The Stranger's 2025 Primary Election Issue

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Protesting at the No Kings Rally, Celebrating Your Birthday on First Hill, Carrying an Amoeba Records Tote Bag at the Gym

All the Quitting Councilmembers, Exploding Rockets, and 200-Year-Old Condoms You May Have Missed in June

We’re Taking Over the City. Choose Your Fighter.

Don’t Be a Fool, Primaries Can Be Cool!

For the August 5, 2025 Primary Election

Lawrence Burney Shines a Light on Us All Through His Debut Essay Collection, No Sense in Wishing

Administrative

Dan McLean’s New Collection Is a Friendship-Fueled Y2K Mixtape

Follow the Flowchart to Find Out Which Summer Music Fest is Right for You!

Coral Grief Capture Washington’s Otherworldly Wonders on Debut Album, Air Between Us

Schoonjans

WPRIMARY ELECTION ISSUE! W ELCOMETO T HE STRANGER’ S

ait, where are you going? This is important! It’s true that local primary elections can be a little—yawn—but please believe us when we tell you that this year’s primaries may just be the most exciting we’ve had in years.

Case in point: New York City’s recent mayoral primary. Just a summertime primary, no biggie, right? But it was full of drama and suspense, and the results were downright inspiring. Seattle could use some new energy as well, and, come August 5, it will be our votes that could make that happen. Nine candidates are vying for their shot to be mayor of Antifaland, and already, the conversation has revolved around two Democrats, incumbent Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson.

After hours of candidate interviews, research, and investigation—and one hell of a shouting match—we here at The Stranger are endorsing Katie Wilson for mayor of Seattle. And while the choice doesn’t really get made until November’s general election, to cast a vote for Wilson in the primaries would send a hell of a message to City Hall: It’s time for a change. It’s time for a new mayor. It’s time for Katie Wilson.

Flip to page 10 to read more about our reasoning, and to read the 14 other endorsements we painstakingly researched and debated for days on end. (Spoiler: We plan to see Sara Nelson lose her job, too.)

When you’re done doing your civic duty,

why not treat yourself to some of the best pizza in town? On page 34, Asian Verified columnist Michael Wong chats with one of Seattle’s most innovative chefs, Khampaeng Panyathong, the man behind Taurus Ox, Ox Burger, and Ananas Pizzeria. And on page 32, Stranger sta writer Audrey Vann interviews pelagic dream rockers, Coral Grief, who celebrate the release of their debut album, Air Between Us, at the Tractor on July 26. Want more bang for your buck? Audrey also put together a flowchart to help you find your perfect music festival match this summer.

There’s also a profile on Y2K-loving local fashion designer Dan McLean (pg. 27), an interview with author and culture critic Lawrence Burney (pg. 22), and, as always, a big ol’ Things To Do calendar full of music, food, art, film, comedy, theater, and culture recommendations and listings. Dance to tenderpunk project Illuminati Hotties at Ballard SeafoodFest on July 12! See weird and avant-garde contemporary art from all over the world at Seattle Art Fair July 17–20! Catch a screening of the underrated ’80s teen sex dramedy Little Darlings on July 29! There is something amazing to do literally every single day in July—turn to page 36 see it all.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to VOTE. What if it matters again?

Love,

The Stranger Election Control Board

This Issue Brought to You By….

I Saw U…

Protesting at the No Kings Rally, Celebrating Your Birthday on First Hill, Carrying an Amoeba Records Tote Bag at the Gym

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAMES YATES

Did you recently share a ~*moment*~ with someone while riding the bus, dancing at the club, or standing in line at the supermarket? Do you want to try to reconnect? Submit your own I Saw U at thestranger.com/ isawu, and maybe we’ll include it in the next round-up! Look for a new batch of I Saw U messages every week on thestranger.com.

transmasc night knight at The Wash Blue/white striped shirt, multiple ear piercings, smile that could melt ice. You put your hand on my chest at the bar and called me beautiful. Drinks?

Ballard Fred Meyer Red Mazda

As you opened your sunroof, we caught eye contact until you left. I felt the zoom zooms, did you? Let’s take a road trip to pound town.

Bothell No Kings Protest: Vintage-style UW (?) shirt

Me: Black “EGG THE RICH” shirt. We made fun of the truck with the “Let’s go Brandon” flag. At the end: You said goodbye; I chickened out. Lunch?

Nice Smile @ 12th Ave Shell Station 6/19 — You: cute guy, facial hair, cigarette, waved me across. Me: bald girl w/ dog strapped to my chest. Can’t stop thinking about you.

Caffeine, Resistance 3/4 protest. You bought $30 of coffee for folks. No takers. You were so dejected. Wish I had said more. You still made a difference to me.

gimlet on first hill

It was your 41st birthday, we had drinks and I walked you home. Was too dumb to get your number. Hope you forgive my dumb ass

Cutie asked for a jump

My partner and I jumped your car for you, I

was the passenger princess and she was the butch that got the job done. We think you’re cute! Call us?

Blundstones and stepladder tattoo on the way to No Kings

Me: tall, mustachioed, and wearing the world’s grubbiest Carhartts, also headed to No Kings See you at the next rally?

I saw you in front of Boren Avenue

I said your dog was cute And you said so are you You wore orange and i turned red and couldn’t ask for your number convinced you weren’t flirting.

offering a kind word about my drawing in redmond: I was sitting by the side of the road, sketching. You passed by. Our eyes met, there was a flash. lmk if you noticed it too

Music Heads at the North Aurora L.A. Fitness

You always come to the gym with your Amoeba Records tote; you smiled at my Linda Lindas shirt once. Let’s spot each other and share playlists?

Columbia City, free furniture & marketplace match?!?!

You came by with your friend for the free patio furniture, I wish you stayed to yap. I’m not covered in move out anxiety anymore, drinks?

Planchette!

You liked my earrings. I think you are cute. Oujia like to go out?

I met 1 year ago at karaoke in Greenwood

I met you 1 year ago at this dinky little bar in Greenwood. I sang the Beatles. You have blonde hair, or it’s gold like, white sneakers, long coat. ■

Is it a match? Follow The Stranger on Instagram and leave a comment on our weekly I Saw U posts to connect!

LAST MONTH THIS MONTH

BY

JAll the Quitting Councilmembers, Exploding Rockets, and 200-Year-Old Condoms You May Have Missed in June

Last Month This Month is a recap of all the previous month’s news, featuring headlines from Slog AM. Find it in every issue of The Stranger!

une was full of ups and downs. Donald Trump threw a $45 million birthday party; no one came to Donald Trump’s $45 million birthday party. Greta Thunberg went to Gaza; Greta Thunberg was detained in Gaza. A war between Israel and Iran

* * *

* * *

The Navy, which isn’t gay at all, started the month by announcing plans to take gay civil rights hero Harvey Milk’s name off a ship . The Pentagon said in a statement that all Department of Defense names should reflect three things: Trump’s priorities, US history, and the “warrior ethos.” So butch. The Navy is also considering new names for the USNS Thurgood Marshall (too Black), the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg (too woman), the USNS Harriet Tubman (too Black and too woman), who literally fought in the US Civil War.

* * *

The same week that the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers, hormones and (the rare) surgery for minors, the Trump Administration announced they would be cutting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ Youth Specialized Service, effective July 17. As Abe Asher wrote in our Queer Issue in June, the Trevor Project saw a “700percent increase in young people reaching out to crisis services” the day after November’s election. How nice of the feds to take our calls through Pride Month. The Trevor Project will continue to offer 24/7 help 365 days a year to folks 24 and younger, via text, phone, and online chat, and the Trans Lifeline is also available by calling 877-565-8860 or visiting translifeline.org If you want to really piss Trump and RFK Jr. off , you can also donate to both organizations online. Fuck your conditional federal funding, assholes.

In other wrinkly old dickbag news, Amsterdam’s national Rijksmuseum is displaying what is believed to be the world’s oldest condom. Historians say it was fashioned sheep’s appendix sometime around 1830, which hits so right for Shepherd/Flock play. The 200-year-old prophylactic even has a kinky little illustration showing a nun with her habit hiked up (with no underwear in sight) and three clergymen who’ve lifted their robes to present three rock-hard erections , in case its use wasn’t clear. Unrelated, remember when people used to draw dicks in text like this? 8==D

* * *

The Seattle City Council almost voted to toss our ethics code in the wastebasket . If their “reform” passed, it would have allowed councilmembers to vote on issues that benefited them, so long as they disclosed conflicts to the public. After weeks of protests and thousands of emails and public comments opposing the change, Councilmember Cathy Moore withdrew the bill before the vote could happen. The people were heard! Immediately afterwards, Moore also announced she would be stepping down just a year and a half into her four-year term, citing health issues. Moore is the second councilmember to leave her position early this year—Tammy Morales vacated her seat in January. Confidential to all CMs we endorse in this month’s issue: If you win, DON’T FUCKING QUIT

* * *

While Moore’s quitting, Rob Saka’s yelling at clouds curbs . Again. In a 2,100-word email newsletter, Saka lost his ever-loving

mind about the people who opposed his pet curb project. He accused the people who opposed removing an eight-inch curb that blocks illegal left turns into his kids’ preschool of, somehow, simultaneously: supporting Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, being part of the “Defund the Police” movement, and partaking in “White Saviorism” (capitalization his). Someone take his computer away and give him a paper bag to breathe into.

* * *

When they weren’t quitting or screaming at concrete , the Seattle City Council was productive. Some good moves, some bad. In the bad column: they voted 8-1 to approve SPD’s use of StarChase’s GPS launcher and passed a bill to install privately owned 8-foot-tall digital advertising kiosks throughout the city. In the good column, they voted unanimously to a ban on rent-setting software like RealPage.

* * *

There were No Kings protests in all 50 states , and the ACLU estimates that at least 5 million people hit the streets. They were largely peaceful rallies, with the exception of Salt Lake City’s. There, according to police, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa had an AR-15-style rifle in his backpack. Two armed, non-police “peacekeepers” saw Gamboa lift the gun as if to shoot it, and one of them shot him, also accidentally shooting and killing a fashion designer named Arthur “Afa” Folasa Ah Loo process. Everyone involved is in custody, and everyone would be better off if we had better gun-control laws.

* * *

THE STRANGER’S SLOG AM™ SPECIALISTS

* * *

Leopards are eating faces over there in Redmond. Microsoft is planning to lay off thousands of employees in July as it funnels spending into artificial intelligence (John Connor, where are you?). This news comes after the company already axed 6,000 jobs in May. Washington State University also announced layoffs—the school plans to cut “a little over 4 percent (more than $17 million)” from its budget. And SIFF’s struggling, too ; the org laid off nine full-time workers across multiple departments. SIFF Executive Director Tom Mara wrote the 21-percent reduction in administrative staff was “necessary” during a “financially challenging time for SIFF and for arts nonprofits across the country.” Oh, and Din Tai Fung did

The US has detained a record-breaking number of immigrants. By the end of June, more than 56,000 people were locked up in ICE facilities, and, according to one Syracuse professor, more than a third have zero criminal records . This is fucked. The ICE arrests are so rampant that organizers cancelled this year’s Duwa because participants are concerned about being targeted by immigration enforcement. A glimmer of , a Filipino green-card holder who worked at was able after a judge ruled she doesn’t

* * *

Too on the nose? On June 18, while Trump weighed the pros and cons of getting involved in the Israel–Iran conflict (which he eventually did, without talking to Congress , which is illegal), an unmanned SpaceX spaceship blew the fuck up This is not supposed to happen in rocket science, we’re told.

Jeffrey Bezos and his alive girl Lauren Sanchez are finally tying the knot. They are doing so by— checks notes —renting out the entire island of Venice? Protesters chased the billionaires from their original venue by threatening to fill the canals with inflatable crocodiles . (Or was it alligators? None of us are from Florida and we do not know the difference.) Too bad the foam party on Bezos’s $500 million superyacht off the coast of Europe couldn’t be stopped. Those grainy images of a shirtless, foamy Bezos in a bucket-hat need to be scrubbed from our minds. ■

Not gay, full of seamen.

Sheep trick.

MELODY SUMMERFIELD

Ethical after all!

GETTY/ GABUT DOANG

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL

GETTY/ KANOK SULAIMAN

AUGUST 5, 2025 PRIMARY ELECTION BY THE STRANGER ELECTION CONTROL BOARD

HARRISON FREEMAN

It’s the Primary Election 2025. We’re taking over the city. Choose your fighter. We know it’s easy to miss these odd year elections. They’re local! They’re wonky! There’s not a President in sight. Maybe you’ve used up all your fucks and your will to live watching the world sputter and burn. Or maybe you spent them watching our city government waste everyone’s time building digital advertising kiosks, painting over graffiti, trying to weaken our ethics code, and allowing cops the ability to lob blastballs into protests once again instead of finding ways to protect us from a robber baron and literal fascists.

But please vote. Please please please. This year, we have the chance to swap big business politicians for scrappy progressives across the ballot. (Sara Nelson is up for reelection. Need we say more?) And if we seize the opportunity, we can also maintain the proud Seattle tradition of one-term mayors. In just a few months, we could say goodbye to the mayor who couldn’t even keep the one promise he cared about (bringing back the Seattle SuperSonics).

The mayor who never managed to find a vision for Seattle’s future, because he was busy sweeping the homeless people out of downtown and into Little Saigon. But you’ll never see him holding the broom—because he’s unable to lift a finger, let alone take responsibility for this city.

Seattle has rarely—if ever—allowed itself the luxury of having a progressive mayor and a progressive city council at the same time, because we’re masochists who get our rocks off at complaining about the Seattle Process. Right now, this city is currently run by vampires. Let’s take a bath in free-range fair-trade certified organic holy water and fashion a stake from lab-grown (or ethically sourced) balsa wood and get out there.

This year, dare we say it, there’s a roster of honest-to-goodness actual progressives that are looking for a chance to totally transform Seattle. And they couldn’t have come at a better time. We’re staring down the pike of a Seattle comprehensive plan that will steer the next two decades of growth and infrastructure on these near-suburban streets. We’ve got a lot of work to do if we don’t want the Seattle of the future to be a charming little hamlet with $4,000-per-square-foot rents, nary a corner store in sight, and unionized robocops arresting “the nipple” at the behest of an anti-socialist neural network that’s named itself Jeff Bezos 2. So listen up, we’re choosing our mayor, our city attorney, our county executive, and three city council seats—and that’s not even the whole ballot.

In the last month, we sat down with (almost) all of the candidates. They made their case. They brought us snacks that sometimes we were allergic to. Nobody even cried this year, but they screamed a lot. Idiot aside, we heard a lot of exciting ideas from inspiring people politicians.

Uh oh, is our optimism showing? We hate when that happens. But if the best of the best get elected, we’ll go full frontal. Because right now we simply cannot resist the potential dripping from these ballots. Let’s fantasize for a sec: City Council District 2 is going to have a new champion. Pro-business, anti-protester (evil) Council President Sara Nelson has a real challenger

in Dionne Foster. And we’re pouring our hope into Katie Wilson to once and for all send Bruce Harrell packing.

You should get your ballot around July 18. If you don’t know what to do with it, we have a guide on page 20. Let’s go. We’ve got a city to fix.

CITY OF SEATTLE

MAYOR

Katie Wilson

Bruce Harrell had his chance.

A lifetime ago (in 2021), when Harrell first ran for mayor, he made a lot of big, substantive promises that voters seemed to believe: He pledged to build 1,000 new housing units in his first six months in office; he committed to changing the biased policing culture in SPD after the George Floyd protests; he said he didn’t believe “dispersal,” or sweeps, worked, and promised to take a “Housing First” approach to encampments around the city. Are we living in a utopia yet?

In our endorsement meeting, we asked about his broken promises. We pointed out that he conducted more sweeps than his five predecessors combined. That he sunk years of municipal effort and energy into a Comprehensive Plan that won’t meet our housing needs. That he pandered to police with bruised egos, letting them become the militant thugs that we saw in Cal Anderson on Memorial Day weekend, but with higher salaries. And in an hour-long endorsement meeting, he didn’t answer for a single thing. In every case, the conditions in his city were someone else’s fault. Homelessness? The other cities in King County aren’t doing their part. Police that he says can take a hike if they don’t agree with his idea of good policing?

Well, he doesn’t have one. They’re the experts, not him. Nothing was his responsibility.

We understand why he would feel that way. Because the greatest sin of the Harrell Administration is what it hasn’t done. He’s a mayor without imagination, and with him at the helm, Seattle is a rudderless ship on a windless ocean. While tens of thousands of Seattleites are struggling to keep their head above water, he’s obsessing over penises spraypainted on the overpasses, AI incubators, and digital advertising kiosks that profit private companies.

