The Stranger

The X Factor

Meg van Huygen — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

“Seattle has better Chinese food than New York." by Meg van Huygen

“Seattle has better Chinese food than New York, anyway,” Xian Zhang quips from the couch in her new office, overlooking Second Avenue. “Well, in New York, it’s mainly Cantonese food. But I find Chinese food from the north actually better here. I’m from the north, so I like the handmade dumplings and hand-pulled noodles, that kind of thing. Seattle does it better.”

Before she even landed, word was already on the street that the Seattle Symphony’s new music director is a massive foodie. Sure enough, it’s only a few minutes before she’s comparing our restaurants to those in her home of the last decade.

Zhang is still pulling double duty between Seattle and the New Jersey Symphony, where she’s been the resident music director since 2016. “My son, it’s his junior year,” she explains, “and it’s too late for him to change schools, so he’s finishing high school there. I don’t wanna mess up his life!” But since accepting a five-year contract in Seattle last year, she admits, she’s been feeling a little more at ease out here.

“I grew up in a climate just like this—cold, a little humid and windy,” Zhang says, motioning toward the window. “And we had lots of shellfish,” she grins, bringing it back to food. “That’s my thing—my favorite! So Seattle is perfect for me, actually.”

It’s mutual, babe. Scoring Zhang is a monumental win for Seattle, and not only for her enormous talent and fiery vivacity. Alongside having no music director at all following Thomas Dausgaard’s sudden email ragequit in 2020, the Seattle Symphony’s had 17 conductors in its 123 years, and they all looked more or less the same—white and presumed male—until Zhang. It brings a li’l tear to the eye of this former Cornish piano major, who could only find one female American conductor to look up to in the late ’90s (the legendary Marin Alsop). Down around Benaroya Hall, when you see all the colorful media paraphernalia heralding Zhang’s arrival—there are vinyl stickers glued to the actual sidewalk, reading XIAN!—it seems like overkill at first. But then you’re like: You know what? Let them cook. This is the Seattle Symphony’s Cinderella moment.

Even today, the game’s still heavily dominated by men in the United States, with women and nonbinary people making up just 29.4 percent of American symphony conductors. It’s much worse outside the US, with a 2023 study reporting that just 11.2 percent of conductors are women worldwide. As well, 66.9 percent of American symphony conductors are white. No figures are currently available on how many of the remaining 33.1 percent are female or non-male, but one can imagine it’s a slender slice. There’s Zhang and there’s Alsop, who’s the laureate director of the Baltimore Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony has Nathalie Stutzmann at the wheel. But when it comes to symphonies in major American cities, these three women pretty much make up the whole scene.

“There also just aren’t that many of us conductors,” Zhang points out, “women or men. It’s a numbers problem. Because it’s a hard job! Not so many people can do it.”

She said a mouthful there, because to watch this woman conduct an orchestra is electric. Armed with her baton, this mini maestra seems 10 feet tall, commanding her musical battalion with real joy and absolute authority. Even from the nosebleed seats, you can feel the crackle in the air. Few people can do that job, indeed.

Xian Zhang (“sh-yen jahng”) was born in 1973 in Dandong, near the North Korean border, to a music teacher mom and a luthier dad. When Western instruments were scarce in Cultural Revolution-era China, her father built a piano for her from scratch. She began piano lessons at age 3 and was practicing eight hours a day by elementary school. At 11, she was sent to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing to study piano performance under Lingfen Wu, herself a pioneering female conductor.

Zhang was dropped into conducting somewhat against her will when, one day, Wu sent her 20-year-old student to sub at a rehearsal at the China National Opera. “I’d just finished learning The Marriage of Figaro from her—but I’d never conducted anything in my life! It was a four-and-a-half-hour production, with professional musicians. My teacher called in the day before and said, ‘Um, I don’t feel well, but I’m gonna send my student to conduct tomorrow. If she does a bad job at rehearsal, I will try to come in at intermission and take over.’

“The director of the opera was very mad at my teacher that morning,” Zhang laughs. “‘How can you do this to us? And send a little girl?’ I was very short, very tiny. I remember sitting on the bus with the other musicians going to the opera house, thinking, I’m gonna DIE today. I’m gonna mess this up and be so embarrassed, and I will die.” But she did it anyway, and when her teacher called at intermission to check in, she was told, “Well, she actually seems to be doing okay? She’s almost done with the second act.”

“And my teacher was like ‘Uh, okay, I still don’t feel good! Let her finish the show.’ The next day, she kept saying she was sick. So yeah, she gave me two shows with the China National Opera when I was 20. That was my first public conducting job.”

Zhang didn’t forget it, and today, she goes out of her way to pay it forward and support female orchestral musicians, along with those from other underrepresented groups. She points to a recent Benaroya performance of composer Michael Abels’s Delights and Dances performed by laureate winners of the Sphinx Competition, which is open to young Black and Latino string players in Detroit and endeavors to address systemic obstacles within their communities. “The quartet was all students who’d won a competition for young, less-privileged players. I really, really feel strongly about supporting this kind of program.”

Since leaving China in 1998 to pursue her doctorate in Cincinnati, Zhang’s led orchestras in Milan, Montréal, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Cardiff, Singapore, London, and dozens of US cities. As well as back home in Beijing—in addition to her current roles in Seattle and New Jersey, she’s also the principal guest conductor at the China National Opera this season. True to brand, only a month after her introductory gala at Benaroya Hall in September, she jetted off to Helsinki for the rest of 2025, where she’d already signed up to conduct Tosca before saying yes to Seattle.

Now that she’s picked the reins back up in Seattle, Zhang is super pumped for the production of Iris Unveiled (originally Iris dévoilée), playing February 12, 14, and 15. In a Peking opera-style concert suite that Zhang says is very special to her personally, Chinese-born French composer Qigang Chen mashes up Chinese stringed instruments like the pipa and erhu with a Western-style orchestra, as solo vocalists sing in both Western and Chinese operatic styles. The suite describes the story of Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, employing texture and color to describe various facets of divine femininity: coyness, jealousy, voluptuousness, lust. As the central figure, soprano Meng Meng wears traditional Chinese makeup and a kuitou (头), an elaborate headdress loaded with pearls and tassels and pompoms.

The production’s timing is pinned to the Lunar New Year and the Seattle Symphony’s second annual Lunar New Year Gala. Benaroya Hall’s lobby will be decked out for the holiday, tickets include a multi-course authentic Chinese dinner, and there’ll be performances by select artists from Iris Unveiled’s cast. “I’m so excited, yes!” Zhang says. “The story is based on old Chinese poems, and there’s some really authentic Chinese art involved in the program. And I find the music just strikingly beautiful.” The show, she adds, will be a great way for her to begin engaging with the Asian community here in Seattle, as a fresh start for the new year.

Zhang isn’t new to Seattle, for what it’s worth, having first guest-conducted the Seattle Symphony in 2008. “I’ve always liked Seattle! To me, Seattle has come up as one of the most vibrant cities in America nowadays. I like the people. They’re different from the East Coast—slightly laid-back, and they’re not as edgy. And also, I like the diversity of the community. I feel comfortable here, you know, as an Asian person.

“And I like the food here too!” she says, splitting off to enthusiastically recommend a hot pot restaurant off Aurora. “It’s like a shabu-shabu place. I know the name in Chinese but not in English!” She goes on to rave about the meat combo, as passionately as she spoke about Iris Unveiled. After playing 20 Questions, we realize it’s No.9 Alley Hot Pot in Bitter Lake.

Despite our rep as one of the nation’s most progressive cities, Seattle’s classical music scene has been kind of a musty old ghost ship over the last few years, with nobody at the helm. So it’s sincerely thrilling to see the fiery, sizzling energy that Zhang brings on board. Right out of the gate, she’s going out of her way to platform women, POC, and other underrepresented musicians, along with youth orchestras, local composers, and hell, the restaurant scene, too. Seattle’s classical community has needed this delicious zap in the butt since 1903. No amount of vinyl sidewalk stickers with her name on them is enough.

Pop Loser # 15: Immaculate Collection with Biblioteka

Audrey Vann — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 14:24:00 -0800

This week's music news. by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we dig into some highlights from the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. In another edition of Immaculate Collection, local punk band Biblioteka share their treasure troves of funky shoes, creepy dolls, and Magic: The Gathering cards. Plus, I have two moody song recommendations to get you through the rest of the week.

This Week in Music

The Grammys were on Sunday (if you even care). Politics seeped through the award show’s facade with ICE OUT pins on every lapel and speeches dedicated to immigrant solidarity from Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Olivia Dean, and Kehlani. Other highlights from the show included a D’Angelo tribute from Lauryn Hill and performances from pop divas Addison Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, and Lady Gaga. Trump has already threatened to sue host Trevor Noah, who joked about his visits to Epstein Island.

The award show also brought us live TV gold. Cher made an appearance at the Grammys for the first time in 18 years to accept a lifetime achievement award and present the highly anticipated Record of the Year. What followed was an incredible chain of slipups, pauses, and missed marks that only Cher can get away with. Her appearance ended with her announcing the late Luther Vandross as the winner. (The winner was actually Kendrick Lamar and SZA, for their song “Luther”). This was the greatest award show moment since John Travolta introduced “the wickedly talented Adele Dazeem.”

Let’s talk fashion. There have been entire articles written about Chappell Roan’s red carpet look, but for all the wrong reasons (I am looking at you, New York Times). The merlot chiffon gown, held up by faux nipple piercings, was inspired by a look from Thierry Mugler’s fall 1998 couture collection and should make anyone gasp from its elegance, not prudishness. In the negative space on her skin, Roan was covered in delicate temporary tattoos of lace-woven horses. This is by far my favorite red carpet look of the last 20 years.

RIP Billy Bass Nelson. This week, we lost Billy Bass Nelson, the original bassist of the pioneering psychedelic funk band Funkadelic, who died just three days after his 75th birthday. No cause of death has been reported yet. It was also announced Monday night that Three Dog Night cofounder Chuck Negron, best known as the lead vocalist on “Joy to the World,” died at the age of 83.

The USA could never. Live music venues in the UK are now set to receive government support, following backlash to plans that would increase business rates, which could leave thousands of venues and pubs at risk of layoffs and closures. In response to the possible impact on live music, the Treasury has confirmed a new support package of nearly £100 million for live music venues across England and Wales.

Immaculate Collection with Biblioteka

If you’ve been nonstop bumping Amyl & the Sniffers’ third album, Cartoon Darkness, since it was released, might I suggest you add some Biblioteka into the rotation? Like the Aussie punks, Seattle’s Biblioteka are led by a high-energy vocal powerhouse, Mary Robins, who often sings about being turned on and pissed off (just listen to their newest single “Firestarter”). Ahead of the trio’s album release party at Neumos on Feb 12, I caught up with the band to discuss their obsessions, from funky shoes to creepy dolls.

Mary: Funky Shoes

What do you collect?
I collect shoes, namely, statement shoes and boots for playing shows. There’s something about stomping around in big, boxy boots that makes me feel like a giant praying-mantis-meets-Barbarella. Things I usually go for: platforms, chunky heels, and leopard.

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?
Jeffrey Campbell buckle ankle boots with a metal-caged heel. I wore them for our first Biblioteka show. They’re comfy and look so sick. Local shoe lore is that Jeffrey Campbell got his start working at the Tukwila Nordstrom in the women's shoe department, or so the people who work there have told me. I love a local legend, and I also had my first job at the Tukwila mall.

What is the most prized item in your collection?
The vintage, silver, pointy-toe cowboy boots. I got them at a vintage shop while we were in Spain on tour. They look amazing, one of a kind and out of this world. And they fit perfectly.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection or a new collection you'd like to start.
I’m trying to de-collect, especially since I grew up in a house where “collecting” can get out of hand, lol. So these days I’m selling clothes and shoes on my Depop :)

Hexx: Souvenir Dolls

What do you collect?
I collect a lot! Vinyl, vintage tees and bolos, guitars, and I also started a creepy doll collection.

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?

I started collecting souvenir plush/dolls/toys while out touring, and it all started with a creepy clown that I found in a Portland alley next to a bag of drugs. I left the drugs, took the clown, and proclaimed her name Gweneviere, which also happened to be the name of the venue owner’s daughter (who despises clowns). Gweneviere is our unofficial mascot!

What is the most prized item in your collection?

I have a green alien plush scored from a middle-of-nowhere gas station close to what I assume or wish to believe is Area 51.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection or a new collection you'd like to start.

I’d be good with another back alley clown.

Jules: Magic: The Gathering Cards

What do you collect?
I started collecting Magic: The Gathering cards entirely on accident, but now I’ve likely got around two or three thousand cards in my collection, and it is probably what I would need to sell off if I needed a quick windfall someday.

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?

I started playing around 2018 when a friend of mine moved back to town and decided to get us all hooked. The first Magic cards I bought on my own were from Mox Boarding House, a battle deck they had assembled called Chimera Flash. The deck was built around a card called Spellheart Chimera, which at the time felt like the strongest card imaginable. It has flying and trample AND its power is equal to the number of instants and sorceries in my graveyard? What could be better than that? Soon after I started collecting packs from the Guilds of Ravnica expansion, which had a card called Crackling Drake, which was basically the same as Spellheart Chimera but it also drew a card when it entered. The search for the strongest version of Spellheart Chimera still continues to this day.

What is the most prized item in your collection?

I’m a lifelong Sonic the Hedgehog fan, so I bought the crossover Secret Lair collection when they launched it. There are seven secret bonus cards, the seven chaos emeralds, that were all super rare drops for those who bought the collab. I ended up getting the red chaos emerald, it was such a thrill pulling that out of the pack. I’ve got it in my trade binder to proudly show, and it’s doubtful I’ll pull an individual card that I’m more stoked on.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection or a new collection you'd like to start.

Ideally, this collection never gets any bigger. I’d love to just survive for the rest of my Magic career by selling cards if I want to buy more cards. I’ve got too many of these things.

Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

Naima Bock Feb 5, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

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

The Maya Experience Feb 6, Barboza, 6:30 pm, 21+

Audioasis Live Feb 7, KEXP, 5 pm, all ages

Claire Conway, Your Jack, Frankie Beach Feb 10, Sunset Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

Olivia Barton Feb 10, Barboza, 7 pm, all ages

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The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“Heavy, Why?” by Blackwater Holylight
Portland-born metal band Blackwater Holylight contrast their shimmering harmonies with sludgy, psychedelic instrumentals for a product that is haunting, beautiful, cathartic, and scary all at the same time. Their new album, Not Here Not Gone, was released on Friday and features some of their most approachable songs yet—take “Heavy, Why?” for example, which is reminiscent of 2010s rock bands like the Dum Dum Girls and Broken Water. I don't listen to very much metal, but I love this band—consider them your gateway into the genre.

“Bluebell” by Babes in Toyland

When I’m in a bad mood, I listen to Babes in Toyland’s 1992 album Fontanelle as loud as I can tolerate. I’ve been in a bad mood a lot this week, so naturally, “Bluebell” has been literally stuck in my head, keeping me up at night. Specifically, the part where she yells, “You know who you are / You're dead meat, motherfucker!” Listen to it for a cathartic release.

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Chill Seekers

Dave Segal — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 15:00:00 -0800

It’s never not surprising when artists create adventurous, instrumental electronic music that breaks through to a wider audience. In an era of formulaic, innocuous mega-streamers, challenging sounds snaring major mindshare is rare and precious. Recently, we’ve seen that phenomenon with Oneohtrix Point Never, Mica Levi, and Robert A.A. Lowe scoring films funded by millionaires. On a slightly smaller scale, we’re witnessing this scenario play out with Purelink, a NYC-via-Chicago trio who have risen to notoriety with critically acclaimed, deeply blissful albums Signs (2023) and Faith (2025) for the tiny indie label Peak Oil. by Dave Segal

On a slightly smaller scale, we’re witnessing this scenario play out with Purelink, a NYC-via-Chicago trio who have risen to notoriety with critically acclaimed, deeply blissful albums Signs (2023) and Faith (2025) for the tiny indie label Peak Oil. Few ambient-dub outfits with nary a vocal hook in earshot (save for guest Loraine James’s understated one on “Rookie”), let alone big budgets, end up notching six-figure streams and earning opening slots for popular artists such as Tirzah and Astrid Sonne. Sure looks like Purelink are the latest anointed ones.

Certainly, there are dozens of musicians working in Purelink’s chill zone. Yet the media and the listening public have bestowed more love and attention than most on the peace-inducing work of Tommy Paslaski, Akeem Asani, and Ben Paulson. Rightfully so, although unexpected, given that Signs abounds with Loscil-like ambient drifts and gentle, undanceable beats to which your infant can nap. Standout cut “4k Murmurs” harks back to the amniotic, beatific nature of Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85–92. It’s the kind of stuff that KEXP DJ Alex Ruder plays on the early Sunday morning show Pacific Notions but doesn’t air during prime-time hours.

