Jump to: Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Multi-Day
FILM
Remind
Like
List
“I am not a whore…that’s just an expression. I’m an artist who paints with blood,” Patricia Highsmith once said. You might be tempted to be like, “Well, okay then,” and move on with your life, but here’s another idea: You should sink into the essence of Highsmith’s bloodiness with this round-up of some of the best cinematic interpretations of her work. Lesbian romance Carol is curiously not on the docket, but never fear: Sociopathic romp The Talented Mr. Ripley should more than make up for it. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City)
LIVE MUSIC
Remind
Like
List
Between Las Vegas’ Lovers & Friends and California’s Just Like Heaven, Cruel World, and No Value, nostalgia-fueled music festivals seem to be all the rage right now—I’m here for it! STG’s Totally Tubular Festival is riding a radical wave of memories to Remlinger Farms this week for an evening of ’80s pop hits. Whether you want to relive the “good ‘ol days” or travel to a time before you were born, moonwalk your way around the pastoral landscape as radio regulars Thomas Dolby, Tom Bailey (Thompson Twins), Modern English, Men Without Hats, the Tubes, Bow Wow Wow, Tommy Tutone, and the Plimsouls rock the house. AV
(Remlinger Farms, Carnation)
LIVE MUSIC
Remind
Like
List
Jessica Pratt is known for her otherworldly, stripped-down acoustic folk songs which sound simultaneously of the past and the future. Her 2012 self-titled debut has a magical quality that’s hard to name—her voice echoes like a mermaid humming in a damp alcove or a fairy singing her friends a lullaby. Pratt’s new album Here in the Pitch enters the world of the 1960s with orchestral pop songs reminiscent of Marianne Faithfull, the Walker Brothers, and Dusty Springfield. Don’t miss an opening set from San Francisco-based indie rock artist Tony Molina. AV
(Neumos, Capitol Hill)
COMEDY
Remind
Like
List
Dating is downright spooky business, so any opportunity to laugh at the whole process of “finding the one” is more than welcome. Enter Fun & Flirty Productions, which blends comedy and “interactive dating experiences” to make the whole shebang a little more survivable (and also very funny). PowerPoint master and professional singles consultant Zahnae Aquino will be joined by local humorists on stage. Hey, there are weirder ways to meet your soulmate. LC
(Comedy/Bar, Capitol Hill)
FILM
Remind
Like
List
Northwest Film Forum will end Pride Month on a high note with a free screening of a top-secret flick. I trust that NWFF’s programmers always know what’s good for me, but their choice for this screening is classified info—you’ll have to show up to find out what it is. (Want a hint? Expect a film that’s “electrifyingly queer.” Prepare to be a little shocked, I guess!) Gather up your theys and gays to celebrate the deep cut before it disappears from cinemas. LC
(Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill)
LIVE MUSIC
Remind
Like
List
Atlanta-born rapper Bktherula recorded her first song at the age of 9, and by 13, she’d begun uploading original songs onto her SoundCloud account. Now 21, she’s earned a devoted fanbase and a major label record deal and has worked with hip-hop heavy hitters like Rico Nasty and Matt Ox. Catch her just after the release of her fifth mixtape, LVL5 P2, alongside fellow rising rapper Skaiwater. AV
(Neumos, Capitol Hill)
PERFORMANCE
Remind
Like
List
Pattie Gonia isn’t your average queen—she’s TIME Magazine’s Next Gen Leader 2023 and an environmentalist who has helped fundraise $1.5 million for LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and environmental nonprofits. If there’s anything we love more than a drag queen, it’s an eco-conscious drag queen who wears leather harnesses and rides a majestic horse. Show up to this show to be gooped, gagged, and learn more about nature’s inherent queerness. LC
(The Showbox, Downtown)
Remind
Like
List
I know what I like, and what I like is drag glamazons reading me for filth as they channel literary themes. Candied princess Issa Man and Seattle-by-way-of-Minnesota queen Miss Texas 1988 seem to understand this, so they’re heading to Charlie’s Queer Books to remind us why reading is fundamental. The all-ages event is a great time to check out the bookstore, which freelance writer Lindsey Anderson described as a “welcoming space for Seattle’s LGBTQ+ lit nerds” in The Stranger’s recent queer issue. LC
