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MONDAY
READINGS & TALKS
Author Talk and Book Signing: The Hebridean Baker At Home by Coinneach MacLeod
Past Event
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Coinneach MacLeod rose to fame as the jolly "Hebridean Baker" on TikTok, bringing the romance of the Scottish islands into the kitchens of his 252k+ followers with his gently lilting voice and cozy "Hebridean Hygge" lifestyle (which includes an enviable collection of knitwear and colorful kilts). He splits his time between the Isle of Lewis and the picturesque town Oban, with his partner Peter MacQueen and his faithful Westland Terrier Seòras (Gaelic for "George"). At this event, he'll discuss his debut cookbook, The Hebridean Baker at Home: Flavors & Folklore from the Scottish Island, which will enable you to bring some of that Hebridean magic to your own home with recipes like double dram cake, marmalade shortbread, and Ecclefechan tarts. Sounds like just the thing for getting through this last stretch of The Big Dark. Unfortunately, the author talk and Q&A portion are already sold out, but you'll still get a chance to meet MacLeod and get your book autographed at the free book signing afterward. JB
(Book Larder, Fremont)
VALENTINE'S DAY
Anti-Valentine's Day Party
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Whether you've recently had your heart stomped on or just despise the ceaseless commercialization of love, Greenwood's moody bar Dark Room is here to provide a safe space for all V-Day haters with their Anti-Valentine's Day Party, an "evening of horror, crime, food, and cocktails." They'll screen the decidedly un-mushy flicks Valentine, Promising Young Woman, and Heathers while serving gussied-up versions of the single person's food of choice—frozen dinners—including kimchi bacon mac and cheese, French bread pizza, chicken pot hand pies, Salisbury steak, and brownie sundaes with miso caramel and cherry coulis. Cheeky cocktails range from the "Saltburn" (La Favorite Rhum, yuzu dry curaçao, sweetheart candy syrup, citrus, and absinthe) to the "Jennifer's Body" (Diega gin, strawberry-infused Suze, Nonino, vermouth, and chocolate bitters). JB
(Dark Room, Greenwood)
TUESDAY
PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
Linda's Tavern 30th Anniversary Party
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Linda Derschang opened Linda’s Tavern in February 1994. It was the same year Kurt Cobain died and Jeff Bezos founded an online bookstore called Amazon.com. Seattle feels like a wholly different city now, but somehow, thankfully and miraculously, Linda’s has gone unchanged in the best way. The TOOLS RADIO TACKLE sign still hangs in the window opposite the HIPPIES USE SIDE DOOR warning, and the punk rock hunting lodge interior remains a cozy combo of wagon wheel chandeliers, strings lights, vintage show posters, and taxidermied animal heads. It’s cool, but not trendy; divey, but not rundown. And, thanks to a 2014 New York Times travel article, Linda's also became widely known as the last place Cobain was seen alive, but the bar managed to avoid turning into a morbid tourist destination for Nirvana fanatics. Goddamn right that’s worth celebrating! Local music scene superstars Lisa Prank, Bree Mckenna of Tacocat, Sub Pop co-founder Bruce Pavitt, and Steve Turner of Mudhoney will DJ Tuesday night's party, and there'll be free T-shirts for the first 100 revelers. Long live Linda's! STRANGER ARTS EDITOR MEGAN SELING
(Linda's Tavern, Capitol Hill)
VALENTINE'S DAY
Valentines Gay hosted by Wrestle Yr Friends
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It's Valentine's Day—be gay and wrestle your friends. You read that correctly: Wrestle Yr Friends, a queer collective of "fighters, artists, activists, entertainers, and generally badass humans," actually want to tussle, and it's for a great cause. The donation-based match will raise money for Gaza Mutual Aid Collective's distribution of food and survival supplies in Palestine. Instead of fighting for your life on the apps, get grappling; there'll be referees, medics, volunteers, and even a conflict resolution facilitator on site, so your bases are covered. Plus, you don't have to challenge anyone to a beat-down, if that's not your thing. Dance battles, thumb wrestling, sock wrestling, and staring contests are all fair game. LC
(Lost Lake Cafe & Lounge, Capitol Hill)
WEDNESDAY
FILM
Eyes Wide Shut: Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick. Karaoke.
