MARCH 1
ART1. Countdown to Zero Opening Celebration
This special exhibit highlights diseases that are on track for global eradication in the 21st century. At the opening celebration, hear live Sohoyini West African music by Tiffany Wilson, eat food from FareStart, connect with Pacific Science Center, PATH, The END Fund, and UW's Department of Global Health, experience the life cycle of an intestinal worm by wiggling through a "giant colon," and more.
2. Cookies & Cocktails
Girl Scout cookie season is almost upon us! To kick it off and celebrate 90 years of Girl Scout Camp, Girl Scouts of Western Washington has stoked the imagination of local chefs and bartenders by challenging them to dream up sweet and savory dishes and cocktails inspired by their iconic boxed offerings. Chera Amlag of Hood Famous Bakeshop will top coconutty Samoa cookies with a mash-up of Savannah Smiles lemon cookies and calamansi (a type of Filipino lemon), Dahlia Lounge pastry chef Brittany Bardeleben will craft a Trefoil Trifle, and chef Jeff Maxfield (Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass) will create braised short ribs topped with a gremolata consisting of Thin Mint cookies, cacao nibs, fresh parsley and mint, and black lava salt. Plus, there’ll be Trophy Cupcakes, Hello Robin cookies, Full Tilt ice cream, a faux campfire fashioned from cookie boxes, and an Airstream trailer with wine and a photo booth. If you love Girl Scout cookies, as you should, don't miss this chance to see them shine in a whole new light. JULIANNE BELL
3. Buffalo Tom
In the late ’80s and through the ’90s, when Buffalo Tom were most active, I totally ignored them. Dumb, I know, but they were playing concurrently with what folks were calling “grunge,” they had seemingly big-budget videos, and were on college radio, so they weren’t exactly my thing. That said, I’ve since corrected my gaffe and come to enjoy these fellers’ earnest and crafted rock and roll. Now they’re touring in support of their first LP in seven years, Quiet and Peace; the first single, "Roman Cars,” is good and sounds like classic Buffalo Tom.
MIKE NIPPER
4. An Evening with Jonathan Coulton
Jonathan Coulton's compositions are featured in video games such as Portal (Still Alive), Left 4 Dead, and Lego Dimensions. He also the house musician for NPR's "Ask Me Another," and a composer and lyricist for the new SpongeBob Musical, among other things. Join him for a night of geeky music at this event presented by Comic Con but open to the public.
5. Herbie Hancock
You have to be rich or well-connected to see Herbie Hancock perform live nowadays, but do make the effort. One of the most eclectic and innovative jazz musicians of the last 55 years, the keyboardist has traversed hard bop, modal jazz, fusion (with Miles Davis and his own Mwandishi band), funk, hiphop, electro, Joni Mitchell covers, myriad world-music tangents with artists such as Anoushka Shankar and Tinariwen, and has even concocted a radically rearranged cover of the greatest Beatles song, “Tomorrow Never Knows”—albeit with Dave Matthews. For tonight's show, Hancock—now 77—will be joined by Vinnie Colaiuta, Lionel Loueke, Terrace Martin, and James Genus.
DAVE SEGAL
6. Lee Ann Womack, Eddie Berman
It's a mystery why one of America's best vocalists isn't playing a bigger room. Is it because country radio has a gender-imbalance problem? (In 2017, only two women landed No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.) Is it because Lee Ann Womack left major labels behind in 2012? Or is it because purists now consider the Texan more of an Americana artist? Whatever the reason, this intimate tour is a gift for fans, particularly in the wake of torch-song masterpiece The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone, the finest showcase yet for a honeyed voice that has only grown richer with time.
KATHY FENNESSY
7. Haters Roast: The Shady Tour
Bear witness to a whole lot of shade as comedy duo Murray & Peter host drag-queen-against-drag-queen roast. You'll recognize many of the contestants from RuPaul's Drag Race, including Trixie Mattel, Trinity Taylor, Jinx Monsoon, and Thorgy Thor.
MARCH 1-4
ART8. Cafe Racer Grand Opening
The beloved U-District joint's grand re-opening brings with it the return of the Official Bad Art Museum of Art. Work by local painter Marta Konstacky will fill its walls for now. Plus, they'll have special deals (like a free cookie with every purchase), live music and stories, and more throughout the weekend.
9. Emerald City Comic Con 2018
Do we need to tell you what Emerald City Comic Con is? Well, just in case, it's your chance to meet the artists, actors, and creators who enliven pop culture and comics—this year's lineup of guests includes David Tennant (Dr. Who), Felicia Day (Supernatural), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Sean Maher and Summer Glau (Firefly), and Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter). If you haven’t bought your ticket yet, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to go, but don’t despair: There are tons of after-parties that don’t require an ECCC badge, as well as other nerdy performances and events happening the same weekend that we’re betting you’ll be interested in, too. We’ve rounded those events up on our Comic Con calendar, so, whether or not you’ve got tickets to the convention itself, you’ll be able to fill your weekend with as many nerdy events as you can handle.
10. Evan Flory-Barnes: On Loving the Muse and Family
It’s no secret that Seattle is spilling over with gifted musicians, but even given that relatively high bar, Evan Flory-Barnes is a standout. The veteran multi-instrumentalist is probably most visible in his role as bassist for the formidable Stranger Genius Award-winning ensemble Industrial Revelation, but his many appearances on his own and with others have made it clear that he is a major talent no matter whom he’s playing with. Now he gets the chance to take center stage for On Loving the Muse and Family, a show that means to frame his monster skills with a narrative framework incorporating the style of vintage late-night TV variety shows, and featuring such collaborators as the Traumatics, the True Loves, the Seattle Girls Choir, and a full orchestra. On the Boards promises “a series of self-reflexive monologue songs about his relationships, both intimate and familial” and “a celebration of life, philosophy, and psychology through music.” That’s a tall order, but if anyone can deliver on that promise, it’s Flory-Barnes. SEAN NELSON
11. Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament
B-ball fans can watch every game of this year's Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament live. See the talented UW Huskies kick some butt.
MARCH 1-18
PERFORMANCE12. Hamilton
Lin-Manuel Miranda is responsible for Hamilton's book, music, and lyrics, and he has squashed a dizzying number of words and concepts into this stunning production. You don't like musicals? Fine. Try Hamilton—its hiphop, jazz, and rap numbers have made people all over the country rethink their rigid anti-musical stance, and offered them juicy, controversial history about one of their Founding Fathers. The wildly popular show will be here for more than four glorious weeks. Joseph Morales and Nik Walker will star as Hamilton and Burr.
MARCH 1-25
PERFORMANCE13. Hir
Hir isn't like the rest of Taylor Mac's plays, but it's the play that made Mac famous. That's because it looks like the style of play repertory theaters jizz over, which is kitchen sink realism. Hir, making its Seattle debut at ArtsWest, seems familiar to contemporary theatergoers: two kids and their parents sitting around their kitchen fighting. That should be a snooze-fest, but it's not because Mac's writing is hilarious, and nothing in the play is as it first appears. It's ultimately a clever, innovative play about gender (and theater) that audiences will continue to unpack for decades. CHASE BURNS
MARCH 1-31
EVERYWHERE14. Women's History Month
What began mainly as an effort to integrate women’s history into school curricula has evolved into a time to champion an inclusive society for all in the face of inequality and patriarchal oppression. Nestled in this month is International Women’s Day (Thurs March 8), which more broadly honors women in general, not just their roles in history. See ways to celebrate all month in Seattle (including on March 8) here, including the International Women's Day Pub Crawl and Be Bold Seattle: International Women's Day.
15. Washington Wine Month
Take advantage of a bevy of discounts, events, and promotions in honor of the excellent wines the Evergreen state has to offer, culminating in the grand finale Taste Washington.
MARCH 2-3
MUSIC16. The Wood Brothers, The Mastersons
Chris Wood is the bassist of exceptional avant-jazz and space-funk makers Medeski Martin & Wood. But he also plays in a band with his elder brother, Oliver. Their sound differs greatly from MMW’s; it’s a mix of folk-blues and gospel-tinged Americana—warm, upbeat, and made for driving on dusty rural roads or nursing whiskey on a back porch at twilight, as crickets serenade you from the shadows. Chris’s fat, buoyant double-bass grooves complement his brother’s easy-going guitar strums, choppy slide work, and velvety country-soulful vocals, while drummer/percussionist Jano Rix holds down the rhythms, but also provides occasional accompaniment on shuitar (a guitar modified into a percussion instrument), keys, and vocal harmonies. The trio hit town behind their sixth full-length, One Drop of Truth, which Oliver calls “the most purely Wood Brothers’ album we’ve ever made.”
LEILANI POLK
MARCH 2 & 4
FILM17. Bill Nye: Science Guy – With Bill Nye
The man who made your middle school science class bearable with his unbridled enthusiasm for scientific thinking is now the CEO of the Planetary Society, where he's working on launching a solar-powered spacecraft. In this film, the scientist puts down the beaker to "take on those who deny climate change, evolution, and a science-based world view." Bill Nye will be there in the flesh!