There’s an idea out there that this race was Harrell’s from the start so there was no use doing anything to stop him. But that’s not the case. In polling this spring, only 37 percent of Seattleites were happy with Harrell’s work in City Hall. Seattle is sick of the Harrell Show.

Luckily, Katie Wilson is Harrell’s opposite. If Harrell is all politics and no

substance, Wilson is substance embodied. She’s been an organizer in Seattle for 15 years, and she’s built a career fighting for—and winning—campaigns like raising the minimum wage, protecting affordable transit, and building progressive revenue.

Wilson’s campaign platform is clearly made by someone who’s used to making change in a system that’s used to fighting it. She has clear, step-by-step plans to build 4,000 units of shelter in four years, to streamline access to addiction and mental health treatment, and to build $1 billion worth of union-built affordable housing. Harrell made promises. Wilson actually intends to keep hers. And she knows how to do it.

In our meeting, a question about the FIFA World Cup coming to Seattle in 2026 best captured the difference between Wilson and Harrell. When Seattle hosted the MLB All-Star game in 2023, the city swept any encampments in the area out of sight. Surely, next year, Seattle’s mayor would have to field a fair amount of outside pressure to make visible homelessness invisible while the world’s eyes are on us. How would they respond?

We gave Harrell two chances to answer the question, and he never did. Instead, he ranted about how our surrounding cities aren’t building as much shelter as we are, how he has to prioritize small businesses, how important it is to revitalize downtown, and reminded us that he signed an ordinance to make Seattle a Human Rights City. Then he turned to the other candidates, and said: “How dare you talk about the values I’ve been a part of for the last 16 years.”

Wilson, meanwhile, rejected the premise of the question entirely. Not because she didn’t want to answer it, but because she had a plan to stand up enough shelter in the first six months of her term—between tiny home villages, faith communities, and vacancies throughout the city—to make the question irrelevant. “Let’s get people inside in time for the World Cup,” she said.

See that, Harrell? No excuses, just a goal, a plan, and a timeline. This is why Wilson has our vote. She sees people that are struggling and thinks about solutions, not optics. She obviously, palpably gives a damn about people, and that drives her to act, not just talk.

While we were writing this endorsement, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist with a people-first platform, wiped the floor with an establishment Democrat in New York City’s primary. Mamdani’s win is proof that people can show up in droves and throw decades of political tradition in the trash and choose something better. And that to accomplish such a feat, being a hell of a politician with a great personality helps a fuckton.

Wilson has the platform. What she doesn’t have is the energy—yet, at least. She’s quiet. She’s policy minded. She makes deeply awkward TikToks. But she knows her shit and she cares. Somehow, that’s a refreshing alternative to the mayors who have led Seattle for the last decade. Wilson doesn’t pull out the tear-jerking stump speech or throw down with her opposition. And while we trust that your vote will get her through the primary, we need her to throw down. Show everyone that he’s empty, that he’s unelectable this time. This city wants to see that. And it wants change.

Do what you need to do to give the people what they want. Show us your spine is as sturdy as that platform. We know it’s in you. Now reader, we know that Wilson isn’t the only one making a run for Harrell’s graffiti-less office (and Joe Molloy, we hope to see you run for City Council, where your good heart, and brains, would be appreciated), but she’s the only one who has the secret sauce we need to see: one-part great ideas, one-part the knowledge and experience to pull them off, two-parts the willingness to leave an easier life as an organizer to serve the city when she thinks she’s needed. We just need her to add a little heat to that sauce.

If you’re still wondering if dethroning Harrell is the right decision, we’ll leave you with one more detail. For the last year, members of his administration have talked about the misogyny, bullying, and literal chest beating in City Hall since he’s been in office. We had Mayor Harrell in our conference room for just under an hour, and in that time, he did nothing to convince us that his reputation was not a completely accurate characterization. We lost count of how many times he pounded his fist onto the table and stomped his feet, and we had to shout over him more than once to stop him from yelling at other candidates. Harrell somehow made Joe Mallahan look good (well, not that good). He took control of the room—not the way a charismatic speaker captures an audience, but the way your angry uncle sucks the air out of the room on Thanksgiving. Our civic self-esteem cannot be so low.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that we need a strong, bullish personality at the helm of our city to combat everything that Trump promises to rain on us in the next three and a half years. Mayor Harrell has shown us, time and time again, that all he’s going to do is bully Seattle, not Trump. And if Trump comes for Seattle, we think Harrell would roll right over and scold anyone who didn’t fall in line. And we can’t afford that. Wilson may be quiet. But she has values.

Seattle has a time-honored tradition of producing one-term mayors. Let’s make Harrell one of them. Vote Wilson.

CITY ATTORNEY

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last three-and-a-half years, let us brief you on our current City Attorney: the regrettable Republican Ann Davison.

The City Attorney has two jobs: one criminal (prosecuting all of the city’s misdemeanor cases, like DUIs and domestic violence charges) and one civil (acting as the city’s attorney, either suing people or other governments and also defending Seattle

in court when, for instance, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce sues the city to kill the JumpStart tax).

From a criminal perspective, Davison’s whole thing is being “tough on crime,” which famously does nothing to make our city safer or to get people on the streets the help they need. She instituted policies like Close-inTime filing. Implemented in 2022, it’s meant to reduce the criminal case backlog, but really just places the backlog in a different pile. It hasn’t worked. Her “High Utilizer Initiative” to target frequent offenders, surprise, also doesn’t solve any problems and worsens recidivism. Plus, Davison killed “community court,” an alternative system that offers people charged with misdemeanors non-punitive options to resolve their cases.

Meanwhile, Davison is unforgivably behind on filing DUI cases—one of the two serious misdemeanors the office can prosecute. Domestic violence cases are lagging. Back in 2021, before Davison, it took 26 days to file a DV case. Last year, on average, it took twice as long.

Davison is a tumor on the city and we don’t expect her to be willing to stand up to Trump. She converted to the Republican party during DJT’s first term, when anyone with an ounce of sense jumped ship. When King County, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Portland, and New Haven signed onto a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for their attacks on “sanctuary jurisdictions,” Davison dragged her feet, only joining the lawsuit months later. Meanwhile, while Boston and 43 other cities (including our less progressive neighbors, Spokane and Olympia) fought cuts to federal research funding, Davison stayed out of it. This person cannot protect us from the next three-and-a-half years (or more) of authoritarian encroachment.

So, she sucks. We can’t let her win again. And she could. With three progressive challengers splitting the left vote, Davison will almost certainly skate through the primary, liberal Seattle bubble be damned. The people who didn’t march in the No Kings rally get ballots, too!

Of this bunch, we believe Erika Evans, a former assistant US Attorney, is our choice to best Ann, make the City Attorney’s office effective and fair, and protect Seattle from the Trump administration.

Evans has prosecuted hate crimes, she’s gone after drug traffickers, she’s slapped the wrists of business owners dipping into their employees’ wages, and she was involved in a case prosecuting January 6ers from Puyallup. Her résumé is impressive. Her platform (speed up DUI and DV case filings, bring back community court, prosecute wage theft, improve the police union contract to allow for more policing alternatives) mirrors the platforms of her opponents. But they don’t have her grit.

In our meeting, Evans leapt for her opponents’ throats. She presented exhibits for every argument, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the power, and limitations, of the City Attorney’s Office. She spoke thoughtfully about the importance of working closely with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown against the constitutionally intolerant Trump administration, and made a commitment to not prosecute “peaceful” protesters (though she wouldn’t

define a “peaceful protester” for us, which is peak prosecutor brain).

We also love a prop comedian: she brought Jarritos and African Black soap to symbolize SOAP/SODA laws, a Raggedy Ann doll to represent Davison, a printout of photos of the white men who have held this office for the 150 years before Ann got the job, a binder of her and her opponents case files. Sure, she gave Model-UN vibes, and if being corny were illegal this woman would be in jail. But it isn’t. And what we care about is Evans’s ability and will to protect us when Trump goes after this city.

We know, we know. A history as a prosecutor brings with it a track record of upholding a system built for oppression. But our federal government is actively antagonistic to cities like ours, and a prosecutor knows how the federal government works. Evans knows what levers to pull. And local progressives such as City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and State Rep. Shaun Scott believe she’s the right choice despite all the prosecutorial baggage.

But we don’t discount her mistakes and our misgivings. Evans voted for Bruce Harrell last election (“But I voted for Nikkita Oliver twice when they ran,” Evans said). She donated $100 to Harrell’s campaign before Katie Wilson got into the race, but wouldn’t say whom she was voting for in this election, and hedged by saying she couldn’t talk shit when the winner could be her client. Public defenders are worried about what her real intentions are and how she’ll act when she’s in the seat of power. We understand where they’re coming from. But we’re inviting her to prove them wrong.

This wasn’t an easy decision. Any of Davison’s challengers would be wildly better for Seattle. We wish we could have endorsed Nathan Rouse, the public defender running for the seat, because he knows the system doesn’t work for everyday people and wants to change it. He’s tougher on the Seattle Police Officers Guild than any other candidates. But he didn’t convince us he could put his ideas into action or win. Please run again next time, Nathan. We want to see you in our swivel chairs again, with more experience under your belt. Thanks for the Pop-Tarts.

And Rory O’Sullivan could do a perfectly fine job in the role. But he lacks trial experience. And most importantly, we aren’t confident he could beat Davison.

Evans will hit the ground running in a way we need. Here’s to knocking Davison into the stratosphere. Vote Evans.

cilmember Tammy Morales bowed out of office one year into her second term. The appointment process sucked; the unimaginative snoozers on the city council selected multiple-SECB-endorsement-loser Mark Solomon to take the seat. Luckily, Solomon isn’t running to keep the seat, so we have an open race on our hands!

Which brings us to the pool of four viable D2 hopefuls: Union guy and SDCI inspector Jamie Fackler; restaurant organizer and activist Jeanie Chunn; assistant city attorney Eddie Lin; and mayoral transportation engagement manager Adonis Ducksworth.

After a lively (read: tense, yell-y) discussion, the clear choice for D2 is Eddie Lin. As an assistant city attorney, Lin’s focus for the last several years has been working with the Office of Housing. When it comes to housing, and building more of it, Lin knows his stuff. In the midst of a neverending housing crisis and a new Social Housing Developer on its way through the Seattle Process’s long birth canal, we need someone who can get shit done. Lin knows we need subsidized affordable units, social housing, limited equity co-ops, and everything else under the sun to get people four walls and a roof. Plus, whoever sits on council will implement Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Comprehensive Plan. Lin, a fiend for density and walkable neighborhoods, is a smart choice to kickstart the next 20 years of Seattle’s growth.

One of the main hits against Lin, as Frackler repeatedly brought up, was that he didn’t go all out championing Proposition 1A, the voter measure that set up a funding mechanism for the Social Housing Developer. Lin says he still voted for it, but as a housing wonk, he was skeptical of its viability. However, he says he’s ready to champion it.

He’s also a total slut (sorry, Eddie) for progressive revenue. He’s DFAIT (Down For An Income Tax), a vacancy tax, and a city-level capital gains tax. We liked Chunn’s idea for a commercial vacancy tax, but felt she was still a little too green to hack it in City Hall. We hope to see her again.

The other knock against Lin is, like all other candidates except Chunn, he wants more cops. Lin’s desire for increased police presence does go hand-in-hand with hiring a more diverse police force and expanding police alternatives. Plus, Lin’s experience with police brutality made him wary of cops. In his 20s, a Minneapolis police officer cuffed him, put his hands on his throat, and made racist comments— confusing Lin, who is Asian, for a Native American. The rattling experience forever changed Lin’s view of policing. We felt Fackler, while progressive and knowledgeable about the same issues, was too soft on the cops, especially their union.

We’re certain Ducksworth will win the Seattle Times endorsement. He’s suave, charming, and doesn’t answer a single question. He’s also fucking cool. Sadly, underneath his skater chic, Ducksworth is nothing but a visionless moderate (read: Bruce Harrell). We already doubted he’d be our guy from the start, and he did us a solid by confirming that with a shitty, uninformed comment blaming drug users

for their own predicament.

“I did the ride along last week, and these guys asked at least 50 people, are they ready to go to treatment? We got one. We got one. So this comes down to the person on the street, too. Who wants to get off the street,” Ducksworth said.

“That’s because some of the treatment options are not—,” Lin said.

“They’re not asking about the treatment options,” Ducksworth interrupted.

“They’re getting high.”

Ducksworth’s mask came off. We did not like it under there.

So, Lin is our guy. He’s the whole package. He’s a cat guy and a dog guy. He’s a public schools champion. This is why we willfully turned a blind eye to the fact that he could only name two examples when asked what his four favorite films were and one of them was White Lotus Season 1, famously not a movie. If he’s even seen a movie, he wasn’t paying attention. There weren’t enough housing solutions for his taste. Vote Lin.

CITY COUNCIL, POSITION NO. 8

Alexis Mercedes Rinck

When we endorsed Alexis Mercedes Rinck in 2024, we had a lot to say about what she wouldn’t do: She wouldn’t stoop to a lower minimum wage, she wouldn’t make it easier for landlords to evict you, she wouldn’t reduce oversight on cops, she wouldn’t help corporations hoard more wealth.

That was because we knew that if she was elected, she (and at the time, Tammy Morales before she was bullied out of City Hall) would be a progressive in a sea of conservatism. As we hoped, she pushed back: She voted against giving SPD more access to “less lethal” weapons, and when her colleagues approved additional surveillance from law enforcement, she opposed it.

But more important than what she didn’t do is what she did . Despite being on council with people allergic to helping the city, Rinck found other ways to show up. She supported counterprotesters at a Christian Supremacist group in Cal Anderson, and was instrumental in convincing the city to deescalate the situation. She spoke out at the committee hearing when Council Member Cathy Moore tried to defang our city’s ethics code, even though she wasn’t on that committee (and even though Council President Sara Nelson tried desperately to shut her up). Rinck knows that being on city council gives her a voice, and she’s

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shown us over and over again that she’s willing to use it for ordinary people. She’s also clearly the voice we need to start fixing our ass-backward revenue streams in Seattle. Just weeks after our endorsement interview, she presented a collaborative effort with the mayor to reform our tax code to reduce the taxes that small businesses are paying, shift the burden to big business, and raise an extra $90 million in the process. Now that’s what we call progressive revenue!

Rinck doesn’t have much competition in this race. Her standout opponent is Rachael Savage, who quite frankly fascinates us, even if we had to sage the office after she left. A Republican with chunky jewelry and overlined lipstick who started the election season running for mayor, Savage switched to a City Council race just before the filing deadline. She owns a new-age shop on Capitol Hill, runs a meditation program, and believes that her experience getting sober justifies her argument that people who are mentally ill or dealing with “late-stage” addiction should be shipped to facilities for Shiny Happy People outside of the city. Oh, and she told us words are never violent and hate speech doesn’t exist.

This election has the chance to reshape our city council into a functioning governing body (would we even recognize it?) and we want to see what Rinck can do when she’s not swimming upstream. Vote Rinck.

CITY COUNCIL, POSITION NO. 9

Dionne Foster

Seattle will not have a functional city government until Sara Nelson is KO’d so far out of our political orbit that she’ll be nothing more than a footnote: a forgettable, one-time City Council President who reigned over this legislative body during a remarkably chaotic and useless time in its history.

At this point, progressives would endorse a cinder block over Nelson if it had a pulse and a fixed Seattle address. Fortunately, we don’t have to. Because we have Dionne Foster, an excellent candidate for this office. Rejoice!

Foster, a former policy advisor for the city and the former executive director of the nonprofit Washington Progress Alliance, is a knowledgeable, likable, competent wonk. She wants to lead the way on economic justice. Stop this city’s affordability crisis and addiction to sweeps from displacing people. She’ll fight conservatives on this council willing to divert JumpStart funds from affordable housing. Unlike Nelson, Foster knows Seattle must go harder for

housing density than the legal minimum set by the state and that it’s unrealistic for a real city expecting major growth in the next two decades to click its ruby red heels, ignore its housing needs, and remain an overgrown, dysfunctional suburb forever.

Foster also wants to embrace affordability and outrun Washington’s regressive tax code with progressive revenue. She wants a municipal capital gains tax, a vacancy tax, and working with the state on a mansion tax. She has the right plans and can articulate exactly how she’d implement them, a rare quality on our curb-busting city council. She’s granular, but not myopic. And we believe her because she already did this work at the state level to pass the limited capital gains tax

Foster has earned a heap of endorsements from politicians like Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, State Rep. Shaun Scott (D-43), and Scott’s dearly departed predecessor, Frank Chopp, because she is the best, quickest-witted candidate to walk through our door this election cycle. With two other seats up for reelection, that’s a chance she won’t be a progressive island on council.

