Seattle Weekly, October 21, 2015

WINTER SPORTS

THE BIG FAT FUN OF BIG FAT TIRES, A NORTHWEST SKIING MECCA, THE UNBRIDLED JOY OF CURLING, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TUBING, AND PERFECT SNOWY HIKES FOR ALL! PAGE 9

WILL THE SNOWPACK BE BACK? As skiers and snowboarders try to forget a dismal year, the winter-sports industry braces for a new normal.

By Sara Bernard I Page 5 Black Lives That Mattered

Four police shootings and a failed attempt at racial justice.

By Christopher T. Bayley Page 15 OCTOBER 21-27, 2015 | VOLUME 40 | NUMBER 42

The Secrets of Sichuan Lionhead delivers one of China’s most misunderstood cuisines.

By Nicole Sprinkle Page 18

SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM | FREE

THE CRITTER FROM CRITTERS 2

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

you ’ve got nothing to lose but your lives

2

empmuseum.org

inside

VOLUME 40 | NUMBER 42

SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM

ON SALE NOW PHOTOS: ANDREW ECCLES

October 21-27, 2015

A New Musical From the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning creators of Next to Normal

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news&comment 5

9

SNOWBEGONE

BY SARA BERNARD | How climate change is screwing up your skiing. Plus: The final twist in Ann Rule’s estate saga is worthy of the true-crime writer herself.

WINTER SPORTS 2015

BY SW STAFF | Curling, hiking, tubing,

fat-biking: Get active this season!

15 SEATTLE IN THE ’70S

BY CHRISTOPHER T. BAYLEY | An

excerpt from the new memoir by King County’s corruption-busting prosecutor.

food&drink

18 HOT? NOT A LOT

BY NICOLE SPRINKLE | Jerry Traunfeld

proves there’s more to Sichuan than spice.

19 | THE BAR CODE 20 | WINTER DRINKS

arts&culture

21 RAGING GRACEFULLY

BY NICOLE SPRINKLE | The fraught

question of how female celebrities deal with the passing years.

23 | COMIX 24 | CONVERSATION | Brett Hamil,

angry comic.

25 REVIEWS

31 CALENDAR 31 32 33 34 35 36

| | | | | |

THE PICK LIST PERFORMANCE BOOKS/EAR SUPPLY VISUAL ARTS MUSIC FILM

ODDS&ENDS 4 | CHATTERBOX 37 | HIGHER GROUND 38 | CLASSIFIEDS

cover credits

PHOTO OF MT. BAKER BY RYLAN SCHOEN CORRECTION A story in last week’s news section misspelled the last name of the founder of the Northwest Progressive Institute. It is Villeneuve.

The Oct. 7 feature on Cliff Mass misstated the number of an initiative to tax carbon emissions in Washington.

It is I-732, not I-734.

Editor-in-Chief Mark Baumgarten EDITORIAL News Editor Daniel Person Food Editor Nicole Sprinkle Arts Editor Brian Miller Music Editor Kelton Sears Editorial Operations Manager Gavin Borchert Staff Writers Sara Bernard, Ellis E. Conklin, Casey Jaywork Editorial Interns Cassandra Calderon, Scott Johnson, Mara Silvers

NOVEMBER 3–8 • THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE 877-784-4849 • STGPresents.org Priority Seating & Discounts for Groups 10+ call: 888-214-6856 Tickets Available Through Tickets.com and Select Ticketmaster Locations

Contributing Writers Rick Anderson, James Ballinger, Michael Berry, Alyssa Dyksterhouse, Jay Friedman, Margaret Friedman, Zach Geballe, Chason Gordon, Dusty Henry, Rhiannon Fionn, Marcus Harrison Green, Robert Horton, Patrick Hutchison, Seth Kolloen, Sandra Kurtz, Dave Lake, Terra Clarke Olsen, Jason Price, Keegan Prosser, Tiffany Ran, Michael A. Stusser, Jacob Uitti PRODUCTION Production Manager Sharon Adjiri Art Director Jose Trujillo Graphic Designers Nate Bullis, Brennan Moring Photo Intern Christopher Zeuthen ADVERTISING Marketing/Promotions Coordinator Zsanelle Edelman Senior Multimedia Consultant Krickette Wozniak Multimedia Consultants Julia Cook, Rose Monahan, Matt Silvie DISTRIBUTION Distribution Manager Jay Kraus OPERATIONS Administrative Coordinator Amy Niedrich Publisher Bob Baranski 206-623-0500 COPYRIGHT © 2015 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. PERI ODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT SEATTLE, WA POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO SEATTLE WEEKLY, 307 THIRD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104 • FOUNDED 1976.

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Nirvana-based hip-hop; two Nina Simone biopics; new shows from Café Nordo and Seattle Opera.

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3

DANIEL PERSON

chatterbox

DON’T COUNT OUT WEATBROOK!

In our election guide last week, we cast the races for City Council as a battle between center-left and far-left factions. We also profiled all nine district races, but gave less attention to Districts 2, 6, and 7, which we see as pending landslides: All three seats are held by incumbents who beat their opponents in the primaries by at least 37 points. Some readers—especially supporters of Catherine Weatbrook, who is running against Mike O’Brien in District 6, covering Ballard and Fremont—took issue with our analysis.

“I don’t know if someone can go to jail for bribing a not-yet-elected official.

But the employer who dragged his employees to a political meeting was likely on the wrong side of the law.” ing the politician with coerced political speech.

It’s surprisingly similar to the bad guy’s plan in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. I don’t know if someone can go to jail for bribing a not-yetelected official. But the employer who dragged his employees to a political meeting was likely on the wrong side of the law. And the judge overseeing the lawsuit the developer wanted Jon to “settle” needs to throw out the case and impose sanctions.

Liz Steen, via Facebook

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

I do not believe that Seattle has city planners, but The Seattle Weekly staff believes that the voters officials who green-light every project no matter in Seattle City Council Districts 2, 6, and 7 don’t the impact to our town. even deserve to see the opponents to the three kathotdog, via seattleweekly.com incumbents. Why do these three candidates get a free pass from Seattle Weekly? The Seattle Times I think a wider article on campaign finance stated: “Seattle’s shift to district elections gives is needed covering two topics: the amazing voters a fresh chance at a new council. Cathamount of money in the 3rd District race and erine Weatbrook should be on the unprecedented independent it.” State Representative Gael expenditures in Districts 1 and 4 Send your thoughts on Tarleton and State Senator Roseand Position 8. These candidates this week’s issue to mary McAuliffe have endorsed already had enough money to letters@seattleweekly.com run winning campaigns. Two Catherine Weatbrook for Dis-

4

trict 6. Hardly a candidate that Seattle Weekly should completely ignore.

BMeyers, via seattleweekly.com

interpretations: buying future access and/or scared of a change in power.

Roger Scott, via seattleweekly.com

You would be well advised to get a grip on your journalists. A credible news source would give equal space to all candidates, even if one is endorsed. To decide arbitrarily that some are “shoo-ins” and so the challengers are not worth noting is not within the purview of Seattle Weekly.

Selena Carsiotis, via e-mail

EYE FOR AN EYMAN

“Far left”? “Center left”? What are you smoking?

Seattle has largely been governed by a neoliberal oligarchy for decades. Sawant is the only “far left” person on the Council (for decades!) and Licata is the only “center left” council member. Calling any of the others “left” accepts the American distortion of the political spectrum to the right. anotherneighborhoodactivist, via seattleweekly.com STRANGE DEVELOPMENTS

Readers seemed as troubled, and puzzled, as we were about the revelations that a senior manager at a development firm tried to goad City Council candidate Jon Grant into helping the firm fight a lawsuit by promising to make an anti-Grant political action committee funded by his business partner go away.

The best part about this story is that the developer tried to coerce political speech of a politician, as part of a lawsuit settlement, by threaten-

And readers seemed heartened to read about Andrew Villeneuve, who since age 15 has made a point of being a pain in antitax crusader Tim Eyman’s ass.

This story made me happy! Just why people like Tim Eyman and Grover Norquist have anyone following them has always mystified me.

Dennis Nyback, via Facebook Love this guy. Eyman is such a sleaze.

Linda Riana Morin, via Facebook

Stick it to him. Sleaze is too kind a word for T.E. Typical right-wing two-faced bastard is more like it.

Kevin Collier, via Facebook If it has Eyman’s name on it, [that] means vote against it. Can we all just agree on this one, people?

Heidi Blondin, via Facebook Keep on being a pain in the ass to one of the biggest pains in the ass ever.

Howard and Adrienne Price, via Facebook E Comments have been edited for length, clarity, and “Eyeman.”

news&comment ENVIRONMENT

The Changing Face of Winter Sports

Yes, Washington’s snowpack is shrinking. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hit the slopes.

BY SARA BERNARD

RYLAN SCHOEN

I

And the snow stats are dizzying: As of February 1, 2015, snowpack in the southern Cascades was at an astounding 18 percent of normal; in the Olympics, it was just 7 percent. By April 1—when, historically, much of the region’s peaks hit their maximum—many parts of the Cascades were out of snow completely. Ski areas were closing weeks or months early; even the Mount Baker Ski Area, which holds the world record for the greatest amount of snowfall in a single season, closed on March 9. “In my 50 years of being in the ski business, this has been the least amount of snow that I have ever seen,” said Mt. Baker Ski Area manager Duncan Howat in an end-ofseason video statement.

In 2015, by April 1—when, historically, peaks hit their maximum—many were out of snow completely.

Methow Trails, a nonprofit organization that maintains the largest cross-country ski area in North America, managed to keep snow around long enough to welcome “refugees” from other regions, says executive director James DeSalvo.

In bleakest March, Methow Trails offered its Nordic paths for free to anyone holding a season pass anywhere in the world. Downhill skiers, snowboarders, and ski bunnies of all stripes flocked to the Methow Valley. “People were looking for a winter experience, more than anything,” he says. The winter was nearly over “and they hadn’t seen snow.”

Of course, anyone who relies on snowpack for a living (or for getting out of bed in the morning) will tell you that last year was what the professionals call “a crappy winter.”

There are feasts and there are famines; we all have to contend with this kind of thing from time to time. But ask climate scientists, and they concur: This kind of thing is an analogue for the future, and Washington’s snowpack is going down. Period.

“Instead of talking about what caused this year’s warm temperatures—it could have been a fluke; we don’t know yet,” says Guillaume Mauger, research scientist at the University of Washington’s Climate Impacts Group (CIG), “talk about this year as a dress rehearsal.” It wasn’t a lack of precipitation that caused the barren slopes; it was the warmth. And that’s exactly what climate models predict over the next century in the Pacific Northwest: pretty stable levels of precipitation and gradually warming temperatures.

According to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the average temperatures for December, January, and February in the Pacific Northwest last winter were 5.6 degrees above normal (based on the averages for 1970–1999). That might not sound like a lot, but “from a weathergeek perspective,” Mauger says, “that’s insane.”

Climate models predict that probably by 2050—and almost certainly by 2080—the average winter temperatures we saw this year will be just that: average winter temperatures.

According to a CIG report from 2013, all climate models “project that this warming will be outside of the range of historical variations by mid-century.” That means that, relative to 20th-century averages, the average April 1 snowpack—even in low or medium greenhouse gas

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Blackmail by the Book

On October 10, City Council candidate Jon Grant apparently received a proposition from development executive Brett Allen. If Grant would use his leverage with the Tenants Union, which he used to serve as executive director, to help Allen’s firm Triad settle a lawsuit blocking the development of a downtown property, Allen promised to make a $200,000 independent expenditure against Grant “go away.” Since news of Allen’s ploy broke last week, Allen has been fired and Mayor Ed Murray has signaled his intent to dump the city’s contract with Allen’s (now former) employer.

But the proposition itself, which has been described variably as blackmail and a shakedown? No one wants to touch it. Wayne Barnett, director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission (SEEC), told The Seattle Times that the blackmail attempt falls outside his agency’s jurisdiction. Contacted by Seattle Weekly, he refused to clarify his position on the record, saying only this: “I don’t want to prejudge any complaints that may or may not be filed with us, so I’m sorry, but I won’t speak on the record about this matter.”

Grant says he’s filed two complaints with the SEEC. He also says he asked the King County prosecutor’s office and the FBI to investigate, but both brushed him off, saying it was outside their jurisdiction.

There’s a troubling possibility at play here: that Allen’s ploy was legal. The right to spend unlimited sums of money in independent political campaigns— though not to leverage quid pro quos—is protected by the First Amendment, according to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. Seattle Weekly contacted several lawyers, including experts at the UW School of Law, asking what specific law the blackmail attempt violated and what police-agency jurisdiction it would fall under. No one could help us, either because they were somehow connected to the case or because this area of law is too complex to have a clear answer. When clear bribery is not clearly illegal, you know something’s wrong. CASEY JAYWORK

What a Fraud

Carney

Amazon’s charm offensive continues in the wake of The New York Times’ examination of workplace culture in South Lake Union.

Its latest effort to show that it’s a benevolent employer?

Exposing embarrassing personnel information about former workers who spoke

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

t was mid-January 2015. And Carson Guy, an enthusiastic Alpine skier who’s usually on the slopes between 50 and 100 days each year, was headed to Alpental. OK, so it looked like rain at the base, but c’mon. It was Alpental. It was January. The summit is at 5,400 feet. Anyway, if he didn’t even try, he figured, it’d certainly be a loss; he wouldn’t get in a day of skiing.

So he and his buddies decided to chance it.

They packed up their gear and headed—courageous, hopeful, intrepid—to Chair Peak Basin, a spot near “the very top of Alpental,” the tallest mountain at The Summit at Snoqualmie, the most-visited ski area in the state. “And we get to the trailhead, and lo and behold . . . ” Yep, a skier’s worst nightmare: “Dirt.”

“We turned around and went to a matinee,” he recalls with an anguished laugh. “We were just standing there in the parking lot getting rained on,” whereas, typically, at a place like Alpental, “there’s feet and feet of snow and you put on your skis in the parking lot.”

Last year, though, as every Washington skier knows, any snow left in any ski area’s parking lot was snapped up immediately. Snow teams snagged it for the base of chair lifts or tubing hills or anywhere else they could make it work.

Snowcats toiled around the clock, scooping and spreading every single inch that fell onto muddy slopes in an effort to make one or two complete runs. The Summit at Snoqualmie didn’t open a single run until the last few days of December—and had closed up shop completely by February 11. Across the state were ski-racing leagues that never raced; avalanche training courses that were never held; mom-and-pop ski areas and even kids’ tubing areas that never opened at all.

Fast takes from the news desk

WHITE HOUSE

A back-country skier skins up a slope in the North Cascades.

SeattleBriefly

out against it in the piece.

Jay Carney, the company’s baby-faced spokesman, published a post on Monday on the blogging site Medium that claims that one of the Times’ many sources had left the company after admitting to an attempt to defraud vendors. The employee denies Carney’s claims.

Carney says he shares this information because he thought the Times should have done so when quoting the former employee. The problem is that the worker, Bo Olson, provided one quote to the 6,000-plus-word story, a quote that states something countless other employees have confirmed: There’s lots of crying at Amazon.

While Carney says he’s just trying to correct the record, what it looks like is a petty ad hominem attack against a critic. Then again, you have to give credit to Amazon for paying attention to the little things. DANIEL PERSON E news@seattleweekly.com

5

news&comment Changing Face of Winter Sports » FROM PAGE 5

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

6

lower elevations. According to a study Hamlet conducted back in 2000, climate models suggest that at Snoqualmie Pass, even by 2025, “the likelihood of opening by December 1 could decline by 50 percent, average season length could decline by 28 percent, and the likelihood of rain when the ski area is open could increase by 25 percent.” The models also suggest that by 2080, the average length of the ski season at Snoqualmie Pass will be—wait for it—10 days.

And sure, snowpack data can be what scientists call “noisy,” says CIG deputy director Joe Casola, because of precipitation data conflating with temperature data; very wet and very dry years can confuse a warming trend. “Snowpack records look like a roller coaster, especially if you’re looking at short periods,” he explains. But “if you look at how much warming we should be getting in the coming decades, the warming signal overwhelms the ups and downs in the roller coaster.”

Snowpack impacts ski areas, but it also affects summertime stream flow and fish populations and forests—all kinds of things. This century, Casola says, “I think that snowpack loss is one of the most important hydrologic changes we’re going to be dealing with.” But at the same time, he adds, don’t freak out: Precipitation should stay pretty steady, and a lot of places are far more arid

The Summit at Snoqualmie

than Washington.

Still, the production of snow has a pretty specific requirement: 32 degrees Fahrenheit. So if you’re a ski area, “Having more precipitation doesn’t help you too much,” says Alan Hamlet.

“If it’s too warm, it’s too warm.”

It sounds alarmist. But since those in the ski

industry are arguably “farmers of snow,” regardless of climate predictions, they’ve got to roll with the punches. And last winter was a big, fat punch in the face.

“Last season was one of those seasons,” says Guy Lawrence, marketing and sales director for The Summit at Snoqualmie. “It brings you up short— and obviously makes you revisit good practices of snow management and business management.”

Something as simple as regular maintenance of the slopes, long before there’s hope of snow, makes things a lot better once a dusting comes along. Grasses and stumps and shrubbery can get in the way in low-snow years. “If you’re down to a 12-inch snowpack, but the slope has been well maintained,” says Lawrence, “generally speaking it’s not going to be too bad.”

A lot of ski areas spent a whole lot of time last year just “moving snow around,” says John Gifford, president of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association and former general manager at Stevens Pass—pulling it from underutilized areas and sticking it on the slopes. (Though last year, he argues, was hardly the worst he’s seen in the region; during the 2004–05 winter, Stevens Pass was forced to open and close three separate times.) Even thinking about ditches can make a difference: “We often cover up certain sections of drainage so it makes it easier for the snow to accumulate,” says Guy Lawrence. “Stuff like that.”

Unbelievably, every little tweak really does count.

Methow Trails created a Low-Snow Year Committee to develop as many strategies as possible in the event of more winters like the past few, says DeSalvo. Packing down snow as firmly as possible to delay melting; cutting back the tree canopy so snow falls on trails instead of trees; even just angling some trails ever so slightly toward the north instead of the south, he says, can be “the difference between a couple weeks of being open or closed for us.”

And although it’s more common at ski resorts in the east, and sounds kind of apocalyptic to some Pacific Northwesterners, snow-making is on the rise here, too. Some resorts, like Mission Ridge, outside of Wenatchee, rely pretty heavily on fabricating flurries; White Pass, near Yakima, was able to stay open last season thanks to its snowmaking operations. The Summit at Snoqualmie has a snow-making machine, but the area’s high dew point, warm temperatures (their average is in the high 20s), and limited access to water makes the operation kind of a challenge. Still, says Law-

rence, “we definitely would like to have more.”

Ski areas are diversifying their activity offerings, too—you know, just in case. Stevens Pass started a mountain-biking operation in 2011, for instance. The Summit at Snoqualmie stopped maintaining its mountain-biking trails in 2002, but they might reconsider. Tubing is a forgiving winter sport—albeit generally catering to a different demographic—and in the Methow, they’ve started to create a lot more fat-biking trails.

“That whole movement is starting to take off,” says DeSalvo. “Even if we don’t have much snow,

Skier Kristina Ciari

we could still have a great fat-bike season!” [See “Fat Tracks,” page 9.] Luckily for Methow Trails, though, a Nordic trail system is more forgiving in low-snow years. “We only need one good storm per winter,” says DeSalvo, “and we can groom those six or 12 inches for hundreds of miles.”

According to a 2012 study by researchers at the University of New Hampshire, low-snowfall years between 1999 and 2010 cost the U.S. downhill ski-resort industry more than $1 billion—thanks largely to people simply not hitting the slopes. Washington state ranked second only to Oregon for the impact that had: Low-snow years dropped ski area visits here by 28 percent.

Partly to combat stats like that, at the tail end of the 2013–14 winter season, The Summit at Snoqualmie introduced a 100-day guarantee for their season passholders: For every day less than 100 days that the facility is operational, Snoqualmie promises to put one percent toward the next season’s pass. Last season, the resort was open just 40 days. But since the conditions of those 40 days were so substandard, they’re offering passholders a discount of 80 instead of 60 percent on this year’s season pass.

That might seem like a huge financial hit. But it’s more important to Snoqualmie that their patrons keep coming back. Season passholders

KRISTINA CIARI

Washington ranked second only to Oregon for the impact poor winters had: Low-snow years dropped ski area visits here by 28 percent.

COURTESY THE SUMMIT AT SNOQUALMIE

scenarios—is “projected to decline by 56 to 70 percent by the 2080s.”

Another UW study found that spring snowpack in the Cascades closest to the Puget Sound had already dropped by 8 to 16 percent due to climate change, and could drop up to 21 percent more by 2050. According to NCDC data available through the Washington state climatologist’s office, spring snowpack at many, many monitoring sites is going down—maybe just by a few inches per decade, but still, it’s going down. At Stampede Pass, the decline since 1943 is 24 percent; at Dommerie Flats, near Cle Elum, the decline since 1939 is 93 percent.

“There’s no question that [the snowpack] has gone down, that’s for sure,” says Alan Hamlet, a professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Until 2012, he was on staff with the CIG, and has studied both snowpack in the Pacific Northwest as well as the impacts low snow levels could have on the region’s ski areas. “The cause might not be as fully elaborated. Different studies attribute [the decline] to ‘natural variability,’ whatever that means,” says Hamlet, adding, with a laugh, “As opposed to ‘climate change,’ whatever that means!” But the reduction in snowpack through time? “There’s pretty strong agreement about that.”

Mauger is more blunt. “There is absolutely a consensus,” he says. Any controversy over the data among Washington’s climate scientists is “actually a false controversy.”

Warmer temperatures mean ski seasons are likely to decrease in length, too—particularly at

are “the cornerstone of our business,” says Lawrence. “The impact [of the 100-day guarantee] is obviously significant, but we believe in it strongly enough that we want to back it up.”

The Summit at Snoqualmie is one of the top 10 tourist destinations in Washington state and home to one of the biggest ski-school operations in the country, he adds. “When we struggle, it’s no good. It’s no good for a lot of people. We sometimes feel like we’re a barometer for the local ski industry—for better or for worse.”

Chin up, ski lovers: It’s not all bad. Winters like these present opportunities, too. “Skiing was almost nonexistent this year in the front country,” says Matthew Palubinskas, mountaineer and longtime member of the Snoqualmie Pass ski patrol. But even though May conditions in 2015 were like mid-August’s conditions in previous years, “In the backcountry, I was out all year.”

As was backcountry zealot Kristina Ciari— she has been backcountry skiing in Washington every single month for the past 47 months (often in a tutu). Her goal, she says, “is to get to 100,” but really, “I’ll do it until I don’t love it anymore.”

The good news is, bad snow year or no, the Pacific Northwest is one of the few regions in the country—possibly the world—where that is possible. Carson Guy, who works in the outdoor industry, says he’s seen an uptick in interest in backcountry skiing over the past few years— more interested customers, and more gear that’s backcountry-compatible. “The ski resorts know this, too. They’re trying to open up more backcountry-accessible terrain and are enabling their customers to get those skills.”

