Seattle Weekly, December 04, 2013

DECEMBER 4-10, 2013 I VOLUME 38 I NUMBER 49

SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM I FREE

P. 4 HE KILLED BY BELLEVUE PD? S WA HY W D. EN AD DE A AT D AND RUSSELL SMITH WAS UNARME

Sellout!

How Macklemore sacrificed his art for an audience.

And why it doesn’t really matter.

+10

more Northwest artists who did it before him.

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SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

inside» December 4–10, 2013 VOLUME 38 | NUMBER 49

» SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM

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news&comment 4

SHOOT FIRST

At last, some answers in a Columbia City death. Also: Leaf-blowers suck and Sarkisian blows (town).

7 | SPORTSBALL

9

THE HEI$T

BY SW STAFF | Macklemore’s not

the first Northwest artist seduced by Mammon: Here’s the long sordid history of our region’s pop-music sellouts.

food&drink 19 YO-HO-HO!

BY NICOLE SPRINKLE | Canadians

pillage Trader Joe’s for fun and profit!

19 19 20 21

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FOOD NEWS TEMPERATURE CHECK THE BAR CODE SUNDAY SUPPERS

arts&culture 23 HANDEL WITH CARE

BY GAVIN BORCHERT | Two fresh

takes on Messiah.

23 ARTS

23 | THE PICK LIST 25 | OPENING NIGHTS | A musical

Little Women and a proposal at PNB.

29 FILM

OPENING THIS WEEK | The burning of

Philadelphia, the return of Kathleen Hanna, and the longest documentary of 2013.

30 | FILM CALENDAR

33 MUSIC

Basia Bulat, Suicidal Tendencies, Light in the Attic opens a storefront, and more.

33 | SEVEN NIGHTS 36 | ALBUM REVIEWS

odds&ends 15 31 37 38

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GIFT GUIDE #3 THE GEEKLY REPORT TOKE SIGNALS CLASSIFIEDS

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Editor-in-Chief Mark Baumgarten EDITORIAL Managing Editor in Charge of News Daniel Person Senior Editor Nina Shapiro Food Editor Nicole Sprinkle Arts Editor Brian Miller Entertainment Editor Gwendolyn Elliott Editorial Operations Manager Gavin Borchert Staff Writers Ellis E. Conklin, Matt Driscoll, Kelton Sears Editorial Intern Alicia Price Contributing Writers Rick Anderson, Sean Axmaker, James Ballinger, Michael Berry, Sara Billups, Steve Elliott, Margaret Friedman, Zach Geballe, Dusty Henry, Megan Hill, Robert Horton, Patrick Hutchison, Sara D. Jones, Seth Kolloen, Sandra Kurtz, Dave Lake, John Longenbaugh, Beth Maxey, Jessie McKenna, Terra Clarke Olsen, Kevin Phinney, Keegan Prosser, Mark Rahner, Michael Stusser, Jacob Uitti PRODUCTION Production Manager Christopher Dollar Art Director Karen Steichen Graphic Designers Jennifer Lesinski, Sharon Adjiri ADVERTISING Advertising and Marketing Director Jen Larson Advertising Sales Manager, Arts Carol Cummins

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SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

26 | PERFORMANCE 28 | VISUAL ARTS

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3 8/6/13 6:56 PM

news&comment Nowhere to Run

A SWAT team had an unarmed Russell Smith cornered in a dead-end street.

Next week a jury will be asked: Should he have died?

A

SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

fter Russell Lydell Smith was shot to death in his car outside his Columbia City home in March by a Bellevue SWAT team, Seattle Police, who were also on the scene, said the officers were forced to shoot because Smith seemed determined to “drive them over rather than surrender.”

But as a King County inquest jury is likely to hear next week, Smith, a 51-year-old Seattle laborer and ex-con sought for questioning in five robberies, was killed in a 21-shot fusillade even though his car

BY RICK ANDERSON had nowhere to go. The gold 2000 Mercedes, having sped backward out of Smith’s driveway and crashed into a pickup truck, faced in the direction of a street dead end. The only way out was blocked by the pickup. A police armored vehicle had also moved in behind it.

Encircled by heavily armed SWAT officers commanding him to stop and surrender, Smith put the car in drive and accelerated, police claim.

Within seconds, bursts of gunfire from three officers—two with automatic weapons—riddled his car doors and windows. Smith, within almost point-blank range of some officers, was hit eight times in his dead-end drive, the apparent fatal shot being a bullet to the side of his head. No officers or neighbors were hurt.

The sudden, slam-bang sequence of fatal events unfolded in the chaotic early-morning darkness of March 22, almost catching several Bellevue officers in a crossfire. Neighbors in the residential area, awakened by the gunfire, did not witness the shooting. At later meetings with police, many expressed anger at the risk the shooting presented to area residents.

Bellevue was the lead agency in the joint operation with Seattle police to serve a search warrant and arrest Smith and his brother. Bellevue Chief Linda Pillo said a SWAT operation was necessary because Smith was considered an armed and violent career criminal. His record shows convictions for bank robbery, two burglaries, and two assaults. In 2008, he was given a 10-year sentence for a robbery pled down to a theft charge, but obtained an early prison release and was on community supervision.

Two weeks before the predawn raid, a Bellevue detective had stood just feet away from Smith, watching him walk into an office meeting with his corrections officer. He was not arrested

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

SEATTLELAND

4

Three Bellevue officers fired 21 rounds at Smith.

Below: Russell Smith, left, and his brother Rydell were the targets of the raid.

At the 4:30 mark on the video counter, they move

“Russell scrunched up his eyebrows and glared at me as I pointed my duty rifle at him.” in that safer setting because police felt they needed more evidence of his robbery involvement. But investigators apparently still lacked what they needed to make their case when they launched their raid. They had probable cause to arrest Smith and the brother who lived with him, police say, but the warrant’s purpose was to collect more viable robbery evidence.

Bellevue SWAT members Casey Hiam, Jacob Bement, and Jacob Childers, all age 28, fired the 21 pistol and rifle rounds that struck and killed Smith. Chief Pillo says they and other officers were in danger of being run down by Smith. “No law-enforcement officer wants to be involved in a lethal use of force,” Pillo said. “Unfortunately, at times it cannot be avoided.”

In statements that are part of a 428-page file

including photos and video already entered into the inquest court records and obtained by Seattle

Weekly, officers did not report finding a gun on Smith, and gave conflicting impressions of his motives for the apparent attempt to escape without an exit route.

“Due to how hard the vehicle crashed,” recalled Bellevue SWAT member Ben Bradley, “and the fact that the street the vehicle was on was a dead end in the direction the vehicle was facing, I expected the driver to surrender.”

A dozen SWAT team members in body armor served the warrant. The brother was not home, and Russell Smith, dressed in construction boots and clothing, and who had an ID tag indicating he worked on the Turner Construction team building the $110 million Capitol Hill light-rail station, was in his driveway warming his car when the team arrived.

They had scoped out the raid minutes earlier in a meet-up with Seattle police. Around 20 officers and detectives from the two departments

THE WEEKLY BRIEFING | What’s going on at seattleweekly.com: A new city pool in Rainier Beach offers women-only swim hours, during which the windows are covered. A spokeswoman for the city says the window coverings prevent discrimination. The state Senate’s “majority coalition,” comprising two Democrats and 23 Republicans, entered its terrible twos by sacking the two highest ranking members of its nonpartisan staff. Seattle’s interim police chief suggested that the highest-ranking African-American on the force was standing in the way of the department’s Race and Social Justice Initiative. A spokeswoman for the cops wouldn’t go as far as to say that people shouldn’t tackle people with guns on crowded buses.

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conferred at a command site on Rainier Avenue South just before 5 a.m.

Smith was suspected of involvement in a string of three Bellevue robberies and two in Seattle last November to January. The targets were a Bellevue mattress store, restaurant, and ice-cream shop, and, in Seattle, a Queen Anne food mart and an Airport Way office-supply store.

During the holdups, a suspect would show a handgun in his waistband and warn victims not to call police after he leaves because “my brother is watching.” Smith’s Mercedes had been identified in a security video as being parked near one of the robberies, and several witnesses had identified mug shots of him or his brother as possible suspects.

As part of the plan to invade Smith’s onestory wood home in the 5000 block of 43rd Avenue South, the SWAT unit would arrive quietly, then knock and announce the warrant service. If no one answered, they’d enter forcibly.

A group of detectives stayed behind as the Bellevue SWAT team, in a military-style BearCat armored vehicle, moved toward the home a few blocks away. According to officer statements and a nighttime-quality police video with audio shot from inside the BearCat, the team filed down the darkened 43rd Avenue South dressed in drab green outfits, helmets, and armored vests, outfitted with handguns and select-fire rifles—capable of semi-automatic to automatic fire, depending on the trigger pull. in. The BearCat is stationed around the corner, the camera filming a dead street. Over the police radio, an officer says in a low tone, “There’s a car running in the driveway.”

“Subjects are in the car, subjects are in the car!” another officer says in a raised hush, apparently recognizing Smith sitting under the dome light of his car, at the 5:22 mark.

“Let’s light it up,” says another officer. The BearCat begins moving. “Bring BearCat up, bring BearCat up!” someone orders.

By 5:29, gunlights are being trained on the car as two officers approach on either side and order Smith to show his hands, then try to break his windows. He reportedly hits the gas and roars backward. In the street, the back of his car slams violently into a big Ford pickup.

At 5:35, someone says “He turned around, he turned around!”, referring to Smith’s car moving forward.

At 5:38, a three-second sustained volley of gunfire erupts. The BearCat has moved onto 43rd, but the shooting scene is not in camera view.

“Shots fired, shots fired!”

A fire Medic One unit, routinely standing by when SWAT units are in action, was then called up.

“Advise the medic, gunshot wound to the head, severe bleeding,” a radio voice says at 6:30 on the counter. Smith was thought to still be breathing when he was carried to the medic unit. He was dead on arrival at Harborview Medical Center.

The SWAT unit then broke into the home, searching the lower level, and pulled back. With the aid of a Seattle SWAT team, police later searched the full house and yard. Along with clothing and cell phones found in the house, a .25 caliber pistol was found in a shed.

SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT

The narrow confines of the Columbia City shooting scene.

In their post-action reports, several officers recalled being close enough to see Russell Smith’s anger after he slammed into the truck.

Det. Bryan Hershberger said he and Smith were staring at each other. “I could see Russell get a very angry facial expression on his face,” Hershberger wrote in his report. “Russell scrunched up his eyebrows and glared at me as I pointed my duty rifle at him.” He yelled at Smith to stop, but the car came forward. “I felt if I did not move out of the way, Russell would purposely run over me and I would be killed.” He moved, and did not fire. Other team members were in Smith’s path, he said, and did not have time or space to move.

In contrast, another SWAT member thought Smith seemed startled and, as he drove forward, covered his face. “I heard the engine rev up as the vehicle began to accelerate,” said BPD Officer Curt McIvor, “and then I saw the driver put both arms up and then cross them over his eyes, blocking his vision.” Several officers were in Smith’s path, on the sidewalk. “The angle of the vehicle was towards the sidewalk/team, rather than the clear road to the left of vehicle,” McIvor said.

Officer Ben Bradley said he was one of those potentially in the car’s path. “I immediately feared that the driver was going to try and to intentionally strike me, Officer Childers, and possibly other members of the strike team,” he said in his report.

“I knew that there was nowhere for the vehicle to go as the street was blocked N/B by the pickup truck and the S/B was dead end.” Like McIvor, he and most other members got out of the way and did not fire at Smith.

Daylight photos and diagrams reveal a narrowly confined shooting scene, the car traveling a short path forward, toward (and curving away from) the curb, then rolling back. Shots were fired a few yards or feet from the car, mostly from the parking strip. One ejected cartridge case was found on the hood of the Mercedes.

Officer Andy Smith, who, with Officer Brad Knudtsen, had earlier ordered Smith out of his car and then tried to break his windows, said he ended up in a loose circle of officers around the moving car, and dashed away to avoid crossfire.

Knudtsen indicated he was in an iffy position near the trunk of the car when the firing began.

Det. Mark Halstad said he raised his rifle to shoot at Smith’s vehicle, but “when I realized there were two other officers directly across from me in a crossfire situation,” he held fire.

According to a report by Seattle crime-scene detective Don Ledbetter, “All of the shots came from either the right side or the front of the vehicle, and several shots were fired from almost directly in front.” The three officers who fired have not publicly released their post-action statements. But Hiam, according to an SPD

report, was armed with a 9mm pistol and fired six times. Bement, with a .223 select-fire rifle, fired three times. Childers, also with a .223 select-fire rifle, fired 12 times. He had a bullet left in the chamber and 15 more remaining in a 28-round magazine.

As to who shot when, and exactly which weapon killed Smith, Ledbetter couldn’t say. “I am not able to establish the order of shots fired, nor am I able to distinguish between the shots fired by the two different rifle operators,” he said.

Those could be among the issues a six-member

inquest jury tackles during an expected week of testimony starting Monday in King County District Court. Fact-finding inquests are held to determine the cause and circumstance of any death involving law enforcement. At the conclusion, jurors answer a series of interrogatories, indicating whether or not the killing was justified. King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg will then decide if any charges should be brought.

Inquest questioning is limited and the evidence is cop-heavy, two of the reasons that unanimous “justified” verdicts have been the outcome of almost all of the more than 200 countywide cop-related deaths reviewed in the past 65 years. One partial exception was in January 2011, when a jury divided 4 to 4 over the key question of whether hard-of-hearing Indian woodcarver John T. Williams posed an imminent risk to Seattle officer Ian Birk before the cop quickly gunned him down in 2010. However, Satterberg subsequently concluded he would be unable to prove Birk acted out of malice, as a conviction would require, and chose not to charge him. Birk later resigned and Williams’ family received a $1.5 million city settlement.

Among questions jurors may answer in the Smith case is whether the suspect clearly realized those outside his car were police. Did he think otherwise, and panic? After he slammed into the truck, was he dazed? Could he have been trying to throw up his hands in surrender? Or was he just giving up in another sense—covering his eyes as he committed suicide by cop?

Jurors could get some inside help in answering these questions. A Seattle Police homicide report, part of the inquest record that jurors presumably will review, describes the death as “criminal killed by police officer.” If that isn’t clear enough, the homicide form asks the investigator to decide if there are any “justifiable homicide circumstances.”

There were, the investigator answered. Smith “attacked off. & [was] killed by another officer.”

The robberies are still being investigated. The brother has not been charged. E

randerson@seattleweekly.com

JAN 10

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

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news&comment» Leaf Expert Says City Hall Blows

BY DANIEL PERSON

D

news@seattleweekly.com

T

he University of Washington entered the 21st century rusty at football-coach searches. They conducted just two between 1957 and 1998. Now, after head coach Steve Sarkisian left to take the head coaching

BY SETH KOLLOEN job at USC earlier this week, the university will embark on its fourth in 15 years. It remains to be seen if the powers that be have kicked the rust off.

What worries me is that Washington’s highly paid athletic administration will once again pick personality over coaching ability. Here’s what I mean: In 2008, the Huskies had a chance to hire one of the best coaches in football, but chose a newbie instead. Mike Leach, then head coach at Texas Tech, had won eight or more games in seven consecutive years with his innovative spread offense. He’d just taken his team to the prestigious Cotton Bowl.

Another candidate, Steve Sarkisian, had never been a head coach. Washington athletic director Scott Woodward chose him.

It’s difficult to understand hiring Sarkisian over Leach without factoring in personality.

Leach is, to put it bluntly, weird. He never played college football, he’s awkward with the media, he’s obsessed with pirates. Sarkisian is a former

SPORTSBALL

NOW THROUGH JAN 5 TH 2014

UW isn’t looking for the right coach. It’s looking for the right “man.” college QB; he’s young, attractive, charismatic— everything Leach is not. Then again, in five years as Husky head coach, Sarkisian has only won more than seven games once. That would be this season, which will conclude with the Huskies playing in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Coincidentally, Leach ended up at Washington State, where he brought the lowly program up to a 6-6 record in his second season; he’s 1-1 against Sark.

Is Woodward once again going down the same path? From his initial statement on the coaching search: “I will work hard in the coming days to find the absolute best fit for the University of Washington . . . I am confident we will find the right man.”

That word: “man.” Even though that was an impromptu comment, it’s still significant. Woodward isn’t looking for the right coach or the right tactician, he’s looking for the right “man.” This is a mistake.

College football is a competitive business.

With multimillion-dollar salaries in the balance—Sarkisian and Leach are Washington’s two highest-paid public employees—top coaches eschew social niceties in favor of football-focused obsession. If you limit your search to coaches who are the “right man,” as the Huskies did when they chose Sarkisian, you put yourself at an extreme disadvantage. E

sportsball@seattleweekly.com

CHALLENGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE.

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SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

rew Badham has just about had it with this city. The small-business owner—who describes himself as “an extreme liberal, by the way”— says every year the Seattle City Council passes a new policy that cuts into his profit margin. But this latest one has him really huffing and puffing and ready to blow City Hall down.

“It’s a complete nightmare if they ban leaf blowers,” says the owner of The Lawn Ranger in Ballard. “Every time the city council does something like this, we have to increase the [price].”

To be clear, there’s no proposal to ban leaf blowers yet. But three council members do ask in the proposed 2014 city budget that the Department of Planning and Development study how the city might go about reducing or eliminating noise from the machines, which to many reads as a polite way to ask “How can we get rid of the damned things?”

Apart perhaps from keeping dog shit off the sidewalk, it’s hard to imagine a city objective more responsive to the petty annoyances of city life. The two-stroke leaf blowers seem to start grinding at the crack of dawn and at the slightest provocation. On a Belltown sidewalk earlier this week, even though the maple trees have already shed the bulk of their leaves, a few late fallers had prompted an apartment caretaker to fire up his gas-powered machine to vanquish the deciduous detritus. The 9 o’clock hour had yet to pass.

“It’s not a new topic, but as we end up having more people living closer to each other, we have to be more conscious of our impact on each other,” says Councilman Nick Licata, who sponsored the budget provision with Richard Conlin and Tom Rasmussen. “It’s about being proactive in seeing how we can make the city more livable; making it more, I would say, a bit mellower.”

Licata emphasizes that the budget calls only for a study of the issue, which would be presented next September. Still, it has users of the machines, like Badham, fired up. He admits they sound awful—“I hate the sound of them.

Nobody argues that point”—but he says it’s unrealistic to expect everyone in the lawn-care industry to just start raking again, at least if they’re going keep charging anything close to what they do now.

And what really grinds Badham’s gears is the fact that the City of Seattle currently operates a huge fleet of leaf blowers—the parks department owns 125, according to The Seattle Times— and poorly at that.

“The worst offender is always the city. Their crews are just not very well trained,” he says.

“If my guys are running the blowers for five minutes, they city will be running them for 20 minutes.”

Perhaps the city should mind its own shop before it starts meddling with the private sector.

Licata is open to that—he’s open to everything, he emphasizes. But he’s not about to drop the effort. “It’s a legitimate issue, and we do hear from people who have complaints,” he says. “It’s an issue we shouldn’t turn a blind eye to—or, to be more appropriate, a deaf ear.” E

Sarkisian Was a Mistake.

Will UW Make Another?

7

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

BELLEVUE SQUARE

8 Bellevue Square 11-27-13.indd 1

11/21/13 3:08 PM

Macklemore at a Microsoft event last month.

JOHN ANGELILLO/UPI/NEWSCOM

SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

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their uncanny timing that set the foundation for the l sfu ces Game suc ar st All-St success they have since experienced, including three mo NBA 2013 the wasn’t watching the might be ore em ckl Ma #1 songs on the Billboard charts and a world tour when Macklemore sold out. I knew the Seattle to uled sched that is rolling into town next week for three sold-out was ever MC (aka Ben Haggerty) has st we rth No ific Pac the t lou sel shows at KeyArena. $ The comeback started in late perform the introduction to the affair, but I sure, deal, big a 2009 with “The Town,” an ode to Seattle’s storied thought nothing of it. It was t. firs the not s he’ deals, big of but hip-hop past that managed to honor Macklemore’s series a n— in see latest the just but it was Seattle predecessors while weaving his own story into the another notch in the belt marking the to SS, tunity CRO R. oppor larger narrative. But the first signs that Macklemore’s er RLES anoth CHA rise, HA, artist’s unlikely MARK BAUMGARTEN, PETER BLEC BY for opportunistic instincts were at the next level came a KELTON SEARS stay relevant in a media world rapacious SARAH DOUGHER, TRAVIS HAY, AND pile. bone the little later with the release of “My, Oh My!”, a tribute onto toss new artists it could to Seattle Mariners announcer Dave Niehaus. The $ It wasn’t until the next day that I saw it. ng death, carrying Mack into the Northwest dunki tars There, between clips of supers was quickly written and released in the wake of his song Heist.

