MONDAY 7/6
Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Tasting Notes: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
(FOOD) We all know Kenji as a NYT Best-Selling, James Beard Award–winning author, chef, content creator, and newish Seattleite, but fun fact: He was once on track to be a virtuoso violinist, and he still dabbles in the classical sphere. López-Alt’s talents in food and music harmonize beautifully in his role as the impresario behind Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Tasting Notes series, and in July, he’ll host another night of musical performances, live cooking demos, and a four-course dinner service. This summer’s edition features a culinary quartet of dishes prepared by celebrated Seattle chefs Mutsuko Soma (Kamonegi and Hannyatou), Christina Wood (Temple Pastries), and Taichi Kitamura (Sushi Kappo Tamura), while SCMS Artistic Director James Ehnes leads a concert of selections. Per the menu, the umamescent kasusake salmon with white miso and the tart with dark chocolate caramel ganache, toasted buckwheat groats, and yuzu mousse look particularly dank. There will be two seatings, vegetarian meals are available, and wine pairings by Gård Estate Wines can be added for $50. (Triple Door, 5:30 pm and 8 pm, all ages) MEG VAN HUYGEN
TUESDAY 7/7
(BOOKS) A visionary writer of such titles as I’m Gay for My Living Billionaire Jet Plane, Slammed in the Butthole by My Concept of Linear Time, and, my personal favorite, Pounded in the Butt by My Handsome Sentient Library Card Who Seems Otherworldly but in Reality Is Just a Natural Part of the Priceless Resources Our Library System Provides (yes, these are real book titles), Chuck Tingle is kind of like the Nicholas Sparks of the modern era, except way less weird (have you seen Sparks’s recipe for chicken salad that includes eight packets of Splenda!?). But like Sparks, Tingle churns out entertaining, saucy novels at an inspiring rate—the man has published hundreds of books (so many that I can’t find an official count on the internet). How does he do it? I have no idea. But you can ask the masked cowboy of niche gay erotica this month at Third Place Books, as he stops by to promote his newest novel, Fabulous Bodies. (Third Place Books Lake Forest Park, 7 pm) AUDREY VANN
WEDNESDAY 7/8
(FILM) The Northwest Film Forum’s annual Free Forum is a completely free film festival programmed by the people (specifically, members who vote on the best films screened throughout the year for an encore showing). Throughout the week, catch cinefile favorites like Thief, Blue Velvet, Stop Making Sense, and Babe: Pig In The City (hey, don’t knock it till you try it!) Personally, I am most excited to see Clare Denis’s gorgeously choreographed 1999 film, Beau Travail, on the big screen. If a quiet film about military life doesn’t interest you, maybe this will help: the film ends with an iconic dance sequence to Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night.” It is also perhaps the most homoerotic film ever made by a woman. (Northwest Film Forum, 7:15 pm) AUDREY VANN
THURSDAY 7/9
(BOOKS) “Birds do it / bees do it”—so sang Capitol Hill’s blingiest drag queen, Mark “Mom” Finley, years ago, in the words of Cole Porter. “Do it” turned out to be falling in love (oh Cole, you kid)—but here comes Perrin Roosevelt Ireland with Poking the Squid, a guide (illustrated, even) to what the song actually meant. That’s right: Squids screw, spiders schtup, hyenas get horny, dolphins discharge, and spiny anteaters sport four-headed penises (which they fire two at a time). And if that doesn’t flip your wig, critters of the world marry, divorce, manifest queerness, and change sex. Expect a hail of ribald hilarity across the board—but the funny also features some serious considerations on how animals show us what we know, and only think we know, about our own intimate relations. (That said, I’m lining up mainly to hear about them there dolphin vaginal popsicles.) (Town Hall, 7:30 pm) ANDREW HAMLIN
FRIDAY 7/10
(FESTIVAL) Growing up in West Seattle, Summer Fest meant the true beginning of summer. It meant running into teachers outside of school (gasp!) It meant cracking open my piggy bank to buy used CDs at Easy Street’s sidewalk sale, an ice cream cone at Husky Deli, and tacky accessories from vendors (in 2008, I bought shutter shades from the sunglasses tent). It meant finding shelter from the sun at Pegasus Books or the West Seattle Antique Mall. Since then, the festival has grown exponentially—more live music, more food options, more local vendors, and MORE PEOPLE, which I try not to be cranky about. It is, after all, lovely to see people from all over the city enjoying long-running West Seattle institutions. Local highlights from this year’s music lineup include high-energy punk band Zookraught and synth trio Ghost Fetish on Friday, and darkwave project Dark Chisme and soul ensemble True Loves on Saturday. AUDREY VANN
SATURDAY 7/11
Barry Johnson: silence is golden
(VISUAL ART) Over the past decade, Barry Johnson’s practice has expanded at a prolific pace, from modest-scale portraits and paintings of domestic interiors to massive public works, like his large-scale aluminum relief sculpture, horizons, installed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport earlier this year. The thread running through it all is a devouring, enveloping sense of pathos. In recent years, the series of portraits of his deceased brother proved Johnson’s ability to turn personal tragedy into a locus of universal feeling, translating the unbearable weight of longing and love into imagery that not only contains, but transforms loss into something both bearable and beautiful. In his latest body of work, silence is golden, Johnson revisits motifs and memories from his Midwest upbringing, channeling the sacred solace of the plains. In times of fractured attention, Johnson extends a plea to make time for reflection—and he offers the space to do it. (Winston Wächter, 3–5 pm, all ages) AMANDA MANITACH
SUNDAY 7/12
(COMEDY) The expression “force of nature” is overused. To resolve this abuse, I recommend it be applied to only 123 individuals in the world. And in this limited realm, it should be identified with just three comedians, one of whom is undoubtedly the former writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live, Leslie Jones. She is a force of nature. But what exactly do I mean by this turn of speech? I mean to say that an individual like Jones is as irrepressible as a tree rising mightily from the ground, or as a bolt of lightning striking that tree from the sky. No matter what, Jones will speak her mind, which constantly crackles and churns. When she appears, you best be ready to split your sides, cause she is and will always be, when it comes to comedy, a force of nature. (Emerald City Comedy Club, times vary) CHARLES MUDEDE
