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January 13-19, 2016 | VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 2

IX IN THE C M IT CO

The

Racism of Doing

Nothing A year after MLK ’15, Jesse Hagopian is still fighting. BY CASEY JAYWORK

PAGE 14

FREEDOM WITHIN In one Washington state prison, yoga is giving lifers something to live for.

PHOTOS AND STORY BY SARA BERNARD

t’s a dreary day in mid-December, dark as flint and spitting cold rain. The Stafford Creek Corrections Center, near Aberdeen, rises neatly from the gloom like a well-manicured high-school campus. Its dozen or so concrete buildings, in various shades of gray and pale beige, are connected by long, wide sidewalks and clipped grass. The only discernible differences between a school and this prison—from the outside, anyway—are the massive spools of razor wire circling the place, the TSA-style security regulating entry, and the occasional parade of men in khaki uniforms and chalk-white sneakers trudging through the drizzle. Inside one of the buildings, behind several heavy doors, Laura Prudhomme and Dawn Hanson are seated with 10 inmates in a small classroom. It has dull linoleum floors, fluorescent lights, and a few slim windows through which no daylight penetrates. A muffled voice issues commands through a loudspeaker somewhere nearby; a guard in a puffy jacket, then a khaki-clad inmate towing a mop and bucket, pass by along the hallway, visible through the » CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 panes of glass that line one classroom wall.

“This was my first experience at a restaurant with a surcharge, and I’m happy to report that service was not affected. In fact, the servers were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable.... If this experience is any indication, perhaps all the hoopla over whether service will suffer in the absence of tips is ultimately overstated.” Bar Melusine, reviewed by Nicole Sprinkle Page 21

ast year, teacher and activist Jesse Hagopian broke the Internet—but not in a good way. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Hagopian was randomly peppersprayed by a panicked cop. Video of the incident went viral, adding yet another chapter to the Seattle Police Department’s long history of excessive force. Hagopian is currently suing the city. But there’s more to this teacher than his receipt of SPD’s favored less-than-lethal weapon. With another MLK Day approaching, Seattle Weekly sat down with Hagopian to talk about race and justice in Seattle.

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

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editorial

Washington’s Real Prison Scandal

here seems to be a single basic question being asked in Olympia this week about the Washington Department of Corrections’ early-release bungle: Who should get fired, or, in the case of Gov. Jay Inslee, voted out of office? So far we’ve been told that the technical error that resulted in roughly 3,200 of the state’s inmates being released an average of 55 days early began back in 2002. But it came to the DOC’s attention only in 2012, and, by the administration’s telling, to the attention of Inslee in December, when he promptly made it public. At least two major crimes occurred on dates when their suspects should have been behind bars: In November, an ex-convict driving under the influence in Bellevue allegedly crashed his car and killed his passenger; he was supposed to have been in prison until December 6. Last May, another man shot and killed a teenager within two weeks of his release; he was supposed to have been in prison until August 10. By some logic, then, the early release of these men is culpable for the loss of human life. Isn’t our criminal-justice system designed to improve public safety? Aren’t we to keep offenders off the streets, immobile, until a specific, court-ordered amount of time has passed and they’re deemed fit to rejoin society? That didn’t happen, and lo and behold: The criminals committed more crimes. Heads must roll. Hence the tense mood Monday during a Senate Law & Justice Committee hearing convened to investigate the matter, during which a Republicanled panel grilled DOC Secretary Dan Pacholke about who knew what when. “Were you aware of this error in December 2012?” demanded Sen. Steve O’Ban (R-University Place). “No,” Pacholke replied. “It was a mistake you were made aware of by a victim’s family [in 2012]. Why didn’t [a fix] happen then?” asked Sen. Mike Padden (R-Spokane Valley). “That’s a great question, Senator,” said Pacholke.

But everyone involved seems to be entirely ignoring the true scandal here: When convicts get out, they frequently reoffend. In both homicides tied to the early release, the crimes were committed a mere month or two before the prisoners’ “real” release date. Would another month or two behind bars have made the difference? Why are we blaming the Department of Corrections for shoddy math, as opposed to shoddy “Corrections”? The real problem here isn’t a technical error, it’s a fundamental one. If the majority of prisoners commit more crimes, some within weeks, it doesn’t seem as though our justice system is doing very much to address the root of the problem. And this isn’t just in Washington: Across the country, recidivism rates are through the roof. A recent study from the federal Bureau of Justice found that more than three-quarters of inmates released from state prisons in 2005 were arrested again within five years. The risk of the current narrative surrounding the early-release scandal is that politicians, with elections approaching this fall, may revert to the lock’em-up posture that has until very recently dictated America’s criminal-justice policy. Hearings like the one held Monday seem tailor-made to demonstrate how many votes can be lost in a world with too few people behind bars. If that happens, it could come at the expense of the good work being done in this state to actually rehabilitate convicts, rather than simply keep them incarcerated. As Sara Bernard reports in this week’s cover story [“Freedom Within,” page 1], there are ideas out there that could help heal the wounds and overcome the circumstances that often contribute to an inmate’s crimes. Among them is a program called Yoga Behind Bars, which seeks to make inmates’ time in prison less traumatic. Too often, Yoga Behind Bars executive director Rosa Vissers tells Bernard, we as a society “punish, punish, punish and expect a different outcome.” If that’s the case, it shouldn’t scandalize us that offenders often reoffend, regardless of when they’re released. Yes, technical errors that take the Department of Corrections 14 years to address should give us pause, and it doesn’t seem fair to allow faulty data management to decide an inmate’s fate. But using recidivism as political capital—suggesting that more time in jail is, without question, the key to deterring crime—seems just as unfair and, worse, unfounded. E

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The “necessity defense” might let environmentalist blockaders walk. The glorious eccentric behind Twice Sold Tales. Firebugs at Golden Gardens. Plus: Is free college on the way?

14 COMIX

How to really help the homeless. Plus: Mom Punk!

17 ARTS & CULTURE

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SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

The gravity with which everyone is approaching the early-release scandal is surely intended to signal to voters that officials are being responsive to a DOC blunder tied to two deaths. Along with the Republicans’ prosecutorial line of questioning during the hearing, Pacholke called the error a “tragic event,” while Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) called it “a breach of the public trust.”

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Hagopian » FROM PAGE 1 SW: How have you been fighting the good fight since being pepper-sprayed last year?

Hagopian: Garfield [High School] began working with some different trainers on [restorative justice practices], and we’re now this year working on peace circles with the staff so they can really gain a strong understanding of the power of being able to solve problems collectively. It is my hope that we can roll out a full pilot of restorative justice in the coming years, and try to move away from zero tolerance—to make restorative justice more than just a box to check. What would that look like?

We want to sever the school-to-prison pipeline by putting [in] restorative practices, which is bringing together the person that’s been injured and the person who’s been accused and actually make them do something much harder than stay home from school: make them face their problem with mentors and peers. Have them work through the issue, have them set goals, have them collectively figure out what a just resolution would be. That’s a much harder practice, but it demonstrates to our kids that our school actually cares about you. Not just when you’re scoring well on a test, not just when you’re doing well in school, but when you’ve made a mistake, when you’re down, when nobody else cares about you or people are angry at you—we care about you enough to help you solve this problem. That’s how we transform student lives and create better people through education.

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Do you think legislators and other leaders are

consciously trying to keep racism alive?

All the major, powerful institutions that run our society have replicated racism generation after generation. You can see that slavery was ended, but segregation continued. Not just in the Jim Crow south, but through the practice of redlining. Banks would exclude lending to African Americans outside of prescribed areas like the Central District. [Then] redlining ends, but you have mass incarceration. It doesn’t take Klan members to organize that type of racist practice. It just takes people continuing the status quo, putting the needs of communities of color last, not funding public programs. So someone can be racist by just being a cog in the machine without being a racist in a subjective, personal sense?

Absolutely. It doesn’t take having overt racist ideas to continue to vote for a budget that primarily incarcerates African Americans and other people of color. We have to transform the institutions dramatically. That, to me, would look like fully funding education [and] diverting the funds in King County toward housing programs and health care rather than toward mass incarceration. What are you doing on MLK day?

I’ll be back at the rally. I’m really proud to say that my [Black Student Union]students are going to be emceeing the event. To me, that’s much more important than me speaking. But you’re still going to march?

It would be a [victory] for the forces of unaccountability and police brutality if I didn’t show up. So I’ll be there. E

cjaywork@seattleweekly.com

Interview has been edited for length.

Editor-in-Chief Mark Baumgarten

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DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS

In the first editorial Seattle Weekly has published in God knows how long, we zeroed in on reason #3,593 why the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation in Oregon is totally idiotic. We noted that the armed men who’ve taken over the refuge would have us think that America was worse off for Western environmental policy. In fact, we argue, the refuge shows how much we have gained when we’ve committed to preserving what untouched lands we have left. By the looks of it, our readers weren’t too fond of the men either.

“…grizzlies would be wonderful to have in the Cascades, but this is a big complex problem with no easy solutions.” rally or through reintroduction work. This includes the grizzly bear, which wildlife officials are now studying for reintroduction in the North Cascades.

