Wednesday 11/16
Bake a Pie
(FOOD) Pies are the most complicated "simple" dessert in the world. "Bake a pie!" they say. The crust is just a few ingredients!" they tell you. Liars. Yes, the best crust is one of just flour, butter, salt, and water, but you must have them all in exact proportions and handle them with care to achieve delectably flakey results. Over mix? Tough crust. Not enough butter? Dry. Too much water? The dreaded soggy bottom. For those who flex their pie-making muscles just once a year for Thanksgiving, stop it. That's like running a marathon without training. Perfecting pie requires time, experience. You need to get familiar with the feeling of perfect dough and your oven's hot spots. Need to take a shortcut? There are a lot of pre-made and store-bought options and some of them are very good! But few things are as cozy and satisfying as pulling a piping hot pie out of the oven on a fall day, knowing you're bringing the best part of Thanksgiving to the table. Coyle's Bakeshop wants to help. All month long they've been sharing pie tutorials on Instagram and their Greenwood shop is stocked with supplies, including pie dough, pie shells, and even their silky pumpkin purĂŠe made with Winter Luxury pumpkins. It'll be as easy as making the stuff from the can but taste infinitely better in the end. (Coyleâs Bakeshop, 8300 Greenwood Ave N, Wed-Sun 7 am-3 pm) MEGAN SELING
Thursday 11/17
(MUSIC) A '90s pop music mass-karaoke party sounds like a real blast (though with all that open-mouth exhaling Iâd probably want to double-mask). Central Cinema will screen a slew of classic music videos with on-screen lyrics to help you out in case you have not memorized all of "One Week". Please try not to think too hard about the '90s now being considered âclassic.â We all get old if weâre lucky! Deal with it! They havenât released the set list, or whatever youâd call the lineup for this sort of thing, so thereâs no telling exactly which songs and genres you can look forward to. But thatâs probably part of the fun, guessing which will come next and whether youâll have an opportunity to do the clap-clap-clap-clap in the theme song from Friends. Which numbers would you put on your absolutely must-have list? Personally, I think it would be surreal to hear a whole audience sneering the lyrics to NINâs âCloser,â but for sheer earworm quality I think Iâd most want to hear "C'est La Vie" by B*Witched, and for the youth of today to experience the torture we endured for months with âMMMBop.â For extra credit, please include the Mentos song, preferably repeated every 10 minutes. (Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave, 8 pm, $16, all ages) MATT BAUME
Friday 11/18
(MUSIC) Well, well, well. I was all set to suggest Visqueen's big ol' reunion show at Tractor Tavern because it's fucking Visqueen, one of Seattle's very best power-pop bands not just of the 2000s, but ever. And that's saying something because my god was there a lot of power pop in the early 2000s. Visqueen was able to stand out with powerhouse vocalist Rachel Flotard and a knack for leaning into rock 'n' roll by way of big guitar solos, and keyboards that'd make Greg Hawkes blush whenever they needed to harden up their edges. Their shows are fun, sweaty, and best when everyone in the crowd is gleefully singing along to every word. A very suggestable event! But all you greedy power-pop punks bought up every last ticket. So now, while you cannot go to Friday's Visqueen show unless you planned ahead, I strongly suggest you snag tickets to their just-announced all-ages show at the Vera Project on December 9. Tickets will sell out. Consider this your warning. (Tractor Tavern, 5213 Ballard Ave, 8 pm, sold out) MEGAN SELING
Saturday 11/19
(MUSIC) You really do not want to miss this tribute to one of the most progressive collectives in hiphop history: The Native Tongues. The movement began in the late '80s, ended in the middle of the '90s, and had, at its center, the Jungle Brothers, Queen Latifah, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. The tribute, hosted by Tish Gallow, features the last two acts. And, as an added bonus, the local producer Vitamin D, who produced a track for De La Soul, will rock the turntables. (The show includes Darrius Willrich on the keys and Roc Phizzle on the drums.) What more could you ask for? That the ghost of the late Phife Dawg makes an appearance. (The Royal Room, 5000 Rainier Ave S, 9:30 pm, $15) CHARLES MUDEDE
Sunday 11/20
A SMASH Benefit: A Tribute to David Bowie
(MUSIC) Read more about SMASH here.
Used Puzzle Exchange at Blue Highway Games
(GAMES) No, you cannot bring puzzles with missing pieces to the puzzle exchange, that would be RUDE. But if youâre tired of assembling and disassembling the same Thomas Kinkade 10,000-piecer over and over, nowâs your chance to swap it for something new. And get this: After eight swaps, youâll get a 20%-off in-store coupon, good for any new puzzle at Blue Highway Games. What a deal! Reducing waste AND enjoying the magic of thriftiness. As long as theyâre complete and in good condition (no additional dicks scrawled over pics of the Sistine Chapel, please), all kinds of puzzles are welcome, from clunky big-piece puzzles for kids to the weirdo 3D ones that take up more space than you anticipated. Theyâll be organized, as much as possible, by age range and the number of pieces. If it was up to me Iâd have a special pile for the cat-themed ones but Iâm not in charge of the world. (YET!!!) (Blue Highway Games, 2203 Queen Anne Ave N, noon-3 pm, free, all ages) MATT BAUME
Monday 11/21
Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West 25th Anniversary Tour
(MUSIC) Modest Mouse have released seven full-length albumsâ2021's The Golden Casket being the latestâand of them all, The Lonesome Crowded West is the best. Good News for People Who Love Bad News is the most successfulâit went platinum in 2004âand This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About is the album every gatekeeping Modest Mouse fan will insist is the greatest, but none of that matters; The Lonesome Crowded West is the best Modest Mouse record. It is, above all other releases, the most cohesive album, i.e. collection of songs that play off one another to capture an entire ~*vibe*~. Isaac Brock was barely in his 20s when he and then-bandmates Jeremiah Green and Eric Judy made the record and it vibrates with relatable suburban youth angstâthe restlessness that comes with wanting to get out of a small town, the frustration of knowing once you get out nothing really changes. The band is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Lonesome with a three-night stand at the Showbox. Go, whether you're restless and young or just old enough to need to feel alive again. (The Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 8 pm, $47.50-$50, through Nov 23) MEGAN SELING
Tuesday 11/22
Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design
(FASHION) Now that you've had time to see Wakanda Forever, continue to further immerse yourself in the film's stunning fictional world by stopping by MoPOP for the ongoing Ruth E. Carter exhibit. More than 60 of the Oscar-winning designer's costumes are on display, including costumes from Black Panther, for which she became the first African American to win an Oscar in the Costume Design category. She was also responsible for bringing characters to life through their clothing in more than 40 other films, including Malcom X, Do the Right Thing, Selma, and Coming 2 America, all of which are represented in MoPOP's current collection. The exhibit also delves into Carter's processâincluding sketches and mood boardsâand features artwork from Black Panther muralist Brandon Sadler. (MoPOP, 325 Fifth Ave N, 10 am-5 pm, $23-$28, all ages) MEGAN SELING
Know what else you can do this week? Enter to win tickets in this week's Prize Fight! Here's what's up for grabs:
ARCADE FIRE
Climate Pledge Arena
Tuesday, November 22
Contest ends November 21