As for this winter, well . . . the forecast looks middling. A strong El Nino brewing in the Pacific means there’s a high likelihood of warmer temperatures throughout Washington, particularly western Washington, according to the Washington state climatologist’s office. And their prediction through January 2016? “Elevated chances of below-normal precipitation statewide.”

But the region has seen a lot of different kinds of winters in El Nino years, says Washington’s assistant state climatologist Karin Bumbaco. And even in the worst climate-change scenario, “There’s lots of variability in the system. In the mid-to-late 2000s, we had a succession of pretty big snow years.

It’ll happen again. So, you know,” she jokes, “don’t give up your annual pass from now until 2050!”

The most important thing for ski areas, says Methow Trails’ DeSalvo, is making sure people maintain their appetite for winter. “The worst thing is to have people not take their skis out for a whole calendar year because the snow conditions were bad.” That’s part of why so many ski areas offer reciprocity deals with other resorts, he says: “We want to keep winter front-of-mind.”

Plus, as every Washington ski area takes care to point out, a bad snow year in the Cascades is still a heck of a lot better than it would be in other parts of the country. “We get totals that other regions would love to have,” says Guy Lawrence, citing Snoqualmie Pass snowfall data that still puts the area’s annual average in the 300- to 400-inch range. “I feel like, honestly, we’re pretty spoiled here. It’s a shock when we don’t get an abundant season—it throws people.”

It’s all about managing expectations, perhaps.

“Every year I have at least one epic day,” says Kristina Ciari.

And Carson Guy? “I’m just trying to be optimistic this season.” E

sbernard@seattleweekly.com

SEATTLELAND

Ann Rule’s Final Saga Ends Without a Trail

NOVEMBER 29

BY RICK ANDERSON

H

medical condition. “Her health is frail,” daughter and author Leslie Rule told us in June, “and there have been times when certain illnesses struck where she was temporarily incapacitated

Ann Rule

and hospitalized.” She required a caregiver and a guardian ad litem, and had been using a wheelchair since breaking a hip in 2013.

In July Rule was hospitalized, and later died.

The author who wrote The Stranger Beside Me and 29 other New York Times bestsellers “had congestive heart failure and many other health issues,” Leslie wrote in a Facebook note. “She got to see all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren when they visited her at Highline Hospital.”

The following month, prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges she helped bring against her sons. Papers filed in both cases on August 14 state that “Given the recent death of the victim Ann Rule on July 26, 2015, the interests of justice are best served by dismissal of this case.” The motions were approved by a judge who agreed “the ends of justice do not warrant further proceedings.”

Says King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg: The cases had become “unprosecutable.” In theft cases like these, combined with the natural death of the victim, he said, “there is no one to come to court and testify to the harm done.”

This month, Ann’s two daughters, Leslie and Laura, and a foster son, Bruce Sherles, received initial payments from Ann’s trust, each for $2,500. Michael and Andy received similar payments.

The amount and frequency of fund dispersions from Rule’s estate—her wealth has been estimated at $10 million —are not detailed in her will, which she signed in May. Rule directed the estate be put in the hands of her caregiver Barbara Thompson, who oversees Rule’s living trust.

If any of the heirs contest her will, Rule declared, their inheritance will be revoked.

In a section of the will drawn up 19 years ago, Rule declared that some personal property go directly to her children. The daughters received paintings, a car, and computers.

Michael got the silver flatware and serving set.

Andy got a car.

Before Ann Rule died, she was writing her autobiography. Perhaps she is fortunate not to have known how it ends. E

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randerson@seattleweekly.com

Rick Anderson writes about sex, crime, money, and politics, which tend to be the same thing. His latest book is Floating Feet: Irregular Dispatches From the Emerald City.

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SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

The family tumult obviously didn’t help Ann’s

SIMON & SCHUSTER

ow would Ann Rule write it?

“The elderly woman,” she might begin, “whose sons were accused of stealing her money near the end of her life, has begun forking it over to them from the grave.

“Adding insult to injustice, the sons’ criminal charges have been dropped, and they’re free to run around spending her hard-earned fortune!”

You could forgive her the exclamation point.

Ann Rule was one of America’s most popular true-crime writers, and usually didn’t get overexcited in print.

But this true crime allegedly happened to her, in her own home, by her own kin. And now, following her death, it seems she is paying for it: Prosecutors have dismissed felony theft charges against the grown sons “in the interests of justice,” and they have begun receiving funds and gifts from their late mother’s estate.

No longer do they have to steal her dough, as prosecutors claimed. It’s manna from heaven.

To the ailing 83-year-old author, demands by son Andrew, 54, had become “a source of extreme stress for me,” she revealed in court papers earlier this year. “To Andy, I’m just one big money sign, The Bank of Ann/Mom whom he thinks will never run out of cash.”

In addition to supplying a $5,000 monthly stipend, she paid for Andy’s medical insurance and car insurance and gave him $1,000 a month for rent. “And yet he still calls me and asks for more money,” she said, including demands that she buy him a new vehicle.

His brother, Michael, 51, was also critical of Andy’s badgering. “For many years,” Michael said in a court statement, “Andy has talked and intimidated my mother into giving him money.

Andy has gambling and substance-abuse issues that he cannot control, and frightens the family and many people . . . he’s a ‘large man’ [6´1˝, 260 pounds].”

But Michael, who lived next door to his mother in Normandy Park, also beseeched her for money, according to court records. Ann said Michael “often goes into rages, where he throws things across the room and sweeps a counter clean with his arm.” Though he and his wife received $9,000 monthly from Ann, he demanded more money “as she cowered in her wheelchair,” prosecutors alleged.

Michael Rule was charged in April with first-degree theft and forgery for allegedly writing $103,628 in unauthorized checks from his mother’s bank account. Brother Andy Rule was charged with first-degree theft for allegedly coercing his mother into giving him $23,327.

Investigators found some of Ann’s financial papers, credit cards, and checkbooks in the sons’ homes, and predicted the fraud-loss amount would rise “as additional records are received and reviewed.”

7

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

BELLEVUE SQUARE

8 Bellevue Square LRA 10-13 One Page.indd 1

10/2/15 11:55 AM

FIRE AND ICE Tina Albershardt talks about bagging snowy peaks and traversing icy terrain.

FAT TRACKS

BY MARA SILVERS

A

Big tires mean big fun on Washington’s winter trails.

t 5´3˝ and 120 pounds, Tina Albershardt carries the unlikely nickname “The Beast.” But she’s earned it, along with a top spot in this year’s Arc’teryx #defineFEMININE competition, after a decade of mountaineering, hiking, and climbing. A self-described “city girl,” Albershardt didn’t start climbing until her 20s, but has since checked off some of Washington’s most formidable peaks: Rainier, Adams, Baker, St. Helens. After an adventurous summer climbing season, she is preparing for more exploring this winter—including some ice climbing. We asked her how she does it.

BY CASSANDRA CALDERON

SW: How does winter affect your climbing?

METHOW VALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY

Albershardt: In general, I avoid technical ascents in the winter because it’s harder to achieve a good safety margin given the weather challenges. Having said that, I’m definitely an allseason hiker. When I head out during the winter months, I’m much more aware of changes in the weather and constantly assess whether I have the gear and food supply to deal with whiteouts or rapid drops in temperature. I keep a wider safety margin and readily turn around whenever I have the slightest doubt, because I’d pick a warm bed over a frozen tundra any day.

F

Fat-tire riding in Methow Trails.

on mountain bikes, though the course often forced riders to walk their bikes for long stretches across water overflow and soft snow. The limitations of thin tires on soft terrain spurred a plethora of unconventional modifications for easier ice-cycling; in the most notable, riders began to weld two tire rims together and attach them to a mountain-bike hub to create a wider “footprint.”

Later, the invention of a lightweight wider rim fitted to a standard mountain-bike frame completed the development of the modern fat bike. In 2005 Surly Bikes introduced the first mass-produced fat bike, the Surly Pugsley—and cyclists were granted an all-access pass to any terrain their hearts desired.

Other bicycle manufacturers have since followed suit; Seattle retailers, including REI, Gregg’s Cycle, and Montlake Bicycle Shop, offer models priced between $1,000 and $5,000. Fatbike rental prices range from $45 to $90 per day.

Despite its sub-zero origins, fat biking is not just for winter roving. Enthusiasts take to beaches and hills year round, as the bike maneuvers on sand and mud as well. Ocean Shores and Long Beach are among the most popular coastal sites; the local Facebook group Northwest Fatbike hosts an annual meet-up at both.

Other fat-bike-friendly locations include four spots in the Methow Trail system, with nearby bike rentals available at Goat’s Beard Mountain Supplies or Methow Cycle and Sport. More than a dozen trail options are accessible with a day or annual pass for $10 and $50 respectively; winter trails—shared with cross-country skiers—open in early December and are groomed regularly.

Following a ridge that overlooks the valley, Gunn Ranch Trail is arguably the most popular

fat-biking site, as the route puts visitors right on the crest of the North Cascades. Part of the Methow Trail system, Gunn Ranch is located roughly four hours northeast of Seattle. Pearrygin Lake State Park in the Methow Valley also features groomed trails, and requires only a Discover Pass, starting at $11.

According to Smith, fat bikes pose no risk of damaging natural terrain, noting that skis leave more noticeable marks than the bulbous tires.

“You can definitely see where a ski has been, but you can’t tell where a fat bike has been,” Smith says. “In fact, they’re really almost like a groomer in that they help pack the snow even more and flatten it out.” Conditions do matter; Smith advises winter riders to stick to groomed trails, as fat bikes glide best on packed down snow.

In the few years that Methow Trails has welcomed fat bikes, Smith says, their trails see hundreds of riders each season. According to her, many of these riders are rental customers—often families with a mix of riders and skiers.

“We have a lot of people who come over and cross-country ski, but put their kid on a fat bike so now the whole family can go at the same speed,” Smith says. “The kids biking can keep up more than they would Nordic skiing.”

As winter approaches and the Methow Trails become accessible, Smith will continue to point old and new visitors alike to Gunn Ranch Trail and the nearest bike-rental shop.

“If it’s a beautiful sunny day and you’re down in the Methow Valley, then you have to just give it a try,” Smith says. “You will just laugh the whole time you are doing it. It’s amazing.” E

news@seattleweekly.com

I went out to Canmore [in Alberta] last year for an ice-climbing trip guided by Will Gadd. I learned so much from him, and one of the many pieces of advice that stuck with me was that falling as a lead climber on rock is a risk worth taking to push ourselves to that next level—this is a huge no-no for ice climbing. An anchor set by the same experienced climber is generally more stable when set in rock than in ice. Ice melts as the sun comes out, changes structure as pressure sets in, and can quickly degrade from a good to an unstable anchor point. It isn’t that ice climbing is harder than rock climbing—just that ice is so fickle, compared to rock.

What are your top PNW ice-climbing spots?

Leavenworth is a classic place for ice climbing.

A good winter freeze can also bring out some nice training climbs near Alpental. Because the weather is so temperate in Seattle, it’s actually hard to find good ice within an hour’s drive, which makes practice near-impossible. To combat this, my husband and I are building a training wall in our backyard.

You are a contributor to She Jumps, a group that promotes women in the outdoors. How has your gender impacted your experience?

I don’t think my experience in the outdoors has been different because I’m a woman, and I think I have my husband to thank for that.

When he first introduced mountaineering to me, he never once assumed I couldn’t do certain things just because I was a girl. In fact, I remember on one of our first hikes during the early stages of our dating phase, I was shocked when he told me that I had to carry my own pack. He has always respected me as a person and expected me to carry my own weight. It forced me to be a strong and independent climber, but more importantly, it made me realize that I’m the only one who can set my own limits. E

news@seattleweekly.com

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

or Kristen Smith, biking on snow is everything you think it shouldn’t be: safe, easy, and enjoyable.

“This is our third if not fourth year opening up some ski trails to fat bikes, and it’s been really popular,” says Smith, marketing director of Methow Trails outside Winthrop, Wash.

“It’s something truly unique because [people] get to ride on the snow.”

A variation on regular mountain biking, the best way to describe cycling on snow is to equate it to floating, says Smith, thanks to tires that flaunt a hefty 3.8-inch girth (colossal compared to a mountain bike’s standard 2.4-inch tires).

Run at low pressures ideal on snow, the tire’s increased surface area prevents it from digging into the soft terrain or spinning out. Though the frame is heavier and pedaling more laborious, Smith notes steering is easy and braking done without unnecessary sliding. “Pretty much anyone who can ride a bike can do this,” Smith says.

The rising interest in fat bikes—a veritable “fattie phenomenon,” in Smith’s telling—is recent, but the concept has existed for a while.

Conflicting narratives surround the modern fat bike’s inception, but Alaska is widely considered its birthplace, its origins rooted in the Iditarod dog-sled race. Founded in 1973 by Joe Redington Sr., the race commemorates Alaska’s historic Iditarod trail, which spans more than 1,000 miles of back country. In 1987 Redington launched the Iditabike Challenge (now dubbed the Iditarod Trail Invitational), following the development of mountain bikes and the popularization of all-terrain cycling.

As originally conceived, the human-powered race challenged athletes to traverse 210 icy miles

How is ice climbing different from other types of climbing, mentally and physically?

9

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ebbie Armstrong, the Garfield High alum who won the gold metal in the giant slalom in the 1984 Winter Olympics, said recently it’s “no surprise the Northwest produces many of the best skiers in the world.”

Why? The champagne powder? The corduroy groomers? The steady, reliable snowstorms?

Hardly.

“Northwest skiing is not easy. . . . There’s challenging terrain and the weather conditions always vary. It all plays into it, in important ways, when cultivating a ski racer,” she said during an online chat hosted by The Seattle Times last year.

There are numbers to back up Armstrong’s logic. Considering how often it gets overlooked as a ski destination in favor of Rocky Mountain meccas, Washington has cranked out a ton of Olympic skiers.

“We know Colorado and Utah have the best ski areas, but we have 39 Olympians. That’s a huge quantity,” says Dave Moffett, whose family started running ski areas on Snoqualmie Pass before WWII. Perhaps because of Washington’s many identities—or more precisely, many climates—it can be easy to forget our history of winter-sports dominance. But Moffett and a group of other enthusiasts are aiming to make it a little less obscure.

www.miyfs.org

Pass; call 425-434-0827 for hours), which celebrated its grand opening October 10, is the first of its kind in the state, which just goes to show how overlooked Washington’s ski history has been to this point.

The origin of the new museum is itself a piece of history. Back in the 1980s, a group of downhill enthusiasts started a club, later to be called the Ancient Skiers, for those who remember skiing in the Northwest before WWII. One of the most active members was a man named Irv Pratt, who started collecting memorabilia from Washington’s ski history, which dated back to the late 19th century. A museum to display the collection was long a dream of the Ancient Skiers, Moffett

A wax museum of a different sort.

says. A couple of small displays were erected over the years, both at The Summit at Snoqualmie Pass and at Crystal Mountain Resort, but nothing substantial.

“They had a couple of false starts,” Moffett says, but the stars finally aligned in 2011 when he learned about a new commercial development going in on Snoqualmie Pass. Moffett says the prospect of permanent amenities on the Pass that would draw people—the museum is located between a restaurant and a brewery—and the development’s proximity to I-90 made it a perfect site for the museum. Ski museums elsewhere in the country “are at ski areas and only get visitors in the winter. With Snoqualmie having the main freeway there, it’s ideal.”

But while non-skiers might wander in (there’s no admission fee), this is a place for the geek.

The slopes have always been a place to be seen, meaning that much of the ski memorabilia is soaked in flashy nostalgia: prewar goggles that border on steampunk; boldly snowflaked Nordic wool sweaters; and some neon from the Glen Plake era (we know, Glen’s from California).

There are nice little nuggets of Northwest skiing history—the most fascinating of which might be accounts of a robust summer-skiing culture at Paradise on Mount Rainier, including a ski-jumping contest that began in 1917. (There was actually a concerted push to develop Rainier into a full-blown ski area, complete with a tram—an idea that the U.S. Secretary of Interior very wisely shot down.)

There’s a rope tow—remember those?—that actually runs with a press of the button. And of course there are those Olympians. A centerpiece of that display is Debbie Armstrong’s gold metal.

Armstrong’s parents still live in Seattle and are heavily involved in the museum. As for Debbie herself, while she sings the praises of Washington snow to condition great racers, she herself has decamped to the fluffier slopes of Colorado. E

dperson@seattleweekly.com

THROWING STONES Welcome to one of the most decorated American curling clubs.

BY KELTON SEARS

PHOTOS BY KELTON SEARS

Seattleites, or secret Canadians?

I

t’s 11:30 a.m. on a Thursday, but inside the Granite Curling Club (1440 N 128th St., 362-2446), it sounds like 11:30 p.m. on a Saturday . . . at a dive bar. Roughly 50 people are sliding around all five of the club’s ice sheets, maniacally laughing and screaming at each other.

“SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!” an older woman in a beanie bellows across the room at two men. A team to my right simultaneously shrieks in agony at a misdirected shot. A man with a grey moustache starts cackling so hard, he holds onto his knees and the wall to keep from falling down. Lots of people here look like they are about to fall down.

That seems like half the fun of curling. After the buzzer sounds, they assemble for their traditional post-game community lunch in the building’s cozy, cabin-like front room, seated next to an enormous, chock-full trophy display case.

To the uninitiated, curling is somehow both exotic and mundane. People have been methodically propelling smooth granite hunks across ice for nearly 400 years in Scotland, the sport’s nation of origin, and roughly 200 years in North America, but for many it remains a quadrennial mystery. The Olympics provide most Americans’ first interaction with the sport—those strangely hypnotic television broadcasts of people gingerly sliding stones back and forth. Why do they have brooms? What is the end goal here? Have I really been watching this for an hour now?

According to Jim Wood, a 37-year curler, Granite Curling Club member since ’95, and proud possessor of an amazing sweater with decorative curling stones knit into it, the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver lit off a huge local surge

ksears@seattleweekly.com

Join KEXP for “R Day”, a celebration of Rainier Beer with live music at the Old Rainier Brewery on Saturday, October 24th from 5-11PM. Main stage programmed by KEXP with Beat Connection and The Helio Sequence, Ice Skating Rink on site, the Jubilee Team Challenge and of course plenty of Rainier Beer.

Details at KEXP.ORG or RAINIERBEER.COM All beer garden proceeds will benefit KEXP.

©2013 Rainier Brewing Co., Irwindale CA

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

“We have a lot of people who come here and get competitive in a very short amount of time.”

of interest in the sport. “For three weeks after, we had over 1,000 people come to our open houses; there were lines around the block to get in,” he says. People had to wait three to four hours for a lane. “We’ve been lucky—we got a lot of the younger techie guys and gals who became members, and they’ve helped us create a program that allows us to take reservations online so people can avoid those long waits now.”

Contrary to Seattle’s prevailing narrative, the tech influx has actually been a boon to the 400-member club just off Aurora Avenue—one of only two dedicated curling clubs on the West coast. Amazon and Microsoft are two of the club’s biggest renters, bringing staff in for fairly regular “team-building days.” “They’re usually really excited to try it,” Wood says. “It builds a pretty strong generational turnover.”

That turnover and mentorship, plus the fact that roughly 50 to 60 percent of the club’s members are expat Canadians or sons and daughters of Canadians, has generated an astounding number of champions. As a matter of fact, since its 1961 founding, Granite has produced more national curling champions than any other club in the U.S.—51, to be exact. (Who are the Seahawks again?) The club’s most prestigious award came this year, when the men’s senior team defeated Canada to claim gold at the World Bonspiel in Sochi, Russia. (“Bonspiel” is curlingspeak for tournament.)

If all this has you thirsting for your own icy glory, you’re in luck. “We have lots of people come here and get competitive in a very short amount of time,” Wood says. “Come to one of our open houses! You’ll play with better players and learn more that way.” Open houses happen on a regular basis, are beginner-friendly, and cost a mere $25—just make sure to reserve a spot via curlingseattle.org. E

11

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F

ull disclaimer: I don’t like to ski. Growing up, I did attempt to glide gracefully down East Coast ice sheets a number of times, and— once—did have a lovely time experiencing powder in Lake Tahoe. But all the gear—getting it on and off, particularly with a kid—frankly exhausts me.

But, tubing, ah, now that’s a winter “sport” more my speed. Fortunately, Seattle and its environs have several places to engage in this no-frills fun. The closest, Summit Tubing Center in Snoqualmie, is right at The Summit ski slope, should other members of your party prefer to ski. Otherwise, buy a two-hour session of tubing (tube included) and run for the hill with a 40-foot vertical slope that stretches out to 550 feet on 12 groomed lanes. When you’re ready to go again, walk up the hill or chill on the surface tow as it pulls you back up. Tubing is Friday–Sunday only, and recommended for children 3 and older.

Children 5 and under can ride with an adult. Twohour sessions (which can be booked in advance at summitsnoqualmie.com) cost $23 for adults, $20 for 6-to-11-year-olds and $5 for kids 5 and under.

If you want to make a weekend of it, then consider the faux-German town of Leavenworth, two hours east on Highway 2, where you’ll find

Tubing at Summit.

Lt. Michael Adams Tubing Park, where there is

a much steeper slope (at 100 feet). 90-minute tubing sessions here cost $17 per person for those 4 and older, and include the tube. If you’re tubing for the first time, consider the free trial ride. Besides weekends, the slope is also open on Wednesdays. Like Summit, they also offer a tow rope to get you effortlessly back up top. Afterward, relax at one of the area’s many cozy German restaurants. There are also plenty of hotels and lodges to reserve for overnight stays.

Even further afield is Paradise Visitor’s Center at Mount Rainier Park. Less formal than the others here, this offers a BYOT (bring your own tube) “Snowplay” area and costs only $15 for the whole family. However, check closer to December, since this area will not open with less than a five-foot snowpack. There are also skiing, snowboarding, guided snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. The park runs the National Park Inn and the Paradise Inn, both of which have restaurants. For something more low-key, check out the Paradise Camp Deli in the Jackson Visitor Center. Open weekends only.

Note that all of the above open in late December, conditions permitting. E

nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com

TAKE A HIKE

These treks will get you out of the city and into your element.

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

BY MARA SILVERS

12

For the Family-Fun Outing: Heather Lake

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Part of the much-lauded Mountain Loop Highway family, this hike to Heather Lake sits at the base of Mount Pilchuck. About 4.5 miles roundtrip, this short but worthwhile hike will be a family favorite, especially early in the season. Enjoy scenic views and beautiful old-growth trees the whole way.

For the Snow Bunny: Artist Point

Washington Trail Association calls Artist Point “the top competitor for best viewpoint in the state,” which is kind of a big deal. During this four-mile round-trip trail, get ready for views of Mount Baker, Mount Shuksan, and a slew of North Cascade peaks. As with any winter sports adventures, make sure you’re avalanche-prepared and the conditions are good. Best from December until April.

For the Hardcore Hiker: Oyster Dome

Although this is a year-round hiking area, winter guarantees less-crowded trails on this 6.5-

mile round-trip hike with solid elevation gain.