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I would love to see grizzlies back in the Cascades. They belong there. But I hope we will all do some long, hard thinking before any program to capture them in B.C. and let them loose here gets the go-ahead. All attempts to prove an existing grizzly population in the North Cascades have failed. A few bears wander south now and then, but that is not a population. We are essentially starting from a population of zero. My question is have the locals fully developed In Montana’s Cabinet the refuge’s tourism potential, Yaak area, an existing, proven and do the locals have hard numSend your thoughts on population of 30 to 40 bears bers to kick around regarding the this week’s issue to was considered inadequate for refuge’s economic input to the letters@seattleweekly.com the 2,600-square-mile recovery community? If not, producing area there. So 11 or so new bears those numbers might be the best were brought in, with mixed results. No one has way to laugh the whackos to the state line. declared it a success. steve el, via seattleweekly.com The Cascades are a 10,000-square-mile recovery area, four times bigger than the Yaak, I say the best strategy is to just ignore these with essentially no bears. If 30 to 40 bears were bozos. When the publicity starts to fade because officially considered not enough for 2,600 square they’re not surrounded by federal marshals, miles in Montana, how many bears would be they’ll just slink back home in the middle of the sufficient to repopulate 10,000 square miles night. here? The only answer seems to be A LOT of Purrlie, via seattleweekly.com bears—well over a hundred, perhaps even more than that. Seal off the perimeter, jam the cell phones, allow If just a few bears are brought in, we will still no one in, and cut off utilities. Let them know have the same problem we have now—too few that if they have not caused any damage, any one bears to find each other and reproduce in such of them can approach the perimeter, surrender his guns, and walk free between now and Sunday. a vast landscape. But if enough bears to get around that problem are to be brought in, where That would be taking the moral high ground, it can they come from? Grizzly-bear populations would negate their pretensions of martyrdom, in any parts of B.C. similar to the Cascades are and the whole situation ends with a whimper and not a bang. If they don’t comply, just let them facing numerous threats from logging, roadbuilding, mining, hunting, and poaching. The B.C. stew in their own juices. This militia nonsense is populations are in trouble and cannot afford to getting old. have bears removed from them in the numbers it Chuck Anziulewicz, via seattleweekly.com would take to repopulate the Cascades with any chance of success. Online, the original version of the editorial called We can’t capture bears in Alaska because the the cowboys “anarchists” because of their complete environment is too different here as opposed disregard for the rule of law. That got a note from to there, and any grizzly bears in the Cascades the anarchists. would not get any salmon, like they are accustomed to getting plenty of up there. These people are in NO WAY anarchists. The So, yes, grizzlies would be wonderful to have anarchists in the PNW are very vocally against in the Cascades, but this is a big complex probBundy and his gang. Please consider a revision. lem with no easy solutions. Let’s make sure that Abbie H, via seattleweekly.com all the potential pitfalls and problems get fully examined and evaluated before they start capturSorry, Abbie. ing bears in B.C. and turning them loose here. BEARING OUT THE NUMBERS Snoqualman, via seattleweekly.com E Also on the nature front, our cover story by Daniel Person documented a piecemeal but fascinating trend Comments have been edited for length and clarity. in Washington: A vast majority of species that have Does it seem weird to anyone else that anarchists been lost in the state are coming back, either natuhave strict rules about who is and isn’t an anarchist?

Freedom Within » FROM PAGE 1 But in here, all that seems a world away. This class, like all yoga classes, starts with the breath. Prudhomme instructs the students to part their lips just barely. “Breathe through your mouth as if you were trying to fog up a mirror,” she says. “Inhale . . . exhale. Your breath comes like a sigh. It’s like the wind. It’s audible.” Wendall Adams, 29, sits at one side of the room, very still, fingers interwoven, forearms on his thighs. He’s a former fitness trainer from Seattle with a physique that shows it: He’s muscular and poised, with faded tattoos on the backs of his hands and arms, a trimmed beard, and an eager face. During a break, Washington Department of Corrections communications director Jeremy Barclay—also a guest in the classroom today—greets Adams with a smile. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Wendall,” he says. “How are you?” Adams grins back, warm and emphatic: “Oh, evolving,” he says. “Just evolving.” At Prudhomme’s direction, everyone sits cross-legged on their yoga mats, eyelids lowered, to begin a few minutes of meditation. Silence falls immediately; just the gentle whirr of the building’s heating system fills the room. In a typical yoga class, Prudhomme says, when a teacher tells students to meditate, there’s a lot of shuffling and squirming as people struggle to get comfortable enough to concentrate. “But these guys? They drop in like monks.”

participate in an in-person classroom session with Laura Prudhomme and Dawn Hanson one weekend a month; in between they study on their own, completing assignments and asking questions through a phone line and P.O. box that connect them to Yoga Behind Bars staffers. Graduation is in February; after that, the DOC will send students back to their facilities, where they’ll continue to train as assistants in YBB classes for another six to 12 months. The first cohort is male, says Vissers, because there are simply more men behind bars: In Washington state prisons, men make up a staggering 92.5 percent of inmates. One day, YBB staffers would like to expand the program to women’s prisons, too. Some of these 10 men have been studying yoga for years; some have just begun. Some are lean and supple; others flushed and straining. Some are in their 60s, others in their 20s. But they’ve at least one thing in common: They’ve got time. Most have very long sentences, and some are in for life, or life without parole.

Yoga Behind Bars lead teacher Laura Prudhomme explains a technique to the inmates-in-training.

different outcome the next time they’re out? How do we make sure that it doesn’t happen again? Yeah, locking people up for the rest of their lives would be a strategy, but it’s not working very well.” Yoga isn’t some kind of amenity in prison, she adds. “It’s not a luxury for our students. It’s really something that they draw on and lean into the rest of the week. This is what I hear all the time.” One student told her, for instance, that he believed that if he’d found yoga before prison, he wouldn’t have ended up there at all, because there’s no way he could ever hurt another human being now the way that he did then. “Yoga is the vehicle” of the work her organization does, says Vissers, “not the end goal. We’re teaching human beings. We’re not teaching poses.”

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Yoga Behind Bars, a nonprofit

based in Seattle, has been offering yoga and meditation classes in Washington’s prisons and juvenile detention centers since 2008. But the class at Stafford Creek Corrections Center is different. It’s the first to train inmates to be yoga teachers themselves. It’s also the first program of its kind in the country—and a partial inspiration for a few other, similar programs that have begun since, including one through the Portland-based Daya Foundation. It began when Yoga Behind Bars executive director Rosa Vissers gave a TEDx talk at Monroe Correctional Complex in 2013. Afterward, feeling courageous, she approached nowSecretary of Corrections Dan Pacholke to ask if he thought she might ever be able to launch a teacher-training program. “Yes,” he replied. “You write a proposal and we’ll see what we can do.” As these things go, then, it happened relatively quickly: The Yoga Behind Bars staff sent the Department of Corrections a proposal, it was swiftly approved, and last spring a few dozen inmates from across Washington’s prison system sent Yoga Behind Bars written applications—mostly lengthy, sincere essays about their own yoga practice or why they’d be interested in this opportunity. YBB and the DOC ultimately selected 10 men from five facilities across the state, based on their interest in mentoring others, their commitment to the practice—even if they didn’t have a lot of direct experience with yoga— and a record of good behavior in prison. The DOC transferred them all to Stafford Creek last summer for six months of intensive training that started on August 15. The students

Assistant teacher Dawn Hanson leads the class in a series of poses.

That was not an accident. When developing the program with Yoga Behind Bars, the Department of Corrections didn’t envision it to be about job training or personal rehabilitation so much as a way to improve prison culture across the state. Inmates who studied yoga extensively and who taught yoga classes could serve as mentors to and conflict mediators for other inmates. From the DOC’s point of view, keeping those mentors around for a long time would help build trust, compassion, and institutional memory. For Yoga Behind Bars, training inmates as teachers could also be a way to expand inmate access to yoga, period; a teacher-training program “has been a big dream of ours” for a long time, says Vissers. Many inmates who have taken YBB classes have become so committed to the practice that it felt important to offer them “the next step.” But fundamentally, she says, it’s about transforming the criminal-justice system from within—and reducing the number of people behind bars, one of the organization’s main tenets. It does so, or at least hopes to, by helping people to heal before they return to their communities. And when it comes to healing, the incarcerated know best how to help the incarcerated.

“I’ve been to a lot of prisons, but I don’t know what it’s like to be locked up,” says Vissers. “I can imagine, but I don’t know. People who are incarcerated need to be the leaders in changing the current system.” There are about 2.3 million incarcerated people in the United States, including about 31,000 in Washington’s prisons and jails. The U.S. puts more people in prison than any other country in the world; though less than five percent of the world’s population, it houses 25 percent of its prisoners. And while no one, least of all Vissers, wants to negate crime victims’ need for justice— or society’s need for safer streets—mass incarceration has not improved crime rates very much. Recidivism is sky-high. According to a recent study from the Bureau of Justice, 76.6 percent of offenders released from state prisons in 30 states were arrested again within five years. “Often we’re using incarceration as a solution to other societal problems,” says Vissers—poverty, racism, mental illness, homelessness. “There are people that are in prison that shouldn’t be. I don’t want to gloss over the fact that we have murderers, people selling drugs—people who have done stuff. I am aware of that. But then do we just punish, punish, punish and expect a

Wendall Adams is friendly and

buoyant. He tells me he has another 10 years on the inside, and the reason he’s in prison has a lot to do with gangs and guns. “I got into gun violence. I was hanging with bad people,” he says. “This”—gesturing around the room—“helps me find my purpose. I want to work on social justice. I want to give back to the community,” his community, in Seattle. “They don’t have anything to hold onto. They’ve gotta know they don’t want to end up in here.” And then, in a low voice, “It’s horrible in here.” He’s digging into that horror—that and everything else—in part through body and breath. “There are some poses that make me angry,” he says. “I try to lean into those.” The trainees in this classroom are supportive of one another, respectful and gentle. They laugh a lot. One man, wearing a necklace of Hindu prayer beads, gives a fellow student’s shoulder a friendly squeeze as he passes by on his way to the bathroom. Another two bump fists after one helps the other with a Sanskrit word. The men practice poses, then read aloud from the thick Yoga Behind Bars workbook, which has two words printed on the back, big and bold: “Freedom Within.” They discuss each type of pose and its health benefits, as well as the impact it could have on their students, who will—for a

very long time, anyway—be inmates, too. When discussing shoulder stands and the risk of neck injury for people with neck and back problems, one inmate points out that “a lot of guys are going to have that in prison because of our sleeping arrangements.” When figuring out how to describe each pose, they often compare it to weightlifting—keep your neck stationary, keep your stance wide—because “a lot of people lift weights in here.” The class breaks up into two groups of five, with one student leading the rest in a series of poses, then receiving feedback from the other four. Yukio, a small-statured man with a thick black ponytail, is what the other inmates call “a short-timer,” since he’s got only six years left. He takes his turn leading the group, and everyone praises his soothing, yogi-like voice. Prudhomme offers him just one criticism: “You can be more direct. You know what you’re doing.” But the hesitation, Adams tells Prudhomme, “comes from our life in here.” Yukio nods. Re-learning how to be in charge is tough. “I’m used to being told a directive,” he says, “rather than me giving a directive.” But yoga, Yukio tells me afterward, has been vital for him. “It helps me do time a lot better. Being in prison causes so much stress and anxiety, of course . . . being away from your friends and family, having to deal with other inmates, who are dealing with their own problems.” If yoga and meditation has had any tangible effect on him, “it’s recognizing when I’m overreacting.” It has helped reduce conflict. And he too believes

the physical side of yoga for seven years—since he entered prison, more or less—just by looking through books and trying to find the most challenging poses. More recently, he began to take up the more spiritual side of things: meditation, mindfulness, the philosophy of yoga. And that’s sparked a huge transformation. “We’re so interconnected,” he says, gesturing toward a classmate, then around the room. “If I’m hurting him, I’m hurting myself. And I’m hurting you, and I’m hurting all of us.” Bauder’s total sentence, once served, will be 26 years and eight months. “Having as much time as I do, I’ve had to reevaluate everything I was doing,” he says. And now, “I feel freer in here than I did on the street.” To a lot of people, the men and women behind bars are a forgotten population, says Prudhomme, who’s been teaching with Yoga Behind Bars for eight years. Prisons aren’t in full view, usually—by design. If you don’t have cause to visit the downtown Seattle jail, for instance, chances are you might not know there was a downtown Seattle jail. And most prisons, particularly maximum-security prisons, are located in remote areas. “Out of sight, out of mind,” she says. “For that reason the stories about them can get really nightmarish.” Yet working on things like trust, vulnerability, spirituality, and compassion with people in prison has transformed Prudhomme’s socially conditioned notions of what a prison is. “To interact with people who are considered ‘threats