Purelink’s latest album, Faith, offers profound calm and balm in sonic form. The sound’s super minimal, but its emotional support system is maximal. An aquatic placidity predominates, although some beats skitter on the down-low. On the etiolated, acoustic-guitar-bolstered “First Iota,” poet Angelina Nonaj intones, “Not everything beautiful has to be real,” and it sounds like a band ethos. “Circle of Dust” tranquilly ripples with submerged, Chain Reaction–esque rhythms amid gorgeous, pastel synth vapor; it’s dub techno as evanescent and consoling as the memory of a beautiful dream.

On 2022’s Purelink EP, tropical-paradise ambience quivers with understated hand percussion, making you feel as if you’re on the choicest SSRIs. “Fine Pink Mist (Low Flung Version)” is Balearic, sundown-shiver gold, while “Dozen Sunbeams (Nice Girl Version)” is house music distilled to an unfathomable blissfulness. That three cats from polar-vortex-suffering Chicago created this is somewhat miraculous. That same year’s Puredub peddles ambient dub honed to a wisp. “Cricket Dub” is the greatest track that the Orb never recorded; “Depression Dub” is chillout-room Meat Beat Manifesto. Purelink have moved away from this style, but let’s hope not forever. Similarly, the atmospheric, hall-of-mirrors drum and bass of 2021’s “Head on a Swivel” appears to have been abandoned, but maybe only temporarily.

Purelink’s ascent makes one wonder: When’s the last time we had a prominent (non-EDM) electronic-music group with three members? The setup’s unusual, so I’m wondering how Purelink manage to realize their ideas in any given track, given how minimalist they are. “To Rococo Rot is the group we often cite as the prominent electronic trio,” Asani says in an email interview conducted with all members. “And not solely electronic, but Saint Etienne is another three-piece I come back to, as well.

“Each track comes about in its own unique way—we all have our hands on each part and take turns shaping each sound to make sure it fits. I am a drummer, so I tend to focus on drums, but that doesn’t mean I’m the only one making drum parts. When we start a new jam session, everyone is welcome to bring any ideas to the table and we all have to agree on it to stay in the final version.”

Listening to Purelink, you can imagine massage therapists using it to relax clients. But they don’t think of their music in functional terms. “We often are motivated by creating sounds that conjure up some sort of feeling or emotion that sticks with us beyond the recording session,” Paulson says. “The proud feeling of pulling off a new writing or production technique is also infectious, allowing you to express even more.

“While I understand why it may be helpful for others, it feels quite trivial to preconceive what the music’s purpose is; in the end it’s up to the listener to give their own personal meaning. Though I do believe music can have therapeutic qualities, and if people get that from our music, that’s great. But I’m not really thinking about the listener when creating. Maybe after it’s released I would, but it doesn’t help me make better music.”

The aforementioned Chain Reaction–styled “Doppler-effected metallic ripple as rhythmic accent” thing was revelatory for Purelink. “I really loved the concept of doing so much with so little—working within an inspiring palette of sounds and creating environments that capture the imagination,” Paslaski says. “Having experienced those tracks like 20 years after they came out, I definitely benefited from naïveté and a lot of excitement. It got me thinking about what could be possible and how we could blend other elements of music that we love into that type of electronic context.”

For Purelink’s Seattle show, they’ll likely focus on tracks from Signs and Faith. Paulson says, “We also will include songs that are still being developed. We tend to use dub-style mixing techniques to blend stems together, while leaving room for some improvisations. Often taking the tracks our listeners may know into something hopefully new and exciting.”

It’s interesting that Purelink’s profile has risen significantly after their music started to lean more into ambience and de-emphasize rhythm. Perhaps we’re in a golden age for ambient music, due in part to the ultra-stressful state of the world and the need for relaxing sounds. Paulson’s not really buying that theory. “It’s tough to get a clear picture why anyone listens to anything, lol. I think we all feel proud of the last two records and their minor successes. We’ve been more and more motivated to create something that synthesizes different kinds of music, so maybe there’s something to connecting ideas from different communities? There’s plenty of great music being made all along the spectrum of sound and genre that inspires us every day.”

Purelink perform February 10 at Substation with ‘nohup’ and Hünter.

Easy Street Records Owner Defends, Then Apologizes for, Sympathetic ICE Comments

Audrey Vann — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 16:30:00 -0800

As Easy Street Records owner Matt Vaughan has demonstrated, posting is almost always a mistake. by Audrey Vann

It really didn’t have to go down like this. On Friday, the long-running West Seattle record shop and cafe, Easy Street Records, posted on Instagram that it’d donate 10 percent of its sales through the weekend to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. This was the store’s way to support Friday’s sort-of “general strike” without cutting staff hours. All day, they’d be blasting song requests from their outdoor speakers. Suggestions poured in: “Know Your Rights” by the Clash, “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, and “Imagine” by John Lennon.

Then, an hour later, Easy Street liked (accidentally, says the shop’s president Matt Vaughan) and un-liked a lovely screed, bringing it to the top of the comments section:

“ICE is doing God's work. Ain't nobody above the law, and that includes immigration law. Abolishing ICE is a radicalized notion; if people truly wanted change, they'd ask for a reform but abolishing a federal law enforcement agency is pure lunacy. Because of such a fundamental disagreement I will never participate in idiotic calls to boycott nothing. And in spirit of good neighborlyness [sic], here's my song request: Led Zepellin [sic], Immigrant Song.”

People wanted to know why Easy Street liked the comment. Easy Street could’ve said anything, and chose wrong.

“Dude chose Immigrant Song,” wrote Vaughan. “C’mon! He’s trying. Obviously the guy has some decent thoughts…at least has good music taste. I may not agree w what he says, but I’ll fight like hell for him to express his opinion.”

People did not like that. Vaughan doubled down. “We agree w him saying ‘nobody is above the law,’ we agree w his song choice, we appreciate the engagement. It seems the guy is trying to come to grips w things, we can support that even if we don’t agree.”

By “we,” Vaughan must have meant “I,” because he’s “in charge of social media and replying,” says an anonymous Easy Street employee who wanted to keep their job. Vaughan confirmed they were his comments. “Our social media person had the day off,” he wrote in an email to The Stranger. He apologized for speaking for his entire staff of sales clerks and music buyers, whose pithy reels of music recommendations have made them the faces of his account.

Though in the moment, Vaughan kept digging: “I imagine there are some decent ICE agents out there, if u are a quality human being...gotta be a tough job. Clearly we don’t agree w how it’s been managed…and the optics are awful.” The comment has been deleted. But the screenshots are alive, well, and on Reddit.

Realizing his mistake, Vaughan commented that “It takes 20 years (or 58) to build a reputation…and 5 minutes to lose it. I very much understand that notion.”

In an email to The Stranger, Vaughan said he hadn’t seen the bit about ICE doing “God’s work” when he was liking song requests, and had made a mistake by “not reading the whole thing.” (Close readers will note the comment began: “ICE is doing God’s work.”)

“I agreed with the reply the guy saying ‘nobody is above the law,’” Vaughan continues, “I thought he was referring to Trump and the administration, everyone.” He acknowledged that upon reading it again, he can see how it could be referring to “protesters who aren't above the law.”

“This was inappropriate given the circumstances in recent weeks and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. I am terribly sorry to my staff and any customers who feel let down. This was all on me.”

It’s unclear whether Vaughan’s real-time responses and ever-changing explanations for the comments (the apology on Instagram continues to be edited) are a reflection of a man trying to learn from his mistakes or a business owner trying desperately to get back in good graces with his customers. Patrons of Easy Street Records, at least in the online sphere, appear to be split. “This is how you handle a mistake,” one commenter writes. “Performative apology,” another says.

Either way, Vaughan’s employees are bearing the brunt of his thumbs.

“We have received angry calls and people in-store voicing their opinion on Matt's comments,” says an employee. “On behalf of the staff, I just want to reiterate that his comments on Friday were not ours.”

Before you seek retribution on Easy Street with a nasty phone call, remember the last time your boss did something stupid, and you took the hit. My advice to Vaughan: put down the phone. My advice to you: Take your business elsewhere if you please, but leave the workers alone.

Editor's Note: This story has been edited since its publication. The original article stated that Vaughan had continued to edit his apology. The nature of Vaughan's edits to his apology are unclear.

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

Pop Loser #14: MAITA Shares What No Doubt Taught Her

Audrey Vann — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0800

This week's music news. by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser! Despite everything feeling unbearably horrific in the world this week (FUCK ICE), there have been a few tiny glimmers of joy: the Vera Project has announced a new venue, Victoria Beckham’s single “I’m Not Such an Innocent Girl” is trending, and Connie Converse’s How Sad, How Lovely is finally getting reissued. And, in another edition of First Times, Maria Maita-Keppeler of Portland-based indie rock project MAITA shares her early musical influences from Elliott Smith to Vitamin C.

This Week in Music

Let’s start with some rare good news: The Vera Project is opening a new all-ages venue in Georgetown next year. Dave Segal spoke with Vera’s executive director, Ricky Graboski, about their plans for expansion in 2027. While they consider Vera to be their “home base,” and Black Lodge their “underground venue,” they are hoping that the new Georgetown venue will be a space for mutual aid. “We want it to be run by and for community, so every show's going to have a mutual aid group, a nonprofit, someone there who is supporting something in local community,” Graboski told Segal, specifying that 40 to 60 tickets at every show will be pay-what-you-can. Vera's goal is to raise $2.5 million by early 2027, when the yet-to-be-named Georgetown space is set to open. Seattle-born rock band Band of Horses is already on board to contribute by donating $1 from every ticket they sell on their upcoming tour to help fund Vera’s new venue.

The lineup for Portland’s Pickathon festival has dropped, and it’ll be worth the three-hour drive south this summer. Highlights include Brazilian music icon Marcos Valle, alt-country king Steve Earl, and Idaho’s finest Built to Spill, along with lesser-known gems like experimental guitarist Mary Halvorson, Aussie outfit Folk Bitch Trio, and indie rock duo Widowspeak.

Meanwhile, the Watershed Festival will run dry in 2026. The Gorge’s annual contemporary country music festival announced its hiatus this year, providing no further details or reasons why. Oh well, Willie Nelson’s Outlaw festival is the only country music fest I was interested in anyway.

This week in pathetic Drake news (seriously, this could become a regular segment), the rapper has appealed the lawsuit ruling on “Not Like Us.” In October, a federal judge dismissed the rapper’s defamation lawsuit against UMG, which sought damages from the label for promoting Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning diss track. UMG claims that Drake “lost a rap battle that he provoked and in which he willingly participated,” to which the judge agreed. But the self-proclaimed “Certified Lover Boy” still won’t give it up.

Reggae icon Sly Dunbar (of Sly and Robbie) has died at the age of 73. The Grammy-winning drummer, who has played on iconic tracks by Lee Perry, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, and Grace Jones, was found unresponsive in his home on Monday morning. No cause of death has been made public thus far.

The best news of the week: Monster-in-law Victoria Beckham has scored the biggest-selling single of the week, with a nearly 2,000 percent surge on her 2001 single “I’m Not Such An Innocent Girl.” If you’ve been living under a rock, Posh Spice’s son, Brooklyn, recently popped off on Instagram, revealing that his parents have been sabotaging his relationship with wife Nicola Peltz, citing his mother’s “inappropriate” dancing at their wedding. Release the tapes!

Prepare to be gagged: If you’re not familiar with King Crimson guitarist/Brian Eno collaborator Robert Fripp and New Wave diva Toyah Wilcox’s YouTube channel, let me introduce you. The married couple posts weekly covers while decked out in unbelievable costumes (for example, they recently used their giant pet rabbits as puppets while singing “Auld Lang Syne”). This week, the duo shared their cover of X-Ray Spex's “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!” in full bondage gear, ball gag and all.

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First Times with MAITA Oops! All cheeks.

MAITA, the indie rock project by Portland-based singer-songwriter Maria Maita-Keppeler, has moved many people with her angelic vocals and cathartic lyricism. One such person was Kill Rock Stars' founder Slim Moon, who came out of a twelve-year-long retirement and revived the label to sign her. Four years after her debut album, Best Wishes, MAITA signed to Portland’s Fluff & Gravy Records, releasing her 2024 label debut, want—a must for fans of emotional indie rock à la Big Thief, Mitski, and Lucy Dacus. I caught up with the singer-songwriter ahead of her show at Baba Yaga on Sunday (with Seattle indie folk band St. Yuma) to discuss her early musical influences from No Doubt and Elliott Smith to Vitamin C.

What was the first album you bought?

It's so difficult to remember this because, admittedly, my middle school years were soundtracked almost exclusively by burned CDs. I do know that at one point I owned a No Doubt greatest hits CD, which I remember as one of the first albums I really fell for, even though technically it's not a real album and just a collection of their singles. Still, unbeknownst to me, No Doubt taught me a lot about song structure (they always had a bridge), as well as the concept that there could be women and electric guitars in a band. (What a novel concept for a pre-teen!)

What was the first song you sang in front of people?

I sang a lot as a young kid, but forced myself into hibernation for about a decade after hearing that I didn't have a good singing voice. Then, when I was 16, I decided to perform "Between the Bars" by Elliott Smith at a high school open mic night. I was shaking like a leaf! I did a private run-through in front of my best friend before the show, and even then, it took me about 10 minutes to start singing. I still love that song.

What was the first instrument you played, and what was the first song you learned?

I taught myself to play piano as a kid, mostly all by ear, so I never really got a firm grasp on music theory. (This is true even today, unfortunately.) I loved that song "Graduation" by Vitamin C when I was in elementary school, and learning that it was basically Pachelbel's Canon was a revelation for me. You bet I learned to play Pachelbel's Canon, and you bet I paired it with Vitamin C's "Graduation" and played it for my fifth-grade class when we, well, graduated.

What was the first song that made you cry?

I wasn't a big crier as a kid. This feels really random and almost embarrassing, but for whatever reason, I remember the Columbia space shuttle disaster of 2003 hit me really hard, and my mom was listening to some Jim Brickman piano song, and the combination of those sunk me into a deep, sulking state. I wallowed all afternoon. Now I mostly just cry at shows, when the energy is potent and all-encompassing. I cried when Feist revealed her full band mid-set at a show last winter. I bawled all the way through a Haley Heynderickx set last summer.

Who was the first musician you idolized?

Probably Conor Oberst. I went hard for Bright Eyes when I found them in middle school. I was obsessed, I listened to their albums on repeat. There's nothing like discovering Fevers and Mirrors as a young teen.

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Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel: Celestun Tour Jan 29, the Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

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

Den Tapes Winter Jam IV: Great Ooze, Tourist Activities, 222, & Young-Chhaylee Jan 30, Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Drink The Sea Jan 30, Town Hall Seattle, 8 pm, all ages

Glaive: Y'all Tour Jan 30, the Showbox, 8 pm, all ages

Glitterfox Jan 30, Barboza, 6:30 pm, 21+

MAITA with St. Yuma Feb 1, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+

Speak-Easier: Bridging the Abortion Divide, Presented by The Pro-Voice Project Feb 1, Hidden Hall, 4:30 pm, 21+

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The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“House” by Connie Converse

I have many special holy-grail records that I’ve collected through the years: an early pressing of Velvet Underground and Nico with a perfectly intact banana, an original copy of Big Star’s #1 Record, etc. Yet, Discogs tells me that my most valuable record is the 2015 compilation of Connie Converse's 1950s recordings, which continues to baffle me. If I’ve learned anything from being a record-buying freak, it’s to never pay a premium for contemporary out-of-print records. They will be reissued, I promise! Exhibit A: Third Man Records has announced that they are reissuing Converse’s How Sad, How Lovely, which will likely make the value of my copy decrease from $300 to $20. Aside from making her music more widely accessible, the best part about the reissue is that it features this previously unreleased track. The song showcases everything I love about Converse’s songwriting: whimsy, complaining about rent prices, and puzzling song structure, which was far ahead of its time.

“Way Out” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Have you listened to the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s 2006 album Show Your Bones in a while? If not, throw it on now. The world is enveloped in darkness right now, and we can all use a boost of comforting nostalgia that isn’t the 2016 Instagram trend (I’d much prefer to return to 2006, thank you very much). This song in particular brings me back to the fourth grade, making pillow forts in my bedroom.

The Vera Project Announces New All-Ages Venue

Dave Segal — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0800

The new 300-capacity venue is set to open in Georgetown in early 2027. by Dave Segal

The Seattle music industry has been rife with misfortune since COVID lockdown. Bucking odds, though, the Vera Project has a raft of good news. The city's stalwart all-ages nonprofit organization is celebrating its 25th anniversary this month, and its staff has plans to offer more opportunities for young artists and promoters, to put on more free shows, to launch a new festival, and to open a new 300-capacity venue in Georgetown. And they're going to do all this without selling a drop of alcohol.

For a quarter century, Vera Project—currently headquartered at Seattle Center—has been hosting all-ages music shows and visual arts exhibits, teaching studio recording and screen-printing skills, and providing a “safe space for radical self-expression” for young people. Vera also has helped to transform Black Lodge from an off-grid cultural hub to a legit music venue.

