WEDNESDAY 9/13Â Â
(COMMUNITY) Now that we have to accept that anything approximating a meaningful dilution of car-centricity in Seattle is nothing more than a pipe dream (the Waterfront project, Pike Place Market, the Ave, and so on), why not support anti-car proposals that are merely cosmetic? One such proposal is to basically continue what Freeway Park started in 1970s, which is to place a park over the noisy and ugly highway that splits Capitol Hill/First Hill from downtown. True, the Lid I-5 campaign, which has the support of Council Member Andrew Lewis, will only bury a problem that should be butchered. But because our city loves cars so much, the best we can hope for is to hide rather than excise the most embarrassingly bad form of transportation ever imagined. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 5:30 pm, free) CHARLES MUDEDE
THURSDAY 9/14Â Â
(MUSIC) Chicago has stood as one of the world's most fecund musical hotbeds for decades, and it's currently enjoying an exceptionally robust phase in jazz/improv realms. One of this scene's key figures is Natural Information Society composer Joshua Abrams, who plays bass and guimbri, a three-stringed lute commonly heard in Moroccan Gnawa music. You can get a sense of Natural Information Society's range and depth through their collaborations with legendary British improv saxophonist Evan Parker and godlike drone-centric minimalists Bitchin Bajas. On their own, NIS have released a few epic LPs that generate some of the purest organic highs in modern music. Live and in the studio, their music builds to Kilimanjaro heights through repetition of melodies and rhythms that hit like mini-revelations. NIS's latest album, Since Time Is Gravity, translates the transcendental impulses of Don Cherry and Terry Riley into uplifting, undulating jams that sway you into believing world peace isn't a naĂŻve hope. Abrams will be joined on this tour by harmonium player/visual artist Lisa Alvarado, drummer Mikel Avery, and bass clarinetist Jason Stein. (Neptune Theatre, 1303 NE 45th St, 8 pm, $30, all ages) DAVE SEGAL
FRIDAY 9/15Â Â
(VISUAL ART) If you're still feeling bitter that you didn't receive a Furby for Christmas in '98, I recommend Cathy McClure's exhibition Unearth for some strange catharsis. Using discarded battery-operated stuffed toys, the artist contemplates consumption, nostalgia, and instant gratification by creating freakish, Frankensteinian "bots." The figures are recast and reassembled with precious metal armatures that reportedly exude "wisdom and contemplation." I guess you'll have to decide for yourself what they exude, but any way you look at 'em, they are awesome. Unearth is perfectly paired with John Kiley's Studio Sessions, which is comprised of sculptural glass works with "contrasting colors [and] intricate carved optic passageways." (Traver Gallery, 110 Union St #200, Tues-Fri 10 am-6 pm and Sat 10 -5 pm, free) LINDSAY COSTELLO
SATURDAY 9/16Â Â
R-Day 2023 with Helms Alee and Cherry Glazerr
(MUSIC) Remember in 2000 when Tully's leased the old Rainier Brewery complex and installed a giant, glowing green T on the building? It was their cheeky way of replacing Rainier's iconic red R, which had stood as a landmark in that same spot for decades. The T was ugly and insulting and I am still mad about it. But 10 years ago, the red R returned to its rightful place and R-Day was born! And because Seattle loves an excuse to throw a weird party, the celebration has continued for a decade. This year's R-Day is especially killer, with music from Seattle's own heavy hitters Helms Alee and LA's angsty rock band Cherry Glazerr. The dancing Rainier bottles will be there too, of course, because like I said, Seattle loves a weird party. (Georgetown, 5813 Airport Way S, 4 pm, free, 21+)Â MEGAN SELING
SUNDAY 9/17Â Â
Casablanca Express' Gyros
(FOOD) It really happened. A few weeks ago. I found the best gyro on Capitol Hill. It's in Casablanca Express next to the Comet, which is owned by the same person who runs the Hawk Dogs stand next to a gas station on Broadway and Pike, Abdel-haq âHawkâ Asfour. Here's what separates Casablanca's gyros from the rest: The vegetables are always (and I've eaten there three times) crisp and abundant; the pita bread, which is slightly toasted, is not thick and chewy (a gyro joint in the University District is famous for this flaw); the meat slices are also not thick but do all that meat should ever do and no more, communicate the taste of meat-ness. Finally, and maybe most important of all, the gyro's veggies and meat are not buried in creamy sauce (a near-universal practice in Capitol Hill joints). (Casablanca Express, 918 E Pike, open daily) CHARLES MUDEDEÂ
MONDAY 9/18Â Â
Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King
(VISUAL ART) Gigantic, hand-built, recycled troll alert!! On September 18, Danish artist and environmentalist Thomas Dambo will unveil the final troll sculpture of his Pacific Northwest-based project, Northwest Troll: Way of the Bird King, which has seen six massive Nordic trolls land in scenic spots across the region, including Bainbridge Island, Issaquah, Vashon Island, West Seattle, and Portland. The trolls, which are "characters in an environmental story penned by the artist," serve to illustrate critical lessons of environmental stewardship. The trolls will be installed for at least three years, but you can be among the first to see one in person by heading to the National Nordic Museum. Spy the other troll spots on Dambo's online map, too. (National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market St) LINDSAY COSTELLO
TUESDAY 9/19Â Â
(FILM) A film in which the most "exciting" thing to happen is that someone goes for a drive, Fremont is a gem of small storytelling that becomes deceptively vast the longer you sit with it. It is as patient as it is playfully poetic. Showcasing a delightfully deadpan debut performance from Anaita Wali Zada as the young Donya, a worker for a fortune cookie factory trying to find happiness in the loneliness of San Francisco, it previously showed at this yearâs Seattle International Film Festival though is now getting a wide release. The film is all about the beautiful simplicity of a life being rebuilt where humor and heartbreak are woven into the fabric of every frame that gently builds to something more quietly revelatory yet still no less profound. Oh, and for those of you fellow On Cinema heads out there, it also sees the magnificent Gregg Turkington sharing some of the most wonderful scenes with Zada that youâll see all year. (SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave N, 7 pm, $14) CHASE HUTCHINSON
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