Nelson, on the other hand, is a fundamentally un-democratic chaos agent and a disastrous leader whose sole purpose has been to accumulate political power. Her Council’s “accomplishments” have been wildly unpopular: Approving a police contract with big raises and no accountability? Putting blast balls back in the hands of untrustworthy cops, and ensuring they can surveil us? Establishing “stay out” zones for drug users and sex workers that stigmatize people and don’t work? Attempting to weaken our ethics code and repeal protections for gig workers? We’re embarrassed.

Seattle is immobilized in Nelson’s… full Nelson, controlled by business interests who shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for her meandering status quo that squeezes the renters, the poor, the homeless, and the disadvantaged on the margins. A skilled politician at least pretends to listen. Nelson is either incapable or indifferent. She shuts down anyone who is too loud and cumbersome for her taste. Her hostility for representative government and working people is boundless. But in her hallowed chambers at least we’ll have decorum, won’t we?

Her contempt for the public seemed like the only reason competitor Connor Nash, a former state and federal employee, joined this race. Mia Jacobsen, on the other hand, is running a protest campaign to overhaul the system that puts people like Nelson in the driver’s seat. Nash was angry, shooed away too many times.

But Nelson isn’t just the rock and the hard place. She’s a liability. A threat to reforms from a more progressive council, a roadblock to desperately needed progress on housing and homelessness, and the last person we want in city government when President Donald Trump comes to play. We’re tired of incompetence. We want someone with ideas, who loves this city and its people. A vote for Nelson is a vote for nihilism. A vote for Foster is a vote for intelligence, compassion, solutions, and a chance for a future.

Vote Foster.

PROPOSITION NO. 1 Vote Yes

If you’re registered to vote in Seattle, you’ve probably had a chance to see the Democracy Voucher Program (DVP) in action: a blue and white envelope arrives in your mailbox with a small stack of $25 coupons; you, the voter, are invited to spend them on any candidate you like. It’s Seattle’s own, first-in-the-nation public campaign financing program. And Proposition 1 asks if we want to renew the levy that funds it for another decade.

The new levy would be funded through a property tax, and it’s expected to raise $45 million over 10 years, costing the average homeowner $12.20 a year.

By most metrics, the DVP has been a roaring success. It makes primaries more competitive and campaigning accessible to more diverse candidates, and the vast majority of people running for office in Seattle participate in the program. More than 106,000 Seattleites have slipped their vouchers to candidates, and according to the City, through 2024, we’ve distributed more than $10 million to local campaigns.

It’s difficult to find opponents to the DVP, but even people who want to keep it around have complaints about the program. The most common concern is that when we introduced the Democracy Voucher Program (which limits the amount of money a candidate can accept), spending from lobbyists skyrocketed (which remained unlimited). But lobbying spending has shot up across the region, not just here in Seattle.

There’s a reason that there isn’t any organized opposition to Proposition 1. It’s a new, promising program that deserves time to shake out its minimal kinks and prove to other cities that it’s worth it. Our democracy is already under attack. Now isn’t the time to defund one of the projects that makes democracy just a little bit more accessible. Vote yes on Proposition 1.

SCHOOLS

SEATTLE SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1, DIRECTOR DISTRICT NO. 2

Kathleen Smith

We were so unimpressed with the Seattle School District position 2 incumbent, Sarah Clark, that we are endorsing the person who didn’t even have her website set up at the time of the endorsement meeting (it’s set up now!).

Kathleen Smith is a data scientist at Microsoft. She’s soft-spoken until a topic she’s passionate about like, say, gay kids or anything about data comes up. Then she’s all fire. We can see her doing this thing. And, we might have to see her do this thing because,

whew. Our other options are Eric Feeny, a top performer at Optum (okay, brag much?) who acted like a mannequin came to life and read Sam Altman’s Wikipedia page. He likes AI a little too much. And incumbent Sarah Clark, whom we expected to like, gave us absolutely nothing.

Clark is director of policy at the Chamber of Commerce. This should already be a red flag according to the SECB handbook, but progressives say she separates her evil day job for the not-evil mostly-volunteer school board position.

Except for a policy director, Clark did not demonstrate much, if any, policy knowledge. In fact, she had no idea what the Parents Bill of Rights was, a homophobic, transphobic Trojan horse of a ballot measure that the state legislature passed in the 2024 session and put down like a rabid dog (amended) earlier this year. This behemoth has been a national issue in education for years, and in Washington for a year and a half. Literally every other candidate for school board (even the dolts) knew what it was and why it sucked. We don’t expect Clark to know the ins and outs, but jeez, a scrap of situational awareness would be nice.

You may be thinking, “Sure, but state policies shouldn’t matter too much to a local school board director.” And you’d be right. This isn’t a policymaking position—it’s a governance one. But Clark did not prove to us she had any of the passion or engagement to make the kinds of waves on the school board that she promised. And a birdie told us Clark didn’t even bother responding to the teachers’ union’s endorsement meeting invitation. You don’t have to play ball with them all the time, but show up to the game.

Still, we at the SECB are nothing if not reasonable. If Clark can prove she’s got what it takes, we’ll listen. Prove the Clark who walked in our door was not the real Clark we’ve heard so much about.

For now, though, we’re sticking with Smith and her spreadsheets. She has booksmarts and a lot of heart. She pushed back on the common narrative that “broken trust” was why 4,000 students have left Seattle Public Schools since 2019. She’s not discounting that, but she thinks a study is needed. And, she knows how to do data things. Have at it, Smith. A thoughtful data wonk who wants to burn down any institution that doesn’t protect its queer students is good enough for us. Especially when the alternatives are so limp. Vote Smith.

SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 1, DIRECTOR DISTRICT NO. 4

school’s bad. Parents mad. Kids sad. We fund our schools back-asswardly and we’re, unsurprisingly, looking toward

SEATTLE

Joe Mizrahi

Look…

a $94 million budget deficit in Seattle Public Schools next year. They’ve faced nearly $100 million deficits three years in a row. To combat that, the geniuses on the school board debated closing a cool 21 schools last year, spawning months of big, tearful, apoplectic (and justified), public outcry. The board then did not close the schools, but the threat still looms. Parents are still angry, and distrust the board. Enrollment in SPS is down. So, who the fuck is going to fix this?

In this race, the choice is clear as day. Joe Mizrahi, long-time secretary-treasurer and co-executive director of UFCW 3000, can do it. He is as qualified for it as his hair is tall. Mizrahi has experience working with complicated and deep budgets. He’s a labor guy fixated on what teachers need. He’s also an SPS parent and the incumbent.

Mizrahi stepped into the role last spring when two school board members resigned over residency issues, and he’d like a full term to really effect change.

Mizrahi is against closing the schools. He’s against austerity budgeting, and recognizes that the only way out of this Sisyphean ordeal of never-ending budget deficits is to lobby the legislature for progressive revenue. Mizrahi has a long résumé full of organizing for causes like the $15 minimum wage, paid sick leave and family leave. He’s wonky, passionate as hell, and will be a force fighting for better funding at the state level.

When it comes to more tangible schools stuff, we of the SECB trust Mizrahi’s takes. He wants open enrollment for option schools to attract and retain SPS students and clear waitlists. He’s already thinking about protecting undocumented students from ICE raids. He’s a champion of trans youth at a time when their right to exist and their right to privacy, are under attack.

And gosh, he is charming from the tip of his Jimmy Neutron hair to the fresh basket of apples he brought—SIKE. They weren’t apples. They were cake . That’s right, Mizrahi is probably the only guy who stuck to his COVID cake dupes hobby. That commitment to “Is it cake?” shows the dedication that runs through Mizrahi. Also, the cake was delicious. (He did place fourth at a cake convention once, but first place in our hearts.) Vote Mizrahi.

SEATTLE

SCHOOL DISTRICT

NO. 1, DIRECTOR DISTRICT NO. 5

Vivian Song

Vivian Song resigned from the Seattle School Board over a residency conflict. Since it’s our only substantial reservation

about her candidacy, we’ll start there.

Shortly before declaring her candidacy in 2021, Song moved out of her family home in Capitol Hill to an apartment in Ballard so she could run in D4.

In early 2024, The Seattle Times revealed that Song no longer lived in the district she moved to, she was back in Capitol Hill again. This caused drama. Accusations of racism. By the end of the month, she’d resigned.

Political career over? Not so fast. Though “shy” about it at the time, Song says she moved to Ballard with the intention of divorcing her husband (we also would only move to Ballard under duress). But they worked it out and she moved back home.

And Song argued her move wasn’t secret: She said she followed the rules and never hid this from the school board. Some people disagree. But it’s not just shady, messy family stuff. According to School Board policy, her move should have opened her seat in the November 2023 general election. That matters. This disclosure snafu undermined a democratic process. But the details point more to a mistake than a scandal. And we doubt she’s pulling a scheme. Again, it’s the school board. It isn’t a cash cow (pay is capped at $4,800 a year) or a golden escalator to grander political aspirations (though it’s clear Song has them, she applied for a vacant seat in City Hall. Some argue it remained vacant when Tanya Woo held it). Good news! Song is part of the wealthy, unemployed activist class and literally can’t find enough boards to serve on.

More importantly to us, she never tuned out of this board. She decided to run again during the school closure mess. Tops K-8, an alternative school with a deaf and hard of hearing program (Song is hard of hearing, so is her child), was slated for execution and she wouldn’t have that. When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association tried to ban trans girls from school sports, Song worked behind the scenes to make sure this district’s WIAA rep, School Board Director Joe Mizrahi, would have the votes to fight it.

Song’s progressive credentials are legit, so her finance background isn’t a sign she’ll lean on austerity and replace all the lunch ladies with gruel boys. She’ll do things like partner with other elected leaders on progressive revenue, like Former City Council Member Teresa Mosqueda’s increase to JumpStart for student mental health support.

She knows that the district is going to have to body block the federal government if they come for undocumented students, and she has detailed ideas for the ways they can serve kids from immigrant families under Trump. She’s also against armed officers in schools.

This was the rare race where we liked almost everyone in the room, particularly Janis White, a special education advocate whip-smart on every school board issue . Good ideas abounded. But Song has already shown this city she can do this job well. She wanted to do it so badly that she applied for the job again after enduring her political “scandal.” That’s something, right? Vote Song!

COUNTY EXECUTIVE Girmay Zahilay

For more than a decade and a half, if you asked people in King County what a “County Executive” was, they might’ve said “uh, some guy named Dow Constantine?” Dow’s dynasty (Dow-nasty?) is through and it’s time for Girmay Zahilay to take charge.

Zahilay, a charismatic County Council Member first elected in 2019, is already a political staple repping University District, Laurelhurst, Ravenna, Eastlake, Capitol Hill, the Central District, South Seattle, Allentown, and Skyway, but he’s never held such a powerful executive position. He can do it. And, damn it, we want him to. So do the “just fine” establishment dems like Governor Bob Ferguson, cool establishment dems like Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and moronic warhawks like Congressman Adam Smith. Big tent!

He’s also led plenty. In the five-plus years he’s been on the dais, he’s risen to current council chair and prince of fiscal management (or, in boring council speak, chair of the county’s budget and fiscal management committee. Yawn). He introduced the $1 billion Regional Workforce Housing Initiative and led the effort for a $1.2 billion property tax levy to fund mental health treatment centers. He sponsored a $2 million community-based gun violence program. He passed a five-part gun violence prevention program and supports a year-round gun buyback program. He reached these heights by knocking the legendary (read: old, respectfully) civil rights legend Larry Gossett off his perch—a big upset for an unknown lawyer from the South End who ran a nonprofit mentoring middle schoolers and came to this country as a refugee when he was 3. In our endorsement meeting, he even seemed genuinely nervous. He clearly expected our question about the child jail. In his first campaign, he made closing the detention center a huge part of his platform. But in a vote last year, he walked it back.

During our endorsement meeting, Zahilay didn’t give a satisfying explanation for why he changed his mind. He says he believed the jail could be transformed with activities and community-based services. When we asked for an example of similar successes, he pointed to close-to-home facilities and “bringing the home to them through the integration of community services.”

And it was a bullshit answer when there’s probably a more straightforward version: The county had nothing to replace kid jail, so the council didn’t close kid jail. This is the infrastructure we have, so Zahilay wanted to make

it better. We’re not convinced that sour lemon will ever make lemonade, but Zahilay’s only real challenger in this race, County Council Member Claudia Balducci, didn’t vote any differently, and her background directing King County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention is way, way more carceral.

That said, these two are pretty politically aligned and did a good job at least pretending they loved each other.

We like Balducci, just not as much as Zahilay. She’s a Transit Maven with political experience who is good at getting those Eastside misers to pay for things. And if we have any hope of addressing homelessness and building thousands of units of housing, someone is going to have to convince (or force) those misers to buy the biggest goose in the window (pay taxes) for Tiny Tim (us).

What appeals to us aside from Zahilay’s progressive zeal and résumé, is that instead of facing east toward the suburbs à la Balducci, Zahilay will continue to face South, the direction of his district, and toward the people and places this county has neglected. At a time the federal government is literally rounding up immigrants and refugees and saying they don’t belong, we think it’s only right to elect Zahilay, so all King County residents know they belong and they matter. And we trust he’ll do right by us all. Vote Zahilay.

METROPOLITAN KING COUNTY, COUNCIL DISTRICT NO. 5 Kim-Khánh Văn

Last year, Dave Upthegrove left the King County Council to save the trees as the state Commissioner of Public Lands and, we guess, yell at tree sitters who also trying to save the trees. But that’s his problem. Ours is filling the seat he left behind (and that’s currently being warmed by long-time Tukwila City Councilmember De’Sean Quinn, who is not running )

Renton City Council Member Kim-Khánh Văn stood out in a crowd of good candidates. She’s electric and her vision for this diverse district prioritizes racial equity, democratic values, and local stability as a means to weather this federal storm.

When she was 6, Văn’s family fled Vietnam for a refugee camp in the Philippines and resettled in King County with the help of a nonprofit. After becoming the first in her family to graduate college, she went to law school and became an immigration attorney. She’s involved in rapid response efforts to ICE raids, and Văn is the only candidate who said “Abolish ICE.”

This is the place where King County made waves (both good and bad) by housing homeless people in a vacant motel. It is also a region awash with camping bans. Văn is

against those bans and homeless sweeps. She’s—forgive us for using the line—solutions-oriented. And for all the homosexual treehuggers missing Upthegrove: Văn says water is life and she’s here to save rivers.

Văn’s big challenger is Steffanie Fain, whose moderate Republican husband Joe Fain was ousted from the State Senate after KUOW reported a rape allegation against him. When she filed for office, it would have been easy to assume that Fain, a lawyer and cancer survivor who has never held public office, was some kind of political puppet. Nope, she’s definitely her own woman. A very boring one who has raised a lot of money. She wants to fix the floundering King County Regional Homelessness Authority (who doesn’t?) and didn’t have an idea of how (who does?). And that was a basic theme. Fain is fine. Not an existential threat, but the absolute wrong pick for the political moment. Or, really any political moment, for that matter.

Văn is the moment. We’d pick her even if Trump wasn’t dragging us all kicking and screaming into hell. South King County, perpetually overlooked and fucked over, and full of people vulnerable to federal lawlessness, deserves a fearless champion. We’re not even sure why Fain’s running. Vote Văn.

METROPOLITAN KING COUNTY, COUNCIL DISTRICT NO. 7 Maya Vengadasalam

Maya Vengadasalam is the only “Independent Democrat” in this non-partisan race with any chance of beating former Republican State Senator Pete von Reichbauer, an elder statesman who has held down his seat since 1993. Why? The man has a road named after him and he isn’t even dead. His feet are dangling from the $211,000+ war chest he’s sitting on and he lords over part of the county Republicans haven’t totally lost. So ever since the hot new rock band Nirvana was on the radio, to try was to lose and to waste money while doing it. Enter Vengadasalam. She’s a former school board director in Kent and a current leadership development consultant for the Washington State School Directors’ Association. And she’s only like $206,000 behind on fundraising! Since her whole deal is fiscal responsibility, maybe she can stretch it or blow the whole thing on a limited-run zine.

While Vengadasalam wasn’t “partaking in endorsements,” she willingly answered all of our questions as long as we told you

she was running a non-partisan campaign for this non-partisan office. Vengadasalam’s platform is four-prong: champion government transparency, strengthen economic growth, expand affordable housing, and advance education and safety (a two-for-one deal).