MARCH 3
FOOD & DRINK18. Talk of the Town 2018
This citywide dinner party benefit invites you to choose between a number of curated dining and conversation experiences around town, the proceeds of which support Town Hall during its Inside/Out season.
19. Diagon Alley Re-Opening
Ballard resident and Phinney Neighborhood Association member Jon Chambers' quickly beloved replica of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley is re-opening for one day only. If you missed it the first time around (or if you want to go back) here's your chance to get your photo taken with characters, pick up a wand at Ollivanders, and taste butter beer and chocolate frogs.
20. G-Eazy, Trippie Redd, Phora, Anthony Russo
Pop-hopper G-Eazy has ridden the coattails of the post-hyphy movement (and his experiences as a producer during his college years) into the mainstream, using his Bay Area background to beef up his stage presence by repeatedly enlisting a crew of talented openers. This time he'll be joined by Trippie Redd, Phora, and Anthony Russo.
MARCH 3-4
FOOD & DRINK21. Penn Cove MusselFest
Thanks to the nutrient-rich outflow of water from the Skagit River, beautiful Penn Cove’s famous mussels grow full-sized in record time and are harvested young, making them impossibly firm, fat, and sweet. This annual festival, which bills itself as a celebration of all things “bold, briny, and blue,” features boat tours of the Penn Cove Mussel Farm, a mussel eating contest, cooking demonstrations with local chefs, a waterfront beer garden, and the main event: a tasting competition with 16 restaurants from all over Coupeville vying to have their mussel chowder declared the finest in town. JULIANNE BELL
MARCH 3-10
PERFORMANCE22. Beatrice & Benedict
Let it be lost on no one that "Benedict"—whose name in the source material for this opera is Benedick—is definitely a pun on "good dick." This is important because the title gets right to the heart of this warm and witty (and slightly anachronistic) collaboration between composer Hector Berlioz and the words of William Shakespeare, which are lifted from the B-storyline in Much Ado About Nothing. Ultimately, Benedict must choose between being a good soldier and being a good partner to Beatrice, a woman he's been tricked into loving. The Good Dick's name points you to the choice he makes, but it's fun as hell to watch him and Beatrice reluctantly come around to each other. Seattle Symphony's music director, Ludovic Morlot, is a great interpreter of his fellow countryman, Berlioz, and ACT Theatre artistic director John Langs has plenty of Shakespeare under his belt. Watching the visions of these two artists collide onstage will be a treat as well. RICH SMITH
MARCH 4
EVERYWHERE23. 90th Academy Awards
Jimmy Kimmel will once again host the biggest film event of the year, which honors the year's best films and their collaborators. Now in its 90th year, the Academy has the tough task of choosing between some pretty exceptional work. Come for the awards, stay for the candid celebrity facial expressions. Find Seattle places to watch the Oscars here.
24. New Politics, Dreamers
Commercial-ready indie rock band New Politics have been heard all over the map lately thanks to millions of Spotify streams, ads for ESPN, Bud Light, and Doritos, and multiple TV spots.
25. Anderson Cooper
Did you know Anderson Cooper is the son of Gloria Vanderbilt? Did you know that, as a baby, he was photographed by Diane Arbus for Harper’s Bazaar? Did you know his older brother committed suicide by jumping from the Vanderbilts' penthouse apartment, and that Cooper connects that event to his interest in journalism? “I think when you experience any kind of loss, especially the kind I did, you have questions about survival: Why do some people thrive in situations that others can’t tolerate?” As part of the “Unique Lives & Experiences” series, the snowy-haired fox of cable news will share his perspectives. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
26. Tyehimba Jess
He won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for poetry and boy, did he deserve it. Stranger Genius Award nominees Wave Books (they're also local, guys!) published his winning book, Olio, which explores, embodies, and thinks through the early origins of black music in America. If you have not checked out this book, you must. Jess is doing shit with the page that I have never seen before in my life—writing poems you have to rip out of the book and roll into a tube in order to read, and writing mirroring ghazals that actually read forwards and backwards, just to name a few. RICH SMITH
27. Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k
Walk or run a 5K or 15K at this annual race, stopping at sweet stations for marshmallows, chocolate chips, and M&Ms along the way. Delicious gluten- and peanut-free chocolate will patiently await your arrival at the finish line.
28. Seattle Sounders 2018 Home Opener
Seattle's MLS team's 2018 season will begin with a match against Los Angeles FC. See the full Sounders 2018 home game schedule here.
MARCH 5
MUSIC29. Iced Earth, Sanctuary, Kill Ritual
It’s been a little over two months since Warrel Dane, vocalist of Nevermore and Sanctuary, passed away at the age of 56 while working on a solo album in São Paulo. He toured the world throughout the late '80s and '90s as the singer of two highly regarded bands, proudly waving the flag of Seattle metal while the music industry was much more fixated on “grunge.” This tour, alongside Florida’s Iced Earth, will be the last for Sanctuary. After Dane's death, the band tapped Witherfall vocalist Joseph Michael to fill his spot as one final tribute to the late vocalist.
KEVIN DIERS
30. PVRIS
Electro-pop party rockers PVRIS are anchored by the sense of powerful urgency ushered in by singer Lynn Gunn, who was recently awarded "Best Vocalist" by the 2017 Alternative Press Music Awards.
31. Walk Off The Earth, The Darenots
Platinum-certified, Juno Award-winning Canadian quintet Walk Off The Earth are currently on the first leg of their 2018 World Tour, spreading their optimistic stadium pop far and wide. They'll be joined by the Darenots on this tour stop.
32. Daniel H. Pink
In his new book, When, Daniel H. Pink explores the secrets of "good timing." He poses questions like: "Why should we avoid going to the hospital in the afternoon?" and "What is the ideal time to quit a job, switch careers, or get married?"
33. Robert Reich: The Common Good
The respected left-wing economist and fierce critic of the Republican-held government will present his book about "virtuous cycles that reinforce and build the common good, as well as vicious cycles that undermine it."
MARCH 5-30
FOOD & DRINK34. Oyster Madness
Basketball isn't the only March Madness: Bellevue restaurant Pearl will be hosting a four-week celebration of all things oyster, with special menus and different preparations (raw, baked, fried and grilled) and tips and education provided by Taylor Shellfish oyster expert Call Nichols. Plus, get gratis oysters while they last on their Free Oyster Fridays.
MARCH 6
MUSIC35. Enslaved, Wolves in the Throne Room, Myrkur, Khemmis
Over the past several years, the Decibel Magazine tour has managed to be one of the only package metal tours to put together four bands of significant metal-songwriting forces onstage. These types of tours tend to roll through in the summer; that this year’s tour is rolling through in the winter makes poetic sense, since most of its bands evoke Scandinavia's chilly climes in lyric and aesthetic. Enslaved sound like King Crimson now, but were one of Norway's first black-metal bands. Olympia's Wolves in the Throne Room may be the best black-metal group that the US has produced. Myrkur ruffle some feathers on account of singer Amalie Bruun being a woman (Satan cannot save you from institutional sexism), but her songs meld Loreena McKennitt and Mayhem with aplomb. Don’t miss openers Khemmis, either; they have some of the same spark as '80s-era Iron Maiden.
JOSEPH SCHAFER
36. Imogen Cooper
Imogen Cooper is an English pianist who didn't really begin to come to worldwide attention until she was in her late 50s; now she's in her late 60s and known for her interpretations of Schubert and Schumann. JEN GRAVES
37. Rachael Yamagata, Hemming
Rachael Yamagata covered the Muppets! And she turned the Muppet song into the Beach Boys in the bargain! It’s all true. Check out “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday,” with its strings, its dum-diddey-dums, almost-whispered vocals. Her latest album, 2016’s Tightrope Walker, dials up the strings a few notches, and dallies with just slightly more direct singing. I can’t say how all this delicacy translates to the live setting, with overdubs out of the question and sound levels tilting toward brute-force-or-drowned-out. But it should be enthralling to hear for oneself.
ANDREW HAMLIN
MARCH 6-7
MUSIC38. Dee Dee Bridgewater
Michigan-born jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater boasts an agile, dulcet voice that’s charmed its way onto sessions with some of the genre’s most interesting artists, including Roy Ayers, Stanley Clarke, Cecil McBee, Norman Connors, and Carlos Garnett. Bridgewater’s at home in spiritual-jazz settings that allow her to improvise with serene poise and silky ebullience. Now 67, she’s one of the most revered vocalists in jazz and a key ambassador for the music thanks to her 23-year stint hosting NPR’s JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater.
DAVE SEGAL
MARCH 7
COMEDY39. Anthony Jeselnik: Funny Games
When Jeselnik came to town awhile back, Lindy West, working at the Stranger at the time, simply said: "You really really really really really really ought to go." Now, the arrogant-personaed cringe comedian is back, fresh off a 2017 tour with Chris Rock.
