JULY 1-7, 2015 I VOLUME 40 I NUMBER 26
»
SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM I FREE
MUSIC WATCHING SINGLES AT THE SINGLES HOUSE PAGE 27 FILM CHANNING TATUM’S ABS PAGE 22
BIG TECH DOESN’T SEE RACE. THAT’S A BIG PROBLEM. BY DANIEL PERSON
PAGE 10
Let Freedom Ring
Seattle celebrates the legalization of love during a triumphant Pride. By Casey Jaywork Page 7
The Independence Way
The best songs, sweets, and drinks for your holiday weekend. PLUS OUR STAR-SPANGLED CALENDAR Page 16
NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITES UNTIL JULY 7TH!
E B ST
SEATTLE 2015 OF
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
READER POLL
2
ARTS + CULTURE FOOD + DRINK BUSINESS + SERVICES HEALTH + BODY OUT + ABOUT NIGHTLIFE MARIJUANA
VOTE NOW at
SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM #bestofsea15
inside» July 1-7, 2015
BALLARD GRAND OPENING
VOLUME 40 | NUMBER 26 » SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM
news&comment 7
OUT IN THE STREETS BY CASEY JAYWORK | Photos and
reflections on an extra-celebratory Pride parade. Plus: Public Internet sounds great—but would you buy it? And why is KeyArena still KeyArena?
10 COLOR-CODED
BY DANIEL PERSON | The tech
industry’s minority underrepresentation is just the latest manifestation of Seattle’s complex history of employment and race.
food&drink
15 40 YEARS OF JOE
BY JACOB UITTI | Visit the U District
womb of Seattle’s coffee boom. 15 | FOOD NEWS/THE WEEKLY DISH
16 FREEDOM PAGES!
A star-spangled calendar of holiday festivities, plus tips on what to eat, drink, and listen to on the Fourth.
arts&culture 18 19 20 21
| | | |
THE PICK LIST VISUAL ARTS/FIRST THURSDAY PERFORMANCE BOOKS
WEDNESDAY JULY 29
»27
»18 Editor-in-Chief Mark Baumgarten EDITORIAL News Editor Daniel Person Food Editor Nicole Sprinkle Arts Editor Brian Miller
Dog Daycare • Dog Boarding Dog Grooming • Dog Shop
Music Editor Kelton Sears Editorial Operations Manager Gavin Borchert Staff Writers Ellis E. Conklin, Casey Jaywork
Downtown Seattle 206/623-5395
Editorial Interns Alana Al-Hatlani, Jennifer Karami, Daniel Roth Contributing Writers Rick Anderson, Sean Axmaker, James Ballinger, Michael Berry, Roger Downey, Alyssa Dyksterhouse, Jay Friedman, Margaret Friedman, Zach Geballe, Chason Gordon, Dusty Henry, Rhiannon Fionn, Marcus Harrison Green Robert Horton, Patrick Hutchison, Seth Kolloen, Sandra Kurtz, Dave Lake, Terra Clarke Olsen, Jason Price, Keegan Prosser, Mark Rahner, Tiffany Ran, Michael A. Stusser, Jacob Uitti
Ballard 206/789-1290
citydogclub.com
WE ARE YOUR GO-TO FOURTH OF JULY ONE-STOP PARTY SHOP! Balloons, decor, tableware, accessories and costumes.
PRODUCTION Production Manager Sharon Adjiri Art Director Jose Trujillo
22 FILM
OPENING THIS WEEK | The Terminator
reboot, Channing Tatum takes his shirt off, and 20 years of French disco music. 24 | FILM CALENDAR
26 MUSIC
40 | THE WEEK AHEAD
odds&ends
5 | CHATTERBOX 30 | HIGHER GROUND 31 | CLASSIFIEDS
Photo Intern Christopher Zeuthen ADVERTISING Marketing/Promotions Coordinator Zsanelle Edelman Senior Multimedia Consultant Krickette Wozniak Multimedia Consultants Cecilia Corsano-Leopizzi, Rose Monahan Peter Muller, Matt Silvie DISTRIBUTION Distribution Manager Jay Kraus OPERATIONS Administrative Coordinator Amy Niedrich Publisher Bob Baranski
CORRECTION AN ACTRESS WAS MISIDENTIFIED IN LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE ON THE MUSICAL 1776 (“GENDER POLITICS”); AN EARLY BACKER OF THE PROJECT WAS REBECCA MAITEN, NOT REBECCA LANE. ALSO, THE MUSICAL’S MOST RECENT LOCAL STAGING WAS SEATTLE MUSICAL THEATRE’S PRODUCTION IN 20 08.
»cover credits
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JOSE TRUJILLO
206-623-0500 COPYRIGHT © 2015 BY SOUND PUBLISHING, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. ISSN 0898 0845 / USPS 306730 • SEATTLE WEEKLY IS PUBLI SHED WEEKLY BY SOUND PUBLISHING, INC., 307 THIRD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104 SEATTLE WEEKLY® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT SEATTLE, WA POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO SEATTLE WEEKLY, 307 THIRD AVE. S., SEATTLE, WA 98104 • FOUNDED 1976.
Seattle’s Original Party Store Since 1936 Mon-Fri: 9am-7pm Saturday: 9am-6pm Sunday: 12pm-5pm 124 Denny Way (206) 284-1980 www.championparty.com
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
BY WARREN LANGFORD | Laser-show binge-watching. Plus: an iconic Seattle movie and a new music venue for Frelard.
Graphic Designers Nate Bullis, Brennan Moring
3
We’re standing up for our patients at Swedish-Providence Swedish-Providence made $110 million in profit1 and Providence paid its CEO $1.9 million2. It can afford good care and good jobs but would rather make its CEO rich and bank a huge profit. Nurses and healthcare workers are speaking out because we need more staffing to give our patients the care they need. We need relief from our high healthcare costs—some of us are in collections to Swedish-Providence for care we received in the hospital where we work. And we need good jobs in front-line care that allow us to care for our patients and our families. We are standing up for the best care, good jobs, and access for all at Swedish-Providence. Join us!
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
1 2
4
In 2014. In 2013, the last available reporting year.
www.CareForSeattle.org
JOSHUA BOULET
“People want to make a change but don’t want to do it through politics alone.”
chatterbox the
THE TECH BUBBLE
Last week, Ellis E. Conklin reported on Google engineer and City Council candidate Gus Hartmann’s effort to get tech workers more engaged in the political process, in part so they become less of a punching bag down at City Hall. Alas, Hartmann says, “The little fuckers don’t vote.” The story made it onto Reddit, where the maligned “little fuckers” responded. H’m. How many times have I read on Reddit that Techies are the Gentrifiers, and should Go Home, that they are Ruining Seattle. I wonder why these stereotypical Techies don’t feel engaged with a community that rejects them? Roosevelt, via Reddit
I work in tech. I registered to vote. I voted. I then started getting jury summons yearly. Now I recommend not registering to vote. wyso_serious, via Reddit THE SWASTIKA ON THE SOUND
Meanwhile, Rick Anderson examined the meaning of, and fallout from, a photo taken of a man wearing a Nazi uniform on the Bainbridge Ferry on June 18, the day after a white supremacist killed nine black people in a church in South Carolina. While other passengers on the ferry didn’t seem to pay the man any mind, “it was a picture worth a thousand comments,” Anderson wrote. “It also generated more than a thousand shares and hundreds of likes . . . ” Readers added their own thoughts.
Just because some of the giant tech corporations aren’t trying to save the world doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of people trying. They’re there, and they’re trying to make a difference the best they can. People want to make a change but don’t want to do it through politics alone. MegaQueenSquishPants, via Reddit The devices that the tech industry makes will help change people’s pattern of behavior, how they interact, and how they think. Even if they aren’t trying to “save the world” through specific products, these things change how we act and learn. CiscoCertifiedBothell, via Reddit
Get a grip. There are probably 10,000 Seattleites who are more disgusting than someone who wears a swastika—for reasons unknown to you. Has this guy screwed[-over] half as many kids as any member of the Seattle School Board? Has he thrown away $1.1 billion, like Mayor Greg Nickels did on Sound Transit? Don’t even get me started on Bill Gates, one of history’s greatest con men at best. WWII ended over half a century ago. Get over it. David Blomstrom, via seattleweekly.com E
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
No one reacted. The whole point of SC was Politics moves so slowly that you can spend to get people to react in a race war, validatyour entire adult life getting a single change ing Nazism and other hate made. Absolutely nothgroups. He failed, as shown in ing, no matter how Send your thoughts on this picture. trivial, changes without this week’s issue to person-decades of work, Joanne Black , via Facebook at minimum. If you are in letters@seattleweekly.com the tech industry, there are Obviously someone who is many opportunities for getting things done, starved for attention. “Look at me! Look at which have broad impact, which require only a me! I’m a Nazi!” Kind of sad when you stop couple of years of effort. Time spent on poliand think about it. tics feels like time wasted by comparison. Robert Keller, via Facebook marssaxman, via Reddit Whatever the circumstance, I like the picture. I think the photographer took a risk, but, in Be honest, though—how many of us in the light of recent events, was worth it to stir up a tech industry in Seattle are actually working social media debate. Bravo. on technology that will “save the world”? I don’t know about you, but I’m working on Robbin R., via seattleweekly.com something that will increasingly take away business from local companies through better, Some of us had relatives who died or were faster, cheaper service, to the benefit of one wounded fighting the Nazis. To me this falls company and lazy people with lots of disposunder [the] “fighting words” law, and would able income. (almost) justify hitting this guy. rebooked, via Reddit John Bunch, via Facebook
Comments have been edited for length and clarity.
5
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
WICKED IS FLYING BACK TO THE EMERALD CITY
6
JULY 8 – AUGUST 2
THE PARAMOUNT THEATRE HURRY FOR BEST SEATS STGPresents.org • 877-784-4849 • Groups 15+ 888-214-6856
news&comment Let Freedom Ring
On Sunday, the word “love” hung in the air like a prayer. Like a sigh of relief. STORY BY CASEY JAYWORK, PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER ZEUTHEN
cjaywork@seattleweekly.com
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
Scenes from the Seattle Pride Parade, held Sunday.
A
ngelica Zachary is hot. A large woman, she’s carrying a gallon-sized jug of water to replenish her sweat glands, which are working overdrive to keep up with the sweltering afternoon heat. Beneath the Space Needle, Zachary and her partner Julia are making their way out of Seattle’s Pride parade. The sparkling bead necklaces and rainbow bracelet she’s wearing act like camouflage amid the gaudy crowd, though her neon yellow New York Yankees baseball cap does stand out a bit. Behind her is the parade’s terminus. Floats gently roll past, one by one, their incandescent streamers fluttering in the oven-baked breeze. Dogs trot alongside their owners, equally oblivious to the controversies of human sexuality and the ubiquitous fluffy rainbow collars every single one of them (the dogs, that is) seem to be wearing. Aerobic workout music, the perennial gay anthem, pumps furiously. Corporate balloons bob above attendees’ heads. Seemingly every politician in town is part of the parade: the mayor and his boo wave to fans, while Mike O’Brien runs around with his mountain bike spritzing people with water. Watchers stand on tables, chairs, anything to get a better look at the river of fabulousness, while hawkers sell $3 bottles of icewater at the back of the crowd. For Zachary the parade is about Us— the Family, the ’mo’s, the technicolor rainbow. The lovers who now, finally, dare speak each other’s names. “I had to put my life on hold,” says Zachary, referring to the time before she came out. “I was gay then but didn’t know it.” Now, she says, she’s accepted that “this is who I really wanna be.” Zachary grins, gestures toward herself. “This is me all day. Love it!” Love—the word is in the air, like a collective prayer or sigh of relief. On Friday, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court struck down bans against same-sex marriage across the country. It was the culmination of decades of work by activists, and the decision’s timing feels serendipitous, like a special Pride gift from the gods. Living in Washington, which opened marriage to same-sex couples in 2012, Zachary doesn’t stand to suddenly benefit from the decision. The real winners today, she says, are LGBT people in the states that are a little behind the curve of social evolution. “Now my family in California can actually do it,” she says, without driving halfway across the country. “There’s been plenty years they’ve been telling folks no—you can’t do this, can’t love this,” says Zachary. “Coming here just shows how much we’re moving forward. You see all of the beautiful faces and the couples, no one is shining down on nobody because we’re all the same: We love somebody, regardless of what race, what gender, or whatever. “It’s all love. It’s beautiful.” E
7
news&comment» CHRISTOPHER ZEUTHEN
The Key Question KeyBank hasn’t paid Seattle in four years for naming rights on KeyArena. So why is it still called that? BY DANIEL PERSON
M
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
ichael McCullough’s e-mail handle reflects the date of what he calls the biggest sporting event in Seattle history: June 7, 1978. That was the day, or night, that the Seattle Supersonics lost Game 7 of the national championship to the Washington Bullets in the Seattle Center Coliseum. McCullough was at the game, champagne tucked underneath his seat to pop for the victory that never came. McCullough, a grandfather who now lives in Seward Park, stuck with the team over the coming years, through the high of the 1979 championship victory and the low of the team being carted off to Oklahoma City in 2008. He actually plays a bit part in the documentary Sonicsgate, as the guy who confronted Sonics owner Clay Bennett as he slipped out the back door of the federal courthouse during the legal wrangling over the team. “I gave him a ration of shit,” McCullough tells the camera. “He got into an SUV, and I tell him, ‘You fucking lying hillbilly motherfucking asshole!’ ” McCullough admits he can get overworked— “I go through waves of getting all upset at things bothering me. That’s all that is”—including his latest peeve, which is tangentially related to the heist of Seattle’s basketball team: KeyArena.
8
Here’s his gripe: Shortly after the Sonics left Seattle, the contract between KeyBank and Seattle Center for naming rights for the sports arena came up for renewal. The price for the rights at that point was $1.3 million a year, but the city-owned Seattle Center offered a new price to reflect the fact that the arena would no longer host an NBA team: about $400,000 a year. But the bank still walked. The consequence of KeyBank’s miserly ways? So far, nothing. For four years, the Cleveland-based bank’s logo has kept glowing red atop the arena, and its name is still invoked anytime a concert, Storm game, or roller derby takes place within its confines. “Why should local small businesses, banks, and credit unions have to tolerate the KeyBank free ride, while they budget for advertising?” McCullough asks. For years, he’s tried to find others to share his outrage, including the City Council. He’s written e-mails, to tepid response. The city says there’s a good reason for that: Removing all references to KeyBank from the arena—right down to the staff ’s business cards—would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Were the arena to readopt the name Seattle Sports Coliseum, taxpayers would have to eat the cost. “If you take it down, what do you use instead?”
KeyBank gets some free advertising.
asks Deborah Daoust, spokeswoman for Seattle Center. “It’s continuity for us, which is important from a branding aspect.” It’s a brand that’s been making money. In 2013, the arena saw net revenue of $1.2 million, thanks in part to a stretch when it hosted 13 events in 20 days. The next year saw the arena turn a profit again. Marc Jones, the Center’s director of marketing and business development, says officials have been open to new naming sponsors, but that they just haven’t been able to seal a deal. Complicating matters are ongoing discussions about building a new basketball arena in SoDo, which could impact what kind of events are held at Seattle Center. Whatever rationale the city uses for retaining
the KeyBank moniker, it seems to be setting a new precedent in the decades-long debate over giving corporations the rights to name pro sports stadiums. When company names first began to
appear on beloved franchises’ home fields, it was seen as the final blow to the innocence of pro sports, the completion of the league/industrial complex, and true fans refused to adopt the new names. However, in KeyArena—which still hosts a pro team, the Storm—Seattle has quite the opposite: a stadium where everyone refuses to give up the corporate name despite the lack of dollars to justify it. Regardless, with Seattle facing a population boom, soaring rents, and transportation nightmares galore, the naming rights of KeyArena are unlikely to rise to the top of the agenda anytime soon. But that won’t stop McCullough from giving the city, to borrow his own phrase, “a ration of shit.” “The city should come out and say, ‘It will be called Seattle Center Coliseum as of Monday morning,’ ” he says. “It’s wrong to give someone a free ride.” E dperson@seattleweekly.com
What Can Tacoma Teach Seattle About Muni Broadband? And should we care more about Chattanooga, Tennessee? BY JENNIFER KARAMI
MICHAEL D. MARTIN/FLICKR
I
n December, the City of Seattle set out to discover whether a big-enough market exists to support the creation of a new, publicly owned municipal broadband network. The short answer, in a report delivered to Mayor Ed Murray in mid-June, was no: According to the study, to be sustainable, this new network would need to capture over “40 percent of the broadband market at a subscriber cost of $75 per month to be financially viable over the long term,” and “no other municipal broadband utility in the country has reached enrollment rates at that level.” Still, municipal broadband advocates vow to keep fighting for public Internet in Seattle, and several city council candidates are running on the issue of creating a city-owned broadband network. But while Seattle continues to flirt with saying hello to public internet, the region’s secondbiggest city is going in a decidedly different direction: Tacoma has had public internet for years, but is now considering getting rid of its broadband network, Click.
Tacoma: city of the future (not).
“Initially, when Click was built in the ’90s, it was a really good thing for the community,” Click spokesperson Chris Gleason said. “Click introduced competition into the market, and kept prices in Tacoma quite a bit lower than [in] surrounding cities. The early business models anticipated that Click would get 50 percent of the cable market and 25 percent of the Internet market.” But Click couldn’t anticipate the growth of the Internet. Entering the 2000s, Gleason explained, the Internet market increased and the cable market decreased. Click’s cable subscriptions are actually being cannibalized by their own Internet
subscriptions, because of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Now, losing money, Click is considering selling out to a private company. But Tacoma’s bad experience isn’t necessarily a bad omen for Seattle. Municipal broadband is nuanced, technical, and downright confusing. “My suspicion is it’s meant to be confusing,” said city council candidate John Roderick, who has made the creation of municipal broadband in Seattle a campaign platform. “The companies in the cable market are threatened by this and they have very powerful lobbies.” Seattle is intimidated. Introducing publicly owned broadband as another player in the market, next to monopolistic corporate giants like Comcast, could be a costly fail. What if Seattle’s municipal broadband were to follow Click’s life cycle? What if, after the investment in building a FTTP network, consumers simply weren’t interested, and stuck with their current Internet service providers? On the other hand, Chattanooga, Tenn., offers a
small window of hope. Known now as “Gig City,” the midsized town invested in its future in 2008 when it formed the Electric Power Board (EPB) and began to construct a “smart grid” to better serve the city’s power needs. Now the network provides Internet that is 50 times faster than the average American connection, for under $70 a month. It started as an attempt to rectify the losses from power interruptions. A 2005 UC Berkeley study estimated that society loses $80 billion a year from such interruptions. Chattanooga was losing $100 million a year, according to EPB spokesperson Danna Bailey.
Bailey says having access to true high-speed broadband has given her city a platform to innovate and contributed to a vibrant startup scene and business growth. Sound like familiar buzzwords, Seattle? “I’d like to point out, customers all over the country are losing $80 billion,” Bailey said. “Our system we chose to modernize was no better or worse than others in the country.” Essentially, an investment in building a municipal broadband network relies on the assumption that customers would switch from their current ISPs to the public utility. The verdict is still out in Tacoma, but Chattanooga has seen incredible results. “Chattanooga’s EPB didn’t have to cut out Comcast and impose its own monopoly—it’s simply beating them with faster Internet and superior customer service,” The Huffington Post reported. (Comcast was awarded the title Worst Company in America by the website Consumerist—twice.) What Seattle’s municipal-broadband plan needs is support—evidence that more than 40 percent of residents would ditch corporate broadband and make the switch to public. “There are plenty of people 100 years ago who wanted to tell us electrical should be a private company, sewer should be a private company,” Roderick said. “We decided these were necessities and made them public. Once a thing goes from a luxury to a necessity, it makes sense for it to go from a private company to a public utility.” E
news@seattleweekly.com
LIVE ACTION OUTDOORS in the tulalip amphitheatre
JULY 18 tickets on ages 21 & OvER
special appearances by
urijaH faber julianna peña sam sicilia & Mike Chiesa
t u l a l i p c a s i n o.c o m
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
sale NoW!
9
10
esse Jackson looks tired. He’s perched on a stool inside a sleek conference room in Northeastern University’s Seattle campus. The sounds of South Lake Union seep in through a window cracked against the June heat: the digital beeps of the SLU transit car and the analog grinding of construction. He speaks softly, forcing one to strain to hear him. When he reaches a point in his speech he wants to emphasize, he asks the audience to repeat his line back to him. “Every company in America should look like America,” he says. “Every company in America should look like America,” the small crowd repeats. “We didn’t know how good baseball could be until everyone could play,” he says. “We didn’t know how good baseball could be until everyone could play,” the small crowd repeats. In a very real sense, though, not only is the crowd repeating Jackson—Jackson is repeating himself, reiterating what he’s been saying for half a century. Jackson was a man of 27 when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis in the midst of demonstrations against the paltry pay and safety the city provided its sanitation workers, the ranks of whom were largely black. Jackson was at the same motel where King was staying, in the room below the balcony where the civil-rights leader was killed. At the time, economic equality for blacks in America was at the forefront of King’s activism, and many saw it as a far more ambitious agenda than the segregation battles that had defined the first half of the tumultuous decade. Lack of economic opportunity, King recognized, forced blacks into a perpetuating cycle of poverty that led to worse schools, worse neighborhoods, higher victimization (often by other poor people of the same race), and incarceration. “Now our struggle is for genuine equality, which means economic equality. For we know that it isn’t enough to integrate lunch counters,” King said eight days before he was murdered. “What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?” Following the assassination, Jackson became the most prominent torch-bearer for the cause of black economic equality. In 1971 he founded Operation PUSH, which over the coming decades staged successful boycotts of major corporations that it felt weren’t doing enough to hire and contract with minorities. In 1981, Coca-Cola agreed to funnel $30 million into black-owned enterprises after Jackson called a boycott over the fact that the company had no black wholesalers and no blacks on its 16-member board. Jackson’s activism was effective enough that former KKK leader David Duke, under the shadow of Confederate flags in Louisiana, cited a boycott of Nike as evidence that blacks were oppressing whites during his run for the U.S. Senate in 1990. “I’m for equal rights, even for white people,” Duke said at the time, to the agreement of the all-white crowd around him. A quarter-century later, Duke is still trying for elected office, the Confederate flag is still flying in the South, and white people seem to have overcome the chains of oppression. According to the 2010 Census, only about 11 percent of whites live
How a 50-year struggle for equality got ignored by the tech industry.
