When we endorsed Alexis Mercedes Rinck in 2024, we had a lot to say about what she wouldn’t do: She wouldn’t stoop to a lower minimum wage, she wouldn’t make it easier for landlords to evict you, she wouldn’t reduce oversight on cops, she wouldn’t help corporations hoard more wealth.

That was because we knew that if she was elected, she (and at the time, Tammy Morales before she was bullied out of City Hall) would be a progressive in a sea of conservatism. As we hoped, she pushed back: She voted against giving SPD more access to “less lethal” weapons, and when her colleagues approved additional surveillance from law enforcement, she opposed it.

But more important than what she didn’t do is what she did. Despite being on council with people allergic to helping the city, Rinck found other ways to show up. She supported counterprotesters at a Christian Supremacist group in Cal Anderson, and was instrumental in convincing the city to deescalate the situation. She spoke out at the committee hearing when Council Member Cathy Moore tried to defang our city’s ethics code, even though she wasn’t on that committee (and even though Council President Sara Nelson tried desperately to shut her up). Rinck knows that being on city council gives her a voice, and she’s shown us over and over again that she’s willing to use it for ordinary people.

She’s also clearly the voice we need to start fixing our ass-backward revenue streams in Seattle. Just weeks after our endorsement interview, she presented a collaborative effort with the mayor to reform our tax code to reduce the taxes that small businesses are paying, shift the burden to big business, and raise an extra $90 million in the process. Now that’s what we call progressive revenue!

Rinck doesn’t have much competition in this race. Her standout opponent is Rachael Savage, who quite frankly fascinates us, even if we had to sage the office after she left. A Republican with chunky jewelry and overlined lipstick who started the election season running for mayor, Savage switched to a City Council race just before the filing deadline. She owns a new-age shop on Capitol Hill, runs a meditation program, and believes that her experience getting sober justifies her argument that people who are mentally ill or dealing with “late-stage” addiction should be shipped to facilities for Shiny Happy People outside of the city. Oh, and she told us words are never violent and hate speech doesn’t exist.

This election has the chance to reshape our city council into a functioning governing body (would we even recognize it?) and we want to see what Rinck can do when she’s not swimming upstream. Vote Rinck.

Thursday, June 19, was the last night of service for the foreseeable future at Capitol Hill steakhouse Bateau and its twin cocktail lounge Boat Bar. After a shift spent alternately serving customers and throwing away food and projects in process, the crew shut the restaurant down early, then sat down to eat together. For their swan-song meal, they arranged the flowers, cooked up some leftover steaks, and made good use of the open wine bottles. The group was joined by former crew members, regulars, and other friends who stopped in to pay their respects, and the tears flowed alongside the wine. 

According to staff members at the party, they were joined by two corporate employees from Sea Creatures, the ocean-themed restaurant group founded by celebrated Seattle chef Renee Erickson that owns Bateau and Boat Bar, dining with the people they’d just laid off. They didn’t help cook or clean, the staff said—just ate the food, but not before telling workers to make sure they clocked out before dinner started. There was no word from or sign of Erickson.

The following day, Bateau and Boat Bar’s Instagram accounts were loaded with photos and videos of the staff celebrating their last supper. Comments on those posts have been turned off.

Officially, the news had broken on June 5: A press release from Sea Creatures announced that Bateau and Boat Bar would be closing temporarily, effective June 19. Alongside the temporary closures, it read, two of the four General Porpoise bakery/coffee shops would close permanently. 

The plan is for Bateau and Boat Bar to reopen in three to six months, whereupon the bar will be absorbed into Bateau. The other two General Porpoise locations in Pioneer Square and the Amazon Spheres will remain open. 

“Over the past several months,” the press release read, “Sea Creatures has been thoughtfully considering updates to the concepts behind Bateau and Boat Bar…. With key team members now departing to pursue new opportunities, this natural transition point provides the right moment to move forward with these long-considered changes. … Sea Creatures looks forward to welcoming guests and staff back to a reimagined Bateau and Boat Bar later this year.” 

But in the way that there are no secrets on an island, scuttlebutt about the impending closures had already started making waves throughout Seattle’s professionally consanguineous restaurant industry. Two days before Sea Creatures dropped the press release, the city’s restaurants and social media accounts wondered if the impending closures had something to do with the company’s recently formed union. Several Sea Creatures employees, as well as union officers—themselves former employees of The Walrus and the Carpenter, Sea Creatures’ flagship restaurant—had a similar saga to tell in person, and it all starts with a service charge.

Nicole Hardina is on the advisory board of the Sea Creatures union (the wonderfully named United Creatures of the Sea), which filed a petition to unionize in February 2025. She’s also a former front of house lead, manager, and bartender at The Walrus and the Carpenter and its attached Barnacle Bar. Hardina describes an all-hands meeting in December 2024, with the staff from most of Sea Creatures’ fleet.  Workers at The Walrus and the Carpenter and Barnacle Bar, Bateau and Boat Bar, The Whale Wins, Wilmott’s Ghost, Deep Dive, Westward, and Lioness were told the restaurant company “had fallen on hard times.”

“They’re losing money year over year, and are going to have to make some changes starting January 1,” Hardina told The Stranger. 

“The change,” she says, “was that we were no longer going to be a tip-pooled company. They were going to be instituting a service charge—and taking 54.5 percent of that service charge for the house, leaving 45.5 percent of that service charge for workers to split among themselves. This amounted to a pretty tremendous pay cut, which we realized in pretty short order during the meeting.

“This was right before the holidays, so people had already booked travel and bought gifts. This expensive time of year, we were already knee-deep in. They told us they’d been considering this for about a year. They had not asked for any input from workers.” 

Jeff Kelley, the union’s executive officer and a former server/bartender at the Walrus and the Barnacle, chimes in. “They framed it as: Because they were not making enough money in the past couple years, their aim was to profit 22 percent in 2025. The first 10 percent was gonna be from raising menu prices. The second 12 percent of that 22 percent was gonna be the portion they were taking out of the service charge.”

Hardina, Kelley, and Ford Nickel, the union’s secretary–treasurer and a former server at Walrus, all say management acknowledged that workers could likely make more money somewhere else. They said they were sorry that the new service charge and the end of pooled tips would impact the workers negatively, and they understand if folks want to quit.  

Hardina says, “Worker response was ‘This feels like an emergency. We’re being told, “Accept or leave.”’ And we decided that there was a third path, which for us was to organize. So we spent our winter holidays doing just that.”

Nickel acknowledges that thanks to the end of the tip credit in our city's minimum wage, there was a significant wage increase on January 1, raising all front-of-house hourly employees of Sea Creatures restaurants from $20.76 to $25 an hour, and that the service charge is ostensibly tied to that extra cost. Regardless of the wage bump, though, he says that the switch-out of a pooled tip system for a service charge has left employees in dire straits. 

“It’s effectively like a five- or six-dollar reduction in pay,” he says. “But as soon as the summer rolls around, people are looking at 10 to 15 dollars [less] an hour. They’re looking at 150 dollars a shift.” 

None of the three union members who we spoke to for this story are presently employed by Sea Creatures Group, although they do still work for the independent United Creatures of the Sea union. They aren’t paid for their union jobs, as Sea Creatures employees are not charged union dues.

Even though he doesn’t work for Sea Creatures anymore, Nickel credits the service charge and the workers’ resultant reduced wages as the reason for the union’s existence. Kelley points out that they could have just quit their jobs and moved on, rather than sticking to the union after they left Walrus/Barnacle Bar.

“The options we were given were to just accept the changes that they put on us unilaterally, or to quit,” Kelley says. If they had quit, “not only are you kind of accepting the fact that you have no power over the situation, but you’re also kind of being complicit in the fact that somebody else is gonna take that job because they need it.” 

 “In an industry that is more or less transient, exploitation becomes very easy,” Kelley says. “Because even though we might leave in a huff, we might be angry about it, we might tell all our friends, ‘Hey, screw this place,’ the place still just gets to operate whatever way they want, because we just go get another job and forget about it a year from now. So, we’re refusing to do that.”

On June 3, two days before the public announcement, Sea Creatures leadership told employees of Bateau and Boat Bar that the conjoined resto-bar would close temporarily on June 19, mentioning only a plan to reopen in three and six months—but no guarantee that it would. 

Several former and current employees say that, of those who will lose their jobs, only managers were offered to be relocated to other Sea Creatures restaurants. Some allege they’re being urged to quit and find other jobs. It was also suggested by several workers that Sea Creatures may prefer to replace them with fresh new employees—people who, as Kelley suggested, don’t remember a time at these jobs when 100 percent of the pooled tips went directly to workers’ pockets, rather than just 45.5 percent of a service charge.  

While the union officers spoke on the subject freely and didn’t mind having their names known, some current employees went on the record willingly but requested to remain anonymous. Others spoke strictly off the record. One claimed that talking to the media goes against company policy at Sea Creatures. Because my interviews took place before the closures, several workers mentioned a fear of being fired as retaliation, which could cost them their unemployment eligibility. 

In his email response, Sea Creatures co-owner Jeremy Price cites different figures than the union does—most glaringly in the notion that 45.5 percent of the service charge goes to the team and 54.5 percent goes to the house. The way he couched it, 100 percent of the service charge is retained by the restaurant and used to pay operating expenses—including labor. 

“Of that total,” he writes, “50 percent goes directly to hourly staff, front and back of house, as additional compensation on top of their base hourly wage. For example, servers at Bateau and Boat Bar earned between $45.98 and $52.36/hour on their most recent paychecks: $25 from their base wage, plus another ~$20–$27/hour from the service charge distribution. These additional hourly earnings are not overtime—they [are] additional earnings drawn from the service charge pool and are paid to all hourly team members.”

The other half of the service charge, Price says, is used to cover core expenses, including but not limited to Sea Creatures’ $25-per-hour base wage; health, vision, and dental benefits for employees working 25+ hours per week; and a 401(k) with employer match for employees working 20+ hours per week.

On June 5, hours before the Sea Creatures press release went out, Price had this to say via email, after I’d written to the general email address at Sea Creatures to ask if the restaurant closures had anything to do with the union.

“The team at Bateau and Boat Bar voted to unionize in early February of this year,” Price wrote. “We fully support their right to do so and have had no issue with that decision. Bateau and Boat Bar will continue to be union restaurants when they reopen.”

“Sales at both restaurants have been steadily declining since 2024,” he went on, “and we’ve been actively discussing ways to reinvigorate the concepts for some time—considering changes to the menu, service style, and dining room design.

“Less than two weeks ago, Bateau and Boat Bar’s longtime chef gave notice… Just two days later, Bateau and Boat Bar's general manager also let us know that she was accepting a promotion to Director of Operations with another restaurant group, also after a decade with us. …The departure of these key leaders created a natural inflection point for us and for the restaurants. We made the decision to temporarily close both Bateau and Boat Bar for a planned refresh…. We anticipate a closure of 3–6 months while we focus on making updates that will position both restaurants for long-term success.

All current staff will be recalled when we reopen.”

The union isn’t sure about that last bit. On June 5, Nickel asserted that The Walrus and the Carpenter was hiring, but he and Kelley say there’s been no conversation between workers and Sea Creatures about offering those available jobs to anybody at Bateau who’s slated to be displaced—or about moving qualified servers from Bateau to any other Sea Creatures restaurant.

In the same breath, Nickel raises yet another concern around the hiatus: the status of the union itself. “Creating a situation where [Bateau and Boat Bar are] gonna have an entirely new set of employees makes it very easy for Sea Creatures to decertify the union’s representation of that bargaining unit. Especially if they extend it to six months, which already gets them halfway to a place where they can file for a decertification petition after suppressing the deadline.“

Mitigating the word temporarily is, of course, the current economic climate in Seattle—the planet’s 8th most expensive city to live in, per CNBC. It’s hard to fathom that the average Seattleite could afford to take three to six months off from work, unpaid, while banking on the misty hope of getting their job back at an unspecified date. 

“I would say it behooves almost everyone who’s working at Bateau to just get another job immediately,” Kelley says. “Closing for three to six months means effectively not going back to your jobs for three to six months, unless you can get unemployment for that amount of time. There’s no end game besides getting another job.”

There are more problems lurking beneath the surface of that service charge too, Nickel, Hardina, and Kelley agree. One is that they think the language used to explain it to guests is pretty murky.

On the menus, Nickel says, “Guests are informed that 100 percent of the 22 percent service charge is retained by the house, with a link leading to more information. They don’t explicitly say that that 45 percent [sic] is directly payable to the employees. They’ll say instead that they use the service charge for all of these benefits.” 

Hardina dials up The Walrus and the Carpenter’s website on her phone. “It says at the very bottom of the menu, in a very small font: ‘The Walrus and the Carpenter and Barnacle Bar have added a 22 percent service charge to all dine-in checks. 100 percent of this service charge is retained by The Walrus and the Carpenter and Barnacle Bar. Gratuities are not expected, but any that you choose to leave are shared 100 percent among our hourly employees.’”

“So. If you stop right there,” Kelley says, “there’s a discrepancy. There’s The Walrus and the Carpenter, which 100 percent of it is going to, but when you add an added gratuity, that’s going to the hourly employees. So the inference there, that they hope people don’t understand, is that those are two different entities.” 

Another red herring I see, whether intentional or not, lies in telling guests that a gratuity isn’t expected, which may lead them to think they’ve already tipped the crew via the service charge. 

Both the service charge as well as the way it’s described to guests, Hardina says, has created a boatload of confusion for both guests and workers. “And an ethical dilemma for workers,” she adds, “who now must drop a check dozens of times a night that is a lot more than it used to be and that contains language that’s unclear.”

Nickel adds, “We think [Sea Creatures may have chosen] 22 percent because if they simply slapped a 12 percent service charge on there, people would view it the same way as they would any restaurant that has, like, a 5 percent service charge. They see it just as a money grab for the company, in the same way hotels have resort fees and ticket vendors have convenience fees. So they chose a number that, we believe, would lead guests to think it’s in place of a tip.” 

Meanwhile, Price’s tack—that the temporary Bateau/Boat Bar closure is due to the departure of two key team members, chef Taylor Thornhill and general manager Jamie Irene—has been believed by some at the company but not others. Irene herself seems to think it holds water. 

Formerly Sea Creatures’ director of hospitality, Irene says that the day after Bateau chef Taylor Thornhill tendered his resignation, she was contacted about “a job that was a better job for me.” She’ll be the new director of operations for Sugar Shack Unlimited, Marcus Lalario’s restaurant group, overseeing Ciudad, Mezzanotte, Darkalino’s, and Fat’s Chicken & Waffles. After accepting the role, Irene resigned from Bateau two days after Thornhill had. 

“And then I think [Sea Creatures] decided to do this in direct response to [Thornhill] and I leaving. I mean, for sure, they have been in conversation with us about maybe doing something to reconceptualize Bateau. They asked us if we wanted to be a part of that and gave us some time to think about it. And they just decided to do it. I actually hadn’t decided—this [new job] came to me out of nowhere. And it just happened to come when Taylor was leaving. So, it was just timing.”

When asked whether the union’s pushback on the service charge issues has spawned Sea Creatures’ decision to close the four restaurants, Irene says, “I think that’s a matter of opinion.”

Other Sea Creatures employees certainly have opinions as well. One worker who wished to remain anonymous says the closures feel like a two-birds-one-stone situation, alleging that Thornhill and Irene had tried for years to buy Bateau and Boat Bar. When the deal fell through, they say, that’s what triggered the closure, not the pair’s resignations. 

“If Thornhill and Irene bought the restaurant,” they say, “the company would have easily offloaded the union and loans they have out on the restaurant. If [Bateau and Boat Bar] didn’t sell, the plan was to close and remodel, regardless if Thornhill and Irene stayed or not.” (According to the union, Bateau carries a debt of around $2 million. Price confirmed that the company had been operating with debt, but did not confirm the amount.) 

“The closure of three to six months puts all us hourly employees in a difficult spot,” they continue, “especially those with health insurance needs. We can [either] try to survive six months without income or find new jobs.”

They point to the union as a factor behind the closures, though, saying that, when the workers did file a petition to unionize, “the company spent thousands of dollars to fly in a ‘union educator’ from New York who ended up being a union buster trying to dissuade us from organizing.” (Price says that they hired a "neutral 3rd party person to speak with them on the pros and cons of unionizing.") 

Nickel says that companies facing unionization often use a similar strategy. “And one of the first things they do is bring in an expert on unions,” he says. “And one of their first points was that, y’know, ‘It’s gonna cost you money. Dues are a thing. You have to rent offices and hire lawyers and pay full-time salaries.’ And that’s just not the case.”

Another employee, who asked to remain anonymous because they were concerned about possible retribution from Sea Creatures, implied that Bateau and Boat Bar have long been the island of misfit toys in the Sea Creatures archipelago. They describe a tenured crew who previously liked their jobs but increasingly felt that the company has jumped the shark recently, and a contentious relationship that’s been bubbling for years.

