January 20
Wednesday
Pae White
Prior to the January 24 closing of her installation Command+Shift+4 at the Henry Art Gallery, artist Pae White will give a free public talk. As the Henry puts it, White’s work “moves fluidly across the disciplines of fine and applied arts, architecture, and design.” Command+Shift+4 was inspired by The Sea Ranch, a northern California housing development founded in 1963 that used visionary design to enliven and expand perception of its austere architecture. Dynamic supergraphics were a key feature, and White references these in particular in Command+Shift+4, which at first seems abstract and spontaneous. Yet as one navigates dazzling sprays of colored, acrylic yarn, a methodical plan and legible shapes are revealed. If one takes for granted how architecture and design shape our awareness, White’s work is a gentle reminder of the power these disciplines possess. Henry Art Gallery, 4100 15th Ave. N.E., 543-2280, henry
art.org. Free (reserve tickets online). 6:30 p.m.
T.S. FLOCK
Brothers of the Sonic Cloth
Did you know another goddamn Kurt Cobain book is coming out in February? It’s called Cobain on Cobain (is the title meant to taunt us?), and it is author Nick Soulsby’s third Nirvana book. Grunge is over, and there’s absolutely nothing left to dredge up or monetize about St. Cobain, but one of the really cool things that has actually come out of those mythical days is the majestically crushing doom band Brothers of the Sonic Cloth, the brainchild of grunge heavyweight Tad Doyle (TAD). Formed in 2006 with his wife on bass, BOTSC slows down the sludgy metal-inspired riffs that gave grunge its weight until they become monolithic, primitive tides of destruction, lurching toward you like a carnivorous predator in the woods. The group’s 2015 self-titled LP is a satisfying aural eruption, full of long-form dirges like “Empires of Dust” and “I Am” that soak post-rock, doom, and punk in molten lava. With Suma, Black Bone Exorcism. Tractor Tave
rn, 5213 Ballard Ave. N.W., 789-3599, tractortavern.com. $10–$12. 21 and over. 8 p.m
.
KELTON SEARS
January 21
Thursday
The Birds
No, this is not a stage adaptation of the really freaking horrifying Hitchcock film. This Strawberry Theatre Workshop production does share source material with it—Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story of that name—but here the bloodthirsty birds aren’t the show; they merely mark the parameters. Irish playwright Conor McPherson puts his own spin on the dystopian tale with a 2009 script that focuses on the drama at play in a New England cabin where a trio of characters take shelter from the birds. This is still a thriller, but one that avoids Hitchcock’s psychosexual leanings and instead trades in the existential unease that could lead a rational person into the realm of fowl play. Sorry. I couldn’t resist. 12th Avenue Arts, 1620 12th Ave., 12avearts.org. $36. 7:30 p.m. Mon. & Thurs.–Sat
. Ends Feb 20.
MARK BAUMGARTEN
Ty Segall & the Muggers
There is perhaps no living artist more prolific than Ty Segall. In a mere decade, the Los Angeles guitarist has dabbled in garage pop, psychedelia, and glam rock while releasing eight minimalist lo-fi pop albums and joining at least eight different bands (three of which are ongoing concerns). It’s a catalogue in line with modern consumption, and perhaps because of that Segall has not made many drastic artistic leaps until now. His ninth solo release, Emotional Mugger, is a reinvention that retains Segall’s essence, a noisy, unfetterred affair that casts his undeniable vocal melodies in a more unforgiving landscape. And it is great. But Segall has not forgotten what made us fall in love with him. Rumor has it that he and his new band the Muggers will play a 90-minute set, one half of the new stuff and one half of the golden sorta-oldies. With CFM, Bread & Butter. The Neptune, 1303 N.E. 45th St., 682-1414, stgpresents.org. $18.50. All ages.
8 p.m.
MARK BAUMGARTEN
Children’s Film Festival
Of the many challenges that face the modern parent, none is as fraught as the question of screen time. Kids love screens. They love to stare at them, to poke at them, and to drool on them, quietly, while the adults try to get things done in peace. But what are those little screens doing to their brains? There is a lot of research saying a lot of things, but we’re not interested in that. Instead we are going to suggest you park your kids in front of the big screens at the Children’s Film Festival, which have been unscientifically proven to bring joy to family members of all ages. The festival, which runs for 12 days, features 175 films from 58 countries. Innovative and inspiring, the featured films should give the whole family something to talk about and hopefully make Candy Crush—or whatever it is they’re playing on your phone—boring by comparison. Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 329-2629, nwfilmforum.org. Individual shows $
8–$11, festival passes $140–$180. Through Jan. 31.