(Charlie’s Queer Books, Fremont)
Remind
Like
List
A five-hour dance performance isn’t the easiest sell, but if ever there were a five-hour dance performance you should consider attending, make it this world premiere. The sky is the same color everywhere or on the rapture of being alive blends “art, history, architecture, and community engagement” to think carefully about community engagement and how the city’s complex history of colonization might serve as source material. The free performance is a collaboration between local dance and durational performance company MALACARNE and Path With Art, a nonprofit offering “free art classes to people recovering from houselessness and addiction.” LC
(2+U Tower Courtyard, Downtown)
FILM
Remind
Like
List
Secret Cinema is exactly what it sounds like—just show up and prepare to be seduced by whatever pops up on screen. Opportunities to be entirely surprised by a film don’t come along very often, so try it out as a reminder that there are still mysteries to uncover in the world. Or maybe you’ll hate it. Who knows! That’s the fun of the whole shebang. Go forth, switch off your brain, and let the enigma reveal itself. LC
(The Beacon, Columbia City)
FOOD & DRINK
Remind
Like
List
Happy ice cream season to all who celebrate! The nonprofit Pastry Project, which was founded by two Molly Moon’s alums and provides pastry and bakery job training to individuals with a barrier to entry, will open its walk-up window in Pioneer Square for summer, swirling up soft serve in two flavors: chocolate milk and “purple vanilla” (think Grimace milkshake). The first 100 people in line will receive a free mini ice cream sandwich while they wait. Optional toppings include rainbow peanut crunch, coconut cake crumbs, Newman-O’s, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry passionfruit hard shell dip, butterscotch hard shell dip, dark chocolate hard shell dip, malty hot fudge, and sticky toffee sauce. You can also opt to get your ice cream in the form of a “sandcastle” ice cream sandwich (which features cookies with toppings baked into them), a “quake” (a thick treat with toppings akin to a Dairy Queen Blizzard), or an ice cream cake slice. Tip: Bring your bounty over to the Waterfall Garden Park across the street. JB
(The Pastry Project, Pioneer Square)
LIVE MUSIC
Remind
Like
List
If you worship at the altar of Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore, then I want you to queue up Marissa Nadler right now. The Massachusetts-raised singer-songwriter has been creating ethereal country-tinged folk songs for over two decades, which in my opinion, paved the way for Swift and Lana Del Rey’s breathy piano ballads. Don’t miss Nadler’s performance of new songs, deep cuts, and archival favorites at the picturesque house-turned-performance space the Ballard Homestead. Fellow goth-country gem Jesse Sykes will open. AV
(Ballard Homestead, Ballard)
PRIDE
Remind
Like
List
Celebrate trans joy with an evening of performances, community speakers, a resource fair, and “chill vibes.” The Gender Justice League works to strengthen and connect the two-spirit, trans, and gender diverse (2STGD) community and its allies, a goal highlighted by this all-ages, free, and accessible event (masks are required in an effort to make it safe for immunocompromised community members). In a country that’s increasingly passing laws restricting the rights of trans folx, it’s more important than ever to be visible as we come together and celebrate trans lives. SL
(Volunteer Park Amphitheater, Capitol Hill)
FOOD & DRINK
Remind
Like
List
Get ready to crack into copious crustaceans at this annual seafood festival celebrating the mighty Dungeness crab. Fremont neighborhood favorites Revel, Local Tide and Aslan Brewing will offer food and drink specials all day long, while Cole Schuster Trio and DJ Bobby Ghanoush (whose smooth funky city pop vinyl studio session I coincidentally caught on YouTube recently—I recommend listening!) will provide the vibes. Revel will host a four-course Dungeness crab boil feast with Aslan beer pairings on their patio, and food vendors Paper Cake Shop and Juiced by Rojo will offer non-crab refreshments. JB