Vengadasalam is no Republican, but she’s not the kind-of-handsome blue stranger that sweeps us off our feet. She’s a “where’s the money going” type who assumes the answer is waste and the solution is austerity. She’s not against progressive revenue, per se—but she wanted to be honest about the scissors in her hand. And honest she was. Vengadasalam spent six years on the finance and process management side of the Tacoma Housing Authority and didn’t even try to masquerade as a housing advocate. She bragged about her division going paperless before COVID hit. She’s got the right idea about some things, like the inhumanity of the term “camping” when applied to unsheltered homeless people, and that certainly gives her an edge over von Reichbauer, who once called homeless people outside the King County courthouse “animals” that had taken over the streets. Though we’re unconvinced she’ll solve the housing crisis with educational opportunities, unless all those graduates are comfortable with 20 or 30 roommates (we need affordable housing).

She didn’t tell lies (even for her own benefit) or talk shit. There was literally nothing we could do to drag Vengadasalam into the muck and insult von Reichbauer, because she didn’t know him personally (she is strict on a two-term limit, however). It’s no fun, but how endearing.

District 7 voters, we’re not thrilled about von Reichbauer’s de facto lifetime appointment. But while we still have representative democracy, why not have an election for old time’s sake? Let’s retire von Reichbauer to sunny Arizona. Vote Vengadasalam.

STATE

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT NO. 33, STATE REPRESENTATIVE POSITION NO. 1

Edwin Obras

The state legislature is just getting to know Edwin Obras, the 22-year SeaTac resident who was appointed to replace Tina Orwall when she moved over to the State Senate chamber earlier this year. He’s new to politics, but very familiar with

government: Before this January, he’d worked for the City of Seattle’s Human Services Department for 16 years.

In the last six months, he’s managed to make an impression. He sponsored (and passed) a bill that establishes protections for isolated workers (like housekeepers, security guards, and janitors) from sexual harassment and assault. He slapped some worker protections on Uber and Lyft. And he proposed a bill that would keep companies from passing the cost of credit card processing fees to their tipped workers. Because somehow that’s still legal.

“What about the other Democrat in the race?” you ask? That’s Burien Mayor Kevin Schilling, and it’s a helluva stretch to call him a Democrat. Schilling’s administration is currently suing to overturn Burien’s historic minimum wage victory. As deputy Mayor, he turned down $1 million in King County funds for a tiny home village when it conflicted with the interests of one of his major donors. He had a public fight with the King County Sheriff’s office after he tried to force them to impose a camping ban in the city. And conservative commentator Brandi Kruse considers him one of her favorite Democratic mayors.

We don’t need that nonsense anywhere near the state house. And we sure as hell need someone who’s dedicated to workers’ rights. Vote Obras.

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT NO. 41, STATE REPRESENTATIVE POSITION NO. 1

Janice Zahn

Well, Janice Zahn ghosted us. After she rescheduled our planned endorsement call, we just… never heard from her again. Is that encouraging? Nope! But there’s not much happening in this race.

Zahn is the only Democrat running a serious campaign for this seat. She’s a former Bellevue City Councilmember, and she’s been an engineer with the Port of Seattle for more than 20 years. She was appointed to the office in January, and she’s done a few things we dig: She sharpened some definitions for autism care on the state level so people who need 24/7 care have access to it and she expanded the protections for discrimination in schools. Good stuff!

Plus, we love a weirdo. When addressing the County Council, she shared that since the COVID lockdowns, she’s been collecting rocks, polishing them, and then

sharing them with community members. “I carry them around in my pocket and I start giving them away to my community as I’m out in community and I see people struggling, because what I believe is that leaders need to be the calm in our community when they’re in the storm while we’re trying to help them,” she said. She’s like the socially underdeveloped white lady in Shrinking and we’re obsessed.

Vote Zahn. (But Janice, get it together. We better hear from you in the general.)

LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT NO. 48, STATE REPRESENTATIVE POSITION NO.

1 Osman Salahuddin

Yes, Salahuddin really is as young as he looks. Actually, he’s the youngest serving member of the state legislature.

So it shouldn’t surprise you that Salahuddin’s political experience is limited. Before he was unanimously appointed to this legislative seat by the King County Council earlier this year, he was two years into his term on Redmond City Council. Before that, his only political experience was as the student body president at the University of Washington.

But Salahuddin has picked up the work quickly. He’s an advocate for public transit (he rode the bus from Redmond to UW every day), he understands the importance of public investment in the housing and homelessness crisis, he introduced a state bill to integrate behavioral health professionals with cops and other first responders.

When we asked Salahuddin what he was most proud of since he was appointed to this legislative seat in January, he listed two pieces of legislation: the first recognized Eid as a state holiday (“It showed my community that the government exists to serve all residents,” he told us) and the second allows workers to use paid sick leave to attend their own or a family member’s immigration proceedings.

The 48th legislative district is largely made up of renters (more than half), immigrants (about 40 percent) and people of color (about half). The median age is barely more than 35. “My role is a bit unique in the district I represent,” the 29-year-old child of immigrants told us, because demographically, he’s a lot more like his constituents than many representatives.

If he’s elected, Salahuddin will get another year to show us what he can do. Vote Salahuddin. ■

How to Vote in August’s Primary Election

Don’t Be a Fool, Primaries Can Be Cool!

BY MEGAN SELING

Iknow what you’re thinking: Didn’t we just do this? Yes. Yes, we did. King County has already held two special elections this year, in February and April. But democracy does not rest! It’s the 2025 primary election, bitches! It is time, once again, to put blue or black ink to oblong bubble and make some big choices about our future.

Sure, local primary elections have a reputation for being uneventful snoozefests, but some very vital decisions will be made come August 5. Not only will Seattle voters narrow down the crowded mayoral candidate field—in which there are currently nine contenders—but we also get to decide who’ll take on Republican Seattle City Attorney incumbent Ann Davison, who’s ready to make a run at NIMBY-loving Sara Nelson’s City Council seat, and which of the eight people running for King County Executive will appear on the ballot in November’s general election.

The primaries are where we can weed out the weirdos (Rachael Savage) and give the real ones (Katie Wilson). This is where we can send a message to City Hall that we’re paying attention—we won’t stand for four more years of a sweeps-loving bully, and we won’t vote for another council member who prioritizes billionaires over human rights. It’s very exciting! But in order to do all of that, you must be registered to vote.

How to Register to Vote

New voters can register online at votewa. gov or in person at the County Elections Office. You’ll need a Washington State driver’s license or ID card or, if you don’t have that, the last four digits of your Social Security number. To vote in the August primary, you must register online by July 28 or in person by August 5, Election Day. If you are registered, but you’ve moved or changed your name since last voting, you can confirm or update your voter registration at votewa.gov, too.

What to Know About Your Ballot

Washington State votes by mail, and ballots are mailed out 18 days before Election Day. For the August primaries, you should get your ballot on or around July 18. If you don’t receive your ballot, you can request a replacement on King County’s website at kingcounty.gov. You can also call 206-296VOTE or email elections@kingcounty. gov, and they’ll get you set up. (They love democracy! They want to help you!)

There is one very important thing to consider when preparing to return your ballot: your signature. You must sign the

ballot’s return envelope—or have a witness sign it if you’re unable. And your signature must match the one the elections office has on file, which is either the signature you used when registering to vote, or the one that appears on your driver’s license or state-issued ID card.

Don’t just scribble nonsense; don’t just put your initials. Don’t mindlessly doodle dogs and flowers all over it while you sit on hold with Xfinity for six hours. When it comes to voting by mail, your signature is a big deal. It’s how the elections office confirms your ballot came from you. Tens of thousands of ballots are returned in Wash-

When it comes to voting by mail, your signature is a big deal.

ington State every election cycle because the signature either is missing or doesn’t match. In November’s 2024 General Election, more than 8,700 ballots with unmatching signatures were returned, and more than 2,800 ballots were unsigned in King County alone.

Are you scared? Did all this pressure about handwriting cause a tickle of anxiety in the pit of your stomach? Relax! If you’re a registered voter and worried about an

out-of-date signature, you can update your signature online at kingcounty.gov. And if your signature is denied after all, the elections office will contact you—by phone, mail, and email—and let you know what to do next. But you must correct a contested ballot before the election results are certified two weeks after Election Day.

Where to Take Your Ballot

So you registered, received your ballot, filled out the appropriate bubbles, sealed it in the security envelope, and signed the return envelope. Good job! Now you can drop your ballot in an official ballot box by 8 p.m. on Election Day, August 5. Find one near you on the county’s website. You can also mail it, and no stamp is needed. Because ballots arriving via postal mail must be postmarked by Election Day, officials recommend you send it by the Friday before.

You can track your ballot’s progress at info.kingcounty.gov. Or, even better, when voting, you can sign up to receive text alerts, and you’ll be notified when your ballot has been received and again when it’s been counted. Neat!

Why Do All of This?

Now that we’ve covered how, I want to talk about why. The truth is, many folks who can vote know how, they just choose not to. Even if they’re already registered. And that is espe-

cially true in midterm primary elections. Just 41 percent of registered voters participated in Washington State’s primary election last year, and that number drops a notch to 40 percent when you zoom in on King County. And who are some of those primary election voters voting for? It’s kind of wild, actually! Nearly 17,000 Washington voters voted for Goodspaceguy for US Senator in the 2024 primaries. That is his official name on the ballot! Goodspaceguy is a Republican who has run more than 25 times for various offices in the region, he refers to Earth as “Spaceship Earth,” and he believes, according to his voter guide statement, that a state-wide minimum wage “creates so many homeless, unemployed, problem, poor people and panhandlers and shop-lifters and muggers.” Yikes.

If that’s too niche for you, consider this: More than 541,533 Washington State voters cast their ballots for Dave Reichert during the primaries and got him on the ballot for the general election, and the guy brought a gun to his own campaign event ! He lost in the general election to Gov. Bob Ferguson, but all those early votes sent a message: Reichert has their support. There are some very strange people in the world who make some very strange decisions, and they’re showing up to vote—even in the admittedly unsexy but no less important primary elections. Will you? ■

LIAM EISENBERG

The Stranger Election Control Board

CHEAT SHEET

Authenticity Above All Else

Lawrence Burney Shines a Light on Us All Through His Debut Essay Collection, No Sense in

BY KATIE LEE ELLISON

With his collection of new essays, No Sense in Wishing, culture critic and former The FADER editor Lawrence Burney shows the uninitiated that he’s got chops for days, holding his own among living legends like Hanif Abdurraqib and Kiese Laymon.

I didn’t know about the DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia region) before reading his book. I hadn’t heard of seminal punk band Bad Brains , which is very embarrassing because holy shit, what a band (and because they no doubt influence a favorite local band of mine, Beverly Crusher). And I’d say I have a rudimentary understanding of rap and hip-hop, as ’90s R&B was where I spent my time growing up, and I’ve stayed thirsty for belters and runs ever since. Still, while Burney’s writing is deeply rooted in music I have a distant relationship with, his book gripped me. From the photo of him as a child in Mickey Mouse ears on the cover (taken by his talented artist uncle Derrick Adams) to his completely disarming introduction, to his timing, storytelling, and voice, he immediately made me a devoted fan.

His rhythm, and what reads like natural talent on the page, is built from a decadeslong grind up through the ranks. “This isn’t the book I thought I’d write if ever afforded the opportunity to write one,” reads his first sentence. Regardless, the book reads like a necessary culmination of that work, while also suggesting that this writer has much, much more to say. This humility, this honesty, this forthcoming voice with narrative style loaded with tension and questions and possibility: This man can write . It’s exciting to read him, and I’m saying this knowing just 10 percent of the musicians he writes about. But now I’m listening to early Lupe Fiasco and Asake and MIKE. It’s an education in and a touchpoint for writing relatable human experience, regardless of the details, which is exactly what he aimed to create.

“When I was first figuring myself out as a writer, I was mimicking people,” he says. “A lot of the popular writers wrote about things happening on the national scale because that obviously gets a lot of eyes on you. I didn’t understand analytics at the time, but I could tell that it wasn’t a lot of people engaging, so I started to just go out and explore what was happening around me. I had this dual consciousness of being very

Wishing

committed to what’s happening at home [in Baltimore], but also knowing how to filter that in a way that could be palatable and appealing to people outside of home. I’ve always tried to navigate that balance of committing to being a documentarian of my region, but talking about the emotions and the storytelling, things people from anywhere can connect to. That’s the most effective storytelling: when it transcends where it’s based.”

While reading this book, I was overwhelmed by the expertise firing on so many cylinders: Burney has style, his ideas come fast, and the pace of his language is

faster. Yet it’s all so smooth; you can read the book solely for sound without realizing you missed the meaning. It’s one to read over and over again. I wondered how much music influenced his writing.

“I don’t think of it as music on a line level,” he tells me. “But I did conceptualize my approach to bookmaking based on the way that I consume music. I absorb music more than I absorb everything else. I obviously watch film, I read books, but music is the thing that I’ve been critiquing for all of my adult life. I thought about the things that make a strong album. I think strong albums are pretty concise. I think

they have a strong conceptual throughline. Obviously, it has to be sonically engaging and dynamic, but for me, the thing that I search for in music is the story being told. What am I learning from this person? How effectively is this person bringing me into their world? Do I know much more about this place, and this person, based off of what I just absorbed?”

Then, there are the recs. The critiques. The dozens of musicians, films, books, comedians, neighborhoods, and friends worth looking up.

“I was hoping that, at the end of this book, people would not only have a really strong

“I was hoping that, at the end of this book, people would not only have a really strong sense of who I am, but the places that I come from.”

sense of who I am, but, more importantly, the places that I come from. My favorite thing when I’m absorbing anybody’s creative output is how much referential information is within those contents. If I listen to an album and come away learning about five artists that I never knew about, [or] if I read a book and come away having learned about this place, this album, this historical figure, how XYZ works—those are the things that stimulate me the most. I really was trying to create a pretty intense, stimulating experience for people not only learning about me, but about so many things that contribute to who I am.”

Pretty intense, indeed. I have months’ worth of music, film, books, historical events, and contexts to take in, and when I told him that, he smiled. Mission accomplished.

But of his storytelling, I wanted to hear more. This is a book about Baltimore, and not. It’s a memoir, but also a history of the DMV and of this country. He touches on so many niche yet critically important and influential movements globally, I was looking for how he put it together, especially because he also critiques the “traditional” narrative arc structure and who decided that it is the gold standard for storytelling.

SHAN WALLACE

Burney will make you care about Bad Brains and Baltimore (if you don’t already).

“I definitely think about [narrative structure],” he says. “It all depends on what I’m writing about. A lot of [my style] comes from a journalist background, where you have to be informative. You have to provide materials for people to verify what you’re saying. You have to be descriptive enough so that it’s engaging [to a reader] who has no idea what you’re talking about. I try to smooth that out by not over-explaining. I like dropping people into a personal anecdote or story, and then zooming out and giving the broad strokes. Give some history on it, some contemporary examples, and then zoom back into something personal. The personal things hook people, the information keeps them, and the end falls wherever it might fall. I don’t think I did anything necessarily clever with structure. I think I’m very much still, like, a student of the craft. I wouldn’t say that I’m at a place just yet where I’m being structurally experimental.”

I really, really can’t wait until he is. And even in this answer, Burney gives me more to chew on. Where in this piece have I hooked you ? Where have I provided information? Am I riffing? And where will this end?

What I’m saying is, reading No Sense in Wishing was a pleasure. That said, it also takes on the complexities and nuances, joys and celebration, pains and flagrant hideous injustices of Black American life from his illuminating and singular perspective. The last few chapters will take you for a ride through niche, global, and/ or familiar arguments— from the racist history of Baltimore steel mills, to Richard Pryor’s fascinating take on using the N-word, to the similarities between Black American and South African mentalities, to the academic studies of Africans’ travel to the Americas long before Columbus. I’m telling you, he riffs. Hard. And like with any skilled artist, it’s his voice and vision that create a relationship between it all. In the writing itself, he finds human likeness, globally. Tell me that doesn’t make you feel good. Tell me you don’t want to know how he does it, and what other specific and fascinating tales he recounts in this book.

cynical sense. At the heart of it, it’s saying that there are things I believe I need [in order] to get me to that next milestone. It’s about mining your environment for things that could be useful to your progression.”