BLACK OUT By Daniel Person ART CREDIT
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
J
“Going back to the days after slavery, we were free, but not equal. The same happened in 1965: We got more free, but less equal.”
In Seattle, improving economic opportunity for black residents has been a cause since at least 1944, when the Seattle Unity Committee gavelled in a hearing on why the city employed no black bus drivers. During WWII, as Seattle experienced a spike in population related to the war industries, the city transit system became heavily burdened by overcrowded buses. A major reason the buses were overcrowded was that the transit system was short 75 drivers, general manager Lloyd Graber told to the committee. Yet no black drivers were employed, even though other West Coast cities including San Francisco had already integrated their driver workforce. The question was asked, Why not hire black drivers to relieve the shortage? Graber answered frankly: White bus drivers wouldn’t work with blacks. As evidence, he cited a recent story: Not too long before the meeting, a late-night bus was carrying a number of African American passengers. When the bus driver pulled up to a stop where white people were waiting, he told them, in effect, that the bus was full of blacks and that they’d want to take another one. One of the passengers, a longshoreman, overheard the exchange and objected, telling the driver he was “trying to run a Jim Crow bus.” “Shut your face, you black nigger,” the driver retorted. The longshoreman then produced a knife and lunged at the driver. However, he was restrained by those around him and no one was hurt. Back in the safe confines of the racial-unity meeting, general manager Graber responded dryly: Incidents like that were “making it increasingly difficult to discuss the issue of Negro drivers.” A short while later, a white bus driver was more to the point when chatting with a white passenger, opining that he was “going to make sure no coons become employed as bus drivers,” according to a report compiled by the Urban League. Employment prospects for blacks in Seattle in the private sector were equally daunting at the time. In 1948, researchers interviewed 181 Seattle firms to determine whether they employed minorities, and if so in what capacity. Most didn’t employ any to begin with. The survey asked these firms whether they would be willing to hire them in the future. Thirty-five responded yes; 77 “indicated an unwillingness to employ any such employees in any occupational group.” In the coming decades, as the Civil Rights movement gained momentum, eliminating workplace discrimination was seen as crucial to achieving racial equality in the U.S.. By the 1960s, it was clear to many policy leaders that simply allowing blacks the opportunity to work in traditionally white companies would not correct the sorts of outright discrimination seen across the country for so many decades. “You do not take a man who for years has been hobbled by chains, liberate him, bring him to the starting line of a race, saying, ‘You are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe you have been completely fair,” President Lyndon B. Johnson said a year after he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Much like MLK, Johnson argued that economic equality was a much larger fight than those seen at lunch counters. “This is the next and more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity—not just legal equity but human ability—not just equality
» CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
SEATTLE WEEKLY
PROMOTIONS ADVANCE SCREENING BATKID BEGINS
Allied Media presents: Batkid Begins Thur., July 9, 6:30 pm. The documentary, “Batkid Begins” looks at the “why” of this flash phenomenon. Why did the intense outpouring of spontaneous support for a child reverberate around the world and become one of the biggest “good news stories?”
TICKET GIVEAWAY WIND BURIAL
TractorTavern presents: Wind Burial w/ Geist & the Sacred Ensemble, Low Hums, Wed., July 15, 9 pm,Tractor Tavern. Formed in March 2013, Wind Burial is the psych-goth reincarnation of the Seattle slowcore band Snowdrift (Paradigm Records).
ADVANCE SCREENING THE GALLOWS
Allied Media presents: The Gallows,Tuesday, July 7, 7 pm.Twenty years after an accident caused the death of the lead actor during a high school play, students at the same small town school resurrect the failed stage production in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy.
WIN TICKETS TO
BROTHERS OF THE SONIC CLOTH
Tractor Tavern presents: Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, Friday, July 17, 9 pm, Tractor Tavern. These guys bring together the collective and extensive rock histories and experience of the three members in the worlds of punk, hard rock and metal.
TICKET GIVEAWAY EMMYLOU HARRIS
ZooTunes presents: Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell, Wed., July 29, 6 pm, Woodland Park Zoo. A 13-time Grammy winner and Billboard Century Award recipient, Emmylou Harris’ contribution as a singer and songwriter spans 40 years.
TICKET GIVEAWAY FELT
Amplify presents: Felt, Grand Illusion Cinema, starts July 10. Amy is hanging on by a thread. Struggling to cope with past sexual trauma and the daily aggressions of a maledominated society, she creates grotesquely costumed alter egos that re-appropriate the male form.
TICKET GIVEAWAY SUMMER MELTDOWN
AEG Live presents: Summer Meltdown Festival August 6-9, Darrington, WA. This year’s lineup features STS9, Iration, Tycho, Greensky Bluegrass, Galactic, Nahko and Medicine for the People, and many more.
FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO ENTER TO WIN, VISIT US AT:
www.seattleweekly.com/promo/freestuff
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
below the poverty line in America, compared to a quarter of all blacks. If Jackson seemed exhausted in Seattle in midJune, it would be tempting to blame it on so many decades of fighting. He was there, after all, to enter the ring for another bout, making much the same argument he’s been making since the 1960s: that black Americans were being wrongly excluded from the wealth of the nation—including now, with a booming technology sector that’s flooding Seattle with wealth that often seems more visible than achievable. “I was just at the Amazon shareholder meeting,” he tells the crowd. “I see the board of directors are all white, in 2015, and the workforce is not that different. There’s something wrong.” Employment of blacks in firms like Amazon have been notably limited. Last year, Amazon reported that just 4 percent of its managers were African American. Facebook last Thursday announced it had hired just seven black people in the previous 12 months. Google in June reported that 2 percent of its workforce is black and 3 percent Latino. USA Today reports that industry-wide, 2 percent of tech workers are African American. Jackson can seem an unlikely force to take on this thorny tech problem. At one point during his appearance at Northeastern, he pulled out his cell to silence the ringer, revealing it to be a small flipphone that looked antique in the age of Uber. But his sudden presence at the board meetings of America’s biggest tech companies brings some important context to the question of what role the economy plays in our current debate over race in America, and more importantly, the role of America’s largest corporations. Since the days of MLK, private firms were seen as a vital partner in achieving economic equality in the capitalist system. This has always created a fundamental conflict—corporations are created to make profit, not solve social ills, the lofty mission statements popular at tech firms notwithstanding (“You can make money without doing evil,” Google’s reads.) Yet a lack of an easy solution does not make the problem any less real: Economic inequality caused by fewer blacks holding strong, middle-class jobs is a crucial factor in the housing, schooling, and policing factors now vexing many Americans leading the current conversation about race. The debate over diversity in Silicon Valley and South Lake Union can seem a world away from the more fraught discussions coming out of Ferguson, Missouri, and Charleston, South Carolina. But not for Jackson, who in his remarks ties together images of Baltimore in flames with Elon Musk going to Mars. “What does the ghetto . . . represent? Well, to those who are one-eyed quarterbacks, who can’t see the whole field, they’re missing market, money, talent, location, relationships, and growth,” Jackson muses. Asked what had happened between Memphis in 1968, when King called for better pay for blacks, and Seattle in 2015, when Jackson was calling for much the same thing, Jackson spoke at almost a whisper and said what didn’t happen. “There was never any shift in the infrastructure. Going back to the days after slavery, we were free, but not equal. The same happened in 1965: We
got more free, but less equal,” he says. “Unless there’s some kind of repair of damage done, some reconstruction, we won’t be equal. “We need a reconstruction plan.”
11
12
as a right and a theory, but equality as a fact and as a result,” he said. To compensate for the types of labor discrimination experienced in Seattle and across the country, Johnson, and President John F. Kennedy before him, took an active role in getting corporations— especially those that had large contracts with the federal government—to hire more minorities. In doing so, one Kennedy administration official in 1961 coined a phrase that would become one of the most divisive in American history: “We’ll help them do what they ought to do,” the official said, “take affirmative action” to hire blacks. Kennedy’s program to reverse centuries of economic injustice toward African Americans, called Plans for Progress, had corporations submit minority-employment data to the administration and develop plans for how to hire more minority workers. The program was technically voluntary, but since the federal government was the source of so much business, many firms were willing to oblige. Among the first eight corporations to sign on with Plans for Progress was Boeing. As it was, the company had nowhere to go but up in terms of hiring minorities. Employment data submitted in 1962 showed that 97.7 percent of the company’s salaried workers and 96.8 percent of its hourly workers were white. The same year Boeing signed on to Plans for Progress, a young black electrical engineer named Art Carter was hired in the company’s missile and defense division. He had grown up in deeply segregated Chicago, then joined the Air Force, where he worked as a meteorologist. Preparing to be discharged, Carter started thinking about going to college and what he should study, and saw a report that showed electrical engineers made $5 more an hour than other engineering fields. He was sold, and enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Carter, now 82 and living in the Central District, doubts that he was hired by Boeing because he was black. At that time, Boeing was still a conservative corporation uninterested in being an agent of change in society. “I don’t know if they would have hired any black engineers if they could have gotten white engineers instead,” he says in a phone interview. “But aerospace companies were really scrambling for engineers. Their view was, if one woman can have a baby in nine months, then two ought to be able to have one in four and a half months, so let’s get as many damn engineers as we can.” The number of black white-collar workers was very small, Carter says. He recalls there was one black manager, and “we didn’t have that many black engineers. In fact, you knew them all.” Many of these were from areas with larger African American populations, and their wives quickly noticed that Seattle did not have a sizable population of professional black families, so the engineers’ wives formed a social club. (It recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.) When he was hired, Carter says, he and other black engineers were forced to accept that their careers would not progress the way their white co-workers’ would. “There were not the avenues for advancement. I could see people hired at the same time as me who were non-minority, and they were moving up a lot faster,” he says. “It was a while before the company would be comfortable even having me travel. “Your vision, your horizon, was limited. It wasn’t depressing, it was just reality.” But the activism of the 1960s began to have an effect at Boeing, Carter says, if incremental. “Over the years they stayed abreast of the times of civil rights, perhaps a little bit behind,” he says.
that had not. In other words, action taken in the ’60s seemed to still have an effect in the 2000s. “It just goes to show, the longer that you implement these procedures, the greater success in diversity that you’re going to have,” Reed says.
Eric Osborne and Seth Stell at a recent HERE Seattle meetup.
In many ways, Plans for
Progress laid the groundwork for more aggressive affirmativeaction policies that took hold across the country. In 1968, the University of Washington created its Educational Opportunity Program, which allowed admission officers to accept minority applicants even if they had low grades, with the aim of expanding the pool of college-educated minorities entering the workforce. According to The Seattle Times, between 1983 and the mid-1990s an estimated 8,100 students were accepted through the policy. Local governments, including Seattle’s, also enacted affirmative-action hiring plans to give blacks and other minorities more job opportunities. Linda Faye Williams, an influential expert on race and gender politics, noted in a essay that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, giving minorities preference for hiring and education was so popular that “there was little or no price to pay at that time for supporting affirmative action.” But that began to change in a big way over the 1970s and into the ’80s, as whites increasingly groused about perceptions of reverse discrimination, and even minorities began to feel that arbitrary enforcement of affirmative action reflected poorly on their work. Court rulings began to eat away at affirmative-action laws, and populist movements against the policies arose across the country. In 1997, then-31-year-old Tim Eyman cosponsored Initiative 200, which asked Washington voters whether affirmative-action policies should be banned in the state. “It’s time to get beyond these stupid little boxes and treat everybody the same,” he told a crowd at UW in support of the measure. I-200 passed by nearly 20 points. Reed says corporate culture reflected this hard shift against affirmative action, so when the tech boom created a raft of new Fortune 500 companies, many lessons learned by older firms like Boeing went unheeded. “A lot of the dot-com-era creators grew up in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and they thought, ‘Well, we understand diversity. We’re not going to exclude people,’ and they thought affirmative action was just dumb,” she says. In 2011, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, seemed to channel Eyman when, asked about diversity on his corporate board, he said “I’m not filling the board with check boxes.” In 2014, Facebook released data showing that 2 percent of its senior-level management was black. Reed finds this sadly ironic. “You have Mark Zuckerberg saying, ‘I’m not going to check a bunch of boxes,’ and now Facebook has a diversity issue. So they thought they would be better than that, they thought they wouldn’t have the same problems, and lo and behold they have the same problems.” The rest of the tech sector has recently become less flip about the issue. After blowing Jackson off the last time he tried to speak with Amazon, the company welcomed him to the June shareholder meeting. Following his remarks, CEO Jeff Bezos said that he thought Amazon could use its “ingenuity” to improve diversity. CASEY JAYWORK
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
Black Out » FROM PAGE 11
Carter began to move up in the company, and in 1977 was promoted to a general-manager position, the first African American to reach that level. “It was a conscious choice on Boeing’s part. They decided they wanted a black officer. The job was offered to only black managers, really only two, me and another gentleman.” The position gave Carter a large budget and workforce to manage. He did well enough that 10 years later he was promoted to a vice-president position, the highest rank ever achieved by a black person at Boeing to that point. That promotion, he says, had nothing to do with race. He’d gotten a chance to prove himself as a manager, excelled,
“A lot of the dot-com-era creators grew up in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and they thought, ‘Well, we understand diversity.’ ” and was rewarded on merit. “Looking back, I’d have to say I had a very successful career,” he says. By no means has Boeing become an unadulterated beacon of equality in America. In 1999, it was hit with a class-action lawsuit brought by black employees who reported widespread discrimination and racism in the ranks. While the suit was eventually dismissed, the charges made under oath paint a picture of a workplace still very much in the throes of racial prejudice. Among other startling stories, Aprill Linear, who worked in Boeing’s Auburn and Puyallup plants, said in court papers that one male co-worker asked her one day: “Aprill, what would you do if you were my house nigger?” Boeing itself is careful not to look satisfied with its work to date. “We view ourselves as a work in progress when it comes to minority hiring,” spokesman Len Vraniak says. Still, there is evidence that the federal government’s pressure on private firms starting in the 1960s made a difference. Susan E. Reed, a journalist and researcher who has studied how Plans for Progress affected companies over the years, concluded that the program has been “an unquestionable success that resulted in the positive transformation of businesses and society.” Rice looked at Fortune 100 companies in 1995, 2005, and 2009, and found, in all three years, that firms that had been around in the ’60s and signed a contract with the government to hire more minorities had more minority executive officers than those
But Reed says new companies still betray a misunderstanding of how difficult diversifying a workforce is—more than just renouncing racism, it’s also ensuring that recruitment practices, for example, don’t leave out large portions of society by relying solely on the current employees’ peer group. And even if tech companies do recognize the problem, at this point it will take a long time to remedy. “Amazon has 154,000 employees. When you get that big, it is really hard to integrate in a quick manner. Even if you hire 100 people of color in a month, that’s still a tiny fraction of your overall employee numbers.” When Seth Stell was 18, he created a website that
he describes as a “Facebook for extreme sports.” While Stell is black, most of his classmates at the upper-middle-class high school he attended in Dallas were white. So when he enlisted a couple of friends to help him with the site, they were white. It was an early lesson in the difficulties tech companies face when it comes to race. “Immediately, I was a minority in the tech company I started,” Stell says. Stell, a client-engagement manager at a local digital agency, tells the story to show he recognizes that in start-up culture, it’s natural for people to build their teams from their social circle, which often leads to white people working with other white people. “I don’t think a lot of this is malicious,” he says of the dearth of African Americans at these firms. “We are products of our environment. A lot of these companies pull their workforce out of their social group. But it can be a malicious cycle.” After college, Stell tried to move to the Bay Area, but struggled to break in. He’s reticent to blame that fact on race, but noticed that he had different experiences than some of his white friends. “I made it to the final [interview] round at four great companies, and they all stopped there,” he says. “I made it to the final round but couldn’t convert. I don’t know of any friends not converting when they made it to the final round. But they don’t look like me.” When he was considering where to move to next, he narrowed his options to Seattle, Portland, and Denver. “Then I looked at the job listings on Craigslist and realized, ‘This is telling the story of the economy.’ For every two to three jobs in Portland, I was seeing 10 in Seattle,” he says. Upon moving to Seattle, Stell quickly realized there were few other African Americans in the Seattle tech industry. He met one, Eric Osborne, at the Seattle Interactive Conference in late 2013. “In a room that’s predominately white and middle-aged, Eric stood out like a sore thumb. Not just because he’s African American, but because he’s 6 foot 7,” Stell recalls. Both were from the South, and had similar tastes in clothes. Stell eschews what he views as the stereotypical outfit of a tech geek in favor of sharp collared shirts and designer T-shirts that accentuate his toned physique. Stell and Osborne hit it off, exchanged information, and checked in with each other from time to time. Over the next few months, Stell got to wondering if other minorities in the Seattle tech field would appreciate a network like the one he and Osborne had formed. “We asked, could this be a thing? Is there a community and a need for this?” he says at a cafe on Stone Way, not far from the tech campuses that line the Ship Canal in Fremont. That was the genesis of HERE Seattle, which now has more than 500 members. While the group’s founders are black, the group caters to anyone who feels they don’t fit the mold of the Seattle tech worker. “America wants to tell the obvious story: black vs. white. But we want to talk about the people whose general way of life isn’t being represented
Along with the Microsoft and Amazon efforts,
a broad-based coalition of Seattle tech companies have recently committed to improving Latino, black, and female recruitment at their firms.
PRESENTED BY
CHRISTOPHER ZEUTHEN
by the tech industry, which is largely homogenous,” Stell says. For him, the problem tech companies have isn’t so much an animus toward blacks or women or any other group, but a stereotype for what its workers should look like—what he calls “the praise of geekdom.” “ ‘Geek’ has become this thing you must be to succeed in tech. You must be good at ping-pong. You must wear the same gross-ass hoodie every day. What it adds up to is, you must be a white male,” he says. “As the Zuckerbergs succeeded, people felt success in technology must come in the form of a Zuckerberg.” He goes on, “It’s gotten to the point that women are putting in their dating profile that they like geeky men. Because they know what ‘geeky’ means in this city: men with jobs, good paying jobs.” Stell credits major tech firms for trying to get a handle on the problem (Microsoft has partnered with HERE Seattle to help ensure African American tech workers come and stay in the Seattle region), but says many black professionals still consider Seattle “very much the frontier” compared to cities like Chicago or Atlanta. “It’s not like Microsoft isn’t trying. They are trying,” he says. Still, Stell shows frustration with the tech industry in general. Growing up in Dallas, he watched his father, an engineer, struggle to establish his career in the face of a long tradition of Texas racism. “I saw how hard my dad had to work to get his big break,” Stell says. Tech “is the youngest industry. They should not be making the same mistakes.”
Two percent of the tech industry is black, according to USA Today.
Tayloe Washburn, the dean and CEO of Northeastern University’s Seattle campus and a board member for the Washington Technology Industry Association, announced upon Jesse Jackson’s appearance at the college that WTIA members were committed to Jackson’s cause. “We’re committing today that in 24 months, using whatever metric you want to use, we can show we’ve made real progress,” Washburn said. However, there seems to be a growing belief among African American business leaders that no major change will come while I-200—the law banning affirmative action—is in place. The effects of I-200 have been as hotly debated as the policy it banned. Studies have found that African American and Latino enrollment at Washington universities, after a brief dip directly after the initiative passed, were ultimately not
affected by I-200. And companies that do business with the federal government, such as Boeing, must still adhere to minority-employment requirements. However, black unemployment in Washington is twice that of whites, and the average income for blacks in the state is half that of whites. A 2012 Georgetown University study found that following passage of I-200, blacks in Washington had a statistically higher chance of being unemployed than blacks in the country as a whole. In a letter sent to Gov. Jay Inslee on June 5, the Washington State Civil Rights Coalition put it bluntly: “I-200 . . . has contributed to the largest wealth and opportunity gap in a generation,” and the letter calls on Inslee to challenge I-200. “I think that’s needed. It needs to heat up,” Nate Miles, chairman of the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, says of efforts to repeal
I-200. “It’s killing us.” John Carlson, the Seattle radio host who cosponsored I-200 with Eyman, rejected the coalition’s logic in an e-mail, demonstrating that the notion that affirmative action amounts to racial discrimination is still alive and well. “The Civil Rights Coalition blames I-200, which prohibits racial preferences in university admissions and public hiring, for the expanding gap in income inequality,” Carlson wrote. “Since this gap has widened in all 50 states, either I-200 has far greater reach than anyone realized, or the supporters of race discrimination in hiring and school admissions are exaggerating as much now as they did during their campaign against it in 1998.” It’s been a difficult year to feel optimistic about race relations in America—all the more so since the murder of nine African Americans at a church in Charleston two weeks ago. But Stell has reason to be optimistic about Seattle. While the Pacific Northwest has had its share of racial strife, it has nothing like the legacy of places like his hometown of Dallas. “America has an ugly, ugly, ugly history when it comes to race. Seattle has dodged a lot of that,” he says. “Seattle has a strong chance to be a marquee of where a city can move in terms of its racial climate.” There was optimism, too, in Silicon Valley, when the day after the Charleston shootings Facebook announced that it would employ the “Rooney Rule” for some jobs—a reference to the NFL’s policy requiring teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head-coaching and general-manager positions. As they have for decades, the press called Jackson for comment. It’s a “first step,” he told USA Today. “Not the final step.” E
dperson@seattleweekly.com
MOVIE SCHEDULE
______________________
WED, JUL 8 THE GOONIES
______________________
LI V E AC TS
FOOD TRUCKS
presented by
WED, JUL 15 DIRTY DANCING
______________________ ______________________
D OG F R I END LY
MOVIE TRIVIA
MoviesatMarymoor.com Facebook / MoviesatMarymoor
WED, JUL 29 BIG HERO 6
______________________
WED, AUG 5 top gun
______________________
WED, AUG 12 GREASE
______________________
WED, AUG 19 TANGLED
______________________
WED, AUG 26 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ______________________
$5 per person at the gate for all entertertainment, trivia, activities Open seating starts at 7 pm, movies show at dusk New event parking fee at Marymoor Park: $5 per vehicle
LIVE ACTS FOOD TRUCKS
MOVIE TRIVIA DOG FRIENDLY
MoviesatMagnuson.com Facebook / MoviesatMagnuson $5 entry for all entertainment, triva, activities Seating opens at 7 pm Movies show at dusk
THURSDAYS JULY 9 JULY 16 JULY 23 JULY 30 AUG 6 AUG 13 AUG 20 AUG 27
Menchie’s Redmond Way
Whole Foods Center 17875 Redmond Way
Produced by Epic Events
www.EpicEvents.us
P oduced by Epic Events Pr t s • www ts ww w.Ep w .Ep icEven Eve ts Even t .US .U
BACK TO THE FUTURE CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. BIG HERO 6 ZOOLANDER 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU UP GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY THE PRINCESS BRIDE
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
TUE, JUL 21 RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
13
BALLARD'S NEIGHBORHOOD SPORTS BAR & RESTAURANT HAPPY HOUR
* SUNDAY BRUNCH * NEW KITCHEN * LARGE PATIO
Tues - Fri 3pm - 6pm Mon & Sun 4pm to Close!