The , record hit nds on his off track a $”, ge and a culminating performance in front of thousa basketballs, was the skinny blonde MC performing “Wing basketball mainstream via ubiquitous news covera sive of expen strain for a d into deman tapped The ge: which messa g$,” song’s “Win the came It was a surprise choice, considering ing Day 2011 at Safeco Field. Later that year Open dollar illionthere multib a Then for ss later. s busine Sticky Wall Street a few month sneakers results in destructive want, murder even. g anti-consumerism that blossomed with Occupy was undeniably catchy and moving, with surgin ful argument in favor of marriage equality beauti and bold ’ Lewis and e lemor brand built largely on aspiration. And yet the song Mack ” Love, getting his first pair of Air was “Same of tale aked gia-so nostal 74, passed in the fall of 2012. $ Then, e’s ndum lemor Refere Mack and State’s en its chorus of childr that became an anthem for Washington lines: final the in truth lt difficu the things got interesting for g coatin released its debut album, The Heist. That’s when Jordans. On the album these were the sugare/Consumption is in October 2012, the duo chang some and send-up of consumer s earted dollar ed lighth hundr a more a or ” you/F Shop, t to sold “Thrif “This dream that they and complicated. Riding the popularity of the from g missin were lyrics top of the iTunes those the to But $ ” shot shoes. the independently released album in the veins/And now I see it’s just another pair of offending shoes culture with an undeniable hook, the in ed on his website, adorn wrote ly hoop, ball recent erty basket a Hagg led as stradd after, e ly NBA promo. Instead, as Macklemor and stayed there for four days. Short charts sales pair “This tion: aspira would chalwith but which ive, ds, not with invect radio deal with Warner Bros. Recor and an authentic All-Star jersey, he closed the song a natural the duo signed a theretofore unheard-of was it back, g top of the the lookin to And, Shop” . t simple “Thrif and take pure also nt, but and Lewis’ independent bona fides— will make me fly.” $ It was an advertiseme e was a skilled opportunist. lenge Macklemore worth the price. lemor was Mack reward that The pop. doubt of any n never echelo st was upmo There the $ into progression for the artist. ard charts and launch the duo posed exile to kick a cough-syrup addiction, Billbo blew up, the floodgates would open.

Since the promising rapper re-emerged from a self-im logic was simple,” Haggerty wrote. “If ‘Thrift Shop’ “My $ doors. open . and s button push to ed intend about our music and buy the album songs d learn crafte would have , rters Lewis suppo he and his producer, Ryan People beyond even the core group of was CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 it » but , catchy and nt buoya ction produ ’ Lewis Macklemore’s lyricism is clever and endearing and

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(12/4) Fred Vogelstein and Jay Greene Apple and Google’s Technology War (12/5) University Book Store and the King County Library Ree Drummond (12/5) Jim Olson: Lighting Up Brain Tumors (12/6) The Lummi’s Fight Tribal Opposition to Coal Exports (12/6) Resident Finale Ellen Forney & David Montgomery Spinning True Stories (12/7) Seattle Pro Musica Ceremony of Carols Britten Centenary Christmas (12/8) LUCO: Holiday Concert (12/9) Strawberry Theatre Workshop Jose Gonzales Trio ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ (12/9) ParentMap: Daniel Siegel The Brain Drives Teenagers Crazy (12/10) Puget Sound Regional Council Growing Transit Communities (12/10) Seattle Human Rights Day Honoring the Seattle Human Rights Commission’s 50th Anniversary TOWN HALL

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Dec. 6-8, 2013

» FROM PAGE 9 The masses would not only hear a song about saving money and bargain shopping, but would discover songs about marriage equality and homophobia, consumerism, addiction, sobriety, relapse. My story would be told. That is what mattered to me.”

As stated before, Macklemore is an opportunist, and he capitalized on that opportunity to reach previously unimaginable heights for an independent artist. But through that Warner deal, he and Lewis maintained their independence. He wasn’t a sellout. Not yet.

By definition, selling out is “a betrayal of one’s prin-

ciples for reasons of expedience.” In the latter part of the 20th century, the concept became an obsession for many independent music fans, who howled “sellout” whenever they suspected a betrayal of the tenets of independent music. Signing to a major label was considered a death sentence. And lending your music to advertisements? You may as well get caught beating baby seals with your electric guitars.

But things have changed dramatically. Last month BuzzFeed published an essay by highly respected Chicago-based music journalist Jessica Hopper that mapped out, as the title states, “How Selling Out Saved Indie Rock.” Her main argument is that, with album sales dwindling, independent artists have to rely on other revenue streams for income, licensing music to commercials being the most dependable.

Selling out has become less about expediency than survival, and sagging sales have made the illusion of pure independence less difficult to maintain. As a result, the word itself appears to have lost its power.

And yet it still has enough to put Macklemore on edge. When the MC lent his talents to the NBA and clipped his song from a critique of aspirational consumerism to an advertisement for it, the word re-emerged in protest on Twitter. And Macklemore, in a rare moment of disservice to his devoted fans, went into full-blown denial.

“I would understand the ‘Macklemore sold out’ complaints more if we matched Wings to a shoe commercial,” Macklemore wrote in a hairsplitting response on his website. “That would be blatant irony, it would completely contradict the song and would appear as a sell out move. But an NBA commercial?

The NBA has very little to do with what Wings was really about. The songs subject is about shoes, but the guts of the record are about consumer culture.”

The Sonics, when no one was listening.

A master opportunist, Macklemore failed to recognize one of his greatest opportunities: to talk honestly and openly about what he did and why, to elevate the conversation about selling out, to discuss in real terms the cost of his fame. If his continued popularity is any indication, there will be other chances for Mack. I hope next time he takes it.

The fact is, Macklemore is not alone. Artists from Washington state have been selling out for more than a half-century, probably longer. It hasn’t prevented them from making great music and positively impacting their listeners’ lives. As proof, we have gathered the stories of selling out, a complicated history of an art form tangling with its inherent consumerism and of the many artists, like Macklemore, struggling to come to terms with that word. MARK BAUMGARTEN

The Sellouts Have Cash, Will Travel

In the mid-’60s when the Sonics were first active, the idea of “selling out” virtually didn’t exist within rock ’n’ roll. The Tacoma band’s proto-punk garage rock was so ahead of its time that simply getting heard was its biggest barrier. The Sonics’ raw songs (“The Witch,” “Psycho”) were played on the radio in only a few select regional markets, including Seattle. The band was trying to sell anything, so “selling out” was out of the question.

This was the period when “Louie, Louie” was banned by radio (and the Sonics’ take on that song is one of the best versions), and for the Sonics, the route to commercial success was difficult. “They were playing raw rock ’n’ roll, and aggressive rock ’n’ roll, back in the Fabian era, which wasn’t what was commonly being done then,” Mudhoney’s Mark Arm once told me.

In their first incarnation, the Sonics released two albums that were influential to future grunge-era Seattle musicians like Arm and Kurt Cobain, but an inability to get radio play doomed the band. By 1968, the original lineup had fallen apart. The Sonics did literally “sell out,” though, when they either sold or transferred their band name (depending on who’s telling the story) to a lesser group who gigged around for several years playing mostly covers. The band’s place in history was further diminished when Seattle’s NBA team ended up with the same name.

But the Sonics, the band, would not die. Back at The Rocket, I tracked them all down and did a

cover story on the band, and that brought more attention from modern-era musicians. Their albums came back in print on CD, reissued by hip labels like Norton. There was even an indie-band tribute collection Here Ain’t the Sonics.

And then, of all things, a 2004 television commercial for Land Rover, featuring “Have Love, Will Travel,” helped resurrect the Sonics. By 2007, the band—with almost all the original members, including singer Gerry Roslie—was touring again. Many reunion tours are decried as being done strictly for the money, but the Sonics continue to draw rave reviews from critics and hipsters who are happy to pay to finally see punk rock that is closer to the aboriginal bone. Though a commercial had brought them back to life, their audiences didn’t mind. CHARLES R. CROSS

Thinking Inside the Big Box

Pearl Jam has never had a problem walking away from a guaranteed payday.

During the band’s ’90s commercial peak, it famously boycotted Ticketmaster, refused to make music videos, and rarely appeared in the press—all decisions viewed as career suicide at the time. But these bold moves helped the band establish a very

The Cynics

loyal fan base, and likely kept it afloat even as its grunge brethren disbanded. But Pearl Jam’s incorrigible history is also the reason eyebrows raised when the band partnered with big-box retailer Target in 2009 to promote its ninth studio album, Backspacer.

How did Target come into play? The answer is a mixture of morality and moola.

“I can’t think of anything we’ve ever done without putting it through our own personal moral barometer. Target has passed for us,” Eddie Vedder told Billboard prior to the album’s release.

Target didn’t force Pearl Jam to go the way of the Eagles and AC/DC, both of which signed deals making their records available only at Walmart. Instead of demanding exclusivity, Target allowed Pearl Jam to work with other partners that the company didn’t view as competition, ensuring that independent record shops weren’t left out and that the band was able to sell the album through its own website. The band also sold an exclusive shirt at the mega-retailer, with the proceeds going to the hunger-relief charity Feeding America. You can see where Pearl Jam’s “moral barometer” came into play.

When Backspacer was released, Pearl Jam didn’t need the exposure Target provided, but it did help the band navigate a changing marketplace in which

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

BY SARAH DOUGHER

O

MARINA CHAVEZ

‘Hello,/Weren’t you the one that sold your soul?’ ” As the band’s musical power rippled out into wider streams, critics and fans weighed in about Sleater-Kinney’s relationship to authenticity: Had they abandoned their punk roots? Were they still really feminists? Standing outside a sold-out show at the Showbox, you might have griped and groaned about how now they were too popular. Sucks to be you.

By 2005, the terrain of independent rock had changed, and the needs of a band that had consistently sold out big shows and toured with Pearl Jam were scaling up.

S-K released its final album, The Woods, in 2005 on Sub Pop, transitioning away from its longtime label, Kill Rock Stars.

This was the easy moment to call S-K sellouts. But it didn’t matter. When you make your living selling your music, you have to do it in the most creative and productive way possible. There will always be people who think there is something wrong with this.

They are usually the same people who just want to “enjoy” the music, insisting it exists outside of politics. As long as cash is trading hands, you are in a deep political thicket. It is an ok place to be. The band made that clear on “Entertain”: “Hey! Look around they are lying to you/Can’t you see it is just a silly ruse?/They are lying, and I am lying too./All you want is entertainment/Rip me open it’s free/1, 2, 3! If you wanna take a shot at me,/Get in line/1, 2, 3! I’ve had all my shots/And I’m fine.” E music@seattleweekly.com

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n its eponymous 1995 debut album, SleaterKinney included a song called “Sold Out”—a pre-emptive statement by the then–Olympia-based trio, effectively inoculating the band against any credible charge of selling out from the beginning.

The song connects ideas of commercial and sexual exploitation, and turns “selling out” into something that feels and looks very complicated for women.

The body is always at the center. The song ends: “Sold out, do, do you want it/On a magazine cover?/Take it, it’s my body/Ooh ooh, I don’t wanna.” The women in S-K knew that they, like all women, were always already sold out. It’s what they did next that mattered.

Obviously unwilling to conform to a variety of orthodoxies, musical or political, the band still had to contend with society’s stupidity about female musicians. Like answering the question, “How does it feel to be a female musician?”

“Sold Out” would not be the band’s final answer.

By the time it released its fifth album, All Hands on the Bad One, in 2000, S-K could reflect on the emerging collusion of independent rock, the Internet, and the hipster ad machine. The band’s politics were under threat of co-option, not the music. Rooted in feminist and punk ideology, the members of Sleater-Kinney recognized the way their anti-corporate, egalitarian stance was being mainstreamed with or without their blessing. How they chose to act within this environment bore little relationship to how people perceived their actions. On “#1 Must Have,” Corin Tucker sings: “Bearer of the flag from the beginning/Now who would have believed this riot grrrl’s a cynic/But they took our ideas to their marketing stars/And now I’m spending all my days at girlpower.com/Trying to buy back a little piece of me/Everywhere you go they say

11

» FROM PAGE 11 fewer people were buying albums. “If they only have 300 records at Target, and you can be one of them, and that’s how people are going to hear your music, you have to think about that,” Vedder said. Also, it was reported that the group made roughly $5 a record, as opposed to the $1.50 to $2 they received from their major-label contracts.

While the concept of selling out may clash with Pearl Jam’s ethos, the band did manage to strike a deal that was beneficial for themselves, Target, and some of the group’s many charitable causes. Pearl Jam does things on its own terms, so it makes sense it would sell out in its own special way. TRAVIS HAY

12

Heart was the first platinum-selling band from the Seattle area, but in the band’s long career, it confronted many barriers related to gender, genre, age, and geography. Led by the Wilson sisters, Heart is one of the few bands to have hits in five different decades, and in each decade they have had to face questions about artistic integrity, commercialism, and the changing face of the business of selling music.

In the ’70s, the band broke through with Dreamboat Annie, but the sisters’ first challenge was finding an outlet for their original songs. As Ann Wilson writes in Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll, the memoir I co-authored with her and Nancy Wilson, many in the business said “we’d be more successful if we dropped our original songs entirely, and played only disco hits.”

Their other initial barrier was gender, as this was an era when few women played hard rock. Their own record label ran an advertisement that implied Ann and Nancy were lesbian lovers (which helped inspire “Barracuda”).

But it was in the ’80s that Heart had its biggest success, after a series of MTV-driven hits saw the 1985 self-titled album sell 15 million copies—the biggest sales of any Northwest album before Nirvana’s Nevermind. But even today, the Wilsons regret letting their label push songs by other writers, and their involvement in tarted-up video shoots. “We had made a deal with the devil,” Ann Wilson told me, “and the devil was right: They were hits. . . . We were hanging on a meat hook.”

It took a few years for the Wilsons to steady themselves, but they eventually did by forming the Lovemongers with Sue Ennis and Frank Cox. Reimagining their chestnuts like “Crazy on You” for an acoustic band gave the Wilsons a new musicality. Playing the tiny Backstage in Ballard, rather

Standing in the Way of Disco

After roughing it in Olympia’s DIY scene at the turn of the millenium, The Gossip (now simply “Gossip”) blossomed from a small, scuzzy, queer punk band to an international sensation. The group’s singer, Beth Ditto, has become an unlikely tabloid superstar—UK magazines and paparazzi chase her as she cavorts with celebrities like Kate Moss and Karl Lagerfield. She recently lent the song “Heavy Cross” to a Christian Dior commerical, and even has her own fashion line.

What makes her an unlikely tabloid superstar is that she’s an overweight lesbian who’s on record about pissing her pants after long nights out drinking. Growing up in a rough-and-tumble family in Arkansas (where she once was so poor she had to eat squirrels), Ditto’s early music with Gossip is full of fierce LGBTQ anthems about scrapping your way through life and not letting detractors get you down. This is righteous punk anger: a strong woman screaming soulfully in your face about body image, gender identity, and freedom while Brace Paine’s brilliantly shitty guitar riffs on bluesy dance lines in the background.

The band’s breakout song, the title track from 2006’s Standing in the Way of Control, is a genius encapsulation of an embattled gay community fighting for a place to call its own. Raw, sparse, and full of swagger, it hit a nerve. On the band’s Live in Liverpool album (the cover of which features a dirty, stained T-shirt), Ditto lets her aims be known before launching into “Yr Mangled Heart”: “This is for the faggots! The G-A-Y. The D-Y-K-E-S,” she says like a sweaty punk cheerleader for Social Justice High. The crowd goes nuts—rightfully so.

It’s a chilling moment.

But fans started to question Gossip after Control ’s follow-up, Music for Men. It was, by all rights, a disco album. “Heavy Cross,” the album’s first single, spent 82 consecutive weeks on the Top 100 charts in Germany. That’s how disco it was.

Then Ditto went on record as saying she listened to ABBA for an entire year and came out with A Joyful Noise, which was even more disco than before.

As the title suggests, these tunes are a lot less angry.

The punk is almost gone.There are no sweaty T-shirts to be found, only sequins and roller skates.

Around the time of A Joyful Noise’s release, among the typical questions about her unlikely celebrity status and her fashion line, journalists started finding coy ways of asking Ditto the same question:

Ann and Nancy Wilson, after dealing with the devil.

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SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

Hanging on a Meat Hook

than KeyArena, earned the band far less money but dissolved any criticism of commercialism, and was more satisfying musically. CHARLES R. CROSS

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“What’s with the disco sellout stuff?” One writer for The Guardian told Ditto that he bumped into “a fellow critic who bemoaned the fact that Ditto had sold out her riot-grrrl principles to socialise with C-list celebrities.”

“I feel like I’ve made a difference for certain people, and that’s what matters,” Ditto responds.

“Growing up with riot grrrl, I feel like I owe it to the me of tomorrow—without sounding too ridiculous—to do this.”

In other interviews, Ditto talks joyfully about the bewilderment of owning a new car, how happy she is that she married her girlfriend, and how nice it is to live comfortably.

I recently saw Gossip at a free Yahoo-sponsored corporate gig at the Moore Theatre. I left early. As someone who fell in love with the band for their shouty punk anthems, I just couldn’t get into the new Gossip. But a lot of the people around me loved it, and Ditto was beaming the entire time.

The whole point of riot grrrl was for marginalized women to feel empowered enough to live out their dreams, which is exactly what she did.

When you are famous, have a fashion line, are happily married, and living comfortably, you don’t make punk. You make disco, because you feel like disco. And that’s totally OK. KELTON SEARS

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Wolves in the Showroom

Fans were scratching their metalheads when Olympia’s Wolves in the Throne Room played Scion’s inaugural 2009 Rock Fest in Atlanta.

Scion, after all, makes pollution-producing cars.

Wolves in the Throne Room, on the other hand, makes ecologically charged black metal.The members, who live on an organic farm in Olympia, initially conceived the band at a meeting of Earth First, a radical environmental group known to occupy trees in danger of being cut down and forcibly blockade construction projects.

For a band as ideologically driven as Wolves in the Throne Room, playing a festival sponsored by a massive car manufacturer couldn’t have been any more off-message. So, like all good metal bands, they looked to Satan for answers. From a 2009 interview with drummer Aaron Weaver on the website Metal Sucks: “I do believe that there are dark forces that you could characterize as Luciferian or Satanic that have influence over the world, and I think that being a part of a Scion-sponsored festival, you’re in a very real way making a deal with the devil. We decided to do it and make that deal with the devil.”

The band claimed the Scion fest had an “occult” aspect, “a very dark one” that was “truly Satanic,” and swore never to pull something like this in the future. This explanation managed to own up to the malevolence of Scion while simultaneously making the band’s decision to take the company’s money a sort of badass Robert Johnson move. In reality, the group just needed a way to pay for airfare for their upcoming European tour, and they thought it was cool that their idols Neurosis were also on the bill.

With that ingenious sleight of hand, Wolves in the Throne Room’s “sellout” simply became part of their mythology: “Hey, remember that one time Wolves in the Throne Room took money from Lucifer so they could keep playing music about the forest?”

Yeah, that was awesome. KELTON SEARS

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

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From the very start, Jimi Hendrix had a tortured relationship with the “business” part of the music business. At his first paid professional gig—in the basement of Temple De Hirsch Sinai, on Pike Street near Madison—he was fired after only one set for playing too flashily.

