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MONDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Lauren Mayberry Past Event Like List
In preparation for her debut solo album, Lauren Mayberry (aka the frontwoman of Scottish synth-pop trio CHVRCHES) is heading out on her first-ever solo tour. The elusive album, which she has described as a "fun, freaky, sad, weird, joyful pop playground," has yet to receive a release date or tracklist, but if it's anything like the recently released single "Are You Awake?" we foresee deeply personal piano-centric songs that shy away from the polished pop she's been known for. And, according to recent setlists, Mayberry has been playing a blend of new music, covers, and a couple of CHVRCHES songs to please both new and long-time listeners. AV
(Neumos, Capitol Hill)

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC

The All-American Rejects: Wet Hot All-American Summer Tour Past Event Like List
To those under (or over) a certain age, it might be hard to believe that the All-American Rejects were once one of the biggest names in rock music. However, we millennials will be transported straight back to 2005 with the opening power chords of "Dirty Little Secret"—a song that summons memories of Hollister body spray, flip phones, metallic gel pens, and Junk Food-brand graphic tees. The pop-punk heartthrobs will bring their Wet Hot All-American Summer tour to Seattle for a nostalgia-filled evening with New Found Glory, Motion City Soundtrack, and the Get Up Kids (all of which were probably on your first generation iPod). AV
(WaMu Theater, SoDo)

READINGS & TALKS

Rick Riordan Past Event Like List
Today's "good for him!" target is Rick Riordan, who spent 15 years teaching middle school English and history before becoming one of the most successful middle-grade novelists, like, maybe ever. The word wrangler behind the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series has sold over 190 million copies of his books, so I'm guessing his salary has improved since his educator days. He'll revisit Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods at this talk, and all tickets, with the exception of a limited number of pay-what-you-can tickets, include a copy of the book. LC
(Benaroya Hall, Downtown)

WEDNESDAY

FILM

Dark Dreams: The Original Film Noir Series Past Event Like List
Look out for cigarette smoke and midnight jazz riffs: Greg Olson, Seattle Art Museum's film curator from 1977 until the position's elimination in 2020, will return with Dark Dreams: The Original Film Noir Series. Olson's noir expertise has been long praised by local voices like film writer and professor Dr. John Trafton, who deemed this year's lineup a "thrilling and mesmerizing journey for die-hard noir fans and the uninitiated," and journalist Charles R. Cross, who called Olson "Seattle's all-time-best film curator." Nine films spanning 60 years of noir style will screen at SIFF Cinema Egyptian; I'm stoked for the free Top Pot doughnuts on opening night and the pre-screening noir playlists by film curator Tova Gannana. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill)

THURSDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Little Simz Past Event Like List
Little Simz' latest album, NO THANK YOU, cradles her effortless flow in vintage soul production and glittering gospel harmonies. Not only is the album easy on the ears, but Simz has important things to say; tackling themes of generational trauma, Black mental health, and "rap game bullshit." She will stop by on her first US tour since 2019 with support from fellow rapper and collaborator OTG. AV
(Showbox SoDo, SoDo)

Rina Sawayama: Hold the Girl Tour - Reloaded Past Event Like List
Rina Sawayama's sophomore album, Hold The Girl, is pop perfection. So perfect, in fact, that the supporting tour has been "reloaded" for a second round. Shake your ponytail to queer anthems like "This Hell," "Comme des Garçons," and more bops that evoke the spirits of "Britney, Lady Di', and Whitney." Pass the wine, bitch, we're going straight to Hell. AV
(Paramount Theatre, Downtown)

PARTIES & NIGHTLIFE

Fun & Flirty: A Comedy and Dating Show Experience Past Event 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" in a way that makes the whole shebang a little more survivable (and also very funny). Hosted by PowerPoint master and professional singles consultant Zahnae Aquino, the show will pepper comedy sets with pitches by sexy singles. Hey, there are weirder ways to meet your soulmate. LC
(Comedy/Bar, Capitol Hill)

