JANUARY 8-14, 2014 I VOLUME 39 I NUMBER 2
SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM I FREE
THE
Seahawks EFFECT HOW THIS TEAM IS CHANGING OUR CITY AND OUR LIVES.
Y’S E L S I S GE 5 GE 17 H A G H U G N ? PA T ! P F D O D REI NGAR N E Y R T H E UMLO SHTE S L G A RY S: K O BO
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inside» January 8–14, 2014 VOLUME 39 | NUMBER 2
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news&comment 5
A FINE ROMANCE
BY RICK ANDERSON | A new ordinance
may finally bring down Roosevelt’s most infamous and litigious slumlord. Also: the state of the union at Boeing.
8
Editor-in-Chief Mark Baumgarten EDITORIAL Senior Editor Nina Shapiro Food Editor Nicole Sprinkle Arts Editor Brian Miller Entertainment Editor Gwendolyn Elliott
7 | PUBLIC COMMENT
Editorial Operations Manager Gavin Borchert
GRIDIRONY
Staff Writers Ellis E. Conklin, Matt Driscoll, Kelton Sears
BY SW STAFF | After years of agony, it looks like the Seahawks could bring “America’s Most Miserable Sports City” a championship. How are we coping? Our reflections on the sweet smell of success.
food&drink
15 THE PUB THAT TIME FORGOT BY PATRICK HUTCHISON | Deep in Pacific County—and a universe away from its namesake—the Brooklyn Tavern may be the state’s coolest bar. 15 | FOOD NEWS/TEMP CHECK
arts&culture 17 LITTLE FAILURE
BY BRIAN MILLER | Gary Shteyngart
brings his new memoir to Town Hall.
23 FILM
OPENING THIS WEEK | Meryl Streep
battles Julia Roberts, Mark Wahlberg goes to war, and a fresh spin on Faust. 24 | FILM CALENDAR
25 MUSIC
BY KELTON SEARS | Back to the
future with Cairo’s Expo 91. Plus: Neumos celebrates, girls shred, and more. 26 | SEVEN NIGHTS
odds&ends
29 | THE GEEKLY REPORT 30 | CLASSIFIEDS
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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 Photo Interns Joshua Bessex, Kyu Han ADVERTISING Advertising and Marketing Director Jen Larson Advertising Sales Manager, Arts Carol Cummins Senior Account Executives Krickette Wozniak Account Executives Peter Muller, Sam Borgen Classifieds Account Executive Matt Silvie DISTRIBUTION Distibution Manager Jay Kraus OPERATIONS Administrative Coordinator Amy Niedrich PUBLISHER Wendy Geldien COPYRIGHT © 2014 BY SOUND PUBLISHING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. ISSN 0898 0845 / USPS 306730 • SEATTLE WEEKLY IS PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY SOUND PUBLISHING, INC., 307 THIRD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104 SEATTLE WEEKLY® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT SEATTLE, WA POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO SEATTLE WEEKLY, 307 THIRD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104 • FOUNDED 1976.
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A New Hope
51 Percent Yes BY KELTON SEARS
I
BY RICK ANDERSON
A
Sisley’s eyesores near Roosevelt High
dows, unsafe conditions, and insect infestation. Rather than making quick repairs, Sisley fended off inspectors and took the issues to court, a tactic he has used to delay repairs and paying fines at many of his other rental homes. (The city has amassed close to 200 code-enforcement cases relating to Sisley properties dating to the 1980s, according to Holmes’ office. They include junk storage violations, emergency orders, and unfit vacant buildings subject to demolition; more than 25 of those cases required taking Sisley to court to force his compliance.) The current case involving the two boarding
“The city will never stop calling him a slumlord... But he has generally responded to the citations and tried to deal with them. In some situations he pushed back.” homes (at 6317 15th Ave. N.E. and 6515 16th Ave. N.E.) ultimately led to onerous court judgments: $247,000 in fines, costs, and penalties at one home and $368,000 at the other, plus daily penalties for both properties. Sisley had claimed he corrected the violations, but refused to allow inspectors inside the homes to confirm the work, so the city has continued to add daily fines as allowed by law. As the clock continued to run, Sisley challenged the size of the fines and penalties, claiming the city’s Municipal Court was bound by the
same $75,000 judgment limit of District Courts. He lost that too. “The appellate court’s decision,” city attorney Holmes said at the time, “reinforces the city’s ability to make it more expensive to be a slumlord than to comply with the Seattle Municipal Code.” His deputy Schochet says the total Sisley owes has ballooned to $2,100,645 as of last week. At the one home still standing, the continuing penalties click upward at $600 per day; in the house that was demolished, the penalties came to $1,000 a day for 1,034 days—the duration between the violation and the razing of the home in July 2012. The amount due also carries a 12 percent annual interest rate, Schochet says. Sisley’s attorney Grant confirms the amount due by his client as “$2 million and counting.” Sisley, in a separate case, recently added more to his tab when a city judge ruled he had to pay $7,342 in tenant relocation fees, plus interest. He also faced an additional $180,000 in penalties, says his attorney, but, though no written ruling has been issued, the judge orally ruled against that penalty, Grant says. “Hugh is very principled in much of what he does, and fights for what he believes,” Grant adds. “I know the city will never stop calling him a slumlord, and they have a long, contentious history. But he has generally responded to the citations and tried to deal with them. In some situations he pushed back.” Grant describes his client as a frugal business-
man. Tales of his scrimping are legendary. One resident recalls often seeing Sisley reading a newspaper at a local barbershop. The barber told the resident that Sisley was too cheap to spend
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
THE WEEKLY BRIEFING | What’s going on at seattleweekly.com: Before a packed, energetic, fist-pumping crowd, Ed Murray Costco CEO Craig Jelinek told and Kshama Sawant were inaugurated as the city’s newest mayor and councilmember, respectively. us that he views a $15 hourly wage as “fair,” but “not even a living wage.” Seattle was named the third gayest city in the nation . The SeTurns out Bertha was stuck on a stupid pipe. attle Public Library will be suspending shushing while it shows the Seahawks playoff game.
a
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Boeing machinists wait for the tally.
In exchange, Boeing machinists’ hard-fought pensions will be frozen in 2016 and will switch to an employer-contribution plan. The first time Boeing proposed the contract, in November, it was soundly rejected, with 67 percent voting No. In response, Boeing began to woo out-of-state locations as potential build sites, threatening to take its business—a central engine of Washington’s economy for 100 years—elsewhere. There were concessions. While the first contract specified that workers would not advance to peak pay for 16 years, the second contract walked left the promotion timeline at its current six years. But the new contract still eliminated the company’s pension, introducing instead a Boeing-funded savings account for each worker, in addition to a slight 2 percent raise in the company base pay match for the 401(k) plan. This time, the machinists who stood in twohour lines at union halls in Seattle and Everett voted Yes—a conclusion confirmed after three recounts just to be sure. Now Stephanie Lloyd-Agnew is on the phone. She is slowly shaking her head. Earlier, before the results were announced, she told me that she feels powerful when she builds airplanes. “When you look up at something so much bigger than yourself, something that millions of people will board that you built—that makes me
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
fter 35 years of putting off repairs to many of his 50-some Rooseveltneighborhood properties while fending off dozens of civil actions with repetitious court appeals, Hugh Sisley may have finally reached the pinnacle of his reigning Seattle slumlordship. The 86-year-old is facing a record $2 million fine that continues to increase at the rate of $1,600 a day, plus 12 percent interest. And now, after years of foot-dragging of its own, City Hall is finally moving to collect the debt. As officials launch a new initiative approved by the City Council to inspect every rental unit in town, City Attorney Pete Holmes is planning to recover what the stubborn rental king owes by confiscating prized Roosevelt properties held by the penny-pinching millionaire. “We’re currently deciding how to go about collecting those judgments, and foreclosing on the property is likely the best way,” says John Schochet, Holmes’ deputy chief of staff. “We have to decide what’s best for the neighborhood. But of course, all he has to do is write us a check and that would be the end of it.” That doesn’t appear likely—at least not for the foreseeable future. The $2 million Sisley owes resulted from a single court case involving just two of his Roosevelt rental homes, one of which has been torn down. The case—which began as two separate housing-code violation cases in 2008 and 2009, then was combined into one large civil prosecution—has already endured a half-dozen court hearings, including a jury trial, followed by appeals. And though all wound up in favor of the city, Sisley is once again appealing the outcome. “That’s correct,” says Jeff Grant, the Seattle attorney representing Sisley and his wife Martha in the long-running legal challenge. “The fines at issue are on appeal, which we are going to be arguing sometime in January. So, so far he has not paid any fines or penalties, and that won’t change until there’s a final [court] decision.” Grant thinks the city is awaiting the outcome of the latest appeal, but city officials indicate that since the judgment has been finalized repeatedly by the courts, it’s time for Sisley to pay up after nearly five years of legal wrangling. Code inspectors from the Department of Planning and Development found 42 violations at the two houses in question when they were operated as boarding homes in 2008 and 2009. Sisley charged up to a half-dozen renters $500 monthly each for a bedroom and shared bathroom/living facilities at the homes, which were cited for lack of heat, faulty wiring, broken toilets and win-
t’s the first Friday of 2014, and history is being made inside the International Association of Machinists 751 Union Hall in South Seattle. Reporters are forbidden inside, left to contemplate the doors of the building, quietly perched between the Duwamish River and a row of factories. An hour after the vote tally was scheduled to come in, the doors burst open. “Boeing fucked us!” the first man through says. The crowd outside waiting to hear the future of Washington state is split in two by the man’s stiff arm. Ripping his Machinists 751 jacket from his back, he heads directly to the parking lot, gets in his car, and leaves. The torrent of workers that flows out follows a similar pattern. “That was fucked up.” “Deplorable.” “There goes our future.” After two contracts, two months of handwringing, and an $8.7 billion tax break, the vote came in: 51 percent of the machinists voted yes. The 777x airplane will be built in Washington.
KELTON SEARS
Hugh Sisley’s reign as the slumlord of Seattle might be coming to a close, but the obstructionist property owner might just find prosperity in progress.
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 5
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A New Hope » FROM PAGE 5 25 cents for a newspaper, so he came in and read the shop’s paper for free. Sisley also earned a much less amiable reputation for hiring bouncers as rental managers. The most notorious was a swaggering neo-Nazi gun runner named Keith Gilbert, who managed Sisley’s Roosevelt properties and enforced rental policies. Gilbert once did federal prison time for conspiring to dynamite a stage where Martin Luther King Jr. was scheduled to speak. He was sent back to the lockup after a 2005 bust for possession of illegal weapons, including two machine guns. He expressed remorse only at being separated from his pet Blondi, a snarling German shepherd he named in memory of a dog owned by Adolf Hitler. Gilbert regularly brought civil-rights lawsuits against city inspectors for “invading” Sisley’s properties; he also sued judges and once sued a Roosevelt neighborhood association when it attempted to create a commercial plan for the district. Sisley felt the rezoning plan would negatively affect his properties. Today, such a rezoning is a reality, and Roosevelt is finally changing. Sound Transit has set up shop in the middle of the spoiling Sisley empire. Prep work is underway for tunneling and construction of the Roosevelt Station, part of the northern extension of Seattle’s light rail. Sound Transit says the station, to open in 2021, should have 8,000 daily boarders by 2030. That’s expected to have a booming impact on the nearby slumbering Roosevelt commercial district. At the festering intersection of 65th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 15th Street, in the shadow of historic, restored Roosevelt High School, three of Sisley’s dilapidated properties sit in a row, drab gray and boarded-up remains of once fine homes fallen into great disrepair. They loom over the neighborhood as relics of good days gone sour, rotting monuments of the Sisley Rental Wars, circa 1980 to date.
E V E NT S
be reviewed at least every 10 years, with roughly 6,000 to 7,000 units viewed annually. Inspectors will come from a pool of city and city-qualified private inspectors. “For a city inspector, the fee will be $130 for the property including the first unit, and $25 for each additional unit to be inspected,” says Tallent. “There will be no charge for follow-up inspections. Private inspectors will set their own rates. If the city gets half the inspection business, we estimate we will need approximately four additional inspectors on staff.” Says City Council member Tim Burgess, “The new rental-inspection law is good as far as it goes, but a key issue we still have to wrestle with is how the city uses its enforcement powers in general, including land-use violations, housing safety, public health, and so on. We generally follow a complaint-based practice, so the rentalhousing ordinance represents a first-step shift away from this approach, and that’s very good.” It’s a step forward for rental rights, and indicative of market change. Even Hugh Sisley has sort of edged backwards into the future—he resisted rezoning 20 years ago, but now apparently sees it as a boost for his underused properties. The slumlord has now branched out as a leaselord, partnering with a developer who would like to turn Sisley properties—almost five acres’ worth— into shiny new retail and apartment buildings. Thanks to light-rail expansion, Roosevelt Development Group, a partnership headed by developers Ed Hewson and Jon Breiner, now holds the leases to some of the more valuable Sisley properties in Roosevelt, and are working with Sisley, the city, and the neighborhood on how and what to build on them. The City Council has already approved buildings of up to six stories near the high school and up to 10 stories in nearby zones. However, just as the slum houses were controversial, so are these new, taller buildings—500 residents showed up for one hearing on zoning changes to argue over visuals and density. Of concern to many are taller buildings that would block the handsome high school just off the intersection. Some were hoping Sisley might simply raze the half-dozen or so rotting structures on the small block and—considering the money he’s made in the neighborhood—donate the site to the school district, which could turn it into a grand parklike entryway for the high school. There’s no indication that will happen. As then–City Councilman Richard Conlin said after the rezoning passed, “I am aware that there is an undercurrent of resentment because zoning changes will lead to Mr. Sisley making more money.” There is also the question of which Sisley properties would be foreclosed if the city moves to collect its $2 million, possibly complicating Roosevelt development plans. As city attorney spokesperson Kimberly Mills says, they’re seeking a “win-win” deal that’s best for both the neighborhood and taxpayers. But what happens if it doesn’t seem like a win to Sisley, a litigant who loves the lethargy of the appeals process? Either way, says Sisley’s attorney Grant, “Hugh Sisley as slumlord is just old news. What’s happening now is that progress is being made. A revitalization of that neighborhood is under way, with light rail and new, attractive residential buildings. That’s really the story of Hugh and the Roosevelt Neighborhood today. Progress.” E
P R O MO TIO NS
AR T S AND E NTER TAINMENT
For the most part, Sisley won those battles
through delaying tactics. But change is coming to Roosevelt and elsewhere. Seattle rental-code enforcement should get tougher, or at least more emphatic, under a new city law that quietly went into effect January 1. Prompted by a need for more comprehensive and routine inspections instead of random renter complaints, the Rental Registration and Inspection Ordinance requires landlords to register all Seattle rental housing units from single-family houses to large apartment buildings. Starting in 2015, regular inspections will begin in an attempt to ensure units are safe and meet basic maintenance requirements. Geoff Tallent, the city’s inspection program manager, says surveys show that an estimated 10 percent (about 148,000 units) of Seattle-area rental housing has moderate to severe physical problems. “This means there is potentially a lot of substandard housing with only a complaintbased system to address rental problems,” he says. The new Seattle program “expands this system by creating a way to address issues, even when tenants do not complain, and by increasing awareness of housing standards among property owners, managers, and renters.” Rental properties will be selected randomly for inspection, Tallent says. Each property will
randerson@seattleweekly.com
page»header 51 Percent Yes » FROM PAGE 5 feel powerful,” she said. She does not look like she feels powerful right now. She is hunched over and her hands are covering her face. “We went down, brother,” she says into her phone now. “We lost.” For 24 years, Lloyd-Agnew has worked for Boeing assembling planes on the factory floor. On November 5, when Boeing announced its surprise contract—pushed on the machinists before their previous contract had even expired— Lloyd-Agnew got active. She engaged. She headed to Olympia that month and lobbied legislators to approve the biggest state-tax subsidy given to a private corporation in U.S. history. “They don’t know how hard that was,” LloydAgnew says. “We went out there and got Boeing the money. We knocked on doors.” She thought it would be enough. But it wasn’t. “People won’t know to fight this sort of oppression in the future if we accept this,” she says. “If people 20 years ago had sold out, I wouldn’t be here. We did it for future generations.” The walls of the union hall are decorated with labor-battle histories: buttons proclaiming that their bearers “Held the Line in ’69.” Pictures of clenched fists. An aphorism on a laminated sheet sits squarely in the middle of the memorabilia:
The past we inherit, The future we build. For many of the machinists in the union hall tonight, the future being built now is troubling. Lyle Carpenter, standing outside the hall on the corner, is one of them. “I have never seen anything more despicable.” He says it once more for posterity. Carpenter is a union steward for IAM 571. He tells me he never should have come to the second vote: “Make absolutely no goddamned mistake about it. We have just witnessed the downfall of the middle class.” “Despicable,” he repeats. Boeing earned record profits last year. They
have $400 billion in backlog orders. For IAM 751 leaders, Boeing’s claim that it had to cut traditional pensions to stay competitive in the market flew in the face of the hard numbers. But with a No vote potentially meaning no more jobs period, the contract passed. The Yes voters left the hall quietly. One told a friend he had “mixed emotions.” “At least we can keep working,” he said. “It doesn’t feel great, though.” At 10:30 p.m., a half-hour after the votes came in, the last woman out of the Union Hall is in tears. She quietly hugs the woman holding her up, and sulks off into the dark. E
ksears@seattleweekly.com
Public Comment» By Joshua Bessex What would you like to see from the new Seattle City Council? “I’d like to see more parking [downtown]. I don’t even drive my car here anymore. I got, like, eight parking tickets in three months.” —Brandon Lee Brinegar, 31, Bellevue “I don’t have any hopes for the Seattle City Council. I expect them to deal with the $15-anhour minimum wage, which doesn’t affect me but it’ll be a big deal.” —Joe Berentsen, 63, Wedgewood
“There are a lot of issues between taxis, for-hire cars, and limos. I’m hoping they do something about it.” —Bashi Takar, 36, West Seattle “My biggest hope is that they can strike a balance between raising the minimum wage and not hurting small businesses.” —Joe Veyera, 20, North Seattle “I would hope that they could start finalizing a plan that would bring the SoDo Arena.” —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, 21, North Seattle Cody Badaracca
Joe Berentsen
Joe Veyera
Bashi Takar
Thuc Nhi Nguyen
Brandon Lee Brinegar
City of Seattle
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
“As somebody who has never lived here and is a first-time visitor, I’d like to see improved public-
transportation maps, for them to deal with the homeless, and reinvigorate that old Seattle grunge sound.” —Cody Badaracca, 27, Steamboat, Colo.
7
How this team is changing our city and our lives. A collection of stories and essays.
The
Seahawks 4Effect
The 12th Man roars during a preseason match-up against Denver.
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
4THE JOY
8
Blue and a Little Green
The Seahawks success has proven great for the city’s psyche and, for some, the bottom line.
Observes KIRO-FM talk-show host Dori Monson, who has been hosting pre- and post-game broadcasts off and on since 1996: “There aren’t many happy things that galvanize an entire community, and the Seahawks are clearly a force that had done that. People are so fully invested in them.”