Hendrix left Seattle at 18, penniless, forced to join the Army or face jail time for being a passenger in two stolen cars. After the service, he played the Chitlin’ Circuit in the South, but often was fired by bandleaders for showing them up. He found fame and fortune only in England, where because of his race he was afforded an authenticity that diminished any question of his credibility. When he brilliantly moved the blues of “Red House” into the rock paradigm, he became a superstar.

But it was also the era of hippies, Yippies, and anarchists, and as Hendrix became the highest-paid performer in the world—he made $14,000 a minute for his 1969 Madison Square Garden concert—many demanded his shows be free. When he complained about the Garden’s stage, The Village Voice rebuked him: “He should bitch with all the bread he walked off with?” The San Diego Door criticized Hendrix’s ticket price of $5.50: “The Hendrix concert grossed around $35,000 of YOUR bread! That’s $19,000 to the performer. Okay, who is the villain here?

That’s right, kiddies, our HEROES are screwing us!” Hendrix could never escape these questions.

And race was forever an issue. Hendrix was the highest-paid performer at Woodstock ($32,000), but a week later he played a free gig in Harlem, trying to win fans in the African-American community, where he was seen as a sellout for playing rock. He was unsuccessful—a week after his most famous appearance ever, Hendrix was upstaged by an obscure blues singer named Big Maybelle.

In a September 1970 interview, Hendrix still was defending his “outrageous” ticket price of $6.

“That’s the other end of the business,” he said, trying to deflect those decisions. He told the journalist he loved to play for free, and would do more free shows in the future. But he died two weeks later.

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» FROM PAGE 13

Let Them Eat Vinyl

If there ever was a musician who understood irony, particularly when it came to punk stardom, it was Kurt Cobain. He spent more than two-thirds of his life trying to become successful, but when superstardom finally came to Nirvana, it was a runaway train he couldn’t steer. So when Kurt planned a long-form Nirvana video project, which ultimately wasn’t released until after his death, it was titled Live, Tonight, Sold-Out with tongue-in-cheek irony.

Nirvana’s phenomenal success with Nevermind (35 million copies sold) also made the band a target for criticism, though the press’s embrace of the group helped foil most of that. In 2004, Rolling Stone critics named Nevermind the seventh best album of all-time. With that kind of artistic pinnacle, a band’s motives are rarely questioned.

But that didn’t stop Cobain himself from constantly wondering whether he was a fraud, and it was a topic he pontificated on often in his journal and with the press. He was particularly sensitive in 1992, when Nevermind was enjoying what would be a five-year run on the Billboard charts. In a radio interview that year, he began to defend himself even before he was attacked: “We haven’t compromised,” he said. “Our record label lets us do anything we want.

People calling us sellouts forget that groups like the

The Trailblazers

B

ing Crosby didn’t become one of the best-selling recording artists of all time through his hearthwarming baritone alone. The Pacific Northwest’s first globally renowned musician won his fame in good measure through corporate sponsorships and associations with a web of major labels and bigtime media outlets, which, together, synergistically promoted him into then-unequaled stardom.

Born in Tacoma and raised in Spokane, Crosby headed to Hollywood in late 1925, and rose quickly as an unprecedentedly popular pop singer.

Within a year, he’d recorded his debut single, “I’ve Got the Girl,” for Columbia Records, and had signed to tour with Paul “King of Jazz” Whiteman’s orchestra. In time he’d switch to Decca Records and enjoy a long string of hits that would eventually lead to him being deemed the “world’s most recognized voice.”

A major factor in all that was the exposure Crosby and his rumbling voice received through the emerging media of radio and television. In radio’s early days, every 15- or 30-minute block of broadcasting time often had its own designated sponsor: a flour mill, a food producer, a tobacco company. One of the most famous shows was Kraft Foods’ weekly Kraft Music Hall, on which Crosby debuted as a guest host in 1935 before becoming its regular host in 1946.

That year he began hosting Philco Radio Time— sponsored by the nation’s leading brand of radios— and then, in 1949, took over hosting a show that had begun airing in 1939, The Chesterfield Hour, largely

Ramones and the Sex Pistols were on major labels.”

Perhaps in an attempt to position himself as credible, Cobain was also quick to call other bands sellouts. He dissed Pearl Jam with the ultimate Seattle insult of the era, calling them “careerists” and describing them as “corporate, alternative and cock-rock fusion.” Ultimately Cobain was walking a thin line here, because some of that same criticism, almost word for word, was thrown at Nirvana by punk rockers touring in vans. When In Utero came out in 1993, it sold only a few million copies, and some of the pressure was relieved—though obviously not enough to help the singer deal with his larger addiction issues.

Near the end of his life, Cobain was still writing in his journals about his relationship with success.

“I made about five million dollars last year and I’m not giving a red cent to that elitist little fuck Calvin Johnson,” he wrote in 1993, referring to the head of Olympia’s puritanical indie-rock label K Records. “I chose to let corporate white men exploit me a few years ago and I love it. It feels good. And I’m not gonna donate a single fucking dollar to the fucking needy indie fascist regime. They can starve. Let them eat vinyl. . . . I’ll be able to sell my untalented, very un-genius ass for years based on my cult status.”

It was, as with everything Cobain wrote in his diaries, a little bit of the truth severed with a large slice of irony. CHARLES R. CROSS E music@seattleweekly.com

BY PETER BLECHA concerned with pushing what was then one of the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company’s major brands, “The Cigarette That Satisfies.” Crosby—often pictured with pipe stem in mouth—hosted The Bing Crosby Chesterfield Show through 1952, when General Electric took over the sponsorship. Among the countless musical guests on those shows over the years were the era’s big bands, including the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Harry James and his orchestra, featuring saxophone star “Corky” Corcoran.

Also born in Tacoma (in 1924), Gene Patrick “Corky” Corcoran was a natural sax soloist whom locals were admiring even as a kid. At age 15 he was “discovered” by a major touring bandleader, Jimmie Lunceford, and lured into a life on the road. By 17, Corcoran stepped up and joined the Harry James Orchestra—just in time to appear in various films and on The Chesterfield Hour.

Corcoran was among the star players promoted on Chesterfield tobacco cards. During WWII—when manly-man G.I.s smoked butts like they were the equivalent of Popeye’s muscle-enhancing spinach—the tobacco industry’s ad campaigns resembled battle plans drawn up by generals. And part of the technique for pacifying civilians was to seduce them into the addictive habit by associating smoking with glamorous movie stars, radio singers, and vibrant young jazz musicians—like Corcoran, who died of cancer in Tacoma in 1979. E music@seattleweekly.com

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ottling female empowerment in the form of a music camp, Rain City Rock Camp for Girls turns young ladies into rock goddesses with the side effect of instilling higher selfesteem, a sense of community, and greater confidence. Over the course of a one-week session, campers are placed in a band where they learn to play instruments and write music as a unit serving to strengthen team-building skills in a fun and creative environment. Outside of band practice, the girls participate in smaller workshops focusing on such topics as body image and bullying, preparing them for the middle-school years a time when studies show that girls can take a devastating hit to their self-image. At lunchtime, local bands treat campers to a performance, where the kids dance it out and refresh themselves for the next vitalizing activity.

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of music to promote inner strength and prolonged creative expression. By donating to the camp, at raincityrockcamp.org you’re buying a life-altering experience for a young woman electrifying her talent and igniting her mind. A gift of $400 sponsors a camper’s tuition in full, $200 pays for the entire camp’s drumsticks, and $100 covers the cost of one camper’s workshops. Even a smaller donation of $50 can make a difference, offsetting the cost of other equipment such as microphones.

At the end of each camp session, RCRCG has a big blowout show at a local music venue, so you can see your donation in action as each band takes the stage. If the expression of pure, unadulterated joy on the girls’ faces aren’t enough to make your heart swell three times its size, these pint-sized rockers own it when it comes to show time – you will definitely be entertained. You may even see the next Joan Jett, Sheila E, or Kim Gordon shredding up there.

Help promote Healing witH tHe melodic caring project

Noah Gundersen and Brett Dennen to even more bedsides. But those performances don’t live stream themselves, and MCD needs your help to fill the intertubes with healing song. Donations are always accepted at melodiccaringproject.org, but the best way to give this holiday season is to buy a couple tickets to the first annual Gala Fundraiser, which will take place on Feb. 8, 2014, at the Georgetown Ballroom. The event will feature a performance by Mycle Wastman, the local soul singer who found a national audience last year as a contestant on The Voice. Keep the tickets for yourself, or, better yet, give them as stocking stuffers to your kind-hearted music-loving family and friends.

S

ince it was founded in 2011, the Melodic Caring Project has streamed more than 100 live concerts to hundreds of sick kids around the world, in the hopes that great music can help promote healing by alleviating the pain (and boredom) suffered during an extended hospital stay. 2014 looks to be a banner year for the Seattle-based non-profit as it begins a partnership with Swedish Medical Center, which will bring music from artists like past participants Vicci Martinez, Ayron Jones,

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A VERY SPECIAL GEEKLY HOLIDAY REPORT

T

he holidays can be a stressful time of year—parties to attend, gifts to buy, food to cook. Not to mention the dilemma hitting gamers across the country: XBox One or PS4? Or the anxiety Tolkien fans are feeling about this mysterious Tauriel character. Yes, the stress levels are astronomical.

The one thing that shouldn’t be stressful is giving back to those who maybe don’t have the luxury to worry about how quickly your Doctor Who: Series 1-7 limited-edition BluRay gift set (complete with sonic screwdriver) will arrive. So in honor of the holiday shopping season, we present Seattle’s giving geeks and the charities they support.

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS AND WIZARDS OF THE COAST Last month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound and Wizards of the Coast launched their first Beyond School Walls project, an amazing program that connects youth with Wizards employees, providing mentoring and an environment where they can play games, make art, or just talk. Twice a month, students visit to learn about gaming directly from the masters. In the new year, we hope more Northwest nerds will volunteer to participate, or become a Big Brother or Big Sister and help foster the next generation of geeks. bbbsps.org SEATTLE BROWNCOATS CHARITIES This is kind of a super-charity, and it needs your help. Named after the Firefly fan base

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GIVE A GOAT Founded by CoinLab, a local startup that focuses on the digital currency bitcoins, Give a Goat lets volunteers donate their idle Graphic Cards’ computational power to generate bitcoins (i.e., raises money). CoinLab then donates 100 percent of the proceeds to Heifer International to purchase goats, which are given to needy families in more than 40 countries, including the U.S. The goats provide not only milk and fertilizer, but also a source of income through selling the extra milk and any goats that are bred. All you need to do is download their beta version and turn it on (the program requires Windows XP or greater, and one or more up-to-date Graphics Cards). You know that kickass gaming computer you have? Yeah, think of all the goats you could donate! (It also gives you a reason to update your Graphic Cards.) pool.coinlab.com/partners/goats Produced by the Ad Department.

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SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

CHILD’S PLAY Founded in 2003 by the creators of web comic Penny Arcade, Child’s Play aims to improve the lives of children in hospitals all over the world with the gift of toys and games. Gamers help raise money for Child’s Play through per-hour pledges for gaming marathons of more than 24 hours. See childsplaycharity. org to find gamers, or to find a hospital with a wish list of items you can gift directly. You can also donate cash.

As Child’s Play notes “Studies have shown that children able to play games while undergoing painful procedures request less pain medication.”

known as Browncoats, SB Charities raises money for other charities through the power of nerds. The big annual fundraiser, “Can’t Stop the Serenity,” is held each summer (date TBD), but they also host events year-round, including monthly Geek Bingo at Greenwood’s Wayward Coffeehouse and Otherworlds in Edmonds. If you can’t make it to bingo, you can donate online in exchange for a Jayne hat, which has become an iconic symbol of Firefly.

SB Charities has been busy raising money for Equality Now and Northwest Harvest, but they are currently in danger of closing! The non-profit desperately needs more volunteers (including knitters to make Jayne hats) and board members. Please help keep them flying and consider donating your time (yarn and cash are helpful too). Check out sbcharities.org to learn more.

With your help, no power in the ’verse can stop their good deeds.

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food&drink Pillaging With Pirate Joe

FoodNews

An inside look at how the Canadian Trader Joe’s reseller operates.

BY SARA BILLUPS

BY CHASON GORDON

A

Curious about how his operation worked, I

recently joined Hallatt on one of his shopping trips . . . sort of. Earlier in this excursion, the shoppers had hit nearly every Trader Joe’s in the state, beginning in Bellingham—the location most frequented by Vancouverites—and making their way down through Everett, Lynnwood, Ballard, Queen Anne, the U District, and lastly Capitol Hill, where I waited to meet them.

With such a rogue business, you’d have expected a flamboyant vehicle resembling Seattle’s Seafair Pirate bus, or at least something like the Maximus Minimus pig truck. What swung around the corner, however, was simply a white

Liam’s has launched in University Village. Nonvegans near and far can now score Beecher’s mac and cheese at Kurt Dammeier’s latest eatery. Hours are 11 a.m.–10 p.m. daily.

Taylor Shellfish is expanding. The second seafood market/oyster bar is slated to open in spring 2014 on the retail level of the EXPO apartment building in Lower Queen Anne.

Boom Noodle in Capitol Hill will reopen as its sibling conveyor-belt sushi spot Blue C. Boom’s downtown Bellevue location shuttered earlier this fall.

Mighty Ramen hosts the first in a series of popups at The Dish’s Green Lake location on Monday, Dec. 9. Housemade noodles and more will be available from 4–11 p.m.

CHASON GORDON

3 Howls Distillery just produced one of a handful of hopped whiskeys made in the U.S. Infused with a mash of Chinook, Amarillo, and Horizon hops, the brown liquor will be released Thursday, Dec. 12 at a launch party from 6–11 p.m. at Unicorn on Capitol Hill. E food@seattleweekly.com

The Vancouver store.

unmarked van. From it emerged two affable guys in their 20s, not an eyepatch among them. (Both asked not to be named, so we’ll just go with Blackbeard and Calico Jack.)

When the crew entered Trader Joe’s, I was hoping for a chaotic rush through the store in the vein of the old game show Supermarket Sweep, but they merely sauntered lackadaisically around the aisles as if perusing bookstore shelves.

This Capitol Hill trip, apparently, was a potatochip run. Blackbeard parked his cart in the chip aisle and gradually loaded up. “The healthier, the

On an average week, two separate trips are taken south, hauling in approximately $9,000 in groceries. They go pretty fast. better,” he remarked, carefully inspecting the bags before grabbing them.

As the chips began to tower over the edge of the cart, customers and employees curiously looked on. “That’s a lot of chips,” said a passing customer. “What are you doing?” asked another.

Both comments were met with only a polite smile. One person accidentally bumped the cart and sent about five or six bags to the ground.

Everyone laughed.

The bountiful, occasionally overflowing carts were then slowly wheeled to separate checkouts.

“Munchies,” quipped Blackbeard as I stood behind him like an idiot with my single bottle of juice. There was no interrogation of the pirate

shoppers, no ringing of bells or calling the manager. While an extra employee helped bag, Blackbeard assuaged the clerk’s curiosity by telling him the chips were for a giant Halloween party. Across the way, Calico Jack exchanged less conversation and helped bag his two carts of groceries.

Any onlooker would have assumed they were in cahoots, or at least going to the same Halloween party.

“Do you need any help carrying these out?” they were both asked.

“No,” they both responded.

“Have a wonderful party,” said the clerk.

Back at the van, the groceries were loaded into a space already filled to the brim with about 150 Trader Joe’s bags, containing over 1,400 items costing north of $5,000. It was a little after 10 p.m. Hallatt wore torn jeans, an IKEA blanket thrown over his shirt, and a red toque with a maple leaf on it. Only the presence of illicit drugs and guns could have made the scene look more illegal, but any feeling of criminal behavior was immediately shattered when Hallatt asked the boys, “Did you get those rice crisps?” (They did.)

On an average week, two separate trips are taken south, hauling in approximately $9,000 in groceries. They go pretty fast.

While the van comes across as seedy, the store in Vancouver is adorable and quirky. Little lights hang from wooden rafters made to look like the bottom of a ship, an image enhanced by wavy swirls framing an ocean-blue wall. Various Trader Joe’s products line the shelves and tables. In the corner, a record player spins old jazz, and sitting on a door frame in back is a copy of Joe unter

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Temperature Check

FROM JOE RIEKE, BARTENDER AT GROG IN THE BALLARD ANNEX OYSTER HOUSE

Ballard breweries! Almost 10! All making great beer! How are you not spending every Saturday afternoon touring tasting rooms?

Housemade. I love the innovation and the want to “make it better,” but sometimes ketchup needs to be Heinz. I don’t ever want to see this hit the Freezer-Burned column, but not everyone can afford to be—nor should be held to—making everything from the ground up.

Cold service and the lecture. I miss all the smiling industry folks of yesteryear: someone happy to take my order, someone who doesn’t glare over their tortoiseshell frames at me while they explain what an amaro is. We aren’t at Portland levels of customer loathing . . . yet.

SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

nyone calling the Pirate Joe’s in Vancouver, B.C., during off hours is greeted by the following message: “You’ve reached Pirate Joe’s at 2348 West Fourth, between Balsam and Vine on the south side of the street across from Safeway.

We’re open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days a week. And if you’re calling during business hours, we’re at the till. Best results are to call back in a couple minutes and bug us. We’ll pick up, and we’ll tell you what we have: mostly costumes, pirate stuff, no groceries. No quinoa and blackbean organic tortilla chips—wouldn’t have those.

We wouldn’t have white balsamic vinegar or Thai green curry—no way. And the gummy bears from France—no, not at all, none of that. We don’t smuggle stuff from the United States, we don’t bring it in, we don’t even import it, we don’t bother with it. We don’t go to the U.S. at all to get groceries, no, we don’t. Call us, call us back.

We’ll tell you what we do.”

These are the words of Michael Hallatt, 53, who for nearly two years has been purchasing thousands of Trader Joe’s products and reselling them in Canada, where there happen to be no locations. In October, a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Hallatt was dismissed by a Washington state judge, who ruled that Trader Joe’s is not being harmed economically by his actions.

Since Hallatt’s picture is posted in various Trader Joe’s stores like a cartoon “Wanted” sign, he now hires stealth shoppers (for $200 a day) to make obscenely large purchases for him, often using Craigslist ads that simply solicit “General Labor.” Although he won the trademark suit, that doesn’t stop stores from refusing him service. His crew has been confronted by managers, yelled at, and followed out of the store (though a few clerks, they say, have whispered their support).

“Sometimes I don’t know if they’re going to come out with no groceries or $4,500 worth. The key,” Hallatt tells me, “is plausible deniability.”

As long as they can’t link the shoppers to Hallatt and his vehicle, there’s no effort to deny the sale. (In one instance, a Trader Joe’s manager stood next to pirate shoppers while they waited with groceries, so they called Hallatt and said “Mom, where are you?” He had a cab pick them up instead.)

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Pillaging from Pirates » FROM PAGE 19 den Piraten, a German translation of the Jack London novel. Because of its small size and the preponderance of treats, the entire store smells like chocolate.

Hallatt buzzes around Pirate Joe’s charismatically, joking with customers and handing out samples. “This box of chocolate almonds fell and broke open,” he says to a customer, smiling, “so we’re handing them out.” Several walk-ins dash to their favorite products, put in requests for new ones, and congratulate Hallatt on his legal win.

“It saves me a two-hour wait at border lineups,” says a frequent customer. “I pay a little bit more here, but it’s not that bad. We were very excited when the place opened up.”

The store regularly features around 1,200 different items—from chips to pasta to dried fruit to Trader Joe’s reusable bags. The bestselling product is Triple Ginger Snap Cookies. “I don’t like to be open unless I have them in,” says Hallatt. He used to carry frozen goods regularly, but has temporarily phased them out due to the lawsuit and the difficulty of transporting them. “I lost almost half of my sales when I dropped the frozen goods,” he says.

Obviously, there are markups. A bag of Powerberries, dark-chocolate-covered fruit pieces, sells for $3.49 (all funds USD) at home and $6.68 at Pirate Joe’s. (Oddly enough, Trader Joe’s sells them on Amazon for $12.99). Goddess salad dressing jumps from $2.29 to $3.81. Markups, typically $1 to $3, generally depend on the item’s ease of transport—meaning how many can be crammed into a shopping cart.

