band Turnstile has grown from hometown darling to mainstream breakout success, racking up multiple Grammy nominations in 2023, headlining festivals, and drawing praise from the likes of Hayley Williams and Dev Hynes. The group counts Bad Brains and Sade among their influences and mixes hardcore with melodic pop structures, resulting in eminently listenable songs with widespread appeal. If you’re still not convinced, the Seattle stop on their Never Enough tour will feature sets from rising digicore artist Jane Remover, Australian hardcore five-piece Speed, and fellow Aussie punks Amyl and the Sniffers. (WAMU Theater, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Lucinda Williams and Her Band

Oct 9

Lucinda Williams is my favorite songwriter. From early songs like “Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet)” to the flawless “Side of the Road” and “Fruits of My Labor,” Williams has the rare ability to write a folk song that isn’t simply sad or happy, but ignites the dark, hidden shadows of joy. This is perhaps the clearest on her 1980 sophomore album, Happy Woman Blues, which set a tone for her long legacy of introspective, nuanced songwriting. Williams suffered a stroke back in 2020, which has left her unable to play guitar, but got back on the road just a year later, leaning on her love of playing music and writing to get her through the dark times. During that period, Williams finished her memoir, Don’t Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You, and her 15th studio album, Stories From a Rock n Roll Heart. The alt-country legend will grace the 5th Avenue Theatre with an evening of stories, songs, and visuals from her nearly 50-year-long musical career. (5th Avenue Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Nation of Language, Westerman

Oct 9–10

When Ian Richard Devaney croons, “Just a reminder, I’m in love,” on Nation of Language’s beautifully sparse 2023 single “Weak in Your Light,” you’d have to be missing a pulse not to feel properly reminded. Buoyed by Devaney’s dramatic new wave vox and braced with shimmering synthesizers, Moog drum tracks, and, let’s be honest, statuesque cheekbones, NoL’s nostalgic, emotion-drenched intellectual pop has grabbed fans from across the Smiths’Future Islands continuum and beyond since 2020’s Introduction, Presence. Now touring in support of their fourth album, the Sub Pop–backed Dance Called Memory, the Brooklyn trio has added a bit more guitar to their arpeggiated analog-synth formula (there’s even strumming!), without losing their sleek, stylish allure. (Showbox, 8 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

NonSeq: Patricia Wolf, WNDFRM

Oct 11

I was once shopping at a small Portland record store with the golden-hour sun shining through the windows, expensive incense smoke wisping through the air, and delightfully minimal ambient music blasting. Eager to recreate the bliss when I got back to Seattle (but too shy to ask the employee what the record was), I turned to good ol’ Shazam for answers. It turned out to be Patricia Wolf’s 2022 minimalist masterpiece, See-Through. Using field recordings, acoustic, and electronic instruments, Wolf unites the natural and synthetic worlds, creating a meditative and hypnotic experience. As a part of Wayward’s experimental music series, Nonsequitur, Wolf will debut new material on a variety of electronic instruments. She will be joined by sound artist WNDFRM (aka Tim Westcott) and trippy live visuals from video artist Leo Mayberry. (Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Smerz

Oct 13

If the idea of two sweetly harmonizing Norwegian women making nonchalantly brilliant electronic music doesn’t pique your interest, then you should probably reassess your aesthetics. Henriette Motzfeldt and Catharina Stoltenberg have been creating interesting and varied electronica since 2018, like a less flamboyant Björk—although the intimate, orchestral work of France’s Colleen may be a more accurate touchstone. But with this year’s Big city life, Smerz take a graceful leap forward with their songwriting and arranging skills. They exude that irresistible deadpan cool, like Wet Leg, but Smerz come off as more bedroom auteurs than arena-filling entertainers. The title track is rock-ribbed, bass-heavy electro-pop with an oh-so-haunting keyboard melody. The sassy, methodical electroclash of “Roll the dice” sounds like a more understated Peaches. “You got time and I got money” is the lowest-key seduction anthem you’ll hear all year and boasts the excellent line “Baby, can I see you naked? / Even though I love how you dress.” “But I do” is enchanting, slow-motion funk with entrancing vocal harmonies and a killer, subliminal bass line. It’s one of the songs of 2025. (Do you know how many songs have been released this year??) (Hidden Hall, 7:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Ty Segall

Oct 14

California garage-rock chameleon Ty Segall has the kind of pace of musical creation (17 solo studio albums in as many years in addition to an incalculable amount of singles, rarities, side-project band releases and Comedy Central theme songs) that paints a clear picture of a man who is just about that rock-and-roll lifestyle. Acknowledging such compulsions, Segall told the Associated Press last year that he was “trying not to release as much anymore”; however, as this spring’s Possession LP (plus his recent collaborative Freckle album) makes clear, nobody can tell Ty Segall what to do, not even Ty Segall. He has, however, landed in a fairly conventional place. Possessions sees a return to melodic, approachable songwriting that circles influences like Paul McCartney and Kurt Vile more than his more Stooges-like freakout moments. What Segall’s endearing unpredictability on record amounts to is that he’ll have even more variety to keep audiences on their toes at each show on this tour with a full band. (Neumos, 7 pm, all ages) TODD HAMM

Miki Berenyi Trio, Gina Birch and the Unreasonables

Oct 23

If you are a jazz dude and not familiar with this mysterious trio, don’t worry, your ego and masculinity aren’t tarnished! The Miki Berenyi Trio isn’t really a jazz trio at all, but a dream-pop supergroup consisting of Lush’s Miki Berenyi, Moose’s Kevin McKillop, and Aircooled’s Oliver Cherer. The ensemble’s debut, Tripla, is a richly layered kaleidoscope of trip-hop, dance music, shoegaze, and ’90s rock. Berenyi’s immediately recognizable voice meditates on the disrespect of Mother Earth (“8th Deadly Sin”), toxic masculinity (“Big I Am”), and misogyny spread on social media (“Grango”). Although the subject matter is often dark, the album is actually quite joyful. I suspect it will sound amazing live. And don’t you dare miss an opening set from feminist post-punk icon Gina Birch (of the Raincoats) and her new band, the Unreasonables. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Shonen Knife, the Pack A.D.

Oct 25

Is there any band cooler than Shonen Knife? The answer is no. Formed in Osaka, Japan, in 1981 by two college friends and their younger sister, the band was named after a knife marketed to boys, and the trio began writing pop-punk songs about candy, animals, and consumerism. They’ve had some lineup changes throughout the years, but the current touring band consists of founding sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano and drummer Risa Kawano (who has been with the band since 2011). Just take it from noted Shonen Knife fanboy Kurt Cobain, who once said, “When I finally got to see them live, I was transformed into a hysterical 9-year-old girl at a Beatles concert.” They will be joined by British garage-rock duo the Pack A.D. for two consecutive shows. The late show sold out quickly, so don’t sleep on these tickets! (Tractor Tavern, 4:30 pm & 8:30 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Makaya McCraven

Oct 26

Chicago-based drummer Makaya McCraven’s riotous Earshot 2022 gig at Nectar had the crowd going as wild as a Sun Ra keyboard solo. A key figure in the current jazz resurgence as part of the crucial International Anthem label, McCraven shows a keen appreciation for the music’s ’60s/’70s avant-garde while adding his own distinctive spin with inventive post-production editing and electronic enhancements. His newest output consists of four EPs that will be collected under the title Off the Record (available on physical formats October 10 and digitally October 31). These tracks spawned from live improvisations over the years and then were chopped and spiced [sic] into the fascinating pieces you hear on record. Each EP has its own personality and personnel. Hidden Out! features some of McCraven’s most athletic, powerful drumming. The funky “Battleships” slinks in the vein of Mr. Ra’s “Twin Stars of Thence,” with spidery guitar filigree by Jeff Parker. The People’s Mixtape offers polyrhythmic avant-funk that should appeal to open-minded hip-hop fans. PopUp Shop’s serpentine post-bop jams could’ve earned Blue Note’s stamp of approval back in the day. The jaggedly rhythmic and electronics-laced Techno Logic, with cornetist Ben LaMar Gay and tubaist Theon Cross, represents Makaya’s most experimental material. Fortuitously, this studio magic translates to the stage. (Madame Lou’s, 6 pm & 9:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Cut Chemist, Edan, DJ Indica Jones

Oct 30

If the thought of witnessing extraordinary hip-hop skills in the flesh still tingles your brainbox, get your ass to Nectar for Cut Chemist and Edan. Cut (aka Lucas MacFadden) has shone as a producer for vibrant, old-school rap crew Jurassic 5 and Latin funk ensemble Ozomatli, lacing their tracks with endless permutations of head-nodding beats and golden melodic snippets. He’s also maintained an inspirational side hustle as one of the world’s most technically adept and broad-minded DJs/turntablists; his sets trading off eclectic deep cuts on 45 with DJ Shadow are essential lessons in multidimensional dopeness and genius mixing. East Coaster Edan is an MC/DJ/producer with a grip of CC collabs to his name. His clever/crude rhymes and fast-twitch flows match his beatmaking élan, as exemplified by 2000’s Primitive Plus and 2005’s psych-rap classic Beauty and the Beat. I’m not sure what form their performances will take here, but whatever the case, your hands will likely spend a lot of time in the air. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Lael Neale, Guy Blakeslee

Nov 3

In her bio, singer-songwriter Lael Neale writes that she loves “not listening to music”—and it shows (in the best way). Employing drum machines, power chords, and a Suzuki Omnichord, Neale creates a singular sound that’s all her own: equal parts dream pop, classic country, and gospel. Her latest album, Altogether Stranger, sounds like an ’80s private press record that would eventually land a coveted Light in the Attic reissue (IYKYK). Neale will support the album after a set from LA-based experimental artist Guy Blakeslee. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

