This week, our arts critics have recommended the best events in every genre—from the Irish Wake for Lost Seattle Places to a KEXP New Home benefit featuring The Dandy Warhols and Young Fathers to the APRIL festival. See them all below, and find even more events on our complete Things To Do calendar.
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MONDAY
FOOD & DRINK
Dine Around Seattle
During Dine Around Seattle (not to be confused with Seattle Restaurant Week), which runs until March 31, more than 50 restaurants throughout the area are serving three-course dinner menus for just $33, with many restaurants also offering a three-course lunch for $18. Even better: When you make reservations online through dinaroundseattle.org, a donation is made to the Rainier Valley Food Bank, which serves roughly 12,000 people every month from its tiny 1,200-square-foot facility on Rainier Avenue. ANGELA GARBES (Sun-Thurs)
MUSIC
Gogol Bordello
Few bands double down on jubilant spectacle as hard as Gogol Bordello. The so-called “gypsy punk” outfit, consisting of charismatic singer Eugene Hutz and a revolving door of multi-ethnic and international musicians, blends big, simple rock hooks with accordion, violin, and a quirky sense of humor that is equal parts snarky and literary. At first brush it’s the Clash for NPR listeners, but deeper listens reveal a strong dedication to George Clinton’s funk sound, as well as big Def Leppard-ish hooks. JOSEPH SCHAFER
Violent J
FACT: Violent J, king of all the world’s “wicked clowns” and one half of the Detroit “horrorcore” band Insane Clown Posse, is doing a solo tour. FACT: As much as regular people want to clown on Violent J, aka Joseph Bruce—mostly for that one song about not knowing how magnets work—the dude seems like a pretty decent guy and this solo tour is for charity, raising money for St. John’s Children’s Hospital. FACT: THERE WILL BE JUGGALOS. Oh, lawdy—there’ll be more juggalos than you could ever shake a stick at, in and around El Corazon on the day of this show. To this I say, fuck the haters, my juggalos and juggalettes. Never ever stop woop-wooping. KELLY O
FILM
Nosferatu with Live Soundtrack
The Invincible Czars, a Texas-based quintet who are known for creating soundtracks to silent films, will provide a rock/orchestral live soundtrack to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 vampire film Nosferatu.
COMEDY
Collide-O-Scope
Created and hosted by Michael Anderson and Shane Wahlund, Collide-O-Scope is the cavalcade of curated video delights that takes over Re-bar twice a month. The show keeps getting better, with thematic suites, hallucinatory repetition, and inspired guests. Tonight, it’s the “Canned Film Festival,” so expect shortened versions of movies “that sensible people may not want to spend a full two hours watching.”
ART
Real Change Portrait Project
Just as Kehinde Wiley, whose work is now showing at Seattle Art Museum, replaces the kings and gentry of European portraiture with young black men, so these various artists have created portraits of the people who sell Real Change newspapers on Seattle streets every day. How much do you know about your vendor? Mine has a dog and loves my son and sometimes gets angry and yells, but never at me. Real Change newspaper art director Jon Williams organized this portraiture project, and each portrait comes with a bio. JEN GRAVES (Through Fri)
TUESDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Design In Depth: The New Regionalism
How will Seattle’s growth affect the architecture and design of the city? What will the new norms become? Hear some educated guesses at the Center for Architecture & Design.
MUSIC
Cruel Hand
Cruel Hand are very, very good. Their furious sound married the tough strut of early Cro Mags with the hot “Shark Attack” guitar tone that Metallica and every other thrash band used in 1983. Cruel Hand followed it up in 2014 with The Negatives, a much more mature slice of… pop punk? A one-trick pony this band is not. JOSEPH SCHAFER
Spring in the Garden of Aranjuez
It’s a baroque tribute to “love gone wild, love gone wrong, love gone mad, and love just plain gone,” with selections of 18th-century Spanish, Mexican, Argentinian, and Bolivian music, including José Herrando’s “Spring in the Garden of Aranjuez.” Admission includes a complimentary house beer or glass of wine.
