Best of the City 2008
You're about to see your city in a whole new way.
Edited by Jessica VoelkerWith contribution from Christopher Werner, Ben Schock, Kathryn Robinson, Rachelle Robinett, Erin Pursell, Laura Peach, Kelly Huffman, Leah Finn, James Ross Gardner, Lee Fehrenbacher, Stefan Durham, Wilson Diehl, Laura Cassidy, Roger Brooks, Sarah Anderson, and Steve Wiecking
Early Music Program
Opera doesn’t get much earlier than Emilio de’ Cavalieri’s heaven-and-hell allegory The Portrayal of the Soul and the Body, composed in 1600. It had a comeback last fall when it premiered in Seattle with all the proper pomp and propriety, thanks to director Stephen Stubbs and his Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera. Stubbs will bring more such sacred musical history our way next spring with the debut of his company Pacific Operaworks, whose program begins with a staging of seventeenth-century composer Claudio Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria. Seattle Academy of Baroque Opera, www.seattleacademyofbaroqueopera.org
Classical Music Series
With virtuoso cellist Joshua Roman at the helm, Town Music pummeled at the boundaries of classical music presentation. Yes, there were some frustrations—one night found a performer thumping on his body as a means of percussive experimentation—but there was also an invigorating spirit of exploration as well as some crushingly beautiful music. Roman has since left the Symphony but, lucky for us, stayed on board at Town Hall for another season of playful programming. TownMusic, Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, First Hill, 206-652-4255; www.townhallseattle.org
Art Bar
Part bar, part indie art gallery, and all brainchild of local guerrilla artists Greg Lundgren and Jeff Scott, The Hideout on First Hill draws artsy-fartsy types from all over the city with its velvet-draped interior and work by local artists hung salon style on every available vertical surface. If you’re feeling inspired, sit at the bar with a notoriously stiff drink and doodle or daydream or make music with the rim of your wine glass. No one’s going to stop you. The Hideout, 1005 Boren Ave, First Hill, 206-903-8480; www.vital5productions.com/projects/thehideout.html
New Concert Venue
Another legendary Seattle rock venue is born. Though the Fenix Underground went under in the same location, Showbox SoDo—sister to the Showbox at the Market—soared above and beyond expectations after opening last fall. The 22,000-square-foot space feels small enough to let performers appear almost up-close-and-personal, yet seemed large enough last February when burgeoning pop star Mika displayed a charismatic, stadium-size flamboyance that just about blew the roof off. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave S, SoDo, 206-628-3151; www.showboxonline.com
DJ’s
That rocker dude must be on his way to Quinn’s, you think, watching him saunter across the street at Pike and 10th. But then he bypasses the hill’s yuppie-hipster drinks destination and walks into—what’s this?— The Wildrose, its oldest lesbian bar. Maybe he’s from out of town, or maybe he knows the Rose books some of the most dance-friendly DJs anywhere in town, and the anything-goes scene lures booty shakers of every orientation. It’s grown so popular that quaffers often have to queue up just to get a cocktail. Consider pregaming at Quinn’s. The Wildrose, 1021 E Pike St, Capitol Hill, 206-324-9210; www.thewildrosebar.com
Debut Album
Sup Pop veterans Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees) and Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs) have been signed before to Seattle’s archetypal music label, but this March marked their first release as the Gutter Twins. The blazing album, titled Saturnalia, was worth the wait: It’s a blistering, pointed plunge into the search for some idea of salvation. “Oh, heaven, it’s quite a climb,” we’re told on one song. Amen, brothers. Saturnalia, www.theguttertwins.com
Venue Comeback
Once a cinema, then a stage for some of music’s most compelling acts (including the late, great Jeff Buckley in his last Seattle stand), King Cat Theater shut down and reemerged as a church before disappearing again. Now Arif Azhar—the brains behind Kirkland’s Bollywood-themed Totem Lake Cinemas—has purchased the venue, added a bar and lounge in the lobby, and promised to reopen in May with a full schedule of concerts, films (a little Bollywood, please?), and other events. King Cat Theater, 2130 Sixth Ave, Belltown, 206-448-2829; www.kingcattheater.com
Hangout
The University District has a handful of off-campus studenty cafés where UW-ers stop in for an afternoon study break and end up staying till last call, but Kurt Geissel has perfected the model, lining Café Racer Espresso with comfy old couches, a casual, joke-cracking staff, and a menu with new twists on folksy faves (try the bacon-infused hot dogs). Geissel named the place for a vintage British motorcycle, and, while the theme never really materialized, the perfect U District watering hole did. Café Racer Espresso, 5828 Roosevelt Way NE, University District, 206-523-5282
Music Lover’s Locale
How Seattle is this? Two music-biz dudes open up a sake bar, then fill it with eco-friendly furniture and a mod rock soundtrack. After Carl Carlson’s art gallery Box Pop went kaput and Fallout Records’ Tim Hayes shut down his label, the two combined forces to create Tigertail: a sorghum-lined bar where Ballardites pop rainbow-chard-stuffed pot stickers then rehydrate with one of 15 different sakes, all while bopping their heads to garage rock and surf punk. Tigertail, 704 NW 65th St, Ballard, 206-781-8245; www.tigertail bar.com
Lounge
The least pretentious of Seattle’s vodka-with-your-visual-art enclaves has to be the clean, compelling Grey Gallery and Lounge. Erik Guttridge’s Capitol Hill class act splits between an exhibit room featuring emerging artists (there are also works hung in the chic, comfortable lounge upstairs) and a fine, shining wood bar. Remarkably, neither facet seems forced and, as a result, both give your after-hours activities a shot of sleek culture. Grey Gallery and Lounge, 1512 11th Ave, Capitol Hill, 206-325-5204; www.greygalleryandlounge.com
Last Call
It may be Ballard’s last untapped treasure. How anyone can still find an empty seat between 10 and midnight at La Isla simply mystifies us. The Puerto Rican eatery’s late-night happy hour features $3 mojitos, and an eclectic, laughter-infused atmosphere that feels sun-drenched on even the wettest winter evening. La Isla, 2320 NW Market St, Ballard, 206-789-0516; www.laislaseattle.com
Published: July 2008