40. Neil Hamburger
The more he fails, the more he wins over the crowd. That’s the paradox of Gregg Turkington’s shockingly enduring character, Neil Hamburger. With his greasy combover, phlegm-hawking, and beleaguered, hunched demeanor, the tuxedo’d entertainer dispenses mean-spirited, pop-culture-puncturing jokes that carry the whiff of stale cologne and motel-room desperation. Grinding sacred musical cows into fodder for dyspeptic, puntastic question/answer gags, Hamburger inspires guffaws and groans with remarkable consistency. His humor feels rancid going down… and that’s the whole point. What are the odds he’ll do that tasteless bit about Chris Cornell’s suicide in the late singer’s hometown? DAVE SEGAL
41. They Might Be Giants
The creative and sometimes absurd humor of a couple of Johns (Flansburgh and Linnell) has fueled the alt-rock and weirdo pop of They Might Be Giants for going on 36 years and 20 albums now (the most recent, I Like Fun, dropped in January). Seriously, that’s a lot of time to be making original music together, and even more impressive, making it “funny,” or cheekily educational, or simply quirky as fuck. If you’ve not been charmed and uplifted by TMBG, start with their “hits”—“Birdhouse in Your Soul” and “Istanbul” (not Constantinople—“Why’d they change it, I can’t say? People just liked it better that way!”)—then move on to 1992’s Apollo 18. “I Palindrome I,” “Mammal,” and “Dinner Bell” are all wonderful, but if you’re pressed for time, skim the “Fingertips” shorts, each of which last between five and 28 seconds. If you’re not a fan by then, it’s probably a good thing, as this show is sold out.
LEILANI POLK
42. Ijeoma Oluo: So You Want to Talk About Race
So You Want to Talk About Race—the breakout book by Seattle-based writer, speaker, and emerging social media icon, Ijeoma Oluo—offers a fresh, compassionate, often witty approach to helping us have productive conversations about race and navigate these turbulent times. Drawing from a well of personal experience as a black woman with deep and intimate ties to the white world, Oluo distinguishes herself as a relatable yet nuanced commentator on a subject that so many others have tried less successfully to take on. It’s evident that she knows her theory, but she doesn’t get mired in the academic debates, instead offering vivid anecdotes from life on the front lines as well as practical advice that both longtime students of race in America as well as newcomers to the field will find useful. Because in an era when the public sphere can so quickly explode into anger, even violence, the way we talk matters. People’s life chances hang in the balance of our political discourse, and Oluo’s book shows us how we might swing that balance toward justice—one conversation at a time. DEEPA BHANDARU
43. Patton Oswalt: Michelle McNamara's 'I'll Be Gone in the Dark'
You know Oswalt from his stomach-churningly funny stand-up, from his also-funny-but-way-more-than-merely-funny books (special shout out to Silver Screen Fiend, the actual story of my life), and from his often-embattled-but-typically-mostly-funny Twitter feed. Tonight, though, you will encounter an even more impressive side of Oswalt: the champion of the life and work of the late Michelle McNamara, the brilliant true crime journalist and writer to whom he was married. McNamara worked for many years on a book about the search for a man she dubbed “The Golden State Killer,” who terrorized Northern and Southern California, committing 50 rapes and 10 murders between 1976 and 1986. Though unfinished at the time of her death, I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer has been completed by her colleagues using McNamara’s extensive writings, interviews, and research. SEAN NELSON
MARCH 8
READINGS & TALKS44. Amy Chua with Bill Radke: Political Tribes
In her new book, Political Tribes, Yale Law School professor (and proud "Tiger Mom") Amy Chua argues that American nationalism blinds us to the tribal tendencies that drive much of our political behavior. She goes on to critique "identitarians" of all stripes, and encourages us to work toward "a more difficult unity that acknowledges the reality of group differences and fights the deep inequities that divide us." Chua has written convincingly about the perils of our tribe-blindness in the past (check out World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability for more about how it leads us into long, bloody, un-winnable wars), and it'll be interesting to hear how her criticism of identity politics "on the left and on the right" goes over here in sunny Seattle. KUOW's Bill Radke, host of The Record, will help start/put out any fires onstage. RICH SMITH
45. Temple Grandin
When animal behavior expert, scientist, and speaker on autism issues Dr. Temple Grandin arrives in town, her events sell out very rapidly. Such, sadly, is the case this time. If you want to hear this prominent disability rights activist's perspective on "Equity and Difference," you will have to show up early for a standby seat. Good luck.
46. Safety Is Our Right
Join council member Kshama Sawant and others in protesting sexual violence and harassment, condemning politicians who associate with the NRA, and promoting safe communities and universal health care.
MARCH 8-11
MUSIC47. Billy Cobham's Crosswinds Project
Prolific drummer Billy Cobham will perform with his new percussion ensemble, the Crosswinds Project, an effort designed to reflect upon his second recording on Atlantic Records in 1974. He'll be joined by Ernie Watts on sax, Scott Tibbs on keys, Fareed Haque on guitar, and Tim Landers on bass.
48. Kim Lusk: A Dance for Dark Horses
Velocity Dance Center crowned local choreographer Kim Lusk as their "Made In Seattle" program fellow this year, which means they're giving her a bunch of support and producing her first full-length performance, A Dance for Dark Horses. Based on a short preview I saw, it seems like they made a good choice. Lusk's piece is a humorous, light-hearted meditation on a group of extroverted introverts (or would it be introverted extroverts?) trying to distinguish themselves from one another, but also trying to be good team players. Her funny, open-hearted, kinda dead-pan style will make you smile, which is rare in a genre that's lousy with self-seriousness. RICH SMITH
MARCH 9
COMEDY49. Bob Saget
If you've only seen Bob Saget on old episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos or Full House, you should know that he's been nominated for a Grammy for his much less family-friendly stand-up acts.
50. A Wrinkle in Time Opening
After the excitement for Black Panther is spent, we can turn to A Wrinkle in Time, a film based on a novel that everyone seems to have read or heard of but has forgotten. Nevertheless, the adaptation of the book will be the first big-budget Hollywood film directed by a black woman, Ava DuVernay (she directed Selma). The budget of this fantasy film is said to be more than $100 million. This is amazing. What will a black woman do with all that money? We will see. CHARLES MUDEDE
51. Awolnation, Nothing But Thieves
Boom-clap electro-rock project Awolnation will bring their all-American ad spot jams to Seattle on their Here Come The Runts Tour with Nothing But Thieves.
52. Lorde, Run The Jewels
Less than a year after her headlining Bumbershoot slot, New Zealand pop wunderkind Lorde is returning to Seattle, this time with hiphop anarchists Run the Jewels in tow. Lorde’s sophomore LP, Melodrama, sent critics head over heels, but failed to light up the charts, even though its producer Jack Antonoff is also one of Taylor Swift’s chevaliers. Even so, Melodrama is a sophisticated window into Lorde’s mind, and a signpost of how emotionally compelling and texturally adventurous mainstream pop can be if singers dare to be a little more vulnerable and creative. Which isn’t to say it’s all sap and no song: “Homemade Dynamite” and “Perfect Places” both deserved to go to No. 1.
JOSEPH SCHAFER
53. Ibram X. Kendi: How To Be Anti-Racist and Why It Matters
2016 National Book Award-winning historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi will present his book Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which challenges some of our country's toxic institutional ideologies.
MARCH 9-10
COMEDY54. Paula Poundstone
Paula Poundstone is a divisive comedian. She placed 88 on Comedy Central’s 2004 list of top 100 stand-ups while clocking in at No. 6 in Maxim magazine’s 2007 list of “Worst Comedians of All-Time.” Well-known for her stints on NPR’s news quiz show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me, she specializes in relatable, everyday anecdotes that come loaded with humorous twists, often glazed with self-deprecation and mild absurdity. There’s something Seinfeldian about her act, but she’s a bit goofier overall than Jerry. Poundstone’s a seasoned pro, albeit not with the spiciest ingredients. DAVE SEGAL
55. Northwest Metal Fest
The original Northwest Metal Fests were held in the '80s, and were the maypoles around which this region’s vibrant but often-overlooked old-school heavy-metal scene danced. Sponsored by NW Metalworx, this is first iteration of the fest in over 20 years. It unites those older acts with their youthful successors. Headliners Coven (not the '60s hard-rock band) and Q5 represent the old school, but newcomers like Substratum keep their fantastic flames alive right now. This symbolic passing of the torch also aims to become a regular celebration of the region’s musical history. JOSEPH SCHAFER
MARCH 9-11
COMEDY56. Vir Das
Extremely popular Bollywood comedian and actor Vir Das (who has appeared in films including BadMaash Company, Delhi Belly, and Revolver Rani, and has performed stand-up comedy all over the world) will grace humble Bellevue.
