Toptree issue2 by Top Tree

Facts

Serving: Issue #2 Serving per Container: 1 Calories: Tree Million

Amount/Serving

%DV

SHANNON PERRY

ALAN DANILO

HIGH FINE ART

...AND MORE

*Percent Values (DV) based on Top Tree Diet

December 2016

55 bell st seattle - 206.849.5596

Tis the Season.

open 8am - 11:45pm daily - Belltown - free customer parking herbanlegends.com this product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentration, coordination, and judgment. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product and For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

OFF THE REZ FOOD TRUCK

CATERING

WWW.OFFTHEREZTRUCK.COM

FLOWER TO THE PEOPLE

OPEN DAILY 10:00 AM 11:45 PM

24TH & E UNION

206 605 4623

Y O U R N E I G H B O R LY C A N N A B I S S H O P

This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. Marijuana can impair concentrations, coordination, and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with conmsumption of this product. For use only by adults 21 and older. Keep out of the reach of children.

Ask about it at a 502 retailer near you...

TOPTREE.AGENCY

DEC. 1 - 8 ALL VAPE CARTRIDGES & REFILLS 10% OFF

ALL MONTH PONDER BRAND VUBER BATTERIES $10

STOCKINGS INCLUDE: PARAPHERNALIA, FLOWER, EDIBLES, VAPE KIT, AND CANNA-DRINKS

DEC. 9 - 15 ALL EDIBLES 15% OFF

DEC. 16 - 31 ALL FLOWER 20% OFF

HOLIDAY STOCKINGS $200-$400

2413 E Union St. Seattle 98122 â&#x20AC;¢ ponderseattle.com

PALM LOGO TEE: $25 TOP TREE LONG SLEEVE TEE: $30

TOP TREE CAP: $20

TOP TREE BEANIE: $20

EMOJI TEE: $25

TOP TREE GRADIENT STICKER: $5 TOPTREE.SHOP

SHIPPING WORLDWIDE

John Perlock

MILAN ACKERMAN, JANETT OGOLA, RIK RUDE, ERIC CHOI, ANDRE GREENE, ERNESTO YBARRA, LUCIEN PELLEGRIN, MARK ABEL, JASON MADDOCKS, WEIRDO, SAVITECH, ALIVE + WELL, BAIT, GEOFF GILLIS, KEXP, GAY CITY, REIGN CITY, MELI DARBY, 2312, GOODRICH & GOLD, PETER BIGELOW, SPAID, FUCKJERRY, SWISHAHOUSE, PLZ COME AGAIN, CRISPY, OC NOTES, VITAMIN D, SOULECTION, MICHAEL WATTS, BUDO, STAS THEE BOSS, PORTER RAY, CESAR CLEMENTE, SAL’S BARBERSHOP, JOSH D, EMO NIGHT LA, MOELASSES, OLD GROWTH, TRYFE, ARCHIVE, FRESH GREENS, NIGHT SHIFT, COGNATE, AND TITAN

“I’m inspired by everything. Weed is just another facet of the world I consume.” And how about a perfect mild high? How mild, how high? “Let's say that mild is like, 98 degrees and rising. How high is like, Method Man and Redman. Like a wet salsa.”

Artist, singer and unapologetic weed enthusiast Shannon Perry shares her thoughts on karaoke, online shopping and the morphing epicenter of meta — Capitol Hill If you were to make a list of the best marijuana-infused activities, considering the Top-5 answers like Family Feud, the survey wouldn’t say: “online shopping.” But sure enough Seattle artist, lead singer and tattoo wunderkind Shannon Perry is unwinding after a grueling day in her Capitol Hill workshop — with it’s old growth beams and unfathomably high ceilings — her finger on a track pad ready to click like she’s minimizing a pop-up ad. When her headspace reads no vacancy, she puffs a few clouds and hunts for fashion finds. “That's still one of my favorite hobbies,” Perry admits without batting one of her long eyelashes. “I get stoned and shop for vintage dresses on eBay. I usually forget what I've purchased before it arrives, so I call these packages gifts from ‘Shanta Claus.’ Most of the time I like what I get. I think being stoned just helps encourage the wackier side of my taste.” >>>