Past Event
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If you don't have any Valentine's Day plans, may I recommend a sex cult? Throw on your custom Galliano (and your most unsettling mask), because it's time to get aimlessly horny, people!! Northwest Film Forum will screen Eyes Wide Shut, so prepare to bask in the disaffected entitlement of men and feel glad Nicole got that divorce. Afterward, attendees can "serenade their singleness" with sad-songs-only karaoke. There's just one rule—partners can't make eye contact, touch, or speak to each other. May it be so. LC
(Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill)
LIVE MUSIC
DeVotchKa
Past Event
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The Denver-based orchestral-pop quartet DeVotchKa gets its sound from a unique blend of influences, such as cabaret, spaghetti western soundtracks, norteño, punk, and Eastern European dance music. They will return to Seattle with their cinematic tunes, which have soundtracked films including Crazy Stupid Love, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, and Paddington. While in town, they will also grace KEXP for an in-studio performance and Easy Street Records for a free in-store performance. AV
(The Showbox, Downtown)
PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
Swift Me Away: A Taylor Swift Valentine’s Dance Party
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Is your name Scooter Braun? Because you just stole my (he)art. Enter your Lover era this Valentine's Day by dancing like you’re 22 to a continuous set of T-Swift's wistful love songs, breakup bangers, and revenge anthems. AV
(Nectar, Fremont)
PERFORMANCE
Crystal Methyd Presents Inside The Enchanted Forest
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Checkers, anyone? RuPaul's Drag Race season 12 runner-up and candy-sweet glamour clown Crystal Methyd will venture out of her Missouri home and invite us ordinary folks into her enchanted forest, which appears to pull together her signature blend of psychedelia, whimsy, and mild spookiness. (If you told me she'd drawn inspiration from the weirdness of Oregon's own Enchanted Forest theme park, I wouldn't be surprised.) LC
(The Crocodile, Belltown)
VALENTINE'S DAY
La Saint Valentin Dinner
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Too many Valentine's Day menus are overwrought and fussy, leaning too heavily on cloying clichés. Not so with L'Oursin's three-course prix-fixe meal—the charming French bistro presents bright, refreshing, romantic options like a blush-pink chicory and chèvre salad, dry-aged salmon crudo, seared scallops with tarragon velouté, ravioli featuring the appealingly named "winter luxury squash," passionfruit tarts, and chocolate crèmeux, as well as optional supplements (like foie gras and oysters) and wine pairings. JB
(L'Oursin, Central District)
Valentine's Dessert Night
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Valentine's Day can often be rife with pressure, which is a recipe for inevitable disappointment. If you're looking for a more laidback (but nonetheless enchanting) celebration that doesn't require reservations, Coyle's has you covered: On February 14, they'll reopen in the evening from 5-8 pm for their annual Valentine's Dessert Night, which will include some of their fanciest treats, such as macarons, chocolate eclairs, Paris-Brests, and their coveted coconut caramel chiffon cake, as well as beverages and sparkling wine. Linger in the dining room or take your baked goods home for Netflix and chill. JB
(Coyle's Bakeshop, Greenwood)
THURSDAY
COMEDY
My "Straight" Friends, Ricci Armani
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Are the straights okay? LGBTQ comics will chat gay culture with their hetero comic friends in this show, which spills the proverbial tea on the queer experience and permits the straights to ask their most pressing questions. Local millennial and sweet potato brownie critic Ricci Armani will be on deck with something giggle-worthy, too. LC
(Here-After at the Crocodile, Belltown)
COMMUNITY
Real Change Vendor Week Celebration
