Amazon. Grunge. Weed. Coffee. Visual art is probably pretty low on the list of things for which Seattle is known. And what a shame. Because Seattle’s art scene isn’t under a spotlight like New York or Los Angeles, artists here aren’t afraid to get a little weird, to take risks. Seattle’s best art spaces and installations are immersive and interactive. They invite you to join in—to touch, explore, gather, and scream your face off. (In more than one instance, actually!)

If there's anything we love more than the weekend, it's a looong weekend. Fill your time with fun events that won't break the bank, from the Northwest Folklife Festival to the Crocodile's Big Ass Boombox festival and from Honoring Our Black Wall Streets to the Kinda Bookish Zine Festival. For more ideas, check out our guide to the top events of the week and our roundup of restaurants and bars to make the most of your staycation.

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC

Girl and Girl Live at Easy Street Records
Rising Aussie rock band Girl and Girl will celebrate the release of their Sub Pop debut, Call a Doctor, with a free in-store performance at beloved West Seattle record shop East Street. If you're still listening to 2010s indie rock phenoms like Bright Eyes, Phoenix, and the Strokes, then Girl and Girl will be a new favorite—their sound is reminiscent of the aforementioned rockers while maintaining a fresh, urgent, and emotive edge. To guarantee your entry to the show, preorder a copy of the record. AUDREY VANN
(Easy Street Records, Junction, free)

Get fucked, Amazon. On Thursday, the Sound Transit Board of Directors did their job and picked what’s best for transit riders instead of doing favors for big business. 

Last July, the board picked a spot on 7th Avenue and Harrison Street next to Aurora as their preferred alternative for the future South Lake Union station, a stop on the Ballard Line that is expected to open in 2039. But then, citing concerns about traffic, Vulcan Real Estate and Amazon asked the board to consider shifting the station a few blocks west, closer to the Seattle Center. 

Under a bridge in that nebulous zone where SoDo bleeds into Georgetown, Seattle quartet Midpak are making all ages of freaks freak out at a benefit show for Palestinians. In the cramped confines of Belltown's Jupiter Bar, the psychedelically inclined funkateers are inspiring a much smaller contingent of folks to bust moves—including bassist Sam Holman's mother. At a packed show at Barboza opening for Colombia psychedelic band BALTHVS, Midpak open the night by spurring the audience to enthusiastically gyrate and whoop, though few know who they are. 

All of these 2024 shows prove that Midpak can move crowds without compromising with their serpentine, vocal-free tunes that are as danceable as they are complex. The crazy thing is, Midpak sound like they've been transported from a gritty urban club circa 1972—even though all of their members are barely of drinking age: guitarist Nik Jordan is 22, bassist Holman and drummer Ben Rutherford-Kinney are 21, percussionist Daniel Lopez is 25. They've only been around for a little under two years, yet they sound as if they've been honing their chops for decades. They can stretch out and tighten it up with equal panache. "We practice a lot," explains the soft-spoken Holman in an interview conducted at Kinney's pad. "We were all vigilant with the idea that we don't want to sound shitty," Kinney elaborates.

Top UN Court says stop: The United Nation's International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to immediately stop its military actions in Rafah, the southern Gaza enclave where over one million Palestinians have sought refuge. Israel will likely ignore this order. The ICJ has no way to enforce it. Still, it is a symbolic moment that will widen the gulf between the countries condemning Israel's actions and those, like the big dumb United States, that continue to stand beside Israel and willfully ignore genocide. More than 35,000 Gazans have been killed in this war so far.

Mary Jane goes mainstream: New numbers show more Americans are smoking weed daily than they are drinking alcohol daily. As of 2022, an estimated 17.7 million people said they smoked weed daily or near-daily, a number that trumped the reported 14.7 million daily alcohol drinkers. Don't get it twisted, though, alcohol use hasn't declined in the US; marijuana is just more popular than ever, and people have gotten into the ganja habit. Some more stats for the curious.

There is nothing quite like the thrill of seeing a filmmaker gain widespread acclaim for a movie and then following that project up with something completely different in almost every way. Just when you think you have them pinned down, they upend all your expectations. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, who recently made the Oscar-winning Drive My Car, has done just that with the ecological parable Evil Does Not Exist. It’s a film both meditative and menacing, with extended shots of characters filling up containers from a stream that builds to one of the most eerie endings you’ll ever see. There’s nothing else out there right now that’s quite like it and, for those who can get on its wavelength, it’s one of the year’s best. 

The plot, for what pointedly little it matters, centers on Takumi (Hitoshi Omika). He is the first character we meet, but he is by no means its protagonist as the film doesn't really have one. As we follow him through his day, we get to know his daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa) who accompanies him on tranquil walks through the woods. However, whatever peace there is to be found in their home of Mizubiki, a small village located a few hours outside of Tokyo, is about to be disrupted.