The Stafford Creek Corrections Center, near Aberdeen, under a slate-gray sky.

to society’ . . . you’re just like, ‘This person is exactly like me.’ ” Maybe they’ve made some different choices, sure—or one different choice— but they’ve got “the same fears and anxieties and struggles. The same work has to be done.” Wendall Adams, for one, seems bound and determined to do that work. He says he’s in the middle of drafting a proposal for a nonprofit called The Peace Project, an effort to stem gang violence and offer support and opportunity for young men, especially black men. He’ll send it to the Seattle chapter of the NAACP as soon as he’s finished. He’s already written his “first” book, he says—a memoir. He wants to start his own yoga studio when he gets out, too; he’s been talking to his sister about that. He wants very badly to help people, to change things in the neighborhood he came from. He speaks eagerly, hopefully, in an upbeat, just-around-the-corner tone that belies the long decade he has remaining behind bars. “I agree about wanting to make right what’s wrong, and honoring the victims of crimes,” says Rosa Vissers. “And if we really want to prevent these things from happening, we need to be doing something different than what we’ve been doing. I think this is one way.” E

sbernard@seattleweekly.com

SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

that inmates teaching yoga to other inmates will be a powerful thing. “Someone coming in off the streets, it’s so fundamentally different. [An inmate teacher would] know the problems we have to deal with”—so much so that sometimes, he says, they might not have to use words at all. “We’re a team,” says Prudhomme. “We’re definitely a team. And every single weekend I’m getting schooled,” she adds, laughing. “Because they’re just so smart. They’re so invested and so committed. And just so hungry for it. I think that time and a lot of self-reflection will do that to you.” Trainee Steven Bauder, tall and athletic with a light-brown goatee, says he’s been in prison since 2008, and has 18 years left on his sentence. His crime, documented by reporter Nina Shapiro in a Seattle Weekly cover story (“Streetwise He Wasn’t,” Nov. 10, 2010), was participating in the brutal murder of 25-year-old Noel Lopez, a young man who’d fallen afoul of the Seattle street-kid culture that Bauder and his accomplice belonged to. Shapiro attended Bauder’s sentencing in 2011 and reported that he seemed anguished; he held his head in his hands, spoke in a low croak, and told the judge, “I request the maximum sentence be imposed.” Today, Bauder says he has been practicing

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By Melinda Bower, ND, adjunct faculty at Bastyr Center for Natural Health

It’s a new year—are you ready

to turn over a new leaf? Choosing to be healthier for the new year can be easy and rewarding. Here are a few steps that can make a substantial difference in your overall health.

Sleep affects the very foundation of our health. It is a time when our bodies regenerate, and it allows for healthy brain function. Getting the most out of your sleep starts with getting enough sleep—eight hours is ideal. Just as important as overall time is to aim to be in bed by 10 p.m., since the deepest and most regenerative sleep occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Allow yourself a fresh start to every day with enough sleep. Water consumption impacts every

cell in your body. It allows your cells to take toxins away from your organs and delivers important nutrients. On average, women need nine cups of water a day and men need 13 cups a day. Exact needs are different for everyone, depending on how much you exercise and how hot your environment is. Strive to drink a glass of water every hour between breakfast and dinner.

Vegetables give you many nutrients,

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New Year, New You!

vitamins, and the fiber your body needs to run properly and fight infections. They also help protect you from chronic diseases like heart disease and stroke, help prevent some types of cancer, and guard against cataract and macular degeneration. Adults should have nine half-cup servings per day, so grab some veggies for mid-meal snacks and load up during lunch and dinner. Try eating a rainbow of colors every day to get all the different benefits vegetables have to offer. And remember that potatoes are considered a starch, not a vegetable.

Exercise increases your energy levels,

keeps your body strong, and improves your mood. It can control your weight, decrease your risk of cardiovascular disease, promote sleep, and improve your sex life. No matter what you are currently doing, find something you enjoy and begin an exercise program for 15 minutes a day. Once you have a meaningful routine you enjoy, you can work up to a minimum of 30 minutes a day.

By June Kloubec, Ph.D., a core faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science at Bastyr University

dward Stanley once said, “Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” The 15th Earl of Derby said that in the late 19th century. So we’ve known for a while that exercise is good for us. The eternal struggle remains how to find the time for it. One key may be to quit trying to “find time” and think instead about merging activity into what you are already doing. Research has shown that several 10-minute bouts of activity a day can be as beneficial for your health as one continuous 30- to 60-minute period. With this in mind, you can strategize ways to incorporate movement into your day. Remember, exercise is a journey, not a destination. And every destination starts with a single step.

Walk to get your mail at work. Or walk to someone’s office rather then send an e-mail.

Use the stairs whenever possible and perhaps take the long way around (go up one floor then down two and back one).

Use the bathroom on another floor at work or in your home.

Set a timer on your computer or your watch to remind you that you have been sitting too long and it’s time to move.

Convert your desk to a standing desk.

Park in one location and walk to several places while running errands.

Once a week, commit to walking to a store or to lunch or to get the paper.

If your dog is overweight, maybe it’s time for you both to go for a couple of short walks each day.

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By Elizabeth Potter, 2015-16 Bastyr University dietetic intern

t is recommended that we eat five to nine servings of fruit and vegetables each day, and for good reason. There are immense health benefits to eating more fruits and vegetables, as the phytochemicals and antioxidants in plants help reduce oxidative damage and provide us with muchneeded dietary fiber. But without realistic ways of incorporating these foods into each meal, how can we meet the recommendation and realize the health benefits?

Savory Oatmeal Warm oatmeal is a great breakfast food loaded with fiber. Sauté mushrooms, onion, and your favorite herbs and serve them over cooked oatmeal. Add pureed sweet potatoes or squash to your morning oats and top with cinnamon and a crunch of walnuts. Bonus: The walnuts will add some protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids to your meal.

Colorful Sandwiches and Burritos

Breakfast Salad Who says salads are just for lunch? Start your morning with a light yet filling meal by mixing a salad with all your favorite greens and fixings, and add a couple of cooked eggs.

Greens and Eggs Egg omelets, scrambles, and frittatas are a great vehicle for all kinds of vegetables. Save

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time by chopping fresh vegetables and storing them for an easy addition to your favorite egg dish. Experiment with your favorite vegetable combination: Peppers and onions make a classic Denver omelet; or make a Mediterranean-style omelet with spinach and tomato, and try adding broccoli for a bonus crunch.

Green Smoothies If pressed for time, smoothies are a great way to get the benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables in a portable package. Add spinach, parsley, or other greens to the protein base of the smoothie, and round it out with slightly sweet apples, carrots, or other fruit.

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Add a boost to your breakfast sandwiches by adding raw spinach, thinly sliced zucchini or tomato, and one or two thin slices of avocado. Or add chopped cabbage, peppers, and salsa to egg and black-bean burritos to bring a zesty flair to breakfast food.

Including fruits and vegetables may be as easy as salad and soup for lunch or a steamed side with dinner, but vegetables for breakfast may be a bit more daunting. Check out the following ways to start your day right by including vegetables with breakfast.

than

H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

or news&comment Degree Disagree? ENVIRONMENT

The Earth Made Me Do It!

Making the case for free community college in Washington.

Why a trespassing trial in Lynnwood has the climate movement’s attention. BY SARA BERNARD

BY JOHN STANG AND SOPHIE HAYES

That, in not so many words, is part of the reason Gov. Jay Inslee took carbon-emissions reductions into his own hands. Last year he ordered the Department of Ecology to develop a carbon cap using its authority under the Clean Air Act, instead of trying to push a climate bill through the legislature. The Department of Ecology last Wednesday released draft rules for the carbon cut. The department hopes to have the rule finalized by summer. So far it looks as though the state’s biggest emitters will be required to slash their carbon by 5 percent per year starting

as early as 2017. Some will get a few extra years to develop their carbon-reduction plan, and all will have the opportunity to get creative with the rule by funding carbon-reduction projects and buying offsets from the California cap-andtrade market. To Mazza, this sounds promising, but he’d prefer to see a much more radical transformation—something on par with American mobilization at the start of World War II. “We’re going to have to build solar panels like we built B-17 bombers,” he says. “It’s not a business-asusual world anymore.” Much like the eight kid plaintiffs who recently sued Washington state for failing to protect them from climate change, the Delta 5 want to make a splash in court regardless of the outcome—though clearly “Not guilty” is the goal, says Mazza, laughing. They believe that this is one of many high-profile public stunts needed to make extreme action on climate change a priority. Six new oil-by-rail terminals or expansion projects are currently proposed in Washington, and the recent federal vote to lift the United States’ four-decade export ban on crude oil means that domestically produced fuels will no longer be limited by domestic refining capacity, and thus the Pacific Northwest is likely to see more oil trains heading for its ports. The word “Delta,” Mazza adds, is not only a reference to the name of the rail yard that was the site of their stakeout; it’s also, in scientific circles, the word for “change.” E

sbernard@seattleweekly.com

The problem, of course, is funding. Making all

community college in the state free would carry a hefty price tag, though its size would depend on whether the legislation restricts discounted tuition to, say, students right out of high school or in certain income brackets. Those specifics should come to light when Frockt and Jayapal introduce their bill later this month. Republican leaders in the Senate, who would need to sign off on the plan, are already sounding skeptical. “The problem I see is we have no idea of what the costs would be,” says Sen. Barbara Bailey (R-Oak Harbor), chairwoman of the Senate’s

SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

The Delta 5 are bringing a hefty list of expert witnesses to the stand to testify on their behalf, including several who will make a case for the public-safety concerns surrounding oil trains, as well as climate impact. “It’s not our expectation that we’re going to jail,” says Delta 5 member Patric Mazza. But “we’re ready if we need to.” Mazza, a professional climate activist since 1998, is the only Delta 5 member who’s chosen to represent himself at trial. “I was in early on this issue,” he says. “I’ve seen a lot of progress. But still, we’re not moving fast enough.” The choice to break laws for the cause, then, was based on frustration. “I’ve worked on major research projects. I’ve worked on legislative campaigns. I’ve worked on major stakeholder consensus projects. In terms of advancing through the political system, we haven’t made much progress since the mid-2000s. Even in our own state, the petroleum industry owns the Senate.”