“I don’t know if anyone’s told you about the strike that happened in 2022,” they said. “There was a dispute over alleged overpayment, and the staff and the company didn’t agree on it, and so the staff went on strike, and the company shut the restaurant down.” Bateau was closed for 11 days before the dispute was resolved. 

After that, they say, Sea Creatures had “a distaste” for the team at Bateau, and that workers suspect Sea Creatures is using Irene and Taylor’s resignations as an excuse to shut the restaurant down and replace the staff. 

The team’s not pleased about the service charge either, they say. “This last December, exactly one week before Christmas, they told us they were gonna put in a service charge, take 55% [sic] of it, and their line is: ‘The reason we’re doing that is to offer benefits.’” But workers were already receiving benefits before the service charge, they say, and now they’re actually getting fewer benefits. “So their line about how it’s better [for workers], to offer us benefits in exchange for keeping over half of the service charge, is just, like, patently false.”

Most guests don’t tip on top of the service charge because they think the service charge is the tip. “As anyone would. If you’re at a full-service restaurant, you think the service charge is going to the people serving you.“

It was choppy seas over the last two weeks for Bateau and Boat Bar’s staff, they added. “It was wild, watching guests go from casually inquisitive on our next steps to boiling with rage when they found out a little more of the story. Most people assumed we were getting places at other Sea Creatures spots.” 

The dishwashers reportedly still haven’t found other jobs, they say, while the company is emailing the former staff various ads for cooks, dishwashers, servers, and managers at Sea Creatures businesses. “[Management] sent an email letting us know we could apply to other places—one of the cooks did and never heard back from the company.” 

Lastly, Anonymous Worker No. 2 says, their pro-union sentiment is “100% shared by every single staff member” at Bateau and Boat Bar. “It was in the Seattle Times that 13 out of 22 people voted for the union. But only one person voted against it. That day, I think people were out of town, and one got the time wrong, so some didn’t vote. But there was only one no vote. And later, General Porpoise, all of the doughnut shops and the [commissary] bakery, they all voted 100% yes to join the union. Happy employees don’t unionize.”

At the end of the day, it’s not possible to prove Sea Creatures' motive behind shuttering these restaurants, however long they’re closed. Anyone who wasn’t in the room for the conversation can only base their opinion on the press release, the personal takes of workers and union members, and, if they like, the whispers on the tide. 

What's manifest, though, is that a titanic gulf in narratives exists between the company and some of its employees. Perhaps germanely, Sea Creatures does have a reputation for its turbulent working environments. Price recommended that I chat with some of their happy workers, rather than “a small minority of folks whothat are disgruntled.” But gruntled or otherwise, current employees were generally reluctant to speak on the record. Of course, happy workers don’t usually want to talk to the media, but they also don't unionize, aforesaid. 

As well, Seattleites have a long memory for a stank reputation—even when the source of the stank might be water under the bridge today. Which is to say that union’s only a few months old, so maybe we give it time to do what unions do. If United Creatures of the Sea is able to navigate a satisfactory resolution with Sea Creatures Group and map out some future boundaries, it could be smooth sailing for workers going forward. 

In the meantime, a bunch of highly skilled industry folks just got shitcanned, through no fault of their own, so let’s hope that Seattle’s tight-knit pod of hospitality workers can help these restaurant refugees swim to shore. Or, if they want to wait out the closures, help keep them afloat with gigs in the meantime. As this city seems to well know, a rising tide lifts all boats.

Ananas isn’t about pineapple, or even pizza—it’s about showing that sometimes the quickest way past a dumb fight is a good meal. by Michael Wong

What’s more personal than how you like your pizza? In a city like Seattle, where opinions can end friendships, what you think about pizza could matter nearly as much as whom you voted for.

Which makes it all the more interesting that one of Seattle’s best pizza spots is named after the world’s most divisive pizza topping: Ananas, or “pineapple” in Italian (and over 40 other languages). At the helm is Khampaeng Panyathong, the Laotian chef whose claim to fame isn’t a viral noodle pull or reimagined laap, but instead, a cheeseburger—one so good it landed him on the cover of the New York Times food section. It’s the kind of culinary punchline you’d expect from a city that loves categories but rarely knows what to do with someone who sidesteps them.

But through the ironies, nothing about Khampaeng’s ascent has been accidental. This is a calculated dude, after all, one who knows as much about self-defense as he does fermentation, and that’s a fucking lot. He’s a chef who takes a certain pleasure in surprising people, avoiding the “authenticity” traps, letting the food speak for itself.

And to me, he very well could be Seattle’s most interesting chef, or at least one of the few who seem to have it all figured out.

Khampaeng has never moved like a chef who wanted notoriety, or a newspaper story, for that matter. In person, he’s a kind and soft-spoken guy. A cross between Jet Tila and Jason Bourne. Whenever I get to see him, he always seems to be wearing three specific garments: a pair of cargo shorts, a blue trucker hat with three wolves backdropped by the American flag, and a fishing vest with pockets containing items you’d find at the same place he bought the hat. 

Most of Seattle’s restaurant scene is built on the backs of chefs like Khampaeng—people who know how to keep the lights on, who know what it takes to survive in the restaurant game, whether their names are on the lease or not. He spent more than a decade as the man behind the curtain, opening a dozen restaurants for other people while keeping even more from falling apart. By the end, it was clear to Khampaeng that working to build others’ dreams was no longer his. He just wanted to be his own boss. 

When he finally decided to open his first shop, he did so with the well-scoped speed that would characterize every subsequent opening of his. Within eight weeks of seeing a place he thought he could work with, he swiftly developed a concept, signed the lease, and opened Taurus Ox—a spot serving Laotian food in an old Thai restaurant. He knew people missing the Thai spot may be open to Lao food and, by that same token, knew they would also be confused by something like a burger joint, which was also within his range. 

And yet, it was a burger that put the Laotian chef on the map. The Lao Burger was born after sizing up the salad prep station at Taurus Ox with a goal to make a gateway dish—a tactical move driven by efficiency as much as his audience. What he created was so popular it demanded a spinoff. So when Taurus Ox eventually moved to a bigger location, Ox Burger took its place. Probably inevitable, definitely ironic.

But all this expansion wasn’t enough for Khampaeng. In the midst, he also signed the lease for a pizza joint that would become Ananas Pizzeria, welcomed his first baby, and quit drinking cold turkey (as a chef!). A lifetime packed into two years. “It was the hardest time of my life,” he tells me.

Surviving that stretch would be enough for anyone. For Khampaeng, it was another opportunity to surprise himself.

At Ananas, the argument about what does or doesn’t belong on pizza is part of the fun. After all, naming a pizza spot after pineapples is akin to naming your steakhouse Well Done. If you come here with prejudice for pineapple, or anything really, you won’t be indulged. “If you don’t like pineapple and you’re eating at Ananas, remember you’re in enemy territory,” Khampaeng says with a straight face. Out front, a wooden pineapple marks the door. Inside, the century-old building details peek through via ornate moldings. The space is anchored by a bar with a handful of two- and four-tops scattered about, lit up with red and purple bulbs and decorated sporadically with antlers, Japanese masks, and cheeky vintage cartoons. Like Red Robin, but somehow with even less reason. 

The menu is concise but mighty, with a handful of pies that all use hand-prepped, premium ingredients, plus salads and “pizza sandwiches” (think cold-cut ingredients in a fresh, folded pizza crust) at lunch. The namesake Ananas Pizza—one of only two pies on the menu with pineapple, in case you were nervous—is made with a 72-hour sourdough crust and fired in a 550-degree oven, with pineapple sliced so thin it almost melts, pickled jalapeños that shake hands with togarashi for spice, salt from the smoked ham and the grated Grana Padano cheese, and a comforting red sauce that has its own point of view. You can taste the technique, the inspiration, and the refusal to cut corners, even if it means having some of the most intensive prep of any pizza spot in the city. The same way you likely prefer a boba that isn’t made from a powder, Khampaeng likes a pizza with ingredients that don’t come from bags. 

The first time I visited Ananas, I arrived before opening. By the time I left, the place had woken all the way up, teeming with different demographics and energies: solo bicyclists sitting next to construction workers rubbing shoulders with gossiping friends, elderly women claiming their usual patio spots with massive pitchers of beer. Nobody seemed too concerned with the “rules” or the world, just about getting another slice before the next wave rolled in.

“The secret ingredient is giving a shit,” Khampaeng tells me. “If you want to do something special, if you want to be proud of it, you gotta care. You gotta do it the hard way.” 

If you ask me, naming a pizza place after a pineapple checks the “hard way” box. But that’s precisely the joke—naming your shop Ananas and giving pineapple a seat at the table turns “enemy territory” into a place to find common ground. In Seattle, where we make it our job to challenge the lines people draw to divide us, Khampaeng understood the assignment. “Who decides what’s right and what’s wrong? For pizza, but for anything?” he muses. “The lines between right and wrong, hate and disgust, are very thin.” And nowhere in the pizza world are those lines more sharp than with pineapple as a topping. Haters say it’s not authentic, that it doesn’t belong, and as a cohort, they’re very vocal about it. Disgust, it turns out, can bring people together just as fast as delight.

“Ketchup on hot dogs is like that, too,” he says. “People who hate on pineapple or ketchup have so much to say, but those that like it, don’t. Replace ‘pineapple’ with ‘race,’ with anything.” 

At Ananas, you’re invited to have a good time, but also be ready to possibly change your mind. That’s normal fare for a museum, maybe, but rare for a restaurant. But that’s why Ananas works, why any Khampaeng spot works. The food is technical and deliberate, but the spirit is easy and welcoming. Irreverence as an icebreaker, execution as a deal-sealer. Ananas isn’t about pineapple, or even pizza, not really. Instead, it’s about showing that sometimes the quickest way past a dumb fight is a good meal. Pizza for all, pineapple doubly so.

Seattle will keep arguing about what’s real, what’s right, and who gets to call something theirs. Khampaeng is not here to debate—he and his team are too busy doing it the hard way, putting care into every thom khem at Taurus Ox, every Lao Burger at Ox Burger, and every slice at Ananas. And in the process, he’s adding room at the table for whoever wants in—making space, not noise.

Justin stepped into the blue corner, Sarah R stepped into the red. The reedy cry of the pai chawa, a traditional Thai instrument, croaked from the speakers. 

Then, with the high metallic clang of a bell, they pounced. And jabbed and swung their legs into high kicks. The audience cheered with each hit. It gasped at the near misses. 

Part of the drama—and the excitement—of the fight was that in any other space aside from this ring at Ballard Jiu Jitsu, these fighters aren’t even allowed to compete. The thrill of the fight was twofold: The exhilaration of hitting and being hit and the ability to actually, finally fight. 

Queer Fight Night runs one of the few martial arts tournaments in the US where trans people can easily compete. (Outside of these occasional tournaments, Queer Fight Night teaches monthly self-defense classes for queer and trans people, where I was punched in the head about one hundred times—I’d recommend it). The March tournament was the third and the biggest, and the next one, over Labor Day weekend, is just two months away. If someone is willing to compete against anyone of any gender, they’re welcome.

With another high “ding” of the bell, the fight ended. Justin and Sarah R, both sweating and marked with red gloveprints and footprints, hugged. The audience, which was made of a couple hundred queer and trans people, roared. 

Welcome to the Seattle Queer & Trans Martial Arts Tournament. 

In a world eager to ban trans athletes on the unproven basis of “biological advantage,” Queer Fight Night offers an opportunity for fun, competition, spilling some communal blood via friendly aggression, and cutting their knuckles on what was, for many of the fighters, their very first time in the ring. The March event was only the third iteration of the event that originally started as a birthday party. It drew over 100 eager fighters. The next fight night over Labor Day weekend promises to be even bigger. 

A few hours before the first fight, about 100 people in folding chairs nodded along to the tournament rules. They were fighters, lovers and friends and family and they’d come from all over the country and as far as Europe. Tournament organizer Gwen Roote stood by the door. Her co-organizer read the rules from a sheet of paper: No spinning backfists. Don’t hit the  spine or head. Groin protection wasn’t a rule, but by all means, protect the bits. Dozens of hands shot up when they asked for questions.

Roote, who offered to braid the hair of anyone who asked, held the first queer and trans tournament to celebrate her birthday. She had only competed a little before she transitioned, but missed it. It was fun, and she had trouble finding a space. Even when she is willing to compete against cis men, they’re not always willing to compete with her. She says other tournaments have left the final say to the other fighters. Another tournament said she could totally compete, but only if she wrestled bare-chested. (It goes without saying why a woman does not want to wrestle with men bare-chested.) 

Queer Fight Night doesn’t put people in that position. Everyone is welcome to compete—but only as long as they’re willing to compete with anyone at their skill level. And those skill levels, and reasons for coming, were all over the place.

Alex, a boxer from Seattle, said they’d only started training last winter to burn off pent-up energy. Aurora, who doesn’t use a last name, but is willing to sell the open slot to interested sponsors, says she wants to be a superhero for trans people. In her matching blue shorts and sports bra, she even looked the part. Katie Christensen came from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At 43, she knew she’d never be a world champion. But she could at least show the world that trans people belonged in the ring, even as their states were pushing them out. As of Tuesday, Iowa’s civil rights protections no longer include gender identity, and trans people born in the state can’t change the sex on their birth certificate. Christensen tried to get a all-queer boxing class going at home, but people were too scared to go, she says.

"That's why I'm here, doing something like this," she says. (Later, a swift right hook took Christensen down in the first round.) 

Also in the crowd was Alana McLaughlin, a world-famous fighter and one of only two transgender women to compete in a professional MMA match. She was on the night’s title card, and lost to Abigail Austin, aka Abby X, another trans woman who volunteers for Queer Fight Night and runs Seattle's Red Panda Boxing, a trans-inclusive Muay Thai gym. (“Red Panda” is a bit of a misnomer: The gym’s mascot is a pomeranian, who sat in Austin’s lap during our phone call).

Austin was rarely far from the ring. Before her match, I saw her scuttling around, cornering fighters, and helping others warm up. She moved here from Indiana (a state that also banned trans people from changing their birth certificates) to start Red Panda Boxing a few months ago. Just this week, it moved from Ballard Jiu Jitsu to a new space in Capitol Hill.

Austin, who also teaches self-defense classes with Queer Fight Night (her student punched me in the head, which again, I’d recommend), says a lot of American fighting culture has a toxic fixation of “destroying” opponents. She’s not interested in recreating it. Competition is important—trans people need a place to strive like anyone else—but so is uplifting each other. It’s also important to teach trans people—who are largely seeking out martial arts because they’re scared they’ll have to fend off an attack one day—to have fun. The positive vibes, the hugging, the cheering? It’s no accident.

"This is why at our event we uphold those values to make them explicit, overt," she says. "We want each other to do well."

On fight night, co-founder Roote stood clutching a microphone in front of a giant pile of near-identical Doc Marten boots. She addressed the shoeless, but not sockless (thank God) crowd, who sat cross-legged on big blue sparring mats. At the back, people stood against the wall with their arms crossed. Those who were too far to see the action, or had their view blocked by the pillars at the center of the room, craned their necks toward a flat-screen TV mounted on the ceiling. It played a live camera feed from above the ring. 

Before the fights, Roote reminded the crowd not to take photos. Even though everyone fighting was happy to be fighting, this event was just the kind of thing the far-right may seize on. 

But for most of the night, a boisterous emcee named Mar was in control.

"Welcome to the rumble in rain city!" they said, welcoming the crowd to the first of twenty-two "whopping, astounding" fights. The sun had only just set, casting the bridge pylons outside in pale blue light. 

People smoking outside and watched through the front window. A fight had just finished.

"Send them all the good energy in the world," Mar said. "It's hard to take multiple kicks in the leg."

Tad Schultejans stood nervously in the red corner. It was their first ever kickboxing match. Their coach, Mad Green, hung off the side. A wave of brown hair peeked from under the green bandana on their head. Both fighter and coach had flown in from St. Louis, Missouri, along with eight members of their own “Queer Fight Club,” who chattered excitedly in front of me. 

Green’s Queer Fight Club started as an art school project. The idea was to start a fight club and document it relentlessly. But after the camera came down, the club kept going. They still teach three classes a week.

It’s a habit: Green grew up fighting. They’d learned from their father, a now long-retired amateur MMA fighter. As a kid, they competed in gyms all over Missouri they remembered as "toxic, remote" places. 

"It was not about joining a community and letting rage out," Green says. "It was being an individual who could kill another person."

Schultejans also grew up around martial arts, but stayed away from their Dad’s martial arts school out of fear. Though he encouraged Schultejans to take classes like their brother did, Schultejans couldn’t kick the feeling that they’d try and fail spectacularly. The feeling stuck until one frustrating day. They were sitting in their car after class and ruminating on a fight with a friend that had robbed their punches of power during class. And they decided they were done letting their head get in the way of their hands. They’ve punched hard since.  

With the bell, Schultejans rushed at their opponent, who staggered backward. Nothing dissuaded Schultejans. Not a nasty jab to the face in the first round, or the exhaustion that hung on their shoulders in the second. In the third round, they flew forward again and pistoned until the bell rang.