In an interview with The Stranger, Executive Director Ricky Graboski elaborated on Vera Project's ambitious vision for the near future. Vera's goal is to raise $2.5 million by early 2027, when the yet-to-be-named Georgetown space is set to open. (Vera signed a 20-year lease for it.) The org already has garnered more than 53 percent of that total. Much of it has come from Paul Allen's Allen Family Philanthropies; Graboski singles out Amber Rose Jimenez, the organization’s program officer, as an advocate for Vera. “They're just trying to support youth in a real way,” says Graboski. “[The decision] evolved quickly from what seemed like smaller funds to a full Seattle Center-wide thing. We were among the highest-funded [organizations]. We also pitched something fairly radical compared to what a lot of arts funding is pushing out there. Because we're just immediately spending the money on free shows run by young people for young people.”

Vera's Ratsquatch faces off with Snacks the Bunny at the Rock Lottery show in 2025. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Speaking of free shows, Vera has inaugurated “Ticket-blaster,” a program enabling over 60 no-cover events annually, to facilitate experimentation. In addition, the “Hidden Track” scheme—a series of shows produced by people in the community—will foster curatorial skills by six individuals per year, drawn from open applications and peer adjudication. The aim is to boost “under-represented subcultures, communities, or experimental artistic directions,” under Vera staff's mentorship and taking place in Georgetown. “We just started booking underground and alt-comedy stuff,” Graboski says. “We can use this opportunity to find new things out.” Another development is the Always All-Ages Fest, a multi-venue, cross-genre, pay-what-you-can extravaganza scheduled for November. As a bonus, VERA Art Gallery will offer free entry almost every Saturday.

To help fund these endeavors, Vera brokered a brilliant deal with Band of Horses, who are donating a dollar per ticket sold on their upcoming tour. “We'd been talking to them about 25th-anniversary stuff, because they're an important band in Vera's history.” Graboski says he hopes to approach other bands with similar fundraising deals.

A screenprinting demo at Vera during the Rock Lottery show in 2025. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Much is riding on the multi-purpose Georgetown space, which will better accommodate Vera's demographic, most of whom live in the South End. “More young people need more opportunities. We have lots of friends in Georgetown who spent the last 18 months connecting with dozens of community groups to make sure it's something that the community actually wanted.

“Vera is our home base, our all-ages space. Black Lodge is our underground venue. It's as close as we can be to the DIY scene we can get as a nonprofit. We're hoping Georgetown is our mutual aid space. We want it to be run by and for community, so every show's going to have a mutual aid group, a nonprofit, someone there who is supporting something in local community. Forty to 60 tickets at every show will be pay-what-you-can. We're having this crazy modular setup built into the space so we can reconfigure the room for anything.”

With news of the Crocodile being for sale, the health of Seattle nightlife seems more precarious than ever. Yet Vera Project appears to be thriving. What's their secret? “Our strategy has always been 'there's a better way.' Young people need access to arts, culture, community, and gathering spaces. Vera's been weirdly successful in choosing what's a fairly reckless strategy: If folks need things, we provide those things now, not to secure our legacy. And Vera's nearly gone out of business nearly 50 times since we were founded.”

Zookraught playing the Vera stage at Bumbershoot in 2025. BRITTNE LUNNISS

Grants from Doors Open and Satterberg, abundant donors, special events, and dedicated volunteers have also kept Vera thriving. “We've been scrappy forever. We try to keep our budget as low as possible. We've just gotten good at asking the right people for money at the right times. And we've gotten good at not having to take money from major corporations or foundations whom we don't agree with ethically.

“The message we're trying to send is, Vera's working because our community is largely young people, and they're not fully broken down by this system yet. They're still excited. Because they're building what we're putting on, it's working. If people gave in to this ecosystem in a real way, then artists would be supported, and maybe these venues wouldn't be shutting down.”

Pop Loser #13: Austra on Opera Arias and Boyz II Men

Audrey Vann — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:00:00 -0800

This week's music news. by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, the Crocodile announced that it’s up for sale, Bandcamp banned AI music, and Harry Styles revealed the name of his new album. Plus, I attended the opera for the first time, and coincidentally, electronic music diva Austra shares her early musical inspirations, from operas like Puccini’s La bohème and Mozart’s Magic Flute, in another edition of First Times.

This Week in Music

The Crocodile is up for sale. The owners announced on Tuesday that they’re selling the long-running Belltown venue through a receivership process, which is generally used as an alternative to bankruptcy. According to court documents, the Crocodile has $1.6 million in debt, with the vast majority owed to ticketing platform TicketWeb, and cites decreased attendance and alcohol sales, along with rising operating costs, for its lack of profitability. In the meantime, the venue and its upstairs hotel will operate as usual, booking future shows in hopes of selling the club as a “turnkey situation.”

Live local music is still alive and well at the Black Lodge. This weekend, the Black Lodge will host Susquatch 5, a two-day festival organized by local noise artist Fleetwood Snack. I highly recommend checking out fuzzy indie rock band Spiral XP and experimental rap project Lonelygirl15 on night one, and Tacoma garage rock trio Semisoft on night two.

Singer-songwriter Tucker Zimmerman and his wife, Marie-Claire Lambert, died in a house fire on Sunday at their home in Belgium. Zimmerman was best known for his ‘70s folk songs and, later, his collaboration with contemporary indie folk favorites Big Thief. His 1969 debut, Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman, was often cited by David Bowie as one of his all-time favorite albums. Zimmerman was 84.

Let the album rollouts begin! Harry Styles has unveiled his forthcoming album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally., due March 6. BLACKPINK also announced their upcoming mini-album Deadline, out February 27. Mitski dropped a new song, “Where’s My Phone,” and revealed that her upcoming album, Nothing’s About to Happen to Me, will also arrive February 27. And Charli XCX dropped her second single from the highly anticipated Wuthering Heights soundtrack, “Wall of Sound.”

Bandcamp is the first major streaming platform to ban AI music. Last week, Bandcamp committed to “putting human creativity first” by prohibiting any music created using artificial intelligence. This comes amidst reports of AI slop climbing streaming charts, such as AI-generated “music creator” Sienna Rose, who has over 3.4 million monthly Spotify listeners.

Watch the heavily costumed heavy metal band GWAR cover Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club.” The shock-rock band, who are known for spraying their fans with fake blood, urine, and semen, covered the pop hit on AV Club’s Undercover series on Friday. “‘Pink Pony Club’ is about embracing exile from a boring, shitty world and remaking yourself into whatever you want,” frontman Berserker Blöthar said in a statement. “Be who you are, be who you aren’t, piss people off, we don’t care!”

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First Times with Austra

Austra is the longtime electronic project of Toronto-based vocalist, composer, and producer Katie Stelmanis, whose career started on a high note with her Juno Award–nominated 2011 debut album, Feel It Break. Now, 15 years and four albums later, Austra continues to craft operatic pop songs, reminiscent of fellow dark divas like Zola Jesus, Carla dal Forno, Molly Nilsson, and US Girls. On her fifth album, Chin Up Buttercup, Austra pairs Euro-dance and late-’90s pop with emotionally charged lyrics about heartbreak and healing. I caught up with her ahead of her stop at the Crocodile on her first tour in eight years to talk about her early musical inspirations, from Boyz II Men to opera arias.

What was the first album you bought? Where and when did you buy it?

I think it was Boyz II Men because I loved the song “I’ll Make Love to You.” I believe I was 8 years old.

What was the first song you sang in front of people?

"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens. When I was in grade six, my teacher made everyone in the class choose a song from the ’60s and perform it, which, in retrospect, was probably traumatizing for most of the non-music-oriented students.

What was the first instrument you played, and what was the first song you learned?

I started singing and piano at the same time, joining a choir and also taking piano when I was 10. When I was really young, like under 5, I was obsessed with the "Queen of the Night" aria from Mozart’s The Magic Flute and would sing it with my grandma, so maybe that was the first song I learned?

What was the first song that made you cry?

This would likely be something from Puccini. When I was a kid, I performed in the chorus of the Canadian Opera Company whenever they required kids. I loved La bohème, and I probably cried at some point while watching it.

Who was the first musician you idolized?

I never really idolized musicians in a pop way, but when I was 18 or 19, listening to Nine Inch Nails changed the trajectory of my life from being a classical kid to whatever I am now.

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Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

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

Yarn/Wire Jan 22, Meany Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30 pm, all ages

Ice Goth IV: Vanilla Abstract, Deft Lips, and Cuvier Jan 23, Add-a-Ball, 8 pm, 21+

Popdefect, Girl Trouble, and Tom Price Desert Classic Jan 23, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+

Susquatch 5 Jan 24–25, Black Lodge, 5 pm, all ages

Austra Jan 27, Crocodile, 6:30 pm, 21+

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

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The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“The Four Sleeping Princesses” by Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore

After touring together for several years, experimental vocalist Julianna Barwick and 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 medieval times. “The Four Sleeping Princesses” is an ethereal new age lullaby, and it’s the standout track for me so far.

Daphne, Op. 82 by Richard Strauss

Over the weekend, I attended my first opera: the Seattle Opera’s concert rendition of Strauss’s Daphne. The hour-and-40-minute show—short by traditional opera standards—follows the Greek myth of a nature-loving girl who rejects her suitors until she becomes one with nature, in the end being turned into a laurel tree. I am obsessed with the queer subtext of this story, told through poetic lyrics, which were sung in German but translated above the stage. And there were no microphones in sight! In our world overrun with technology, it was incredible to experience live music with no amplification, just the pure, unadulterated human voice and acoustic classical instruments bouncing off the walls of McCaw Hall.

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Pop Loser #12: This Week's Events, Music News, and Ya Tseen’s Sea of Synths

Audrey Vann — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 13:22:00 -0800

The Stranger's weekly music roundup by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we say fuck you to Spotify, congrats to Jenny Lewis (and her dog), and farewell to two talented musicians. Ya Tseen’s Nicholas Galanin shows us his sea of analog synths. And move over, Sabrina Carpenter, Robyn has a new ovulation anthem, and it’s way hornier than “Juno.”

This Week in Music

The Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir has died at age 78. His family shared in a statement on Sunday that the jam band’s cofounder “transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones,” after a battle with cancer and underlying lung issues. Weir played with the Grateful Dead for the entirety of the band’s 30-year run, along with Kingfish, Bob Weir Band, Dead & Company, and more.

This mortal coil also lost Black Midi founding member Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin. The 26-year-old guitarist played on the band’s debut album, Schlagenheim, before leaving in 2021 due to mental health reasons. In their statement, the Kwasniewski-Kelvin family added, “A talented musician and a kind, loving man finally succumbed; despite all efforts…. He will always be loved. Please take a moment to check in with your loved ones so we can stop this happening to our young men.”

Spotify is no longer running ICE recruitment ads. But make no mistake, it’s just a meaningless case of convenient timing: The ad campaign simply ended on Wednesday, just before an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. Despite the platform using this headline to get in our good graces, the end of this specific campaign does not mean an end to these types of ads. The Guardian reports that ICE has planned a $100 million yearlong media barrage for what it calls “wartime recruitment,” targeting conservative radio show listeners, gun rights aficionados, military affairs followers, and “men’s interests enthusiasts.”

Finally, something nice and wholesome! Jenny Lewis celebrated her 50th birthday on Thursday by “marrying” her beloved dog, Bobby Rhubarb (made famous by her 2021 song “Puppy and a Truck”). To mark the occasion, Postal Service bandmate Ben Gibbard joined Lewis in a performance of "Such Great Heights.”

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Immaculate Collection with Ya Tseen COURTESY OF YA TSEEN

Tlingit artist Yéil Ya Tseen (aka Nicholas Galanin) is known for his work across artistic mediums, from wood carving and sculpture to video work and his ever-evolving musical project, Ya Tseen. On his newest album, Stand on My Shoulders, Ya Tseen brings on collaborators Portugal. The Man, Pink Siifu, and Meshell Ndegeocello, among many others, for an album inspired by the gifts given by ancestors and the collective responsibilities to future generations. Genre-wise, the album is difficult to peg, blending electronic music with hip-hop, funk, and goth, but it has sonic similarities to labelmates Washed Out and Shabazz Palaces. I caught up with Galanin ahead of his album release show on Friday at the Clock-Out Lounge to chat about the collections of tools that are behind his shapeshifting work: woodcarving tools and analog synths.

What do you collect?

In my art studio, I have a collection of hand tools I use for woodworking, wood carving, etc. I was trained as a wood carver in my community. I also have a growing collection of analog synthesizers, which are also tools for the music studio.

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?

I made my own adze blades and handles; these were the first tools in my woodworking collection. I think the first serious synths added to my studio were the Moog One and Grandmother.

Get that Yamaha CS-80, Ya Tseen.

What is the most prized item in your collection?

I have some old Japanese chouna adzes I recently acquired and use. They are incredible and useful! As for synths in the space station, I love the Jupiter 8.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection.

I think about the Yamaha CS-80; I have a CS-60 but would love to upgrade to the 80. Also the Yamaha DX1.

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Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week:

Grrrizzly, Sick Crush, Digital Darlings Jan 14, Chop Suey, 8 pm, 21+

Joey Largent and Maumae: Moonlight Dream Dervishes Jan 15, Chapel Performance Space, 6:30 pm, all ages

THUMP (All Vinyl) Jan 15, Timbre Room, 10 pm, 21+

Ya Tseen (Record Release) with Ashley Young Jan 16, Clock-Out Lounge, 9 pm, 21+

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

Constant Smiles Jan 17, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

KEXP Presents: 26th Annual Expansions MLK Unity Party & Live Broadcast Jan 18, Clock-Out Lounge, 6 pm, 21+

Painting the Town Red: The Music of Billie Holiday Jan 19, Royal Room, 7:30 pm, all ages

Crushed with Swinging Jan 20, Baba Yaga, 8 pm, 21+

The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night:

"Sexistential” by Robyn

“Shocking,” “utterly bonkers,” and “oh my…” are just a few of the comments from viewers who saw Robyn absolutely GAG America last week on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. In this day and age, it is nearly impossible to create any type of art that reflects our times while actually being enjoyable (Exhibit A: when everyone released a COVID album). But, oh my god, the queen of Swedish electropop has done it. “Sexistential” includes lyrics about dating apps, hormonal rants on IG, and having a boner for Adam Driver. What really makes this work is that she leans into the absurd and has fun with it. I love you, Robyn!

“Jackson Browne” by Cathy Hamer

With just under 30 views at the time I am writing this, Cathy Hamer’s “Jackson Browne” might take the cake for the most obscure song I’ve shared on Pop Loser. But that won’t be for long, because thankfully, Numero Group has some reissues in the works! Hamer is the mother of singer-songwriter Kate Bollinger, who unearthed her mother’s ’70s folk recordings while digging through her record collection. Bollinger writes: “She wrote many of these songs in her late teen years while living in St. Thomas, selling suntan lotion by the pool, and playing a weekly gig at a local restaurant.” “Jackson Browne” is just one of those sunny songs of youth, which has a DIY production evocative of ‘80s post-punk bands that came later, like Marine Girls and Young Marble Giants.

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Immaculate Collection with Yéil Ya-Tseen

Audrey Vann — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:41:00 -0800

The Tlingit Artist on the Tools of His Trades: Woodworking and Analog Synths

by Audrey Vann

I caught up with him ahead of his album release show on Friday at the Clock-Out Lounge to chat about the collections of tools that are behind his shapeshifting work: woodcarving tools and analog synths.

What do you collect?

What was the first item you acquired in this collection?

I made my own adze blades and handles; these were the first tools in my woodworking collection. I think the first serious synths added to my studio were the Moog One and Grandmother.

Get that Jupiter 8! COURTESY OF YA TSEEN

What is the most prized item in your collection?

I have some old Japanese chouna adzes I recently acquired and use. They are incredible and useful! As for synths in the spacestation, I love the Jupiter 8.

Tell me about an item you'd like to add to your collection.

I think about the Yamaha CS-80, I have a CS-60 but would love to upgrade to the 80. Also the Yamaha DX1.

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Welcome to Seattle’s New (and Young) Jazz Age

Charles Mudede — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

As 2025 comes to an end, we’re digging back into our archives to revisit some of our favorite stories of the year. by Charles Mudede

As 2025 comes to an end, we’re digging back into our archives to revisit some of our favorite stories of the year. See them all here.

I have a friend. I will not say his name. But he is to me what Charles Swann was to Marcel, the main character in Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. My friend, who is a man about town, will often, by text, tell me to meet him somewhere that’s really happening, and count on my appearance, which is almost always a sure thing.

This time around—on the afternoon of July 30—we are to meet at the Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books in Pioneer Square. Why there? Because it’s a part of July’s Jazz Night in Pioneer Square. I’m a bit surprised at the kind of weight he places on this night. It is, after all, jazz—a musical form I love (and even made a movie about), but is hardly, in our day, “all the rage.” My friend is under the impression that, out of all the places to be in Seattle that evening, this is the one.