More

Loudon Wainwright III Oct 1, Vashon Center for the Arts, 7:30 pm, all ages

Tate McRae: Miss Possessive Tour Oct 2–3, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Jembaa Groove Oct 3, Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+

Racoma, Adeline Hotel, Jackie West Oct 6, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

Pup, Jeff Rosenstock, Ekko Astral Oct 7, Showbox SoDo, 7:30 pm, all ages

Playboi Carti Oct 8, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

JUL!ET, Avery Cochrane, Camille Cano, DJ Shayrosay Oct 9, Barboza, 7 pm, all ages

Acid Mothers Temple, the Macks, Kinski Oct 10, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+

The Beta Band: The Three EPs Tour Oct 14, Showbox, 8:30 pm, all ages

The Tubs Oct 14, The Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

Miki Yamanaka Trio, George Colligan, Zyanna Oct 15, Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+

Garbage, Starcrawler Oct 15, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Dua Lipa: Radical Optimism Tour Oct 15–16, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages

Planned Parenthood Benefit Show: Star Anna, Caspian Coberly, Stoneyard Oct 16, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

Frankie Cosmos Oct 17, Crocodile, 6 pm, all ages

KAYTRANADA x JUSTICE TOUR Oct 17, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

Madrona Fest: Black Belt Eagle Scout, Nathan Salami Rose Joe Louis, Flanafi Oct 18, Madame Lou’s, 6:30 pm, 21+

Evans Fox, and More Oct 18, Key Peninsula Civic Center, 12 pm, all ages

Stereolab, Bitchin Bajas Oct 18, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Hand Habits Oct 21, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Linda from Work, Bearaxe, Bexley Oct 22, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Lorde: Ultrasound Tour Oct 22, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

NonSeq: Cat Toren’s Human Kind, Every Shade of Green Oct 23, Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm, all ages

Arooj Aftab Oct 24, The Great Hall, 8 pm, all ages

Sombr Oct 24, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages

Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie Tour Oct 25, Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

Rat City Recon Oct 25, Southgate Roller Rink, 4 pm, 21+

Seattle Rock Orchestra Performs David Bowie Oct 25, Moore Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Durand Jones & the Indications Oct 29, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages

Glitterfox, Salt Lick Oct 30, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

The Decemberists with the Seattle Symphony Nov 1, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

Freakout Festival: Melt-Banana, Liz Cooper, Wine Lips, and more Nov 6–9, various locations, 21+

Soul Nite Weekender Presents: Bernadette Bascom Nov 7, Black Lodge, 9 pm, 21+

Belly: 30th Anniversary of King Nov 9, Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass & Other Delights Nov 9, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm, all ages

Patti Smith: Horses 50th Anniversary Tour Nov 10, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

David Byrne Nov 11–13, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Doechii Nov 10, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages

Neko Case Nov 14, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

King Princess: The Girl Violence Tour Nov 16, Showbox SoDo, 8 pm, all ages

Heart Nov 23, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

Lola Young Dec 2, WAMU Theater, 8 pm, all ages

The Mountain Goats Dec 3–4, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

October Things to Do: Literature

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:31:00 -0700

The best talks and readings happening in October. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

Chi-ming Yang: ‘Octavia E. Butler: H Is for Horse’

Oct 10

Merging science-fiction writer Octavia E. Butler’s early unpublished writings and drawings with literary analysis and memoir, Chi-ming Yang’s new book, Octavia E. Butler: H Is for Horse, maps out the making of a genius. The book offers a look at Butler’s childhood interests, including horses, Martians, Western novels, and racial justice, and how those morphed into a fascination with human-alien symbiosis and supernatural beings that defy the constraints of gender, race, and class. The book is organized in 26 short A-Z chapters, which pay homage to Butler’s love of library research and both writers’ experiences of the public library as a sanctuary. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Olivie Blake

Oct 28

I’m very much here for the recent influx of dark feminist fiction about female appetites (e.g., Woman, Eating; A Certain Hunger; Hungerstone), so I was instantly hooked by the premise of The Atlas Six author Olivie Blake’s new novel, Girl Dinner. College sophomore Nina Kaur is accepted into The House, the most sought-after sorority on campus. Meanwhile, adjunct professor Dr. Sloane Hartley, who is struggling to manage her career alongside the travails of new motherhood and a less-than-supportive husband, becomes the mysterious society’s new academic liaison. Soon, the two women find themselves pulled progressively deeper into an uncanny world of cannibalistic rituals and feminine rage. Blake will discuss her book with local speculative fiction writer Isabel Cañas, author of The Possession of Alba Díaz. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

An Intimate Evening with Pamela Des Barres

Oct 30

Even if you have not read Pamela Des Barres’s 1987 memoir, I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie, I promise you’ve seen its mark on pop culture (see: Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous). Along with being a best-selling author and the original “rockstar girlfriend,” Des Barres was also a member of all-female performance art troupe the GTOs (Girls Together Outrageously), who released the incredible experimental rock album Permanent Damage, produced by Frank Zappa, back in 1969. Des Barres will bring her one-woman show to the Rabbit Box to share her wit, wisdom, and firsthand experiences with everyone from Mick Jagger to the Manson Family. (Rabbit Box Theatre, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

More

Kathleen Flenniken with Melissa Kwasny & Peter Pereira Oct 2, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Margeaux Feldman Presents: Touch Me, I’m Sick Oct 2, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

Psychedelic Salon: Psilocybin & Menopause Oct 2, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

Roque Raquel Salas Rivera with Quenton Baker Oct 3, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Yume Kitasei with Wendy N. Wagner Oct 6, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

M. L. Rio Oct 7, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Tami Parr Presents ‘Goats in America: A Cultural History’ Oct 9, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Leni Zumas with Danya Kukafka: ‘Wolf Bells: A Novel’ Oct 10, Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free

Victoria Redel with Laurie Frankel Oct 12, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Joy of Snacking with Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell Oct 14, Here-After, 7 pm, 21+

Writers in the Schools (WITS) Back-to-School Fundraiser Luncheon Oct 17 (register by Oct 3), Edgewater Hotel, 11 am–1 pm, free with registration

A Conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert Oct 20, Town Hall, 7:30 pm

Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud Oct 21, Town Hall, 6 pm

Timothy Snyder Oct 26, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm

Grace Byron with Jas Keimig Oct 30, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Early Warnings

Li-Young Lee Nov 3, Rainier Arts Center, 7:30 pm

Becky Spratford Nov 6, Central Library, 8:30 pm, free

An Evening with Patti Smith Nov 9, Meany Hall, 7:30 pm

Oyinkan Braithwaite Nov 12, Central Library, 7 pm

Miranda July Nov 13, Moore Theatre, 8 pm

David Sedaris Nov 16, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

A Conversation with Padma Lakshmi Nov 18, Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm

October Things to Do: Performance

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:31:00 -0700

The best theater, dance, and comedy events happening in October. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

OUT THERE, Velocity Dance Festival

Oct 2–11

As Lady Gaga once said, “Category is dance… or die.” So go see some experimental, existential, “f*ck shit up” kind of dance at Velocity’s new OUT THERE festival. Each weekend pairs two 30-minute works with DJ sets before and after. The first weekend (Oct 2–4) showcases Seattle’s maia melene d’urfé’s a crisis of standing and LA’s Jobel Medina and Elliott Sellers’s IMMDED IMMGEWD. The pairing will be an intricate testament to the skill and challenges of having a body within our current, chaotic world. The second weekend (Oct 9–11) features ALAN by Seattle’s Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham and Jesse Freitas, as well as BLOT by Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman in collaboration with Tonga Collective from Poland. That weekend will get your mind reeling about AI ethics, pondering how chemistry and engineering fit within dance, and questioning where the human ends and the science of it all takes over. As Alan, a chatbot you might meet at the festival, says, “We are all born in the matrix, and the rest is drag.” (12th Avenue Arts, 6 pm DJ set, 7:30 pm dance show, 21+) NICO SWENSON

Eiko Otake & Wen Hui: What Is War

Oct 9–11

Choreographers, performers, and filmmakers Wen Hui and Eiko Otake first met in 1995 at an experimental theater festival, sparking a collaborative relationship that would span decades. Eiko grew up in postwar Japan and now resides in New York, whereas Wen Hui was raised in China during the Cultural Revolution and currently lives in Germany. In January 2020, Eiko went to visit Wen Hui in China for a monthlong artist fellowship, and the two began to excavate the war-related memories stored in their bodies. Throughout the pandemic, they worked together remotely on the documentary No Rule Is Our Rule, which explores their history, friendship, and trauma. This powerful dance performance, which the artists forged together in residencies, expands on that conversation—the women share their somatic stories through a “complex tapestry of language, movement, and video” and prompt the audience to question their own relationship to war. (On the Boards, 8 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Atsuko Okatsuka

Oct 11–12

You might know Los Angeles–based comedian Atsuko Okatsuka from her iconic signature bowl cut or her viral #dropchallenge, which she coined by dropping it low to “Partition” by Beyoncé in a video with her grandmother (a frequent subject of her stand-up). Her most recent special Hulu special, Father, had me in stitches with her absurdist takes on topics such as her secret past as a high school cheerleader, her shared made-up language with her husband, and the realization that she has the exact same body type as her estranged dad. She’s sure to serve up more of her hilariously off-kilter worldview at her show at the Moore Theatre for her Big Bowl Tour. (Moore Theatre, times vary, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

