It’s almost the weekend—do you have plans yet? If not, you still have lots of great options that won’t cost you more than $10, including the APRIL Festival Book Expo, an Ivan & Alyosha concert, a ’90s dance party, and the U-Link launch day parties. See all of your options below, or check out our complete Things To Do calendar for even more events.
FRIDAY
Barry Lieberman and Friends: American String Project Chamber Players
UW double bass faculty member and seasoned touring musician Barry Lieberman and the American String Project Chamber Players, the world’s first conductorless orchestra featuring 15 of the world’s greatest string players, will perform Ligeti’s first string quartet and Beethoven’s 127th opus. (University District, free)
Interactive Multimedia Performance
Haruko Crow Nishimura, Steve Peters, and Stan Shikuma present performances across genres (using dance and sound) that interpret Alan Lau’s gallery show Beauty in the Decay. (Pioneer Square, free)
Build a Bluebird Beer Float
Build your own beer float with Two Beers’ Jive Espresso Stout and a complimentary scoop of the Bluebird Ice Cream flavor that uses the same beer. (Georgetown)
APRIL Festival 5th Anniversary Party
Five great readers from APRIL (Authors, Publishers, and Readers of Independent Literature) Festivals of yore read with five new bloods. Ten readers sounds like a lot, but they’re all headliners and everybody will read a piece that’s only 500 words or less. RICH SMITH (Capitol Hill, $5)
Eulogy
This comedy performance by Kevin Kent, directed by Jennifer Jasper, tells the story of Eleanor, “a professional mourner in a one-stop-shop suburban funeral parlor.” That’s pretty much all you have to know before you rush over there. Kent is a treasure. Any time he’s on stage, it’s worth your attention. (Fremont, $5, through Sat)
Mini Blinds, Pleather, and Figures
Portland’s Mini Blinds will bring some “poppy goodness” to Cairo, along with Figures, who are playing their first show tonight, and Pleather. (Capitol Hill, $7)
BAD DAD Fest
The BAD DAD Collective presents this first annual event dedicated to up and coming Seattle artists and musicians. Before the main show at 8, you’ll be able to check out art, participate in creating art, and listen to music from Diogenes, Kyo Ken, and Sendai Mike. The main show will feature NU ERA Music, DoNormaal, Sleep Steady, Jamil Suleman, Raven Matthews, Wolftone and Brakebill. (Seattle Center, $10)
Icon Fridays: CHVSM, Envymatic, Henski, KIDONE, and PK
Q Nightclub presents this evening of DJ, trap, and house music that “embodies the celebration every Seattle party goer is looking for to bring in the weekend’s insanity!” (Capitol Hill, $10)
Juicy: ’90s & 2000s Old School Throwbacks
Old-school rap and R&B from the bronze age of rap: Ashanti, Usher, Nelly, TLC, and so on. RSVP on Facebook and get in free before 11 pm. (Capitol Hill, $10)
Shrinky Dink Making
Revert to childhood as you experience the magic of Shrinky Dinks. Entry cost covers a full sheet of Shrink Film, coloring supplies, and snack/refreshments (but BYOB). Buy more sheets for $5 and go crazy. They’ll have a toaster oven handy, so you can walk out with some artistic masterpieces or a brand new box of very classy jewelry. (Ballard, $10)
SATURDAY
Cris Bruch Gallery Talk
In conjunction with Cris Bruch’s Others Who Were Here exhibition, scholar Robert Mittenthal will give a free talk in the Frye galleries. (First Hill, free)
Juan Thompson
Juan Thompson (son of the late, great Hunter Thompson, an American author and the founder of gonzo journalism) will read from his memoir Stories I Tell Myself. (Capitol Hill, free)
Minh Nguyen: A City’s Disposition
Exhibition developer and community organizer Minh Nguyen will speak about Seattle’s urban space in the context of its changes, both recent and long settled, and ask: What would it take to change the behavioral trajectory of a city? (University District, free)
Natalie Riha
SAM’s Art Encounters in the Park are designed to give the public an opportunity to participate in art and performance in the Olympic Sculpture Park. Interdisciplinary artist Natalie Riha will guide you through tonight’s “participatory public experiment in reconsidering and re-designing our collective relationship to our built systems,” which somehow translates to creating clay cups and using them for drinking cocktails that are infused with native Seattle plants that Riha herself foraged. Although abstract, this sounds intriguing—and it’s free. (Belltown, free)
Populuxe Brewing Third Anniversary
Populuxe Brewing celebrates their third anniversary with live music from Sundae & Mr. Goessl and Honey Mustard Seattle, as well as food from Peasant Food Manifesto and Balleywood Creamery, and a special release of their Anniversary IPA and an assortment of other specialty casks and barrel-aged craft beers. (Ballard, free)
Smash: Hard Disco Underwear Party
DJs Tane and Pavone will provide the music for this underwear party, where there will be a “clothes check,” gogo dancers, and Jello shots. (Capitol Hill, free)
U Link Launch Day
There’s an all-day party at the new Capitol Hill and University of Washington light-rail stations. From 9 am to 5 pm, there will be DJs, live bands and performances in various parts of each station, giant Jenga, giant Connect Four, face-painting, food trucks, free bike tune-ups, and so much more than can be explained in this limited space. Plus, of course, the chance to check out these two new stations, which are going to change our city forever. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE (Capitol Hill & University District, free)
Wheel of Misfortune: A Late St. Patrick’s Day Comedy Show