The referee held Schultejans’s red glove in the air. Green ran to their friends. 

"Y'all, that was so awesome," they said. Their smile was enormous.

The Stranger's Primary 2025 Endorsement for City Council District 2 by Stranger Election Control Board

We didn’t know what kind of fresh hell we were in for when District 2 City Councilmember Tammy Morales bowed out of office one year into her second term. The appointment process sucked; the unimaginative snoozers on the city council selected multiple-SECB-endorsement-loser Mark Solomon to take the seat. Luckily, Solomon isn’t running to keep the seat, so we have an open race on our hands!

Which brings us to the pool of four viable D2 hopefuls: Union guy and SDCI inspector Jamie Fackler; restaurant organizer and activist Jeanie Chunn; assistant city attorney Eddie Lin; and mayoral transportation engagement manager Adonis Ducksworth.

After a lively (read: tense, yell-y) discussion, the clear choice for D2 is Eddie Lin. As an assistant city attorney, Lin’s focus for the last several years has been working with the Office of Housing. When it comes to housing, and building more of it, Lin knows his stuff. In the midst of a never-ending housing crisis and a new Social Housing Developer on its way through the Seattle Process’s long birth canal, we need someone who can get shit done. Lin knows we need subsidized affordable units, social housing, limited equity co-ops, and everything else under the sun to get people four walls and a roof. Plus, whoever sits on council will implement Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Comprehensive Plan. Lin, a fiend for density and walkable neighborhoods, is a smart choice to kickstart the next 20 years of Seattle’s growth.

One of the main hits against Lin, as Fackler repeatedly brought up, was that he didn’t go all out championing Proposition 1A, the voter measure that set up a funding mechanism for the Social Housing Developer. Lin didn't vote for it because, as a housing wonk, he was concerned that it was vulnerable to being undermined by a more conservative, Chamber-backed City Council. However, he says he’s come around and is ready to champion it. 

He’s also a total slut (sorry, Eddie) for progressive revenue. He’s DFAIT (Down For An Income Tax), a vacancy tax, and a city-level capital gains tax. We liked Chunn’s idea for a commercial vacancy tax, but felt she was still a little too green to hack it in City Hall. We hope to see her again.

The other knock against Lin is, like all other candidates except Chunn, he wants more cops. Lin’s desire for increased police presence does go hand-in-hand with hiring a more diverse police force and expanding police alternatives. Plus, Lin’s experience with police brutality made him wary of cops. In his 20s, a Minneapolis police officer cuffed him, put his hands on his throat, and made racist comments—confusing Lin, who is Asian, for a Native American. The rattling experience forever changed Lin’s view of policing. We felt Fackler, while progressive and knowledgeable about the same issues, was too soft on the cops, especially their union.

We’re certain Ducksworth will win the Seattle Times endorsement. He’s suave, charming, and doesn’t answer a single question. He’s also fucking cool. Sadly, underneath his skater chic, Ducksworth is nothing but a visionless moderate (read: Bruce Harrell). We already doubted he’d be our guy from the start, and he did us a solid by confirming that with a shitty, uninformed comment blaming drug users for their own predicament.

“I did the ride along last week, and these guys asked at least 50 people, are they ready to go to treatment? We got one. We got one. So this comes down to the person on the street, too. Who wants to get off the street,” Ducksworth said.

“That’s because some of the treatment options are not—,” Lin said.

“They’re not asking about the treatment options,” Ducksworth interrupted. “They’re getting high.”

Ducksworth’s mask came off. We did not like it under there.

So, Lin is our guy. He’s the whole package. He’s a cat guy and a dog guy. He’s a public schools champion. This is why we willfully turned a blind eye to the fact that he could only name two examples when asked what his four favorite films were and one of them was White Lotus Season 1, famously not a movie. If he’s even seen a movie, he wasn’t paying attention. There weren’t enough housing solutions for his taste. Vote Lin.

Editors Note: This endorsement originally appeared in The Stranger's July 2025 issue. In that version, we said Lin voted to support Prop 1A. After publication, his campaign clarified that he voted for 1B in February, but supports the social housing model now. We regret the error. Also, Jamie Fackler's last name is "Fackler" not "Frackler" (as it appeared in one instance in print). We regret the "r." Give a Frack doesn't hit like Give a Fack.

Don’t forget to VOTE. What if it matters again? by Stranger Election Control Board

Wait, where are you going? This is important! It’s true that local primary elections can be a little—yawn—but please believe us when we tell you that this year’s primaries may just be the most exciting we’ve had in years.

Case in point: New York City’s recent mayoral primary. Just a summertime primary, no biggie, right? But it was full of drama and suspense, and the results were downright inspiring. Seattle could use some new energy as well, and, come August 5, it will be our votes that could make that happen. Nine candidates are vying for their shot to be mayor of Antifaland, and already, the conversation has revolved around two Democrats, incumbent Bruce Harrell and challenger Katie Wilson.

After hours of candidate interviews, research, and investigation—and one hell of a shouting match—we here at The Stranger are endorsing Katie Wilson for mayor of Seattle. And while the choice doesn’t really get made until November’s general election, to cast a vote for Wilson in the primaries would send a hell of a message to City Hall: It’s time for a change. It’s time for a new mayor. It’s time for Katie Wilson.

Click here to read more about our reasoning, and over the next few days, we'll be rolling out the rest of the endorsements we painstakingly researched and debated for days on end. (Spoiler: We plan to see Sara Nelson lose her job, too.) 

When you’re done doing your civic duty, why not treat yourself to some of the best pizza in town? Asian Verified columnist Michael Wong chats with one of Seattle’s most innovative chefs, Khampaeng Panyathong, the man behind Taurus Ox, Ox Burger, and Ananas Pizzeria. And Stranger staff writer Audrey Vann interviews pelagic dream rockers, Coral Grief, who celebrate the release of their debut album, Air Between Us, at the Tractor on July 26. Want more bang for your buck? Audrey also put together a flowchart to help you find your perfect music festival match this summer. 

There’s also a profile on Y2K-loving local fashion designer Dan McLean, an interview with author and culture critic Lawrence Burney, and, as always, a big ol’ Things To Do calendar full of music, food, art, film, comedy, theater, and culture recommendations and listings. Dance to tenderpunk project Illuminati Hotties at Ballard SeafoodFest on July 12! See weird and avant-garde contemporary art from all over the world at Seattle Art Fair July 17–20! Catch a screening of the underrated ’80s teen sex dramedy Little Darlings on July 29! There is something amazing to do literally every single day in July—click here to see it all.

Whatever you decide to do, don’t forget to VOTE. What if it matters again? 

Love,

The Stranger Election Control Board

A List of Good Things That Got Us Through Hours of Candidate Interviews

Incredible patience; yelling

A 45-second timer

The little gay people in our phones

Cole Escola’s beautiful doe eyes

The Safelite guy who fixed a car window and only left a little glass on the seat

Petting photos of dogs with my cursor (could a depressed person do this?)

Last-minute campaign dirt

Claudia Balducci assuming we like natural wine because we’re gay (and being right)

My new PMA tattoo 

Deming D’Ette

Sara Nelson’s vibrant green pants (no shade, they’re great)

Rachael Savage’s lipstick

Candidates who arrive 30 minutes early

Bars that open at 4 p.m.

Smoking a cigarette outside a hospital

Season two of Pokerface

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Fruit Riot frozen sour candy-coated grapes

The rainbow seltzer tower in the QFC on Pike and Broadway

Raven Grass’s CBD/THC blend pre-rolls

Getting a cunty little charm for my vape pen

Scrunchies

Rainier cherries

MJ Lenderman’s wristwatch that tells him we’re all alone

George Dickel

“Hammer” by Lorde

Being funny 80 percent of the time

Midol

Caitlin Mary Cunningham serving harlequin goth on the basketball court

Friends’ boners

Look, the United States is a hot mess, but at least we get a three-day weekend out of its birthday. Make the most of it at events from the Pioneer Square Fest to Seafair 4th of July. For more suggestions, check out our top event picks of the week and our July events guide.

40th Annual Naturalization Ceremony
Head down to Seattle Center this Friday for a patriotic activity I wholeheartedly support: the swearing-in and welcoming of hundreds of new US citizens from around the world. Immigrants really do make America great, and the path to citizenship is not an easy one, which makes this ceremony a very important occasion to many of the participants. The schedule includes a performance of the national anthem accompanied by a brass band, a Native American welcome, and a gospel rendition of "America the Beautiful." SHANNON LUBETICH
(Fisher Pavilion, Uptown, free)

The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Marcus Harrison Green

Partly Cloudy Day: Our weather today will be mostly cloudy in the morning, before handing us a partly sunny illusion of hope, with highs around 71. That’s what we’ve come to call summer in these parts if you're into emotional compromise. So wear the light jacket in the morning, switch to a tee later, and enjoy this rare meteorological miracle before the clouds remember they have beef with you.

House GOP Pulls All-Nighter to Move Deadly Bill Forward: While you were sleeping, House Republicans were busy trying to pass a spending bill packed with tax breaks for the rich and deep cuts to social programs, including $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food assistance. By 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, they were still scrambling for votes to pass “the rule,” a procedural hurdle required to bring the bill to the floor. Normally, the majority party backs its own rules, but House Republicans are now so chaotic they’ve started mutinying against themselves. Inspiring stuff. By midnight, the rebellion was fading, and the bill looked likely to pass.

As of this writing, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is entering his sixth hour of speaking in an effort to stall the vote. He said they only need four Republicans with “John McCain levels of courage” to stop the bill. Whether anyone in this Congress has that kind of backbone remains to be seen. Not holding our breath. The bill is headed to a final House vote.

FEMA’s Communication Blackout Is Leaving Disaster Response in Chaos: As hurricane season approaches, FEMA has slammed the door on communication, leaving state and local emergency officials scrambling for answers. From Wyoming to North Carolina, emergency managers say they’re being “ghosted” by FEMA, with vital questions about emergency funding going unanswered. Internal memos reveal top FEMA brass ordered staff to route all inquiries from Congress, the White House’s budget office, and the National Security Council through the acting FEMA administrator. Regional teams have even been told to limit what they share with local partners until supervisors approve it.

The result? A dangerous information bottleneck that’s delaying billions in emergency grants and could cripple disaster response just when it’s needed most. Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is tightening her grip on FEMA as the Trump administration plans to phase out the agency after hurricane season and shift disaster responsibility to the states. State and local officials warn this silence and confusion will cost lives. The DHS calls claims of a communication ban “fake news,” but FEMA insiders say the memos tell a different story. If FEMA won’t talk, who will answer when disaster strikes?

Big Gulag Energy: A new lawsuit says the Trump admin illegally deported Maryland father Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia after a judge told them not to, and he was immediately thrown into El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison. Upon arrival, a guard allegedly told detainees, “Welcome to CECOT. Whoever enters here doesn’t leave.” So that’s... encouraging. There, guards tortured him for months. According to newly filed court docs, they beat him, denied him sleep and bathroom access, and forced him to kneel for nine-hour stretches under 24/7 lights. Now he’s suing Marco Rubio, Pamela Bondi, Kristi Noem, and other Trumpworld cosplay cabinet members. The feds only brought him back last month, just in time to charge him with human smuggling. Asked about it, DHS mouthpiece Tricia McLaughlin called it a “sob story” and mocked reporters for asking. Charming.

DHS and FBI Warn of Lone Wolf Threats Ahead of July 4: Federal agencies are warning of lone actors and small extremist groups targeting July 4 events nationwide. In a joint statement, the FBI and DHS said, “These individuals are often motivated by a broad range of racial, ethnic, political, religious, anti-government, societal, or personal grievances.” While listing every grievance under the sun, they conveniently tiptoed around the fact that most of these so-called “lone wolves” are white American men with a penchant for violence and plummeting down YouTube rabbit holes, including the recent police-impersonating gunman who killed Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman. There are also concerns about copycat attacks inspired by recent violence such as the Texas-born assailant who rammed a crowd in New Orleans earlier this year, killing 14.

The statement also noted that unauthorized drones add another layer of risk to public safety and event security. Officials urge vigilance as the nation prepares for July 4 celebrations, though it’s been years since America was a place where people could gather in groups without fearing violence.

Freak-Offs and Failed Convictions: Sean “Diddy” Combs just swerved a legal freight train, sort of. After a seven-week federal trial filled with graphic testimony, he was found not guilty Wednesday on racketeering and sex trafficking charges but still landed two felony convictions for transporting people across state lines for prostitution. The feds painted him as the baby-oil-soaked kingpin of a criminal sex ring, complete with drugs, violence, and “freak-offs” filmed like twisted episodes of Black Mirror. His defense? Yes, he’s an abuser, but most of these encounters were just consensual kinky fun with girlfriends, and the government was on a puritanical overreach mission. But don’t cue the victory lap just yet: a federal judge denied him bail, citing his “propensity for violence,” so he’s still behind bars and looking at up to 20 years in prison. Turns out “Bad Boy for Liife” hits different when the bars aren’t metaphorical.

Criminology Student Convicted of Idaho Murders: Bryan Kohberger, a criminology Ph.D. student who went from studying serial killers to becoming one, pleaded guilty to the 2022 murders of four University of Idaho students in a plea deal that takes the death penalty off the table but locks him away for life. Prosecutors laid out a grim, calculated plan involving late-night stalking, a military-style knife, and a disturbingly spotless getaway, but still couldn’t explain why he did it or how someone that creepy went unnoticed for so long. The victims' families were split: some were furious that he won’t face execution, while others are relieved to avoid years of retraumatizing courtroom theater. So we get closure without clarity, a killer without a cause, and a case that feels more like a tragic true crime podcast with no final resolution.

Bench the Bigotry, Not the Kids: In what I’m sure doesn’t portend a judicial decision crowdsourced from the pits of hell, the Supreme Court just RSVP’d to the next round of the culture war, agreeing to hear two cases about whether states can ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. These cases, out of Idaho and West Virginia, are a bad-faith legal tug-of-war over equal protection and the right of trans kids to just exist and compete like everyone else. Fresh off blessing restrictions on gender-affirming care, the Court’s signaling it’s ready to weigh in on yet another front in the right-wing campaign to legislate trans people out of public life and follows Penn outright banning trans athletes.

Assessor of Poor Judgment: King County Assessor John Arthur Wilson got himself arrested Wednesday night for allegedly stalking his ex-fiancée and violating a restraining order because apparently, the bar for public office is now somewhere beneath the jail itself. Just hours before his arrest, the man was posting glam shots from an upscale restaurant, toasting what he called a “great day.” Wilson, of course, claims the arrest is all “political,” because in 2025, accountability is synonymous with another deep-state conspiracy.

Wrong Guy, Same Brutality: Vidal Palomar, a disabled father of three who fled cartel violence in Mexico, was violently arrested by ICE in Lynden, despite having no criminal record and, according to his attorney, being the victim of mistaken identity. Eyewitness video shows agents throwing him to the ground twice, even with a disabled placard clearly in view, and when he finally demanded to see a warrant, it showed a photo of someone else. ICE then allegedly offered him $1,000 to "just admit guilt and leave," because apparently failures of due process now come with a cash bonus. Palomar’s arrest has sent shockwaves through Whatcom County’s Latino community, where the message is loud and clear: being undocumented and brown is enough to get you disappeared.

Vote Wilson: In case you missed our mayoral endorsement, here’s the TL;DR: Bruce Harrell came in promising housing, police reform, and grown-up leadership, then promptly handed us more sweeps, tech bro distractions, and tantrums when asked basic questions. Turns out the real graffiti problem is the one scribbling over his own promises. Meanwhile, Katie Wilson actually has a plan to house people, fund services, and not spiral into finger-pointing every time things get hard. She’s smart, steady, and gives a damn (my own mama has even given her support) so let’s retire Bruce and give Seattle a mayor who doesn’t need a babysitter.

Raleigh is an All Star! Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh just went full Super Saiyan and got named an All-Star starter for the first time because when you hit 33 home runs before July, people notice. That’s third-most ever before July 1, right behind Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire (aka the Avengers of the steroid era). Raleigh’s basically carrying the Mariners on his back with a 1.024 OPS, 4.5 WAR, and even stealing bases now because apparently he woke up this season and chose MVP-level violence.

Bald and Back, Baby! A bald eagle in Tacoma just pulled off the ultimate comeback story. Rescued starving and grounded in May, it got the full wildlife VIP treatment and took flight again Wednesday like it never missed a beat. This bird had broken bones, was dehydrated, basically one step away from starring in a wildlife tragedy but thanks to the good folks at PAWS and Featherhaven, it’s back in the skies, hopefully reconnecting with its eagle boo.

Look, I don’t know what it is about Postmodern Jukebox covers, but they get me every, single, time. Like, why does a jazzed-up, gospel-fied version of U2 hit harder than catholic guilt on a Sunday morning? I can’t explain it. But here we are. So let’s start the day right:

The Stranger's endorsement for City Attorney in the 2025 primary. by Stranger Election Control Board

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last three-and-a-half years, let us brief you on our current City Attorney: the regrettable Republican Ann Davison. 