DELTA5TRAIL.ORG

n a gray morning in September 2014, a mother, a cafe owner, two teachers, and a co-founder of Climate Solutions set up a blockade in front of a parked oil train at the BNSF Delta rail yard in Everett. After eight hours locked to an 18-foot metal tripod they had erected over the tracks, the five activists were arrested, and spent the next 24 hours on thin mattresses in separate cells at the Snohomish County Jail. Charged with second-degree criminal trespass and blocking or delaying a train—two misdemeanors—their jury trial officially began Monday in a tightly packed courtroom at Snohomish County South District Court in Lynnwood. By the end of the week, the defendants hope to make some serious history: Just a few days before the trial, their pro bono lawyers officially obtained the go-ahead from Judge Anthony E. Howard to use what’s called “the necessity defense.” It’s an area of law that excuses criminal action if the defendant, in doing so, was avoiding greater harm. Usually that harm is of a personal nature—the defendant had to punch the man to keep from being punched. For the first time in a U.S. courtroom, though, that argument will include the greater harm of climate change. The five defendants, each facing up to two months in jail and $2,000 in fines, are confident. They’ve dubbed themselves “The Delta 5,” which sounds a lot like the next hot series on Netflix. They’ve already made a snazzy website and a mini-doc about their case. They’ve got the attention of the media and climate groups and Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien.

Abby Brockway, a member of the Delta 5, sits on a tripod during a Snohomish County blockade in 2014.

armen Berrysmith, a 19-year-old from a blue-collar West Seattle family, is a freshman enrolled in South Seattle College. She currently has a 3.77 grade-point average and wants to eventually transfer to the University of Washington to major in social work. Berrysmith is attending her first year at the school free thanks to a program in place at the college since 2008 that waives tuition for freshmen who graduated from Rainier Beach, Chief Sealth, or Cleveland high schools (to soon be expanded to West Seattle High School as well). To Berrysmith, the free-tuition program is critical for her pursuit of higher education. “Would I be in college without this scholarship happening?” Berrysmith says. “The answer is ‘no.’ ” Two Seattle Democrats—state Sens. Pramila Jayapal and David Frockt—are working on a proposal that would ask the Washington legislature to replicate South Seattle College’s program across the state. While the proposal, still being drafted, may face a steep climb once introduced, it will add Washington to a national conversation about what the government owes students in terms of education and job training in the 21st century, given the high-school diploma’s diminished clout. A 2013 report by the Washington State Board of Community & Technical Colleges and the Washington Student Achievement Council noted that from 2009 to 2011, people with only a high-school diploma earned an average of $30,393 annually with an unemployment rate of 11 percent. Meanwhile, community- and technical-college graduates earned an average of $40,424 a year with an 8 percent unemployment rate during that period. The report also found that the demand for skills with associate degrees will increase dramatically in the next few years. Washington’s manufacturing workforce will grow, and 65 percent of those jobs in 2020 will require associate or technical degrees, the report says. “The high-school diploma is not considered preparation for today’s economy,” says Rich Cummins, president of Columbia Basin College in Pasco, who supports Jayapal and Frockt’s efforts.

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 11

news&comment Degree or Disagree? » FROM PAGE 11 Higher Education Committee. So far, she and Frockt have spoken once briefly about the idea. “The will is there. The excitement is there. The passion is there. But without the funding . . . it’s kinda like kissing your sister,” says Gene Colin, board chairman of the South Seattle College Foundation. Republicans and Democrats were able to resolve their differences to cut tuition last year. In the 2015 session, Republicans pushed hard for a 25 percent tuition cut for state universities, community colleges, and technical schools. The Democrats opposed cutting tuition because the cuts would cost more than $300 million with no revenue sources identified. Ultimately, the two sides compromised on a 5 percent cut across the board in 2015–16. In two years, the University of

Washington’s and Washington State University’s cuts would grow to a cumulative 15 percent. At the same time, the cumulative tuition cuts at Evergreen State College, Western Washington University, Central Washington University, and Eastern Washington University would grow to 20 percent. Community colleges would not see further cuts under the 2015 legislation. Bailey says she wants to see how the next round of these tuition cuts work out while mulling Frockt’s and Jayapal’s idea. She says Washington already has good financial-aid programs for community-college students. The bottom line is that politics and budget crunches could affect this proposal’s chance, especially since Democrats and Republicans are expected to debate major property-tax changes in the 2016 session in order to comply with a 2012 Washington Supreme Court ruling to improve teacher/student ratios in grades K-3. That effort is expected to involve a few billion dollars.

Another potential pitfall: 2016 is an election year, and the 2016 session is supposed to last only 60 days. Legislators are reluctant to tackle anything tax-oriented in an election year. And judging by its past record, the legislature usually cannot resolve any major budget disputes in just 60 days. Washington won’t be the first state to consider some form of free tuition for community-college students. Oregon and Tennessee both have started programs that offer significant tuition support for community-college students who meet certain requirements. At the national level, President Barack Obama last year proposed a program of free tuition for the first two years of college for students who graduate from high school with a GPA of at least 2.5 and a family income of less than $200,000. Bills were introduced in Congress this summer and are still early in the committee stages. The proposal’s estimated cost is $60 billion across 10 years.

At least one constituency in Washington stands strongly in favor of Frockt and Jayapal’s community-college plan: community-college students. “Oh my God, yeah, I wish it were free,” says Kitty Slocum, a 22-year-old environmental sciences student at Seattle Central College on Capitol Hill. She works full-time and goes to school full-time, which is exhausting but the only way she can afford it. “People don’t take you seriously if you don’t have a degree. Because I have to work so much, my anxiety is through the roof. I feel like it consumes my entire life.” Kaitlin Odoughty, a 25-year-old student in social and human services at Seattle Central, is also all for the idea of free community college. She goes to community college because it’s more affordable than a university. “Education is not something you should have to struggle paying for,” she says. E

news@seattleweekly.com

A firebug takes a hands-on approach at the annual New Year’s Christmas tree burning at Golden Gardens Park.

JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Exposure

SEATTLE’S FINEST

A Life Lived on a Hill

The defiance of being a used-book merchant, in kidney failure, in gentrified Seattle. BY CASEY JAYWORK

books at a time, rotating stock from her storage unit. Every day Lutton would come in, chat up customers, and lose herself in this one-cart world of books and commerce. Three years later she lucked into a store space on John Street after the woman who’d been running a dress shop there fled on account of shoplifters—a common scourge of the then-scuzzier Capitol Hill. To pay first and last month’s rent, she borrowed from two old boyfriends, and paid them back within a year. In the ’90s, during Twice Sold Tales’ heyday, Lutton ran the joint like a pirate captain. She fondly recites stories of water-pistol raids on neighboring businesses at midnight and boat horns used to chase off unruly and menacing patrons. When somebody gave her trouble, she says, she’d hold the air-compressed horn up to his or her ear and let it rip. “One guy, who called me a bitch, I chased him down the street like Harpo Marx,” she says. “It was great fun.” Other confrontations were quieter but more dangerous. Lutton recalls one instance when a man was beating his ex-girlfriend outside the shop. She was tiny, maybe 5´4˝, with brown hair, and came running into the store asking for help. He followed her into the store, says Lutton. Lutton looked at the guy, a foot taller than her and 10 years younger, and said, “You touch her, I’ll castrate you.” She grabbed a sawed-off broomstick. He eyed the stick and the tiny woman before him, and said, “I’d like to see you try.” Lutton bellowed, “Come on! I’ve been waiting for this fight all my life!” and started after him with the stick. The guy turned and scrambled out the door, screaming.

JOE GARBER

Those days are behind her. The store is quieter

But on the bright side, she says, she’ll have to drop out of college in the early ’80s, she got, more time for reading. then lost, a job at a Bellevue bookstore. “So I end An easy life of disability checks and daytime up in Seattle,” she says, “and I’m a book scout, television beckons this little old lady. During part-time, without a car.” That is, Lutton was a golden era of instant able to pay the rent by gratification—cat videos, combing the thrift-store e-books on demand, legal for diamonds— “I feel like a buggy-whip rough pot brownies, and Temfirst editions, signed pur-Pedic mattresses— maker . . . I’m surrounded copies, antique rarities— Lutton is literally killing and selling them at a by ghosts, ghosts of herself, little by little, to profit to bookstores. keep afloat an obsolete Around this time bookstores past.” business selling obsolete Lutton went to a therainformation technology. pist who diagnosed her Why does she persist? with manic depression The simple answer is she loves Seattle, and and got her started on lithium. Lutton agonized loves what she does in it. over whether to take the drug, but ultimately decided she should. It helped balance her emotionally, cutting her peaks and raising her She became smitten with the city at age 8: with troughs. the houses, the trees, the climate, the crows. And By 1987, she’d parlayed her book-scouting the politics. Unlike her hometown near Walla talents into a bookstore of her own in Broadway Walla, “I instinctively picked up that this [city] Market, today QFC. She started with a cart wasn’t full of right-wingers who would beat me up” in school, she says. After depression drove her on which she could display maybe a thousand

now, more a monastic retreat than a battleground of commerce. The most fearless denizens are the cats, who leap from the front counter onto the shoulders of bemused customers. Students from Seattle Central College, just down the street, sometimes wander in, but in far smaller numbers than in pre-Internet days. Lutton is slowing down too. She hands me a stack of medical records the size of a phone book. “Her renal function appears to be deteriorating slowly,” writes one doctor in 2010. “The most important thing is good blood-pressure control.” Another entry, from earlier this year: “[Lutton] sometimes induces vomiting to get over the nausea so she can can get back to work.” “I’m probably the biggest asshole you’re ever going to meet,” Lutton says, “but I’m working on it. I’m in recovery.” After four decades of selling books, she’s got no plans to stop. Maybe dialysis won’t slow her down too much. Maybe some Good Samaritan will come forward with a kidney. No matter. There’s work to be done: books to be bought by the pound, sorted, culled, priced, shelved, and sold. Customers to seduce with her arcane knowledge and tangential book suggestions. Employees to rally. Cats to feed. “It’s a quixotic thing to do, run a bookstore,” Lutton says. And then she goes back to work. E cjaywork.seattleweekly.com

SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

n a hidden red brick building at the corner of Harvard Avenue and Denny Way lives a witch who refuses to die. She looks like a defrocked Hogwarts professor: a short woman with wild, curly gray hair lassoed into a ponytail and gaping eyes behind wide wire-rimmed spectacles. She talks like a hyperintelligent balloon that’s never done deflating. “I don’t sit down much. I’m a pacer,” she says, weaving through her feline-colonized labyrinth of a used bookstore on Capitol Hill late last year. “Thanks for letting me bitch, because I just sort of got the bad news, the worst of it yesterday. I’m only 55 . . . We have four cats. Sorry, I’m just, like, wired as hell,” she says. She’ll jump from Dante to nuclear energy to medical ethics inside 30 seconds, a frenetic one-woman Wikipedia. Meet Jamie Lutton, owner of Twice Sold Tales, a woman at whom fate has fired both barrels of its star-crossed shotgun, but who remains standing and resolved anyway. Barrel one: an antiquated business model, peddling used books in the age of ageless electronic texts. “I feel like a buggy-whip maker,” she says. “I’m surrounded by ghosts, ghosts of bookstores past.” The Spine and Crown, a former fixture on the slope of Pine between Broadway and I-5, is two years deceased, since the owner hightailed to Syracuse. He “could make more money as a graduate student,” explains Lutton. The Harvard Avenue bookmonger herself reckons she brings in maybe 30 grand a year on a work schedule that consists, basically, of all her waking hours. “I could make more money scrubbing toilets,” she says. Or working for a chain like Half-Price Books. Even with all her Sisyphean labors, Lutton had to declare Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2009 and sell off her store in Queen Anne (she is still a minority partner in Twice Sold Tales’ Ballard location). Gentrification has shrunk her customer base. Capitol Hill used to be a haven for artists working 20 hours a week. Nowadays, “the rents are too high for people who want to work parttime and work on their novel or write music or paint,” she says. “I love my Amazon workers because . . . they’ll walk out of here with stacks of paperbacks. But I’m losing the middle-aged intellectuals because they can’t afford [local rents].” Barrel two: kaput kidneys, thanks to years of lithium use, thanks in turn to lifelong manic depression. She’s maybe a year from periodontal dialysis—the technical term for the procedure in which her doctors give her a machine with a straw that she sticks in a hole in her tummy a couple of times a day. That machine will pump a sterile solution into her peritoneum, a slippery grab bag of guts and organs inside her abdomen. There the solution hangs out for a while soaking up waste products before it’s pumped back out. Rinse and repeat. Without a new kidney, she’ll have to do this daily for the rest of her life. She can’t lift more than 25 pounds. She can’t eat potatoes or tomatoes or much in the way of meat.

comix in the city

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Ways to Help the Homeless by Tatiana Gill

Morning Meditations by Colin Plancich

Mom Punk by Sarah Romano Diehl

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arts&culture

FILM19 THEATER20 DINING21 BARCODE22 PICKLIST23

“That’s something I really re-realized recently, going full circle. Creating because I pretty much might put a fucking bullet in my head if I didn’t.”

“I knew what was on the radio ... but I got really into stuff that you couldn’t hear on the radio.” —Andrew Savoie

—Zac Millan, aka Turtle T

JOSE TRUJILLO

“I would sit there in the dish pit, come up with one line at a time, and write it on a paper placemat … By the end of my shift I would have a whole page memorized.” —Blaine Rochester, aka 5 Flat

—Chimaroke Abuachi, aka Chima

Bonding Over Bars Nu Era finds healing in studio. BY DUSTY HENRY

Before Millan started spitting on the mic as Turtle T, he was steeped in breakdancing. He started

in middle school, mostly to “impress the ladies,” he says, but ended up falling in love with it. By the time he hit high school, he had a full crew

and was regularly doing dance battles. Once he started hanging out around the Shoreline Rec, he met DJ Nesto, who put him on an alternating regimen of breakdancing and freestyling. His breakdancing days were cut short, however, after a hip injury. But once he recovered, he made his first track with Nesto, and soon found himself jumping on more and more tracks. Eventually he’d meet Savoie at a house party (more on that later), leading the two of them to start the group Hushd Puppies. Around this same time he joined the jazz-influenced DynoJamz, who went on to win EMP’s Sound Off! competition in 2009. After extensive touring, Millan found himself exhausted. Splitting ways with the group, Millan began focusing on his work with Savoie and working on solo projects.

Andrew Savoie is a native of Portland from an

intensely musical family. His dad was a touring guitarist and pianist, and all five of his siblings grew up playing instruments. When his older brother moved to Brooklyn, he started sending Savoie tapes, educating him on East Coast hiphop. Eventually Savoie started to find things on his own. “I knew what was on the radio . . . but I got really into stuff that you couldn’t hear on the radio,” Savoie says. Soon he started making tapes of J Dilla and Jurassic 5 cuts with his friend Marshall, practicing rapping over the instrumental. Eventually they’d form the Def Minds Crew together and perform around Portland. Just as his musical output started to boom, tragedy with another friend prompted a change in his life.

“Around that time after high school my best friend died, so I kind of was like, ‘I need to get the fuck out of Portland,’ ” he says. He made his way up to Seattle, not familiar with the scene at all. On his second day in town, he and his roommates threw a housewarming party and a mutual friend invited Millan. Savoie put on some beats and Millan started freestyling. Throughout the night they went verse for verse. Impressed by Millan’s abilities, the two decided to start the group Hushd Puppies. Around this time Savoie also discovered Cornerstone, a hub for hip-hop brewing in Seattle. It was here that he met Abuachi and Rochester. They started recording a new album that was intended for Hushd Puppies, but they ended up deciding it was was its own thing. Thus, Nu Era. “I came up in a very poverty-stricken, redneck, racist background of small-town bigotry and grew up pretty broke,” Blaine Rochester, aka 5 Flat, says of his hometown of Yelm. In high school, he got a job as a dishwasher. He’d use the time to put on instrumental tracks he grabbed off Napster, playing them in the background while he scrubbed plates and bowls. “I would sit there in the dish pit, come up with one line at a time, and write it on a paper placemat,” he says. “By the end of my shift I would have a whole page memorized.” Eventually he started recording demos with friends. After finishing his degree at Eastern Washington University, he enrolled at Seattle Art Institute to try his hand at audio engineering. It was here that he recorded DynoJamz as a student project, even becoming a hype man on one of the tracks.

In 2010 he finally released his first recording, Tuition: The Mixtape, a concept record about using music to pay for student loans. Around this time he started hanging out around Cornerstone, offering to record artists for cash or weed. Having already built a bond with Millan and Savoie during the DynoJamz sessions, he started hopping on Hushd Puppies tracks. Soon the guys decided to bring him in as they morphed into Nu Era. Chimaroke Abuachi, aka Chima, started per-

forming at 17 with his church youth group, which received funding from Jimi Hendrix’s sister, giving them access to high-quality gear and studio equipment. Abuachi fell in love with the craft. It wasn’t long before he and some friends started the short-lived group Archetype, which eventually fell apart as people went off to college. Later, he and a friend started Theoretics, a socially conscious hiphop group with a full band. “I loved being a part of that group,” Abuachi says. “There was a point where the performance was good, like really high-energy.” After playing Bumbershoot, Capitol Hill Block Party, and Sasquatch all in one year, Abuachi left the group, wanting something more like an oldschool hip-hop crew. “Theoretics was very positive and preachy at times, and I just felt like that wasn’t me,” he says. “I don’t want to say dark, but I tend to stick with the really real shit.” He knew the Nu Era crew from the open mics at Cornerstone, and fatefully ended up falling into the fold. E

music@seattleweekly.com

Armadilla Lexus is out now at nueramusic.bandcamp.com.

SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

eattle hip-hop group Nu Era pairs experimental production with an old-school crew mindset. They trade verses like Wu-Tang and vibe like a Black Hippy cypher. But Nu Era isn’t just about reviving an era of the genre—for rappers Andrew Savoie, Blaine Rochester, Chimaroke Abuachi, and Zac Millan, it’s about healing. “Half the time when we meet up, we don’t talk about music—it’s like therapy sessions,” Savoie says. “We might be [in the studio] for five to six hours; two or three of those hours are just talking about life, venting and just hanging out.” While the rappers have had their own projects and vied for success independently, Nu Era has kept them grounded in why they create. “It’s always been that thing to get me through the tough times,” Millan says. “That’s something I really re-realized recently, going full circle. Creating because I pretty much might put a fucking bullet in my head if I didn’t.” These emotions are vivid throughout their new sophomore album, Armadilla Lexus. To really understand the depth of Nu Era’s bond requires understanding their individual backgrounds.

“I loved being a part of that group … There was a point where the performance was good, like really high-energy.”

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Puppet Master With Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman finds an animated way to showcase his cringeworthy characters. BY ROBERT HORTON