I walk into Long Brothers Fine and Rare Books at around 6 p.m., and it’s mostly empty. The white stools at the bar are free. I take one, order a glass of wine and a pepperoni pizza pie, not because I’m hungry, but I’m peckish. My white wine arrives: It’s respectable. The pizza arrives: It does the job admirably. I wait for my friend, who arrives at around 6:30 p.m., orders a drink, consumes the remainder of the pie, and, between bites, continues to make big claims about Jazz Night in Pioneer Square. It’s organized by the Seattle Jazz Fellowship (SJF), a group of local and established jazz musicians that, until 2023, programmed shows at the Vermillion Gallery and Bar. In 2024, SJF moved to this part of town, and the results have been nothing short of spectacular.

Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme Are Here To Sleigh

Audrey Vann — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:45:00 -0800

Now in its eighth year, the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show should be considered Christmas canon. They are hotter (and younger) than Mrs. Claus, their show is funnier than The Nutcracker, and they have more love in their hearts than your wretched family members. I caught up with the BFFs ahead of their five-night stint at the Moore Theatre to discuss their favorite Christmas songs, least favorite gifts, and the ethics of coal this holiday season. by Audrey Vann

Now in its eighth year, the Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show should be considered Christmas canon. They are hotter (and younger) than Mrs. Claus, their show is funnier than The Nutcracker, and they have more love in their hearts than your wretched family members. I caught up with the BFFs ahead of their five-night stint at the Moore Theatre to discuss their favorite Christmas songs, least favorite gifts, and the ethics of coal this holiday season.

What does Christmas Day on tour look like?

BenDeLaCreme: We have a long-standing tradition of hosting a party in Seattle every Christmas Day for performers, chosen family, and other members of the community to get together on our one day off, since many of us have long stretches of holiday shows. I no longer have a home base in Seattle, but still, we have everyone on this cast and crew, and all of our local friends in Seattle who we don't get to see as much anymore. We have an all-day Christmas party with a lot of food, drinks, catching up, and usually karaoke! It's very homey and familial. I’m so glad that we still get to have that.

What are your go-to Christmas karaoke songs?

DeLa: Oh, well, we are definitely not karaoke-ing Christmas songs! Trust me, we’ve had our fill of Christmas music. My go-to karaoke song in general is Shaggy's “Mr. Boombastic.”

Jinkx Monsoon: If I had to, I would do like “Greensleeves” so that everyone has to confront why it’s a Christmas song.

What are some of your all-time favorite Christmas songs?

Jinkx: I have fewer, so I'll go first. There's a song on our pre-show playlist called “Donde Esta Santa Claus,” sung by a little kid to his mom. He knows he should be in bed, but he can't, because he's too excited to see Santa—the chorus is “¿Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus?” We have a cast dance that we all do when that song plays. It brings up a lot of warm memories. Then, I don't know, I like “Oh, Holy Night” because it sounds so ominous and dark, especially when played on a pipe organ. It sounds like a bad premonition.

DeLa: I'm very meticulous about having Christmas music during our show intermission that gets people in the holiday vibe while still being pretty obscure. I'm giving away my secret right now, but many of the songs from our show playlist are from this compilation album called the American Song-Poem Christmas, which is all songs from the ’60s and ’70s that were created through scammy magazine ads that said, “Send in your Christmas lyrics, and if they're good enough, you’ll be a star!” They were sent all these atrocious lyrics that people wrote in, and hired some really bad singers to make them into an album.

Anyways, it generated all these insane songs like “Santa Came in on a Nuclear Missile,” about a mutated Santa showing up, and instead of giving the girl a teddy bear, he gives her a laser gun. She's like, “Oh no, please, go back to being regular old, Santa!” I also like “Ole year Christmas,” which is basically a bunch of total nonsense phrases set to a beat. One of my favorites is called “Daddy, Is Santa Really Six Foot Four?” which is from the perspective of a little girl who is watching her mom cheat on her dad and singing to her dad about how Santa is carrying a gun. And the main lyric is, “He carries a torch for Mama and a gun for you.” It’s the most bizarre, weird song.

What is the most memorable Christmas gift you've ever received?

Jinkx: I think for me, and this is gonna sound so materialistic and capitalist for who I am today, but I don't think I've ever been so happy as when I got the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was a Nintendo 64 video game. My entire life, people had given me gifts that I had no interest in, and when they found out that I liked nutcrackers, that's all I got for years. When my family found out I was into video games, it was finally an acceptable gift to give a “boy” that I actually liked. This is part of an ongoing conversation I like to have about buying gifts for your queer relatives, because it's like, do you acknowledge the fact that they're queer, or is that outing them? Video Games were where the Venn diagram finally met, where they finally knew what to get me, and I actually liked it.

DeLa: Because you said memorable and not favorite, I’ll go in a different direction. I have such a distinct memory of being young and very, very queer—I'm talking like seven years old—and my family still trying to figure out what the hell to do with that. I always wanted My Little Ponies and things like that, but I would get action figures. I remember getting one that was a He-Man villain or something with a robot elephant trunk. It scared the shit out of me! When I opened it, I started crying. I was terrified. Once my family figured out they could give me art supplies, everything was cool, but for the most part, gift-giving was always this weird, tricky thing when I was a kid.

This sounds so Pollyanna, but as an adult, I'm not a huge gift-giver. My favorite thing is Christmas Day and when people show up to drink eggnog and spend time together. I’m making myself want to vomit as I say this, but spending that time with those people, and the fact that people commit to doing it, even though we're all performing and exhausted by the time Christmas rolls around, that, to me, is my absolute favorite thing I get from my community.

Well, okay, so you both have a bit of a history of living in Seattle, if you were to take someone on a festive outing in Seattle. Where would you take them? What would you do?

Jinkx: I know it's touristy and I know it's cliche, but I lived in Seattle for 14 years, and I never got sick of walking down to Pike Place Market. Still, every time I'm there, I go on a walk to the market for stones and gem-based jewelry, probably about two times a week. I’d take them there for sure. Then, probably take them to Queen Anne for dinner, maybe an artsy film, if I was in the mood, otherwise, we'd end up at Dave & Busters, because as a sober person that is, strangely, my new favorite place to go.

DeLa: I'm in Seattle Center a lot because that's where we work on a lot of the show. Once the Christmas lights are up, and once Seattle Center starts feeling Christmasy, I really do love it. I'm a nerd for the Space Needle and that whole area.

And, you know, I'm always going to be plugging our show! One of the most special things about Seattle is the performance community. There are so many incredible shows, and specifically queer performance artists who are making amazing stuff for the community. Whenever I'm able to see Scott Shoemaker’s War On Christmas, I'm always there. And, for so many years, the Dina Martina Christmas show was one of my biggest traditions. There are just amazing alternative holiday offerings in town, and so hitting as many of those as possible is always my recommendation.

Lastly, who deserves coal in their stocking this year?

Jinkx: I think they all just posed for a Vanity Fair photoshoot. I would just copy and paste that photo [caption].

DeLa: We might need to rethink coal this year because of all the additional mining.

Jinkx: It’s always a fight over where to put nuclear waste, so maybe it’s in their stocking. Then they can sit with what they’ve done!

See the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show at the Moore Theatre Dec 23-24 & 26-28

The Stranger’s Expert List of Christmas Song Alternatives

The Stranger's Christmas Experts — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 10:00:00 -0800

We even put all the songs into a YouTube playlist for you! You're welcome! by The Stranger's Christmas Experts

Hit play on the video above to listen to all the songs in our YouTube playlist!

“364 Days” by Murder City Devils
In what is quite possibly the most drunken and weepy Christmas song ever written, Murder City Devils vocalist Spencer Moody invites Santa Claus to sit down, pour a drink, and begin to let go of a long night, a long season, a long year. As the two regale one another with war stories, the whimpering violins flow through the chorus like tears streaming down a rosy cheek, and I can’t help but picture the two of them, saddled up to the bar like a couple of commercial fishermen who just returned from a cold, hard battle with the sea. Maybe they lost a couple of men. Maybe Santa forgot a few presents. Maybe we’re all hanging on by a thread. But we made it. And we’ll get through the next 364 days, too. Somehow. MEGAN SELING

“Abominable Snowman” by Michael Hurley
A whimsical tune about an abominable snowman’s love affair with a woman who has a frozen soul. RIP Doc Snock. AUDREY VANN

“All I Want for Christmas” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A jangly, jingly, reverb-laced ditty from the coolest person in the world, otherwise known as Karen O. JULIANNE BELL

“All I Wanted Was a Skateboard” by Super Deluxe
Anyone who grew up listening to 107.7 The End in the ’90s will remember crunchy pop-rockers Super Deluxe and their punked-up holiday anthem “All I Wanted Was a Skateboard.” It felt like the station played it constantly throughout December. (That’s not a complaint.) It’s fast and bratty and pissed off, and it perfectly encapsulates that kind of disappointment that can only come once a year, at Christmas, when all you wanted was a skateboard under the tree, but you got a stupid sweater. MS

“Another Christmas at Home” by Eux Autres
I have a vague memory of discovering this song by West Coast indie-pop band Eux Autres as a teen sometime around 2009 or 2010 on the Three Imaginary Girls blog, and it’s been a fixture of my Christmas playlists ever since. It’s a jolly, upbeat, slightly cheeky number about throwing on your jacket the second the last gift is unwrapped and sneaking out to the local bar to meet up with your friends. JB

“Birthday (Christmas Mix)” by the Sugarcubes
Feat. the Reid brothers from the Jesus and Mary Chain, the two main characters of Christmas. VIVIAN MCCALL

“Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)” by Miles Davis
A humbug about the true meaning of Christmas: runaway consumerism. Could be called “Fuck Christmas.” VM

“Child’s Christmas in Wales” by John Cale
Once again, my boyfriend John Cale (of the Velvet Underground), singing about the Christmas traditions detailed in Dylan Thomas’s prose of the same name—what’s not to love? This entire album, Paris 1919, feels like a coke-induced fever dream of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. Get into it. AV

“Christmas” by Beat Happening
Possibly the only song in existence that’s about having sex on Christmas Day. AV

“Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis” by Tom Waits
This song is Tom Waits at his best—a lovelorn piano ballad from the perspective of a sex worker in prison sending a Christmas card to a lost love. Waits has a magical way of making his piano riffs sound like snowfall. AV

“Christmas Eve Can Kill You” by the Everly Brothers
A surprisingly pessimistic holiday tune by the boys that brought us “All I Have to Do Is Dream.” I love the Everly Brothers’ 1970s albums because they sound more like the Byrds than a teeny bopper pop group. Play this alongside Dolly Parton’s “Hard Candy Christmas” for a good ol’ Christmas cry. AV

“Christmas in Hollis” by Run-DMC
It’s simply not Christmastime until you put on the finest carol from the golden age of hip-hop. This track is canon, this video is canon. EMILY NOKES

“Christmas in Suburbia” by the Cleaners from Venus / Martin Newell
There are two versions of this wistful song—the home-recorded Portastudio version, and the version Martin Newell recorded at Andy Partridge’s (XTC) studio. You can’t go wrong with either. VM

“Christmas Is A-Coming” by Leadbelly
Early 19th-century folk and blues legend Leadbelly has a song about everything, from the sinking of the Titanic to the death of Jean Harlow, so naturally, he has a really great Christmas song. AV

“Christmas Rush” by Dead Moon
Even Portland’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band, Dead Moon, have experienced the stress of the holidays: “Every Christmas it's the same routine / Last minute to do everything / The family's comin' and I'm unprepared / Come Christmas mornin', I just don't care.” AV

“Christmas Swing” by Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt only had two fingers on his fretting hand. As you can hear, he fucking ripped anyway. Big-band Christmas jazz has held Christmas jazz in a despotic grip since the ’40s. I can hear Bing Crosby only so many times before wanting to dig the man up and shake him by the lapels of whatever beautiful suit he’s buried in. VM

“Christmas Will Really Be Christmas” by Lou Rawls
A funky, minor-key jam wishing Christmas really was about peace on earth. Unlike Mr. Davis, Lou is hopeful that wish could come true. VM

“Christmas Wrapping” by the Waitresses
The bassline and horn section cement this as one of the catchiest alt Christmas bops on this list. But let’s lock in on the lyrics. It’s a stream-of-consciousness talk-rap deadpanning through the harried life of a 1980s woman who loves the holidays but is burnt the fuck out. (Remember, this decade sold the “have it all” myth: Women were encouraged to enter and excel in the workforce while workplaces still demanded masculine norms of overwork and total availability, even as expectations around childcare, housework, social/family management, and emotional labor barely shifted. Because women’s entry into professional life far outpaced changes in workplace flexibility, childcare infrastructure, or men’s participation at home, it makes sense that a lot of media from this time reflects women feeling stretched thin and maximally frazzled. Exhaustion was treated as a personal shortcoming rather than a predictable consequence of liberation without redistribution, a problem not even the biggest shoulder pads could solve. A mere 45 years later and HOW ARE WE DOING on this? ) ANYWAY! It’s 1981, she’s got a guy’s phone number, but they keep missing each other. If you called someone back then and they didn’t pick up, then you simply could not reach them. They have literally been trying to meet up all year but it never works out; she has a sunburn, his car won’t start. She’s been so busy all year that she’s ready to give up on Christmas and just take the night to herself. Uh-oh, though, she forgot the cranberries. In line at the store and who does she run into but The Guy. Is he also spending Christmas alone this year?? You’ll have to listen to all five-ish minutes to find out. EN

“Close Your Mouth (It’s Christmas)” by the Free Design
This unintentionally freaky ’60s pop vocal group went on to influence pop weirdos like Stereolab and Beck. Think: the Carpenters on acid. AV

“December Will Be Magic Again” by Kate Bush
Last month, I was delighted to stumble across Kate Bush’s wonderfully weird full-length 1979 Christmas special on my YouTube feed (a rare W for the algorithm). Even better, it introduced me to this original Christmas song, which manages to perfectly capture both the wistfulness and whimsy of the holiday season as Kate plays piano and croons in her signature eerie falsetto, referencing Bing Crosby and Oscar Wilde. There’s just a hint of darkness creeping in as she ends the song with “Come to cover the lovers, but don’t you wake them up / Come to sparkle the dark up / With just a touch of make-up / Come to cover the muck up.” If you harbor nostalgia for Christmas but also find it a little depressing because it never quite lives up to your childhood memories, this one will hit. JB

“Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues
What is left to say about “Fairytale of New York”? Released by the Pogues in 1987, the song is not only a widely beloved Christmas song—UK television station ITV declared it the country’s all-time favorite Christmas song in 2012—but it also appears on non-holiday-specific “best song ever” lists, including BBC Radio 2’s 100 Greatest Songs of All Time and NME’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. So, instead of gushing over its greatness—and writing 10,000 words about how vocalists Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl recall a toxic, drug-addled relationship with equal measures of love and mercilessness—I will leave you with this: A few artists have (bravely, unnecessarily) attempted to cover the song (Hozier, No Use for a Name, and, uh, the Kelce brothers???), but one man’s version has gone down in history as the very worst. In 2020, for his album A Jon Bon Jovi Christmas, Bon Jovi sang BOTH parts of the duet (WHY?), and it was not only decimated by the public, but Irish musician Rob Smith hated it so much he said, “I have heard Bon Jovi's cover of Fairytale of New York. It's the worst thing to ever happen [to] music, and I am including both the murder of John Lennon and Brian McFadden's solo career in there.” Bah! Humbug! MS

“Father Christmas” by the Kinks
A song about the common English experience of being roughed up by street urchins. VM

“Frosti” by Björk
An under-two-minute instrumental track that sounds like a wind chime made out of icicles. AV

“Fuck Anita Bryant” by David Allen Coe
I’ll admit that I’ve deceived you. This song isn’t about Christmas. It’s about how much antigay crusader Anita Bryant sucks. But she was an orange juice sales lady, oranges are totally Christmas, she is in hell, which is tangentially related to Christmas, and every day she’s there is just like Christmas to me, so I’ve included it. VM

“Funky Christmas” by Meiko Nakahara
No idea what she’s singing about, but it’s funky. VM

“Give Love on Christmas Day” by the Jackson 5
The entire Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) is a perfect yuletide classic, but the original Motown ballad “Give Love on Christmas Day” is the fam at their most tender and heartfelt. A plea for generosity and goodwill towards fellow humans that somehow doesn’t ring corny. And even if it does, I dunno, maybe let’s bring back singing lines like “What the world needs is love” and “Take time to be kind to one and all” and really, really meaning it. EN

“Hard Candy Christmas” by Dolly Parton
I don’t care what anyone says, this is the greatest (and saddest) Christmas song of all time. It was written for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, but the song stands alone. This one is for anyone who’s felt depressed during the holiday season and thought that moving away, losing weight, or getting drunk on apple wine would solve all their problems. AV

