FRIDAY, JULY 30: AHAMEFULE OLUO'S NEW BAND, INSECT REVENGE, PERFORMS @ RETAIL THERAPY
The local musician, comedian, and (now) film actor Ahamefule J. Oluo has a new band. It is called Insect Revenge. It is just him (a trumpeter) and Sheridan Riley (a drummer). And this is their first show ever. The music the two make is big, catchy, and filled with a sense of adventure. Those familiar with Oluo's body of work will certainly recognize in Insect Revenge some of the punk spirit of his trio The Honorable Chief Ahamefule J. Oluo, which released an album in 2015. Expect to hear more about Insect Revenge in the future. (And, yes, I directed a movie that stars Oluo, Thin Skinâit will have its Seattle release in early October.) CHARLES MUDEDE
Insect Revenge performs on July 30 at Retail Therapy. Show begins at 7:30 PM.
FRIDAY, JULY 30: CRUISIN' WITH CLARA @ KREMWERK
Calling all âClaranatorsâ â itâs time for your monthly meet-up. This Friday, Seattle comedian Clara Pluton hosts the July edition of their rowdy queer talk show, Cruisin' with Clara. Join them as they unspool their funny and surreal observations about queer culture, the nature of time, the ills of capitalism, and gay small talk. (Warm up by watching their totally official Pride commercial they made for small-time business Chase Bank, which debuted at last month's show.) This edition's guests of honor are Seattle comedians Natalie Holt and Dewa Dorje, who will each do a short set and then chit-chat with Pluton. Plus, the show's devilish segment, HELL NEWS, a compilation of the month's most hellish headlines presented by Erowid Experience Vaults, returns this month. So, dudes and dolls, gulp an extra-strong pot soda and let Pluton and Co. guide you through the highs and lows of Leo season. JASMYNE KEIMIG
Tickets to Cruisin' with Clara at Kremwerk are $13.44âget 'em here. Kremwerk also requires proof of vaccination. Doors are at 7 PM and the show starts at 8 PM. The show consistently sells out so nab tickets now or yesterday.
FRIDAY, JULY 30: THE LUMBER YARD BAR EMPLOYEE RELIEF DRAGSTRAVAGANZA FUNDRAISER @ BOOMBOX!
Imagine going through all the EVERYTHING of the last year, and then just as you're going back to work, the place burns down. Employees of White Center's local gay bar, the Lumberyard Bar, woke up one morning to find that the job to which they were expecting to return had gone up in smoke, and along with it a vital gathering place for West Seattle's LGBTQ+ community. But that community is nothing if not resilient, and this weekend their neighbors at the Boombox Bar are hosting a fundraiser to assist Lumber Yard employees facing hardship as a result of one disaster stacked on top of another. Your $10 ticket will treat you to performances by Rylee Raw, Whispurr Watershadow, Old Witch, and Dolly Madison; proceeds will go to a fund directly benefitting Lumber Yard workers. Get there early if you want a seat, and remember to tip oh so generously. MATT BAUME
The Lumber Yard Fundraiser is this Friday, July 30 at 9 pm. RSVP here. Find out ways to support other businesses and employees impacted by the recent White Center fire, including the local boxing gym, tattoo parlor, and boba cafe, right here.
SATURDAY, JULY 31: GO EAT IN THE CID
For $15.50, you could wreck yourself with an indulgent three-course meal: first, an onigiri with a Thai iced tea; second, a teriyaki shrimp skewer with a pint of local beer; finally, finish it off with four mini cream puffs. Or you could go a more druggy route and spend $9 and get two weed gummies, two CBD joints, a pizza slice, and a chocolate chip cookie. I can go on. This cheap and delicious madness is brought to you by the Chinatown-International District's popular Food Walk Series, which returns this Saturday to finish up the neighborhood's #WelcomeBackWeek festivities. Businesses across the CID are offering food at prices ranging from two to eight dollars. Mix and match to have a feast for under twenty bucks.
While you're visiting, I recommend checking out Gift Shop, where my favorite onigiri pop-up, Sankaku, just announced a residency. Pass through and pick up some triangle treatsâI recommend the salty ume or salmon onigiris. I also recommend, uh, everything. CHASE BURNS
The CID Food Walk happens this Saturday from 10 to 4 PM. Wear a mask and swing by Hing Hay Park to grab a physical menu. (It'll make you drool.)
SATURDAY, JULY 31: QUEER THE LAND'S 5TH ANNIVERSARY
Queer The Land formed in 2016 as a collection of queer & transgender Black/Indigenous/people of color with a vision: to collectively own their land and labor. Their projects include food drives for people in need; securing group housing on Beacon Hill; creating emergency kits; and this weekend, a nice laid-back hangout on Colman Beach. Food, snacks, and drinks will be provided for a vegan-inclusive BBQ, along with chairs, tents and tables. It's a fine way to meet like-minded individuals, and if you're in a position to bring your own resources to contribute, well that would be a very fine thing to do and in keeping with the spirit of the organization. "Come ready to eat, swim, and dance," organizers say â sounds like an episode of Fraggle Rock. (Wait, were the Fraggles communists?) MATT BAUME
Queer the Land's 5th Anniversary is this Saturday, July 31, from 3 to 8 PM. RSVP here.