Have you ordered the book from your favorite independent bookstore yet? Do you see how you need this voice in your life? If, like me, you’ve missed his decades of writing about Kanye, Kendrick (and Drake), Tierra Whack, Megan Thee Stallion, dirty policing in Baltimore and beyond; his film reviews, profiles, and cultural reporting and editorial work for Vice , The FADER , the Washington Post, Pitchfork, the Baltimore Banner , and his own media outlet True Laurels : Do not miss this book. Because there’s so much more coming.

“That’s the most effective storytelling: when it transcends where it’s based.”

The story behind the title, No Sense in Wishing, comes from a moment you’ll have to read about in the book, but it involves a young woman in a tough spot being asked what she would wish for.

“I’ve had many setbacks and hard resets,” says Burney. “I’ve done things I didn’t want to do. I would say that’s the anatomy of the title. It’s not ‘no sense in wishing’ in a

“I’m nurturing myself as a storyteller,” he says. “I think I’ve spent probably the past decade of my life more of a journalist, writing for different publications, moving around and connecting with people. All of those experiences are feeding into this next chapter of my journey—bookmaking, filmmaking, telling stories with fewer parameters. On staff, you typically don’t get to write anything longer than 2,500 words, so [to write this book], I had to recalibrate the way that I approach my own work and the permission that I gave myself to ramble, to dig deeper. How can I continue to challenge myself to grow on an artistic level? … There are certain things I wrote about in this book that I felt needed to be resolved within, and writing about them helped me come to terms with emotional hindrances. I hope that my work continues to lead me to those types of revelations. And that in the process, I become more useful and more enlightening and more of a resource to the people around me.” ■

JULY 31 - AUGUST 3, 2025 · PENDARVIS FARM · HAPPY VALLEY, OR

GREENSKY BLUEGRASS

MICHAEL HURLEY TRIBUTE

OLIVE KLUG

ANNA BUTTERSS

CHOSES SAUVAGES

LONESOME SHACK

EMILY NENNI DOUGIE POOLE

REYNA TROPICAL THEE MARLOES

J.R.C.G.

JIMETTA ROSE & THE VOICES OF CREATION

LILY SEABIRD AMOS HEART

ROSALI

OCIE ELLIOTT

PORTUGAL.

MAN

FORTY FEET TALL EAST NASH GRASS

DUMMY

THE CACTUS BLOSSOMS

SURPRISE CHEF

JAKE BLOUNT

KAHIL EL’ZABAR’S ETHNIC HERITAGE ENSEMBLE

THEE HEART TONES SML

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS TAJ MAHAL

JAKE VAADELAND & THE STURGEON RIVER BOYS

ANGELA AUTUMN

JOSH

JOHNSON

HANNAH COHEN

BEING DEAD

REVIVAL SEASON

WILD PINK FRENTE CUMBIERO

JOURDAN THIBODEAUX ET LES RÔDAILLEURS

GLITTERFOX

CHRIS ACKER

BLU & EXILE

ROSE GERBER

BEN SERETANROSE CITY BAND

FRUIT BATS

CORY HANSON

HALEY HEYNDERICKX THE RUMBLE WADE SAPP

SUGARLEGG

COLBY T. HELMS & THE VIRGINIA CREEPERS

HUMBIRD

DAVID NANCE & MOWED SOUND

JENNY DON’T AND THE SPURS

LANEY JONES & THE SPIRITS

DERYA YILDIRIM & GRUP ŞIMŞEK

JONNY’S DAY OUT

IMPROVEMENT MOVEMENT

Dan

Haute Topic

McLean’s New Collection Is a Friendship-Fueled Y2K Mixtape

BY JUAN JOCOM

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN PARROCO

Some people write love letters. Some just hold hands and let the silence do the talking. But for Seattle fashion designer Dan McLean, her connection with hairstylist Robert “Robere” Shaw is the kind that hoists a boom box over its head and hits play.

This bond between them will echo loud and clear on the runway with McLean’s next annual birthday fashion show. On July 20, 7:20:Hair by Robere will showcase years of friendship, memory, and hair on the catwalk. Like with many modern love stories, their stars crossed through Instagram DMs.

After seeing a friend wearing one of McLean’s creations, Shaw fell in love. He followed her on Instagram and commissioned a rainbow Louis Vuitton bralette for Pride. It was his first custom piece from her. Still, the two didn’t officially meet until McLean took on another commission for Shaw four years ago, when he asked her to

make a pair of custom pants for a wedding. The initial design didn’t go as planned, but she managed to make last-minute changes. In return, he offered to do hair for McLean’s first runway show. He’s done every show since.

Just like that, Shaw turned from client to muse.

Stacked on a corner shelf, white boxes containing bits and pieces of McLean’s past designs—each marked with a collection theme and year—show just how much she has explored her craft, from bridal couture to extraterrestrial-futuristic fashion.

But with Hair by Robere , she wanted to do something new: bring her friendship with Shaw and the salon aesthetic into the world of fashion.

Their connection is rooted in a shared nostalgia for the early 2000s. Both McLean and Shaw came of age on a diet of mall-punk fashion in the Y2K, MySpace era—think

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Britney Spears, and Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind.” They both had flip phones, shopped at Hot Topic, and found creative refuge in the alt-pop culture of their youth. “We’re both weird,”

The collection is a time capsule reimagined for the present, infused with both punk attitude and personal tenderness.

Shaw says. “The show is an homage to our younger selves, and the music and the clothes that we grew up loving.”

Although Shaw isn’t involved in the design process, McLean consistently checks in with him to ensure she’s capturing the essence of their friendship—channeling that mutual adolescence into a fashion collection that feels equal parts homage and experimentation. Hair by Robere is not just a show; it’s a time capsule reimagined for the present, infused with both punk attitude and personal tenderness.

Diversity Is Common Sense

When walking into McLean’s SoDo studio, I’m greeted by a sea of black and dark tones. One wall is lined with assorted metal hoops, the other scattered with power tools. For someone unfamiliar with that kind of edge, the space can feel intimidating at first. But behind the moody aesthetic lies something entirely different, and what happens behind the runway is anything but cold.

McLean and her dog Doug would definitely be in our Top 8.

Photo: Jueqian Fang

bleach-resistant thrifted and repurposed fabrics, practical for salon professionals but still edgy and elevated. Inspired by the reality of hairstylists wearing black to work, McLean is building pieces that are functional yet avant-garde, crafting garments that can withstand the chaos of chemical spills without sacrificing style.

Expect sculptural silhouettes, rich textures, and unexpected materiality. Hair itself will be woven into the collection: synthetic strands molded into boots, bags, and corsets. There may be flowing human hair for movement and structure, or stylized wigs reimagined into wearable art. Nothing is off-limits.

“Trying to explain me and Robert’s relationship is kind of how I’m going to try to

McLean crafts garments that can withstand the chaos of chemical spills without sacrificing style.

At the heart of McLean’s creative ethos is care. Her approach to designing is deeply collaborative and intentionally people-centered. She does not simply cast models and then fit them into pre-made garments. She builds the garments around each individual. She listens. She adapts. She makes space.

“If they want their hair cut, then we will, but I’m not going to request anyone cut their hair,” McLean says. “I have never expected people to change anything about themselves for the show.”

McLean is also reshaping the experience of a fashion show. Her casting process is collective, with a panel of past collaborators, friends of friends, and family members helping choose models. She doesn’t rely on industry archetypes. Instead, her runway features bodies of all sizes, genders, and backgrounds. It’s her way of rejecting the unrealistic beauty standards of the modeling industry, which has long demanded a specific body type and a Eurocentric ideal of beauty.

“Dan cares,” Shaw says. “She asks what [models] are comfortable with. She wants to know who she’s dressing and how they like to be dressed.”

McLean makes it clear that her models are her muses, too. She doesn’t sketch her designs; instead, she writes down ideas, talks them out, and then builds directly onto the body, draping fabric while music plays in the background—a creative exchange that feels more like hanging out than work. The result is fashion that breathes with memory and connection.

She calls her team the Danfam. Sounds exclusive, right? But McLean said that the only requirement is good vibes. According to McLean, past shows have drawn solo attendees who leave with new friends. It’s that kind of joyful, inclusive energy she aims to bring to all future runway shows.

A Runway Beyond Hot Topic

This year, with 7:20:Hair by Robere, McLean is creating a collection made mostly of black,

explain it on a runway,” McLean says. “We’re just like, it kind of doesn’t make sense, but it does make sense.

This is also McLean’s first sober runway show. The studio, once a place of partyfueled fittings and late-night sewing, is now a different kind of creative space: clear, focused, and just as celebratory. Shaw is joining her in solidarity, staying sober throughout the process, too.

For McLean, Hair by Robere is more than a collection; it’s a celebration of where she’s been and where she’s going. As the queen of bootleg fashion in Seattle, where she transforms thrifted outfits into avantgarde wearable pieces, she wants the show to signal a pivot from mass production to a slower, more intentional way of creating.

“Instead of me pumping out a bunch of things to make, I want to really hone in on focusing on customers and building out their closet and making them feel sexy in their clothes,” McLean says.

What audiences can expect on July 20 is a show that feels like a mixtape, a time machine, a love letter to a friendship. It will feature references to emo culture, punk rebellion, and nostalgic glam. There may be liberty spikes. There will definitely be big feelings. And at the center of it all will be McLean and Shaw, two weird kids who found each other and built a fashion family. McLean hopes that everyday people feel they deserve garments that are both functional and expressive. Most of all, she wants fashion to feel accessible—and not something behind a velvet rope, but something you can step into, collaborate on, and truly call your own. Because in McLean’s world, fashion is a form of care, and everyone deserves to feel good in what they wear. ■

7:20:Hair by Robere is July 20, 7 p.m.–10 p.m. Location disclosed with ticket purchase. Tickets available at danmclean.org

Left and below: McLean’s studio in SoDo

Heeere’s Dan!

Into the Woods?

Follow

the Flowchart to Find Out Which Summer Music Fest Is Right for You!

BY AUDREY VANN ILLUSTRATIONS BY ADDELINE GRISWOLD

I am more likely to learn about

When was the last time you rode a bike?

Can you recite the monologue from Bright Eyes’ “At the Bottom of Everything”?

Rivers Cuomo The Snoqualmie River

Northwest Tune-Up

JULY 11–13

Northwest Tune-Up will transform downtown Bellingham into a peak-PNW oasis celebrating all things bikes, beer, and music. After a long day of exploring the world-class mountain bike singletracks and competing in (or spectating) bike races, wind down with some live music and local brews.

HIGHLIGHTS: STS9, Chet Faker (DJ set), Silversun Pickups, and the 502s.

will bring two days of live music, food trucks, games, and a beer garden to the scenic shores of Puget Sound.

HIGHLIGHTS: L7, Bratmobile, Team Dresch, Thunderpussy, and Sun Atoms.

THING Festival 2025

Broke?

Modest Mouse Presents: Psychic Salamander Festival

SEPT 13–14

EVERY SATURDAY, AUG 2–AUG 23

Here is where you can see music for free this summer!

West Seattle Summer Fest

JULY 11–13

HIGHLIGHTS: Jenn Champion, THEM, Monsterwatch, and Reignwolf

Timber! Outdoor Music Festival 2025

JULY 24–26

This Carnation-based outdoor music festival offers a full weekend of crowdfriendly indie-folk and rock performances, as well as all-ages activities like camping, kayaking, and stargazing.

HIGHLIGHTS: M. Ward, Dehd, Los Bitchos, and Damien Jurado.

The Issaquah-born rock band is launching a new music festival at Carnation’s Remlinger Farms this year, featuring two nights of indie rock from both contemporary bands and genre luminaries. Each ticket includes free admission to Remlinger Farms’ amusement park.

HIGHLIGHTS: Modest Mouse, the Flaming Lips, Courtney Barnett, SleaterKinney, Yo La Tengo, and Built to Spill.

Nestled along the Snoqualmie River in Carnation, THING is back this year with a four-part festival spanning the month of August. Despite changing their structure this year, the lineup is still grander than your average small-town arts fest, with a genre-spanning lineup, food vendors, and a shopping market

HIGHLIGHTS: Orville Peck, Father John Misty, Jessica Pratt, Soccer Mommy, Mon Laferte, and the Roots.

Ballard SeafoodFest

JULY 11–13

HIGHLIGHTS: Illuminati Hotties, Sir Woman, and Nite Wave

Bumbershoot 2025

AUG 30–31

South Sound Block Party

AUG 22–23

Head down the I-5 corridor for Olympia’s annual South Sound Block Party, which

At Seattle Center’s beloved music and arts festival, you can get that lounging-in-thegrass style music fest without trekking to rural Washington. This year’s lineup caters to the Gen X and Millennial crowds with an impressive lineup rooted in indie rock, pop, and hip-hop.

HIGHLIGHTS: Weezer, Janelle Monáe, Aurora, Car Seat Headrest, Bright Eyes, and Digable Planets.

Capitol Hill Block Party 2025

JULY 19–20

This year, CHBP offers a treasure trove of Gen-Z favorites. Droves of festival-goers will crowd the streets of Capitol Hill to see electronic music heavies, DJs, and pop stars. This isn’t your typical lazy-day-in-afield music festival, but rather a bustling dance party that involves several stages— both indoors and outdoors—nestled within the city streets.

HIGHLIGHTS: Thundercat, DJ Pee .Wee (aka Anderson .Paak), 100 gecs, Yaeji (DJ Set), Snow Strippers, and Maude Latour.

Bite of Seattle

JULY 25–27

HIGHLIGHTS: mega cat, Shaina Shepherd, the Moondoggies, and Oblé Reed

Chomp!

AUG 16

HIGHLIGHTS: Kim Deal, Suzzalo, and Bearaxe

R-Day

SEPT 6

HIGHLIGHTS: Mudhoney, La Luz, and Tres Leches

Beach, Please

Coral Grief Capture Washington’s Otherworldly Wonders on Debut Album, Air Between Us

BY AUDREY VANN

Fueled by a love of marine life, endless cups of matcha, and memories of old Seattle, local trio Coral Grief hiked up to Anacortes for a week to record their debut album, Air Between Us. Like the parasailer on the cover, the songs evoke an aimless momentum that is loosely tethered to time and place. Vocalist and bassist Lena Farr-Morrissey sings in a breathy, weightless tone, while guitarist Sam Fason and drummer Cam Hancock craft lush, dreamy soundscapes that illuminate the reflective lyrics. While the album will draw many comparisons to British bands like Broadcast, Stereolab, and Lush, Coral Grief add a distinctly Washington State haze to their songs, with lyrics that encompass both the urban and the pastoral landscapes. I sat down with the trio to talk about the making of the album, Seattle’s dearly departed local businesses, and the magic of PNW beaches.

What media were you consuming while recording Air Between Us?

SAM: I was listening to a lot of ’90s stuff. I got really into this label called Too Pure

Records. It’s indie rock with a kind of ambient, krautrock-y thing going on.

LENA: We watched the short documentary Extreme Beachcombing. It’s about this guy in Forks, Washington who has collected a bunch of shit that’s washed up from the ocean over the last 40-plus years. That, and we were drinking lots of matcha. I wouldn’t say that we were closed off from the media, but I get a little distracted from consuming too many other things. We recorded the album at the Unknown in Anacortes, which was a good way to unplug from everything. We started recording on, like, the first day of spring. It was hard to be trapped inside all day, but it was a cool way to usher in the season. We wanted the songs to reflect a freshness or a rebirth of sorts, so it felt fitting.

What is the best way to listen to the album?

LENA: Definitely in motion because of the ebbs and flows. The album is very movement-oriented. The matcha—or all of the matcha—made us work quickly, for better or worse. I want people to put the record on when they’re going somewhere or traveling through space.

CAM: From a mixing standpoint, some of the great vocal harmonies and textures might not stick out if you listen to it in the car.

“I don’t want to say that I’m speaking for the sea anemones, but at the same time, we see you.”

It’s great headphone music. For me, there’s an unstated goal of having a piece of work that you can give multiple listens to—you develop with it, and it develops you. Some of these more ambient textures—things that Sam leans into and draws from—reveal themselves over time.

Can you tell me more about the album cover? Who is that?

LENA: That’s my grandpa. After he passed away, we went out to Chinese food with my family and talked about putting family

photos up on my grandma’s digital frame. When that one came up, we were like, “What? When did he do this!?” Sam and I thought it would make a cool album cover. It’s interesting because when you look at someone parasailing, it looks so peaceful, quiet, and serene, which captures some of the album’s energy. Then you think about the person in the parasail, and they’re racing with the wind and probably have high adrenaline. I think the photo captures both, watching a parasailer and being a parasailer.

What song on the album are you most proud of?