Located in the Chuckanut area south of Bellingham, this hike rewards you with views of Samish Bay, Orcas Island, and the Olympic Mountains.

For the Olympic Lover: Hurricane Ridge

Enjoy the wonders of Olympic National Park with this six-mile, gradual snowshoe trip. Get views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, the San Juans, Mount Baker, and Mount Olympus, as long as the conditions are fair (nobody likes a whiteout).

Hope for good weather and good adventuring, or be ready to come back another time.

For the Small but Mighty: Franklin Falls

Barely two miles round-trip, this snowshoe or hike is sure to impress. Located in Snoqualmie Pass, it’s accessible to all types of outdoor enthusiasts, and ends with the beautiful waterfall for which the trail was named. Scope out the snow conditions to see whether this calls for boots or snowshoes, and get going. E

news@seattleweekly.com

Join us for the 1st annual Seattle Friends & Family Warehouse Sale Saturday, November 7th: 10am – 7pm Sunday, November 8th: 9am – 2pm Seattle Design Center 5701 6th Ave S Seattle, WA 98108

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SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

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TIO TELLIGENCER COLLEC COURTESY OF POST-IN

An inquest jury re-enacts the police shooting of a black man in the Central District.

RY

TORY AND INDUST

N, MUSEUM OF HIS

PROSECUTION AND PREJUDICE

By Christopher T. Bayley

T

oday, in Seattle, there are serious questions of community trust regarding our police department, beginning to be addressed aggresIn 1970, just four years out of Harvard Law, 31-year-old Christopher T. Bayley entered the race sively as I write this by new chief Kathleen O’Toole. In 1970, the for King County Prosecutor, challenging fellow Republican Charles Carroll, who’d been in office same tensions existed in an exacerbated form, particularly between police and minority communities, and the prosecutor’s office was since 1939. Carroll was a powerful man, both in the courthouse and in the Republican Party. But part of the problem.

Bayley ran as a reform candidate intent on rooting out widespread corruption in the county, which Over the years, Prosecutor Carroll developed a reputation for letting his conservaincluded police payoffs and what many believed was high-level protection for illegal gambling tive ideology and partisan goals influence his charging decisions. Some of the results at outfits in exchange for campaign contributions. Bayley defeated Carroll in the primary, and the time were troubling but not of long-term consequence: In the late ’60s, he went on to win the seat. By July 1971, Bayley had brought conspiracy charges against a City Christopher Bayley pursued student protesters more vigorously than corrupt cops and brought more Councilmember, the head of the King County Licensing Department, a former sheriff, a reads from Seattle flag-desecration cases than any prosecutor before or since, including charging former police chief, 13 police officers and sheriff ’s deputies, and former prosecutor Carroll.

Justice. Seattle one hapless woman for wearing a dress decorated with stars and stripes.

But Carroll’s ideological leanings caused more enduring trouble with Seattle’s Central Library, The indictment was a shock to Seattle, but it was only one part of what Bayley saw as a 1000 Fourth Ave, black community. He gained a reputation for biased charging decisions that did campaign to make law enforcement more transparent in Seattle. The black community in real and lasting damage to trust between blacks and local law enforcement. Carparticular had long felt misused by the police and prosecutor’s office. In this excerpt from his spl.org. Free. 7 p.m. roll was only one part of that picture; day-to-day conflicts between minorities Tues., Oct. 27. recently published memoir, Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System and police were common and more likely to sour opinions. But as legal head of law enforcement in King County, Carroll played an outsize role, and his actions in Seattle, Bayley relates his effort to prosecute an officer who killed a black man, and to restore and lack of action symbolized an indifferent or hostile system. trust in the black community.

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

From 1965 to 1975 four black men were shot and killed by Seattle police. Their cases tell the story of a distrustful community, a seemingly untouchable department, and the failed efforts to fix a flawed system.

15

C

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

High School and also to charge two juveniles with coercion, unlawful assembly, and vagrancy for the same event. The juveniles appeared before Judge Robert Utter (later a Washington Supreme Court justice), who dismissed the charges against one and found the other had only violated the vagrancy law. When he heard about this, Carroll called up Utter and cursed him over the phone, using a selection of obscenities that Bob Utter never publicly revealed. When Dan Evans and Slade Gorton spoke at Garfield High School while campaigning together in August 1968, they were taken aback by the deep anger the audience directed against Carroll because of this and earlier incidents.

The author (left) and civil-rights attorney Lem Howell.

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In this atmosphere, a white officer shooting a black man can crystallize underlying anger. In 1965, two off-duty officers and their wives were attacked in a Central District bar by blacks who were upset because the officers uttered racial slurs.

After the fracas wound down, Officer Harold Larsen went outside the bar onto the street corner and shot at a car driving away with some of the assailants, killing Robert Reese. Because it was a police shooting, there was a coroner’s inquest, which led to a verdict of “excusable homicide” by the all-white jury. Carroll did prosecute the officer’s companion with provoking assault, but did not charge Larsen with fatally shooting Robert Reese. On the other hand, he charged four of the black men involved in the earlier fight with thirddegree assault, and all were convicted.

Prosecutor Carroll may have felt he was just being fair in deferring to the inquest and bringing charges against all sides. But the net result— that a white officer suffered no consequences for shooting at a black man—angered a black population already sensitized to their treatment

by the police. A local civil-rights leader, Dr. John Adams, decried the “Alabama-style” justice being meted out and tied it to a history of black citizens seeking redress for physical and psychological police brutality.

The Robert Reese shooting cast a long shadow. Years later, blacks in Seattle would point to its frustrating legal aftermath as a turning point in their distrust of Seattle’s police and prosecutor. Some whites also wanted a better response. The Seattle Human Rights Commission, established under former mayor Gordon Clinton, pushed Mayor Dorm Braman and Chief Ramon to set up a community-relations squad in the police department. Initially, Ramon

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arroll never displayed personal racism that I have heard of. Early in his career, Carroll treated blacks as one more ethnic group to placate by making token appointments and attending fund-raisers for black groups. One of Carroll’s excellent hires was Charles Z. Smith, who later went on to become judge and then Washington State Supreme Court justice. Smith was a nominal Republican in the ’50s when he became a deputy prosecutor but, as he recounts in his oral biography, almost didn’t get selected because Carroll already had somebody black.

Fortunately, Carroll decided the office could handle one more. In the 1950s, Carroll won awards from the Urban League. But the turmoil of the ’60s showed that blacks were not just one more ethnic group.

There have been African-Americans in Seattle since the 19th century, but until the 1930s, there wasn’t a large black population. Seattle’s initial racial conflicts concerned other groups: early battles with Native Americans, riots in the 1880s against Chinese immigrants, internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Washington law never had Jim Crow provisions, though those few blacks who did live here suffered the same informal racism and prejudice common everywhere in the United States.

But World War II and the rise of Boeing increased the city’s black population considerably, with both job seekers and soldiers. These newcomers arrived in a city still de facto segregated in housing and employment. Much of Seattle’s housing was closed off by racial covenants, prejudiced real-estate agents, and redlining, and it was mostly in the Central District that housing could be easily found. Blacks also found that jobs were harder to obtain, at least after the war ended. Even in 1970, it took protests, lawsuits, and forceful action by King County executive John Spellman to compel local unions to include blacks in their apprenticeship programs.

Problems with jobs and housing caused frustration, but conflict with police caused outright anger. Minorities regularly complained about police brutality, selective arrests, and general harassment. It did not help that right through the 1960s, the Seattle police force was overwhelmingly white and not particularly enlightened. At the beginning of 1968, the force of nearly a thousand officers had only eight blacks, up from five in 1965. Chief Frank Ramon explained he wanted more but that blacks were simply not interested in joining the force.

Problems with jobs and housing caused frustration, but conflict with police caused outright anger. Minorities regularly complained about police brutality, selective arrests, and general harassment. asserted there was no need for such a thing, because any complaints could be taken to ranking members of the police department or the prosecutor. Eventually, though, he caved, and the community-relations unit came into being in late 1965. But the CRU proved mostly ineffective, weakened by departmental indifference to its work.

The black community’s alienation from the

police and prosecutor after the Reese shooting was exacerbated by the rise of more radical protests by blacks in the community, leading in turn to strong law-enforcement reaction.

Seattle had the first Black Panther chapter created outside of Oakland. One of its founders, Aaron Dixon, describes the increasing conflict between the Panthers and the law in his memoir My People Are Rising. A particular sore point noted

by Dixon was Carroll’s decision in April 1968 to charge five young men, including Dixon himself, with unlawful assembly for sitting-in at Franklin

Matters came to a head in May 1970, when a black man named Larry Ward was shot by police after he placed a homemade bomb at Hardcastle Realty at 24th and Union in the Central District.

Rumors began flying that the police had set up the bombing and that Ward was a dupe. The black community was infuriated. The inquest that followed demonstrated as none before the deficiencies of that archaic system to deal with a controversial shooting. Theoretically, an inquest was convened only to help the county coroner determine the cause of a homicide when there has been a police shooting. During the inquest, a deputy prosecutor questioned witnesses, but the victim was not represented nor did anyone crossexamine. At the time, the inquest jury itself was personally selected by the coroner, a minor elected official not required to have medical or legal credentials. King County’s coroner was Leo Sowers, a political ally of Carroll, who, it was rumored, kept a list of prospective jurors in a drawer and simply reused them from one inquest to another.

Although inquests were meant only to find facts, the inquest jury was often asked to make a general determination of whether a crime occurred, and the public tended to accept inquest verdicts as equivalent to findings of guilt or innocence. Almost invariably, juries found a police shooting justified (as happened with the Reese case). During his tenure, Carroll had always accepted those decisions as a final result.

The Larry Ward inquest broke a pattern.

Because so many people wanted to watch, it was held at Seattle Center and quickly became raucous. Civil-rights lawyer Lem Howell represented the Ward family. The judge allowed him and other lawyers to interrupt and question witnesses while the crowd itself frequently yelled its disapproval. The result was unexpected: For the first time in over 20 years, the jury voted against the police, by a 3–2 vote, finding Ward died by “criminal means.” Carroll chose not to prosecute, citing a lack of evidence, and it was that decision that pushed Howell to later jump into the race for prosecutor.

During my 1970 campaign, I criticized the inquest system and King County’s reliance on a coroner instead of a medical examiner. I also promised to further investigate the Ward shooting. Howell drew broader conclusions from Carroll’s selective use of his power.

During one of the candidate debates, Howell asked fellow candidate Ed Heavey, “Do you believe a black man can obtain justice in this county?” For Howell, the answer was obvious—no.

The 1965 Robert Reese shooting and the 1970 Larry Ward shooting bracketed years of violence; both outrages committed by radicals and brutalities committed by the police poisoned the mutual atmosphere. Fundamental to the black communities’ distrust of the prosecutor’s office was the suspicion the prosecutor would always protect the police in a collision with blacks, regardless of circumstances. In my eight years, I had to build an effective relationship with the county’s police departments, while still making clear I was beholden neither to the police nor their special protectors, and would take citizen complaints about their behavior seriously.

I tried to address part of this concern by asking the 1971 grand jury to take another look at the Larry Ward case. Witnesses confirmed Ward was persuaded to place a firebomb at Hardcastle Realty by a police informant who had been released on bail and who manufactured the crime to ensure favorable treatment at an upcoming sentencing. But witnesses were conflicted on what happened after Ward placed the bomb at the door and whether the police shouted a warning before opening fire or had reason to gun Ward down as he took off running.

The grand jury chose not to bring an indictment.

Unfortunately, the grand jury report was sealed, so the public never saw the grand jury’s work or my role in bringing the Ward matter to them.

Ultimately, my office was judged by its decisions in difficult cases. And the most difficult cases came when the police shot somebody and I had to decide whether to charge a police officer. My first opportunity came early. On March 21, 1971, a white police officer named Robert Elmore got into a car chase with a black man, Leslie Allen Black. At the end of the chase, Black abandoned his car and ran, and Elmore shot him down.

John Spellman and I wanted to avoid another Larry Ward fiasco, so we put in place new rules for the Elmore inquest. Fortunately, the post of coroner had been abolished by the new King County charter, so jurors would be picked from

I did not face another high-profile police-shoot-

ing decision until February 1975. SPD officer Allen Earlywine and his partner heard about a Woodinville robbery committed by five black men. They staked out the Mercer Island bridge, a logical place to intercept Woodinville robbers returning to Seattle. The officers recognized a car from a previous robbery, signaled it to pull over,

and ordered the driver, Joseph Hebert, to get out.

Hebert got out, ran, and was shot.

The shooting was widely publicized, and the inquest results were widely anticipated. Unfortunately, as in the Elmore case, the results were confusing. Earlywine testified he fired in self-defense, after Hebert wheeled on him holding what Earlywine thought was a gun but which proved to be a knife. Hebert’s family attorney tried to show the story was a lie. The inquest jury, which included two black jurors and was conducted by a black judge, found by a 5–1 vote the homicide was not justifiable. But by a 4–2 vote, they also found the officer had been in reasonable fear for his life.

From a legal standpoint, my decision whether or not to prosecute was more difficult than in the Black/Elmore case. The touchstone of a case against Earlywine would be whether he acted in reasonable self-defense. The jury verdict indicated some would believe he had. After a two-day review of the testimony, we decided not to file.

The black community’s negative reaction was fierce and swift. It did not help that newly appointed police chief Robert Hanson held a press conference the next day to reveal Hebert’s long criminal record, and that property from the Woodinville robbery had been found in his abandoned car. Hanson was rightly condemned for attacking a dead man and raising points irrelevant to whether Earlywine acted legally in shooting him.

My decision had been based on objective legal factors, but this cut no ice with critics. The ACLU was one of the more restrained: We suggest that public questioning of your lack of objectivity reflects an accurate perception that the office of prosecutor cannot be objective in these matters. That is not a question of your personal integrity but of the institutional relationship between the police and the prosecutor. The prosecutor has a conflict of interest in dealing with potential police criminal conduct (because the two work so closely together).

Lem Howell was a little less kind, directly accusing me of failing to charge in order to protect my political future. I also had the dubious privilege of being interviewed by Calvin Trillin, who arrived to report to his New Yorker audience on the Hebert shooting. His depiction of my role was neither favorable nor fair, implying my decision not to charge Earlywine was related to my political advocacy for sentencing reform. But Trillin’s summary of the black community’s feelings rang true: “A white policeman confronted by a black man may leave a few of the alternatives to shooting unexplored.

Chief Hanson tried to make the black people of Seattle see Joe Hebert as a criminal, but they insisted on seeing him as a black man.”

After I left office in 1981, my successor, Norm Maleng, charged a prison guard with manslaughter after a prisoner was choked to death, despite an inquest finding the death was justified. The jury acquitted the guard. Not long after, the legislature amended the law to provide that a “peace officer shall not be held criminally liable for using deadly force without malice and with a good-faith belief that such act is justifiable.” Since then, in the words of Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, “This almost perfect defense to a mistaken use of force has kept police officers out of court as defendants.”

Reese’s death in 1965, Ward’s in 1970, and the shootings by Elmore and Earlywine may seem dated now. But each was remembered for a time, and the memories were passed on to new generations in the form of mistrust of police. I think the other work I was doing in the office counterbalanced the anger caused by particular decisions on particular shootings, but it only takes one difficult decision to lose a lot of the community’s trust. E

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a normal jury pool, not Leo Sowers’ bottom drawer. We allowed time for attorneys representing both the victim’s family and the officer to appear and ask questions, and broadened the scope so the jury could make specific factual findings and not just file general verdicts.

The inquest itself proceeded more smoothly, but the results were still confusing. On April 17, the inquest found Elmore had shot Black to effect an arrest, but that the shooting was contrary to department guidelines and not actually necessary to make the arrest. They also found the officer did not have probable cause to believe he was in danger of injury. The 5–1 vote on the last point marked a rare occasion where an inquest jury simply failed to believe a police officer, for Elmore had testified he thought Black had a gun.

The ball was now in my court—to charge Elmore or not—at a particularly bad time. It was the first week of grand jury sessions [for the conspiracy indictment against Carroll and several police offiers]. Two weeks earlier, Chief George Tielsch had punished Eugene Corr for cooperating with the grand jury staff, and there’d been some back and forth in the press. Charging Elmore with a crime would further alienate the police department, whose cooperation I needed.

In the end, I determined the inquest findings matched up with the evidence, which showed Elmore shot a man fleeing after a high-speed chase without good reason to think the man posed a danger. That was a criminal act under the law, and accordingly, on April 23, we charged Elmore with manslaughter. It was the first time in anybody’s memory a prosecutor indicted an officer for shooting a civilian. For this, I earned some praise from liberal quarters. The Central Area Community Council sent me a statement saying: Many people had come to think that the law interpreted and applied in a discriminatory fashion in Seattle and they had reason to think so. You have served notice that the laws will apply equally to all, policeman as well as private citizen. You have confirmed public confidence in your office and in law enforcement in King County.

But most of the public disliked the charges. The police guild, many private citizens, and most eloquently, Elmore’s wife, all wrote me letters making the same points: Elmore was a good officer, Black was a criminal (evidence emerged he had been driving a stolen car that night), Elmore had good reason to think Black was armed, and there was nothing wrong in shooting at a fleeing felon. I received so much mail I developed a form-letter response—that equal justice required equal treatment of all those committing homicide.

The trial took place in November 1971, conducted by Chief Criminal Deputy Dave Boerner.

Defending Elmore were Neal Shulman, who had been chief criminal deputy under Carroll before resigning, and Joel Rindal. The all-white jury took less than an hour to reach their verdict: not guilty.

Elmore immediately returned to patrol duties.

And thus, the results were mixed. The black community may have been heartened that a prosecutor took seriously the idea that the police should be judged by the same law as anybody else. On the other hand, the quick verdict of the jury showed the legal system as a whole was not necessarily similarly inclined.

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food&drink Beyond Spicy Lionhead takes on Sichuan cuisine, deftly balancing flavors and dismissing those looking for just a quick, fiery blast.

BY NICOLE SPRINKLE

LIONHEAD 618 Broadway Ave. E. Asian Informal

Asian accents in the dining room.

T

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Ma po doufu, a signature Sichuan dish.

Sichuanese food is known for its boldness of flavor, via garlic, ginger, scallions, herbs like star anise, fermented bean paste, fermented vegetables, black vinegar, wine, and lemon. From those myriad ingredients comes a complex juggling of tastes that, besides spicy, include sour, bitter, salty, and sweet. Non-spicy dishes, too, play a part in this intricate balance, counteracting fieriness with mouth-soothing coolness. Given that intricacy, Traunfeld, who’s proven himself a

master at achieving harmony among flavors at Poppy and Herbfarm, is to my mind the perfect chef to take on a nuanced cuisine that is about so much more than heat.

Traunfeld’s been vocal about staying true to Sichuanese food. And while he does take some liberties, anyone looking for the classic dishes will find them here. To me, the ultimate bar for good Sichuanese food is ma po doufu: soft cubes of tofu cooked in a spicy stew of ground

Perfectly cooked greens.

peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, peanuts, and scallions. In the attempt to make it ferociously spicy, far too many chile peppers litter the plate—so many that you need to simply push them aside. I’ve eaten this dish countless times in China and have never seen so many used— and despite the abundance here, they oddly don’t amplify the heat. Plus, the peanuts, which shouldn’t be too soft, are undercooked to the point of being inedible. »

PHOTOS BY JOHN GRANEN

he smallish interior of Lionhead, right next door to Poppy, feels current (concrete floors, painted brick walls), but with well-edited Chinese ambience via a couple of wooden temple carvings hung on the wall; a sprawling gold, lacquered traditional painting in panels; and a red planter behind the bar filled with “happy” leafy plants.

But the understated decor belies the ambition of the food at Jerry Traunfeld’s new Capitol Hill restaurant, which focuses on the Sichuan province of China (inspired by his visit there with Chinese-food expert and cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop). Sichuanese food is most notable for its use of peppers, specifically chile peppers and the slightly citrus-tasting Sichuan peppercorn (actually a seed) that leaves your mouth slightly numb, and carries a vaguely metallic aftertaste—but isn’t spicy until combined with the chile peppers. But that’s only part of the story, and those expecting merely a fix of blistering heat may leave disappointed.

If they do, that’s not on Traunfeld. Besides the abundance of peppers (and remember that chile peppers came from the Americas and 18 didn’t make it to China until the 16th century),

pork and fermented black beans and flavored predominantly by a salty bean paste, doubanjiang (considered the heart of the cuisine, rather than the sichuan peppercorn), as well as by Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and green onions.

It’s Chinese comfort food at its best, kind of an Eastern version of chili or an Italian bolognese, and this one delivers all the right punches: a saltiness that is nuanced and fragrant, a lingering kick of spice from the peppers and peppercorns in oil (mala), and the homey marriage of minced pork and tofu—all of it lapped up over rice. Dan Dan mien, an appetizer, is equally good, the meaty gravy similar to that of ma po doufu, but served over wheat noodles.

Vegetables (entrée size) also get the authentic treatment: Water spinach, with bright-green hollow stems, is braised to a crunchy bite, assisted with ample garlic, scallions, and fermented tofu, while yu choy (a variety of bok choy) is also beautifully prepared and served with walnuts and bacon (a creative twist). These vegetables, cooked just as I remember them during an extended stay in China and Taiwan, are incredibly hard to find replicas of in the U.S. The braising liquid, resplendent with garlic and ginger, pools beneath the crisp greens and makes you realize why Americans have never embraced vegetables as enthusiastically as the Chinese.

Traunfeld, too, has chosen to embrace some of the subtlest, most exotic flavors of Sichuanese cuisine, including “Strange Flavor”—very roughly translated, a sour sesame sauce (the sourness typically coming from lemon, wine, and/or black vinegar). However, that sauce traditionally also bears other hallmark tastes of the cuisine, including the Chinese “mirepoix” of garlic, ginger, and scallion, as well as a touch of mala. In Lionhead’s cold Strange Flavor Chicken Salad, pieces of shredded chicken and cucumber get mixed with bean thread noodles and tossed with an intensely flavored sesame sauce that does indeed leave your taste buds thrumming with tartness, sweetness, and an echo of heat.

The biggest disappointment here was the gung bao chicken, a stir-fried dish with chile

BARCODE

Secrets of a Somm

BY ZACH GEBALLE

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Chinese desserts, to do so at Lionhead would be a mistake. The dessert menu was put together by Traunfeld, after all, a trained pastry chef who’s brought us some of the best sweets in town.

Indeed, the coconut tapioca pudding with driedfruit compote is solid, but it’s the cream-cheese

sponge cake with chrysanthemum cream and fresh plums that will blow you away. The cake is something between sponge and pound, fluffy yet dense, and very lightly flavored with lemon. The chrysanthemum is delicately delivered, just as you’d hope.

You’d expect to see a version of this in a Chinese bakery in the ID, only not nearly as good.

And let’s not forget: Lionhead is a no-tipping restaurant! On my two visits, I had perfectly friendly and competent service; some servers were extremely well-versed in the finer points of the cuisine, while those less so were more than happy to trot back to the kitchen and ask.