The City Attorney has two jobs: one criminal (prosecuting all of the city’s misdemeanor cases, like DUIs and domestic violence charges) and one civil (acting as the city’s attorney, either suing people or other governments and also defending Seattle in court when, for instance, the Seattle Chamber of Commerce sues the city to kill the JumpStart tax).

From a criminal perspective, Davison’s whole thing is being “tough on crime,” which famously does nothing to make our city safer or to get people on the streets the help they need. She instituted policies like Close-in-Time filing. Implemented in 2022, it’s meant to reduce the criminal case backlog, but really just places the backlog in a different pile. It hasn’t worked. Her “High Utilizer Initiative” to target frequent offenders, surprise, also doesn’t solve any problems and worsens recidivism. Plus, Davison killed “community court,” an alternative system that offers people charged with misdemeanors non-punitive options to resolve their cases.

Meanwhile, Davison is unforgivably behind on filing DUI cases—one of the two serious misdemeanors the office can prosecute. Domestic violence cases are lagging. Back in 2021, before Davison, it took 26 days to file a DV case. Last year, on average, it took twice as long.

Davison is a tumor on the city and we don’t expect her to be willing to stand up to Trump. She converted to the Republican party during DJT’s first term, when anyone with an ounce of sense jumped ship. When King County, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Portland, and New Haven signed onto a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for their attacks on “sanctuary jurisdictions,” Davison dragged her feet, only joining the lawsuit months later. Meanwhile, while Boston and 43 other cities (including our less progressive neighbors, Spokane and Olympia) fought cuts to federal research funding, Davison stayed out of it. This person cannot protect us from the next three-and-a-half years (or more) of authoritarian encroachment. 

So, she sucks. We can’t let her win again. And she could. With three progressive challengers splitting the left vote, Davison will almost certainly skate through the primary, liberal Seattle bubble be damned. The people who didn’t march in the No Kings rally get ballots, too! 

Of this bunch, we believe Erika Evans, a former assistant US Attorney, is our choice to best Ann, make the City Attorney’s office effective and fair, and protect Seattle from the Trump administration. 

Evans has prosecuted hate crimes, she’s gone after drug traffickers, she’s slapped the wrists of business owners dipping into their employees’ wages, and she was involved in a case prosecuting January 6ers from Puyallup. Her résumé is impressive. Her platform (speed up DUI and DV case filings, bring back community court, prosecute wage theft, improve the police union contract to allow for more policing alternatives) mirrors the platforms of her opponents. But they don’t have her grit.

In our meeting, Evans leapt for her opponents’ throats. She presented exhibits for every argument, and demonstrated a deep understanding of the power, and limitations, of the City Attorney’s Office. She spoke thoughtfully about the importance of working closely with Washington Attorney General Nick Brown against the constitutionally intolerant Trump administration, and made a commitment to not prosecute “peaceful” protesters (though she wouldn’t define a “peaceful protester” for us, which is peak prosecutor brain). 

We also love a prop comedian: she brought Jarritos and African Black soap to symbolize SOAP/SODA laws, a Raggedy Ann doll to represent Davison, a printout of photos of the white men who have held this office for the 150 years before Ann got the job, a binder of her and her opponents case files. Sure, she gave Model-UN vibes, and if being corny were illegal this woman would be in jail. But it isn’t. And what we care about is Evans’s ability and will to protect us when Trump goes after this city.

We know, we know. A history as a prosecutor brings with it a track record of upholding a system built for oppression. But our federal government is actively antagonistic to cities like ours, and a prosecutor knows how the federal government works. Evans knows what levers to pull. And local progressives such as City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and State Rep. Shaun Scott believe she’s the right choice despite all the prosecutorial baggage. 

But we don’t discount her mistakes and our misgivings. Evans voted for Bruce Harrell last election (“But I voted for Nikkita Oliver twice when they ran,” Evans said). She donated $100 to Harrell’s campaign before Katie Wilson got into the race, but wouldn’t say whom she was voting for in this election, and hedged by saying she couldn’t talk shit when the winner could be her client. Public defenders are worried about what her real intentions are and how she’ll act when she’s in the seat of power. We understand where they’re coming from. But we’re inviting her to prove them wrong. 

This wasn’t an easy decision. Any of Davison’s challengers would be wildly better for Seattle. We wish we could have endorsed Nathan Rouse, the public defender running for the seat, because he knows the system doesn’t work for everyday people and wants to change it. He’s tougher on the Seattle Police Officers Guild than any other candidates. But he didn’t convince us he could put his ideas into action or win. Please run again next time, Nathan. We want to see you in our swivel chairs again, with more experience under your belt. Thanks for the Pop-Tarts.

And Rory O’Sullivan could do a perfectly fine job in the role. But he lacks trial experience. And most importantly, we aren’t confident he could beat Davison. 

Evans will hit the ground running in a way we need. Here’s to knocking Davison into the stratosphere. Vote Evans. 

The Stranger's endorsement for City Council Position 9, in the 2025 primary election. by Stranger Election Control Board

Seattle will not have a functional city government until Sara Nelson is KO’d so far out of our political orbit that she’ll be nothing more than a footnote: a forgettable, one-time City Council President who reigned over this legislative body during a remarkably chaotic and useless time in its history.

At this point, progressives would endorse a cinder block over Nelson if it had a pulse and a fixed Seattle address. Fortunately, we don’t have to. Because we have Dionne Foster, an excellent candidate for this office. Rejoice!

Foster, a former policy advisor for the city and the former executive director of the nonprofit Washington Progress Alliance, is a knowledgeable, likable, competent wonk. She wants to lead the way on economic justice. Stop this city’s affordability crisis and addiction to sweeps from displacing people. She’ll fight conservatives on this council willing to divert JumpStart funds from affordable housing. Unlike Nelson, Foster knows Seattle must go harder for housing density than the legal minimum set by the state and that it’s unrealistic for a real city expecting major growth in the next two decades to click its ruby red heels, ignore its housing needs, and remain an overgrown, dysfunctional suburb forever.

 Foster also wants to embrace affordability and outrun Washington’s regressive tax code with progressive revenue. She wants a municipal capital gains tax, a vacancy tax, and working with the state on a mansion tax. She has the right plans and can articulate exactly how she’d implement them, a rare quality on our curb-busting city council. She’s granular, but not myopic. And we believe her because she already did this work at the state level to pass the limited capital gains tax

Foster has earned a heap of endorsements from politicians like Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, State Rep. Shaun Scott (D-43), and Scott’s dearly departed predecessor, Frank Chopp, because she is the best, quickest-witted candidate to walk through our door this election cycle. With two other seats up for reelection, that’s a chance she won’t be a progressive island on council.

Nelson, on the other hand, is a fundamentally un-democratic chaos agent and a disastrous leader whose sole purpose has been to accumulate political power. Her Council’s “accomplishments” have been wildly unpopular: Approving a police contract with big raises and no accountability? Putting blast balls back in the hands of untrustworthy cops, and ensuring they can surveil us? Establishing “stay out” zones for drug users and sex workers that stigmatize people and don’t work? Attempting to weaken our ethics code and repeal protections for gig workers? We’re embarrassed.

Seattle is immobilized in Nelson’s… full Nelson, controlled by business interests who shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars for her meandering status quo that squeezes the renters, the poor, the homeless, and the disadvantaged on the margins. A skilled politician at least pretends to listen. Nelson is either incapable or indifferent. She shuts down anyone who is too loud and cumbersome for her taste. Her hostility for representative government and working people is boundless. But in her hallowed chambers at least we’ll have decorum, won’t we?

Her contempt for the public seemed like the only reason competitor Connor Nash, a former state and federal employee, joined this race. Mia Jacobsen, on the other hand, is running a protest campaign to overhaul the system that puts people like Nelson in the driver’s seat. Nash was angry, shooed away too many times.

But Nelson isn’t just the rock and the hard place. She’s a liability. A threat to reforms from a more progressive council, a roadblock to desperately needed progress on housing and homelessness, and the last person we want in city government when President Donald Trump comes to play. We’re tired of incompetence. We want someone with ideas, who loves this city and its people. A vote for Nelson is a vote for nihilism. A vote for Foster is a vote for intelligence, compassion, solutions, and a chance for a future.

Vote Foster.

The best community events in July. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 12

Drag superstar, singer-songwriter, businesswoman, TV personality, makeup artist, YouTuber, and real-life Barbie Trixie Mattel is coming to Tacoma this month, in case you didn’t hear. I know everyone is asking: How did this Tacoma Pride party book one of the most in-demand drag queens in the game? Well, they got her the month after Pride, when her schedule is clear. As far as I’m concerned, every month is Pride month, so I won’t mind throwing on something sparkly and trekking down to Tacoma to see Trixie’s DJ set along with local gems like Stacey Starstruck, Pupusa, Fabi, Slutashia, Anita Spritzer, Rowan Ruthless, Amora Namor, and more. (The Mix, 2 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

July 12–13

There’s something distinctly fruity about the glorious pomp and pageantry of the Middle Ages, which is why this Ren Faire–themed festival produced by and for queers makes so much sense. The event launched last summer, and this year, the festivities have expanded to two days of medieval debauchery. Lace up your corset, throw on some chain mail, strap on some glittery fairy wings, or dress in any other way that tickles your fancy, then peruse a selection of handmade art and clothing from queer vendors and witness some fabulous performances. The tavern keepers at Obec Brewing will keep the ale flowing—sorry, giant chicken leg not included. (Obec Brewing, 3–8 pm, free, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

Mondays through July 14

This free feminist discussion group will explore women in history who have played vital roles in fighting fascism. Organized by the long-running socialist feminist activist organization Radical Women, this is not only a powerful way to harness hope and gain inspiration to resist under the current administration, but also an opportunity to meet like-minded people in the community. Reading packets will be available to purchase for $10 at each session. (New Freeway Hall, 6:30 pm) AUDREY VANN

July 26–27

Urban Craft Uprising was founded as a small 50-booth holiday show in the winter of 2005 to showcase wares from independent crafters, artists, and designers and to provide an intentional alternative to big-box stores and mass-produced goods. Since then, it’s blossomed into the largest indie craft event in the Pacific Northwest. Stop by this free two-day summer edition to check out jewelry, housewares, clothing, toys, bath and body products, candles, and more from more than 130 vendors, as well as food trucks to fuel your browsing. A designated area for the show’s “Sprouts” program will also be dedicated to “emerging small businesses with a focus on LGBTQ+, BIPOC, veteran and alter-abled vendors.” (Magnuson Park Hangar 30, 11 am–5 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Drag Bingo with Sativa Every Friday, Rough & Tumble, 7 pm

Seattle Mariners 2025 Home Games Through Sept 28, T-Mobile Park

Seattle Reign FC 2025 Home Games Through Oct 17, Lumen Field

Sound Bath with Semi Woo Wednesdays from July 2–Sept 24, 7:15 pm, free

An Interactive Evening Suitable for Introverts July 11, Fremont Abbey, 5 pm

An Evening with Ken Burns July 14, McCaw Hall, 6:30 pm

Hugo House Presents: Writer Speed Friending July 16, Lapis Theater, 6 pm

Bridging Movements: On Gender, Race, and Collective Liberation July 31, The Wyncote NW Forum, 5:30 pm, free

The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire Saturdays & Sundays from July 19–Aug 17, Sky Meadows Park

Monster Jam Sept 19–21, Tacoma Dome

July's best food events. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 11–13

Originally started as a celebration of the neighborhood’s fishing industry in 1974, the Ballard SeafoodFest has expanded over the years to include an alder-smoked salmon barbecue, art exhibits, a craft beer garden, artisan craft vendors, a skateboarding showcase, kids’ activities, and live music. This year’s music lineup features “ugly pop” sibling group Skating Polly, Sarah Tudzin’s self-described “tenderpunk” project Illuminati Hotties, psych rockers Spirit Award, and soulful singer Sir Woman, among many others. Masochists can enroll in the lutefisk eating contest, an annual competition to see who can scarf down the most of the salty, gelatinous fish. (NW Market St and Ballard Ave NW, times vary, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 26

School may be out for summer, but you can seek out some extracurricular edification at the 1930s junior-high-turned-adult-playground Anderson School’s all-ages beer festival, with 32 handcrafted ales and ciders from Washington and Oregon, barbecue food specials, and whiskey tastings. Plus, check out live music performances from the rock cover band On the Rocks and alternative country group Salt Pine, and roam the campus’ halls, which include pinball and a swimming pool. Your ticket gets you 10 tasting tickets and a keepsake festival glass. (Haynes’ Hall, 1–7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 18–20

There are few joys in this fucked-up world as unalloyed as biting into the first red, ripe, juicy strawberry of summer. Add the quaint, idyllic island community vibes of Vashon to that mix, and you’ve got yourself a winning formula. Since the early 1900s, Vashon Island has hosted an annual festival to commemorate the island’s history as a hub for strawberry production, and it’s since grown into a cherished tradition full of parades, live music, a classic car show, kids’ activities, and local vendor booths. It’s volunteer-run and family-friendly, as well as an ideal excuse to escape from the city for a bit via ferry ride and microdose being on vacation. (Vashon Island) JULIANNE BELL

July 25–27

Seattle boasts plenty of food and drink festivals year-round, but Bite of Seattle—billed as “Seattle’s original and largest food and beverage showcase” and claiming to draw 355,000 guests each year—is the most well-known gluttonous gathering by far, having been in business since 1982. Look forward to upwards of 300 food vendors, as well as beer and wine gardens, retail vendors, cider tastings, kids’ activities, live cooking demos, and more than 65 musical performers. Artists include punk-infused instrumentalists mega cat, powerhouse vocalist Shaina Shepherd, rock-and-rollers the Moondoggies, rapper Oblé Reed, and “funk juggernaut” Eldridge Gravy & the Court Supreme. (Seattle Center, 10 am– 9 pm Friday through Saturday & 10 am–8 pm on Sunday, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Ballard Farmers Market Every Sunday, Ballard Ave, 9 am–2 pm, free

Capitol Hill Farmers Market Every Sunday, E Denny Way and Nagle Pl, 11 am–3 pm, free

West Seattle Farmers Market Every Sunday, Alaska Junction, 10 am–2 pm, free

Fremont Sunday Market Every Sunday, Evanston Ave N and N 34th St, 10 am–4 pm, free

Tasting Notes II with Kenji López-Alt and James Ehnes July 25, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

Samin Nosrat Oct 14, Benaroya Hall

Film screenings and events you can't miss in July. by Audrey Vann

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 3–7

Thomas Kinkade’s whimsical landscapes of fairy cottages, Christmas villages, and enchanted gardens turned him into one of the most successful painters of all time, while at the same time establishing for him a reputation as an unabashed capitalist and sellout. Documentarian Miranda Yousef’s film Art for Everybody explores the troubled man behind the bucolic images through the vault of uncharacteristically dark paintings he left behind—Kinkade died of a lethal drug and alcohol pairing in 2012. The film reevaluates the infamous kitsch creator as not just a businessman, but a performance artist who profited off an American society starved for unrealistic beauty and idealism. The film will be presented by filmmaker Miranda Yousef and the artist’s daughter, Chandler Kinkade. (SIFF Film Center, various times) AUDREY VANN

July 10–12

Three Dollar Bill Cinema’s annual film festival is celebrating “30 years of queer cinema and 20 years of trans storytelling” this year with “iconic shorts and features from festivals past, a brand-new lineup of trans-made and trans-led short films, and a spotlight on the brilliant local voices that shaped our scene.” I’m particularly excited to see some of my favorite LGBTQ classics, like Saving Face, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and Tangerine on the lineup, as well as lesser-known throwbacks like the 2008 teen fantasy musical Were the World Mine (in which a high school boy casts a spell to turn his entire small town gay) and the 2001 transmasc road trip buddy movie By Hook or By Crook (featuring a cameo from Joan Jett!). (Broadway Performance Hall and Erickson Theater, various times) JULIANNE BELL

July 13

What can I say about Paul Verhoeven’s landmark 1995 erotic drama that hasn’t already been said? That I felt like a changed person after watching it for the first time? That it is tacky and absurd to a degree approaching transcendence? That never in my 34 years have I seen anything quite like Gina Gershon flirting with Elizabeth Berkley by talking about eating doggy chow? Whether you love or hate the critically panned camp classic, I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not indifferent. (I’m solidly in the love camp myself, in case you couldn’t guess.) See the psychosexual NC-17 sensation (and its bevy of naked breasts) on the big screen at Here-After. (Here-After, 7 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

July 29

I watched this underrated ’80s teen sex dramedy as a high schooler and almost never hear people talking about it, so I’m thrilled to learn that Here-After will be screening it. At the all-girls summer camp Camp Little Wolf, tough girl Angel and sheltered rich girl Ferris clash upon meeting and make a bet to see who can lose their virginity first. Roger Ebert wrote that the movie “somehow does succeed in treating the awesome and scary subject of sexual initiation with some of the dignity it deserves.” I love the queer subtext, the gay-as-hell vintage denim and shag haircuts, and the fact that the film allows its teen girl subjects to be horny and messy in a way they aren’t often permitted to be. Keep your eyes peeled for a young Matt Dillon and 13-year-old Cynthia Nixon’s film debut as the camp’s resident flower child, Sunshine. (Here-After, 7:30 pm, 21+) JULIANNE BELL