“Happy Holidays” by Hermine
This 1981 song hits all the marks for weird, depressing, beautiful holiday songs. Performance artist, musician, and writer Hemine, who worked with pre–Throbbing Gristle troupe COUM Transmissions, sings in a Nico-esque cadence to a simple piano riff and dub beat about wanting to get far away from “police oppressors” and “[blazing] sirens” for the holidays. AV

“Hazy Shade of Winter” by the Bangles
Paul Simon who? This is a cover and it’s technically not about the holidays, just winter, and even that is fairly abstract, but still: This song is freezing cold and totally rips. EN

“Ho Ho Ho” by Teya & Salena
Cleverly based on their Eurovision hit “Who the Hell Is Edgar,” Teya & Salena’s holiday song, “Ho Ho Ho,” gives long overdue credit to the real reason for the season: Mrs. Claus, aka the queen who holds it down while her husband hogs the spotlight. “She the baddest / She a savage / She make the best cookies ever, she no average / Think he schedules by himself, then you’re mad, bitch / Every kid got a gift ’cause she planned shit.” It’s sexy, it’s fun, and it might be the only song in the world that mentions Mrs. Claus’s clit! Happy holidays! MS

“I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You” by Margo Guryan
Margo Guryan is an often-overlooked singer-songwriter of the 1960s whose lyrics are delightfully melancholy in contrast to her sunshine pop sound. “I Don’t Intend to Spend Christmas Without You” is a candy-sweet tune that features some of her moodiest lyrics: ”We had a fight / What of it? / You weren't even right / What of it?” This is the musical equivalent of sucking on the end of a candy cane until it becomes a sharp dagger. AV

“If We Make It Through December” by Merle Haggard
If you’re like me and always struggle mentally, emotionally, and financially through the month of December, Merle Haggard has a song for us. This one is best listened to while commuting to your retail job during the holidays. AV

“It’s Almost Christmas” by Hi-Fi
My huzz and I found this 7" single by the short-lived 1980s Seattle band Hi-Fi many years ago, digging through a used bin at Easy Street Records, and it’s been a favorite ever since. It’s a shrill, jittery pop tune about not knowing what Christmas gift to buy for your partner, full of punk-adjacent vibrato and a tense melodic energy that makes it sound like it’s playing just a little too fast. We feel like we unearthed a genuine treasure, and we want everyone to know about it. CORIANTON HALE

“It’s Christmas Time” by Sun Ra & the Qualities
Originally released in 1961 on Sun Ra’s Saturn label, this adorable Christmas doo-wop song is the result of the free jazz mystic’s experimentation with harmony groups in the mid-1950s. Featuring Sun Ra as cocomposer and harmonium player, the original 45 features a barbershop quartet he picked up in Chicago crooning two festive tracks, “It’s Christmas Time” and “Happy New Year to You!,” accompanied by free-flowing percussion. Both songs really evoke the feeling of excitement, celebration, and childlike wonder of the holidays. AV

“Jesus Christ” by Big Star
On its surface, this song is a straightforward yuletide anthem, but dig a little deeper into the catalog of Big Star and the song’s author, counterculture king Alex Chilton, to find that this is an ironic Christian Christmas carol written by a nonreligious man and nestled between the very horny “Big Back Car” and very nihilistic “Holocaust.” AV

“Just for Now” by Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap’s signature cozy cyborg-core encourages us to come together with our unchosen family and set aside differences for just one night. You can tell she is this close to naming names. EN

“Just Like Christmas” by Low
This beautifully bittersweet track is the opener on indie group Low’s 1999 EP Christmas, which was released as a gift to the band’s fans and was referred to as “the religious album even heathens can love” by the A.V. Club in 2013. The song opens with sparkly sleigh bells and describes a dreary slog from Stockholm to Oslo that unexpectedly leads to a moment of childlike joy—based on a true story from Low’s spring ’99 tour in Europe.JB

“Listen, the Snow Is Falling” by Yoko Ono (or Galaxie 500 Cover)
Most people who hate on Yoko Ono’s voice have never actually listened to one of her songs. On “Listen, the Snow Is Falling,” her voice is light and breezy, and lands as gently and gracefully as a snowflake. Galaxie 500 also have an incredible droney psych-rock cover of this song, sung by bassist Naomi Yang. AV

“Little Star of Bethlehem” by CAN
This is a little ditty by the beloved krautrock band about two characters named “Froggy” and “Toady” who lug around tangerine seeds, eat popcorn, and bathe in a tub of water lilies. As the kids say, “Stop normalizing the grind and normalize whatever this is.” AV

“Merry Christmas (I Don't Want to Fight Tonight)” by the Ramones
Even the most supportive partnerships can get tense when it’s time to pull off the miracle of Christmas during a month that’s already stressful, cold, expensive, and you still have to work even though it gets dark at 4 p.m. and you’ve been on the verge of a sinus infection since Thanksgiving. Joey Ramone sounds like he’s about to cry on the opening line—he really, really doesn't want to do this right now, babe. 'Cause Christmas ain't the time for breaking each other's hearts. EN

“Merry Xmas Everybody” by Slade
There’s an unfortunate dearth of glam rock Christmas songs, but this bouncy number from the British group Slade, which topped the charts in the UK when it was released in 1973, is a notable exception. The song was recorded in September in a hallway of the legendary Record Plant studio in New York to achieve an echoey effect, much to the annoyance of the uptight businessmen working in the same building. JB

“New Year’s Eve” by Elizabeth Cotten
Elizabeth Cotten was a self-taught guitarist and songwriter whose talents were rediscovered by the Seeger family while she was working as their housekeeper in her 60s. “New Year’s Eve” is an instrumental on acoustic guitar with a reflective, hopeful tone that mimics the turning of the new year. AV

“On Christmas Day” by Donovan & Friends
Put on this dreamy bootleg while you pretend to listen to your drunk uncle. VM

“santa boy” by Matt Rogers
In the grand tradition of songs about fucking Santa, this little gay bop about being the man with the bag’s side piece, from the self-styled “Pop Prince of Christmas” and Las Culturistas cohost Matt Rogers, makes me cackle every time. Sample lyrics: “Santa come out, be with me / U N I L G B T / U R gay, be true to Q / love yourself like I love you.” JB

“Santa Is a Gay Man” by Big Fredia
Mr. Sandman, reimagined as a song about fucking Santa Claus. A polarizing pick for a religious occasion if your spiritual practice doesn’t include sucking cock. VM

“Snow” by Claudine Longet
There are several great versions of this Randy Newman–written ode to winter (Harry Nilsson, Saint Etienne, Tracy Thorn, etc.), but my favorite is by French singer, actress, and convicted murderer Claudine Longet. In 1977, she shot her husband, Olympic skier Spider Sabich, in the Aspen highlands while he was training, which adds a very eerie layer to this song about snow. Plus, she sings like a haunted doll. AV

“Snow Queen” by the City
In the period between writing pop hits with Gerry Goffin and releasing her ’70s solo albums, Carole King fronted a jazz-infused folk rock trio called the City. This song is either about (A) the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, or (B) a woman with resting bitch face. AV

“Space Christmas” by Shonen Knife
Straightforward, with no treacle. Shonen Knife is ready for Santa Claus. Shonen Knife is ready for Christmas Eve. Shonen Knife wants a spaceship (for Christmas). Shonen Knife wants to go to Pluto, and is awaiting Santa’s bison sleigh. Normal stuff. I love the beautiful, ugly guitar solo. VM

“Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)” by Harvey Danger
There are plenty of sad sap songs about being alone at Christmas (many are on this list!), but it wasn’t until Harvey Danger released “Sometimes You Have to Work on Christmas (Sometimes)” that we finally got a worthy soundtrack for the working-class folks stuck pulling shifts over the holidays. The bartenders, the 7-11 clerks, the movie theater attendants—it’s a very different kind of loneliness! But, as the song explores, working on Christmas can also come with ✨possibility✨. It’s a magical time of year, after all—anything can happen! And here, at the last minute, it does. Because just as you think the narrator (Harvey Danger vocalist Sean Nelson) is going to morph into a bitter, Christmas-crashing Scrooge, the song devolves into a psychedelic, horny, Beatles-circa-Yellow Submarine dance party, and everyone’s invited. Bonus: The video has become a lovely time capsule of Seattle in the early 2000s, with flashes of defunct University District businesses like Flowers Bar & Restaurant, Cellophane Square, Bartell Drugs, Half Price Books, and Grand Illusion. God bless us, everyone. MS

“Teenage Christmas” by the Jacobites
I found this hidden gem by ’80s English rock group the Jacobites because I saw Eux Autres (see above) had covered it on their limited-edition 2009 Christmas 7-inch, which only had 250 copies released (if you own one, I’m jealous). It’s a perfect Christmas anthem for your inner bratty teen. JB

“That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” by Sufjan Stevens
Like most Sufjan, it’s a bummer. Two children watch their father ruin Christmas by throwing all their gifts into the woodstove. I listen to it about 100 times a holiday season. VM

“The Blizzard” by Camera Obscura
If you like your Christmas songs extra bleak, here’s one just for you: the twinkly Scottish twee band Camera Obscura covering Jim Reeves’s 1961 tragic Robert Frost–esque tearjerker “The Blizzard,” about a man who treks through a snowstorm with his lame pony Dan on a quest to see his beloved Mary Ann. Since he refuses to leave Dan behind, the two of them succumb to hypothermia and freeze to death overnight, just 100 yards away from Mary Ann’s warm, cozy home and barn. Merry Christmas!!! JB

“The Cherry Tree Carol” by Shirley Collins / Pentangle
I’m a slut for any rendition of the 305 English and Scottish folk ballads Francis James Child collected and transcribed in the 19th century, the best versions of which were recorded in the 1960s. This one tells a weird story. While travelling to Bethlehem, Mary tells Joseph that she’s got a hankering for cherries. He’s like, what the fuck—you cheat on me, and you want me to get you cherries? How about the guy who knocked you up gets them for you? In utero, Jesus speaks. He tells the cherry tree to bow down, and because he’s the son of God, the tree obeys. Joseph is really embarrassed, and asks baby Jesus when he’ll be born. Jesus tells him he’ll be born on January 6, not knowing the weird connotations of that date. Anyway, the Shirley Collins/Davy Graham version is somber like a midnight snowfall, whereas the Pentangle version sounds more like a rabbit dashing through a frosty wood. VM

“The Christmas Song (or Come On Santa)” by the Raveonettes
A dreamy, glittery, ’60s-esque song that is, somewhat inexplicably, featured in the 2004 comedy Christmas with the Kranks, as well as in the teen dramas The O.C. and The Vampire Diaries. JB

“The Crooked Christmas Star” by Dory Previn
In the 1970s, poet/singer-songwriter Dory Previn wrote dozens of songs about being wronged by her husband, film composer André Previn, who cheated on her with a young Mia Farrow while she was pregnant. “The Crooked Christmas Star” is about someone (presumably her ex-husband) who gifts her a poorly made star for her Christmas tree, which she sees as a metaphor for the state of their relationship. AV

“The Man with All the Toys” by the Beach Boys
An underappreciated Beach Boys Christmas classic with a beautiful melody and dumb as fuck lyrics. “A big man in a chair / And little tiny men everywhere / He's the man with all the toys.” (For more of the same, see “Santa’s Beard.”) VM

“The Winter Is Cold” by Wendy & Bonnie
In 1969, when this song was released, Wendy & Bonnie were just two teenage sisters (17 and 13) who were encouraged to make an album by their godfather, Latin jazz percussionist Cal Tjader. The result of the album is a part psychedelic rock, part Brazilian jazz album, carried by the sisters’ irresistible harmonies. “The Winter Is Cold” is a simple, hypnotic song about being left in the cold by a lover. AV

“We Wish You a Merry Christmas” by Hüsker Dü
An obscure 58-second promotional cassette of Hüsker Dü singing a snippet of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” If you don’t like it, it’ll be over before you know it. VM

“White Nights” by Psychic TV
This is a totally bananas doo-wop Christmas song by Genesis P-Orridge’s post–Throbbing Gristle band, Psychic TV. It’s actually a passable family-friendly holiday tune about Santa Claus checking over his naughty/nice list, until about three minutes in, when the machine-gun sounds start playing in the background. You’ve been warned! AV

“Winter Is Blue” by Vashti Bunyan
If you’re not familiar with the story of Vashti Bunyan’s 1970 album Just Another Diamond Day, you should know that she wrote the album while traveling in a horse-drawn carriage through Scotland with her boyfriend. This knowledge really sets the scene for her song “Winter Is Blue,” which details her loneliness through a winter breakup. The song also includes one of the saddest lyrics of all time: “I am alone waiting for nothing / If my heart freezes, I won't feel the breaking.” AV

“Winter Poem” by Nikki Giovanni
Have you ever loved a snowflake so much that you wanted to kiss it? This song, which is from poet Nikki Giovanni’s 1976 Folkways album The Reason I Like Chocolate, is about just that. Giovanni released several albums in the 1970s of spoken word poems atop silky soul-jazz that verges on proto-hip-hop. I am obsessed. AV

“Winter Song” by Nico
Written by my boyfriend, John Cale, and sung by my girlfriend, Nico (both of the Velvet Underground), “Winter Song,” from Nico’s 1967 masterpiece Chelsea Girl, captures both the beauty and the bleakness of winter with strings, flutes, and lyrics about government corruption. The song opens with the lines “The snow on your eyelids that curtsy with age / Is freezing the stares on tyranny's wings.” Excuse me, but that’s poetry! AV

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Seven notable covers of the Christmas classics we’ve been avoiding:

“All I Want for Christmas Is You” by My Chemical Romance

“Drummer Boy” by Justin Bieber, feat. Busta Rhymes

“Frosty the Snowman” by Cocteau Twins

“Oh Come All Ye Faithful” by Twisted Sister

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by Destiny’s Child

"Santa Baby" by Kylie Minogue

“Winter Wonderland” by Eurythmics

Pop Loser: Music News, This Week's Events, and the First Song Sera Cahoone Learned on Guitar

Audrey Vann — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:40:00 -0800

by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser! This week, we’ll dive into the luminaries we’ve lost, Brian Eno’s newest project, and my nightmare blunt rotation. I get to rant and rave about underrated ‘70s singer-songwriter Dory Previn. And in this edition of First Times, Sera Cahoone shares the first song she learned on guitar.

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This Week in Music:

This week has been filled with loss. Singer-songwriter Joe Ely, who was known as a key shaker of the 1970s Texas progressive country scene, passed away at his home in New Mexico on Monday from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s, and pneumonia. On Sunday, it was also announced that ‘70s R&B favorite Carl Carlton, who you might know from his songs “Everlasting Love” and “She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked),” has died. No cause of death has been announced yet. Selena’s father, manager, and record producer, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., died on Saturday at the age of 86. And influential director, actor, and philanthropist Rob Reiner and his wife, photographer, film producer, and businesswoman Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home on Sunday night from an apparent homicide.

Yo La Tengo paid tribute to Reiner at their second Hanukkah show in NYC Monday night by covering “Gimme Some Money” from the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap. “We’re going to salute a Jewish songwriter [whom] we were not expecting to be saluting this Hanukkah,” frontman Ira Kaplan told the audience. “We certainly weren’t expecting to be memorializing him, so we’re going to try to do a song and see how this goes.”

Together for Palestine—an ensemble featuring Brian Eno, Neneh Cherry, Nadine Shah, Mabel, and Celeste—have released “Lullaby.” Eno stated in a press release: “After a year defined by unimaginable loss, grief, and injustice, we want to end with an act of love for Palestine’s children. ‘Lullaby’ reflects their beauty, their longing, and their hope. If we rally together and download it, we have a real shot at landing Christmas No. 1—and turning that moment into vital life-saving support for Gaza’s families.” All proceeds from the single go to Choose Love’s Together for Palestine Fund, which supports Taawon, Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, and Palestine Medical Relief Service.

Feminist punk collective Pussy Riot have been declared an “extremist” organization by Russian authorities. The court not only has banned the group’s activities in Russia, but also threatens to prosecute anyone deemed to be associated with them. This means that even a simple Google search of their name could permit criminal prosecution. Anyway, stream Matriarchy Now!

My nightmare blunt rotation. Bruno Mars, Chad Smith, and Duff McKagan joined Slash on Thursday night for billionaire Todd Boehly’s private holiday party. But wait, it gets worse—the supergroup-from-hell covered Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

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Interview: First Times with Sera Cahoone COURTESY OF SERA CAHOONE

What was the first CD you bought?

I believe it was Bonnie Raitt’s Luck of the Draw. I listened nonstop. I think it was at Best Buy of all places. We only had so many options where I grew up.

What was the first song you sang in front of people?

It was one of my own songs, I think I was 17. I played it for my best friend Heather. I was terrified!

What was the first song you learned on the guitar?

“Silent Lucidity” by Queensryche. I recently got to meet Chris DeGarmo, who wrote the song, and share that memory with him. It was super sweet.