In this St. Patrick’s Day-themed standup show, eight comics will have to first spin the “Wheel of Misfortune,” then drink whatever drink the wheel lands on, and then tell jokes. (Capitol Hill, free)
Island_time Artist Talk with Roldy Ablao, Sia Figiel, and Mario Lemafa
In conjunction with Interstitial’s last_resort exhibition, artist Mario Lemafa will engage in “critical talk-story with fellow indigenous creatives,” including native Guam artist Roldy Aguero Ablao and native Samoan writer and poet Sia Figiel. Topics for discussion include digital interaction, indigenous art practices, and queerness, and Girl Scout Samoas and other “island-oriented consumables” will be served. (Georgetown)
Kled, Best Band From Earth, Fluffer, and Pete Tomshany
Dave Segal wrote the following review about headliner Kled in 2011, but it still constitutes the description section of their Bandcamp page: “Ordinarily, this sort of heavy-handed goonery ain’t my bag, but there’s something about Kled guitarist Pat Phlymm’s propensity for fucked-up clangor and strafing riffs that lifts the band out of the typical punk-metal-hard-rock morass … they’re accomplished players with a fondness for wacky subject matter, dubious stage attire, and kee-razily frantic dynamics.'” (Eastlake, $5)
Re-Ignition
Seattle band Re-Ignition was created as a tribute to Bad Brains, a black punk band that started in Washington, DC, in the 1980s. They’ll perform tonight with Crawler, who are releasing an album, and Jugs of Blood. (Eastlake, $6)
Magma Fest: Portable Morla, Charlatan, Mini Blinds, and Natasha El-Sergany
Magma Fest rolls on with another strong bill of locals. Charlatan creates turbocharged rock that recalls the noise-melody collisions of early-’90s the Jesus and Mary Chain. Natasha El-Sergany, the creative force behind somesurprises, channels mellow, honey-glazed psychedelicists Mazzy Star at their most blissed and eeriest. Portable Morla returned after a five-year hiatus to release 2015’s Confront the World, which refines her lo-fi and intimate sound, as she sings with touching tenderness over exquisitely crafted, synth-heavy torch songs, some of which shimmy into danceability. There’s something kind of Space Lady-esque and homespun about Portable Morla’s music, and that makes her an ideal fit for Magma Fest’s DIY spirit. DAVE SEGAL (Central District, $7-$10 suggested)
Ivan & Alyosha
Originally from Seattle, folk-pop band Ivan & Alyosha have achieved national acclaim. NPR says they “possess cool charisma and an infectious sound that won over listeners at 2013’s South by Southwest music festival.” They’ll play an all ages show tonight as part of their two-night residency at the Tractor. (Ballard, $10)
Questionable Content: Home Again, Home Again
Watch two teams go head to head in this game show-style comedy show. Expect “wit, banter, and minimal current affair knowledge.” (Belltown, $10, through Sun)
Snap! ’90s Dance Party
Every third Saturday, this dance party aims to “offer a slice of nostalgia that will bring booty-shaking, head-nodding and memories… of all those awesome middle school dances.” (Eastlake, $10)
SUNDAY
APRIL Festival Book Expo
There’s going to be more than 50 independent presses from around the country tabling at this thing. Check out these local faves: Wave Books, ZAPP, Spartan, and newcomer Cold Cube Press. These Portland faves: Future Tense Books and Tavern Books. And these farther-flung faves: Melville House, Hobart, and Poetry magazine. Plan to bring/spend $50 cash. First 20 entrants get a free piece of APRIL swag. Can’t recommend the totes highly enough. Get there early before all the goodies are gone. RICH SMITH (Capitol Hill, free)
Bernie Sanders Rally
Bernie Sanders will be at KeyArena for a free, public rally, titled “A Future to Believe In.” Admission is first come, first served, and you’re advised to RSVP in advance.
Collaborative Novels 101
Learn about the tricky process of collaborating on a single fictional work from people who have actually done it. Abby Frucht and Laurie Alberts (A Well-Made Bed) and Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovite (War of the Encyclopaedists) will read from and discuss their collaborative novels. Presented by Hugo House. (University District, free)
Levi Parham
The Americana singer/songwriter from Oklahoma plays a free set in the Bourbon Bar. (Columbia City, free)
Psychedelic Equinox Party
Celebrate the equinox at Blue Moon Tavern with a cover-free show featuring One Step From Everywhere & Redwing Blackbirds. (University District, free)
Seattle Gaels Open Field Day
Learn to play the sports of camogie, hurling, and Gaelif football. No experience necessary—but bring water, cleats, and shin guards if you have them. Afterwards, you’ll get to celebrate with the team at a local pub. (North Seattle, free)
Gotta Have Soul! Sundays
Old school funk, R&B, and hiphop with DJs: Base Tan (Wiscon, Night Train), 3J Million (Marmalade, Re-Ignition, Dub Champs), plus “vocal and poetry” by JusMoni, DoNormal, Om Jahari (Re-Ignition), and Be aka Bemoor3. (Capitol Hill, $3)
Fiddler at 50: A Musical Tradition
Journalist, scholar, and author Alisa Solomon disccuses the making of Fiddler on the Roof. (Eastside, $5-$10)
Scott Yoder, Tomten, Rabia Shaheen Qazi, and Tan Sedan
Former lead singer and guitarist from Seattle band The Pharmacy plays a show in advance of his new album, Looking Back in Blue, to be released March 25. (Capitol Hill, $8)
Danny Newcomb & the Sugarmakers, Carrie Akre, and Guests
This fundraiser for Mary’s Place features guitarist Danny Newcomb, a veteran of bands including Goodness, The Rockfords, and Shadow. (Downtown, $10)
The Konzelman Brothers, Dillingham, and Sarah Emerson
Indie folk fivesome the Konzelman Brothers celebrate the release of their new EP, Always, with similar-minded acts Dillingham and Sarah Emerson. (Columbia City, $10)