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hair, but all the puppets have the same interchangecrambled is my favorite eggs style. What able face, pinched and hollow-eyed. (If, like most about yours?” The speaker is Lisa, a sane people, you find puppets creepy, these will lonely, sincere, somewhat vapid woman quickly get under your skin.) They are all voiced by sharing breakfast with a well-regarded the distinctive character actor Tom Noonan, who expert on customer service, Michael Stone. The line perfectly captures a kind of chipper blandness in is vintage Charlie Kaufman: The Oscar-winning every man, woman, and child he articulates. The screenwriter has an uncanny ear for small talk and exception is Lisa, given voice by Jennifer Jason eager inanities—the chintzy conversation of the Leigh. Michael picks up Lisa and her good-time 21st-century mall-dweller. Kaufman risks the acid friend at the hotel, and he clumsily propositions reflux that can result from writing these characters; Lisa after they’ve had a few belts. Lisa is frumpy and there’s a fine line between the despair he conveys her conversation is littered with childlike observaover the way we live today and out-and-out contions, but the fact that her voice rings out like a tempt for it. But his dialogue is so sharp you can’t human presence in a world of sameness explains help appreciating these people despite themselves Michael’s fascination with her. At one point she (or you’ll be so impressed by the moviemaking sings a song—Jennifer Jason Leigh’s second showexperiment—the fact that Adaptation becomes stopper of the season, along with her ballad exactly the kind of movie the on-screen in The Hateful Eight—and for a moment Kaufman doesn’t want it to become, for Kaufman’s horror and pity for the instance—that liking the characters ANOMALISA human condition seem to merge into won’t matter). Rated R for strong one super-focused vision. Anomalisa is lemon-sucking sexual content, graphic Kaufman’s first film as direcsour, but there are enough gimnudity and language. tor was Synecdoche, New York, a micks—and enough lacerating Opens Fri., Jan. 15 at the mind-spinning Chinese box of a humor—to make the film memoGuild 45th. concept. Impressively brainy as it was, rable. Michael Stone is in Cincinnati I thought the film lacked the nimblefor a one-day conference. His trek from ness brought by the directors of Kaufman’s airport to hotel is ordinary, yet fraught with previous screenplays, Spike Jonze (Being John the nightmare of social interaction—customer serMalkovich) or Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of vice, ironically enough. Kaufman makes talking to the Spotless Mind). Synecdoche lumbered by contrast. cabbies and desk clerks a circle of hell; everywhere Anomalisa has a similarly plodding pace, although Michael is reminded that Cincinnati chili is not to here it feels more appropriate to Kaufman’s goal of be missed. (I went to Cincinnati once. They never capturing the drawn-out experience of social torture. stopped talking about the chili.) Already depressed, (A box set of his films might be titled Cringe Along Michael collapses completely when a call to a forWith Me.) Just getting Michael from the front desk mer girlfriend ends badly. Only a chance encounter of the hotel to his room is a death march, as he with Lisa—staying at the Fregoli Hotel for the must navigate the pep talk from his bellhop: “Nice same conference—seems to offer a ray of sunshine, weather we’re having. Yes. The weather is very good. and an intimate encounter for the night. Very . . . very . . . very, very good. [pause] 68 degrees This is all in stop-motion animation. Kaufman Fahrenheit.” No wonder Michael is ready to clutch co-directed Anomalisa with animator Duke Johnat the first sign of something different. son, and they’ve created a detailed puppet-world It can’t end happily; whether you think Kaufman set mostly inside the featureless hotel. The puppets allow Kaufman to pursue one of his central ideas: To justifies his bittersweet ending will depend on your tolerance for these desperate people. “Sometimes the depressed Michael (voiced by David Thewlis), there’s no lesson,” Michael muses. “That’s a lesson everyone in the world looks and sounds the same. in itself.” There’s Kaufman stating his philosophy, There’s an actual condition describing this—the which isn’t quite enough to mask the vinegary afterFregoli Syndrome—but Kaufman is interested in taste of this very, very smart film. E existential problems, not psychiatric issues. They wear different clothes and sport different film@seattleweekly.com

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day No ORCA Day this week.

COURTESY OF ANNA KOORIS. AN IFC FILMS RELEASE.

reviews

“smart... surprising... shocking”

Disgraced invites its audience to one uncomfortable dinner party. BY ALYSSA DYKSTERHOUSE

“A dramatic triumph” —HUFFINGTON POST

“Profoundly moving” —SAN FRANcIScO cHRONIcLE

“BREATHTAKING! Raw and blistering.” —ASSOcIATEd PRESS

Winner Bernard White, Nisi Sturgis, J. Anthony Crane and Zakiya Young in the Goodman Theatre production of Disgraced. Photo by Liz Lauren.

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Amir and Isaac face off.

Table Talk

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talk of the meal and their families, bringing the mir and Emily are a model Manhattan proceedings both levity and humanity. Yet this couple. He is a mergers and acquisitions script does not pull any punches on the topics of attorney and she is an artist. Of course, ethnicity and race; thus the tension, always there, for the purposes of Disgraced, those in the corner, awaiting the next round. roles are somewhat secondary to the fact he is an In the writing, as exquisite and intricate as a American-born Muslim and she is white. The same Turkish rug, Akhtar fiercely manipulates stereotypes, goes for the guests that the couple is entertaining creating a cognitive dissonance that forces the audiin its posh Manhattan apartment during Ayad ence to examine its own assumptions. The effect is Akhtar’s Pulitzer Prize–winning play: Isaac is a Jewuncomfortable and enlightening. Yet the action isn’t ish art dealer, Jory his African-American wife and weighed down with hard truths; director Kimberly Amir’s colleague. Yet it is their roles in the real world Senior—who directed this play through its that transform the dinner party at the cen2012 Chicago premiere and subsequent ter of this one-act into an assymetrical Seattle battlefield of identity and ideas. Repertory Theatre Broadway run—does not barrage her audience with these big ideas. Rather, The catalyst of the conflict comes 155 Mercer St. (Seattle she masterfully draws out the humor when Emily and the couple’s Center). $17 and up. 7:30 nephew Abe convince Amir, a p.m. Wed.–Sun. plus mati- in Akhtar’s multifaceted, unrelenting, former public defender, to meet nees; see seattlerep.org for ever-unpredictable script. with an accused terrorist. After the schedule. Ends Jan. 30. meeting, Amir is quoted in The New The cast of five delivers evocative York Times, drawing unwanted attenperformances while delightfully danction from his firm’s partners that threatens an ing among comedy, thriller, and tragedy. Each identity carefully constructed to distance Amir character brings his or her own cultural biases, from his Muslim faith. Meanwhile, Emily has which can align and diverge in a rhetorical flash. been meeting with Isaac regarding an art show For instance, “open-minded” liberal Isaac ( J. for a collection of pieces inspired by Islam. And so Anthony Crane) exalts Islam until the issue of when the two couples with complex and overlapIsrael arises—though not a Zionist, he doesn’t ping relationships and alliances get together for agree when Amir defends certain acts of violence dinner, a drunken debate erupts. in the Gaza Strip. It’s a shocking declaration This isn’t the usual finger-pointing that marks from Amir (Bernard White), whose inner conflict such discussions in contemporary America, makes him a sympathetic character though he’s a though. Isaac and Emily are eager to celebrate the denigrating dick throughout the play. aesthetics and theology of Amir’s faith, and it’s The rest of the cast is similarly complex. Artist Amir—fueled with too much scotch and rife with and devoted wife Emily (Nisi Sturgis) balances the internal conflict of a man who has changed his grating gullibility with excruciating emotion as she last name to hide his ethnicity—who endeavors to strives to please her husband and advance her career. educate them about the evils of Islam, going so far As an African-American woman, Jory (Zakiya as to call the Koran “one very long hate-mail letter Young) has overcome her own hurdles and has her to humanity.” It’s an uncomfortable moment, for own secrets. Amir’s nephew Abe (Behzad Dabu) the diners and the audience. embodies the optimism and angst of youth. It’s not the last, as Akhtar’s script forces all his The hopeful nugget at the center of Disgraced characters to confront the contradictions of their is that these discussions can happen—if not at belief systems, resulting in an explosion of unease. our own dinner parties, where we are perhaps In a thorough debate, they address everything better at disguising our own discrepancies, then from airport security to the difference between in the theater. E hijab and niqab. The discussion meanders to stage@seattleweekly.com

DINING

Renee on the Hill With Bar Melusine, the touted restaurateur brings her French-inflected Pacific Northwest fare to a new hood. BY NICOLE SPRINKLE

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prawns are poached to perfection, and while the City bread with Sea Wolf broth could have easily become overly rich, it whipped butter. Our server manages to mirror the delicacy of the shrimp and kindly, and smartly, sent us is accented by herbal notes of thyme. This dish, a plate of the $5 bread to so suggestive of winter, could easily be enjoyed in accompany our brined and summer due to its unexpected brightness of flasmoked leg of lamb with a sauce gribiche—served vor. Meanwhile, a cold shaved rutabaga salad ($8) cold, as meats so often are at Erickson’s restauobtains a heartiness from almond cream, mint, rants. A hearty portion of the lamb was sliced and coriander, unlike many preparations that incredibly thin; it resembled carpaccio or mounds pair shaved root-vegetable salads with tart lemon of charcuterie, and its lamb-forward flavor couldn’t vinaigrettes. I loved these sly twists—a play of have been better served by the gribiche, a French opposites—on predictable seasonal favorites. sauce made from mayonnaise, emulsified We ended the delightful, light meal hard-boiled egg, and tangy ingredients with a Pineapple Eton Mess by pastry like capers, pickled vegetables, lemon Bar Melusine chef Clare Gordon (formerly of the juice, and chervil. It was quite a large 1060 E. Union St., now-defunct Aragona). Her playful “small plate,” especially for $12. Of 900-8808, interpretation of this classic EngErickson’s many menus, this one barmelusine.com. lish dessert, traditionally made with offers the most value, without sacriOpen 5–10 p.m. strawberries, cream, and meringue, ficing quality ingredients. Mon.–Sat. instead marries roasted pieces of Lamb aside, I chose to stick pineapple with espresso cream, slabs mostly with seafood, starting the meal of cardamom meringue, and bee pollen with the fried fish skins. I assumed they’d (which hits the back of the palate beautifully). be a kind of alternative to frites (also on the Gordon nails the flavors; my only small commenu), and indeed the chicharron-style salmon plaint is the ratio of ingredients. I’d like a few skin was oily and salty—and quite fishy, good more pieces of pineapple, a little more cream, and or bad depending on your taste. They are served less meringue. with scattered jewels of orange salmon roe, It’s worth noting that Erickson adds a 20 pershaved radishes, and some small smears of crème cent surcharge to her bill in lieu of a tip—money fraîche, which unfortunately were concentrated intended to help compensate all employees in at the bottom of the bowl. By the time I realized the wake of the minimum-wage increase, with that, the crackers were gone and I longed for 55 percent of it going to those “directly serving more of it to enjoy against the salinity. the customer.” This was my first experience at The smoked mussel tartine ($12) consists a restaurant with a surcharge, and I’m happy to of two pieces of grilled Columbia City bread report that service was not affected. In fact, the topped with small but meaty mussels and a pile servers were incredibly friendly and knowledgeof pickled fennel. It’s quite tasty, but the fennel, able, going beyond the call of duty in offering particularly its acidity, does dominate the musthat free bread. If this experience is any indicasels. I actually pulled mine out to eat on their tion, perhaps all the hoopla over whether service own to better appreciate their sweetness. The will suffer in the absence of tips is ultimately spot prawns in a vadouvan curry-like broth with overstated. E wild mushrooms, pumpkin, and cream was my favorite dish on the menu ($13). The delicate nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com

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eattleites who lamented the closing of Renee Erickson’s Boat Street Café last May are in for some sunshine this winter. That beloved restaurant’s chef, Jay Guerrero, is back and now helming Erickson’s new French/Pacific Northwest hybrid, Bar Melusine, a recent addition that, along with her new steakhouse Bateau and donut shop General Porpoise, puts the restaurateur’s stamp on Capitol Hill. Those who step into Bar Melusine will be instantly reminded of The Whale Wins in Fremont, with its white- and gray-flecked marbled counter and white wood walls. It’s that same signature fresh aesthetic, but now with bolts of sea green and teal throughout, painted on the chairs and doors and in the wave-like tilework on the floor. Along the wraparound counter, oysters are piled over ice in big silver baskets—and indeed are a major element of the menu, with four to five Washington-sourced varieties to choose from. During happy hour, 5–6 p.m., one of them goes for a buck a bivalve (plump, medium-brined Sister Points from the Hood Canal when I was there) while all others are a dollar off. Seating varies from long benches running through the back of the restaurant to four adorable, white mini-“benchettes” made for two with gold antique reading lamps at the table. Three framed posters of maps line one wall; one of Washington’s Salish Bay, the others of Brittany and Normandy. If those don’t make the French connection clear, the menu’s liberal use of French should drive home the point. The cutest design feature: a tiny cutout between the kitchen and the counter, just big enough to fit a face, allowing chefs to chat intimately with a staffer at the counter. One can imagine it facilitating furtive work romances. While the menu has plenty of seafood-focused small plates, there are also vegetables and meat and a requisite cheese plate, as well as Columbia

AARON LEITZ

The new joint features Erickson’s trademark fresh look— and delectable fried fish skins (inset).