While there are plenty of two- and four-tops here, Chinese food is best enjoyed with multiple dishes served to a large group, eaten over small individual bowls of rice. So grab your people and reserve the lone table at the back with the lazy susan—and give this fine take on Sichuanese food a spin. E nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com

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» I also wasn’t a fan of the leek and Chinesesausage bao with black mushrooms. Bao, a steamed bun which should be fluffy and doughy, was on the stale side, though the filling was admittedly tasty. The five-spice braised and crisped duck forgoes the traditional Sichuanese tea-smoked preparation, which would be fine if the slices of duck were a bit moister. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the pungent, sour chili oil with black vinegar that you smear over the meat. Devotees of Poppy’s eggplant fries will love the way Traunfeld’s adapted them here, using the Sichuan dish of braised eggplant as inspiration.

and help younger ones open and be more expressive. Plus decanters just look badass on the table.

One item that’s falling out of favor is the ice bucket. While they once were nearly automatic for white wines, these days most somms tend to ask guests their preference. Many whites get more expressive as they get a bit warmer, and ice buckets take up lots of table real estate and often make a mess. Sparkling wine is a different story, however, and if your bottle doesn’t come with some way to keep it cold, it’s time to ask questions.

The final thing I look for is: How does the server pour? Is she confident? Does he wipe the lip of the bottle to keep wine from spilling on the table (or, much worse, a guest)? Does she pour evenly among the glasses? These might feel like minor details, but taken as a whole they’re the difference between effortless service and the kind that throws off the rhythm of an entire meal. E

GET

rinking a bottle of wine in a restaurant should be as close to effortless as possible. Of course, like anything else in a restaurant, making something seem effortless to the guest requires attention to a bunch of little details from the sommelier or server.

For example, check the glasses in front of you: You’d be amazed at how often they’re dirty, unpolished, or possibly dripping wet. If the restaurant can’t provide you with clean glassware that didn’t come straight out of the dishwasher, then it’s at least reasonable to wonder how they’re storing and maintaining their wine.

You’re unlikely to ever see the wine room in a restaurant (unless you get the grand tour at a place like Canlis), but if that room is poorly maintained, you’ll know it. Maybe it’ll take 20 minutes to find the bottle you ordered, or it’ll be too cold or too warm to be served at the moment.

Also, ask a question or two about the bottle you’re ordering. Most of us are more than happy to talk a bit about the wines on our list—maybe an interesting fact about the winemaker, or some detail about the region, or just a hint of what to expect when you taste. If the person you’re talking to looks uninterested or simply says “Yeah, it’s good,” then maybe you’re not in the best hands.

Speaking of, once the bottle is in the sommelier’s hands, watch how he or she carries it. In an older bottle of red wine, sediment is likely to have been deposited on whatever side was facing down, and a good somm will make sure to keep that side facing down in transit. Offering, at least, to decant a bottle is another nice touch: It’s another way to filter sediment from older wines

19

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Luckily, the city is still home to creative bartenders who see the value of a cocktail stuffed with snacks. These mother-approved bloody marys will have you eating your vegetables, and much much more.

Sam’s Tavern makes the Kim Kardashian of bloody marys—a much-photographed socialmedia darling, famous for its buns. The buns belong to the beef slider that garnishes this hair-of-the-dog drink; it comes complete with shredded lettuce, tomato, and special sauce.

The slider garnish alone could summon the paparazzi, but Sam’s doesn’t stop there. A cube of pepperjack cheese, an olive, a pearl cocktail onion, a cherry tomato, and a cold lit’l smokie are skewered and laid atop the salted rim of the glass. Want more? A pickled asparagus spear and a stalk of celery complete the look,

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and guarantee that all five food groups are represented in a single drink ($14).

The unlikely star of Monsoon’s umami-packed cocktail, titled the Bloody Alternative, is pho stock. The bone-marrow broth is simmered for 48 hours, then reduced by half and added to tomato juice along with splashes of fish sauce, sriracha, and pineapple juice—which the bartender promises adds character, not sweetness.

Monsoon shuns classic vodka in favor of gin and adds kümmel, a cumin- and caraway seed-flavored liqueur. The glass is rimmed with a blend of salt, sugar, pepper, and paprika, and finished simply with a basil leaf ($10).

Not all Moshi Moshi’s sushi is served on a plate. The sashimi bloody mary is garnished with a fresh slice of raw albacore, a single shrimp, and a house-pickled quail egg. Can’t enjoy sashimi without wasabi? They have that covered: Their housemade bloody-mary mix is spiked with wasabi and a little fresh horseradish for a double punch of nose-tingling Japanese spice ($12).

Zayda Buddy’s serves Midwestern-style food, so they couldn’t resist garnishing their bloody mary with a chunk of squeaky cheese curd. Officially titled The Best Damn Bloody Mary, this proud mary also features pickled green beans, pepperoncinis, olives, and slices of lemon and lime. And just when you start thinking the drink is too healthy, they’ll slam down the accompanying beer back: a schooner of Rainier ($9).

It’s Italian food for days at Peel & Press, so the yearold West Seattle pizzeria opted to extend the red, white, and green into their bloody mary. The classic tomato-juice cocktail is garnished with fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil—a caprese salad on a stick. And if you’re looking for a little break from all the eye-talian flavors, the bartender will whip you up a spicy roasted-jalapeño bloody mary ($10). E The bloody mary at Sam’s Tavern

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Why Madonna and company refuse to act their age, with varying degrees of success, in the harsh New Media-sphere.

BY NICOLE SPRINKLE BRENNAN MORING

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Modern Immaturity

ver since Madonna became the hardworking, relentlessly ambitious pop star that she is, I assumed she’d one day age gracefully, transforming into elegant Old Hollywood royalty like Grace Kelly—one of many women who’ve influenced her myriad personae through the decades. I thought we’d be able to say, Wow, look how Madonna has let her face show its age and still be beautiful. Or, look how her body is still fierce yet dressed like a sophisticated adult.

The very opposite, of course, has happened.

The 57-year-old Madonna is baring her bod, yes, but in tacky outfits that look pulled from the racks of Forever 21. Trying to insert herself into a music scene ruled by hip-hop, she’s even worn gold grills on her teeth. That’s why I’m still bothered by this summer’s New York Times article “Growing Older With Madonna.” In it, Jancee Dunn admits to watching with “queasy fascination [Madonna’s] attempts to navigate the undeniable fact that she is growing older before our eyes.” Yet she concedes, “Much of the hand-wringing around her age focuses on her lack of dignity.

But she’s not a United Nations ambassador— she’s a pop star.”

Precisely. It’s this idea of “dignity,” and my own early desire to watch her age “gracefully,” that now grate on my notion of feminism.

During Hollywood studio days, that might’ve been possible or preferable (e.g., Princess Grace, Katharine Hepburn). But now, during our Instagram age of Kardashian, TMZ, and Gawker, every gray hair and wrinkle—or ill-advised tweet—gets instantly relayed to our phones. And if you’re not playing along, there’s a chance you might not exist, which is death to a celeb.

Today this raises the question of what “graceful” even means, and according to whom? Dunn mentions the U.N.-ambassador path pioneered

by Audrey Hepburn in the ’80s, lately followed by recovering bad girl Angelina Jolie. Noble, yes, but should it be the gold standard for women “past their prime?” Why force the do-gooder role onto a female star who has no interest in saving the world—or being any kind of role model, for that matter?

Hence the rude counterexample of Chrissie Hynde, whose new memoir, Reckless: My Life as a Pretender, describes a violent sexual encounter with a biker gang. She’s come under fire for defending herself thus: “If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s his fault . . . But if I’m being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who’s already unhinged—don’t do that. Come on!”

Even fellow cool-rocker Lucinda Williams was incensed, but why should a ’70s punk like Hynde stop trying to offend, or apologize when she does? That’s like asking Madonna to dress modestly. Hynde never sought to be a feminist icon or a role model; as she recently told NPR, “I’m not here to embolden anyone.” Now that she’s older, why should we expect different of her?

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 21

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Richards gets a pass, somehow, for his leering and drinking and smoking and flaunting his cadaverous wrinkles. And if his recent solo work consists of crooning insipid blues tunes in a Dylan-derivative voice, male critics will say he’s authentic, that he’s just being true to himself and his art. Nobody requires him to reinvent himself or age with dignity. (Hello, gold snakeskin jacket!) Meanwhile, very few women north of 40 (or 50, or 60 . . . ) are given such freedom by the media to show their miles of hard living.

See: Hynde, Courtney Love, and even Williams—who, while aging seemingly without cosmetic assist or outlandish antics, sadly no longer fills big concert halls.

The exceptions are telling. Meryl Streep, for example, has always been known for being Meryl Streep, for the excellence of her brand— not its youthfulness. And no one can force a new career trajectory on her to avoid the supposed indignity of aging. Into the same category fall Helen Mirren and Patti Smith (coming here in January with her new book M Train). Lately playing Alzheimer’s and cancer victims, Julianne Moore is edging into the same space, even as she continues to model for Revlon. (Though she does refreshingly cop to her age in interviews, like it’s No Big Deal.)

Some women in showbiz go the other direction: embracing plastic surgery to gain a few extra years onscreen. For this they’re judged just as severely on social media, as was the case last year with Renée Zellweger’s relaunched face. We like a little work done well (think Emmylou Harris or Nicole Kidman), but cross that line and risk the wrath of media and fans. It’s a damned-if-youdo, damned-if-you-don’t scenario. The obvious extreme here is Joan Rivers. Yet she managed to stay relevant precisely because she talked about her surgeries and her age, much as Amy Schumer can joke about her weight today. And Rivers was a trouper who never quit. Charlize Theron seems to be holding her own, sacrificing her beauty for good roles in Monster and Mad Max: Fury Road.

But how much longer does she have; how many more movies will give her that freedom?

Others get lucky. The resurgent Stevie Nicks is filling stadiums again with Fleetwood Mac and mentoring Haim and Antebellum. Nicks hit bottom in the ’80s—puffy and zoned-out onstage, revolving in and out of rehab, getting pounded in the press. But even at her nadir—near the same time Jane Fonda was rebranding herself as a workout maven—Nicks stayed true to herself. Did she ever apologize? Does Madonna?

Nicks’ new status as elder rock goddess reflects the fact that she never changed her brand. She’s still sporting her velvet black dresses and long, luminous hair. And when not doing cameos on American Horror Story, The Voice, and onstage with her young acolytes, she’s at home cuddling with her puppies. She’s marketing herself, but staying (shudder) age-appropriate.

And for those celebs who don’t want to be judged exclusively by the camera or box office, there’s the entrepreneurial new lifestyle/mommy track. Following in the formidable footsteps of Martha Stewart, we have Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop enterprise (a website promoting fashion, food, and healthy living) and Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty, a make-up and cosmetics line at Walmart.

(Barrymore will be here November 7 to discuss her new memoir Wildflower with director Lynn Shelton.) If capitalizing on your (fading) looks and style seems like an innocuous pursuit, think again. Jessica Alba’s toxinfree home products line, Honest Company, is worth $1 billion.

From that success, as we know from Fonda’s fitness example, comes the backlash— which is no less sexist than dissing Madonna’s non-matronly style. Paltrow is viciously condemned by women and the media alike.

And why—because she dares to monetize her fame? I don’t get the hate, and Madonna is again the paradigm here: Why would a woman who made a business—no, a multimillion-dollar empire—of chasing the latest trend, of upturning ideas of what it means to be a sexual female, of shape-shifting into personae to fit the times, not continue to seek relevance, fame, and fortune?

And what’s more feminist than earning your own money?

So while I’ve mocked Paltrow’s “conscious uncoupling” from Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, I’m also really irked by the criticism of her choice to be a successful businesswoman, particularly in a landscape that isn’t doling out plum acting roles. In a Time interview this summer, she railed at how entrepreneurial women are negatively portrayed in the media. “I think you just put your nose to the grindstone and build your business,” she said. “You just keep going in hopes the story becomes not people pitting women against each other, which is not founded in truth. There’s no competition. You just get to f**king work!”

You just get to fucking work. Exactly. And work is a choice, just as coasting on your looks (for some young women) can be a choice. But there’s no requirement that such choices be ennobling or quote-unquote dignified. (How I hate that word.) And while I concede the Streep exception, “dignified” doesn’t really sell in our youth-obsessed, Twitter-ranked, Mileybesotted media culture.

Stardom rewards narcissism and selfcenteredness, and those same qualities are finding new markets for women willing to adopt new career roles. This is not the same thing as maturity, nor should it be. “I hope you are as fun-loving and adventurous as me when you’re my age!!!! Hahahhahaha let’s see,” taunts Madonna on Instagram. Indeed. E

Why force the do-gooder role onto a female star who has no interest in saving the world—or being any kind of role model, for that matter?

nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com

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The reason that the videos are fine-tuned is that I want to be right about it. So I research [them] as voraciously as I can and then take a week or a couple weeks to gestate and figure out what my take is. I know from the gut level that my take is anti-corporate, antiestablishment Seattle politics, which are just an insane mockery of civic politics.

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A lot of our politicians thrive in a lack of awareness of what’s going on. No one who voted for Bertha should be in public office. I do believe that Ask me about Bertha. the viaduct doom portal is a great metaphor for the money, the status quo, and the delusion that fuels our entire political process. And then you see someone like Kshama come in and just blow that apart.

hen Brett Hamil first took to stand-up comedy nine years ago, he wasn’t doing anything special. Jokes about his wife and Do you think humor is an important part of his dogs showed up on a regular basis. Politics the dialogue when it comes to city politics? weren’t really part of the act, the 40-year-old tells Oh, yeah. Comedy is like a force multiplier. If me on a recent afternoon at a Beacon Hill coffee you can paint someone accurately as a stooge or a shop. But now, on the eve of his new live talk toady of the developers, that absolutely leaves a show at Northwest Film Forum, Hamil mark in a way that shoving a donors list stands as the city’s premier political in someone’s face and saying “Look at Northwest comic, likely the only person ever the assholes that support this guy” Film Forum to ring a laugh out of municipal can’t. That doesn’t move people.

1515 12th Ave., broadband policy. The Seattle The format for The Seattle nwfilmforum.org.

Process, as the semimonthly show Process is the talk show, but that $10–$12. 8 p.m. is called, is an extension of Hamil’s format is dominated by white men.

Wed., Oct. 21.

YouTube channel, which has develDo you feel self-conscious at all being oped a modest but engaged audience just another white male talk-show of leftist wonks attracted to his detailed host? And how do you navigate that? parsing of policy and infectious outrage.

If you look at all the white male talk-show Hamil’s new show expands on that model, bring- hosts, they exist in a corporate-network, maining in fellow comedian Emmett Montgomery, stream-media milieu where they are a product who will warm up the room; “politically uninof the privilege inherent in how those systems formed sidekick” Travis Vogt; and, for this first work. I’m just a self-appointed big, important show, an impressive roster of like-minded guests: guy. No one gave me any credibility; this is just socialist Councilmember Kshama Sawant, writer what I’m doing. And I do feel that one of the and activist Ijeoma Olou, and the women who very integral parts of what I do is informed by run the Seattlish blog. Just don’t expect any jokes Black Lives Matter and just the post-Ferguson about his dogs. reality we live in. After Ferguson, any way I can get those voices and those causes more bandSW: When did politics first appear in your width, I will. For example, all the guests on this comedy? first show are women and women of color.

Hamil: My comedy has always been informed by a very leftist, anti-corporate attitude, but I This first show seems like a dream in that don’t know if that shows through a lot. When it regard. What’s your dream lineup for show #2? started to branch is when I started to make the I would love to have [outgoing CouncilmemYouTube videos. So, I said, let me take this comic ber] Nick Licata on the show to burn bridges sensibility and apply it to current events. And and give us the real scoop. Ijeoma this month is the first big one was about the organizers of the doing the Internet-troll hall of fame, so I’d love Hempfest and how they opposed the legalization to have Lindy West, the ultimate troll magnet of initiative. I was so infuriated that these fucking Seattle, break down one of her interactions. [Forhypocrites, these burnout assholes, would oppose mer Mayor Mike] McGinn would be great too. their own cause just to protect their market He and I have joked about doing a bit where I’m share in the medical market that I just had to say his anger translator, like the bit on Key & Peele something about it. where Obama gets an anger translator. It would be like, “YOU CAN NOT DIG THIS BIG There is an element of outrage in your comFUCKING HOLE!!!” E mentary, but you also have a fine-tuned political acumen. Where does that come from?

mbaumgarten@seattleweekly.com

reviews

MUSIC

Smells Like Lean Spirit Mackned’s Auto-Tuned alter ego returns on Hurt Cobain II.

M

HCII’s five main tracks (bonus track “Newspaper” is the sole exception).

Sad-thug brooding over wistful guitar riffs isn’t entirely new to hip-hop (listen to Ned’s perennial favorite Future break down on “Deeper Than the Ocean,” or more recently, SD’s “Just the Beginning,” if you need convincing) but it’s far from common, and Ned seems to wholeheartedly embrace the style on HCII. In many ways, what Mackned is doing here is a logical extension of his influences and tastes.

The downcast singing makes sense considering Ned’s closeness with Thraxxhouse’s resident shoegazer Wicca Phase Springs Eternal. The heavy use of guitar reflects his appreciation of genres outside hip-hop and his infatuation with grunge. Opening track “Live Without Me,” for instance, pays tribute to Kurt by sampling Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box.” Ned seems keen to echo the legacy of Seattle musicians, and sampling Nirvana is a pretty straightforward way to do that (assuming no record-company lawyers come after him for it).

As a persona, Hurt Cobain feels more fleshed-out here than on the original HC EP. What sets Mackned’s other work apart from Hurt Cobain’s is the latter’s expanded musical palette and raw, uninhibited emotional delivery.

He’s played with this kind of open emotional honesty before, notably on FEMALE’s confessional “Role Model,” but here the project is devoted entirely to it. And despite Ned’s persistent melancholy drone, it’s not all rainclouds; there are moments of happiness on display, “Feel Good” being the most obvious. It feels as though Ned is coming to terms with himself, accepting his own flaws (“I grew with these bad influences, I’m trying to fix it/I can’t step outside my house until I have prescription”) before getting a touch goopy and sentimental about longtime friends (SneakGuapo and Key Nyata) and new ones (Skate Thraxx, featured on “Feel Good.”)

Some elements seem to be lacking on HCII,

though. The hooks don’t pack the same punch as those of Ned’s more traditional hip-hop outings—for instance, FEMALE’s “100 Oz.”: surprising, given that catchiness tends to be one of the rapper’s strong suits. It feels too short in places, especially “Live Without Me,” arguably the record’s best track, which clocks in at a breezy 1:55 before abruptly ending. Occasionally, the Auto-Tuned warbling devolves into a completely unintelligible soup of words. It’s a shame that Wicca Phase doesn’t make an appearance here either; his track record with

Ned has been consistently excellent, and his Morrissey-by-way-of-Chief Keef aesthetic would’ve been a perfect fit here.

Hurt Cobain II isn’t perfect, but it’s nice to see Mackned exploring new and unorthodox places. For fans of his louder, more boisterous trap anthems, it might be a difficult sell, but with an output like his, it’s likely we will be seeing more from him, and Hurt Cobain, in the near future. E

music@seattleweekly.com

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

odern hip-hop is characterized by outsize personalities, and sometimes just one isn’t enough. Such is the case on Hurt Cobain II, the new project from Thraxxhouse crew leader and rising West Seattle rapper Mackned.

A little background: In July, Mackned dropped the Hurt Cobain EP seemingly out of nowhere, a little teaser for his breakout full-length FEMALE, which was released less than a month later. The EP was a departure for Ned, much more free-form than a lot of his previous material. On it, he largely eschewed rapping in favor of downtrodden, Auto-Tuned warbling over slow, introspective beats. The EP was completely freestyled, which gave Ned some breathing room to experiment under less pressure. The EP also served as a formal introduction to Ned’s new persona, Hurt Cobain.

It was an interesting diversion, but with FEMALE’s relative conventionality, it seemed like little more than a one-off.

Hurt Cobain II, released last Friday, is here to dispel that notion, returning to and improving the style that began to take shape on the original EP. Heavy use of Auto-Tune is still the rule, but Ned makes the unorthodox (for hiphop) decision to use guitar-loop-based beats on

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Labyrinth of Lies Nazis? What Nazis?

Simone on the cover of her 1958 debut album.

“My Personal Life Is a Shambles” The rise and fall, and further fall, of Nina Simone, as told in two docs.

BY BRIAN MILLER

K

manager during the ’60s, Andrew Stroud, both made her a star and abused her in private. In the family-authorized What Happened, which Simone’s daughter Lisa helped produce, matters are often grim. “He beat me up,” Simone writes in her diaries, “put a gun to my head, bound and raped me.” Later, Lisa explains, her mother would beat her in the same fashion—a pattern all too dismayingly familiar in such broken families.

After Simone’s flight from family and country, Amazing paints a cheerier picture of her lesbian affairs, entirely omitted (like her tax troubles) in What Happened. She was swiftly forgotten until the unlikely revival of her bouncy “My Baby Just Cares for Me” in a 1987 Chanel ad, starring Carole Bouquet and Gene Kelly (who charted the same tune in ’57), directed by Ridley Scott. Vintage glamour and sex appeal became attached to her name—much like the show tune “Feeling Good,” now a profitable staple of ads and movie trailers.

The rest of Simone’s life is mostly disaster.

Despite all her late-life health and financial issues, she lived long enough to attend Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday in 1998. She even played Benaroya Hall in July 2001, when our Steve Wiecking wrote, “You got the feeling that if you looked at her wrong she’d turn you into a pillar of salt. And you’d deserve it.”

And perhaps we do—men, the whole white establishment, the “United Snakes of America” that Simone so reviled, etc. If she hated us, what a gift it is to be so hated. Though Amazing isn’t amazing, and if you have to borrow a friend’s Netflix account to watch What Happened, both will send you to iTunes to binge-download Simone’s priceless music.

Some 50 years after her peak renown, she remains a towering and still-troubling artist who demands to be heard in these racially fraught times of #blacklivesmatter. The two movies are together adequate, but her music is utterly singular and essential. E bmiller@seattleweekly.com

Rock the Kasbah Bill Murray’s Sandy Misfire

As much as I appreciate the love Bill Murray gets from arthouse auteurs like Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch, there are times when the great man should cut loose in a big, broad comedy.

Rock the Kasbah aims for that spirit, but—nope, no cigar. Murray plays an L.A. talent manager, Richie Lanz, who never made the big time but has a bushel of anecdotes about hanging out with Madonna and Jimi Hendrix. Given a shot

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

of the backstage melodrama, which Nina may now your Ninas. There’s understandprove to be. These two docs thus tell a familiar story able confusion between The Amazof rise and fall, but neither succeeds in spinning ing Nina Simone, opening Friday, Simone’s ’80s rediscovery as a happy third act. Hers and the prior What Happened, Miss is an inescapably sad tale, which adds depth and Simone?, which debuted on Netflix in June. pathos to her music (rather like Billie Holiday’s).