SAM: I’m proud of them all and I like them all, but we were the most particular about “Latitude.” I wanted it to sound lush, but not overbearing or murky. Since that song has some of Lena’s best vocal moments, I wanted it to have space. We spent, you know, a lot of time tinkering with the right organ and synth sounds, which are kind of under everything to give it a glowing feel.

CAM: It’s “Mutual Wish” for me. I think it’s because I’m mostly focused on rhythm, but there’s a lot of intricate rhythm going on in

CHE HISE-GATTONE

that song. It has a driving, forward-moving sense to it without beating you over the head with it. It’s still light. I also think it has the best bass line on the album. The chorus gets stuck in my head a lot. I think that’s always a good sign.

LENA: It’s so hard because “Latitude” is one of my favorite songs. But then the recording process of “Avenue You” went really smoothly. I think that song is really cohesive, and I’m proud of how that sounds. “Almost Everyday” is such a personal song to me about working at a record store. That one ended up closing the album well, even though it was more of a struggle to record. I’m proud of them all in different ways.

Lena, how did working at a record store change or shape your relationship to music?

LENA: It was so fundamental and pivotal for my musical education and joining the community here. Everyday Music was such a wonderland—we could dig through that store for years and still be discovering new things. I loved that place specifically because you could buy a 25 cent bargain DVD or a 200 dollar record. When it closed, I was pretty gutted about it. Not to be corny, but it felt like a metaphor for the city. I am still processing it. So many of my good friends came from working there. It’s just such a gift that keeps on giving.

In a world of photos, videos, and general evidence of everything, I find it hard to accept when my memory is all that I have. This is explored a bit in “Almost Everyday” and “Latitude.” How do you honor and remember beloved lost spaces?

LENA: It’s hard because it feels like places are slipping away from us. We just have our experiences with one another that we can share and try not to lose them by carrying them on in different ways. For example, two of my coworkers from Everyday Music started Royal Records. They’re carrying on the legacy and cultivating the same energy that existed at Everyday. It’s vital to champion those types of businesses. The shifting city is inevitable. People love to say, “Seattle sucks.” It’s so boring. Like, yeah, duh, but if that’s where your thought stops, and you’re not actually contributing to the community or making it better for artists, I don’t think you have a leg to stand on.

Much of your lyrics and visuals highlight a very underrated part of Seattle: our beaches. What do you love most about PNW beaches?

SAM: I was enamored when I first moved here in 2019 by how special the Puget Sound is and just how great the access to nature is in Seattle. During the pandemic, I got a job doing marine mammal monitoring. I was basically standing outside for most of the winter of 2020/2021 looking for whales. I really fell in love with the fact that you can be in West Seattle or downtown on the waterfront and see orcas and humpbacks and seals regularly. There are all these special, magical animals that call this area home. Even the little tide pool creatures like the anemones and starfish are so, so special. The more you look, the more you see, and it’s constantly unfolding. It’s very inspiring.

LENA: I’m so glad that comes across. I know the three of us have an affinity for nature. When we’re on tour, we’re like, “Where’s the nearest swimming hole?” or “Do we have time to go to a cave?” Nature is a healing source for each of us in different ways, so having a lot of the imagery of the band related to that just feels natural. I don’t want to say that I’m speaking for the sea anemones, but at the same time, we see you.

Let’s end on a fun question. What is the worst band you’ve ever loved?

CAM: The band I’ve had to fight the most for is the Dave Matthews Band—and I will die on that hill! I saw them in high school, and I just saw them again a few weeks ago. He gets a lot of flak—and in some ways I understand—but then you’re in a crowd of his fans and it’s the most joyful experience to be surrounded by all ages and demographics.

SAM: The Red House Painters. Mark Kozelek is a very bad man.

LENA: Katy Perry. I made a lot of music videos in middle school to her work, and it honestly means a lot to me. I love pop music, but so much of it is embarrassing. In regard to her current direction, I don’t condone it! Actually, I don’t condone anything she’s done, but a pop song is a pop song. ■

Coral Grief’s album-release show is at the Tractor Tavern on July 26, with TV Star and New Issue. Air Between Us was released June 18 via Suicide Squeeze / Anxiety Blanket Records.

From left: Sam Fason, Cam Hancock, and Lena Farr-Morrissey.

CORAL GRIEF

The Irreverent Genius of Khampaeng

The Secret Ingredient Is Giving a Shit

BY MICHAEL WONG

PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN PARROCO

Chef Khampaeng Panyathong asks, “Who decides what’s right and what’s wrong? For pizza, but for anything?”

What’s more personal than how you like your pizza? In a city like Seattle, where opinions can end friendships, what you think about pizza could matter nearly as much as whom you voted for.

Which makes it all the more interesting that one of Seattle’s best pizza spots is named after the world’s most divisive pizza topping: Ananas, or “pineapple” in Italian (and over 40 other languages). At the helm is Khampaeng Panyathong, the Laotian chef whose claim to fame isn’t a viral noodle pull or reimagined laap, but instead, a cheeseburger—one so good it landed him on the cover of the New York Times food section. It’s the kind of culinary punchline you’d expect from a city that loves categories but rarely knows what to do with someone who sidesteps them.

But through the ironies, nothing about Khampaeng’s ascent has been accidental. This is a calculated dude, after

all, one who knows as much about self-defense as he does fermentation, and that’s a fucking lot. He’s a chef who takes a certain pleasure in surprising people, avoiding the “authenticity” traps, letting the food speak for itself.

And to me, he very well could be Seattle’s most interesting chef, or at least one of the few who seem to have it all figured out.

The Unexpected Burger King Khampaeng has never moved like a chef who wanted notoriety, or a newspaper story, for that matter. In person, he’s a kind and soft-spoken guy. A cross between Jet Tila and Jason Bourne. Whenever I get to see him, he always seems to be wearing three specific garments: a pair of cargo shorts, a blue trucker hat with three wolves backdropped by the American flag, and a fishing vest with pockets containing items you’d find at the same place he bought the hat.

Most of Seattle’s restaurant scene is built on the backs of chefs like Khampaeng— people who know how to keep the lights on, who know what it takes to survive in the restaurant game, whether their names are on the lease or not. He spent more than a decade as the man behind the curtain, opening a dozen restaurants for other people while keeping even more from falling apart. By the end, it was clear to Khampaeng that working to build others’ dreams was no longer his. He just wanted to be his own boss. When he finally decided to open his first shop, he did so with the well-scoped speed that would characterize every subsequent opening of his. Within eight weeks of seeing a place he thought he could work with, he swiftly developed a concept, signed the lease, and opened Taurus Ox—a spot serving Laotian food in an old Thai restaurant. He knew people missing the Thai spot may be open to Lao food and, by that same token, knew they would also be confused by something like a burger joint, which was also within his range.

And yet, it was a burger that put the Laotian chef on the map. The Lao Burger was born after sizing up the salad prep station at Taurus Ox with a goal to make a gateway dish—a tactical move driven by efficiency as much as his audience. What he created was so popular it demanded a spinoff. So when Taurus Ox eventually moved to a bigger location, Ox Burger took its place. Probably inevitable, definitely ironic.

But all this expansion wasn’t enough for Khampaeng. In the midst, he also signed the lease for a pizza joint that would become Ananas Pizzeria, welcomed his first baby, and quit drinking cold turkey (as a chef!). A lifetime packed into two years. “It was the hardest time of my life,” he tells me.

Surviving that stretch would be enough for anyone. For Khampaeng, it was another opportunity to surprise himself.

Eating in Enemy Territory At Ananas, the argument about what does or doesn’t belong on pizza is part of the fun. After all, naming a pizza spot after pineap-

MICHAE L WONG ASIAN V ERIFIED

ples is akin to naming your steakhouse Well Done. If you come here with prejudice for pineapple, or anything really, you won’t be indulged. “If you don’t like pineapple and you’re eating at Ananas, remember you’re in enemy territory,” Khampaeng says with a straight face. Out front, a wooden pineapple marks the door. Inside, the century-old building details peek through via ornate moldings. The space is anchored by a bar with a handful of two- and fourtops scattered about, lit up with red and purple bulbs and decorated sporadically with antlers, Japanese masks, and cheeky vintage cartoons. Like Red Robin, but somehow with even less reason.

The menu is concise but mighty, with a handful of pies that all use handprepped, premium ingredients, plus salads and “pizza sandwiches” (think cold-cut ingredients in a fresh, folded pizza crust) at lunch. The namesake Ananas Pizza—one of only two pies on the menu with pineapple, in case you were nervous—is made with a 72-hour sourdough crust and fired in a 550-degree oven, with pineapple sliced so thin it almost melts, pickled jalapeños that shake hands with togarashi for spice, salt from the smoked ham and the grated Grana Padano cheese, and a comforting red sauce that has its own point of view. You can taste the technique, the inspiration, and the refusal to cut corners, even if it means having some of the most intensive prep of any pizza spot in the city. The same way you likely prefer a boba that isn’t made from a powder, Khampaeng likes a pizza with ingredients that don’t come from bags.

Khampaeng tells me. “If you want to do something special, if you want to be proud of it, you gotta care. You gotta do it the hard way.”

Naming a pizza spot after pineapples is akin to naming your steakhouse Well Done.

If you ask me, naming a pizza place after a pineapple checks the “hard way” box. But that’s precisely the joke—naming your shop Ananas and giving pineapple a seat at the table turns “enemy territory” into a place to find common ground. In Seattle, where we make it our job to challenge the lines people draw to divide us, Khampaeng understood the assignment. “Who decides what’s right and what’s wrong? For pizza, but for anything?” he muses. “The lines between right and wrong, hate and disgust, are very thin.” And nowhere in the pizza world are those lines more sharp than with pineapple as a topping. Haters say it’s not authentic, that it doesn’t belong, and as a cohort, they’re very vocal about it. Disgust, it turns out, can bring people together just as fast as delight.

“Ketchup on hot dogs is like that, too,” he says. “People who hate on pineapple or ketchup have so much to say, but those that like it, don’t. Replace ‘pineapple’ with ‘race,’ with anything.”

The first time I visited Ananas, I arrived before opening. By the time I left, the place had woken all the way up, teeming with different demographics and energies: solo bicyclists sitting next to construction workers rubbing shoulders with gossiping friends, elderly women claiming their usual patio spots with massive pitchers of beer. Nobody seemed too concerned with the “rules” or the world, just about getting another slice before the next wave rolled in.

“The secret ingredient is giving a shit,”

At Ananas, you’re invited to have a good time, but also be ready to possibly change your mind. That’s normal fare for a museum, maybe, but rare for a restaurant. But that’s why Ananas works, why any Khampaeng spot works. The food is technical and deliberate, but the spirit is easy and welcoming. Irreverence as an icebreaker, execution as a deal-sealer. Ananas isn’t about pineapple, or even pizza, not really. Instead, it’s about showing that sometimes the quickest way past a dumb fight is a good meal. Pizza for all, pineapple doubly so.

What Belongs

Seattle will keep arguing about what’s real, what’s right, and who gets to call something theirs. Khampaeng is not here to debate—he and his team are too busy doing it the hard way, putting care into every thom khem at Taurus Ox, every Lao Burger at Ox Burger, and every slice at Ananas. And in the process, he’s adding room at the table for whoever wants in—making space, not noise. ■

The pineapple on Ananas Pizza’s namesake pie is sliced so thin it almost melts.

We do our best for accuracy, but please check venue websites for updates and more information, as event details may have changed since press time!

Housekeeping note: We have ceased to include pricing information, unless the event is free or sliding scale. (This is mostly due to third-party ticket vendors, like Ticketmaster, who have a monopoly on pricing that is not only unfair, but also confusing, due to varying fee structures. We hate them, and so should you.)

MUSIC

Ok

Bucko, Wanda What

JULY 13

Referred to by musician and writer Eliza McLamb as “a real band’s band,” the Seattle four-piece Ok Bucko cite influences like the Cars and the Breeders and possess an irrepressible DIY punk-rock spirit. Their recent debut EP, A New Way, sizes up the current-day *gestures broadly at everything* and looks it straight in the eye. The opener, “Debt,” tackles the depressingly Sisyphean nature of finances with equal parts cynicism and self-compassion: “Who gets me better than my credit card statement / Who fucks me better

than a new pair of shoes / If getting older is just writing checks / Growing up is getting over your debt.”

“Window” takes aim at Seattle’s wealth disparity and affordable housing crisis, while “Strangers with Candy” explores the ups and downs of uppers and downers. They’ll headline this show at the Cha Cha Lounge with an opening set by the Los Angeles–based “dyke pop star” and former local Wanda What. (Cha Cha Lounge, 8 pm, 21+, free) JULIANNE BELL

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley

JULY 15

style of surf rock known as Eleki that uses traditional Japanese instruments; they then add trombone, flute, electric guitars, and drums to bring in elements of extravagant psychedelia and Nipponese film music of the ’60s and ’70s. The result is a swashbuckling, highvoltage sound that gives your ears vertigo, in the most exciting way imaginable. Respect to Kill Rock Stars for getting out of its comfort zone and championing this band. (Madame Lou’s, 8:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Matmos

JULY 20

Sister Nancy w/the Rootsonic Band, Zions Gate Sound

JULY 20

Ghanaian highlife luminary Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is known for Afrobeat tunes that blend soul, folk, and jazz with traditional African rhythms. He will bring his eight-piece band out to the Tractor to play his seminal 1975 debut album, Simigwa, in its entirety. The album was heavily influenced by the horn-heavy funk of James Brown, complete with references to being a “sex machine” and plenty of screams, shouts, and lively ad-libs. This show is a must for fans of Fela Kuti, Cymande, or Studio One compilations. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

TEKE::TEKE

JULY 16

If you render your nom de musique in all caps and with two colons, you’d better sound pretty distinctive. Thankfully, Montreal septet TEKE::TEKE carve out a unique niche in today’s scene. Their foundation is a

America’s foremost experimental music group who also happen to be a gay married couple, Matmos have been bringing Dadaistic playfulness and conceptual rigor to their albums and mind-boggling live shows for 30 years. Every record by Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt (literature professor and music instructor, respectively) is created under clever, self-imposed limitations, to keep things fresh and surprising. For example, they generated the tracks on new album Metallic Life Review strictly from, you guessed it, metal objects, both mundane and arcane. With help from members of Horse Lords, Water Damage, Half Japanese, and the late pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn, Matmos have created a weird species of ritualistic music, often with eccentric grooves to which you can dance—if your limbs have ESP. Some may think of it as novelty music for intellectuals, but it’s still a rarefied treat. (Here-After, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

If she’d only cut the 1982 classic “Bam Bam,” Jamaican reggae and dancehall DJ Sister Nancy would be a hall of famer. That track has been caned by DJs and copiously compiled for more than four decades (and streamed over 221 million times on a hated platform), thanks to Nancy’s bubbly cadence and silken timbre... and Robbie Shakespeare’s unstoppable bassline. Over her decades-long career, the woman born Ophlin Russell’s instantly identifiable voice has flitted gracefully from domineering to defiant to dulcet, garnering much justified praise. Following on from the 2025 Record Store Day reissue of Sister Nancy’s 100 percent fire debut LP, One, Two, this is a rare Seattle appearance by dancehall royalty. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

Sophie B. Hawkins

JULY 26

If you ask me, Sophie B. Hawkins’s “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” is one of the greatest songs of all time. The raw, unbridled emotion and fiercely vulnerable lyrics, delivered in Hawkins’s slightly raspy powerhouse voice, make the anthem one of the most indelible hits of the ’90s. It simply brims with queer yearning and topped the charts in 1992, a time when an explicitly sapphic love song had never before

Sister Nancy July 20, Nectar Lounge

broken out into the mainstream. (Hawkins identifies as “omnisexual,” a term she coined to describe herself before sexual fluidity was commonly accepted, and the song’s narrator expresses the desire to rescue a woman from her abusive relationship with passion and tenderness.) I also love the similarly intense “Right Beside You” and the earnestly sweet “As I Lay Me Down.” Catch the iconic singer-songwriter’s acoustic tour, commemorating the 30th anniversary of her sophomore album, Whaler, which was released in 1994. (The Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Surprise Chef, Derya Yıldırım & Grup im ek

JULY 29

Odds are, you’ve probably found yourself Shazaming at the club and receiving results that prompt you to explore certain artists further. That’s me with Surprise Chef. Thanks to cell-phone-triggered algorithms, the Australian quintet’s been nice-ing up my head for the last two years. Currently recording for Brooklyn’s outstanding Big Crown label, Surprise Chef forgo vocals in their suavely cinematic funk and soul tracks while deploying the sort of versatility and virtuosity commonly heard in the dopest library musicians of the ’60s and ’70s. An instrumental like “Consulate Case” off this year’s Superb album exemplifies the group’s ability to keep things mysterious while grooving like mofos. A hunch: Surprise Chef’s sample-worthy music will sound even hotter live. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