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Local celebs like Fantasy A, cartoonist Brett Hamil, drag royalty Aleksa Manila, and South Seattle Emerald's Marcus Harrison Green will pair up with vendors to hawk copies of Real Change, Seattle's street newspaper that fosters progress by spotlighting low-income and homeless people's experiences. Stop by to show the paper some V-Day love, pick up the new issue, and spot a familiar face. LC
(Westlake Park, Downtown)
LIVE MUSIC
Maddie Zahm
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As you may imagine from its title, Now That I've Been Honest, Idaho-born pop sensation Maddie Zahm gets real in her sophomore release. The album documents her grappling with identity through tales of religious trauma and queer relationships. Although Zahm is best known for tearful piano ballads, the new album tackles the other side of the pop coin. "Eightball Girl" is a light, celebratory electro-pop anthem about a queer crush with poignant lyrics like "while the boys at the bar are buying us drinks / I'm undressing you inside my head." She will support the album after an opening set from kindred pop gem Leanna Firestone. AV
(Neptune Theatre, University District)
Priscilla Block
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Priscilla Block is the latest country music-turned-pop girlie to follow in the footsteps of our lord and savior, Taylor Swift. After a chance encounter with Swift, who stopped her on the street to compliment her RED tour shirt, Block took it as a sign to quit her job and pursue music full-time. Her debut album, Welcome to the Block Party, blends country-pop songwriting with Southern rock grit for relatable songs like "Thick Thighs" and "Peaked in High School." Don't miss the rising star at the beginning of her career alongside country singer-songwriter Ryan Larkins. AV
(The Showbox, Downtown)
Silversun Pickups
Past Event
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Former Stranger contributor Joseph Schafer writes: "I first heard Silversun Pickups when their song “Panic Switch” was the only good thing about the trailer to the movie Sucker Punch. (Does anyone remember that movie?) After purchasing that record, Swoon, I discovered that the band had a less-than-stellar reputation in critical circles. Screw the critics, I later thought, watching the band open for Metallica in Detroit. They’re energetic and driving live, even though singer Brian Aubert has a somewhat delicate voice. Every one of their records has at least a handful of excellent chrome-plated-but-plaintive rock songs." The band will return to Seattle to support their sixth album Physical Thrills with NYC alt-rock trio Hello Mary. AV
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)
READINGS & TALKS
Black History Month Keynote with Dr. Doretha Williams
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Every year, the Northwest African American Museum hosts a Smithsonian scholar for Black History Month. Don't miss 2024's keynote from Dr. Doretha Williams and her family history team on Black ancestry and genealogy. NAAM is always worth a visit, as they showcase African American art, history, and culture in the PNW year-round, including with current exhibitions Positive Frequencies and Oregon Black Pioneers. SL
(Northwest African American Museum, Central District)
FRIDAY
COMEDY
Marlon Wayans
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Longstanding actor, producer, comedian, writer, and director Marlon Wayans (and his stretched feet) will head to our neck of the woods for more laughs, hot on the heels of his role as basketball coach George Raveling in Air, Ben Affleck's sporty 2023 dramedy about the rise of Air Jordans. LC
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)
LIVE MUSIC
Feist
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Most of us know Leslie Feist for her 2007 twee hit "1234," which was used to market iPod Nanos to the masses back in the day. But, the Canadian singer-songwriter is so much more than that. In my opinion, her best work came in 2019 with Pleasure. The album showed her range with angsty PJ Harvey-esque wails and delicate harmonies—to this day, it's my favorite album to listen to while taking a bath (if you're a bath person, then you know that this is high praise). Last year, Feist returned with her sixth album, Multitudes, which leans into avant-folk with plucked guitars and ethereal layered vocals. Yet another immaculate bath-time record—props to her! AV
(Showbox SoDo, SoDo)
SATURDAY
COMEDY
Christina P.