‘The Little Foxes’ by Lillian Hellman

Oct 15–Nov 2

Set in a small Alabama town in 1900, Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes follows Regina Giddens as she manipulates her way into receiving a hefty family inheritance in an era when sons were considered the only legal heirs. The story is the perfect example of how a lack of women’s rights can lead to a multitude of women’s wrongs—it’s the ultimate “good for her!” story. Since its original stage production, starring Tallulah Bankhead in 1939, the leading role has been revived for stars like Bette Davis (in the 1941 film adaptation), Elizabeth Taylor, Stockard Channing, Laura Linney, Cynthia Nixon, and more. This group of actresses alone speaks volumes about the drama and camp of this theater masterpiece. (Intiman Theatre, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Jimmy O. Yang

Nov 1

Hilarious Asian-millennial perspectives spill forth from Jimmy O. Yang at a rapid pace in his stand-up performances. Sure, the actor and former strip-joint DJ covers some familiar ground: relationships, parent-child interactions, the importance of friendships, how different cultures talk about money, media representation of his people—and the pressure he feels as a high-profile Asian to do his tribe proud. But the Chinese American comic also tackles some less common subjects, such as the feet etiquette of different cultures, the limited options for Halloween costumes among Asians (“I was Bruce Lee for six years.”), whether it’s okay for Asians to say the n-word when singing along to rap songs, as well as an advanced lesson on how to tell Asians apart by the sound they make when they’re disappointed. He also does the best tai-chi joke I’ve ever heard. With his acting chops honed in TV comedy shows such as Silicon Valley and Space Force and the movie Crazy Rich Asians, Yang has become an efficient and super-expressive joke machine. (Paramount Theatre, 7 pm & 9:30 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

More

Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Jewels Through Oct 5, McCaw Hall, various times

The Roommate Through Oct 19, ArtsWest, various times, all ages

Demetri Martin Oct 4, Moore Theatre, 6:30 pm, all ages

Stereophonic Oct 7–12, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq the World Tour 2025 Oct 14, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm

This Is Halloween: The Live Music and Dance Multimedia Spooktacular Oct 16–Nov 1, Triple Door, various times, age restrictions vary

Shrew Oct 18–Nov 2, ACT, various times, all ages

The Pirates of Penzance Oct 18–Nov 1, McCaw Hall, various times

Chicago Oct 22–Nov 2, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Hidden Nature: The Spectre of the Potato Oct 24–25, Base: Experimental Arts + Space, various times, free

Adam Sandler: You’re My Best Friend Oct 29, Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, 16+

International Ballet Theatre: Dracula Oct 29, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

C.S. Lewis: The Screwtape Letters Nov 1, Moore Theatre, 4 pm & 8 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

Nate Bargatze Nov 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

Aya Ogawa: The Nosebleed Nov 13–15, On the Boards, 8 pm

Conner O’Malley Nov 20, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm & 9:45 pm, all ages

Penelope Nov 28–Dec 21, ArtsWest, various times

In Tandem: A Trio of Duets Dec 18–20, On the Boards, 8 pm

October Things to Do: Food

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:28:00 -0700

The best food & drink events happening in October. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

Christina Wood: Pastry Temple

Oct 7

If you’ve ever made a pilgrimage to baker Christina Wood’s Central District shop Temple Pastries, then you already know what kind of magic she can work with laminated pastry and unexpected flavor combinations. Now, she wants to teach you how to re-create that wizardry in your home kitchen with her debut cookbook, Pastry Temple, which introduces readers to the Three Pillars of Pastry: brioche, puff pastry, and croissant. Wood is self-taught herself, so who better to guide you through recipes like gochujang babkas, poached quince tarte tatin, and sumac-roasted strawberry cheesecake croissants? She’ll chat all things pastry with Seattle Met food and drink editor Naomi Tomky, followed by a Q&A and signing. (Book Larder, 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

GOOD THINGS: An Evening with Samin Nosrat

Oct 14

Samin Nosrat revolutionized the cookbook world in 2017 with her James Beard Award–winning manifesto Salt Fat Acid Heat, which educates readers on the four fundamentals of flavor, so that they can cook well intuitively. (The recipes for buttermilk chicken and autumn panzanella are fall staples in my household.) She reached a wider audience and charmed viewers with her warmth and gusto on her 2018 Netflix series of the same name, in which she traveled to various destinations to learn more about the four elements. Eight years after the publication of Salt Fat Acid Heat, her highly anticipated follow-up, Good Things, has arrived. It contains 125 of Nosrat’s most cherished recipes, from saffron roast chicken to nostalgic yellow cake with chocolate frosting, as well as advice, anecdotes about her adorable dog Fava, and meditations on how food can nourish community. Samin will join her friend, author and former Stranger staff food writer Angela Garbes, for a conversation about food, creativity, and connection. (Benaroya Hall, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Hetty McKinnon: Linger

Oct 15

Australian food writer Hetty McKinnon got her start delivering fresh salads via bicycle for her Arthur Street Kitchen project in 2011 and has a knack for creating thoughtful vegetarian recipes that don’t feel like a consolation prize, thanks to thoughtful touches and creative twists. She’s also a regular New York Times Cooking contributor and writes the popular Substack newsletter To Vegetables, With Love. In her latest cookbook, Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savor, she returns to her salad roots with irresistible recipes like curry potato-and-pea dumpling salad, bibimbap-style gnocchi with gochujang vinaigrette, and tom kha noodle salad with seared mushrooms. (Book Larder, 6:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Book Larder Presents: Dorie Greenspan

Oct 22

Over the course of her career, legendary New York Times–bestselling cookbook author Dorie Greenspan has won five James Beard Awards, collaborated with Julia Child, and developed thousands of recipes. In her new cookbook, Dorie’s Anytime Cakes, the culinary grande dame turns her attention to simple, effortless cakes that can be whipped up with pantry staples at a moment’s notice, from “BFF brownie cake” to buttermilk plum cake. She’ll stop by Fremont Abbey for a conversation with food writer Nancy Leson, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Bonus: Cake will be provided in celebration of Dorie’s birthday week. (Fremont Abbey, 7 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Seattle Restaurant Week

Oct 26–Nov 8

Gourmands across Seattle rejoice over this twice-yearly event, which gives diners the opportunity to try curated menus for $20, $35, $50, and $65 at dozens of restaurants. It’s an excellent opportunity to branch out from your usual rotation of tried-and-true favorites and cross some destinations off your culinary bucket list. Round up some friends to join you, and don’t forget to tip your server generously. (Various locations) JULIANNE BELL

More

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–noon, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

21st Annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival Oct 3–4, Elysian Brewing Company, 4 pm, 21+

Leavenworth Oktoberfest Oct 3–18, Leavenworth, WA

Adam Reiner: The New Rules of Dining Out Oct 21, Book Larder, 6:30 pm

Seattle Coffee Festival Oct 25, Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 9 am

Joanne Lee Molinaro: The Korean Vegan Homemade Oct 27, Book Larder, 6:30 pm

Author Dinner: Arnold Myint, Family Thai Nov 4, Hatch Cantina, 5–9 pm

Early Warnings

Town Hall Author Talk: Michael Twitty, Recipes from the American South Nov 7, Town Hall, 7:30–9 pm

Oyster New Year Nov 8, Elliott’s Oyster House, 4–9 pm

Gobble Up Nov 15, Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 10 am–5 pm

Whiskies of the World Nov 22, The Rainier Club, 6:45–9:30 pm

October Things to Do: Film

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:27:00 -0700

The best film events and screenings happening this month. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

2025 HUMP! Film Festival: Fall Lineup

Through Oct 11

Rejoice: The world’s premier indie erotic film fest is back with a new batch of 22 sexy shorts, each under 5 minutes and unlike anything you’ve seen before. This season’s lineup includes lusty vampires, a cyberpunk bounty hunter on the prowl, a goddess come to life, a slutty slumber party, and a demon tube sock terrorizing a horny otter, just to name a few. Plus, each screening will be hosted by a fabulous local drag queen: Betty Wetter at On the Boards, Bobbi Jo Blessings at the Lumber Yard Bar, and Miss Texas 1988 at Quality Flea Center. (Various locations, various times, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

LINDA LINDA LINDA

Oct 5–9

BFFs Kei, Kyoko, and Nozomi plan to play the final high school concert together when their lead singer unexpectedly quits the band. In a pinch, the girls recruit the first person they see—Korean exchange student Son, who is not fluent in Japanese. Together, the band hustles to learn three songs in three days to wow their peers. Described by the Beacon Cinema as an “effervescent, tenderhearted snapshot of youth,” the 2005 gem captures the unrestrained joy that happens when friends jam. (The soundtrack, by the way, was composed by the Smashing Pumpkins’ James Iha.) Don’t miss this 20th-anniversary screening with a snazzy new 4K restoration. (Beacon Cinema, various times) AUDREY VANN

SIFF DocFest

Oct 16–23

Sure, it’s no Sundance, Cannes, or Venice Film Festival, but SIFF’S DocFest is a pretty big deal. In the last five years alone, the festival has screened Academy Award nominees like 2022’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed and 2021’s Flee, as well as premiered heavy hitters like The Sanctity of Space. This year’s programming is possibly the best yet, with highlights like Sun Ra: Do the Impossible (about the dearly departed Afro-futurist jazz icon), A Deeper Love: The Story of Miss Peppermint (following the life of the Broadway star and drag royal), and Steal This Story, Please! (about Democracy Now! journalist Amy Goodman). (SIFF Cinema Uptown, various times) AUDREY VANN

