Wednesday 5/10

More Than a Bake Sale: Fundraiser for Indigenous Women Rising

(FOOD) In April, James Beard-nominated pastry chef Natasha Pickowicz released her debut cookbook More Than Cake, which is a stunning, photo-heavy hardcover collection of 100 recipes (and helpful step-by-step pictures!) for sweet and savory bakes including Apricot and Olive Focaccia, Shoyu Peanut Cookies, and Passion Fruit, Coconut, and Tequila Layer Cake. Instead of doing the usual book tour, Pickowicz is marking the book's release with a bake sale tour. This spring she's hosting delicious fundraisers around the world, from London and Ireland to Los Angeles, New York, and, lucky for us, Book Larder in Fremont. From 4-6 pm on Wednesday, Pickowicz will be serving up her own sure-to-be-impressive treats alongside local superstar bakers from Saint Bread, Temple Pastries, and the Pastry Project, among others. All of the proceeds will be donated to Indigenous Women Rising, an organization that was founded in 2014 by Rachael Lorenzo to ensure Indigenous people have access to vital healthcare, including emergency contraception, abortion, sex education, behavioral health resources, and substance use care. Pre-order tickets are sold out, but more tickets will be available at the door day of—best lineup early! (Book Larder, 4254 Fremont Ave N, 4-6 pm, all ages) MEGAN SELING


Thursday 5/11

Second Annual Upper Left Comedy Festival

Amy Miller performs at Upper Left Comedy Festival Friday, May 12, at Here-After.

(COMEDY) The second annual Upper Left Comedy Festival shifts operations from Capitol Hill to Belltown, with three venues hosting dozens of local and out-of-town stand-ups for three days. Essentially, it's Seattle's Super Bowl of laughter—without the big-budget ads. Organizer Isaac Novak and crew proved their acumen at last year's inaugural event, booking a diverse lineup that encompassed many styles for pandemic-stricken crowds starving for levity. Jackie Kashian, David Gborie, Travis Nelson, Andy Iwancio, Adam Pasi, and others ran the gamut of approaches, subjects, and perspectives, and thus Upper Left set the bar high. This year, Upper Left continues its savvy mix of touring headliners, promising upstarts, and local faves. The biggest names made public so far include Baron Vaughn, Amy Miller, Josh Gondelman, and Nate Jackson, which gives you a hint at the eclectic flavor on display. Regional stalwarts such as Dewa Dorje, Emmett Montgomery, Monisa Brown, Bobby Higley, Sam Miller, and Chris Mejia ensure that the Pacific Northwest brand of wry and quirky relatability will abound, too. (Crocodile/Here-After; Rabbit Box Theatre; Rendezvous; $20 for individual showcases; $25 for marquee shows at Here-After [7 pm]; $250 for weekend pass; $300 for VIP weekend pass; 21+; upperleftfest.com) DAVE SEGAL


Friday 5/12

James Brown Birthday Bash

(MUSIC) How else can I praise DJ Riz Rollins, my worldly reverend? This is not an easy task because I've already praised him to the high heavens: "[W]hat Riz made so clear to me... and something that has become the core of my thinking as a writer and culture critic—is that our modes of moving through the world can be altered, revised, or completely reinvented." How much higher can I go than that? As I have said before, Riz is one of Seattle's key cultural institutions, and his funk, hiphop, and soul sets move not only the body, but its spirit. In his hands, James Brown, whose birthday is the occasion for his Clock-Out Lounge event, becomes not the "godfather of soul" but the God of Soul. Maybe next time I write about Riz, I will attempt to answer this question: Where does his power to make secular music so holy come from? (Clock-Out Lounge, 4864 S Beacon Ave, 9 pm, $10, 21+) CHARLES MUDEDE


Saturday 5/13

Seattle Arab Film Festival 2023

 
 
 
 