READINGS & TALKS

Author Talk: The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp by Jing Gao Past Event Like List
Chili crisp has soared in popularity over the last few years, with its proponents putting it on everything from eggs to pizza to ice cream (ask J. Kenji López-Alt if you don't believe me about that last one). Perhaps the most popular of the newfangled chili crisp brands is the Chengdu-based company Fly By Jing, which has garnered an obsessive cult following for its feisty, savory, versatile condiments. Now, chef and founder Jing Gao has penned the ultimate chili crisp compendium with her new release, The Book of Sichuan Chili Crisp, with recipes for irresistible dishes like zhong dumplings, spicy scallion oil noodles, and—yes—even a chili crisp sundae with fish sauce caramel brittle. She'll be joined in conversation by local cookbook author Hsiao-Ching Chou. JB
(Book Larder, Fremont)

Shin Yu Pai Past Event Like List
Shin Yu Pai, the current Seattle Civic Poet, will drop by Elliott Bay for the launch of her latest poetry collection, No Neutral, which "dives deeply into explorations of place and their histories...from Port Townsend and the Inland Empire of Southern California, to the deserts surrounding Palm Springs." Expect activist-minded lines exploring social unrest, solidarities, mothering, and friendship, plus poems inspired by Rana Begum, Andy Goldsworthy, Maya Lin, Richard Turner, and Tyre Nichols's site-specific artworks. LC
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill)

FRIDAY

COMEDY

Michelle Buteau Past Event Like List
"A New Jersey native born to a Haitian father and a Jamaican mother, Michelle Buteau is a woman with a raunchy mindset and a profane tongue," says Stranger music critic Dave Segal. I'd go one step further and describe Buteau's quick, sardonic style as a script-flipper in the midst of a pack of aging dude comics bickering over whether human rights are funny. Buteau is the creator, writer, and star of the recently released Netflix series Survival of The Thickest. You might recognize her as "the crazy girlfriend" on Comedy Central's Key & Peele and Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show or from her Netflix comedy special, Welcome to Buteaupia; if you're not familiar, strap in for a deliciously snarky ride. LC
(Moore Theatre, Belltown)

FOOD & DRINK

Haunted Soiree: A Macabre Cocktail Party Past Event Like List
This eerie immersive theatrical party revolves around the Rasputin-inspired tale of Doctors Natalia and Grigor Volkov, who wind up dead along with all their patients at their psychiatric facility after Natalia's death during childbirth. Guests are encouraged to don their most dramatic finery, be it Halloween costume, cocktail chic, or period-accurate outfit. The night includes themed miniature craft cocktails, live music, secret games, and roaming ghosts just dying to tell you their secrets. SL
(DAR Rainier Chapter House, Capitol Hill)

LIVE MUSIC

Howie Day Past Event Like List
Howie Day is an early aughts heartthrob who you might know for his fervent radio pop, impossibly spiky hair, or a short-lived relationship with our lord and savior Britney Spears (as documented by my favorite trashy website Who Dated Who). He will serenade the crowd with throwbacks like "Collide," "She Says," and other memory-jogging hits in honor of the 20th anniversary of his debut album Australia. AV
(Triple Door, Downtown)

SATURDAY

COMEDY

Todd Barry: Half Joking Tour Past Event Like List
Hot on the heels of his purr-worthy stand-up special Todd Barry: Domestic Shorthair, the beloved weirdo and voice actor on animated series like Bob’s Burgers, Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force will hit Seattle to find a few marks in the crowd. (Go in prepared—his crowd work is legendary.) "Todd Barry doesn't even really need jokes, although he's got a ton of great ones [and] more laughs per pound than any hyperactive loudmouth screaming into the mic," says former EverOut arts editor Elaina Friedman. I have to agree. LC
(Neptune Theatre, University District)

COMMUNITY

Walk the Block Art Festival & Fundraiser Past Event Like List
Wa Na Wari's innovative and community-minded annual fundraising event celebrates Black art with an afternoon walk through the Central District, where fresh installations and performances will be on view in businesses, parks, porches, and other common spaces. Catch stimulating visual and sculptural art, video installations, live music, dance parties, community stories, and more. The Central District has been a hub of Seattle’s Black community for over 70 years, and Walk the Block brings visibility to its strength and growth while creating a bridge to new residents. SL
(Wa Na Wari, Central District)