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Christina P's razor-sharp comedy focuses on all things mom—her first Netflix special, Christina P: Mother Inferior, zooms in on the realities of life with two barbaric young boys, and she co-hosts the hit podcast Your Mom’s House with her husband, comedian Tom Segura. Hot on the heels of her newest special, Christina P: Mom Genes, she'll bring no-nonsense Gen X jokes to Seattle, with a side of hatred for low-rise jeans and unabashed stanning of Brussels Griffons. "[Christina] has an intense love of National Brussels Griffon Rescue and believes anyone who doesn’t share this love is emotionally deficient," her promo materials state. LC
(Neptune Theatre, University District)
David Spade: Catch Me Inside
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Seasoned jokester and SNL vet David Spade, who now co-hosts the podcast Fly on the Wall alongside fellow SNL alumnus Dana Carvey, will bring his snide, self-deprecating style to Seattle. LC
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)
FOOD & DRINK
Seventh Annual Winter Beer Festival
Past Event
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The days are getting longer—can you feel it? For now, McMenamins is here to help tide you over until spring with over 32 beers and ciders, plus merch, food specials, and live music from Forest Ray, Morgan Paris Lanza, and Drea & the Marilyns. Choose from brews like McMenamins' Boysenberries Are My Superpower Sour, Tieton Cider Works' Bourbon Barrel Cherry Hard Cider, and Garden Path Fermentation's Skagitonian Lager Ale. JB
(McMenamins Anderson School, Bothell)
Winterhop Brewfest
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At this annual festival, join hordes of other beer lovers to try Pacific Northwest brews from over 30 breweries and take in local music in various downtown Ellensburg businesses and venues. JB
(Various locations, Ellensburg)
LIVE MUSIC
Jon Batiste
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In 2022, Jon Batiste won the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out pop radio heavies like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and Doja Cat—and for good reason! On his award-winning album WE ARE, Batiste is credited for playing over two dozen instruments along with self-producing, writing, arranging, and composing. He will support his newest output, World Music Radio, which is more radio-ready than ever with pop hooks, hip-hop beats, and A-list features like Lana Del Rey, Lil Wayne, and Seattle's own Kenny G. AV
(Paramount Theatre, Downtown)
SUNDAY
FILM
Dietrich & Von Sternberg: Dress for The Image
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I'm taking notes from Marlene Dietrich, who once said, "I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men." As Hollywood director Josef von Sternberg sought out the next screen siren, his working relationship with Dietrich became the stuff of legend: The pair made bliss, beauty, and opulence come to life on screen in six Paramount-produced films throughout the '30s. Dietrich did it all—she was a "sultry chanteuse, a cunning spy, and the hedonistic Catherine the Great," for starters—and von Sternberg's chiaroscuro lighting captured it all. Dress for the image and head to the Beacon for screenings of all six of the films, continuing with The Devil is a Woman this weekend. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City)
READINGS & TALKS
Dr. Joy Buolamwini with Charles Mudede: Decoding the Future
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Deemed “the conscience of the AI revolution” by Fortune, Dr. Joy Buolamwini dug into the racial and gender biases encoded in artificial intelligence while a graduate student at MIT. (And you thought you were smart.) In Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines,Dr. Buolamwini unpacks the challenges that the new technology creates and how the "coded gaze" may expose these vulnerabilities in the future. She'll be joined for this wide-reaching conversation by Charles Mudede, senior staff writer at The Stranger. LC
(Town Hall Seattle, First Hill)
MULTI-DAY
EXHIBIT
New Year’s All Year Round: Theater, Dance & Sound
Remind
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Wing Luke's New Year's All Year Round exhibit is back in the Uwajimaya Kidplace Gallery, celebrating the Year of the Dragon with displays on lion dances, New Year's demonstrations, and food traditions. LC
(Wing Luke Museum, Chinatown-International District, Monday/Wednesday-Sunday)
Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign
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An often-overlooked 1968 social justice movement confronted poverty head-on and reimagined American activism, but you've probably never heard of it. The Smithsonian's traveling exhibition Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign looks closely at the nearly six-week-long protest, which took place in a constructed "Resurrection City" in DC and drew attention to the impact of poverty on Americans. Everyone from rural Appalachians to residents of Puerto Rico and Native communities showed up for demonstrations and demands for jobs, living wages, access to health care, and more. Organized by Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, the Poor People's Campaign was the "first large-scale, nationally organized demonstration to take place after King’s death." Head to this exhibition to learn more about it through photographs, oral histories, and political ephemera. LC
(Washington State History Museum, Tacoma, Tuesday–Sunday)
