The Stranger

Conventional wisdom is that nobody parties hard on the first day of the New Year—you're supposed to be hungover at home eating black-eyed peas or something—but damn if this show isn't set to blow that myth wide open. Fuzz-punk duo Japanther positively inspire with sing-along anthems that collide punk aggression with goofy good fun. Champagne Champagne and They Live! deliver the locally grown party raps, (the grotesquely named) Hair Envelope bust out sassy, swervy indie-electro pop, and former Seattleite DJ Righteous Trash spins the jams. Y'all want the New Year started right? (Comet Tavern, 922 E Pike St, 322-9272. 9 pm, $10, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

Link  |  Post Comment (3)

Dynamic, gynormous "third wave" hiphop duo THEESatisfaction are back after a brief stint in L.A. and between frequent trips to outer space—here's hoping they stick around for a while. The Cloud Nice–affiliated team of Thee Stasia and Cat Satisfaction spit softly commanding, punch-line-packed rhymes over beats that are sometimes jazzy, sometimes futuristic, and frequently dizzy-making. With lean-fiend-gone-clean Macklemore, up-and-coming Seattle/Chicago collaboration Dark Time Sunshine, and the Corner host Candidt. (High Dive, 513 N 36th St, 632-0212. 9 pm, $10, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

Link  |  Post Comment (0)

In the wintertime especially, the Zoo has a special, moist, and slightly clammy Seattle-bar embrace—a big room with high ceilings and smoke-cured timbers that glow faintly with age, nostalgia, and the benign, respectful indifference of a quality old-timers' bar. It's a heavenly place to laze through the first Sunday of a new decade: drink a little whiskey, play a little pool, linger over a long novel. Or bring a friend you haven't seen in a while and discuss the year that was and the year that is to come. (Eastlake Zoo, 2301 Eastlake Ave E, 329-3277. 2 pm–2 am, 21+.) by Brendan Kiley

Link  |  Post Comment (11)

Guy Ritchie's triumphant return to not-sucking-quite-so-egregiously reimagines Sherlock Holmes as a slovenly, brutal, drunken superhero whose superpower is noticing stuff and knowing how to punch real good. It's a fucking great time. The film has all of Ritchie's usual slick, gimmicky visuals, but would be nothing without Robert Downey Jr., who I would happily watch dozing in line at the DMV. Instead, Downey spends the duration of Sherlock Holmes kicking ass, doing science experiments in his head, and cracking wise with the beautiful Jude Law. "Why are you always so suspicious?" "Should I answer chronologically or alphabetically?" (See Movie Times: thestranger.com/film.) by Lindy West

Link  |  Post Comment (2)

The power of eating an oyster raw on the half shell lies in the immediate consumption of an entire organism. If eating your enemy's heart gives you their life force, an oyster—cool and (yes) slimy and salty- gorgeous—gives you the life force of the sea itself. Anchovies & Olives dresses each one—a tiny confetti of pickled beets, lime with fresh horseradish—but purists will want to order them naked. The thrifty will want to order them at Power Hour, when they're one-third the price—$1 each—and 100 percent as delicious. Bonus: prosecco and other Italian wines for $5 a glass, and $2 Peronis. (Anchovies & Olives, 1550 15th Ave, 838-8080. Daily 5–6 pm and 10 pm–midnight.) by Bethany Jean Clement

Link  |  Post Comment (12)

When Jeffry Mitchell, 2009 Stranger Genius in Visual Art, saw Meiro Koizumi's videos at the Hedreen Gallery at Seattle University, he couldn't stop looking. "All of Meiro's work is about that thing—that thing that, if you don't kill it, will kill you," Mitchell said, standing outside the gallery, visibly shaken, shortly afterward. If you do not see Koizumi's 10-year survey before it leaves Seattle, you will have missed out on one of the best solo shows in Seattle this decade. (Hedreen Gallery, 901 12th Ave, 296-2244. 1:30–6 pm, free. Through Jan 9.) by Jen Graves

Link  |  Post Comment (0)