To Live Is to Dream: A Northwest Tribute to David Lynch Through August 10, various locations

Salute-vision: Top Gun July 4, Central Cinema, 7 pm

Unstoppable 2025 Summer Tour July 6, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 4:30 pm

Good Garbage: Deep Blue Sea July 9, Here-After, 6 pm, 21+

Epic Movie Night: Casino July 10, Central Cinema, 8 pm

Sorry, Baby Opens July 10, SIFF Cinema Uptown

The Cartoons of Max Fleischer July 11–24, Northwest Film Forum, various times

The Sandlot Special Event with the Cast July 11, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm

DreamWorks Animation in Concert July 11–13, Benaroya Hall, various times

Hecklevision: Stargate July 13, Central Cinema, 9:45 pm

Hecklevision: The Mummy July 14, Central Cinema, 7 pm

Baron von Terror Presents: The Blob July 17, Central Cinema, 8 pm

Mourning Sickness with Miss Monday Mourning: Barbie July 20, Northwest Film Forum, 8 pm

SIFF ‘n’ Stitch: Little Miss Sunshine July 20, SIFF Cinema Uptown, noon

Koyaanisqatsi: Live with Philip Glass Ensemble July 22, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm

Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2025 July 23–27, Northwest Film Forum, various times

Art House Theater Day: Tomboy and Tangerine July 24, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 5:30 pm and 7:45 pm

Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA with Will Sloan July 25, The Beacon, 7:30 pm

Movies at the Mural Every Friday, July 25–August 22, Mural Amphitheatre, 9 pm

She/Her Fest July 26, SIFF Film Center, 7 pm

Unstreamable: Secret Screening #2 July 31, SIFF Cinema Uptown, 7:30 pm

CatVideoFest 2025 Aug 8–10, SIFF Cinema Uptown, various times

Silent Movie Mondays: The Freshman Aug 25, Paramount Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

L.A. Noir: Shadows in Paradise Sept 10–Nov 12, SIFF Cinema Uptown

Twilight in Concert Sept 13, Paramount Theatre, 2 pm and 7:30 pm, all ages

2025 SIFF Marquee Gala Sept 18, Fremont Studios

20th Tasveer Film Festival & Market Oct 7–12, Tasveer Film Center

The Rocky Horror Picture Show—50th Anniversary Oct 28, Paramount Theatre, 7:30 pm

All the theater, dance, and comedy performances you can't miss in July. by Audrey Vann

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 16

Vanishing Seattle is a social media project that began in 2016 to keep track of our dearly departed buildings and businesses while also offering a place for the community to share photos and memories. Since its start in 2016, the project has expanded to a series of documentaries, a book, locally inspired merchandise, and now, a variety show. This one-of-a-kind event will blend stand-up comedy, storytelling, drag, film, and more, paying homage to some of Seattle’s most beloved relics of the past—I’m talking about the Lusty Lady marquee, Lincoln’s Toe Truck, and the dinner mints at Mama’s Mexican Kitchen. Vanishing Seattle founder Cynthia Brothers will host alongside local comic Shannon Koyano. Plus, this is a great opportunity to see the Crocodile’s We Were Here exhibit, which displays music venue signs from Seattle’s past. (Here-After, 7 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

July 25

You might know comedian, actress, and LA cool girl Kate Berlant from her appearances in movies like Sorry  Bother You and Don’t Worry Darling, her role in Amazon Prime’s A League of Their Own reboot, her Bo Burnham–directed special Cinnamon in the Wind, her frequent collaborations with comedy partner John Early, or her existential wellness podcast Berlant & Novak (formerly Poog) with fellow comic Jacqueline Novak. (She’s booked and busy!) I was lucky enough to catch her critically acclaimed one-woman show KATE in New York and was delighted by her genius portrayal of an exaggeratedly egotistical character version of herself. Her eclectic comedy topics range from her upbringing as an only child to why it’s okay for women to shoplift beauty products. Get a glimpse of her absurdist style for yourself at this stand-up performance at the Neptune. (Neptune Theatre, 6 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 27

From his depiction of the unhinged suburban housewife character Gayle Waters-Waters to viral songs like “I’m Afraid to Talk to Men,” comedian and self-described “showpig” Chris Fleming has a hilariously unique perspective on the world. I’m dazzled by his laser-sharp, hyper-specific commentary on subjects as diverse as “the snacks at Trader Joe’s that only women can see,” model Emily Ratajkowski’s gigantic infant son, and the time his homophobic dad accidentally told a male soccer coach “I love you” on the phone. His character work is also unparalleled (see his impression of a gentle, timid Sufjan Stevens startled by a Kate Bush video for proof). Step into his bizarrely brilliant mind when he stops at the Moore for his summer 2025 tour. (Moore Theatre, 4 pm & 8 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Aug 3

Before Bridget Everett was known as the star of HBO’s heartwarming comedy series Somebody Somewhere, she was known as New York City’s alt-cabaret provocateur, regularly performing at Joe’s Pub. At these performances, Everett would stand on tables and sing her heart out alongside her backing band, the Tender Moments—made up of the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz and the Julie Ruin’s Carmine Covelli. Now, the group is finally bringing the perennially sold-out, cult-favored cabaret show to the West Coast. If you prefer not to be serenaded, touched, flashed, or handed the microphone during comedy shows, I recommend avoiding the first 30 rows. (Moore Theatre, 8 pm, all ages) AUDREY VANN

Grindhaus: Sasha Colby, Bosco, and More July 4–5, The Crocodile, 10 pm, 21+

Dinosaur–Live! July 9, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm,
all ages

Birds of Play with Tanya Gagné July 10–19, Seattle Public Theater, various times

Solomon Georgio Jul 12, Here-After, 7 pm & 9 pm, 6 pm, 21+

Pod Meets World July 13, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Seattle Festival of Dance + Improvisation July 13–Aug 10, various locations

Bigger! with Brennan and Izzy July 18, 7 & 9:30 pm, Benaroya Hall

Ron Funches July 25–27, Emerald City Comedy Club, 21+

Nori Reed July 26, Here-After, 6 pm & 8 pm, 21+

Glory Hole: ReBirthday July 26, The Wyncote NW Forum, 9 pm

& Juliet July 29–Aug 3, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

James Austin Johnson Aug 2, The Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

After Midnight Aug 5–Aug 24, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Parable of Kinoptics by D. Sabela Grimes Aug 9, 12th Ave Arts, 7:30 pm

Shadows Under the Market Aug 1–9, Seattle Public Theater, various times, all ages

Steve Martin & Martin Short Aug 22–23, Paramount Theatre, various times, all ages

Jurassic Parking Lot Aug 22–Sept 14, Seattle Public Theater, various showtimes, all ages with mature content

The Disabled List Aug 23, Northwest Film Forum

A Play That Goes Wrong Aug 28–Sept 28, Seattle Rep, various times, all ages

Taylor Tomlinson Sep 5–7, McCaw Hall, various times, all ages

Fancy Dancer Sept 18–Nov 2, Seattle Rep, various times, all ages

Nikki Glaser Sept 12–13, McCaw Hall, 7 pm, all ages

Suffs Sept 13–27, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Some Like It Hot Sept 16–21, Paramount Theatre, all ages

An Enemy of the People Sept 20–Oct 5, ACT, various times, all ages

Pacific Northwest Ballet Presents: Jewels Sept 26–Oct 5, McCaw Hall, various times

Stereophonic Oct 7–12, Paramount Theatre, all ages

Lillian Hellman’s The Little Foxes Oct 15–Nov 2, Erickson Theatre, various times, 21+

Shrew Oct 18–Nov 2, ACT, various times, all ages

The Pirates of Penzance Oct 18–Nov 1, McCaw Hall

Chicago Oct 22–Nov 2, 5th Avenue Theatre, various times, all ages

Nate Bargatze Nov 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, all ages, 7 pm

The best talks and literature events in July. by Megan Seling

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 16

In a 1989 essay for Essence titled “Birth of a Writer,” the visionary writer Octavia Butler created the term “positive obsession” to describe channeling a deep, unwavering passion into a specific objective against all obstacles. Butler herself possessed this relentless drive for success, despite the resistance she faced as a young Black woman with financial hardships—have you ever seen her famous handwritten journal manifestation page in which she enumerates her goals to be a bestselling author? In her new biography, Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler, author and scholar Susana M. Morris takes us into the legendary dreamer’s lived experiences with interviews, letters, previously unpublished material, and more. She’ll be joined at this event by Afrofuturist and educator Brooke Bosley. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 23

Last year, based on recommendations from the Seattle Public Library and Elliott Bay Book Company, I picked up Bram Stoker Award—winning author Cassandra Khaw’s novella The Salt Grows Heavy, a gothic retelling of The Little Mermaid featuring a murderous, flesh-eating siren and an androgynous plague doctor who join forces to take down a sinister death cult. The book was both eerie and sensual, so I’m excited for their newest release, The Library at Hellebore, a dark academia fantasy tale in which a group of students enrolled at a prestigious boarding school must team up to defend themselves from the cannibalistic faculty. New York Times bestselling erotic romance author Katee Robert will join Khaw in conversation. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 31

If you can’t get enough of brain-teasing games like the New York Times crossword, Wordle, and Connections, allow me to put you on to “Kennections.” Back in 2012, record-setting Jeopardy! GOAT and current host Ken Jennings created his own proprietary weekly trivia puzzle, which previously appeared in Parade and Mental Floss. It seems simple enough in theory, but is punishingly difficult in practice: answer five questions, the responses to which share a theme in common. (Example: feet, McDonald’s, fingerprints, and St. Louis are linked by all having arches.) Think you have what it takes? Jennings will celebrate the release of The Complete Kennections, which collects all of his past quizzes in one volume along with hundreds of new and updated ones, by dropping by Third Place Books for a talk, Q&A, and signing. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

Accidental Shepherd: How a California Girl Rescued an Ancient Mountain Farm in Norway by Liese Greensfelder July 2, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging by Julia Hotz July 2, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

A Pepper for Your Thoughts? by Howard Lev July 3, Elliott Bay Book Company, 8 pm, free

Situationship by E.M. Wilson July 3, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

Climate by Whitney Hanson July 9, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Crush: My Year as an Apprentice Winemaker by Nicholas O’Connell July 9, Elliott Bay Book
Company, 7 pm, free

The Buddhist Years: Collected Writings by Charles Shuttleworth July 10, Elliott Bay Book Company,
7 pm, free

Occupy Whiteness by Joaquín Zihuatanejo July 10, Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free

Overgrowth by Mira Grant July 10, Seattle Central Library, 7 pm, free

Spaces of Creative Resistance: Social Change Projects in Twenty-First-Century East Asia by Andrea Gevurtz Arai July 11, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Hot Off the Press Book Fair July 12, Fantagraphics, 5 pm, free

Difficult Girls by Veronica Bane July 15, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Held Together: A Shared Memoir of Motherhood, Medicine, and Imperfect Love by Rebecca N. Thompson, MD July 15, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

The Way Around: A Field Guide to Going Nowhere by Nicholas Triolo with Ben Gibbard July 16, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Front Runner: The Life of Steve Prefontaine by Brendan O’Meara July 17, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe by CB Lee July 18, Third Place Books Ravenna, 7 pm, free

Girl in the Creek by Wendy N. Wagner July 21, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

How Birds Fly by Peter Cavanagh July 22, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances by Kevin Fagan July 24, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu July 30, Seattle Central Library, 6:30 pm, free

Kuleana: A Story of Family, Land, and Legacy in Old Hawai’i by Sara Kehaulani Goo August 1, Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free

Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run by Peter Ames Carlin with Cheryl Waters August 5, Third Place Books Seward Park, 7 pm, free

Chuck Tingle Aug 20, Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm, free

R.F. Kuang Sept 12, Town Hall Seattle, 7:30 pm

David Sedaris Nov 16, Benaroya Hall, 7 pm

The best visual art events happening in July. by Audrey Vann

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 3–Aug 23

Each time I walk into the Greg Kucera Gallery, I stumble upon a crowd around Humaira Abid’s wood-carved blouses, oohing and aahing at their delicacy and realism. Through her sculptures and paintings, the Lahore-born, Pakistani American artist depicts ordinary objects like clothing, shoes, purses, and letters in an extraordinary way—by meticulously carving them out of pinewood and often adorning them with exquisite miniature paintings. The pieces don’t just display jaw-dropping craftsmanship, but also share powerful stories related to violence against women, refugees, and displacement. (Greg Kucera Gallery) AUDREY VANN

Through July 12

It feels like every week, an old Seattle building is torn down and replaced by a hideous apartment complex with a suspicious lack of windows. This is what is slated to happen to Ballard’s old Firestone building, which has stood on Market Street for over 50 years. Before the building gets demolished, public art specialist Aaron Asis and muralist Brady Black have partnered with the City of Seattle to cover the interior and exterior of the building with art. Through July 12, the public is invited to walk through the space to “contemplate buildings, public spaces, and the impact of art in our city,” and admire work from over 20 local creators. (Firestone, free) AUDREY VANN

July 12–Oct 6

Following in the footsteps of his father, Andrew, and grandfather, N.C., Jamie Wyeth is known for his realistic seascapes and famous portraits (I bet you’ve seen his paintings of JFK and Andy Warhol). On the only West Coast stop of this touring exhibit, you can expect to see the darkest corners of Wyeth’s life’s work—from the mid ’60s to today—with his most anxious, unnerving paintings that depict haunted houses, eerie landscapes, and dead creatures. Perhaps the most unsettling in this collection is a deeply cursed portrait of Michael Jackson—you’ll just have to see it to know what I mean. (Frye Art Museum, free) AUDREY VANN

July 17–20

The Seattle Art Fair—founded by noted art collector Paul Allen—is returning to Lumen Field for its ninth year, filling the football stadium with weird, avant-garde contemporary art from all over the globe (take that, jocks!). In the same vein as the Met Gala, the contributing artists are asked to display work inspired by a specific theme. This year’s theme is “Art Beyond Boundaries,” which invites artists to broaden their horizons by exploring technology, community, and other boundary-pushing themes. This year’s list of contributors includes galleries from South Africa, Ukraine, China, France, Greece, Italy, South Korea, Argentina, India, Iran, and Japan, as well as plenty from Seattle, Portland, and other nearby cities. (Lumen Field) AUDREY VANN

July 26–Jan 11

Taking its name from the small devotional structures that shelter the supernatural around Thailand, this group exhibition asks 33 contemporary Asian American artists to explore how art can bridge the gap between life and death. Through paintings, photography, and sculpture, these works invite you to “commune with your ancestors, reflect on significant memories, and journey through time and space.” I am most excited to see work from California-based artist Kelly Akashi, who creates tender sculptures of hands from resin and stone. (Henry Art Museum) AUDREY VANN

WoP: Hibiki Miyazaki, Vander McClain, Stas Orlovski, Julie Liger Belair Through July 6, AMcE Creative Arts, free

Ash-Glazed Ceramics from Korea and Japan July 9–12, Seattle Art Museum

Ezra Dickinson: Who’s Offended July 11–Aug 22, Base Camp Studios 2, free

Suchitra Mattai: she walked in reverse and found their songs Through July 20, Seattle Asian Art Museum, sliding scale

The Abstract Now Through July 26, Studio E Gallery, free

Cable Griffith: Return to Sender Through July 26, J. Rinehart Gallery, free

Hi-Fructose 2025 Invitational Through Aug 2, Roq La Rue, free

Josh Faught: Sanctuary Through Aug 3, Henry Art Gallery

Ai, Rebel: The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei Through Sept 7, Seattle Art Museum

Hugh Hayden: American Vernacular Through Sept 28, Frye Art Museum, free

Carmen Winant: Passing On Through Sept 25, Henry Art Gallery, suggested donation

Boren Banner Series: Tarrah Krajnak Through Oct 5, Frye Art Museum

Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form Through Jan 4, 2026, MoPOP 

Tariqa Waters: Venus Is Missing Through Jan 4, 2026, Seattle Art Museum

Ten Thousand Things Through spring 2027, Wing Luke Museum

Ai Weiwei: Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads (Bronze) Nov 1, 2025–May 17, 2027, Olympic
Sculpture Park, free

Kameelah Janan Rasheed Aug 23, 2025–April 26, 2026, Henry Art Gallery, free

Anila Quayyum Agha: Geometry of Light Aug 27, 2025–April 19, 2026, Seattle Asian Art Museum

Woven in Wool: Resilience in Coast Salish Weaving Sept 13, 2025–Aug 30, 2026, Burke Museum

Boren Banner Series: Camille Trautman Oct 15, 2025–April 12, 2026, Frye Art Museum, free

Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism Oct 23, 2025–Jan 18, 2026, Seattle Art Museum

July concerts you shouldn't miss. by Julianne Bell

Want more? Here's everything we recommend this month: Music, Visual Art, Literature, Performance, Film, Food, This & That.

