The Stranger

Lisa Koch and Peggy Platt, aka Dos Fallopia, throw out zingers like lounge-circuit pros and manically break into songs about Seattle, including a number dedicated to our city’s crappy transit system and the deep-bore tunnel. Before the shtick gets old, a new sketch begins. The tone they set is fun. The mood is joyous, energetic, and 100 percent ham, and the result is overwhelming in the best way. Physical gags—like “adventures in anti-aging with Nancy Reagan”—are layered with wordplay, one-liners, and genuinely great musical numbers. As far as holiday shows go, this one is tops. (Theater Off Jackson, 409 Seventh Ave S, theatreoffjackson.org, 7:30 pm, $17–$30, through Dec 30) by Cienna Madrid

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Gavin Russom has built analog synths for paradigm-shifting DFA Records bands LCD Soundsystem and Black Dice, but he also knows how to generate his own distinctive sounds from them. The New Yorker’s brooding, cosmic synthesizer jams and edgy, un-gridlike dance tracks—with longtime recording partner Delia Gonzalez and in his more recent projects Black Meteoric Star and Crystal Ark—typically veer toward epic transcendence. Tonight, Russom will be DJing, but expect nothing less than a deluge of strange, trance-inducing selections. (Electric Tea Garden, 1402 E Pike St, electricteagarden.com, 9:30 pm, free until 11 pm/$10 after, 21+) by Dave Segal

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It’s the perfect laid-back atmosphere; you don’t want anything extreme early in the day. This old-school Seattle place has an excellent breakfast menu, from omelets, brioche French toast, and corned beef hash to huevos rancheros. But what really puts it over the top are the pastries from their in-house baker: sticky cinnamon rolls, hazelnut scones, and savory biscuits. And you can gird yourself for the rest of the day with a superbly made espresso drink or hardy Bloody Mary. It’s a first-rate brunch experience. (Hi Spot Cafe, 1410 34th Ave, hispotcafe.com, 8 am–2:30 pm) by Gillian Anderson

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Choose your own NYE adventure! Want some steamy soul revival suitable for dark corner make-out sessions? Ring in 2013 with Pickwick at the Showbox at the Market. If you’re craving a noisy and chaotic punk-rock bash, Monogamy Party are headlining the Comet. For some 206 hiphop that’ll make you sweat through your cardigan, check out Fresh Espresso with Grynch and Keyboard Kid at the Neptune. And that’s just the beginning of your options! Pick your poison at thestranger.com/music, find someone cute to kiss at midnight, and start 2013 off on the right foot. (See thestranger.com/music for more info) by Megan Seling

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Every New Year’s Day, every book, new and used, at both Third Place Books locations is 20 percent off. It’s perfect timing: You can consider self-betterment and laze off your thunderous New Year’s Eve hangover at the same time. And when you finally start thinking about food again, the brunch at Vios, the Greek restaurant inside Ravenna Third Place Books, is excellent, too. It’s a whole new year; go ahead and pick up that sleazy sci-fi paperback AND that fancy cookbook. You’ve got time for both. (Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE; Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave NE; thirdplacebooks.com) by Paul Constant

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It’s a grand Quentin Tarantino tradition (along with loving close-ups of Uma Thurman’s feet): the moment our shameless auteur makes literal what his film is doing figuratively. In Pulp Fiction, it was the adrenaline shot to the heart. In Django Unchained, it’s a character (played by Tarantino) literally playing with dynamite. Don’t let the reckless deployment of N-bombs keep you from experiencing this funky, bloody revenge fantasy, which features great, peacocky performances from Christoph Waltz, Jamie Foxx, and Leonardo DiCaprio, a dazzling soundtrack, and, yes, too much brutal violence. (Still, hands are made for peeking through.) (See Movie Times: thestranger.com/film) by David Schmader

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