(Various locations, Fremont)
Remind
Like
List
The indie craft show Urban Craft Rising typically hosts their annual specialty food show Gobble Up during the winter holiday season, but there’s no reason that an array of tasty small-batch products should be relegated to the wintertime, so they’re hosting this brand new summer version with over 75 small businesses and food trucks. If you want to plan ahead with your gift-giving, the Cancers, Leos, and Virgos in your life will surely appreciate birthday presents like hand-crafted salami, chili crisp, or wooden cutting boards—or just treat yourself to something special. JB
(Lake Union Park, South Lake Union)
LIVE MUSIC
Remind
Like
List
From 2017 to 2022, Vermont-hailing singer-songwriter Noah Kahan had a decently successful music career, touring with artists like Ben Folds, George Ezra, and James Bay. Then his 2022 single “Stick Season”—a three-minute-long acoustic folk song about lost love—gained mainstream success, leading to a nomination in 2023 for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. If you’re over the age of 25, think of “Stick Season” as Gen Z’s “Hey There Delilah.” He will bring the We’ll All Be Here Forever Tour to the Gorge for a scenic evening of music alongside indie folk artist Jensen McRae. AV
(Gorge Amphitheatre, George)
PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE
Remind
Like
List
Grab your hot pink velour Juicy tracksuit, your Louis Vuitton handbag, your Lancôme Juicy Tubes lip gloss, and your bedazzled Motorola Razr, because the people behind Sapphic Events are hosting this Y2K-themed bash intended for all queer women and sapphics, hosted by Britney-worshipping singer ToX!c. DJs Pretty Please and Baby Van Beezly will keep the 2000s and present-day hits coming all night long, while performers Camila Sky, Novasia, and Velvet Ryder will beguile the crowd. I, for one, hope to see someone recreate Emma Watson’s tongue-out moves from The Bling Ring on the dance floor. JB
(Nectar, Fremont)
PRIDE
Remind
Like
List
Perhaps you were one of the millions of people who became aware of the “Gays Eating Garlic Bread in the Park” sensation after a poster advertising it went massively viral on TikTok. The joyful gathering, which bid attendees to “BYOGB,” ended up drawing hordes of friendly carb-seeking queers to Meridian Park in Wallingford. I’m told it won’t happen again until next year, but the same organizers are turning their attention from alliums to aquatics for their next event, aptly titled “The Gays Go to Green Lake.” All members of the queer+ community are welcome to take a dip—nothing will be provided, so bring your own swimwear, water shoes, sunscreen, towels, and your most flamboyant floaties and get ready to socialize. Seattle freeze? I don’t know her. JB
(East Green Lake Park, Green Lake)
FILM
Remind
Like
List
This fresh 4K restoration of I Heard It Through The Grapevine, which commemorates James Baldwin’s would-be centennial birthday, conveys the writer and civil rights activist’s brilliance with new clarity. The ’82 documentary retraces Baldwin’s Southern explorations from Selma to Birmingham in the ’60s, and shares his experiences with Amiri Baraka and the Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe. The film’s clear-eyed perspective showcases the civil rights movement’s sacrifices with an artful, profound precision. LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown)
FOOD & DRINK
Remind
Like
List
Celebrated chef Peter Cho, known for his Portland restaurants Han Oak and Jeju, will visit former Canlis wunderkind Brady Ishiwata Williams’ White Center spot Tomo for just one night. Williams tells this extremely endearing story on Instagram: “I *personally* fell in love with Peter the first time Jessica and I visited Han Oak and watched him expedite orders with his youngest son on his chest in a BabyBjorn. The courtyard dining area was sprinkled with toys. [Peter’s wife] Sun and their other son, a toddler at the time, greeted guests, chased each other around, and worked on drawings together. We were floored by an array of thoughtful and playful dishes, from kampachi crudo to chicken wings on a sando and army stew with hot dogs cut into octopuses. This touching scene epitomizes their dedication to family, craft, and collaboration.” Cho will serve a six-course meal (that might just include his famous cheeseburger bao bun) along with optional beverage pairings. JB