More

Airplane! Unreleased Director’s Cut Screening and Q&A Oct 3, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

20th Tasveer Film Festival & Market Oct 8–12, Tasveer Film Center, various times

Seattle Latino Film Festival Oct 10–18, various locations, various times

‘Ghost Almanac’ with a Live Score by Montopolis Oct 12, Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+

Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser Oct 22–23, Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm

Mandy (2018) Oct 23, Beacon Cinema, 7:30 pm

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958–1989 Oct 25–Nov 2, Northwest Film Forum, various times

Early Warnings

Happyend Nov 9–21, Northwest Film Forum, various times

Didn’t Do It For Love Nov 10–11, Beacon Cinema, various times

The Last Dive Nov 14–23, Northwest Film Forum, various times

Cinema Dissection: Double Indemnity Nov 22, Northwest Film Forum, 10 am

SIFF Movie Club: The Night of the Hunter (70th Anniversary) Dec 3, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 6 pm

Derek Jarman’s Blue Dec 4, Northwest Film Forum, 7 pm

Cinema Dissection: Pan’s Labyrinth Dec 13, SIFF Film Center, 10 am

October Things to Do: This & That

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:26:00 -0700

The best community events happening in October. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

Seattle Farmers Market Applelooza

Through Oct 12

If you’re anything like me, you harbor romantic fantasies of autumnal apple-picking each year, imagining yourself baking pies from scratch and canning preserves, but stop short of mustering the energy to organize an actual outing to an orchard. Luckily, the Seattle Farmers Markets collective has us covered with their delightfully named “applelooza,” a wholesome annual event dedicated to the seasonal fruit. You’ll get to taste a diverse selection of Washington-grown apple varieties, cast your vote for your favorites, enjoy apple-themed trivia and raffles, and learn more about the state’s apple farmers. (Various locations) JULIANNE BELL

Twin Peaks: A Conversation with the Stars

Oct 19

Earlier this year, our mortal world lost the great filmmaker David Lynch, but his work lives on through his films, television shows, friends, and fans. This special evening with the stars of Twin Peaks is just one example of that. Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Harry Goaz (Deputy Andy Brennan), Kimmy Robertson (Lucy Moran), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer), and longtime Lynch collaborator and producer Sabrina S. Sutherland will share firsthand recollections and behind-the-scenes moments from the making of the cult classic drama and its 2017 reboot. (Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Sea-Meow Con

Nov 1–2

Dog people have the luxury of showing off their pets on daily walks, but we cat owners have to settle for photos, hoping that an image can convey our cat’s unique personality and star power—it’s not fair! Sea-Meow Con offers a rare oasis for cats and cat owners to strut their stuff in public, with two days dedicated to our feline friends. There will be merchants slinging cat-related goods (for both humans and cats), advocates, furries, speakers, musicians, filmmakers, and more. There will also be plenty of social cats on-site, including on leashes, in strollers, and in fenced areas for cuddling. (Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, 10 am, all ages) AUDREY VANN

More

CannaCon Oct 3–4, Clark County Event Center, 10 am

18th-Century Georgian Salon by Costumers of Color, Inc. Oct 4, Women’s University Club of Seattle, 5:30 pm

49th Annual Rocktoberfest: Rock, Mineral, and Jewelry Show Oct 4–5, Evergreen State Fairground

CroatiaFest Oct 5, Seattle Center, all ages, free

Turkfest Oct 11–12, Seattle Center, all ages, free

Collections Spotlight: Bicycles Opens Oct 18, Museum of History & Industry

Diwali: Lights of India Oct 18, Seattle Center, all ages, free

Maiden Voyage: Vinyl Lounge & Market Oct 18, Hotel Crocodile, 4 pm, 21+

Tacoma Holiday Festival Oct 23–26, Tacoma Dome, all ages

Seattle Catrinas Festival 2025 Nov 1–2, Town Hall Seattle, 11 am, all ages

Early Warnings

Kickstands Up! 125 Years of Motorcycling in the PNW Opens Nov 28, Museum of History & Industry

Things to BoOooOoOooOoO!

Julianne Bell — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:20:00 -0700

Some of the best Halloween parties, concerts, costume contests, and haunted houses across Seattle. by Julianne Bell

Click here to jump to our local haunted house directory.

Green Room

Oct 1

(FILM) In A24’s critically acclaimed horror-thriller Green Room, the fictional punk band the Ain’t Rights, composed of bassist Pat (the late Anton Yelchin), guitarist Sam (Alia Shawkat), drummer Reece (Joe Cole), and singer Tiger (Callum Turner), are touring the Pacific Northwest when a series of misadventures leads them to grudgingly perform at a neo-Nazi bar outside Portland. After the members witness a stabbing committed by a member of the Nazi metal headliner in the venue’s green room, they find themselves locked in a grim battle for their lives, fighting a gang of “red lace” skinheads tooth and nail alongside the murder victim’s friend Amber (Imogen Poots). Everyone in the main ensemble delivers powerful performances, but Patrick Stewart is particularly chilling as the aloof white supremacist bar owner, Darcy. (SIFF Uptown, 6 pm) JULIANNE BELL

Frankenhooker

Oct 2

(FILM) Frank Henenlotter’s (director of Basket Case) Frankenhooker brings together a few of my favorite things: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, models who act (the film stars Penthouse’s August 1986 Pet of the Month, Patty Mullen), and camp icon Shirley Stoler (of The Honeymoon Killers and Seven Beauties). The lore of this film runs deep—a ratings body representative reportedly told Henenlotter that the film should be rated “S for shit.” And, when it was released on VHS, it mortified rental customers with a sound chip that exclaimed, “Wanna date?” when it was picked up. Needless to say, it’s taken a few decades for this gem of a movie to be appreciated. Kick off Halloween month with a special screening of the 1990 release, presented by the Grand Illusion Cinema. (Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

FEMME FATALE: Spooky Sapphic Goth Night

Oct 11

(DANCE NIGHT) Lace up your leather corset and pile on the vampy lipstick: This event billing itself as “goth gf 4 goth gf” promises a pleasantly macabre time for sapphics of all stripes (no cis men or TERFs allowed) and is located inside a haunted subterranean vault “with a history as dark as the music.” Bat your lashes at other gothic babes while dancing the night away to everything from sexy Cobrah songs to industrial beats. Prizes will be awarded to attendees with the most elaborate outfits, so dress to impress. (Asylum Collective, 9 pm–2 am, 18+) JULIANNE BELL

Haunted and Cable Griffith: Uncanny Twilight

Through June 2026

(VIS ARTS) Just in time for spooky season, two exhibits at TAM are worth making the trek for. Haunted is a group show curated by Ellen Ito that riffs on “hauntology,” a term coined by Jacques Derrida to describe things that elicit feelings of temporal displacement and nostalgia for lost futures or the past. Works by 13 artists, including Mary Ann Peters and Kelsey Fernkopf, will stir spectral memories through moving image, installation, and photographic works. Opening the same night, Cable Griffith: Uncanny Twilight offers a mini-retrospective of the Seattle artist’s recent work. Griffith is a master of landscape painting, but he takes the genre to a place of fluorescent-drenched splendor just beyond reality’s pale. His lexicon of mark-making has evolved over the years to encompass a rhythm and repetition of dots, dashes, and painterly pixels that render waterfalls, forests, and wastelands vibrational—as if we were traipsing through an impasto video game world steeped in shrooms and viewed under a blacklight. (Tacoma Art Museum) AMANDA MANITACH

GRINDHAUS with Bosco, Alaska 5000, Irene the Alien, & Mistress Isabelle Brooks

Oct 17–18

(DRAG) Self-proclaimed “demon queen of Seattle” and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 10 contestant Bosco’s drag and performance showcase Grindhaus consistently curates the sparkliest, most gag-worthy lineups, and this special two-night Halloween edition is no exception. The “sexy, scary, moonlit” double-feature will include “extraterrestrial phenomenon from the planet Glamtr0n” Alaska Thunderfuck 5000, fellow All Stars season 10 stars Irene the Alien and Mistress Isabelle Brooks, local favorites Betty Wetter and Glenn Coco, and dance crew Purple Lemonade. (Crocodile, 10:30 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

SlayerFest

Oct 18

(PARTY) I’m currently working my way through all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time. Despite having to compartmentalize my feelings about Joss Whedon’s abusive creep behavior and sit through Xander’s grating incel antics, I can’t deny that I love the ’90s fashion, watching Buffy kick ass, and Willow’s progression from awkward wallflower to lesbian witch. If you share my longing to party like the Scooby Gang, I have good news: Baba Yaga will transform into the crew’s favorite hangout, the Bronze, for one glorious night, complete with themed trivia and Buffyverse-adjacent tunes from 1996–2003, performed by the band Five by Five. (Baba Yaga, 5 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

House

Oct 19

(FILM) You’ll never forget your first time watching the bananas 1977 Japanese horror-comedy technicolor phantasmagoria that is House. The story follows a teen schoolgirl named Gorgeous who goes on a summer trip to visit her aunt’s home in the countryside, along with her six friends: the brainy Prof, music-loving Melody, athletic Kung Fu, perpetually hungry Mac, gentle Sweet, and daydreamer Fantasy. One by one, the classmates fall victim to the house’s supernatural traps. This movie has everything: a disembodied head biting someone in the ass, a flesh-eating piano, mattresses falling from the sky, and an evil white Persian cat named Blanche. Really, it must be seen to be believed. Drag queen and self-described “bird-brained bombshell” Monday Mourning will give an introduction to the film, which is part of her “Mourning Sickness” series of camp and cult classics. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:30 pm) JULIANNE BELL