An Evening with David Crosby
“An Evening with David Crosby”? Sure hope he plays some music. In fact, I’d be okay if Croz just busted out the golden troubadour psychedelia of If I Could Only Remember My Name in its entirety, and then encored with some Byrds songs he wrote or cowrote (e.g., “Eight Miles High,” “Everybody’s Been Burned,” “I See You,” “Draft Morning,” “Why?”). But of course he’ll dip into the hit-heavy catalog of Crosby, Stills & Nash, because enough sweet, mellow jams reside there to keep a theater full of Boomers and their offspring content for hours. DAVE SEGAL
COMEDY
Comedy Nest Open Mic
Comedy Womb has become Comedy Nest in the name of inclusivity, and unsurprisingly, they write that “although the name has changed the mission is still the same.” The rules of this pro-lady stand-up night are refreshing in their simplicity: no misogyny, racism, homophobia, hatred, or heckling. Tonight’s show features Seattle comedian Elliott Rose.
WEDNESDAY
READINGS & TALKS
A. Igoni Barrett
A. Igoni Barrett (author of Love Is Power, or Something Like That) will read from his newest book, Blackass.
PERFORMANCE
Assassins
This Sondheim musical, co-produced by the 5th Avenue Theatre, tells the story of American history’s most famous presidential assassins including John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, and John Hinckley. Stephen Sondheim delivers his usual quick pace and complicated melodies, and the plot will make you feel an unexpected sympathy with the murderous stars. It’s worth seeing in person, especially because there aren’t any easily accessible videos of the production.
MUSIC
Radiation City and Deep Sea Diver
The seeming effortlessness with which Seattle quartet Deep Sea Diver execute their February full-length, Secrets, belies its intricacy. The record’s considerable complexities only start to reveal themselves on repeated listens, and the discoveries are pure delight. Fronted by singer and multi-instrumentalist Jessica Dobson, who captivates both onstage and on record, the band delivers a subtly anxious—both sonically and lyrically—mode of crystalline, propulsive guitar rock. Deep Sea Diver’s music feels at once sophisticated and emotionally raw—equally suitable for bouts of international travel and long existential walks in the winter. GRANT BRISSEY
THURSDAY
ST. PATRICK’S DAY
Irish Wake for Lost Seattle Places
Jaimee Garbacik is in the process of editing The Ghosts of Seattle Past, a big ol’ gorgeous book of “collective nostalgia” featuring tons of local writers who are documenting the spaces that Seattle has lost to development. This event is the book come alive. Like any Irish wake, the idea here is to celebrate the life and art of the many Seattles that have come before by getting blitzed on booze at a giant six-hour-long party. The evening will be full of performances, readings, short films, and art. RICH SMITH
The Feast of St. Patrick
The Feast of St. Patrick at the BottleNeck Lounge & Two Doors Down promises corned beef simmered in Guinness and regional Irish Style beers.
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Kate’s Pub
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Guinness beef stew, corned beef and cabbage, live music by Dysfunction Junction and the Dread Pirates, and of course, plenty of beer and whiskey and whatever alcohol you please. Get in for free before 5 pm!
Seattle’s Best Damn Happy Hour
On the third Thursday of the month, “Seattle’s Best Damn Happy Hour” (their title) has live DJs, mini golf, board games, giant Jenga (TIMBERRRRR!), and deals on cocktails and food at the many places inside the Armory. March’s edition is timed perfectly for St. Patrick’s Day, and will feature themed cocktails.
READINGS & TALKS
Lauren Weedman: Fresh Perspectives on Having It All
Alumna of the Seattle theater scene and former Daily Show correspondent Lauren Weedman (A Woman Trapped in a Woman’s Body) will talk intimately about her life, including her husband’s affair and the birth of her child, in a candid conversation with Dan Savage.