FESTIVALS
Northwest Flower & Garden Festival
Past Event
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Love is in the air—or is that plant fragrance? If topiaries tickle your fancy and flowers float your boat (so to speak), head on over to a weekend full of blooming displays at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival. You can check out over 20 display gardens built around the theme "I Heart Spring," and browse the marketplace for a new plant baby (or a dozen) to take home. With over 90 seminars and talks from gardening specialists, I'm hoping to finally learn how not to kill every living thing I bring into my place. SL
(Seattle Convention Center, Downtown, Wednesday-Sunday)
FILM
American Fiction
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If the words "incisive literary satire" perk up your ears, then boy, does director Cord Jefferson have the film for you!! In his new dramedy (an adaptation of Percival Everett’s Erasure), Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a novelist who's understandably aggravated by the establishment that profits from "Black" entertainment and its exhausting tropes. When Monk writes a book under a pen name, he finds himself paddling in the same phony waters he admonished in the first place. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)
Ganja and Hess
Past Event
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This experimental horror from visionary director Bill Gunn, which will be screened in the Museum of Modern Art's fresh restoration, reconstructs the vampire mythos in '70s Hudson Valley and flirts with Blaxploitation elements. When Dr. Hess Jones, a wealthy anthropologist, is stabbed with an ancient ceremonial dagger by his crazed assistant, he acquires a piggish lust for blood. (Note to self: Avoid ancient ceremonial daggers.) Variety described the landmark indie film as "an ingenious metaphor for Black assimilation, white cultural imperialism, and the hypocrisies of organized religion." LC
(Central Cinema, Central District, Friday-Sunday)
Happiness in 35mm
Past Event
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Your internet besties (former Stranger staff writer Jas Keimig and former editor Chase Burns) will introduce the February 9 screening of Happiness, which has no recent home video or streaming release, as part of their ongoing project Unstreamable. Burns and Keimig have written "more than 350 (!) blurbs and reviews about offbeat, forgotten, and otherwise unobtainable pieces of cinematic history" (Matt Baume), and the project has since blossomed from the Scarecrow Video blog column into a live screening series. Dark comic misery master Todd Solondz's Happiness, screening here in 35mm, is a testament to his ability to entangle the darkly disturbing with the somehow hilarious. Plus, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in it (RIP), which is my favorite reason to watch anything. LC
(Grand Illusion, University District, Tuesday-Wednesday)
2024 HUMP! Film Festival
Past Event
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Dan Savage's pioneering erotic film fest will premiere an all-new lineup of sexy films featuring all genders and orientations at On the Boards this year. Since 2005, HUMP! has brought inclusive, creative, and kinky films to the big screen—scope out the sex-positive fest in person for a tantalizing treat. This year's fest features not one but two feature-length lineups—part one includes a feast of "24 brand-spanking-new films" for your eyeballs. It's worth a venture outside of your sex dungeon, but you can still wear the latex catsuit. LC
(On the Boards, Uptown, Thursday–Saturday)
Noir City
Past Event
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Sultry dames and secondhand smoke make me nervous in real life, but they're a recipe for great cinema. Just ask Film Noir Foundation founder, Turner Classic Movies host, and "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller, who produced this year's Noir City festival. The fest will return for its 16th year with the best film noir offerings that the shadowy back alleys of Hollywood have to offer, including "thematically linked" pairings of international and English-language flicks and a recent restoration of Argentinian thriller Never Open That Door. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, Friday-Sunday)
Poor Things
Past Event
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Real Lanthimos heads know that he doesn't direct anything without dystopic, black comedy underpinnings and plotlines that make audiences ponder why they're on the planet at all. He is weird, as directors should be, and you're either in or you're out. This time around, he's adapted a '92 Scottish novel for the screen, painting the picture of a young woman (played by Emma Stone, who is raven-haired and looks charmingly bananas) brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist (played by my famous dad, Willem Dafoe). Best part? Poor Things "saved" my other dad, Mark Ruffalo, from "depressed dad typecasting." Praise be. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)
She Is Conann
