In the March/April issue of this magazine, I wrote an article about the problems with Seattle’s music scene and how we can fix them. There’s a lot to be desired in Seattle’s music scene — like more regular, paying gigs for musicians at local establishments and a more reasonable volume level at venues across the city — but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention all the people on the ground working to make those (and other) changes happen. KEXP, The Vera Project, and MoPop are probably the oldest and most well-known music nonprofits in Seattle. KEXP, a public radio station founded in 1972, boasts app ..read more

A scene reminiscent of old Europe will be on full display at Seattle Center this holiday season when the city’s first-ever Seattle Christmas Market opens for a monthlong celebration. Inspired by historic German Christmas markets, the Seattle Christmas Market opened Nov. 24 and runs through Christmas Eve at Fisher Pavilion and South Fountain lawn at Seattle Center. The European-style outdoor Christmas village and community marketplace will feature festive decorations, daily live entertainment, sweet and savory treats, and handcrafted gifts. It will also boast a 50-foot walkthrough Christmas tre ..read more

It was Friday night after a long week. I had just arrived home. The red light was flashing on my answering machine (remember those?). I was ready for the weekend. The call crushed me. My first love, my high school sweetheart, my partner in mischief, had passed away due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Gwen Cabine was only 33 years old. Our relationship, our friendship, was always complicated. Gwen was Black. It was 1980. Interracial relationships were rare. Neither of us anticipated the judgment and flat-out racism directed our way. Gwen lived across town, and we met only because of s ..read more

In the spirit of Halloween, Tacoma resident and author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered, Sadie Hartmann, recommends some of her favorite scary books and stories. It’s time to let the flashlight cast eerie shadows in the dark, listen for mysterious sounds outside your window, and immerse yourself in the world of spooky fiction. “There are two new picture books I love, Gustavo The Shy Ghost by Flavia Z. Drago, and The Skull by Jon Klassen,” Hartmann says. “And I recently read and enjoyed the YA novel The Grimmer by Naben Ruthum. This thrilling story confronts themes of racism ..read more

This collection of audio stories features four narratives suitable for a wide audience that will raise goosebumps as well as attempt to understand the depths of our human experience. From a non-fiction exploration of generational impact to a supernatural encounter with a terrifying hat, these stories provide a listening experience that will linger in your thoughts long after Halloween has passed. So, dim the lights and press play. Multo, by Samuel Marzioli, is a chilling short story unfolding through the lens of a Filipino man. As he begins to question whether the monster he once dreaded as a ..read more

Long-time residents will recall driving westbound on the I-90 floating bridge and seeing those massive concrete portals just before entering the Mount Baker tunnel. The iconic façade welcomes those about to pass through the tunnel with the phrase, “City of Seattle Portal of the North Pacific,” shown prominently in the middle and three relief panels with Native American imagery on either side. Unfortunately, parts of the indigenous-meets-modern tunnel art were effectively removed during modifications to the bridge in the early 1990s, though the bold and stunning work remains an official city of ..read more

Cambodia of the 1960s and ‘70s boasted a thriving music scene. With artists combining traditional Cambodian music forms with global rock and pop influences from the United States, Europe and Latin America, they created a unique sound—which was all sadly cut short when the Khmer Rouge took over the country in 1975. Many musicians from this era either disappeared or were killed by Pol Pot’s genocidal regime. And while these artists may have been lost, their legacy still lives on today. The most recent example of this is Lauren Yee’s play Cambodian Rock Band (CRB). The play tells the story of Chu ..read more

Tired of graffiti across our beautiful city? Help is here. The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture this week awarded $1.13 million to more than 75 artists and organizations to beautify neighborhoods and nurture the artistic aspirations of youth. One initiative, through the Downtown Seattle Mural Project, will create about 40 murals from Belltown south to the SODO neighborhood. Another, via Hope Corps — an artist employment and pandemic recovery initiative — will fund nearly 60 murals, both temporary and permanent, across the city beginning later this year. “More public art means a more vibran ..read more

Want to learn how to dance? Maybe welding is more your thing. Or drumming or playing the guitar. You can learn how to do all those things and much more through the Cornish+ program. The new community school within Seattle’s Cornish College of the Arts offers 60 studio-based classes in music, art, design, dance, theater, and film. Cornish+ is a much more robust version of the college’s former extension program and is designed to expand the college’s reach and influence. The pandemic forced the 109-year-old private college to shut many of its popular community-based programs. “We are eager to in ..read more

Despite Seattle’s infamous hills and seemingly constant drizzle, the city is known across the United States for its strong bicycling culture. Bicycling magazine, in fact, has named Seattle the best bike city in the country. A new book by Tom Fucoloro, the founder of the popular Seattle Bike Blog, takes a deep dive into the evolution of the city’s bicycle scene and what challenges lie ahead for Puget Sound bike advocates. Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from behind the Handlebars, was released last month by the University of Washington Press. Here is an excerpt as it appears in ..read more