July 13

Referred to by musician and writer Eliza McLamb as “a real band’s band,” the Seattle four-piece Ok Bucko cite influences like the Cars and the Breeders and possess an irrepressible DIY punk-rock spirit. Their recent debut EP, A New Way, sizes up the current-day *gestures broadly at everything* and looks it straight in the eye. The opener, “Debt,” tackles the depressingly Sisyphean nature of finances with equal parts cynicism and self-compassion: “Who gets me better than my credit card statement / Who fucks me better than a new pair of shoes / If getting older is just writing checks / Growing up is getting over your debt.” “Window” takes aim at Seattle’s wealth disparity and affordable housing crisis, while “Strangers with Candy” explores the ups and downs of uppers and downers. They’ll headline this show at the Cha Cha Lounge with an opening set by the Los Angeles–based “dyke pop star” and former local Wanda What. (Cha Cha Lounge, 8 pm, 21+, free) JULIANNE BELL

July 15

Ghanaian highlife luminary Gyedu-Blay Ambolley is known for Afrobeat tunes that blend soul, folk, and jazz with traditional African rhythms. He will bring his eight-piece band out to the Tractor to play his seminal 1975 debut album, Simigwa, in its entirety. The album was heavily influenced by the horn-heavy funk of James Brown, complete with references to being a “sex machine” and plenty of screams, shouts, and lively ad-libs. This show is a must for fans of Fela Kuti, Cymande, or Studio One compilations. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN

July 16

If you render your nom de musique in all caps and with two colons, you’d better sound pretty distinctive. Thankfully, Montreal septet TEKE::TEKE carve out a unique niche in today’s scene. Their foundation is a style of surf rock known as Eleki that uses traditional Japanese instruments; they then add trombone, flute, electric guitars, and drums to bring in elements of extravagant psychedelia and Nipponese film music of the ’60s and ’70s. The result is a swashbuckling, high-voltage sound that gives your ears vertigo, in the most exciting way imaginable. Respect to Kill Rock Stars for getting out of its comfort zone and championing this band. (Madame Lou’s, 8:30 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

July 20

America’s foremost experimental music group who also happen to be a gay married couple, Matmos have been bringing Dadaistic playfulness and conceptual rigor to their albums and mind-boggling live shows for 30 years. Every record by Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt (literature professor and music instructor, respectively) is created under clever, self-imposed limitations, to keep things fresh and surprising. For example, they generated the tracks on new album Metallic Life Review strictly from, you guessed it, metal objects, both mundane and arcane. With help from members of Horse Lords, Water Damage, Half Japanese, and the late pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn, Matmos have created a weird species of ritualistic music, often with eccentric grooves to which you can dance—if your limbs have ESP. Some may think of it as novelty music for intellectuals, but it’s still a rarefied treat. (Here-After, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

July 20

If she’d only cut the 1982 classic “Bam Bam,” Jamaican reggae and dancehall DJ Sister Nancy would be a hall of famer. That track has been caned by DJs and copiously compiled for more than four decades (and streamed over 221 million times on a hated platform), thanks to Nancy’s bubbly cadence and silken timbre... and Robbie Shakespeare’s unstoppable bassline. Over her decades-long career, the woman born Ophlin Russell’s instantly identifiable voice has flitted gracefully from domineering to defiant to dulcet, garnering much justified praise. Following on from the 2025 Record Store Day reissue of Sister Nancy’s 100 percent fire debut LP, One, Two, this is a rare Seattle appearance by dancehall royalty. (Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

July 26

If you ask me, Sophie B. Hawkins’s “Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover” is one of the greatest songs of all time. The raw, unbridled emotion and fiercely vulnerable lyrics, delivered in Hawkins’s slightly raspy powerhouse voice, make the anthem one of the most indelible hits of the ’90s. It simply brims with queer yearning and topped the charts in 1992, a time when an explicitly sapphic love song had never before broken out into the mainstream. (Hawkins identifies as “omnisexual,” a term she coined to describe herself before sexual fluidity was commonly accepted, and the song’s narrator expresses the desire to rescue a woman from her abusive relationship with passion and tenderness.) I also love the similarly intense “Right Beside You” and the earnestly sweet “As I Lay Me Down.” Catch the iconic singer-songwriter’s acoustic tour, commemorating the 30th anniversary of her sophomore album, Whaler, which was released in 1994. (The Triple Door, 7:30 pm, all ages) JULIANNE BELL

July 29 

Odds are, you’ve probably found yourself Shazaming at the club and receiving results that prompt you to explore certain artists further. That’s me with Surprise Chef. Thanks to cell-phone-triggered algorithms, the Australian quintet’s been nice-ing up my head for the last two years. Currently recording for Brooklyn’s outstanding Big Crown label, Surprise Chef forgo vocals in their suavely cinematic funk and soul tracks while deploying the sort of versatility and virtuosity commonly heard in the dopest library musicians of the ’60s and ’70s. An instrumental like “Consulate Case” off this year’s Superb album exemplifies the group’s ability to keep things mysterious while grooving like mofos. A hunch: Surprise Chef’s sample-worthy music will sound even hotter live. (Tractor Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) DAVE SEGAL

July 30

In an ever-changing world, at least one thing remains constant: Matador Records’ A&R department knows how to find very good rock bands, even when rock seems as if it’s ready to be shunted off to an assisted living facility. The latest example? Baby-faced Chicago trio Lifeguard. Their scathing and tuneful new album, Ripped and Torn, marauds with the kind of authority that make aging critics utter cringe proclamations like “the kids are all right.” But, Jah damn it, Lifeguard have that innate sonic charisma that suggests they spent their youths intently studying history’s most righteous post-punk groups, and then putting their own distinctive stamp on that style. Having played together since they were in high school, Asher Case, Isaac Lowenstein, and Kai Slater exude a natural chemistry that bands such as Wire, Mission of Burma, and Gang of Four presented way before these dudes were born. That Lifeguard’s guitar/bass/synth/drums hit with an angular force while retaining a nagging melodiousness can make even the most jaded listeners doubt their “rock is dead” dogma. (Baba Yaga, 7 pm, all ages) DAVE SEGAL

TARBOO 2025 July 3–5, Quilcene Lantern

Pass the Aux: Parisalexa, Josiah Mekhi, Arze, Asawni July 5, Hidden Hall 8 pm, 21+

Ha Vay: Spellbound Tour July 10, Madame Lou’s, 7:30 pm

Jena Von Jupiter with Claire Morales, Calm Down Party, and Patrick Toney July 10, Baba Yaga, 7 pm, 21+

Washed Out (DJ Set) July 11, Nectar Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Downtown Summer Sounds July 11–Aug 28, various locations

Silversun Pickups July 13, Pier 62, 5 pm, all ages

Macy Gray: On How Life Is 25th Anniversary Tour July 15, The Crocodile, 8 pm, 21+

Carson Daniel July 18, Darrell’s Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Caroline Rose July 18–19, Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+

Capitol Hill Block Party July 18–20, Capitol Hill, 21+

Masego July 19, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages, 7 pm

Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour July 21, Climate Pledge Arena, all ages, 7 pm

Of Montreal: The Sunlandic Twins 20th Anniversary Tour, Bijoux Cone July 22, Neumos, 7 pm, 21+

Ruthie Foster July 22–23, Jazz Alley, 7:30 pm

Mei Semones with Lionmilk July 23, Barboza, 7 pm

Devo July 23–24, Woodland Park Zoo, 6 pm, all ages

Cap’n Jazz July 25, Neumos, 8 pm, 21+

The Damned July 25, Showbox, 7:30 pm, 21+

Mannequin Pussy July 25, Spanish Ballroom, 7 pm

Timber! Outdoor Music Festival July 24–26, Tolt-Macdonald Park

Monster Planet with Young Scientist July 26, Chapel Performance Space, 8 pm

The Marías: Submarine Tour July 27, WAMU Theater, 8 pm

Iggy Pop July 28, Marymoor Park, all ages, 7 pm

Some Velvet Sidewalk July 31, Clock-Out Lounge, 8:30 pm, 21+

Death Cab for Cutie: Plans 20th Anniversary June 31 and Aug 2, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages

Paul Simon July 31 & Aug 2–3, Benaroya Hall, 8 pm

Pickathon July 31–Aug 3, Happy Valley, OR

Mekons Aug 2, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Novos Baianos Aug 3, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

THING Fest Aug 2, Aug 9, Aug 16, Aug 23, Remlinger Farms

Less Than Jake, Fishbone, the Suicide Machines, Catbite Aug 5, Showbox Sodo, 7 pm, all ages

Colleen Green, Rozwell Kid Aug 6, Vera Project, 7 pm, all ages

Lady Gaga Aug 6–7, Climate Pledge Arena, 8 pm, all ages

LCD Soundsystem, TV on the Radio Aug 7–8, Remlinger Farms, 6 pm, all ages

Dinosaur Jr., Snail Mail, Easy Action Aug 8, Chateau Ste. Michelle, 6:30 pm, all ages

Lucy Dacus, Julia Jacklin Aug 10, Remlinger Farms, 6:30 pm, all ages

Alabama Shakes Aug 16, Climate Pledge Arena, 7 pm, all ages

The Lumineers Aug 16, T-Mobile Park, 8 pm, all ages

Femi Kuti & the Positive Force Aug 16, Neptune Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

L7 and Bratmobile at South Sound Block Party Aug 22–23, Port of Olympia, all ages

Hunx and His Punx Aug 26, Clock-Out Lounge, 8 pm, 21+

Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons Aug 29–31, Benaroya Hall, various times, all ages

Bumbershoot 2025: Arts and Music Festival Aug 30–31, Seattle Center, all ages

Wet Leg, Mary in the Junkyard Sept 1–2, Paramount Theatre, 6:30 pm, all ages

Japanese Breakfast, Ginger Root Sept 2–3, Woodland Park Zoo

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts Sep 5, Gorge Amphitheatre, 7:30 pm, all ages

Osees Sept 5–6, Neumos, times and age-ranges vary

W.I.T.C.H. Sept 8, Tractor Tavern, 7 pm, 21+

Viagra Boys Sept 12–13, Showbox SoDo, all ages

The Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan Sept 13, Showbox, 8 pm, 21+

HAIM, Dora Jar Sept 18, WAMU Theater, 7:30 pm, all ages

Grandaddy Sept 18, Neptune Theatre, 7 pm, all ages

Princess Nokia & Big Freedia Sept 27, Pier 62, 6:30 pm, all ages

Pup, Jeff Rosenstock, Akko Astral Oct 7, Showbox Sodo, 7:30 pm, all ages

Garbage, Starcrawler Oct 15, Paramount Theatre, 8 pm, all ages

Destroyer: Dan’s Boogie Tour Oct 25, The Crocodile, 5 pm, 21+

Shonen Knife, the Pack A.D. Oct 25, Tractor Tavern, 8:30 pm, 21+

Freakout Festival: Melt-Banana, Liz Cooper, Wine Lips, and more Nov 6–9, various locations, 21+

Belly: 30th Anniversary of King Nov 9, The Crocodile, 6 pm, 21+

The Mountain Goats Dec 3–4, Neptune Theatre, all ages

Do you need to get something off your chest? Submit an I, Anonymous and we'll illustrate it! by Anonymous

I want your cherries. I want your figs. I want your blueberries and raspberries, too. Every summer I watch them grow, ripen, and rot in front of your house. They’re growing over the public sidewalk and, in some cases, in that little patch of garden between the sidewalk and the road. You aren’t harvesting them. I never see you out there picking them, enjoying them, sharing them. In so many cases, ignored, unless some lucky birds or critters get them. You planted the tree or bush or aesthetic purposes, so you can have a lush, bountiful garden. And for what? Those blueberries are plump as fuck!

So… can I have them? Are they free for the taking? Would it be so hard to put a little sign out front that says, “Help yourself!” so they don’t go to waste? I want to be a good neighbor and respect your property and your space, but I also want those figs. There are literally hundreds. Help a neighbor out. Let the people pick ‘em if you’re just going to let them go to waste.

Do you need to get something off your chest? Submit an I, Anonymous and we'll illustrate it! Send your unsigned rant, love letter, confession, or accusation to ianonymous@thestranger.com. Please remember to change the names of the innocent and the guilty.

Bruce Harrell had his chance. by Stranger Election Control Board

Bruce Harrell had his chance.

A lifetime ago (in 2021), when Harrell first ran for mayor, he made a lot of big, substantive promises that voters seemed to believe: He pledged to build 1,000 new housing units in his first six months in office; he committed to changing the biased policing culture in SPD after the George Floyd protests; he said he didn’t believe “dispersal,” or sweeps, worked, and promised to take a “Housing First” approach to encampments around the city. Are we living in a utopia yet?

In our endorsement meeting, we asked about his broken promises. We pointed out that he conducted more sweeps than his five predecessors combined. That he sunk years of municipal effort and energy into a Comprehensive Plan that won’t meet our housing needs. That he pandered to police with bruised egos, letting them become the militant thugs that we saw in Cal Anderson on Memorial Day weekend, but with higher salaries. And in an hour-long endorsement meeting, he didn’t answer for a single thing. In every case, the conditions in his city were someone else’s fault. Homelessness? The other cities in King County aren’t doing their part. The police that he says can take a hike if they don’t agree with his idea of good policing? Well, he told us, he doesn’t actually know what good policing is. They’re the experts, not him. Nothing was his responsibility. 

We understand why he would feel that way. Because the greatest sin of the Harrell Administration is what it hasn’t done. He’s a mayor without imagination, and with him at the helm, Seattle is a rudderless ship on a windless ocean. While tens of thousands of Seattleites are struggling to keep their head above water, he’s obsessing over penises spray painted on the overpasses, AI incubators, and digital advertising kiosks that profit private companies. 

There’s a perception that this race was Harrell’s from the start, so there was no use doing anything to stop him. But that’s not the case. In polling this spring, only 37 percent of Seattleites were happy with Harrell’s work in City Hall. Enough of Seattle is sick of the Harrell Show.

Katie Wilson is Harrell’s opposite. If Harrell is all politics and no substance, Wilson is substance embodied. She’s been an organizer in Seattle for 15 years, and she’s built a career fighting for—and winning—campaigns like raising the minimum wage, protecting affordable transit, and building progressive revenue. 

Wilson’s campaign platform is clearly made by someone who’s used to making change in a system that’s built to fight against it. She has clear, step-by-step plans to build 4,000 units of shelter in four years, to streamline access to addiction and mental health treatment, and to build $1 billion worth of union-built affordable housing. Harrell made promises. Wilson actually intends to keep hers. And she knows how to do it.

In our meeting, one question best captured the difference between Wilson and Harrell. We asked about the FIFA World Cup coming to Seattle in 2026. When Seattle hosted the MLB All-Star game in 2023, the city swept any encampments in the area out of sight. Surely, next year, Seattle’s mayor would have to field a fair amount of outside pressure to make visible homelessness invisible while the world’s eyes are on us. How would they respond?

We gave Harrell two chances to answer the question, and he never did. Instead, he ranted about how our surrounding cities aren’t building as much shelter as we are, how he has to prioritize small businesses, said it was his responsibility to revitalize downtown, and reminded us that he signed an ordinance to make Seattle a Human Rights City. Then he turned to the other candidates, and said: “How dare you talk about the values I’ve been a part of for the last 16 years.” 

Wilson, meanwhile, rejected the premise of the question entirely. Not because she didn’t want to answer it, but because she had a plan to stand up enough shelter in the first six months of her term—between tiny home villages, faith communities, and vacancies throughout the city—to make the question irrelevant. “Let’s get people inside in time for the World Cup,” she said.

See that, Harrell? No excuses, just a goal, a plan, and a timeline. This is why Wilson has our vote. She sees people that are struggling and thinks about solutions, not optics. She obviously, palpably gives a damn about people, and that drives her to act, not just talk.

While we were writing this endorsement, Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist with a people-first platform, wiped the floor with an establishment Democrat in New York City’s primary. Mamdani’s win is proof that people can show up in droves and throw decades of political tradition in the trash and choose something better. And that to accomplish such a feat, being a hell of a politician with a great personality helps a fuckton.

Wilson has the platform. What she doesn’t have is the energy. She’s quiet. She’s policy minded. She makes deeply awkward TikToks. But she knows her shit and she cares. Wilson doesn’t pull out the tear-jerking stump speech or throw down with her opposition. And while we trust that your vote will get her through the primary, we need her to throw down. Show everyone that Harrell’s empty, that he’s unelectable this time. This city wants to see that. And it wants change. Do what you need to do to give the people what they want. Show us your spine is as sturdy as that platform. We know it’s in you.

Now reader, we know that Wilson isn’t the only one making a run for Harrell’s graffiti-less office (and Joe Molloy, we hope to see you run for City Council, where your good heart, and brains, would be appreciated), but she’s the only one who has the secret sauce we need to see: one-part great ideas, one-part the knowledge and experience to pull them off, two-parts the willingness to leave an easier life as an organizer to serve the city when she thinks she’s needed. We just need her to add a little heat to that sauce.