MARCH 9-15
FILM57. Animation Show of Shows
Celebrate the art of animation at the 19th Annual Animation Show of Shows, a six-day-long event that will feature more than a dozen films from artists Quentin Baillieux, Lia Bertels, Pete Docter, and many others around the world.
MARCH 10
COMEDY58. Jeff Dunham: Passively Aggressive
Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham will bring his one-man cast of characters to Tacoma.
59. Bourbon & Bacon Fest
It’s no secret that the smoky, fatty flavor of bacon holds a near-primal appeal, and it’s only magnified when paired with the caramelly, butterscotch-tinged notes of bourbon. At this event, you can sample plenty of crispy, pork-studded dishes from Puget Sound vendors like Pecos Pit, Bavarian Meats, and Top Pot Doughnuts alongside bourbons and other brown liquors from all over the country. Proceeds benefit Treehouse, a local nonprofit that provides academic resources and support for children in foster care. JULIANNE BELL
60. WhiskeyRocks Northwest
Expand your knowledge of whiskey by sampling malty booze from around the world while hearing live music from Spike and the Impalers, the Groove Surfers, and Brian DiJulio and the Love Jacks.
61. Balkan Night Northwest 2018
Celebrate Balkan culture by dancing to Greek music by Nick Sofos and Endasi and Romani torch songs by Eva Salina with Peter Stan.
62. Blue Oyster Cult
Hooboy, how to explain Blue Öyster Cult if you don’t already know ’em? A thinking person’s heavy-metal band? A thinking person’s stoner-rock? Dedicated devotees of Lovecraft, Stephen King, John Shirley, and Michael Moorcock, the latter two of whom wrote lyrics for ’em? “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” made the charts, made the soundtrack for the original Halloween, and it’s still good for scaring yourself in the basement, especially on really potent da kine. I like their recent (well, 2001) stuff better than most people, but fear not: This is a casino gig, so the hits will be happening. Beware of contact highs. Unless you seek them out.
ANDREW HAMLIN
63. Celebrating David Bowie
Now that the winter is over, it’s time to revel in some palate-cleansing joy. Seattle Symphony has decided to host an evening of tributes worthy of glam rock god David Bowie with his friends, former bandmates, and acclaimed musicians including Mike Garson, Adrian Belew, Gerry Leonard, Carmine Rojas, Gaby Moreno, and Angelo Moore. Feel free to zazz your face up with a lightning bolt and cry/dance in the corner with the rest of us.
64. Jonathan Evison: All About Lulu
The Bainbridge Island novelist comes into the city to read from his first novel, All About Lulu, which is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. I haven’t read All About Lulu, but I read another of Evison's novels, The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving, before it became a movie, and was delighted to discover that Evison is a multitalented fiction writer—funny, insightful, vivid, great with dialogue and characterization. All About Lulu is about a young vegetarian growing up in a family of bodybuilders and dealing with “the death of his mother, the arrival of a new step-mother, and his irrepressible crush on his new step-sister, Lulu,” according to its publisher. CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE
MARCH 10-18
FILM65. Seattle Jewish Film Festival
This annual film festival explores and celebrates global Jewish and Israeli life, history, complexity, culture, and filmmaking. The festival showcases international, independent and award-winning Jewish-themed and Israeli cinema, and the audience votes on their favorites. This year, the theme is "isREEL Life" in celebration of Israel's 70th anniversary. On opening night, see Maktub, a mob comedy by Oded Raz, and attend a Tom Douglas-catered dessert party. There will also be an Eastside opening featuring the documentary Shalom Bollywood about Jewish Indian performers. Other highlights will include the excellent documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story and a ceremony honoring filmmaker Tiffany Shlain (The Tribe).
MARCH 10-31
PERFORMANCE66. Ride the Cyclone
In this macabre musical comedy, a teenage chamber choir is trapped in fairground purgatory after a roller coaster accident kills them all. Rachel Rockwell will direct this 5th Ave/ACT co-production, which the New York Times called "a delightfully weird and just plain delightful show."
MARCH 11
FOOD & DRINK67. 2nd Annual Dumpling Fest
My number-one craving in these cold winter months is dumplings in any and all of their forms, whether they’re xiao long bao or potato pierogi slathered in sour cream. So it’s with particular delight that I recommend this cross-cultural celebration of pillowy pockets of goodness. Tom Douglas will assemble peddlers of doughy delicacies of every persuasion, from potstickers to pelmeni, in one room, so that you can drift from station to station stuffing their wares into your face. Participating businesses include Rachel Yang and Seif Chirchi’s Revel, Dumpling Tzar, Rocky’s Empanadas, and more. JULIANNE BELL
68. The Poetry Brothel: Cabaret Voltaire
In this unusual immersive poetry event, you'll go to a "brothel" where, instead of sexual favors, your "prostitute" will bestow poetry upon you in private or in a cozy corner. Even if you don't take them up on it, you can still watch the burlesque and variety show onstage as the performers pay homage to Hugo Ball's Cabaret Voltaire, that iconic, short-lived center of the Dada movement in 1916 Zurich.
69. Willy Vlautin: Don't Skip Out on Me
Willy Vlautin—the Portland-based author of Lean on Pete, a movie version of which will come out later this month—has a new novel out called Don't Skip Out on Me, in which a Paiute and Irish ranch hand named Horace decides to become a boxer.
MARCH 11-13
READINGS & TALKS70. National Geographic Live: A Wild Life
Young Bertie Gregory (Scientific Exploration Society Zenith Explorer of the year in 2015) takes photos of wild and urban animal photography, revealing the bond between humans and animals in cities around the world. See his work at this show, presented by the Seattle Symphony.
MARCH 13
MUSIC71. Why Don't We
Gen-Z boy band Why Don't We, comprised of Daniel Seavey, Zach Herron, Corbyn Besson, Jonah Marais, and Jack Avery, combine their singer-songwriter talents and social media prowess to form a pop culture monolith.
72. Dancing with the Stars Live
See a live version of the 25-year-old ballroom dance show, choreographed by Emmy winner Mandy Moore and starring Lindsay Arnold, Alan Bersten, Sharna Burgess, Witney Carson, Artem Chigvintsev, and others.
MARCH 13-14
MUSIC73. Squirrel Nut Zippers
One of the most successful bands to participate in the mid-’90s big band revival, Squirrel Nut Zippers will play a two-night set rife with brassy, folksy jazz and party swing.
MARCH 14
FOOD & DRINK74. Pi Day
With 3/14 comes the annual celebration of everyone’s favorite mathematical constant, π. Observe accordingly by partaking in a cavalcade of delicious circular foods. There’s pie, of course: March 14 offers a valid excuse to dive your fork into flaky golden pastry at A la Mode Pies on Phinney Ridge and in West Seattle, Pie in Fremont, High 5 Pie in Burien, and Pie Bar on Capitol Hill and in Ballard. Tom Douglas’s dream of a triple coconut cream pie at Dahlia Bakery is never a bad idea, either. At Conor Byrne in Ballard, amateur and professional pastry chefs alike will celebrate by raffling off their favorite pies, with proceeds going to the nonprofit Arc of King County. And should your pi(e) preferences lean toward the pizza persuasion, check out Dino’s Tomato Pie, Humble Pie, or Serious Pie, where such good slices are served, you’ll want 3.141592653 of them.
75. Steve Aoki, Desiigner
The son of Rocky Aoki, owner of the Benihana chain of restaurants, Steve Aoki has used his dad's financial might to fund the Dim Mak label and to throw extravagant parties in his LA home base. Aoki has remixed marquee names like Michael Jackson, Drake, Chris Cornell, Weezer, and the Killers, and those commercial instincts come to the fore in his DJ sets, where he plays a ceaseless stream of popular club tunes. Aoki always has two ears cocked toward whatever's blowing up on the circuit, so expect to hear a lot of brostep, electro house, and mainstream hiphop on this tour.
DAVE SEGAL
76. Feathers of Fire
Hamid Rahmanian's cinematic shadow puppet/live actor show adapts a love story from a 10th-century Persian epic tale, Shahnameh, set to original music by Loga Ramin Torkian and Azam Ali. Its movie-like qualities have been praised by none other than Francis Ford Coppola.
77. Enough! National School Walkout
Women’s March Youth EMPOWER is calling for students, teachers, school administrators, parents, and allies to walk out of school for 17 minutes to protest Congress' inaction against gun violence.
MARCH 15
COMMUNITY78. #EducationSoWhite 2018
A panel of education leaders will examine "the impact of the culture gaps in our schools separating students and teachers." Specifically, they'll address the overwhelming whiteness of Washington State teachers, the achievement gap, ideas for solutions in recruiting and retaining teachers of color, equitable restorative justice practices, the school-to-prison pipeline, inclusion for LGBTQ/QPOC teachers and students, and more.
79. Tomb Raider
Alicia Vikander is the latest Lara Croft, who is on a mission to discover where her father vanished in the wilderness years before.