2216 SW ORCHARD ST SEATTLE, WA 98106 206 - 768 - 8852
PATIO OPEN ALL YEAR! HEATED!
ROTATING DJ'S
Every Friday & Sat Night 10pm SPINNING SUMMERTIME JAMS Every Sunday Afternoon 2pm With Altos and Pacifico Specials
5105 BALLARD AVE. NW
(206) 420-2737
•
BALLARDLOFT.COM
•
Happy HourS Tues-FRI & SUN 3pm-6pm Tues-Thurs & SUN 10PM-CLOSE
HINGLETOWN
S
BALLARD
USA
NORTHWEST PUB & EATERY SCRATCH KITCHEN • CRAFTY COCKTAILS 16 DRAFTS • BEER TO GO
2016 NW Market Street in the heart of Ballard
Play. Eat. Relax!
HAPPY HOUR HALF PRICE
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
APPETIZERS & DRINKS
14
MON-FRI | 3-7PM All draft beer, house wine and well drinks.
GameWorks.com 1511 7th Avenue - Seattle - 847.330.9675
food&drink
The Happy Cup
FoodNews
BY JASON PRICE
Now in its 40th year, Cafe Allegro has a storied past with Starbucks, an ongoing role as a community hub, and a bold vision for the future.
Naka, on Capitol Hill, is now open and specializes in traditional Japanese kaiseki meals—typically a seven-course pageant—that hyper-focuses on specific ingredients and techniques. Chef Shota Nakajima spent five years in Japan studying under Michelin star chef Sakamoto Yasuhiko in Osaka. Through him, he still sources many ingredients, like kombu kelp and tuna flakes, that he just can’t find high-quality versions of here. The space, which formerly housed Le Zinc, is minimalist with gray tones and splashes of burnt oak wood. The bar, highlightling whisky (450 bottles of it, including many premium Japanese brands) will be managed by Nik Virrey, formerly of Liberty Bar.
BY JACOB UITTI
O
Seattle was named by Nerdwallet the third best city for foodies. Overall the West Coast dominated with San Francisco and Portland taking spots 1 and 2. Considered “low-key” and “under the radar” in terms of numbers, Seattle is killing it, with 251 restaurants per 100,000 residents and 50 breweries in the city. Ivar’s Acres of Clams reopens on Wednesday, completely remodeled with a new outdoor patio and additional seating with views of Elliott Bay and the Olympics. The menu has expanded from fish and chips as well, including new dishes such as honey-cured smoked scallops, cornmeal and Parmesan-encrusted razor clams, and Ivar’s-style paella. So whether you are just checking out the downtown waterfront or sitting in your car waiting for the next ferry, you can keep clam and carry on. E
COURTESY CAFE ALLEGRO
It is in a state of transition, though. As Allegro’s
40th year moves forward, Peterson and Robinson are putting the finishing touches on new in-house roasting equipment and an upstairs tasting bar—the beginnings of expansion of a place that has been stable for 40 years. “Once we have everything finished, we’ll have a big blow-out celebration,” says Robinson from the sunny upstairs deck where she and Peterson met me for our chat. As Allegro transitions, partnering with roaster Neal Brown of Brown’s Coffee on Whidbey Island, the owners have an eye on more hands-on control of the coffee production, while simultaneously offering opportunities for careers, not just traditional barista shifts. “We wanted to have better and closer control over all aspects of the coffee here,” says Robinson, “from where we sourced it to how we roasted it to how fresh it is—our whole approach is hands-on, hand-crafted, and close to the community.” When Allegro switched from Starbucks’ coffee in 2004, they went with Brown’s. “Neal helped us create our current espresso blend,” explains Robinson. “In late 2012 we bought Neal’s roaster and moved it to Seattle so we could roast onsite. Neal has been a great men-
tor for us getting started—we’ve learned a lot from him, and are grateful for the many years of delicious coffee he roasted for us.” She said the shop also pays all its employees $11 an hour, as the city begins to transition to $15. “Everyone deserves a living wage; part of us adding a roaster is adding more job opportunities so working here can be more of a career than a stop-over position,” she says. The coffee business in progressive cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and New York is undergoing a renaissance. Many call it the “third wave”—the production of high-quality, artfully prepared coffee, appreciated much as people do the nuances of wine. “People’s tastes have changed to want better-quality coffees,” says Robinson. “Coffee is an art. People like the tasting experience, flavor profiles—it’s no longer the grinds from the can when you wake up. People want to try a coffee that tastes like fresh blueberries and tea.” “Allegro is all about relationships,” adds Peterson—a concept that seems far from Starbucks’ generic facades and sterile interiors. And it’s these relationships, not a corporate bottom line, that have kept people loyal to Allegro for 40 years. And it would seem Allegro is in store for at least that many more. E
food@seattleweekly.com
CAFE ALLEGRO 4214 University Way N.E., 633-3030, seattleallegro. com. 6:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Mon.–Fri.; 7:30 a.m.–10 p.m. Sat.; 8 a.m.–10 p.m. Sun.
morningfoodnews@gmail.com
TheWeeklyDish
Creamed peas at Brimmer & Heeltap.
BY NICOLE SPRINKLE
NICOLE SPRINKLE
chance would have it: La Luz’s Shana Cleveland and her boyfriend, musician Will Sprott, planning an upcoming tour. Allegro is also catacombic—a series of staircases, open rooms, and an upstairs deck.
I kind of want to rename this dish because I’m worried that people might not order it, fearing a rendition from their childhood of mushy peas drowned in cream. That’s what went through my mind initially, but fortunately, my dining companion perserved. These pert, bright, blanched English peas just barely swim in a delicate mash blended with milk and the lightest touch of cream to finish. Miso pickled leeks and toasted black sesame are swirled throughout, giving it that slight Asian inflection the restaurant is known for, and an acidic pop that plays off summersweet peas. I’ve always thought a perfectly cooked, simple bowl of peas is a little bit of veggie heaven— and this one is truly angelic. E
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
n the corner of 42nd Avenue Northeast and University Way, there’s a Starbucks. It looks absolutely no different from any of the other 21,366 Starbuckses in existence. Not 100 feet from its door, however, down an alleyway, is Cafe Allegro, an independent coffeehouse with a red-brick facade, celebrating its 40th year selling espresso by the cup, longer than any Starbucks coffee shop ever. Indeed, the intertwined beginnings of Starbucks and Allegro are rich. Allegro, opened in 1975 by Dave Olsen, was one of the first shops in Seattle to serve espresso exclusively. Olsen and current Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz (cue the boos of Sonics fans!), worked together closely to develop espresso blends, and Allegro was the first, or at least one of the first, wholesale customers of the now-giant coffee company, according to its current owners. “Dave continued to work with Howard helping him with Starbucks’ coffee development, and in 1990 he sold Allegro to Nathaniel Jackson, who had worked in the cafe since 1975, and Chris Peterson,” says Kate Robinson, co-owner of Allegro since 2010. Though Starbucks was established in 1971, four years before Allegro, it didn’t sell drinks in-house (except for samples) until the mid-1980s (this was Schultz’s big contribution to the company). Olsen was involved in Starbucks’ initial rollouts with Schultz, who took over Starbucks in 1987 while still running Allegro. “He went on to become a part of Starbucks whole coffee-buying side and their charitable arm,” Peterson says. Peterson wouldn’t go as far as to say that Starbucks’ in-house coffee model for selling drip and espresso was based on Allegro’s, but “we were certainly an influence on what they did. A lot of the lessons Dave learned were translated over there.” Olsen has since retired from Starbucks, but “still comes into Allegro,” Peterson says. “He has a real affinity for the place.” Peterson, who started working at Allegro while a student at the University of Washington, says the place has always felt like the heart of something special to him. “It’s always been a community hub,” he says of the cafe, which serves from 500 to 700 customers daily. “It’s a vibrant, all-walks-of-life type of place where everyone feels comfortable, whether you’re a street person, academic, professional, or a student.” Walking into Allegro, which was converted from a mortuary some four decades ago, you see a microcosm of the U District: people of all backgrounds and ages feverishly working on their laptops. Others are chatting with friends, sipping their drinks. I notice some familiar faces on a Tuesday around 11:30 a.m., as
nsprinkle@seattleweekly.com
15
freedompages
National Anthems
Desserts Fit for a President
A progressive classical holiday playlist. BY GAVIN BORCHERT
And where you can find them.
P
atriotism, progressivism, and American classical music: Surely nobody thinks the three can’t mesh? Here are 10 examples of works that not only will make captivating listening for your Fourth, but that celebrate the forward-looking ideals of pluralism that are at the heart of the American dream.
BY ALANA AL-HATLANI
I
nstead of another vanilla-frosted sheet cake decorated in stripes and stars built from strawberries and blueberries, surprise friends and family this holiday weekend with sweets from local shops inspired by the foods some of our presidents were known to love.
Louis Moreau Gottschalk A Night in the Tropics (1859) • A Jewish-Creole piano prodigy from New Orleans, Gottschalk was the first American classical musician to make a splash in Europe, which loved the Caribbean and South American rhythms in his colorful piano miniatures. His evocative symphony, all moonlight, island breezes, and swaying palms, concludes with an irresistible rumba.
George Washington is said to have chopped down a cherry tree; the myth, though now widely debunked, contains a grain of truth in that he did in fact like cherries. His home in Mount Vernon, Virginia, had extensive farms, an orchard, and even meat-preservation facilities: a literal farmto-table setup. Where to get it: While Macrina’s bakeries in Belltown and Queen Anne don’t grow their own cherries, they do handcraft baked goods in-house a la George Washington. Cherry-almond scones or lemon sour-cherry coffee cake are two of the delicious cherry treats available.
John Philip Sousa “El Capitan” (1896) • An endless fount of tunes on the order of Schubert or Johann Strauss, Sousa’s most famous marches are the justly popular “The Stars & Stripes Forever” and “Liberty Bell,” aka the Monty Python theme. But “El Capitan” is the most fun—because of its swaggering lyrics (it was written for an operetta), a metaphor for America’s rise to world power and commitment to democracy: “You see in me, my friends/A man of consummate bravery/My inmost nature tends/To free the world from all slavery!”
Thomas Jefferson—farmer, scientist, and
unsuspecting gourmand—was famously inspired by the food he encountered in France. Unfortunately, he was also a slave owner, and, after an impressionable visit there, had one of his slaves, James Hemming, trained as a chef. Yet Jefferson was no stranger to the kitchen himself. His most popular recipe at Monticello was vanilla ice cream. Where to get it: Matthew Bumpas takes his Sweet Bumpas to markets around Seattle, where he refines the craft of homemade ice cream with exciting flavors like chipotle peanut brittle and coconut-curry leaf. Find him this weekend at the Independence Day Picnic at Cal Anderson Park.
Scott Joplin Treemonisha (1910) • This full-length folk opera by the king of ragtime boasts a gorgeous score, bittersweet and rhythmically lively, and a story that was inspirationally, even daringly, progressive for its day: The title heroine advocates for education as the cure for poverty and superstition, and is chosen to lead her people.
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
Charles Ives Symphony no. 4 (1920-ish) • Ranging from tumultuous chaos to Shaker-plain hymns, Ives’ immense and generously inclusive work is as much a melting pot as the nation itself. Sorry to rub it in, but if you missed the Seattle Symphony’s January performances, kick yourself—and get the CD when it comes out.
16
*
Joplin’s opera makes a woman a leader and education an ideal.
Edgard Varèse Amériques (1921) • A French avant-gardist’s raucous love letter to America, its striding-into-the-future, Machine Age ethos is reflected in unprecedentedly brash and energetic music for huge orchestra. (The Seattle Symphony’s recording is already out.)
(and what the FDR administration was doing to fix it), and Thomson’s score is practically a catalog of folk tunes, evocatively chosen and earthily orchestrated. Americana doesn’t get any more American.
George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (1924) • Pioneering, and never surpassed, in its blend of jazz and Tin Pan Alley with the romantic orchestral tradition, Gershwin himself said he intended the piece to evoke “a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.”
Aaron Copland “Fanfare for the Common Man” (1942) • Commissioned to write a wartime piece honoring servicemen, Copland instead drew inspiration from a speech by then-Vice President Henry A. Wallace proclaiming the “century of the common man.” Uncommonly soul-stirring, it’s become a musical icon of Americana second perhaps only to the national anthem itself.
Virgil Thomson The Plow That Broke the Plains (1936) • Unabashed New Deal cheerleading, Pare Lorentz’ short documentary recounts the agricultural missteps that exacerbated the Dust Bowl
Leonard Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1961) • When he drew together for orchestral performance his musical’s dance sequences and a few other hits from the score,
the echt-liberal Bernstein didn’t just string together a pops-concert entertainment—he left the audience with a message, closing the work with the tragic end of the musical itself, its wistful echoes of “Somewhere” recalling the song’s antisectarian, anti-violence plea. John Cage 4’33” (1952) • If Cage had written the Declaration of Sonic Independence, it would read “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all sounds are created equal.” In his “silent piece,” he invites each listener to create the piece (democracy!) by putting a conceptual frame around ambient sounds—anything can be music if you listen to it as if it were (egalitarianism!). And if you don’t buy that, how about just spend the four and a half minutes in thoughtful contemplation of whatever America means to you? E gborchert@seattleweekly.com
While the Roosevelts’ time in the White House was colored by the “make do without” spirit of the Great Depression, they apparently could not do without donuts, seeing as Eleanor regularly had them made by the hundreds, once placing an order for 24 dozen at one time. Where to get it: Twenty-four dozen might not be necessary, but a few of Top Pot’s special Fourth of July donuts—a vanilla cake donut frosted with red, white, and blue sprinkles— make a great themed treat for the holiday weekend that even the kids will love. Bill Clinton cheated again, this time on his diet.
Making headlines for flirting with veganism, he has since moved on to the low-carb, highanimal-protein paleo diet. Still, we’ll honor his former foray into eating low on the food chain. Where to get it: Nuflours in Capitol Hill is a bakery with unambiguously gluten-free and vegan treats. The summer strawberry-rhubarb jam bar is a great option for faithful vegans and carnivores alike. E
food@seattleweekly.com
*These patriotic donuts are not Top Pot’s patriotic donuts.
Drinks of Independence BY ZACH GEBALLE
A
lcohol has been integral to the United States essentially since its founding. Prior to bringing the Puritans to America, the Mayflower had been used to ship wine from Bordeaux to London—and even those notoriously pure settlers wouldn’t set sail from England without filling its hold with beer. Despite our dalliances with temperance, we’re a nation of drinkers. With Independence Day just around the corner, here are a few patriotic drinks to quaff. CIDER The resurgence of interest in cider has been fascinating for a lot of reasons, but one is that it’s merely a return to our roots. Until the end of the 19th century, cider was by far the most popular alcoholic beverage in America. A vast abundance of wild apple trees, or at least ones not suited for table apples, meant that most Americans had access to an easy sort of fermentable sugar. Plus, crude cider is easier to make than beer or wine: press the apples, and nature does the rest. Try Seattle Cider Co.’s dry hard cider; for something more like what our predecessors drank, Tieton’s Wild Washington cider. PUNCH Before craft cocktails were the rage, the most familiar mixed drinks in America were punches. A combination of booze, wine,
and almost anything, the punch bowl was often the centerpiece of gatherings of all kinds. We tend to think of punch as a kid’s drink, but in our colonial past it was often the measure of a host or hostess. Since they can be made ahead of time, it’s a good choice for Fourth of July festivities. My favorite version: Mix one part applejack or apple brandy with two parts hard apple cider and one part sparkling wine. Serve chilled over ice. BOURBON It’s our country’s native spirit, born out of the maize first domesticated in the Americas and the native white oak used for the barrels that Kentuckians stored their moonshine in. Amazingly, its popularity has only grown since then. There’s no shortage of great American bourbons to consider, but to keep true to the spirit (pun intended) of this holiday, you’ll choose one of the great local offerings from Oola, Woodinville Whiskey, and others. MADEIRA didn’t originate in America, yet in some ways it owes the New World a great debt. It was only after the sweetened wine made on the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo was sent across the Atlantic, cooking in the warm tropical temperatures, that this great drink was truly born. California’s Rare Wine Co. has a line of madeiras appropriately named after American cities. Plus, this was the beverage used to toast the signing of the Declaration of Independence! E
thebarcode@seattleweekly.com
freedomcalendar July 2
BY DANIEL ROTH
live music, and more. Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave., 11 a.m., free, all ages. calandersonpark.org
FREEDOM FANTASIA Now in its fifth year, this unconventional celebration of Americana features music, dance, drag, and more. The Triple Door, 216 Union St. 8 p.m. Wed., July 1, 7 & 10 p.m. Thurs., July 2– Fri., July 3. $28–$45, 21 and over. thetripledoor.net
July 3
‘MERICA NIGHT AT JET CITY IMPROV Wear your finest sleeveless Ts (which will get you $1 off drinks) and other ’Merican gear to this patriotic night of improv comedy. There will be a simulated fireworks show, cheap American beer and more. Jet City Improv, 5510 University Way N.E., 10:30 p.m., $15, all ages. jetcityimprov.com PRE-FOURTH GROOVALICIOUS Start the weekend
festivities with grooves from some of Seattle’s finest DJs. They’re paid by your donations; maybe they’ll even take requests if you’re generous enough. The Royal Room, 500 Rainier Ave. S., 8 p.m., free, 21 and over. theroyalroomseattle.com
RED, WHITE AND BOLLYWOOD: JAI HO! DANCE PARTY If you want to celebrate the Fourth but just
can’t get Indian dance music out of your head, this is the event for you. Don’t worry if your Bollywood moves aren’t up to par—there’ll be a dance lesson at 10. Nectar Lounge. 412 N. 36th St., 9 p.m., $12, 21 and over. nectarlounge.com
FIRECRACKER 5K Celebrate America by running
through the streets late at night. The race starts at 11:40—see if you can finish before the Fourth. Memorial Stadium, 401 Fifth Ave. N., 11:40 p.m., $40 donation, all ages. promotionevents.com/fire
July 4
CAL ANDERSON PARK INDEPENDENCE DAY PICNIC Why spend your July Fourth afternoon at Cal
Anderson park? Well, they have free hot dogs, ice cream, a root-beer tasting garden, a pie-eating contest,
Join Mayor Ed Murray and other public officials in welcoming more than 400 people into U.S. citizenship. Can you get more patriotic? Seattle Center Fisher Pavilion, 305 Harrison St., 11 a.m., free, all ages. seattlecenter. com/nauralization
OUTDOOR CONCERTS AT THE BALLARD LOCKS
Part of the weekly series, the Seattle Civic Band will perform at the Locks on the Fourth. Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, 3015 N.W. 54th St., 2 p.m., free, all ages. facebook.com/chittendenlocks
WEST SEATTLE KIDS’ PARADE Finally, a parade for
your dependents on Independence Day. The half-mile route ends at Hamilton Viewpoint Park. Starts at 1137 Sunset Ave. S.W., 10 a.m., free, all ages.
FRE E PA R K I N G We Ship We Ship We Seafood Seafood Overnight SeafoodShip Overnight Overnight Anywhere in the USA Anywhere in the USA Anywhere in the USA or We Pack for or We Pack for Travel Pack for AirAirTravel orAirWe Travel University University Seafood & Poultry Seafood & Poultry
University Seafood & Poultry 1317 NE 47th, Seattle 1317 NE 47th, Seattle (206) 632-3700 or (206)632-3900 (206) 632-3700 or (206)632-3900
1317 NE 47th, Seattle
(206) 632-3700 or (206) 632-3900
RESTAURANT
SUSHI & GRINDZ 2207 1st Ave • BELLTOWN 206.956.9329 OHANABELLTOWN.COM
EAT, DRINK, SING & DANCE!!
GET YOUR OHANA HUI CARD!
BEST KARAOKE IN BELLTOWN!
R MENU!! HAPPY$4.00HOU SUSHI & BEER
$4.99 PUPUS, SUSHI & HANDROLLS $5.00 COCKTAIL SPECIALS, SAKE & WINE $16.00 SAKE MARGARITA PITCHERS MON & TUES ALL NIGHT, WED & THURS & FRI 5-7PM LATE NIGHT: SUN-THURS 9-11:30PM HEATED DECK IS OPEN!!!
7/1 - ALOHA WEDNESDAY - CANNON AND THE LION OF JUDAH 7/2 - GET RIGHT THURSDAY - DJ CHINKEYE!! 7/3 - FRIDAY - DJ KUSH-KO!! 7/4 - SATURDAY- DJ HEAD-ACHE!! 7/5 - SUNDAY - KARAOKE W/ AURY MOORE! $3 LATE NITE HAPPY HOUR 9 - MIDNITE! MONDAY & TUESDAY ABSOLUTE KARAOKE $3 HAPPY HOUR ALL NIGHT W/ ABSOLUT DRINK SPECIALS!!
OHANA EASTSIDE Now Open in Issaquah!!
FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS BOAT PARTY
This is essentially a floating nightclub, with DJs, a full bar, and a view of the fireworks from the lake. Doesn’t sound half-bad, if you manage to get a ticket. The Islander, 1611 Fairview Ave. E., 6:30, $30, 21 and over. fourthofjulyboatparty2015.eventbrite.com SEAFAIR SUMMER FOURTH To keep you from
getting bored before the fireworks start, there will be food trucks, a beer garden, kids’ activities, live music, and more. Better show up early to get a spot. 2101 N. Northlake Way, noon–11 p.m., free, all ages. seafair.com
SEAFAIR SUMMER FOURTH . . . or you can watch the fireworks from the opposite side of Lake Union. Also features food, live music, a beer garden and more. Part of the weekend-long Wooden Boat Festival. Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave., 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., free, all ages. Seafair.com STIFFED! GAY DISCO: FOURTH OF JULY Keep
your post-fireworks buzz going at this late disco party featuring DJs Eugene Tambourine and Riz Rollins from KEXP. Kremwork, 1809 Minor Ave., 10 p.m., $8, 21 and over. kremwerk.com
TOTAL REQUEST LIVE NIGHT: RED, WHITE AND BRITNEY EDITION Spend July 4 reliving the days
when MTV still played music videos. DJs will be spinning hits you forgot existed. See if you can remember all the words. Nectar Lounge, 412 N. 36th St., 9 p.m., $7, 21 and over. nectarlounge.com
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
FREEDOM FEST AT STUDIO SEVEN Tons of local hardcore/metal groups at this pre-Fourth super-show. Studio Seven, 110 S. Horton St., 5 p.m., $12, all ages. studioseven.us
31ST ANNUAL NATURALIZATION CEREMONY
FRESH FRESH OCEAN CRABS
17
arts&culture
ThisWeek’s PickList
SUNDAY, JULY 5
Leo Saul Berk
From childhood trauma, art? That’s often the way it works, especially for actors and writers, though Berk isn’t re-enacting any primal scenes or revenging himself on his parents for moving the family from England to rural Illinois in 1980. Leo was only 6 then; and as he notes in the wall text to Structure and Ornament, the next six years of living in a leaky, impractical quonset-like cluster of three domed structures (by modernist architect Bruce Goff ) ended their marriage. Now based in Seattle, Berk seems haunted by the place, which he revisited in 1999. Some of the images here have been seen locally before, and they have a ghostly quality—forms and shapes half-remembered, echoed and translated into new sculptures and videos. Goff used odd materials, including cannel coal, rope, and glass cullet, for the round walls of Ford House; and the arched roof rested on trusses, something like a yurt. In his large, titular showpiece sculpture, Berk turns those radial trusses on an axis, rising from the floor like a giant spiky tiara, made of cypress wood and orange fiberglass. The spiny, spindly arms support nothing; the old architectural notion of shelter or protection has been forgotten. Berk’s large sculpture feels like a fresh-built ruin, salvaged from memory. (Through Sept. 6.) Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry
THURSDAY, JULY 2
SWEEP
Few would’ve predicted, back in the early-’80s days of beeping arcade games and primitive PCs, that such objects would eventually elicit feelings of nostalgia. But such is the pace of technological innovation that yesterday’s childhood Nintendo GameBoy is replicated as today’s iPhone case. Diodes and four-bit graphics somehow seem warmer to us now, which should draw viewers to the gallery-filling SWEEP. It features 250 sound-and-light synchronized modules arrayed in a big pulsing wall measuring 12 feet high and 36 feet wide. Designed by the triumvirate of Andy Arkley, Courtney Barnebey, and Peter Lynch (who also perform as musicians), SWEEP is run from a central control panel that visitors will be able to operate. It’s interactive, like the trio’s wildly popular Finger Power installation at Bumbershoot last year, which gave kids a virtual sugar high with all its buttons, beepers, strobes, and chirps. (I recall some sonically overwhelmed parents unable to pull their entranced children away.) And if the clamor gets to be too much, remember to visit all the other galleries open late tonight during the First Thursday art walk. (Through Aug. 6.) Gallery4Culture, 101
Ave., 622-9250, fryemuseum.org. Free. 11 a.m.– 5 p.m. BRIAN MILLER MONDAY, JULY 6
Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), galleries.4culture.org. Free. Opening reception 6–8 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
Seattle Chamber Music Festival
FRIDAY, JULY 3
Fuentes brings her flamenco to Columbia City.
(Through Thurs.) Sundance Cinemas, 4500
Ninth Ave. N.E., 633-0059. Price varies. See sundancecinemas.com for schedule. BRIAN MILLER SATURDAY, JULY 4
Grey Gardens
A portrait of Edith Bouvier Beale (“Big Edie”) and her daughter (“Little Edie”), this 1976 documentary by cinema vérité pioneers Albert and David Maysles has spawned a sequel (The Beales of Grey Gardens), an HBO movie with Jessica
Little Edie died in 2002.
Lange and Drew Barrymore, and a Broadway musical. The Maysles went behind the walls of the Beales’ crumbling, sprawling East Hampton mansion, the Grey Gardens of the title; hardly fly-on-the-wall observers, they’re constantly drawn into the bickering of the two Edies, shifting their technique accordingly. The brothers catch glimpses of the sound recording equipment, observe each other briefly passing before the camera, and even linger on their reflections in the mirror. They’ve become part of the Beales’ lives in a strange way; and as the film goes on, they’re privy to intimate confessions and unrestrained accusations as the two women rehash past mistakes and missed chances, their recriminatory banter becoming more stinging and angry. Grey Gardens has been criticized for exploiting the women, but wow, is it fascinating. Disturbing and discomforting, it comes off like a freak show at times; yet for all the mother/ daughter arguments, the Maysles tenderly reveal two women abandoned by their family, left to cling to each other for better or worse. (The newly restored film returns Fri., July 10–Thurs., July 16.) SIFF Cinema Uptown, 511 Queen Anne Ave. N., 324-9996. $7–$12. See siff.net for showtime. SEAN AXMAKER
STEPHEN RUSK
18
Orson Welles stars in Carol Reed’s wonderfully atmospheric 1949 adaptation of the Graham Greene novel, newly restored in 4K digital. Some people say that Welles exerted his influence on the picture over director Reed, but that’s unfair to the British pro. His use of skewed camera angles, Vienna’s labyrinthine sewers (shot on location), and a great zither score (by Anton Karas) makes Welles’ Harry Lime only one part of a dark canvas of corruption. Joseph Cotten plays the innocent Yank who can’t believe his old pal is involved in underworld drug-dealing and murder. When the two of them meet in the famous Ferris wheel scene, his eyes are opened to how even upright Americans can turn rotten in the right milieu (always a favorite Greene theme). Comparing the revelers below to ants, Lime asks, “Would you really feel any pity if one of those dots stopped moving forever? If I offered you 20,000 pounds for every dot that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money?”
JANUS/CRITERION
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
The Third Man
The area’s premier summer classical-music event is going heavy on Beethoven, with 10 of his works in the first week and four more the closing weekend. (Well, it is his 245th birthday this year.) Further afield are a welcome exploration of vocal music (Mahler, Respighi, Janacek, Britten) in the second week; the summer’s world premiere, Steven Stucky’s Cantus ( July 20); and two interesting arrangements: Strauss’ elegiac Metamorphosen reduced from 23 strings to seven ( July 17), and Bach’s “Goldberg” Variations for string trio ( July 24). As usual, each 8 p.m. concert is preceded by a free 7 p.m. recital; the concerts will also be broadcast to area parks— Columbia, Volunteer, and Freeway—with a free live performance of Mozart and Tchaikovsky on July 29 in Volunteer Park. (Through Aug. 1.) Benaroya Recital Hall, Third Ave. & Union
St., 283-8808, seattlechambermusic.org. Single tickets $48. GAVIN BORCHERT TUESDAY, JULY 7
Savannah Fuentes
There is a special connection between music and movement in flamenco, so that the rhythms of the footwork, the guitar, and the voice play with one another. It’s improvisational, but uses themes and elements that are fully as old as classical ballet. Fuentes, who tours mostly as a solo dancer, brings vocalist Jose Anillo and guitarist Bobby de Sofia to Seattle on this visit for El Sol de Verano, an evening of flamenco music and dance celebrating the summer sun. Columbia City Theater, 4916 Rainier Ave. S., 722-3009, columbiacitytheater.com. $23. 8 p.m. SANDRA KURTZ E
» visual arts ADAPTATIONS A group show features eight artists
•
•
BY B R IA N M I LLE R
Send events to visualarts@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended
•
Be inspired
ed roce s supp ll p
Summer Celebration Sale Event*
SAVE S AVE 50%* 7/1
to
7/8
*items with lavender tags
7710 SE 34th St., Mercer Island, WA 98040
(206)275-7760
www.miyfs.org
Store hours: Monday - Saturday 10-7, Sunday 12-5. July 4th we close at 5:00 p.m.
Celebration of world Cultures through the universal language of danCe
(HARLEM RENISSANCE, AFRO BRAZILIAN, CHINESE, INDIAN, TONGAN, SAMOAN, BREAKING, HIP HOP & CONTEMPORARY)
July 10 & 11 @ 7:30 pm The Moore TheaTre MeloDy INSTITuTe PraShaNThI ChITre INSTITuTe of PerforMINg arTS NorThweST TaP CoNNeCTIoN New ISlaNDS uNITeD (NIu) rooTS aMy o’ Neal’S “oPPoSINg forCeS (exCerPT)” Cruz CoNTrol eDNa DaIgre’S “ Ta K e M e D o w N T o D u K e ’ S P laC e ” BROught BROUGHT BROUGHT tO TO TO yOu YOU YOU By BY BY
aDVaNCe TICKeTS: aDulT $18 | STuDeNT $10
presented by
“ Se I z e T h e D ay ” f r o M T h e M u SI C a l D I SN e y ’ S NewSIeS
SUPPORT SUPPORT PROVIDED PROVIDED BY BY
The The Bradley Bradley Family Family Foundation Foundation
re x K I N N e y
GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE CALL (206) 315-8054 FOR SINGLE TICKETS CALL (877) 784-4849
STGPRESENTS.ORG
EST. 1907 2ND AVE & VIRGINIA ST
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
incorporating the natural world and Salish mythology. Opening receptions, 6-9 p.m. Fri., July 3. Raven’s Nest Gallery, 17508 Vashon Highway S.W. (Vashon Island), 567-5826, vashonravensnest.com. Call for hours. Ends July 31. PAUL KNUTZEN & SCOTT MAYBERRY Flowers and humingbirds figure in the latter’s Bloomers. Loose Ends collects Knutzen’s warped, skewed streetscapes First Thursday opening reception. Core Gallery, 117 Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 4674444, coregallery.org. Noon-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Ends July 25. LISA SNOW LADY She paints cheerful urban scenes in Neighborhood. First Thursday opening reception. Lisa Harris Gallery, 1922 Pike Place, lisaharrisgallery. com, 443-3315. 10 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Ends July 26. NEW MEMBERS SHOW Come meet and see work by Thom Heileson, Natalie Jenkins, Philip LaDeau, Joana Stillwell, and Paula Rebsom. The latter creates eerie nighttime scenes of deer hunting. First Thursday opening reception. SOIL Gallery, 112 Third Ave. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 264-8061, soilart.org. Noon-5 p.m. Thu.-Sun. Ends Aug. 2. RIES NIEMI Based in Skagit County, he often combines textiles (like a giant dress the size of a tent) and Jenny Holzer-style texts and aphorisms. First Thursday opening reception. Punch Gallery, 119 Prefontaine Pl. S. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), 621-1945, punchgallery. org. Noon-5 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. Ends ONE FOOT ON THE GROUND Tomory Dodge, Joanne Greenbaum, Jane Hugentober, Tom Knechtel, Erin Morrison, and Craig Taylor push against figuration and traditional notions of painting. Alexander Kroll is guest curator. First Thursday opening reception. James Harris Gallery, 604 Second Ave, 903-6220, jamesharrisgallery.com. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Aug. 15. ANN PALLESON In Heirlooms, she makes camera-free photograms of lace and other old decorative items. First Thursday opening reception. Gallery Frames, 311 Third Ave. S., 624-6862, galleryframes.com. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. Ends Aug. 1. YORGOS PAPADOPOULOS Presently teaching at Pilchuk Glass School, the Cypriot glass artist presents work in a show called Transforming Violence Into Beauty. First Thursday opening reception. Frederick Holmes & Co., 309 Occidental Ave. S., 682-0166, frederickholmesandcompany.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 2. PATH WITH ART This one-off student show will be part of Pioneer Square’s First Thursday art walk. The Ninety, 406 Occidental Ave. S., pathwithart.org. WILL ROBINSON The local sculptor shows new work in stone. Also on view, a SSO benefit show honoring the late gallery owner Don Foster. Works by Dale Chihuly, Susan Skilling, Tony Angell, Joseph Goldberg, Anne Hirondelle, Pam Canlis, James Martin, Ginny Ruffner, Steve Jensen, Allison Collins, and James Kraft will be on the block. First Thursday opening reception. Foster/ White Gallery, 220 Third Ave S., 622-2833, fosterwhite.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends PATTY ROGERS Her paper collage works include birds and flowers. Opening receptions, 6-8 p.m. Fri., July 3 & 10. Roby King Gallery, 176 Winslow Way E. (Bainbridge), 842-2063, robykinggallery.com. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tue.-Sat. Ends Aug. 1. MICHAEL SCHUNKE & JOSIE GLUCK The Fine Line presents colorful new glass bowls inspired by Cy Twombly. First Thursday opening reception. Vetri Glass, 1404 First Ave., 667-9608, vetriglass.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun. Ends July 31. RAVEN SKYRIVER The Tlingit renders whales, seals, and other fauna in a show called Intertidal. First Thursday opening reception. Stonington Gallery, 125 S. Jackson St., 405-4040, stoningtongallery.com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Fri. (weekends vary). Ends July 31 ADRIANNE SMITS & TRAVIS POND The latter, a sculptor, has created a big metal deer out of what looks to be salvage. Smits paints forested landscapes. Their show is called Wild in Nature. First Thursday opening reception. Bryan Ohno Gallery, 521 S. Main St., 459-6857, bryanohno.com. Free. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Ends Aug. 29. THESIS EXHIBITION Suzanne Fiore, Andrej Gregov, and Kristin Zwiers present their new photography. Photo Center NW, 900 12th Ave., 720-7222, pcnw.org. Noon-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat. Opens Thurs., July 2. Ends Aug. 15.
t or
including Morgan Brig, who creates whimsical little robot-like sculptures. First Thursday opening reception. Patricia Rovzar, 1225 Second Ave., 223-0273, rovzargallery.com. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sun. Ends Aug. 3 GREGORY BLACKSTOCK One of our favorite local artists, the autistic-savant former dishwasher is a cheerful explainer. His mostly tabular, annotated works are didactic in a sense; he’s teaching us something about flags and dogs and donkeys and hydroplanes, organizing and categorizing them for our edification. They’re like the rare color pages you find in an unabridged dictionary, illustrated not for the sake of art, but instruction. Also on view, work by a dozen fellow outsider artists, called I Taught Myself, including Henry Darger and Grandma Moses. First Thursday opening reception. (Special bonus: the shy Blackstock often plays his accordian during such events.) Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave., 624-0770, gregkucera.com. 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Aug. 29. HEIKE BRACHLOW The German glass artist, now based in the UK, creates elaborately bent and shaped sculptures. Color Through Form represents her first exhibition with the gallery. First Thursday opening reception. Traver Gallery, 110 Union St., 587-6501, travergallery. com. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Ends Aug. 2. BUDDY BUNTING His huge new painting Valley Fever depicts the Juvenile Detention Facility in Antelope Valley, California, part of our nation’s prisonindustrial complex. The name also refers to the notorious coccidioidomycosis immitis fungus that, in an increasingly poor, arid region, is afflicting the predominantly Hispanic residents of the San Joaquin Valley. Owing to the real-estate crash of 2008, draught, and global warming, many of those afflicted can’t afford to move to a healthier environment, as described in an important New Yorker story last year. First Thursday opening reception. Prole Drift, 523 S. Main St., 3995506, proledrift.com. 1-7 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m-2 p.m. Sun. Ends Aug. 30. JACK CHEVALIER & JULIA HAACK From Vashon, Chevalier paints flappers and actresses from the Jazz Age and silent-movie era. Local artist Haack specializes in wooden constructions that are painted and assembled as wall displays. First Thursday opening reception. Linda Hodges Gallery, 316 First Ave. S. 624-3034, lindahodgesgallery.com. 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Aug. 1. CONVERGENCE A quintet of Skagit County painters show their work: Michael Clough, Heidi Epstein, Kathleen Faulkner, Margy Lavelle, and Allen Moe. First Thursday opening reception. Virginia Inn, 1937 First Ave., 728-1937, virginiainnseattle.com. 11:30 a.m.midnight daily. Ends July 31. A CURIOUS BESTIARY Prints by a half-dozen artists are featured, most depicting chimeras and cryptozoological specimens you won’t find in nature. First Thursday opening reception. Davidson Galleries, 313 Occidental Ave. S., 624-6700, davidsongalleries. com. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends July 31. FREMONT ART WALK Frame Up Studios is showing photos by Frame Up Studios. Also on the circuit are Saturn, West of Lenin, and Canvas. 6-9 p.m. Fri., July 3. See fremontfirstfriday.com for all venues. GAME: ART: ARCHITECTURE A group show pitting the three disciplines against one another, curated by Liz Patterson, features Jon Haddock, Cable Grifith, Ken Wong, Jessica Alves, Damien Gilley, Nick Falbo, Brett Johnson, and Olson-Kundig Architects. Also on view: Craig van den Bosch’s Nano Systems. First Thursday opening reception. Shift Gallery, 312 S. Washington St. (Tashiro Kaplan Building), shiftgallery.org. Noon-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Ends July 31. GET REAL A group show features artists including Francesca Sundsten, Alla Bartoshchuk, Chris Leib, and Jaye Schlesinger. Also on view, works by Amy Spassov, seen last month at the Seattle branch gallery under the rubric Inside Out. Opening reception 5-8 p.m. Wed., July 1. Hall|Spassov Gallery, 800 Bellevue Way N.E. (Bellevue), 425-453-3244, hallspassov.com. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends July 31. GROUP SHOW Deborah Bell, David Ivan Clark, Larry Pentz, and Margaret Watson show new paintings. Most of the artists will likely attend the opening. First Thursday opening reception. Gallery I|M|A, 123 S. Jackson St., 625-0055, galleryima.com. 10:30 a.m.5:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends Aug. 1. GROUP SHOW Alla Bartoshchuk , Francesca Sundsten, and Chris Leib are featured. First Thursday opening reception. First Thursday opening reception. Hall|Spassov Gallery, 319 Third Ave. S., 223-0816. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tues.-Sat. Ends July 31.
ALLIE HIGH The Native American artist shows prints
a
Openings & Events
19
Paid Advertisement
A Personal Call to Action I n 1980, an African American woman sat on an old dilapidated couch, shaking, as tears flooded her eyes. Legs covered with bruises, terrified, she held her infant daughter, trying to comfort her. Nearby, her four year old was curled in a fetal position, moaning softly. The floor was littered with a broken lamp, patches of hair, torn clothing, and crushed cereal. All grim reminders of her husband’s violence a few minutes ago. He was a 7 ft. 2” tall minister.
a&c» stage
Sh eiipl lae t t Tr
206-504-3592 600 Elliott Ave. W, Seattle Online Booking at:
www.HairbySheilaTriplett.com
Weaving - Extensions Color - Blowouts - Keratin
Stage
$25.
OPENINGS & EVENTS
Weaving & Extensions
madness, and more from three uncanny entertainers. Spooked in Seattle, 102 Cherry St., 800-838-3006, brown papertickets.com. $30–$45. 7 p.m. Thurs., July 2. ALL YE FAITHFUL A reading of Benjamin Benne’s play about “faith, fear, and serpents.” West of Lenin, 203 N. 36th St., westoflenin.com. Pay what you can. 7 p.m. Mon., July 6. BLOOD SQUAD This horror/improv troupe takes on zombie movies—with a patriotic twist— in “Amber Waves of Brain.” Annex Theatre, 1100 E. Pike St., bloodsquad.org. $10. 8 p.m. Fri., July 3. FREEDOM FANTASIA SEE THE FREEDOM CALENDAR, PAGE 17. IMPROV COMEDY MUMBAI India’s first professional improv troupe sends up its country’s film culture in “Red, White, & Bollywood.” Market Theater, 1428 Post Alley, 587-2414, unexpectedproductions.org. $5–$15. 8:30 p.m. Thurs., July 2, Fri., July 3, Sun., July 5; 7 p.m. Sat., July 4. ’MERICA NIGHT AT JET CITY IMPROV SEE THE FREEDOM CALENDAR, PAGE 17.
OFF
ACTS OF DESPERATION: A MACABRE SHOW Magic,
She remembered him putting his face close, his fists tight, as he knocked her to the ground. Her belly tightened with pain, fear, and dread for what he would do next. He yelled, “You little whore! Don’t you know I’m head of the house, and you have to do what I tell you! If you ever try to leave me again, I’ll kill us all!” Sometime later, she heard the sound of the front door slamming. Temporarily alone, she called a 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline, and found connections to a network of advocates who provided the tools and resources she needed to become a survivor. Three very strong and brave African American senior women of faith were also always there to encourage and support her. The great combination of helpers was a key ingredient in rediscovering her own voice, and learning that she deserved to be treated right. I was that woman, and you too can make a difference in your own life, as well as others. We all have a responsibility to take action to end violence, so that no one has to suffer the pain of abuse ever again.
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
If you or someone you know needs help, find the domestic violence program in your community by visiting wscadv.org or calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY).
20
You can also make a difference by raising money and awareness for domestic violence prevention by registering for the Goodwill Refuse To Abuse® 5K at Safeco Field at refusetoabuse5k.org. To learn more about the services that Multi-Communities provides, please call (206) 937-7155 or visit us at www.multicommunities.org. Bettie Williams-Watson, Founder/Executive Director Multi-Communities
CURRENT RUNS
CABARET All the ingredients are there, but VT’s production
280945_4.75_x_5.5 4/7/15 11:00 AM Page 1
•
CALL NOW & SAVE UP TO 84% ON YOUR NEXT PRESCRIPTION Drug Name Qty (pills) Viagra 100mg 16 Viagra 50mg 16 Cialis 20mg 16 Cialis 5mg 90 Levitra 20mg 30 Spiriva 18mcg 90 Celebrex 200mg 90 Advair 250/50mcg 180 ds Zetia 10mg 100 Crestor 20mg 100 Combivent 18/103mcg 600 ds Symbicort 160/4.5ug 360 ds Cymbalta 60mg 100 Namenda 10mg 84 Nexium 40mg 90 Diovan 160mg 100 Aggrenox 200/25mg 200 Entocort 3mg 100 Propecia 1mg 100 Januvia 100mg 90 Quinine 300mg 100 Ventolin 90mcg 600 ds Pentasa 500mg 100
Price* $ 99.99 $ 79.99 $ 99.99 $129.99 $109.99 $169.99 $104.99 $184.99 $109.99 $154.99 $119.99 $194.99 $174.99 $ 97.99 $109.99 $ 72.99 $121.99 $109.99 $ 69.99 $209.99 $ 74.99 $ 59.99 $109.99
Drug Name Avodart 0.5mg Pradaxa 150mg Vagifem 10mcg Xarelto 20mg Asacol 800mg Tricor 145mg Colchicine 0.6mg Abilify 5mg Singulair 10mg Plavix 75mg Premarin 0.625mg Pristiq 50mg Janumet 50/1000mg Protonix 40mg Aciphex 20mg Evista 60mg Flovent 110mcg Niaspan 500mg Boniva 150mg Xifaxan 200mg Multaq 400mg Flomax 0.4mg Ranexa ER 1000mg
Qty (pills) 90 180 24 84 300 90 100 100 84 90 84 100 84 84 100 100 360 ds 84 3 100 180 90 100
Price* $ 99.99 $459.99 $ 94.99 $444.99 $229.99 $119.99 $ 89.99 $139.99 $ 33.99 $ 26.99 $ 75.99 $134.99 $184.99 $ 29.99 $ 69.99 $134.99 $114.99 $ 84.99 $ 49.99 $139.99 $574.99 $ 49.99 $114.99
All pricing in U.S. dollars and subject to change without notice. *Prices shown are for the equivalent generic drug if available.