FALL

Stalker Farms Past Event Like List
These "original haunted corn trails of Washington state" would challenge even the most corntastic among us. If you're into being publicly frightened, head to this immersive Halloween attraction, where you'll find ghoulish actors following horrifying original plot lines for "Slasher Family Homestead," "Pogo's Funny Farm," and more. If you need a cool down, there are no actors in the Nighttime Corn Maze, but we can't guarantee that your friends won't try to make you jump. Kids 12 and under are advised only to visit during the daytime fall festival. SL
(Stocker Farms, Snohomish)

FOOD & DRINK

U District $4 Food Walk Past Event Like List
Revel in a smorgasbord of scrumptious yet frugal fare at this food walk, which will offer $4 bites from culinary destinations scattered throughout the U District. With options like mini bacon egg and cheese sandwiches from Westman's Bagel, spicy fried chicken sandwiches from Honeybee Fried Chicken, lychee rose sparkling water with boba from Yan Tea, chow mein and potstickers from North Noodles N Dumplings, Nutella croissant taiyaki from Oh Bear, and salted pumpkin caramel lattes from Boon Boona Coffee, you'll be spoiled for choice. Plus, enjoy live music performances throughout the day from Dekoboko Taiko, Neon Brass Party, Battlestar Kalakala, Rainbow City Jazz Band, Tomo Nakayama, Colorworks, and Reposado. JB
(Various locations, University District)

PERFORMANCE

The Improvised Shakespeare Company Past Event Like List
At this point, you might find the Bard's theatrical works a little "played" out. (To be fair, he did write them over 400 years ago.) My suggestion? Don thy feathered cap or whatever and head to this fully improvised take on an Elizabethan comedy, where you might get to make key decisions about the production. The Improvised Shakespeare Company creates, you guessed it, "fully improvised Shakespearean masterpieces." Each one is based on a single audience suggestion; the off-the-cuff play will skew the Bard's themes and imagery for a fresh story. If you don't know where it's going, don't worry—the actors don't, either. LC
(Triple Door, Downtown)

VISUAL ART

Brennan Cavanaugh: Slow Apocalypse Past Event Like List
Sure, I take my fair share of selfies, but it's the number of iPhone photos I have of my cat that plops me firmly in "crazy" territory. Bard graduate and New York-based artist Brennan Cavanaugh digs into our practice of self-documentation and obsessive image-making in Slow Apocalypse, which is comprised of images shot on film in the early aughts and processed by consumer photo lab equipment. (Remember that?!) Cavanaugh places machine-made prints side-by-side with "contemporary artist-produced, chromogenic prints" and large-scale commercial banners. It's bound to redirect you toward the "do not perceive me" camp, or at least prompt questions about self-perception and hierarchies of image quality. LC
(Solas Gallery, Pioneer Square)

MULTI-DAY

FALL

Carpinito Bros. Pumpkin Patch & Corn Maze Past Event Like List
You know what will make your cozy fall photoshoot better? A breathtaking backdrop of Mount Rainier, which is just what you'll get (on a clear day) at Carpinito Brothers Farm. Bring your Hinge date, your parents, your kids (just not your dog), and get lost in acres of corn across multiple mazes, pet farm animals, and pick out the best pumpkins. SL
(Carpinito Brothers, Kent, Friday-Sunday)

FESTIVALS

Leavenworth Oktoberfest Past Event Like List
"The next best thing to being in Munich" is, apparently, the Leavenworth Oktoberfest. This is likely the most authentic celebration you're going to find near Seattle, complete with official Oktoberfest brats, imported German beer and wine, live oompah and polka music, and performances from Bavarian dancing groups. They even have a full-on festhalle. JR
(Leavenworth, Friday-Saturday)