Even so, Hallatt notes that transportation costs, duties, rent, and staff wages prevent this from being a hugely lucrative operation, especially considering the long hours he puts in: “I could drive a cab and make more money.”

Hallatt clearly enjoys having a little fun with the whole thing. He sells “I’m shopping for Pirate Joe’s” T-shirts, and has “Better than Nothing” engraved in the sidewalk. When the lawsuit was launched, he removed the “P” from his sign in the window, so it simply read “IRATE JOE’S.” Across from the sign proudly hangs a piece of hate mail—one of the two pieces he’s received, Hallatt says—saying that “What you are doing is not right” and “If us Vancouverites/Canadians want Trader Joe’s, we can go down to Bellingham and buy the products.”

What’s a little uncertain is the endgame. Hallatt has no immediate plans for Pirate Joe’s, and is awaiting further legal action from Trader Joe’s before taking any next steps, which could eventually include a bigger store and various locations throughout Vancouver. He says he’ll close if Trader Joe’s moves to Canada, but doesn’t see this as a campaign, and he had no idea the business would last.

“It’s been a great experience,” says Hallatt, “and we do provide a service. Is there a cause? No, but I’m not going to quit. We’re getting closer.”

“Closer to what?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he says, chuckling.

Hallatt currently has an idea for a healthy fast-food burger joint, and wants the logo to be a big black letter M. You can see where that’s going. E

food@seattleweekly.com

Crazy Talk Bartenders Overhear

B

ars are wonderful, magical places. You can try an exciting new cocktail, make a love connection, or just unwind after a long workday. You can also overhear some amazing shit. Below are some of the more ridiculous things I’ve heard in my time working and drinking in bars. They fall into four distinct categories: debauchery, drunken nonsense, drink questions, and pure insanity.

“So do you know where I can score some meth?”

Let’s get things straight. Yes, I traffic in an intoxicant, but I’m not a drug dealer.

BY ZACH GEBALLE Nor do I associate with them. And even if I did, I think I’d steer clear of meth dealers. I haven’t even seen Breaking Bad and I know that’s a bad idea.

“That guy is my brother, he’s gonna pay for me.”

This doesn’t sound too crazy on the surface—but when it’s slurred by someone who can barely keep his head off the bar top and the “brother” hasn’t said a word to him and is approximately 20 years younger, it’s a bit hard to believe.

“I don’t like sweet cocktails. I’ll just have a lemon drop.” You mean the cocktail that comes with a sugared rim? I know it’s become a bit déclassé to like sweet drinks, but just order what makes you happy. If that’s a lollipop in a glass, so be it.

“Have you ever been to Estonia?” Um, no, I

THEBARCODE

haven’t been to a small Baltic nation.

“I can’t drink American wines because they all have sugar added to them, so they’re not on the Paleo diet.” Holy crap, is this a massive pile of nonsense. First, it’s not true; if anything, you’re more likely to find an Old World wine with added sugar. Second, it’s not as if prehistoric man was making grand cru Burgundy. Third, maybe you shouldn’t be getting your diet advice from BuzzFeed.

“How much is too much to tip an escort?” See above. I know alcohol and sex go hand in hand, but seriously, how would I know? Based on the guy who asked me, I’d say no amount is too high for having to spend time with him.

“Can I get a virgin martini?” That drink is entirely booze. I guess I can give you an empty martini glass. Hell, I’ll even throw some water in it!

“Do the cops come in here often?” I think answering that question is the first step to an armed-robbery attempt.

“Are you pregnant?” Not directed at me, obviously, but at someone else. That’s a question you should never ask any woman you don’t know, but especially not one on her third Manhattan. Also, don’t follow it with “Do you want to be?” E

thebarcode@seattleweekly.com

food&drink» Seven Sunday Suppers: Better Than What Mama Made

BY MEGAN HILL

T

COCKTAILS! BURRITOS! BURRITOS! TACOS!

The Corson Building

and, natch, biscuits. Service starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until they run out—which reportedly does happen. This one’s quite kid-friendly.

Sunday suppers at Tom Douglas’ Cuoco, in South Lake Union, call to mind rowdy, bellybursting Italian meals. You’ll dive into lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and your choice of gelato.

Reservations are recommended, and the price is $25 per person.

The Sunday supper is especially appropriate at Ethan Stowell’s Tavolàta, which means “to gather around a table.” The pasta restaurant serves a monthly four-course “Sunday Feast” at a communal table limited to 26 diners. Prices range from $40 to $65 a person. Each dinner features a different ingredient, such as shellfish.

Matt Dillon’s The Corson Building is in on the Sunday action, too. At 6 p.m. every Sunday, they serve a meal “akin to a simple family supper.” Reservations are required, and the $60 price tag includes wine. E

CORSON DYLAN & JENI PHOTOGRAPHY

his time of year it’s easy to spend massive amounts of time at home trying to remember what it was like to be warm and dry. But if you’re feeling cooped up, try venturing out to a Sunday supper.

These meals are comfort-food oriented, intended to thaw the deepest recesses of your soul before the slog of the work week during this awful season when you leave home in the dark and return after the sun has gone down. They draw on the old tradition of large family meals, full of mirth and overeating. Some are year-round, others are held only in fall and winter, but they all give you a reason—besides Seahawks games—to look forward to Sundays.

Volunteer Park Café holds its Sunday supper once a month at 6 p.m. (next date, Dec. 15). You’ll sit at a communal table and eat from a “chef ’s whim” menu of at least three courses. Seats are $40 a person and reservations are recommended. Wine and beer are not included in the price.

At Joule, Sunday dinners are not just a winter occurrence. The Fremont restaurant kicked off its Sunday dinner series in March, intending to show off its extensive Northwest-focused wine list. Each dinner is served family-style and paired with wines from a designated regional winemaker.

Tickets are $55 per person.

You’ve got to sign up at dinetteseattle.com for an e-mail notification to partake of Sunday supper at Dinette, which is closing soon as owner Melissa Nyffeler hunts for a new space. Expect a communal setting, where tables are pushed together and food is served family-style. The last three themed dinners in December include “Yucatan,” “Southern French,” and “Spanish Tapas.”

Indulge in fried chicken at Ballard’s Hi-Life every Sunday night year-round. The family-style supper sources its birds from Draper Valley Farms in Mount Vernon, and includes a generous pile of buttermilk-fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, butter-braised green beans,

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arts&culture The Second (and Third) Coming How can classical music be spiced up for the holidays? Messiah returns in new garb.

BY GAVIN BORCHERT

E

singing it well,” says Jessica Spencer, billed as a producer for the December 13–21 performances by this group, founded in 2011, whose desire to bring dramatic immediacy and intimacy to the music-theater experience has taken the form of a series of genrebending cabarets bridging Rossini and Katy Perry.

Director Rob Scherzer describes the troupe’s Messiah as a “dramatic recreation of the piece . . . taking the piece they’ve all done a thousand times and trying to find some more specific truths” in it.

“I’ve spent the last three months with these guys really tearing down the musical pieces,” says Scherzer, with the result that the four soloists (Erica Row, Sonya Perez, John Coons, and Daniel Oakden) have excavated archetypal theatrical personae from the words of their solo arias—as Spencer describes it, the soprano a mother figure, the alto a passionate new convert, the tenor a disciple, the bass a cynic.

With a chorus of eight additional singers and piano accompaniment, this is in one sense a minimalist Messiah, but lighting effects, blocking (the soloists will have their music memorized, and thus be untethered to black folders and free to move), and even some light redistribution of Handel’s score (turning solo arias into duets, for instance) will enable the singers to “find the dramatic impulse to push it forward,” says Scherzer.

Himself a past member of the Seattle Symphony Chorale, Scherzer has had experience with traditional Messiahs, but feels that the oratorio “begs to be turned into something more than people in tuxes . . . We need to find the truest essence of what this piece is.” Inverse Opera’s staging will be the first official event at the Kendall Center, the new annex to Taproot Theatre’s Greenwood space.

These of course aren’t the only Messiahs available this season. Those unsatisfied with it merely as a spectator sport should drop by University Unitarian Church (uuchurch.org) on Dec. 26, when Seattle Pro Musica’s Karen P. Thomas will lead a sing- and play-along performance. Also, purists need not fear: The Seattle Symphony offers its annual well-upholstered version Dec. 20–22 (seattlesymphony.org). E

gborchert@seattleweekly.com

SEATTLE MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA Green Lake United Methodist Church, 6415 First Ave. N.E., 595-7206, seattlemandolin.org. $12–$15. 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 15.

INVERSE OPERA Kendall Center, Taproot Theatre, 208 N. 85th St., 781-9707, taproottheatre.org. $15–$25.

Opens Dec. 13. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Dec. 21.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4

Rob Delaney

I can’t add much to the universal adoration of Delaney’s Twitter feed other than to say that the more superlative the praise, the more accurate it is. But Twitter doesn’t pay the bills, and Delaney is now hoping to cash in on his well-earned fame with a new book and comedy tour. Rob Delaney: Mother. Wife.

Sister. Human.

Warrior. Falcon. Yardstick.

Turban. Cabbage (Spiegel & Grau, $25) gives heavy nods to Delaney’s 140-character persona (the long subtitle is a spoof on the everyday narcissism of so many Twitter account profiles).

Yet a string of micro-blogs, many of which are inseparable from the medium for which they were written, doesn’t quite fill a 208-page book.

So Delaney draws on his personal history of fighting depression, alcoholism, and, um, being fat to pad out his seemingly ceaseless font of raunchy humor. (“Those who think that depression is ‘good’ for creative people may form a line and very aggressively blow me.”) The book hits plenty of high notes—though, like a stripper telling you her life story, you sometimes wish he’d just shut up and get back to showing you his amazing tweets. As for his stand-up routine, Delaney is no Internet troll ill-fit for being in front of people: He’s been performing comedy longer than he’s been tweeting, and is obviously comfortable working a crowd. The only question is whether he’s worked this gem of a tweet into his routine yet: “I don’t want no ‘thigh gap’!

DARE me to find that pussy, you plump little nugget! Daddy got a big appetite.” The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents. org. $25. 8 p.m. DANIEL PERSON

THURSDAY, DEC. 5

A John Waters Christmas

Some say Halloween is our nation’s unofficial gay holiday, but you can certainly make the case that jolly, caroling, tinsel-festooned Christmas is even more of a camp spectacle. (We’re not even mentioning the holiday sweaters.) And that’s partly what writer, raconteur, and film director Waters (Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, etc.) will be doing tonight, aided by musical guest Kimya Dawson.

His Yuletide monologue, which he’s been developing and performing for over a decade, certainly makes reference to famous Christmas movies, but it also explores religion, sex (of course), and the fraught nature of holiday gatherings during

SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

SHARON ADJIRI

If the SMO will shed new light on Messiah’s music, the singers of Inverse Opera will do the same for its text—“telling the story, not just

ROBDELANEY.COM

nglish horns are not in any way English. It takes four musicians to properly play a trio sonata. And George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is not a Christmas piece.

Or at least not intended as one. Written in 1741 (in late summer), it covers the life of Christ—all of it, from “For unto us a Child is born” through “He was despised and rejected of men” to “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain”—and thus is more apropos for, if anything, Easter; it’s essentially an obituary. (Handel organized the first performance for a thoroughly secular event, a hospital fundraising concert.)

But, despite Messiah’s gloomy and even tragic passages, it’s become associated with the celebration of his birth—part of the holidays’ Holy Trinity with Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol, works that dominate America’s stages this time of year and make December arts coverage such, ahem, a thrilling challenge.

That’s the reason one ensemble is focusing on Messiah’s festive parts— the first only of the work’s three sections, covering the Nativity, with the indispensable “Hallelujah!” chorus from Part 2 tacked on for a grand finale. The Seattle Mandolin Orchestra’s December 15 performance will be a startling new roast of this chestnut—a shake-up of your preconceptions of both the work and the instrument. (Mandolins are about much more than just gondoliers and The Godfather.) But, as conductor Joseph Pollard White points out, practically nothing in the score has to be changed: Not only does the standard mandolin use the same tuning and Keep on pickin’, fingering as the violin (four strings, George Frideric.

G, D, A, E), but the rest of the string section also has plucked counterparts in the mandolin family. (Those being: the slightly larger mandola, the still-larger mandocello, and the foundational mandobass. I had no idea.) So Handel’s string parts can be played just as they are—making the music sound like it’s “being played on a giant harpsichord,” says White.

The present SMO, White explains, was launched in 1980, but a mandolin orchestra has been around in one form or another in Seattle for more than a century. Popular in vaudeville days, every American city could boast one or more—especially those cities with large immigrant populations that transported the tradition from the Old World. Most often heard at events like Seattle Center’s Festa Italiana and Folklife, the SMO, two dozen strong, has attracted several professional string players who relish “a great way to play that’s low-pressure,” White says. The four vocal soloists, who’ll sing the chorus parts as well as the arias, are soprano Julie Finch, mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Giesbers, tenor Derek Sellers, and bass Gustave Blazek.

ThisWeek’s PickList

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 23

arts&culture» Pick List » FROM PAGE 23

on the floor that you have to step around. “Painting at its root is not problem-solving, but is an appositional creation,” Carbajal says of the show, which he claims is a “forging [of ] artlessness and bad painting” intended to question traditional conceptions of successful art. Basquiat’s street art is an obvious influence on Carbajal’s spatially playful, almost chaotic approach to the usually controlled gallery environment. (Runs Fri.-Sat through Dec. 31.) Currency Art Gallery, 214

Fourth Ave. S., 715-2284, romancingbanality. com. Free. First Thursday opening reception: 5:30 p.m. KELTON SEARS

SW FILE PHOTO

his youth in Baltimore. The text has evolved over the years, rewritten to reflect current news events. In past performances, Waters has related tales of his own shoplifting (cheaper than any Black Friday sale), glory holes, his holiday wish list, and the time the Christmas tree fell on his grandmother. Then there’s the fat, hairy figure of Santa Claus—was he secretly a bear? And if so, top or bottom? You can be sure Waters has an opinion on that. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th

On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., 217-9888, onthe boards.org. $20. 8 p.m. SANDRA KURTZ FRIDAY, DEC. 6

UW Opera Theater

St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $35–$99.

8 p.m. BRIAN MILLER

One bit of unfinished business Speight Jenkins is leaving when next summer he hands the reins of Seattle Opera to incoming general director Aidan Lang is the mounting of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg that was to have been the grand finale of his tenure, but that was shelved for financial reasons (only postponed, I hope). To tide us over, this weekend the UW Opera Theater is giving a taste of Wagner’s 1867 comedy, among other scenes from operas

by Donizetti, Massenet, Mozart, and Verdi.

It won’t be on a McCaw Hall epic scale, but it’ll likely be lively and imaginative, as UW’s opera stagings have tended to be over the years.

(Director Thomas Harper, as it happens, is a Seattle Opera Wagner alumnus, specifically a Mime in past productions of the Ring.) Jones

Carbajal calls his particular style of painting “Urban+Primitive,” an appropriate moniker for the rough, childlike scrawlings and cut-and-paste collages that inhabit his strange dreamworlds.

His newest installation, Romancing Banality, is meant to be crude—challenging your notions of art by arranging his work in a sort of garbageinspired, haphazard mess. Canvasses hanging from the ceiling block your path through the gallery (formerly the Dome Stadium Tavern), while others jut out at you from the wall, threatening to poke you in the eye. There’s even stuff scattered

Nance as hectored hero in Eraserhead.

all great art. (Through Thurs.) Grand Illusion, 1403 N.E. 50th St., 523-3935, grandillusion cinema.org. $5–$8. 11 p.m. BRIAN MILLER MONDAY, DEC. 9

Next Dance Cinema

The two separate programs in this year’s edition of Next Dance Cinema are packed full of action, from serious to silly, with short films ranging from Seattle to Scotland. Highlights include the winners of On the Boards’ 15-Second Dance Film Contest; a profile of contact improvisation pioneer Steve Paxton (still dancing at 74); and site-specific works made under I-5 and in an abandoned company town outside a uranium mill in eastern Washington.

What stitches all these pieces together is their focus on the body as it explores and defines the environment. Local dancers you’ll recognize onscreen include Jody Kuehner, Alice Gosti, and Mary Margaret Moore. (Presented

by NWFF and Velocity Dance Center.)

Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 2675380, nwfilmforum.org. $6–$11. 7 p.m. (Repeats Tues.) SANDRA KURTZ E

Playhouse, 4045 University Way N.E., 543-4880, music.washington.edu. $10–$15. 7:30 p.m. (Also 2 p.m. Sun.) GAVIN BORCHERT

Carbajal’s E.V.R.L.S.T.

Eraserhead

LYLE CARBAJAL

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

Lyle Carbajal

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puffing industrial soundscape, absurdist/ minimalist plot (concerning the romantic and parenting misadventures of Henry Spencer, played by Jack Nance), and pervasive sense of body horror, Eraserhead is such a startling exercise in surrealism that “Lynchian” became the new shorthand for all manner of misfit movies to follow. Some of the film’s progeny set out to shock, to be self-consciously weird (this is the crowd that intends to make cult movies, rather than creating them by accident). But Eraserhead is entirely sincere; there’s nothing ironic or knowing in it. The movie doesn’t condescend to or ridicule Henry, who’s like a lost, confused figure from one painting—Lynch’s original background—who wanders into another canvas by an entirely different artist.

With his backlit pompadour, Henry is a hapless protagonist doing his level best to survive in a cruel, random world. The fear of parenthood runs strong in Eraserhead, as does the spectre of a failing relationship, both of which Lynch experienced as a young man in the late ’60s. It would be wrong to call the movie autobiographical, though it’s certainly personal, like

With David Lynch semi-retired from filmmaking, his 1977 breakthrough looks ever more the classic among his small body of work.

His first feature was a labor of love, five years in the making, which he famously completed by locking himself and sleeping inside an editing room at the American Film Institute in L.A. The black-and-white result was a sensation at its U.S. premiere in New York, where it ran for 99 weeks (!) in Greenwich Village.

With its constant grinding and

RODRIGO VALENZUELA/MOLLY SIDES

Waters spikes the eggnog.

Dayna Hanson is one of those artists who defy simple categories. Since her groundbreaking work with 33 Fainting Spells, she’s been filed under dance, theater, literature, music, film, and—that great catch-all—“performance.” And though parts of her repertory fit in each of those slots, most of it overflows any attempt to tidy it away. The Clay Duke, her newest project, starts with an actual news event: a tragic 2010 Florida school-board meeting, interrupted by a gunwaving man named Clay Duke, that ends in death. Yet The Clay Duke, which Hanson says “is not intended as a literal rendering or documentary performance,” uses all the above art forms to trace the underlying causes and find a bigger context. Her non-sequitur style gives us a back door into hard subjects, so that we can try to understand incomprehensible acts. Joining Hanson onstage will be local talent including Wade Madsen, Sarah Rudinoff, Dave Proscia, Peggy Piacenza, and Thomas Graves. (Through Sun.)

LIBRA FILMS

The Clay Duke

Molly Sides in Alternator, at Next Dance Cinema.

arts&culture» Stage

Opening Nights Little Women

Spend your

ARTSWEST, 4711 CALIFORNIA AVE. S.W., 938-0339, ARTSWEST.ORG. $17–$36.50.

7:30 P.M. WED.–SAT., 3 P.M. SUN., PLUS 3 P.M. SAT., DEC. 14 & 21. ENDS DEC. 29.

PNutcracker MCCAW HALL, 321 MERCER ST. (SEATTLE CENTER), 441-2424, PNB.ORG. $25–$140. RUNS NEAR DAILY THROUGH DEC. 27.

When Kent Stowell and Francia Russell went to their Pacific Northwest Ballet board of directors more than 30 years ago to say that they wanted to create a new Nutcracker, and that they wanted it to be designed by Maurice Sendak, the response was mixed. It’s an exciting idea, sure, but it sounds expensive—and don’t we already

HOLIDAYS

with the Seattle Symphony

DECEMBER 5–8

SEATTLE POPS SERIES sponsored by

have a perfectly fine Nutcracker? The board committed to going ahead, but when the bills started coming in, things got quite tense. Yet in the best tradition of fairy tales and Hollywood musicals, ticket presales were strong, the show was a hit, and PNB has been hip-deep in the Stowell/Sendak production ever since.