✔ Over 1500 Medications Available ✔ Call for Free Price Quote
✔ Price Match Guarantee ✔ Prescriptions Required ✔ CIPA Certified
Toll Free Phone
1-800-267-2688
Toll Free Fax
1-800-563-3822
Shop: www.TotalCareMart.com or Call Now! 1-800-267-2688 Mailing Address: ORDER PROCESSING CENTER, PO BOX 121 STN L
WINNIPEG MANITOBA, R3H 0Z4 CANADA
nevertheless lacks atmosphere—a sense of gathering doom. This is a PG-13 show. If you’ve been looking for a Cabaret to which you can take the kids, you’re in luck. Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N. (Issaquah), 425-392-2202. $35-$67. Runs through July 3; see villagetheatre.org for schedule. (Runs in Everett July 10–Aug. 2.) NOISES OFF This intricate farce sends up mediocre provincial theater troupes and worse sex comedies. SecondStory Repertory, 16587 N.E. 74th St., Redmond, 425-881-6777, secondstoryrep.org. $22–$27. 8 p.m. Thurs.– Sat. plus 2 p.m. Sun. starting June 28. Ends July 5. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE Three actors portray Billy Pilgrim in this new adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s antiwar novel. Center Theatre at the Armory, Seattle Center, 216-0833. $25. Runs Tues.–Sun. see book-it.org for exact schedule. Ends July 3. TEATRO ZINZANNI “The Return of Chaos”—glitzy, campy, and definitely chaotic—is a show for the Jem generation: To a soundtrack of mid-’80s glam anthems (“Invincible,” “Holding Out for a Hero”), Seattle superheroes battle the Horde of Four, villains in thrall to a robot-puppet-dog who commands them to steal the superheroes’ . . . beer. The cirque acts framed by this nutball premise are as exhilarating as ever, if not more so. Just to name a few: Vita Radionova somehow keeps outdoing herself with her hoop-juggling act; Mickael Bajazet attaches taps to his palms and tap-dances on his hands; Kevin Kent’s drag persona is more than usually over-thetop and ad-lib-adept. Teatro ZinZanni, 222 Mercer St., 8020015. $99 and up. Runs Thurs.–Sun. plus some Wed.; see zinzanni.com/seattle for exact schedule. Ends Sept. 13.
CODE: AJ44
Dance
DANCEGARDEN African-inspired dance and music from
Dance Brazil and others. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., stgpresents.org. Free. 7 p.m. Thurs., July 2. SAVANNAH FUENTES SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 18.
•
Classical, Etc.
NORTHWEST MAHLER FESTIVAL Reading sessions of
large-scale romantic works, closing with Rachmaninoff’s First. See nwmahlerfestival.org for registration info and venues. Donation. 7 p.m. Wed., July 1. ICICLE CREEK CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Six concerts, opening on July 2 with eminence grise pianist Gilbert Kalish playing Ives’ “Concord” Sonata. July 3: Berg’s Four Pieces with Seattle Symphony clarinetist Laura DeLuca, plus Schumann and more. Icicle Creek Center for the Arts, 7409 Icicle Rd., Leavenworth, 877-2656026, icicle.org. $10–$20. 7 p.m. July 2, 3, 10, 11, 17, 18. OLYMPIC MUSIC FESTIVAL Chamber music each Sat. & Sun. at 2 p.m. through Sept. 13. This weekend, American bonbons: Gershwin, Sousa, and more. 7360 Center Rd., Quilcene, Wash., 360-732-4800, olympicmusicfestival.org. Single tickets $20–$32, passes $220–$320. SEATTLE CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL SEE THE PICK LIST, PAGE 18. NORTHWEST BOYCHOIR Launching a California tour with a fundraiser at Plymouth Church, 1217 Sixth Ave., 5243234. nwboychoir.org. $15–$25. 7 p.m. Tues., July 7.
•
•
B Y G AV I N B O R C H E R T
Send events to stage@seattleweekly.com, dance@seattleweekly.com, or classical@seattleweekly.com
» literary Author Events CAMILLE GRIEP Letters to Zell, her debut novel,
B Y G AV I N B O R C H E R T
Send events to books@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended
•
A Reader’s Guide
SPOTLIGHT ON
Elliott Bay Book Company The Argonauts
by Maggie Nelson
"What it is to be with another person, to give birth to another person, to do so in shifting contexts and definitions, is taken on with open eyes, heart, and searing intelligence. You will see everyone and everything in your life with different eyes after reading this intense, reflective, most rewarding book." - Rick
Find the perfect book at your local bookseller and...
Let this be YOU!
Bestsellers at Elliott Bay Book Company:
SPOTLIGHT ON
University Book Store The World is On Fire
by Joni Tevis "Beginning with a visit to
the labyrinthine Sarah Winchester house, Joni Tevis’ essay collection The World is on Fire reads like a slowly unrolling map of forgotten pilgrimages. She peers into the private thoughts of the soldiers who built Doom Town in the 1940s, the cave at Patmos where John wrote Revelations, and the fairytale grottoes of Rock City, Georgia. As she opens her weird cabinet of obsessions, she invites the reader into her own deeply personal history of faith, desire, grief and loss. " - Seija
Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson
University Book Store Staff Favorites
by Christopher Robinson and Gavin Kovite
The Book of Numbers by Joshua Cohen
The War of the Encyclopaedists All the Light We Cannot See
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
by Anthony Doerr
The Oregon Trail by Rinker Buck
Words Without Music by Philip Glass
Babe by Petra Collins
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up:
Vegan Richa's Indian Kitchen
The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo
THE ELLIOTT BAY BOOK COMPANY CELEBRATING OVER
40 YEARS
OF INDEPENDENT BOOKSELLING
Shop from 250,000 titles and find a complete list of author events & sign up for our blog at:
www.elliottbaybook.com
by Richa Hingle
Good Books, Great Events, Free Parking Live Music Friday & Saturday Nights Lake Forest Park Towne Center 206-366-3333 www.thirdplacebooks.com
Largest Selection of
Metaphysical Books In Downtown Seattle
Come see Ada’s new home at 425 15th Ave E Seattle, WA
adasbooks.com
Mark Vanhoenacker author of
skyfaring
1521 Tenth Avenue · Seattle 206-624-6600
MIND • BODY • SPIRIT • EARTH
Books • Tarot • Goddess Magic Astrology • Tibetan Statues Sage • Crystals Candles • Incense Oils Aromatherapy • Hemp Global Exchange Fair-Trade & much, much more!!
Best Psychic Readings Daily! 1530 FIRST AVE (1st & Pine) 206.467.7745
July 9 • 7pm
u district store for full information visit
ubookstore.coM/eVents
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
“ponders what would happen if fairy tales’ most famous women abandoned the stories written for them and chose to follow their dreams instead.” University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E., 634-3400, bookstore.washington.edu. 7 p.m. Wed., July 1. NISID HAJARI From this Seattle author, Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition. Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. 7 p.m. Wed., July 1. CHARLES KAISER The Cost of Courage reconstructs the tale of a family working for the French Resistance. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Thurs., July 2. AN EVENING OF POETRY Erin Fristad, Judith Skillman, and Faith Allington read. Fremont Branch Library, 731 N. 35th St., 684-4084, spl.org. 6:30 p.m. Mon., July 6. MARY DORIA RUSSELL In conversation with Nancy Pearl, she’ll discuss her latest historical-fiction story, Epitaph, centered around Tombstone’s Wyatt Earp. University Bookstore. 7 p.m. Mon., July 6. RYAN WINFIELD Falling for June completes this local author’s romance trilogy. Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way N.E., 366-3333, thirdplacebooks.com. 7 p.m. Mon., July 6. TOBIAS BUCKELL & DJANGO WEXLER discuss their latest, Hurricane Fever and The Price of Valor, respectively. University Bookstore. 7 p.m. Tues., July 7. KELLI ESTES Her debut novel, The Girl Who Wrote in Silk, was inspired by true events. Third Place, 7 p.m. Tues., July 7. ROGER HOBBS’ new book, Vanishing Games, involves a bag of sapphires, heists, and murder! Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 117 Cherry St., 5875737, seattlemystery.com. Noon, Tues., July 7. AMY KITTELSTROM The Religion of Democracy: Seven Liberals and the American Moral Tradition explores the role of religion in our politics. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Tues., July 7. SONYA LEA A launch party for her marriage memoir, Wondering Who You Are. Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., 322-7030, hugohouse.org. Free. 7 p.m. Tues., July 7. ALLAN AMENT Learning to Float is his memoir of his carrer as a criminal defense attorney. Third Place, 7 p.m. Wed., July 8. REBECCA MAKKAI Her first book of stories is Music for Wartime. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Wed., July 8. RUSS CRANDALL & JENNY CASTANEDA New cookbooks from these paleo-diet advocates. Third Place, 7 p.m. Thurs., July 9. MICHAEL FERTIK Helpful advice in The Reputation Economy: How to Optimize Your Digital Footprint in a World Where Reputation Is Your Most Valuable Asset. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave., 652-4255, townhallseattle.org. $5. 7:30 p.m. Thurs., July 9. MARK VANHOENACKER The columnist, pilot, and author of Skyfaring: A Journey With a Pilot. University Bookstore, 7 p.m. Thurs., July 9. TARA AUSTEN WEAVER Gardening as metaphor underlies her memoir Orchard House. University Bookstore, 7 p.m. Thurs., July 9. DON WINSLOW signs his new book, The Cartel (“the War and Peace of dope war books,” says James Ellroy). Seattle Mystery Bookshop, noon; Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Thurs., July 9. POLLY DUGAN A bachelor becomes responsible for his dead best friend’s family in The Sweetheart Deal. University Bookstore, 7 p.m. Fri., July 10. JESSE GOOLSBY I’d Walk With My Friends if I Could Find Them is a novel about three American soldiers haunted by their actions in Afghanistan. Third Place, 6:30 p.m. Fri., July 10. ROBIN MCLEAN & DEVIN BECKER The former reads from her story collection, Reptile House; the latter reads poetry from Shame|Shame. Elliott Bay, 7 p.m. Fri., July 10. YASMINE GALENORN Shimmer is a dragon shifter who works as an investigator for a vampire-run company in Flight From Death. Seattle Mystery Bookshop, 10 a.m. Sat., July 11. MIKE LAWSON Tough-as-nails bodyguard Joe DeMarco returns in the North-Dakota-set House Rivals. Seattle Mystery Bookshop. Noon, Sat., July 11.
GOOD BOOKSTORES
21
arts&culture» film
Opening ThisWeek
old family wounds. That contrived irony isn’t lost on Llosa, it’s just that she hasn’t anything insightful to say about it. SEAN AXMAKER
Aloft
For good reason, Hollywood has mostly stopped making biopics about great artists. Beethoven, wandering through the woods, stops to hear a songbird in a sunny glade, then runs home to compose a symphony. Melville, after jumping ship in Polynesia, eventually sails home to write Typee. Or Van Gogh, flat on his back in a farm field, watching the starry skies wheel overhead— you get the idea. Yet the genre lives on in Europe, where reverence for the classical endures, Mr. Turner and The Invisible Woman being but two recent examples. The twist to Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden is that she depicts 20 years in the life of a different sort of artist: DJ Paul (Félix de Givry), who rejects his university studies and bourgeois home to spin records—and later press laptop keys—in the clubs of Paris and New York. (Hansen-Løve wrote the script with her brother, a former DJ.) Is Paul a great artist? And is his an art worth following? Though quite long and immersive, Eden fails to convince on either front. Part of the problem is that, despite all the dancers around him, Paul’s craft is essentially interior—like watching a writer write. He’s mainly deciding and selecting: this beat or that, this sample or another. One hand cupping a headphone to his ear, the other on the turntable
Aloft opens in a desolate desert of ice and snow where caravans of pilgrims, traveling in big rigs and camper vans, converge at the end of the world as if it’s the promised land. One of those desperate souls is Jennifer Connelly, cinema’s contemporary face of the female and almost holy capacity for sacrificing, suffering, and enduring. This seeker has two young sons: Gully, dying from a fatal (and pointedly unnamed) condition, is a sweet kid who adores his big brother; and budding falconer Ivan, resenting being dragged along on his mother’s obdurate odyssey to find a faith healer. She doesn’t believe; she just doesn’t have any better options at this point. Years later, she’s become a guru healer in her own right, an Earth mother in the Arctic Circle who hasn’t seen Ivan in two decades. Meanwhile the estranged Ivan has grown into Cillian Murphy, he of the gentle blue-eyed countenance that suggests both fragile soul and budding serial killer. He’s inherited his mother’s anger and the belief that the world has left him short. The embers of his resentment are fanned back to full blaze when a documentary filmmaker (Mélanie Laurent) arrives with questions about his legendary mother.
OPENS FRI., JULY 3 AT SEVEN GABLES. RATED R. 131 MINUTES.
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
22
or raised triumphantly to the crowd (save us from that cliché), he’s just standing there. Then there’s the fact that Paul isn’t a terribly interesting character. He squabbles with various girlfriends (Greta Gerwig among them), constantly cadges money from his exasperated mother (Arsinée Khanjian, always so fine in the films of her husband, Atom Egoyan), and watches as two of his fellow DJs go on to success as Daft Punk. (One of the film’s better jokes is that, even when a worldwide phenomenon, they can’t get into their old clubs because no one knows their faces.) Lastly, and this is something to respect about Hansen-Løve’s decision not to make Paul a star, his career trajectory doesn’t follow a Hollywood arc. Yet neither is he the sort of beautiful loser as in say, Barfly. His coke habit is no fun, and none of his successive lovers provide interesting pushback. Eden gives us the serious, comprehensive Bildungsroman approach to an artist and an art that are fundamentally shallow. Its novelistic epi-
“It’s showtime, not brotime!” Manganiello (left) and Tatum are told.
sodes build to nothing apart from a sense of loss, of youth squandered. At one point, Paul speaks of wanting to build a track “between euphoria and melancholia.” Eden captures that feeling, if little else. BRIAN MILLER
Magic Mike XXL OPENS WED., JULY 1 AT SUNDANCE, MERIDIAN, BIG PICTURE, LINCOLN SQUARE, AND OTHERS. RATED R. 115 MINUTES.
BROAD GREEN PICTURES
Paul (de Givry) spins the hits while his life spins out of control.
Everything about Aloft, the debut Englishlanguage feature from Peruvian filmmaker Claudia Llosa, feels more allegorical than real. It’s a serious yet touchy-feely consideration of “art and nature as a way of healing,” in the words of Laurent’s filmmaker, who has her own reasons for tracking down Connelly’s character. The latter now goes by the name Nana, a calculatingly nurturing moniker for such a hard, ferocious mother. Her curative touch is channeled through ephemeral, natural sculptures recalling Andy Goldsworthy’s work in the doc Rivers and Tides. Aloft’s landscape is all barren isolation, like scenes from the frozen apocalypse. Its atmosphere is heavy with inarticulate anger and broken communication. Llosa merely puts a frame around the feelings burning within frustrated Ivan yet denied by his desperate, terrified mother. Llosa’s leaden mix of aesthetics and metaphor yields no personality behind these family conflicts. And her story is no fresher than that of the healer who can’t heal
CLAUDETTE BARIUS/WARNER BROS.
OPENS FRI., JULY 3 AT SUNDANCE AND PACIFIC PLACE. RATED R. 97 MINUTES.
Eden
Even in mediocre movies, too often his specialty, Channing Tatum is near-impossible to resist. Steven Soderbergh scored an unlikely hit comedy with 2012’s Magic Mike, inspired partly by Tatum’s youthful experiences as a male stripper. Soderbergh here only serves as editor and cinematographer (his associate Gregory Jacobs directs), and the chiseled smarm of Matthew McConaughey’s Dallas is a crucial loss. (The new guy in that movie, Adam, is hardly missed.) Tatum, as producer, is calling the shots here, again collaborating with writer Reid Carolin to deliver a road trip with blissfully little on its mind. Basically, Mike and his four well-endowed musketeers head from Florida to a stripper convention in South Carolina. Though this leads, inevitably, to a big strip-off, the fun lies in the grace notes that make MMXXL just a little slyer than it needs to be. While Mike’s furniture business is going OK— but not a success, because the Magic Mike franchise is grounded in blue-collar reality—his four bros are only scraping by in the trouser-removal trade. There’s now gray in their hair (though not on their chests, of course). Pretty boy Ken (Matt Boner) says of his career prospects, “I’m still pretty,” with a fading beauty queen’s plaintive denial. Grizzled Tarzan (Kevin Nash) wears a knee brace and walks gingerly. Richie ( Joe Manganiello) and Tito (Adam Rodriguez) are floating various wacky business schemes, but these brawny dreamers are trapped in the only sector of the service economy that will have them. Fittingly, they begin their picaresque journey in a food truck. If the henhouse banter among these guys suggests Entourage, there’s none of the bling or bullion. In one telling detail shot, an automated money counter packages dollar bills—not $10s or $20s—for women to rain on Mike and company. Their job, as Richie comes to accept, is to unashamedly provide male entertainment for female customers. (Andie MacDowell shows up as a foxy, rich Savannah divorcee; and here’s a spry, sassy Jada Pinkett Smith as the proprietress of a black ladies’ entertainment club.) MMXXL repeatedly reassures us that the women are enjoying the lap dances and crotch-in-face titillation,
and the movie’s casting of satisfied customers emphatically features plus-sized women. There’s constant talk of feelings in this silly, generous movie. It is, like Mike, good-natured and respectful, aware of its limitations. Channing can still dance, as seen in a Flashdance spoof in Mike’s woodworking shop. And for those timing a popcorn break, note that it takes 70 minutes for Tatum to remove his shirt, but never the baseball cap. BRIAN MILLER
One Cut, One Life RUNS FRI., JULY 3–THURS., JULY 9 AT GRAND ILLUSION. NOT RATED. 106 MINUTES.
Back in the ’60s Ed Pincus made some key social-issue documentaries and wrote a how-to book that became a bible for low-budget filmmaking. If he’d kept on that track, he would have remained a respectable figure in the world of nonfiction film. Instead, Pincus rejected the idea that a camera could record something without changing it, and made a first-person documentary about his own life, Diaries (1971–76), released in 1982. That 200-minute epic was scorned as Me Generation navel-gazing by The New York Times, but also widely acclaimed. Pincus’ work was influential (his former Harvard student Ross McElwee clearly aped the Pincus style in his classic Sherman’s March), but the man himself dropped out of filmmaking for 30 years to raise flowers and family in Vermont. We hear about the reasons for that in One Cut, One Life, a summing-up movie that nevertheless raises old concerns. Instigated by Pincus after he received a diagnosis of terminal cancer, the film is co-directed by Lucia Small. Faithfully following the directorial philosophy of laying it all out there, One Cut becomes as much about Small’s life—she’s recently lost two close friends to violent death—as it is about Pincus and mortality. There’s also the fact that Ed’s wife Jane, a co-author of the feminist handbook Our Bodies, Our Selves, is pained not only by the camera’s intrusion but by the closeness between Ed and his younger female collaborator. ( Jane’s been through this before, as the extramarital affairs of the Pincuses’ open marriage were included in Diaries.) Awkward encounters abound, and it is difficult to escape the scent of narcissism even as you might admire the honesty involved. The longer the movie goes on, the more interesting it gets. The subject matter itself is not explored with great insight, but in many ways One Cut is not about Pincus dying or Small dealing with grief, except in the sense that they need to document it with a camera. That’s what the film is really about:
Why this compulsion to record these life moments, to preserve them and give them order? To their credit, the people involved sort through these issues (when Jane compares the videotaping of sensitive scenes to rape, Small puts the camera aside, and our next shot has the camera recording from Jane’s point of view). Maybe the filming is a way of trying to cheat Death, to borrow a phrase used in a different context in the movie. Or maybe it’s just one long denial. ROBERT HORTON
Terminator: Genisys OPENS WED., JULY 1 AT CINERAMA, SUNDANCE, ARK LODGE, MERIDIAN, THORNTON PLACE, AND OTHERS. RATED PG-13. 125 MINUTES.
“Goddamn time-traveling robots!” Perfectly expressing my own sentiments, the line comes midway through the fifth installment of the Terminator series, now essentially a sitcom with large explosions and much flying glass. Yes, you can pay for IMAX and 3-D if you insist, but the writing here is small-scale: grumpy disapproving robot Pops (Arnold Schwarzenegger), feisty, independent daughter figure Sarah (Emilia Clarke), and her nervous, bumbling suitor Kyle ( Jai Courtney). The latter has been dispatched from 2029 to 1984 by his secret son John (Jason Clarke), but I won’t bore you with any more of the franchise’s titanium-plated mythology, which requires heavy loads of exposition. Why bother? No one on the planet doesn’t know these movies—or at least the first two good ones. James Cameron is long gone, so can’t we skip the self-importance?
THE GOONIES
FRI & SUN - WED @ 7:00PM / SUN @ 3:00PM
AIRPLANE!
FRIDAY & SUNDAY - WEDNESDAY @ 9:30PM
HECKLEVISION
TANGO & CASH
THURSDAY @ 8:00PM
JULY 3, 5–9 Co-director Lucia Small in attendance
OPENS FRI., JULY 3 AT SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN. NOT RATED. 103 MINUTES.