(TOMO, White Center)
PRIDE
Remind
Like
List
Calling all sapphic hotties! After marching in Sunday’s Pride parade, strut on up to Capitol Hill for the biggest sapphic party of the year. This queer woman- and sapphic-centered bash will keep you occupied with a stacked lineup of performers, live music, dancing, games, and more. Your host ToX!c will welcome drag, dance, and burlesque performers AndrogynAss, Chain-Him Tatum, Chastitty Honeydew, Chyna, and Lina to the mainstage along with DJ sets from Justice Manslayer, Abyss, and Baby Van Beezly. AV
(Neighbours, Capitol Hill)
Remind
Like
List
Seattle’s Pride Parade is a little more than a don’t-miss—it’s a gargantuan gathering of over 250 participating groups, with 300,000 spectators turning up to show off their sparkle. For the 50th anniversary this year, Seattle sports legends and power couple Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe will serve as the parade’s grand marshals as the event commemorates the first Seattle LGBTQIA+ gathering for collective resistance. Celebrations kick off with a pre-party at Westlake Park; the parade will start at 11 am at Fourth and Pike before marching loud and proud past two stages and concluding at Denny Way. Expect DJs, advocacy talks, food trucks, beer gardens, and traffic disruptions if for some ill-advised reason you attempt to drive downtown. SL
(Downtown Seattle)
PRIDE
Remind
Like
List
Cuff Complex is back with its long-standing pride festival—this year, the lineup includes Grammy-nominated synth-pop sensation Hot Chip, renowned electronic music producer Karsten Sollors, legendary drag queen Lady Bunny, London-based collective Horse Meat Disco, self-proclaimed “one-woman funk machine” DJ Holographic, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumna Kornbread, and many more. The three-day affair will kick off with a snazzy Pride edition of Bearracuda on Friday followed by live performances on Saturday and Sunday. AV
(Cuff Complex, Capitol Hill, Friday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
In the agonizing words of Kim Kardashian: I have the best advice for LGBTQ+ folks in Seattle—get your fucking ass up and dance. It seems like nobody wants to dance these days! And where better than at Kremwerk, where the dolls will sweat out their pride across three nights and four dance floors? This year’s musical highlights include B-Complex, Bimbo Hypnosis, Miss Twink USA, Gag Reflex, JENNGREEN, and T.Reverie, along with tons of other local DJs and drag performers. AV
(Kremwerk-Timbre Room-Cherry Complex, Downtown, Thursday–Saturday)
Remind
Like
List
RuPaul’s Drag Race stans, you’re bound to hear a few names you recognize at this Pride party for the gods. Iconique show competitors Darienne Lake and Heidi N Closet will appear alongside local glamazons like Beau Degas, Monday Mourning, and Lisa Frank fantasy Anita Spritzer at the two-day dragstravaganza, which starts with a bang at the Saturday drag brunch (jams provided by DJ Baby Van Beezly), followed by a dance party ’til late. On Sunday, shake it off at Heidi’s drag brunch (yes, you should go to brunch twice), where you’ll also spot Moscato Sky and Rowan Ruthless. LC
(Rhein Haus, Central District, Saturday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
This event is sort of like if Seattle PrideFest got tangled up with the Capitol Hill Block Party. Outside of Queer/Bar, gaggles of queer icons will take the outdoor stage with music, drag, and burlesque performances. After last year’s lineup boasted headliners Pabllo Vittar, Trixie Mattel, and Charo, it was hard to imagine what could top (or even match) that holy trinity, but they did it again! Queen of indie sleaze Santigold will headline with queer pop sister duo Tegan and Sara, “sugar trap” rapper Rico Nasty, art pop polymath Perfume Genius, and indie rock band Juliette & the Licks (fronted by none other than Juliette Lewis). Plus, RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Shea Couleé, Alaska Thunderfuck, Detox, Roxxxy Andrews, Lady Camden, and Bosco will goop and gag the crowd alongside local drag talent. AV