At 35 years old the front woman and on-stage blur of blissful energy for the Gazebos takes it easy with the adult beverages and the hangovers that are their bedfellows. There could be a white wine or rosé, but mostly her party favors are rolled up in raw papers. “I’ll just skip drinking altogether and get stoned, since I get stoned pretty much every night, and beyond helping me sleep and keeping me off the sauce, it's pretty much recreational,” Perry notes after some introspective thought. “I’ve been a stoner for years, and I spend at least twice as much these days.” Higher price tags be damned, because anyone that works as much as Shannon Perry does can p r i or i tize an emotional mai nte nanc e fund. In between sticking and poking a slew of Seattle cronies and clients, she put out her band’s full length studio album “Die Alone” this year and rode the wave with Hardly Art, the undeniably essential local record label winning hearts and minds up and down the I5 corridor. “I love Hardly Art. They were my first choice when we were shopping for a label, and I feel very lucky to be a part of such a strong group of artists,” Perry explains. “They've really been putting a lot of focus on female-fronted bands as well, and that really sweetens the deal. Our live shows are always something. Sometimes I'm all over the place, wiggling around on the floor. Lately, though, I've found myself standing center stage, not even moving, and sort of staring right into the audience. Sometimes that feels scarier than waving my arms around and distracting from the fact that it's a vulnerable thing to perform music live.” The vulnerability is real, but she is flanked by a few super humans that have banded together in a

musical mélange that is truly out of this world. Shane Herrell fondles the bass with a deft touch, Jordan T. Adams drums unencumbered by clothing above the waist and guitarist TV Coahran — known for the most odd-ball karaoke night this side of Jupiter, named GGNZLA after his tongue-twisting record label — rounds out the veteran gang of “whoa-pop” renegades. “I can tell you that TV has caught every Pokemon except for one, and that he recently got his belly button pierced,” Shannon mentions when asked about working with TV. “His karaoke nights are great, as he has an enormous selection of songs, and even makes karaoke versions of obscure songs that would otherwise never be ‘karaoke-able.’ It's fun to have a karaoke host as a bandmate, but it has never gotten me ahead in line — dude's a real stickler!” Shannon has a peerless vantage point when checking out the evolving/devolving Seattle scene. She’s witnessed the transformations from the cockpit of culture, and since President elect Donald J. Trump stormed the electoral college campus it seemed like a good time to take stock of social settings in her cherished centrally-located neighborhood — Capitol Hill. “As a goth 16 year old from the Eastside — Broadway was a destination for my friends and I to go hang out around the freaks and queers,” Shannon recalls looking back. “We were too young to go into bars, so we spent a lot of time smoking cigarettes inside at Charlie's, or whatever was open late. There was a store called ‘The Pink Zone,’ which was a queer store with all sorts of cool punk and sex-posi stuff that I really liked. There was no Pike/Pine-centric scene back then. It was Broadway, plus the Cha Cha/Bimbos zone down on Pine, at its old location.” >>>