Indeed, Seahawk fever is epidemic, and oh boy, has it been good for business—at least for those businesses situated within earshot of CenturyLink’s 68,000 roaring fans. DreamGirls at SODO, for instance, went gangbusters following December 2’s Monday-night vicown at the J & M Café, where on claw-foot tables surrounded by tasseled draperies Wyatt Earp once played poker with Doc Maynard, the joint rocks and the booze flows whenever tory over the New Orleans Saints, who return to town for this weekend’s playoff game. “We had 300 the Seahawks duel. It has always been that way, from the moment the Sunday-morning customers, and that set a one-day record,” marvels day manager Kevin Gano. “Business is usually good doors swing open at 8 and the crowd fills every dimly lit crevice of this 124-year-old Pioneer the Saturday night before the Sunday game, but really, it’s nothing like what happens when the game is over. If the team wins, they come pouring in.” Square institution. Brian Hale is still pinching himself to make sure he’s not dreaming. He opened his Gameday Sports This year, though, general manager Michael Petrone says the mood is different. “The patrons go a little crazier now when the Hawks score. They’re ordering more drinks. The tips are Shop on Occidental Avenue on November 15, the day before the Seahawks slaughtered the Minnesota better.” Gazing upward at the vintage painting of a nude, porcelain-skinned burlesque queen of yesteryear, Vikings. Packed tightly with team gear, the place has a spectacular view of the stadium, and when the team scores and the stands ripple with a sea of green-and-blue-clad cheering fans, the shop vibrates, the Petrone adds, “I can’t explain it, but the electricity is different.” There’s no question that the magic carpet ride taken these past few months by our gridiron heroes has windows rattle—and the cash register jingles. Tailgaters, some of them at least one sheet to the wind, are lined up outside the door at 6 a.m., says swept Seattle off its feet. There’s a swagger to our step now, a cocksureness that total victory is inevitable. Hale. They make a beeline for the beanies, mostly, though shirts emblazoned with Marshawn Lynch’s The team’s success has seeped into the city’s collective psyche. Decidedly non-sports-centric watering holes, such as Ballard’s folkie hangout Conor Byrne Pub or “Beast Mode” nickname and Richard Sherman’s smack-talk, “You Mad Bro?” aren’t far behind. “And, in Greenwood’s film bar Naked City Brewery, now have the games blaring, and their regulars have their just the last two weeks, we’ve sold a couple hundred 12th Man flags,” reports Hale. Taxi drivers, street vendors, and scalpers are riding high, but Seahawks-mania seems to have also game faces on. All the while, casual fans have become fervently obsessed, and people who not long ago drummed up some much-needed generosity, which has thought the Red Zone was a Mars reference are walking P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y J E R E M Y D W Y E R - L I N D G R E N trickled down to the city’s most unfortunate. Take Alex, around with Legion of Boom beanies on their heads.
By Ellis E. Conklin
D
for example, a scraggly-haired gent with deep purple shadows around his eyes, who occasionally dines at the Bread of Life Mission on South Main Street. “Last time they played, someone gave me a hamand-cheese sandwich,” he recounts. After describing the meal in precise detail, down to the amount of lettuce and onion it contained, he thumbs his fingers and confides, “I don’t care about the green and blue they wear. I’m only interested in the green.” It’s difficult to quantify how much green a sports
team, especially one potentially bound for glory, can generate to pad a city’s pocketbook. Some years back, in a report commissioned by Washington, D.C.’s Cato Institute, sports economist Ben Humphreys wrote that “Professional sports generally have little, if any, positive effect on a city’s economy.” Ivars CEO Bob Donegan, for one, has seen firsthand what economists call “realigned spending,” or the “substitution effect.” “I work all the Seahawks games,” he says, “and I can tell you that sales at Acres of Clams at Pier 54 is double, whereas all the other Ivar stores drop because people are home watching the game.” And if they aren’t at home, they might be at Central Cinema in the Central District. The 120seat theater has been packing ’em in—and selling ’em beer and whiskey-chicken sliders—since they started showing games on the big screen, beginning with the Seahawks’ nerve-wracking squeaker over Tampa Bay on November 3, says Jessica Aceti, the cinema’s program director. The Delicatus, a bustling Pioneer Square delicatessen, opened for breakfast for the first time this season, looking to cash in on the early-bird fans trawling First Avenue on game days. Manager Aaron Willis says the place is a madhouse on Sundays. Better get there early, he cautions, if you want to take out The Mudd Honey, a major fan favorite: sliced roast beef, turkey, Zoe’s slab bacon, white cheddar, horseradish aioli, and house barbecue sauce on a toasted Italian roll. Meanwhile, the Silver Cloud Hotel, spitting distance from the stadium, has become the place du jour for visiting fans and foes. “We had the best fall and winter we’ve ever had this year,” notes Joe Anderson, a jolly Bostonian who grew up not far from Fenway Park and serves as assistant general manager for the 211-room hotel. “When the 49ers were here, one-fourth of the hotel was filled with San Francisco fans. . . . It’s like a Red Sox atmosphere here now.”
4THE DESPAIR
As Bad as It Gets
To better appreciate the best Seahawks team in franchise history, a look back at the very worst. By Daniel Person
p u b l i c
l e c t u r e s
closeout salee
B
efore hopping on the phone with a Seattle reporter late last month, former Seahawks quarterback Stan Gelbaugh had been chatting with quarterback coach Larry Kennan, whom Gelbaugh had followed to the Seattle Seahawks organization in 1992. Asked by the reporter whether Gelbaugh had mentioned to Kennan that he’d be giving an interview later that day about those ‘92 Hawks, Gelbaugh gives a definite “No.” “I didn’t want to ruin his day,” Gelbaugh deadpans in his slight southern accent. Based on winning percentage, the 1992 Seahawks were most likely the worst football team this city has ever seen, and it was undoubtedly thent,worst Preside Ma jor a C arte r G rou P, LLC offense to ever take the field under the Seahawks banner. But this week, as we stand in awe of the best Seahawks team ever, it’s worthwhile to look back at the worst, if for no other reason than to better appreciate how difficult (and wonderful) it is to be so good.
p u b l i c
p pu ub bl l ii c c
l e c t u r e s
l le ec ct tu ur re es s
Majora Carter
Department of HomeTown Security
the grand gathering hole for those coming and Changing demographics and: The a shift back to urban lifestyles leaving the city’s sports-industrial complex. For The stats from 1992 are jaw-dropping offense areout creating unprecedented challenges 35 years, owner Mick McHugh has lived and died was shut twice, played seven games withoutand opportunities for technology health. Majora Carter, in with our teams. He can remember the bad times. scoring conservation, a touchdown, and averaged and onlypublic 8.8 points her lecture Department of HomeTown Security, will discuss “So dreadful,” he recalls of the early ’90s when his per game. Their 140 total points remain the fewest ourany ever-shifting relationship between famous sports hangout began taking reservations scored by team since the start of the 16-gameurban spaces and the environment. Carter look at how environmental on Sundays in the hope of securing more customers season innatural 1977, putting them below the will winless 0-16 stewardship can strengthen the fabric of our communities, on game day. Despite the dwindling crowds at his 2008 Detroit Lions, among other legendarily terrible well(By as how it can improve quality of life for all. bar, McHugh says that Seattle never abandoned the footballas teams. comparison, the 2013the Seahawks Seahawks. “They turned out. They weren’t happy, but surpassed 140 points in just five games.) Despite they knew we were young compared to the Giants having a strong defense that featured Defensive and other major franchises.” Player of the Year Cortez Kennedy, the ’92 Seahawks The GraduaTe School uW alumni aSSociaTion And as painful as they were, McHugh says those mustered only two wins the entire season. office of The ProvoST bad years have helped him appreciate what the 2013 By the end of the season, Seattle Times sports colleGe of The environmenT daniel J. evanS School of team has been able to accomplish. “It is not easy. reporters and editors were delivering brutal one-two Public affairS You need a lot of help, a lot of stuff to go right to punches in their headlines and lead sentences sumhub STudenT acTiviTieS office colleGe of builT environmenTS 6:30 p.m., Kane Hall UW Seattle ming up the games. “Just Wait Until Next Season” make it to the end. You don’t take it 130, for granted.” office of PlanninG & budGeTinG fRee | seating is limited | RegistRation is RequiRed McHugh is taking his own advice. Greeting cus- read the headline of the December 21 game wrap, School of Public healTh huSky leaderShiP iniTiaTive RegisteR online at UWalUm.com tomers at his sprawling eatery during lunch hour whose opening paragraph festively speculated: “All oR by calling 206-543-0540 just after Christmas, the owner, clad in a Seahawks that Seahawks fans might want for Christmas is an vest, expounds on how the team’s resounding tri» CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
1.22.14
Majora Carte
Presid e nt, Ma jor a C arte r G rou P,
Department o HomeTown Security Department of HomeTown Security Majora Majora Carter Carter
Preside nt, Ma jor a C arte r G rou P, LLC Preside nt, Ma jor a C arte r G rou P, LLC
Changing demographics and a shift back to urban lifestyle are creating unprecedented challenges and opportunities f conservation, technology and public health. Majora Carter, her lecture Department of HomeTown Security, will discuss our ever-shifting relationship between urban spaces and th natural environment. Carter will look at how environmenta Changing Changing demographics demographics and and aa shift shift back back to to urban urban lifestyles lifestyles stewardship can strengthen the fabric of our communities, are are creating creating unprecedented unprecedented challenges challenges and and opportunities opportunities for for as well as how it canMajora improve the quality of life for all. conservation, technology and public health. conservation, technology and public health. Majora Carter, Carter, in in her her lecture lecture Department Department of of HomeTown HomeTown Security, Security, will will discuss discuss our our ever-shifting ever-shifting relationship relationship between between urban urban spaces spaces and and the the natural environment. Carter will look at how environmental natural environment. Carter will look at how environmental The GraduaTe School stewardship can strengthen the fabric of our communities, uW alumni aSSociaTio stewardship can strengthen the fabric of our communities, office of The ProvoST as colleGe of The enviro as well well as as how how it it can can improve improve the the quality quality of of life life for for all. all.
6:30 p.m., Kane Hall 130, UW Seattle
fRee | seating is limited | RegistRation is RequiRed
RegisteR online at UWalUm.com oR by calling 206-543-0540
6:30 p.m., Kane Hall 130, UW Seattle 6:30| seating p.m., Kane Hall 130, UW Seattle | RegistRation fRee is limited is RequiRed
fRee | seating is limited | RegistRation is RequiRed
RegisteR RegisteR online online at at UWalUm.com UWalUm.com oR by calling 206-543-0540 oR by calling 206-543-0540
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
F.X. McRory’s is the epicenter of fandom in Seattle,
umphs have translated into more dollars being spread around town. “When the team’s going bad, the boss gives the tickets to the kid in the mailroom, and the kid in the mailroom doesn’t spend the money the way the boss would,” reasons McRory, also noting that “people who can’t afford a ticket or don’t have tickets, they’ll just come down here to be part of the scene, to hear the roar of the crowd.”
1.22.14 1.22.14
1.22.14
The GraduaTe School The GraduaTe School uW alumni aSSociaTion uW alumni aSSociaTion office of The ProvoST office of The ProvoST colleGe of The environmenT colleGe of The environmenT daniel J. evanS School of daniel affairS J. evanS School of Public Public affairS hub STudenT acTiviTieS office hub STudenT acTiviTieS office colleGe of builT environmenTS colleGe of builT environmenTS office of PlanninG & budGeTinG office of PlanninG & budGeTinG School of Public healTh School of Public healTh huSky leaderShiP iniTiaTive huSky leaderShiP iniTiaTive
daniel J. evanS School Public affairS hub STudenT acTiviTie colleGe of builT envir office of PlanninG & School of Public heal huSky leaderShiP iniT
9
The
Seahawks
» FROM PAGE 9
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SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
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end to this lump-of-coal season.” The headline a week later: “The Nightmare Is Over.” Lead: “All you Seahawks fans who spent the season hiding in closets can come out now. It’s over.” Following that final home loss, a then-strapping Steve Kelly noted in his column that most players “dressed quickly, as if leaving the Kingdome in a rush would ease the pain of this season’s two-win disaster.” Gelbaugh says a lot of the team’s struggles that year can be pinned on the huge number of injuries suffered and a lack of depth to cover for them. “We had guys coming off the street and starting on the offensive line,” he recalls. When Gelbaugh came on board, he says he was told explicitly that he wouldn’t take a snap that year. His job was to hold a clipboard, not a football. But in short order, both starting quarterback Kelly Stouffer and backup Dan McGuire went down with injuries. Gelbaugh was suddenly the man. The Hawks’ December 21 game against the Denver Broncos—the one that led the Times to compare the season to a lump of coal—is a perfect example of how things went that year. While the defense held John Elway’s Broncos to 10 points, the offense could only muster two field goals. At the end of the first half, the Seahawks had 56 yards of offense, a stat dinged by the fact that their total passing yardage stood at -7. In the second half, when the Hawks were threatening to take the lead with a touchdown, running back Chris Warren fumbled inside the 20-yard line. After the game, Gelbaugh
One of the things that sports fandom has taught me is that winning teams have a unifying effect on a city, bringing folks from all walks of life together in celebration. glumly reasoned to the press that while Warren had committed a critical fumble, at least he did it when the Seahawks had nothing to play for. There were brief moments of magic for the team. Stauffer’s first game back from his shoulder injury was a Monday-night game at the Kingdome, again against the Broncos, with whom the Hawks then shared a division, the AFC West. But Stauffer struggled, and in the fourth quarter Gelbaugh was put in. In less than one quarter of work, he threw for 164 yards and a touchdown to tie the game and force the Broncos into overtime. The Denver team would go on to win with a field goal in front of a thrilled, and shocked, hometown crowd. As bad as things got, Gelbaugh says, Seattle never abandoned the team. “The fans were always great. Even that year, they were supportive.” he says. “By the end, they booed us. But I’ll be honest: We deserved it.”
4THE HOPE
That “Finally” Moment
This lifelong 49ers fan has something to say to Seahawks fans. By Kevin Sur
B
efore we get started, there is something you should know about me. I am a 49ers fan. Yes, I live in Seattle and yes, I root for the 49ers. For years, this fact didn’t seem to matter much to my Seattle friends. Maybe it was because both of our teams were bad during those years. But something has definitely changed as of late. In the last two years Seattle has found itself a hero in its football team, and rightfully so. Unfortunately for me, in order for there to be a hero, there needs to be a villain. And Seattle has given that honor to my team. I have been rooting for the 49ers since I was 6, sitting in my Bay Area living room witnessing the greatest moment in 49ers history: The Catch. I don’t remember if I actually saw The Catch happen live, but I do remember seeing a room full of family members and friends scream at the top of their lungs, hug, jump up and down, and throw me in the air in celebration after Joe Montana connected with Dwight Clark on a miraculous play that sent the Niners past their rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, and into their first-ever Super Bowl. It was the first of many moments in my life where I have celebrated a San Francisco team’s win with family, friends and perfect strangers. The latest of these occurred last month when, on a trip to the Bay Area for the holidays, I was lucky enough to attend the final game at Candlestick Park, a shrine where I had seen countless 49ers and Giants games and where I had celebrated and suffered with fellow fans. It was a dump of a ballpark, let’s be honest. However, it was our dump, San Francisco’s own sandlot. As I watched the 49ers play against the Atlanta Falcons in that final game and took in the ceremonies memorializing that old park I found myself choked up, remembering so many amazing moments I had spent there. Moments that made me hug every stranger within arms reach as if we had all just won the lottery, moments that made up for the countless others that resulted in deep despair or the early stages of hypothermia that could set in if you sat in your seat for too long. (It may seem unbelievable that San Francisco could get that cold, but a combination of a terrible location that was better suited for a wind farm than a sports stadium, and the heavy fog of the marine layer, made it so that Candlestick Park was one of the coldest and windiest places to see a game, especially during baseball season.) All that week I heard countless people from the Bay Area share their favorite memories of
Candlestick Park. I’d hear the stories as I stood in line at the grocery store, as I turned on the local sports talk radio and as I sat at the dinner table with my family. I talked about what it was like to see Joe Montana lead comeback after comeback, to watch Steve Young turn blown up plays into miracles with his running abilities and to see Ronny Lott crush players from the other team on a weekly basis. The tales told by those who were older than me always seemed to include where they were when The Catch happened. I remember seeing the play replayed on the TV, over and over again,
Talking about sports in Seattle is like talking about the weather: Everyone does it. as my dad repeated the words, “I can’t believe it” and “finally.”Thirty-one years later, as I heard those personal accounts of The Catch told by countless others, I kept hearing that word again: “finally.” “It finally happened.” Prior to The Catch, the 49ers were pretty terri-
ble. For years they had fallen short to the Dallas Cowboys, who always seemed to be on another level, the roadblock that kept the 49ers from moving forward. The city itself had never won a championship and it wasn’t until that moment in 1981 that 49ers fans and the people of San Francisco knew that they had a real team, a real franchise, and most importantly, the hope that there would be reason to celebrate in the future. I have to admit that hearing those stories of
where the 49ers were before The Catch reminded me a lot of where Seattle is now. The 49ers fans were and still are passionate about their team, but it seems the rest of the country’s football fans didn’t take them seriously back then because they lacked any real winning history. I hear my friends talk now about their Seahawks and I watch as they get into debates over whose team is better on a daily basis. I enter those debates from time to time and, yes, sometimes I’m not very nice. But I recognize that any disrespect thrown their way must be no different than the kind of jabs that were likely thrown at 49ers fans before Joe Montana and Dwight Clark changed everything with that one play. I love Seattle, I truly do. The people here are kind and eager to celebrate. The city itself has provided my family opportunities that our Bay Area home couldn’t and for that I am grateful. And even though my team loyalties will never change, I will debate anyone who thinks San Francisco is a better place to live than Seattle. So from this 49ers fan to all of you Seattle Seahawks fans, I just want to say that I truly hope that you have your own moment with years of amazing games, favorite players and memories to follow. One of the things that sports fandom has taught me is that winning teams have a unifying effect on a city, bringing folks from all walks of life together in celebration. My hope is that my friends and neighbors here can experience what my old friends and neighbors did back in 1981. So, here’s to years of amazing memories, of dramatic games that make you reflect on where you were when “that play” happened, to hugging strangers in the stadium or in your neighborhood bar when your team wins a big one, and of making it to the NFC championship in the most dramatic fashion, only to lose to San Francisco.
