WEDNESDAY 2/5Â Â
Neko Case in Conversation with Cheryl Waters
(MUSIC/BOOKS) If you don't follow PNW-born treasure Neko Case on Instagram, then do yourself a favor and click that "follow" button. She documents her life in rural Vermont with a sincerity and rawness that few famous people display these days. There, you can expect to find a casual snap of her dinner, a blurry photo of her hair, and a trove of pet photos. Because of her delightfully authentic presence and poetic songwriting, I’m not surprised that she has released a memoir. Told in lyrical prose, The Harder I Fight the More I Love You recounts the story of Case's upbringing as a lonely creative child growing up in Tacoma. She will swing through Seattle to chat with KEXP's Cheryl Waters about the new book. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $10–$35 with the option to add-on a book purchase, all ages) AUDREY VANN
THURSDAY 2/6Â Â
(FOOD) The popular local burger joint chain Li'l Woody's has revealed the lineup for its 11th annual Burger Month series, which features four weeks of special burger collaborations dreamed up by some of the city's brightest culinary luminaries. This year's specials include the Cambo-Diaspora Double Cheeseburger (two quarter-pound Royal Ranch grass-fed beef patties marinated in kroeung paste, two slices of American cheese, kroeung aioli, tomato relish, and pickled carrots on a Li'l Woody’s bun) from 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist and Sophon chef Karuna Long (February 4–10); the Don Bronco Burger (a citrus soy garlic-marinated fried bone-in pork chop, fried egg, salsa criolla, and chimichurri aioli on a Li'l Woody’s Bun) from Bad Chancla chef Jose Garzón (February 11–17); the Lago Burger (a quarter-pound Royal Ranch grass-fed beef patty, goat cheese, roasted tomatoes, pomodoro con aglio and balsamic salsa, arugula, shaved red cabbage, pickled red onions, and parsley on a Li'l Woody’s bun) from Cafe Lago chef Lauren Thompson (February 18–24); and the Catahoula Burger (a quarter-pound Royal Ranch grass-fed beef patty, Tillamook white cheddar cheese, red eye barbecue sauce, honey jalapeño slaw, bread-and-butter pickles, and Worcestershire tabasco aioli on a Li'l Woody’s bun) from FlintCreek Cattle Co. chef Eric Donnelly (February 25–March 3). Burger enthusiasts who purchase all four specials will receive a limited edition Li'l Woody's woven market bag, and via their Burger 4 Burger program, Li'l Woody's will donate the same number of burgers sold to an organization of each chef's choice. (Available at all Li'l Woody's locations through March 3) JULIANNE BELL
FRIDAY 2/7Â Â
(MUSIC/COMEDY) Musician/comedian/actor/memoirist Reggie Watts is not your father's quadruple-threat entertainer—unless your dad's into surrealist humor, inventive beatboxing, and shockingly soulful funk (and parodies thereof). Watts has maintained busy and varied parallel careers in these fields because his talents are as outsized as his Afro. Probably best known to Seattle old-timers as the frontman for popular funk/soul group Maktub, Watts moved to NYC in 2004 and attained virality with hilarious parody tracks “Fuck Shit Stack” and “What About Blowjobs?” Many other incomparable songs (see 2010's Why $#!+ So Crazy?) and stand-up gigs led to Watts earning the bandleader role on The Late Late Show With James Corden in 2014. Watts's musical approach can be summarized by his song title “Pastiche in Lieu of Originality”; but even his self-deprecation is deceptive. Toggling between profundity and absurdity, Watts achieves the miraculous feat of turning spoofs of musical and comedic tropes into works of ridiculous uniqueness. It's hard to predict what Reggie will do onstage at the Showbox, but it will certainly involve rarefied fusions of humor and sonics that would make the late Frank Zappa's mustache twitch in approval. (The Showbox, 1426 First Ave, 8:30 pm, $40–$45, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
SATURDAY 2/8Â Â
Stuart Murdoch: Nobody's Empire Book Tour