And now…? With the proliferation of heteronormative brodude bar hopping and Trump deplorables mingling with tech slime — yeah the cesspool now has a diving board and no lifeguard is on duty. “Hmmmmmm.... I guess it has made this neighborhood feel less safe for both queer and straight folks,” Perry says on the subject. “Catcalling has increased, as well as homophobic attacks, both physical and verbal. I guess it's made the neighborhood feel like something to avoid most nights, instead of a destination. Years back I'd probably end up at the Cha Cha or Linda's on a weekend night, but I guess that's nearly a decade ago now. At first just Friday and Saturday became unbearably bro-centric, then it sort of spread out into weekdays as well. There's still a lot of good folks around, but ratio-wise, there are way more bro-dudes and dudettes.” She can still find that enclave of like minds, often in a out-of-the-way haunt still frequented by those who fly their freak flag — Cafe Pettirosso. “It's my default. Somehow they've managed not to get overrun by the Pike/Pine party crowd, like a little safe haven for locals. There's always a friendly face,” Perry adds. And while the music and marijuana and vintage dresses are pleasurable parts of the puzzle — you likely know Shannon Perry because of the friendly faces she’s been inking on the epidermis of everyone cool you’ve ever met. Her appointment calendar is booked solid, her flash libraries are Pi nterested so muc h s h e h as h ad to us e watermarks on social media posts to keep her creations clearly credited. This has allowed her to be steadfast in how her art is applied, and the iconography she is willing to incorporate. The customer is not always right in these cases. “I think everything about my tattoo style has just sort of built up over time,” Perry comments in her casually direct manner. “There are certainly breakthrough moments where I try something completely new and immediately incorporate it into my repertoire, but generally it's just a practice of tattooing a lot over time and learning little tricks along the way. The list of things I won't tattoo is too long to list. I try to avoid certain trends and focus on moving my art forward. I select all my jobs personally based upon my interest in the client's idea, so not everyone is able to get an appointment. Beyond that, there's just a lot more demand than I am capable of getting done being one person, so I certainly feel a lot of guilt about jobs I'd love to do, but just don't have enough time for. This guilt generally keeps me in a workaholic lifestyle, but I guess it's a cool problem to have.” Words by Chernsicle • Photos by Chernsicle and Courtesy of the Artist

White Center’s Korean Fried Chicken spot, and it’s Irish co-owner/chef, knows a thing or two about high hopes

White Center has always been known as West Seattle’s “not so white, not so center” southern enclave to outsiders. But true locals have long known about its low-key culinary gems: the Crawfish House, the Taqueria La Fondita #2 taco truck and its adjacent Best Roasted Corn Stand, Zippy’s, Burger Boss and the now-closed Meander’s Kitchen. But as of June 1, 2016 — Bok a Bok has been setting the bar even higher with their minimal but inventive menu centered around “the real KFC” — Korean Fried Chicken. >>>

Part-owner Brian O’ Connor, a New York native but longtime West Coast resident, said that his experience with fried chicken at Capitol Hill’s Skillet Diner, Pioneer Square’s Quality Athletics, and Matt Lewis’ reputable Restaurant Roux in Fremont gave him the skill foundation for running a chicken spot. But he wanted to take things in a direction he hadn’t before. “I didn’t want to do Southern fried chicken because you got places like Ezell’s... they do it everywhere,” O’ Connor explained. “We started looking around at other chickens, and (my business partner) Alex (Prindle) was in New York and called me like ‘yo, have you ever had Korean Fried Chicken?’” O’ Connor did some research and found a couple nearby Korean Fried Chicken spots. “Up in Edmonds there’s a place called Stars in the Sky that does a good job, there’s a couple places down in Federal Way..” he said. “I was like man this could be huge if I do it well. But when I ate at those places they just sauced the shit out of it… it’s a really crispy chicken and they put a ton of sauce on it and I didn’t like that ‘cause you lose the flavor of the chicken. So I was like we’ll just do sauce on the side and concentrate on that super crispy chicken — and here we are. Bok a Bok.” Bok a Bok’s chicken is served dry, but is anything but. The wings and drumsticks are unbelievably crispy, juicy and flavorful even without a dip in one of the four house-made sauces they offer — 4-Chili Hot Sauce, Korean BBQ, Sesame Soy Garlic and “Bok a Bok Ranch. It’s tasty and well-seasoned, but the biggest highlight of their signature dish is the thin, crunchy layer of golden batter that lightly coats every piece. O’ Connor says that the batter is where the quality starts from. “We take the chicken and we dredge it in salt and cornstarch, then we air dry it for 24 hours. It comes out and we re-dredge it and then dip it into a batter. Some of the dredge ends up in the batter, so it thickens it up over the day. We aim for that thin, crusty, crunchy potato chip-y consistency, with real juicy chicken inside,” he points out. “Those standards from running those high end restaurants for so long and then coming into this little chicken shack has really brought our quality up.” O’ Connor (whose deep restaurant-industry roots also includes West Seattle’s The Swinery, Downtown’s former Blueacre Seafood, and North Lake Union’s Westward) added: “Sustainable chicken, no hormones or antibiotics, fresh/never frozen, and we make everything from scratch. The pride aspect of it is huge.”