4THE ANGST
Fighting the Weather
In the inescapable crush of a championship-caliber season, what is a committed football hater to do? By Paige Richmond
S
eattle is a hard place to live if you aren’t a sports fan. In Southern California, where I grew up, actively disliking organized sports was a conscious, rebellious choice: I was a punk, obsessed with music and politics and veganism and all that intense morality that comes with being 17 and thinking you know what it means to believe in anything. Hating sports, especially football, made sense. No punk I knew touched a pigskin. We resented teenagers who gained extra privileges, excusal from consequences, or high-school-wide recognition because they could throw balls at one another or run
fast. I went to one football game my freshman year, where my friends held a sign from the bleachers that said “JOCKS SUCK.” I doubt anyone noticed. It was equally easy to avoid organized sports in college. I attended a small liberal-arts school in Portland, Oregon, that reveled in its lack of organized sports. No NCAA, nothing intramural; the only sports teams sanctioned during my three-year stay were ultimate Frisbee and girls’ rugby. I never attended a game of either, even though my freshman dorm room overlooked the school’s athletic fields. I did, however, drive my car onto that field one particularly rainy night to make donuts. Professional sports were mostly absent in Portland 10 years ago when I lived there. The Timber Army had not yet formed and the Trailblazers were unaffectionately known as the Jailblazers. Football was far away. No one asked me to watch sports at their place on a Sunday; I was never once invited to an actual professional sporting event. Sports did not exist for me, and no one else seemed to care. This became a problem for me when I moved to Seattle. I had always thought of Seattle as a progressive place that shared my admittedly liberal values, so it was a surprise to realize that people here care about sports, football most of all. A friend of mine said that talking about sports in Seattle is like talking about the weather: everyone does it, and it’s the easiest way to have a conversation with a stranger. She was right; not knowing who won the game on Sunday felt like the lack of an important social skill. So for a while I tolerated sports for the sake of my adult social life. I went to a handful of Mariners games each year and one Storm game, one Thunderbirds game, and a Sounders match. On Sundays, I asked my then-boyfriend (now-husband), who partakes in fantasy football and plays a weekly flag football game, about how the game is played. I
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
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» FROM PAGE 11
hosted a Superbowl party at my apartment. I learned a little about a lot of sports, and I could fake my way through conversations with my co-workers. If I needed to ask questions about what a “down” is or who plays in what division, I had easy excuses for my naiveté. I did not play sports as a kid (aside from a brief, parentally mandated soccer stint when I was 6), and my dad never had people over to “watch the game” (though he was a college athlete himself ). It wasn’t that I disliked sports; I just had so much to learn, and this meant I was allowed to be ignorant.
This worked well for me until I actually had to think about it. Right now, the Seahawks are kind of a big deal for the first time in the six years I’ve lived here, and reminders of football are everywhere. Seahawks decals cling to the windows of every other car I see. I can’t get a table for brunch at my local cafe on Sunday morning until after the game starts. And last week, my checker at Trader Joe’s was wearing a Seahawks jersey instead of a Hawaiian shirt. Football is impossible to ignore. About a month ago, a few friends were at my house watching a Seahawks game with my husband. I was puttering about—maybe baking something in the kitchen or doing some work on my computer— but willfully not watching the game. They noticed. “Hey, Paige,” said one of my friends. “Do you even like football?” I took a deep breath. Then I sighed. “No,” I said. “I really, truly don’t.” “Huh,” he said, genuinely surprised. “Why?” And then I had to think about it. I don’t like football now for the exact same reasons I didn’t like it when I was 17. It had been far too easy for far too many years to tell myself that I had been an angry kid with angry reasons for hating sports. But now, at 30, I think I was on to something back then. At the time, I had only anecdotal evidence to form my views. I remember that several members of my high school’s varsity team were caught drunk at a school event, and even though my school district had a notolerance policy (you’re caught with drugs or alcohol and you get expelled),they were each suspended for only one day because some big game was two weeks later. Things aren’t much different in sports nowadays, but I have a decade more of life experience and news stories and Frontline documentaries in my corner. Professional athletes still get extra privileges, excusal from consequences, or country-wide recognition because they can throw balls at one another or run fast. Except now, they’re getting power and respect (and money) while being violent on TV. And that power and privilege means that sometimes professional (and even college and high school) players get away with terrible crimes like rape, because our culture thinks that sports are really, really, really important. “I just can’t think of any reason to be OK with it,” I told my friend. “No matter how hard I think, it just all seems so . . . so . . . Well, it just feels wrong.” It is hard to be the person who says that. It is hard to listen while my fellow Seattleites and progressive friends talk about their admiration for athletes while gathering at a bar on Sunday morning to watch the game. It is hard to tell people, “You know, I really don’t watch football,” and then have them ask why. And when I say something like, “I think football might be bad for society,” people laugh. They think I must be joking.
4THE FEAR
To Root Is to Suffer
A look into the psychological state of the traumatized Seattle sports fan. By Seth Kolloen
S
ports fans are romantics. Obscenityscreaming romantics with painted faces wearing shirts with other men’s names on them, but romantics nonetheless. And Seahawks fans may be more romantic than most. How else do you explain staying in a 37-year relationship that has been so consistently disappointing? Now that the Hawks are favorites to win the Super Bowl, you’d expect fans to be overjoyed. In fact, we’re terrified. A lifelong Seahawks fan texted me recently: “I hate that I can’t enjoy this. I just feel sick.” When a team gets as close to a championship as the Seahawks are, it’s fun for peppy TV news anchors and my 6-year-old-nephew, but if you’ve been a fan for decades? It’s torture. Savvy fans know that the best team doesn’t always win. And Seattle fans know it better than most. Forbes magazine named Seattle “America’s Most Miserable Sports City”in 2013, awarding us the most “misery points” for “cities whose teams have been good enough over the years to make championship runs, only to disappoint in the end.” A quick recap of how we garnered all those points: 1994 The Sonics finish the regular season 63-19, the best record in the NBA, then lose in the first round of the playoffs. (I was in high school, and I sneakily chugged half a bottle of red wine in a vain attempt to drink myself to sleep.) 2001 The Mariners tie a 95-year-old record for wins in a season, then wheeze out of the playoffs with four losses in five games against the Yankees. (I drank so many IPAs during their 12-3 season-ending loss, I have no recollection of it.) 2006 The Huskies basketball team is 1.8 seconds away from its first Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA tournament since 1953. Then they allow a game-tying three-pointer and lose in overtime. (I threw a trash can down the stairs. I may have been drinking.) You may ask, as I certainly have: ”If it’s not fun,
why be a Seattle sports fan?” Because there is no choice! You don’t decide to be a fan of a team any more than you decide to fall in love. It just happens. Let me paint a picture for you. On December 11, 1983, a skinny boy with a home-clipped bowl cut stands before a 14-inch color TV in the living room of a small home three blocks north of Green Lake.The hometown Seahawks, who played their first game in September 1976, a month before he was born, are on the cusp of making the NFL playoffs for the first time. To do so, they need to beat the New York Giants, and with 31 seconds
left, they lead the Giants 17-12. But New York has the ball at Seattle’s 10-yard line. It’s 4th and 7. The Hawks’ playoff chances ride on this one play. The boy watches nervously as the grainy display shows Giants quarterback Jeff Rutledge roll to his left and fire a pass to wide receiver Earnest Gray—who catches it, then steps around Seahawks cornerback Dave Brown and into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. Tears well in the boy’s eyes, and he collapses to the brown shag carpet, chest heaving between sobs. Then he hears his dad say: “Seth, wait—there’s a penalty flag.” The Giants have been called for holding. The touchdown is nullified. Rutledge’s next pass falls incomplete. The Seahawks make the playoffs, advancing to the AFC Championship game after a comeback upset over Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins. They lose that championship game, but it’s too late: The boy is in love. If you’re a romantic, you accept the highs and lows of your relationship. My friend who “can’t enjoy” the Seahawks also has a girlfriend with chronic health problems. Those aren’t fun either, but he’s not going to quit taking care of the woman he loves any more than he’s going to quit being a Seahawks fan just because they’ve lost 36 years in a row. People who are fanatical about celebrities or food or music are much more practical, and I envy them. Johnny Depp fans aren’t demanding his agent be fired because The Lone Ranger flopped; people who love Sitka and Spruce don’t get into screaming matches with those who
Huskies at Hec Edmundson Pavilion—the worst home loss in UW history. Nonetheless, here’s how Wooden described his emotions during a game. “I may appear calm. I strive to be calm. I strive to keep my players calm. But inside, I am not calm. It does not matter how many games we have won. You always want to win this one, too. And no matter how confident you are, you know you may not win. So you suffer until you have won.” You suffer until you have won. For Seahawks fans, that’s what the next month is all about. But if they do win, the pent-up nervous energy from a generation of losing will ignite a city-wide celebration unlike Seattle has ever seen. Watch for me in the parade—I’ll be the drunk guy hurling trash cans. E news@seattleweekly.com
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prefer Crush. “I like [name of band’s] early stuff ” is a total cliche; it’s also a completely legitimate viewpoint. But it would be absurdity for a true sports fan to do the same; you can’t decide halfway through your life that you prefer the Red Sox to the Mariners. Well, you can, but then you are an asshole.
Didn’t make playoffs Lost in wild card round Lost in divisional round Lost in conference championship Lost in Super Bowl
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For better or worse, the romantic Seahawks fan has banked his or her emotional state on the strong arm of quarterback Russell Wilson, the powerful leg of punter Jon Ryan, the balky hip of wide receiver Percy Harvin. So what can you do to help the Seahawks fan in your life? Obviously you’d first want to relax any hardline stances against cigarette smoking (here, I am talking specifically to my girlfriend). But, also, here’s a list of statements to avoid. “I hope it’s close. Close games are so fun!” Wrong. Close games are a stomach-churning horror. In a diehard fan’s perfect world, the Seahawks would win each playoff game 273-0. That would be fun. “Can I invite [person who doesn’t understand football] over to watch?” No. Football proselytizing should occur in September or October, when the games aren’t as meaningful. This person will likely ignore the game and try to steer the conversation toward frivolous topics like human rights. “It’s only a game.” Sure, and $1 million is “only a suitcase full of paper.” John Wooden, probably the greatest sports coach of all time, won 88 basketball games in a row at UCLA. Win 84 of the streak was a 100-48 thrashing of the
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food&drink
The Drink at the End of the Road
FoodNews
BY PATRICK HUTCHISON
Changes keep coming to Capitol Hill’s 15th Avenue East. Following the recent shutterings of North Hill Bakery and Bagel Deli, 22 Doors served its last customers on New Year’s Eve. Nikola’s has (re)launched in Wallingford. The diner was opened in the former Rusty Pelican spot by Costas Antonopoulos, who owns the building and operated a Nikola’s in the same space years back. Antonopoulos has rolled out several Greek eateries around the city over the years, including the dearly departed Costas Opa on the corner of North 34th Street and Fremont Avenue North. If you’re planning to kick off the year with a liquid detox, Capitol Hill’s Juicebox offers a guided cleanse that includes recipes and other motivational stuff from the shop’s resident nutritionist Adrienne Kimberly. More details are online. Eureka: check. Joey Kitchen: check. Liam’s: check. And now, Din Tai Fung joins a string of new restaurants launched in University Village. The global chain’s first Seattle location is even larger than its sizeable Bellevue sibling, but features the same steamed dumplings that diners line up for on the Eastside and beyond. New food truck Napkin Friends started serving latke press sandwiches filled with the likes of five-day brined pastrami and roast chicken this week. Matzoh ball soup and Britt’s Pickles round out the menu. Check the truck’s location schedule online. E
Arguably the most remote bar in the state may also be the best.
A
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PATRICK HUTCHISON
aptly named Snoose Creek. Everywhere you look is another tchotchke, another antique, another homemade country-boy joke implement. If Duck Dynasty were a religion, the Brooklyn Tavern would be St. Peter’s Basilica. But the best thing—the absolute icing on the cake—is not something the Brooklyn Tavern has. Rather, it’s what it lacks: TV, wi-fi, and cell-phone reception. No one is Instagramming, checking in on Facebook, or texting friends. No zombielike sports fans are staring at ESPN; no one’s writing a blog post in front of a glowing Apple. If you want to keep up on a game, they’ll probably have it on the radio, but at a low volume. This forces people to talk, laugh, and enjoy each other—even strangers like myself who wander in knowing no one Grab a spot are instantly engaged in conversation and on a camouflage welcomed as part of the group. Every 10 bar stool. minutes or so, a new face comes into the bar, and instantly follow the greetings: “Hey, John! Hi, Mr. Landy. Hey, Wayne!” As the only person not recognized by the newcomers, I get noticed quickly. “What’s your name?” calls out an older gentleman from across the bar. He’s wearing black suspenders, dark jeans, and a trucker hat. After my own introduction, he tells me his name is Wayne Combs. “I’m Wayne, and this is my father, Bruce, and his wife, Dottie. Now, how about we buy you a sarsaparilla?” I hadn’t even told Bruce I was writing a story. His generosity was the simple kindness of a stranger. Bruce Combs, Wayne’s father, is one of the Brooklyn Tavern’s oldest regulars, coming here for more than 35 years. He’s even got a reserved seat, designated by a small brass plaque attached to the counter in front of his favorite bar stool. “Do you like to fish or hunt?” he asks me. “This is one of the best places to fish and hunt anywhere I’ve ever been. It’s a sportsBut Brooklyn refuses to die in large part because man’s paradise.” its heart, the Brooklyn Tavern, keeps beating. The Combs, both father and son, were involved Inside the tavern, the town’s history is clearly in the logging industry. Even after Saginaw left, represented. It’s difficult to find a space on the logging still directly or indirectly employs most walls or ceiling not covered with artifacts or of the people around here, and as a result, most photographs from that era. There are massive regulars have deep ties to the land; they’re campold pulleys, ancient saws, dusty oil lamps, and ers, RVers, off-roaders, anglers, and hunters. But if miscellaneous tools that could easily be mistaken you’re not one of those things, they’re more than for devices of torture. It’s the most striking happy to welcome you anyway. I can’t help but blend of redneck kitsch and dive bar I have ever get swept up in their conversations about things seen: bar stools upholstered with camouflage completely unrelated to the tavern; it’s an addicduct tape; a gumball machine loaded with cans tive environment of conversation. “No matter of Miller High Life; bathrooms wallpapered who shows up, you’re welcome to be here,” Wayne in porn; a barrel woodstove pumping out the Combs says. I think that’s largely because of the bar’s only heat; muddy-pawed puppies running lack of technology—partially intentional, but around loose; pool tables; karaoke machines; mostly unavoidable, because the Brooklyn is arguand the most impressive feature: the local creek, ably the most remote bar in the state. diverted to enter the building and pass underneath the bar stools as a running-water spittoon, » CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
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Temperature Check FROM CHEF SHANE RYAN, MATT’S AT THE MARKET:
Smoked foods.
Grains.
Overwrought cocktails. I like my drinks straightforward. Keep ’em simple.
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
few days before Christmas, my girlfriend and I headed to a place down south. When we arrived, everyone was there. We had a few beers with Warren and Ciara. We gave Bruce a hard time, much to the appreciation of his adorable, grandmotherly wife, Dottie. We watched John shoot a little pool while Dalyn fixed some burgers. We laughed as Wayne cracked his jokes and listened while Mr. Landy, one of the many regulars, regaled us all with tales of how it used to be. The night was typical, but we didn’t know it because we had never met these people before and we had never been to this place. And yet, in a way, we felt like longtime regulars. Because somewhere among the rolling, forested hills of southwest Washington, between towns you’ve never heard of on a road you have no reason to drive down, is a family you never knew you had, and they’re drinking at your favorite bar, even though you never knew it existed. That bar is the Brooklyn Tavern. A simple hand-painted wooden sign lets you know you’ve arrived. The entrance is one parking-spot length away from the road, and, aside from the big grass field next door where customers are encouraged to camp and stay in RVs overnight, there’s nothing else around but trees and silence. The familiar glow of neon beer signs beckons you inside. Walk through the parking lot, paved with more bottlecaps than actual stones, and up to the door plastered with a massive poster of a deer declaring “Welcome Hunters.” Push open that door and step back in time. In 1927, the Saginaw Logging Company of Saginaw, Michigan, expanded its logging interests in Washington’s timber-rich southwestern hills. Loggers and equipment poured into the hills east of Oakville, rail lines were constructed, and soon a river of logs was rushing toward the mills and yards of Aberdeen. At the peak of this logging boom, the town of Brooklyn was a bustling hub. More than 2,000 people lived there and supported the industry, packed into one-story housing units that closely bordered the busy tracks that constantly rocked from the never-ending stream of log-laden train cars. At the end of the day, weary loggers would tramp up the wooden stairs to the Brooklyn Tavern for a few beers, a game of cards, and something to eat. The tavern was the spot to hear the news, catch up with friends, find out about new jobs. It was the heart of the community. By the mid-’40s, all the lucrative logging was done; Saginaw left and the community started to move away. It’s a story that’s been told and heard and lived thousands of times: Booming logging town turns ghost town and is quickly forgotten.
BY SARA BILLUPS
15
22,000 FANS AND COUNTING
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» FROM PAGE 15 In 1990 it burned to the ground—an electrical
fire no doubt caused by ancient wiring, then more than 60 years old. Just four months earlier, a man named Ray Damitio had bought the place. In a way, Damitio was meant to own the tavern: Born the same year the Brooklyn was built, just a few miles north in Elma, he’d had a life full enough to rival Forrest Gump’s, joining the military at a young age, traveling the world, owning a car dealership and a restaurant. He had done it all, but always returned to the misty, forested hills of southwest Washington. After the fire, Damitio immediately made plans
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to rebuild. Bolstered by community donations to replace the vast array of logging memorabilia, the new Brooklyn opened in 1991. Those who’ve seen both say the new tavern is a near-exact replica. Set just a few feet farther back from the road, the outside and interior are just as they always had been. But everything around the bar changed. When it was built, the town of Brooklyn was joined to other, larger cities principally by rail lines. By the time major highways were coming to the area, Saginaw Logging Company was already leaving, so larger roads were routed to other cities. This left the Brooklyn in a no-man’s land, smack in the center of a huge loop bordered by SR-12, US-101, and SR-6. The nearest town takes 40 minutes to get to, and the road on which Brooklyn lies is a detour no matter what two towns you’re traveling between. In short, the only reason you’d ever wind up at the Brooklyn Tavern is if you lived here, got terribly lost, or wanted a beer and some grub at the storied spot like we did. Sadly, Damitio passed away in 2011, but there’s no need to fear for the Brooklyn Tavern’s future. His son-in-law, Warren Brough, and Warren’s wife Ciara are now taking over. The young couple, bedecked in Seahawks gear, is native to the area, and as longtime regulars fully appreciate the importance of their new role. They happily tell me, “The Brooklyn Tavern is a real destination. We don’t plan on changing anything that would endanger that.” They’ll keep the traditions alive, including the annual events like Saginaw Days, which pits amateur loggers against one another in goodnatured and often hilarious competition. In short, they’re committed to keeping the bar, the history, and the regulars as engaging, friendly, and welcoming as always. As we drove away, bouncing through the fog along forest service roads, I realized I was already planning my return. And while it’s frustrating when your favorite bar is two and a half hours away, it’s also comforting to know it’s so hidden, so perfectly preserved. E
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arts&culture The Grain Jews
Gary Shteyngart goes back to Russia to find out why he’s so messed up. BY BRIAN MILLER
THURSDAY, JAN. 9
Shteyngart today.
