Bandit Theater Presents: Mad Science & First Date Remind Like List
Science and love converge at this Bandit Theater improv doubleheader! The evening kicks off at 7 pm with Mad Science guests Adrian Wolf, stewardship director of Great Peninsula Conservancy, and Irene Weber, Kitsap County Parks’ natural resources program supervisor. The pair was recently featured by the New York Times and NPR for their work using acoustic bird monitoring to track forest restoration. Watch as they share real-world findings before improvisers gleefully transmute them into something…far less peer-reviewed. Then, at 8:30 pm, First Date showcases two strangers in an honest-to-goodness attempt at a blind date on stage while comedians mine every awkward pause, missed cue, and fleeting spark for comedy’s sake. LT
(Fremont Abbey Arts Center, Fremont, $15-$22.50)
Improv Overload (February 2026) Remind Like List
I used to experience mad secondhand embarrassment watching improv. But in the digital age, where influencers fake mental illness and get called out for filming scripted panic attacks, improv feels wholesome by comparison. Besides, there are levels to the game. Sure, everyone has to start somewhere, but the folks at NOT CLICKBAIT definitely aren’t beginners. Improv Overload at Halcyon Brewing Company is proof of that. Each month, the recurring indie comedy showcase brings together three local teams for a night of fresh, never-to-be-repeated comedy. In February, NOT CLICKBAIT welcomes Fat Cats and Family Practice Improv for what’s sure to be a top-tier icebreaking way to kick off the weekend. LT
(Halcyon Brewing Company, Greenwood, Free with RSVP)
Gooseberry, Larches Remind Like List
Brooklyn-based alt-rock trio Gooseberry isn’t afraid to get weird: Their video for the energetic single “Kikiyon” features band members sporting bird masks and getting chased through the forest, and the animated visualizer for “Dying To Meet You” includes aliens, Humpty Dumpty, and a whole lot of skeletons. Gooseberry’s music can be described as an incredibly fun combination of the Arctic Monkeys, the Black Keys, Nine Inch Nails, and something entirely their own. The band released their debut full-length in 2024, but have honed their craft playing relentlessly up-and-down the East Coast since 2019, drawing energy from live audiences and experimenting with their sound so that no two shows are ever the same. Don’t miss their first-ever Seattle concert with support from local power pop-rock band Larches. SL
(Central Saloon, Pioneer Square, $13-$15)
TRAMHAUS Remind Like List
In case you missed it, local community nonprofit the Vera Project celebrated its 25th anniversary last month, announcing a slew of programs to mark the occasion. The all-ages space’s “Ticket-Blaster” program offers over 60 shows per year that are totally free, making music and art accessible while supporting independent musicians. This week’s free show features post-punk group Tramhaus, bringing their fast-paced mix of shoegaze and rock all the way from the Netherlands. The band toured Japan in 2023, released their debut full-length The First Exit in 2024, and has sold out venues across Europe. Don’t miss their show with support from local darkwave rock band Silvertooth that embodies the Vera’s message of “DIY or die.” SL
(Vera Project, Uptown, free)
Von Wildenhaus, Jackie-O Motherfucker, Abronia Remind Like List
The poster for this show looks like a medieval birth announcement declaring the arrival of Von Wildenhaus (from Seattle), Jackie-O Motherfucker (from San Francisco), and Abronia (from Portland, upon the release of their newest album). The angel holding a guitar in the corner fits with local band Von Wildenhaus, a six-piece who describes their sound as “pseudo religious,” blending choral harmonies and psych rock guitar. Jackie-O Motherfucker, who started making music in Portland in the ’90s, brings their experimental free-folk and gospel-drone to Seattle for the first time in over a decade. Abronia rounds out the lineup celebrating the release of Shapes Unravel, a record full of cinematic desert rock. SL
(Add-a-Ball, Fremont, $10-$15)
So You Do Drag?! Kremwerk’s Premiere Drag/Burlesque Competition Remind Like List
Oh, you do drag? Don’t be shy! Prove it at Kremwerk’s So You Do Drag?! It’s a new one-off competition dedicated to spotlighting the next generation of Seattle drag and burlesque performers. And not just by putting them on stage, but by giving Seattle’s rising stars a chance to prove “WHO they are and WHY they deserve stardom” in front of established icons like Clara Voyance and Pupusa. For this inaugural event, contestants Kimme Kash, Lizzie McHigher, and Nadia Nuff will strut, lip sync, and seduce their way through performances designed to show audiences exactly what they’ve got tucked deep down inside. Don’t overthink showing up, it’s gonna be a great time. LT
(Cherry Nightclub, Downtown, $15)
Melodies of the Diaspora: Celebrating 100 Years of Black History Month Remind Like List