80. GeekWire Bash
GeekWire will flex its gaming muscles in both the tech and physical realms by keeping party guests occupied with ping-pong, dodgeball, board games, foosball, virtual reality, sumo wrestling, and much more. Guests can also network with members of Seattle's tech community from GeekWire and beyond.
MARCH 15-18
PERFORMANCE81. Bebe Miller Company: In a Rhythm
Bebe Miller, who's garnered awards from some of the most prestigious arts organizations in the nation, will stage her new dance works inspired by modern and contemporary literary masters and interrogate "the syntax of movement."
82. The Illusionists
Five famous magicians—Jeff Hobson, Kevin James, Colin Cloud, An Ha Lim, and Jonathan Goodwin—will make your hair stand on end with feats of deduction, illusion, and death-cheating.
MARCH 15-APRIL 8
PERFORMANCE83. Moisture Festival
Moisture Festival is devoted to the variety of performers Seattle has fostered over the years, from circus acts to comedians, burlesque dancers to musicians, and jugglers to tap dancers. It's been going for more than 13 years in Seattle, a testament to the popularity of cabaret-style entertainment in town.
MARCH 16
FILM84. Love, Simon Opening
A closeted gay teen searching for his great love story finds out that another boy in his school is also queer—but he doesn’t know who. This doesn’t stop him from striking up a romantic email correspondence with the unknown “Blue.” Based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.
85. The Experience II: Tyrese, Keyshia Cole, & Friends
Multi-hyphenate Tyrese Gibson will headline this tour of throwback R&B and neo-soul acts, with support from Oakland queen Keyshia Cole and additional acts.
86. Phillip Phillips, Ballroom Thieves
American Idol winner Phillip Phillips will hit Seattle for a night of earthy guitar-fueled rock and all-ages singer-songwriter fun on his Magnetic Tour with Ballroom Thieves for support.
87. Steven Pinker: Enlightenment
If you ask Steven Pinker, the state of the world is fine. Pinker, a famed evolutionary psychologist, argues in his new book Enlightenment Now that even though it might seem like the world is a toxic pile of sewage and waste (just turn on the news), we’re actually doing better than any other time in human history. And he has the data to back it up: Life expectancy is up across most of the world, as are literacy rates, access to food, clean drinking water, information, and work. Critics say Pinker is naive, arguing that he’s blinded by his experience living in the West, but Pinker has a way of batting down both his critics and their arguments, and you can see him do it person—and get a copy of his book—when he comes to Seattle this month.
MARCH 16-17
MUSIC88. Antibalas, Guests
Seeing NYC mainstay Antibalas play is akin to feeling like you’ve been invited to a lively tropical party that has one foot in the sun-soaked 1970s, where Fela Kuti & Africa 70 reigned with brass-splashed, percussion-fueled Afrobeat, and another in the present, fusing jazz, dub, and funk with tight prowess and much playfulness. Nigerian-British vocalist/conga player Duke Amayo leads the charge with exotic bilingual vocals, conga thumping and battering, and martial arts–inspired dance moves, while the ensemble—which ranges from 12 to 15 people in live settings—supports with guitars that fluctuate from wet wah-wah textures to grittier riffs, thick throbbing bass lines, chugging and slinking rhythms, and bright, urgent brass from a multi-piece section led by bari sax player and band founder Martin Perna. LEILANI POLK
MARCH 16-25
PERFORMANCE89. Director's Choice
There's just something about watching dancers drag 20 industrial-sized tables across the stage during William Forsythe's One Flat Thing that delights me every time. Other highlights of PNB Artistic Director Peter Boal's always excellent showcase: the ultra-gorgeous athleticism of Forsythe's Slingerland Duet, the almost percussive rhythm of the solo violin in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels, and the world premiere of PNB soloist Ezra Thompson's The Perpetual State. RICH SMITH
MARCH 17
ART90. 'Captive Light: The Life and Photography of Ella E. McBride' Opening
Ella McBride, who was born in 1862 and died in 1965 at 102, was one of the most accomplished and widely exhibited Pictorialist photographers during the early 1900s. Pictorialism introduced a more painterly rather than documentary approach to photography by combining artistic composition with experimentation during the development process. In McBride’s “Shirley Poppy,” a single bloomed poppy with two budded stems stand tall in an overlarge Chinese vase while cherry blossoms cast shadows on the wall behind. Not sepia-toned nor black and white, the warm tan hues lend a soft elegance to the piece. When not producing her own work, McBride ran famed photographer Edward Curtis’s studio and was an accomplished mountaineer. KATIE KURTZ
91. St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day marks the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. Those who fail to wear green may get pinched, and those who drink may find themselves consuming many beers. Parades and 5Ks abound. Find ways to celebrate in Seattle here, including the EDM festival Lucky 2018, the Seattle Center Irish Festival, and a giant party at Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub.
92. Master Illusionist Ivan Amodei
Illusionist Ivan Amodei will blow your mind with illusions and brain games; they warn that he might "manipulate time" and "discover a spectator's destiny." Don't sit up front if you don't want to know your future.
93. Lamont 'U-God' Hawkins: Raw: My Journey into the Wu-Tang
U-God will be the first of the Staten Island hiphop titans to tell the group's story in his book Raw: My Journey into the Wu-Tang. Learn about his friendship with the other artists—RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Masta Killa—and the music that brought them out of the ghetto and into the airwaves.
94. Matthew Dickman and Emily Strelow
Sit in on a joint reading with two Portland-rooted writers, Matthew Dickman (who will read from his new poetry collection, Wonderland) and Emily Strelow (who will read from her new novel, The Wild Birds). About Wonderland, Carrie Brownstein wrote, "Matthew Dickman captures the vicissitudes of childhood: the mess and wildness of it all, how we are both held and discarded, the way darkness subsumes the glow and vice versa. Dickman’s poems are deft and sparkling and never cease to tear into you with their profound rawness and beauty.”
MARCH 17-18
FOOD & DRINK95. Bacon Eggs & Kegs
This boozy brunch bacchanal features tastings of over 80 different beers and ciders, a 30-foot Bloody Mary bar with "deep fried, pickled, fresh, meaty and cheesy toppings," Irish coffee, mimosas, adult root beer floats, dueling pianos, lawn games (including "giant Jenga" and "life-size Yahtzee"), sweet and savory bacon-studded brunch dishes, and more.
96. NF, Michl
Alt-hiphop artist NF, which stands for the man behind the acronym, Gladwin-native Nathan Feuerstein, aims to essentially be the millennial Eminem by Michigandering through personal issues like his own childhood abuse, anger issues, and losing loved ones to drugs in his raps.
97. Anything Goes
Enjoy Cole Porter's songs and screwball wit in one of UW's biggest productions to date, "featuring 29 actors and 74 costumes," in this silly comedy about a stowaway wooing an heiress aboard an ocean liner.
MARCH 18
COMMUNITY98. Nowruz
The Persian New Year, Nowruz, marks both the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere and the first month on the Iranian calendar. Celebrate locally by leaning about the holiday's traditions through live performances, art exhibits, speakers from around the world, and more.
MARCH 18 & 24
PERFORMANCE99. Snow White
Bruce Wells's choreography and Oskar Nedbal's music retell the story of Snow White, her small-statured friends, the poison apple, and the reviving kiss in ballet. Students of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School will perform this hour-long, narrated version.
MARCH 19
MUSIC100. Pink Martini
I will always love Pink Martini for its exceptionally beautiful cover of the “Song of the Black Lizard,” the lead track for the campy late-'60s Japanese film Black Lizard. If you have not heard of the band, which was founded in Portland, Oregon, by the pianist Thomas Lauderdale in the mid-'90s, I recommend you enter its world by this door—this sensuous tune. Pink Martini’s world is trashy, elegant, erotic, and filled with those feelings that can only be suggested by things like the traces of lipstick on a wine glass, the final smoke rising from a extinguished cigarette, a rain-distorted face of someone in the back of a cab that’s passing you at night.
CHARLES MUDEDE
101. Udo Dirkschneider, Elm Street, Zero Down
Sporting a buzz cut and standing a little on the short side, Germany’s Udo Dirkschneider doesn’t exactly look like an 1980s hard-rock icon, but for years he was the face of Accept, best known in the United States for their hit “Balls to the Wall.” The band’s career never took off on this side of the pond—but overseas, Accept’s legacy as premiere purveyors of riff-and-scream remains secure. Take it from me, Accept are good—like, Iron Maiden good. The group now sports a new singer, and Dirkschneider sits at the helm of a long and successful solo career, but that doesn’t mean he’s above belting out the songs that made him famous. On this tour, Dirkschneider is playing only classic Accept songs, which he promises never to sing again. That makes this show a unique opportunity to celebrate or first experience one of the best-kept secrets in heavy guitar music.