Unlike native-born chroniclers of the Jewish-
American experience (Woody Allen, Philip Roth, etc.), young Shteyngart can’t simply fall back on the inherited Yiddish shtick of Hester Street or The Goldbergs. His mind instead leaps forward, to science fiction and the forbidden trash of ’80s TV and movies (sometimes described in rather more detail than needed).
bmiller@seattleweekly.com
TOWN HALL 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $30 (admits two, includes book). 7:30 p.m.
Ingrid Ricks
Broken promises, abuse, poverty, religious indoctrination—these mark the childhood of Seattle author Ricks, set down in her memoir Hippie Boy, A Girl’s Story ($15, Berkley Books). Instead of sensationalizing her Mormon-raised youth in Utah, Ricks tells her story plainly, in the very matter-of-fact way a child sees the world: observing things, then describing her feelings. After her feuding parents eventually divorce, Ricks spends summers with her father—who gives her the nickname “Hippie Boy” because “my long, often tangled brown hair reminded him of the hitchhikers he picked up during his road trips”—and helps him with his traveling tool-sales business. For Ricks, sleeping in trucks and eating junk food along the interstates of the Midwest is a luxury compared to her home life, where she suffers an abusive stepfather and a controlling mother, worrying about her siblings caught in the fray. During her teenage years, Ricks is ever giving her heart away, only for it to be broken time and again. (Meanwhile, her sister runs away the day after graduating from high school.) Most touching is what the author takes from the experience: the value of forgiveness, which is always the first step to freedom. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 366-3333, thirdplacebooks.com. Free. 7 p.m. (Also: Secret Garden Books, 7 p.m., Fri.; and University Book Store, 7 p.m., Mon.)
GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT
FRIDAY, JAN. 10
Jerry Springer: The Opera
Back in 2003, when this show opened to rave reviews in England, its talk-show hero still had— as a cultural figure, not the actual man—some infamy left in him. The Internet was newish to some, and all those years of cable-TV outrageousness had made Springer a herald of sorts of our even crasser age of TMZ and Kardashian. Now Balagan Theatre is reviving the musical and perhaps introducing Springer (played by Brandon Felker today) to millennials with no memory of the man. The disgraced former mayor of Cincinnati, who suffered hooker scandals and worse, Springer is here the lord of his trash-TV domain until he’s abruptly dragged down to Hell, called to account before Satan (and later Jesus). Implicit in the show—which is definitely a
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
Carter, an ex-farmer, was looking after his fellow farmers.) Before then, however, little Gary had no desire to leave Russia. He loved Soviet jets, broken toys, and space heroes; he relished the tales of World War II, yet was too young to understand how much of his family perished then (and were still pariahs in the U.S.S.R.). Being Jewish—or worse, American, “the enemy”—would interfere with all that, would be a betrayal. An only child, Shteyngart was sheltered from that knowledge by his parents, who refused to tell him where a journey from Vienna to Rome would ultimately lead. (He was 7 when they arrived in the U.S. in 1979.)
His challenge isn’t to become less Jewish, it’s to become more American, and also to lose that debilitating accent. In one memorable episode, as a teen, he abandons a family vacation to return home to gorge on Doritos and 240 hours of TV. Writing decades later, he’s proud of it, as he should be: One has to betray one’s family to create oneself. During that fraught process, the author loses not just his nationality but his name: Gary is the Americanized handle his parents derived from Igor, to ease the introductions on Queens playgrounds. He also endures a succession of nicknames: Snotty and Failurchka (in childhood), Gary Gnu (when new to America), Scary Gary (during his hard-partying Oberlin years). In Shteyngart’s basically chronological account, young Gary discovers the value of storytelling, how humor can rescue him from the untouchable caste at Hebrew school. Later he embraces Ayn Rand and George H.W. Bush (the politics of his parents) before flipping to carefree stoner mode in high school. “On most days, I have my head so far up my family’s ass I can taste yesterday’s borscht,” Shteyngart writes of the smothering closeness of family, made all the more acute by his being an only child. (“A tribe of wounded narcissists,” he calls his clan.) His parents often quarrel, and he worries they’ll divorce. Though the term is never used, there’s a classic inferiority complex at work on this young man, who in high school is pointedly told, “You try too hard.” Later, in an acting class led by Louise Lasser (one of Woody Allen’s exes), she berates him, “You’re fake and manipulative.” From such lacerations is laughter born, or a thousand sessions on the shrink’s couch, or both. Shteyngart gets us up to the publication of Handbook (and his intermittent sobriety), but not much further. That he’s now married outside the faith and is a new father is omitted—perhaps such material is being saved for a future memoir. The truth is that he might have waited longer to publish Little Failure, which feels short on life experience, however entertainingly written. Why now? Why cover only the struggle up to his first success and not beyond? Though Shteyngart doesn’t say it, the book is very much a gift to his parents, who have far outlived the old Soviet actuarial tables, he notes. “Just don’t write like a self-hating Jew,” says his father, an engineer who had to learn English in his 30s, in a rare bit of career advice to his son. Certainly there’s no selfhatred in Little Failure, though plenty of selfmockery. No amount of bungling, deprivation, and misunderstanding can overcome the goodhumor of this buoyant striver’s account. E
HEATHER B. ALLISON PHOTOGRAPHY
The author before leaving Russia.
BRIGITTE LACOMBE; ABOVE: COURTESY SHTEYNGART FAMILY/RANDOM HOUSE
T
hose like me who read with delight Gary Shteyngart’s 2002 debut novel, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook, could safely assume the book had biographical and familial roots. Now we see how deep those roots are in Shteyngart’s pre-midlife memoir, Little Failure (Random House, $27). The hero of Handbook was a neurotic Russian Jewish immigrant half-trying to reconnect with his half-forgotten native culture. The author of Little Failure is a neurotic Russian Jewish immigrant who shares the same ambivalence about the Soviet-era homeland that shaped his family. Why, in his late 20s, is the unpublished writer such a truculent, nervous wreck, prone to binge drinking and panic attacks? A dozen years later, that’s the question the now-successful author assigns himself in Little Failure, which is as much a recovery tale as a career assessment. (Since Handbook, he’s written the novels Absurdistan and Super Sad True Love Story and contributed often to GQ and The New Yorker.) Memoirs are necessarily retrospective, burrowing into the past. Shteyngart does that, and he finally returns to St. Petersburg—remembered as Leningrad when he left as a child—with his parents. Still, as befits a guy who’s active on Facebook and Twitter, who’s written about wearing Google Glasses, who’s created a hilarious YouTube video for the book (starring James Franco, Rashida Jones, and other boldface names), Little Failure is forward-looking and optimistic, as all immigrants have to be. That it’s so funny is an additional bonus. “Grain Jews” are what Shteyngart calls his family and other refugees allowed to leave the U.S.S.R. in exchange for the U.S. offer of food aid from our mighty silo surpluses. (President
ThisWeek’s PickList
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 19 17
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January 8
Ilan Stavans
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Upcoming performances, exhibitions & special events.
JOSHUA KLEIN Reputation and Your Online Footprint January 9
KURT TIMMERMEISTER WITH DAN SAVAGE ‘The Chronicle of a Farm-to-Table Meal’ January 13
Elliott Bay Book Co presents
GARY SHTEYNGART ‘Little Failure’ January 14
JOSEPH CIRINCIONE Navigating Nuclear Crises January 15
A. DOUGLAS STONE Einstein’s Greatest Success
Opens Friday!
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KAREN RUSSELL ‘Vampires in the Lemon Grove’ TOWN HALL
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Jan. 8–Feb. 2, 2014 www.seattleshakespeare.org
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SATURDAY, JAN 18 10 AM–NOON 1ST AVE & UNION ST Take a tour of the exhibition Robert Davidson: Abstract Impulse by Native American Haida artist Robert Davidson and explore colors, shapes, lines and the language Davidson creates in his works of art. Afterwards, make your own abstract sculpture inspired by Davidson’s work. Family Fun workshop fee for one adult and up to two kids is $15; SAM members $7.50. Additional participants are $5 each (members included). Support for Family Fun provided by The Foster Foundation and the Thanksgiving Foundation.
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musical, not an opera—is a backhanded critique of our very American love for lowbrow antics and lurid behavior. Springer doesn’t pander so much as honestly serve the junk his audiences crave. The humor and music suggest a British kinship to South Park; Springer and company are nothing but venal, yet never less than tuneful. Shawn Belyea directs this production; the score is by Richard Thomas, with book and lyrics by Thomas and Stewart Lee. (Through Jan. 26.)
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much they matter, but they don’t actually take up that much time when folded into the larger dish. Based on a recent graphic novel by Julie Maroh and Pierre de Marivaux’s 18th-century novel La Vie de Marianne, the film repeatedly raises the question of how difficult it is to understand another person. At first, Adèle doesn’t know who she is yet. But her exit from the film’s strong final sequence suggests she is ready to slip the frames others have put around her—including the movie itself. (Blue is being screened as part of SIFF’s Monday-night Recent Raves! series.) SIFF
The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $17.50. 7 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
Film Center (Seattle Center), 324-9996, siff.net. $6–$11. 7 p.m. ROBERT HORTON
14/48 Festival
Silent Movie Mondays
Theatre, 700 Union St., 292-7660, acttheatre.org. $10–$20. 8 & 10:30 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
MONDAY, JAN. 13
Blue Is the Warmest Color
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O’Brien and Livingston in Sunrise.
THIS FILM IS RATED PG. Seating is first come, seating is limited and not guaranteed. Pass admits two. While supplies last. No purchase necessary.
IN THEATRES JANUARY 17
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Organist Jim Riggs will provide live accompaniment for this always-popular film series, which begins with F.W. Murnau’s beautifully photographed 1927 melodrama Sunrise. It’s one of the last great silents made in Hollywood, but also perhaps the least typical—essentially a work of late German Romanticism, since Murnau made no effort to tailor his first American film to studio tastes. Perhaps the purest and most expressive silent movie ever made, Sunrise looks backward to the old country, where two simple villagers fall in innocent, glorious love—until George O’Brien is lured away from Janet Gaynor by a wicked city vamp (Margaret Livingston)! Into this lakeshore paradise, hemmed by reeds, come evil thoughts of murder and adultery. Murnau’s technique is astonishingly seamless; you hardly need the intertitles to follow the plot. And when O’Brien finally comes to his senses—too late!—Sunrise packs an emotional wallop that few movies today can match. Three more films run on a slightly eccentric schedule through February 10: Pandora’s Box with Louise Brooks; Peter Pan; and Buster Keaton’s Civil War classic The General.
SEATTLE WEEKLY THURS: 01/09/14 BLACK & WHITE 4.83” x 2.69” RM ALL.NJB-P.0109.SW
JANUARY 10 & 11
BACH’S COFFEEHOUSE Jeannette Sorrell, conductor & harpsichord Mark Robbins, horn / Demarre McGill, flute Elisa Barston, violin / Cordula Merks, violin J.S. BACH: Orchestral Suite No. 2 TELEMANN: Horn Concerto in D major VIVALDI: Concerto for Two Violins in A minor, Op. 3, No. 8 J.S. BACH: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 5 VIVALDI / arr. SORRELL: La folia The Symphony reenacts music from Zimmermann’s Coffeehouse in Leipzig — the scene of lively performances by J.S. Bach and his student orchestra, who played music by Bach and his admired colleagues Telemann and Vivaldi.
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Wolfgang Puck Catering wine tasting events in the Grand Lobby before each concert from 6:30 to 7:45pm — $10 for 4 pours.
The Paramount, 911 Pine St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $5–$10. 7 p.m. BRIAN MILLER E
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Seydoux (left) and Exarchopoulos in Blue.
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In Abdellatif Kechiche’s three-hour Cannes prize-winner, our main character is Adèle, played by the splendid Adèle Exarchopoulos. She begins as a high-school student and grows up during a half-dozen years, mostly involving her relationship with Emma (Léa Seydoux). Emma is a dashing figure, artsy and experienced, with upperclass parents and intellectual friends. It’s a lot to handle for Adèle, who comes from humbler origins and really just wants to teach grade-school kids. As the bedroom scenes suggest, there is a strong physical connection here, but the movie is about much more than that—why any given love affair might thrive and/or founder. Blue’s length allows the sex scenes to take their proper role in Adèle’s world: Their duration shows us how
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Running Friday and Saturday for two weekends, the 14/48 Festival is very much a case of cheap theater you may not remember later. But it is an experience you can recommend afterward to friends who aren’t, you know, theater people. Given that 14 new scripts are written and rehearsed in just two days, the results are never going to be Shakespeare. Yet it can be a relief to escape the expectations of serious, important drama, especially during the post-holiday doldrums. And the program, running about two hours with intermission, can also be a preview of talent you’ll see during the coming year. The plays won’t likely be restaged, but most all the cast members will be back on every stage in town. Names you’ll recognize include Hannah Mootz (so excellent in the Rep’s Bo-Nita last fall), Scott Ward Abernethy (part of the WET ensemble behind last summer’s Tall Skinny Cruel Cruel Boys), and Allison Strickland (seen in New Century Theatre Company’s The Walworth Farce last October). ACT
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arts&culture» Performance B Y G AV I N B O R C H E R T
Stage OPENINGS & EVENTS
14/48 FESTIVAL SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 19. • ALICE IN WONDERLAND SPT’s Youth Program pres-
ents an all-new, original adaptation. Seattle Public Theater at the Bathhouse, 7312 W. Green Lake Ave. N., 524-1300, seattlepublictheater.org. Donation. 7 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10, 2 & 7 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11, 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12.
Send events to stage@seattleweekly.com, dance@seattleweekly.com, or classical@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings. = Recommended
•
CALENDAR GIRLS 12, count ‘em, 12 lewd lovelies
(Sailor St. Claire, The Shanghai Pearl, and more) in this burlesque revue. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com. $18–$25. 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10–Sat., Jan. 11. CHARLIE MURPHY’S ACID TRIP This Chappelle’s Show alum performs. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $30. 8 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11. FAMILY AFFAIR Jennifer Jasper’s “sick, hilarious, and ultimately relatable” cabaret on the theme of family. JewelBox/Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., jennifer jasperperforms.com. $10. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 15. JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 17.
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THE NORTHWEST ORCA CANNERY PRESENTS: DR. THADDEUS Q. BALLARD’S MUSICAL FOLLIES & COMEDY REVUE Ghost Light
Theatricals’ neo-vaudeville show. The Ballard Underground, 2220 N.W. Market St., 395-5458,
ghostlighttheatricals.org. $12–$20. Opens Jan. 10. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., plus 7:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 13 & 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 19. Ends Jan. 25. PETER PAN Broadway Bound’s production, full of energetic young talent. Shoreline Center, 18560 First Ave. N.E., 526-5437. $17.50. Opens Jan. 10. Runs Fri.–Sun.; see broadwaybound.org for exact schedule. Ends Jan 25. RICHARD II Seattle Shakespeare presents one of the Bard’s great history plays. Center House Theatre, Seattle Center, 733-8222. $25–$48. Previews Jan. 8–9, opens Jan. 10. 7:30 p.m. Wed.–Sat., plus some weekend matinees; see seattleshakespeare.org for exact schedule. Ends Feb. 2. TRUST ME A new musical about two friends at different boarding schools, produced by Village Theatre’s Kidstage program. Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah, 425-392-2202, villagetheatre.org. $16–$18. Opens Jan. 10. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Jan. 26.
UPSIDE DOWNTON Jet City Improv’s sendup of a
certain PBS costume drama. Wing-It Productions, 5510 University Way N.E., 781-3879, jetcityimprov.com. $12–$15. Opens Jan. 9. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. Ends Feb. 14.
CURRENT RUNS
• LES MISÉRABLES Director Steve Tomkins and
company have created what has to be the best-ever pocket-size rendering of the 1985 smash musical. As in Victor Hugo’s 1862 class-struggle novel, 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. Also assisting Valjean’s salvation are Fantine (Beth DeVries), who tasks Valjean on her deathbed to care for her daughter, Cosette (Alexandra Zorn); would-be revolutionaries Enjolras (Steve Czarnecki) and Marius (Matthew Kacergis), who falls for the adult Cosette at first sight; and a riotous pair of comic foils who seek to undo Valjean at every turn, the treacherous Thénardiers (Kate Jaeger and Nick DeSantis). This Les Miz is a singular achievement in regional theater. Not a loose stitch has been left to chance in the three-hour staging (with intermission), which aspires to be as great as any production of the show ever mounted—and it’s better than any I’ve ever seen, ever. KEVIN PHINNEY Everett Performing Arts Center, 2710 Wetmore Ave., Everett, 425-257-8600. $28–$63. Opens Fri., Jan. 10. Runs Wed.–Sun.; see villagetheatre.org for exact schedule. Extended through Feb. 9.
TEATRO ZINZANNI: HAIL CAESAR: FORBIDDEN OASIS Frank Ferrante returns as the flamboyant,
omnisexual 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.
Classical, Etc.
• COMPOSER SPOTLIGHT A presentation by com-
poser Chris Jeffries and writer Harold Taw on their collaboration, a new one-act musical titled The Missed Connections Club. Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 8. ROYAL OPERA HOUSE AT THE MOVIES Live from London, starting with Wagner’s Parsifal. See screen vision.com for participating theaters and times. Thurs., Jan. 9 & Sun., Jan. 12. SEATTLE SYMPHONY Musical comedians Igudesman & Joo are the special guests. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, seattlesymphony.org. $19–$112. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 9. CURTIS FOSTER Music for oboe and string trio by Mozart, Stamitz, and others. Sponsored by the Early Music Guild. Northlake Unitarian Universalist Church, 308 Fourth Ave. S., Kirkland, 325-7066, earlymusicguild. org. 7:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10. SEATTLE SYMPHONY “Bach’s Coffeehouse” features music he may have played with his chamber orchestra in Leipzig: his own Suite no. 2 for flute, Telemann, Vivaldi, and more. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, seattlesymphony.org. $19–$76. 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10–Sat., Jan. 11. VESPERTINE OPERA Britten’s 1946 The Rape of Lucretia, a small-scale but hard-hitting tale of Roman history and female oppression. Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1245 Tenth Ave. E., vespertineopera.com. $30–$35. 8 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10–Sat., Jan. 11. SEATTLE OPERA A bitter jester, his innocent daughter, a rakish duke, an assassin—all clash tragically in Verdi’s Rigoletto. Riccardo Frizza conducts. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 389-7676, seattleopera.org. $25 and up. Opens Jan. 11. 7:30 p.m. Wed. & Sat., plus 7:30 p.m. Fri., Jan. 24 and 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12. Ends Jan. 25. MICHAEL HOVNANIAN This bassist plays Bach, Brahms, and more as part of the “Barry Lieberman and Friends” recital series. Brechemin Auditorium, School of Music, UW campus, 685-8384, music.washington. edu. $15. 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12. EUNYOUNG KIM Bach, Mendelssohn, and more from this Korean organist. Kane Hall, UW campus, 685-8384, music.washington.edu. $15. 3 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12. MICHAEL PARTINGTON Albeniz, Hovhaness, and more for classical guitar. Brechemin Auditorium, School of Music, UW campus, 685-8384, music.washington.edu. $15. 7:30 p.m. Sun., Jan. 12. MELIA WATRAS This UW faculty violist, plus violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim, play their own works and music by colleague Richard Karpen. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, music.washington.edu. $12–$20. 7:30 p.m. Mon., Jan. 13. GARRICK OHLSSON From this masterful pianist, music by Chopin, Schubert, and American impressionist Charles Griffes. Meany Hall, UW campus, 543-4880, uwworldseries.org. $41–$46. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 15.