MEXAM NW Festival 2023 Past Event Like List
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from mid-September to mid-October, a time during which many Latin American countries celebrate their national independence days. MEXAM NW Festival 2023 is an exhilarating multi-event, multi-venue festival curated by the Consulate of Mexico in Seattle that showcases the vibrancy of contemporary Hispanic and Mexican American culture. The festival concludes mid-October with a Día de los Muertos Concert and Festival Latinx. Most events are free and family-oriented, from a talk on the history of tacos to a parade through South Park, and much more. Expect tons of Latin American food, mariachi bands, folk dancing, arts and craft markets, fiestas, and community joy. SL
(Various locations, Monday-Sunday)

FILM

Bottoms Past Event Like List
Considering the glut of raunchy high school sex comedies that revolved around hetero teen boys attempting to pop their cherries in the '90s and early-aughts, it's about time we had a horny romp about queer girls trying to get laid. In this madcap dark comedy helmed by Emma Seligman (director of the nail-biter Shiva Baby), two hapless losers (played by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri) scheme to start a self-defense club for women in order to hook up with their cheerleader crushes (Havana Rose Liu and Kaia Gerber). Naturally, hilarity ensues. It's Book Smart meets Fight Club with acerbic shades of Heathers, and I for one can't wait to see Seligman's sapphic Gen-Z take on this campy genre, especially with the two leads' deadpan delivery. JB
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)

Mutt Past Event Like List
Vuk Lungulov-Klotz's Sundance standout Mutt follows a transgender teen as he navigates laundromats, subway turnstiles, and airport transfers on one hectic day in New York City. The director's debut film, which stars trans actor Lío Mehiel, "draws on his own background as a child of Chilean and Serbian parents and his own experience of transition" (the Hollywood Reporter). Mutt should grab your attention: According to IndieWire, the flick's sensual edge and concentration on detail signals "an exciting evolution for contemporary trans cinema."LC
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, Monday-Thursday)

They Came From Outer Space Past Event Like List
I recommend queuing up some creepy spaceship sounds before you continue reading. Are you sufficiently on edge? You can keep those galactic bleep-bloop vibes going at They Came from Outer Space, SIFF's new series of mysterious lights, eerie shadows, and otherworldly entities ranging from the yucky and scary (The Blob) to the precious and loveable (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial). It's about aliens, people, and they're crash-landing at SIFF Cinema Egyptian all September long. Get into the "non-human biologics" while they're still, uh, kinda unproven. LC
(SIFF Cinema Egyptian, Capitol Hill, Monday-Saturday)

FOOD & DRINK

19th Annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival Past Event Like List
Though pumpkin beer is a decidedly divisive beverage, Elysian Brewing Company's annual squash-themed celebration continues to draw fans year after year. The great pumpkin in question—a gigantic gourd weighing in at several hundred pounds—is scooped out, scorched, filled with pumpkin beer, sealed, conditioned, and tapped at the event. What's more, over 80 pumpkin beers, including around 20 from Elysian, will be poured. All proceeds benefit the all-ages programming at the Vera Project. JB
(Seattle Center, Uptown, Friday-Saturday)

Mid-Autumn Festival at Lucky Envelope Brewing Past Event Like List
Ballard's culturally inspired craft brewery Lucky Envelope Brewing always goes all out for Mid-Autumn Festival, and this year is no exception. From Friday through Saturday, they'll host a celebration with new beer releases (including Halo Halo Sour and Pandan Almond Milk Stout), baked mooncakes, exclusive glassware with artwork from local artist Monyee Chau, and limited giveaways of red envelopes for good luck (a Chinese tradition that inspired the business's name). The food trucks Panda Dim Sum and Where Ya At Matt will also make appearances. Mooncakes are available for pre-order, and any that are left over will be available for sale at the event. JB
(Lucky Envelope Brewing, West Woodland, Friday-Saturday)

LIVE MUSIC

Kremfest 2023 Past Event Like List
The treasured Kremwerk complex, which former Stranger contributor Gregory Scruggs called the “undisputed monarch of Seattle nightlife,” is bringing back its forward-thinking electronic music and multimedia festival. Move and groove across two days (and four dance floors) with local and international record slingers like Swami Sound, Bianca Oblivion, DJ Assault, Skin on Skin, and plenty of others. AV
(Kremwerk-Timbre Room-Cherry Complex, Denny Triangle, Friday-Sunday)