If Black History Month is about honoring legacy and living culture, Melodies of the Diaspora understands the assignment. This group exhibition runs all of February and features around 30 Black artists from across the PNW, filling Bellevue City Hall with everything from paintings to photography, sculpture, textiles, and fashion. It’s a show that sparks conversation, spanning generations, mediums, and histories that are oftentimes siloed or overlooked. Drop in, sit with the work, notice what shifts, and experience Black history that isn’t static but still being made. LT
(Bellevue Arts Museum, Bellevue, free; closing)
Shunpike Storefronts & Artist Residencies Grand Opening Remind Like List
Downtown storefront windows don’t usually reward close inspection (food safety rating stickers being the exception), but Shunpike is giving the city a new reason to slow down and keep your eyes peeled! This weekend, the arts nonprofit opens its Storefronts & Artist Residencies, transforming four downtown locations into public-facing studios, with more than 20 local artists debuting new installations as part of February’s Downtown Seattle Art Walk. Instead of disappearing behind gallery walls, these works are integrated into public life, interrupting commutes, catching stray glances, and reminding us that creativity is still very much alive downtown. LT
(Various locations, Downtown, free)
OUTLAND: Requiem of a Heart w/ Grizz CLL & Blood Rave, DJ Sophixi & DJ Keypr Remind Like List
Say farewell to the month of love at this moody prom-themed party featuring darkwave bands and DJ sets. Hosted by roving goth club Outland, dark formal dress from Victorian ‘fits to thrifted gowns and tattered tuxes is recommended. LA-based artist Grizz CLL headlines the night with melancholy-yet-synthy tracks on his Nocturnal tour with support from Bay Area darkwave EBM producer Blood Rave — EBM stands for “Electronic Body Music,” which combines synth-punk and dance genres. DJs Sophixi and Keypr will keep the groove going with a mix of industrial tracks, electronic beats, and old school goth music. Don’t miss out on a macabre evening where “the dance floor is a confession booth for the damned.” SL
(Clock-Out Lounge, Beacon Hill, Advance $15/Door $20/VIP $35 and $60 Weekend)
Outlanders Opry VIII Remind Like List
What happens when a room full of people collectively decides to make noise together? Musical magic, that’s what. And since that’s the case, then Outlanders Opry VIII might as well be a melting pot of witches and wizards. Hosted at Copperworks Distilling in Kenmore, this half-performing, half-learning experience is a celebration of the PNW’s acoustic music scene. Performances from regional standouts like Eli West, Lulu Swing Band, and Hemlock Revival share the bill with jam circles, workshops, and even a bluegrass “petting zoo” where you can try instruments yourself. Whether you’re a lifelong picker or just bluegrass-curious, come out and learn firsthand why folk music is far more about participation than perfection. LT
(Copperworks Distilling, Kenmore, Suggested donation of $15)
African-American Writers’ Alliance Group Reading Remind Like List
Closing out Black History Month, the African-American Writers’ Alliance returns to Elliot Bay Books for its 34th annual group reading. Featuring 12 writers (full roster here), the evening features a multigenerational lineup of poets, novelists, playwrights, and storytellers whose work spans civil rights memory, magical realism, speculative fiction, and personal reflection. It’s a rare chance to experience literature as a living, communal act. No filter, no interpretation, just voice and intention. Fans of the craft, creatives in need of a new perspective, and general supporters of Black excellence, this one’s for you. LT
(Elliott Bay Book Company, Capitol Hill, Free with RSVP)
50th Annual Kalevala Lecture Remind Like List
Many countries have a national epic, but few are as strange and musical as Finland’s Kalevala. Compiled in the 19th century from centuries-old oral folklore, the poem is riddled with shape-shifting shamans, magical artifacts, and creation myths that helped define Finnish national identity (and later inspired Tolkien and numerous others). The 50th Annual Kalevala Lecture celebrates this foundational work with an introduction to its characters and cultural legacy, including a live rune singing to explore the full breadth of its ancient rhythms. For just $5 at the National Nordic Museum, this one isn’t only for folklore nerds. LT
(National Nordic Museum, Ballard, $5)
CHASM: Capitol Hill Swap Meet Remind Like List
It’s the dead of winter, and we’re all spending a lot of time at home. If you’re looking to switch things up in your living space or wardrobe, head to CHASM, where you can comb through dozens of vendors hawking “unexpectedly great art,” vintage clothes, music, knick knacks, and more. Sweetening the deal, there’ll be hot snacks, cold drinks, and live DJs. As always, it costs a mere buck to enter. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon (or a dollar). JW
(Quality Flea Center, Capitol Hill, $1)
Official Seattle Sounders FC Watch Party with Sammy the Orca Remind Like List