SATURDAY, JULY 31: WARREN DUNES, SHAINA SHEPHERD, BLACK ENDS @ NEPTUNE
Who's ready for some "post-modern beach music"?! This Saturday, Seattle-based band Warren Dunes will take over Neptune Theatre, fresh off the release of their debut album Get Well Soon. Double keyboardist/vocalist Julia Massey and brothers Jared and Dominic Cortese make up the band, which borrows its name from a sandy state park in southwest Michigan. Even though Lake Michigan's shores inspire the trio, I think their tunes recall the pebbly beaches of our corner of the country. Especially on tracks like "Song Beneath the Sand," which is equal parts effervescent and gloom. Shaina Shepherd and Black Ends, two musical acts who are powerhouses in their own rights, are opening for the group. Shepherd's ground-shaking vocals paired with Black Ends' gunky, guitar-driven tunes is a combo that'll surely melt your face off. JASMYNE KEIMIG
Tickets to Warren Dunes, Shaina Shepherd, and Black Ends at the Neptune on Saturday, July 31 are $15 (fees not included). Grab 'em here. While Neptune isn't requiring proof of vaccination, they are requiring all show attendeesâvaccinated and unvaccinated alikeâto wear a mask while enjoying the performances thanks to the worrying rise of cases in the area.
SATURDAY, JULY 31: THE PRINCESS BRIDE @ MOVIES AT THE MURAL
I don't know why anyone bothers making movies anymore because the art form reached its peak in 1987 with the most perfect film that will ever be made, The Princess Bride. Join the kind-hearted farmhand Westley and plucky Buttercup through a swashbuckling adventure that is also a love story that is also a comedy. The jokes are perfect, the fights are perfect, the cast is perfect â Billy Crystal and Carol Kane, are you kidding me??? The Mural Amphitheater is a marvelous place to see a movie, sitting on the grass just a short walk from the Space Needle. Food and drinks will be available to purchase at the Armory and food carts; low-backed chairs and blankets are welcoming, but those bringing high-backed chairs will be asked to make their way to the back of the amphitheater. If you have any young humans in your life, consider bringing them because you will forever be extremely cool in their eyes for having introduced them to this movie. MATT BAUME
The Princess Bride - Movies at the Mural is this Saturday, July 31 at 9 PM. No tickets necessary â get the details here.
ONGOING AND ON THE HORIZON
TUESDAY, AUGUST 3: THE WHOLE BLOCK CELEBRATES MOLLY WIZENBERG READING THE FIXED STARS
Elliott Bay Book Company will close a section of 10th Ave and welcome all ticket-holders to hang out with author, restaurant co-owner (Delancey), and podcast co-hoster, Molly Wizenberg. She'll read a little from her second memoir, The Fixed Stars, now out in paperback from Abrams Press, and chat about it with Matthew Amster-Burton, her co-host on Spilled Milk. (The funny food podcast celebrated its 500th episode today. Congrats!)
The Fixed Stars shows how sexual fluidity and the vicissitudes of romantic relationships put the lie to the idea that our destinies remain fixed according to some pattern drawn up by old Greek dudes. Her lively and engaging prose takes us through the beginnings of her hetero marriage, her many-gendered queer awakenings, her journey through motherhood, and all the while challenges the notion of a static self. Press materials indicate that Oddfellows Cafe, Lost Lake Cafe and Lounge, and Poquitos will offer "special drinks" related to the program. Hard to think of a better way to celebrate slipping your ballot in a dropbox at the last possible second, you lazy-ass!!! (Of course, you could save yourself the anxiety and just vote at lunch today. If you haven't fulfilled your civic duty yet, here's The Stranger's cheat sheet to make your life easier.) RICH SMITH
The outdoor reading and discussion begin at Elliott Bay Book Company on Tuesday, August 3, at 6 PM. Tickets range from $5-20, with proceeds going to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Find tickets here.
UNTIL AUGUST 12: PCNW'S 24TH JURIED PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
I'm still having a hard time processing this past year and a half. Between a historic pandemic, the fall of Trump, the loss of millions across the globe, protests that shook the nation, and a rapidly changing culture, it's hard to have any perspective on how this era will land in the context of history. What I do know is that the work of photographers here and abroad has been key in making sense of it all. My thoughts drift back to watching photojournalists for the Seattle Times, Reuters, and KUOW courageously lean out The Stranger's windows to capture protests from our perch on 11th and Pine last summer. Some of the most stirring and perspective-shifting images from that contentious time would not have existed without them.
For the 24th edition of their Juried Photography Exhibition, Photographic Center Northwest sent out a global call asking for photographers to submit work that reflects this time; they received over 1600 submissions from 251 artists from all over the world. This year's juror Shamim M. Momin, the Henry Art Gallery's director of curatorial affairs and co-founder of the Los Angeles Nomadic Division, culled 59 works from 42 artists to include in the exhibition. The show consists of documentary and creative work alike, all capturing a bit of what it means to exist in the world right now. Viewers have a chance to vote on their top five pieces from now until August 12 at 8 PM. Don't miss out! JASMYNE KEIMIG
PCNW's 24th Juried Photography Exhibition is free and runs until August 12.