Samara Joy Past Event Like List
Last year, Samara Joy won the coveted Grammy for Best New Artist, beating out pop radio heavies like Latto, Måneskin, and Wet Leg—and for good reason! On her Verve Records debut, Linger Awhile, Joy puts her own spin on classic jazz standards, making a case for her to join the likes of Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday as Verve's latest jazz singing sensation. Don't miss your chance to catch a national jewel at the very beginning of her career (Joy is only 23 years old!) AV
(Jazz Alley, Belltown, Thursday-Sunday)

PERFORMANCE

Cambodian Rock Band Past Event Like List
Playwright à la mode Lauren Yee, who wove together immigrant narratives and music-led comedy inYoung Americans, is back with Cambodian Rock Band, which follows a survivor's return to Cambodia after escaping the murderous Khmer Rouge regime 30 years prior. I'm a big fan of Yee's dramaturgical sensibility, which often seeks to reclaim forgotten or overlooked histories. (She's also slated to pen the musical adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, so expect to see her name again!) What's got me most riled up for Cambodian Rock Band, though, is its live band, which will play jangly Dengue Fever hits and classic Cambodian oldies. LC
(ACT - A Contemporary Theatre, Downtown, Friday-Sunday)

Disney's The Little Mermaid Past Event Like List
My first memory of dancing is in my childhood living room, where I wiggled haphazardly to steel drum tunes on The Little Mermaid's supplementary VHS, Sebastian's Caribbean Jamboree. If you're of the millennial or Gen Z persuasion, you probably also have some core memories related to the Disney animated flick, which turns 35 this year. (Insert a "you're old" joke here, I guess.) Anywho, scuttle on over to the 5th Avenue Theatre for this rendition of the musical, which sees all your faves jam out under the sea. There'd better be steel drums! LC
(The 5th Avenue Theatre, Downtown, Wednesday-Sunday)

Matt & Ben Past Event Like List
Long before Chasing Amy, J-Lo, and Air, two Hollywood rapscallions watched the screenplay for Good Will Hunting descend mysteriously from the heavens, and realized they were being tested by a higher power. Although their careers and lives would diverge, one being more of a golden boy and the other being...well...Ben Affleck, their friendship persevered. Matt & Ben is an acidic satire that spoofs the duo's pursuit of a red-carpet dream, and the playwright understood the assignment—she's Mindy Kaling, so she's been on a red carpet or 20. LC
(ArtsWest, Junction, Thursday-Sunday)

Petite Mort Past Event Like List
Pacific Northwest Ballet's season opener promises "as much whimsy, artistry, and drama as possible," which is also what I'm going for with my Instagram stories. I'm guessing that PNB will do a better job than I do, though: This performance's triple bill packs a punch with Jiri Kylian’s Petite Mort and Sechs Tänze, both returning after a long hiatus, and Alexander Ekman’s Cacti. The latter, a "gleeful and knowing parody of the art form’s greater excesses," incorporates giant Scrabble tiles and, yes, cacti. Don't get poked! LC
(McCaw Hall, Uptown, Thursday-Sunday)

Will Rawls: [siccer] Past Event Like List
You might've caught Will Rawls's work recently—the New York-based artist has popped up with installations and exhibitions at Adams and Ollman in Portland and the Henry Art Gallery over the last few years. As a choreographer, performance artist, curator, and writer, Rawls's work is wide-reaching, and [siccer] is no exception. It's part-live performance, part-stop-motion animation, and its title references the Latin adverb sic (which is typically used in brackets to denote an “error” when quoting someone, underscoring the perceived inaccuracy of their speech). To Rawls, "[sic] is a useful metaphor for how the language and gestures of Black bodies are captured, quoted or misquoted, and circulated to appear strange in various media." As a writer, I'm excited to see how Rawls interrogates the limits of citation. LC
(On the Boards, Uptown, Thursday-Saturday)