BOOTS! Zombie à Go-Go

Oct 25

(DANCE NIGHT) Seattle’s ’60s dance night Boots! will transform into “Booots!” for a haunted, zombie-themed hop featuring ghoulish go-go dancers, dilapidated decor, and bone-rattling Halloween-themed 45s from beyond the grave (courtesy of hosts Maxwell Edison and Sarah Savannah). There will also be drink specials, a go-go cage, and plenty of photo ops. (Sunset Tavern, 9:30 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

The Mayhem Ball: Halloween Edition

Oct 25

(DANCE NIGHT) Category is: Night of 1,000 Gagas! Embrace Lady Gaga’s darkest, campiest era at this Mayhem Ball–themed Halloween bash. I promise that there will be plenty of Little Monsters dressed as the Lady in Red, so stand out with something crafty—might I suggest her iconic Kermit the Frog coat, worn in 2009, or her 2013 chic ghost ensemble? Whatever you wear, just dance to her endless stream of hits, selected by DJ Baby Van Beezly. (Neumos, 9 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary

Oct 28

(FILM) I will never forget the first time I saw Tim Curry as Dr. Frank N. Furter step out of the elevator singing “Sweet Transvestite” in fishnets and a sequin corset. I was 13, at the Admiral Theater’s monthly midnight screening of the The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I felt deeply confused and excited by my first crush that existed beyond gender. This, my friends, is the bi experience. As the years have passed, I’ve seen these recurring screenings of Rocky Horror slowly disappear from our city, and now it appears that Seattle has none left. Don’t miss this devastatingly rare opportunity to force the young outcasts in your life to watch the 1975 cult classic with a special appearance from Brad Majors himself, Barry Bostwick. (Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Dracula: Alive at the Paramount

Oct 29

(PERFORMANCE) For one night only, the International Ballet Theater will treat Seattle to a production of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale Dracula, featuring opulent gothic costumes, jaw-dropping choreography, and a haunting score by composers Charles Gounod, Astor Piazzolla, and George Enescu. For this special opening night performance, Count Dracula himself invites all audience members to wear their Halloween costumes to the show. Those who impress the Count may even summon his presence. (Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Shea Couleé Presents Creepy.Sexy.Cool.

Oct 31

More!

The Emerald City Slasher (IMPROV) Through Nov 1, West of Lenin, 7:30 pm

Can Can’s Hitchcock Hotel (FILM) Through Nov 16, Market Theater, various times

Mimosas Cabaret: Death Becomes They/Them (PERFORMANCE) Through Nov 16, Unicorn, 21+

Fussy Cloud Puppet Slam Volume 29: It’s Aliiive! (PUPPETS) Oct 3–4, Theatre Off Jackson, 7:30 pm

Halloween Pet Parade (PETS) Oct 5, Volunteer Park, 11 am, all ages, free

Poe Unexpected: Edgar Allan Poe Improvised (PERFORMANCE) Oct 3–Nov 1, Unexpected Productions Improv, 7:30 pm

Trick or Treat (in tribute to Ozzy) (PARTY) Oct 7, Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+

Kink and Cocktails: Graveyard Smash (PARTY) Oct 11, Mountain Room, 7 pm, 21+

Halloween Train (TRAINS) Oct 11–26, Northwest Railway Museum, all ages

Ghost Almanac with Live Score by Montopolis (FILM) Oct 12, Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+

Ghoul Talk’s Halloween Bash (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 16, Central Saloon, 7 pm, 21+

This Is Halloween (PERFORMANCE) Oct 16–Nov 1, Triple Door, various times

Cozy Little Murders (READINGS) Oct 19, Seattle Public Theater, 7 pm

My Favorite Murder Live (PERFORMANCE) Oct 21–22, Paramount Theatre, 7 pm

I’M NOT OKAY! Emo and Pop Punk Halloween Party (DANCE NIGHT) Oct 24, Hidden Hall, 9 pm, 21+

Nite Wave Halloween Party (DANCE NIGHT) Oct 25, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

MAKE-YOUR-OWN-COSTUME: A Free DIY Workshop/Craft/Sewing Day! (COMMUNITY) Oct 25, Asylum Collective, 1:30 pm, free

Promiscuous: Halloween (DANCE PARTY) Oct 25, Chop Suey, 9 pm, 21+

Hoax, a Halloween Indulgence (PARTY) Oct 30, the Ruins, 7 pm, 21+

Behind the Scream: A Live Conversation with David Arquette & Screening (FILM) Oct 30, Pantages Theater, 7:30 pm

Candlelight: A Haunted Evening of Halloween Classics (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 30, Museum of Flight, 6:15 pm & 8:30 pm

Halloween Fundraiser for Gaza (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 30, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+

TUSH! (DRAG) Oct 30–31, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+

HOWL-O-WEEN: Puppy Girl Halloween Party (PARTY) Oct 31, Asylum Collective, 9 pm, 18+

Ha Ha Halloween Comedy Celebration (COMEDY) Oct 31, Old Stove Brewing, 7:30 pm, 18+

Souled Out Funk Super Halloween Dance Party (DANCE NIGHT) Oct 31, Aurora Borealis, 8 pm, 21+

Daft Disko: Halloween (DANCE NIGHT) Oct 31, Crocodile, 10 pm, 21+

Twerk or Treat: Annual Neumos Halloween Party (DANCE PARTY) Oct 31, Neumos, 9 pm, 21+

Zombie Disco (DANCE NIGHT) Oct 31, Monkey Loft, 9 pm, 21+

Prom Night of the Living Dead (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 31, Hidden Hall, 8 pm, 21+

Haunted W Seattle Halloween Party (PARTY) Oct 31, W Seattle, 9 pm, 21+

HalloQueen on Halloween (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 31, Tractor Tavern, 9 pm, 21+

BOO Seattle (LIVE MUSIC) Oct 31–Nov 1, WAMU Theater, time TBD, 18+

The Official Halloween Bar Crawl (BOOZE) Oct 31–Nov 1, various locations, 21+

Recession Pop: Halloween Edition (DANCE NIGHT) Nov 1, Neumos, 9 pm, 21+

Día de Muertos Festival (COMMUNITY) Nov 1–2, Seattle Center, all ages, free

13 Haunted Attractions

Screaming at the state of our world? These haunted attractions—ranging from playfully spooky to downright frightening—may offer a cathartic way to let out the terror. (All roughly within an hour of Seattle, and happening throughout October, but please confirm schedules ahead of time!) NICO SWENSON

Georgetown Morgue

(Georgetown, Seattle)

If you want a good ol’ haunted house experience, this is a pretty classic one. While you might have longer lines for a quick scream, this was once an actual morgue and the site of the disturbing, unsolved murder of nine staff members. (Ages 12+)

Frighthouse Station

(Tacoma)

For those who live in Tacoma or love a little trip to the “City of Destiny,” this one is another traditional haunted house with a decent price point and good remarks for their props, costumes, and characters. (Suggested ages 12+)

Thomas Family Farm

(Snohomish)

Bopping out to the farm side of haunts, this option has a variety of activities with a haunted house, haunted town, and zombie paintball! (Suggested ages 12+)

Stalker Farms

(Snohomish)

Not far from Thomas Family Farm, this is another of the corn-fueled, PG-13 scares with two main attractions, VIP-exclusive options, and mixed reviews that mostly recommend attending during less busy times, so the scares aren’t spoiled. (Suggested ages 13+)

Haunted Forest of Maple Valley: Terror Rising

(Maple Valley)

If you want a woodland scare, this haunt has both daytime family walks and nighttime full frights and is volunteer-based, with all the profits going to charities of the volunteers’ choosing. (All age options)

Maris Farms: Haunted Woods

(Buckley)

A little bit further out and a slightly higher price, this attraction does have a little bit of everything, with base tickets for the haunted woods and a “haunt & play” add-on for access to a haunted corn maze, ziplines, and whatever a “mega slide” is. (Suggested ages 12+)

Fright Factory

(Buckley)

This is another further-out option with a lower price and an indoor haunt. Positive reviews for the aesthetics and performers, negative reviews mostly indicating long lines, and then a whole range of people calling it either super scary or not very scary, so it depends on how jumpy you are. (Suggested ages 10+)

Spooked in Seattle Ghost Tours

(Pioneer Square, Seattle)

Moving away from the animatronic jump scares and into creepy story time, this 90-minute tour is a good price point option for history buffs and lovers of the paranormal. (All ages)

Seattle Terrors Spirits and Spirits Pub Crawl

Seattle Terrors also has a ghost tour, but this is a great option to mix in some bar hopping along with the spooky tales. Extra credit for the pun in the name. (Ages 21+)

Haunted Soiree: Vampire

(Capitol Hill, Seattle)

For more boos with booze, and if you have a little more money to burn, this is an immersive vampire-themed night with cocktails and performances for a chill and classy evening. (Ages 21+)

Hourglass Escapes

(Belltown, Seattle)

If you like an escape room and you have a pack of friends, Hourglass Escapes has an Evil Dead 2–themed room to indulge your masochistic hobby. (Ages 10+ with an FAQ stating that rooms are more “eerie” than scary)

Haunted Farmers Market

(Tacoma)

A better version of the Sunday scaries, this is a good option for those who aren’t night owls, aren’t looking for jump scares, but are looking for some casual, spooky-themed meandering. Lots of shopping options for occult oddities and spooky novelties at a farmers market turned goth. (All ages)

Fright Fest Wild Waves

(Federal Way)

Everyone has a Wild Waves story, but if you don’t, this could be yours, with Booville for the kiddos and Fright Fest taking over the park at 6 p.m., you’ll either be screaming from the roller coaster or because someone lunged at you in a zombie costume. (All ages, but gets scary after 6 pm)

Rare, Bright, and Unforgettable

Julianne Bell — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 15:52:00 -0700

You might not know it, but those tacos are the end result of a decades-long journey that started with home cooking in Sinaloa, Mexico. by Julianne Bell

If you’re near the southwest corner of Cal Anderson on a Saturday night, you might catch a whiff of the smoky aroma of charcoal-grilled beef.