JOSEPH SCHAFER
MARCH 20
MUSIC102. Sessions: Andrew Joslyn & the Passenger String Quartet
Local multi-hyphenate Andrew Joslyn works as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and Macklemore's orchestra leader, as well as the band leader for the Passenger Ensemble, a string quartet that thrives in experimental, neo-classical zones.
103. Manual Cinema: Ada/Ava
A old woman who's just lost her twin wanders into a carnival mirror maze and finds herself traveling "across the thresholds of life and death" in Manual Cinema collective's trippy-sounding play, which incorporates shadow puppetry, old-school projection, and other nifty, classic techniques.
MARCH 21
MUSIC104. Andy Grammer
Andy Grammer became the first male pop star in a decade to reach the Top 10 at Adult Pop Radio with his songs "Keep Your Head Up" and "Fine By Me," from his 2011 debut album. Hear his stuff on his Good Parts tour.
105. Rhett Miller, Matthew Ryan
Don't hate Rhett Miller because he has amazing hair. The Texas troubadour's rep as one of the nicest guys in rock makes it hard to hold a grudge against those beautiful locks. Just as he's taken style cues from Gram Parsons, his career has followed a parallel path. Parsons made his name with the Flying Burrito Brothers, Miller made his with the Old 97’s. Parsons, however, never covered the Cramps' "TV Set." For his sixth studio recording The Traveler, Miller recorded in Portland with Black Prairie, including Alaska-born fiddle player Annalisa Tornfelt. Wistful nostalgia reigns, as he paints pictures of powder-blue pickups in the summer and youthful indiscretions in the city. If charm is your Kryptonite, steer clear of this show.
KATHY FENNESSY
106. "When Words Dance": An Evening with Porter Ray
Once dubbed “the golden child” by Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler, the kid Porter Ray Sullivan is grown, and, as a matter of fact, has been older in spirit than his youthful face and shimmering soprano have let on all along. The late-20s Seattle MC compounds nocturnal ruminations on past traumas and altered toasts to the high life’s seductive mirage. “MLK, Rainier, shit just ain’t the same here/I fantasize of foreign flights, foreign women snortin’ white,” he raps on “Bless Me”—“may all my pain be champagne.” Ray has a lot to say, and a million ways to say it, and each verse he writes only lifts him toward the heights he dreams of.
TODD HAMM
107. Aminatta Forna
Novelist Aminatta Forna, Scottish-born author of The Hired Man and the memoir The Devil That Danced on Water, will read from Happiness, a story about an American scientist studying urban foxes in London and her growing friendship with a Ghanaian psychiatrist who's in the same city to deliver a lecture on trauma.
MARCH 22
PERFORMANCE108. The Golden Girls Live
Welcome four queens from San Francisco as they embody the Golden Girls: Heklina, Matthew Martin, D'Arcy Drollinger (who also directs), and Holotta Tymes. Sasha Velour (RPDR Season 9) is the guest star.
109. Junot Díaz: Islandborn
The often darkly funny and profane author Junot Díaz has produced a much kinder, gentler story for kids. It's about a little girl, Lola, whois upset when she can't remember the place where her family immigrated from, the Island. Her family and friends help her discover her homeland through her own imagination and her identity.
110. Words Matter 2018 Benefit Gala & Literary Auction
Dress your sparkliest and raise funds for Seattle Arts & Lectures on the waterfront as you eat a fancy meal, drink wine, bid on silent auction items, fete SAL's Prowda Literary Award winner, and generally honor the power of words.
MARCH 22-23
MUSIC111. Pussy Riot
Russian feminist punk collective Pussy Riot, who have also dabbled in psych rock musicals, will showcase their performance-art-meets-politics-meets-pop-and-punk-music talent at this event.
MARCH 22-24
PERFORMANCE112. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
Taiwanese dancer and choreographer Lin Hwai Min has spent his long, laureled career creating performances that induce meditation through spectacle of many kinds. He likes overwhelming the senses by filling the stage with stuff: washes of rose petals, mounds of dried rice, massive pools of light and shadow. Against these gorgeous backdrops, graceful and powerful dancers combine Tai chi and indigenous Taiwanese dance with contemporary Asian forms in an effort to explore the contours of Taiwanese identity, which has been shaped by years of colonization and Chinese influence. Min's new production, Formosa, very much continues in this vein. It takes its name from the word that 16th century Portuguese sailors used to describe the island, and it features abstract, fluid dances in front landscapes made of text. RICH SMITH
MARCH 22-25
FOOD & DRINK113. Taste Washington
Taste Washington, which bills itself as "the nation's largest single-region wine and food" event, comprises four days of wine tastings, gourmet bites, food demonstrations from celebrity chefs, farm tours, and more.
114. Burt Bacharach
Legendary composer, performer, and godfather of pop Burt Bacharach will share his decades of chart-topping experience with a four-day residency of jazz and classic chamber pop.
115. Intersections: A Celebration of Seattle Performance
Improv comedy queens Natasha Ransom, Jekeva Phillips (who made City Arts' Future List this year), and Kinzie Shaw are organizing a festival for performers who identify as LGBTQ+, are of color, and/or have disabilities. Come to see burlesque, improv, drag, theater, dance, and music acts, plus panels and a party. Some highlights include the promising new duo Poop Tooth, stand-uppers Val Nigro and Monisa Brown, "Mother of the House of Luna" Jade Dynasty, and Tootsie Spangles.
MARCH 22 & 29
FILM116. Alfred Hitchcock's Britain
Sure, with the exception of the modestly budgeted, black-and-white Psycho, Hitchcock is known for his lavishly Freudian Technicolor thrillers from the ‘50s and ‘60s. But the films he made in his native Britain are just as worthy of note—taut, intricate, their perversity more elaborately disguised. This series includes the masterpiece The 39 Steps and the excellent Young and Innocent, plus the better-known but more Hollywoodized Dial M for Murder.
MARCH 23
COMEDY117. Trevor Noah
Blessing: South African comedian Trevor Noah has control of the bully pulpit of Comedy Central's The Daily Show. Curse: He's had to follow Jon Stewart in that slot. It's hard not to seem a tad second-rate replacing a vastly influential and beloved political-satire legend, but Noah's gamely making a go of it. He leverages his outsider status in America—how many other South African comics do you know?—to offer fresh slants on myriad social and political topics. On a recent Daily Show, Noah took Florida's government to task for emphasizing porn control over gun control: “Wow. I think you guys are worried about the wrong kind of mass shooting.” DAVE SEGAL
118. Arcade Lights 2018
Enjoy sweet and savory bites along with craft cocktails, beer, cider and wine from over 70 vendors, including Bavarian Meats, Ellenos Yogurt, indi chocolate, Jonboy Caramels, and more. Proceeds benefit Pike Place Market's social services.
119. Aubrey Logan
High-powered jazz vocalist Aubrey Logan peppers her songs with bits of pop, rock, R&B, and soul for a bombastic Broadway vibe perfect for an evening of cabaret and cocktails.
120. Galactic, Butcher Brown
Everyone’s favorite New Orleans jam band is back, no doubt revitalized by this month’s Mardi Gras celebration. With 20 years of recording behind them, Galactic have honed a polyglot approach to moving bodies and inspiring smiles, as they cook up a bouillabaisse of funk, blues, rock, jazz, and hiphop while strutting with marching-band brio. Their 2015 album, Into the Deep, is a slick reiteration of their strengths and includes guest vocals by Macy Gray and Mavis Staples. It’s doubtful those distinctive divas will join the group tonight, but Galactic are such a galvanizing live enterprise, that should be a moot point. DAVE SEGAL
121. Hugo Literary Series: Joshua Ferris, Melissa Febos, E.J. Koh, and Tomo Nakayama
Seattle's invaluable literary institution Hugo House will soon be moving to a permanent site at its former location in Capitol Hill. This has prompted a reflection on real estate, "from the pragmatic issues of property value to the more nebulous idea of place." The House has commissioned new work from writers Joshua Ferris (whose novel Then We Came To The End was a National Book Award finalist), Melissa Febos (author of the lauded memoir Abandon Me), and E.J. Koh (Rich Smith has praised her "intense, image-driven poetry," and her collection A Lesser Love won a Pleiades Press Editors Prize in 2017). The last on the roster is folk singer/songwriter Tomo Nakayama, about whom Stranger contributor Andrew Hamlin wrote, " I discovered him right after 9/11 and felt such a relief that folks were writing such perfect pop songs—some guitar-driven, others on keyboard—about snow, rain, snowmen, darkness, regret, and fragility."
MARCH 23-24
PERFORMANCE122. Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre: Betroffenheit
This deeply disturbing clown show created by two of the best dance companies around is back! Jonathan Young and Crystal Pite's Betroffenheit—a German word that refers to "a state of shock, trauma, and bewilderment—features the living embodiment of Young's personal trauma of almost losing three of his family members in a cabin fire. Throughout the intense show, the clown-faced protagonist tries and fails and fails and fails to cope with their loss, reminding audiences how much work goes into the act of getting even just a little bit better. RICH SMITH
MARCH 23-25
FESTIVALS123. Aaina 2018
Aaina is a weekend-long festival featuring a variety of arts programming celebrating the achievements and exploring the experiences of South Asian women. The signature event is Yoni Ki Baat, an adaptation of The Vagina Monologues starring and directed by South Asian women.