Although it tells a mildly fantastical tale of ghosts and a magical mansion, When Marnie Was There is best at capturing authentic childhood experience. Even the sound is right. Maybe it stands out because we’re watching an animated movie, but the ambient noise is uncannily good. When the heroine arrives at her new home for the summer, every creaky floorboard and tinkling wind-chime gives a feeling of “Yes, that’s exactly how that sounds.” Those things are felt more keenly when experienced in a new place, which is the situation for Anna. She’s been sent to the seaside by her frustrated adoptive mother, who suspects a change of scenery would benefit the shy girl. Anna stays with a kindly older couple, but her imagination is captured by the moody house across a tidal flat, where ethereal blonde Marnie offers friendship. (SIFF will screen both the original Japanese-language version, with subtitles, and the dubbed version, with Hailee Steinfeld as Anna and Kieran Shipka as Marnie.) The story, adapted from a book by Joan G. Robinson, is developed in the typically thoughtful style of Studio Ghibli, the storied Japanese animation house. Like the best of Ghibli’s films, Marnie is absolutely in sympathy with its young protagonist; there are no fake grown-up inventions about what kids are like. It’s got missing pages from a diary, hidden inscriptions on the backs of paintings, and a mysterious old silo where you shouldn’t go. Those hooks are just solid enough to carry the plot through its sometimes gauzy progress. Director Hirosama Yonebayashi—under the eye of Ghibli guru Hayao Miyazaki—previously helmed Ghibli’s The Secret World of Arietty, a gorgeous little daydream of a movie. Marnie doesn’t have the sustained momentum of Arietty—at times I lost the thread as I was sorting out what was past and present and what was real and imaginary. One might also feel a twinge of regret at the Disneyready image of Marnie, with her Farrah Fawcett hair. But the visual presentation is stupendous, a colorful combination of the lush and the simple. Plus, refreshingly, there are no boys around to provide romantic interest or save the day. They’re not needed in this portrait of female friendship and listless summer days. ROBERT HORTON E
film@seattleweekly.com
GR ANDILLUSIONCINEMA.ORG ���� NE ��TH STREET | ���-����
cinema
NOW PLAYING
FRI JULY 3 - THU JULY 9
EGYPTIAN
UPTOWN
FILM CENTER
EXCLUSIVE!
The Overnight
STAGE TO SCREEN PRESENTS NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE
805 E PINE ST
When Marnie Was There OPENS JULY 3 The gorgeous new animated film from Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away), winner of 2015 SIFF Films4Families Youth Jury Award. Presented in both subtitled and dubbed versions, visit SIFF.net for details.
COMING SOON MIDNIGHT ADRENALINE
We Are Still Here JULY 10 & 11
A Story of Floating Weeds
SAT JULY 11 | WITH LIVE SCORE BY AONO JIKKEN ENSEMBLE STAGE TO SCREEN
NT Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers
OPENS JULY 14
Tangerine OPENS JULY 24
511 QUEEN ANNE AVE N
NOW PLAYING Jason Schwartzman, Adam Scott, and Taylor Schilling star in this “indecently hot and hilarious sex comedy.” - Rolling Stone
Me and Earl and The Dying Girl NOW PLAYING Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner! “Funny, hip, touching and utterly irresistible.” - New York Post
Dope NOW PLAYING “The perfect movie for the summer of 2015.” - Salon
Grey Gardens SAT JULY 4 SPECIAL MATINEE EVENT Spend Independence Day with Big and Little Edie in a newly restored print. With free tuna bites!
SEATTLE CENTER NW ROOMS
The Audience
JULY 4 – 6 Special encore presentation! The original London production featuring Helen Mirren’s Tony Award winning performance as Queen Elizabeth II.
Man and Superman
JULY 3 – 9 Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma star in this exhilarating reinvention of Bernard Shaw’s witty, provocative classic. MINI FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT!
Czech That Film
TUE JULY 7 To See the Sea with Czech actor and director Jiří Mádl in person!
SIFF EDUCATION
Crash Student with NFFTY MAKE A FILM IN 8HRS | JULY 11
Steal That Shot 3 SUNDAYS | 8/9, 8/23, 8/30
High schoolers re-create scenes from classic films.
Check Movie Times and Buy Tickets · SIFF.net · 206.324.9996
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
I say sitcom, yet Genisys—despite flirting with San Fran start-up culture—isn’t nearly up-to-date enough with its technology jokes. “I’m old, not obsolete,” growls Pops, even as his joints grow arthritic and his hair gray while following and protecting Sarah from 1972 to 2017. (And about that: There’s so much time-skipping, forward and back, and so many alternate-reality characters that I’ll skip the summary.) Only Schwarzenegger has any charisma here, which really is a funny inversion of his automaton performance of ’84. Then he was perfect for the role because he couldn’t act. Now he doesn’t need to; he just is, like a late-career John Wayne. Our trio is pursued first by a silver-morphing T-1000, yawn, and then by a hybrid manmachine creature that heals itself with fractal metal splinters that can be scattered by magnet. It’s cool, it’s self-aware, but it also grows tedious with the lectures. (“There truly is no fate!”) Oh, and Skynet even has its own avatar now, cheekbones familiar from British TV. But again, why bother? Why not try something new instead of recycled jokes and feature bloat? In its best action moments (plunging helicopter, plunging Pops, plunging school bus, etc.), the movie reminds you how George Miller’s
SHOWTIMES
JULY 3rd - 9th
When Marnie Was There
MELINDA SUE GORDON/PARAMOUNT
Back to the future? Courtney reprises the Michael Biehn role from ’84.
Mad Max reboot jettisons the backstory to make the chase that much lighter and faster. Fury Road moves relentlessly forward; Genisys just feeds upon its own franchise. After smarter, sleeker recent depictions of future technology (Her comes to mind, or even Lucy), the lumbering Genisys represents a failure of modern product design. The form factor, like Schwarzenegger’s CGI-retouched visage, is stuck in the ’80s—all clanging metal and showering sparks. (Sarah’s favorite keepsake is even a cassette player.) A car chase is still a car chase; and a rain of bullets means nothing when we know all these characters will be rebooted in more sequels. Pops pointedly receives an upgrade, but he hardly seems new. Where’s Jonathan Ive when you need him? BRIAN MILLER
23
arts&culture» film
Voted Best Movie Theater F
2014 W
INNER
By Seattle Weekly Readers! Thank You!!
Local & Repertory • AIRPLANE! This 1980 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker
SE AT TLE
4500 9TH AVE. NE • 206-633-0059
WWW.SEATTLEWEEKLY.COM/READERS/REGIS TER
Two Ways To Save At Sundance Seattle Monday is $6 ORCA Day Show Your Orca Card and ALL Seats are $6 ($7.50 for 3D).
Tickets Avail at Box Office Only. Not good on holidays.
Tuesday is Girls Movie Night Out!
2 or more ladies get $5 ($6.50 for 3D) Admission All Day. Tickets Avail at Box Office Only.
MAGIC MIKE XXL TERMINATOR GENISYS in 3D / 2D
ING
WE E K LY
JURASSIC WORLD in 2D / 3D
MUSIC
THE THIRD MAN
A LITTLE CHAOS
ALOFT
LOVE & MERCY
SPY
EVENT S
DOPE
TED 2
*Tickets available at the box office.
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
SUNDANCECINEMAS.COM
24
P R O Ongoing MO T IO NS
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON Writer/director Joss
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD in 2D / 3D EX MACHINA
send-up of all airplane/disaster flicks was a huge and hugely quotable hit in its day. The jokes aren’t so fresh now, but you can admire the deadpan of Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hays, Peter Graves, and company. The film also gave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar his best screen role. And surely we’re not joking about that. (PG) Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 686-6684, central-cinema. com. $7-$9. 9:30 p.m. Fri. & Mon.-Wed. CZECH THAT FILM FESTIVAL Seven recent titles from the Czech Republic are screened, beginning with the comedy To See the Sea, about an 11-year-old aspiring filmmaker. See siff.net for full schedule. (NR) SIFF Film Center (Seattle Center), 324-9996. $7-$12. Opens 7 p.m. Tues. Runs through Sun., July 12. THE GOONIES Before he was Sam in the LOTR movies (before he could shave, for that matter), Sean Astin joined fellow child actors including Corey Feldman in this 1985 fantasy-adventure flick, hatched by the powerful cartel of Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus (though directed by Richard Donner). (PG) Central Cinema, $7-$9. 7 p.m. Fri. & Sun.-Wed. & 3 p.m. Sun. TOP GUN Your derisive texts will appear onscreen during this “Hecklevision” presentation of the 1986 Tom Cruise smash. Remember what a hot couple he and Kelly McGillis were? And that beach volleyball scene! (PG13) Central Cinema, $9-$11. 8 p.m. Thurs.
EVENT S NEW SLETTER A weekly calendar of the city’s best offerings.
EVENT S
Whedon balances comedy and derring-do with dexterity, and this sequel to 2012’s top grosser doesn’t stall the franchise. Plus it’s got new characters to geek out about, villains especially. Ultron is an artificial-intelligence “murderbot” inadvertently created by billionaire Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.)—also known as Iron Man, of course—and scientist Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), aka the Hulk. Ultron changes robotic shape during the film, but his voice is provided by James Spader, who sounds like a tiger mellowed out on expensive brandy. He’s fun, if perhaps overly humorous for a creature who seeks to end mankind’s dominance on Earth. But Whedon, an encyclopedia of pop culture, can’t help himself—earnestness about this nonsense is for 20th-century suckers. It’s not easy to out-irony Downey, but Spader succeeds; Ultron wouldn’t be out of place as a campy Austin Powers villain. (PG-13) ROBERT HORTON Oak Tree, Alderwood 16, others CINDERELLA When the mood strikes me, I also can be swept up in watching two beautiful people fall in love. And beautiful they are: Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden as Prince Charming (in some very flattering tight pants) and Downton Abbey’s Lily James as the demure and free-spirited Ella. (Let’s also here bestow the praising-hands emoji upon James’ eyebrows, the boldness of which is unprecedented by any other Disney princess.) The familiar plot has been gently tweaked. Prior to the fateful ball, Ella now meets Prince Charming in the forest, where he claims to be a humble apprentice working at the palace. Ella’s also been given more agency. Unlike most adaptations of the Perrault folk tale, this Ella is hardly embarrassed by her low station. She soon adopts a strong take-meas-I-am attitude, surely designed to appeal to girls raised on Frozen. After being christened “Cinderella” by her evil stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, she chooses to reclaim the demeaning nickname and make it her own. Is that the best message for how to respond to bullying? Perhaps not the worst. (PG) DIANA M. LE Crest DOPE Eighteen-year-old Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a brainy nerd from a poor section of L.A. who’s possessed of a profound love for high flattop haircuts, acid-washed jeans, BMX bikes, Air Jordans, and A Tribe Called Quest. At the same time, he’s very much a creature of the iPhone present, conversant in Bitcoin and Silk Road. He’s savvy enough to recognize an opportunity when a bag of MDMA drops into his hands. So which path is more promising—the thug life or the Ivy League? Written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa, Dope starts with the irresistible, cheerful energy of its central trio: earnest Malcolm, wry Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), and irrepressible Jib (Tony Revolori, from The Grand Budapest Hotel ). Dope works best in chasecomedy mode, as our heroes blunder from one hazard to the next, constantly switching codes among different classes and milieus. Famuyiwa’s comedy is both smart and—in its latter third, especially—a little sloppy. A final bit of stand-and-deliver didacticism doesn’t bother me either. I’m not sure Dope offers anything more than a good time, but it offers a very good time. (R) BRIAN MILLER SIFF Cinema Uptown, Sundance, others
•
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS Long-widowed Carol
(Blythe Danner), once a singer, is now comfortably retired. Her bridge buddies (June Squibb, Rhea Perlman, Mary Kay Place) have moved to a retirement community, while Carol lives alone in her big empty house—terrorized by a rat and befriending the pool cleaner (Martin Starr). “There’s supposed to be something more,” she frets of the third act we all inevitably face. Carol’s gentle reawakening comes in the form of confident silver fox Bill (Sam Elliott, who else?), and I would be pleased to report that the very companionable Dreams has nothing more than post-menopausal romance on its mind. The senior matinee crowd—and this critic—would be content with a sunset marriage, yet screenwriters Marc Basch and Brett Haley (who directs) are determined to add a jolt of realism to the proceedings. The writing is sharper on the current Netflix elder-com Grace and Frankie, though I could see this whole likable Dreams cast doing guest shots on that show. (PG-13) B.R.M. Guild 45th, Kirkland, Lynwood (Bainbrdige), others INSIDE OUT Pixar has updated the mapping of our minds with a colorful palette, using the very latest technology and even consulting neuroscientists. The fanciful animated result is a combo of Oz-style quest and bright-hued PET scan. Orbs containing the memories of 11-year-old girl Riley careen down ramps and tubes like a pachinko machine devised by Rube Goldberg for the digital age. They’re deployed by five rival/collaborative emotions who run the central control board within Riley’s cartoon cranium. An only child, she moves with her parents from hockey-loving suburban Minnesota to San Francisco, whereupon chaos soon ensues. Inside Out’s squabbling characters of Joy (voiced by chipper Amy Poehler), Sadness, Fear, Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust are like film directors vying for control of a runaway project called Riley. The film’s more serious than expected, less silly and slapstick in tone than prior Pixar efforts. For parents, Inside Out will be an occasion to talk with their kids about sadness—or Sadness, the blue-haired party-pooper who seems to ruin every memory orb she touches. Part of the pathos here is how much of childhood must be forgotten to reach puberty and adulthood. Our puny RAM can only hold so much. (PG) B.R.M. Majestic Bay, CinebarreMountlake, Varsity, Bainbridge, Ark Lodge, Vashon, Kirkland, Pacific Place, Thornton Place, others JURASSIC WORLD With cruise ships dumping off thousands of tourists weekly, with a shopping mall (Starbucks included) at the center of dinosaur theme park, InGen scientists and executives need a profitable new 2.0. “More teeth” is the mandate, yielding a recombinant dino dubbed Indominus rex, made of secret DNA parts from disparate beasts. After 30 minutes of setup, director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) speeds through the sticky Spielbergian moments of family bonding. The rhythm is simply chase, devour, repeat. When the movie does pause, it’s to remind us that these cold-blooded “assets” are also animals that should be treated with respect, even awe. Jurassic World’s storytelling DNA is old-school, never clever. Two bland brothers of 16 and 11 are forever in danger, much to the consternation of their workaholic aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who runs the theme park. Her romantic foil is the hunky dinosaur whisperer Owen (Lake Stevens’ Chris Pratt, his comedic looseness straightjacketed by the role). Yet despite the dim writing, stock characters, and general aversion to the jokes and shocks of Jaws, this reboot is a satisfying blockbuster. (PG-13) B.R.M. Kirkland, Lincoln Square, Sundance, Cinebarre-Mountlake, Majestic Bay, Bainbridge, Ark Lodge, others A LITTLE CHAOS In late 17th-century France, Sabine De Barra (Kate Winslet) is a single professional woman whom we’d today call a landscape architect. She’s in the indirect employ of King Louis XIV (director Alan Rickman) to help her boss André Le Notre (Matthias Schoenaerts) create Rockwork Grove. That amphitheater, with its backdrop of cascading waters, is real, as were Le Notre and the Sun King, though Sabine is an entirely invented character. But then, she’d have to be: Sabine is undaunted by sexism, unimpressed by most men, uncompromising in her design ethos (more nature, less culture), and constantly rolling up her sleeves up to prune trees, lift timbers, and drop new schematics in André’s startled lap. Because Sabine is such the force of nature—a proto-Romantic, even, during this Age of Enlightenment—we know she’s going to prevail. Though there’s a bit of court intrigue, garden sabotage, and past trauma in need of healing, A Little Chaos can only end with Sabine triumphant. Perhaps for that reason (and the soft script, and the stock characters), she, Rickman, and the rest of a talented cast coast comfortably above the material, just as Louis himself maintains a weary, self-humoring distance from earthly clamor. (R) B.R.M. Sundance
• LOVE & MERCY During discreet periods in the ’60s
•
•
boss (Allison Janney) before she can wing it to various European cities in pursuit of a sultry Slavic baddie (Rose Byrne), aided by her agency sidekick (English TV star Miranda Hart). Apart from disposable henchmen, this comedy hardly needs any dudes; yet Hollywood hedging strategies require some testosterone (cue Jason Statham, ably parodying himself). Feig wrote Spy to accommodate endless “alts,” those on-set alternative takes in which he whispers new lines to his very game cast. This not a bad thing, since the espionage template—guns, glamour, chases, private jets, double crosses, stolen nukes—is so familiar. We’ve all seen the same Bond movies, and Feig owes no reverence to those tux-and-casino antecedents. Still, the irreverence is too slapdash. (R) B.R.M. Sundance, Pacific Place, Cinebarre-Mountlake, Thornton Place, Lincoln Square, Majestic Bay, Big Picture, others WOMAN IN GOLD The last time Helen Mirren went up against the Nazis, in The Debt, it was really no contest. So you will not be surprised to learn that the Austrian art thieves of the Third Reich fare no better against her Holocaust refugee Maria Altmann. Woman in Gold takes its title from the alternate, Nazi-supplied moniker for Gustav Klimt’s 1907 Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Adele was Maria’s beloved aunt, and Maria became the plaintiff in a long-fought art-restitution case against the Austrian government. As Maria’s sidekick, Ryan Reynolds plays the young attorney Randy Schoenberg. This odd couple is obviously going to prevail against
the stubborn, post-Waldheim Austrian establishment. As Maria says, “If they admit to one thing, they have to admit to it all.” Were the writing better, this would’ve made a good courtroom procedural, but director Simon Curtis instead chooses to add copious flashbacks to the Anschluss era and Maria’s narrow escape from the Nazis. So while this is a serviceable star vehicle that depends on Mirren’s reliably purring V-12 engine, two other actresses play Maria at different ages—depriving us of the regular pleasure of her smackdowns upon poor Randy. (PG-13) B.R.M. Crest WELCOME TO ME Kristen Wiig’s ability to slip from broad humor to quietly devastating insight is already well documented. Here she plays an unfortunate soul named Alice Klieg, whose borderline-personality disorder has cast her into the margins of society—until, that is, she wins the lottery, which means she can bankroll her own cable-TV talk show. The show gives her a chance to air her grievances—she has many— prepare recipes, and sing. It’s a trainwreck, but she keeps throwing money at the production company and they keep pocketing it. (James Marsden, Joan Cusack, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Wes Bentley play her befuddled coworkers.) Director Shira Piven has a great cast and she handles it well, although it would be nice to find out more about Alice’s best friend and ex-husband, especially with ready-to-roll Linda Cardellini and Alan Tudyk playing the roles. The idea of Alice as an avatar for a collective fantasy about getting rich and famous
From the creators of Spirited Away, The Secret World of Arrietty, and My Neighbor Totoro
HHHH MAGNIFICENT!
“
As gorgeously animated as anything Studio Ghibli has ever made.” – Time Out New York
MAGICAL! ” STUNNING! “
keeps the movie interesting, but there’s something a bit off about the delivery. (R) R.H. Tin Theater (Burien) THE WOLFPACK New York filmmaker Crystal Moselle somehow discovered the six Angulo brothers, who were raised inside a shabby apartment, home schooled, and only rarely allowed to go outside by their overprotective father. She found them taking a tentative prowl around the streets while dressed as characters from Reservoir Dogs. This is where Moselle’s documentary gets fascinating. The Wolfpack interviews the family members, observes them in their cramped surroundings, and shows how engaging (if naïve and gawky) the Angulo boys are. What saved them, apparently, was the movies. For some reason, father Oscar amassed a library of hundreds of films, which the brothers memorized and re-enacted. The and roleplaying put the brothers not far from Geek Nation at large, but for many such teenagers those activities are an escape from the world; for the Angulos, they’re a connection to it. The Wolfpack reminds us, in extreme terms, that watching movies might be a way of learning how to live. (R) R.H. Crest
•
BY B R IA N M I LLE R
Send events to film@seattleweekly.com See seattleweekly.com for full listings = Recommended
•
“★★★★★! CRITIC’S PICK! UNLIKE ANY FILM OF ITS ERA! A BEAUTIFUL RESTORATION!”
CAROL REED’s
- Time Out New York
ITS FIRST MAJOR RESTORATION
“EXQUISITE! ALL THE REASONS WE GO TO THE MOVIES!” - The Village Voice
RIALTO PICTURES
EXCLUSIVE ONE WEEK ENGAGEMENT SEATTLE Sundance Cinemas Seattle
STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 3
– Los Angeles Times
(206) 633-0059
FRI-SAT 1:40, 4:15. 6:50 & 9:15 PM SUN-THURS 2:40, 5:15 & 7:50 PM
★★★★
A MASTERPIECE!”