• The electrifying Brazilian contemporary dance company returns to Seattle
Jan 23-25
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
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Jan 15
Garrick Ohlsson, pianist
Jan 16
A Far Cry, chamber orchestra
at Meany Hall | 206-543-4880 | uwworldseries.org
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a&c» Visual Arts B Y K E LT O N S E A R S
Openings & Events • BELLTOWN ART WALK Neighborhood galleries
(including Northwest Woodworkers Gallery, Form/ Space Atelier, A/NT Terminal Gallery, and others) and non-galleries (Cyclops, Black Bottle, Bedlam Coffee, etc.) extend their hours so you can check out work by local artists. See belltownartwalk.com for details. 6 p.m. Fri., Jan. 10. BLITZ! CAPITOL HILL ART WALK Check out the participating galleries and stores on Pike and Pine Streets, including Vermillion, Ltd. Gallery, True Love Art Gallery, Photo Center NW, Fetherston Gallery, and Rosebud, which will extend their hours. See blitzcapitolhill.com for info. 5–8 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 9. CORNISH STAFF EXHIBITION Cornish professors will be showing their own personal works in this exhibit. Cornish Alumni Gallery, 1000 Lenora St., 726-5011, cornish.edu. Opens Jan. 13. Mon.–Fri., 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Ends March 7. CRYSTALLIZATIONS & DISCREET FORMS Local street art collective New Mystics is presenting its new mixed media installation. Reception Thurs, Jan. 9, 6–8 p.m. Seattle Central Community College, 344-4379, seattlecentral.org. Opens Jan. 9. Mon.–Fri., 9:30 a.m.– 3:30 p.m. Ends Jan. 30. GRAHAM DOWNING In KEN, Downing documents what happens when he secretly places paintings in office spaces. Opening reception: Sat., Jan. 11, 6–9 p.m. LxWxH Gallery, 6007 12th Avenue S., 697-5156, length bywidthbyheight.com, Opens Jan. 11. Sat., noon–3 p.m. Ends Feb. 1. GEORGETOWN ART ATTACK This month’s shindig features a Fantagraphics show from Ron Rege Jr.’s mind-boggling, metaphysical, “Cartoon Utopia,” Brigid Blume’s ode to her past mopeds at All City Coffee, and Maxx Follis’ skull art at Eight and Sand. See georgetown artattack.com for info. 6–9 p.m. Sat., Jan. 10. DARNITA L. HOWARD Portals to Spirituality finds Howard utilizing digital fractals and traditional materials to explore “spirituality, nature, love, beauty, and culture.” Opening reception: Thurs., Jan. 9, 6–9 p.m. Gay City Health Project, 511 E. Pike St., 860-6969, gaycity.org. Opens Jan. 9. Mon.–Sat., 3–8 p.m. Ends Feb. 9. DEBORAH FAYE LAWRENCE Dee-Dee Redux is a retrospective of Lawrence’s collage work since moving to Seattle in 1993 featuring Dee-Dee Lorenzo—Lawrence’s alter ego. ArtsWest, 4711 California Ave. S.W., 938-0339, artswest.org. Opens Jan. 9. Thurs.–Sat., 1–7:30 p.m. Ends Feb. 22. DYLAN NEUWIRTH MMXIV uses neon light to explore today’s digital obsessions. Opening reception: Thurs., Jan. 9, 6–9 p.m. Vermillion, 1508 11th Ave., 709-9797, vermillionseattle.com. Opens Jan. 9, Tues.–Sun., 4 p.m.– midnight. Ends Feb. 8. PIPER O’NEIL & ROBIN LAYTON Piper O’Neil’s new collection Marking Time is an ode to Depression Era iconography in collage and bronze sculpture. Robin Layton’s Capturing Energy collects two distinct series of the photographer’s work, one focusing on “of the moment” images, and the other on America’s interest in basketball. Opening reception: Wed., Jan. 8, 6–8 p.m. Winston Wachter Fine Art, 203 Dexter Ave. N., 652-5855, winstonwachter.com. Mon.–Sat., 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Ends Feb. 21. POETRY//PAINTING This exhibit hinges upon a simple premise: pair the work of a painter with the work of a poet, and display them side by side. Opening reception: Thurs., Jan. 9, 6–9 p.m. Blindfold Gallery, 1718 E. Olive Way, 328-5100, blindfoldgallery.com. Opens Jan. 9. Wed.–Sat., 1–5 p.m. Ends Feb. 8. QUOTH THE RAVEN This group show functions as a tribute to the darkness and intelligence ravens and crows. A portion of the sales proceeds will go toward corvid research. Opening reception during Georgetown Art Attack: Sat., Jan. 11, 6–9 p.m. Krab Jab Studio, 5628 Airport Way S., 715-8593, krabjabstudio.com. Opens Jan. 14. Tues. & Thurs., 2–5 p.m. Ends Jan. 30. PAUL STANKARD Work from the East Coast glass artist, including flowers, insects and natural elements. Opening reception: Thurs, Jan. 9, 5–8 p.m. William Traver Gallery, 110 Union St., 587-6501, travergallery.com. Opens Jan. 9. Tues.–Sat., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Ends Feb. 2. UNPREDICTABLE GRAVITY Curated by Robbie Lowery in response to his wife’s cancer diagnosis, this group show’s proceeds will benefit three different cancer research charities. Opening reception: Thurs., Jan. 9, 6–9 p.m. Roq La Rue, 532 First Ave. S., 374-8977, roqlarue.com. Opens Jan. 9. Wed.–Sat., noon–5 p.m. Ends March 1.
•
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SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
Send events to visualarts@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended
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SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
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THE MUPPET MOVIE
Fri - Wed @ 7:00PM / SUN @ 3:00PM
JAN 9 only EVANGELION 1 & 2 double feature
February 10 The General
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arts&culture» Film
Opening ThisWeek
just a little too easy, and Wells (who directed the dreary Company Men in 2010) encourages everybody to bop their lines right on the nose. This big serving of ham and eggs wants to be taken seriously. The Weinstein Company’s ad campaign, which emphasizes the family bitch-fest angle, suggests they know otherwise. August can be enjoyed on that level, but if you think too hard about what a Pulitzer is, your head will hurt. ROBERT HORTON
Roberts and Streep prepare for combat.
PFaust RUNS FRI., JAN. 10–THURS., JAN. 16 AT NORTHWEST FILM FORUM. NOT RATED. 135 MINUTES.
CLAIRE FOLGER/WEINSTEIN CO.
August: Osage County OPENS FRI., JAN. 10 AT GUILD 45TH AND OTHER THEATERS. RATED R. 118 MINUTES.
OPENS FRI., JAN. 10 AT SIFF FILM CENTER. NOT RATED. 123 MINUTES.
Since his 1979 debut, Return of the Secaucus Seven, the pioneering indie director John Sayles has never flagged in his sober commitment to exploring social issues. But he’s a realist; he knows audiences like stories. And after a handful of iffy box-office performers, Sayles cozies up to an out-and-out genre picture with Go for Sisters, which—perhaps not coincidentally—is also his best in over a decade. For by-the-book Los Angeles parole officer Bernice (LisaGay Hamilton), life is uncharacteristically out of her control: Her adult son, a combat vet, is missing after getting mixed up in some dodgy border trouble. The only person who can help is her former high-school friend, Fontayne (Yolonda Ross), a recovering addict and ex-con. While the two investigate, they get into dicey situations in Tijuana and Mexicali, aided by disgraced ex-cop Freddy Suárez (Edward James Olmos), a low-talking freelancer whose instincts are as good as his eyesight is bad. That this plotline seems as contrived as the average TV cop show’s hardly detracts from the wellhoned precision of Sayles’ dialogue or the beauty of the central performances. In other words, this is one of those examples of a storytelling hook— can the trio find Bernice’s son and avoid getting killed in the process?—carrying the weight of a serious study of milieu and character. Sayles’ interests here include the haplessness of illegal immigrants and the strange role played by the Chinese in human trafficking across the border, as well as society’s tendency to mark a false division between sinners and innocents. Happily, all of that comes through without sacrificing our interest in this specific troupe of searchers. Ross, statuesque and street-smart, makes us believe in the weakness of her generally good-hearted character, and Olmos—even though he’s done this kind of guy before—is never less than satisfying to watch. Freddy used to be known as “El Terminator,” but his lethal powers must’ve been subtle. At this point in his disappointed life, he’s underplaying like a man who’s seen it all and is resigned to how bad things could get. Best of all, the movie hands a big role to the well-traveled Hamilton (she had regular roles on The Practice and Men of a Certain Age), who almost never lets you catch her acting. In spots where Go for Sisters strains to connect its plot points with implausible behavior, Hamilton’s steady gaze and no-nonsense delivery practically dare you to raise an objection. I, for one, was sufficiently intimidated on that score, and stayed engrossed throughout. ROBERT HORTON
Lone Survivor OPENS FRI., JAN. 10 AT PACIFIC PLACE AND OTHER THEATERS. RATED R. 121 MINUTES.
This movie’s title, and Mark Wahlberg’s being the only face on its poster, gives you the ending but not the impetus to Peter Berg’s grueling war drama. Wahlberg plays Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who participated in a 2005 raid in Afghanistan that went terribly wrong. His bestselling 2007 memoir became a darling of the Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin right, which shouldn’t deter you from seeing Lone Survivor. Politics don’t figure in this patriotic story, and you get the feeling the raid would’ve ended badly no matter who occupied the White House. However, it
takes a tough constitution to endure Berg’s long central firefight, which seems to go on forever. Berg introduces Luttrell and his three buddies in efficient, Old Hollywood style; the others are Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Dietz (Emile Hirsch), and Axelson (Ben Foster). Each is given a defining trait (Texan, fiancée, tattoo artist, etc.), but they’re really just parts of a single combat organism, bound by taunting and testosterone. (There are no women in the film.) As in Berg’s 2004 Friday Night Lights, the team finds coherence on the field—here meaning in the field, dropped by helicopter near a remote village to reconnoiter a hit on an Al Qaeda leader. This is where, unlike the impeccable efficiency of the Navy SEALs in Captain Phillips, it all goes to shit. Asymmetrical warfare flips against our expensively provided foursome. Their cover is blown by goatherds. The sat-phones don’t work. Their support helicopters are pulled away to other missions. And finally they’re alone, encircled on a hilltop by 100 Taliban fighters whom Berg poses against the skyline like Indians preparing to attack a wagon train in Monument Valley. Using occasional bursts of slo-mo for emphasis, Berg may glorify these brave SEALs, but he doesn’t romanticize combat. It’s a nasty business of ducking fire, retreating down cliffs, and packing gunshot wounds with dirt. (“Did they really shoot me in the fucking head?” one guy wonders. Yes, they did.) There have been several other military-approved combat movies since 9/11, but this one—to its credit—hardly plays like a recruitment ad. BRIAN MILLER
Pig Death Machine RUNS FRI., JAN. 10–THURS., JAN. 16 AT NORTHWEST FILM FORUM. NOT RATED. 84 MINUTES.
Ah, the blessings of Kickstarter. Just because you can get a movie funded doesn’t mean you should make that movie. Underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu and his wife/co-writer/leading lady Amy Davis want to say something about food safety and the hazards of eating meat, and they take an amusingly gonzo approach to the subject, but Pig Death Machine is still fatally undercooked. Pork parasites infect the brain of ditzy Cocojoy (Davis), miraculously raising her IQ like Flowers for Algernon. Working at the same restaurant that served her, crazy plant lady Lipton (Hannah Levbarg) eats some of the tainted swine, which gives her a very different condition: Suddenly she can hear the pleading voices of captive plants, which beg her for water and attention. (In one funny scene, blades of grass yelp in pain when she walks across the lawn.) The lo-fi aesthetic and punk-rock score hint at the class divisions of Santa Fe, where Cocojoy cleans motel toilets and Lipton eats scraps from her menial kitchen job. Then the newly brainy Cocojoy earns a fortune at the casino (unfortunately unseen), installs herself in a posh hotel, and begins studying for some unspecified purpose; meanwhile Lipton tries to find the source factory for their psychoactive pork. Yet their tales never really converge; there’s no culprit behind their conditions, and ultimately no point. Moritsugu’s flashes of surrealism and animation give Pig Death Machine a whimsical, dreamlike quality when the subject, industrial meat production, deserves a more nightmarish treatment. BRIAN MILLER E
film@seattleweekly.com
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
Tracy Letts won the Pulitzer Prize for his play August: Osage County, and he has written the screenplay for this film. If you seek a useful yardstick for the distance between stage and screen, this movie provides one: Here is a writer adapting his own work for the movies, and there is almost no evidence of how this display of canned yammering could possibly have won a high literary honor. Admittedly, if you imagine everything playing out on one set, with August ’s overlapping dramatic arcs and crafted one-liners creating an actors’ showcase, the thing could work as a dramatic night in the theater. But open all that up to the outdoors, dissipate the pressurecooker structure with lapses in time, and let director John Wells add a sentimental spirit to the proceedings, and you’ve got one middling movie. Osage County is in Oklahoma, where the lemony matriarch of the Weston family, Violet (Meryl Streep), has gathered the clan in the aftermath of tragedy. She has three daughters, and while she treats sensible Ivy ( Julianne Nicholson) and silly Karen ( Juliette Lewis) badly enough, she saves her special venom for her favorite, Barbara ( Julia Roberts). Barbara’s marriage to an academic (Ewan McGregor) is unraveling, so she’s in the mood for a tussle, and we’re going to get one. The cast is heavy with good folk, including Margo Martindale as Violet’s overshadowed sister (Chris Cooper plays her easy-livin’ husband), and an uncharacteristically tongue-tied Benedict Cumberbatch. All those family tensions take time to sort out, but it really comes down to Barbara standing up to her mother— and to Streep and Roberts playing with the material like prizefighters. And while Streep is the savvy, surgical Muhammad Ali to Roberts’ blunt-punching Joe Frazier in that match, there’s a sense that even Dame Meryl is coasting on technique here. The gotcha dialogue is
For a movie called Faust, director Alexander Sokurov takes his sweet time getting to the money shot. The film is at least three-quarters done by the time Faust—here a philosophical surgeon in a grubby, early-19th-century German village—gets around to signing away his soul to the devil. But this is only one of the many variations the Russian filmmaker has played on the famous tale, a delirious and destabilizing version that took the top prize at the 2011 Venice Film Festival. After a wild special-effects shot that descends from the heavens (a flight through the clouds that perhaps pays homage to a similar sequence in F.W. Murnau’s great silent Faust from 1926), we meet Faust ( Johannes Zeiler) in the middle of an autopsy. Carving up a distinctly unappetizing specimen and once again failing to find the soul located in any of the organs that flop from the corpse, Faust stomps off in a discouraged snit. Much of the rest of the movie springs from his encounter with a moneylender named Muller (Anton Adasinsky), whose ability to taunt and tempt Faust marks him as the movie’s Mephistopheles character, even if he’s never blatantly outed as the devil. Sokurov follows these two around as they navigate the crumbling, muddy town, a place that occasionally emerges in warped, slanted angles or blurry visions—cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, whose talent is currently on display in Inside Llewyn Davis, must’ve gotten overtime pay for keeping up with Sokurov’s busy ideas. Sokurov is a filmmaker of international renown who occasionally hits greatness (Mother and Son, or his single-take cruise through the Hermitage, Russian Ark). He has said that Faust is the final film in a tetralogy about power, preceded by studies of real-life figures—Hitler (Moloch), Lenin (Taurus), and Hirohito (The Sun). Those films were stately, slow, very Russian. Maybe Sokurov got a little gassed on the witchy German mythology of Faust, because this movie is wildly different. It almost feels like 1970s-era Werner Herzog, all earthy humor and bizarre digressions; it hardly surprises us by the time Faust and Muller go for a dip at a public bathhouse and the latter is revealed to have a small tail (or something) located in his backside. Zeiler even looks a little like Bruno S., Herzog’s eccentric leading man of the ’70s. None of which really unlocks the mystery of this Faust, although the film is a crazy fever-dream to sit through. Recommendation or warning? You decide. But it is funnier than expected, and a new wrinkle even for students of the Faust legend. ROBERT HORTON
PGo for Sisters
23
arts&culture» Film
filtering the best of
THE NORTHWEST! BY BRIAN MILLER
Local & Repertory
is on instagram.com
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF KARL KROGSTAD The
MARRIAGE IS AN INSTITUTION. DIVORCE IS BIG BUSINESS.
energetic local artist and filmmaker takes a look back at his life and career, likely in a whimsical vein. Among those offering personal perspectives on the man are Gus Van Sant and Tom Robbins. Krogstad will attend. (NR) Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., karlkrogstad.com, $10, Thu., Jan. 9, 7:30 p.m. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 19. THE BOONDOCK SAINTS Willem Dafoe and Billy Connolly were the only ones to emerge with careers intact after this 2000 debacle by one-shot auteur Troy Duffy. His Irish-Catholic revenge tale was famously, briefly, and contentiously a Miramax darling—and then the subject of a ferocious falling-out and many lawsuits. A terrible sequel followed in 2009, but the 2003 backstage documentary Overnight really ought to be paired with Boondock, as it details Duffy’s spectacular egotism and self-destruction. (R) Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 686-6684, central-cinema.com, $6-$8, Jan. 10-15, 9:30 p.m. EVANGELION 3.0: YOU CAN (NOT) REDO The final installment of this anime sci-fi series again features plucky young heroes piloting giant robots, rather like Pacific Rim. See the GI website for showtimes. (NR) Grand Illusion, 1403 N.E. 50th St., 523-3935, grandillusioncinema.org, $5-$8, Jan. 10-16. HERE COMES THE DEVIL In this ’70s-style horror homage by Adrián García Bogliano, two little kids go missing, then return to their parents as demonic killers. Or something like that. (NR) Grand Illusion, $5-$8, Fri. & Sat. 10:15 p.m. LAS MARTHAS Director Cristina Ibarra will be on hand to introduce her new documentary about the Martha Washington Society debutante ball in Laredo, Texas, in which Mexican-American teens dress up in 18th-century frocks. (NR) Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave., 622-9250, fryemuseum.org, Free, Sat., Jan. 11, noon. THE MUPPET MOVIE This family favorite from 1979 features “Rainbow Connection” and other tunes sung by Kermit and the gang. (G) Central Cinema, $6-$8, Jan. 10-15, 7 p.m. ROADMAP TO APARTHEID This new doc draws parallels between South Africa and Israel’s policies in the West Bank. (NR) Keystone Congregational Church, 5019 Keystone Place N., 632-6021, Free, Fri., Jan. 10, 7 p.m. THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Bring your costumes and attitude for this 1975 cult classic. (R) Central Cinema, central-cinema.com, $8-$10, Thu., Jan. 9, 8 p.m.