Theirs was a very specific vision for Nutcracker: Unlike so many productions that borrow here and there from other sources, PNB’s has a unique and distinct style, going back to the original E.T.A. Hoffmann story—as spooky as it is sweet—for a scenario that puts young heroine Clara at the cusp of adulthood. And by shifting the second act to an “Oriental” court, full of Asian, African, and Middle Eastern references, the setting has more substance than a mere Land of the Sweets.

Saturday’s opening night was a welcome return to that familiar territory. In the Act 1 party scene, Uko Gorter was like an overgrown boy as the eccentric toymaker Drosselmeier, more at home making mischief with children than chatting with adults. Later playing the Pasha, he was a tinpot tyrant, cracking his whip but thwarted when trying to dance with Clara.

Benjamin Griffiths was deceptive as the Nutcracker Prince—his technique is so clear, both in the dancing and the mime, that we almost miss the virtuosic nature of his solos. As grown-up Clara, Kaori Nakamura still had a childlike zest as she plopped down with a little bounce to sit on a cushion. Lindsi Dec was a very glamorous Peacock; and, in a last-minute substitution, Margaret Mullin swooped through the speedy choreography for the Waltz of the Flowers.

Between the ballet’s lavish details and the plethora of family-oriented activities at McCaw Hall, it was already a full evening.

Things got even sweeter during intermission, when we watched a couple get engaged in the main lobby. There’s no guarantee this’ll happen at every performance, but you never know.

SANDRA KURTZ E

stage@seattleweekly.com

Jeff Tyzik leads the Seattle Symphony in a festive collection of seasonal favorites, served up with plenty of wit and warmth for all ages.

Sit back and revel in a perennial favorite: Beethoven’s inspiring Ninth Symphony with its famous “Ode to Joy” finale.

Saturday sponsored by Sunday sponsored by

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THE SNOWMAN Watch this animated classic on the big screen while the orchestra plays the memorable soundtrack live! Perfect for the whole family.

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NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT, COUNTDOWN & CELEBRATION Featuring Tchaikovsky’s beloved Nutcracker, Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue, music from Star Wars and much more.

Then, count down to midnight at a post-concert party.

Media sponsor

DECEMBER 2 0–2 2

T I C K ETS F R OM: $ 5 2

HANDEL’S MESSIAH Don’t miss the exquisite choral writing and the exultant “Hallelujah” chorus in Handel’s Messiah — featuring the Seattle Symphony, Chorale and soloists.

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Jeff Tyzik

Dec as Flora.

BEETHOVEN’S NINTH SYMPHONY

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SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

Little Women was a fitting title for Louisa May Alcott’s Civil War–era novel, which chronicled the lives of the March women while their father was off to war. Each of the four sisters was given ample attention. But this 2005 musical doesn’t deal in pluralities. All four sisters are still onstage, yet this adaptation is all about Jo, the rebellious sister modeled on Alcott herself.

This might frustrate fans of the bulky novel, but the show yields some pleasant rewards for those willing to accept the conventions of a Broadway musical—including an all-consuming protagonist and the substitution of expository song for character development, courtesy of the show’s creators, Allan Knee, Jason Howland, and Mindi Dickstein.

EmilyRose Frasca attacks the role of Jo with an almost ferocious energy; she’s a spark plug struggling against the confines of class and gender in proper, puritanical Concord, Massachusetts. Her outlet is storytelling, which takes the form of adventure tales—“blood-and-guts stuff ”—that she shares with anyone who’ll listen.

These are related in frenzied production numbers, where director Matthew Wright turns the dial a bit too high. Jo’s passion verges at times on slapstick; one half-expects steam to shoot out of her ears, or for Frasca’s regrettable red wig— unintentionally clownish—to go full-fright.

Frasca’s performance would be completely overwhelming in the three-hour show (with intermission), except that her big movements are matched with a larger-than-life singing voice, a marvel that lends her character a commanding presence. In comparison, the rest of the cast—with the exception of Patricia HainesAinsworth’s delightfully snooty Aunt March—is anemic and too often off-key. Next to our heroine, the other March women’s lives, loves, and losses seem rather pedestrian; but again, this Little Women is all about Jo. Oddly, Jo’s dominance allows the other performers their best scene. After receiving a response from a New York publisher considering one of her stories, Jo relates the story of a chivalrous knight and damsel-in-distress as the cast performs it behind her. She mimes the swordfights with them and even sings along with their lines. It’s a transfixing shadow duet—the centerpiece of a fine production in which Jo, naturally, lifts everyone else. MARK BAUMGARTEN

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arts&culture» Performance B Y G AV I N B O R C H E R T

Stage OPENINGS & EVENTS

ANOTHER LETTER TO FATHER CHRISTMAS The elves

50 Breweries pouring more than 150 beers of the season.

Friday, December 6th Saturday, December 7th 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Session #1 Noon-4:00pm Session #2 5:30pm-9:30pm

NEW VENUE!

Hangar 30 at Warren G. Magnuson Park 7400 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle

Ticket information at

washingtonbeer.com

SEE THE ZOO BRIGHTER THAN EVER SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

MORE LIGHTS, MORE ANIMALS, MORE FUN!

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NOVEMBER 29 – JANUARY 4 5:30 – 8:30 P.M. NIGHTLY (closed Dec 24 & 25)

Wild animals and wild places recreated in thousands of sparkling LED lights

Avoid lines – buy tickets online!

WWW.ZOO.ORG/WILDLIGHTS

take over in this children’s show, which includes a singalong. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts. org. $19–$27. Opens Dec. 8. 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 22.

THE BEST BURLESQUE PAGEANT EVER Stripped Screw Burlesque’s holiday show sends up SPT’s cash cow. Columbia City Theater, 4918 Rainier Ave. S., strippedscrewburlesque.com. $18–$120. 9 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6–Sat., Dec. 7, 6 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER The horrible Herdmans return in SPT’s annual favorite. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 524-1300. $15–$32. Preview Dec. 5, opens Dec. 6. Runs Fri.–Sun. plus Dec. 23 & 24; see seattlepublictheater.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 24.

A CHILD’S CHRISTMAS IN WALES/THE LONG CHRISTMAS DINNER Stone Soup’s holiday double

bill. Stone Soup Theatre, 4035 Stone Way N.E., 633-1883. $20–$25. Preview Dec. 5, opens Dec. 6. Runs Fri.–Sun. plus Dec. 23 & 24; see stonesouptheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 24.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Mark Chenovick’s musical adaptation. Seattle Musical Theatre, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E. # 101N, 800-838-3006. $30–$40. Opens Dec. 6. Runs Thurs.–Sun.; see seattlemusicaltheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 22.

ROB DELANEY SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 23.

DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT Picaresque fairy tale + audience participation = traditional British pantomime. Hale’s Palladium, 4301 Leary Way N.W., 800-8383006, brownpapertickets.com. $7–$13. Opens Dec. 7. 4 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 & 4 p.m. Sun. Ends Jan. 5.

THE EDGE Bainbridge Island’s own improv troupe presents It’s a Wonderful Life in radio-play style. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts.org. $12–$16. Opens Dec. 7. 7:30 p.m. Sat. Ends Dec. 21.

GREAT SOUL OF RUSSIA ACT’s reading series of (mostly) Russian authors. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676, acttheatre.org. $10–$15. 7 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5.

HAM FOR THE HOLIDAYS Peggy Platt and Lisa Koch bring back the Spudds, the Sequim Gay Men’s Chorus, and more in their annual musical sketch show. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676. $15–$33. Preview Dec. 4, opens Dec. 5. Runs Wed.–Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 22.

IT’S YOUR WONDERFUL LIFE Jet City Improv takes on the Capra classic. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., jetcityimprov.com. $12–$15. Opens Dec. 5.

8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri., 4 p.m. Sat. Ends Dec. 21.

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Andrew Lloyd Webber’s take on the Gospels, startling in its day. Bainbridge High School, 9330 N.E. High School Road, Bainbridge Island, 800-838-3006, ovationmtb.com. $19–$27. Opens Dec. 6.

7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 22.

JIMMY FALLON’S CLEAN CUT COMEDY TOUR With special guests Julian McCullough, Nate Bargatze, Nick Thune, and Seth Herzog. The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $47.50. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 4.

A JOHN WATERS CHRISTMAS SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 23.

ME VS. MY SUBCONSCIOUS Blank Stage Theatre presents Rebecca Goldberg’s new solo show. TPS Theatre 4, Seattle Center, Center House, 4th floor, 800838-3006, blankstagetheatre.org. $12–$15. Opens Dec. 5.

8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Dec. 14.

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET A radio-play version of the classic film. Kenyon Hall, 7904 35th Ave. S.W., 800-8383006, brownpapertickets.com. $12–$15. Opens Dec. 6.

7:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 15.

MONSTROUS Rebecca Brown’s solo show contemplates the romantic revolution, specifically Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 829-7863, nwfilmforum.org. $12–$15. 8 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5–Sat., Dec. 7.

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NATIONAL THEATRE: 50 YEARS ON STAGE

Performance clips and talking heads fill Nicholas Hytner’s lavish film exploration of the venerable institution. SIFF Film Center, Seattle Center, 324-9996, siff.net. $15–$20. 1 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7–Sun., Dec. 8.

Send events to stage@seattleweekly.com, dance@seattleweekly.com, or classical@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings. = Recommended

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OLIVER! About a century after Dickens wrote Oliver Twist,

English songwriter Lionel Bart had the unlikely idea of making it into a musical. The 1960 smash moved to Broadway, was filmed in 1968, and is regularly revived.

Oliver! made Bart’s reputation, but he never had another such stage hit, and blew his fortune on druggy luxury, dying loveless and alone. David Armstrong directs this in-house production, with Jack Fleischmann and Jeffrey Weber alternating as the titular orphan, Hans Altwies as the evil Bill Sikes, and David Pichette as the pitiful Fagin.

T. BOND 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 625-1900. $41 and up. Preview Dec. 4, opens Dec. 5. Runs Tues.–Sun.; see 5thavenue.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 31.

THE PENELOPIAD Margaret Atwood responds to The Odyssey. Cornish College, Ninth Avenue Studios, 427 Ninth Ave. N., cornish.edu. $5–$10. 8 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5– Sat., Dec. 7 & Mon., Dec. 9; 2 & 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

PRIVATE LIVES A performance from London’s Gielgud Theatre. See fathomevents.com for participating theaters. 7 p.m. Wed., Dec. 11.

ROOSEVELT PLAYWRITING PROJECT New work by Roosevelt Hugh students Anna Given, Henri Joyce, Elliot Moore, and Ella Sevier. Free, but RSVP with box office.

Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222, seattlerep.org. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5.

THE SALESMAN IS DEAD AND GONE Paul Budraitis’ dialogue-free play imagines Willy Loman in the afterlife.

Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., strangertickets. com. $15. Opens Dec. 5. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., Dec. 16. Ends Dec. 21.

THE SANTALAND DIARIES Patrick Lennon stars in this adaptation of David Sedaris’ holiday memoir. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 524-1300. $15–$29. Preview Dec. 5, opens Dec. 6. Runs. Thurs.–Sun., plus Dec. 23 & 24; see seattle publictheater.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 24.

SAUL TANNENBAUM’S CLAUS FOR CELEBRATION/ THE SANTALAND DIARIES This holiday double

bill joins a revue to David Sedaris’ comic monologue.

Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridgeperformingarts. org. $19–$27. Opens Dec. 6. 7:30 p.m. Fri. Ends Dec. 20.

SHE LOVES ME A musical version of the story of The Shop Around the Corner. (And, yes, You’ve Got Mail.) Renton Civic Theater, 507 S. Third St., Renton, 425-226-5529, rentoncivictheater.org. $20–$25. Opens Dec. 6. 7:30 p.m.

Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 21.

SPIN THE BOTTLE Annex Theatre’s late-night variety show, every first Friday. December’s show includes “clowning hijinks,” “smut to make you squirm,” and much more. Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., 728-0933, annextheatre.org. $5–$10. 11 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6.

STRANGE SNOW Seattle Immersive Theatre presents Stephen Metcalfe’s drama in a house; you’ll find out where when you buy your tickets. 800-838-3006, seattle immersivetheatre.com. $25. Opens Dec. 6. 7:30 p.m. Fri.– Sat. Ends Dec. 21.

WHEN WE ARE MARRIED The Endangered Species Project presents a reading of J.B. Priestley’s 1938 marital screwball comedy. Stage One Theater, 9600 College Way N., endangeredspeciesproject.org. Donation. 7 p.m.

Mon., Dec. 9.

CURRENT RUNS

A CHRISTMAS CAROL Haters gonna hate. Honestly,

why does Ebenezer Scrooge gets such a bad rap in this holiday perennial? (This is ACT’s 38th staging of the cash cow, which helps underwrite the rest of the season.)

The man is an entrepreneur. Why should he share his wealth with the less fortunate, like Bob Cratchit and his family of moochers? That sounds like socialism to me! T. BOND (John Langs directs; Kurt Beattie and Peter Crook trade the role of Scrooge.) ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7676. $27 and up. Runs Tues.–Sun.; see acttheatre. org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 29.

CONEY ISLAND CHRISTMAS Donald Margulies’ comedy about the Jewish holiday culture clash. Burien Little Theater, S.W. 146th St. and Fourth Ave. S.W., Des Moines, 242-5180, burienactorstheatre.org. $7–$20.

8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 22.

THE DINA MARTINA CHRISTMAS SHOW “The Best of the Best!” includes the incomparable, indescribable entertaineress’s greatest hits from her 14 holiday shows.

With stalwart accompanist Chris Jeffries. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St., 800-838-3006. $20–$25. Runs Fri.–Sun., then daily starting Dec. 18; see brownpapertickets.com for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 31.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES Sherlock Holmes’ famous double-brimmed deerstalker hat is nowhere to be found here. Instead, newly written by beloved local actors David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright, this is Holmes 2.0. In adapting the classic tale of a hellhound stalking the English moors, they’ve invented scenes and dialogue that hew much more closely

•

to the spirit of the material than Hollywood’s recent bare-knuckled fumblings. Again we have the fraternal love and endless nattering between Holmes (Darragh Kennan) and Watson (Andrew McGinn, tall for the sidekick role): whodunit plus bromance. Kennan and McGinn don’t so much chew the scenery as make a delectable meal of it. And the supporting cast is uniformly sublime.

KEVIN PHINNEY Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center, 443-2222. $12–$80. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sun., plus some 2 p.m. matinees Wed., Sat., Sun.; see seattlerep. org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 15.

A(N IMPROVISED) CHRISTMAS CAROL A welcome reaction against the Yuletide spirit. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and company are kicked forward from the Victorian era to the topical now by a baker’s-dozen performers (most sharing various roles). Who says Tiny Tim has to be tiny, or even a child? Why can’t Bob Cratchit be an asshole?

Or Scrooge could possibly be gay, right? Since audience members get to toss out cues for how the story ought to proceed, the shows can range from G to R ratings. T. BOND Unexpected Productions Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414, unexpectedproductions.org. $12– $15. 8:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Dec. 29.

LE CLUB NOEL Candace and Sam Vance’s new holiday play is set in a 1930s cabaret in Paris. Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 781-9707, taproottheatre.org. $20–$40. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Dec. 28.

LITTLE WOMEN SEE REVIEW, PAGE 25.

LES MISÉRABLES Director Steve Tomkins and company have created what has to be the best-ever pocketsize rendering of the 1985 smash musical; you’re not likely to see it done this well—or so intimately—ever again. As in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel of revenge, retribution, and redemption, French parolee Jean Valjean (Greg Stone) is pursued by inspector Javert (Eric Polani Jensen) while seeking to regain the good name he lost after stealing bread to feed a starving child. KEVIN PHINNEY Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah, 425-392-2202. $33–$68. Runs in Issaquah through Jan. 5, then at the Everett Performing Arts Center Jan. 10–Feb. 2; see villagetheatre.org for exact schedule.

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TEATRO ZINZANNI: HAIL CAESAR: FORBIDDEN OASIS Frank Ferrante returns as the flamboyant, omni-

sexual chef Caesar; slinky Dreya Weber, equally skilled as an aerialist and singer, plays a resurrected Cleopatra.

Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $108 and up.

Runs Wed.–Sun.; see dreams.zinzanni.org for exact schedule. Ends Jan. 26.

TEATRO ZINZANNI: TAMBOURINE SUBMARINE

Dance

• PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET: NUTCRACKER SEE REVIEW, PAGE 25.

DAYNA HANSEN SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 24.

• NEW MOVES Performance and choreography by Cornish dance students. Broadway Performance Hall, 1625 Broadway, cornish.edu. $3–$5. 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6, 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7.

GIFT OF DANCE Kaleidoscope Dance Company’s holiday show. Shorewood High School, 17300 Fremont Ave. N., creativedance.org. $6–$10. 3 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

NEXT DANCE CINEMA SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 24.

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Classical, Etc.

SEATTLE JEWISH CHORALE Music for Hanukkah.Temple

B’nai Torah, 15727 N.E. Fourth St., Bellevue, 800-838-3006, seattlejewishchorale.org. $5–$12. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 4.

UW CAROLFEST Holiday music from many choirs. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, music.washington.edu. $10–$15. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 4.

TUBACHRISTMAS Possibly as many as 50–100 tubists (not to mention euphoniums and sousaphones) will gather for this celebration of holiday music. First Free Methodist Church, 3200 Third Ave. W., ryanschultzmusic. com. 281-2048. Free. 7 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5.

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and others. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, music. washington.edu. $10–$15. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY Jeff Tyzik leads their holiday pops concert. With the Seattle Choral Company. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, seattlesymphony.org. $19 and up. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Dec. 5; 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6; 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7; 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

UW SYMPHONY Seattle Symphony concertmaster Alexander Velinzon plays Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto; David Rahbee also conducts Takemitsu, Verdi, and Wagner. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, music. washington.edu. $10–$15. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6.

SEATTLE JAZZ COMPOSERS ENSEMBLE New works by Wayne Horvitz, Michael Owcharuk, and many others. Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., seattlejazzcomposersensemble.com. $5–$15. 8 p.m.

Fri., Dec. 6.

SPACE WEATHER LISTENING BOOTH A performance with live musicians (trombone, Theremin, and more) in conjunction with John Teske and Nat Evans’ installation, which transforms Aurora Borealis data into sound. Interstitial Theatre, 1701 First Ave. S., johnteske music.com. Donation. 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6.

TUDOR CHOIR “My Dancing Day: Advent Carols and Motets.” Blessed Sacrament Church, 5050 Eighth Ave. N.E., 547-3020, tudorchoir.org. $20–$30. 8 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6.

THE ESOTERICS A second weekend of Benjamin Britten’s complete choral works focuses on his sacred music. See theesoterics.org for full venue info. $10–$20.

7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6, 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7, 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

KIRKLAND CHORAL SOCIETY Carols and contemporary works. At Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive N.E., 7:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6, and First United Methodist Church, 180 Denny Way, 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7. $15–$20.

NORTHWEST GIRLCHOIR Two festive programs: “Noel by the Numbers” at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N., 7:30 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6., and “Holiday Countdown!” at Meany Hall, UW campus, 3 p.m. Sun., Dec. 15. 527-2900, northwestgirlchoir.org. $8–$23.

UW OPERA THEATER SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 24.

CORNISH LIVE ELECTRONICS ENSEMBLE New works combining electronics and improv. Chapel Performance Space, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., cornish. edu. 7 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7.

QUINTON MORRIS From this SU violinist (with Erin Chung, piano, and David Jolley, horn), music by Beethoven, Brahms, and Grieg. Chapel of St. Ignatius, 901 12th Ave., seattleu.edu. Donation. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7.

BLUE HERON This vocal ensemble from Boston presents “Advent and Christmas in Medieval England.” St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave., 325-7066, earlymusicguild.org. $20–$42. 8 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7.

SEATTLE PRO MUSICA A Ceremony of Carols and other choral works by Benjamin Britten. At Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 3 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7, and Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Drive N.E., 3 & 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Dec. 14. seattlepromusica.org.

