If you find yourself approaching the Washington State Convention Center later this month and Thor, Wonder Woman or Geordi La Forge hold the door open for you, just smile, nod a “thank you” and step right in like you belong. You’ve arrived at Emerald City Comicon (ECCC)—ground zero for Seattle’s superhero fandom.
Read MoreProlific and world-famous, Pearl Jam lead guitarist Mike McCready has flipped his fair amount of amplifier switches: from Fenders to Dr. Z’s. But Wednesday he flipped the switch on an amp that may mean as much to Seattle music fans as any he’s touched. Wednesday, McCready turned on the amp from which the inaugural power chord and guitar lick were played, commemorating the groundbreaking of KEXP 90.3’s new Seattle Center home.
Read MoreWith his gentle voice and expressive blue eyes leveled over a cup of coffee, Marc Kenison radiates loving warmth. The man best known as burlesque star Waxie Moon expresses a sincere desire to help people feel more comfortable with who and where they are. Kenison—who’s also a teacher, Obamacare spokesperson and Seattle landmark—talked about his return to the stage as an actor for the first time in seven years, his recent burlesque accolades and exciting upcoming theatre projects, and why he thinks Seattle is such a supportive city to queer arts.
Read MoreI thought Interstellar was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen – in fact about an hour in, I’d taken my wrist watch off, started smelling it, and playing with it as if it was a bird. To me – and I read, write and edit work every day – it felt like the Nolans threw millions of dollars at a half-baked short story they wrote over the weekend. But Michael Park, lecturer at Stanford University and holder of a Ph.D in theoretical particle physics from Rutgers University, saw the movie’s merits – and then some. Park, whose research has focused mostly on developing strategies for searching for new laws of physics at the Large Hadron Collider but who now is studying cosmology, is, um, really smart. He and I talked about the gravity, Einstein and the blight.
Read MoreEveryone in Seattle has heard about the Mariners, the Sounders and, of course, the Seahawks. There are people who still wear Seattle SuperSonics t-shirts and jerseys, clinging to the NBA team we lost. But there's another team in town worth paying attention to that is practicing hard, inspiring youth and bringing home trophies and championships.
Read More
Dina Martina is one of Seattle’s most brilliantly shining treasures and the glint on her drag gem gleams most brightly during the holiday season calendar. Martina, who always brings “jifts” for her fans in winter, offers one of the most sought after shows in the Emerald City, whether at “Re-Bar Place” or ACT Theater, during a time when car traffic is at its peak and Jack Frost nips at your toes most regularly. To bring you a respite from all this societal freezing clutter, Martina showcases her, well, singing prowess, of sorts, and her comedy that wows in its hysterics. We caught up with the artist to ask her a few outlandish and holiday questions about wardrobe, snacks and Pee-Wee Herman.
Read MoreSarah is a thoughtful person with shocking red hair, big, bright eyes and a warm, inviting tone of voice. One of the truly great things about her is her ability to condense very difficult (scientific) concepts into manageable, digestible conversation. We caught up with Sarah to talk about the planets she found, her recent talk with Bill Nye and her plans for the future.
Read MoreMindie Lind, champion of Cripp Culture and smoky-voiced singer in the band Inly, found out about a month ago that, out of the hundreds of videos submitted to an open call, she had been selected as Seattle’s opening musical act for Lena Dunham when she comes to town on Oct. 18 to promote her new book. Since then, the provocative news outlet Gawker out-ed Dunham, writer and director and star of HBO’s Girls, for “not paying” the opening artists, after which Dunham reversed course and decided she would compensate the performers opening the readings for her new memoir Not That Kind Of Girl. While we wait for the big day to arrive, Mindie chats with us about her love for Lena, her Girls dreams, the recent Gawker controversy and more.
Read MoreA lot is written about craft cocktails and the art of bartending, but much less is written about the art of the public house: those neighborhood tap rooms that are literally open housesand not private clubs. Those places where Cheers might be set, where Dubliners might meet for a Guinness or where people in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood might order a beer and a burger from me before heading home.