124. The Boys from Syracuse
Delight to sprightly songs (many of which have entered the canon) from Rogers and Hart's screwball musical adaptation of Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors, courtesy of Showtunes Theatre.
MARCH 23-31
PERFORMANCE125. The Great Leap
Here's another chance to get a sense of the work of Lauren Yee, the 20-year-old playwright who already has more than half a dozen works under her belt. This production—produced in association with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company—bounces back and forth between 1971 China (feeling the after-effects of the "Great Leap Forward," and in the midst of the Cultural Revolution) and 1989 San Francisco.
126. Ironbound
This play, spanning two decades, dramatizes the working-class struggle for safety through the story of a Polish immigrant woman. The playwright, Polish-born, New Jersey-raised Martyna Majok, seeks to provide an alternative to caricatures of poor people in pop culture. Ironbound won the Charles McArthur Award for Outstanding Original New Play or Musical in 2015.
MARCH 24
COMEDY127. Sinbad
Sinbad will, presumably, continue sharing tales of everyday life.
128. Navruz
Feast on Central Asian cuisine and enjoy dancing and a fashion show in celebration of the Persian New Year. Dessert is served potluck-style, so bring sweets or fruit to share.
129. Venice is Sinking Masquerade Ball 2018
The word "decadence" comes from the Latin root meaning "to fall," which sort of explains why it refers both to decay and the surrender to ultimate, immoral luxury. So keep the image of Venice falling into its own beautiful, dirty canals and party away with belly dancers, contortionists, opera singer José Iñiguez, shibari riggers, Gansango African dancers and drummers, Luminous Pariah the boylesque artist—and of course, lots of lush dessert from Lady Yum and gelato from Gelatiamo at the Marie Antoinette Dessert Bar (not sure what she had to do with Venice, but why not). There's also a costume contest limited to 75 participants and extra perks for VIP ticket-holders, including a raffle, macarons, a pasta bar, and a free photoshoot. Note: YOU MUST wear a mask.
130. Totally 80s Rewind
If you've had it with the present, take a trip back to the 1980s to spend some time in an original DeLorean whip, sing your favorite throwbacks in karaoke, dance along to futuristic beep-boop music with R2DJ, play vintage games in an arcade, and win cool prizes.
131. 2018 Washington Cask Beer Festival
This festival features unique, naturally cask-conditioned beers from over 40 Washington breweries.
132. 7th Annual Slider Cook-Off
Nosh on pint-sized sandwiches from restaurants around the South Sound and groove the night away to '70s tunes from the Nines at this retro event inspired by glassblower John Miller. The night promises discotheque decor and a glassblowing demonstration, as well as "local celebrity judges, games, dancing, prizes and more."
133. Brouwer's Cafe 13th Anniversary and Orval Day
Celebrate a very lucky 13 years of business with a selection of brews new and old with Brouwer's Cafe. There will be two anniversary beers brewed just for the occasion by Deming WA's North Fork and Bellingham's Structures, as well as fresh and aged beer to observe Orval Day (a holiday in honor of a Trappist ale sold by Notre Dame d'Orval Monastery).
134. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Miss Velvet & the Blue Wolf, Future Shock
The superhumanly prolific George Clinton, a capital-C Creator who put whole planets in orbit, turned 76 last year—a distinguished age to reach when touring, creating, and imbibing for as many years as he has. So how do I put this? If you go your whole life not seeing the Godfather, the sworn protector of the Funk realm, it’s possible you will not be permitted passage onto the Mothership when it comes to rescue God’s children from the terminally unfunky. (Is it you?) Your best bet is to do exactly as Dr. Funkenstein himself prescribed on one of the genre’s greatest dis tracks—and take it to the stage. The funk will never die, and the legacy of the almighty Funk Mob continues, but you gotta appreciate the few greats left while they are still here. Now can you get with that?
LARRY MIZELL JR.
135. OMD, Guests
If you’re going to trek downtown, do so for British synth-pop royalty Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), whose precious, immaculate compositions have influenced hundreds since their early-’80s heyday. Their self-titled 1980 debut LP remains a masterpiece of enchanting melodies, fascinating rhythms, and cherubic vocals. At their best, core members Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys recast Kraftwerk’s elegant electro-pop gestalt to a Northern English sensibility. OMD’s tunes have weathered the decades better than most in the genre and soundly refute the misconception that synth-based music lacks emotion.
DAVE SEGAL
136. Verdi's Requiem
Considered Verdi's ultimate masterpiece, Messa di Requiem will be performed by a joint force of the Kirkland Choral Society and Philharmonia Northwest in a dramatic recall of traditional Latin Mass with a 100-voice chorus, full orchestra, and guest soloists.
137. March For Our Lives
Join student-led activist group March For Our Lives in protest of the lack of legislative action taken against gun violence in the U.S.
MARCH 24-25
FESTIVALS138. Best of the Northwest
This annual spring art and fine craft show features work from over 100 Northwest artists and artisans, from jewelry and clothing to glassware and chocolates. For the 30th annual edition, Sally Simmons and Linda Thorson are the featured artists.
139. Science Fiction & Fantasy Short Film Festival
SIFF and MoPOP bring you the somewhat less pronounceable acronym SFFSFF. The mini-fest is composed of nearly two dozen new sci-fi/fantasy short films judged by a nationally assembled jury. It sells out at Cinerama every year, so they have an encore the day after at SIFF.
MARCH 25
READINGS & TALKS140. Kory Stamper: The Secret Life of Dictionaries
For decades there has been a war going on between dictionaries. As David Foster Wallace points out in Authority and American Usage, the battle is between two parties: descriptivists and prescriptivists. Their battlefields lie in the introductions of dictionaries and the pages of grammar books. Descriptivists are the cool liberals who think dictionaries should function as a record of language and its inevitable changes. Prescriptivists are the grammar scolds who think words mean something, damn it, and fight to preserve their sense. In Word By Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries, lexicographer Kory Stamper mixes in some of this history with her own as she weighs in on the many word-skirmishes playing out in newsrooms, English classes, and even grocery stores. ("10 items or less?" Are you fucking kidding me?) RICH SMITH
141. Big Climb
Do some squats in preparation for this annual climb, where thousands of participants hike up the Columbia Tower's 69 flights of stairs (1,311 steps). Proceeds benefit blood cancer research.
MARCH 26
COMEDY142. John Cleese: Why There Is No Hope
Join legendary comedic actor John Cleese (Monty Python’s Flying Circus, A Fish Called Wanda) as he shares funny insights into the world, politics, and his life. The prospect of spending lots of money to listen to a 78-year-old man speak caustically about the dire state of the declining West may strike some people under the age of 40 as irresponsible when there are so many other old people they can dismiss or ignore for free. However, Cleese's primary source material has aged as brilliantly as you'd have expected and hoped. Monty Python's Holy Grail and Life of Brian are impossibly smart and absurd. A Fish Called Wanda is practically perfect. Plus Fawlty Towers, the Python shows, the Python records, and the bits where he turns up unexpectedly—Time Bandits, Silverado, The Great Muppet Caper, that one episode of Cheers... I can even work up a defense of Fierce Creatures, if you're interested. There's no telling what the "Why There Is No Hope" tour portends with regard to John Cleese's 2018 persona. There are plenty of cranky voices in the air these days, inveighing against the gradual degeneration of the world they didn't even like that much to begin with. With so much omnidirectional sanctimony flying around these days, it'd be nice to think that a true laureate of inspired silliness might come back to reclaim his mantle. SEAN NELSON
143. Slamfest 2018
Insane Clown Posse is rolling back into town for Slamfest 2018, which is either very good or very bad news depending on your personal brand. They'll be joined by Attila, Cage, Sylar, Lil Toenail, Lyte, Ouija Macc, and Avoid on this parade of hardcore savagery and white rap.
MARCH 27
MUSIC144. Clean Bandit
Fresh four-piece Clean Bandit meld classical styles with heavy bass music for a new take on club trends.
MARCH 28
ART145. Complex Exchange: Figuring Black Futures Today
Exhibits from the Seattle Art Museum and the Northwest African American Museum (particularly Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, Mickalene Thomas and Jessica Rycheal and Zorn B. Taylor: Everyday Black) will inspire community members' conservations on "race, power, politics, and representation." Participants will include Jessica Rycheal, dancer and choreographer Nia-Amina Minor, and Seattle Central College President Dr. Sheila Edwards Lange.