• NARRATED BY DR. DREW PINSKY
“Watch!”
“Not to be missed!”
-Jarett Wieselman, ETonline.com
-Dr. Joy Browne, RADIO AMERICA
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EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 AMC LOEWS OAK TREE 6 10006 Aurora Ave N, Seattle (888) AMC-4FUN
Q&A with filmmakers, family law experts, and activists after the 7:05pm show on Jan 12th! 2.31" x 4" WED 01/08 SEATTLE WEEKLY SEAT TLE DUE 5PM 4500 9TH AVE.MON NE • 206-633-0059
Best Movies - No TV Commercials Seattle Weekly ~ Best of Seattle
‘Best Movie Theater 2013’ Editor’s Pick
Artist: Heather
mett
(circle one:)
Staci
Steve
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
on #:
WI
+ FANTASY SHORT FILM • SCIENCE FICTION FESTIVAL SEE THE GEEKLY REPORT, PAGE 29. • SILENT MOVIE MONDAYS SEE THE PICK LIST,
NNER
PAGE 19.
• RESERVED SEATING - all
(circle one:) AE: seats shows all Angela Maria Josh
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THE SPROCKET SOCIETY’S SATURDAY SECRET MATINEES The 1949 serial Batman & Robin will be ART APPROVED
screened in weekly installments. January’s surprise
AE APPROVED features will have a superhero theme. (NR) Grand CLIENT APPROVED Illusion, $5-$8 individual, $35-$56 pass, Opens Jan.
- enjoy your food & drink at your seat
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HER INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS AMERICAN HUSTLE LONE SURVIVOR THE WOLF OF WALL STREET THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG 3D/2D THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
11, Saturdays, 2 p.m. Through March 29.
Ongoing
• AMERICAN HUSTLE The latest concoction from
David O. Russell is full of big roundhouse swings and juicy performances: It’s a fictionalized take on the Abscam scandal of the late 1970s, in which the FBI teamed with a second-rate con man (here called Irving Rosenfeld, played by Christian Bale) in a wacko sting operation involving a bogus Arab sheik and bribes to U.S. congressmen. Along with the FBI coercing him into its scheme, Irving is caught between his hottie moll Sydney (Amy Adams) and neglected wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence). Even more complicated for Irving is that one of the targets of the undercover operation, a genially corrupt yet idealistic Jersey politico (Jeremy Renner), turns out to be a soulmate. Equally unhappy is the presiding FBI agent (Bradley Cooper, his permed hair and his sexual urge equally curled in maddening knots), who’s developed a crush on Sydney that is driving him insane. Russell encourages his actors to go for it, and man, do they go for it. (R) ROBERT HORTON Pacific Place, Ark Lodge, Bainbridge, Big Picture, Cinebarre, Kirkland Parkplace, Lincoln Square, SIFF Cinema Uptown, Sundance, others
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ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES Will
Ferrell and Adam McKay have frittered nearly a decade since their 2004 hit Anchorman. Maybe they’ve overthought the character of Ron Burgundy a tad too much. While Ron has moved from San Diego in the mid-’70s to New York in the early ’80s, more time has passed outside the multiplex. So Ferrell and McKay are torn: Should they reassemble the old cast, add some fresh cameos, and package a bunch of sketches; or should they endeavor to actually say something about the news business? Both approaches are crammed into one sporadically funny movie, but neither half will have you blowing soda out your nose. With Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, and David Koechner. (PG-13) BRIAN MILLER Alderwood 16, Factoria, Woodinville, Pacific Place, Southcenter, Cinebarre, Varsity, Lincoln Square, others HER Spike Jonze’s unlikely romance is set in a smooth, efficient near-future Los Angeles. There are no poor people, no upsetting stories on the news. Technology works perfectly. Everyone ought to be happy, and that’s the problem for mopey Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix). Gradually it emerges that he’ separated from his wife (Rooney Mara), but won’t sign the divorce papers. Impulsively deciding to upgrade his phone and home PC, Theodore opts for the new OS1 (“It’s not just an operating system, it’s a consciousness”). He chooses a female voice (Scarlett Johansson’s) called Samantha, which soon takes over his life. Before long they’re going on dates together—and more. When Theodore finally spills his secret, his friend Amy (Amy Adams) treats it like no big news—everyone’s falling in love with an OS, she tells him. In this ingenious and unexpectedly touching story, both humans and programs worry about being alone. And both yearn to connect across the digital divide between sentience and software. (R) B.R.M. Ark Lodge, Bainbridge, Harvard Exit, Lincoln Square, Majestic Bay, Sundance, Kirkland Parkplace, others THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Part 2 of Peter Jackson’s three-year Hobbit project, Smaug improves on last year’s rambling An Unexpected Journey by sticking to a clean, headlong storyline and jettisoning much of Part 1’s juvenile humor. Our hero, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), is traveling with his crowd of bumptious dwarfs, intent on finding a magical stone inside a mountain crammed with treasure. Wee wrinkle: The mountain is home to a dragon named Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch), who likes to emerge periodically from his lair and burn down neighboring Laketown. This is really the only plot. Wizard leader Gandalf (Ian McKellen) breaks off from the travelers for his own jaunt; elfin archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom) returns to the fray from his LOTR stint; and a new elf character named Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) provides woman-warrior action. (PG-13) R.H. Pacific Place, Southcenter, Ark Lodge, Cinebarre, Cinerama, Kirkland Parkplace, Lincoln Square, Sundance, others INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS While there are funny bits in this simple story of a struggling folk musician in 1961 Greenwich Village, very loosely inspired by Dave Van Ronk’s memoir The Mayor of MacDougal Street, the situation for Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is fairly dire. He has no money, no apartment, and no real prospects in the music industry—apart from an album that isn’t selling. He’s the wrong guy at the right moment, as the movie’s poignant final scenes make clear. The Coen brothers aren’t really making a comedy here, and you should temper your expectations to appreciate the movie’s minor-key rewards. Isaac can really sing and play guitar; the sterling soundtrack, by T Bone Burnett, is built around live music performances; and the catchiest tune—“Please, Mr. Kennedy”—is a knowingly cornball novelty song. But Llewyn’s a jerk to fellow musicians and benefactors, rude to his sister, and dismissive of others’ talent—possibly because he’s unsure of his own. (R) B.R.M. Ark Lodge, Harvard Exit, Lincoln Square, Sundance, others MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM Sad to report, this biopic is a routine movie. The attempt to tell the whole long story puts a burden on leading man Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, The Wire. Elba handles the task with aplomb, adjusting his performance from the cocky clotheshorse and fiery leader of youth to the calm visionary with the post-prison healing touch. There’s also a whole separate movie to be made around Naomie Harris’ ferocious performance as Winnie Mandela, a very complicated person who bashes around during the film’s midsection. Over 146 minutes, Mandela’s life is dutifully told, but unless you’re going to set a wildly distinctive moviemaker loose on the material, I still think the right approach to historical figures is not the lifespan model but the snapshot. (PG-13) R.H. Bainbridge, Lincoln Square, Meridian, Sundance, others
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• 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. His son David (Will Forte, surprisingly tender) becomes the enabler/Sancho Panza figure on their 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-whitemovie, which makes it sound more bleak than it is. There’s both comedy and pathos as Woody makes his triumphant return to Hawthorne, en route to the sweepstakes office in Lincoln, Nebraska. Supposedly a prospective millionaire in his old hometown, he’s a big shot at last, grander than his bullying old business partner Ed (Stacy Keach). If the locals mistakenly gush over Woody’s good fortune, and if his own ridiculous family, the Grants, come begging for riches, he enjoys the acclaim. Also visiting Lincoln is Woody’s wife, the movie’s salty truth-teller. Kate (June Squibb, a hoot) cheerfully defames the dead, ridicules Woody’s lottery dreams, and gives zero fucks about offending anyone. With its mix of delusion, decency, and dunces, Nebraska is one of the year’s best films. (R) B.R.M. Oak Tree, Guild 45th, SIFF Cinema Uptown PHILOMENA Based on actual events, our film begins with journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan), a brittle Oxbridge type, newly out of a job and lowering himself to write a human-interest story. That’s how he meets Philomena (Judi Dench), an Irish lady with the kinds of questions that perhaps only a reporter could answer. As a teenager in the 1950s, Philomena got pregnant, was sent to a Catholic convent to hide her sin, and gave birth there. She remained at the convent as unpaid labor, and her little boy was taken at age 3, never to be seen or heard from again. The pair’s discoveries are a matter of record now, but we’ll hold off on the revelations . . . except to say that there are some doozies. Maybe it’s Coogan’s acerbic personality (he scripted, with Jeff Pope), or director Stephen Frears’ unpretentious take on the material, but Philomena generally succeeds in distinguishing itself from the average weepie. The calm roll-out is effective; Coogan’s performance is shrewd; and anytime the camera gets near the convent, the Irish chill is almost palpable. (PG-13) R.H. Oak Tree, Seven Gables, Meridian, Bainbridge 12 YEARS A SLAVE Made by English director Steve McQueen, this harrowing historical drama is based on a memoir by Solomon Northup (here played by Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man from Saratoga, New York, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Solomon passes through the possession of a series of Southern plantation owners. One sensitive slave owner (Benedict Cumberbatch) gives Solomon—a musician by trade—a fiddle. Then he’s sold to the cruel cotton farmer Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender), who also owns the furiously hard-working Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o). Patsey, like Solomon, is caught inside the terror of not knowing how to play this hand. Do they keep their heads down and try to survive, or do they resist? This is no Amistad or Schindler’s List, tackling the big story, but a personal tale. Instead of taking on the history of the “peculiar institution,” the film narrows itself to a single story, Solomon’s daily routine, his few possessions. The film’s and-then-this-happened quality is appropriate for a memoir written in the stunned aftermath of a nightmare. Along the way, McQueen includes idyllic nature shots of Louisiana, as though to contrast that unspoiled world with what men have done in it. The contrast is lacerating. (R) R.H. Varsity, Meridian THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Hugely, rudely entertaining, Martin Scorsese’s three-hour tale of rogue stock traders during the early ‘90s stars a ferociously funny Leonardo DiCaprio as Jordan Belfort, upon whose jailhouse memoir the movie is based. Wolf almost seems like a remake of Scorsese’s Goodfellas— or two of them, given its length. Here again are the crazed, colorful criminals, the mountains of blow, the army of hookers, the venal vitality of a life lived outside the law. The crucial difference, however, is the absence of mobsters and violence; this film is a greedcom, and the clowns include Jonah Hill, Rob Reiner, Matthew McConaughey, Jean Dujardin, and Spike Jonze. In a way, this is the movie Brian De Palma tried and failed to make out of Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities. Belfort is a guy programmed to sell, fuck, steal, and get high, only fun to watch while engaged in those core activities. In the film’s coda, Belfort finally recognizes as much: The only thing worse than being poor is being bored. Fortunately for us, Scorsese’s Wolf is the opposite of boring. (R) B.R.M. Bainbridge, Cinebarre, Lincoln Square, Meridian, SIFF Cinema Uptown, Sundance, Bainbridge, others
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arts&culture» Music
Avant-Garde Electro Shred
SevenNights E D I T E D B Y G W E N D O LY N E L L I O T T
Wednesday, Jan. 8 He’s bearded, he’s soulful, he’s earnest. He’s Duvall, Washington’s AUSTIN JENCKES, a contestant on the most recent season of The Voice, where he made the top 10 as one of Blake Shelton’s singers. Inspired by his dad, whose guitar he sometimes plays, Jenckes is doing the right thing: striking while the iron is hot by heading out on a quick West Coast tour while he tries to figure out what kind of record he wants to make. After selling out two nights at the Crocodile, the venue added a third (Saturday), as fans who watched him on TV this fall are eager to hear some of the songs he played on the tube in person, like The Outfield’s “Your Love,” the Black Crowes’ “She Talks to Angels,” and Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be.” Now that he lives in Nashville, this will be a homecoming of sorts for Jenckes. With Stephanie Anne Johnson (Wed.), Polecat (Thurs.), Cody Beebe & the Crooks (Sat.). The Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-4618. thecrocodile. com. 8 p.m. $12–$25. DAVE LAKE
Cairo’s Expo 91 festival keeps the forefront in the foreground. BY KELTON SEARS
Weed
Thursday, Jan. 9 ANDREW VOLK
Saturday is what Cairo is calling the festival’s “shred-ful pop/rock” night. Help Yourself Records labelmates Childbirth and Wimps will rev things up by shambling out power chords and yelping about prank sex and the futility of napping. But as shredders go, no one made me throw up the devil horns last year more than Vancouver, B.C.’s Weed, which also plays on Saturday. Deserve, the band’s debut LP, was one of my absolute favorite records of 2013—a lo-fi shred sesh of blown-out guitars and triumphant melodies that should soundtrack the next X Games broadcast. Sunday, billed as the “avant” night, will feature Lori Goldston’s first Cairo performance. Goldston is a local legend, lending her otherworldly string skills to the music of everyone from Nirvana to Earth to David Byrne. Her eponymous 7-inch from last fall features majestic, guttural cello drones that sound as if they are bellowing out from the loamy soil of the Northwest.
Cairo, 507 E. Mercer St.; see templeofcairo. com for full lineup. 6 p.m. $7 per night. All ages. Thurs., Jan. 9–Sun., Jan. 12. E ksears@seattleweekly.com
Send events to music@seattleweekly.com. See seattleweekly.com for full listings.
Friday, Jan. 10
HALF KINGDOM creates experimental music without
the pretentiousness. Mixing a post-rock aesthetic with math-rock guitars over an ambient-synth foundation, the group has come up with an accessible Frankenstein-like project with its new EP, Guided by Vices. Both funky and raw, the band’s broad sounds merge into an exhilarating, almost theatrical experience. With iji, Imaginary Lines. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. $7. 9 p.m. 21 and over. DUSTY HENRY EVENING BELL is Ballard honky-tonker Davidson Hart Kingsbery’s new project with pianist Caitlin Sherman. The two perform tender Americana-rooted duets with a slightly haunted edge that recall the dusty barrooms of the vintage country era. Think Gram Parsons meets Tom Waits with a feminine touch. Great stuff. With Tripwires, Moonspinners. Conor Byrne. $8. 9 p.m. GWENDOLYN ELLIOTT As I was combing a lonely stretch of shoreline in Petersberg, Alaska, it wasn’t the ancient petroglyphs that moved me so much as the shipwrecks: At low tide you could enter their rusted hulls and explore. While taking it all in, CALIFONE’s debut Roomsound and its haunting single “Bottles and Bones” instantly came to mind (the inside of the wreck was littered with them). Rattling, experimental, propulsive: That was Califone circa 2001. The Chicago-based group led by former Red Red Meat frontman Tim Rutili has since released a number of albums, most recently this year’s Stitches. The band’s sound now incorporates more synth-based elements (as opposed to the jangled acousticism of its early days), but with this band it’s a most natural progression. Califone’s music—falling somewhere between Brian Eno and Wilco—has always been about atmospherics, the kind that perfectly soundtrack an eerie encounter on the beach. With the Luyas. The Crocodile. 8 p.m. $12 adv. All ages. GE KRAUTROCK TRIBUTE: AN EVENING OF COSMIC GERMAN MUSIC Do you despise most typical
Western musical conventions? Tend to prefer your beats motorik and your bass lines relentlessly groovy? Well then, tonight will have you exclaiming “Wunderbar!” as a slew of local bands cover tunes from Kraut classics like Neu, Faust, Kraftwerk, and Can. With Low Hums, Teredecimal, Red Martian, Blue Light Curtain, Terminal Fuzz Terror. Lo-Fi, 429 Eastlake Ave., 254-2824, thelofi.net. 9 p.m. $7. 21 and over. KELTON SEARS THAO & THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN It’s no wonder folks in Seattle understand what this San Francisco– based act is putting down. Firstly, the band’s breakout release, 2008’s We Brave Bee Stings and All, was recorded in our backyard (via Olympia’s K Records). Secondly, the group’s perfect blend of dreamy, funkinspired folk is just the sort of stuff that gets Seattle peeps to dance. With Sonny & the Sunsets. Neptune Theatre, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414, stgpresents. org/neptune. 9 p.m. $16.50 adv./$18 DOS. KEEGAN PROSSER
Reel Big Fish
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
But the great thing about Cairo is that it’s a venue and an art space. Expo 91’s opening night on Thursday will feature a laundry list of some of the city’s most interesting artists. CMRTYZ, a local collective, are the folks behind all those Xeroxed, melty show posters you’ve been seeing around town for bands like Grave Babies, Rose Windows, and MTNS. They were also commissioned to design a shirt for Austin Psych Fest, which they obliged by placing a cut-out of a woman wearing Spirograph glasses in the middle of a sea of thick cartoon haze. Julie Alpert’s art looks like a torrent of colorful quilts getting blown out of a volcano. JD Banke has a painting that informs you to simultaneously “Fuck Off/ Don’t Fuck Off.” Expletive-rich dualities aside, make sure you aren’t a fuck-off and forget to check out Expo 91 this weekend. The only valid excuse for missing it? Getting lost in Ramses II’s temple maze.
JONATHAN THORPE
W
hen the Expo 86 World’s Fair premiered in Vancouver, B.C., it included a kitschy exhibit called “The Great Hall of Ramses II.” Fairgoers could Indiana Jones their way through a dimly lit temple maze modeled after the tombs of ancient Egypt. Perhaps it was here that Capitol Hill boutique founder Joel Leshefka decided on the name Cairo for his gallery space and venue. According to the space’s current curator, James Scheall, it’s definitely where the name Expo came from, Cairo’s annual arts and music festival. The festival’s first incarnation, in 2008, was, like the fair, simply Expo 86. Now we’ve arrived at Expo 91. Unfortunately there won’t be any temple mazes—but, lucky for us, there will be pretty much everything else: Performance art from feminist punk singers. Avant-garde cellists. A band called “Weed” (more on it later). All in all, more than 30 visual artists and musicians will squeeze into Cairo’s cozy confines to get art-blasted with goodness from what the boutique calls “the underbelly of the musical space needle.” “When we put Expo together, we try to stay on the forefront of what’s happening in our community. What’s new? What’s interesting?” says Scheall, who helped curate this year’s event. “I also like to look for people who are not only really good at what they’re doing in whatever style it is, but also really pushing the boundaries of that style.” Boundary-pushers abound on Scheall’s bill for the four-night affair. Black Hat, the project of Nelson Bean and one of the standouts on Friday’s electronic-music night, makes meditative, whirring drone music that sounds like a washer, a dryer, and a microwave got together to do yoga: clangorous, metallic, but also strangely soothing. “He takes a really interesting approach to making electronic music that on one hand is really dark, but also has this beauty and serenity to it that differs depending on when you catch him performing,” Scheall says.
