WEDNESDAY 12/4
(FILM) Nothing in Johan Grimonprez's superb Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat should surprise us. This is the old and very cold heart of the United States of America. This is how it has maintained power and made its super-rich needlessly richer and richer. It wasn't soft power but brute force. The documentary examines the months in 1960 that led to the assassination of Congo's first democratically elected and pro-Black unity leader, Patrice Lumumba. The CIA and President Dwight D. Eisenhower didn't even try to hide the fact that they wanted Lumumba dead and to replace him with a man who would become one of the top villains of the 20th century, Mobutu Sese Seko. The CIA used jazz, guns, money, and espionage to maintain its grip on the resource-rich African country. The doc's ending will break your heart. The great jazz singer and political activist Abbey Lincoln wails for the fallen. When will the suffering end? When will Black people finally be free? We need to see films like this to be reminded of the fact that Donald Trump did not emerge from a vacuum. America First has always and only meant American Money First. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 7 pm, $14) CHARLES MUDEDE
THURSDAY 12/5
Generifus, Crushing, and Lilly Miller
(MUSIC) On his 2023 album Rearrangel, Olympia-based artist Generifus (aka Spencer Sult) croons about spiritual visions, road trips, and bumper sticker slogans. The result is country-tinged rock that’s equal parts whimsical and grounded. Despite living in Olympia for the majority of my adulthood, I have never seen Generifus live. However, I did see Sult front a Tom Petty cover band at a house party one Halloween—the connection with Petty felt natural, given the sincerity and sweetness of Generifus' lyrics. Don't miss opening sets from kindred PNW artists Crushing and Lilly Miller. (Conor Byrne Pub, 5140 Ballard Ave NE, 7 pm, $10–$12, 21+) AUDREY VANN
FRIDAY 12/6
Shop Local, Ya Filthy Animal
(SHOPPING) Technically, Small Business Saturday was last week. But shopping local and spending money with independent retailers doesn't have to be practiced just one day a year. If you're on a gift-gathering mission this holiday season, you have two great options this weekend with the Urban Craft Uprising Winter Show at the Seattle Center's Exhibition Hall and the Punk Rock Flea Market in old QFC space on 15th Avenue East (they're calling it the Quality Flea Center—cute). Both markets are packed with more than 100 vendors, with no mass-produced bullshit as far as the eye can see. UCU leans more towards the cute and colorful side of the spectrum while the Punk Rock Flea Market has a more, well, punk rock flea market vibe with all kinds of vintage clothes, toys, and home goods as well as wares from local artists. (I've got my eye on Erika Rier's five-eyed cat dishes, personally.) For more fantastic, not-so-ordinary gift suggestions, be sure to check out the gift guide in our winter issue. (Find so many more holiday market options in our EverOut calendar) MEGAN SELING
SATURDAY 12/7
Medieval Women's Choir: Tenebris ad Lucem
(MUSIC) Two winters ago, my best friend and I decided to brave the icy roads and trek to the scenic St. James Cathedral to witness the Seattle Medieval Women's Choir's annual winter concert. The entire experience was magical and, dare I say, divine. We cozied up on church pews in our winter coats, surrounded by tapered candles and religious art, and soaked up medieval chants that simultaneously warmed souls and chilled spines. Now, I tell everyone to attend this annual winter concert. Regardless of personal religion or your knowledge of medieval choral music, the MWC hosts concerts that are welcoming to all, supplying lyric books with translated lyrics for you to follow along. (St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave, 8 pm, $30, all ages) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 12/8
The Muppet Christmas Carol
(FILM) Die Hard. Scrooged. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The Gingerdead Man starring Gary Busey. They're all very good Christmas movies! But my all-time favorite, the one holiday film that wins out year after year, is The Muppet Christmas Carol. The classic tale is narrated by Gonzo and (the wildly underappreciated) Rizzo the Rat, with Kermit as the earnest Bob Cratchit and Michael Caine as the grumpy Ebenezer Scrooge. But to really appreciate the magic of the movie, first read this fascinating Vulture interview with songwriter Paul Williams. The Muppet Christmas Carol was the first Muppet movie made after Jim Henson died in 1990, and it's alsothe first movie Williams scored after getting sober, so all the heartfelt moments about appreciating life and the people you love in songs like "It Feels Like Christmas" and "Thankful Heart" vibrate with genuine love, grief, and gratitude. Good luck not sobbing your eyeballs out now that you know that, sorry! It plays tonight at SIFF Cinema Uptown and Central Cinema. SIFF has a Muppet pre-show special, while the dinner-serving Central Cinema has the option to eat a whole-ass meal while you watch. Choose your fighter! Or, if you're looking for an entirely different holiday movie vibe, take Lindsay Costello's recommendation and see Black Christmas at Grand Illusion. MEGAN SELING
MONDAY 12/9
(BOOKS) Potawatomi botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer's brilliant nonfiction bestseller Braiding Sweetgrass, which won the 2014 Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Award, twines deep Indigenous environmental wisdom with Western science to demonstrate how interconnected we are with nature. I'm excited for her newest release, The Serviceberry, described as "a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world" and a reminder that "hoarding won’t save us; all flourishing is mutual"—can you imagine a more vital message for our current fractured hellscape? (Town Hall Seattle, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $7-$139, all ages)
TUESDAY 12/10
(PARTY) Everyone's favorite holiday light show is back! Check them out while celebrating Bait Shop's 12th year on the hill with drink specials and dancing to the live tunes of local Christmas surf band Dancer and Prancer. This beloved dive bar always goes whole hog with holiday decorations, and their epic musical light show kicks off every hour on the hour(ish). Enjoy one of their blended cocktails or a seasonal sipper (last year we tried “It’s Giving Thanks” and “Dancing Queen,” which used Swedish fish-infused vodka), and feel yourself get swept up in the holiday spirit. (Bait Shop, 606 Broadway E, 9 pm, free, 21+) SHANNON LUBETICH
Prizefight!
Win tickets to rad upcoming events!*
A John Legend Christmas
Climate Pledge Arena, December 8
Contest ends December 6 at 10 am
Wooli
WAMU Theater, December 13
Contest ends December 11 at 10 am
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