Read MoreWhat’s your favorite current Seattle band? If you have trouble answering (or if you draw a blank after Macklemore), we’re not going to judge. But we are going to suggest it’s time to check in with the city’s thriving indie music scene. New local bands are exploring sounds, blurring genre boundaries (though we’ve wrestled them into categories here) and playing vibrant live shows all over town (see our Live Music Venue guide). Even with this sampler of 50 bands, we haven’t scratched the surface of Seattle music. Listen right here—where you can stream songs from all 50 bands—and also try tuning in to KEXP (the city’s unsurpassed discovery engine for local music) for a whole week. Soon enough, you’ll have an answer to the above question—and you might just go on and on.
Read MoreStarted by brewmaster Manny Chao 11 years ago, Georgetown Brewing is located in an unassuming industrial building in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood. Large yellow and black sliding doors open into the tap room stocked with nine beers on tap, from Chopper's Red Ale to Roger's Pilsner to, yes, Manny's Pale Ale. Plus, a wall full of growlers. Samples here are free, but there are no sit-down pint sales.
Behind the taproom stand tall, pristine silver vats that make the brewing room feel much like a Willy Wonka laboratory. Manny recently showed Eater around the space and answered a few questions in the back office (where Tootsie pops and granola bars litter the shelves).
Read MoreBefore sitting with him, I had no idea the influence songwriter Damien Jurado believes God has on his life.
Marco Collins, Damien and I meet in the hallway of The Original Pancake House on the corner of West 15th and 80th on a Saturday morning. After exchanging gossip about which Seattle singer is doing well in Paris, the largest show Damien ever played and who The Posie’s Ken Stringfellow is working with over seas, the three of us take a seat at a table in the middle of the quaint, hard-wood restaurant. Our waitress brings coffee, as other servers distribute plates of waffles, omelets and giant breakfasts. A few minutes later, she takes our order for pancakes, eggs, hash browns and bacon (the best in town, according to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame DJ, Marco).
Read MoreBy the time we’re cracking open fortune cookies, Bruce Pavitt and I find ourselves talking about Kurt Cobain and the idea of seclusion. That someone like Kurt, beautiful and stirring, at the height of world fame, needed the confidence and compassion of an inner circle of people to talk with. Kurt never seemed to have that—for whatever reason—says Bruce, solemnness to his voice.
It is the end of a fascinating conversation, with me mostly listening to the stories Bruce has about the genesis of the record label he founded—Sub Pop—his first record player, his forthcoming two books—one about a week in Europe with a crumbling Nirvana, the other a collection of his writings about Independent rock groups—and the idea of being relentless in the pursuit of your own aspirations.
Read MoreSutra, the restaurant film director Megan Griffiths chose for our rendezvous, is a cute little spot on the west end of Wallingford next door to a yoga studio of the same name. It serves delicacies like edible flowers from their backyard garden and begins each service with a gong and a moment of thanks for farmers. The whole thing is a stark contrast to the dark, human trafficking subject matter of Megan’s recent film, Eden, but somehow we found ourselves sharing a table ready to eat some artisan vegan cuisine, and set to talk movies.
Read MoreJohn Roderick stood center stage at the Alberta-Rose Theater in Portland, OR, telling jokes, stories and, later, playing his acoustic guitar, singing to the hundreds in the audience for NPR’s Live Wire show. A tall man, bearded, with glasses and a booming voice, John entertained. I was in the audience, having been given tickets by mutual friend and host of the show, Luke Burbank. I stared on attentively, listening to John’s stories and quips as he went back and forth with Luke.
I think about this performance now – about a month later – as I sit at the bar of Ruth’s Chris steakhouse in downtown Seattle waiting for John to come meet me for an interview. He strolls into the place a few minutes before seven. We shake hands and go to our table.
Read More