(MUSIC) When it comes to band origin stories, Belle & Sebastian has one of the best: Back in 1994, Stow College students Stuart Murdoch and Stuart David recorded a few demos for a school project with their music professor Alan Rankine (formerly of the Associates). After one of their singles was picked up by the college's record label Electric Honey, the label offered to release their debut album, Tigermilk, which went on to shape the indie pop genre as we know it. Twelve albums and nearly three decades later, Murdoch still fronts the ensemble, bringing their delicate twee sound around the globe. He will stop by the Fremont Abbey to celebrate the release of his debut novel, Nobody's Empire, with a reading, Q&A, and live music. Based on his childhood, the novel digs into the "dark days leading to light and coming of age through music." (Fremont Abbey Arts Center, 4272 Fremont Ave N, 7:30 pm, $31–$61, all ages) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 2/9Â Â
Seattle Hospitality Immigration Fundraiser
(COMMUNITY) The restaurant industry is feeling especially vulnerable as the Trump administration threatens to implement mass deportations across the country. Last week the New York Times wrote, "In a 2024 data brief, the National Restaurant Association reported that 21 percent of restaurant workers in the United States were immigrants." They add that the Center for Migration Studies estimates that unauthorized workers account for an additional one million employees. It's such a staggering pile of terrifying bullshit, it can be hard to know how to even begin to help those who are most impacted. Well, one thing you can do? Eat. This weekend, more than 100 local restaurants, cafes, bars, and bakeries will come together for a massive fundraiser to support immigrant rights, with businesses all around the Puget Sound region committing to donate at least a portion of their sales to the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. The list of participants is seriously so massive—and growing!—that organizers had to make it into a Google map because they ran out of room to put them all on a flier. Three days, three meals a day, as well as some coffee and treats? You can do some serious snacking for a good cause. (Various locations, Feb 7–9, see the full list of participants here) MEGAN SELING
MONDAY 2/10Â Â
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg: New 4K Restoration
(FILM) Greta Gerwig cited The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as one of Barbie's main influences, and it's easy to see why—young Catherine Deneuve could be confused for Barbie any day of the week, and the musical's ultra-colorful set and musical numbers are drenched with the kaleidoscopic feel that Gerwig's 2023 film attempts. I can think of few better ways to celebrate the forthcoming spring than with Jacques Demy's seminal musicals—he largely sidestepped the French New Wave's stylish black-and-white ambiguity in favor of lighthearted color. It should be extra-enchanting in this fresh 4K restoration. (SIFF Cinema Downtown, 2100 Fourth Ave, multiple showtimes Feb 7–13, $14.50–$19.50) LINDSAY COSTELLO
TUESDAY 2/11Â Â
I Need Love: The Story Of Romance in Rap
(MUSIC) In our brand new issue—the first in our return to monthly distribution, by the way—Charles Mudede and Professor Daudi Abe sat down with some of their favorite hiphop songs to explore the genre's history of love, lust, and longing. The playlist—which you can listen to on Spotify here—features songs from every decade, starting in the '80s with "Hey There, Home Boys" by Man Parrish from 1985 all the way up to "Woman" by Doja Cat from 2021. There's also some 2Pac, Missy Elliott, A Tribe Called Quest, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and more. (Related: DID YOU KNOW LL'S MIDDLE NAME IS TODD????) On Tuesday, the duo will annotate this list onstage at the Clock-Out Lounge with help from DJ Vitamin D and Taylar Elizza Beth. If you've ever watched one of Mudede's videos on The Stranger's Instagram, then you know what kind of treat you're in for. It'll be a dance party, it'll be a celebration of love and hiphop and love in hiphop, and it'll be the best goddamn Tuesday night you have had in a long time. (Clock-Out Lounge, 4864 Beacon Ave S, 8 pm, $12–$15, 21+) MEGAN SELING
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I Need Love: The Story of Romance In Rap
February 11, 8 pm at Clock-Out Lounge, 21+
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