More

TARBOO 2025 July 3–5, Quilcene Lantern

Pass the Aux: Parisalexa, Josiah Mekhi, Arze, Asawni July 5, Hidden Hall 8 pm, 21+

Ha Vay: Spellbound Tour July 10, Madame Lou’s, 7:30 pm

Jena Von Jupiter with Claire Morales, Calm Down Party, and Patrick Toney July 10, Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+ Washed Out (DJ Set) July 11, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Downtown Summer Sounds July 11–Aug 28, various locations

Silversun Pickups July 13, Pier 62, 5 pm, all ages

Macy Gray: On How Life Is 25th Anniversary Tour July 15, The Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

Carson Daniel July 18, Darrell’s Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Caroline Rose July 18–19, Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Capitol Hill Block Party July 18–20, Capitol Hill, 21+

Masego July 19, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages, 7 pm

Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour July 21, Climate Pledge Arena, all ages, 7 pm

Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins 20th Anniversary Tour, Bijoux Cone July 22, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Ruthie Foster July 22–23, Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm

Mei Semones with Lionmilk July 23, Barboza, 7 pm

Lifeguard

JULY 30

THING Fest Aug 2, Aug 9, Aug 16, Aug 23, Remlinger Farms

Less Than Jake, Fishbone, the Suicide Machines, Catbite Aug 5, Showbox Sodo, 7 pm, all ages

Early Warnings

Colleen Green, Rozwell Kid Aug 6, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

Heart Aug 8, Gorge Amphitheatre, 8 pm, all ages

Lady Gaga Aug 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages

LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio Aug 7–8, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages

Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail, Easy Action Aug 8, Chateau Ste. Michelle, 6:30 pm, all ages

Lucy Dacus, Julia Jacklin Aug 10, Remlinger Farms, 6:30 pm, all ages

Alabama Shakes Aug 16, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

The Lumineers Aug 16, T-Mobile Park, 8 pm, all ages

Femi Kuti & the Positive Force Aug 16, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

L7 and Bratmobile at South Sound Block Party Aug 22–23, Port of Olympia, all ages

In an ever-changing world, at least one thing remains constant: Matador Records’ A&R department knows how to find very good rock bands, even when rock seems as if it’s ready to be shunted off to an assisted living facility. The latest example? Baby-faced Chicago trio Lifeguard. Their scathing and tuneful new album, Ripped and Torn, marauds with the kind of authority that make aging critics utter cringe proclamations like “the kids are all right.” But, Jah damn it, Lifeguard have that innate sonic charisma that suggests they spent their youths intently studying history’s most righteous post-punk groups, and then putting their own distinctive stamp on that style. Having played together since they were in high school, Asher Case, Isaac Lowenstein, and Kai Slater exude a natural chemistry that bands such as Wire, Mission of Burma, and Gang of Four presented way before these dudes were born. That Lifeguard’s guitar/bass/synth/drums hit with an angular force while retaining a nagging melodiousness can make even the most jaded listeners doubt their “rock is dead” dogma. (Baba Yaga, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

Devo July 23–24, Woodland Park Zoo, 6 pm, all ages

Cap’n Jazz July 25, Neumos, 8 pm, 21+

The Damned July 25, Showbox, 7:30 pm, 21+

Mannequin Pussy July 25, Spanish Ballroom, 7 pm

Timber! Outdoor Music Festival July 24–26, Tolt-Macdonald Park

Monster Planet with Young Scientist July 26, Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm

The Marías: Submarine Tour July 27, WAMU Theater, 8 pm

Iggy Pop July 28, Marymoor Park, all ages, 7 pm

Some Velvet Sidewalk July 31, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+

Death Cab for Cutie: Plans 20th Anniversary June 31 and Aug 2, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages

Paul Simon July 31 & Aug 2–3, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm

Pickathon July 31–Aug 3, Happy Valley, OR Mekons Aug 2, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Novos Baianos Aug 3, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Hunx and His Punx Aug 26, Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons Aug 29–31, Benaroya Hall, various times, all ages

Bumbershoot 2025: Arts and Music Festival Aug 30–31, Seattle Center, all ages

Wet Leg, Mary in the Junkyard Sept 1–2, Paramount Theatre, 6:30 pm, all ages

Japanese Breakfast, Ginger Root Sept 2–3, Woodland Park Zoo

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Sep 5, Gorge Amphitheatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Osees Sept 5–6, Neumos, times and age-ranges vary

W.I.T.C.H. Sept 8, Tractor Tavern, 7 pm, 21+

Viagra Boys Sept 12–13, Showbox SoDo, all ages

The Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan Sept 13, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+

HAIM, Dora Jar Sept 18, WAMU Theater, 7:30 pm, all ages

Grandaddy Sept 18, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

Princess Nokia & Big Freedia Sept 27, Pier 62, 6:30 pm, all ages

Pup, Jeff Rosenstock, Akko Astral Oct 7, Showbox Sodo, 7:30 pm, all ages

Garbage, Starcrawler Oct 15, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie Tour Oct 25, The Crocodile, 5 pm, 21+

Shonen Knife, the Pack A.D. Oct 25, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Freakout Festival: Melt-Banana, Liz Cooper, Wine Lips, and more Nov 6–9, various locations, 21+

Belly: 30th Anniversary of King Nov 9, The Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

The Mountain Goats Dec 3–4, Neptune Theatre, all ages

MARIANA S. BELAVAL

MILLICENT HAILES

Cap’n Jazz

July 25, Neumos

Mannequin Pussy

July 25, Spanish Ballroom

VISUAL ART

The Firestone: An Artist Takeover Along Market Street in Ballard

THROUGH JULY 12

It feels like every week, an old Seattle building is torn down and replaced by a hideous apartment complex with a suspicious lack of windows. This is what is slated to happen to Ballard’s old Firestone building, which has stood on Market Street for over 50 years. Before the building gets demolished, public art specialist Aaron Asis and muralist Brady Black have partnered with the City of Seattle to cover the interior and exterior of the building with art. Through July 12, the public is invited to walk through the space to “contemplate buildings, public spaces, and the impact of art in our city,” and admire work from over 20 local creators. (Firestone, free) AUDREY VANN

Jamie Wyeth: ‘Unsettled’

JULY 12–OCT 6

Following in the footsteps of his father, Andrew, and grandfather, N.C., Jamie Wyeth is known for his realistic seascapes and famous portraits (I bet you’ve seen his paintings of JFK and Andy Warhol). On the only West Coast stop of this touring exhibit, you can expect to see the darkest corners of Wyeth’s life’s work—from the mid ’60s to today—with his most anxious, unnerving paintings that depict haunted houses, eerie landscapes, and dead creatures. Perhaps the most unsettling in this collection is a deeply cursed portrait of Michael Jackson—you’ll just have to see it to know what I mean. (Frye Art Museum, free) AUDREY VANN

‘Spirit House’

JULY 26–JAN 11

Taking its name from the small devotional structures that shelter the supernatural around Thailand, this group exhibition asks 33 contemporary Asian American artists to explore how art can bridge the gap between life and death. Through paintings,

Humaira Abid

JULY 3–AUG 23

Each time I walk into the Greg Kucera Gallery, I stumble upon a crowd around Humaira Abid’s wood-carved blouses, oohing and aahing at their delicacy and realism. Through her sculptures and paintings, the Lahore-born, Pakistani American artist depicts ordinary objects like clothing, shoes, purses, and letters in an extraordinary way—by meticulously carving them out of pinewood and often adorning them with exquisite miniature paintings. The pieces don’t just display jaw-dropping craftsmanship, but also share powerful stories related to violence against women, refugees, and displacement. (Greg Kucera Gallery) AUDREY VANN

Seattle Art Fair

JULY 17–20

The Seattle Art Fair—founded by noted art collector Paul Allen—is returning to Lumen Field for its ninth year, filling the football stadium with weird, avant-garde contemporary art from all over the globe (take that, jocks!). In the same vein as the Met Gala, the contributing artists are asked to display work inspired by a specific theme. This year’s theme is “Art Beyond Boundaries,” which invites artists to broaden their horizons by exploring technology, community, and other boundary-pushing themes. This year’s list of contributors includes galleries from South Africa, Ukraine, China, France, Greece, Italy, South Korea, Argentina, India, Iran, and Japan, as well as plenty from Seattle, Portland, and other nearby cities. (Lumen Field) AUDREY VANN

photography, and sculpture, these works invite you to “commune with your ancestors, reflect on significant memories, and journey through time and space.” I am most excited to see work from California-based artist Kelly Akashi, who creates tender sculptures of hands from resin and stone. (Henry Art Museum) AUDREY VANN More

WoP: Hibiki Miyazaki, Vander McClain, Stas Orlovski, Julie Liger Belair Through July 6, AMcE Creative Arts, free

Ash-Glazed Ceramics from Korea and Japan July 9–12, Seattle Art Museum

Ezra Dickinson: Who’s Offended July 11–Aug 22, Base Camp Studios 2, free

Suchitra Mattai: she walked in reverse and found their songs Through July 20, Seattle Asian Art Museum, sliding scale

The Abstract Now Through July 26, Studio E Gallery, free

Cable Griffith: Return to Sender Through July 26, J. Rinehart Gallery, free

Ezra Dickinson July 11–Aug 22, Base Camp Studios 2

Hi-Fructose 2025 Invitational Through Aug 2, Roq La Rue, free

Josh Faught: Sanctuary Through Aug 3, Henry Art Gallery

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei Through Sept 7, Seattle Art Museum

Hugh Hayden: American Vernacular Through Sept 28, Frye Art Museum, free

Carmen Winant: Passing On Through Sept 25, Henry Art Gallery, suggested donation

Boren Banner Series: Tarrah Krajnak Through Oct 5, Frye Art Museum

Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form Through Jan 4, 2026, MoPOP

Tariqa Waters: Venus Is Missing Through Jan 4, 2026, Seattle Art Museum

Ten Thousand Things Through spring 2027, Wing Luke Museum

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Bronze) Nov 1, 2025–May 17, 2027, Olympic Sculpture Park, free

Early Warnings

Kameelah Janan Rasheed Aug 23, 2025–April 26, 2026, Henry Art Gallery, free

Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light Aug 27, 2025–April 19, 2026, Seattle Asian Art Museum

Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving Sept 13, 2025–Aug 30, 2026, Burke Museum

Boren Banner Series: Camille Trautman Oct 15, 2025–April 12, 2026, Frye Art Museum, free

Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism Oct 23, 2025–Jan 18, 2026, Seattle Art Museum

Jul 6: WUT • SPACER • Triviot Jul 13: Swamp Dogg • Winehouse • MoogstAr Jul 20: Pearl & the Oysters • LAKE • Shermy Jul 27: Afrocop • Afrok • The Now! Aug 3: Olympia Music History PROJECT Showcase Featuring: Some Velvet Sidewalk • The Transfused Singalong • LoveCoven and the Portal Priestexx(x), C.O.C.O. • The Noses • Pet Products• Human Jukebox • A COMMUNITY BAZAAR WITH OVER A DOZEN LOCAL VENDORS PRESENTED BY HOT DOG BAD GIRL (starts at 1pm) Aug 10: Erica Freas (RVIVR) • Hot Tears • Kendl Winter (Lowest Pair) Aug 17: Sunbathe • Seaside Tryst • fromyourbed Aug 24: Soul-Junk • The Beehees • Reid Urban August 31: Rae Isla • Karl Blau • James Maeda

FOOD: AKASHIC FOOD TRAILER • O.G.’S SMOKEHOUSE BBQ • SOFIE’S SCOOPS GELATO • Lolli llama candy • and more!

DRINK: THREE MAGNETS draft BEER • SELF CARE NON-ALC BEER • WHITEWOOD CIDER • MAGIC KOMBUCHA • and more!

SUPER DUPER: CAPITAL MALL SUPER: OLY FILM SOCIETY • QUANTUM FIBER splendid: TC Media • kxxo mixx 96.1 • Lantern Records • Olympia Music History Project • Rainy Day Records • Brotherhood Lounge • San Francisco Street Bakery • Olympia Coffee • Old School Pizzeria • Swantown Inn • Urban Olympia • The Marie B&B • Oly Food Coop • Graphic CommunicationS • Oly Arts • Kaos • McCoy’s what: free summer concert series & PODCAST TAPING WHEN: EVERY SUNDAY IN JULY and AUGUST AT 3PM WHERE: BEHIND THE HISTORIC CARNEGIE LIBRARY in olympia, wa Seating Limited - Lawn Chairs Welcome!

COURTESY AMP

COURTESY OF EZRA DICKINSON

LITERATURE

Author Talk: Cassandra Khaw with Katee Robert, ‘The Library at Hellebore’

JULY 23

Last year, based on recommendations from the Seattle Public Library and Elliott Bay Book Company, I picked up Bram Stoker Award—winning author Cassandra Khaw’s novella The Salt Grows Heavy a gothic retelling of The Little Mermaid featuring a murderous, flesh-eating siren and an androgynous plague doctor who join forces to take down a sinister death cult. The book was both eerie and sensual, so I’m excited for their newest release, The Library at Hellebore, a dark academia fantasy tale in which a group of students enrolled at a prestigious boarding school must team up to defend themselves from the cannibalistic faculty. New York Times bestselling erotic romance author Katee Robert will join Khaw in conversation. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Author Talk: Ken Jennings, ‘The Complete Kennections: 5,000 Questions in 1,000 Puzzles’

JULY 31

If you can’t get enough of brain-teasing games like the New York Times crossword, Wordle, and Connections, allow me to put you on to “Kennections.” Back in 2012, record-setting Jeopardy! GOAT and current host Ken Jennings created his own proprietary weekly trivia puzzle, which previously appeared in Parade and Mental Floss. It seems simple enough in theory, but is punishingly difficult in practice: answer five questions, the responses to which share a theme in common. (Example: feet, McDonald’s, fingerprints, and St. Louis are linked by all having arches.) Think you have what it takes? Jennings will celebrate the release of The Complete Kennections, which collects all of his past quizzes in one volume along with hundreds of new and updated ones, by dropping by Third Place Books for a talk, Q&A, and signing. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

More

Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway by Liese Greensfelder July 2, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Author Talk: Susana M. Morris with Brooke Bosley, ‘Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler’

JULY 16

In a 1989 essay for Essence titled “Birth of a Writer,” the visionary writer Octavia Butler created the term “positive obsession” to describe channeling a deep, unwavering passion into a specific objective against all obstacles. Butler herself possessed this relentless drive for success, despite the resistance she faced as a young Black woman with financial hardships—have you ever seen her famous handwritten journal manifestation page in which she enumerates her goals to be a bestselling author? In her new biography, Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler, author and scholar Susana M. Morris takes us into the legendary dreamer’s lived experiences with interviews, letters, previously unpublished material, and more. She’ll be joined at this event by Afrofuturist and educator Brooke Bosley. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging by Julia Hotz July 2, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

A Pepper for Your Thoughts? by Howard Lev July 3, Elliott Bay Book Company, 8 pm, free

Situationship by E.M. Wilson July 3, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

Climate by Whitney Hanson July 9, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free Crush: My Year as an Apprentice Winemaker by Nicholas O’Connell July 9, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Buddhist Years: Collected Writings by Charles Shuttleworth July 10, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Occupy Whiteness by Joaquín Zihuatanejo July 10, Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free

Overgrowth by Mira Grant July 10, Seattle Central Library, 7 pm, free

Spaces of Creative Resistance: Social Change Projects in Twenty-First-Century East Asia by Andrea Gevurtz Arai July 11, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Hot Off the Press Book Fair July 12, Fantagraphics, 5 pm, free

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane July 15, Third Place

Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love by Rebecca N. Thompson, MD July 15, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere by Nicholas Triolo with Ben Gibbard July 16, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine by Brendan O’Meara July 17, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by CB Lee July 18, Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free

Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner July 21, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

How Birds Fly by Peter Cavanagh July 22, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances by Kevin Fagan July 24, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu July 30, Seattle Central Library, 6:30 pm, free

Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i by Sara Kehaulani Goo August 1, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run by Peter Ames Carlin with Cheryl Waters August 5, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