Bok a Bok’s menu also includes sandwiches, a selection of sides that includes kimchi mac-n-cheese and sweet potato tots. Beer, sake and (most notably) two flavors of “adult slushees” made with sake or soju. O’ Connor says that he and his partners are hoping to open a second location in the International District in the future, but for now they’re loving getting settled in White Center. “I love this area. It’s a little grimy still, it’s not South Lake Union,” O’ Connor mentions. “I don’t want to deal with Amazon people everyday. I want to deal with real people that live in my neighborhood. There’s people that come out from Federal Way, these little Korean ladies, and they’re like ‘nobody back there is Korean!’ I’m like ‘just try the chicken!’ — and they’re like ‘okay, not bad for a white guy.’” He also says that cannabis and food industry careers go together like chicken wings and dipping sauce. “The CBD shit, that’s for me,” he said. “I fractured my back a couple months ago and have been dealing with that. It’s like pinching on my nerves now so I’m numb from like here down, but that [CBD] shit is amazing, dude. I smoke everyday. A majority of its low THC/high CBD ‘cause I’m a father and I need to be present. If I do smoke something it’s a sativa because it keeps me up, keeps me motivated. Sometimes even keeps me up at night so I keep working.” “I have a little puff here and there, and I usually do CO2 oils since its not a lot of smoke in my lungs. I’ve been doing a lot of tinctures recently, I use a balm on my knees since I have arthritis in my knees. You know, 27 years of cooking, my body is falling apart (laughs). Lots of standing, lots of moving, twisting on your knees and your back. But (cannabis) is better than taking percs or anything else my doctor’s trying to give me. Anyone that’s got any kind of pain issues, I’m like check this out — go to Bud Nation, go to Origins — we’ve got some great shops in our area.”

Words by Mike Ramos • Photos by Carson Allmon

TOPTREE.SHOP

SHIPPING WORLDWIDE

Chris Burden “Coals to Newcastle” (1978) “Burden employed marijuana in many of his performance pieces, but ‘Coals to Newcastle,’ which he enacted on December 17, 1978, is one of his ballsiest. Titled after an English idiom that implies a pointless act, Burden flew two joints (grown in the United States) from California to Mexico inside model airplanes inscribes with phrases like “Hecho in U.S.A.,” “Fumenlos Muchachos,” and “Topanga Typica.” – ArtNet

Fred Tomaselli “Super Plant” (1994) “Fred Tomaselli has suspended all kinds of things inside his resin-coated compositions, including bugs, pills, butterflies, and flowers, but this 1994 work is dedicated solely to marijuana. The black background and minimalist style highlights the plant’s delicate, natural beauty without compromising Tomaselli’s signature sense of psychedelia.” – ArtNet Super Plant currently resides in the Hort Family Collection in New York.

Dan Colen “Life Marijuana” (2006) “Noted party playboy of the early aughts Dan Colen is sober now, but in 2006 he created an homage to marijuana in the form of this mixedmedia installation. To create the work, Colen blew up an iconic Life Magazine cover from 1969 that features a marijuana cigarette foregrounded by a pair of lips.” – ArtNet Life Marijuana was sold for $47,280 at Christie’s London in 2011.

Melanie Bernier “Colors 60/40 Spliff Packs” (2013) “Melanie Bernier, a musician and artist, created adorable spliff holders from vinyl, fabric, and thread and even makes wood faux-joints to accompany them — excellent tchotchkes for people who prefer not to inhale.” – ArtNet

Dennis Dent General Grass “Weedies” Breakfast of Headstarters 23” x 35” 1969 Wespac Visual Communications Inc. (SF, CA) $699 on eBay

Gabrielle Kadushin

Olympia’s NWC offers affordable quality, and a long history with medical cannabis, in the shadow of the State’s capitol building