PERFORMANCE
A Poet, a Playwright, a Novelist, and a Drag Queen: APRIL Festival Annual Competitive Storytelling Event
This year’s quadripartite face-off features the poet EJ Koh, the playwright Sara Porkalob, the novelist Brian McGuigan, and the drag queen Mal DeFleur. Stiff competition, but my money’s on Porkalob. If you saw her hilarious and surprising show Dragon Lady: I’m Going to Kill You at Seattle Fringe Festival, then you’ll know why. She’s funny, dynamic, and can convincingly play 15 characters from several generations within a short period. RICH SMITH
Marching in Gucci: Memoirs of a Well-Dressed Activist
Steel yourself for an evening of feelings: Chad Goller-Sojourner’s one-man show is all about moving to New York City in 1992 and becoming an HIV/AIDS activist while struggling with his own inner issues, from bulimia to drug abuse. If Chad’s previous two autobiographical shows are any indication (Riding in Cars with Black People and Sitting in Circles with Rich White Girls), it’ll be a soul-bearing trip through traumatic history that will stay with you long after the show ends. Sometimes it’s the caretakers among us who are most in need of a little care. MATT BAUME
Mariela in the Desert
Latino Theatre Projects presents Karen Zacarias’ Mariela in the Desert, a family play about creativity, loss, and secrets, set in Northern Mexico. (Through Sat)
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. (Through Sat)
Proof
Catch this weekend at the Pocket Theater, featuring performances of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Proof, about genius, family, and in/sanity. (Through Sat)
MUSIC
Hoop, Pets, and Slashed Tires
Rather than hiding from drunk four-leaf-clover-wearing bar monsters under blankets and sheets, I’m thankful this gem of a show exists as a beautiful all-ages safe haven of sound where green beer is prohibited. When I first saw Hoop, all that kept running through my head was a constant stream of “Wow, I love this band.” Caitlin Roberts, Leena Joshi, and Pamela Santiago trade off singing on the dreamiest friendship-bracelet pop songs, full of tender harmonies and magical guitar lines and introspective lyrics that tug gently on my most sensitive heart strings. They’ll be joined by Slashed Tires, the wonderfully weird and experimental pop project of Seattle superstar Kenneth Piekarski, and the lovely needlepoint indie dreampop of Richland’s P.E.T.S. ROBIN EDWARDS
Sad Lovers and Giants
If Pink Floyd were filtered through Joy Division and infused with more disorienting passion (complete with agonized saxophone), this might come close to the gorgeousness of Sad Lovers & Giants’ songs. SL&G never made it across the Atlantic, and this West Coast tour will be their first in the United States. Get your post-punk sax-a-delia on tonight with this rare chance at experiencing their legendary shimmering #sighpunk live. BRITTNIE FULLER
The Golden Road Night
Has any American rock group spawned more acolytes than the Grateful Dead? It’s safe to say that long after all of their members have passed, their music will continue to be performed and recorded by their legions of superfans who happen to be talented musicians in their own right. Which brings us to this Golden Road twofer, in which Wayne Horvitz, Andy Coe, and five others cover the 1970 LPs Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty in their entirety. DAVE SEGAL
Wounded Giant
There’s one five-letter word that describes this show perfectly—heavy. From local doom wizards Wounded Giant’s road-perfected, crushing, anthem-like grooves to the stripped-down Sabbath worship of two-piece drum and bass duo Year of the Cobra and the driving, raw stoner rock of Georgia heavyweights Black Tusk, this lineup demands your immediate attention. There’s really nothing quite like starting your weekend with a few cheap beers and some loud amps to the face. Let the power of the riff guide the way and don’t look back. You’ll thank me later. KEVIN DIERS
FRIDAY
PERFORMANCE
PNB: Director’s Choice
Pacific Northwest Ballet presents three contemporary ballet works: Paul Gibson’s Rush, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Little mortal jump, and Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit.
Tits and Sass with Lauren Weedman
In addition to her Town Hall appearance, Lauren Weedman (alumna of the Seattle theater scene and former Daily Show correspondent) will perform this “high octane stream of consciousness Gay Cabaret done by a straight woman (wink wink).”
