Wednesday 9/28
Fuji Bakery's Crunchy Cream
(FOOD) Next to all the colorful, texturally diverse pastries that fill the baskets in Fuji Bakeryâs King Street windowâpretty pastel macarons, fruit tarts piled high with seasonal berries, s'mores croissants stuffed with marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackersâthe Crunchy Cream looks unassuming. Almost boring; brown on brown. But do not be fooled. Yes, the blueberry lemon curd croissant is a marvel, and sure the cream cheese danishâwith a small slab of caramelized cream cheese sitting in its centerâwill live in your dreams forever, but the Crunchy Cream? The Crunchy Cream is a doughnut worth trekking across town for. A soft but sturdy brioche dough is fried to golden perfection, filled with vanilla custard cream, and, get this, rolled around in a sugary, caramelized cornflakes coating. It's crispy, crunchy, light, creamy. It's like sugar-coated fireworks going off in your mouth with every bite. It is everything. (Fuji Bakery, 526 S King St and 1030 Elliott Ave W, $4.25) MEGAN SELING
Thursday 9/29
Kikagaku Moyo
(MUSIC) Rare is the rock group who decides to go out while they're still peaking, but Japan's Kikagaku Moyo have done just that, announcing their âindefinite hiatusâ after 10 years of touring and releasing six excellent studio albumsâincluding Deep Fried Grandeur, a killer 2021 collab with US guitarist Ryley Walker. Following the May release of their gorgeous, elegiac final album, Kumoyo Island, these five longhairs have left a legacy that matches countrymen Ghost for its sublime pastoral and astral strains of psychedelia, which achieves an even higher liftoff in live settings. Kikagaku are masters of dramatic dynamics, encompassing both prog rock's complex, fiery convolutions and lysergic folk's baroque, tranquil strains. From playing Barboza in 2014 to performing at the Moore in 2022, Kikagaku Moyo have proved that persistence and constant improvement can pay huge dividends. It behooves lovers of adventurous rock to keep tabs on their members' next moves. (Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave, 8 pm, $26-$40) DAVE SEGAL
Friday 9/30
(FILM) Vesper continues a line of science-fiction films that began in the 1990s when biotechnology entered the popular imagination. Robots and spaceships took the backseat during that moment, which imagined a future dominated by good and evil genetic engineers and modifications. But this future was abandoned because, in a way, biotech never became as horrifying and controversial as first imagined. It did not change the structure of capitalist society in any radical way. And so we returned to the stars (Interstellar). But like Alex Garland's Annihilation, Vesper returns sci-fi cinema to the body, to the mud, to the monsters of life. Read full review here. (The Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, 7:30 pm, $5-$11) CHARLES MUDEDE
Saturday 10/1
Dog Portraits and First Caturday
This weekend is dedicated to animal lovers: Not only is this Saturday the return of First Caturday at Cal Anderson Park, but thereâs also a dog-portrait fundraiser happening in the park by Woodland Park Zoo. Which one will you choose? (Herpetologists, youâll have to wait until next weekend for a reptile class hosted by Pacific Northwest Biology.) First Caturdays are low-pressure events to just enjoy some cat vibes, whether your companion enjoys a leash, a stroller, or one of those cute clear backpack carriers. If youâre planning to use a leash, organizers recommend getting your cat acquainted with it at home before springing an outdoor socializing on them. Meanwhile, Margot McKelvie Photography and Dog Gone Seattle are teaming up for a photo pop-up at War Garden Park (oof, that name really is jarring) Woodland Park Rose Garden* to benefit dog rescue operations. The five-minute photo sessions are free, and if you choose to purchase a pic theyâll be $25 apiece with 40 percent of proceeds going to Dog Gone Seattle. Two worthy causes: Helping animals in need and making your goofy creature look as cute as possible. (First Caturday, Cal Anderson Park, 1635 11th Ave, 1:30-4:30 pm; Photo Fall Fundraiser for Dog Gone Seattle, Woodland Park Rose Garden, 750 N 50th St, 2:30-6:15 pm) MATT BAUME
*The Dog Gone Seattle photoshoot will now take place at Woodland Park Rose Garden due to a lack of fall colors at War Garden Park.