Billboard-charting hip-hop phenom A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie will stop by Seattle to support his latest album, Better Off Alone. Compton-born rapper YG has announced dates for his Just Re’d Up tour. Plus, EDM pop duo the Chainsmokers won’t let you down on their Party Never Ends tour, which will kick off at Myrtle Edwards Park this August. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.

ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 24

MUSIC

Bay Ledges
Neumos (Tues Aug 20)

Holo Holo Festival
Tacoma Dome (Nov 9-10)

Jazmin Bean
The Showbox (Mon Sept 9)

Here’s something you might not expect to read in an alt-newspaper run by cynical assholes: many of Seattle’s well-known attractions are worth visiting. Pike Place Market, the Seattle Center, Smith Tower, the Seattle Underground... sure, they’re often crawling with tourists, but they’re also packed with history, offering context to this strange little world we’ve created in the upper left corner of America. And here’s a fun fact, while we’re talking about Seattle constantly being threatened with devastating natural disasters, aka the Big One: The Space Needle was built to withstand up to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Good luck up there!

You liked my hair while walking pass the dog park

I was at the dog park on pine/boren. You stopped to tell me you liked my teal hair. I wished I would have asked for your number.

To you who ordered the bad boy

We share a glance. You say your favorite is the bad boy? Coy. It's on the menu. So am I. Oh your SO is here? Well I want the hottie or three devils ;)

It’s been more than 220 days of collective punishment levied against the Palestinian people. Over 35,000 people have been murdered by the illegal, Zionist occupation of Palestine. The University of Washington (UW) still refuses to acknowledge the genocide in Palestine, and instead joins the ranks of academic institutions repressing students for calling out their complicity.

The Popular University for Gaza in the Liberated Zone on the UW campus has packed up, but it didn’t fully deliver on its demands. Students, employees, and community members are continuing to act in solidarity with Palestine, and they are calling on the University to do the same. The following three demands are still relevant: 1) Materially and academically divest from ‘israel,’ 2) Cut ties with Boeing, and 3) End the repression of pro-Palestinian students, faculty, and community members. 

First things first: Today, in my humble opinion, will be fucking awesome. According to the National Weather Service, Seattle can expect a little cloud cover in the morning, but once that clears up, we’ll get a sunny afternoon with a high temperature of 66 degrees. I love when outside is inside temperature. Amazing! 

ICYMI: We made the ultimate guide to the City. You can read everything online, and I know we would appreciate the clicks, but I would recommend tracking down a copy in the wild. They’re literally all over the place, so just leave the house and you’ll run into one. Then, flip to the cool checklist of 99 things to do in Seattle, tack it on your wall, and see if you can beat me to completing them all. I live a very full and exciting life, so good luck keeping up!

Agua Verde Cafe and Agua Verde Paddle Club
Agua Verde Cafe, a colorful Baja-style Mexican spot with a patio, bar, and cantina overlooking Portage Bay, feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A cocktail menu from the team behind Rumba adds to the tropical feel, while food options range from quesabirria to rockfish tacos. Not only that, but you can conveniently rent a kayak or paddleboard from the adjacent Agua Verde Paddle Club to complete the experience.
University District

Yesterday was one of those May days in Seattle where the miserable weather sabotages your morale and makes you wonder what the hell happened to spring. We needed something to dissolve our persistent-precipitation blues, and Glass Beams got the job done.

Three androgynous figures wearing gold, bejeweled masks, Australia's Glass Beams sauntered to their positions onstage to wild applause from the sold-out Crocodile crowd and got down to business. Their standard rock-trio setup is augmented by two compact, sparingly deployed synthesizers. The latter instruments added crucial secret spices to the group's seductive instrumentals. Glass Beams occasionally sprinkle chants atop the music to intensify the flavors and mystery.

WEDNESDAY 5/22  

Kathleen Hanna—Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk

(MUSIC/BOOKS) As a longtime student of Riot Grrrl, I've annihilated every piece of literature about the movement that I can get my paws on. Some favorites through my studies have included Sara Marcus's Girls to the Front, Carrie Brownstein's Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl, and Marisa Meltzer's Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music. Most of these music memoirs and anthologies include the story of the precocious Evergreen State College student Kathleen Hanna, who propelled the movement with the creation of feminist art space Reko Muse, and later, with the trailblazing feminist punk band Bikini Kill. Now, Hanna is telling her story in her own memoir, Rebel Girl: My Life as a Feminist Punk. The book chronicles her life of activism, music, friendships, illness, love, and limitless amounts of determination. Hanna will be joined in conversation by writer (and former Stranger writer) Lindy West. (Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 7:30 pm, $68-$104, all ages) AUDREY VANN