Watching the Sounders from the comfort of your home is fine. Watching them in a room full of fellow fans and collectively losing your minds at every goal is simply better. Agreed? Then find your way down to Reuben’s Brews’ downtown taproom this Saturday for an official Seattle Sounders FC watch party complete with big screens (with full audio), cold brews, pub fare, and an appearance from Sounders mascot Sammy the Sounder! It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a die-hard Seattle footy fan. Scrape yourself off the couch, support a local brewer, and take a photo with a bipedal orca, goddamnit. LT
(Reuben’s Brews, Downtown, free)
Braly Sangster Trio + Miles and Karina – Matinee Show Remind Like List
Guitar and piano accordion duo Miles and Karina score films, make visual art, and craft original music blending big band sound with Western swing and bossa nova. Their song “Mashed Potato” is all about the starchy dish and has nothing to do with the ’60s dance move; they describe the groovy track as “everybody’s favorite culinary samba.” Catch their matinee set in Ballard on Sunday with experimental pop-rock outfit the Braly Sangster Trio — Leslie Braly is known for leading the Americana group Pineola and Seattle musicians regularly seek out Johnny Sangster for his production and engineering talents. SL
(Conor Byrne Pub, Ballard, $12)
Soundcheck Art & Music Festival Remind Like List
Is it kind of a trek out to Port Townsend? Yep. Is it absolutely worth the ferry ride? Youbetcha. This year, the Soundcheck Art & Music Festival shifts from its usual summer slot to February, leaning into the SAD season with an arts-first weekend built around connection. Founded in 2019 by local musicians in collaboration with THING Festival and the Seattle Theatre Group, Soundcheck transforms the already charming coastal city of PT into a participatory playground of workshops, performances, shared meals, and hands-on creativity. It’s free, all-ages, and local through and through. And tbh, it’s exactly the kind of mid-winter reset us dreary PNW residents need. LT
(Port Townsend, free, Friday-Sunday)
Sea Slug Animation Festival Remind Like List
If you’re a fan of offbeat cartoons and independent animation, be sure to catch all the glorious weirdness going down at this year’s Sea Slug Animation Festival. Running Friday through Sunday, the fest celebrates boundary-pushing work from across the globe, with a special focus on animators in the PNW (yes, British Columbia included). You’ll see shorts in a variety of genres and feel plenty of slug-sized attitude as year two’s “furious edition” goes full throttle in support of artists navigating the tough industry landscape. Catch any single screening for $16 ($9 for students). LT
(SIFF Cinema Uptown, Uptown, $16 per screening, Friday-Sunday)
Travessias Brazilian Film Festival 2026 Remind Like List
If your watchlist is currently stuck in “algorithm-approved” territory, the Travessias Brazilian Film Festival is a great opportunity to reset your palate. This free, three-day film series at NWFF delivers a hearty helping of fresh contemporary Brazilian cinema. Friday’s Manas follows a young girl in the Amazon confronting harsh truths about her community, while Saturday’s Criadas and Motel Destino explore memory and desire across haunted homes and roadside motels. The weekend closes with O Último Episódio, a throwback (set in 1991) tale of friendship and a legendary VHS-bound episode of the Dungeons & Dragons animated series. Shelve the blockbusters and let yourself be surprised by fantastic foreign films this weekend. LT
(Northwest Film Forum, Capitol Hill, free, Friday-Sunday)
Li’l Woody’s Burger Month Remind Like List
Popular local chain Li’l Woody’s Burger Month series features four weeks of special burger collaborations dreamed up by some of the city’s brightest culinary luminaries. Catch the last special, the Cà Phê Glazed Burger (cà phê and honey-glazed quarter-pound Royal Ranch beef patty, Vietnamese herb aioli, do chua slaw, green onions, Franz brioche bun) from Ramie chefs Trinh and Thai Nguyen (February 24-March 2). Burger enthusiasts who purchase all four specials will receive a limited edition Li’l Woody’s beanie, and via their Burger 4 Burger program, Li’l Woody’s will donate the same number of burgers sold to an organization of each chef’s choice. STRANGER STAFF WRITER JULIANNE BELL
(Li’l Woody’s, Capitol Hill, Friday-Sunday)
Don Scott: Mind Games Remind Like List
The late Don Scott was a catalyst in Seattle’s art scene long before the city knew what to do with people like him. An artist, teacher, and all-around creative force, Scott helped push Seattle toward a more experimental, idea-driven art culture. He organized events while still an undergraduate at the University of Washington before opening a short-lived but influential gallery that hosted everything from experimental films and jazz to plays and poetry readings. Mind Games, opening this weekend at Traver Gallery, revisits Scott’s word-based and idea-driven work through graphic design, neon, paintings, and visual poetry, framing him not just as an artist, but as an instigator whose influence still ripples through Seattle’s art world. LT
(Traver Gallery, Queen Anne, free, Friday-Saturday; closing)