What was the first song that made you cry?

Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band.” That song still gets me.

Who was the first musician you idolized?

Pat Benatar. She was my first concert with my mom. I was so sad to see how many people were there. I thought she would only be singing to me!

What is a song that played at your first school dance?

Oh wow, I have no idea. I’m pretty sure I would have been in absolute misery if I were at a school dance.

Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

Sera Cahoone with Carrie Biell Dec 18, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+
Yves Tumor (DJ Set) Dec 18, Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+
Ben Gibbard Dec 19, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages
Jay Som Dec 19, Neumos, 8 pm, all ages
Belltown Bloom Presents: Rock Can Roll feat. La Fonda, Semisoft, Kenshi Killz, Dining Dead, Waltzerr, and Carny Dec 20, Sunset Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+
THEM Dec 20, Neumos, 6 pm, all ages
Damien Jurado's December Residency Dec 21, Tractor Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

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The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“Antídoto” by Colleen

French electronic composer Colleen is one of the few contemporary artists that I follow closely. Throughout her 20+-year-long career, her sound has ranged from abstract and ambient (2023’s Le jour et la nuit du reel) to melodic and lyrical (2016’s The Weighing of the Heart), and although it doesn’t always click with me right away, I’ve learned to trust her genius and drink up everything she produces. This is the case on her newest wordless, minimal synth track, “Antídoto.” I felt underwhelmed at first, but the more I listen to it, the more relaxing and enjoyable it becomes. This seems to mimic the concept of her upcoming album Libres antes del final (Free before the end), which is inspired by learning to swim.

“Twenty-Mile Zone” by Dory Previn

In the 1970s, poet/singer-songwriter Dory Previn wrote dozens of songs about being wronged by her husband, film composer André Previn, who cheated on her with a young Mia Farrow while she was pregnant. “Twenty-Mile Zone” is a deeply relatable song about a time she got pulled over for screaming in her car. “I wasn’t doing nothin’ / just screaming at the dark / just lettin’ it out.” The only thing she should be getting pulled over for is being criminally underrated. I highly recommend you dive into her discography if you appreciate the poetic lyricism of Leonard Cohen or the witty storytelling of John Prine.

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Dear Hendrix

Eva Walker — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:00:00 -0800

Every month for The Stranger, Eva Walker writes a letter to her daughter, Hendrix, to share wisdom learned from her experiences—and her mistakes. by Eva Walker

Dear Hendrix,

One Saturday morning, without telling your father, I went into the bathroom of our tiny studio apartment and pissed on a stick.

It was just a few days after attending the Sawtooth music festival in Idaho. While there, I felt so good from performing in the mountains, seeing all our friends, soaking up the sunshine, and listening to all the good music that I thought, “You know what? I'm in a good mood. I want to try acid!”

Until then, I’d never really tried any drug besides weed and expired, ineffective mushrooms. Still, I had always been curious about psychedelics. Maybe it's the unreal colors people claim to see? The floating feeling they talk about? I don’t quite know. But my anxiety was always the reason I stayed away from the stuff. Because if I know one thing about those drugs, it’s that you should be in a good headspace when you dive in. (And, don’t forget, never with losers.)

At Sawtooth, I was feeling great. Happy and more relaxed than I had felt in a while. But just as I asked my close friend how to safely get some, I suddenly remembered: Your dad and I had been trying to have a baby. I blurted out, “Wait! I can’t try psychedelics right now! I might be pregnant!”

Fast-forward to that fateful Saturday morning with the pee and the stick. I placed the newly dampened pregnancy test on the counter and waited. Butterflies swirled in my stomach. Then, boom! There it was. The second blue line. The blue line that confirmed what I had suspected: I had a baby growing inside me.

At the time, your dad and I had just started writing our book, The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs That Shaped a City. (Available at bookstores everywhere! And a great holiday gift!) As I walked out of the bathroom, he looked at me and started talking about this band or that artist and how the book should maybe go this or that direction… blah blah blah… All I could say was, “I’m sorry, I’m totally distracted right now!”

“Is everything ok?” he asked.

“Yeah… um… I’m pregnant.”

We both paused for a moment. I was stoked, but also shocked. Your dad was, well, shocked and then stoked. He stopped what he was doing with the book, said some nice supportive shit that I can’t remember, and hugged me. And then, his back seized up. Like, totally froze. The news of being a new dad went directly to his shoulders, and he couldn’t move! It was like a scene straight from a sitcom. We laugh about it now.

Not long after that, we were lying in bed thinking of baby names. For a boy, we had names like Davidson (my maternal grandfather’s last name), Thurgood (the first Black Supreme Court justice), Warsaw (literally because of a street I used to drive past as a kid), and Michael. For a girl, we agreed we liked more masculine-sounding names. Austin, Payton, Hudson, and Thompson (the names of two of the members of the local band THEM). I did like some classic girl names, too—Rose, Stella, and Estelle. But then it came to me. “If she’s a girl, what if we named her Hendrix?” Your dad immediately responded in the surest tone, “That’s fucking awesome!”

Does it have something to do with the legendary guitar player? Fuck yeah it does! But it’s deeper than that. This may come as a surprise to you, but your outspoken indie-rocker radio DJ mother was a rather socially awkward and quiet teenager. I had friends, but didn’t hang out with many of them outside of school. When I did, we would just play music or watch Alice in Chains videos. Or I would opt to hang out with the 60-to-70-year-old Black men who gathered every early evening at a coffee shop on 23rd and Jackson. I was the dorky kid who lugged a guitar with me everywhere, and, Henny, I even had a wallet chain. It was far out.

But what comes with being a Black teenage girl in the Pacific Northwest in the early 2000s who likes rock and wears wallet chains is that everyone around you tells you how white you are. They say things like, “You play guitar? That’s super white!” Or “You’re like the whitest Black person I know!” Or, my favorite, “Blacks don’t play guitar!” That last one came from a Black girl. These ideas come from all sorts of people who were—and are—ignorant of the diversity of Blackness, as well as Black people who don’t know their own history. (I’m here to pick on EVERYONE. This wasn’t limited to just white people. I heard it from all walks of life.)

At the time, though, I didn’t realize how wrong they were. I thought they were right. Not because I wanted to be white, but because all of the guitarists I’d seen on TV were white guys—from grunge to those acoustic jam band boys. So maybe it is a white thing. Maybe I should stop. Maybe this wasn’t meant for me…

Then I was introduced to the music of Jimi Hendrix. I can’t remember my music life before knowing him. I was hooked. I was flabbergasted. I was broken in the best sense of the word. Everything I thought I knew about life and being Black with a guitar went up in a purple haze. That was the realization that made me say out loud, “Black people DO play guitar!” I. Was. OBSESSED. I began listening to the Smash Hits compilation that your grandma got me one Christmas.

Like any guitar player, my ego obviously made me believe I was Jimi reincarnated. I mean, it just made sense, right??? We were both skinny, awkward, born and raised in Seattle, and Black… I mean, come on! He died in 1970, and I was born in 1989, giving him 19 years to reincarnate as me… not crazy at all. Totally normal, like my tinfoil hat! I even started dressing like him, and wearing loud red velvet pants and velvet vests… I wore lots and lots of velvet. I also wore psychedelic colors (before my all-black phase began, which continues to this day). Most of the clothes I had were my mom’s. Either she would hand them down to me, or I would sneak into her closet after she left for work—shout-out to moms!

Jimi Hendrix was the first person who made me feel seen. His presence, his music, his whole goddamn existence flipped a switch in my brain that made me go, “I can absolutely pursue this guitar thing!” Before, I’d considered putting the guitar down because I felt so out of place and discouraged by the outside world, from my peers to MTV. I don’t know if I would be where I am today had I not been introduced to Hendrix, the guitarist.

Since then, of course, I’ve learned about a whole giant bunch of Black guitarists, and I would have eventually heard of Jimi because he’s the greatest of all time, but I really needed him at that point in my youth, and he got me through some hardcore self-doubt. When people say representation is important, this is example No. 1 for me.

He was the spark I needed to stay persistent in the thing I loved doing—playing the guitar. So, when you came around, I felt as if I owed him my firstborn child. But, since he died decades ago, I thought that giving you his name was an acceptable alternative. We hope you like it!

(Oh, by the way: I still haven’t tried acid, and at this point, I'm no longer interested. Although I did tell myself that if I make it to 80 years old, I might give it a second thought. Check back in with me then!)

Eva Walker is a writer, a KEXP DJ, one-half of the rock duo the Black Tones, and mom to her baby girl, Hendrix. She also cowrote the book The Sound of Seattle: 101 Songs That Shaped a City, which was released in 2024. Every month for The Stranger, she writes a letter to Hendrix to share wisdom learned from her experiences—and her mistakes. Read all installments here.

Seattle Music Scene Gut Check

Dave Segal — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:48:00 -0800

Smaller Venues Keep Closing Even Though They're Vital to Our City's Nightlife

by Dave Segal

Music venue operators still booking live music and DJs are miracle workers. So many factors are working against them. The cost of everything is rising and music aficionados' wages mostly aren't keeping up. Clubbing has become an infrequent luxury for many.

When the venerable Crocodile announced plans to shutter in mid-December its two downstairs rooms—the 300-capacity Madame Lou's and the 100-capacity Here-After—it struck a sensitive nerve among Seattle's nightlifers. As someone who's attended many events at both spaces, I was surprised by this news. Most of the shows that I caught there were well-attended.

But, as Crocodile creative director/general partner Hunter Motto told the Seattle Times, "We had really professional and high-level operations in the space and it has been challenging to deal with revenue on the bar side going down over the years and expenses going up." When asked if the Crocodile had found partners to take over the venues, Motto said, "Sadly, nothing we can discuss with the press about yet!"

In the wake of this ominous development, it's an opportune time to take the temperature of the city's venue owners, talent buyers, and musicians. Given that only 40 percent of Washington state indie venues are profitable, according to the National Independent Venue Association, consensus views skew toward pessimism. And THING Festival going on indefinite hiatus adds to the feeling of gloom. Clearly, the city's culturati need to find creative solutions to these chronic problems.

The Stranger interviewed several musicians and venue operators to find out how they're faring in these perilous times and what paths they hope to take to reverse fortunes.

THE MUSICIANS

The Stranger: After the closure of Madame Lou's and Here-After, how do you feel about the state of Seattle's music scene and venue options for artists who typically play rooms under 750 capacity?

Nicolle Swims (Black Ends): The venue options in Seattle for smaller artists have always been scant. Losing Madame Lou’s is really just an eye-opening event for people who haven’t been paying attention. Venues around this city are closing constantly, and I think there are many factors in that. [B]ehind the curtain in the DIY part of the scene, things are absolutely thriving in such a beautiful way. Younger people just don’t have money to pay $20 for a local show. Older people don’t have money or even time to think of going to a show unless they’ve finally got a nice free day or a good job.

Commercial venues are dying; the scene is not. But it will make it hard for this to keep growing if there are no stages for artists to play as their audience widens. This was a heavy hit of realization for people to finally see things like this will keep happening if nothing changes. If Madame Lou’s couldn’t be saved, are we confident in other smaller venues sticking around? These places are absolutely vital to a scene.

DIY music is thriving here. If we can bring that kind of energy to commercial spaces, it’d probably save some of them. We need to strengthen the scene; there are so many local artists who are worthy of your attention right now.

Venues change frequently, but I’ll name a few medium-sized venues everyone should [frequent]: Tractor Tavern, the Sunset, Clock-Out Lounge, the Mountain Room, Baba Yaga (my personal favorite). Keep supporting the scene.

Tomo Nakayama: I've noticed that a lot of smaller venues are no longer doing shows on weeknights in favor of trivia or karaoke or DJ nights, which makes it harder for smaller touring bands to book shows. That creates more competition on the weekends, and fewer people going to shows through the week.

Daniel Lyon (Packaging/Rabbit Box Theatre): We are at a point where the city, or nonprofits, could help and step in to keep these key establishments open during hard times. I've seen this at a lot of smaller venues in Europe we played that have some costs offset by grants and city support. It's possible.

It's even more concerning to lose independent venues, as I fear that large concert promoters and ticketing platforms could take over this market, which have a history of high fees, not paying artists fairly, and monopolizing the market.

Noel Brass Jr. (Afrocop, Select Level, solo): [Madame Lou’s and Here-After's closure] highlights even more the fragile balance between artists and venues in a city that has become increasingly less accessible to working musicians. It pushes forward the need for more solidarity between the two to foster a robust and always changing/interesting scene.

Erica Rose (Erica Rose and the Ragged School/Appaloosa): Losing Madame Lou's and Here-After is especially unfortunate because of the unique nature and connectivity of the venue. My band played Freakout Weekender a few years ago and almost the entire fest was housed in that complex.

That being said, I've played music in Seattle (and NYC) for close to two decades now and have come to realize that venues come and go. Usually, it leaves a door open to growth and evolution within the music scene. There are still a decent amount of somewhat similarly sized venue options such as the Sunset, Belltown Yacht Club, Add-a-Ball, Clock-Out, and Barboza. On the newer side, there's Baba Yaga, which is a super-awesome spot to play. That's one thing I really miss, the presence of all-ages venues (and house shows!). They still exist, but not as prevalently as in the past.

Mt Fog (answered collectively): Our friends and fellow artists have been putting on intimate shows in spaces like their tiny apartments (shout-out to Jesy Fortino of Tiny Vipers) and unusual places (like Aquarium Zen and Ink Knife Press). These have been some of our favorite spots to experience music and perform these past few years. At the same time, traditional, midsized venues continue to be important places to create art in real time and connect with community on a slightly larger scale. We feel like there could be more awareness around the tough financial situation the smaller venues and working-class artists who perform at them face. The music industry is broken and only a few billionaires (who appear to hate art, themselves, and people) seem to be making any money. But locally we can make things better. We wonder what our new mayor might be interested in doing to support Seattle arts.

Michiko Swiggs (iroiro): Seattle still has a lot of great options for smaller venues, and people continue to open up new places, even though it's such a difficult business to run financially. Indie comedy is having such a moment, so I feel like losing Here-After may be the bigger loss.

Christopher Garland (Acapulco Lips, Chico Detour): It feels like every year, our venue options for live shows get smaller, but I do feel like there are still great places to play. It’s definitely getting harder to venture out to other venues aside from the Sunset, BYC, Tractor, etc. Chico Detour got to play at an awesome spot called Mosswood Loft, which I had never heard of before, but it was so cool and made me wonder what other venues are out there that I haven’t gotten to play yet! There are some newer places like Baba Yaga, Hidden Hall, and the upstairs at Add-a-Ball that are giving us some options!

The Stranger: How have you been drawing in 2025 compared to your shows earlier in the decade? What factors do you think have led to these results?

Nicolle Swims: Black Ends gets a good draw. I feel as if we get a better draw than we did pre-pandemic, actually. Especially with the all-ages venues and house shows popping up (which are my favorite places to play). The kids really give a damn about new bands and new music, and that is what really pushes the Seattle scene forward.

I love playing venues, but I think younger people don’t come out to shows at venues as much as their DIY shows and a lot of older folk are too tired to give a hell anymore. I’m not sure how to fix it, but getting more established bands/artists who still can play medium-sized venues and smaller local bands who are well known on the DIY spectrum of things on bills together would definitely get people out more.

We need to make a way for shows to be exciting again. Make events out of it, make things all ages a little more and if not [always] all ages, promote shows in less boring ways! Start blasting them on local stations, make and hand out flyers again. Make it a unique experience.

Tomo Nakayama: I just sold out an album-release show at the Fremont Abbey, and attendance at my shows has generally grown or stayed steady, but I know I'm very lucky because that hasn't been the case for a lot of artists. Right after the pandemic and George Floyd protests, you saw venues really trying hard to book diverse, challenging bills, but you're seeing less of that these days. My fear is that the emphasis on drawing big crowds is going to water down the music to the point that there is no alternative to the mainstream.

Daniel Lyon: As someone who also [books] a 100-capacity room, the Rabbit Box Theatre, we've seen ticket sales decline over the years a bit. We've fought very hard to keep the venue alive because we believe it's so important to have a place for intimate shows. I feel it's due to the economy, and people feeling exhausted by politics. But [shows are] also an amazing escape and a place to find community and joy among the insanity happening in the world.

Erica Rose: Draws vary. So much of a good draw goes into promotion by both the bands and the venue as well as the specific night that the show falls on and what else is going on that night. My bands have played some shows with great draws in 2025 and some with lesser draws. The best draws seem to come with shows where all the bands are actively promoting and the venue is also a part of that promotion.

Other factors like KEXP or label promotion would help, as well. I think the main difference between now and when I played in bands in Seattle pre-2012 is the loss of venues such as the old Funhouse, the old Comet, the old Black Lodge, the Highline, the FBK [Firebreathing Kangaroo House], and the Morgue. There was definitely a real sense of community.