Just East of I-5 in Thurston County, Olympia’s Northwest Collective is keeping the glory days of medical cannabis alive – both vibe and price-wise. Operating under the same name they’ve had since opening up in Lacey in 2011, their new storefront on Kimmie St. has a welcoming, old-school dispensary feel from the friendly staff to the popcorn machine and refreshments in the lobby. But the prices on their menu look like something from pre-502 days as well, with a surprisingly strong selection of $7 and $10 grams and 1/8ths as low as $20. The Vanilla Kush from White Star, the budtender’s recommendation of the day, was sweet, smooth, relaxing, and a great pickup for $10/g. “When we changed over to the rec market from the medical market, the price point for standard grams was gonna go through a 50% markup, basically, is what we saw,” NWC assistant manager/partner Conrad Meints explains. “Most cannabis companies and retailers do a 3-3.5x markup on the product that they purchase… We do a 2-2.5x markup to make sure that we’re in range and reachable, and that it’s an attainable item for a standard customer who comes in and has 10, maybe 14 bucks in their pocket.” “We try to be approximately 15% cheaper than everybody else in the Valley, and it’s not intended as cutthroat,” he adds. “What it’s intended to do is drive the price of cannabis down in the regional market. We’d like (other retailers) to go more off of the amount they

can sell over the amount they can get per unit.” Meints says that though he has a long personal history with cannabis — “my first harvest was in 1996,” he recalls… it wasn’t until 2009 that he started getting familiar with it as a serious means of alternative medicine, using it to treat pain from his former career. “I spent 14 years working construction and have various construction related injuries,” Meints said. “Cannabis got me off of opiates and allowed me to concentrate a bit better with my family. You talk to my daughter — she’s 14 years old now — and if you ask her about if she remembers when I was on pain pills how I acted, she would describe me as a bear.” “Just grouchy, growly, not a whole lot of patience,” he continues. “And now her and I are building a “she-shed” for her, I guess you’d call it. A little getaway space in a 10-by20 shed we’ve got out back, and she’s gonna have a little loft and an art space. Her and I are building that together. I didn’t have the patience or energy to do that before.” NWC owner Joe McConkey and several other staff members who also worked in construction share similar stories of breaking prescription addictions with the help of cannabis. “Personally I won’t be happy until you can grow it in your garden next to the corn without anybody saying a thing,” Meints said. “I remember going into my grandma’s garden and getting St. John’s Wort for my mom for her tea so she could sleep. Weed should be the same.” Meints also said that NWC is taking advantage of their location to tr y and make some changes at the Capitol Building. “Were working with a lobbyist. Instead of fighting from the outside were trying to work from the inside to get things changed,” he points out. “For the first time in WA State history we now have a regulated medical system. Granted it’s not the way I wanted it, it’s not the way you wanted it, but we have something we’ve never had before and an opportunity to move forward in ways we’ve never dreamed of. There’s recognition, actual taxpayers and business owners…” “I do miss the open jars on the counter though,” he said with a laugh. Words by Mike Ramos

• Photos by Carson Allmon

Hop a plane Rich man need a vacation

Rich man need a vacation Hop a plane Broke man need a vacation Mary Jane

Photos by Alan Danilo

Marijuana is a Schedule I hallucinogenic substance under the Washington Uniform Controlled Substances Act. The public consumption of marijuana is subject to a civil violation and fine.

THUR

FRI

Hop a plane Rich man need a vacation SAT

Rich man need a vacation Hop a plane Broke man need a vacation Mary Jane

! W O N E L A S N O S T E K C I T

upstreammusicfest.com

C U R AT E D B Y TOP TREE

E X C L U S I V E T R A C K

P L A Y L I S T S

P R E M I E R E S

O R I G I N A L

M I X E S

TOP ALBUMS IN ROTATION

TOP SINGLES IN ROTATION

SOU NDCLOU D.COM / TOP TR EE4 20

ISSUE #2

Featuring

Shannon Perry, Dan Colen, Weedies, Bok-a-Bok

Alan Danilo, Lecrae, Mild High Club, Melanie Bernier