“
SEATTLE WEEKLY
WED 7/1
2 COL. (4.83") X 2"– Mara Reinstein,MR ALL.TDM.0701.SW
#2
www.marniefilm.com © 2014 GNDHDDTK
STARTS FRIDAY, JULY 3RD SIFF CINEMA EGYPTIAN
805 E PINE STREET (206) 324-9996 SEATTLE
TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Seattle Weekly Wednesday, 7/2
NOW PLAYING IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES & SHOWTIMES
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
and ’80s, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson is portrayed as a young visionary (Paul Dano) and a fragile, terrified older man (John Cusack). Yet somehow Bill Pohlad’s biopic manages to capture a lot of history in those few years. Dano radiates a state of near-bliss as Wilson creates Pet Sounds with the greatest studio musicians in L.A.—subject of the recent doc The Wrecking Crew—in a studio he treats as an artistic playroom. Cusack doesn’t look much like Dano, but he has the same expression of sincerity and openness, trapped in the frail mind of an infantilized adult. Paul Giamatti’s sleazy, abusive shrink makes this Wilson a kind of psychological prisoner. But, thankfully, the film does have a kind of heroine: Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth Banks), who helps rescue the older Wilson from Dr. Landy and his many meds. Generous sampling from the Beach Boys catalogue indicates full cooperation from the Wilson family, and the film does have a certain inevitable march to redemption. Yet Love & Mercy shows Wilson’s demons and drives—how his creative freedom away from the band cost him the emotional support of his brothers. All of which makes the final harmony that much sweeter. (R) SEAN AXMAKER Sundance, Oak Tree, others MAD MAX: FURY ROAD Tom Hardy takes the title role in George Miller’s much-anticipated Mad Max reboot. The equally impressive Charlize Theron plays a buzzcut-wearing, one-handed turncoat named Furiosa. Though this movie makes me feel like driving fast through the desert, there’s no way I’d stop to offer either of them a ride. Regardless how thrilling the action in this near-constant chase movie, Max and Furiosa haven’t got anything interesting to say. Miller and his co-writers have some sort of dense desert mythology in mind, though the internecine conflict is hard to follow. The accents and engine noise make the dialogue and exposition mostly unintelligible, and I don’t think Miller really cares. Furiosa has liberated the five nubile wives of a masked Geezer of Oz, who with his marauders sets out in pursuit of Max and company. (One of the villain’s pasty-white minions, Nux, played by Nicholas Hoult, will eventually switch sides.) The 3-D Fury Road is masterfully kinetic and often downright berserk, with endless amounts of sand, car parts, spears, harpoons, grenades, chainsaws, and fists being flung in your face . . . I mean Max’s face. And, frankly, the more stuff being thrown in your face, the less time you have to worry about the plot holes or rushed heap of an ending. It’s a thrilling, exhausting picture. (R) B.R.M. Sundance, Cinebarre-Mountlake, Lincoln Square, Pacific Place, others ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL Said dying girl is Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a Pittsburgh classmate— but not friend—of high school senior Greg (Thomas Mann), a movie obsessive who wants nothing more to be the next Wes Anderson. Greg and Earl (RJ Cyler) are a misfit duo of filmmaking buddies in a chaotic, teeming public school full of bullies and jocks, cliques and castes. Director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon helmed several episodes of Glee, and it’s fair to assume that he and screenwriter/source novelist Jesse Andrews still have all the slights and indignities of high school seared into their brains. The movie’s first half is an utterly delightful spin on the usual mopey YA themes. It’s impossible to stop smiling at Greg and Earl’s series of arthouse movie remakes (their own private Criterion Collection), including My Dinner With Andre the Giant, Eyes Wide Butt, Pooping Tom, and A Sockwork Orange. However, in this unusual two-act structure, following a major misdirection ploy, there must be leukemia, Greg’s growing attachment to Rachel, prom, and finally a college-admissions crisis that the film doesn’t really need. But the movie works, perhaps because—decades after high school—you remember the laughter more than the tears. (PG-13) B.R.M. SIFF Cinema Uptown, Guild 45th, others THE OVERNIGHT Written and directed by Patrick Brice, this is a creepy, raise-the-stakes comedy about a new friendship gone awry between two L.A. couples. The film is a one-night romance between one married pair (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling) and the other (Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche) after their young sons bond at the playground. A joint family pizza dinner leads to booze, pot, skinny-dipping, and the progressive baring of souls. I won’t say all of it works, but this awk-com amusingly explores the consequences of that dangerous phrase, “I want to loosen up.” (R) B.R.M. SIFF Cinema Uptown SPY Melissa McCarthy’s enjoyable new star vehicle easily passes the Bechdel Test, and that’s a welcome relief during the summer blockbuster season. Once we get the male CIA agent—Jude Law’s amusingly selfish prick—out of the way, Paul Feig’s spy spoof is almost entirely given over to women. McCarthy plays CIA desk jockey Cooper, who has to talk her way past a skeptical
25
arts&culture» music
PEW! PEW!
I spent a week watching nearly every Pacific Science Center laser show so you don’t have to.
J
26
SHOW #1: Laser Dubstep: 2.5 out of 5 Pews
WARREN LANGFORD
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
ohn Borcherding, the head laser artist (or, more awesomely: laserist) at Pacific Science Center has ruled the Laser Dome since 2000. To date Borcherding has conducted over 12,000 laser shows, more than anyone else in the world. According to him, the shows here were started by the godfather of laser art, Ivan Dryer, in the ’70s, back when the Dome was called “The Spacerium.” Since then, the Pacific Science Center venue has earned the distinction of being the longest continuously running laser theater in the world. Borcherding is showing me around his historic laser realm as a preface to the mission I’m about to undertake: For one week, I will watch as much hot laser action as my eyeballs can take. Why? Because I care. During our tour, I make a confession: The only laser show I’ve seen was a classical-music montage at Space Camp when I was 16. Borcherding immediately asks which one. See, these shows are often mass-produced (“canned shows,” he calls them) and sent to similar laser theaters all over the country. Not so at this topnotch establishment. “What we do here is change it up on a day-to-day basis,” Borcherding says. “We have a palette of imagery to choose from.” The laserists sit in the back of the theater in a control booth that looks like a futuristic jet cockpit and lord over the audience like radical DJs, improvising their beaming bacchanals on the fly. The shows here change seasonally. Laser Pink Floyd is the only mainstay, but popular ones like Daft Punk stick around longer than others. Most shows are 40 minutes to an hour. During the summer, the dome hosts shorter and cheaper matinees. They just premiered a “Gayzer” show for Pride. Fourth of July brings the launch of Laser Guardians, a show accompanied by the soundtrack from last year’s hit film Guardians of the Galaxy. After chatting for a bit, Borcherding, dreamfulfilling wizard that he is, gives me a fleeting glimpse of life as a laserist, allowing me to sit in the control booth, mess with the array of lasercontrolling knobs, and stomp on a strobe-light foot pedal. But that’s not why I’m here. I have a mission. A mission to scrutinize laser shows.
One would think lasers and dubstep would be a good pairing because dubstep consists primarily of laser noises, but nope. I show up late, and an usher guides me through the darkness to the first seat we can find. I’m immediately struck by just how bright the lasers are; nothing really sparkles like a laser. The animated portions are not my favorite, but the laserLaserist John Borcherding.
BY WARREN LANGFORD pattern part of the show is entrancing. They also use the full spectrum of color—I was expecting only red, green, and blue for some reason. I only recognize a few songs from commercials, and I find myself zoning out; but each time I start dozing away, the signature dubstep “bass drop” snaps me right out of la-la land. By the end of this first show I fall totally in love with lasers, but even further out of love with dubstep. This is where I learn that the evening shows have encores, whether or not the audience asks for one. Sitting in my seat, I’ve had to crane my neck through the entire show, and that sucks. When the lights come up, it’s revealed that everyone but me was lying on the ground. I won’t make the seat mistake again. SHOW #2: Laser Daft Punk: 5 out of 5 Pews
I stake out a plot on the floor and lie down with a trusty throw pillow. It reminds me of naptime in kindergarten, and I wonder how often they shampoo the carpet. As the show begins, I realize this is the perfect pairing I was hoping for. There’s very little animation, mostly whirling vectors and mesmerizing spiral graphics. Lots of old Daft Punk classics like “One More Time” and “Around the World.” Only “Get Lucky” makes it off of the Random Access Memories album. Clearly this selection was curated by a Daft Punk purist—the love for the tunes really shines through. The audience goes nuts the whole time and so do I. In the darkness I sloppily write “Warren loves lasers” in my professional journalistic notebook. SHOWS #3 and #4: Laser Pink Floyd Extrava-ganja: 4.5/5 out of 5 Pews
The two Laser Pink Floyd shows (Laser Dark Side of the Moon and Laser The Wall) are the flagship shows at Pacific Science Center’s Laser Dome—they’re where Borcherding flaunts his years of expertise. It’s literally his time to shine. I don’t consider myself a Pink Floyd fan by any means, but Dark Side is totally kick-ass. There’s some dazzling red grid action reminiscent of a Nintendo Virtual Boy. A segment where the lasers are filtered to dance around nebulously like meandering aural cobwebs is dreamy and transcendental. Overall the show is graciously light on animation and heavy on the berserk spirally stuff; however, “Money” gets the animated treatment with a bunch of whirling dollar signs, but it occurred to me that Floyd is British, so shouldn’t it be the pound symbol up there? Ah well, laser logic is lost on me. 4.5 out of 5 Pews Between shows, my buddy and I split a 10 mg Uncle Ike’s weed brownie and proceed to giggle like goobers in line for The Wall. Hard to tell if it’s actually any better than Dark Side, but the pot certainly makes it seem so. The lasers take on immensely satisfying depth and the patterns are simultaneously playful and intense. “Comfortably Numb” is the evening’s
high point—maybe even the high point of my whole Laser Dome experience. Goddamn if it doesn’t seem refined. I really get the feeling this is a labor of love, but at this point I also feel the same way about whoever mixed my concessionstand Chex Mix. Overall The Wall beats Daft Punk by a nose and is the best time I have at the Laser Dome. 5 out of 5 Pews. Would see again! SHOW #5: Laser Gorillaz: 3.5 out of 5 Pews
My wife, a Gorillaz fan, joins me for this one. Seeing as Gorillaz is an animated concept band, I fully expect this show to be heavy on the animated sequences. I’m not wrong. Although most are animated with the band’s characters, some of the visuals seem random. One animated sequence, featuring a mad scientist, will show up again later in Laser Michael Jackson. The laserist touted Gorillaz as the longest show, clocking in at an hour, but to me it really doesn’t seem longer than the other evening shows. The sound seems muddy, like the natural reverb of the room just doesn’t quite jive with the tunes. My wife gets a big kick out of the show, but I think the Pink Floyd brownie experience set my laser bar too high. Dude snoring next to me doesn’t help. SHOW #6: Laser Beatles: 2 out of 5 Pews
As one of the matinees, Laser Beatles is definitely for kids. The animation takes you through predictable Yellow Submarine imagery and a lot of the band’s early stuff. Not my cup of tea, but the toddlers stomping around my head in total darkness seem to be having fun. Their napping parents seem content too. Pro tip: These matinees are the perfect half-hour respite for when you’re tired of ushering visiting out-oftowners around Seattle Center. SHOW #7: Laser Michael Jackson: 4 out of 5 Pews
Woof, last one. This one is also a matinee, but sports a much wider selection of hits than the Beatles show. Of course, “Thriller” is animated with dancing skeletons. I’m a little disappointed there isn’t a morphing Macaulay Culkin during “Black or White.” Though I’m pretty lasered-out at this point, Laser MJ is a good one to go out on.
After the show I walk up to the control booth to chat with a laserist named Roxie. Of the four current laserists, she says she’s the newbie, just now learning how to compose her own shows. She tells me she’s manning the matinees while Borcherding hunts for a new laser artist. “Say what?” I internally proclaim. “The Laser Dome is hiring?” Suddenly I’m pondering a career change. A torrent of laser dollar signs flood my mind. Journalism is pretty cool, but pew pew pew! E
music@seattleweekly.com
PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER LASER DOME 200 Second Ave. N., pacificsciencecenter.org. $10.50 ($7 on Thursdays). Showtimes vary.
» music
1,000+ Humans, a Single TV, and a Single VHS Copy of Sunday is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to relive Seattle grunge history with a bunch of strangers outside an apartment building.
SEATTLE
116 PIKE STREET SEATTLE, WA 98101 206-204-2233
BY DUSTY HENRY
D
erek Erdman is always up to something. The Seattle artist and Sub Pop receptionist runs his own revenge rap call-service under the name Rap Master Maurice, maintains a free psychic hotline, and posted a widely circulated hoax-Craigslist ad posing as Kurt Cobain’s former roommate trying to sell the singer’s old skis ($80) and Swatch phone ($55). Now Erdman’s readying his most ambitious endeavor yet: a public mass screening of Cameron Crowe’s grunge-era blockbuster, Singles, hosted in the courtyard of Capitol Hill’s Coryell Court Apartments—the building in which the film’s Pearl Jam-fueled, lovelorn main characters live. In just a week and a half, Erdman’s amassed over 1,000 Facebook RSVPs to the event. Ominous threats from the landlord loom over the gathering, but Erdman isn’t backing down. “If I go to jail over this, somebody had better bail me out,” Erdman says. “Or at least help out with the fines.” This may be the only opportunity modern grunge fans will get to hear Citizen Dick’s “Touch Me I’m Dick” as it was meant to be heard: on a single TV/VHS combo set with thousands of strangers in a courtyard.
JULY 11TH
ATOMIC POP
THE UNORIGINALS BAND 9PM - 1AM
Erdman: A group of friends and I watch movies in the courtyard of our apartment every Wednesday night. The idea for Singles hit me while half-paying attention to Die Hard: With a Vengeance—that it would be nice to watch a movie at a place where the actual movie was filmed. I first considered showing The Parallax View on top of the Space Needle, but that seemed, uh, too ambitious. How did you get in touch with people at the Singles house?
Yes, just a TV with a built-in VCR. That part is really important to me, for it to be that simple. The point of this event isn’t to comfortably enjoy the cinematic masterpiece that is Singles or to witness Matt Dillon’s role of a lifetime. I can’t even imagine that it will last longer than 15 minutes, you know? Where did you find the fated VHS copy you’ll be using for this ceremony?
Value Village on 11th Avenue. I also scored three Glassybabies and a Kid Sensation 12˝ on the same visit. It was a radically Seattle shopping experience.
Word has it that the landlord has threatened to arrest people who come on the property. Do you foresee this being an issue? Is there an escape plan?
I don’t care if it’s an issue, I’m just trying to give the people what they want. In a way, a compliment for the building is a compliment for him as well. If things get too out of hand, I advise everybody to just run away singing that “nah-nah-nah-nah” Paul Westerberg song.
Do you have any surprises in store, like special guests?
Nothing guaranteed, but I’ve received messages from people who are close to James Le Gros and Tom Skerritt and have suggested they might stop by. A friend
of mine’s father was an extra in the Alice in Chains scene; he might attend. Somebody who claims to own Janet’s car said they’d bring it by. There will also be some commemorative buttons and T-shirts given away. It’s going to rule so hard. If Tad and Xavier McDaniel dropped in, it would rule slightly harder.
THE MOSS BROTHERS BAND LATE SEPTEMBER DOGS 9PM - 1AM
What do you think Citizen Dick would sound like if they formed today?
I can’t imagine any different than they did then. Their place in music seemed perfectly cemented. I guess it would be cool if they had a more updated name, though, like Citizen Wolf Dick. What current Seattle artists do you think would be essential to a Singles reboot?
Tacocat is essentially Alice in Chains already, and Chastity Belt are a blatant Soundgarden ripoff. Dude York ably backing Cliff Poncier played by Dave Meinert in Citizen Wolf Dick? Shit, man, I dunno. Porter Ray could be the mime—that guy is totally cool.
JULY 18TH STUBBORN SON IAN HALE AND THE LEGACY
What morals and life lessons do you hope people take away from the screening?
Even in the quagmire that is society today, dreams can still come true. The landlord of the Singles apartment can’t have 1,200 people arrested at once. Life is tossed salads and scrambled eggs. E SINGLES AT THE SINGLES HOUSE Coryell Court Apartments, 1820 E. Thomas St. Free. 9 p.m. Sun., July 5.
Shows 21+ in the Cavern
TICKETS at HRC & TicketWeb.com HAPPY HOUR Sun. - Fri. 3pm-7pm
/HRCSEA HARDROCK.COM/CAFES/SEATTLE
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
I walked by the Singles building to get an idea of how many people could fit in the front yard and happened to see a tenant leaving, and ran the idea past her. She loved it, and said that I could run an extension cord from her apartment for power. I have to imagine everybody who lives there knows of the building’s significance—there are people taking pictures outside of it all of the time.
Will you be showing the film on just the one TV with the VHS player? Will the 1,000-plus RSVP’d guests be able to see the screen?
ASHLEY ARMITAGE
Touch Me, I’m Derek.
SW: Where did you get the idea for this?
JULY 17TH
27
arts&culture» music
BY DUSTY HENRY
L
El Corazon E orazon www.elcorazonseattle.com
109 Eastlake Ave East • Seattle, WA 98109 Booking and Info: 206.262.0482
THURSDAY JULY 2ND FUNHOUSE BRIAN FOSS PRESENTS:
FUTURE FRIDAYS with Franklin & Bash: The Band, Pink Muscles, Plus Guests
Doors at 9:00PM / Show at 8:00. 21+. $7
FRIDAY JULY 3RD EL CORAZON KGRG 89.9 FM & EL CORAZON PRESENT:
MUSTARD PLUG with Regional Faction, The Kings, Dead Bars, The Botherations
Doors at 7:00PM / Show at 8:00 ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $12 ADV / $14 DOS
FRIDAY JULY 3RD FUNHOUSE
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
VOICE OF ADDICTION
28
with Suburban Vermin, No Buffer, The Famished
Doors at 7:30PM / Show at 8:30 ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $8 ADV / $10 DOS
SATURDAY JULY 4TH EL CORAZON MIKE THRASHER PRESENTS:
SUNDAY JULY 5TH FUNHOUSE
HEAD NORTH w/A Will Away, Light Years, Casey Bolles, Jumping Fences Doors
7:00PM / Show 7:30. ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS
MONDAY JULY 6TH FUNHOUSE SOUTH SIDE SLUGS TOUR FEATURING
POUYA
w/Fat Nick, Germ, Mike The Magician Sir Michael Rocks, Don Krez, Hosted by Nick Colletti
Doors 7:00PM / Show 7:30. ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $13 DOS
TUESDAY JULY 7TH EL CORAZON
VIC RUGGIERO (THE SLACKERS) w/Sammy
Kay (Sammy Kay And The Fast Four), Curtis Irie (Sammy Kay And The Fast Four/Irie Idea), Ego Twisters Doors 7:00PM / Show 7:30.
ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $10 ADV / $12 DOS
TUESDAY JULY 7TH FUNHOUSE
TAYLOR CANIFF
WICKED HIPPIE
Doors at 6:30PM / Show at 7:30 ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $20
Doors 7:30PM / Show 8:00 ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $8 ADV / $10 DOS
with Michael Wood, Plus Guests
SATURDAY JULY 4TH FUNHOUSE
w/Ted Bunny, Party Shark
WEDNESDAY JULY 8TH FUNHOUSE
BRIAN FOSS PRESENTS:
BOAT RACE WEEKEND w/Oranges
w/Burlington Coat Felony, Upwell, Hell Raisers
Squares, Boom Boom Kid Doors 7:00PM / Show 7:30. ALL AGES/BAR W/ID. $8 ADV / $10 DOS
THRASHERS CORNER
Doors 9:00PM / Show 9:30. 21+. $7
From The President, Hidden History, Wild English,
JUST ANNOUNCED 7/26 - THE CASUALTIES / DAYGLO ABORTIONS 8/6 FUNHOUSE - PIZZAFEST FEAT. CHILDBIRTH 8/8 - PIZZAFEST FEAT. NOBUNNY 8/25 FUNHOUSE - ROSEDALE 10/21 - JARABE DE PALO UP & COMING 7/9 FUNHOUSE - JESSE LAWSON (EX-SLEEPING WITH SIRENS) 7/10 - SUPER GEEK LEAGUE 7/11 - DESIGNER DISGUISE 7/11 FUNHOUSE - C-AVERAGE 7/12 - KALI RA / DIONVOX 7/12 FUNHOUSE - DOG PARTY 7/14 FUNHOUSE - HARMLESS DOVES 7/15 - THE ADOLESCENTS 7/15 FUNHOUSE - DOUBLECLICKS 7/16 - CHROME 7/16 FUNHOUSE - MOBILE DEATHCAMP 7/17 - THE ATARIS 7/17 FUNHOUSE - MILLHOUS 7/18 - MY BODY SINGS ELECTRIC 7/18 FUNHOUSE - THE PHENOMENAUTS THE FUNHOUSE BAR IS OPEN FROM 3:00PM TO 2:00AM DAILY AND HAPPY HOUR IS FROM 3:00PM UNTIL 6:00PM. Tickets now available at cascadetickets.com - No per order fees for online purchases. Our on-site Box Office is open 1pm-5pm weekdays in our office and all nights we are open in the club - $2 service charge per ticket Charge by Phone at 1.800.514.3849. Online at www.cascadetickets.com - Tickets are subject to service charge
The EL CORAZON VIP PROGRAM: details at www.elcorazon.com/vip.html for an application email info@elcorazonseattle.com
ocated in the often-overlooked space between Ballard and Fremont (which sometimes goes by the stomachchurning nickname “Frelard”), Substation, Seattle’s newest music venue, is easy to miss. The club’s facade could be mistaken for one of the area’s many factories or breweries. But Substation is hoping to play off this nondescript vibe. Since officially opening in June, booker Tim Basaraba and the club’s owners, Dave West, Ken Wallace, and Jeremy Rudo, have been marketing the place’s “underground warehouse feel.” It’s an apt description—everything from the concrete floors to the standing tables are gray. Practice spaces in the back come complete with drum kits for bands to rent and use. And as its stated “underground” intentions might suggest, Substation is trying to embrace the misfits of Seattle’s music scene. Basaraba says the venue will book everything from punk and shoegaze to hip-hop and nerdcore. There’s seemingly nothing off limits for the venue—it just has to be weird. “It’s not like [the owners] were saying ‘We don’t want to make money,’ ” Basaraba says. “But they were saying, when in doubt, don’t do the fucking douchey Doors [or] Grateful Dead cover band night.” Basaraba describes the Seattle scene as divided into three sects: younger DIY artists who struggle to land gigs at bigger venues, “hot new bands” with personal connections to the media and venues, and “entitled bands” that have been around for a while and are a “known commodity.” “I’d rather have the two ends of the spectrum,” he explains. “The bands that are trying to get in, but can’t, and the known-commodity bands that I know I can deal with and trust [more] than I would the ‘newest latest thing.’ They are going to get their shows anyway, so why do I need to put them here?” Basaraba has been a longtime booker in Seattle, working for The Mix and the now-defunct White Rabbit and Benbow Room. Now he says he’s enjoying the booking freedom Substation allows him. “I’m just gonna go and not even ask you,” he claims he told the owners upon his hire in May. “Stop me when you don’t like it.” The only mandate the owners have given him is to bring in house and techno artists on the weekends. While Fremont and Georgetown have their own bar scenes, Basaraba explains there’s very little of that in barren Frelard—which is how some locals prefer it. In a June 17 KIRO TV broadcast, neighbors complained about the new club’s noise levels. “I don’t know how to describe how painful the sound is, but it won’t go away,” local resident Jennie Carucci says in the report. Basabara says the police have done a walkthrough of the building and tested its sound levels, finding it completely compliant with city code. He also notes that during the broadcast a full band was playing in the venue, complete with a double kick drum, yet the broadcasters were unable to hear it. E music@seattleweekly.com
SUBSTATION 645 N.W. 45th St., substationseattle.com.
Sick of hearing your favorite Sub Pop songs played by the bands that wrote them? Now you can hear them played by someone else at SUB POP COVER NIGHT. Local acts like Cataldo, Black Whales, and Hobosexual— Seattle Weekly’s Best Rock Band of 2014—will try their best to ape classics like Nirvana, Mudhoney, and the Shins. With Ravenna Woods, Prom Queen, Maiah Manser, Skates!, Ephrata, and Susy Sun. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $5. 21 and over. DANIEL ROTH
Thursday, July 2
CORALINE CAT HALL
A new music venue emerges where you least expected.