Follow that scent and you’ll find brothers Osiel and Reynaldo “Rey” Gastelum behind the grill of their taco stand, Tacos Cometa, serving Sinaloan-style carne asada tacos that you can’t find anywhere else in the city, heaped with chopped red onion, cabbage, and tomato salsa, and served with a cold wedge of cucumber.

Hungry regulars congregate beneath a white tent lit by string lights, as beef sizzles on the flat-top and Osiel deftly chops cooked meat on a wooden cutting board with a cleaver.

You might not know it, but those tacos are the end result of a decades-long journey that started with home cooking in Sinaloa, Mexico, with stops at some of the world’s most exclusive three-Michelin-starred restaurants along the way.

Rey and Osiel spent their early years in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa, surrounded by an abundance of seafood and produce. Their parents, who were generous hosts and the best cooks in each of their respective families, routinely entertained on weekends, feeding friends and family “too much food.”

Some of Rey’s earliest food memories are of his parents making gigantic portions of barbacoa, which is traditionally made by slow-cooking meat until it falls apart in tender shreds and varies according to region. “Barbacoa in Sinaloa is a little bit different,” says Rey. “We use chilies to make a marinade with beef and a little bit of pork rib, and we would make huge batches of barbacoa. I remember as a little kid helping out and the smells that would come out of the kitchen. It just makes you hallucinate, it’s so good…The end result was magical to me, that transformation.”

Osiel recalls his dad, a dental technician with no restaurant experience, making “massive meals” with advanced techniques, including tacos de cabeza. “I remember him just coming home with this whole cow’s head and just steaming it,” he says.

Rey (left) and Osiel making their dad proud. CHRISTIAN PARROCO

Their parents passed their love of food to the next generation. Rey went to culinary school in Orange County, and Osiel, who is two years younger, attended cooking school at Universidad Autónoma de Durango’s Sinaloa campus. After graduation, Rey moved to San Sebastián to train at the three-Michelin-star restaurant Martín Berasategui. He returned to the US to work for the high-end Italian restaurant Acquerello in San Francisco, then spent seven years in Paris at esteemed institutions like Le Gabriel and Marsan by Hélène Darroze, and serving as sous chef at the historic Michelin-starred restaurant, Hugo Bourny at Lucas Carton.

Osiel spent a few years after school working in some of the best restaurants in the Bay Area. In 2016, he joined the team at famed chef Dominique Crenn’s three-Michelin-starred flagship Atelier Crenn and worked his way up the ranks from commis to sous chef. Over the next few years, he worked under Aitor Zabala at Somni in Los Angeles, developed his butchery skills at Curtis Stone’s steakhouse Gwen, and became the chef de cuisine at Stone’s restaurant Gwen.

With years devoted to the culinary grind, both brothers decided that they wanted to start a formal sit-down restaurant of their own. The two scouted multiple locations, including Florida and Texas, and eventually landed on Seattle, because of its high-quality seafood and produce and the changing seasons. On a research trip in September, they tried a taco in Seattle and came up with the idea to start a taqueria instead, realizing they could offer a product unlike anything else in the area. They wanted to pay tribute to the regional tacos they grew up with at their favorite stand in Sinaloa, which are charcoal-grilled and feature the aforementioned finely chopped cabbage and red onion. Rey says the goal is to “make Seattle known for amazing tacos, to put it on the map along with LA.”

“Cometa” means “comet” in Spanish: they’re “rare,” “bright,” and “unforgettable,” which is the experience Rey and Osiel want people to have when they try their food. The menu is straightforward: tacos, quesadillas, vampiros (a popular Sinaloan street snack with an open-faced, griddle-toasted corn tortilla, layered with melty cheese and taco fillings), and aguas frescas. And if you’re lucky, you might catch them on a day they offer alfajores, melt-in-your-mouth sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche.

The brothers are constantly tasting the food and adjusting the seasoning, working off their experience and memories. “We focus on simplicity. We don’t overcomplicate it,” says Rey. “Our meat, for example, there’s no marinade. What we do is have really good quality meat and the charcoal and the love and the time. This is what makes it a good taco.”

Osiel believes that a Michelin-starred kitchen is not as different from a taco stand as one might think. He uses similar techniques and has learned from fine-dining to focus on restraint. “It’s the attention to detail,” he says. “You can have the exact same ingredients at both restaurants, but if you focus on the different details, you’re going to have a different result.”

Rey and Osiel are in lease negotiations for a storefront not far from their spot at Cal Anderson and hope to open a permanent location by March 2026. They just launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, with incentives for supporters that include salsa packages, merch, cooking classes, three-course meals in your own home, and a private taco party. In the meantime, find the taco stand on Fridays in Fremont, and Saturdays at Cal Anderson.

The brick-and-mortar menu will be largely the same, possibly with some rotating specials, such as a taco with pescado zarandeado, based on their dad’s recipe—butterflied red snapper coated with a blend of mayonnaise, soy sauce, and butter, then grilled over charcoal. Rey says they aren’t sure yet whether they will have access to an oven, but that they will try their best to offer the alfajores, even if that means baking them in a different kitchen. The vibe will be “minimal” and unpretentious, to maintain the feeling of a street taqueria.

At times, navigating the hurdles of Seattle’s health department laws has proved a challenge. However, counter to any stereotypes about the Seattle freeze, Osiel and Rey say they’ve encountered only warmth and kindness from the city’s chefs and restaurateurs. “There’s been a huge sense of community,” Rey says. “It seems like people are there to help and not screw you over.” Chefs at local restaurants Driftwood and Le Coin contributed guidance and leads for purveyors, while others have shared tips on navigating the process of opening a restaurant. Chef Keiji Tsukasaki of LTD Edition Sushi, located near Tacos Cometa, even once bought a round of tacos for his restaurant as the last course of his omakase menu and regularly orders tacos for his staff toward the end of their shifts. “That feels pretty special, to have a connection with someone who’s doing something super cool in Seattle and have them validate you,” Osiel says.

Since opening in late December 2024, Tacos Cometa has attracted a loyal following, with some fans attending religiously nearly every day they’re open. “Nothing makes me happier than just standing at the taco stand, watching someone take the first bite and smile,” says Rey.

As for their food-loving family, they couldn’t be more proud. Their parents traveled from Culiacán to visit and beamed when they tried their sons’ tacos—especially their dad, who’s harbored a hidden dream of opening a taqueria all his life. He was less than impressed by a multi-course tasting menu at a prestigious restaurant managed by Osiel last year, but a few hours after getting off the plane to Seattle, he was hanging out behind the stand, manning the grill.

“When we got into fine dining, he didn’t really understand it. He was always like, just stop doing that and open a taco shop or a skewer shop or something like that,” says Osiel. “So I think now that he sees us doing a taco shop, he’s super excited about it, because it’s something that he understands, something that he can contribute to.”

“He’s seen us working in Michelin-starred restaurants and working with amazing chefs,” says Rey, laughing. “It’s like, no. Now we’re proud of you.”

Stranger Suggests: Funny and Feminist Punk, Fuck Shit Up Kind of Dance, and a Couple of WNBA Badasses

Julianne Bell — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 12:36:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 9/29

Mona Awad with Katie Campbell

(BOOKS) Books that go viral on TikTok aren’t always worth the hype, but Mona Awad’s dark academia satire Bunny is a notable exception. Following in the footsteps of Heathers and The Secret History, the novel concerns scholarship student Samantha Mackey, who enters the MFA program at the prestigious Warren University and is equal parts repulsed and fascinated by a clique of four wealthy girls who call themselves “the Bunnies.” The gothic phantasmagoria was named the best book of 2019 by several publications, snatched up for a film adaptation by Bad Robot Productions, and declared “sooo genius” by Margaret Atwood, so it’s no surprise that Bunny is back for more. The sequel, We Love You, Bunny, picks up where the previous book left off: Samantha has published a story about her experiences at Warren to great critical acclaim and is on her book tour when the Bunnies decide to kidnap her and tell their side of the story. Reporter and KUOW Book Club founder Katie Campbell will discuss the new release with Awad, followed by an audience Q&A and signing. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm) JULIANNE BELL

TUESDAY 9/30

Second Acts Live with Sue Bird

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(TALK) This week, Seattle has the honor of hosting the very first show of Second Acts Live. It’s a mashup of sports, theater, and storytelling that brings WNBA icon Sue Bird back to McCaw Hall to reflect on her career, life off the court, and her continued role in shaping women’s sports. Co-hosted by two-time WNBA All-Star turned ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike (an actual badass), the evening is set to unfold like a live documentary, utilizing multimedia and staging to create an intimate celebration of Bird’s “second act.” (McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages) LANGSTON THOMAS

WEDNESDAY 10/1

‘Green Room’