(11th Avenue, between E. Pike St. and E. Pine St., Capitol Hill, Friday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
This is your semi-regular reminder that there are only 37 surviving lesbian bars in the United States, so it’s a rare and special thing to be able to join in amongst the pride revelry at the Wildrose, one of the West Coast’s oldest establishments catering to dykes. Their three-day lineup of festivities this year, hosted by the “Chaos Queen” Frizzancis and singer Adra Boo, includes appearances from DJs SailorHank, Summersoft, Chelsea Starr, Mixxtress, Mixx America, and Ricki Leigh and local rockers Thunderpussy. Plus, look forward to a karaoke competition, burlesque seductresses Gritty City Sirens, dark wave band Dark Chisme, and the yacht rock spectacular Ship Show—there’s truly something for everyone. JB
(Wildrose, Capitol Hill, Friday–Sunday)
COMEDY
Remind
Like
List
As a comedian with a big mouth, brash attitude, and selective filter, Bill Burr regularly offends people, which is pretty easy to do with the current profusion of snowflakes floating around the country. Also, no subject matter is off limits; during a CONAN appearance, he touched on the military, obesity, and sexual harassment, all in one fell swoop, while on his next visit, he discussed his desire to yell at other people’s kids and how fatherhood is kind of like being the back-up quarterback—everyone else comes first. I don’t know what he’ll be discussing on his current tour, but belly laughs are guaranteed. STRANGER CONTRIBUTOR LEILANI POLK
(Moore Theatre, Belltown, Wednesday-Saturday)
EXHIBIT
Remind
Like
List
In the words of Harvey Milk, “It takes no compromise to give people their rights.” MOHAI’s latest exhibition pays tribute to 50 years of Seattle’s rainbow-hued festivities with a curated selection of Pride posters. 50 Years of Seattle Pride: Posters of Pride draws special attention to the organizing efforts of the city’s LGBTQ+ community, who commemorate the ’69 Stonewall rebellion each June with queer-centered festivities. Visitors can view “digitized replicas” of Seattle Pride posters spanning five decades, including entries from the diverse, politically savvy ’80s- and ’90s-era Freedom Day Committee. LC
(MOHAI, South Lake Union, Monday–Sunday)
FILM
Remind
Like
List
I never anticipated needing to explain that Rachel Sennott is “currently funny,” but this flick’s title leaves me eager to confirm that she’s hilarious. (Although, if you’ve seen Shiva Baby or Bottoms, you’re already well aware.) In Ally Pankiw’s I Used to Be Funny, a stand-up struggling with PTSD seeks out a missing teen who she used to nanny. Sennott always understands the assignment, so I’m anticipating something vulnerable and comical and a little weird. LC
(Grand Illusion, University District, Tuesday & Sunday)
PERFORMANCE
Remind
Like
List
As a Pulitzer Prize winner and 2007 MacArthur genius, Lynn Nottage often centers working-class people in her storytelling—her 2015 play Sweat centered small-town Pennsylvania factory workers facing job insecurity, racism, and class disparities. This time around, she had me at “play about a sandwich.” Nottage’s Clyde’s follows a team of formerly incarcerated kitchen staff who navigate life after lock-up while on a “quest to create the perfect sandwich,” so I hope you brought napkins. Check out this interpretation of the play for a funky cross between The Bear and Abbott Elementary. LC
(ArtsWest, Junction, Thursday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
When I was a teenager, a boy once “broke up” with me by copy-pasting the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” into his AIM away message, thus cementing my permanent and near-lifelong disdain for the grumpy troubadour. But maybe you love Bob Dylan. Good for you!! This Tony Award-winning musical reimagines 20 of Dylan’s hits and is set against the backdrop of a guesthouse in ’30s-era Duluth. Girl From The North Country includes renditions of “Forever Young,” “All Along The Watchtower,” “Hurricane,” “Slow Train Coming,” and “Like A Rolling Stone.” I’m not sure if “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” is featured, but if it is, do me a favor—don’t tell me about it. LC
(Paramount Theatre, Downtown, Tuesday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