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f December is the wild night on the town, ically rigorous study could produce a totally different conclusion. Furthermore, money is then January is the morning-after hangthe other key factor here: After the spending over. That’s as true for local bars as it is frenzy of the holiday season, most of us try to for drinkers who recognize “Drynuary” rein in our habits once those bulging creditwith a month-long moratorium. As one of the card bills hit. Cutting out drinking is an easy growing multitude that takes January off from (if not always enjoyable) solution. booze, I’ve come to wonder how this collective So what can bars do? Well, for most the cleansing might be affecting the health of the answer amounts to “grin and bear it.” You cut industry. down on staff, encourage people to take some I spoke with a number of bartenders, all time off after what’s often been a long and of whom mentioned that the biggest change intense December, they’ve noticed and hope you hit a over the past few One consistent thing I heard, and patch of good luck. years is a higher Oh, and root for percentage of not just from folks who work in the Seahawks. One people who are up-front about sports bars, is that the Hawks’ consistent thing I heard, and not just their abstinence. In some cases, it’s success has helped drive business from folks who work in sports bars, regulars who start over the past few Januaries. is that the Hawks’ ordering mocksuccess has helped tails in place of drive business over the past few Januaries. their favorites; in others it’s a more chagrined Game-day crowds are usually strong, but “Sorry, but . . . ” The cumulative effect is clear, the playoffs are often a multiplier, meanthough: a lot of slow nights. ing more people coming into town for home Perhaps unsurprisingly, the phenomenon is playoff games, filling downtown bars and most noticeable in the first two weeks of Janurestaurants on the nights before and after the ary. As with any New Year’s resolution, resolve game. Unfortunately, with Seattle slated to tends to weaken with a bit of time. By midplay on the road throughout this year’s run, January, the gray and gloom will have driven that panacea won’t be an option. Factor in the many back to their familiar haunts, though new increase in the minimum wage (and the nowhere near enough for the bartenders I attendant price increases that have come with spoke with. it), and it’s looking as though it might be a Trying to extract the growing effects of very difficult winter for the Seattle bar scene. Drynuary from the much broader industry I’d raise a glass to them, but, you know . . . I’m trend of dead Januaries is difficult, especially not drinking right now. E since all I did was talk to some bartenders and owners I know; it’s possible a more mathematthebarcode@seattleweekly.com

calendar

PICKLIST American black experience has always been one of its defining features—but as it couches itself deeper and deeper in the pop world, how does it maintain its social-activist DNA? As Public Enemy MC Chuck D once said, “Rap is supposed to be about keeping it real and not relinquishing your roots in the community. Without that, it’s just posturing. Somebody who claims to speak for the ’hood don’t need no private jet.” That’s the topic of tonight’s discussion, which will dissect the issue on a local level by examining “the gentrification of Seattle hip-hop and its effects” with a panel of local artists like Jace Ecaj, Nikkita “KO” Oliver, Suntonio Bandanaz, and Renaissance the Poet as part of MOHAI’s Legacy of Seattle Hip-Hop exhibit. Town Hall,

1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. 6:30 p.m. KELTON SEARS

The Motherfucker With the Hat

In 2015, in response to the “free the nipple” campaign and Game of Thrones’ overly copious boobage, a small but interesting movement emerged calling for more male nudity in Hollywood. In the 2011 Broadway debut of The Motherfucker With the Hat, although the script calls for it, Chris Rock declined to hang dong in his starring role as Ralph, the titular drug-dealing, adulterous motherfucker. Sources have informed me that Washington Ensemble Theatre’s Seattle debut of the profanity-laden production will indeed feature the scripted dong, so kudos for that balls-out bravery. 12th Ave Arts, 1620 12th

COURTESY OF ON THE BOARDS

JANUARY 14

Thursday The Life Model

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Cairo’s Expo ’93

Cairo has been dutifully cramming the Northwest’s best DIY freaks into its tiny backroom boutique confines for years now, culminating in the annual Expo festival. This year, the three-day

St., templeofcairo.com. Free on Thurs., $10 on Fri.–Sat. All ages. 7–11 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 14–Sat., Jan. 16. KELTON SEARS

JANUARY 15

Friday

Girls That Shred

Have you seen that amazing new video going around of the little girl in the fairy outfit pulling off a sick kickflip over a flight of stairs? Wouldn’t the world be better if hundreds of thousands of little girls were completely ripping it up like that? If you aren’t an idiot and your answer is “yes,” come out to support tonight’s fundraiser for Skate Like a Girl, a badass local organization that teaches young women the skills and

Proceeds go to these shredders in training.

techniques they need to become the next Elissa Steamer. The lineup for tonight’s “Girls That Shred” benefit showcases four local bands that all feature femme-powerhouses—including one of our favorite bands of 2015, Mommy Long Legs, and the debut of Gutless, the new group from Julia Shapiro (Chastity Belt, Childbirth), Bree McKenna (Tacocat, Childbirth) and Lisa Prank. With Dude York, Ever-so-android. Vera Project,

305 Harrison St., 956-8372, theveraproject.org. $10. All ages. 7 p.m. KELTON SEARS

Black Lives Matter in Hip-Hop

Back in August, videos circulated of Black Lives Matter activists in Cleveland powerfully chanting the chorus to Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright” as they marched through the streets. Hip-hop’s capacity as a national outlet for the expression of the

JANUARY 16

Saturday The Marriage of Figaro

When in June 2013 Aidan Lang was unveiled as Seattle Opera’s next general manager, many people wondered (at least I did) whether he would continue to direct as well. His opera career had begun with directing (he led Brazil’s first production of Wagner’s Ring, for one), and a Marriage of Figaro that he’d staged for New Zealand Opera, his previous post, looked intriguing, combining period costumes with elegantly abstract sets and a staging that one reviewer described as possessing a “split-screen, cinematic flow.” And those who hoped and speculated he might revive that production here were right (at least I was). As Lang described his vision for Mozart’s 1785 comedy, “Imagine the complex plot of this opera dancing its way through the architecture of this household, like a frenetic kid’s bouncy ball.” That plot includes valet Figaro and his bride Susanna; the Count who’s chasing her; the Countess he’s neglecting; a randy page chasing both these women—and that’s just the half of it. Seattle

Opera, McCaw Hall, Seattle Center, 389-7676, seattleopera.org. $25 and up. Opens 7:30 p.m. tonight; seven more performances through Jan. 30. GAVIN BORCHERT

DJ Paypal

Footwork, or “juke,” was born in Chicago by a crew of prolific basement producers banging out hyperkinetic beats on their AKAI MPC samplers to soundtrack mesmerizing highspeed dance battles. While the “juke” dancing was initially the focus, these producers’ unique soundtracks eventually evolved into what has

SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

We remember the 2011 Twitter, er, Egyptian Revolution because social-media activism carved it into our collective conscious. Ultimately, history will determine the effectiveness of the “Arab Spring”; meanwhile, this experimental work chronicles the individual transformations experienced by four dissimilar characters, integrating video, poetry, painting, dance, and music in portraying the stories of Ali (an activist), Maha (a video artist), Gabriella (an expat and plastic surgeon), and Henry (an American artist) as they experience personal revolutions against the backdrop of a particularly public uprising. Co-created by local actor Jeffrey Fracé and Brooklyn-based director Pirronne Yousefzadeh—in collaboration with Julia Sears, Zeina Barakeh, Pavel Zustiak, Gisela Chipe, Ahmad Maksoud, Christian Frederickson, and Maha Chehlaoui—this show is scheduled to tour New York City after its Seattle debut. On the Boards, 100 W. Roy St., 217-9888,

fest kicks off with a local visual-art showcase featuring work from local zine queen Minh Nguyen, polyglot drummer/videographer/poet Leena Joshi, trash-fi painter JD Banke, and a whole lot more. The day after starts the musical portion—leading with a shred-heavy lineup of local facemelters like the cop-hating hardcore of Smiling, the fog-shrouded no-wave of Casual Hex, and the furious squall of Iron Lung’s Vacant Life. The day after skews a bit chiller, with floral electronica from Lilac, stoned Bob Dylan-ditties from Great Spiders, and Hoop’s lilting pop dreamscapes. If you need to restore your waning faith in the underground, Expo ’93 will be a reassuring feast of talent. Cairo, 507 E. Mercer

COURTESY SKATE LIKE A GIRL SEATTLE

Will four Egyptian clones wearing horse-head masks play prominently in The Life Model? They’re calling it an “experimental production,” so who knows?