Kidd Pivot/Electric Company Theatre: Betroffenheit
Canada sends down some of its weirdest and most intriguing performance art—a theatre/dance hybrid—for a two-night engagement at The Moore, presented by STG & On the Boards. This collaboration between two companies from up north (and presented by two other organizations from Seattle) promises elaborate sets and costumes paired with dramatic, unsettling, and visceral performance. (Through Sat)
MUSIC
John in the Morning at Night: The Dandy Warhols, Young Fathers, and Battleme
After 14 years in uncomfortably close quarters at Dexter and Denny, KEXP moved to the Seattle Center last December, but the radio station still has bills to pay, and net proceeds from this concert will go toward completion of the new space. The pairing of genre-jumbling Portland hedonists the Dandy Warhols with African-Scottish trio Young Fathers exemplifies the breadth of their variety-mix programming (especially when taking into the account the Dandies’ collaborations with everyone from Niles Rodgers to Nick Rhodes). KATHY FENNESSY
Thunderpussy, Pale Noise, and Maszer
At their root, Thunderpussy are a driving rock and roll group whose jams land smartly this side of “bar band.” Rockin’ like they do alone would fantastic, but they bring a dash of cheeky theater their shows that makes for hella fun. Pale Noise kinda surprised me. They’re a sweet group from Tacoma, Warshington, who play all over the rock spectrum, but really come across with some slyness in their songwriting in the vein of the better early-’70s power-pop bands. Tonight also happens to be Maszer’s new EP release show; their music recalls the better bits of proper ’90 indie rock, with good, surging tempos and plenty of melody, in addition to some of shoegaze’s noisier tendencies. Not a bad mix, y’all. MIKE NIPPER
READINGS & TALKS
Seattle StorySLAM
A live amateur storytelling competition much like The Moth, hosted by Lindy West, in which audience members who put their names in a hat are randomly chosen to tell stories on a theme. Tonight, expect stories on “The Dark Side.”
SATURDAY
COMEDY
The Comedy Get Down
Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, George Lopez, Eddie Griffin, and Charlie Murphy headline an all-star evening of comedy.
COMMUNITY
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
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?
READINGS & TALKS
Dear Jenny, We Are All Find: APRIL Festival + Vignettes
For this event, Vignettes picks a handful of local artists to transform Jenny Zhang’s book of poems into a room full of art. Warning: This is going to be VERY HIP. Maybe even TRAGICALLY so. But it’s often my favorite event of the festival. Seeing a poem interpreted through the lens of another artist enriches both the object and the poem. It’s sort of like when you read a book and then see the movie and spend hours thinking about why you feel one way or another about the fact that the characters do or don’t look the way you’d imagined them. If you’re weird like that, then you’ll like this. RICH SMITH
The Filmy Quill: Writers and Writing on Celluloid
David Schmader draws a belly laugh out of me every single time I read him or see him perform. I have no doubt this live video essay about the way films portray writers will satisfy. Fingers crossed for a supercut of writers furiously writing with a quill pen. RICH SMITH
First Folio! The Book That Gave Us Shakespeare
The Central Library presents First Folio! The Book that Gave Us Shakespeare, on tour from the Folger Shakespeare Library, an exhibit containing the first collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays, published seven years after his death. It features 36 classic plays, many of which would have been lost without this text.
FOOD & DRINK
St. Patrick’s Lunch
They advise guests to “wear your green and bring the kids” to this St. Patrick’s Day event featuring face painting, plus treats for both kids and adults (green rice krispy treats and Double Mountain Irish Stout floats, respectively).