Adding to the media scrum and revival—which “I hate them, yes, but I hate myself more,” includes several recent Simone books—is says Simone in a diary excerpt. The two the yet-unreleased biopic Nina. Now films reveal how the “them” is both delayed by litigation, it controverThe Amazing white America and, indirectly, the sially stars the lovely, light-skinned Nina Simone patriarchy. Simone was born Eunice Hispanic actress Zoe Saldana (of Opens Fri., Oct. 23 at Waymon in the Jim Crow era, the Avatar and Star Trek movies) Sundance Cinemas. afforded piano lessons by a white with dark makeup and fake nose.

Not rated. 110 minutes.

North Carolina patron, studied Simone (1933–2003) was cerbriefly at Juilliard, then was denied tainly beautiful in the Black Power a scholarship to Philadelphia’s Curspirit of the ’60s, when she shot from tis Institute of Music, an injustice that nightclub fame to Civil Rights icon, but informed the rest of her career. What Happened she was bitterly aware how Aretha Franklin, blames race, Amazing blames color—but which is Dionne Warwick, and Diana Ross meanwhile worse, really, for a black woman of the ’50s? This benefitted from their looks. Packaging is crucial classically trained young prodigy had a family to in showbiz, and Simone fiercely rebelled against such image-shaping—and against racism, sexism, support, so she took a stage name and began working her way up the nightclub circuit. “I Loves You, the white-power establishment, the I.R.S., and Porgy” was her despondent ticket to fame; and in the United States, which she fled in 1973, rarely both films we see her appearances on Ed Sullivan, to return. Anger—which women, especially Merv Griffin, Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Penthouse, Jay black women, are never supposed to show—was Leno, and even Sesame Street (lip-syncing her late central to her career. And it destroyed it, but anthem “Young Gifted and Black”). that’s only one of the tragedies that unfolds in Along the way, in response to the 1963 church these two worthwhile docs. bombing in Birmingham, her incendiary “MisThe Netflix film, directed by Liz Garbus with sissippi Goddam” is the song that will be rememthe cooperation of Simone’s estate, is much better bered 100 years hence. We see in both films how and more deeply sourced. Yet Jeff L. Lieberman’s Simone knew Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, more celebratory, fan-oriented Amazing fills in James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Lorraine some significant gaps. Both feature a wealth of Hansberry—her mentor and widely presumed performance clips. Having watched the latter first, lover—before radicalization and mental illness I can’t really say there’s a preferred order. And both pushed her from the mainstream. enhance our understanding of a pianist, singer, and songwriter who had a spectacular dozen-year run before imploding. Mental illness, financial Here is where both films break down into a mismanagement, bad marriages, domestic violence, tangle of polite omissions and vague diagnoses pills and booze, child neglect—these are the staples of manic depression. Simone’s husband and

Labyrinth of Lies is mostly set in the early 1960s, but it’s all about World War II—a time lag that measures how the ghosts of war nag at the survivors. The story is set in West Germany, where the urge to forget vies with the duty to remember. Featuring a fictitious central character but otherwise based on fact, Labyrinth tracks a Frankfurt district attorney’s campaign to prosecute mid-level SS members who served at Auschwitz. Headed by go-getter Johann Radmann (a composite character, played by Alexander Fehling), the investigation goes against the culture of West Germany’s resurgence; it would be so much nicer if Radmann would just let sleeping dogs lie.

The case ruffles official feathers and raises wideranging questions about whether the accused were merely following orders. If these rank-andfile soldiers were guilty of mass murder, what does that say about the population at large?

The film succeeds despite its TV-movie style and the unlikely level of naïveté displayed by its protagonist. Or maybe Radmann’s level of innocence (“What is Auschwitz?”) only seems exaggerated to 21st-century eyes. (According to director Giulio Ricciarelli, the film is accurate in portraying the postwar denial of the recent past.)

Radmann’s obsession threatens his relationships with his girlfriend (Friederike Becht), a crusading journalist (André Symanski), and his boss, the real-life Attorney General Fritz Bauer (Gert Voss, a mighty presence who died shortly after filming was completed). For a while Radmann is so fixated on capturing the notorious doctor Josef Mengele that he loses sight of the value of prosecuting the Auschwitz guards who went above and beyond the call of duty in murdering their prisoners.

The dramatic ups and downs of Radmann’s character seem a little unnecessary, given the fascination of the real investigation. But he’s supposed to stand in for the German Everyman, so he must embody the journey: ignorance, disbelief, anger, guilt, and finally acceptance. Meanwhile, the historical material is strong enough (and the period sufficiently re-created) to carry the film.

This is Ricciarelli’s first feature as director, and he’s got the dedication of a crusading journalist, if little poetry; the bluntness of it becomes a drag on its momentum. Labyrinth arrives at exactly the 50-year anniversary of the trial’s outcome, as though to commemorate the moment when denial ended. Germany recently announced the film as its official submission for the foreign-language Oscar category this year—another indication that the Nazi past isn’t going to be forgotten again in its birthplace. (Sundance. Rated R. 123 minutes.) ROBERT HORTON

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 27

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SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

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NOW PLAYING

FRI OCT 23 - THU OCT 29

Filmed in a single uninterrupted shot, this audacious pulsepounding heist movie follows a young woman as she joins a group of rowdy thugs on a wild ride into Berlin’s criminal underbelly.

Screens with Divers: Exclusively in cinemas, Joanna Newsom’s new music video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

LATE SHOW ADRENALINE | 11 PM

Deathgasm

See Film Center for details

SIFF EDUCATION

Crash Kids (9-12) OCT 24 Crash Cinema OCT 31 Day-long filmmaking challenge

Cinema Dissection

OCT 31 | Night of the Living Dead

Thanksgiving Filmmaking Camp NOV 23 - 25 | Ages 9 - 13

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Tom Hanks stars in Steven Spielberg’s gripping tale of Cold War intrigue about a lawyer tapped by the CIA to negotiate the release of an American spy captured in Russia.

EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATION

Goodnight Mommy The Shining meets Dead Ringers in this terrifying, atmospheric thriller.

OCT 22-29

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New francophone cinema, from explosive dramas to unpredictable comedies, historical epics to family-friendly animation.

COMING SOON Oct 30 | The Animation Show of Shows Oct 30 | The Keeping Room Nov 6 | The Assassin

SEATTLE CENTER · NW ROOMS

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Peter Jackson meets Bill & Ted in this rowdy New Zealand splattercomedy about a high school metal band who have to save their asses from Satan!

OPENS OCT 23

Stray Dog Winter’s Bone director Debra Granik presents this tender documentary about Ron “Stray Dog” Hall, a bike-riding veteran with a multi-ethnic family.

MON OCT 26

The Decline of

Western Civilization: Part III The final part of Penelope Spheeris’ groundbreaking trilogy, an unflinching look into the lives of L.A.’s hardcore punk street kids of the 1990s.

WINE & BEER AT YOUR SEAT

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AND

Alicia and Ron visiting a veteran’s grave.

» FROM PAGE 27 to take his latest protégé (Zooey Deschanel, amusing before she exits the film) on a USO tour in Afghanistan, Richie comes a cropper when things fall apart in Kabul. His trust in a pair of weapons dealers (Danny McBride and Scott Caan) is ill-judged; his liaison with a gold-plated hooker (Kate Hudson) is expensive; and there’s this mercenary (Bruce Willis, grim throughout) who keeps turning up at key moments.

These disasters are promising, actually; Murray’s funny and loose, wrapped in pink-tinted sunglasses and showbiz smarm, and director Barry Levinson tries to get a little of his Wag the Dog mojo back. There’s a great black comedy waiting to come out of the tale of a misplaced American adrift in a Middle Eastern war zone, and some of the jokes here have some snap.

But this setup derails when Richie travels to an Afghan town and discovers a young woman, Salima (Leem Lubany), who can sing. His brainstorm is to put her on Afghan Star, the local version of American Idol. (It’s a real show with a big following; you might remember the documentary about it from SIFF ’09.) The problem is that a woman singing on TV will offend a large part of the population, and possibly get everybody involved beheaded. (Even if, as Richie says, she sticks to Cat Stevens and Jimmy Cliff songs— “Only the Muslim West.”)

This scenario can only end with some inspirational messages and a dollop of redemption for washed-up Richie. Which is a long way from the loosey-goosey comedy of the early reels here, even as Murray scores regular laughs. Rock the Kasbah—the dialogue acknowledges that there are no casbahs in Afghanistan, by the way—zips right along. I liked the way scenes seem to start in the middle, although some storytelling threads are left hanging and certain characters vanish abruptly. (Was there supposed to be a payoff with Taylor Kinney’s friendly soldier?) It’s another miss for Murray, even though the man himself emerges with his sloppy dignity intact. (Cinebarre, Sundance, Lincoln Square, others. Rated R. 100 minutes.) ROBERT HORTON

Stray Dog Red State, Not Redneck

Jennifer Lawrence wasn’t the only breakout star in Debra Granik’s 2010 Winter’s Bone. Also in that Ozark survival tale was Ronnie Hall, a non-actor very credibly playing a malign, meth-dealing crime lord. In a film full of bleakly authentic texture,

Hall leant a calm, gnomic evil to this villain—a guy who’s seen the worst, done the worst, and is quite willing to do it again. Of course Hall (aka “Stray Dog”) is nothing like that, and Granik kept in touch, then started following him around southern Missouri with a camera.

Is this a documentary profile that needed to be made? Well, no—Hall is merely typical, not important. He’s dependably kind and cantankerous, a white-bearded grandfather (soon to be great-grandfather), a traumatized Vietnam War vet, an avid motorcyclist and patriot of the sort who might easily be dismissed as Red State caricature (one of my problems with Winter’s Bone).

Granik’s humanist project is thus to depict the man in full, to redeem him from Meth Belt cliché, and Stray Dog succeeds as such.

Gradually putting anger and PTSD behind him through motorcycle rallies and charity work, Hall runs an RV park with firm but fair authority. He’s sentimental, a crier, prone to regretful statements about his military past (“I cut a guy’s ears off ”). And most surprising, given conservatives’ anti-immigrant hysteria, is Hall’s close, respectful marriage to Alicia, a much younger woman not long over the border from Mexico.

Besides guns and God, Hall values his blended, multiethnic family. (Wife #1, never seen, was Korean.) He’s no xenophobe, and his moonshinesipping buddies seem surprisingly tolerant. Is this only because Granik and her cameras are there?

We can’t be certain. Hall says, “The government gets so corrupt. It makes me wanna puke when I think about our damn politicians.” He doesn’t direct his ire at either party; but neither does Granik ask any pointed questions.

There’s more respect here than structure.

Granik shoots in an observational, Wisemanesque style. We go on motorcycle rides with Hall and Alicia. Her two sons, about 20, arrive from Mexico, but no conflict ensues. The Vietnam war is discussed, endlessly, and there’s talk of Iraq and Afghanistan among Hall and his fellow vets. Proudly flying their POW-MIA banners, they persist in near-religious rituals in a country that no longer needs them, save during election season. Maybe they know that—Alicia likely does—and maybe they don’t. So if a bearded old coot on an obnoxiously loud Harley pulls up next to your Prius at a traffic light, give him a wave. Chances are that he’s just as nice as Stray Dog. (SIFF Film Center. Not rated. 105 minutes.) BRIAN MILLER E film@seattleweekly.com

OPPORTUNITY

THEATER

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In Sauced, Café Nordo offers Depression-era eats, drinks, and drama.

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SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

t’s about 8 o’clock in the evening, midOctober, with a look of hard, wet rain in the streets of Pioneer Square. Inside the Globe Building, an audience gathers for a show. Do we ever get one.

A fast-talking bartender named Saul brings us up to speed. It’s 1937, he tells us in a thick, quick Sam Spade patois; Prohibition’s in the rear-view mirror and we’re smack in the middle of the Great Depression. It is in this crucible of want and excess that we experience Café Nordo’s latest dinner-theater offering, Sauced. Directed by Paul Budraitis, this noir-inspired tale is filled with surprising double-crosses, a steamy love triangle, and dialogue so pulpy you might need a strainer to drink it in.

Saul (Ray Tagavilla) further explains that we’re in the Diamond Club, a Seattle gin joint owned by a slightly drunk and dyspeptic Mike (Mark Siano), unsatisfied with his station in life and on the hunt for a singer. Hostess Valerie Rush (Opal Peachey) is Mike’s long-suffering girlfriend, who keeps the Diamond afloat Siano and Wildrick while he drowns in his narcissism. Enter as ’30s crooners. femme fatale Charlotte (Billie Wildrick), They weren’t the only ones to get the vintage the bombshell Saul has hired to croon. memo—a sign, perhaps, that Nordo is filling a Demons in tow, she brings a coveted elixir that needed niche in our theater scene. will either make or break each of these characMeanwhile, we filled our bellies with Rooters, all desperate for something new in their sevelt-era eats from a menu designed by chef dreary lives.

Erin Brindley: deviled eggs with caviar and To telegraph the dreariness, everyone in Sauced blue-cheese custard, quail stuffed with chesttalks about the weather. A lot. Too much. “There’s nuts, and sumptuous oysters Rockefeller a storm brewin’,” says Saul. “There aren’t (“the richest way to eat an oyster,” storms in Seattle,” counters Mike, who assures Mike). Befitting the title, later laments, “It’s Seattle—what am Café Nordo the production is punctuated I supposed to do, wait for the sun?”

109 S. Main St. throughout with a panoply of Other parts of the uneven script, $60 and up. craft cocktails conceived by maswritten by Terry Podgorski, would See cafenordo.com ter booze-slinger Murray Stenson make Raymond Chandler envifor schedule. and poured stiff. ous. When Charlotte enters, says Ends Dec. 20.

As the dishes and drinks were Saul, “Her hair fell down around served and consumed, there was her shoulders like loose inhibitions.” plenty of speculation about the plot.

“Here’s to no hard feelings,” Charlotte Are Mike and Charlotte in cahoots? Are Charsays to Mike after their past history is revealed. lotte and Val in cahoots? Are Mike and Val in “Here’s to no feelings at all,” he counters. And, cahoots? Are Charlotte and Saul in cahoots? again, Saul, after the drama unfolds: “Alcohol is The soundtrack to such questions is provided good for preserving everything, but secrets.” by an impressive quartet led by the extremely drunk trumpet player Professor Dash (Evan Amid all this turmoil and duplicitous patter, Mosher). Sauced pulls from the era’s stanwe’ve got a meal to eat. Thus Valerie might dards—including Charlotte’s showstopping deliver your drinks and detail the evening’s performance of “Love for Sale”—but most menu, while Mike asks if you’re too hot, hand on songs are finely crafted originals by Annastasia your shoulder, his smarm smothering. Watching Workman that nicely echo the spirit of bygone from the corners, Charlotte is above such auditimes. Mike, Charlotte, and Val each grab the ence interaction. Is such immersive theatricality mic in turn, performing songs that are endeara little uncomfortable for uptight Seattleites? ingly schmaltzy and brilliantly bombastic, all Perhaps, but they aren’t the intended patron/ delivered with confidence and bravado. participants here.

During such musical interludes, the showSharing our table last weekend was a trio of within-the-show takes over and the text’s flight attendants, all dressed in Depression-era shortcomings are forgiven. Plot matters less than duds—including a feather boa—and eager to moxie in this club, and so we’re transported to play along with the retro conceit. These weren’t a world where the stakes are high and, yes, the paid performers—as we first suspected and, to be streets are wet. E honest, feared—but Café Nordo devotees who’ve attended every one of its productions to date. mbaumgarten@seattleweekly.com

29

NOW PLAYING THRU JAN 31, 2016

OPERA

One-Hit Wonder

A single duet is the pearl of Pearl Fishers, though bedecked with wonderful sets.

BY GAVIN BORCHERT

ELISE BAKKETUN / SEATTLE OPERA PHOTOS

McKay doesn’t sound quite as innocent as Léïla pretends to be.

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

W

30

also at teatro zinzanni on NOvember 9

THE GOVERNOR’S ARTS AND

HERITAGE AWARDS

www.zinzanni.com

unless it’s knocked out of the park. In this case, hose early death, among comit’s a duet, “Au fond du temple saint,” for the posers, is the most tragic? Of two male leads, who (in Saturday’s cast) sounded the top-flight geniuses who superb together. As Nadir, John Tessier’s lighter, never saw 40, we at least know reedy tenor sounds wonderfully French; as what Mozart, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Zurga, Brett Polegato’s baritone is darker, almost and Gershwin were capable of; they left behind woolly, but still with a glinting edge that gives it masterpieces by the dozens each. Georges Bizet carrying power.

(1838–1875) is the great question mark. Had The shrewdest casting was Maureen McKay he been allotted 87 years, like Verdi, or nearly as Léïla, her soprano rich in timbre, with 70, like Wagner, he would surely have something worldly and knowing ranked alongside them as a colossus about it (I kept thinking of the saucy of 19th-century opera. Try to imagMcCaw Hall maid Adele in Die Fledermaus, for ine the groundbreaking Carmen— Seattle Center, some reason), and not much of which unprecedentedly grafted seattleopera.org. chaste innocence. From her first together earthy subject matter, $25 and up. 7:30 p.m.

Wed. & Sat. plus Fri., line, just because of that timbre, dramatic punch, and French color Oct. 30. Ends Oct. 31. you knew Léïla wasn’t going to pan and refinement—in the center of out as the virginal designated pray-er his output rather than at its climax the villagers expected. (I could hear it; (he died two weeks after its premiere): why couldn’t they?) Interestingly, McKay’s There’s no telling where he could have vocal technique in three florid passages betrayed taken opera after that. her character’s real priorities. The first, closing her For one thing, Carmen’s success probably prayer to Brahma at the end of Act 1, was just a would have gotten him stronger librettos than bit unsteady; the second, at the end of her Act 2 the ones he’d had to put up with until then—for cavatina, remembering her romance with Nadir, example, that of his 1863 The Pearl Fishers, was more secure; the third, in her confrontation a tasty sweetmeat but a mouthful rather than with Zurga begging him for mercy—her femia meal. It’s one of those operas that set the nine wiles at full force—she nailed. soprano/tenor/baritone love triangle as one of the art form’s favorite templates: Zurga is the chief of a Ceylonese village in once-uponSeattle Opera last presented Fishers as recently a-time-land; Nadir his boyhood friend lately as January 2009—a fairly heavy rotation for a returned to the village; Léïla the woman their non-warhorse. (You expect your Bohèmes and friendship ended over, who shows up again as Butterflys to pop up that often, but not this the priestess charged with spiritual protection of one.) The motivation seems to have been the the fishers during pearl season, which requires a very popular production British designer Zanvow of chastity. A great deal of Fishers consists dra Rhodes devised for San Diego Opera in of either reminiscence, relating all this backstory, 2004: the set all blazing oranges and pinks and or divertissements—ritual dances and such. Of tropical-lagoon teals, the costumes covering the actual in-the-moment dramatic action there’s full color spectrum (and the cast arrayed as such, little, though Bizet was expert at conjuring the like a rainbow, for the curtain call). Emmanuel dreamy prettiness that suffuses and enlivens this Joel-Hornak conducted so as to give the young slender fairy tale.

Bizet’s instrumental imagination its due: the Seattle Opera’s found an excellent cast for score’s delicate fragrances, hall-filling climaxes, their production, which opened Saturday. Like and even a few startling “barbaric” touches in the SO’s summer offering, Verdi’s Nabucco, Fishers choruses and dances that sound like they could contains one big hit that likely everyone in the have been written 50 years later. It’s not only audience knows—a number which alone can sell Carmen that represents Bizet’s lost promise. E tickets but which, consequently, will disappoint gborchert@seattleweekly.com

calendar

PICKLIST

formances in a cabaret format, including full bar and desserts, the audience is sometimes a part of the action—“festive attire” of all kinds is encouraged. (Wear white on November 1 for All Souls’ Day.) Performances run through Nov. 1. Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 4408 Delridge Way S.W., 800-838-3006, cabiri.org. $45–$100. 8 p.m. SANDRA KURTZ

OCTOBER 27

Tuesday

JOHN CORNICELLO

Florence and the Machine

The Cabiri in performance.

OCTOBER 22

Thursday Lit Crawl

venues include Richard Hugo House, Ada’s Technical Books, the Sorrento, Vermillion, and the Frye. See litcrawl.org/seattle for schedule and walking map. Free. 6–9 p.m. BRIAN MILLER

France is the birthplace of film, and in over a century that nation has innovated, reignited, and advanced the art form with an incalculable number of classics. This selection of 20 fresh titles includes genres from period pieces to road trips, animation to existentialism, sci-fi comedies to tense thrillers (about chess, no less).

Piquing our curiosity are Anton Chekhov 1890, a biopic about the famed Russian playwright and author, and Sarah Leonor’s The Great Man, about the after-effects of war on French Legionnaires returning home from Afghanistan.

The opening-night gala title comes from from Academy Award-nominated Jacques Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet). Dheepan follows a Tamil Tiger resistance fighter from Sri Lanka to France, where he seeks asylum (using a fake family) and tries to adjust to peacetime occupation. Interestingly, the lead role is played by Antonythasan Jesuthasan, an actual Tamil Tiger child soldier in the ’80s who later emigrated to France and became a noted author. (Through Oct. 29; most tickets $7–$12, passes $50–$75.)

SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., 324-9996, siff.net. $20–$25. 7 p.m. SCOTT JOHNSON

Seattle Symphony

It’s a good thing Igor Stravinsky never ran for office—he would have been accused of flip-flopping. His interests shifted over the years, from the lush Impressionism of his early works through Russian folk-ism and chaste neoclassicism to, in his last decades, a severe serial approach that is still a tough nut to crack. Completed and premiered in 1940, his

Symphony in C stands as one of the peaks of his neoclassic style, bearing attractive surface resemblances to symphonies of 150 years earlier: themes based on the notes of a simple major chord; lyrical melodies encrusted with rococo ornamentation; accompaniment patterns of steady, chugging eighth notes (including one unmistakably lifted from Mozart’s Symphony no. 40); and a general aesthetic of cleanness and precision—there’s not a bar of Romantic swooning anywhere. Cynics called it trend-chasing, but it’s what’s under the surface that counts; as Leonard Bernstein once put it, in every work he wrote “there’s that Igor screaming through it all, an amazing individual voice.” Like any great artist, Stravinsky was both a Hillary prepared to evolve and grow with the times and a Bernie of unswerving conviction. The Seattle Symphony plays the Symphony in C this weekend alongside Beethoven and Mozart. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., seattlesymphony.com. $21 and up. 7:30 p.m.

(Repeats 2 p.m. Sun.) GAVIN BORCHERT

OCTOBER 23

Friday

The Cabiri

The Cabiri’s signature combination of aerial choreography and comparative anthropology results in works that move our cultural history from the textbook to the stage. In Dead Gods, the ninth edition of their annual Ghost Games series, artistic director John Murphy and his gymnastic cast explore the world of the dead, through stories from folklore and myth that chronicle the death of the gods. With per-

(Seattle Center), keyarena.com & ticketmaster. com. $35 and up. 8 p.m. KELTON SEARS

OCTOBER 28

Wednesday Sarah Vowell

Early American history has a way of skulking to the back of one’s mind, stale and slightly crunchy, rarely gaining any sort of dynamism or flavor. Thankfully, the brilliant Vowell has a way of not only preserving history, but making it rise from the textbook grave. The bestselling author of volumes including Unfamiliar Fishes and Assassination Vacation has now written Lafayette in the Somewhat United States (Simon & Schuster, $27.95). Following the unique and dedicated path of the young Marquis de Lafayette, Vowell sheds new light on the Revolutionary War via this idealistic Frenchman.