VISUAL ART

Cathy McClure and John Kiley Past Event Like List
If you're still feeling bitter that you didn't receive a Furby for Christmas in '98, I recommend Cathy McClure's exhibition Unearth for some strange catharsis. Using discarded battery-operated stuffed toys, the artist contemplates consumption, nostalgia, and instant gratification by creating freakish, Frankensteinian "bots." The figures are recast and reassembled with precious metal armatures that reportedly exude "wisdom and contemplation." I guess you'll have to decide for yourself what they exude, but any way you look at 'em, they are awesome. Unearth is perfectly paired with John Kiley's Studio Sessions, which is comprised of sculptural glass works with "contrasting colors [and] intricate carved optic passageways." LC
(Traver Gallery, Downtown, Tuesday-Saturday; closing)

Femme Noire Past Event Like List
This outdoor public art exhibition, a collaboration between the Seattle Art Museum, the Chicago-based arts organization blackpuffin, and the Central District's immersive community art project Wa Na Wari, takes its name from a poem of the same name by former Senegalese president Léopold Sédar Senghor, an ode to the power of Black women written while he was imprisoned in Germany during World War II. Wander through the Central District to admire work from female artists from Africa and the African diaspora, installed on lamp poles and at Black-owned businesses and art organizations throughout the neighborhood. JB
(Various locations, Central District, Monday-Saturday; closing)

Kelly Akashi: Encounters Remind Like List
A multi-site exploration of Kelly Akashi's work, which began with the still-on-view Formations at the Frye Art Museum, will continue with Encounters. Formations explores the Los Angeles-based artist's focus on craft and includes Conjoined Tumbleweeds, a bronze cast of plants collected from Poston, Arizona, where members of Akashi's family were incarcerated in a Japanese American internment camp during World War II. In Encounters, Akashi continues to share her interest in material transformation and time-mapping with sculptural works in wax, bronze casting, fire, hand-blown glass, silicone, and rope. LC
(Henry Art Gallery, University District, Saturday-Sunday; opening)

Of a Place Past Event Like List
Presented as a "portrait of Washington State’s diverse landscapes, topography, ecosystems, and climates," Of a Place also functions as a round-up of some of contemporary art's most exciting nature-loving players. Inspired by the mid-19th-century American art movement the Hudson River School, which "presented America as a new Eden and equated American landscape with American identity," the show meditates on place, identity, and art practice in Washington State through drawings, paintings, ceramics, textiles, and more. I'm especially moved by Philippe Hyojung Kim's Immigration Series: "deICEd", and I'm excited to see works by quinn mcnichol and Rena Priest. LC
(SOIL, Pioneer Square, Friday-Saturday; closing)

Positive Fragmentation Past Event Like List
Focusing on female artists whose works "employ a strategy of fragmentation," Positive Fragmentation: From the Collections of the Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation compiles a whopping 200 prints that dismantle, reconstitute, and blend new ideas. The exhibition's works include meditations on the body, explorations of urban landscapes, and a focus on women of color artists. Although these artists are often underrepresented in museum spaces, you're bound to spot a few names you recognize, like art icons Betye Saar, Kara Walker, and Wendy Red Star. Judy Pfaff, Jenny Holzer, Judy Chicago, Louise Bourgeois, and Polly Apfelbaum are also standouts. LC
(Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, Saturday-Sunday; opening)

Raúl de Nieves: a window to the see, a spirit star chiming in the wind of wonder… Remind Like List
I try to avoid saying a show has "something for everyone" unless it's really, truly the case, but New York-based artist Raúl de Nieves's a window to the see, a spirit star chiming in the wind of wonder… might fit the bill. De Nieves will transport aesthetic traditions of Mexican craft, Catholicism, Tarot, the European art canon, drag performance, and punk music to the Henry—seriously, I'm betting you're into at least one of those things, right? The solo exhibition of paintings, sculptures, and performances by the Mexican-born artist will include one of his signature "stained glass" installations (made with colored acetate and tape), which will imagine a celestial landscape and transform the museum’s largest gallery space into a "container of colored light." The goal? A reflective, meditative journey—anticipate temple-like seating, a kaleidoscopic atmosphere of ever-changing light, and ritualistic performances punctuating the run of the exhibition. LC
(Henry Art Gallery, University District, Saturday-Sunday; opening)