WEED
Cannabis Grand Cru
This event, contrary to what its name would have you believe, is not a pot tasting. As cool as it would be to offer a guided cannabis tasting, it’s still mega-illegal. So if it ain’t a tasting, what is it? It’s a convention. There will be booths and business cards. But unlike CannaCon, that orgiastic celebration of cannabis capitalism, this is a boutique convention. The number of attendees is kept purposely small, to ensure a high ratio of attendees-to-speakers. Speaking of speakers, there will be a veritable cornucopia of fascinating panel discussions. TOBIAS COUGHLIN-BOGUE
MUSIC
Magma Fest: Portable Morla, Charlatan, Mini Blinds, and Natasha El-Sergany
Magma Fest rolls on with another strong bill of locals. … 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
Slayer
Thirty years ago, Slayer were one of the most important heavy-metal bands in America. Now they’re a money-making institution, sponsored by Jägermeister and thrashing through later middle age without founding drummer Dave Lombardo—whom they fired—and guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away. Capitalism shows no mercy. Their new album, Repentless, is lame, but if you want to hear them play “Raining Blood” and watch a whole audience turn into bloodthirsty Neanderthals, Slayer will still deliver. JOSEPH SCHAFER
This Will Destroy You
Do you ever have those dreams where your legs stop working? You’re taking a stroll past your childhood home or you’re walking a strangely unfamiliar route through your once-familiar neighborhood and suddenly each step seems insurmountable. Have you ever suffered from sleep apnea? Have you ever slipped so far into a dream that you wake up in an out-of-breath panic? These are probably the closest approximations to This Will Destroy You’s nitrous-headed instrumentals. Auras of nostalgic melancholia, encroaching doom, bittersweet triumph, and repressed pain are interwoven throughout the Texas quartet’s airy and nebulous arrangements. BRIAN COOK
Puget Soundtrack: Ecstatic Cosmic Union Score The Dark Crystal
This looks promising: a screening of Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s 1982 fantasy-adventure animated film The Dark Crystal with a new soundtrack created by Seattle wife/husband duo Ecstatic Cosmic Union (Rena Luelle and Aubrey Nehring). Even if fantasy-adventure cartoons don’t appeal to you (I’m a non-fan of the genre), it’s worth the trip to Northwest Film Forum to hear what XCU do with this phantasmagorical material. DAVE SEGAL
QUEER
Belltown Burlesque Revue
Purple Devil Productions presents this evening of “a little shimmy and some shake with a whole lot of tease,” featuring Lilith von Fraumench as Mistress of Ceremonies.
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.
SUNDAY
FILM
Pioneers of African-American Cinema
This afternoon, the Grand Illusion is presenting a masterpiece by Oscar Micheaux, the father and founder of black American cinema. The film, Within Our Gates, was made in 1919 and stands as the black response to D.W. Griffith’s hyper-racist The Birth of a Nation. In that film, a black man rapes a white woman. In Within Our Gates, a white man rapes a black woman. Considering the power that white men had over their black slaves, we can be sure that the latter happened far more frequently than the former. DJ Spooky, the NYC-based artist and hiphop experimenter, scored this silent film for the 21st century. CHARLES MUDEDE
READINGS & TALKS
National Geographic Live: Rhinos, Rickshaws and Revolutions
Award-winning photographer Ami Vitale will speak about her travels, personal journeys, and artwork that connects nature to human interest stories.
MUSIC
Con-Cert: A Tribute to Conrad Schnitzler
Seattle may have many flaws, but any city that hosts a tribute to the late German electronic-music pioneer Conrad Schnitzler is all right with me. Schnitzler figured prominently in the early versions of Tangerine Dream and Cluster (aka Kluster), therefore playing a role in shaping the kosmische aesthetic that fueled so much of the best German musik of the ’70s. … Yes, Magma are playing in town tonight, too, but attending a Schnitzler homage might be the more progressive—and cheaper—move. DAVE SEGAL
Magma
Long-running French jazz-rock outfit Magma put on the best concert that I saw in 2015. Apparently they liked it too—they’re playing the same venue on almost the same date. Led by drummer-singer Christian Vander, the group records through-composed concept albums about a dystopian science-fictional future sung in their own made-up language. According to Vander, it’s all one career-length tribute to John Coltrane, as well. Beneath the nerdy hood ornaments hums an engine of flattening instrumental ferocity. You don’t need a degree in jazz theory to hear that Magma are some of the most adept musicians on the planet. They just cook as hot as their namesake. JOSEPH SCHAFER