Her enthusiasm for the characters of America’s history is contagious, surprising, and intelligent, as she decodes letters and documents from the pens of Lafayette, Washington, Jefferson, and others. Reassessing these familiar heroes, Vowell is sardonic, witty, and shrewd when it comes to details often brushed under the academic’s musty rug. The Neptune, 1303

N.E. 45th St., 877-784-4849, stgpresents.org. $35 and up. 8 p.m. MARA SILVERS E

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Over 60 authors and 20 venues are on this year’s walkable feast, though it’s impossible to catch them all in an intentionally overlapping schedule. So print out the map and devise your own itinerary, allowing time for dinner before and drinks after. Given such an impressive roster of visiting and local literary talent, your walking route will likely be a tangle, but it might include the following stops. Town Hall, 6 p.m.: Sarah Hepola has written a brutal and bleakly funny alcoholism memoir in Blackout, which may steer you toward club soda for the rest of the evening.

Office Nomads, 7 p.m.: Nicole Hardy, whose recent memoir Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin drew much praise, is joining Daemond Arrindell, Ela Barton, and Corina Zappia for a special edition of storytelling about workplace woes, called “Wage Slaves: Tales from the Grind.” Elliott Bay Book Co., 9 p.m.: Sonya Lea will read from her memoir Wondering Who You Are, which relates how her husband of two decades underwent successful surgery for appendix cancer (the good news), but suffered brain damage (the bad news) that wiped out his memory of their 23-year marriage and children. Essentially, they had to get to know each other all over again—and possibly fall in love again. (No spoilers, buy her book.) Other

French Cinema Now

This group burst onto the charts in 2009 with Lungs, a baroque Shakespearean pop record for English-lit majors. Florence Welch’s Kate Bush-indebted flights of fancy and John William Waterhouse-gone-diva presentation—all flowing Ophelia gowns and quavering operatic pomp—was certainly on point songwritingwise, if not a little cloying in its more extreme fits of reverie. With 2011’s Ceremonials, an evolution into top-flight pop, Welch plunged her harp-laden fantasy sound into darker, heavier waters (many of the songs were directly about water). She added rock tinges to her sonic palette with stirring anthems like “What the Water Gave Me.” This year’s How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful is Welch’s most articulated and nuanced artistic achievement yet, a highly sophisticated honing of the windswept British romanticism that has always characterized her career.

In a BBC radio interview, Welch said the record’s producer, Marcus Dravus, made her swear not to write any more songs about water (although she managed to slip in “Ship to Wreck”). By toning down her penchant for make-believe metaphor and mooring herself in her real-life personal experiences, a much more immediate, arresting honesty shines through, evocative of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (and also suited to stadiums). It’s hard to deny the galloping pop gold of “What Kind of Man” and “Queen of Peace,” and if the album’s cinematic Odyssey music videos are any indication, this live show is not to be missed. KeyArena

31

CALENDAR

Thailand’s Chao Khun Atikarn (Thom Sesma, left) and Japanese minister Takamoto (Steven Eng) in the 5th Avenue’s Waterfall.

HONK! StoryBook Theater reimagines the tale of the Ugly Duckling as a musical. Studio East, 11730 118th Ave. N.E., Kirkland, studio-east.org. $13–$15. 7:30 p.m. Fri., 2:30 p.m. Sat.– Sun. Ends Nov. 1.

LISTENING GLASS Seattle Immersive Theatre invites you to 2724 Sixth Ave. S. to watch a realistic-aspossible police interrogation. seattle immersivetheatre.org. $35.

8 p.m. Thurs.–Sun. Ends Oct. 30.

LITTLE RED As in Riding Hood. She and the wolf learn cooperation from her grandmother. Runs Sat. & Sun. in various venues; see storybooktheater. org for schedule. Ends Nov. 22. $11.

MOLLY SWEENEY A blind woman regains her sight in Brian Friel’s 1994 drama. Presented by KTO Productions. Theater Puget Sound, 305 Harrison St., brownpapertickets. com. $15–$18. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Oct. 24.

■ SAUCED SEE REVIEW, PAGE 29.

SKID ROAD: ASH TO GOLD

Seattle’s lowdown roots, revisited improv-style. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpectedproductions.org. $12– $15. 8:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

TEATRO ZINZANNI: LIGHTER THAN AIR The band Recess

TRACY MARTIN

THEATER

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Openings & Events

32

AVENUE Q This hit musical mashes up Comedy Central subject matter and Sesame Street style.

Shoreline Community College, 16101 Greenwood Ave N., shoreline.edu. $9–$16. Opens Oct. 23. 7:30 p.m. Fri.– Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 1.

THE BROTHERS PARANORMAL A staged reading of Prince Gomolvilas’ ghost story. Pocket Theater, 8312 Greenwood Ave. N., porkfilled.com. $5. 7:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 27.

BUYER AND CELLAR In Jonathan Tolins’ acclaimed solo show, an aspiring actor is hired to run the private mall in Barbra Streisand’s Malibu basement. Scott Drummond plays all the roles, including Babs.

Seattle Repertory Theatre, Seattle Center. $34 and up. Previews begin Oct. 23, opens Oct. 28. 7:30 p.m.

Wed.–Sun. plus some weekend & Wed. matinees; see seattlerep.org for exact schedule. Ends Nov. 22.

MARGARET CHO The comedian brings her live show to The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., stgpresents.org. $29.50–$55. 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

COSMOS BenDeLaCreme’s solo show puns brilliantly on the universe and the cocktail. OddFellows Bldg., 915 E. Pine St., strangertickets.com. $25–$30. 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 22, 8 & 10 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23–Sat., Oct. 24.

FAMILY AFFAIR Jennifer Jasper’s cabaret on the theme of family.

JewelBox Theater, Rendezvous, 2322 Second Ave., jenniferjasperperforms. com. $10. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 21.

GREGORY AWARDS Bhama Roget and Kate Jaeger host the seventh annual celebration of the region’s theatrical achievement. McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, gregoryawards.org. $35–$150. 7:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 26.

AN ISSUE OF BLOOD A staged reading of Marcus Gardley’s 1676set drama about a black plantation owner. Ethnic Cultural Theatre, 3940 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., mirrorstage.org. $10–$15. 8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24, 2 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 25.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS The

IN THE MINUTES IN HEAVEN An

Ashman/Menken musical, featuring the giant man-eating plant from space, is a proven crowd-pleaser.

SecondStory Repertory, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, secondstoryrep. org. $22–$27. Preview Oct. 23, opens Oct. 24. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus 2 p.m.

Sun., Nov. 15. Ends Nov. 15.

improv comedy based on speed-dating. Pocket Theater, 8312 Greenwood Ave. N. $10–$14. 8:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

war profiteering. Center Theatre at Seattle Center. $27–$50. Previews Oct. 27–29, opens Oct. 30. 7:30 p.m.

Wed.–Sat. plus some matinees; see seattleshakespeare.org for exact schedule. Ends Nov. 22.

WELCOME TO MY SECRET LAIR How best to find the perfect

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN Brecht’s dark satire on

MY DEAR MISS CHANCELLOR

Caitlin Gilman’s 1840-set play uncovers a secret cabal of woman fencers.

Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., annextheatre.org. $5–$20. Preview Oct. 22, opens Oct. 23. 7:30 p.m.

Thurs.–Sat. plus Mon., Nov. 2. Ends Nov. 14.

■ MR. BURNS, A POST-ELEC-

TRIC PLAY Anne Washburn’s dark, post-apocalyptic comedy riffs on our favorite villain from The Simpsons. ACT Theatre, 700 Union St. $15–$20. Preview Oct. 21, opens Oct. 22. Runs Tues.–Sun.; see acttheatre.org for exact schedule. Ends Nov. 15.

NEW CITY SALON New City Theater presents an evening of music and staged poetry. New City Theater, 1406 18th Ave. $15 ($10 opening weekend). Opens Oct. 23.

8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Nov. 21.

POLTERGEIST Ian Bell’s Brown Derby series—cross-gender sendups of cult films—invites you to go into the light with Carol Anne. Re-bar, 1114 Howell St., strangertickets.com. $20–$25. 8 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 22–Sun., Oct. 25.

REEFER MADNESS The 1936 propaganda film repurposed as a camp musical. Seattle Musical Theatre, 7120 62nd Ave. N.E., Building 47, Magnuson Park, seattlemusical theatre.org. $25. Opens Oct. 22. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus 10:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 30. Ends Oct. 30.

WATER BY THE SPOONFUL

Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Pulitzer-winner comes to Seattle via Theatre22. West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., theatre22. org. $18–$25. Preview Oct. 22, opens Oct. 23. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. plus 2 p.m.

Sun., Nov. 1 & 8. Ends Nov. 14.

mate? Online? Or be a mad scientist and build one yourself? Courtney Kessler’s new comedy considers the question. Theater Schmeater, 2125 Third Ave., schmeater.org. $10–$15.

Opens Oct. 23. 8 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? Ninety minutes of improvised comedy from the cast of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, featuring some of the original games from the show. The Moore, 1932 Second Ave., stgpresents.org. $35–$65. 8 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

Current Runs

THE ADDAMS FAMILY The musi-

cal based on the “altogether ooky” sitcom family. Burien Actors Theatre, 14501 Fourth Ave. S.W., Burien, 242-5180, burienactorstheatre.org. $10–$20. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 1.

■ BAD JEWS The flamboyant central character in Joshua Harmon’s 2012 comedy is 22-year-old Daphna, played by Anna Kasabyan with luxuriant vulgarity (and hair worthy of Louis XIV in a lightning storm). In this 90-minute one-act, Daphna and her secular Jewish cousin Liam (Ian Bond) will battle for possession of a religious pendant called a chai.

It was owned by their grandfather, Poppy, whose funeral precedes the opening curtain. While also bullying Liam’s conflict-averse brother (Ben Phillips) and shiksa girlfriend (adorable Molli Corcoran), Daphna builds the case that she is the most ideologically and culturally deserving specimen of Judaism in

the family, in order to get Poppy’s chai. Harmon knows how to sustain a scene without cutting to black whenever the tension rises. He also writes very funny dialogue and situations. Directed by Shana Bestock, this young and unfamiliar (to me) cast mines the script’s humor—and its requisite quotient of seriousness. And in the central contest, Kasabyan and Bond summon the chops to deliver the most mutually withering indictments. In comedic terms, they killed. Yet as the surprise ending makes clear, though wellcamouflaged as an outrageous family comedy, Bad Jews is ultimately a meditation on group identity versus individualism. MARGARET FRIEDMAN Seattle Public Theater, 7312 West Green Lake Dr. N., 5241300, seattlepublictheater.org. $17–$34. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat., 2 p.m.

Sun. Ends Oct. 25.

BLACK FLAG Jet City’s “interactive pirate comedy” asks for your help with the details. 5510 University Way N.E., jetcityimprov.org. $12–$18.

8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri. Ends Nov. 20.

CAMPFIRE Unexpected Productions improvises ghost stories. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpected productions.org. $10. 8:30 p.m. Thurs.

Ends Nov. 19.

DRACULA A new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s vampire classic.

Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., 7819707, taproottheatre.org. $20–$40.

7:30 p.m. Wed.–Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

ELEPHANT & PIGGIE’S “WE ARE IN A PLAY!” This new musi-

cal adaptation of Mo Willems’ book series opens SCT’s season. Seattle Children’s Theatre, Seattle Center, 441-3322, sct.org. $22–$40. 7 p.m.

Thurs.–Fri., 2 & 5:30 p.m. Sat., 11 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 29.

HAIR “The American tribal love-rock musical” gets its hippie on once again. Bainbridge Performing Arts, 200 Madison Ave. N., Bainbridge Island, 842-8569, bainbridge performingarts.org. $19–$27. 7:30 p.m.

Fri.–Sat., 3 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 25.

Monkey headlines their family show.

Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 8020015. $20–$25. Runs 11 a.m. some Sat. & Sun.; see zinzanni.com/seattle for exact schedule. Ends Dec. 27.

■ TEATRO ZINZANNI:

HOLLYWOOD NIGHTS Plus-one called it the best ZinZanni show he’s seen, and I see no reason to disagree. The company channels silver-screen glamour as Ron Campbell plays movie director Cecil B. DeGrille, who invades the theater with his crew and inspires dreams of stardom among the performers.

In a TZ show, everyone multitasks, and here not only are the cirque stunts as dazzlingly skillful as usual, but the character work overall is a cut above the norm. I wish all opera singers were as comedically ferocious as soprano Juliana Rambaldi, who then turns around and delivers a sumptuous “Con te partirò.”And I still can’t figure out how Wayne Doba makes tap-dancing so affecting; his “Rainbow Connection” number is the show’s emotional high point, and I’ve never even liked the song.

GAVIN BORCHERT Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 802-0015. $99 and up.

Runs Thurs.–Sun. plus some Wed.; see zinzanni.com/seattle for exact schedule. Ends Jan. 31.

THIS IS HALLOWEEN Burtonesque burlesque: This cabaret spectacular is based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., thetripledoor.net. $25–$45. 7:30 p.m. Tues.–Thurs. & Sun.; 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

TWILIGHT REALM Unexpected Productions’ improv parody of The Twilight Zone. Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, unexpectedproductions. org. $10. 8:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 22.

WATERFALL Our Nicole Sprinkle says this musical’s tense diplomacy scenes achieve an ”on-the-edge-ofyour-seat tautness, a welcome note of realism that reminds us how, in the pre-World War II era, small countries were being pushed around by their large neighbors. Is it so different today?” 5th Avenue Theatre, 1308 Fifth Ave., 625-1900, 5thavenue.org. $15 and up. 7:30 p.m. Tues.–Wed., 8 p.m. Thurs.–Fri., 2 & 8 p.m. Sat., 1:30 & 7 p.m. Sun. Ends Oct. 25.

WORST TRIP EVER IN ALL CAPS!!! Jet City takes off on hilari-

ously negative online travel reviews.

5510 University Way N.E., jetcity improv.org. $12–$18. 10:30 p.m. Sat. (except Halloween). Ends Nov. 21.

DANCE

KARIN STEVENS DANCE COMPANY New work in this col-

laboration with the Sam Boshnack Quintet jazz ensemble. Velocity Dance Center, 1621 12th Ave., karin stevensdance.com. $15–$25. 7:30 p.m.

Fri., Oct. 23–Sat., Oct. 24, 6:30 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 25.

■ GHOST GAME IX: DEAD

GODS SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 31.

CLASSICAL, ETC.

■ SEATTLE OPERA SEE REVIEW, PAGE 30.

■ SEATTLE SYMPHONY SEE THE

PICK LIST, PAGE 31.

■ UW OPERA: PÉNÉLOPE SEE

EAR SUPPLY, PAGE 33.

BACH COLLEGIUM JAPAN

Showoff baroque: Vivaldi wind concertos, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no. 2, and more. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., earlymusicguild.org. $20–$39. 8 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

■ SEATTLE SYMPHONY:

UNTITLED On the SSO’s late-night new-music series, three premieres

by UW faculty composers Richard Karpen, Joël-François Durand, and Huck Hodge. Benaroya Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., seattlesymphony. org. $15. 10 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

■ SIMPLE MEASURES Music for multiple cellos: Bach, Popper, and a new work by Angelique Poteat. At Hale’s Palladium, 4301 Leary Way N.W., 7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23; and Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 6 p.m. Sun., Oct. 25. $15–$30. simplemeasures.org.

SEATTLE WOMEN’S CHORUS

Moody music for Halloween. St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E., flyinghouse.org. $25–$45. Opens Oct. 23. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. plus 2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 31. Ends Oct. 31.

SEATTLE PHILHARMONIC All Tchaikovsky, favorites and oddities.

Benaroya Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., seattlephil.org. $20–$30. 2 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 24.

SEATTLE SYMPHONY CHAMBER MUSIC An SSO string quartet plays

Haydn, Borodin, and Mendelssohn.

Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska St., seattlesymphony.org. Free.

2 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

■ LAKE UNION CIVIC

ORCHESTRA Ives’ boisterous

Symphony no. 2, shot through with folk songs, plus Liszt and Martin.

Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., luco.org. $13–$18. 7:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

■ PACIFIC MUSICWORKS

Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers, his evening-length evening service. St. James Cathedral, 804 Ninth Ave., pacificmusicworks.org. $20–$45.

8 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

AVE RENAISSANCE WOMEN’S CHOIR Music by Palestrina, Perotin,

Hildegard von Bingen, and others.

Trinity Episcopal Parish Church, 609 Eighth Ave., 7:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24; Trinity Lutheran Church, 6215 196th St. S.W., Lynnwood, 7:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 30.

Donation. earlymusicguild.org.

UW CHAMBER WINDS Program TBA. Brechemin Auditorium, School of Music, UW campus, music.washington.edu. Free. 1:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 25.

■ SEATTLE SYMPHONY Chamber music (Shostakovich, Carter, and more) from SSO players. Benaroya Recital Hall, Third Ave. & Union St., seattlesymphony.org. $39. 7:30 p.m.

Tues., Oct. 27.

■ WAYNE HORVITZ discusses his recent Richard Hugo-inspired music: his CD Some Places Are Forever Afternoon and the Oct. 29 Seattle Symphony premiere of his Those Who Remain for guitarist Bill Frisell.

Jack Straw Studios, 4261 Roosevelt Way N.E., jackstraw.org. Free. 7 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 28.

AUTHOR EVENTS

■ ROBERTA KAPLAN Dan Savage

chats with this author of Then Comes Marriage: United States v. Windsor and the Defeat of DOMA. Town Hall. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 21.

W. J. RORABAUGH American Hippies explores the counterculture’s legacy. University Book Store, 7 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 21.

■ ALISON BECHDEL The acclaimed graphic novelist recently hit Broadway with an adaptation of her memoir Fun Home. Town Hall, lectures.org. $15–$60. 7:30 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 22.

KADIR NELSON illustrated and wrote Nelson Mandela. Kane Hall, UW campus. 7 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 22.

MYSTIQUE This “Afrodisiac Erotic Poetry Show” will include an open mic, so come and be prepared.

Rumba Notes Lounge, 5041 Rainier Ave. S. $20. 9:30 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

JOE MENO & NINA REVOYR

Marvel and a Wonder and Lost Canyon are their new novels. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

CRISTIN O’KEEFE APTOWICZ Dr. Mütter’s Marvels is her biography of the pioneering surgeon, an early advocate of sterilization, anesthesia, and more. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Fri., Oct. 23.

MARGOT LEITMAN In Long Story Short, this master comic storyteller proffers advice. University Book Store, 6 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24; plus a workshop at Hugo House, 1 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24 & 10 a.m. Sun., Oct. 25.

DAVID NICHOLSON Stories of Washington, D.C.’s common man in Flying Home: Seven Stories of the Secret City. NW African American Museum, 1 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

JENNINE CAPÓ CRUCET Make Your Home Among Strangers examines displacement, culture, and identity. Elliott Bay, 3 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24.

JOHANNA SINISALO The Finnish

author of the dystopian satire The Core of the Sun visits with her translator Lola Rogers. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 24.

BONNIE JO CAMPBELL Her short stories in Mothers, Tell Your Daughters explore the familial bond.

Town Hall. $5. 2 p.m. Sun., Oct. 25.

MORTON KONDRACKE He and Fred Barnes co-authored Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America. Eagle Harbor, 3 p.m. Sun., Oct. 25.

■ DOUG MERLINO The locally raised author of the ’80s-set Seattle basketball memoir The Hustle: One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White now examines the dark heart of a popular sport in Beast: Blood, Struggle, and Dreams at the Heart of Mixed Martial Arts. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m.

Mon., Oct. 26.

■ SEATTLE CITY OF

LITERATURE Readings from this new anthology by Ryan Boudinot, Bharti Kirchner, Nicole Hardy, and Tom Nissley. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Mon., Oct. 26.

■ YEONMI PARK She tells a painful tale in In Order to Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom.

Town Hall. $5. 7:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 26.

■ CHRISTOPHER T. BAYLEY A former King County Prosecutor lifts a rock in Seattle Justice: The Rise and Fall of the Police Payoff System in Seattle. (See feature, page 15.)

Seattle Central Library, Free. 7 p.m.

Tues., Oct. 27.

PAUL MURRAY His novel The Mark and the Void is set among Ireland’s recent financial crisis. Elliott Bay., 7 p.m. Tues., Oct. 27.

SIGAL SAMUEL A Jewish family variously comes to terms with tragedy in her debut novel The Mystics of Mile End. University Book Store, 7 p.m. Tues., Oct. 27.

JOSEPH FINK & JEFFREY CRANOR Their Southwest-set

Welcome to Night Vale is based on stories told on their podcast. Town Hall. $5. 7:30 p.m. Tues., Oct. 27.

■ TAVI GEVINSON Rookie Yearbook Four collects writings from this popular online mag for teenage girls. Gevinson is also a noted New York stage actress and prodigy.

University Book Store, 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28.

■ PETER NABOKOV The UCLA professor will discuss his How the World Moves: The Odyssey of an American Indian Family. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28.

CATHERINE MADISON The War Came Home With Him is her memoir of the long-term effects of her father’s time as a Korean War POW. Third Place, 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28.

BOB SUREN Crate Digger: An Obsession With Punk Records is this audiophile’s memoir. Singles Going Steady, 2219 Second Ave. 7 p.m.

Wed., Oct. 28.

SHERRY TURKLE Having trouble putting down your smartphone?

Reclaiming Conversation may help.

Town Hall. $5. 7:30 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28.

■ KRISTEN HIRSCH The rocker’s memoir of life with her musical partner is Don’t Suck Don’t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 29, ■ TA-NEHISI COATES Senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about cultural, social, and political issues, he’s the author of Between the World and Me, one of the year’s most-discussed books. Presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures. McCaw Hall, lectures.org. SOLD OUT. 7:30 p.m.

Thurs., Oct. 29.

■ ANNE LAMOTT Small Victories is her new essay collection. St. Mark’s Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave. E. $50. 7 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 29.

EAR SUPPLY The Quiet Disruptor

BY GAVIN BORCHERT

dent, and Pénélope is a gateway to these. Some even brush the borders of atonality: not from a doctrinaire stance, but just because in music of such rarefied subtlety, anything so crude and blatant as establishing a key seems out of place. (Also watch for the Seattle Symphony’s performance of Fauré’s gentle, consoling Requiem, December 3, 5, and 6.) Meany Hall, UW campus, music.washington.edu. $10–$40.

7:30 p.m. Thurs., Oct. 22 & Sat., Oct. 24; 2 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 25.

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Not all aesthetic radicals are motivated by aggression. Some just quietly go about their business, making art of such personal interiority it seems to come out of no established tradition; some are fortunate, if that’s the right term, to work in a culture so conservative that even the slightest unorthodoxy has the power to shock.