THURSDAY 10/2

Out There: A West Coast Experimental Dance Festival

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(PERFORMANCE) As Lady Gaga once said, “Category is dance... or die.” So go see some experimental, existential, “f*ck shit up” kind of dance at Velocity’s new OUT THERE festival. Each weekend pairs two 30-minute works with DJ sets before and after. The first weekend (Oct 2–4) showcases Seattle’s maia melene d’urfé’s a crisis of standing and LA’s Jobel Medina and Elliott Sellers’s IMMDED IMMGEWD. The pairing will be an intricate testament to the skill and challenges of having a body within our current, chaotic world. The second weekend (Oct 9–11) features ALAN by Seattle’s Jordan MacIntosh-Hougham and Jesse Freitas, as well as BLOT by Vancouver’s Vanessa Goodman in collaboration with Tonga Collective from Poland. That weekend will get your mind reeling about AI ethics, pondering how chemistry and engineering fit within dance, and questioning where the human ends and the science of it all takes over. As Alan, a chatbot you might meet at the festival, says, “We are all born in the matrix, and the rest is drag.” (12th Avenue Arts, 6 pm DJ set, 7:30 pm dance show, 21+) NICO SWENSON

FRIDAY 10/3

Rocky Horror Improv Show

(PERFORMANCE) Hot patootie, bless my soul, 2025 marks 50 years of The Rocky Horror Picture Show! With events all over Seattle gearing up to celebrate, Unexpected Productions is doing things a little differently with a full-on improv treatment. Every Friday this October, The Rocky Horror Improv Show mashes up the cult classic’s campy chaos with the anything-goes spontaneity of improv theater. We’re talking audience-fueled antics, improvised musical numbers, and lots of tongue-in-cheek nods to the iconic film’s legacy. Whether you're heading into the show with a suggestion or just in your best fishnets, this one’s sexy, spooky, and a little unhinged (just the way it should be). (Unexpected Productions Improv, Oct 3–31, 11:30 pm) LANGSTON THOMAS

SATURDAY 10/4

Laufey, Suki Waterhouse

(MUSIC) Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Laufey captured the hearts and minds of a generation with her whimsical, jazzy 2023 album Bewitched, which took home a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. With her newest album, A Matter of Time, she explores influences from multiple genres and reveals a more complex, vulnerable side: As she told Uproxx, “People expect a pretty façade of girly clothes, fantastical stories, and romantic music. This time, I was interested in seeing how I could draw out the most flawed parts of myself and look at them directly in the mirror.” She’ll be joined on her tour by Brit model turned indie-pop singer Suki Waterhouse. (Climate Pledge Arena, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 10/5

Lambrini Girls, Edging

(MUSIC) Following in the tradition of X-Ray Spex and Huggy Bear, Brighton, England’s Lambrini Girls blow the cobwebs off punk with a hurricane of caustic energy and barbed lyrics about sexism, homophobia, gentrification, police brutality, rich bastards, music-biz nepotism, eating disorders, and frauds. (Their dance-pop anomaly “Cuntology 101” stands with the Slits’ “Typical Girls” in the Funny Feminist Rock Hall of Fame.) Boasting a fan club that includes Iggy Pop and Kathleen Hanna, the Girls have dropped one of the thorniest and most exhilarating albums of 2025, Who Let the Dogs Out. Lilly Macieira busts out filthy and thick basslines (think Daisy Chainsaw) while guitarist Phoebe Lunny cranks out wiry, mosh-pit-inspiring riffs and contributes asbestos-throated vocals. (Crocodile, 8 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

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Stranger Suggests: A Ball Fit for a (Drag) King, a Singer-Guitarist Inspired by Horror Movies, and Artwork You’ll Want to Touch (But Don't You Dare!)

Julianne Bell — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 13:42:00 -0700

One really great thing to do every day of the week. by Julianne Bell MONDAY 9/22

Art + Culture Week

(VISUAL ART) It’s the second iteration of Seattle Art + Culture Week, the one week each September when a bunch of galleries and venues plan special events and performances. Think of this week as an arts tasting menu where you can discover things not on your radar. Highlights include a night of “Ghost Stories” at Henry Art Gallery, with readings by local author Jane Wong (to accompany the Henry’s new Spirit House exhibition); violinist Tekla Cunningham performing live at Foster/White Gallery amid Kelsey Fernkopf’s Big Neon; and a performance by Pacific Northwest Ballet dancer Leah Terada, whose choreography responds to Cathy McClure’s toy-inspired bronzes and mechanical zoetropes on view at Traver Gallery. Heads up: admission to Seattle Art Museum and Seattle Asian Art Museum is half price the entire week (use code ARTCULTURE50 at checkout). (Various locations) AMANDA MANITACH

TUESDAY 9/23

Anika, Lauren Early, Coral Grief

(MUSIC) British/German singer-guitarist Anika’s entry into the music biz came when Geoff Barrow was looking for a “weird singer” for his then-new band Beak>. He hit the jackpot with Anika, who wields one of the starkest deadpan deliveries in today’s scene. Anika’s love of horror films has colored her compositions, as have the grim science and educational issues she’s covered as a journalist under her real name, Annika Henderson. The new album, Abyss, is Anika’s most rock-oriented record yet, inspired shockingly by gr*nge and Hole’s Celebrity Skin. Formerly rife with tension, Anika’s music—fleshed out by her Exploded View bandmate Martin Thulin—here feels cathartic, as she elegantly rages against what her LP title portends. (Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

WEDNESDAY 9/24

Samia: The Bloodless Tour

(MUSIC) Singer-songwriter Samia wrote a song called "Pool" around six years ago, releasing it as the first track on her debut album Baby in 2020. Three years later, she performed it at NPR's Tiny Desk, and then in July of this year, a TikTok user posted the yearning climax of the song and it went viral, prompting her to release a stripped version more akin to the Tiny Desk rendition. In it, Samia sings, "How long do I have left with my dog? 'Til I start forgetting shit? 'Til we're rich and then we're not and then we're rich? How much longer 'til I'm taller? How much longer 'til it's midnight? How much longer 'til the morning? Are my legs gonna last? Is it too much to ask?" Having seen her live, I can confirm that she puts as much emotion into her performances as her studio recordings, giving the audience goosebumps and keeping listeners hanging on to her every syllable. The Los Angeles native tours Seattle promoting her third full-length album Bloodless, which came out earlier this year. (Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) SHANNON LUBETICH

THURSDAY 9/25

Gillian Theobald: Fold & Folding

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(VISUAL ART) Born in Southern California, Seattle-based multimedia artist Gillian Theobald has been showcasing her art on the West Coast since the early 1980s. Although her style ranges from vibrant nature paintings to black-and-white line drawings to abstract collage, a constant in her work is the influence of mysticism and abstract expressionism. This solo exhibition at Georgetown’s studio e gallery will showcase Theobald’s collage works that turn found paper and cardboard packaging into richly colored and strangely textured sculptural works that I really wish I could touch. (Don’t touch the artwork, people!) (studio e gallery, through Oct 11, free) AUDREY VANN

FRIDAY 9/26

The Emerald City Kings Ball 2025

Velvet Ryder wins the 2024 High King Supreme crown. KEITH JOHNSON

(DRAG) Now in its fourth year, the Emerald City Kings Ball has expanded from its home at the Skylark Cafe into the much larger Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute, and organizer Sherwood Ryder told The Stranger, “Each night we have close to 20 performers. It is going to be a show for the masses.” The three-day festival also has a spectacular list of headliners and featured guests, including King Molasses (winner of King of Drag season 1), Throb Zombie (runner-up of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season 5), a number of local favorites, and surprises to be announced on the Emerald City Kings Ball Instagram. Read more in the Fall Arts issue here. (Langston Highes Performing Arts Institute, Sept 25–27, 18+) NICO SWENSON

SATURDAY 9/27

C-ID Night Market

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(COMMUNITY) Chinatown-International District’s free annual festival has been around for nearly 20 years and takes its cues from China’s open-air night markets, which provide a place to stroll, shop, socialize, and snack on street food. Upwards of 25,000 visitors of all ages flock to the historic Chinatown gate in the International District to enjoy the festivities. This year, the lineup will include over 90 vendors: some hawking food and handmade arts and crafts, others representing local businesses and nonprofits. Plus, don’t miss lion dances, taiko (Japanese drum) performances, K-pop dances, martial arts demonstrations, yo-yoing, and more. (Chinatown-International District, 1–9 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

SUNDAY 9/28

Local Sightings: ‘Firebreak’

(FILM) Kenzie Bruce’s documentary, Firebreak, focuses on incarcerated firefighters and how two men, Brandon and Royal, go from serving time to starting a nonprofit that helps other prisoners turn their work into a career. Rather than just become shallow “inspiration porn” designed for people to feel good about themselves without looking any deeper into these men’s realities, this documentary spotlights the ways in which the system is broken—and the people working to fix it. It’s overflowing with care for its subjects, and clear-eyed in showing why so much still needs to change. (Northwest Film Forum, 3:30 pm) CHASE HUTCHINSON

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Album Review Revue

Julianne Bell — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 14:30:00 -0700

Featuring releases from Alcapulco Lips, Tullycraft, Emi Pop, and more. by Julianne Bell ACAPULCO LIPS

Now

(Killroom Records)