MASTER CHORUS EASTSIDE Celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah. Kirkland Performance Center, 350 Kirkland Ave., Kirkland, 425-392-8446, masterchorus eastside.org. $15–$20. 2 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

DAINIUS VAICEKONIS An eclectic program from this UW faculty pianist: Copland, Glass, Johann Strauss.

Brechemin Auditorium, School of Music, UW campus, 6858384, music.washington.edu. $15. 4:30 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

BACH-GAMEL Gamelan Pacifica and members of Cornish’s early-music faculty collaborate to explore the congruences and complementarities in their repertories.

Cornish College/PONCHO Concert Hall, 710 E. Roy St., cornish.edu. $10–$20. 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

CANDLELIGHT CONCERTS French Impressionist music for piano, flute, and viola. University Christian Church, N.E. 50th St. & 15th Ave. N.E., 522-0169, candlelight seattle.org. $15–$20. 7:30 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8.

NORTHWEST CHAMBER CHORUS Holiday music in “Winter’s Warmth.” Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, 7500 Greenwood Ave. N., 523-1196, northwestchamberchorus. org. $12–$22. 3 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8, 7:30 p.m. Sat., Dec. 14.

SEATTLE MEN’S CHORUS For many, the holidays would be bleak and sere without this annual sparklefest. (All shows at Benaroya Hall except Dec. 12 in Tacoma and Dec. 14 in Everett; see flyinghouse.org for full info.) 3881400. $28–$78. 7:30 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8–Mon., Dec. 9; five more shows through Dec. 22.

THE JOSE GONZALES TRIO Playing Vince Guaraldi’s music for A Charlie Brown Christmas in this fundraiser for Strawberry Theatre Workshop. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 800-838-3006, strawshop.org. $10–$25. 7 p.m.

Mon., Dec. 9.

COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT Inventor/composers Jason Staczek and Ela Lamblin present music for their unique instruments. Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. Free. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Dec. 11.

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“Hoffer stru ts and stom ps effortlessly in Hedwig’s high-heeled b oots...The gu y was BORN to wear the w ig.”

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Directed by Ian Bell I Music directed by David Russell Starring Jerick Hoffer & Erin Stewart Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN TRASK I Book by JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL

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Recess Monkey stars in TZZ’s nautical-themed family show. Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $19–$25. Runs 11 a.m. selected Sat. & Sun.; see dreams. zinzanni.org for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 15.

THANKSKILLING Jeff Thomson and Jordan Mann turn the 2009 horror-camp movie about a vengeful turkey into a musical. Presented by Balagan Theatre. Cornish Playhouse at Seattle Center, balagantheatre.org. 8 p.m.

Thurs., 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Dec. 14.

‘TWAS THE NIGHT... Clement C. Moore’s poem gets sent up. Studio East, 11730 118th Ave. N.E. #100, Kirkland, 425820-1800, studio-east.org. $14. 7 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m., 2 p.m., & 5 p.m. Sat.–Sun. Ends Dec. 15.

UNCLE MIKE RUINS CHRISTMAS Your family holiday nightmares become improv theater. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., jetcityimprov.com. $10.

Midnight:30 on Saturday nights. Ends Dec. 21.

UW BANDS Music by Jennifer Higdon, Eric Whitacre,

Starring Jerick Hoffer aka Jinkx Monsoon

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arts&culture» Visual Arts B Y K E LT O N S E A R S

Openings & Events TONY ANGELL Spirit Companions presents the local

Stuart McLean & the VinyL cafe chriStMaS tour 2013 LiVe on Stage DeceMber 11 - 7:30PM

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animal sculptor’s new work in bronze and stone. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Foster/White Gallery, 220 Third Ave. S., 622-2833, fosterwhite.com, Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Through Jan. 25.

ART TO ART An installation in which Indian Raga musician Srivani Jade presents his new compositions alongside the art that inspired them—Annette Solyst’s miniature paintings. First Thursday opening reception, 7 p.m. Jack Straw New Media Gallery, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., 634-0919, jackstraw.org, Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Jan. 17.

JD BANKE Pretty Litter presents new acrylic paintings from the Cornish grad. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Prole Drift, 523 S. Main St., 399-5506, proledrift.com, Thurs.-Sat., 12-6 p.m. Through Dec. 28.

JOHN BROPHY AND FEMKE HIEMSTRA Local painter Brophy juxtaposes Western consumer culture with global belief systems and artifacts. Hiemstra is a Dutch illustrator who creates surreal, Alice in Wonderland-type scenes that often include cats. First Thursday opening reception, 6-9 p.m. Roq La Rue, 532 First Ave. S., 374-8977, roqlarue.com, Weds.-Sat., 12-5 p.m. Through Jan. 4.

LAURA CASTELLANOS Borrowed Tribe is the latest in her “sock doll” series, created as an homage to her grandmother. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Gallery4Culture, 101 Prefontaine Place S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 296-7580, 4culture.org, Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Dec. 24.

ALAN CORKERY HAHN The Seattle artist creates unique “doodles” by embroidering pieces of paper to look like hand-drawn sketches. First Thursday opening reception, 5-7 p.m. Paper Hammer, 1400 Second Ave., 682-3820, paper-hammer.com, Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Through Jan. 31.

CORRELATE The local group show features the disparate work of Jesse Burke, Ariana Page Russell, Scott Fife, Eric Eley, Adam Ekberg, and Debra Baxter. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Platform Gallery, 114 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 323-2808, platformgallery.com, , Weds.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Through Dec. 14.

FIGURES & FACES Exactly what it sounds like: a collection of work depicting the human figure, and an assortment of faces. Opening reception, 2-4 p.m. Sat., Dec. 7. Prographica, 3419 E. Denny Wy., 322-3851, prographicadrawings.com, Weds.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Through Jan. 11.

PETE FLEMING AND ROSS HAMILTON Two Glasgow artists show together for the first time in Seattle. Their show is called Import/Export. Also on view, works by local artist Julie Alexander. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Soil Gallery, 112 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 264-8061, soilart.org, Thurs.Sun., 12-5 p.m. Through Dec. 28.

FREMONT ART WALK Fremont’s First Friday artwalk venues include Activspace, Fremont Brewing Co., 509 Winery and Tasting Room, Caffe Vita, and Fremont Abbey. See fremontfirstfriday.com for participating artists. First Friday of every month, 6-9 p.m.

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Send events to visualarts@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended

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• INSCAPE OPEN STUDIOS Over 50 artists will be

opening their doors to display their paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, video and more. Inscape, 815 Seattle Blvd. S, 257-3022, inscapearts.org, Sun., Dec. 8, 12-6 p.m.

MARY IVERSON AND DANE YOUNGREN Iverson’s paintings layer imposing geometric shipping containers on top of natural landscapes. Youngren’s ceramic sculptures riff on bygone transportation and industrial structures, similarly addressing globalization and commerce. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m.

Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Ave. S., 624-1324, davidsongalleries.com, Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Through Dec. 24.

TODD JANNAUSCH Callus takes traditional tools and alters their form to create new purposes and gestures.

First Thursday opening reception, 5-8 p.m. Method Gallery, 106 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), methodgallery.com, Fri., Sat., 12-5 p.m. Through Dec. 21.

• EIRIK JOHNSON AND MARK THOMPSON

Johnson’s photo dyptichs compare Barrow, Alaska landscapes and cabins side by side in summer and winter, making for gorgeous juxtapositions. Thompson’s dark, gothic drawings depict Victorian architecture.

First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. G. Gibson Gallery, 300 S. Washington St. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 587-4033, ggibsongallery.com, Weds.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Jan. 18.

LAUREN MAX Called Oh My Goth, her cheeky photographs riff on goth and black-metal band imagery, often in dissonant settings. Note: the show is held one night only in a private residence. Vignettes, 1617 Yale Ave., Seattle, vignettes.us, Fri., Dec. 6, 7-10 p.m.

S M L Works in all three sizes are offered by gallery artists including Julie Alexander, Francis Celentano, Linda Connor, Claire Cowie, Wynne Greenwood, Matthias Merkel Hess, Nicholas Nyland, Serrah Russell, Gail Tremblay, Josef Vascovitz, and Bing Wright. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. James Harris Gallery, 604 2nd Ave., 903-6220, jamesharrisgallery.com, Weds.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Dec. 20.

SEEING IT MY WAY Nine artists are featured in this group exhibition that challenges the viewer see the world from the artists’ perspective. First Thursday opening reception, 5-9 p.m. Corridor Gallery (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 306 S. Washington St., 856-7037, tklofts.com, Fri., Sat., 12-5 p.m. Through Dec. 29.

LOIS SILVER Vignettes surveys candid domestic scenes in Silver’s trademark style, vibrant colors and heavy oil paint textures. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Place, 443-3315, lisaharrisgallery.com, Mon.-Sun., 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Through Dec. 29.

SUBURBIA: DREAM OR NIGHTMARE Thirteen artists explore the seedy underbelly of America’s suburbs in this group exhibition. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Ave. S., 6243034, lindahodgesgallery.com, Tues.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Dec. 28.

WALLINGFORD ART WALK Participating venues and galleries include Stu Stu Studios, Fuel Coffee, Julia’s Restaurant, and Oasis Art Gallery. See wallingfordartwalk.org for full roster of attractions. First Wednesday of every month, 6-9 p.m.

WHITE Gallery 110’s annual chromatic show asks several artists to create work referencing that color from a variety of perspectives. First Thursday opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Gallery 110, 110 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 624-9336, gallery110.com, Weds.-Sat., 12-5 p.m. Through Dec. 28.

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arts&culture» Film

Opening ThisWeek

Following the fiery raid, a Philadelphia cop surveys the scene.

DIRECTOR SINI ANDERSON SKYPE Q&A!

PAt Berkeley RUNS FRI., DEC. 6–THURS., DEC. 12 AT NORTHWEST FILM FORUM. NOT RATED. 244 MINUTES.

Caught in the Web RUNS FRI., DEC. 6–THURS., DEC. 12 AT SUNDANCE CINEMAS. NOT RATED. 117 MINUTES.

The title promises another tired warning about the Dangers of the Internet, and so does a thumbnail description of the plot: A young woman is rude to an elderly gentleman on a bus, the incident is filmed on a cell phone, and when the video goes viral, it leads to serious problems for her and the people in her life.

Undeniably, Caught in the Web is about this surveilled aspect of modern life, and maybe the Chinese authorities who approved the movie

SATURDAY, DEC 7TH -6:30PM SHOW

★★★★

‘‘

A POIGNANT, INTIMATE PORTRAIT OF A LARGER-THAN-LIFE PERSONALITY.’’

ZEITGEIST FILMS

Amy Pitt, TIME OUT NEW YORK

liked the cautionary tale of the risks associated with freewheeling cyberspace.

Funny thing is, the film itself is less a wag of the finger about the online arena than a slice of life in contemporary China. It depicts a cold world of corporate skullduggery and media opportunism—which makes you wonder whether veteran director Chen Kaige might’ve been sneaking his disenchanted portrait past the powers that be. A member of the breakthrough “Fifth Generation” of Chinese filmmakers, Chen’s output has been maddeningly inconsistent, ping-ponging between arty triumphs (Yellow Earth) and Hollywood-style melodrama (Farewell My Concubine), all the while negotiating the complex business of being an artist in China. If Caught is no classic (the musical soundtrack is notably poor, for instance), it is nevertheless a lively outing in this director’s career.

The woman on the bus is Lanqiu (Gao Yuanyuan, from City of Life and Death), and the reason she’s so rude is that she’s just received a grim cancer diagnosis. Drawn into the fallout from the viral video are her reptilian boss (the terrific Wang Xueqi) and his high-living wife (Chen Hong), both of whom are allowed more color and complex motivations than we might initially assume. An ambitious reporter (Yao Chen) and her boyfriend (Mark Chao) round out the key circle of players—there are enough rich characters and cross-purposes to stretch this premise out into a couple of seasons’ worth of a cable-TV series. Lanqiu’s diagnosis forestalls that idea, and also leads the movie toward a sentimental conclusion, but not before Chen has lifted the lid on a particularly nasty group of vipers. Forget the trendy cyber-subject: This is an old-fashioned, and clear-eyed, view of choices and consequences. ROBERT HORTON

PLet the Fire Burn RUNS FRI., DEC. 6–THURS., DEC. 12 AT VARSITY. NOT RATED. 95 MINUTES.

Before Waco or Ruby Ridge there was Philadelphia’s MOVE collective, a vocal band of black separatists founded circa 1970. The group had a violent confrontation with the cops in 1978, a policeman was killed, and another standoff began in 1985. By then, Philly had its first black mayor, Wilson Goode, with uncertain command over an overwhelmingly white, vengeful police force. When MOVE barricaded its headquarters

EMOTIONAL. MOVING.

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and built a wooden “bunker” on the roof, a livetelevised siege began. The cops finally dropped a firebomb (!) from a helicopter, killing 11 MOVE members—including five children—and burning an entire city block.

Two decades later, it’s hard to imagine such an insane escalation of force. But in stitching together original news footage of the event and subsequent hearings on the raid, director Jason Osder forgoes any retrospective analysis. There’s no narrator, no journalists to comment, only the voices of the day—angry, defensive, racist, reasonable, supplicant, and scared. Like a lot of big cities during the ’60s and ’70s, Philly was being rocked by white flight and new racial politics.

Given such context, MOVE clearly lacked the media savvy and panache of the Black Panthers.

“John Africa,” the nom de guerre of Vincent Leaphard, and his followers were a dirty, dreadlocked cult that eschewed electricity, raised their children naked, and had no coherent philosophy.

Let the Fire Burn tells us almost nothing of how the group formed (though there are occasional intertitles); the power structure of Philadelphia— including the notorious Mayor Frank Rizzo—is rather more self-evident. The term “terrorists” is heard more than once, and MOVE’s children somehow fell under that catchall.

What’s the old phrase . . . to save the village, we had to destroy the village? Crouching behind his TV truck, bullets whizzing overhead, a reporter says, “It’s like another Vietnam War out here!” And like the American military after Vietnam, the police have since learned to keep reporters far from the action. Here, we can see in ’78 and ’85 how the cops both created and aggravated a tense situation. Goode never seems in control, telling the press that MOVE will be removed “by any means necessary,” perhaps the oddest-ever citation of Malcolm X by a politician.

There are frustrations to Osder’s entirely archival project, an absence of context and history. A very limited postscript omits any mention of police reforms or Goode’s fate. Were any cops charged or convicted for the firestorm? The answer will leave you burning. BRIAN MILLER

The Punk Singer RUNS FRI., DEC. 6–THURS., DEC. 12 AT SIFF FILM CENTER. NOT RATED. 80 MINUTES.

Kathleen Hanna’s return to music receives considerably more fanfare with this new docu-

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In his close looks at how systems function, the esteemed documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman favors the fly-on-the-wall style. Some of those systems are as large as Madison Square Garden or the Paris Opera ballet, some as small as a homely boxing gym in Austin, Texas. Given his free-ranging curiosity about subject matter, it’s surprising it took Wiseman this long—At Berkeley is his 42nd film—to come to a major U.S. university. But it turns out his timing was very, very good.

The film was shot in 2010 at the University of California, Berkeley, not long after the housing bubble and recession; the school now gets a fraction of its former state funding. Wiseman finds administrators scrambling to make ends meet and students searching for ways to voice their fury about rising tuition at a once-free public institution. It will take Wiseman just over four hours to burrow through the layers of life at Cal, and the length allows him to challenge your expectations of what a 21st-century university must be like. A long early classroom sequence at first appears to embody the kind of liberal handwringing that is assumed to go on in progressive schools (the lecture subject is race). But watch the sequence continue and see how forthrightly the students stake out their own nuanced positions while listening to others give theirs.

Although we graze through classrooms and hear about Thoreau and physics, the real meat of At Berkeley is in the administrative conference rooms, where the overall impression is of decent, occasionally exasperating people actually trying to thrash their way to good decisions. This is mostly true even when, in the film’s second half, the “story” is dominated by a student protest.

Here, the school officials try to devise proper responses while students try to figure out what exactly they’re protesting.

Wiseman’s hands-off style is ideal for letting us think what we want about all this, but the cumulative effect of At Berkeley is a ringing appreciation of discourse itself. Yes, the bureaucratic terminology and careful back-and-forthing of department meetings must be wearisome at times, but the movie is insightful in its depiction of the value of people sitting together in rooms and talking. Which sounds a lot like one of the founding ideas of a university. ROBERT HORTON

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UPTOWN 7 Independent Spirit nominations Best Film | Best Director | Best Actor

12 YEARS A SLAVE THE BOOK THIEF Based on the best selling novel Mon | Sneak Preview

AMERICAN HUSTLE plus New York Film Critics broadcast of Q&A with David O. Russell Tue & Thu Royal Shakespeare Company Live David Tennant as

RICHARD II

FILM CENTER From Bikini Kill to LeTigre Kathleen Hanna is

THE PUNK SINGER NOW PLAYING | UPTOWN

Skype Q&A with director Fri & Sat Sat & Sun | National Theatre Live

50 YEARS ON STAGE

SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN | 511 Queen Anne Ave N SIFF FILM CENTER | Seattle Center

mentary than did her inexplicable retirement.

After bursting onto the early-’90s scene with the Evergreen College–spawned riot-grrrl band Bikini Kill, then later shifting to a mellower key with Le Tigre, Hanna seemingly dropped out of music in 2005. Why, apart from her marriage to the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz, did she stop performing?

More a fan than a director, Sini Anderson mostly gets to the bottom of such questions in The Punk Singer (also available on iTunes and VOD). Back in the day, Hanna was wary of the male-dominated rock press, and she’s now in full control of Anderson’s access.

Generously sourced with testimonials from the likes of Joan Jett, Corin Tucker, and Kim Gordon, the doc is less a career assessment than a companion reel to Hanna’s relaunch as a performer. At 45, she probably doesn’t want to go back to her angry punk roots—who can maintain such energy and outrage 24/7?

But if Gordon, Madonna, or even Marianne Faithfull could continue their careers past 40, why shouldn’t she? (With her new group The

BY BRIAN MILLER

“EXPLOSIVE!” - Scott Mantz, AccESS HOLLywOOd

“A

Local & Repertory SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 24.

• ERASERHEAD • THE LIMEY A smart, funny, and hauntingly elliptical

1999 film from Steven Soderbergh. Terence Stamp gives a terrific, intense performance as Wilson, an English career criminal visiting LA to avenge the death of his daughter. Shady record industry mogul Peter Fonda was her boyfriend—so Stamp naturally zeroes in on him. Yet this is no mall-oriented revenge flick; instead, Soderbergh employs jump-cuts, flashbacks, fantasy sequences and remarkable snippets of an entirely different old film to resist our expectations and complicate his hero’s revenge. (R) Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., 654-3100, seattleartmuseum.org, $63–$68 series, $8 individual, Thu., Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m.

SuPErb

cHrIStIAn bALE!”

- Karen durbin, ELLE

MADOKA MAGICA 3: THE REBELLION STORY

“POwErfuL!” - Scott foundas, VArIEty

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

“cAPtIVAtIng!”

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- Jim Vejvoda, Ign

STARTS FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6TH AT THEATRES EVERYWHERE! CHECK DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES • NO PASSES ACCEPTED

Culled from a recent cartoon series on Japanese television, this theatrical package continues the adventures of pixie heroine Madoka Kaname. Also note that Madoka Magica 1 & 2 will be screened at 1 p.m. Sun. (NR) Grand Illusion, 1403 N.E. 50th St., 523-3935, grandillusioncinema.org, $5-$8, Fri., Dec. 6, 6 & 8:30 p.m.; Sat., Dec. 7, 1, 3:30, 6 & 8:30 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 8, 6 & 8:30 p.m.; Mon., Dec. 9, 9 p.m.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS Every handcrafted frame of this wonderful 1993 stop-motion animation film—with its coffin sled, death’s-head tree ornaments, skeleton reindeer, and spindly patchwork look—bears the touch of Tim Burton’s misfit imagination. He also came up with its kid-friendly, ho-ho-horror story of a Halloween king who decides to restage Christmas according to his ghoulish sensibility. (First step: Kidnap Santa.) Jack Skellington really isn’t a bad sort of fellow; and his impulse to bring yuletide festivity to Halloweentown shows the misfit’s touching desire to finally fit in. The movie is followed at 9:30 p.m. by the surprisingly class-conscious comedy Trading Places, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd back in 1983.