Ave, washingtonensemble.org. $25. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Mon. Ends Feb. 1. KELTON SEARS

» CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 23

calendar

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

Pick List » FROM PAGE 23

DJ Paypal

become a globally influential stylistic phenomenon—taking hip-hop and Chicago house, turning the BPM way the hell up, and injecting a punk sense of wild experimentalism into the mix. DJ Paypal sits at the global vanguard of footwork in 2016—a Berlin-based member of the seminal Teklife crew and Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label who refuses to perform or take photos without a T-shirt mask and shades obscuring his face. That goofiness is part of what makes his take on the form so vital. Sold Out, his brilliant new LP, sounds like a jazz band, a favela, and a bunch of singing gnomes getting pushed down a flight of stairs, in fast forward. With DJ Mastercard, 7777777, DJ NHK GUY. The Crocodile, 2200

Second Ave., 441-4618, thecrocodile.com. $10 adv./$12 DOS. All ages. 8 p.m. KELTON SEARS

JANUARY 17

Sunday

Sex and Broadcasting

PICK MIX MLK PICKS BY CASEY JAYWORK

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is almost upon us. As we gear up to recognize the civiland labor-rights hero/county namesake/watered-down revisionist history figure, here are the Weekly’s suggestions for where to congregate. 1/15: MLK community celebration at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1634 19th Ave., keynoted by Weekly contributor Marcus Harrison Green, noon–1:30 p.m. 1/18: State and national parks are free all day. 1/18: MLK prayer breakfast at the downtown Sheraton, 1400 Sixth Ave. Keynote speaker is Dr. John Perkins. Also, there’s a choir. 7–8:30am. 1/18: Garfield High School: workshops 9:30–10:50 WIKIMEDIA

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

Sex and Broadcasting, Hollow Earth radio cofounder Garrett Kelly told me, is a lot more about broadcasting than about sex. In fact, the only reason the word “sex” is in the title is that no one would watch a film called Broadcasting. But wait! We promise: A documentary about WFMU, the country’s longest-running independent radio

station, is actually way funnier and more fascinating than it sounds. The endearing feature-length film showcasing a bootstrap crew of radio nerds is full of ridiculous shenanigans (balloon-squeak music, anyone?) and heartfelt sentiments about the enduring value of weird, scrappy community radio. Watch diehard WFMU station manager Ken Freedman play a laugh track under a deadpan reference to his colonoscopy, launch himself into the air using a lawn chair and helium balloons, battle the raccoons and squirrels living in WFMU’s crumbling roof . . . and then ask him about it, since he’ll be Skyping in for a panel discussion following the screening. The event is a fundraiser for Hollow Earth, the Central District’s vital volunteer-run radio station that’s been streaming online since 2007, but now needs money to pay for the equipment and permits necessary to become one of Seattle’s new lowpower FM stations. They’ll be set to broadcast on the actual airwaves within a three-mile radius of their studio at 20th and Union as soon as they get the funds. Keep Seattle Weird. Northwest Film

Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 329-2629, igg.me/at/ khuh. $15. 3 p.m. SARA BERNARD

JANUARY 18

Monday Elie Sternberg

For those who have waited all their lives to be a guest at a cocktail party filled with chatty neurologists, Eliezer J. Sternberg’s latest book, Neurologic, is the next best thing. Those who have never had a fantasy involving yarn-spinning brain doctors obviously have no idea of the worlds of wonder that sit quietly floating within their craniums. The resident neurologist of Yale-New Haven Hospital is liberal with seemingly anomalous anecdotes and scientifically backed insights as he explores the truly weird things our brains do to us and the perfectly logical reasons why. He explains it all, from classics like deja vu to the thankfully less common “walking corpse syndrome” to the reasons why you can’t tickle yourself to the brain science behind alien abductions. Sure, it’s a somewhat shallow skim along the surface of our gray matter, but it will get that weirdly complex lump of neurons between your ears hummin’. Town Hall, 1119

Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. All ages. 6 p.m. MARK BAUMGARTEN

a.m.; rally in gymnasium 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.; march to Jackson Federal Building at Second Avenue and Madison Street starting 12:30 p.m.; rally outside Federal Building at roughly 1:45 p.m. UW will host a week of MLK events. We don’t have space for the whole list—go to mlkweek.uw.edu for that—but here are a few “signature

events” to consider. 1/15: Dr. King’s birthday party and kickoff at the HUB, 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. 1/18: Day of Service at various locations, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 1/20: Unconscious Bias workshop in the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, 3931 Brooklyn Ave. N.E., 4–6 p.m. 1/22: Black Lives Matter teach-in at the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center, 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

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SEATTLE W EE KLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

After moving offices every few years, Scott Blum finally got the courage to dive into the box of digital audio tapes (DATs) he’d been carting around for two decades. The box was overflowing with several hundred live recordings that had been streamed over the Internet in the mid’90s from Moe’s Mo’Roc’N Café on Capitol Hill, the precursor to Neumos and one of the era’s live music hotspots. Before there was Spotify or YouTube or even MySpace, Blum’s iMusic was at the epicenter of streaming media, offering rabid music fans the ability to hear live shows over the Internet for free. An iMusic profile in Seattle Weekly from the time called the company “The MTV of the Internet,” and Moe’s founder Jerry Everard says both bands and fans were excited about the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of a new technology. “It was a unique thing,” he says, “and I think that was something people wanted to be a part of, this Internet revolution that was happening.” Fast-forward 20 years: Moe’s is long gone and iMusic is owned by Apple. “I was expecting it to be more of a nostalgia trip,” Blum says of his eventual descent into the DAT archive. “But [Moe’s] booked a lot of artists that ended up being important and truly standing the test of time.” After listening to a few dozen shows, one in particular caught Blum’s ear: a 1996 gig from Seattle’s all-girl grunge act 7 Year Bitch. Blum called his old friend Everard, now a partner in Neumos, and based on the strength of what he’d heard on those tapes, the two decided to start a record label dedicated to releasing some of those rarely-heard recordings. 7 Year Bitch’s Live at Moe will be released on Jan. 15, and the pair hopes to follow it with as many as half a dozen other records this year. Blum says the biggest challenge of the project thus far has also been the biggest joy. “The [bands] that aren’t active anymore broke up for a reason. Having them go through that experience and reliving the ’90s again, reliving breaking up as a band, reliving why they loved each other and came together in the first place, balanced with the fact that they’ve grown up, is more of an emotional and spiritual journey than it is a business deal. Live at Moe out Fri., Jan. 15 on Moe Recordings, liveatmoe.com. 7 Year Bitch interview and signing: EMP Museum, 325 Fifth Ave. N., empmuseum.org, Free. All ages. 2 p.m. Sun., Jan. 17. DAVE LAKE

JANUARY 15 th

TOWN HALL

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Love and Lavender BY MEAGAN ANGUS

SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

instagram.com/

Truth be told, my sense of taste was so wack by uring my six months of chemothis point I could barely stand the taste of joints therapy, I smoked cannabis medicianyway. We were also realizing that not just any nally. Don’t misunderstand me: For strain would do. 15 years before that, I smoked weed My loving neighbor brought over a vaporizer, recreationally. I prided myself on my joint-rolling skills; I rolled them, and still do, in a hand-carved and a massive pile of a strain called Lavender. I tried the buds right away. True to their name, the wooden rolling tray that used to belong to my rich scent of flowers floated up from the plant, mom. The bottom of that tray has seen over 40 and in just a few tokes I found myself in a posiyears of cannabis from up and down the West tive, chatty headspace, Coast, B.C. to Mexico. It is one of my personal True to their name, the rich my nausea soothed immediately. joys to roll up a collecscent of flowers floated up These pre-meal tion of joints in fancy eased me out of papers and be the pot from the plant, and in just a rituals my chemical fugue of fairy when I hit up a party or show. few tokes I found myself in a aloneness and into the present tense, forcing Throughout my healpositive, chatty headspace. me to talk to people, ing process, my hands, put sentences together, and the rest of my body, use my brain, get outside my own head. became more and more useless. Not just weak; Anyone who has dealt with a long illness my body became distant, a confusing, clumsy or healing process knows how you can get lost jumble of meat that failed me and ached conin the days and weeks of constant pain and stantly. Friends and family rallied around me. discomfort and the endless opportunities for They washed my dishes and clothes, cleaned the negative thinking. Depression is potent during cat box, and moved furniture so my home was these times, and when something or someone safer to be in. We (they) kept a food and drug can pull you out of that, even for a half-hour, it’s journal, because I could not remember when I powerful. had eaten or taken a pill. I think the most loving We would smoke and chat, and at some point act was that everyone cooked for me. I would forget. Forget I had cancer. Forget I was Of course, I had no appetite, and the subtlest bald. Forget I was slowly losing the feeling in thing could set off my nausea. How can I explain my hands and feet, and that it may or may not what the effects of this chemical are like? Food come back. Forget that most women my age doesn’t make sense? Grape popsicles were salty. don’t survive this. Room-temperature water felt like gravy. The Only for a little while, of course. At some aroma of bacon cooking was revolting. I craved point I’d start suddenly wondering ‘Why am pickle juice and drank it straight from the jar. I sitting in my pj’s on the couch at 1:30 in the So before anyone started cooking, we followed a routine: I rolled a joint and together we smoked afternoon? Am I late for work?’ Then I’d remember I hadn’t been to work in four months. And half. This gave my metabolism 20 or 30 minutes I’d laugh, because for just a moment I’d escaped. to process the various cannabinoids that would For about a half-hour, I didn’t have cancer and settle in and help me get hungry. And then sudI wasn’t dying—I was just hanging out with my denly, poof! Raging appetite, everything smells friend, smoking a bowl, enjoying some lunch in great, and best of all, no nausea. the warm summer air. E Soon the strength of the chemo began to win out, and I had to admit I couldn’t roll anymore. stashbox@seattleweekly.com

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SEATTLE WEEKLY • JAN UARY 13 — 19, 2016

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Lead Software

Developer (Bothell, WA)

Perform HLDs & estab tech stndrds for telecomrltd bill softwr dev projects. Scope reqs w customers & lead discussions rltd to products & apps. Undertake tech & funct input for dsgn, build & test of softwr. Reqs: MS comp sci or comp eng & 2 yrs of exp w telecom-rltd bill & customr service mgmt softwr dev projects or BS comp sci or comp eng & 5 yrs of exp w telecomrltd bill & customr service mgmt softwr dev projects; exp w Windows NT, HP UNIX, C/C++, PL/SQL, Shell Scripting, Putty, Java, XML, UML, PowerBuilder, Tuxedo, Oracle DB, SQL PLUS, TOAD, Xtra-C, SharePoint, Quality Center, MS Project Mgmt & SQL/DB modeling, implem & opti; wrking knwldg of customr initiation & maint, netw inventory mgmt & provisioning, prod catlg, # admin & interface expert areas; sig customr facing exp w telco serv providers along w wireless industry domain knwldge incl biz, tech & bestpractice trends. Resumes: Amdocs Inc, careersta@amdocs.com, Ref HR-0431. 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 FREEZER

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

interior light *UNDER WARRANTY* Make $15 monthly payments or pay off balance of $293. Credit Dept. 206-244-6966

Appliances 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

%206-244-6966% Auto Events/ Auctions

BIG D TOWING Abandoned Vehicle Auction Thursday 01/21/16 @ 11AM. 1 Vehicle Preview 10-11am. 1540 Leary Way NW, Seattle 98107 Stan’s Mountain View Towing Inc Abandoned Vehicle Auction 9000 Delridge Way SW, Seattle WA Wednesday 01/20/16 Gates Open 9AM, Auction 12 PM 206-767-4848

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