146. Isle of Dogs Opening
A new Wes Anderson film is always cause for excitement, but this one, which employs the same animation technique he used on his (somehow) underrated The Fantastic Mr. Fox— combining the influences of Akira Kurosawa and Rankin/Bass to tell a story about A) dogs, B) why dogs are good, and C) who cares, but probably something about alienation, corrupt power structures, and industrial waste? This is very good news. The voice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Harvey Keitel, Liev Schreiber, Scarlett Johansson, Bob Balaban, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham, and Yoko Ono. SEAN NELSON
147. Time Machine / Mashina Vremeni
Legendary Russian rock band Time Machine (or "Mashina Vremeni") will return to Seattle after their last sold-out North American tour eight years ago for a night of cult classics from their time as a illegal group and pop culture phenomenon under Soviet rule.
148. Treepeople, Guests
Treepeople: Guilt, Regret, Embarrassment. Three little words that form the emotional blueprint for most of the important NW rock songwriters that would follow. Treepeople was Doug Martsch’s band before Built To Spill, and this was their masterpiece.
SEAN NELSON
149. Edoardo Nesi: Everything is Broken Up and Dances
Italian political writer Edoardo Nesi's book chronicles the shift of economic policy and finance in the 21st century, from encouraging societal welfare to attacking the middle class. He'll speak about his work.
150. Sarah Anderson: Herding Cats
Your artsy friends have definitely been sharing Sarah Anderson's painfully true-to-life cartoon vignettes on Facebook. Anderson's bug-eyed protagonist survives the strain of modern life with the help of cats and lazy pleasures. Get a signed copy of her book and discuss her work.
MARCH 28-31
MUSIC151. Herb Alpert and Lani Hall
Wild trumpeter Herb Alpert will play his legendary brass for four nights of hits from his classic album Whipped Cream & Other Delights and later projects for an evening of Latin-inspired instrumental jazz and pop, with retro tracks and '60s soundtrack notes, and support from his wife, Grammy-winning vocalist Lani Hall.
152. Shen Yun 2018
Shen Yun, founded by Chinese Falun Dafa dancers in New York City, is an absolute celebration of an entire region's magic, splendor, and creative possibility. The production aims to bring China's ancient wonders to life on stage with dance and music.
MARCH 29
MUSIC153. Beth Ditto
Portland dance-punk queen Beth Ditto is back on the scene after disbanding the Gossip with her debut full-length solo album Fake Sugar.
154. Ryan Holiday: Conspiracy
Find out just how the late, lamented Gawker fell in Ryan Holiday's account of the secret vengeance wrought by the billionaire Peter Thiel after Gawker blog Vallegwag outed him as gay.
155. Word Works: Charles Johnson
Acclaimed Seattle writer Charles Johnson is the author of books including Middle Passage, The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling, and Faith and the Good Thing, the winner of a National Book Award and a MacArthur "Genius" grant, and the subject of this praise from James McBride: "He is one of America’s greatest literary treasures. He is a skilled wordsmith, superb craftsman, master of understatement, philosopher, cartoonist, and deeply talented novelist." Hear him at this Hugo House-sponsored event.
156. Seattle Mariners Season Opener
The Mariners will play the Cleveland Indians for their season opener.
MARCH 29-31
COMEDY157. Margaret Cho
It's safe to say Cho is a legend in the comedy world. A vocal supporter of Asian and LGBTQ+ rights, she won the American Comedy Award in 1994 and hasn't stopped since, whether causing controversy with her impersonations, winning awards with her show and book I'm the One That I Want, or releasing musical albums, Cho is a singular comic voice who must be seen to be believed. NICK ZURKO
158. Norwescon 41
This science fiction and fantasy convention (with a literary emphasis) features an overwhelming number of events including panels, workshops on writing and filmmaking, the Philip K. Dick awards, gaming, concerts, dances, an art show, a masquerade, a film festival, and, of course, appearances by special guests representing the many aspects of science fiction and fantasy.
159. John Luther Adams' Become Desert
Last time the Seattle Symphony commissioned John Luther Adams for a piece he created, Become Ocean, a gorgeous composition inspired by the PNW's waters, it ended up winning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize and the glowing admiration of a singer-songwriter by the name of Taylor Swift. (She later donated $50K to the symphony because she liked Adams's pieces so much.) The symphony has wisely commissioned another piece from Adams, Become Desert, which will have its world premiere right here in Seattle. If there's a god in heaven, Lorde will be listening. RICH SMITH
No performance on March 30
160. Odesza
Just a few hours away in Bellingham, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight teamed up to form Odesza just before graduating from Western Washington University. The duo’s dreamy indie electronica led to quick success after the release of their debut album, and they’ve been continuing to make airy dance music since. Odesza have teased a couple of tracks from their upcoming record, and they’re catchier than ever.
ANNA KAPLAN
161. Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard, winner of the second season of American Idol who received a 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, will visit Seattle.
162. Alice Gosti: Material Deviance in Contemporary American Culture
Seattle-based Italian American choreographer Alice Gosti produces intellectually rigorous, infinitely compelling, non-precious durational performance art. Sometimes she wraps her head in toilet paper for eight hours straight and you get to think about how hard it is to even just communicate effectively with another person. Sometimes she transforms her dancers into water and has them perform for tourists on the waterfront and you remember in a sort of deeper way that bodies really are made of water. This time she's setting her dancers in a hoarder's dreamworld full of chairs and tables. Her motivating question, according to the press release: "Do objects imbued with so much of our worth start to take over and take on a life of their own?" RICH SMITH
MARCH 30
ART163. SAM Remix
SAM Remix is a recurring and ever-changing art party that includes performances, tours, and dancing, all inspired by their current special exhibit—this time, it's Figuring History: Robert Colescott, Kerry James Marshall, and Mickalene Thomas.
164. Chapo Trap House
Still mainlining Pod Save America like some kind of establishment cuck? Try balancing your diet of Obama nostalgia with some premium Dirtbag Leftery from the Chapo Trap House guys. Though these podcasters can ramble on a little too long and fall a little too in love with their own jokes, Will Menaker, Matt Christman, and Felix Biederman do create a pretty fucking funny auditory environment for contemporary socialist thought. RICH SMITH
165. Laura Lippman and David Simon
Lippman is an award-winning author of detective novels and David Simon, her husband, created The Wire, which sustained the golden age of American television, and also Treme, which helped. RICH SMITH
MARCH 30-31
FESTIVALS166. Sakura-Con
Cosplayers will gather again for the Northwest's "oldest and most well-attended" anime convention presented by the Asia Northwest Cultural Education Association. The three-day affair features anime screenings, gaming, cosplay, cultural panels, dances, concerts, art contests, and more.
167. Seattle Deaf Film Festival 2018
Discover a panorama of worldwide deaf filmmaking talent in works like the 1950s period piece Wild Prairie Rose, Todd Haynes’s recent children’s film Wonderstruck, and many award-winning short fiction films and documentaries. All films are subtitled in English.
168. Grilled Cheese Grand Prix
With over 30 different sandwiches, plus wine, spirits, and ciders, this Grand Prix will host the ultimate battle royale in all things bread and cheese, with each entry more decadent than the last. Which grilled cheese will take home the gold?
169. Seattle Scotch and Beer Fest
The "region's biggest spring beer festival combining craft beer, Scotch, whiskey, and wine tasting," this two-day event showcases authentic Scotch and Irish whiskey tastings, seminars, and craft beers from West Coast brewers.
MARCH 30-APRIL 1
ART170. Fisherman's Village Music Festival 2018
Celebrate the efforts of the Everett Music Initiative with this weekend festival spread over several beloved local venues, with live sets from cosmic hiphop kings Shabazz Palaces, Kevin Morby, Mount Eerie, Oberhofer, the Seshen, Taylar Elizza Beth, Sisters, Spirit Award, the Black Tones, and many more.
MARCH 31
FOOD & DRINK171. 5th Anniversary Dance Party
In honor of turning five years old, E. Smith Mercantile is throwing a dance party with "soul tunes and dance jams," along with birthday cake, three special cocktails, and Jell-o shots. 25% of proceeds from cocktails will go to Urban Artworks, Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, and The Agency.
172. BunnyCon
Here it is again: The annual pre-Easter bar crawl that invites people to dress as bunny rabbits and hop around to different downtown watering holes.
173. Georgetown Bites 2018
Savor the plentiful culinary offerings of Seattle's oldest neighborhood with bites from nearly 30 participating local vendors, including cask-aged beer from Machine House Brewery, fancy chocolates from Fran's Chocolate, delicious tacos from El Sirenito, Flying Squirrel Pizza, Ellenos Yogurt, and more.
174. Nils Frahm
Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm can do minimalism and maximalism with equal finesse and beauty. As his Decibel Festival and Substrata 1.1 performances have proved, he’s an incredibly dexterous improviser and crowd-pleaser.
DAVE SEGAL
175. Mimosa Me Crazy 5K
Your incentive for running or walking this Green Lake 5K is the mimosa garden at the finish line, where five varieties of bubbly and boozy juice await.
