Wednesday 4/26

Ruth Conniff with Megan Ybarra: How an American Crisis Brought Midwestern Dairy Farmers and Mexican Workers Together

(TALKS) My big question is: When will the rural revert to red? And I mean the old school rural red, the red of the 1930s and described in Northern Lights, a movie "about how farmers in North Dakota were radicalized by socialist activists." The rural areas were not always about MAGA and all of that self-defeating crap. Can the real rural world be recovered? Ruth Conniff, the present editor-in-chief of the Wisconsin Examiner and former editor-in-chief of The Progressive magazine, sees some hope in this direction. Her book Milked investigates its source, which is the increasingly social and experiential alliance between Mexican workers and their white employers, who are frequently fucked to nothingness by the banks. If the farmers and their laborers form a political union of feeling, they have a chance. If they don't, the Mexicans will still have low-paying jobs, and the white farmers will have nothing but a Fox News that doesn't even have Tucker Carlson. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $5, all ages) CHARLES MUDEDE


Thursday 4/27

Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

A portion of "Number 215B" by Leonardo Drew on display as part of Strange Weather at the Bellevue Art Museum. MEGAN SELING

(VISUAL ART) You're going to want to allow yourself plenty of time to explore Strange Weather at the Bellevue Art Museum. It's filled with treasures, but also lies, little misdirections that can only be discovered if you make the time to take a second look. The largest piece is Leonardo Drew's massive and messy "Number 215B," a mural-sized explosion of splintered wood that looks like the mud-soaked aftermath of a tornado or hurricane. A lie! The materials are new. Drew aged the wood himself by burning, painting, and oxidizing. Across from that are pieces by James Lavadour, images that appear to be detailed landscape photographs. But get a little closer and you'll see it was a mirage. They're all paintings, and not even detailed paintings! The brushstrokes are so broad and obvious, you'll feel almost foolish for not seeing them before. So take your time; there are several more secrets to uncover. (Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, Wed-Sun 11 am-5 pm, through Aug 20, free-$35) MEGAN SELING


Friday 4/28

Megan Stalter, Patti Harrison, and Sarah Sherman: The Live Nude Girls Tour

 
 
 
 
 
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(COMEDY) I first fell in love with Megan Stalter when I saw her in HBO's Hacks. The show is stacked with hilarious people—Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Luenell, Poppy Liu, and Joe Mande—but Stalter, as the clueless nepo baby office assistant Kayla, stole every scene she was in. I was late to the party, turns out—by then Stalter had already been making hundreds of thousands of people laugh with her unhinged, unpredictable character skits on social media. So what can we expect when Stalter comes to town as part of the Live! Nude! Girls! comedy tour with the also hilarious Patti Harrison (Ruthie in Shrill) and Sarah Sherman (Saturday Night Live)? Judging by clips they've posted on Instagram, there appears to be some dancing, a clown suit, crowd interaction, a lot of laughing, and what appears to be Human Centipede-inspired ass-eating. Gonna have to go to know for sure. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, 7 and 9:45 pm, $45-$65, 16+) MEGAN SELING


Saturday 4/29

Seattle Independent Bookstore Day 2023

 
 
 
 
 
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(BOOKS) Don't let the name fool you, Seattle Independent Bookstore Day is actually 10 days of book-loving madness. It works like this: On Saturday, visit any participating bookshop to get a passport. Then you have until May 8 to go to all the other participating shops—there are 27 total—to fill your passport with stamps. Everyone who collects every stamp gets 25% off at each participating shop through April of NEXT YEAR! If you visit five shops, you get one 25% coupon for the bookstore of your choice. Just want to celebrate for a day? That's okay, too! Paper Boat Booksellers will have Dough Joy doughnut holes, raffles, and a scavenger hunt, Nook & Cranny Books is giving away a year of free audiobooks, all locations of Third Place Books will have a prize wheel and free baked goods, and Book Larder in Fremont is hosting cookbook signings with Aran Goyoaga, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, and Frankie Gaw. See even more specials and events at seattlebookstoreday.com. (Various locations, find more details on our calendar EverOut) MEGAN SELING


Sunday 4/30

Cambodian Barbecue Block Party Fundraiser

Oliver's Twist chef and owner Karuna Long hosts another Cambodian barbecue April 30. MEG VAN HUYGEN

(FOOD) In Phinney Ridge, Oliver's Twist chef and owner Karuna Long has at last found a home for his innovative new Cambodian restaurant, Sophon—but he needs your help! On Sunday, stop by the driveway just south of the restaurant and help Karuna and his crew raise $$$ to fund the move via a Cambodian-style barbecue. They'll be cranking out kroeung curry smashburgers, grilled lemongrass-parmesan noodles, barbecued wings, tofu-mushroom skewers, and lots of other marvelous Khmer and Khmer-inspired snacks. This event was originally slated for April 2 and postponed due to thunderstorms, but it's gonna be sunny all weekend, so game on. Payment will be running entirely on donations, vegetarian food will be available, and kids and well-behaved dogs are welcome! The cocktail bar inside Oliver's Twist will also be open for walk-up service with normal menu prices; I can't get enough of their Dark & Stormy made with molasses-y blackstrap rum. So get that. (Oliver's Twist, 6822 Greenwood Ave N, 1-6 pm, by donation, all ages) MEG VAN HUYGEN


Monday 5/1

Sunking, Jared Price, and Wet Peynt

(MUSIC) Signed to the respected ANTI- label like their mothership band, High Pulp, sunking conjure a similar strain of melodious, jazz-funk magic, as drummer Bobby Granfelt and keyboardist/guitarist Antoine Martel work overtime to bring you sonic joy. Though they're highly skilled instrumentalists, sunking never flaunt virtuosity for its own sake. They're more interested in creating lubricious grooves and seductive moods to get you flexing your most romantic moves. These young cats are reviving the head-nodding beatitudes of top-tier trip-hop from the Mo Wax and Ninja Tune labels and the suavest veins of '70s fusion, while sprinkling some shoegaze-rock fairy dust over everything, resulting in songs that invite obsessive replays. Most sunking tracks clock in at under two minutes, optimizing their sly impact and leaving you gasping for more. Their latest LP, 2022's Smug, is their prettiest and punchiest yet. Jared Price and Wet Peynt open. (Clock-Out Lounge, 4864 Beacon Ave S, 8:30 pm, $18, 21+) DAVE SEGAL


Tuesday 5/2

Secret Sandwich Counter at Off Alley

Where the secret sandwich magic happens. JORDAN MICHELMAN

(FOOD) Something new is happening at Off Alley, a Columbia City restaurant that Stranger contributor Jordan Michelman once claimed is so good "you'll find yourself saying 'HOLY SHIT' to no one in particular." This new thing happens only on Tuesdays and after 8 pm. The main and famously micro-slim restaurant is closed, and what is sold are carefully wrapped and excellent sane-sized sandwiches—not big; not small. (I honestly dislike huge sandwiches.) They are prepared by Ryan McLaughlin. And continually remixing the sandwich is his mode. The one I had on April 18 had tempura fried fish (petrale sole OR sea bream) between brioche buns. It also included a variety of striking sauces. The one I had on the day the great Harry Belafonte met his end had a grilled chicken thigh and chicken liver ptĂ©. Many of the people buying these sandwiches had, like I, just sung a tune or two at Lotties, a bar across the street. My tune was "Cherish the Day." (Off Alley, 4903 1/2 Rainier Ave S, 8 pm every Tuesday) CHARLES MUDEDE