 
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(FILM) The fourth Seattle Arab Film Festival features 13 shorts divided into four themed screenings at Capitol Hill's Northwest Film Forum this weekend. On Saturday, catch Short Documentaries and Loss and Resilience; see Family Matters and Luck of the Draw on Sunday. This rich collection of new and established Arab talent includes films like Abeille by Mouna Ben Hammed, a documentary about a Black woman from subsaharan Africa now living in Tunis, and the drama STORY by Moroccan director Mohamed Bouhari, about a fisherman, the fanciful, heroic stories he tells his son, and a yet discovered truth. There is no remote option for the festival—all screenings are in-person only. A single ticket grants access to both screenings on that day. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, Sat 7 pm, Sun 4 pm, $7-$14) VIVIAN MCCALL


Sunday 5/14

A Pocketful of Posey

(FILM) For the past few years pop culture has been obsessed with reliving the '90s, so it's about time someone pays a worthy tribute to our Gen X matriarch, Parker fucking Posey. Starting May 12 Grand Illusion hosts A Pocketful of Posey, a four-film tribute to our scene-stealing queen, and on Sunday, May 14, you can catch a PP double feature with Josie and the Pussycats (3 and 7:30 pm) and Party Girl (5:15 pm). SubUrbia will show later in May and then, in July, we can all witness Posey's exemplary performance as a Grade-A senior bitch in Dazed and Confused. Of course House of Yes and all her appearances in Christopher Guest's filmography are worth another watch, too, should you want to continue the celebration at home. (Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St, multiple dates between May 12-Aug 3, $5-$11) MEGAN SELING


Monday 5/15

Fudge-Rimmed Milkshakes at Luna Park

You can get it without the fudge, too, but I don't know why you would. MEGAN SELING

(FOOD) After shutting down for the winter for renovations, Luna Park Cafe finally reopened a few weeks ago and the timing couldn't be better. Weather experts are saying Monday will be upwards of 90 degrees here in Seattle, and what better way is there to beat the heat than to suck down an ice-cold milkshake? Luna Park serves some of the best in town and my personal favorite is the banana split milkshake, which tastes exactly like the bottom of a melty, messy banana split where all the toppings—chocolate, banana, butterscotch, strawberry—have swirled together into one indulgent bite of sweet perfection. What's more, YOU CAN GET IT WITH A FUDGE RIM! Sounds dirty, yes, but Luna Park's hot fudge is thick, decadent, and packed with a powerful hit of chocolate flavor—it doesn't taste like corn syrup and stabilizers as so many other bad fudge toppings can. Drink up some milkshake, then scoop a little bit of fudge off the side, and repeat until your body temperature has returned to its ideal 98.6 degrees. Worried about stomaching all that dairy? Get it with vegan Full Tilt ice cream for just a couple bucks more! (Luna Park Cafe, 2918 SW Avalon Way, daily 8 am-3 pm, $6.49-$8.99) MEGAN SELING


Tuesday 5/16

Cheekface

(MUSIC) I can't get enough of Cheekface's candy-coated doom. The band—vocalist/guitarist Greg Katz, bassist/vocalist Amanda Tannen, and drummer Mark Echo—disguise their relatable cynicism with bright, lo-fi indie-pop. In "Listen to Your Heart. No." the band satisfyingly refuses some of the tiresome advice we've all received at one point in our lives. "Listen to your heart / No! / Keep on keeping on / No! / Just say no to drugs / No! / Eat a healthy lunch. No!" On "We Need a Bigger Dumpster," from 2022's Too Much to Ask, Katz tries to believe that "everything is fine," as the chorus goes, but can't help but notice the world is full of unending bummers. Nothing is actually fine! We're sick! We're tired! But we're here now, and we have to get through somehow, so maybe plucky beats and tongue-in-cheek songs about aspiring to be an anti-success story will help? It's worth a shot. (Barboza, 925 E Pike St, 7 pm, $16-$20, all ages) MEGAN SELING