WEDNESDAY 8/30
Janelle Monáe: The Age of Pleasure Tour
(MUSIC) Janelle Monáe's fourth album The Age of Pleasure, which Pitchfork accurately described as a "rapturous Afrofuturistic sound collage for sunny days and sticky nights," pulls inspiration from Afrobeats, sexual liberation, and carousing with her friends. The album sounds like how I imagine Rihanna's mythical reggae-inspired album will be (if it ever materializes). Considering they were created for the dance floor, these songs should be incredible live. "If the songs can't work at the party," Monáe is quoted as saying, "they're not going on the album." (WaMu Theater, 800 Occidental Ave S, 8 pm, $47.50, all ages) AUDREY VANN
THURSDAY 8/31
Einar and Jamex de la Torre: TERRIcolas (EARTHlings)
(VISUAL ART) Guadalajara-born brothers Einar and Jamex de la Torre have been artistic collaborators since the '90s, creating glass-blown and flame-worked pieces with unexpected materials that warrant a second glance (think fake fur, plastic flowers, and found objects). The results are a totally wild reverie—picture Italian baroque maximalism shoved in a blender with a tablespoon of pre-Columbian symbolism and a dash of dizzying pattern work, and you might be conjuring 5% of their aesthetic. Take a peek at their tragicomic excess at this exhibition, which showcases the duo's "hybrid, shape-shifting" Earthlings inspired by Slavic mythology. (Koplin Del Rio Gallery, 6107 13th Ave S, Wed-Sat 11 am-5 pm, free) LINDSAY COSTELLO
FRIDAY 9/1
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(VISUAL ART) As faithful Slog readers know, earlier this month Seattle's notorious sewer system conspired with the high cost of commercial real estate to kill the Museum of Museums, a beloved haus of art and wonder on the borderlands of Capitol Hill and First Hill. Friday marks your last chance to pay your respects to MoM, and it's the least you could do after all she's done for you. Lie down on the blankets and pillows in the Soft Touch galleries, where artists have rendered all sorts of tactile objects for your viewing and feeling pleasure. Behold the early autumn spider queen in Emily Counts's Sea of Vapors one last time. Build a digital tree a stairwell with Sabin Timalsena's Arborescent. Bend down and squint to see Deborah Kraft's exquisite, intricate collages on the bottom floor of the Supperfield Museum of Contemporary Art. Laugh at the irony of Enslimed by Lilia Deering in Toilet #3. Lend an ear to Richard Cheim's Ummagumma: BANGER, a collection of poems read by some incredible poets. And, finally, catch a few mini flicks at the Mudede Theater, and try not to tear up after watching Remains. (Museum of Museums, 900 Boylston Ave, noon-9 pm, $20) RICH SMITH
SATURDAY 9/2
(ART/MUSIC) After a four-year hiatus due to financial problems, low attendance numbers, and production shakeups, local collective New Rising Sun and nonprofit arts/education organization Third Stone have refreshed Seattle’s most iconic festival with lower ticket prices and an eclectic lineup that expands the definition of "artist." With promised attractions like a cat circus, robots, nail art, and witches, this year’s 50th-anniversary event is reminiscent of Bumbershoot 2008, when I saw a sex-positive paper bag puppet show right after being trampled at the main stage while Paramore performed "Misery Business." Ah, the good old days! Get ready for two days of local and national artists spread out across Seattle Center’s lush grounds, including PNW's own Sleater-Kinney—who first played the festival in 1997!—the Revivalists, Jawbreaker, AFI, Brittany Howard, Sunny Day Real Estate, and Phantogram. (Seattle Center, 305 Harrison St, Sept 2-3, $50-$275, all ages) AUDREY VANN
SUNDAY 9/3
The Vanishing Seattle Art Exhibit
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(VISUAL ART/HISTORY) Good news, history buffs! Vanishing Seattle's exhibit has been extended to September 7! The show, set up throughout the expansive fourth floor of the RailSpur Building in Pioneer Square, features memorabilia and signage from lost but never forgotten Seattle icons and landmarks—Almost Live, the Double Header, Sunset Bowl, Tubs, RKCNDY, Mama's Mexican Kitchen, Thumpers, and the Coliseum Theater, among others. (Fun fact: the last film ever shown at the Coliseum was the 1990 blockbuster Tremors starring Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, and Reba fucking McEntire. Says Wikipedia anyway.) Stop by Saturday or Sunday from noon to 6 pm or check it out during the closing party during September's First Thursday Pioneer Square art walk. (RailSpur Building, 419 Occidental Ave S, fourth floor, noon-6 pm, free) MEGAN SELING
MONDAY 9/4
(GAMING) The first time The Stranger formally covered the PAX West gaming convention was in 2007, when it brought a mere 39,000 nerds to downtown Seattle and prompted our own Dan Savage to ask why there were so many furries downtown that weekend. (I originally thought Dan didn’t understand cosplay, but I also don’t doubt his ability to pick out a furry amongst a crowd of Master Chief and Optimus Prime outfits.) Sixteen years later, PAX West (formerly the Penny Arcade Expo) has grown exponentially, and it gets bigger this weekend in its first incarnation at the newly expanded Seattle Convention Center. Wondering what to expect? The Stranger has everything you need to know before you go here, whether you’re steeped in geek culture or don’t have the faintest idea what a Charmander is. (Seattle Convention Center, 800 Convention Pl, Sept 1-4, $71-$260, all ages) SAM MACHKOVECH
TUESDAY 9/5
(KARAOKE) Last month photographer and filmmaker Nick Thompson released Curveball Karaoke, a book of portraits that celebrates the community of folks who gather at Lottie's Lounge in Columbia City every Tuesday night for Curveball Karaoke. Thompson was inspired by photographers Carrie Mae Weems, Nan Goldin, Lee Nye, and Jim Goldberg. In a recent interview for The Stranger Thompson said, "So many bars in Seattle, especially on weekends, can just feel overcrowded and overhyped, and I often find that karaoke nights, both here and in other cities, have a more laid-back, human atmosphere with crowds that feel very much local to the neighborhood but eclectic and unpredictable at the same time. Especially having grown up here, I really cherish that, I guess. And karaoke at Lottie’s is just exceptionally great." It might be too late for you to get into the book, but it's never too late to scream-sing your favorite songs at the top of your lungs with a room full of new friends. (Lottie's Lounge, 4900 Rainier Ave, 8 pm, free) MEGAN SELING
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