BRIAN MILLER Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 6866684, central-cinema.com, $6-$8, Dec. 6-9, 7 p.m.

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS Also screening at Thornton Place and the Bella Botega in Redmond, this is the spectacularly bad 1964 sci-fi/ Yultetide flick that features a young Pia Zadora.

However, the original soundtrack will be muted so you can hear this RiffTrax presentation of Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett (aka the old MST3K gang). See FathomEvents.com for price and details. (NR) Pacific Place, 600 Pine St., Thu., Dec. 5, 8 p.m.

•

Send events to film@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended

•

Julie Ruin, Hanna played Neumos in September.) So if The Punk Singer partly feels like an infomercial, full of praise for Hanna, it also has a medical, service-y aspect on the dangers of Lyme disease, which led to her health collapse.

“I thought I was having a stroke,” says Hanna of a health incident at a Planned Parenthood rally in 2008, before her diagnosis. Her ongoing treatment looks to be unpleasant, with a regimen of pills and shots that hasn’t yet returned her to full strength. In a down moment, she asks her husband, “Do I look horrible?” “No,” Horovitz quickly shoots back. You’d like to see more of these domestic scenes, as when Horovitz recalls meeting Hanna on tour in the ’90s: “Kathleen was like a force—a car accident, but a good car accident.”

After a difficult upbringing (Hanna hints at sexual abuse), there’s no reason a middle-aged punk rocker shouldn’t now enjoy a comfortable boho/bourgeois life in Manhattan. She’s earned it. And if nothing else, her story is a reminder to check yourself for tick bites in the Hamptons.

BRIAN MILLER E

film@seattleweekly.com

Ongoing THE ARMSTRONG LIE Just as Lance Armstrong once

pumped too much EPO into his veins, too much Lance Armstrong has been pumped into media annals to make Alex Gibney’s long-delayed documentary very newsworthy. Armstrong is only interesting when Gibney (and other journalists) here provoke his anger and peevishness, his self-justification. (R) BRIAN MILLER Sundance BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR Abdellatif Kechiche’s three-hour Cannes prize-winner follows Adèle (the splendid Adèle Exarchopoulos) from high school to womanhood, that span mostly involving her relationship with Emma (Léa Seydoux). Blue’s length allows the sex scenes to take their proper role in Adèle’s world: Their duration shows us how much they matter, but they don’t actually take up that much time when folded into the larger dish. (NC-17) ROBERT HORTON Sundance, Harvard Exit DALLAS BUYERS CLUB Matthew McConaughey’s ornery, emaciated Ron Woodroof contracted HIV in 1985. As Ron desperately bribes and steals a path to off-label meds, then drives to Mexico to smuggle them, Dallas Buyers Club is ultimately more a caper movie than an AIDS story. (R) B.R.M. Harvard Exit, Lincoln Square, Sundance GRAVITY George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are stranded in orbit, menaced by regular bombardments of space debris. For all its technical marvels and breathtaking panoramas reflected in Stone’s visor, Gravity is a very compact and task-oriented picture.

It’s both space-age and hugely traditional, though with a modern, self-aware heroine. Alfonso Cuarón directs one of the year’s best films. (PG-13) B.R.M. Lincoln Square, Sundance, Thornton Place, others THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino’s fantastic account of an aging playboy journalist in Rome follows Jep (the sublime Toni Servillo) through and after the debauch of his 65th birthday party. Disgust—and then perhaps self-disgust—begins to color his perception of a Botox party, the food obsessions of a prominent cardinal, the splatter-art demonstration of a child artist, and the whole “debauched country.” In one of the year’s best movies, Servillo makes Jep a guy living parallel lives in hectic ballrooms and in his head. One of the year’s best. (NR) B.R.M. Varsity NEBRASKA Whether delusional, demented, or duped by a sweepstakes letter promising him $1 million, it really doesn’t matter about the motivations of Woody (the excellent and subdued Bruce Dern). What counts is the willpower of this cotton-haired, ex-alcoholic Montana geezer, joined by his son (Will Forte, surprisingly tender) on their a trek to Nebraska, where Woody expects to get his prize. There is a lifetime of regret and bad parenting to reveal in Alexander Payne’s black-white-movie, which makes it sound more bleak than it is. There’s both comedy and pathos, too, in one of the year’s best pictures. (R) B.R.M. Guild 45th

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a&c» What The Hobbit Taught Me

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GEEKLYREPORT

geeklyreport@seattleweekly.com

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SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

t has begun: the countdown to the opening of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13). Like most J.R.R. Tolkien fans, I am both excited and anxious to see the next installment of Peter Jackson’s planned Hobbit trilogy. Before the last film, I reread Tolkien’s novel, plunging myself deep into Middle Earth.

I treasure

BY TERRA CLARKE OLSEN The Hobbit more than any other book in my library, and for good reasons.

The Hobbit was the first fantasy book I ever read. It introduced me to a world of wonder that I wanted so badly to be real. I fantasized about running through the Shire, eating cakes and drinking tea in a cozy hobbit-hole, and adventuring into unknown lands encountering elves (who would have clearly befriended me). I loved this new fantasy world, and wanted more.

In a weird way, this is also how I discovered my love for medieval history (for those of you who don’t know, I’m a history nerd). So in many ways, The Hobbit served as an introduction to two things that would forever be important to me.

When I look back on my childhood, I see a creative and strange child running through the forest, and can’t help but laugh. I love that little girl, and know that The Hobbit made her childhood better.

As I matured, The Hobbit became more than a fantastic world I longed to live in. It summed up core values that I have continued to practice.

Bilbo shows bravery and courage; even when he realizes that “adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine,” he carries on with a determined attitude. He became a model of sorts. If a hobbit can handle giant spiders and trolls, then maybe I can handle moving to a new school or city without knowing a soul. I have tried to keep Bilbo’s courageous attitude regarding life’s adventures.

However, to me The Hobbit ’s most important lesson is to enjoy life and find pleasure in simple things. Life is so busy and chaotic, it’s easy to be caught up in the hustle and bustle. The Hobbit reminds us to slow down—summed up in one simple quote from Thorin, King Under the Mountain (which also happens to be my favorite): “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

The Hobbit has enriched my life, and I am forever grateful to my dad for making me read it, and of course to Tolkien for sharing his world with us. I can hardly wait to be in the theater with other Tolkien geeks, where we’ll be swept away on one of Bilbo’s adventures, enjoying the moment while being forever enchanted by Tolkien’s world. E

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dinner & show

mainstage WED/DECEMBER 4 • 7:30PM

omar torrez

THU/DECEMBER 5 • 7:30PM

david bromberg quintet FRI/DECEMBER 6 • 8PM

vaden todd lewis w/ kate lynne logan SAT/DECEMBER 7 • 8PM

an evening with joe henry SUN/DECEMBER 8 • 7:30PM - 91.3 KBCS WELCOMES

an evening with buika TUE/DECEMBER 10 • 7:30PM

rhett miller w/ lydia ramsey

El Corazon www.elcorazonseattle.com

109 Eastlake Ave East • Seattle, WA 98109 Booking and Info: 206.262.0482

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5

Scion AV & Mike Thrasher Present:

with Terror, Trash Talk, and The Inspector Cluzo. Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $26 ADV / $30 DOS

Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $18 ADV / $20 DOS

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES WED/DECEMBER 12 - SAT/DECEMBER 28 • SHOW TIMES VARY

land of the sweets SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

the burlesque nutcracker

32

next • 12/29 the bobs after christmas holiday show • 12/30 showgirls! the movie hosted by david schmader • 12/31 an evening with storm large • 1/2 seth freeman cd release party with the cody rentas band • 1/4 the brian nova all star big band • 1/8 red molly w/ anne and pete sibley • 1/9 - 1/11 elvis alive w/ vince mira & guests • 1/12 school of rock performs the beatles • 1/14 emily asher’s garden party • 1/16 kelly joe phelps • 1/17 & 1/18 los lobos • 1/22 george kahumoku jr and led kaapana •1/24thebiggig:6speeds,lotohi •1/25kimvirantandgeraldcollier •1/28chieliminucci&specialefx

happy hour every day • 12/4 supersones • 12/5 first thursday art opening w/ mike klay / d’vonne lewis’ limited edition trio • 12/6 gypsy swing happy hour: the djangomatics / lushy • 12/10 singer-songwriter showcase featuring: ethan j perry, adam foley and bret alain phillips • 12/11 the bayous TO ENSURE THE BEST EXPERIENCE · PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY DOORS OPEN 1 HOUR PRIOR TO FIRST SHOW · ALL-AGES (BEFORE 9:30PM)

thetripledoor.net

216 UNION STREET, SEATTLE · 206.838.4333

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8

Mike Thrasher Presents “Slam City Fall Tour 3013”:

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6

NOI!SE (LIVE VIDEO SHOOT) with The Hollowpoints, Bishops Green, and Hurry Up And Die Doors at 8 / Show at 8:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $8 ADV / $10 DOS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

WILLIAM CONTROL with Fearless Vampire Killer, Avoid The Void, Watcher’s Eye, and Blutleid Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $12 ADV / $15 DOS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7

WITCHBURN

with The Heroine, Ancient Warlocks, and Skullbot Lounge Show. Doors at 8 / Show at 9PM 21+. $8 ADV / $10 DOS

HIGH ON FIRE with Kvelertak, and Windhand MONDAY, DECEMBER 9

SMILE EMPTY SOUL with Acidic, First Decree, Like A Storm, Stoic F.B., and Dogstrum Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $13 ADV / $15 DOS

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10 Take Warning Presents:

THE FLATLINERS

with Living With Lions, Sundowner (Chris McCaughan of The Lawrence Arms), and Poke Da Squid Lounge Show. Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11

PEOPLE GET READY with Fox Hunt, Leeni, plus guests

Lounge Show. Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS

JUST ANNOUNCED 12/15 THE BREAK UP 12/16 PROMETHEAN EULOGY 12/30 JUMPING FENCES 1/1 BUSINESS SHARKS 1/24 EMERY 1/26 THE PERSEVERING PROMISE 1/27 SELF DEFENSE FAMILY 1/30 ACIDIC 2/10 BREATH CAROLINA 2/27 SAUL 3/8 WE ARE IN THE CROWD 4/20 LOUDNESS 5/2 NILE UP & COMING 12/13 METALACHI 12/13 LOUNGE TOMMY & THE HIGH PILOTS 12/14 AMERICAN NIGHTMARE (GIVE UP THE GHOST) 12/15 MOURNING MARKET 12/18 CAPSULA 12/19 LOUNGE I LIKE SCIENCE 12/20 & 12/21 X / THE BLASTERS 12/22 BEST OF FRIENDS 12/28 MONSTERS SCARE YOU 12/29 UNHAILOED 12/31 LEFTOVER CRACK 1/2 LOUNGE JULIA SHEER Tickets now available at cascadetickets.com - No per order fees for online purchases. Our on-site Box Office is open 1pm-5pm weekdays in our office and all nights we are open in the club - $2 service charge per ticket Charge by Phone at 1.800.514.3849. Online at www.cascadetickets.com - Tickets are subject to service charge The EL CORAZON VIP PROGRAM: see details at www.elcorazon.com/vip.html and for an application email us at info@elcorazonseattle.com

arts&culture» Music

Where the Strings Come In

Multi-instrumentalist Basia Bulat builds on her quiet folk canon.

BY GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT

Wednesday, Dec. 4 The Canada-based duo ADVENTURE CLUB promises a show you won’t forget. Lovers of heavy drops, electronic melodies, and mashups: This is the group for you. The duo has garnered a worldwide following with popular song remixes like those of Foxes’ “Youth” and Flight Facilities’ “Crave You.” With DVBBS, DallasK, Hunter Siegel. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 6520444. 8:30 p.m. $25 adv./$30 DOS. ALICIA W. PRICE Platinum-selling rapper DRAKE has a question for you, Washington: Would you like a tour? After a two-month postponement, attributed to what he calls “an intense rehearsal schedule and technical production requirements,” the Toronto-based artist has finally landed in the Northwest, touring behind Nothing Was the Same, his third release (and third #1) in as many years. In this short time, Drake has established himself as one of rap’s biggest names—and most divisive figures, accused of being “soft” (remember the panties episode?) and too goofy. But at this point, the withering criticisms have turned cliché, and Drizzy is more than content to let his success argue for him. This he backs up in “Started From the Bottom,” when he sings: “We don’t like to do too much explainin’/Story stayed the same, I never changed it.” With Future, Miguel.

Tacoma Dome, 2727 E. D St., Tacoma, 253-272-3663, tacomadome.org. 7 p.m. $49.75–$99.75. CR

Thursday, Dec. 5

LISSIE Since being dubbed Paste magazine’s Best New

Solo Artist in 2009, this Illinois-born singer/songwriter (full name, Elisabeth Corrin Maurus) has continued to attack the charts with her carefully crafted yet rebellious mountain rock. Currently touring in support of her sophomore album, The Habit, Lissie is the type of performer you just can’t get enough of. Channeling the likes of Stevie Nicks (Lissie’s cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” was featured in the trailer for the 2012 film Safe Haven), she’s just as comfortable singing a mellow country ballad as belting a rowdy girl-power anthem like “Shameless,” The Habit’s lead single. It’s here that tough girl Lissie comes to play: “I don’t want to be famous if I got to be shameless,” she squeals with a confidence and raw energy that just gets into your heart; it’s that ferocious grit that brings her stage show to life. With the Kopecky Family Band. The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile. com. 8 p.m. $18 adv. 21 and over. KEEGAN PROSSER

Send events to music@seattleweekly.com.

See seattleweekly.com for full listings.

Cate Le Bon, Kevin Morby.

Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467, thebarboza.com. $13 adv. 7 p.m. Fri., Dec. 6. E gelliott@seattleweekly.com

On the first song on 2012’s Rich Girl, “Intro: Real Music,” soul singer ANGIE STONE has a message for listeners: “So just sit all down and take a listen/’Cause the music’s here to stay/’Bout to give you what’s missing.”

What she delivers, and has for years, is soul-baring gospel in her signature warm, smooth-as-silk voice.

Through Sunday. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729, jazzalley.com. 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 7:30 p.m.

Sun. $44.50. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY The cover of TOMTEN’s latest, Wednesday’s Children, which features colorful circles emblazoned with letters that spell out the album’s tracklist, may be difficult to understand at first, but its music is much easier to digest: dreamy pop, embellished with lovely harmonies, inspired by the psychedelic ’60s. The quintet is currently finishing a follow-up. With Animal Eyes, Yonder.

Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-4880, sunsettavern.com. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. ACP

Friday, Dec. 6

Pleasantly without pretense, AND AND AND is best known for the annual band-vs.-band three-on-three “rigsketball” tournament it hosts each summer in Portland, using a hoop affixed to the roof of its tour van. The band is just as ingenious musically, playing a triumphant kind of discordant slacker pop anchored by mohawked drummer Bim Ditson, burnished with Ryan Wiggins’ trumpet, and made oh-so-human by Nathan Baumgartner’s pleading yowl. With Brite Lines, & Yet. Crocodile. 8 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. MARK S. BAUMGARTEN PEARL JAM To close their North American Lighting Bolt tour, Vedder, Gossard, Cameron, McCready, and Ament are playing their first Seattle show since September 2009, also at KeyArena. Expect a typical Pearl Jam show, which continues to mean: Expect the unexpected. With Mudhoney. KeyArena, 305 Harrison St., 684-7200, keyarena.com. 7:30 p.m. SOLD OUT. CORBIN REIFF EL TEN ELEVEN is one of the few bands that can tell a story without lyrics. On its latest album, Transitions, the experimental-rock duo of Kristian Dunn and Tim Fogarty express joy (No One Died This Time!”), gratitude (“Thanks Bill”), admiration for a city (“Yellow Bridges”), and more, all while not saying a word. With Slow Magic. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $15. All ages. ACP BAM MARGERA EXPERIENCE Not content to let Johnny Knoxville and Bad Grandpa get all the attention this holiday season, Jackass alum Bam Margera is hitting the road with some of the dudes from metal group CKY—namely his brother Jess and bassist Matty J— and fronting a cover band called F$*kface Unstoppable for an evening of mayhem and covers of songs by Turbonegro, The Bloodhound Gang, and others. With Wilson, December in Red, No Buffer, Tatarus. Studio Seven. 110 S. Horton St., 286-1312, studioseven.us.

6:30 p.m. $18 adv./$20 DOS/$40 VIP. DAVE LAKE

Jeff Tweedy

SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

CAROLINE DESILETS

far this year.”

“What he doesn’t know is that he’s been making me laugh for years,” Bulat says. “I was so thrilled to read that.”

While this new album sees the performer behind more instruments than ever, Bulat says it’s a return to the basics for her: “It’s a lot about me going back to piano, which is where I started, and trying to figure out how synthesizers work; to think about sound in a different way.”

Replete with synths, from the propulsive rhythm of the title track to its drum programming, the release is Bulat’s most handled work to date, with thundering choruses and cacophonous instrumentation used in a way similar to Arcade Fire’s finely honed formula. Bulat purists, who prefer her simpler arrangements, might at first be taken aback, but two constants remain: the singer’s exquisite voice, in as fine a form as ever, and an enduring love with the world of stringed instruments.

The tender “It Can’t Be You,” for example, pairs her voice, to haunting effect, with the delicate sounds of the charango—“a small 10-stringed instrument I started playing right before [we started recording] Shadow,” Bulat says. “I really fell in love with it.”

The violin, on the other hand, which she has been attributed to play, is not yet in her repertory. “I definitely don’t play the violin.

But it’s good for my brain when I hear it.” With

E D I T E D B Y G W E N D O LY N E L L I O T T

CREATIVE COMMONS

C

anadian singer/songwriter Basia Bulat is elusive when it comes to the inspiration for her third album, Tall, Tall Shadow.

“The record is really about losing a dear friend, and the songs are really personal to me. I tried to be honest about those feelings while trying to challenge myself as a musician.”

Gently asked about that loss, the 29-year-old Toronto native abstains, referring instead to the 10 tracks on the record.

“It’s been tough,” she says. “It’s so hard to turn [the experience] into a sentence or two. I’ve never been good at talking [about it]. I know it sounds pretentious, but it’s a lot easier to express myself through my music.”

For this album, co-produced with fellow countrymen Tim Kingsbury (Arcade Fire) and producer/engineer Mark Lawson (Arcade Fire, Beirut, Timbre Timbre), Bulat expanded her means of expression. Raised in part by a musicteacher mother who taught piano and guitar, Bulat first gained notoriety for her unusual choice of instrument: the autoharp. Yet unlike her previous two albums, Oh, My Darling and Heart of My Own—largely sparse, folk-driven, acoustic affairs—Tall, Tall Shadow credits Bulat with playing at least 14 instruments (Rhodes organ, pianette, Wurlitzer, and omnichord, for starters), not to mention the best instrument in her stockpile: her warm, resonant alto. John Donohue of The New Yorker aptly pegged it a “confident yet vulnerable tone.”

Lately, some have likened that voice to the pipes of Joni Mitchell, and you can hear similarities in the music’s soul- and emotion-mining lyrics, delivered in a feathery, fluttering style.