Early Warnings

Chuck Tingle Aug 20, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

R.F. Kuang Sept 12, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

David Sedaris Nov 16, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

Ken Jennings

July 31, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park

PERFORMANCE

The Vanishing Seattle Variety Show

JULY 16

Vanishing Seattle is a social media project that began in 2016 to keep track of our dearly departed buildings and businesses while also offering a place for the community to share photos and memories. Since its start in 2016, the project has expanded to a series of documentaries, a book, locally inspired merchandise, and now, a variety show. This one-of-a-kind event will blend stand-up comedy, storytelling, drag, film, and more, paying homage to some of Seattle’s most beloved relics of the past—I’m talking about the Lusty Lady marquee, Lincoln’s Toe Truck, and the dinner mints at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen. Vanishing Seattle founder Cynthia Brothers will host alongside local comic Shannon Koyano. Plus, this is a great opportunity to see the Crocodile’s We Were Here exhibit, which displays music venue signs from Seattle’s past. (Here-After, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

Chris Fleming

JULY 27

From his depiction of the unhinged suburban housewife character Gayle Waters-Waters to viral songs like “I’m Afraid to Talk to Men,” comedian and self-described “showpig” Chris Fleming has a hilariously unique perspective on the world. I’m dazzled by his laser-sharp, hyper-specific commentary on subjects as diverse as “the snacks at Trader Joe’s that only women can see,” model Emily Ratajkowski’s gigantic infant son, and the time his homophobic dad accidentally told a male soccer coach “I love you” on the phone. His character work is also unparalleled (see his impression of a gentle, timid Sufjan Stevens startled by a Kate Bush video for proof). Step into his bizarrely brilliant mind when he stops at the Moore for his summer 2025 tour. (Moore Theatre, 4 pm & 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Bridget Everett

AUG 3

Before Bridget Everett was known as the star of HBO’s heartwarming comedy series Somebody Somewhere she was known as New York City’s alt-cabaret provocateur, regularly performing at Joe’s Pub. At these performances, Everett would stand on tables and sing her heart out alongside her backing band, the Tender Moments—made up of the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz and the Julie Ruin’s Carmine Covelli. Now, the group is finally bringing the perennially sold-out, cult-favored cabaret show to the West Coast. If you prefer not to be serenaded, touched, flashed, or handed the microphone during comedy shows, I recommend avoiding the first 30 rows. (Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

More

Grindhaus: Sasha Colby, Bosco, and More July 4–5, The Crocodile, 10 pm, 21+

Dinosaur–Live! July 9, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Birds of Play with Tanya Gagné July 10–19, Seattle Public Theater, various times

Solomon Georgio Jul 12, Here-After, 7 pm & 9 pm, 6 pm, 21+

Pod Meets World July 13, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation July 13–Aug 10, various locations

Bigger! with Brennan and Izzy July 18, 7 & 9:30 pm, Benaroya Hall

Ron Funches July 25–27, Emerald City Comedy Club, 21+

Nori Reed July 26, Here-After, 6 pm & 8 pm, 21+

Glory Hole: ReBirthday July 26, The Wyncote NW Forum, 9 pm & Juliet July 29–Aug 3, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

James Austin Johnson Aug 2, The Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

After Midnight Aug 5–Aug 24, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Parable of Kinoptics by D. Sabela Grimes Aug 9, 12th Ave Arts, 7:30 pm

Kate Berlant

JULY 25

You might know comedian, actress, and LA cool girl Kate Berlant from her appearances in movies like Sorry Bother You and Don’t Worry Darling, her role in Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own reboot, her Bo Burnham–directed special Cinnamon in the Wind, her frequent collaborations with comedy partner John Early, or her existential wellness podcast Berlant & Novak (formerly Poog) with fellow comic Jacqueline Novak. (She’s booked and busy!) I was lucky enough to catch her critically acclaimed one-woman show KATE in New York and was delighted by her genius portrayal of an exaggeratedly egotistical character version of herself. Her eclectic comedy topics range from her upbringing as an only child to why it’s okay for women to shoplift beauty products. Get a glimpse of her absurdist style for yourself at this stand-up performance at the Neptune. (Neptune Theatre, 6 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Early Warnings

Shadows Under the Market Aug 1–9, Seattle Public Theater, various times, all ages

Steve Martin & Martin Short Aug 22–23, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

Jurassic Parking Lot Aug 22–Sept 14, Seattle Public Theater, various showtimes, all ages with mature content

The Disabled List Aug 23, Northwest Film Forum

A Play That Goes Wrong Aug 28–Sept 28, Seattle Rep, various times, all ages

Taylor Tomlinson Sep 5–7, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

Fancy Dancer Sept 18–Nov 2, Seattle Rep, various times, all ages

Nikki Glaser Sept 12–13, McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages

Suffs Sept 13–27, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Some Like It Hot Sept 16–21, Paramount Theatre, all ages

An Enemy of the People Sept 20–Oct 5, ACT, various times, all ages

Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Jewels Sept 26–Oct 5, McCaw Hall, various times

Stereophonic Oct 7–12, Paramount Theatre, all ages

Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes Oct 15–Nov 2, Erickson Theatre, various times, 21+

Shrew Oct 18–Nov 2, ACT, various times, all ages

The Pirates of Penzance Oct 18–Nov 1, McCaw Hall Chicago Oct 22–Nov 2, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Nate Bargatze Nov 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, all ages, 7 pm

FILM

‘Art

for Everybody’

JULY 3–7

Thomas Kinkade’s whimsical landscapes of fairy cottages, Christmas villages, and enchanted gardens turned him into one of the most successful painters of all time, while at the same time establishing for him a reputation as an unabashed capitalist and sellout. Documentarian Miranda Yousef’s film Art for Everybody explores the troubled man behind the bucolic images through the vault of uncharacteristically dark paintings he left behind—Kinkade died of a lethal drug and alcohol pairing in 2012. The film reevaluates the infamous kitsch creator as not just a businessman, but a performance artist who profited off an American society starved for unrealistic beauty and idealism. The film will be presented by filmmaker Miranda Yousef and the artist’s daughter, Chandler Kinkade. (SIFF Film Center, various times) AUDREY VANN

2025 Queer and Trans Film Festival

JULY 10–12

Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s annual film festival is celebrating “30 years of queer cinema and 20 years of trans storytelling” this year with “iconic shorts and features from festivals past, a brand-new lineup of trans-made and trans-led short films, and a spotlight on the brilliant local voices that shaped our scene.” I’m particularly excited to see some of my favorite LGBTQ classics, like Saving Face Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Tangerine on the lineup, as well as lesser-known throwbacks like the 2008 teen fantasy musical Were the World Mine (in which a high school boy casts a spell to turn his entire small town gay) and the 2001 transmasc road trip buddy movie By Hook or By Crook (featuring a cameo from Joan Jett!). (Broadway Performance Hall and Erickson Theater, various times) JULIANNE BELL

VIVIEN KILLILEA/GETTY IMAGES

Bridget Everett Aug 3, Moore Theatre

‘Showgirls’

JULY 13

What can I say about Paul Verhoeven’s landmark 1995 erotic drama that hasn’t already been said? That I felt like a changed person after watching it for the first time? That it is tacky and absurd to a degree approaching transcendence? That never in my 34 years have I seen anything quite like Gina Gershon flirting with Elizabeth Berkley by talking about eating doggy chow? Whether you love or hate the critically panned camp classic, I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not indifferent. (I’m solidly in the love camp myself, in case you couldn’t guess.) See the psychosexual NC-17 sensation (and its bevy of naked breasts) on the big screen at Here-After. (Here-After, 7 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

More

To Live Is to Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch Through August 10, various locations

Salute-vision: Top Gun July 4, Central Cinema, 7 pm

Unstoppable 2025 Summer Tour July 6, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 4:30 pm

Good Garbage: Deep Blue Sea July 9, Here-After, 6 pm, 21+

Epic Movie Night: Casino July 10, Central Cinema, 8 pm

various times

Hecklevision: Stargate July 13, Central Cinema, 9:45 pm

‘Little Darlings’

JULY 29

I watched this underrated ’80s teen sex dramedy as a high schooler and almost never hear people talking about it, so I’m thrilled to learn that Here-After will be screening it. At the all-girls summer camp Camp Little Wolf, tough girl Angel and sheltered rich girl Ferris clash upon meeting and make a bet to see who can lose their virginity first. Roger Ebert wrote that the movie “somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves.” I love the queer subtext, the gay-ashell vintage denim and shag haircuts, and the fact that the film allows its teen girl subjects to be horny and messy in a way they aren’t often permitted to be. Keep your eyes peeled for a young Matt Dillon and 13-year-old Cynthia Nixon’s film debut as the camp’s resident flower child, Sunshine.

(Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

Sorry, Baby Opens July 10, SIFF Cinema Uptown

The Cartoons of Max Fleischer July 11–24, Northwest Film Forum, various times

The Sandlot Special Event with the Cast July 11, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm

DreamWorks Animation in Concert July 11–13, Benaroya Hall,

Showgirls July 13, Here-After

Hecklevision: The Mummy July 14, Central Cinema, 7 pm

Baron von Terror Presents: The Blob July 17, Central Cinema, 8 pm

Mourning Sickness with Miss Monday Mourning: Barbie July 20, Northwest Film Forum, 8 pm SIFF ‘n’ Stitch: Little Miss Sunshine July 20, SIFF Cinema Uptown, noon

Koyaanisqatsi: Live with Philip Glass Ensemble July 22, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm

Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2025 July 23–27, Northwest Film Forum, various times

Art House Theater Day: Tomboy and Tangerine July 24, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm

Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA with Will Sloan July 25, The Beacon, 7:30 pm

Movies at the Mural Every Friday, July 25–August 22, Mural Amphitheatre, 9 pm

She/Her Fest July 26, SIFF Film Center, 7 pm

Unstreamable: Secret Screening #2 July 31, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 7:30 pm

Early Warnings

CatVideoFest 2025 Aug 8–10, SIFF Cinema Uptown, various times

Silent Movie Mondays: The Freshman Aug 25, Paramount Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

L.A. Noir: Shadows in Paradise Sept 10–Nov 12, SIFF Cinema Uptown

Twilight in Concert Sept 13, Paramount Theatre, 2 pm and 7:30 pm, all ages

2025 SIFF Marquee Gala Sept 18, Fremont Studios 20th Tasveer Film Festival & Market Oct 7–12, Tasveer Film Center

The Rocky Horror Picture Show—50th Anniversary Oct 28, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm

FOOD Ballard SeafoodFest

JULY 11–13

Originally started as a celebration of the neighborhood’s fishing industry in 1974, the Ballard SeafoodFest has expanded over the years to include an alder-smoked salmon barbecue, art exhibits, a craft beer garden, artisan craft vendors, a skateboarding showcase, kids’ activities, and live music. This year’s music lineup features “ugly pop” sibling group Skating Polly, Sarah Tudzin’s self-described “tenderpunk” project Illuminati Hotties, psych rockers Spirit Award, and soulful singer Sir Woman, among many others. Masochists can enroll in the lutefisk eating contest, an annual competition to see who can scarf down the most of the salty, gelatinous fish. (NW Market St and Ballard Ave NW, times vary, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Bite of Seattle

JULY 25–27

Seattle boasts plenty of food and drink festivals year-round, but Bite of Seattle—billed as “Seattle’s original and largest food and beverage showcase” and claiming to draw 355,000 guests each year—is the most well-known gluttonous gathering by far, having been in business since 1982. Look forward to upwards of 300 food vendors, as well as beer and wine gardens, retail vendors, cider tastings, kids’ activities, live cooking demos, and more than 65 musical performers. Artists include punk-infused instrumentalists mega cat, powerhouse vocalist Shaina Shepherd, rock-and-rollers the Moondoggies, rapper Oblé Reed, and “funk juggernaut” Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme. (Seattle Center, 10 am–9 pm Friday through Saturday & 10 am–8 pm on Sunday, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

DRAZEN/GETTY IMAGES

Seventh Annual Summer School Brewfest

JULY 26

School may be out for summer, but you can seek out some extracurricular edification at the 1930s juniorhigh-turned-adult-playground Anderson School’s all-ages beer festival, with 32 handcrafted ales and ciders from Washington and Oregon, barbecue food specials, and whiskey tastings. Plus, check out live music performances from the rock cover band On the Rocks and alternative country group Salt Pine, and roam the campus’ halls, which include pinball and a swimming pool. Your ticket gets you 10 tasting tickets and a keepsake festival glass. (Haynes’ Hall, 1–7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Vashon Island Strawberry Festival

JULY 18–20

There are few joys in this fucked-up world as unalloyed as biting into the first red, ripe, juicy strawberry of summer. Add the quaint, idyllic island community vibes of Vashon to that mix, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. Since the early 1900s, Vashon Island has hosted an annual festival to commemorate the island’s history as a hub for strawberry production, and it’s since grown into a cherished tradition full of parades, live music, a classic car show, kids’ activities, and local vendor booths. It’s volunteer-run and family-friendly, as well as an ideal excuse to escape from the city for a bit via ferry ride and microdose being on vacation. (Vashon Island) JULIANNE BELL

More

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–2 pm, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

Seattle Red White and Brew Bar Crawl July 4, Ozzies, 4 pm

Tasting Notes II with Kenji López-Alt and James Ehnes July 25, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

Early Warnings

Samin Nosrat Oct 14, Benaroya Hall

THIS &THAT

Fae Fest

JULY 12–13

There’s something distinctly fruity about the glorious pomp and pageantry of the Middle Ages, which is why this Ren Faire–themed festival produced by and for queers makes so much sense. The event launched last summer, and this year, the festivities have expanded to two days of medieval debauchery. Lace up your corset, throw on some chain mail, strap on some glittery fairy wings, or dress in any other way that tickles your fancy, then peruse a selection of handmade art and clothing from queer vendors and witness some fabulous performances. The tavern keepers at Obec Brewing will keep the ale flowing— sorry, giant chicken leg not included. (Obec Brewing, 3–8 pm, free, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

Heroines of Resistance: Women as Anti-Fascist Militants

MONDAYS THROUGH JULY 14

This free feminist discussion group will explore women in history who have played vital roles in fighting fascism. Organized by the long-running socialist feminist activist organization Radical Women, this is not only a powerful way to harness hope and gain inspiration to resist under the current administration, but also an opportunity to meet like-minded people in the community. Reading packets will be available to purchase for $10 at each session. (New Freeway Hall, 6:30 pm) AUDREY VANN

Urban Craft Uprising Summer Show

JULY 26–27

Urban Craft Uprising was founded as a small 50-booth holiday show in the winter of 2005 to showcase wares from independent crafters, artists, and

Tacoma Pride Block Party 2025

JULY 12

Drag superstar, singer-songwriter, businesswoman, TV personality, makeup artist, YouTuber, and real-life Barbie Trixie Mattel is coming to Tacoma this month, in case you didn’t hear. I know everyone is asking: How did this Tacoma Pride party book one of the most in-demand drag queens in the game? Well, they got her the month after Pride, when her schedule is clear. As far as I’m concerned, every month is Pride month, so I won’t mind throwing on something sparkly and trekking down to Tacoma to see Trixie’s DJ set along with local gems like Stacey Starstruck, Pupusa, Fabi, Slutashia, Anita Spritzer, Rowan Ruthless, Amora Namor, and more. (The Mix, 2 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

designers and to provide an intentional alternative to big-box stores and mass-produced goods. Since then, it’s blossomed into the largest indie craft event in the Pacific Northwest. Stop by this free two-day summer edition to check out jewelry, housewares, clothing, toys, bath and body products, candles, and more from more than 130 vendors, as well as food trucks to fuel your browsing. A designated area for the show’s “Sprouts” program will also be dedicated to “emerging small businesses with a focus on LGBTQ+, BIPOC, veteran and alter-abled vendors.” (Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 11 am–5 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

More

Drag Bingo with Sativa Every Friday, Rough & Tumble, 7 pm

Seattle Mariners 2025 Home Games Through Sept 28, T-Mobile Park

Seattle Reign FC 2025 Home Games Through Oct 17, Lumen Field

Sound Bath with Semi Woo Wednesdays from July 2–Sept 24, 7:15 pm, free

An Interactive Evening Suitable for Introverts July 11, Fremont Abbey, 5 pm

An Evening with Ken Burns July 14, McCaw Hall, 6:30 pm

Hugo House Presents: Writer Speed Friending July 16, Lapis Theater, 6 pm

Bridging Movements: On Gender, Race, and Collective Liberation July 31, The Wyncote NW Forum, 5:30 pm, free

The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire Saturdays & Sundays from July 19–Aug 17, Sky Meadows Park

Early Warnings

Monster Jam Sept 19–21, Tacoma Dome

AMY SUSSMAN/GETTY IMAGES

AMANDA MARSALIS

Samin Nosrat

Oct 14, Benaroya Hall