This was Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924), a musician’s musician who was adored by his followers, puzzled the masses, and outraged the mediocrities in charge of France’s musical life not by combativeness but by simply showing them up as just that. The University of Washington is hosting a conference on the composer this weekend, with a Friday-evening recital sampling the songs and chamber music that make up most of his output and three performances of his rarely heard 1913 opera Pénélope (say it pay-nay-LOW-puh), based on the Odyssey.

Its refined, Apollonian absence of melodrama has both earned it admiration and kept it out of the standard repertory. Orchestrally it lies somewhere between Debussy—mist, twilight, atmosphere, suggestion rather than statement—and the more visceral, sensual opulence of Wagner. Atop this, Fauré’s chant-like vocal lines recall the French baroque where, whether in spoken drama or opera, noble declamation was the ideal. As with Beethoven, encroaching deafness made Fauré’s late works ever more inward-turned, more exquisite and transcen-

33

featuring Martha Brockenbrough and Frida Clements

AC 2 AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH

ANDERSON

&

ANDY

COOPER COHEN DEEP TALK AND SHALLOW TALES

(10/19) Robert Reich Repairing America’s Broken Capitalist System (10/19) Dave Goulson Insects, and The Impacts of Climate Change (10/20) Jack Nisbet with John Marzluff and David Montgomery ‘Ancient Places’ of The Pacific Northwest TOWN HALL CIVICS SCIENCE ARTS & CULTURE COMMUNITY (10/21) California Sunday presents Pop-Up Magazine (10/21) Roberta Kaplan with Dan Savage DOMA’s Defeat, A New Era of Equality (10/22) Lit Crawl Seattle Sarah Hepola and Melissa Febos

Join Cohen and Cooper for an unscripted, uncensored and unforgettable night of conversation

SATURDAY JANUARY 16

T (10/22) OU Seattle Arts & Lectures: LD Alison Bechdel SO

(10/23) Joe Whinney & Debra Music with Hanson Hosein Theo, Forging a New Chocolate Frontier (10/23) EMG International Series: Bach Collegium Japan Vivaldi, Handel, Bach (10/24) Lake Union Civic Orchestra: Franz Liszt’s ‘Die Ideale’ (10/25) Short Stories Live Bonnie Jo Campbell ‘Mothers, Tell Your Daughters’ (10/25) Simple Measures: Cello Divas III

34

TICKETS AT STGPRESENTS.ORG

BY PHONE (877)784-4849 THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE BOX OFFICE & 24-HOUR KIOSKS

(10/27) Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor with Hank Green ‘Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel’ (10/27) Doug Wiens Revealing Antarctica’s Seismic Secrets (10/28) Sherry Turkle The Key to ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ (10/28) Siren Meet-Up with Nancy Guppy Sparking Conversation with Strangers (10/28) Town Hall, Seattle Radio Theatre, and KIRO Radio present ‘Two Floors Below’ An Original Halloween Radio Play

AC2LIVE.COM

TOWN HALL

CIVICS

SCIENCE

ARTS & CULTURE

COMMUNITY

(10/29) Roger Lowenstein WWW.TOWNHALLSEATTLE.ORG American Financial Power and TOWN HALL The CIVICS Federal SCIENCE ARTS & CULTURE COMMUNITY Reserve (10/30) Melanne Verveer and Kim Azzarelli with Annie Young-Scrivner

VISUAL ARTS Openings & Events JAMES BREMS & CHARLES GALATIS Brems shows small

white ceramics. Galatis offers bright-patterened textiles. Artist receptions, noon-5 p.m. Fri. & 1-6 p.m. Sat. KOBO Gallery, 604 S. Jackson St., 381-3000, koboseattle. com. 11 a.m-6 p.m. daily. Ends Nov. 4.

ANDREA GEYER Using film, drawing, and photography in Travels on a Slender Thread, she explores the histories of collector/ benefactor Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney and the Whitney Museum.

Offsite artist talk, 6:30 p.m. Mon. at Seattle U’s Wyckoff Auditorium.

Opening reception, 6 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28. The New Foundation, 312 Second Ave. S., 512-7247, thenewest.org. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends Jan. 16.

HALLOWEEN ART NIGHT Music, art, and more are featured at this family-oriented evening. Hiawatha Lofts, 843 Hiawatha Pl. S., baddadcollective.com. $5. 5-11 p.m. Fri. ■ BOOTSY HOLLER One of our favorite contributing photographers to Seattle Weekly , now based in L.A., Holler includes four different photo series in her show Nuclear Family . One component consists of annotated snapshots from her own family history, in which she Photoshops herself into the frame. Artist talk and reception, 5:30 p.m. Thurs. Wall Space Gallery, 509 Dexter Ave. N., 330-9137, wall-spacegallery. com. Hours by appointment. Ends Dec. 22.

■ FRANK KUNISHIGE In the Level 8 Gallery, historical photos of the city from the 1920s, not seen in 55 years. Kunishige (18781960) was a member of the very influential Seattle Camera Club, featured at the Henry three years ago in a lovely show also curated

by Elizabeth Brown. Note special talk with Brown and historian David Martin, 6:30 p.m. Thurs. Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., 386-4636. See spl.org for hours.

Ends Dec. 15.

TONY SCHERMAN The title of this English portrait painter’s exhibition is Difficult Women, and it includes figures like Serena Williams and Eleonor Roosevelt.

Opening reception, 6-8 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28. Winston Wächter Fine Art, 203 Dexter Ave. N., 652-5855, winstonwachter.com. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Sat. Ends Dec. 19.

A STORY IN MY POCKET From Texas, Teresa Baker uses plastic and other novel materials to create abstract images. From Brooklyn, Yevgenia Baras renders “moons, mountains, butterflies, clouds, and water.” Opening reception, 6-8 p.m.

Sat. The Alice, 6007 12th Ave. S., thealicegallery.com. Noon-5 p.m.

Sat. Ends Nov. 28.

Ongoing

JAMIE ADAMS In Cooper’s

Beastiary, he makes colorful new prints based type designer Oswald Coope. Cloud Gallery, 901 E. Pike St., 720-2054, cloudgalleryseattle. wordpress.com. 10 a.m-7 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Ends Nov. 30.

RIK ALLEN AND DANTE MARIONI The former often uses

sci-fi imagery, while the latter creates delicate tabletop vessels.

Traver Gallery, 110 Union St., 5876501, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

■ TINA AUFIERO She uses ceramics and text in happiness to create an “interplay of whimsy and weightiness.” The large cryptic central installation is a nine-part series of 1s and 0s, like digital code, that may or may not spell out the word happiness. Method Gallery, 106 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 223-8505, methodgallery.com. Noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

■ ART AIDS AMERICA An large new exhibit, originating at TAM, that chronicles 30 years of art made in response to the AIDS epidemic.

Artists include David Wojnarowicz, Shimon Attie, Bill Jacobson, and dozens more (many of them sadly deceased). Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., 253-272-4258, tacomaartmuseum.org. $12–$14.

10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tues.–Sun. Ends Jan. 10.

■ BETWEEN PLACES

Considering notions of terrain and location are Michael Boonstra, Andrew Myers, and Sarah Fitzsimons. Best among the disparate works are the latter’s series of

■ COUNTER-COUTURE Curated by the UW’s Michael Cepress, an artist who studies and works with fiber, textiles, and fashion, this fashion show bears the subtitle “Fashioning Identity in the American Counterculture.” In other words, hippies! Cepress is exploring the ecstatic ’60s and ’70s spirit via the bell-bottoms, macramé, embroidered vests, miniskirts, headbands, granny glasses, customized jeans, peasant blouses, Huarache sandals, and tie-dye that defined that era. Some museumgoers will remember wearing such fashions during the Summer of Love, while younger visitors have lately been reviving the look (sometimes directly from their parents’ closets). BRIAN MILLER Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way N.E., 425-519-0770, bellevuearts.org. $5-$10. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sun. Ends Jan. 10.

PATRICE DONOHUE Verge displays many wall-mounted relief works made out of burnt or charred paper. A change of state is suggested with these mutable materi-

Holler’s altered family history, at Wall Space. photos of a spindly house outline, rendered out of aluminum, that she drags into various nature scenes for assembly and documentation. They suggest volume, domesticity, and impermanence—something like an architect’s 3-D CAD rendering for a house that can’t be built in such locations. Yet there it is, or at least the idea of it. Also on view: Nola Avienne’s MRI-derived art in Bain Maps. SOIL Gallery, 112 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 264-8061, soilart.org. Noon-5 p.m.

Thu.-Sun. Ends Oct. 31 SAM BIRCHMAN He shows new figurative paintings. Form/Space Atelier, 98 Clay St., 349-2509. See formspaceatelier.com for hours. Ends Jan. 3.

STASIA BURRINGTON I Wonder If This Will Kill Me features her new paintings, some of them nudes. Twilight Gallery, 4306 S.W. Alaska St., 933-2444.

11 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Noon-6 p.m.

Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

als (also including wax, cloth, and ink), as the artist seeks to explore “the edge toward something else.”

Shift Gallery, 312 S. Washington St. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), shiftgallery.org. Noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends Oct. 31.

TAD HIRSCH We’re pretty sure no actual firearms figure in The Gun Show. Jacob Lawrence Gallery (UW Campus), 685-1805, artsuw. org/venue/jacob-lawrence-gallery.

Noon-4 pm. Wed.-Sat. Ends Oct. 17.

■ INTIMATE IMPRESSIONISM

Out come the big guns in SAM’s fall behemoth: Manet, Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, Degas, Gauguin, van Gogh, and more. Traveling from the National Gallery, the 68 works have a net worth approaching that of Bill Gates. Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., See seattleartmuseum.org for hours. $12–$19. Ends Jan. 10.

© BOOTSY HOLLER

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10AM

(10/26) Yeonmi Park Humanizing the North Korea Problem

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MUSIC

Potty Mouth

Wednesday, Oct. 21

Thursday, Oct. 22

POTTY MOUTH is the latest in the wave of ’90s alt-revivalists drawing inspiration from the era’s chunky, riffy guitar styles and slacker vocal melodies (think more the Breeders and Veruca Salt than Pearl Jam or Nirvana).

The band watches Daria on the tour bus, if that helps paint the picture. Although they hail from Massachusetts, the trio flew to Seattle to record with legendary PNW producer John Goodmanson at London Bridge studios, and the self-titled EP they ended up banging out is tailor-made to soundtrack your next zine-making session. With Lisa Prank, Great Grandpa. Sunset Tavern. 8 p.m. $12. 21 and over. KELTON SEARS

JESSE RIGGINS

Last December, the trajectory of Atlanta indie-rock outfit DEERHUNTER was forever changed when leader Bradford Cox was struck by a car, leaving him with a broken jaw and a bout of depression. He’s since adopted a dog named Faulkner and wrote and recorded Fading Frontier, an unusually pretty and mellow pop record for a band that has always had a yen for noise. The band’s seventh full-length, released last week, is an open, unfurling work of meticulous popcraft, generous in melody and infectious drum patterns. A true gift from a difficult time. With Atlas Sound. The Showbox. 8:30 p.m.. $20 adv./$23 DOS. All ages.

MARK BAUMGARTEN

John Totten is good with names.

To start with, the former Quiet Ones leader named his new band DAGGERHANDS, an excellent moniker that effectively conveys the vibe found on the Seattle group’s debut full-length, being celebrated tonight.

The moments that recall Sonic Youth and the more raucous Crazy Horse are dangerous like dagger hands might be—slashing noisy riffage that threatens to destroy all it touches. But there’s also an underlying pathos here that recalls, at times, Elliott Smith and a smidge of Delta blues, and speaks to the alienation and, ultimately, incredible sadness that must come with having daggers for hands. With Hand of the Hills, Roaming Herds of Buffalo.

Barboza. 8 p.m. $6. 21 and over. MB Even though Fleetwood Mac sang that “yesterday’s gone!”, with Haim, recent witch-inspired fashion trends,

and Pony Time’s new album Rumours 2: The Rumours Are True, the band certainly seems to have re-entered the zeitgeist. But the dizzying peaks of Stevie Nickstalgia haven’t truly been reached unless you’ve seen FLEETMACWOOD—an international DJ collective and party that re-edits and remixes original Fleetwood Mac songs into dance-floor bangers.

Tonight is the night to start that ill-fated love triangle you’ve been dreaming about. All-white outfits encouraged.

Kremwerk. 9 p.m. $10 adv./$15 DOS. 21 and over. KS

Friday, Oct. 23

Way, way back in 2002, before everyone who owned a denim jacket decided they should start a psychgarage 13th Floor Elevators tribute band, there was KING KHAN & THE BBQ SHOW. Arish Khan and Mark Sultan, two wily, sweaty

2033 6th Avenue (206) 441-9729 jazzalley.com

JAZZ ALLEY IS A SUPPER CLUB

nutjobs who’ve recently taken to performing in nippleless shirts and S&M leather luchador masks, have been cranking out no-bullshit, straightforward ’50s–’60s rock and roll for more than a decade, putting their own goofy, surreal twist on the mix. The key to their success is an undeniable dedication to the form’s lo-fi, no-frills soulfulness, complete with all the jittery energy and doo-wop harmonies that come with the territory. If you wish you’d dropped acid before going to your high-school homecoming dance, tonight’s your night. With Milk Lines, Is/Is. Chop Suey. 9 p.m. $15 adv./$18 DOS. 21 and over. KS It was at the turn of the millennium when sun-drunk folk songwriter Kyle Field began quietly constructing the curious world of LITTLE WINGS. Through a prodigious catalogue of laid-back, off-kilter folk songs, many released on K Records, Fields delivered breathy organ lines, plainspoken vocals, and a bunch of characters, including the Shredder and Scuby. His latest (11th) full-length, Explains, is the most successful distillation of his sandy songs, accessible in a way those early records never were: the songs bigger, more melodic, and tastefully appointed with a folk orchestra, but still spiked with the weirdness and imagination that set him apart. It’s a good time for newcomers to jump in. The water is perfect. With Greywaves, Gabriel Mintz. Sunset Tavern. 9 p.m. $8. 21 and over. MB

Saturday, Oct. 24

Omar Schambacher of Seattle’s GREAT SPIDERS sings with Bob Dylan’s nasally laid-back lilt and

Tuesday, Oct. 27

writes tunes your dad would really dig. There’s a classic American swing to his songwriting, a sprinkle of Springsteen’s wide-eyed, denim-clad wonder, even if the lyrics are a bit more off-kilter (“Don’t get drugged out, little angel!”). In Schambacher’s own words, “Often the lyrical content and poetic sentiment in the songs is of a dark tone, highlighting the plight of the myopic ego experience, the presence of carnal angst, the inability to process feelings of intense love, and a general disgust for humanity’s destructive nature. An injection of roughly two percent absurdity, humor, or artifice modernist, ‘art crap’ is also a welcome element in the aesthetic and sound.” With Detective Agency, CMRTYZ, SSNACKS. Hollow Earth Radio. 8 p.m. $5–$10. All ages. KS

In our “Ladies First” column last week, Cat Harris-White wrote about sudden Soundcloud superstars—the fluke viral hits that skyrocket to fame from 0 to 100 with little to no warning—and how to build an artistic foundation should that moment come.

Atlanta’s PLAYBOI CARTI experienced this exact scenario on April 2 when “Broke Boi,” his shimmering, chilled-out hip-hop ode to rising above your broke friends, became an instant Soundcloud hit, sitting pretty at nearly 1.9 million listens as of this week. He followed it up with “YUNGXANHOE,” which brilliantly samples the Playstation 2 startup sound and morphs it into a beautiful, ethereal trap jam. He’s since signed with A$AP Rocky and is reportedly recording with Frank Ocean. Rumor has it that the viral star has the performance skills to back up his sudden success. With Key Nyata, Fki 1st, Tommy Genesis, and more. The Crocodile.

7 p.m. $20. All ages. KS

Sunday, Oct. 25

In an update to an undeniable pop formula, YACHT has, for five albums now, combined a discerning, sometimes withering worldview with buoyant, uplifting dance music. Little has changed on the band’s latest, I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler, aside from the world it’s been delivered into. Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans, the brilliant lead duo—as much performance artists as pop artists—are making the most of it. The band employed a drone to announce the release of the new album, and synched the release of its first single, “L.A. Plays Itself,” to Uber price surges in L.A. (it could only be heard during price surges). But Yacht’s greatness is in the past, where it has mined the New Wave synth and funk bass lines that keep the music moving.

With Larry Gus. Neumos. 8 p.m. $18 adv. All ages. MB

Milagros fine mexican folk art THE BEST OF MEXICO IS HERE!

Wednesday, Oct. 28

Ninja Tune’s MACHINEDRUM is an incredibly omnivorous producer, Vapor City being the proof in the pudding.

His style can roam among footwork, house, jungle, dubstep, IDM, and hip-hop—sometimes within the span of one song—but no matter what he does, he still puts his unique stamp on it. That wide purview should serve him well at tonight’s DJ set, offering fans a chance to hear all the far-flung ingredients that make up his particular brand of high-BPM electronic dance music. With Tom Kha Soup, Jimi Jaxon, Radical Kid. Q Nightclub. 9 p.m. $10. 21 and over. MB

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Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist touring in support of her new release Many A New Day!

TAV FALCO’S PANTHER BURNS

NORTHWEST FAMILY LIFE 2015 FUNDRAISER MON, OCT 26

DEEP CREEP

Join us as we recognize Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Featuring local musicians, Naomi Wachira and Zach Fleury!

HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN TUES, OCT 27 - WED, OCT 28

Voted “Western Swing Group of The Year” at 2015 Ameripolitan Music Awards!

VICTOR WOOTEN AND J.D. BLAIR THURS, OCT 29 - SUN, NOV 1

Five time Grammy-winning bass wizard coupled with drumming sensation

all ages | free parking | full schedule at jazzalley.com

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Vin Diesel in The Last Witch Hunter.

FILM Opening Friday

DEATHGASM Heavy metal, demons,

and blood fill this New Zealand horror-com about two wannabe rock stars who summon an ancient evil being. (NR) SIFF Film Center JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS An update of the ’80s animated TV show grafts the story of Dreamgirls onto a teen-girl-band. With Molly Ringwald.

(PG) Opens wide THE LAST WITCH HUNTER Vin Diesel stars as an immortal witch hunter who teams up with Rose “You know nothing, Jon Snow” Leslie to battle the evil Queen Witch. WIth Michael Caine. (PG-13) Opens wide PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION The final film

in this found-footage horror series, which has been creeping out audiences since 2009, still has some jump-scares to throw your way. (R) Opens wide

Local & Repertory ■ ALL MONSTERS ATTACK!

The annual fright- and creaturefest continues with the campy 1989 Canadian-horror curio Science Crazed, about biomedical engineering gone terribly wrong. Local filmmaker John Portanova will introduce his rather less groan-tastic Valley of the Sasquatch in a double bill with the 1976 Bigfoot movie Creature From Black Lake. And the European horror anthology Extraordinary Tales, based on five Poe stories, includes a segment directed by Guillermo del Toro (Crimson Peak). See grandillusioncinema.org for complicated schedule. (NR) SCOTT JOHNSON Grand Illusion, $6–$9. Ends Oct. 31.

ARCHIE’S BETTY In this new documentary, director Gerald Peary goes in search of real-life inspirations for the characters in the Massachusetts hometown of Archie comic strip creator Bob Montana. (NR) SIFF Film Center, $7-$12. 7 p.m. Wed. BEZANGO, WASHINGTON

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Directed by Louise Mandes and Rob Austin (who’ll attend the screening), this doc is a cheerful fanboy roll-call of Northwest comics talent that drags on way too long (even at 90 minutes), determined to honor everyone possible. (A partial list includes Charles Burns, Pat Moriarity, Ellen Forney, Peter Bagge, Roberta Gregory, Brian Basset, David Horsey, and Bob Cram.) The shout-outs extend to The Intruder and Short Run, though the film’s most interesting in

its historical chapters. Did you know the Times once featured a character called Umbrella Man during the preWWI years? They should bring him back. (NR) BRIAN MILLER Northwest Film Forum, $6-$11. 4 p.m. Sat.

■ THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI Wayne Horvitz and his

band perform his new score for this spooky 1920 classic of German Expressionist cinema. There’s hardly a straight line or level surface in any of the blatantly theatrical sets; unreality was never so painstakingly constructed. Caligari is all exaggeration and gesture, where the narrative implausibilities almost make it that much more disturbing. Conrad Veidt stars as the somnambulist being used by an insane hypnotist to commit a string of murders. The same plot could be reused today. (NR) B.R.M. The Paramount, $10. 7 p.m. Mon.

THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, PT. I From 1981, this

is the first installment of Penelope Spheeris’ trilogy of L.A. music docs, soon to be released on DVD. Punk is the focus here, meaning the Germs, Black Flag, X, Fear, and the Circle Jerks. Part II, The Metal Years, screens 7 p.m. Saturday at Northwest Film Forum. Part III, which revisits punk rock in the late ’90s, returns to the Film Center on Monday, also at 7 p.m. (NR) SIFF Film Center, $7-$12. 7 p.m. Thurs.

DRACULA Tod Browning’s 1931 vampire hallmark, starring Bela Lugosi, is paired with the Spanishlanguage version of the same story, made at night on the same Universal sets with a different cast. (NR) Varsity, Bainbridge, others. $10.25. 2 p.m. Sun. & 7 p.m. Wed., Oct. 28.

HOCUS POCUS From 1993, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy star in this friendly witch-com. (PG) Central Cinema, $7-$9. 7 p.m. Fri.-Wed. & 3 p.m.

Sat.-Sun. ■ NIGHTFALL The film noir series continues with 1948’s Pitfall, with Dick Powell as an insurance executive who gets thoroughly used by femme fatale Lizabeth Scott. (NR) Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave., 654-3121, seattleartmuseum.org. $63–$68 series, $8 individual. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Dec. 10.

SHREDDER ORPHEUS From 1989, this is local director Robert McGinley’s rock-skate-myth fusion movie, to be accompanied by a snippet from his new Danger Diva. (NR) Northwest Film Forum, $6-$11. 8 p.m.

Thurs.

Spielberg’s true-life saga, New York lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks) is plucked from his profitable private practice to defend a Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), in the late 1950s. What pricks Spielberg’s interest is the way Donovan is ostracized for performing a constitutional task during the height of Cold War. A few years later, Donovan is given another difficult task: negotiate a prisoner trade for Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell), the U.S. pilot shot down over Russia in 1960 while spying from his U-2 plane. This section is all snowy East Berlin alleys and tense meetings in unheated rooms— exactly Spielberg’s cup of borscht.

Nicely complicating the situation is the way Abel, the enemy, comes to be a sympathetic figure. The British stage giant Rylance (Wolf Hall) gives a marvelously detailed performance as the kind of guy Spielberg appreciates—a schlub doing his job.