Sudan Archives
If you haven't been listening to Brittney Denise Parks aka Sudan Archives you've really been missing out. The accomplished violinist and singer is at the forefront of R&B and electronic music, chopping and screwing the guts of each to create a sound that's uniquely all her own. Parks learned to play violin by ear, inspired by the sounds of Sudanese fiddlers. "It's such a serious instrument in a western concert setting," she told The Guardian. "But in so many other places in the world it brings the party." That approach to the violin is evident in her music, that's in turn both refined and raucous. Her most recent album, Natural Brown Prom Queen, plays like a message from the future. Opening track "Home Maker" is sensual and epic, propelled by Park's smooth voice and handclaps while "OMG BRITT" is moody, with car-shaking bass, chant-like whispers, and a throbbing beat. Parks is bringing her distinct blend of R&B, hip-hop, and electronic music to Neumos with opener The Growth Eternal. Don't miss this. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 7 pm, $22/$25) JAS KEIMIG
Sunday 10/2
Salvage
To be an arts writer in Seattle is to be continually in awe of the site-specific works dreamed up by artists-in-residence at Mad Art Studio. This season, sculptor Alison Stigora has taken over the South Lake Union gallery with her impressive exhibition, Salvage. Using driftwood reclaimed and donated by the Army Corps of Engineers' M/V Puget debris recovery vessel, Stigora constructed a massive sculptural wave that stretches from floor to ceiling around the cavernous space. Once visitors maneuver into the enormous wooden wave, they'll find "a large, soft, translucent sculpture that glows with the colors of a warm sunrise." Doesn't that sound nice? Salvage also includes an audio composition Stigora made in collaboration with composer Rachael Fasano, which MadArt describes as a "low, resonant frequency" that plays a track "compiled from recordings of geologic activity and dredging equipment used in the retrieval of drift materials." Very cool. (MadArt, 325 Westlake Ave N #101; opening party is Sun Oct 2, exhibit shows through Wed Nov 23, free) JAS KEIMIG
Monday 10/3
Rain City Showcase: LA Clippers vs Portland Trail Blazers
(SPORTS) It's been almost 5,300 days since the Sonics played basketball in Seattle; their last home game was April 13, 2008, and they ended that fateful season with a shockingly awful 20-62 record. In a new city (Oklahoma City) with a new name (Oklahoma City Thunder) the team qualified for the playoffs in the 2009-10 season, won the division title the next year, and then won the Western Conference and went to the NBA Finals the year after that. Rude. For years rich men have discussed bringing an NBA team back to Emerald City but there's something about this new batch of rumors that feels... possible? Maybe? On September 6 Las Vegas-based sports reporter Willie Ramierez tweeted, "Multiple sources have told me the NBA want to finally announce expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle during the Clippers' two preseason games at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena." !!!!!, right? BUT THEN HE DELETED THE TWEET and a number of other sports reporters and outlets have since said their own sources tell them otherwise. But isn't that what the NBA would want us to believe? If it is true, and they are expanding (pleaseohpleasephpleasephplease), my money's on an announcement during Monday night's Rain City Showcase. The wait will be almost as exciting as the game itself. (Climate Pledge Arena, 305 Harrison St, 7:30 pm, tickets start at $57) MEGAN SELING
Tuesday 10/4
An Evening with Issa Rae
There is little Issa Rae hasn't done in her professional life. She co-created and starred in the Emmy Award-winning series television series Insecure, she's starred in and executive produced multiple critically acclaimed films, oh, and she also wrote tenderly and hilariously about her life thus far in a New York Times best-selling book, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl (which is also the name of her award-winning web series that kicked off her whole career in 2011 because no, she is never not creating something wonderful). She's been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, and she's won Black Reel Awards and NAACP Image Award, and through it all, she's constantly using her platform to elevate fellow Black creators and advocate for human rights. There's no doubt Rae has stories to tell and advice to share and on Tuesday she will sit down with Seattle's own New York Times bestselling author (and former Stranger contributor) Ijeoma Oluo for a conversation that's sure to be as inspirational as it is hilarious. Go bask in their brilliance. This show is rescheduled from April; tickets to April's event will be honored. (The Paramount, 911 Pine St, 8 pm, tickets start at $49.50) MEGAN SELING