If you’re still wondering if dethroning Harrell is the right decision, we’ll leave you with one more detail. For the last year, members of his administration have talked about the misogyny, bullying, and literal chest beating in City Hall since he’s been in office. We had Mayor Harrell in our conference room for just under an hour, and in that time, he did nothing to convince us that his reputation was not a completely accurate characterization. We lost count of how many times he pounded his fist onto the table and stomped his feet, and we had to shout over him more than once to stop him from yelling at other candidates. Harrell somehow made Joe Mallahan look good (well, not that good). He took control of the room—not the way a charismatic speaker captures an audience, but the way your angry uncle sucks the air out of the room on Thanksgiving. Our civic self-esteem cannot be so low.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that we need a strong, bullish personality at the helm of our city to combat everything that Trump promises to rain on us in the next three and a half years. Mayor Harrell has shown us, time and time again, that all he’s going to do is bully Seattle, not Trump. And we can’t afford that. Wilson may be quiet. But she has values. 

Seattle has a time-honored tradition of producing one-term mayors. Let’s make Harrell one of them. Vote Wilson.

The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Megan Seling

The Star-Crossed Bummers Are Still Feuding: On Monday, Elon said he would fund the future political campaigns of anyone running against any Republican who votes for Trump’s shitty bill. “They will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,” he said. Trump fired back, threatening on Truth Social to cut Elon’s government subsidies, adding, “Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa.” Then Elon said that was, “so wrong” and “disappointing,” which are kind of weak sauce retorts, tbh, and then the bell rang and they all had to run back to class because Mr. McConnell said if either of them are tardy one more time, they can’t buy a ticket to prom.

Speaking of the Bill I Refuse to Call Big and/or Beautiful: CNN has a pretty good breakdown of the Senate’s version. Some “highlights”: Millions will lose Medicaid coverage due to a new work requirement and less federal funding; millions will find it harder to get food stamps and SNAP benefits, including parents and veterans; immigrants will no longer qualify for benefits; hospitals will probably have to close due to lack of funding, but Trump’s wall will get a $45 BILLION WITH A B budget; and new babies get $1,000 because sure, why not, babies are famously good with money. According to the Seattle Times, Washington is likely to take the biggest hit of any state from the Medicaid cuts, because we did the right thing and leaned into Obamacare a decade ago. The House is currently debating the bill, and C-SPAN is streaming live if rage is your kink. 

Now Tesla’s Stock Is Sinking: Tesla’s stock took tumble Tuesday after the Senate passed Trump’s bill. Why? Because one of the changes the Senate made includes eliminating electric vehicle tax credits sooner, cutting somewhere around $1.2 billion from Tesla’s annual profit. It recovered this morning, though, after delivering more electric vehicles than expected in the second quarter. Trump’s gonna be so mad. 

Trump Visited Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz”: It wasn’t a fever dream. Florida officials really did build a deportation holding facility in the fucking Everglades. According to Al Jazeera, when Trump arrived at the site, he said, “This is what you need. A lot of bodyguards and a lot of cops in the form of alligators.” Twenty bucks says that big dummy digs a moat around the White House and fills it with alligators by the end of the year.

Fourth of July Fun: All this bullshit got you feeling less than patriotic? Sure, you could grill hot dogs and blow shit up to mark America’s 249th birthday this Friday, or you could gather with your fellow disenfranchised Seattleites at Push/Pull in Ballard for F#ck the Fourth, a “voter registration, postcard writing, and rage release.” They’ll have postcards and postage if you want to tell elected officials how you really feel, or you can create your own info-packed zine, and they’ll print and distribute it! 

Musicians Are Dumping Spotify (Again): Artists are pulling their music off Spotify after the company’s CEO Daniel Ek made a $700 million investment in “AI battle tech” company Prima Materia. Deerhoof started the new wave, announcing on Instagram, “We don’t want our music killing people.” Artists also left en masse in 2022 after Neil Young criticized the platform for hosting Joe Rogan’s podcast.

Former Stranger Genius Award Winner Erik Blood, Everybody: 

You won’t find my music on Spotify anymore and I couldn’t be happier about it

— Erik Blood (@erikblood.bsky.social) July 2, 2025 at 8:51 AM

More Microsoft Layoffs: The company confirmed this morning that they’re cutting 9,000 more jobs. DOES ANYONE EVEN WORK THERE ANYMORE? 

We Got a New Police Chief: Yesterday, the Seattle City Council unanimously confirmed Shon Barnes as Seattle’s new police chief. Barnes has been the interim police chief since January, after Adrian Diaz was fired. (Related: Diaz is suing the city for “unlawful termination.”)

The Diddy Verdicts Are In: He was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, and convicted of transporting people for prostitution. He faces up to 20 years in prison. 

Is the Plural Winnies-the-Pooh or Winnie-the-Poohs? “2 bears escape wildlife park enclosure, devour a 7-day supply of honey, then fall asleep.” Delightful.

I Love This Goofy City: Next week, Metro lovers and haters are invited to Race Route 8. “It’s easy to outwalk the L8, but can we still beat it while doing the cha-cha slide, hopscotching, or in a conga line? Join one of our race activities or bring your own creative things you can do while still beating the bus!” Someone should see if they can read the July issue of The Stranger (out today!) in its entirety while racing the bus. 

Join us next Thursday, July 10th at 5 PM at Denny / Dexter to race Route 8! It’s easy to outwalk the L8, but can we still beat it while doing the cha-cha slide, hopscotching, or in a conga line? Join one of our race activities or bring your own creative things you can do while still beating the bus!

[image or embed]

— Fix the L8 (@fixthel8.bsky.social) June 30, 2025 at 4:53 PM

And With That: I leave you with the appropriate song, “F.U. #8,” by Seattle’s own Tacocat. (Featuring Stranger Arts Editor Emily Nokes!) 

At the end of my screening for Rebirth, a movie that sucked shit, the audience clapped. by Dom Sinacola

Jurassic World Rebirth will bring in a billion dollars at the box office. Which makes this review mostly inconsequential. Look in your heart; you know this to be the case. Despite unanimous critical consensus that the franchise's previous film Jurassic World Dominion (2022) is execrable, it still made somewhere around $1.4 billion. You don’t need me to tell you whether or not to pay for a ticket to Jurassic World Rebirth; you statistically will anyway. 

Maybe this is just another sign that critics are meaningless vestiges of the movie industry. As some folks on the internet like to say: Facts don’t care about your feelings. In the place of discerning taste and nuanced discourse, there is only the knowledge that there will always be another Jurassic movie, another summer blockbuster overrun by more immense and scarier monsters than the last one, motivated by one more fictional rich asshole ignoring history to spit in God’s face, accompanied by one more A-list actor with an eight-figure price attached to their dignity. At the end of my screening for Rebirth, a movie that sucked shit, the audience clapped. 

Oh well. This is the march of progress unabated, manifest in franchises that never end, in successive features with titles that become more and more interchangeable and sometimes use colons like gateways to subterranean barrel bottoms heretofore unscraped by directors who are more project managers than anything. Except Jurassic World Rebirth, like Dominion, doesn’t have a colon in its title (ironic, because it’s so full of shit, etc.), and, like Dominion, isn’t even really a dinosaur movie anyway.

Rebooting three years after the “events” of Dominion, Rebirth uses overly expository TV news coverage to catch us up on the prehistoric creatures who, following the disasters of Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, broke free of containment—nature “found a way” as franchise philosopher Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) opined—and, for a short time, coexisted with humans.

Now, the remaining dinos who weren’t wiped out by climate change and disease have congregated along the equator, mostly on small tropical islands where we’re told that the hot, “oxygen-rich” environs best match that of the Cretaceous period, or something.

We’re also told that public interest in dinosaurs is waning, that people just aren’t romanced by the same old spectacles anymore. As the world moves on from getting gobsmacked over what was once a technological miracle, uber-wealthy wads like pharmaceutical exec Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) must find new ways to exploit the creatures. 

Luring her in with the promise of a small fortune, Krebs convinces Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson), a mercenary riddled with PTSD, to accompany a small team into the equatorial Dino-Zone—no humans allowed, according to “every” country on Earth, a collaborative international decree that is a more fantastical concept than dinosaurs coming back to life—and retrieve some samples of dino DNA for the purposes of pharmaceutical research. 

Zora knows the trip is a huge risk, especially because the dinosaurs whose DNA they must extract are supposedly the largest animals to ever exist on the planet, a statement the audience just sort of accepts because every new Jurassic film introduces the newest, worst, and/or best dinosaur varietal. Hyperbole has lost all meaning when the same shit just keeps happening. Every attempt to harness genetic power, to build one more bigger and assuredly better theme park attraction,  has been met with mass death and generational punishment. But also: That money’s just too good.

Archetypes aggregate. Krebs talks the obligatory self-righteous paleontologist, Dr. Henry Something (Jonathan Bailey), into joining the expedition, providing a beautiful nerd to conjure up the basest unrequited sexual tension with ScarJo’s ceaselessly competent soldier. Soon, Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), an old mercenary cohort of Zora’s with comparable trauma, signs on as well, because a broken man must nobly sacrifice himself at some point in these films. And he has a boat they can use. 

Completing the crew are a smug hot-shot (Ed Skrein), a quiet and helpful French-speaking man (Bechir Sylvain), and a woman whose personality swaps between Dancing and Murdered (Philippine Velge), all requisite dinosaur fodder. Thusly, we embark on a jungle cruise, vaguely reminiscent of Apocalypse Now, into the heart of darkness, i.e., an unnamed island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of French Guiana. 

Meanwhile, a father (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), adorable young daughter (Audrina Miranda), college-bound daughter (Luna Blaise), and the oldest daughter’s dipshit boyfriend (David Iacono) use that same summer to sail across the Pacific Ocean on a 40-ft sailboat, because that’s a reasonable thing to do. The family inevitably crosses paths with Zora’s team, the cast ballooning to more paper-thin characters than any brain can conceivably care about. So when they make it to the island and discover that it’s teeming with genetically cross-bred dinosaur mutants and everyone starts dying at the jaws of hyper-real digital freakazoids, you may also feel dead inside.

Director Gareth Edwards has proven capable of spectacle, especially in conveying an upsetting sense of scale in something like 2014’s Godzilla, but in Rebirth, every incomprehensibly huge beast is immersed in a surreal melange of uncanny environments. Edwards affords a few fleeting moments for characters to soak in what they’re witnessing with astonishment—refuting the film’s earlier claim that people can’t feel much for these dinosaurs anymore—but then pulls the frame back to a giant vista covered with giant dinosaurs, and suddenly the weightlessness of the vision takes over. The magic’s extinguished.

Completely gone is the awe of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Jurassic Park—gone is the cosmic terror and jubilation of seeing a dinosaur. Maybe that seems quaint in retrospect, now that we have the power to “see” anything we can ostensibly imagine. But if that first film is about the visceral power, and irrevocable cost, of creating such a momentous spectacle, then every sequel since has been about what a bad idea it is to make sequels.

Because sequels are inherently evil. I’m sorry to put this so bluntly, but it’s true. The Jurassic World movies act as if they are warning against our idiotic nature to take everything good about popular art and grind it down to the nub, but that’s exactly what those films and those filmmakers are doing, giving into the loudest morons and the elemental forces of capital to ruin all beloved cultural artifacts via lifeless, juiceless rebirths. We cannot leave anything well enough alone. 

Toward the beginning of Jurassic World Rebirth, Dr. Henry sighs, "Nobody cares about these animals anymore. They deserve better." It's hard to disagree. Dinosaurs—the real creatures who represent so much fascination and curiosity and wonder that we’ve pretty much ejected from our collective dreams—deserve so much better than this. 

In fact, you deserve so much better than this.

Jurassic World Rebirth opens in wide release Fri July 4.

All the headlines you may have missed in June. by The Stranger's Slog AM™️ Specialists

Last Month This Month is a recap of all the previous month's news, featuring headlines from Slog AM. Find it in every issue of The Stranger! Subscribe to our daily Slog AM newsletter here. This story originally appeared in our Primary Endorsements Issue on July 2, 2025.

June was full of ups and downs. Donald Trump threw a $45 million birthday party; no one came to Donald Trump’s $45 million birthday party. Greta Thunberg went to Gaza; Greta Thunberg was detained in Gaza. A war between Israel and Iran began; a war between Israel and Iran ended. Here’s what else happened last month:

*  *  *

The Navy, which isn’t gay at all, started the month by announcing plans to take gay civil rights hero Harvey Milk’s name off a ship. The Pentagon said in a statement that all Department of Defense names should reflect three things: Trump’s priorities, US history, and the “warrior ethos.” So butch. The Navy is also considering new names for the USNS Thurgood Marshall (too Black), the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg (too woman), the USNS Harriet Tubman (too Black and too woman), who literally fought in the US Civil War. 

*  *  *

The same week that the Supreme Court upheld a Tennessee law that bans puberty blockers, hormones and (the rare) surgery for minors, the Trump Administration announced they would be cutting the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline’s LGBTQ Youth Specialized Service, effective July 17. As Abe Asher wrote in our Queer Issue in June, the Trevor Project saw a “700-percent increase in young people reaching out to crisis services” the day after November’s election. How nice of the feds to take our calls through Pride Month. The Trevor Project will continue to offer 24/7 help 365 days a year to folks 24 and younger, via text, phone, and online chat, and the Trans Lifeline is also available by calling 877-565-8860 or visiting translifeline.org. If you want to really piss Trump and RFK Jr. off, you can also donate to both organizations online. Fuck your conditional federal funding, assholes.

*  *  *

In other wrinkly old dickbag news, Amsterdam’s national Rijksmuseum is displaying what is believed to be the world’s oldest condom. Historians say it was fashioned from a sheep’s appendix sometime around 1830, which hits so right for Shepherd/Flock play. The 200-year-old prophylactic even has a kinky little illustration showing a nun with her habit hiked up (with no underwear in sight) and three clergymen who’ve lifted their robes to present three rock-hard erections, in case its use wasn’t clear. Unrelated, remember when people used to draw dicks in text like this? 8==D 

*  *  *

The Seattle City Council almost voted to toss our ethics code in the wastebasket. If their “reform” passed, it would have allowed councilmembers to vote on issues that benefited them, so long as they disclosed conflicts to the public. After weeks of protests and thousands of emails and public comments opposing the change, Councilmember Cathy Moore withdrew the bill before the vote could happen. The people were heard! Immediately afterwards, Moore also announced she would be stepping down just a year and a half into her four-year term, citing health issues. Moore is the second councilmember to leave her position early this year—Tammy Morales vacated her seat in January. Confidential to all CMs we endorse in this month’s issue: If you win, DON’T FUCKING QUIT.

*  *  *

While Moore’s quitting, Rob Saka’s yelling at clouds curbs. Again. In a 2,100-word email newsletter, Saka lost his ever-loving mind about the people who opposed his pet curb project. He accused the people who opposed removing an eight-inch curb that blocks illegal left turns into his kids’ preschool of, somehow, simultaneously: supporting Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, being part of the “Defund the Police” movement, and partaking in “White Saviorism” (capitalization his). Someone take his computer away and give him a paper bag to breathe into. 

*  *  *

When they weren’t quitting or screaming at concrete, the Seattle City Council was productive. Some good moves, some bad. In the bad column: they voted 8-1 to approve SPD’s use of StarChase’s GPS launcher and passed a bill to install privately owned 8-foot-tall digital advertising kiosks throughout the city. In the good column, they voted unanimously to pass a ban on rent-setting software like RealPage.

*  *  *

There were No Kings protests in all 50 states, and the ACLU estimates that at least 5 million people hit the streets. They were largely peaceful rallies, with the exception of Salt Lake City’s. There, according to police, 24-year-old Arturo Gamboa had an AR-15-style rifle in his backpack. Two armed, non-police “peacekeepers” saw Gamboa lift the gun as if to shoot it, and one of them shot him, also accidentally shooting and killing a fashion designer named Arthur “Afa” Folasa Ah Loo in the process. Everyone involved is in custody, and everyone would be better off if we had better gun-control laws.

*  *  *

The US has detained a record-breaking number of immigrants. By the end of June, more than 56,000 people were locked up in ICE facilities, and, according to one Syracuse professor, more than a third have zero criminal records. This is fucked. The ICE arrests are so rampant that organizers cancelled this year’s Duwamish River Festival because participants are concerned about being targeted by immigration enforcement. A glimmer of good in the nightmare: Lewelyn Dixon, a Filipino green-card holder who worked at the University of Washington, was able to go home after a judge ruled she doesn’t qualify for deportation. 