Mt Fog: We keep finding new fans and our supporters keep supporting our art. We are always strengthening our connections. However, we definitely feel that fans and artists alike are overwhelmed with how much everything costs and the deluge of options for how to spend our [time].

Michiko Swiggs: Attendance has been pretty good the last year. For a while, it seemed like people were only interested in going to large festivals, big stadium shows, and big raves, and the pandemic turned everything upside down. And after things opened up again, every single band went on tour and every '90s band had a reunion tour and the market was just so over-saturated. Now, with everything being so expensive, bands can't afford to go on tour and ticket prices are too high, but people still want to experience live music. Maybe this will be a good time for smaller/cheaper events with local acts.

Christopher Garland: [My bands' draws in 2025 have] been surprisingly steady, if not more compared to earlier in the decade. I’m not sure if that’s due to gaining a little bit of a following, or if people just want to get out and see a show… maybe a combination of both?

Cat Valley shredding at Baba Yaga in Pioneer Square. BRITTNE LUNNISS

VENUE OWNERS/TALENT BUYERS

The Stanger: How has business been in 2025 compared to previous years this decade? And what factors do you think have impacted business?

Maxwell Edison (Belltown Yacht Club/Screwdriver Bar): Business has been down somewhat this year, but really, since the world shut down in 2020, it’s been an uphill battle. With rising living costs, tours being sidelined by illness/quarantine processes, limited government assistance for small businesses, and higher taxes/COGS [Cost of Goods Sold], it’s challenging for many of us to survive. Fewer people go out, fewer can afford to drink or even care to, and fewer touring bands are coming to Seattle. Artists from overseas are having difficulty obtaining visas and entering the country in 2025. How can multiple venues sustain in a single city with this equation?

Adam Prairie (Sunset Tavern): It's been a wild ride. Some months this year have been really good (we had some special 25th-anniversary shows that helped), and we had a month or two span in the summer that was really rough. Summer is always tough in Seattle, since there are so many outdoor things to do and see, but this year was noticeably worse. It would be fair to attribute it to perhaps some uneasiness about the state of the world among buyers, bar sales that continue to drop because of changing consumer habits, and maybe lingering effects from a festival bubble that showed up in 2022 from post-lockdown enthusiasm, popped, and continued to contract.

Carmel Spiro (Sea Monster Lounge): Business in 2025 for our venue seems to be doing a little bit better. Getting the word out on all our shows and keeping up on updating all the sites [help]. Plus, playing good music seven nights a week and two shows a day six nights a week. Yes, price increases all around don’t help, but owner Mark Mattrey keeps on adapting to that by gently raising our prices and keeping our overhead down as much as he can.

Chris King (Add-a-Ball): Business has been pretty great, considering we just opened the venue last January. Lots to improve on, but we hope to expand and do even better in 2026!

John Dimitriou (Jazz Alley): We have not seen a dramatic change from previous years and feel very fortunate business has maintained reflecting a steady pattern. I believe having been in business for so many years, along with our location and parking situation, are key factors.

Steven Severin (Neumos/Barboza): We are doing about the same as in the past, which is lucky for us. WANMA (WA Nightlife and Music Association) just released numbers that show that 60 percent of the venues in Washington state are losing money. It was a little rough for the first year or two [after lockdown] for us. We have younger folks coming to shows and dance nights. We did a good job pivoting even before by adding these dance nights. We will have two shows in one night at Neumos sometimes on the weekends. It’s generally an early live show and then dance party after with a whole other crowd that comes in. Barboza has two shows a night every Friday and Saturday. We are always trying to figure out what people want.

Andy Palmer (Nectar Lounge/Hidden Hall): In 2019 and early 2020, it felt like business was at an all-time peak. Of course, for the duration of the shutdown we did the lowest business ever, but were able to keep basic operations running by producing over 100 livestream concerts at Nectar and High Dive. When we reopened, business was hard, as we had to operate at a limited capacity and people were still wary about going out. In late 2022 and 2023, touring resumed and business picked up as people had more discretionary income and "pent-up demand." That sustained pretty well through 2023 and 2024, but in 2025 things took a turn again, as artists were less inclined to go on the road, whether due to an increase in expenses or a decline in ticket sales or both.

We had just taken over operations at High Dive in the months leading up to the pandemic. Headed into 2025, we had the opportunity to move [High Dive's] operations to a beautiful new room with unique features and much more space... and in April of 2025 we opened Hidden Hall! We had a dozen or more underplays (shows that would usually play in a larger room) and started to do higher numbers and sell out shows as fans started to find the room and seemed to quickly love it. Reviews from both guests and performing artists have been really good!

There are also difficulties as compared to pre-pandemic years: We see a trend in fewer younger concert-goers, fewer alcohol sales, and fewer national and international artists on tour—both due to generally rising costs of touring (gas, flights, rentals, hotels, food, everything) and also due to the increased costs and difficulties associated with securing touring visas. That said, our business is ramping up at Hidden Hall and sustaining nicely at Nectar.

Jodi Ecklund (Clock-Out Lounge): Business in 2025 has been both unpredictable and challenging compared to previous years. Our operating costs have increased dramatically—everything from labor and insurance to basic cost of goods. Those rising expenses create a much tighter margin than we had earlier in the decade. We’ve also seen a steady decline in alcohol sales.

Attendance for up-and-coming touring acts and local bands still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. That segment of the calendar used to be more reliable, and the slower turnout has made it harder to take chances on developing artists. The high cost of living in Seattle has had a major impact on business, especially for independent venues.

The Stranger: If business has diminished this year, what steps do you plan to take to reverse your fortunes? If business has improved, to what do you attribute it?

Maxwell Edison: We plan to diversify events further. A good mix of genre-spanning shows with projected draw, interactive events like karaoke/trivia/drag, and leaning into private parties to fill gaps.

Steven Severin: People want to hear their favorite artists on loud sound systems where they can get all hot and sweaty dancing with their friends. Of course this has happened in clubs for years, but they didn’t generally have Emo Nights, Taylor Swift and Friends, or the Brat parties.

Andy Palmer: In response to the decline in alcohol sales, we've increased our nonalcoholic drink offerings, including developing a list of mocktails based on our specialty cocktail menu. We also have three beautiful VIP rooms at Hidden Hall that fans can reserve to "level up" their concert experience, as well as reservable seating. It's also a great room for private events, and we've been doing more and more of those. We're continuing to invest in the venue and the team and the shows—leaning into bigger shows with bigger artists and never compromising when it comes to our programming.

Jodi Ecklund: We’re approaching this moment with a mix of realism and proactive strategy. We are still [championing] local music and emerging artists, but the economic pressures in Seattle have made it more challenging to take risks and maintain the diverse programming that we are known for. We are mixing in more events that are self-contained or have little production costs. We have invested more into advertising than in previous years. We are hoping to get more private parties and large group reservations.

The Stranger: How does the news of Madame Lou's and Here-After closing affect your outlook about the state of Seattle's entertainment scene? Is it possible you will benefit by picking up desirable artists who might have performed there?

Chris Jones (BYC/Screwdriver Bar): The recent closures only reaffirm that every small independent venue is in trouble. The Live Music Census clearly shows how drastically show attendance has dropped—and how fewer people are drinking even when they do attend. This isn’t just a Seattle music scene issue; it’s a US live-music problem in a post-COVID world.

Costs are rising for artists and operators alike, and with attendance and bar sales down, other revenue avenues are being explored. Supporting live music and independent venues has never been more important. We’ve picked up shows from the Crocodile and are glad to host, but the model and system are broken—and getting work from a fallen comrade is a hollow victory.

Adam Prairie: We've picked up a number of shows that were originally going to be at Madame Lou's.

Carmel Spiro: The news of a venue closing down is always sad news to me, but I’m happy to hear they are able to save the main part of it. It’s also a lesson in keeping overhead down and watching your spending.

Chris King: Those two rooms are so well put together and facilitate a special place in our hearts. It means that we as a community need to stay strong and work together to stay afloat!

Steven Severin: When the pandemic hit, all venues got together to figure out how we can help each other keep our doors open, and that’s why we formed WANMA, and I joined NIVA the next week. We are the seventh-highest city regarding ticket sales for live shows in the country. That means there’s always someone that wants to play our rooms. I’m really fuckin’ bummed they couldn’t make it.

Mario Abata (Nectar Lounge/Hidden Hall): We recently opened Hidden Hall in Fremont, which is well positioned for the new landscape, being in a similar capacity range to Madame Lou's. It has been an exciting development for us in Fremont and we're been getting a lot of positive feedback on it so far.

Jodi Ecklund: Madame Lou’s and Here-After closing is alarming, and it reinforces what many of us in the independent venue community have been feeling for a while. The live music landscape is under a real strain. [Both] were respected, well-run venues with strong identities and consistent programming. When places like that can’t survive, it signals that the challenges we’re facing aren’t isolated; they’re systemic.

I have confirmed a couple of shows that were previously booked at Madame Lou's. I'm also in negotiation with a few different promoters who previously hosted shows in both rooms. I don’t view their closures as an opportunity so much as a loss for the music and nightlife landscape. When respected venues disappear, it reduces the number of stages available to artists at all levels—especially emerging acts—and that ultimately hurts the entire scene.

The disappearance of places like Madame Lou’s and Here-After is a sign of how much pressure independent venues are under, and it makes collaboration and support within the community more important than ever.

If we want these spaces to remain part of Seattle’s cultural landscape, it takes consistent turnout. My hope is that the closures we’re seeing serve as a reminder of how important it is to actively support the places we value, not just mourn them after the fact.

Money for Nothing

Rob Moura — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:14:00 -0800

These bands just got $10,000 richer for making good music. by Rob Moura

Chances are, by now, you’ve heard of Sonic Guild. Founded in Austin but with a beefy Seattle presence, the Guild has made it its mission to offer Northwest musicians validation, stages, and (in the case of a few lucky, hard-working individuals) $10,000 in grant money. Previous winners include Dean Johnson, Deep Sea Diver, Shaina Shepherd, Thunderpussy, Sol, and so many more.

Here's how it works: Every year, the Guild puts out a call for grant nominees. (This year, more than 630 names made the list!) Then Sonic Guild's donors, advisors, and previous grant winners cull through that list of names and whittle it down to 40. After one more round of voting, a final 10 are chosen to receive $10,000 each. And along with the cash, which they can use however they’d like, the artists are also invited to participate in Sonic Guild’s annual showcase, scheduled for February 21 at the Triple Door.

Sonic Guild has something to celebrate, too; it’s the Seattle chapter’s fifth anniversary, after having expanded to the Northwest by scene lifer Ben London in 2020. Since then, in his words, “The city’s creative energy has accelerated beyond anything we have seen in decades.” If these 10 artists are any indication, he’s right on the money.

Here are this year's chosen artists:

Acapulco Lips

Formed in 2012 and led by bassist/vocalist Maria-Elena Herrell, Acapulco Lips’ rise to local prominence has been steady and self-assured. Whether they’re taking the stage at one of Seattle’s many festivals or laying down grooves within the grooves of their latest LP Now, they blend surf, psych rock, and garage in ways that have made them a longtime local favorite. Go celebrate with them at their show on December 11 at Chop Suey, where they’ll be showcasing their live power as a newly beefed-up quintet.

Chinese American Bear

If you weren’t already aware, Chinese American Bear are absolutely killing it. In 2019, husband/wife duo Anne Tong and Bryce Barsten started releasing winsome multilingual indie pop, and six years later, they’ve parlayed that spirit into global recognition. Their art, which regularly sees them taking on pop/rock staples in addition to their uber-catchy originals, has netted them attention from VOGUE+ to the BBC and earned them spots at festivals across the country. Theirs is a burgeoning success story borne of the necessity to, in Tong’s words, keep things “fun and authentic and lighthearted.”

Coral Grief

This year was Coral Grief’s breakout year. With their first two EPs, the Seattle trio (Lena Farr-Morrissey, Sam Fason, and Cam Hancock) announced themselves as purveyors of krautrock rhythms and a chromium glisten, akin to bands like Stereolab and Seefeel. Those EPs sound embryonic compared to their debut LP Air Between Us, released in July of this year to high acclaim. Having just ended their West Coast tour with a massive show at the Paramount opening for Deep Sea Diver, the group has fully stolen Seattle’s hearts. Now it’s time to take on the rest of the country.

Emi Pop

Of the 10 grantees in this year’s batch, Emi Pop might be a relatively fresh face, but the artist behind the group is no rookie. A veteran of the underground punk scene of Puerto Rico, Emi planted her flag in our city’s rain-soaked city this year with the garage-pop earworm “Lo Sé,” and in November she followed it with No Te Voy a Extrañar, a debut record full of songs as catchy and true to the spirit of rocanrol as its lead single.

Gabriel Teodros

If you’ve even a passing familiarity with 21st-century Seattle hip-hop, you probably know of Gabriel Teodros. The globally-recognized South Seattle emcee has been a fixture in the city since his days spitting with Khingz as Abyssinian Creole two decades ago. Since then, he’s released six solo LPs (the latest being 2023’s medicinal From the Ashes of Our Homes and its remix album Embers) while also regularly guesting on records, DJing around town, and producing for local artists. Throughout his career, Teodros has also tirelessly advocated for the wellness and uplift of the desperate, not only in his art but through his actions: just last year, he co-founded the Palestine Will Live Forever festival to raise money for Gazans in need of aid.

Kate Dinsmore

Those who’ve heard Kate Dinsmore’s voice understand that it’s something to behold. Born and raised in the PNW, Dinsmore spent the early years of her adulthood honing her musical chops in the Oklahoma jazz-pop band Harumph before returning to Washington in 2019. Since then, she’s restlessly graced stage after stage, spreading word of her talents, both her voice and the way she uses it to slide effortlessly between Americana, jazz, and rock stylings.

Ollella

Ellie Barber first brought a bow to the cello at the age of nine, and today she’s an expert, acclaimed for her string work by everyone from Bob Boilen to Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner. In 2020, Barber started releasing her own songs as Ollella; her solo work, including this year’s Antifragile, demonstrates that she has a knack for taking something as potentially stuffy as cello-led indie folk and making it approachable. Early next year, she’ll be decamping to DC to film her first Tiny Desk Concert, a check off the bucket list for someone still at the start of their musical journey.

Sea Lemon

To say Natalie Lew “does dream pop” is an understatement. Diving for a Prize, her debut album as Sea Lemon, is by any measure exemplary of where the genre is now—a heavy late ’90s rock pulse, waves of shoegaze textures, and Lew’s crystalline vocals floating like seafoam over it all. The fact that the record also features Ben Gibbard supports that Lew is continuing a genre that his band the Postal Service helped popularize. You can catch her at Neumos on December 19, opening for fellow soundscaper Jay Som.

Warren Dunes

Chances are you’ve caught Warren Dunes playing around the city over the last few years, and you’d know it if you did. The sight of singer Julia Massey sandwiched in between two keyboards isn’t so easily forgotten. The self-described “beach music family band” makes stirring, dense pop tunes, but the people behind it harbor no pretense about their music—they just want people to enjoy it. They also endeavor to use their powers for good, hence their annual holiday show (this year it’s December 19), where they raise money to fund childcare for touring musician parents with kids.

Zookraught

Formed as an eccentric four-piece punk band during COVID, Zookraught was reshaped into a searing dance-punk trio featuring original drummer Baylee Harper and bassist Stephanie Mills, along with guitarist Sami Frederick. By now, Zookraught have earned a reputation as one of Seattle’s most electrifying live acts—one of the hardest things you can do is get a crowd here to dance, but they accomplish that challenge handily thanks to blistering tempos, serrated textures, and call-to-action vocals. If you need proof, catch them at the Sunset Tavern this New Year’s Eve. There, you can kickstart your new exercise regimen among all the moshers.

Pop Loser: Music News, this Week's Events, and John Waters Holiday Traditions

Audrey Vann — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 12:01:00 -0800

Pop loser, you weekly music roundup. by Audrey Vann

Welcome back to Pop Loser, you weekly music roundup! This week, THING Festival announced an indefinite hiatus, Brandi Carlile announced her Super Bowl debut, and Paul Anka announced that he once saunaed with Frank Sinatra (read on to learn about his big takeaway from the experience). Plus, I interviewed the undisputed King of Christmas, John Waters, about his string of novelty singles, holiday traditions, and the time he accidentally consumed 14 doses of THC.

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This Week in Music:

This week in Strangerland, the staff has compiled a big ol’ list of upcoming concerts we recommend this December and January. There is a lot of good stuff coming up this month that is not holiday music, including Mt. Fog, Jay Som, and Takuya Nakamura.

In other local music news, the Vera Project (in collaboration with Denton, Texas, art collective Good/Bad) has revealed the lineup for their 14th annual Rock Lottery, featuring members of local bands like Gender Envy, RUB, somesurprises, Afrocop, Naked Giants, and more. Back in March, Stranger managing editor Megan Seling wrote about her day watching the magic happen during Seattle’s most spontaneous day in music.