With each performance, BLAKE NOBLE reinvents the traditional image of a one-man band. While strumming and/or tapping his 12-string guitar, which doubles as a percussive instrument, Noble sticks to his Aussie roots (he moved to Seattle in 2012) and incorporates the yidaki, or didgeridoo, into his set. Its deep, warbling bellow adds an otherworldly aspect to the more familiar acoustic guitar. With Planes on Paper, The Holy Broke. Conor Byrne Pub, 5140 Ballard Ave. N.W., 784-3640, conorbyrnepub.com. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. AZARIA C. PODPLESKY REVEREND HORTON HEAT On its newest album, Rev—due out Jan. 21— the Reverend himself, Jim Heath, got back to doing what he does best, playing Chuck Berry–style guitar licks over Eddie Cochran rhythms, delivered at warp speed with a heavy dose of punk-rock spirit. Heath didn’t invent psychobilly; that was done years before he hit the scene by an underground contingent of garage bands around England (also, arguably, by the Cramps). He also didn’t bring back ’50s rockabilly to America; that was popularized by Brian Setzer and his band the Stray Cats earlier in the decade. What Heath has done, and continues to do, is marry the two concepts in a way no one else can. The Rev’s music is dirty, raw, and in-your-face, but there’s also a purity and finesse to it that can’t be denied. Let us now bow our heads. With Nekromantix, Old Man Markley. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxonline.com. 8 p.m. $21.50 adv./$25 DOS. CORBIN REIFF Even when the songs on GREENHORNBLUEHORN’s self-titled EP slip into clap-and-stomp, hoot-and-holler territory, the rich vocal harmonies of brothers Brent and Chris Antal, both of whom also play guitar, are still calming. Bassist James Fairchild and Shane McDonald
on keys add even more warmth to the band’s folk tunes—especially “Bag of Bones,” which earned a spot, and rightly so, on Ball of Wax Vol. 32, a recent compilation of Seattle talent. With Black Giraffe, Vigilante Santos. Waid’s, 1212 E. Jefferson St., 3286493. 9:30 p.m. $5. 21 and over. ACP
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Thursday, January 9– Thursday, January 16
T
here are a lot of great things about Neumos, the club that’s anchored Capitol Hill’s livemusic scene for a decade now. It’s fitting, then, that Neumos and its attached Moe Bar will share a b-day celebration—a ridiculously excellent week of performances by Telekinesis, the Thermals, and the Posies, who will play Frosting on the Beater. Shows are $15 each or two for $20, which seems like a gift to Seattle as much as to Neumos. In celebration, here are 10 things to love about the venue: 1. A diverse booking roster where punk rock sits beside hip-hop. 2. The room’s vibe walks the line between upscale and dive, providing a comfortable spot for metalheads and rappers alike. 3. Whether EDM or neo-folk, bands at Neumos sound great—and at varying volumes. 4. You can see the stage just fine from anywhere, plus there’s an upstairs area for the
The first TIMBRRR! WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL promises more than some fine pop bands, including Hey Marseilles, Telekinesis, The Moondoggies, The Lonely Forest and The Wild Ones. The two-day event (through Saturday, Jan. 11) is also a wintery getaway from the drizzly city that includes snow sports and a Hot Toddy Happy Hour, all nestled in the Bavarian wonderland of Leavenworth. It’s a midwinter dream, really. Various locations, Leavenworth, Wash., timbermusicfest.com. $45 adv. MARK BAUMGARTEN
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
Saturday, Jan. 11
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SMOOTH SAILING’s first full-length, 2011’s XoXo,
remains a remarkable achievement nearly three years later, full of thunderous, metallic riffs. We’ll hopefully hear more of the same when the band records some of the new material it’s been playing live lately. Rounding out this bill are local heavyweights Grenades and Princess, who both put out well-received records last year. Blue Moon, 712 N.E. 45th St., 675-9116, bluemoon seattle.wordpress.com. 9:30 p.m. $8 DOS. 21 and over. JAMES BALLINGER PABLO TRUCKER is a band of infrequent updates. Its website and Twitter account have been inactive since 2011, and its latest Facebook post promotes an April show with Invisible Shivers and Garage Voice. Day jobs and other bands (bassist Kory Kruckenberg also plays in Pickwick) have surely taken up the members’ time, but, as this performance will show, the minimalist Americana trio is still alive and kickin’. With Grace Baker, Nu Klezmer Army, Lonely Mountains Lovers. Conor Byrne Pub. 9:30 p.m. $7. 21 and over. ACP INDIGO GIRLS In the ’90s, the duo of Emily Saliers and Amy Ray bridged the radio gap and had listeners of mainstream and college airwaves in the palms of their hands. They took full advantage of this, too, and peaked with a slew of critically acclaimed albums and one Grammy-winning one, each toting tender harmonies and heartfelt lyrics about love, loss, and redemption. Their songs were clean, bright, and true, and per-
vertically challenged who get there early enough to snag a primo spot. 5. Despite what’s happening in the showroom, you can pop into Moe Bar for a drink without feeling like you’re in a rock club, because, well, you’re not. 6. At the attached Pike Street Fish Fry, you can get your munch on before you head in for a show—or even better, on your way out. Travel + Leisure even put the spot on their list of “Best Fries in the U.S.” And sometimes they give them away for free! 7. Even if you don’t live on Capitol Hill, you can’t beat the club’s proximity to other neighborhood hotspots and the availability of street parking. 8. There’s history in the walls: The original Mo’Roc’N Café hosted a who’s-who of ’90s acts (and even Bill Clinton) before shutting down in ’97 and reopening under a new (er, Neu) moniker. 9. If you like your live venues a bit more intimate, Neumos’ underground sister Barboza boasts an equally diverse lineup. 10. An ample backstage may be a facet of the venue most showgoers don’t experience, but with its old-school arcade games and comfy band rooms, keeping bands happy hopefully translates into better live shows. With Goodness, Truly, Hey Marseilles, Brent Amaker and the Rodeo. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9951, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $15. DAVE LAKE ART CREDIT
NEED RADIO AIRPLAY?
The Moe 20 Neumos 10th Anniversary Shows
haps it was this, in light of the excesses of the Reagan era, that attracted fans across the board. Those fans remain strong today, as do Saliers and Ray, who in 2011 released their 13th album, Beauty Queen Sister. Yet it’s still the older stuff that gets to most of us—you know, like when “Closer to Fine” comes on and you suddenly find yourself belting out every word. Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N., Edmonds, 425-275-4485, edmondscenterforthearts.org. 7:30 p.m. $47–$57. GE “Fill It Up,” the first track on THE BREAKLITES’ fifth album, I <3 America, opens with a juicy bass synth that evokes any number of frivolous ’80s pop tunes. A distorted electronic voice intones “There’s a hole in your heart, girl, you better fill it up/With cocaine, Vicodin, and rich men.” The hedonistic vices of the ’80s mentioned here recall another time our country was in a compromised economic state, one of this album’s main themes. Lyrically, the group explores the contradictions of contemporary America (“War is peace, and freedom is slavery/Ignorance is strength, and death is bravery,” from the title track). Musically, the album is tightly unified. The synth bass underpins many of the album’s eight tracks, where it’s mixed with funk guitar (“Evel Knievel”), dubstep (“I <3 America”), and chiptune (“Lites”). The album is available now, and the band celebrates its release tonight. With Mr. Melanin, Perry Porter. Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253-396-9169, jazzbones.com. 8 p.m. $8. 21 and over. MICHAEL F. BERRY REEL BIG FISH was one of the more commercially popular groups to come out of the mid-’90s SoCal scene and third-wave ska revival, thanks to its crossover hit “Sell Out” and bands like Sublime and No Doubt hitting it big in the mainstream. After several lineup changes over the years, the band released Candy Coated Fury in 2012. Full of big guitars, big horns, and an even bigger sense of humor, the album sounds as if it could have been released in the band’s heyday. With Suburban Legends, Mighty Mongo, the Maxies. Showbox at the Market, 1426 First Ave., 628-3151, showboxpresents. com. 8 p.m. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages. JB
During a tour of the West Coast and Southwest late last year, Seattle’s BLACK QUEEN debuted its short film for the song “BabeGhostWitch” at ex-Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo’s Housecore Horror Film Festival. Taken from its 2012 EP, March of the Obsidian Triumvirate, the short is a nod to Italian giallo horror films and fittingly suits the mood of the witchy metal outfit’s goblin-influenced sound. With Tomb of Ligeia, Babylon, Coughin’ Nails. Slim’s Last Chance, 5606 First Ave. S., 762-7900, slimslastchance.com. 9 p.m. 21 and over. $8. JB THE CALIFORNIA HONEYDROPS How a quintet from Oakland (with a Warsaw-born frontman, no less) plays with as much soul and spirit as a New Orleans street band is beyond me, but the Honeydrops have mastered the formula. With Lech Wierzynski’s soulful vocals, expressive brass and wind instruments, and undeniably groovy bass lines and percussion beats, it’s clear that the Honeydrops treat every day like Mardi Gras. With The Dip. Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 9 p.m. $12. 21 and over. ACP
Tuesday, Jan. 14
ROUND 104 When talented artists—visual, sound-
based, or otherwise—come together to create, they tend to bring out the best in one another. The Round, which finds songwriters, slam poets, and visual artists sharing a stage, has coaxed that collaborative spirit since its creation in 2005. Round 104 features Matt Bishop and Sam Anderson of Hey Marseilles, Cumulus’ Alexandra Niedzialkowski, and Sophia
Girls That Shred: A Benefit for Skate Like a Girl Friday, January 10
L
ERIC CARNELL
MARK HUMMELL’S BLUES HARMONICA BLOWOUT Hummell has been hosting his harmonica
blowout for more than 20 years now, and with names like John Mayall, Curtis Salgado, Rick Estrin, Little Charlie Baty, and James Harman in the lineup, this could be the best one yet. All you mouth-harp lovers better start lining up now. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., 441-9729, jazzalley.com. Through Wed. 7:30 p.m. $30.50. CR PANIC! AT THE DISCO Although this Las Vegas–bred alternative act has had its fair share of ups and downs in the past few years (artistic differences, lineup changes, and an ever-confusing exclamation point), the remaining members returned last year with a sharp, electronic-influenced collection of tracks that lean more pop than punk. Yet new songs like “Girls/Girls/Boys” and “Miss Jackson” are sure to pair nicely with deeper cuts for an exceptionally glam live set. With The Colourist, X Ambassadors. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 652-0444, showboxonline. com. 7 p.m. SOLD OUT. KP You know him from Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band and Iska Dhaaf, but now BENJAMIN VERDOES is taking the stage all by his lonesome to perform songs for the release of his new solo record The Evil Eye—an album, he says, he made for a “beautiful person” and as “a rebuttal to those seemingly powerful forces that tell you what you can and cannot do.” With Valley Maker, Tomo Nakayama. Tractor Tavern. 8 p.m. $8. 21 and over. KS
Girls That Shred comes in. Organized by former SLAG student Jasmin Kwan and Nectar Lounge talent buyer Mario Abata, the benefit will be held at The Vera Project, where Kwan serves as show manager. What better venue to host it than Seattle’s all-ages, experiential learning and arts nonprofit, where Kwan now shares her talents and gifts? “It’s important for SLAG to continue,” says Kwan, who was a competitive gymnast when she started attending SLAG clinics. “They didn’t allow me to do any other sports. Once I had to lie about how I sprained my ankle dropping into a half pipe. I think I said something [like I was] texting and walking off a curb.” But SLAG, she says, “ignited that spark in me.” Tonight’s event will feature “vagina rockers” Chastity Belt, Tacocat, Atomic Bride, and Summer Babes, not to mention the surf-rocking Lures, who will represent “boys that shred.” (“They’re femaleallied and old friends of mine,” Kwan says.) Door prizes include signed decks, T-shirts, CDs, stickers, and more. Seriously, what’s not to love about an evening of girls kicking ass for a cause, a cause that is girls kicking ass?! “It’s important for girls to be inspired to keep doing male-dominated anything,” says Kwan. “SLAG empowered me to be in an environment where boys were impressed with my skills, instead of making fun of me for trying.” Vera Project, 305 Warren Ave. N., 956-8372, theveraproject.org. 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. All ages. JESSIE MCKENNA
mainstage
dinner & show
WED/JANUARY 8 • 7:30PM
red molly w/ anne and pete sibley THU/JANUARY 9 - SAT/JANUARY 11 • 7PM CAN CAN PRESENTS
elvis alive
w/ vince mira & special guests SUN/JANUARY 12 • 7PM
school of rock performs: the beatles TUE/JANUARY 14 • 7:30PM
emily asher’s garden party THU/JANUARY 16 • 7:30PM
kelly joe phelps
w/ dave mcgraw & mandy fer FRI/JANUARY 17 - SUN/JANUARY 19 • 8PM
los lobos - 40th anniversary WED/JANUARY 22 • 7:30PM - KBCS 91.3 WELCOMES
george kahumoku jr and led kaapana next • 1/24 the big gig: 6 speeds, lo to hi • 1/25 kim virant and gerald collier • 1/26 cheryl wheeler • 1/28 chieli minucci & special efx • 1/31 the year of the horse - a cultural celebration of the chinese new year 2014 • 2/1 alice stuart & the formerlys • 2/5 patty larkin • 2/6 habib koite • 2/7 6th annual gimme shelter • 2/9 lisa koch birthday bash • 2/10 duncan sheik • 2/11 dawn of midi • 2/12 - 2/15 the atomic bombshells :: j’adore! a burlesque valentine • 2/16 the presidents of the united states of america (acoustic) • 2/17 an evening with greg laswell • 2/18 & 2/19 sweet honey in the rock • 2/20 hot tuna (acoustic) w/ david lindley
happy hour every day • 1/8 jd hobson • 1/9 the roy kay trio • 1/10 supersones / money jungle • 1/11 down north • 1/13 crossrhythm session • 1/14 singer-songwriter showcase featuring: mark ward, patrick w mchenry and shelly casey (from say goodbye to these) • 1/15 seattle jazz composers ensemble TO ENSURE THE BEST EXPERIENCE · PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY DOORS OPEN 1 HOUR PRIOR TO FIRST SHOW · ALL-AGES (BEFORE 9:30PM)
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216 UNION STREET, SEATTLE · 206.838.4333
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
ocal volunteer-powered nonprofit Skate Like a Girl (SLAG) is about more than skateboarding and, well, being a girl: It’s also about selfempowerment, equality, and civic engagement. It infuses communities with free and low-cost programs (no student is turned away for lack of funds) that provide practical tools like boards, protective gear, and skateboard instruction. Beyond practicality, SLAG’s programming is immersive, inclusive, and aimed at giving people of all ages and backgrounds opportunities to gain confidence and find camaraderie and a sense of identity through skateboarding. With a matching grant awarded by the City of Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods in 2011, SLAG started the Youth Employment Skateboarding (YES) pilot program, which cultivates leadership skills and employment training for 12- to 23-year-olds through skateboard instruction. YES was able to power through two summers on that grant, but its popularity is growing fast, and funding is crucial to make it possible for the organization to continue to provide affordable, high-quality programming as well as to expand in proportion to demand. That’s where
Duccini. Fremont Abbey, 4272 Fremont Ave. N., 4148325, fremontabbey.com. 8 p.m. $8–$16. All ages. ACP
27
arts&culture» Music
2033 6th Avenue (206) 441-9729 jazzalley.com
LocaLReLeases
Barcelona, The Melodrama EP Collection
JAZZ ALLEY IS A SUPPER CLUB
JEFF LORBER FUSION FEATURING BRIAN BROMBERG, PATRICK LAMB AND GARY NOVAK THURS, JAN 9 - SUN, JAN 12
Trailblazing Grammy-nominated keyboardist, composer and producer with his fusion band
MARK HUMMEL’S BLUES HARMONICA BLOWOUT FEATURING JOHN MAYALL, CURTIS SALGADO, RICK ESTRIN, LITTLE CHARLIE BATY AND JAMES HARMAN TUES, JAN 14 - WED, JAN 15
Join us in the Trophy Room for Happy Hour: Thursday Bartender Special 8-Close Fridays: 5-8pm RESERVE THE TROPHY ROOM FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT!
A tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson II
AMEL LARRIEUX THURS, JAN 16 - SUN, JAN 19
Urban soul singer/songwriter returns in support of her new release Ice Cream Everyday
GRACE KELLY WITH THE MARC SEALES TRIO TUES, JAN 21 - WED, JAN 22
21 year old music fusion master - singer, songwriter, saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator melds her background in jazz with groove, pop and boths of world music
all ages | free parking full schedule at jazzalley.com
COCKTAILS • TASTY HOT DOGS • LOTSA PINBALL
2222 2ND AVENUE • SEATTLE
206-441-5449
El Corazon www.elcorazonseattle.com
109 Eastlake Ave East • Seattle, WA 98109 Booking and Info: 206.262.0482
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10 THE SCHOOL OF ROCK STUDENTS PERFORM: BIG 4 (METALLICA,
ANTHRAX, SLAYER, MEGADETH) Doors at 5 / Show at 5:30PM All Ages/Bar W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10
28
THE SCHOOL OF ROCK STUDENTS PERFORM: BLACK SABBATH Doors at 8 / Show at 8:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS
SATURDAY, JANUARY 11 Musicwerks Seattle & El Corazon Present:
VOLTAIRE
with Trance To The Sun, The Spider Ferns and Jeff Ferrell Doors at 8 / Show at 9PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $15 ADV / $20 DOS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12
HATTERS FOR HIRE with Amanda Markley, Joyfield and
Mixtape Minus Lounge Show. Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $8 ADV / $10 DOS
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15
KICKFLIP! with Old Growth, Razors & Red Flags, plus guests Lounge Show. Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $5 ADV / $7 DOS
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16
STATION TO STATION with DionVox, plus guests Doors at 7 / Show at 7:30PM All Ages/Bar W/ID. $5 ADV (until 12/27) / $8 ADV (after 12/27) / $10 DOS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 Mike Thrasher Presents:
PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS
with Author & Punisher and Hymns Doors at 7 / Show at 8PM All Ages/Bar W/ID. $22 ADV / $25 DOS
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 The Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals After Party Featuring Live Music From:
WITCHBURN
Lounge Show. 21+. FREE. Music Begins immediately after the conclusion of the Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals show in the main showroom.