*  *  *

Leopards are eating faces over there in Redmond. Microsoft is planning to lay off thousands of employees in July as it funnels spending into artificial intelligence (John Connor, where are you?). This news comes after the company already axed 6,000 jobs in May. Washington State University also announced layoffs—the school plans to cut “a little over 4 percent (more than $17 million)” from its budget. And SIFF’s struggling, too; the org laid off nine full-time workers across multiple departments. SIFF Executive Director Tom Mara wrote the 21-percent reduction in administrative staff was “necessary” during a “financially challenging time for SIFF and for arts nonprofits across the country.” Oh, and Din Tai Fung did wage theft and everyone who works at the Louvre fucking hates the Mona Lisa.

*  *  *

Too on the nose? On June 18, while Trump weighed the pros and cons of getting involved in the Israel–Iran conflict (which he eventually did, without talking to Congress, which is illegal), an unmanned SpaceX spaceship blew the fuck up. This is not supposed to happen in rocket science, we’re told.

*  *  *

Jeffrey Bezos and his alive girl Lauren Sanchez are finally tying the knot. They are doing so by—checks notes—renting out the entire island of Venice? Protesters chased the billionaires from their original venue by threatening to fill the canals with inflatable crocodiles. (Or was it alligators? None of us are from Florida and we do not know the difference.) Too bad the foam party on Bezos’s $500 million superyacht off the coast of Europe couldn’t be stopped. Those grainy images of a shirtless, foamy Bezos in a bucket hat need to be scrubbed from our minds. 

Every day, I sift through the hundreds of tracks that bombard my inbox. On a biweekly basis, I tell you about the two artists whose music most impressed me. This time, it's the late Cameroonian electronic-music innovator Francis Bebey, who has a fantastic new archival comp out, and Seattle synth duo Ambient Sundays, whose name hints at their aim to chill you the eff out.

Francis Bebey, “Forest Nativity (extended version)” (Africa Seven)
Most people in the West learned about the late Cameroonian musician Francis Bebey through excellent collections such as African Electronic Music 1975-1982 and Psychedelic Zanzu 1982-1984, released by the French label Born Bad. A segment of the population also may have discovered him via mid indie rockers Arcade Fire's "Everything Now," on which Patrick Bebey played the flute motif from his father's supremely infectious "The Coffee-Cola Song." (Good luck finding affordable original copies of Francis's studio LPs in the US. However, many of them are on streaming platforms.)

Bebey (1929-2001) augmented his warm, conversational vocals in Duala, French, and English with kalimba, percussion, flute, and guitar; on the latter he was influenced by Spanish classical master Andrés Segovia. The pervasive vibe on these records is low-key, fluid, and seductive. The songs are sparsely constructed and slyly inviting, a subtle combination of organic and electronic elements. Especially on Psychedelic Zanzu, the sound is slinky and chill, and if you're into tantric sex, you could find a worse way to soundtrack that activity than this LP. 

The new Trésor Magnetique comp gathers 20 "unreleased tracks, alternate versions, archival recordings, and neglected gems from Bebey’s legendary vault." I'm a fan of the aforementioned collections, but Trésor Magnetique might even surpass those in quality and consistency—remarkable for an odds-and-ends release. 

One of the most prominent sounds in Bebey's wonderful songs is the kalimba (aka thumb piano), which produces resonant metallic tones that are as spine-tingling as those generated by the vibraphone. The kalimba inevitably makes me think of gently flowing water and the concomitant calmness that springs from it. Case in point is "Forest Nativity (extended version)." Its undulating kalimba and forlornly beautiful flute, embellished by understatedly soulful backing vocals, is trés hypnotique. Yet it could easily be retrofitted into an experimental techno banger. In a sagacious voice, Bebey recites, "Life is good, you'll see / Come into the world, my child." Those were different times...      

"Ganvie" is another proto-experimental-techno banger with keening flute and resonantly clanking kalimba. "Le Grand Soleil De Dieu" sashays in a nonchalantly funky manner, with a stately synth melody for which OMD would kill. I can imagine this cut animating legendary cosmic-disco DJ Daniele Baldelli's '70s sets. "Agatha (alternate version)" boasts an incredible corkscrewing bassline by Jean-Claude Ebongue that anchors an ebullient funk jam, while the care-free pop-funk "L' Amour Malade Petit Francais" sways like a tropical Serge Gainsbourg joint. "Funky Maringa" is not quite on the explosive level of funkiness of fellow Cameroonian Manu Dibango, but it does have a sassily bumping groove and celebratory air. 

If sociopolitical lyrics matter to you, you'll revel in majestic synth- and drum-machine-powered slow-roller "La Condition Masculine (English version)," which spoofs patriarchal attitudes, and "Dash, Baksheesh & Matabish," a sweet denunciation of corruption. Admittedly, Bebey was not a conventionally great singer, but he wrung poignancy, wit, and wisdom from his limited pipes.      

Francis Bebey's music isn't so much ahead of its time as it is outside of time altogether. With his unique combination of instruments and timbres, he was in his own bold lane, making specious categories such as "world music" seem glaringly insufficient. 

Ambient Sundays, "sunday morning" (We Coast Records)
Ambient Sundays' name is almost too on the nose—especially if you regularly listen to Alex Ruder's Pacific Notions show on KEXP, which airs on the alleged Lord's day. Maybe it's a coincidence that Ambient Sundays member Diana Ratsamee also DJs on that radio station (check out her Thursday night show, Eastern Echoes), but whatever the case, the Lao-American musician/producer and bandmate and We Coast Records boss Anthony Warner have hit upon a winning sound with their self-titled debut album. 

Using all analog synthesizers (various Rolands, Oberheims, and Sequentials), Ambient Sundays get down to the important business of chilling out listeners with their emotive minimalism. "Lullaby sunrise" conjures a deeply moving and sonorous synthscape of chakra-opening tones à la New Age savant Steven Halpern and the late, great Ariel Kalma. "The final call of opportunity" presents a series of heartbreaking melody modules in the vein of Hans-Joachim Roedelius. 

The cutely titled "this is you as a baby" offers a gentle, amniotic tone bath that'll drop your pulse rate by 33 percent while "yellow cabin by the sea" creates a feeling of poignant desolation, with tranquil tidal flow in the background. Diverging from the rest of the album, "a place to call home" features Ratsamee's delicate, mysterious vocals on this low-key, glowing orb of a track that made tears well up in your blogger's eyes. "Sunday morning" is not a Velvet Underground cover, but rather a sublime upswell of becalming, ice-blue synth textures.

With the Israel-Iran conflict escalating by the hour, the odds are stacked against any musicians attempting to soothe anxious doom-scrollers, but Ambient Sundays succeed with this glimmering soul balm. 

Got a relationship problem? A burning sex question? A burning… sensation? by Dan Savage 1. What advice do you have for young people who want to have an open conversation with their partners about changing aspects of their sex life to make it more pleasurable without hurt feelings or awkwardness? What’s more likely to lead to major hurt: A few awkward conversations now that (hopefully) lead to better conversations (and sex) in the future? Or… avoiding awkwardness and eventually reaching a point down the road where the sex isn’t that great so you have it less and less until one of you cheats or leaves? Your choice. 2. Dealing with cultural differences: My boyfriend is Italian and weirdly superstitious; at times, it’s anti-science. Not sure what to do here. Keep your mouth shut, your legs open, and get that EU passport. 3. Do you like tighty-whities? What’s not to like? 4. We’re two late-blooming bi people in a monogamous relationship. We have small children.…

[ Read more ]

Whether July makes you think of hot dogs and fireworks, air-conditioned movie theaters, outdoor concerts and performances, or ice-cold beverages, you'll find tons of things to do this month that will allow you to soak up that coveted Seattle sunshine now that summer is in full effect. As we do every month, we've compiled the biggest events you need to know about in every genre, from Capitol Hill Block Party to The Weeknd: After Hours Til Dawn and from the Seattle Art Fair to The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire.

Seafair 4th of July
Though I'm firmly in the drones > fireworks camp, I hear some people out there still like their big, fiery booms. If that's you, find a spot with a view of Lake Union and prepare for quite the spectacle. Both Gas Works and Lake Union Park host food vendors and an All-American games competition with classics like sack racing, tug-of-war, water balloon toss, and a pie eating contest. You'll find live bands like high-energy ensemble Lindstrom & The Limit at Gas Works and a long putt challenge and coloring wall in SLU. Though the event is generally free, you can pay to reserve a seat in a gated-off section with security. While this might be good for safety, it's a bummer for those who want to BYOB. Plan accordingly! (Godspeed to anyone crossing a bridge after the fireworks end; traffic's a nightmare.) SHANNON LUBETICH
Gas Works Park & Lake Union Park (Fri July 4)

The Stranger's morning news roundup. by Vivian McCall

Pride Month Is Over: Time to re-paint the rainbow crosswalks, get back in the closet, throw that #Pride merch into a landfill, and finally force those gay penguins into divorce. Anyway, we’re tired of rainbows. It’s America month, where at least you know you’re free unless you’re most people. Come claw or beak, we will hug a bald eagle in a metaphysical way. And on Saturday, the sun will rise over a great nation. One that listened to “Born In The U.S.A.” approximately one-hundred billion times and didn’t understand a word. If everything is just right, we’ll end the week with fewer uncle fingers than we started with. (Edit: Okay, the original gay penguins broke up in 2005, and they’re bisexual. People also say they’re dead, but that’s unclear. I’ve reached out to Central Park Zoo for confirmation. Here’s another dead gay penguin from Australia whose partner Magic “seemed relatively normal since his loss.” Diego and Zorro are about to celebrate 10 years and they loved our fisting piece.)

Jag skrattar till lite varje gång den dyker upp i flödet.

[image or embed]

— Niclas (@ebmgubben.bsky.social) May 5, 2025 at 11:59 AM

The Mariners Beat the Kansas City Royals at T-Mobile Park: And Randy Arozarena hit his 100th home run. Arozarena, if you’re reading, I know only one way to congratulate you (I lack baseball knowledge). Enjoy:

On the Up and Up? The fuel tax rose 6 cents ($0.494 per gallon to $0.554) today. To keep pace with inflation, it’ll go up an additional 2% per year, generating about $1.4 billion in revenue over the next six years. Cool! But also federal cuts. And that $16 billion budget shortfall. When you wake up in the middle of the night for a glass of water, expect Gov. Ferguson hunched over your kitchen table in a hushed conversation with Mom. Avoid the squeaky floorboard when you tiptoe back to bed!

Time Is Running Out for Tuan Phan: Born in Vietnam, Tuan Phan served 25 years for murder in Washington. When he finished serving his sentence in March, the Washington Department of Corrections handed him over to ICE, and sent to Djibouti, where he’s been held in a shipping container for months. And now he’ll be deported to South Sudan unless Governor Ferguson pardons him. His lawyer Angélica Cházaro told KUOW Ferguson better do it while Tuan Phan is still at the  US military base in Djibouti because his return is not guaranteed if he’s sent to South Sudan.

A Hairless Eastern Washington Pest Is in the North Cascades: Not your ex from Spokane on a hike. The western spruce budworm. We don’t love this worm (even if it were a worm). It loves to eat the new growth on fire trees. You’ll see its wrath in the trail of orange trees along Highway 20. By August, they may turn brown and dead-looking. It’s a young, modestly-sized (63,000 acres) outbreak, and not unheard of, but an entomologist told The Seattle Times it's odd to see them outside the Cascade Crest.

More About Fireworks: SeaTac cancelled their show. City officials say they didn’t have enough cops. (Last year, they had ten cops for the 10,000 people in a park made for 3,200 max.) Or maybe that’s a cover and they’re still embarrassed about the 55 drones that fell into Angle Lake during the performance. “The drone mishap is not the reason for the cancellation,” said SeaTac’s comms person, not defensively at all.

Weather? Sorry rain-enjoyers, but it’s nice and hot and sunny today. Perfect weather … perfect weather … until a scream echoes across the lake. Your uncle is clutching his wrist, what's left of his hand. Crazily, you think about the dream guitar he bought last month, hanging on the wall in his den. Just like the Stratocaster he had in high school. The one he sold for a wedding ring, but she turned him down. He’ll never play “Smoke On The Water” again.

So … Back To Fireworks: There’s absolutely nothing funny about blowing off your hand with an illegal bomb you bought on the side of the road from a man named Moustache Pete. How could something like that happen? “Having fingers” is not a radical ideology (yet) so, as usual, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission posted its excellent anti-commercial for fireworks. Watch these mannequins blow up instead of your intoxicated or foolish loved ones! I know it’s a few days early and the national mood is low but … blowing shit up is bipartisan.

Don't do any of this.

[image or embed]

— U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (@cpsc.gov) June 27, 2025 at 11:28 AM

The Law: Personal fireworks are illegal in Seattle and King County … much of Snohomish County most of the time … and unincorporated Kittitas County … and in Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey … but I just know you some of you sick lawbreaking fucks will blow them up anyway. So I’ll play the mother who prefers you drink in the house: Have a fucking bucket handy so we have an environment. Or, test your empathy. When you feel an irrepressible urge for powpow to go boom-boom, imagine a dog’s sad, scared eyes.

Also, picture your dumbest friend. Now please share this fire danger map with said dumbest friend. Then show them the aforementioned mannequin movie. Make sure to tell them the people are not real.

He Did It: Brian Kohberger, the most obvious murderer since O…uh, Oswald—Lee Harvery Oswald—pleaded guilty to murdering four University of Idaho students. He took the deal to avoid the death penalty. Capital punishment disgusts me, and I don’t find breathless coverage of a real murder of real people entertaining, but watching the evidence pile up in this case has been something else. His defense sucked.

Democrats Lay Groundwork for “Project 2029”: Naming the Save Democracy Plan after the Destroy Democracy Plan is ridiculous. And since Dems at a liberal policy journal put it together, it’s not actually a plan yet. It’s a publicly announced plan to have a plan. Know that friend who is always getting his shit together and never does? At least he’s listening to the shitty voice inside his head and not … the shitty voice inside everyone else’s (read: polls). Hint: Dem strategists think they have a style problem, not substance problem. Double dog dare y’all to have a single idea, or God forbid, propose a popular economic policy instead of hand wringing over who first to throw under the big blue bus.

Since We’re on the Subject: Democrats can’t tell what is and what is not an extreme anymore. A problem with an autocrat in the White House and perhaps more on the way, or just more “four more years” until the autocrats is fresh out of “four more years.” Institutional Dems are freaking out about Mamdani. They should be freaking about ICE breaking the law, basic morality, and expectations that law enforcement identify themselves with a fucking uniform. Charles wrote about it here. Dems should also be freaking out about…

The Republican Denaturalization Plan: The Justice Department wants to strip Americans of their citizenship and is prioritizing cases involving certain crimes—including fraud, threats to national security, and in one case, distributing child porn. Child porn is obviously a serious offense. So serious that the Trump administration can plausibly deny what it’s doing. Don’t be fooled. According to a memo, Trump’s DOJ is pursuing denaturalization via civil litigation. One attorney told NPR that’s especially concerning. The people in those cases have no right to an attorney. No right! Another attorney told NPR—whose funding is being targeted by the federal government for accurately reporting the news—that the DOJ is expanding which crimes threaten a person’s citizenship. What’s next? And what if the accused is innocent? Hell, what if they’re guilty? Does this sound like justice?

Musk Threatens New Political Party if Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Passes: It’s called the Apartheid Party Rocket Blow Up Party Blow Up My Car Party Grimes Take Me Back Party America Party. Uh oh! A third party? Republicans are probably scared. Third parties always move the needle.

BREAKING: After a session that lasted more than 24 hours, the Senate just passed Trump's very ugly Big Beautiful (budget) Bill. VP JD Vance broke a 50/50 tie. Now it's headed back to the House. 

Trump To Visit New, Remote Detention Center in the Everglades: Will he feed the alligators little meat cubes on a stick (Floridians know), or is he just visiting to savor impending human misery?

Deerhoof will remove its music from Spotify over CEO Daniel Ek’s $700 million investment in an AI company making military tech. We need a new law to strap tech moguls to a chair and make them watch Terminator and Terminator 2 until they get it. Here’s Deerhoof’s bandcamp. Start with The Magic.

More Terrible, But Trivial News: They’re making a Project Hail Mary movie, an airport bookstore buy so bad I’d have raw-dogged the flight if I hadn’t had a Kobo handy. Normally, I give a book at least 45 pages. But I stopped on page 4, right around the fourth paragraph of the narrator sardonically pulling a space tube out of his ass. But I guess we get to see Ryan Gosling do it. And you thought Pride was over!

Gee, I Sure Am Fun Today: Sorry for the bummers. I’m usually all business and skip the song. No longer! Here’s R.E.M. on the Old Grey Whistle test playing “Pretty Persuasion,” an early banger off Reckoning, when you still couldn’t tell what the hell Michael Stipe was singing about. I prefer my R.E.M. incomprehensible, but am down with everything from Murmur to Monster (and, why not, a little New Adventures in Hi-Fi).

Bonus: My friend shared this great Dougie Poole song with me over the weekend. It’s called “Nothing on This Earth Can Make Me Smile.” It should be “Nothing on This Earth Can Make Me Smile, Except Dougie Pool Playing ‘Nothing on This Earth Can Make Me Smile.’”