Wednesday, July 1
Walter TV
If you looked at WALTER TV and mistook it for Mac DeMarco, you would be forgiven—the pepperoni playboy’s band shares all its members with Walter TV and peddles a similarly laid-back, warbling vibe. But the group actually precedes DeMarco’s fame and is finally earning its own overdue recognition. Be warned, though; in this group, Mac plays the straight man. With bod and Pleasures. The Vera Project, 305 Harrison St., 956-8372, theveraproject.org. 7:30 p.m. $8. All ages. DR
Friday, July 3
You’d think after 13 years, 11 full-length albums, 23 EPs, endless world tours, and frighteningly kinetic live shows featuring marathon grindcore drumming, Japan’s MELTBANANA would’ve gotten tired by now. But nope—the band is still choking barrages of laser-beam sounds out of its guitars and wailing chipmunk-punk melodies at audiences across the planet like it’s no big deal. You’ll want to down a couple of Pixy Stix for this one, it’s going to be hyperactive—just don’t forget to strap on your surgical masks (as guitarist Ichirou Agata always does). With Torche, House of Lightning. Chop Suey, 1325 E. Madison St., 324-8005, chopsuey.com. 9 p.m. $17 adv./$20 DOS. 21 and up. KELTON SEARS
Monday, July 6
SHELLAC has released only five albums in its 21 years
together, and tours only when it feels like it. Luckily, the group—which includes superproducer Steve Albini—is playing two local shows of heavy, minimalist rock. Don’t miss this chance; who knows when it might come again? With Shannon Wright. Tractor Tavern, 789-3599, tractortavern.com. 9 p.m. (also July 7). $15. 21 and over. DR
Tuesday, July 7 Toe
COURTESY THE ARTIST
Frelard, Rock City
If Melt-Banana didn’t sate your thirst for Japanese rock, Tokyo post-rock group TOE are coming to help you continue your Nippon-bender. Expect soft, layered guitars and subtle rhythms. toe has toured Japan for years, but this is only its second tour of the U.S. and their first Seattle show ever. Backing them will be StarRo, an L.A.based dance-ready R&B producer and former salaryman originally from Yokohama. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9442, neumos.com. 8 p.m. $15. 21 and over. DR Send events to music@seattleweekly.com. See seattleweekly.com for more listings.
2033 6th Avenue (206) 441-9729 jazzalley.com
tractor TIMES
JAZZ ALLEY IS A SUPPER CLUB
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
DOORS 30-60
OPEN
LISTED ARE
SHOW TIMES.
MIN. BEFORE.
WEDS,
JULY 1 ST
DETROIT ROCK
JESSICA HERNANDEZ & THE DELTAS ACAPULCO LIPS, JOSEPH GIANT SUN,
9PM - $12
JULY 5 TH
SUMMERICANA TOUR
ANTONIO SANCHEZ & MIGRATION WED, JULY 1 4x Grammy Award winner, considered by many critics and musicians alike as one of the most prominent drummers, bandleaders, and composers of his generation. Crafted the awardwinning film score to Birdman.
GREG ADAMS & EAST BAY SOUL THURS, JULY 2 - FRI, JULY 3 & SUN, 5 Blending funk, jazz, R&B, and soul this ensemble creates a union that has been nothing short of musical wizardry.
ALBERT LEE WITH SPECIAL GUEST CINDY CASHDOLLAR TUES, JULY 7 - THURS, JUL 9
American roots, bluegrass, honky tonk and Western swing with legendary guitarist Albert Lee and Grammywinning dobro/steel guitarist Cindy Cashdollar.
BONEY JAMES FRI, JUL 10 - SUN, JUL 12
4-time Grammy-nominee and multi-platinum selling Urban saxman.
BASSEKOU KOUYATE & NGONI BA TUES, JUL 14 - WED, JUL 15
Grammy-nominated Malian master of the ngoni who has played alongside Toumani Dianate, Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Toure and Sir Paul McCartney.
all ages | free parking | full schedule at jazzalley.com
FRONTIER RUCKUS, SONS OF BILL JARED CLIFTON
THURS,
9/2
JURASSIC 5 OLD 97’S
7/10 9PM - $10/$12
JULY 9
THE DESLONDES FRI,
9PM - $10/$12
JULY 10 TH
HARMONY DRIVEN SOUTHERN ROCK
HONEYHONEY PALATINE AVE
TUES,
8PM
KMFDM
TH
NOLA COUNTRY SOUL
TUBA SKINNY, LONESOME SHACK
with CHANT + BLACK DECEMBER
7/18
BLOODSHOT HONKY TONKERS
BANDITOS &
BLACK CRABS 9PM - $10
Up & Coming 7/8 BLACK BEAST REVIVAL 7/13 SQUARE DANCE 7/15 WIND BURIAL 7/16 JAY BRANNAN 7/17 BROS OF SONIC CLOTH 7/18 AQUEDUCT 7/23 GOOD OLD WAR 7/24 KNUT BELL
with
8:30 PM
THE EDGES OF TWILIGHT TOUR 9PM
DAWES with BLAKE MILLS
8/16
10/1 8:30 PM
MISTERWIVES with HANDSOME GHOST
8/19
SALIM NOURALLAH
9/13
SHOWBOX AND TRACTOR TAVERN PRESENT
9PM - $12/$14
JULY 14 TH
8PM
8PM
THE TEA PARTY
8:30 PM
KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS with CASS MCCOMBS
10/18
+ HERON OBLIVION
8:30 PM
SHOWBOX SODO
5213 BALLARD AVE. NW 789-3599
www.tractortavern.com
TYLER, THE CREATOR with TACO
7/1
9PM
WILDHEART TOUR
8/23
MIGUEL with DOROTHY
8PM
QUEEN OF THE CLOUDS TOUR
TOVE LO with ERIK HASSLE
8PM
SHOWBOX AND KNITTING FACTORY PRESENT
TECH N9NE
10/18–ON SALE FRIDAY AT 10AM
with KRIZZ KALIKO
SHOWBOXPRESENTS.COM
8PM
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
10/7
29
odds&ends» Fare Thee Well
Whether you're a life-long cannasseur or sampling for the first time, we're excited to have you come visit us. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff are happy to help you find a product that’s just right for you!
Flower | Chocolates | Glass | Concentrates Seattle’s neighborhood destination for quality recreational cannabis 3540 Stone Way N, Seattle
seattlehashtag.com
SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordinaton, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of reach of children. WAC 314-55-155
30
CA SH IN
md car
N ed o re i c a l q u ire d
Anyone old enough to be tripping and traveling the country in the ’60s has to be at least 60 by now, which makes Deadheads both a wonderful and dying breed. But behind the tie-dye and LSD and bootleg tapes comes a dedicated (deadicated?) vibe that’s still the backbone of the counterculture. Peace, love, and understanding are great notions for any generation. Tell me we couldn’t use a little more peace in the Middle East, love among our races, and understanding in our individual lives, no matter the situation. And if ya think hippies are lazy stoners, take a hard look at the band members. They’ve toured pretty much nonstop in various forms since 1967 (including incarnations as the Other Ones, Further, RatDog, and the Dead), selling more than 35 million albums. Officially, the Guinness Book of World Records has the band etched in stone, with 2,318 live concerts (thus far) in front of a collective audience of more than 25 million, the most in history. And if ya think hippies are a bunch of commiepinkos, take another look. While they had wonderful progressive values (the loyal road crew were given both benefits and insurance), the gents were moneymaking ganjapreneurs long before the latest Green Rush. Led by Hal IA BR Kant, an entertainment lawyer who’s made Harvey Weinstein look demure, the Dead scored merchandising deals galore (have you tried the Steal Your Face wine?), and was one of the first acts to retain the ownership of its songs and all-important master tapes. The combo also didn’t put up with TicketBastards, forming their own ticketing company and raking in more than $300 million. The band was always socialistic when it came to bootlegs, allowing fans to record and trade at will . . . so long as they weren’t sold. Of course it wasn’t just the band that made money—an entire village of traveling artists and vendors (and dope-dealers and massage therapists) followed the group from town to town for decades on end. I’ve got the Tibetan prayer flags flying off my deck to prove it. For a band that spent so much time rocking in a bygone era, their music has been carefully preserved and modernized, going from tapes and reelto-reel systems to a digital library called The Internet Archive (archive.org), which contains 8,976 recordings of the Grateful Dead. If you’ve never really heard the band, do yourself a favor and scroll to, say, 1973 and click on one of the concert links. You may find yourself on a long strange trip, indeed. E For more Higher Ground, visit highergroundtv.com. NN A
L MARI GA
ANA JU
LE
I
n this era of fly-by-night fame, one-hit wonders, and lame-ass reality “stars,” any group of artists who can create a true following over half a century needs to be recognized and respected. The Grateful Dead, the legHIGHERGROUND endary BY MICHAEL A. STUSSER improvisational stoner band, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a five-show “Fare Thee Well” tour, which started June 27 in Santa Clara, Calif., and will wrap up July 5 at Soldier’s Field, Chicago. The long-sold-out shows (which will be streamed on YouTube) offer a chance to reflect on what makes this band so unique and beloved. The original Grateful Dead consisted of lead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia, rhythm guitarist Bob Weir, bass player Phil Lesh, drummer Bill Kreutzmann, and Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, a bluesy genius who played organ and harmonica. The group started under the name Warlocks in 1965, playing house parties during author Ken Kesey’s “acid tests.” (Drummer Mickey Har t and lyricist Robert Hunter were added in 1967, and Pigpen passed in 1973 when his liver gave out.) Though I’m no Deadhead, I loved Garcia’s soulful, often mournful voice and damn fine picking (including his pedal-steel work on Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s “Teach Your Children”); so when Jerry passed in 1995 at age 53 from a heart attack (pretty good for a chain-smoking, fast-food-chowing heroin addict) I stopped paying attention. Not that the band needed me—hardcore fans have continued to follow the “Core Four” (aka the Walking Dead or Almost Dead): Weir, 67; Lesh, 75; and drummers Kreutzmann, 69, and Hart, 71. Joining them on the last hurrah will be singer/piano man Bruce Hornsby and Phish singer and kick-ass guitarist Trey Anastasio. As has been well recorded, the Grateful Dead were most likely the original “jam band.” Never playing a tune the same way twice, the Dead performed songs that often went on for 30 minutes or more, filled with blues and hillbilly licks as well as spacey jazz and rock ’n’ roll. Though that formula may not fit the Top 40 format (the band’s only Top 10 hit was 1987’s “Touch of Grey”), the free-form nature of the sets dove-tailed nicely with the drug trips most listeners were taking. My favorite show was opened by Carlos Santana, and then turned into a strange journey of blurring colors and what I thought were flying sheep in the Tacoma Dome parking lot. (It should be noted that a sober group of Deadheads, the Wharf Rats, has been following the band for decades.)
SPAS
JESSICA’S
ULTIMATE SPA
Classified Ads in
1084 KIRKLAND AVE NE RENTON, WA 98056
(or less if running long term)
CONTACT
Real Estate for Rent Island County
KING’S MASSAGE Body Shampoo Sauna Expert Massage Come and see us You won’t be disappointed
13811 HIGHWAY 99 LYNNWOOD WA 98087 425-743-6183
MASSEUSE NEEDED
just $9 per line per week
206-623-6231
COUPEVILLE
classifieds@seattleweekly.com
WARNING:
Do Not Pay The IRS Another Red Cent Until You Get This Free Report
You Could Save Thousands On Any Amount You Currently Owe The IRS
Call Toll Free: 844-849-1040 Ext 55 24 hrs, for a FREE Recorded Message To Get a Copy Of The Free Report The IRS Hopes You Never See Call Now! Nunn Better Tax Resolution LLC, Redmond, WA
Toll Free: 844-SOS-1040
Time to quit?
Cairn Cottage. Heart of Coupeville, water view, minutes from everything. Fully Furnished. $1,300.00 a month. Renter pays utilities. 1 master bdroom, possible small study/ bdroom, 1 bath, all appliances, IKEA kitchen, digital cable/DVR, internet ready. Available August 1st. Please contact Jason Joiner, Windermere Real Estate/Whidbey Island, 5 South Main Street - P.O. Box 610 Coupeville, WA 98239 Direct line 360.419.5560 Fax 360 419 5533 Email - cpv@ windermere.com Regretfully no pets/ smoking. Year lease required. Real Estate for Rent King County
ADULT PHONE ENTERTAINMENT
SEATTLE.
Free FORUMS & CHATROOM 206-753-CHAT 253-203-1643 425-405-4388 MAN to MAN Free chatrooms! 206-753-CHAT 253-359-CHAT 425-405-CHAT WebPhone on LiveMatch.com
Tired of talking to your cat? 206-753-CHAT 253-203-1643 425-405-4388 WebPhone on LiveMatch.com Ladies free to talk w/VIPs!
A University of Washington study may be able to help Counseling & Incentives Support to quit tobacco CONFIDENTIAL
(206)616-3235
Seattle
206.877.0877 Tacoma
253.882.0882
FREE to listen and reply to ads!
FREE CODE: Seattle Weekly
1-888-MegaMates
TM
24/7 Customer Care 1(888) 634.2628 18+ ©2013 PC LLC 2589
CLEAN, QUIET 1 BR TOP FLOOR UNIT W/ VIEW! Cabana with pool & sauna. New fireplace, appliances and more! Located on the Burke Gilman Trail & bus line. 10 minute drive to UW. Parking spot included. Great for grad students $1,350 per month. Call 206-250-5397. WA Misc. Rentals Rooms for Rent Greenlake/WestSeattle $550 & up (1st/last/deposit) Utilities included! busline, some with private bathrooms • Please call Anna between 10am & 8pm • 206-790-5342
The Stream House 8405 East Mercer Way
Open House June 6 & 7
th
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
CHIHUAHUA Puppies, call for pricing. Financing Available. Adult Adoptions Also, $100 Each. Reputable Oregon Kennel. Unique colors, Long and Short Haired. Health Guaranteed. UTD Vaccinations/wormings, litter box trained, socialized. Video, pictures, information/virtual tour, live puppy-cams!! www.chi-pup.net References happily supplied! Easy I-5 access. Drain, Oregon. Vic and Mary Kasser, 541-4595951
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
Announcements
%206-244-6966% Yard and Garden
Professional Services Music Lessons
BLACKBERRY & BRUSH REMOVEL
GUITAR LESSONS Exp’d, Patient Teacher. BFA/MM Brian Oates (206) 434-1942
Antiques & Collectibles
EARLY 1920 Vintage chest of drawers, handmade, dark wood, small china buffet, walnut with marble top. Embroidered bed sheets, linens, table clothe, towels, curtains, dolls & dishes. all like new, and more. By appt. only. (425)392-4027
4HAULING 4EXCAVATION 4BACKHOE & 4BOBCAT WORK 4Lot Clearing HConcrete & Asphalt Removal HStump Removal HSmall Bldg Demolition HNo Job Too Small
Residential/Light Comm
253-261-0438
lic#garricl956cq,bonded,ins
Auto Events/ Auctions
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
AM-PM TOWING INC
Abandoned Vehicle AUCTION!!! 07/10/15 @ 11AM 2 Vehicles 2007 Ford Mustang BDK3471 2003 Hyundai Sonata ACS3798
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
Preview 10-11AM 14315 Aurora Ave N.
DININGW W W. S E AT T L E W EWE KELY.E CKLY OM/SIGNUP
South end Mercer Island home with unique and special landscaping having a mountain fed spring that meanders between kitchen and garage. Very clean and ready for move in. Perfect home for young children. 3 bedrooms, garage loft for storage. 3 min walk to Beach Club and 15 min walk to Lakeridge Elementary School, 20 minutes to the Middle School and ball fields. $995,000. For Sale by Owner: 206.419.0657 or mscero@comcast.net th
Appliances
Software Engineer, Test Engineering: Design & devp framework for testing next-gen suite of Mobile sw util high-level prog languages & tools. Req MS in Comp Sci, or rtd field, & 6 mos exp in: design, devp & test comp sw apps util high-level, obj-oriented prog languages, incl Obj-C, C#, C#.NET, & Java; design & architect mobile prods & features using Xcode for iOS, Visual Studio, & Eclipse for Android; design & devp change reqmts for webbased sw apps using JavaScript/JQuery, & CSS/HTML; investigate issues rtd to sw apps, analyze code for bugs, & perform troubleshoot & debug; devp & maintain dbase tables & proceds using Oracle & SQL Server; & implement PL/SQL & dynamic queries. Position at Tableau Software, Inc. in Seattle, WA. To apply, please e-mail resume to jobstableau@ tableausoftware.com. SOFTWARE Help build the next generation of systems behind Facebook’s products. Facebook, Inc. currently has the following openings in Seattle, WA (various levels/types): Software Engineer (SWE615BN) Create web and/or mobile applications that reach over one billion people & build high volume servers to support our content. Bachelor’s degree required. Software Engineer (SWE615MN) Create web and/or mobile applications that reach over one billion people & build high-volume servers to support our content, utilizing graduate level knowledge. Master’s degree required. Mail resume to: Facebook, Inc. Attn: SB-GIM, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Must reference job title and job# shown above, when applying.
Employment General Appointment Setter Help keep trees Safe and Healthy by generating Appointments for Tree & Shrub Maintenance. Set your Own Schedule. Paid orientation, marketing materials and company apparel. -Travel allowance -Monthly Cell phone Allowance -Monthly Medical Allowance Vehicle, DL, Cell Phone & Internet Req. Email resume to recruiting@tlc4homesnw.com 855-720-3102 ext. 3304 Microbiologists (Lake Forest Park, WA) sought by Molecular Epidemiology, Inc. w/ PhD & coursework, thesis, or publications in microbiology, molecular biology, immunology & plant pathology. Resume to: MEI, Attn: D. Alfi, 15300 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA 98155.
Seattle Pest Control Techs $1,000 HIRING BONUS FOR FULLY LICENSED TECHS. $35,000$60,000+ total comp first year DOE. Industry leading benefits. 401k match. Paid training for unlicensed techs. Apply at www.careers-rentokil.icims.com or email david.kaylor@ alphaecological.com. Tree Climber/Arborist
M U SI C
Full Time- Year Round Work performing tree work! We are Licensed, Bonded & Insured. Must have prior Tree Climbing & Trimming Exp. Company Sponsored Medical Avail. Vehicle and DL Required. Email work experience to recruiting@ treeservicesnw.com. Call 1-800-684-8733 ext. 3434
Employment Social Services
FILM
1pm to 4pm
Contact Person: Mike Cero Phone: 206.419.0657 E-Mail: mscero@comcast.net https://www.facebook.com/8405EastMercerWay
Employment Computer/Technology
FILM NEWSLETTER
The inside scoop on upcoming films and the latest reviews.
VISITING ANGELS Certified Caregivers needed. Minimum 3 years experience. Must live in Seattle area. Weekend & live-in positions available. Call 206-439-2458 • 877-271-2601
SEATTLE W EE KLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
WARNING HOT GUYS!
Dogs
TONASKET
20 FLAT ACRES. Tired of paying utility bills? Water, sewer, garbage and electricity getting too expensive? Own your own Off-The-Grid Power Solar panel, well, septic all installed. 2 BR, 2 BA, fenced. 24’x56’ dbl wide mobile. Plumbed to propane. 15 min to Tonasket $30,000 (cash) 206.403.8459
Sensual Relaxation 425.765.0376 MON - SAT 10am - 10pm • SUNDAY - By Appt
Eastern Wa. Lots & Acreage
HAP P Y HO U R Classified Ads Get Results!
31
Classified Ads Get Results! Classified
Call
@ 206-623-6231, to place an ad Severe Allergies? Autoimmune Disease? Earn $185 per plasma donation - Your plasma helps advance medical research! plasmalab.com 425-258-3653
Seeking free treatment? Paid research opportunity. Call the APT Study at
Singing Lessons
FreeTheVoiceWithin.com Janet Kidder 206-781-5062
$ TOP CASH $
PAID FOR UNWANTED CARS & TRUCKS
$100 TO $1000
7 Days * 24 Hours Licensed + Insured
ALL STAR TOWING
425-870-2899
Do you have PTSD and alcohol problems?
206-764-2458.
Temporary, Temporary-to-Hire & Direct Hire Do you have administrative experience? We place: •
Receptionists
•
Bookkeepers
•
Administrative Assistants
•
Executive Assistants
•
Office Support Specialists
•
Legal Assistants
•
Office Managers
•
Accounting Assistants
•
Data Entry Personnel
•
Marketing Assistants
BUGS? 800 GOT BUGS Paratex Fumigation
NEVER A FEE TO YOU! Apply Online: www.tyiseattle.com
Mention the
for a 5% Discount
Or call today — we’re here for you!
206.386.5400
@seattleweekly
Temporarily Yours Staffing
720 3rd Ave. Ste. 1420 - Seattle, WA 98104
www.paratex.com
“The friendliest and preferred agency”
My one reason? My one reason?
Earn money To II care To show show care about my community while saving lives about my community You only need one reason to donate plasma. by a plasma Youbecoming only need one reason todonor. donate plasma.
MEDICINE MAN WELLNESS CENTER SEATTLE WEEKLY • JULY 1 — 7, 2015
Walk-ins Welcome
32
Find out how becoming a plasma donor can make a difference for patients and Find aa plasma help out you how earnbecoming extra money. Find out how becoming plasma donor donor can can make make aa difference difference for for patients patients and and help help you you earn earn extra extra money. money.
As a new donor you can earn up to $65 this month. Donate today at: You earn $300 your month. today at:today at: As acan new donor you canin earn upfirst toSeattle $65 thisDonate month. Donate Biomat USA - over 7726 15th Ave. N.W., (206) 782-6675 Biomat Biomat USA USA -- 7726 7726 15th 15th Ave. Ave. N.W., N.W., Seattle Seattle (206) (206) 782-6675 782-6675 In addition to meeting the donation criteria, you must provide a valid photo I.D., proof of your current address and your Social or immigration card I.D., to In addition to meeting the donation criteria, youSecurity must provide a valid photo donate. be 18 years of age years of Security age in Alabama) or older to donate. In addition to meeting the donation criteria, you must provide a valid photo I.D., proof of Must your current address and(19 your Social or immigration card to proof of your current address and your Social Security or immigration card to donate. Must be 18 years of age (19 years of age in Alabama) or older to donate. donate. Must be 18 years of age (19 years of age in Alabama) or older to donate.
On-Line Verification Available Providing Authorizations in Accordance with RCW 69.51A
$99 includes Authorization and Card Doctors available Tuesday 2 - 6 • Thursday 11 - 3, Friday 11 - 6
Also Open Sunday 12 - 4
4021 Aurora Ave N. Seattle, WA 98103 • 206-632-4021 www.medicinemanwellness.com Now accepting all major credit/debit cards!
CROSSROADS MALL 15600 NE 8TH ST, #0-12 • BELLEVUE, WA 98008 www.GameOverVideogames.com