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There have been plenty of cinematic incarnations of the Conan mythos, but never has there been one quite like French filmmaker Bertrand Mandico’s She Is Conann. Telling the story of Conann through six different incarnations across time, it is a visually gorgeous journey worth taking in on the big screen. Dancing with death at every turn before launching into each new rebirth with plenty of flair, it is all guided by a Cerberus of sorts bearing a camera with almost magical properties. With each demise, a new world is discovered with plenty of pleasures and perils to be uncovered. It’s a scrappy fantasy vision inflected with sci-fi elements that, while not for everyone, may also get your head spinning. Put simply, this isn't your grandfather's Conan. Like peering into an increasingly hellish world that, much like its titular character, is constantly shifting before you, it is a bold film best experienced by letting its visceral visions wash over you. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR CHASE HUTCHINSON
(Grand Illusion, University District, Monday/Thursday-Sunday)
The Sweet East
Past Event
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The Sweet East is the directorial debut of an artist, Sean Price Williams, who has made his mark as a cinematographer. Williams has worked closely with the Safdie brothers (watch Good Time), Alex Ross Perry (watch Listen Up Philip), and Abel Ferrara (watch Zeros and Ones). He also lensed Nathan Silver's Between the Temples. The Sweet East, which he shot and directed (no small feat), is a road movie that travels across post-pandemic and post-BLM America. It stars Talia Ryder and Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms). Its world premiere occurred at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. It should not be missed. See you at Columbia City's the Beacon. (And, yes, I recently enjoyed drinking with Williams at one of my favorite Manhattan bars, The Library.) STRANGER SENIOR WRITER CHARLES MUDEDE
(The Beacon, Columbia City, Monday-Sunday)
The Zone of Interest
Past Event
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If you've been keeping up with A24's films by international directors lately, including solid entries like After Yang and Dream Scenario, you're probably already jazzed for The Zone of Interest, which is a co-production between the US, the UK, and Poland. Filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (who directed the Scarlett Johansson-as-an-extraterrestrial flick Under the Skin) tells the story of a Nazi commandant and his family, who attempt to build a happy life near the Auschwitz concentration camp. Call me presumptuous, but uh, I'm not rooting for them. The film has been shortlisted for Best International Feature at this year's Oscars. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)
FOOD & DRINK
10th Annual Black & Brew Imperial Stout Festival
Past Event
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Dark, wintry days call for dark beers. In honor of Stout Month, Watershed has hoarded a wealth of "the most indulgent, tantalizing and eclectic" imperial stouts they could find and is ready to unleash 15 of them at this event to propel you into dark beer nirvana. A takeout sampler with exclusive custom glassware is also available. JB
(Watershed Pub & Kitchen, Northgate, Wednesday-Sunday)
Li'l Woody's Burger Month
Past Event
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The popular local burger joint chain Li'l Woody's has revealed the lineup for its 10th annual Burger Month series, which features four weeks of special burger collaborations dreamed up by some of the city's brightest culinary luminaries. This year's specials include the Pyanggang Fried Chicken Sandwich (a fried chicken thigh, burnt coconut aioli, sawsawan pickled cucumbers, and scallions on a bun) from Canlis chef Aisha Ibrahim (February 6-12); the Bremerton Burger (a Royal Ranch beef patty, crispy coppa, roasted shimeji mushrooms, gruyere cheese, XO sauce, garlic aioli, pickled red onions, and cilantro on a bun) from Darkalino's chef Conner Cronin (February 13-19); the Pancita Tostada Crunch (a Royal Ranch beef and pork Patty, American cheese, jalapeños, tomatoes, onions, slaw, aioli, and a crunchy tostada on a bun) from Pancita chef Janet Becerra (February 20-26); and The Nadia (a grilled halal beef kefta patty, tahini and lemon garlic aioli, pickled cucumbers, cabbage salad, and Yalla’s fermented hot sauce on a Ben’s Bread brioche bun) from Yalla chef Taylor Cheney (February 27-March 4). Burger enthusiasts who purchase all four specials will receive a limited edition Li'l Woody's water bottle. JB
(Li'l Woody's, Monday-Sunday)
A Lunar New Year Passport Program
Past Event
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The winter doldrums can be a challenging time of the year for small businesses. Help give them a boost—and celebrate Lunar New Year in the process—by participating in this passport program, which lets you earn stamps by making purchases at the following AAPI-owned businesses: the Korean deli and cafe Ohsun Banchan, the Asian market Anyoung Super (located inside Ohsun), the Ballard brewery Lucky Envelope, the independent Asian American bookstore Mam's Books, and the boutique Sairen. Each business has a unique stamp created by artist and printmaker Lauren Nishizaki, and if you collect all five, you'll earn 20% off the purchase of your choice at any of the participating venues. JB
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)
LIVE MUSIC
Madonna: The Celebration Tour
Past Event
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With Ticketmaster charging exorbitant prices for big-name concerts, I prayed to the pop gods not to announce any tours that would entice me. So of course, the Queen of Pop herself had to go and announce her Celebration tour. Described in the press release as a career-spanning "one-of-a-kind experience" that pays respects to her career's birthplace of New York City, Madonna has vowed to give fans "the show they have been waiting for." Plus, RuPaul's Drag Race royalty Bob the Drag Queen is opening the show. Goddamnit, I guess I have no choice but to go. I mean what more is there to say? Bitch, it's Madonna! AV