JUST ANNOUNCED 2/8 SUPER GEEK LEAGUE 2/19 LYNCH MOB 1/31 LOUNGE ULTRA BIDE’ 3/14 BAYSIDE 4/9 THE CREEPSHOW UP & COMING 1/18 D.R.I. (DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES) 1/19 SHYAN SELAH AND THE REPUBLIC OF SOUND 1/19 LOUNGE JAYKE ORVIS AND THE BROKEN BAND 1/23 SONS OF THE SOUND 1/23 LOUNGE CALABRESE 1/24 EMERY / THE CLASSIC CRIME 1/25 THE EXPENDABLES 1/26 THE PERSEVERING PROMISE 1/27 LOUNGE SELF DEFENSE FAMILY 1/28 THE TOASTERS 1/28 LOUNGE RED CITY RADIO 1/29 LOUNGE OH DEAR! 1/30 LOUNGE ACIDIC 1/31 DAVID ALLAN COE 2/3 KID SLIM 2/6 THE MENZINGERS 2/6 LOUNGE NEO GEO 2/7 LOUNGE ICARUS THE OWL
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
(1/21, self-released, wearebarcelona. com) This local indie-rock act last made waves in 2008, when the band of former Seattle Pacific University students signed with Universal Records and released Absolutes. But for this release—a series of three EPs set to be released over the next three months—the trio worked completely free of any input from outside producers, engineers, and record labels, ditching its piano- and harmony-driven alt-rock roots for a more electronic-influenced R&B pop sound. Led by the single “Background,” the Love Me EP ( Jan. 21) begins the series with five upbeat, ’80s-inspired tracks that use punchy guitar riffs and pulsing synth to pay homage to the likes of Prince and The Police. The second installment, Love You, slows the momentum and focuses more on silky R&B vocals a la James Blake and Justin Timberlake. Where the first EP proves a sparkly, love-drunk collection of old-school prom-pop ballads, the second pairs poignant R&B hooks and muted electronic fuzz for maximum emotional effect (think The Weeknd’s creamy falsetto and muted beats, minus the rapey drug references). It’s on songs like “Diamond and Silver” and “Strange Way” that the band’s new direction is fully realized: a fast-paced mixture of anthemic pop and raw emotion that’s comparable to the output of English rockers Keane on releases Under the Iron Sea and Perfect Symmetry. Barcelona concludes the series with Know Love, a seamless continuation that combines Love Me’s bubbly sugar shock and Love You’s dreamy pillow talk for a collection both dark and daring. In its entirety, The Melodrama is a comprehensive exploration of what it means to love and be loved, brought to life by synthy arrangements, catchy pop storytelling, and romantic slow jams. The band’s evolution as presented through these new tunes could prove its riskiest, and most exciting, triumph yet. (Barcelona will release Love You and Know Love on February 18 and March 18, respectively; each will be released digitally, with limited editions available on vinyl.) KEEGAN PROSSER Childbirth, It’s a Girl! (out now, Help Yourself
Records, childbirth. bandcamp.com) Motherhood is totally punk rock. There’s agony, despair, blood, and lots of screaming. It’s like seeing Black Flag in the ’80s, only more excruciating. This new Seattle punk-rock outfit aptly harnesses the energy of the experience with this debut release, available digitally and as a limitededition cassette. Consisting of Julia Shapiro of Chastity Belt, Bree McKenna of Tacocat, and Stacy Peck of Pony Time, Childbirth distills the collective spirit of each member’s separate projects to its hardest and grimiest. In less than 20 minutes, the band describes the harrowing, hilar-
ious journey from conception to menopause. The cassette opens with the kicking and screaming “Childbirth,” where all three women repeatedly refrain “It’s a girl!” On “I Only Fucked You as a Joke,” Shapiro hopes she’s not pregnant, bemoaning the potential baby daddy: “You’re not that cool/And you look like a troll.” Every riff on this cassette builds on the previous track’s intensity, and there’s never a moment for quiet reflection; it’s all about pushing through to the next disaster. Bass lines chug and drums pummel viciously. The quick-hitting short tracks are reminiscent of Keith Morris’ project OFF!, but with more irreverent snarl than psychotic babble (to wit: the cover art, featuring a pink fetus playing its umbilical cord like a saxophone). Childbirth may be a brand-new baby, but with first words like “Giant Vagina,” it won’t be long until it’s crawling, leaving behind it a trail of destruction. (Tues., Jan. 14, Chop Suey) DUSTY HENRY Mogwai, Rave Tapes (1/21, Sub Pop, subpop.
com) After forming in the mid-’90s in its hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, Mogwai has steadily progressed past the post-rock label it loathes, practically creating a genre by itself: Call it post-prog-drone-psych-rock, or whatever. Now, nearly 20 years in, Rave Tapes is the band’s eighth studio record, a collection of 10 deftly woven dreamlike soundscapes and an excellent signpost of the band’s ever-evolving sound. Recorded last summer at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom Studios in Glasgow by producer Paul Savage (who worked with the band on its first release, Young Team, as well as its previous one, Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will), Rave Tapes doesn’t quite live up to the immediately impressive works of Mogwai’s back catalog, but that’s not to say it isn’t a great record. Perhaps it’s because the band now straddles a fine line, working in more synthbased arrangements than ever while still clinging to the layers of lavish guitars so indicative of past albums. What’s truly astonishing here, however, is the band’s ability to go beyond the multilayered, long-winded compositions of previous releases while creating a seamless journey from track to track. The album opens with the droning “Heard About You Last Night” and progresses nicely with the heavily loop-based “Simon Ferocious.” The third track, “Remurdered,” wholeheartedly embodies the band’s latest shift to electronica with its driving synth line. Things pick up a bit with the more guitar-fueled, Fugazi-lite “Mastercard,” and the album peaks with the slow-building “Blues Hour,” one of the band’s finer, more serene moments. The closing track, “The Lord Is Out of Control,” swells and builds in true Mogwai fashion, reminiscent of “Hunted by a Freak” from the band’s seminal Happy Songs for Happy People. Rave Tapes hardly represents a shift entirely to electronic-based music, yet it signifies Mogwai’s ability to mature and grow even 20 years later, and ultimately stands among some of its best work to date. JAMES BALLINGER
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arts&culture»
Little Sci-Fi on the Big Screen
S
ci-fi and fantasy fans are a lucky bunch when it comes to modern cinema. Hollywood’s big-budget blockbusters have the finest special effects money can buy, creating worlds that we’ve only dreamt about. But bigger is not always better. Stories can be easily lost amid all those fancy explosions. After you strip away the CGI, what’s left? Sometimes not much. And this is the big BY TERRA CLARKE OLSEN secret about geeky movies: It’s all about the story. Tell us an imaginative, creative, innovative, and interesting story and we’re yours. Well, fellow geeks, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival (SFFSFF) promises just that, meeting our criteria while catering to our modern-day attention span: No film can exceed 15 minutes! It might seem impossible, but the EMP and
GEEKLYREPORT
This is the perfect city to highlight geeky works of art—a booming tech and science city with a bad case of rainy weather.
they are not looking to slow down anytime soon—“hop[ing] to continue to grow, reach more sci-fi and fantasy fans, as well as expand our platform for creators to show their work and get recognition for it.” After all, this is the perfect city to highlight geeky works of art, as Reed points out; we’re a booming tech and science city with a bad case of rainy weather, causing people to “dive into their imagination and explore other worlds.” For this year’s festival, the folks at EMP and SIFF selected 20 entries. The films include liveaction and animation, and cover a wide range of geekdom (all within the sci-fi and fantasy realm, of course). There is even a hometown hero in the mix: Seattleite Vanessa McMeekin will make her SFFSFF debut with Red Summer, the story of a young boy who watches his neighborhood crumble as the end of the world nears. McMeekin has shown her film at the London Sci-Fi Film Festival, but notes that SFFSFF is one of the best in the world. (When she received the acceptance e-mail, she says, she “immediately started jumping up and down.”) McMeekin also notes that Seattle is “a very supportive place for filmmakers” and is becoming a “breeding ground for artists, filmmakers, and performers of all types, and recently the sci-fi and fantasy community have really started to thrive.” Alongside McMeekin, filmmakers from all over the world (including Spain and the UK) are included in the festival. Sadly, tickets are sold out this year, but fear not—an “Encore Screening” will showcase some of the Jury Award winners, Audience Award winners, and curator’s choices. Sci-fi and fantasy fans can get their tickets for these showings on SIFF’s website (and mark your calendar for next year’s festival). E
NTw.RlitYtlereMdhUenS.coICm LIVE COUww
thegeeklyreport@seattleweekly.com THURS JANUARY 9TH
SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY SHORT FILM FESTIVAL Cinerama, 2100 Fourth Ave., 448-6680, cinerama.com, empmuseum.org, siff.net. Sold out. 4 & 7:30 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11th. Encore screening: $12–$18. Noon Sun., Jan. 12.
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SIFF manage to make it work, aweing crowds year after year with these brief forays into the unknown. The festival’s roots lie in one of Seattle’s geekiest and most treasured museums (to me, at least), the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. As many Seattleites can remember, the museum became a permanent installment of the EMP in 2004. It honors mostly the legends of sci-fi, so in an effort to highlight and connect the history of the genre with current innovators, EMP joined SIFF to create SFFSFF. That was nine years ago, and they’re still going strong. This year SFFSFF received more than 100 submissions. And as Jessi Reed, the EMP’s public-programs producer, notes,
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Beauty & Health
AX FX Study .FlaxFX.info 6-667-4353
Employment Career Services
Speedy Delivery & Best Prices!
Research Study Looking for Volunteers
Auto Tech Wanted
VISITING ANGELS Certified Caregivers needed. Minimum 3 years experience. Must live in Seattle area. Weekend & live-in positions available. Call 206-439-2458 • 877-271-2601
Alder, Maple & Douglas Fir
FLAX FX
Come to the Island!
Employment Social Services
Dry & Custom-Split
As a Marketing Rep for TLC4Homes Northwest Inc. you will help Generate Leads for Arborists employed by Evergreen Tree Care Inc. Our Arborists Provide Home Owners Free Estimates and Free Safety & Health Inspections for Tree & Shrub Trimming, Pruning & Removal Services. We Provide Paid Orientation, Marketing Materials, Areas to Work and Company Apparel.
ALGONA
Employment Automotive
service@rollingbayauto.com
A+ SEASONED FIREWOOD
WE ARE SCHEDULING INTERVIEWS FOR DIRECT MARKETING REPS
HELP WANTED!! Make up to $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home! Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity! No experience required. Start Immediately! www.needmailers.com
Rare opening in Busy Bainbrige shop! Seeking exp’d ASE Certified Technician. Top pay and benefits Great inviroment in a Mon - Fri shop. All inquiries are confidential. Apply in person: Rolling Bay Auto 11216 Sunrise Dr NE Bainbridge Call 206-842-4026
Firewood, Fuel & Stoves
Help us Keep Trees Safe & Beautiful! The Tree Industry can provide you steady year round work.
Real Estate for Rent King County
2 BR: MOUNT RAINIER View duplex! Features garage, fresh paint, refurbished & all new appliances! Near Supermall & Freeway. $1,000 per month, first, last & damage dep. No pets. Purchase $219,950. Call 253-293-8817.
FOR YOUR HEALTH LAURIE LMP #MA00014267 (206) 919-2180
WA Misc. Rentals Want to Share
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Sound Publishing is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the workplace. Check out our website to find out more about us! www.soundpublishing.com
GUITAR LESSONS Exp’d, Patient Teacher. BFA/MM Brian Oates (206) 434-1942
Free Estimate
Studio in Ravenna for rent $750 206-441-4922
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ATTN: HR/SEA. No phone calls please.
Sound Publishing is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the workplace. Check out our website to find out more about us! www.soundpublishing.com
Professional Services Music Lessons
DSELE**088OT
(206)498-1459
Announcements
AX FX Study .FlaxFX.info 6-667-4353
hreast@soundpublishing.com
hreast@soundpublishing.com No phone calls please.
COUPLE SEEKING TO ADOPT Loving couple seeking to ADOPT an infant. We can offer your baby a lifetime of opportunity, humor, adventure and financial security. We will provide a happy home, sharing our interests in the outdoors, travel, music, and sports. Let us help support you with your adoption plan. Contact us at direct at 206-920-1376, toll-free at 877-290-0543 or email AndrewCorley@outlook.com You can also contact our attorney at 206-728-5858, ask for Joan file #0376.
Lic/Bond/Insured
WA Misc. Rentals Rooms for Rent
SE ATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 8 — 14, 2014
Seattle Weekly, one of Seattle’s most respected publications and a division of Sound Publishing, Inc. is seeking an Outside Advertising Sales Consultant. This position will be responsible for print and digital advertising sales to an eclectic and exciting group of clients. Applicants should be hardworking self-starters, competitive, outgoing and goal- oriented. The ideal candidates will demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, both written and oral, and have excellent communications skills; must be motivated and take the initiative to sell multiple media products including on-line advertising and special products, work with existing customers and find ways to grow sales and income with new prospective clients. Sales experience necessary; Print media experience is a definite asset. Must be computer-proficient with data processing and spreadsheets as well as utilizing the Internet. Position requires use of personal cell phone and vehicle, possession of valid WA State Driver’s License and proof of active vehicle insurance. We offer a competitive salary (plus commission) and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (currently with an employer match.) Parking is also provided. If you meet the above-noted qualifications and are interested in working for the leading independent newspaper publisher in Washington State, then we want to hear from you! Email us your cover letter and resume to:
New breaker panel, electrical wiring, trouble shoot, electric heat, Generator transfer switch, Fire Alarm System, Intercom and Cable,Knob & Tube Upgrade,Old Wiring Upgrade up to code... Senior Discount 15%
Apartments for Rent King County
AX FX Study .FlaxFX.info 6-667-4353
Outside Advertising Sales Consultant SEATTLE WEEKLY
DS ELECTRIC Co.
MARKETING COORDINATOR The Daily Herald, Snohomish County’s source for outstanding local news and community information for more than 100 years and a division of Sound Publishing, Inc. is seeking a Marketing Coordinator to assist with multi-platform advertising and marketing solutions of print, web, mobile, e-newsletters, daily deals, event sponsorships and special publications as well as the daily operations of the Marketing department. Responsibilities include but are not limited to the coordination, updating and creation of marketing materials across a range of delivery channels, social media, contesting, events, house marketing, newsletters and working closely with the Sr. Marketing Manager to develop strategies and implement the marketing plan. The right individual will be a highly organized, responsible, self-motivated, customer-comes-first proven problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with the ability to think ahead of the curve. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (currently with an employer match.) If you meet the above qualifications and are seeking an opportunity to be part of a venerable media company, email us your resume and cover letter to
Home Services Electrical Contractors
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Employment General
Announcements
AX FX Study .FlaxFX.info 6-667-4353
TECHNICAL Salesforce.com, inc. has the following positions open in Seattle, WA: Senior Member of Technical Staff, Quality Engineering Utilize extensive prior experience to perform functional manual and/or automated testing of features, including writing detailed testing plans and relevant test cases to cover business use cases, error handling and boundary conditions as defined in technical specifications. To apply or for more information, please go to http://www.salesforce.com/ company/careers/
Employment General
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Employment Computer/Technology
RMMCconsulting.com (206) 395-8280
Classified
Call
• I-502 application assistance • Location research and zoning by jurisdiction • MMJ migration to I 502 businesses • Marketing strategies • Operating Plans / Business Plans / Floor Plans • Seed to sale implementation
@ 206-623-6231, to place an ad Singing Lessons
Earn $100 per donation!
If you have severe or life-threatening Allergies or an Autoimmune Disease your Plasma is vital. Learn more at www.plasmalab.com 425-258-3653
FreeTheVoiceWithin.com Janet Kidder 206-781-5062
Experience the Power of Oxygen Call or text Alex (206) 707-6959 Fremont Clinic in Seattle
$ TOP CASH $
PAID FOR UNWANTED CARS & TRUCKS
HAPPYHAULER.com Debris Removal • 206-784-0313 • Credit Cards Accepted!
$100 TO $1000
7 Days * 24 Hours Licensed + Insured
MOST CASH PAID 4 GOLD JEWELRY 20%-50% MORE 24/7 CASH 425.891.1385
ALL STAR TOWING
WWW.KIRKLANDGOLDBUYER.COM
425-870-2899
WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests. Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201
DINING
Providing solutions and opportunity for business professionals and medical cannabis patients
Meds Mari
The Only Safe Access in Mason County!
Massage Therapy $60 Auto & L&I with Prescription, not limited to MMJ Patients By appointment only.
Belfair
10338 Aurora Ave N, Seattle
Your Hours: Mon-Sat 9a-8p Sun 9a-6p 23710 E. State Rt 3 360-275-1181
DANCING BARE
Your Hours: Mon-Thurs & Sat 10a-7p Fri 10a-8p Sun 11a-5p 3811 St Rt 3 (Bayshore) 360-426-0420
Shelton
» HOT BABES & COLD DRINKS «
HAPPY HOUR MONDAY p ½ OFF DOOR 11PM-4PM 2,4,1 TUESDAY p 2 FOR THE PRICE OF 1 @ THE DOOR BOEING RECOGNITION WEDNESDAY p½ OFF DOOR* MICROSOFT RECOGNITION THURSDAY p ½ OFF DOOR* MILITARY FRIDAY p½ OFF DOOR* *I.D. Required
80Flat Fee
www.seadancingbare.com
Have you been...
AND BARBITUATES
Raped or Attacked? In an Accident or Combat?
MEDICINE MAN MEDICINE MAN WELLNESS CENTER Walk-ins Welcome WELLNESS CENTER
Alternative Therapies, for pain, all qualifying conditions a healthier means of achieving your goals.
W W W. S E AT T L E W E E K LY. C O M / S I G N U P
Confidential help is available If you are 18 years old or older, you may be elligible for a research study on the treatment of psychological reactions following trauma. It includes:
(206) 685-3617 www.PTSDoptions.com
UW Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress
S.A.M
OPEN ON SATURDAYS (1) Original Patient Watermark aka “green card” (1) Original Designated Provider Watermark 24 HOUR VERIFICATION WEBSITE 360-275-2004 Located in AVOID STRONG OPIATES Belfair
OPEN MON-SAT: 11AM - 2:30AM & SUN 2PM - 2:30AM
MUSIC
Please call: 206-277-1163
$
American Liberty Adult Store
WEEKLY
• Participants should be age 18-65 with no current drug or alcohol problems. • Participants will be paid $15/hour for their time and provided lunch.
PAKALOLO MEDICAL AUTHORIZATIONS YOUR LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE RECOMMENDATION
Select from a variety of DVDs, Mags, and Toys. Buy, Sell, Trade!!!! Ask Clerk for details about how you can save $$$ on your next purchase.
• A thorough, no-cost evalutation • 10 weeks of no-cost counseling or medication • 9 months of follow-up assessments • Up to $300 in compensation
VA seeks adults with schizophrenia and adults without schizophrenia for a research study investigating how genetics may affect the development of schizophrenia.
EVENT S
Celebrating our New Low Prices and New Summer Clinic Hours ** Starting June 28, 2011 ** New Clinic Times: Tues 4–6 Fri 12-2 Sat **starting JULY 2ND ** 10–2
New S
On-Line Verification Available Celebrating our New Low Prices Bring th and New Summer Clinic Hours Providing Authorizations in - For week Bring thisJune ad and receive with RCW 69.51A** 4023 Aur **Accordance Starting 28, 2011 an additional $25.00 OFF w Fri 12-2 New4021 Clinic Times: Tues 4–6 $99 includes Aurora Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 Authorization and ** Card seattlealt#yahoo.com Sat206-632-4021 **starting •JULY 2ND 10–2 A non-profit org Doctors available Tuesday 2 - 6,
BringThursday this ad 11 - 3,and Fridayreceive 11 - 6 Also Open Sunday 12 4 an additional $25.00- OFF PR OMO TIONS 4021 Aurora Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 4021 Aurora Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 206-632-4021 www.medicinemanwellness.com 206-632-4021 • seattlealt#yahoo.com PROMOTIONS NEWSLETTER The inside scoop on VIP events, free tickets, and event photos.
Now accepting all major credit/debit cards!