Others hear Tracy Chapman in Bulat’s radiant, deeply rooted tone. Comparisons aside, Bulat’s vocals are a powerful force that just grab you in the gut. To wit, comedian Bob Odenkirk recently tweeted, “My god this girl sings like an angel. My favorite album so

SevenNights

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arts&culture» Music

NTw.RlittleYreMdhUenS.coIC LIVE COUww m THURSDAY DECEMBER 5TH

BUCKAROOSTERS 9PM - $3 COVER

FRI & SAT DECEMBER 6TH & 7TH

KNUT BELL & THE BLUE COLLARS 9PM - $5 COVER

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8TH

MATT BORDEN & LUKE KAUFMAN “STUCK IN THE BAR TOUR” 9PM - $3 COVER 4PM OPEN MIC / ACOUSTIC JAM W/ BILLY BODACIOUS TUESDAY DECEMBER 10TH

TEQUILA ROSE 9PM - NO COVER

MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY

KARAOKE WITH DJ FORREST GUMP 9:00PM • NO COVER

FREE COUNTRY DANCE LESSONS WITH OUR HOST MARY ANN AT 8PM; SUN, MON, TUES

HAPPY HOUR 9AM-NOON & 4-7 PM • MON-FRI

WELL DRINKS & DOMESTIC BOTTLED BEER $2 16 OZ. MICROS $3.50 DINNER: 5-10PM EVERYDAY BREAKFAST & LUNCH: SAT 8AM-2PM / SUN 9AM-2PM

Saturday, Dec. 7 WITCHBURN is a local, ‘’70s-style heavy-rock band

with a penchant for “Southern-fried” jams and Janis Joplin vocals. Song titles like “Whiskey on My Breath” and “The Hunted” might help paint the picture for you. The unyielding riffage and “soulful” howling can descend into cornball territory quick, but if you like your rock thoroughly classic and untainted, Witchburn is the band for you. With The Heroine. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 381-3094, elcorazonseattle.com. 9 p.m. $8 adv./$10 DOS. 21 and over. KELTON SEARS LESBIAN’s latest Randall Dunn–produced album, Forestelevision, is a ’shroomed-out journey through a dark wilderness as knotty as the roots and branches it’s inspired by. The record’s single 44-minute track hops from prog to doom to sludge without warning, perfect for metal heads with ADD. This show is a benefit for New Moon Goat Sanctuary. With Wounded Giant, Eye of Nix. The Highline, 210 Broadway E., 328-7837, highline seattle.com. 9 p.m. $10. 21 and over. KELTON SEARS The chances of a DISMEMBERMENT PLAN reunion seemed unlikely. The groove-literate, emotionally available D.C. indie-rock band collapsed under the weight of its own ambition around the turn of the millennium. Its members seemingly moved on, first to other music projects and then to real good jobs—most notably drummer Joe Easley, who’s spent the past six years programming robots for NASA. Frontman Travis Morrison in particular seemed done with music after Pitchfork shat all over his experimental 2004 solo debut (released on Seattle’s Barsuk Records), famously giving it a 0.0 rating. Then something happened. The band members got older and wiser and decided that making great records does not need to make life miserable.

Last month, the band released a new album, Uncanney Valley, that picks up where its last, Changes, left off a dozen years ago. Word is that the band has been tuning up on a lot of tracks from the indie-rock clas-

sic Emergency & I. The members, though, will largely display what they’ve experienced in the years since the break-up, and not just in song. Easley, for example, has used his robot-programming skills to design the band’s lighting system. With Telekinesis. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414, stgpresents.org/neptune. 9 p.m. $26.50 adv. MSB THE BLACK CROWES Despite not having had much commercial success in the past 20 years, this Atlanta rock band, anchored by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, has remained a popular touring attraction.

Most of the bands that had a few big hits in the early ’90s couldn’t today fill the Paramount—a testament to the Crowes’ Stones-influenced blues-rock, which has aged more gracefully than material by, say, Spin Doctors. In fact, it’s almost because of the band’s decidedly noncommercial leanings that they’ve managed to succeed. In 1990, sounding like the Faces was a lot more hip. Guns N’ Roses were huge, as was Aerosmith, and the Crowes fit perfectly alongside them.

Though their retro rock ’n’ roll hasn’t evolved much since, it hasn’t needed to. With most young rock bands competing for space in the blogosphere and a placement in Girls, the Crowes have chased aging rock fans instead—a decision that’s currently paying dividends.

The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 682-1414, stgpresents. com. 8 p.m. $31.75–$45.75. DL THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS skipped Seattle on the summer tour for its fifth full-length album, Western Medicine. Not cool. When they do play, the Portland quintet rarely disappoints in concert, maintaining a tension between the darkness of its death folk— inspired on this latest by the brilliantly morose work of novelist Cormac McCarthy—and the liveliness of its energetic stage show. Cheer loud and clap along, lest they forsake us again. With Smokey Brights, Historian.

Sunset Tavern. 9:30 p.m. $12 adv./$15 DOS. MSB The Boston-born, Brooklyn-based AMERICAN AUTHORS and their single “Best Day of My Life” have been hard to ignore lately. The song’s plucky

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ou might not know it, but this long-running Southern California punk band, in addition to its own legacy, has spawned countless other acts for decades. Since its formation in 1981, members have gone on to play with a who’s-who of notable rock talent, including Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Daughtry, and Avril Lavigne. This can be partially attributed to the sheer number of people who have come and gone from the band (Wikipedia counts 30), but also to the sharp musical sensibilities of bandanasporting singer Mike Muir, who has remained Suicidal Tendencies’ one constant member as well as its driving musical force. It also speaks to the scope of the band’s influence, which cuts a much wider swath than their modest commercial success might suggest.

Suicidal was introduced to the world via their 1983 self-titled LP, about as powerful a debut as you’re likely to find, punk or otherwise—a thrashing, humorous slice of youthful angst and ennui. It remains a vital hardcore cornerstone, especially its centerpiece, “Institutionalized,” a classic tale of teenage isolation. “All I wanted was a Pepsi,” Muir shouts mid-song in what has become the band’s best-remembered lyric, “just one Pepsi, and she wouldn’t give it to me!”

On 13, the band’s first album in 13 years, Muir and company push forward while looking back.

“Can someone please get me a Diet Pepsi?”

he asks on album opener “Shake It Out.” It’s a clever nod, a joke 30 years in the making but which feels well-timed. With the band’s legacy firmly cemented in both punk and metal circles, the 50-year-old Mike can safely travel back in time to let the 20-year-old Mike know that everything’s going to be OK. But don’t get the wrong idea about the rest of the album’s content: There’s nothing sugar-free

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

SEATTLE WEEKLY • DECEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

Neo-soul singer/songwriter with over 5 million albums sold worldwide

Suicidal Tendencies

about it, with songs that move between aggressive hardcore and the bass-slapping funk-metal of Muir’s other band, Infectious Grooves. Few acts can muster as much ferocity so many years into their career (Slayer comes to mind, who, by the way, are big fans), and few bands older than 30 can still get a crowd going as well as these guys can. To borrow a phrase from one of their album titles: still psycho after all these years, indeed. With Terror, Trash Talk, The Inspector Cluzo. El Corazon, 109 Eastlake Ave. E., 262-0482, elcorazon.com. 7:30 p.m. $26 adv./$30 DOS. DAVE LAKE

Buy, Sell & Barter age Stereo

Records, Guitars & Vint

Light in the Attic Record Store Opening Friday, December 6

I

n the world of vinyl, there are crate diggers—you’ve seen them pawing through the stacks at thrift stores and record shops, looking for treasure—and then there’s Light in the Attic Records, professional crate excavators and curators of style. In their words, owner Matt Sullivan and co-owner Josh Wright “dig through crates so you don’t have to.”

The label, established in 2002, reissues rare and hard-to-find releases and distributes albums for a number of equally obscure labels (Death Waltz, for example), along with some established alternative imprints like Beggars and Sub Pop. “Business is going well,” says Wright. “We have more records than ever before, and the whole Rodriguez buzz is still going.” He’s referring to the success of the label’s reissue of Detroit singer/songwriter Rodriguez’s

guitars and group vocals—featured in commercials, movie trailers, and constantly on the airwaves—hint that the group will have a few more hits on its hands soon enough. With The Royal Concept, MisterWives.

The Vera Project, 305 Warren Ave. N., 956-8372. theveraproject.org. 8 p.m. $12 adv./$14 DOS. All ages. ACP

Sunday, Dec. 8

KATE LYNNE LOGAN & THE GHOST RUNNERS

Local singer/songwriter Kate Lynne Logan released her full-length, Awakening, in August 2012, and has been playing shows in support of it for the better part of 2013. Here she’ll deliver her relatable folk-pop arrangements with the help of a full band. With Sammy Witness and The Reassignment, The Michael Carlos Band. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 8 p.m. $8. 21 and over. KP

Monday, Dec. 9

DONTE PEACE’s most recent EP, Summer of ’97, is

a nostalgic trip to the sound world of early West Coast hip-hop: Mellow, G-funk-inspired beats support his laid-back flow. He and a who’s-who of local rappers make this the perfect way to kick off exam week (or just “the week”). With Royce the Choice, Feezable the Germ, Francheyes, Joey Kash, Silverback Gorillas. Barboza. 8 p.m. $8 adv. 21 and over. MICHAEL F. BERRY

op, Fair prices.

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Tuesday, Dec. 10 Florida-born JAKE MILLER may have just turned 21, but his feel-good hip-hop has been the star of the party since 2011, when he landed a gig opening for Snoop Dogg. Some of the lyrics on his debut album, Us Against Them, give away his youth, but his steady, confident cadence proves he’s got what it takes to hang with his peers. With Action Item, Air Dubai. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $20-$60. ACP THE FLATLINERS & SUNDOWNER A pair of top punk acts play tonight, both supporting strong new records.

Toronto’s Flatliners are touring behind Dead Language, which adds a healthy dose of rock to their muscular punk sound, while Sundowner’s latest, Neon Fiction, is its most expansive release yet. With Living With Lions, Poke Da Squid. El Corazon Lounge. 7 p.m. $10 adv./$12 DOS. DL MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS It’s hard to write anything about Macklemore that hasn’t already been written this year. He and Lewis return home for three sold-out shows at KeyArena after touring the world, setting sales records, taping an appearance on Sesame Street, being named UN Equality Champions, and possibly selling out? (See “When the Price Is Right,” page 9.) Through Thursday. With Talib Kweli and Big KRIT Dec. 10 &12; Dec. 11 opener TBA. KeyArena. 8 p.m. SOLD OUT. MFB ISKA DHAAF The latest installment in Red Bull’s Sound Select series pairs indie rockers Jagwar Ma with locals Iska Dhaaf, the new band from Ben Verdoes of Mt. St. Helens Vietnam band and Nathan Quiroga of Mad Rad. Joining them is blip-tastic local electronica wizard Vox Mod, who animates his own music videos. The Neptune.

8 p.m. $3 with RSVP/$12 DOS. All ages. KS While his long-loved alt country band the Old ’97s preps a honky-tonk garage-rock record, Dallas songwriter RHETT MILLER is taking to the road with a collection of the prettier songs he’s written of late. He has history with the venue he’ll fill tonight with his heartbroken, whiskey-soaked ballads: It was in The Triple Door’s dressing room that the former Old ’97s frontman wrote “Sleepwalkin’,” a song about a fictional affair with Seattle director Lynn Shelton off his last full-length Dreamer. With Lydia Ramsey. Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. 7:30 p.m. $20 adv./$25 DOS. MSB

SEATTLE WE EKLY • DE CEMBER 4 — 10, 2013

Don’t go see LEE RANALDO AND THE DUST expecting to hear the indie guitar god plow through Sonic Youth’s greatest hits. Rather, he’ll be playing songs from his 10th solo LP, Last Night on Earth, a less noisy endeavor, though he will be joined by Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. Barboza, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9951, thebarboza. com. 8 p.m. $15. DL JEFF TWEEDY The Wilco frontman and Uncle Tupelo alum is back for one of his semi-regular solo acoustic shows. With more than 400 songs from his back catalog to pick through, it will be interesting to see what sort of magic Tweedy and his guitar will offer, and if he’ll collaborate with the opener, Northwest fixture, Scott McCaughey. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., 682-1414, stgpresents.org/moore. 8 p.m. $32.50–$42.50. CR

only two albums, Cold Fact and Coming From Reality. Renewed focus on the artist revitalized the 70-year-old’s career and inspired the documentary Waiting for Sugarman.

Business has been going so well, in fact, that the label relocated to a larger warehouse in Ballard this past June and set up a small shop out front. “We’ve always had a dream to open a retail space at the front of the office,” says Wright. He guesses the space is around 300 square feet, which means not everything available online will also be on hand in the shop—it will “mainly stock Light in the Attic releases, and some titles we distribute,” says Wright. “There will be CDs, LPs, posters, and we’re planning to do some instore-only releases and exclusive 45s.”

Today’s opening includes free beer, live music, and giveaways; the store will be open Fridays from 1–5 p.m. Though those hours could change, Wright says.

“We’ll see how it goes.” With Kevin Murphy (Moondoggies), Johnny Horn, Supreme La Rock. 913 N.W. 50th St., lightintheattic.net. 4–9 p.m.

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Dark Hip Falls, Seventy Four (out today, selfreleased, darkhipfalls.bandcamp.com) Formerly known as Sad Face, the band garnered some local recognition before ditching the moniker when its music took it into a new direction. Dark Hip Falls is one of those rare bands that can make sparseness interesting; the key, as displayed here on its debut under the new name, is to provide an eclectic array of sonically diverse instrumentation set over tight, simple pop melodies, and the whole package comes alive with the addition of lead vocalist Tim Mendonsa’s staggeringly beautiful delivery. In the pop and rock aesthetic we’ve become conditioned to, the big, over-the-top chorus has been a fixture since Bill Haley rocked around the clock; even more jarring on Seventy Four is the utter lack of such a moment. You wait, but it never comes. In critical moments, the guitars don’t do what they’re “supposed” to (i.e., play a straightforward melody). This is most notable on “Path of the Crow,” where by song’s end the standard pentatonic scale is thrown out in exchange for odd, twisted noise-guitar fills.

The group cites the band Low as an influence on its clean, spacey guitar sound, a quality that shines most prominently on “Lam 1: Swing Dog,” “Lam 2: Red Hands,” and “Bring Me Home.” That’s not to say Dark Hip Falls can’t rock out: “In My Eye” is a pulsating, industrial-flavored powerhouse that could easily be mistaken for a Nine Inch Nails cut, and “Cocaine Design” is fuzzed-out cacophony with a wallop of off-the-wall feedback for good measure. (Wed., Dec. 4, Tractor) CORBIN REIFF Tonight Sky, Tonight Sky (out now, Sunstrom Sound, tonightskymusic.com) Unlike Jason Holstrom’s more in-your-face bands (United State of Electronica, Aqueduct, Wonderful), new projectTonight Sky finds the artist taking a warmer, more ambient musical route. The album opens with “Solstice,” which begins simply, then builds into something a bit otherworldly. “Cloud City” features several layered vocal lines, lots of synth, and various effected instruments. “Flight of the Falling Star” finds Holstrom pondering a star’s path (“Could it be that/That a star is falling?/Did it hear us calling/Calling loud?”) and its existential implications (“Is it true that we go on forever?/ Will we shine together in the air?”) over upbeat synths and supporting percussion. Later, Holstrom calls to mind Coldplay’s Chris Martin on “Size of Paradize,” and the album ends on a very ethereal note with “The Cold & Clear.” With hardly a beat of silence between one track and the next, the mind never really has a chance to wander, as if Holstrom designed Tonight Sky to keep the listener precisely attuned to his next move. Various samples throughout, mostly of distant birds and rushing water, anchor the 15 tracks to earth, but overall, Tonight Sky is close to the sonic equivalent of stargazing.

I suspect that’s intentional. AZARIA PODPLESKY

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How I-502 Could Snatch Defeat From the Jaws of Victory

T

S.A.M

smoking marijuana.

“We’re testing blood that we didn’t test before,” Calkins says.

In the first six months of 2013, 745 drivers tested positive for marijuana, according to the State Patrol crime lab. Since there are typically around 1,000 positive pot tests on drivers in a full year, that means cannabis DUI testing has gone up close to 50 percent. Of those 745 drivers, only a slight majority—420 (yes, that’s really the number)—tested above the legal limit and were ticketed. (Driving under the influence of marijuana

hrough the bruising I-502 debate last fall, those who suggested the cannabis-legalization initiative was deeply flawed were brushed aside as naysayers and paranoiacs. One of those flaws— an arbitrary, unscientific marijuana DUI cut-off blood level of five nanograms per milliliter—is now impacting enforcement statewide.

When voters last year

BY STEVE ELLIOTT approved I-502, you see, they didn’t just legalize an ounce for adults, and authorize state-licensed stores to sell it to them. They also approved a strict law against driving under the influence of cannabis, written into the language of 502.

Law enforcement themselves now admit they are giving a lot more blood tests for marijuana since I-502 passed—no wonder, because the new law gave them a “bright line” over which drivers are found guilty of “driving under the influence” of cannabis.

Until the passage of 502, officers had to prove actual impairment if a driver fought his or her DUI marijuana case in court. They don’t have to prove impairment anymore; now they just have to prove your blood THC level was 5 ng/ml or more.

Many heavy cannabis users, such as medicalmarijuana patients, wake up in the morning unimpaired but with active THC blood levels already in excess of 5 ng/ml—thus are never technically legal to drive.

I-502 apologists last fall advanced the theory that officers wouldn’t really enforce the marijuana/DUI portion of the law unless people were “really impaired.” (It’s never a good idea to assume cops won’t enforce the law.)

“More drivers have been testing positive for marijuana” since Washington legalized last year, according to the State Patrol’s new figures.

But that doesn’t mean that legalization caused a sudden rash of driving while high, according to WSP spokesman Bob Calkins. Troopers are now “looking harder” for drivers who have been

is generally charged as a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail. Offenders must serve at least one day in jail for a first offense.)

When you give law enforcement a shiny new tool like this—a brand-new way to hand out quite-profitable DUI tickets—it’s not very smart to assume it won’t be utilized. That’s just one of the reasons it was so cringeworthy last May when local activist Ben Livingston, in a move uncomfortably reminiscent of President Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” battleship speech, emotionally declared victory at a pot rally at Westlake Park. (If you enjoy celebrating your newfound “freedom” by being herded behind a doublechain-link fence to toke up, don’t miss Livingston’s party at Seattle Center on Dec. 6.) E

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A ROSE TOWING AUCTION

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1500 West Bertona Street, Seattle 206-545-1111 December 11th, 2013 at 12:30pm Viewing 9:30-10:30am

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SIMONE HARDIN, Plaintiff, Case No. CV-13- ___________ vs.

VINTON COLLINS, MARGARET A. COLLINS and/or THE ESTATE OF MARGARET A. COLLINS, SUMMONS EVE MARY COLLINS-BENAVIDEZ and BRUCE ALEXANDER, HEIRS OF VINTON F. COLLINS and MARGARET A. COLLINS, John and Jane Does 1-10, and any other unknown heirs, devisees, or owners.

Defendants.

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TO: BRUCE ALEXANDER; HEIR OF VINTON F. COLLINS and MARGARET A. COLLINS, any unknown heirs and/or Devisees; JOHN and JANE DOES, 1-10, and any other unknown, heirs, devisees, or owners.

NOTICE: PLAINTIFF, SIMONE HARDIN, HAS FILED A COMPLAINT TO QUIET TITLE TO PROPERTY. THE COURT MAY ENTER JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE UNLESS YOU RESPOND WITHIN TWENTY (20) DAYS. READ THE INFORMATION BELOW. You are hereby notified that in order to defend this lawsuit, an appropriate written response must be filed with the above-designated Court within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons on you. If you fail to so respond, the Court may enter judgment against you as demanded by the Plaintiff in her Complaint.

PR OMO TIONS EVENT S W W W. S E AT T L E W E E K LY. C O M / S I G N U P

A copy of the Complaint is served with this Summons. If you wish to seek the advice of or representation by an attorney in this matter, you should do so promptly so that your written response, if any, may be filed in time and other legal rights protected.

An appropriate written response requires compliance with Rule 10(a)(1) and other Idaho Rules of Civil Procedure and shall also include:

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1. The title and number of this case.

2. If your response is an Answer to the Complaint, it must contain admissions or denials of the separate allegations of the Complaint and other defenses you may claim.

3. Your signature, mailing address and telephone number; or the signature, mailing address and telephone number of your attorney.

4. Proof of mailing or delivery of a copy of your response to Plaintiffís attorney, as designated above.

To determine whether you must pay a filing fee with your response, contact the Clerk of the above-named Court.

DATED this ____ day of October, 2013.

CLERK OF THE DISTRICT COURT By: ________________________________ Deputy Clerk

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