(PG-13) ROBERT HORTON Sundance, Majestic Bay, SIFF Cinema Uptown, Pacific Place, Cinebarre Mountlake, Oak Tree, Admiral, Lincoln Square, Bainbridge, Kirkland, others ■ CRIMSON PEAK Near the beginning of the 20th century, shy, sheltered writer Edith (Mia Wasikowska) is wooed and whisked away from her New York family home by the seductive and mysterious Sir Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). The Englishman takes her back to Allerdale Hall. This living, breathing, and seemingly bleeding mansion epitomizes del Toro’s deliciously twisted world. Also inhabiting Crimson Peak is Thomas’ sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain), a quietly manipulative cipher. As with The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro keeps the pace slow at first, laying out the pieces to a puzzle that—once finished— reminds you that some things, real things, are more terrifying than mere ghosts and monsters. It’s a theme del Toro consistently returns to in his films, as his fans will appreciate here.

Del Toro’s deliberate plotting and subversion of expectations may leave some viewers grasping. Those who allow him to guide them through this neo-Gothic horror romance will be rewarded abundantly when the end finally comes. (R) SCOTT JOHNSON Sundance, Pacific Place, Thornton Place, Lincoln Square, Cinebarre (Mountlake and Issaquah), others ■ VICTORIA A millennial whose strict Madrid upbringing will later be explained, Victoria (Laia Costa) is working a grunt job in Berlin, where she doesn’t even speak the language.

Outside a club, she connects with four dumb but possibly dangerous German dudes; the charmer among them is Sonne (Frederick Lau), who takes a liking to Victoria. They meets around 4:30 in the morning, that murky point when looming hangovers and daytime responsibilities can yield to the determination to party to dawn.

What happens instead in Sebastian Schipper’s virtuosic one-take heist movie, its action running a seamless 138 minutes (almost like theater), is almost unbearably suspenseful. The nonstop filming device becomes the movie’s engine, its source of momentum. Victoria’s uncertainty about the night’s outcome is ours, too. The movie’s tone turns darker just as day breaks, and the nocturnal spell is broken. If you love cinema, make a date with Victoria. (NR) B.R.M. SIFF Cinema Egyptian

odds&ends

HIGHER GROUND

Wacky Weed Wire MICHAEL A. STUSSER

W

hen the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.” That’s a Hunter S. Thompson quote, and absolutely applies to the latest news related to marijuana and its legalization. Much of it is so weird, in fact, ya just can’t make this shit up.

BIGFOOT HUNTERS FIND WEED

BRIA NNA CAS HIN

A group of Bigfoot hunters (seriously) were in search of their nonexistent furry friend in a Wildlife Management Area in Texas last month when they came across a giant crop of weeds in the woods. The hidden garden, northeast of Dallas, had almost 6,500 mature plants, worth around $6.5 million, on an acre of land. Turns out the Delta County Sheriff ’s department had been scoping the ganja farm to bust the guerrilla growers, but when the Bigfoot team accidentally stumbled onto the scene, they ruined the police operationin-progress. (Probably the same reason these buffoons haven’t nabbed Yeti yet.) Had the coppers been able to bust the black-market growers—who had set up generators, camouflaging tents, and watering systems—they would have faced felony charges with fines of up to $50,000 and 99 years in the slammer. Who knew Bigfoot has such a big green thumb!

It is possible, of course, that Bigfoot himself (herself ?) was the giant sharecropper; after all, if the legend is true, there’s no creature on Earth quite so stealthy. Now that I think of it, someone should come up with Bigfoot Bud (Gigantopithecus OG ?): The stuff ’s so powerful, it will make you disappear . . .

GAS AND GRASS

Last month the District of Columbia State Fair hosted the country’s first official Cannabis Competition at a fairgrounds. Showcased alongside blue-ribbon home brews, knitted sweaters, and longest vegetables was priceless pot! The display was sponsored by a group called Let’sGrowDC, which runs a retail garden-supply store and educational center for urban gardens.

The Best Bud contest was taken quite seriously by the panel of judges, who rated the pot on the growing process, aroma, snap of the stem, stickiness (I’m not kidding), and appearance. If you’re wondering why it wasn’t judged on potency, that may have had to do with the setting (family-friendly with kids and all) and the fact that 64 different strains were submitted.

The winner? “Capital Chronic OG” from green thumb Kenneth Gore, who took home a blue ribbon (shoulda been green) and a $50 certificate to Mellow Mushroom pizza parlor.

The real reason it was so important for the DC State Fair to encourage cannabis agriculture had less to do with boasting rights for the prizewinners and more to do with logistics. Though marijuana was legalized in D.C. in February (with over 70 percent support), no recreational stores or sales of any kind are allowed; residents are allowed, however, to grow their own or “gift” weed to one another. And because it’s illegal to transport cannabis across state lines, any and all marijuana consumed in D.C. must be grown there. Any tips from green-ribbon ganja farmers, therefore, were greatly appreciated by the greensmen in attendance.

Given the number of entrants, a gardening boom for bud has clearly taken place in our nation’s capital. After the fair, Let’sGrowDC gave out more than 30 clippings that attendees could use to grow prizewinning plants of their own. Now that’s what I call a shared economy!

MARIJUANA ARRESTS UP NATIONALLY

Finally, in the craziest news item of all, new stats on marijuana arrests in 2014 were released last week by the FBI. Given the ever-growing support for legalization not only in the four legal states but across the land, you’d expect a huge reduction in pot arrests nationwide, right? Sadly, in 2014, more than 640,000 Americans were arrested for cannabis-related offenses. That breaks down to 1,700 people per day, meaning that someone in the U.S. is arrested for marijuana use or possession every 42 seconds.

Thankfully, here in Washington, arrests have dropped dramatically—which is fab until you look at nationwide numbers and see that, as a percentage of total arrests, the number of marijuana busts is going up, not down; more than one in 20 arrests overall are for the possession of ganja—a stat putting it near the all-time high. It would be one thing if cops had nothing better to do, but as thousands of officers take themselves off the streets each day to detain and book men and women for pot possession, serious crimes are back-burnered. According to the FBI’s own stats, over half the country’s violent crimes in 2014—such as murder, assault, and rape— are not being solved. So, big picture: As far as legalization goes, we’ve got a long, long way to go. E For more Higher Ground, visit highergroundtv.com.

El Corazon E orazon www.elcorazonseattle.com

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THURSDAY OCTOBER 22ND EL CORAZON MIKE THRASHER PRESENTS:

BUCKCHERRY

w/Sons Of Texas, Trust Divided

Doors 7:00PM / Show 8:00.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $26 ADV / $30 DOS

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23RD EL CORAZON

JELLY ROLL w/Yodi Mac, Unmasked

Entertainment, KST Blunt Trauma, CON-CRETE, Chase Fade, Jay Key, Chantil Dukart

Doors at 7:00PM / Show at 8:00.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $15 DOS

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23RD FUNHOUSE

SUNDAY OCTOBER 25TH EL CORAZON

MOURNING MARKET Market Opens at 12:00pm Closes at 5:00pm.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $1

WEDNESDAY SUNDAY OCTOBER JULY 22ND 25THEL FUNHOUSE CORAZON

MONDO GENERATOR THRASHERS CORNER w/Burlington Coat FEAT. NICK OLIVERI OF KYUSS/ QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE BRIAN FOSS PRESENTS:

Felony, Hell Raisers 9:00PM / Peter PanUpwell, Speedrock, The LoadDoors Levelers, Show 9:30.The 21+. $7 Güns Neutralboy, Crüd

Doors 8:00PM / Show 8:30. 21+. $13 ADV / $15 DOS

MONDAY OCTOBER 26TH EL CORAZON

BRIAN FOSS PRESENTS:

MIKE THRASHER PRESENTS:

w/The Burnz, Juicy Thompson & the Snuggle Regime, Prison, Plus Guests

w/Fit For A King, Gideon, Silent Planet, Phinehas

ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT Doors 9:00PM / Show 9:30. 21+. $8

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24TH EL CORAZON TAKE WARNING PRESENTS:

FOR TODAY

Doors 6:00PM / Show 6:30.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $16 ADV / $18 DOS

MONDAY OCTOBER 26TH FUNHOUSE

KNUCKLE PUCK

SEAN NICHOLAS SAVAGE

Doors 6:00PM / Show 7:00.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $14 ADV / $16 DOS

Doors 7:00PM / Show 7:30.

18+. $8 ADV / $10 DOS

w/Seaway, Sorority Noise, Head North, Moments

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24TH FUNHOUSE

w/Promise Keeper, Rosechild, Ghost Soda

TUESDAY OCTOBER 27TH EL CORAZON MIKE THRASHER PRESENTS:

THE FUCKING EAGLES w/Fashonism,

THE GHOST INSIDE

Doors 9:00PM / Show 9:30. 21+. $8

Doors 7:00PM / Show 8:00.

ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $16 ADV / $18 DOS

BRIAN FOSS PRESENTS:

Sir Coyler & His Asthmatic Band, Radio On

w/For The Likes Of You, Motion, Confines

JUST ANNOUNCED 10/28 - IT LIES WITHIN 11/4 FUNHOUSE - THE SLOTHS 11/11 FUNHOUSE - ARMED FO APOCALYPSE 11/14 FUNHOUSE - SHE IS WE 11/27 FUNHOUSE - VAPORLAND 12/2 - 36 CRAZYFISTS 12/3 FUNHOUSE - RAW FABRICS 12/8 FUNHOUSE - THE DOUBLECLICKS 12/10 FUNHOUSE - HUNNY 12/20 - JASON MICHAEL CARROLL 1/19 FUNHOUSE - SUNDRESSED 3/4 - ANTI-FLAG / LEFTOVER CRACK UP & COMING 10/27 FUNHOUSE - TYGERRS LAIR 10/28 FUNHOUSE - MC LARS 10/29 FUNHOUSE - YONATAN GAT 10/30 - THE REAL MCKENZIES 10/30 FUNHOUSE - ACID TONGUE 10/31 - AGAINST THE CURRENT 10/31 FUNHOUSE - 1234 RAMONES TRIBUTE 11/1 FUNHOUSE - LA DISPUTE “TINY DOTS” DOCUMENTARY SCREENING 11/1 - HAVE MERCY 11/2 - PARKWAY DRIVE 11/3 - THE ALGORITHIM 11/3 FUNHOUSE - SWINGIN’ UDDERS THE FUNHOUSE BAR IS OPEN FROM 3:00PM TO 2:00AM DAILY AND HAPPY HOUR IS FROM 3:00PM UNTIL 6:00PM. Tickets now available at cascadetickets.com - No per order fees for online purchases. Our on-site Box Office is open 11am to 9pm weekdays at The Eastlake Waffle Window and all nights we are open in the club. - $2 service charge per ticketCharge by Phone at 1.800.514.3849. Online at www.cascadetickets.com - Tickets are subject to service charge The EL CORAZON VIP PROGRAM: details at www.elcorazon.com/vip.html for an application email info@elcorazonseattle.com

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Hell, if Costco and Safeway can pair shopping with gas stations, why not a weed shop? This month a Colorado chain of pot stores, Native Roots, is trying out a new business model, opening a dispensary next to a gas station. The two are side by side with a separate entrance for the dispensary, which must follow all the rules and restrictions for cannabis businesses (21 and over, etc.). “It’s really just kind of pairing the convenience in one specific stop,” noted company spokesperson Tia Mattson.

Gas & Grass hopes eventually to have several locations, with a uniform look and common merchandise—kind of like a Quik Mart, but instead of 5-year-old hot dogs, hunting caps, and fingerless gloves, it will be stocked with prime dank. Of course, given the onset of the munchies, Gas & Grass outlets will be fully stocked with stoned supplies such as Doritos, lighters, Gatorade, BlowPops, and donuts galore. “I believe we’ll have lottery tickets, beverages, cigarettes, and similar things that you would pick up in a convenience store,” Mattson said. One thing that will not be allowed: gassing up while firing up. (Ka-boom!)

DO THE POT-ALLUP

37

SPAS

ADULT PHONE ENTERTAINMENT

Real Estate for Sale Lots/Acreage KENDRICK.

KING’S MASSAGE Body Shampoo Sauna Expert Massage Come and see us

Free FORUMS & CHATROOM 206-753-CHAT 253-203-1643 425-405-4388

Tired of talking to your cat?

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MAN to MAN Free chatrooms!

206-753-CHAT 253-359-CHAT 425-405-CHAT WebPhone on LiveMatch.com

Real Estate for Rent San Juan County

FREE TO LISTEN AND REPLY TO ADS

You won’t be disappointed

13811 HIGHWAY 99 LYNNWOOD WA 98087 425-743-6183

MASSEUSE NEEDED

TAX PROBLEMS? You Could Save Thousands On Any Amount You Currently Owe The IRS

To Get Your Free Report “What the IRS Does Not Want You to Know” GO TO www.nunnbettertaxresolution.com Nunn Better Tax Resolution LLC, Redmond, WA

Toll Free: 844-SOS-1040

Free Code: Seattle Weekly

FIND REAL GAY MEN NEAR YOU

SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Orcas Island

Escape to the islands!

Exquisite beachfront retreat avail. thru 4/30/16.

2 bdm/1 bth, $2700 incl. utilities. Secluded 8+ acres, furnished, bright and open. Cozy spot to spend the winter.

Contact Sandi Friel sandi@twilliamsrealty.com 360.298.5180 sandi@twilliamsrealty.com

Seattle:

(206) 877-0877 www.megamates.com 18+

Tacoma:

(253) 882-0882

JESSICA’S

WA Misc. Rentals Rooms for Rent Greenlake/WestSeattle $550 & up (1st/last/deposit) Utilities included! busline, some with private bathrooms • Please call Anna between 10am & 8pm • 206-790-5342

Announcements

ULTIMATE SPA Sensual Relaxation 425.765.0376 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 10am - 10pm 1084 KIRKLAND AVE NE RENTON, WA 98056

n o s u w o M l l A o R f G A T INS @

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IDAHO RETREAT 11 ACRES comfortable home built in 1954. 3 BR, large living room kitchen and dinign rooms areas. Basement. Barn, corrals, and outbuildings.

Lovely creek running through property. Well maintained roads. $199,000. FSBO. Call Cliff, evenings and weekends 208-289-5349 weekdays 208-5535380.

Professional Services Music Lessons GUITAR LESSONS Exp’d, Patient Teacher. BFA/MM Brian Oates (206) 434-1942

Home Services Plumbing

HOLLOW LOG PLUMBING

Appliances AMANA RANGE Deluxe 30” Glasstop Range self clean, auto clock & timer ExtraLarge oven & storage *UNDER WARRANTY* Over $800. new. Pay off balance of $193 or make payments of $14 per month. Credit Dept.

206-244-6966 KENMORE REPO Heavy duty washer & dryer, deluxe, large cap. w/normal, perm-press & gentle cycles. * Under Warranty! * Balance left owing $272 or make payments of $25. Call credit dept.

206-244-6966 NEW APPLIANCES UP TO 70% OFF All Manufacturer Small Ding’s, Dents, Scratches and Factory Imperfections *Under Warranty* For Inquiries, Call or Visit Appliance Distributors @ 14639 Tukwila Intl. Blvd.

206-244-6966 REPO REFRIGERATOR Custom deluxe 22 cu. ft. sideby-side, ice & water disp., color panels available

UNDER WARRANTY!

was over $1200 new, now only payoff bal. of $473 or make pmts of only $15 per mo.

Credit Dept. 206-244-6966 STACK LAUNDRY Deluxe front loading washer & dryer. Energy efficient, 8 cycles.

Like new condition * Under Warranty * Over $1,200 new, now only $578 or make payments of $25 per month

Appointment Setter Generate Free Estimate Appointments for Tree & Shrub Trimming, Pruning & Removal work Set your Own Schedule. Paid Orientation, Marketing Materials and Company Apparel.

-$500-$750/ Week Average, Top reps earn more -Travel allowance -Monthly Cell phone Allowance -Monthly Medical Allowance Email resume to recruiting@tlc4homesnw.com 1-855-720-3102 ext. 3304

BIG D TOWING Abandoned Vehicle Auction Monday 10/26/15 @ 11AM. 3 Vehicles Preview 10-11am.

1540 Leary Way NW, Seattle 98107 BIG D TOWING Abandoned Vehicle Auction Wednesday 10/28/15 @ 11AM. 3 Vehicles Preview 10-11am.

1540 Leary Way NW, Seattle 98107

Auction @ 1780 NW Maple St., Issaquah, WA

LICENSED, BONDED, INSURED.

425-392-6000 To view list go to: www.clarktow.com

Preview at 11am

Appliances

interior light *UNDER WARRANTY* Make $15 monthly payments or pay off balance of $293.

Credit Dept. 206-244-6966

TECHNOLOGY Help build the next generation of systems behind Facebook’s products. Facebook, Inc. currently has the following openings in Seattle, WA (various levels/types): Product Manager (6459N) Engage in product design & technical development of new products. Lead the ideation, technical development, & launch of innovative products.

Software Engineer (SWE1015BN) Create web &/or mobile applications that reach over one billion people & build high volume servers to support our content. Bachelor’s degree required. Exp. may be required depending on level/type. Software Engineer (SWE1015-MN) Create web &/or mobile applications that reach over one billion people & build high-volume servers to support our content, utilizing graduate level knowledge. Master’s degree required. Exp. may be required depending on level/type.

Production Engineer (327N) Participate in the design, implementation & ongoing management of major site applications & subsystems. Facebook, Inc. currently has the following opening in Redmond, WA (various levels/types): Software Engineer (4533N) Apply expertise in materials science & engineering to evaluate & create new 3D sensor technologies.

Mail resume to: Facebook, Inc. Attn: SB-GIM, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Must reference job title & job# shown above, when applying.

Auto Events/ Auctions

Call Mark

Repo Sears deluxe 20cu.ft. freezer 4 fast freeze shelves, defrost drain,

Employment Computer/Technology

Employment General

Clark’s Towing, LLC Public Auto Auction 10/30/15 - 12 PM

KENMORE FREEZER

WANTS TO purchase minerals and other oil & gas interests.

Send details to P.O. Box 13557, Denver, Co 80201

%206-244-6966%

RESIDENTIAL/COMM. Repairs, Repipes, Restoration, Remodels, Tenant Improvements.

32 years experience.

206-999-6387

Employment Services

Employment Career Services THE OCEAN Corp. 10840 Rockley Road, Houston, Texas 77099. Train for a new career. *Underwater Welder. Commercial Diver. *NDT/Weld Inspector. Job Placement Assistance.

Financial Aid avail for those who qualify 1.800.321.0298

FREE Nursing Assistant Training Class!

Join our award winning team today! Classes starting October 26th, 2015 (Now Interviewing!)

-Class is typically five days a week (8am-4:30pm), four weeks long!

-Must apply to get in class please apply online or in person, at facility: Richmond Beach Rehab 19235 15th Ave NW Shoreline, WA 98177 (206) 546-2666 www.teamavamere.com FT Tree Climber $1,000 Incentive after 30 days as FT Climber Full Time- Year Round Work We perform Residential Tree Trimming, Pruning & Removal work. Climbing Gear, Vehicle & DL Req. Company Sponsored Medical Avail. & Voluntary Dental Email work experience to recruiting@treeservicesnw.com 1-800-684-8733 ext. 3434 Part-Time Retail Merchandiser needed to merchandise Hallmark products at stores in Seattle. To apply, please visit: https://hallmark. candidatecare.com EOE Women/Minorities/ Disabled/Veterans.

Employment General

Multi-Media Advertising Consultant Puget Sound Region, WA Do you have a proven track record of success in sales and enjoy managing your own territory?

Are you competitive and thrive in an energetic environment? Do you desire to work for a company that offers uncapped earning opportunities?

Are you interested in a fast paced, creative atmosphere where you can use your sales expertise to provide consultative print and digital solutions? If you answered YES then you need to join the largest community news organization in Washington. The Daily Herald/La Raza is looking for a candidate who is selfmotivated, results-driven, and interested in a multi-media sales career. This position will be responsible for print and digital advertising sales to an exciting group of clients from Bellingham to Tacoma.

The successful candidate will be engaging and goal oriented, with good organizational skills and will have the ability to grow and maintain strong business relationships through consultative sales and excellent customer service. Every day will be a new adventure! You can be an integral part of our top-notch sales team; helping local business partners succeed in their in print or online branding, marketing and advertising strategies. Professional sales experience necessary; media experience is a definite asset but not mandatory. If you have these skills, and enjoy playing a pro-active part in helping your clients achieve business success, please email your resume and cover letter to: hreast@soundpublishing.com ATTN: LARAZA in the subject line. We offer a competitive compensation (Base plus Commission) and benefits package including health insurance, paid time off (vacation, sick, and holidays), and 401K (currently with an employer match.)

Sound Publishing is an Equal Opportunity Employee (EOE) and strongly supports diversity in the workplace.

Visit our website to learn more about us! www.soundpublishing.com Tow Truck Driver with CDL needed. Seattle Area. Flexible Schedule Required. 206-362-9049

Classified Ads Get Results!

Classified

Call

Want to stop drinking to numb the pain?

@ 206-623-6231, to place an ad

Volunteers are needed for the APT Study examining two different types of treatment for people who have both alcohol problems and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

GOODNESS MOVING APTS. OFFICES 206-851-3995

Singing Lessons

Counseling is provided at no cost.

Call the APT Study at

FreeTheVoiceWithin.com Janet Kidder 206-781-5062

$ TOP CASH $

PAID FOR UNWANTED CARS & TRUCKS

Up To $1000

7 Days * 24 Hours Licensed + Insured

ALL STAR TOWING

425-870-2899

WANT TO WIN DVDS, CONCERT TICKETS & MORE?

CHECK OUT OUR FREE STUFF PAGE! FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT US AT: seattleweekly.com/freestuff

Temporary, Temporary-to-Hire & Direct Hire Do you have administrative experience? We place: •

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•

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•

Administrative Assistants

•

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•

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206-543-0584

Classified Ads in just $9 per line per week (or less if running long term)

CONTACT

206-623-6231 classifieds@seattleweekly.com

NEVER A FEE TO YOU! Apply Online: www.tyiseattle.com Or call today — we’re here for you!

206.386.5400

Temporarily Yours Staffing

720 3rd Ave. Ste. 1420 - Seattle, WA 98104 “The friendliest and preferred agency”

Visit the NEW Hawaii.com Enter To Win a Luxurious Hawaiian Holiday for Two* First Class Roundtrip Airfare aboard Hawaiian Airlines Five Nights at the world-famous Royal Hawaiian Hotel Luxury Rental courtesy of Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Choose an Island that’s right for you, find the resort of your dreams then explore all the activities, shopping and dining that await you in paradise!

For more information and to register, visit hawaii.com/luxurycontest

*Must be 18 years of age to enter. No purchase necessary. Winner chosen by random draw. Odds determined by number of entries. Up to one entry per person per day. Travel valid from any Hawaiian Airlines gateway in North America. Driver must be 21 years, present a valid license, major credit card and is subject to all standard conditions & requirements at time of rental. Cannot be combined with other offers. Winner travel dates, times and package components subject to change & availability. Restrictions apply. Contest ends at Midnight October 31, 2015. Visit Hawaii.Com for complete rules and regulations.

Your complete source for island travel.

SE ATTLE WEEKLY • O CTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

Experience Hawaii like you live here…on-line.

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SEATTLE WEEKLY • OCTOBER 21 — 27, 2015

BELLEVUE SQUARE

40 Bellevue Square LRA 10-13 One Page.indd 1

10/2/15 11:55 AM