July 14

On their 2016 self-titled debut album, Seattle trio Acapulco Lips nailed the reverb-heavy surf-/garage-rock moves that have fired so many imaginations over the last 60 years. Their special talent is not sounding like tedious museum docents for these vintage styles. That’s down to the songwriting and instrumental chops of bassist/vocalist Maria-Elena Herrell and guitarist Christopher Garland, both consummate pros. Now, AL’s first album in nine years, finds them going for a more straightforward modern rock approach (Jordan T Adams joins on drums and Stefan Rubicz adds keyboards for this release). Everything sounds bigger, brighter, and more danceable, thanks partially to Killroom Records cofounders Ben Jenkins and Troy Nelson’s production (which perfectly captures Acapulco Lips’ manifold charms), and Kurt Bloch’s mastering. Album-opener “Welcome to the Other Side” sets the tone in the form of danceable rock with expertly layered vocal interplay. And it’s been ages since I’ve heard Phil Spector–esque rock that’s as majestic and beautiful as “Fuzzy Sunshine.” The lone instrumental, “Pas d’echappatoire,” is a roaring surf-rock opus that goes way harder than expected. “See You on the Other Side” overflows with optimism... then fades out and—shocker!—a (faux?) tamboura drone enters the frame and heavenly bliss is attained. What a brilliant way to end the album. Over the last 25 years or so, conventional rock has rarely impressed me, but Acapulco Lips’ songwriting is so tight and well-contoured, it would be foolish to resist. DAVE SEGAL

KAITLYN AURELIA SMITH

Gush

(Nettwerk Music Group)

Aug. 22

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’s new album, GUSH, could simultaneously soundtrack a euphoric night at a dance club and a meditative afternoon at the lake. The album is lush and free-flowing with an undercurrent of tense ballroom beats that bubble beneath the surface. Smith’s expertly layered vocals shimmer and bounce off the electronic bleep-bloops like the sun reflecting on a body of water, or like her glitter-cloaked skin on the cover of her 2017 album, The Kid. While composing GUSH, Smith, who is a longtime yogi and acrobat, expanded her movement practice to voguing and ballroom culture. She told Fest Magazine, “It was really helping me untangle my own identity as a queer, female-bodied person, and feelings about objectification.” While I am somewhat hesitant to compare the album to vogue-inspired pop queen Madonna, there are some undeniable similarities to Madge’s 1994 Bedtime Stories, particularly the Björk-written title track. Madonna and Smith’s approaches are different, but their goal is the same: to make your body move. AUDREY VANN

TULLYCRAFT

Shoot the Point

(Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records)

Aug. 22

The seminal twee band Tullycraft is extremely near and dear to my heart—I discovered them as a high-schooler who pored obsessively over the Three Imaginary Girls blog and instantly fell in love with their sugary, sparkling melodies. So when I listened to Shoot the Point, their first new album in six years, it felt like unwrapping a gift to my inner teen, and I couldn’t stop smiling. This is classic Tullycraft, packed full of cheeky references, rhinestones, sweet “sha-la-la-la” harmonies, evocative storytelling, and, of course, tambourines. The album recalls the band’s 2007 indie-pop vampire concept album, Every Scene Needs a Center—the lyrics conjure a vivid picture of the goth, punk, and New Wave world, with songs like “Jeanie’s Up Again and Blaring Faith by the Cure” (an ode to a morose, born-too-late Robert Smith fangirl) and “Love on the Left Bank” (the story of a tumultuous fling that begins at a Libertines show). The Stranger’s own Art Director and Renaissance man, Corianton Hale, has been a member of the band since 2005, a fact I somehow remained oblivious to until now—he designed the cover and contributed guitar, vocals, tambourine, melodica, ukulele, and accordion! JULIANNE BELL

(BEN) VON WILDENHAUS

Dark Von Universe

(Globos)

Sept. 2

Tacoma guitarist/vocalist Ben Von Wildenhaus is a debonair director of nocturnal melodic splendor, a patient explorer of deep emotions in song. His music sounds best in the wee morning hours, while you’re alone, contemplating your most regrettable decisions. Sophisticatedly tuneful and lyrically poetic, (Ben) Von Wildenhaus’s releases are kilometers away from the agitated, blue-collar rock of his old group, Federation X. You can call that “maturity,” but it’s not the staid kind; rather, he and his bandmates enjoy going on exploratory jaunts in myriad styles. Having a singer the caliber of Billie Bloom elevates these meticulously crafted songs to sublime levels. Bloom’s perfectly poised, jazz-tinged delivery would melt David Lynch’s heart. Von Wildenhaus’s new album, Dark Von Universe, collects nine tracks from the band’s extended play singles. There are plenty of deviations from the norm. “Mice Helium” is undulating, Middle Eastern–inflected electro-pop with warped vocals that bring to mind the title. The lighthearted, dulcet pop of “Spishal” possesses the buoyant bonhomie of McCartney II’s quirkier selections. The spangly melancholy drift on“Garbage Day” is as poignant as the best Yo La Tengo brooder. The spacey “How to Draw a Galaxy” has the slightly disorienting, valedictory air of a Grandaddy anthem. DAVE SEGAL

FAN CLUB

Stimulation EP

(Feel It Records)

Sept. 5

I happened to catch Fan Club for the second time at Linda’s Fest while I was taking a break from editing the newspaper you’re reading right now. I was on a walk and heard the racket from two full blocks away. Fan Club (formerly known as Lysol) shows are notoriously incendiary and punk as fuck, so I had to stop in. Each band member—guitarist Chad Ringo Bucklew, bassist Ken Maddy, drummer Anthony Gaviria, and singer Noah Earl Fowler—is a total ripper with the chops to play fast and loud while exuding maximum charisma and flair; Fowler is especially compelling, strutting and stalking the stage, climbing the speakers, whipping the mic around before nearly swallowing it. Their Stimulation EP (the first under this band name) keeps it very real with five blistering hardcore songs, the entire thing clocking in at under six minutes. Right on. EMILY NOKES

NEKO CASE

Neon Grey Midnight Green

(ANTI-)

Sept. 26

Good things come to those who wait, and for me, that good thing is Neko Case’s first album in seven years, Neon Grey Midnight Green. She has only released two singles from the album so far, but, between the breezy, Virginia Astley–esque “Winchester Mansion of Sound,” which is an ode to her dearly departed friend/collaborator Dexter Romweber, and the cinematic love song “Wreck,” it’s already in the running to be my favorite album of the year. Before I had even heard the singles, I was immediately drawn to the album’s cover, which features Case swathed in green fur beside a fallen chandelier with a puff of smoke in her hand, evoking the 20th-century surrealist artists Leonor Fini and Leonora Carrington. The album was recorded at her home studio in Vermont, Carnassial Sound, and is her first produced by her alone. Case, who identifies as gender fluid, writes: “People don’t think of us as an option. I’m proud to say I produced this record. It is my vision. It is my veto power. It is my taste.” AUDREY VANN

ALBUMEN

Albumen

(Eiderdown Records)

Oct. 3

Trumpeter Greg Kelley spent much of the 2010s weirding up Seattle’s underground-music scene with his extreme techniques and improvisational wit. His discography’s loaded with collabs featuring giants in the field such as Chris Corsano, Kim Gordon bandmate Bill Nace, Lori Goldston, and the late Wally Shoup. Albumen—a long-distance summit meeting with ex-Minutemen bassist Mike Watt, violist Noel Kennon, and Seattle avant-fusion trio Hound Dog Taylor’s Hand—stands as one of Kelley’s most exciting releases. On the gorgeous chamber-jazz reverie “Rose of Shannon,” Kennon channels Velvets-era John Cale as the track gradually builds to an agitated climax that recalls Seattle psychonauts Hovercraft. “No Wine Before Its Time” sloshes in subterranean mystique as Kelley’s ring-modulated trumpet sounds like a wounded wildebeest moaning in a cave and Jeffery Taylor’s guitar squeals in tongues. The hit single, nightmarish rocker “Be That as It May,” menacingly stalks a blasted wasteland, marked by Taylor’s ferocious wah-wah guitar and anchored by Watt’s mesmerizingly cyclical bass line. Although most of the parts on Albumen were recorded remotely, there’s a combustible chemistry here that makes me want to witness these musicians do their high-strung, inspirational thing live. DAVE SEGAL

EMI POP

No Te Voy a Extrañar

(Fink City Records)

Fall 2025

Local pop-punk artist Emi Pop grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the birthplace of Latin-influenced underground punk. She cut her teeth playing in Puerto Rican bands like Mely y Los Poppers as well as Seattle acts like On the Make, Famous Lizards, and 38 Coffin. Her debut album, No Te Voy a Extrañar, which is entirely in Spanish, goes down like a cold, crisp cherry cola, full of hard-hitting drums, crunchy guitars, and addictive hooks. “Amor de Verano” and “Lo Sé” capture the wistful, bittersweet sentiments of a short-lived summer romance, while “Psicópata” shows off her dark side. “Quiero bailar rock ’n’ roll,” Emi sings on the bouncy track of the same name, and you’ll definitely find yourself wanting to do the same. JULIANNE BELL

EVEN MORE ALBUMS TO LOOK OUT FOR!

July 17: Gabriella Assante Marie, Joan of Arc Page-Fort 7-inch (Hex Enduction)

Aug. 26: Faerie Born, Morally Grey (self-released)

Sept. 5: Scott Yoder, Lover, Let Me In (self-released)

Sept. 7: Low Hums, Sub Mission / Sugarcube 7-inch (Baby Lemonade)

Sept. 26: Smokey Brights, Dashboard Heat (Share It Music)

Oct. 10: Glass Egg, visions & ecstasies (Den Tapes)

Oct. 18: Leandrul, Choose (self-released)

Oct. 4: Stargazr, Unheard Stories (self-released)

Fall 2025: Trash Panda Go Kart, RACCOON GODS (self-released)

NOV. 7: *Pansy, Skin Graft EP (Earth Libraries)

*Everyone who works at The Stranger is a multifaceted diamond glittering with talent, which means we often have rich artistic lives outside of our roles at the paper. Vivian McCall, our News Editor, is also a musician, and this is her project! Like Tullycraft, we would not include it if we didn’t genuinely recommend it.