MARK BAUMGARTEN
January 22
Friday
Whim W’him
Olivier Wevers has been cultivating a sense of play with his Whim W’him company, and if you’re looking for a bubbly evening in the theater, you’ll certainly find it with them. But there’s much more going on than surface-level sparkle—Wevers has been methodically hiring dancers whose skill set extends from the heightened physicality of ballet to the expressive power of modern dance, then commissioning or creating works that put all those strengths into play. This program includes new works by Mark Haim, who connects postmodern dance with his classical-music background; the award-winning Dominic Walsh in collaboration with Two Star Symphony from Texas; and Wevers himself. All fun, yes, and much more. Cornish Playhouse, Seattle Center, whimwhim.org. $25–$30. 8 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Ends Jan. 30.
SANDI KURTZ
Seattle Vice
In these pages in 2008, then-staff writer Rick Anderson painted the kind of Seattle vignette only he can. It’s summer 2006, and famed strip-joint king Frank Colacurcio Sr. is onstage at Sugar’s in North Seattle talking to some new hires. “If you give a hand job, charge for it,” he tells the girls. “If you give a blow job, charge for it. If you don’t charge for it, then you’ll be fired.” Two years later Anderson published Seattle Vice, the definitive history of Seattle’s commercial sex scene, which focuses on the Colacurcio family and the crooked cops that allowed them to flourish. The book is just as full of the sex and scandal as you’d want and expect. If there’s one problem, it’s that it’s not a picture book, if you catch my drift. That’s where Mark Siano and Opal Peachey’s stage adaptation comes in handy. First performed last year at ACTLab, the critically acclaimed cabaret musical now comes to the Triple Door for a limited run. The fictional tale told in the musical is more inspired by Seattle Vice than based on it, but the book’s spirit remains intact, and the production appropriately contains male and female nudity. There aren’t any actual blow jobs, but then some things are better left to the written word. The Triple Door, 216 Union St., 838-4333, thetripledoor.net. $15–$45. 8 p.m. Ends Jan. 31.
DANIEL PERSON
The Fabulous Downey Brothers
If Devo and Pee-Wee Herman had had six lovechildren, they might have hoped to create something like the technicolor herky-jerky circus that is the Fabulous Downey Brothers. Of all Seattle bands, FDB easily wins the “best large foam-based headwear” award with its freak-chic statement pieces that range from huge silver face-triangles to sparkly forehead spirals, fur-covered blobs, and elongated iridescent tube hats. The group’s music, inspired by the asymmetrical, staccato sounds of XTC, the B-52s. and Oingo Boingo, sounds like it’s blaring out of a mad scientist’s music factory with production levels set at mega-overdrive. The band urges audiences to “Work harder!” in its most recent single of that name, and witnessing the hyper-stimuli of the painstakingly choreographed neon-cabaret live will make you wish you’d done exactly that. FDB puts most lazy, sleepy bands in Seattle to shame. If you don’t have fun at this show, you’re probably brain dead. With Future Shock, Kblanq. The Central Saloon, 207 First Ave. S., 622-0209, centralsaloon.com. $5 adv./$7 DOS. 21 and up. 9 p.m.
KELTON SEARS
January 24
Sunday
Spinosaurus: The Lost Giant of the Cretaceous
The spinosaurus was a 50-foot long predator—10 feet longer than the big bad T. rex. It even had a giant sail on its back to peacock itself: a sexy come-hither to mates and a warning to would-be attackers. The reason old Spino isn’t as well-known as the tyrannosaurus? Surprisingly, WWII. A German paleontologist discovered the king predator’s fossils, subsequently lost during Allied bombings. But at tonight’s National Geographic event, a full replica of a huge Spinosaurus skeleton will be on display, thanks to the efforts of scientists. One of them, Nizar Ibrahim, will tell the story of how the dino was almost lost to time, and how, through lots of literal and figurative digging, it’s again seeing the light of day. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St., 215-4747, seattlesymphony.org. $20–$40. 2 p.m.
KELTON SEARS