(Climate Pledge Arena, Uptown, Saturday-Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
年轻人社死档案室 (Young People Social Death Archive)
Past Event
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Up-and-coming bicultural and experimental theater company Yun Theatre, whose works "challenge traditional norms and confront social and political issues affecting marginalized communities," will premiere their latest production, 年轻人社死档案室 (Young People Social Death Archive). Penned by playwright and "social awkwardness sufferer" Siming Lu, the production explores loneliness, identity, and the harshness of new adulthood with a dose of irony and humor. Best part? Each performance includes pre-show gatherings and post-show live tunes and dance parties. LC
(Theatre Off Jackson, Chinatown-International District, Friday-Sunday)
VISUAL ART
Annual Gallery Artist Group Exhibition
Past Event
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Contemporary mainstay Traver Gallery's first exhibition of 2024 kicks off the new year with its annual multimedia selection of works from its material-focused roster of artists, including heavy hitters like Granite Calimpong, Andrea Dezso, Naoko Morisawa, Bronson Shonk, Preston Singletary, Curtis Steiner, April Surgent, Dick Weiss, and more. Expect to feast your eyes on works from the realms of blown glass, watercolor, ceramics, and engraving. LC
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, Tuesday-Saturday)
Black & Boujee
Past Event
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Aiming to redefine stereotypes and notions of luxury in Black culture, the group exhibition Black & Boujee challenges the Eurocentric conception of opulence, centers Afrocentric aesthetics, and will likely expand your perceptions on all things expensive. The show is a great reason to visit Bainbridge Island—it'll showcase works by Black artists and designers working in painting, sculpture, and other mediums to investigate the "complexity of navigating luxury in a society shaped by racial inequalities." LC
(Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Winslow, Monday-Sunday)
Colleen RJC Bratton: Edgeless Burial
Past Event
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The brilliant, genre-transcending Cuban American artist Ana Mendieta died on September 8, 1985 after somehow "falling" from a window amid an argument with her husband, the minimalist artist Carl Andre, who passed away on January 24. Let's pay Andre homage the right way: By focusing solely on Mendieta and her "earth-body" works, which stand the test of time and are infinitely stronger than anything he ever created. That's what Colleen RJC Bratton does in Edgeless Burial, which directly references Mendieta's Siluetas series of ephemeral body tracings created in varying landscapes. Bratton's drawings "find their roots in the landscapes that birthed them," including the Puget Sound, the Cascades, and a small farmstead, among other places. Bratton reckons with impermanence, transformation, and the climate crisis in her multimedia time-lapses and "biomorphic" installation, which also reference Washington's landmark decision to legalize human composting. LC
(Gallery 4Culture, Pioneer Square, Monday-Sunday)
Merry Go Round of Pleasure and Understanding: Melissa Messer and Ian Kurtis Crist
Past Event
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In this joint show Merry Go Round of Pleasure & Understanding, two artists, Melissa Messer and Ian Kurtis Crist, share vastly different approaches to capturing the human form. Messer's paintings of people—some solo, some warmly wrapped up in one another—will invite your eye to linger on the long brush strokes and lulling colors that shape their bodies. Crist's work, however, is initially unsettling—stark scenes of sex, violence, and questionable characters will leave you wondering if I should be looking at all. Along with the show, which hangs at Koplin Del Rio through March 2, Messer and Crist are hosting a variety of complementary events including a free, bring-your-own-art-supplies figure drawing night (February 17), an artists' salon (February 24), and a film night at the Beacon where the theater's own Tommy Swenson will screen a secret movie inspired by the artwork (February 21). STRANGER ARTS EDITOR MEGAN SELING
(Koplin Del Rio Gallery, Georgetown, Monday-Sunday)
Sky Hopinka: Subterranean Ceremonies
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Sky Hopinka, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, descendant of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño people, and 2022 MacArthur Foundation grant awardee, blends English and "Indigenous dialects such as Chinuk Wawa, a revived Chinookan creole of the Pacific Northwest" in his ground-quaking works, which often layer elements of poetry, prose, and image to think carefully about language as a strong cultural force. I was honored to write about Hopinka's work back in 2019, so this solo exhibition—the artist's first in the Pacific Northwest—feels especially exciting. Subterranean Ceremonies includes four recent films and new photographs that "focus on personal and political notions of Indigenous homeland," inspired by transitory landscapes and Hopinka's own wanderings. LC
(Frye Art Museum, First Hill, Saturday-Sunday; opening)