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MONDAY 11/3
(MUSIC) In her bio, singer-songwriter Lael Neale writes that she loves “not listening to music”—and it shows (in the best way). Employing drum machines, power chords, and a Suzuki Omnichord, Neale creates a singular sound that’s all her own: equal parts dream pop, classic country, and gospel. Her latest album, Altogether Stranger, sounds like an ’80s private press record that would eventually land a coveted Light in the Attic reissue (IYKYK). Neale will support the album after a set from LA-based experimental artist Guy Blakeslee. (Sunset Tavern, 8 pm, 21+) AUDREY VANN
TUESDAY 11/4
(CIVIC DUTY) The primary was an acid trip for the history books. We gotta make it real. Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote. Just because progressives did well in the primary, doesn’t mean this is a shoe-in. Money has been pouring in for Harrell since his pitiful primary performance. He’s accumulated over $1.5 million from business CEOs and real-estate developers. And that’s just counting his PAC’s money. He’s rocking another million in campaign contributions. They believe this election can be bought. If you don’t show up, it will be. We’re living in hell. Life is expensive, the history book horrors are at our doorstep, the kids have rotted brains, but Seattle can still be a haven. Sometimes bubbles are good. Vote for this city. Vote for your future. Vote for the kids. Vote against your uncle’s next heart attack. Vote like you’ll need to join a naked bike ride for freedom. Vote. STRANGER ELECTION CONTROL BOARD
WEDNESDAY 11/5
(BOOKS) Poet, novelist, and playwright Quan Barry’s 2019 novel We Ride Upon Sticks—which revolves around a girls’ high-school field-hockey team in Massachusetts in 1989, and their foray into witchcraft—is one of the most original, charming, weird, nostalgic, and witty books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. So naturally, I have high hopes for her newest release, The Unveiling. The literary horror novel follows Striker, a Black film scout who joins a very white luxury Antarctic cruise in order to photograph potential locations for a splashy Ernest Shackleton biopic. After an ill-fated kayaking excursion, Striker finds herself stranded with a select group of survivors. Gradually, everyone’s “secrets, prejudices, and inner demons” emerge among the frozen, desolate landscape, and Striker begins to lose her grip on reality. It sounds like a combination of The Shining and Get Out with eldritch vibes, and what’s not to love about that? (Elliott Bay Book Company, 7 pm, free, all ages) JULIANNE BELL
THURSDAY 11/6
(MUSIC) You may not know most of the lineup, but if you’re agile enough to hit up multiple rooms per night and you Do Your Own Research™, you can discover several new artists—local and foreign—who’ll long-term enrich your life. That’s the magic of Freakout Fest, now in its 13th year. With 70 acts performing at nine venues in Ballard and Fremont, Freakout promises a diversity of sonic adventures. Japanese noise-rockers Melt-Banana are as wild as ever, 32 years on. Portland’s Møtrik honor their name with klassik, ekstatik krautrock accelerations. Switzerland’s L’Eclair—some of whose members moonlight in Zambian rock gods W.I.T.C.H.—elegantly and cinematically funk you up (and down and all around) and will make you feel very sophisticated. Seattle shoegazers glass egg will unveil songs from their new, serenely misty visions & ecstasies album. The industrial-electronic group Chalk will bring their foundation-shaking capabilities all the way from Northern Ireland. My can’t-miss pick is Mexican psych-rock group Diles Que No Me Maten, who purvey an eerie, mysterious strain of post-punk. I could go on, but I don’t want to annoy my editor. (Various venues and times, 21+) DAVE SEGAL
FRIDAY 11/7
(PERFORMANCE) Premiering in 1986, Twyla Tharp’s high-energy ballet, In the Upper Room, has become one of the most iconic ballets of the 20th century, admired for its athletic choreography, minimalist costume design, dramatic lighting, and a transcendent score by Philip Glass. The Pacific Northwest Ballet will take on Tharp’s contemporary classic, along with Dani Rowe’s emotionally compelling one-act ballet, The Window. This is a must for not only ballet and contemporary dance fanatics, but for lovers of experimental music and performance art. These performances will also debut the newly minted PNB dancers Christopher D’Ariano and Amanda Morgan. (McCaw Hall, various times, all ages) AUDREY VANN
SATURDAY 11/8
(FOOD) The apotheosis of the Pacific Northwest’s unofficial regional pastime—slurping oysters—is the eco-friendly Oyster New Year at Elliott’s Oyster House. The all-out briny bash features more than 25 varieties of bivalves served to order by over 40 expert shuckers at a 150-foot oyster bar, plus a selection of over 40 drinks, DJ tunes, a photo booth, raffle drawings, educational shucking demos, and a shucking competition. Be a little superficial and cast your vote for the People’s Choice “Most Beautiful Oyster,” and don’t miss the oyster luge, in which a shucked oyster glides down a frozen ice-sculpture slide, and into your mouth. This year, to celebrate the restaurant’s 50th anniversary, 50 golden oyster shells will be hidden around the venue and the lucky finders can redeem them for prizes. All proceeds benefit Puget Sound Restoration Fund’s efforts to preserve marine ecosystems. (Elliott’s Oyster House, 5:30–9 pm) JULIANNE BELL
SUNDAY 11/9
An Evening with Patti Smith
(BOOKS/MUSIC) Punk-rock poet laureate, writer, and just general rock star Patti Smith is coming to Meany Hall (the day before her Paramount Theatre show) to talk about her latest memoir, Bread of Angels. The book dives deeper into Smith’s life, covering the ground her 2010 book Just Kids—about her relationship with lover Robert Mapplethorpe—only hinted at. Bread of Angels touches on Smith’s childhood growing up as the eldest of four kids, her teenage years, her marriage to the late guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, and how she found writing again after experiencing great loss. Bread of Angels publishes on Nov. 4, Mapplethorpe’s birthday and the day Fred “Sonic” Smith passed. Tickets include a copy of Bread of Angels from Elliott Bay Book Company. (Meany Hall, 7:30 pm) NATHALIE GRAHAM