THING Festival has announced an indefinite hiatus. The organizers announced on Thursday that the festival will not be returning in 2026. “We intend for it to return in the future and will use this time to recalibrate its vision,” writes STG Chief Programming Officer Adam Zacks. “We want to take time to do THING right and ensure it’s the best it can be.” THING Festival launched in Port Townsend in 2019 to fill the Sasquatch Festival–sized gap in the market. It’s since moved to Carnation, and this past year, it went from one massive festival to a multi-weekend series.

Ravensdale, WA’s own Brandi Carlile will play the Super Bowl pregame show this coming February, alongside Charlie Puth and Coco Jones, with halftime entertainment from Bad Bunny. (This is the only time Pop Loser will be mentioning football, I promise.)

Warner Music Group signed a deal with the devil. The major label has joined forces with AI song generator Suno, whom they were suing for copyright infringement just last year. Pitchfork reports, “The new partnership, which settles their prior litigation, is designed to help Suno move toward a licensed model where users will pay to download songs made on its platform with artificial intelligence.” Apparently, this means that artists will be compensated and retain “full control” over how their music, likeness, and other copyrights are used. Is this good or bad? Only time will tell.

Paul Anka breaks his silence on Frank Sinatra’s penis. While promoting his upcoming HBO documentary, Paul Anka: My Way, the 1950s teen dream confirmed the long-running lore about Ol’ Blue Eyes, telling Page Six that he once saunaed with the Rat Pack. "Yeah, it was huge,” Anka revealed, also stating that he had "had trouble with eye contact" with Sinatra while in the sauna.

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Interview: Rockin’ Around the Electric Chair with John Waters GREG GORMAN

John Waters is an icon—a pencil-thin mustache, 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. Gather around the electric chair, children, because the man with the bag has landed! (The man is John Waters, and the bag is full of filthy jokes.)

How do you decorate for Christmas?

Traditionally and very untraditionally. We decorate, but I don't have a tree. I decorate Divine’s electric chair from Female Trouble. I have lots of Christmas decorations. Many of them have been made by fans, and they're great—some have Divine or Edith on them. A fan made me a statue of Divine knocking over a Christmas tree. It has batteries, and all the lights blink and everything. That, I think, is my favorite one. I also have decorations that my mom made for me. I mix them as I do with my real life: I mix the good taste and turn it into bad taste, hopefully to get you to notice that everything can be pleasing.

In a recent interview, you mentioned that you used to take speed and steal Christmas gifts out of people's cars and unwrap them. Do you remember or did you keep any of the gifts you stole?

We would throw them out the window! Or worse yet, if they had a gift slip, we would take them to the store and get the money! An old friend reminded me recently that she stole a blouse with someone’s mother's monogram on it. She wore it to school the next day and covered it up with a sweater. It was really terrible. It just proves that there is no such thing as karma.

What's the most memorable Christmas gift that you've ever received?

Well, I still go to sleep sometimes with a beautiful cashmere blanket that Divine gave me a long time ago. But don't ever give cashmere! It just calls moths to your house. Cashmere is a moth Woodstock waiting to happen.

How do you feel about fruitcake?

Well, I tried to make a movie that was called Fruitcake—that has almost happened three times. It's a children's Christmas special. I hope I get to make it one day. I personally have never eaten a piece of fruitcake in my life. I don't crave it… let's put it that way.

Well, hopefully now that you've said that, people don't bring a bunch of fruitcakes to your shows!

I won’t eat anything a fan ever gives me. I did it once, and I was in the hospital for three days.

Oh my god! What did you eat?

I ate 14 doses of THC, not realizing it. They thought I had a stroke—I thought I had a stroke! It was a nightmare. Never eat food from fans!

Read the entire interview here.

Music Events Worth Your Hard-Earned Money This Week

Rochelle Jordan Dec 4, Barboza, 7 pm, 21+

The Muppet Christmas Carol in Concert with the Seattle Symphony Dec 5-7, Benaroya Hall, various times, all ages

Alaska Presents: A Very Alaska Christmas Show Dec 5, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, 18+

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

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

The Snowman in Concert with the Seattle Symphony Dec 6, Benaroya Hall, 11 am & 1 pm, all ages

Wimps, Mark Robinson, and Pitschouse Dec 9, Sunset Tavern, 7:30 pm, 21+

We can tell you how to spend your hard-earned bucks, straight to your inbox.

The Songs That Keep Me Up at Night

“The Man I’m Supposed to Be” by Bill Callahan

Wow, Pop Loser recommending a song by a man singing about the bad things he’s done? Believe me, I’m surprised, too. However, Smog frontman Bill Callahan’s lead single from his forthcoming album, My Days of 58, is refreshingly honest and vulnerable for this type of song—it’s sort of like a Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon) song with actual self-reflection and regret. Callahan sings, “I've been living too long in my head / not loving you enough in our bed / From now on, I start living my life / As if the next day I'll be dead.” Men, take notes!

“I Lived in Trees” by Mark Fry

Considering that Mark Fry’s 2011 album, I Lived in Trees, was released nearly 40 years after his debut, Dreaming with Alice, I had never considered listening to it—I had the wrongful assumption that it strayed far from the ‘70s psych-folk sound I had grown to love. But when my best friend played me the album during breakfast one morning over the weekend, I was stunned. I Lived in Trees, particularly the title track, combines just about every beautiful sound you can think of—bird chirps, gentle piano, autoharp, harmonium, flute, and bells—alongside Fry’s timeless coos, reflecting on his life: “When I was a boy I lived in trees / hidden in the leaves / looking down on my world / dreaming down on my world.” For fans of Robert Wyatt, Nick Drake, and Vashti Bunyan’s Heartleap.

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Don’t Be an Asshole

Dave Segal — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 09:56:00 -0800

If you’re wily enough to sneak drugs into the venue (which I don’t condone!), offer me some. by Dave Segal

FOOMP!

That was the sound of a dancer’s hand slamming into my cheekbone as I was minding my own business at a recent Cut Chemist show in Nectar Lounge. This incident—which caused no bruise, but did leave a psychic scar—illustrates three key rules of attending music shows: Be aware of your surroundings. Do not invade other people’s space. Understand that you do not exist in a goddamn bubble!

Now, as someone who’s been going to gigs, indoor and outdoor concerts, DJ events, house parties, raves, and record-shop in-stores for 45 years, I’ve picked up some hard-earned wisdom that may benefit the public. Much of what I’m going to say here should go without saying. Y’all should’ve learned most of this stuff before puberty. But each generation yields a high percentage of doofuses who need certain guidelines repeatedly drilled into their thick crania. And even then, many fuck up. Those Devo guys were right.

Okay, let’s go over some basic rules of attending music shows in an allegedly civilized society.

STFU when musicians are performing.

Literally nothing you’re saying at a show should take precedence over the sounds emanating from the stage—unless you are suffering a medical emergency. Or if you want to tell me that you dug that one blog post I wrote in 2013. Otherwise, zip it. We didn’t shell out $35 + fees to hear your inane babble. Some years ago at a J.R.C.G. show in Barboza, a few people nearby were shouting at one another in order to be heard over the band’s boisterous horns. Never, ever be those assholes.

Do your damnedest not to obscure the views of others when taking pics/video with your phone.

This is a corollary to the dictum in paragraph one. Sure, it’s crucial that you document shows on social media for street cred/brand-building/inducing FOMO in your followers. But be mindful about it.

Don’t sing along with the music... unless you have good pipes.

We didn’t shell out $89 + fees to hear you mangle our favorite tunes with off-key showboating. If the urge strikes, just take your ass to the nearest karaoke joint.

If you jostle somebody or step on their toes by mistake, apologize.

Sure, it’s super-important for you to rush up front so you can ogle that hottie at the mic stand, but a quick “Sorry” after a bodycheck or foot stomp goes a long way toward avoiding bad karma. I’m still fuming at the rude boy who rammed into me at Neptune Theatre circa 2017 as he sprinted to get close to King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Don’t be a sex pest.

Always respect boundaries. Music shows aren’t CPACs.

Don’t bring food into the club.

Back in 2018, a dude carried some Bok Bok chicken tenders into Neumos, and the aroma was downright foul. However, if you must consume food while experiencing music, go to the Triple Door or Jazz Alley, venerable nightclubs with quality kitchens and classy decor. The bookings are often great, too.

This edict applies mainly to jazz audiences: For the love of Alice Coltrane, please do not applaud until songs are finished.

I don’t care if it’s “tradition”; clapping after solos or particularly delicious passages drowns out the very great music that we paid handsomely—or strenuously pulled strings for guest list—to hear. Such applause is more about congratulating oneself than rewarding the players. “Hey, everybody—look how awesomely I appreciated this part!” Yeah, yeah... don’t strain a muscle patting yourself on the back, bro.

If you stand over six feet tall, don’t post up near the stage.

Look, you won the genetic lottery, so the least you can do is hang out near the back or off to the side.

Tip your bartender well—even if you’re buying non-alcoholic drinks.

They have to put up with a lot of drunken shenanigans, cringe-y flirting, and, often, lousy music.

Bring breath mints.

Nobody—especially me—wants to smell your rancid beer-and-cigarette breath... particularly when the band I spent $48 + fees to see is tearing the roof off and you’re jabbering in granular detail about the features of your new effects pedals. Not the time and place, Poindexter.

Wear deodorant.

Yes, even you, Phish phan. It’s just common scents.

Don’t fart, unless you’re in the bathroom.

Ancient Greek philosophers observed that sphincter control is crucial to the maintenance of civilization. And you know what? Those geezers nailed it.

Don’t wear any MAGA paraphernalia.

Unless you want your head to be used as a speed bag. After all, this is the “Communist” paradise known as Seattle; be aware of your surroundings.

If you’re wily enough to sneak drugs into the venue (which I don’t condone!), offer me some.

I’ll trade you for a breath mint.

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

Everybody’s Waiting for the Man with the Bag

Audrey Vann — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:00:00 -0800

The Man Is John Waters. The Bag Is Full of Filthy Jokes.

by Audrey Vann

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! (The man is John Waters, and the bag is full of filthy jokes.)

You’ve been doing your annual Christmas tour for nearly 30 years. How have these shows evolved or changed since they began?
How many dirty, blasphemous crash scenes can a person think of? But yes, I think up new ones every year—it's a challenge! I really pride myself on doing a new show every year. You can come every year, and it's never the same show. Although the show has changed over the years, no matter how you feel about Christmas, the show is about how to get through it. I think it's a self-help thing. People hate it. People love it. I talk about every possible way you can deal with Christmas and how you can transfer it into your everyday life, with sex, politics, fashion, and everything else.

I’ve read that your Christmas shows feature a generous Q&A. What’s the worst question that you’ve ever been asked at a Q&A?
That's really the crazy part. I wish I’d get more bad questions! I've been doing it for so long. The worst questions are when people just stand up and start talking about themselves. Yeah, that's the worst. Then the audience starts booing. I just say “EDIT! EDIT! EDIT!” No question will throw me. I'm wise enough not to answer if I don't want to, and I know how to get around it and make a joke. I can think of odd funny ones, like a person said, “My dad told me he almost went home with you from a bar one night.” And one time, somebody said, “How do you feel about batteries? We just want to know how you feel about batteries.” That was a perplexing question. I guess at Christmas, children often choke on batteries from their toys. I talked about that. I can always bring it back to Christmas.

How do you decorate for Christmas?
Traditionally and very untraditionally. We decorate, but I don't have a tree. I decorate Divine’s electric chair from Female Trouble. I have lots of Christmas decorations. Many of them have been made by fans, and they're great—some have Divine or Edith on them. A fan made me a statue of Divine knocking over a Christmas tree. It has batteries, and all the lights blink and everything. That, I think, is my favorite one. I also have decorations that my mom made for me. I mix them as I do with my real life: I mix the good taste and turn it into bad taste, hopefully to get you to notice that everything can be pleasing.

In a recent interview, you mentioned that you used to take speed and steal Christmas gifts out of people's cars and unwrap them. Do you remember or did you keep any of the gifts you stole?
We would throw them out the window! Or worse yet, if they had a gift slip, we would take them to the store and get the money! An old friend reminded me recently that she stole a blouse with someone’s mother's monogram on it. She wore it to school the next day and covered it up with a sweater. It was really terrible. It just proves that there is no such thing as karma.

What's the most memorable Christmas gift that you've ever received?
Well, I still go to sleep sometimes with a beautiful cashmere blanket that Divine gave me a long time ago. But don't ever give cashmere! It just calls moths to your house. Cashmere is a moth Woodstock waiting to happen.

What holiday music gets you in the Christmas spirit?
It can get on my nerves. It has to get really near Christmas. It can't be playing that stuff too early. But I certainly do like jazzy Christmas. This year, I have a record out, my second Christmas single, where I cover Little Cindy singing “Happy Birthday Jesus,” which was on my original Christmas compilation album. Last year, I released my cover of the Singing Dogs’ “Jingle Bells.”

Do you collect these types of novelty records?
Yes, and I love them, but no one makes them anymore. They should. I always say: Why was there no COVID-19 novelty record? There could be so many right now about what's going on in the world. They could have “Antifa Christmas Carol” or “Proud Boys Santa.” I don't know. I could just think of so many good novelty songs.

Why did you choose to cover the Singing Dogs' “Jingle Bells” and not “Jingle Cats?” Are you more of a dog person?
I don’t like either. I want pets to escape from people. They are sentenced to a lifetime of caress. I always say: I'm not lonely, so I don't have dogs and cats. It makes people crazy when I say that. I don't have any desire to touch one. I think PETA is right, actually, even though I eat meat. I want them to escape the houses they live in. I want to say, “RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!”

I felt like Cat Power covering Bob Dylan when I did the Singing Dogs, because it is the most obnoxious Christmas novelty song ever.

Is there anything you are looking forward to doing or seeing while you’re in Seattle?
I have 19 shows, so I don't do anything except get to the airport, the hotel, go to sleep, rehearse, do the show, and then go to the next town. I would love to see Dina Martina, my great friend, but I just rarely get to do things like that. I learned a long time ago that there's no time to do it when you have a show.

Last year, I tried to give people gift certificates to Hudson News, you know, the place they have at airports? But they don’t have gift certificates. They looked at me like I was insane when I asked, but where else can I go Christmas shopping?

I think you are on to something with the idea of airport gift cards!
Wouldn't it be nice? But it's so expensive. A $50 gift certificate for airport shops could buy one cup of coffee.

How do you feel about fruitcake?
Well, I tried to make a movie that was called Fruitcake—that has almost happened three times. It's a children's Christmas special. I hope I get to make it one day. I personally have never eaten a piece of fruitcake in my life. I don't crave it… let's put it that way.

Well, hopefully now that you've said that, people don't bring a bunch of fruitcakes to the show!
I won’t eat anything a fan ever gives me. I did it once, and I was in the hospital for three days.

Oh my god! What did you eat?
I ate 14 doses of THC, not realizing it. They thought I had a stroke—I thought I had a stroke! It was a nightmare. Never eat food from fans!

Lastly, the B-side to your new single, “A Pig Latin Visit from St. Nicholas,” is sung entirely in Pig Latin. Can you translate “We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy New Year” to Pig Latin for me?

Eway ishway ouyay ayay errymay istmaschray andyay ayay appyhay ewnay earyay

Wow, thank you.
Ou'reyay elcomeway.

See John Waters at the Neptune Theatre on Dec 2, 8 pm

Deep Sea Diver’s Jessica Dobson Shares the First Song That Made Her Cry

Audrey Vann — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 14:30:00 -0800

Spoiler Alert: It's From Home Alone

by Audrey Vann

This interview is an excerpt from our weekly music newsletter, Pop Loser. Subscribe here!

Seattle indie rock band Deep Sea Diver—led by singer-songwriter Jessica Dobson—is playing a homecoming show on Friday to celebrate their Sub Pop Records debut, Billboard Heart.

The album's lead single, "Shovel," is upbeat, danceable, and would be right at home on a playlist nested between MUNA and Chappell Roan. The title track, "Billboard Heart," switches gears, evoking labelmate Weyes Blood with kaleidoscopic synths and powerful vocals; it’ll no doubt sound beautiful performed live.

Ahead of their show at Paramount Theatre this Friday, I chatted with Dobson about some of her first musical experiences. And don’t miss their biggest show yet, alongside local favorites Coral Grief.

What was the first song you sang in front of people?

I have a vague memory of singing a song from Aladdin—probably “A Whole New World”—in front of my extended family.

What was the first song you learned on the guitar?

“Devil’s Haircut” by Beck.

What was the first song that made you cry?

"O Holy Night" sung by a church choir, just like that scene in Home Alone. Heavenly!

Who was the first musician you idolized?

Toss-up between Gwen Stefani and Björk.

What was the first concert you attended?

A ska concert at a water park in Pomona, CA. I don't even remember what band was playing; there was just a lot of mild moshing, high knees and elbows flying around.

See Deep Sea Diver with Coral Grief at the Paramount Theatre on Nov 28, 8 pm