Offering local directors the spotlight (and the opportunity to hone their craft), this three-week arts festival, which aims to create an experimental forum and public workshop for theater vets and drama newbies alike, will kick off its third year of programming. SJAM24 bills itself as the “largest professional arts event of its kind on Capitol Hill,” with directors Leah Adcock-Starr, Greg Carter, and Christie Zhao presenting their distinctive takes on four theatrical works this year. LC
(12th Avenue Arts, Capitol Hill, Thursday–Saturday)
VISUAL ART
Remind
Like
List
At Photographic Center Northwest’s yearly juried exhibition, artists from around the world (including Seattle-based photogs) showcase snapshots that reflect our current moment. This year’s juror, G. Gibson Projects art dealer and owner Gail Gibson, has selected 48 of the best works from the open call’s overwhelming 2,600 entries. Expect a thought-provoking mix of “intimate portraits, sweeping landscapes, abstract compositions, and documentary narratives.” (I’m partial to Andy Reynolds’ Raccoon in Cabin.) LC
(Photographic Center Northwest, Capitol Hill, Thursday-Sunday; opening)
Remind
Like
List
For better or worse, none of us can escape the experience of living in a body. AMcE digs into it in their latest group exhibition, which thinks carefully about embodiment through a series of pensive, dreamy works. Artists Alfred Harris, Rachel Maxi, Vander McClain, Megan Prince, Cara Tomlinson, and others all share their unique perspectives in Embodiment—I’m especially responsive to Orlovski’s earth-toned body part collages and Brooks Shane Salzwedel’s tiny box paintings. LC
(AMcE Creative Arts, Miller Park, Monday–Sunday; closing)
Remind
Like
List
Visual story-weaver Jacob Lawrence’s paintings feel like an American history lesson. One of the 20th century’s most affecting artists created genre scenes and “serial elaborations” on key events that blended unseen narratives and figural depictions. This was a little offbeat in a time when abstraction was king and Lawrence’s themes (family, community, history) weren’t necessarily à la mode. This retrospective curates works from SAM and local collections for a series of “case studies that survey the essential themes [informing Lawrence’s] works.” LC
(Seattle Art Museum, Downtown, Friday–Sunday; opening)
Remind
Like
List
Texas-born, Seattle-based artist Mary Ann Peters has excavated unseen narratives for decades–her process, which includes painting, sculpture, and installation, draws heavily from her experience as a second-generation Lebanese American to contextualize forgotten histories and buried civilizations. Much like an archaeologist, Peters’ abstract drawings probe what’s just beneath the surface, and this exhibition’s new site-specific installation defines an impossible monument as “something that deserves reverence but by virtue of its incidental nature would never be elevated to the status of a monument.” LC
(Frye Art Museum, First Hill, Wednesday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
Even if you consider yourself a counterculture connoisseur, you might not be familiar with the West Coast’s alternative art history, which tends to be left out of art history classes. Enter Poke in the Eye, a new exhibition spotlighting ’60s- and ’70s-era aesthetic practices that shirked the minimalist, chilly movements coming out of the East Coast at that time. Seattle and Bay Area artists were “intentionally offbeat,” splashing color across figural and narrative compositions and making weird mouth sculptures. Hey, it’s always been a little irreverent out here, right? LC
(Seattle Art Museum, Downtown, Wednesday–Sunday)
Remind
Like
List
The Seattle Japanese Garden is already a tranquil sanctuary and a solid place to refill your creative cup, but do you know what would make it even better? Original watercolor paintings of cats wearing backpacks. Japan-born, Seattle-based artist Mari Ichimasu will present her signature series, Fur Coats and Backpacks; The Travel Cats, during the garden’s lushest season. Visitors can participate in a “commemorative original stamp rally” and are welcome to bring their sketchbooks to draw inspiration from the on-the-go kitties. LC
(Seattle Japanese Garden, Madison Park, Tuesday–Sunday)
EverOut Staff
Source link