Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order woes, Spokane Arts’ latest grant recipients, plus new albums

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Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order woes, Spokane Arts’ latest grant recipients, plus new albums

NINTENDO, OH NO

If you're like me and have been counting down the days until the Nintendo Switch 2 comes out so you can play as the Moo Moo Meadows cow in the upcoming Mario Kart World, then these last few weeks of global market uncertainty have likely been brutal. Preorders for the console were originally set to go live on April 9, but amid the economic turmoil caused by President Trump's back-and-forth tariff hikes on virtually every country, Nintendo announced it would delay orders in the U.S. As of the latest update, preorder invitations will now be sent via email starting May 8 to those who've had a Nintendo Switch Online membership for at least a year and have logged at least 50 hours of total gameplay. The good news is that Nintendo appears to be sticking to its June 5 launch date and has not announced any price hikes on the $450 console ($500 when you bundle with Mario Kart World.) (COLTON RASANEN)

FUNDING LOCAL ART

Spokane Arts has announced the latest eight recipients of its Spokane Arts Grant Awards, the first of three rounds of SAGA funding for 2025. Work on these projects will take place within the next year in the areas of music, film, fine arts and more. Now in its ninth year, SAGA has also surpassed a major milestone of distributing more than $1 million in grant funding to 196 projects by local creatives. The latest round supports the following endeavors: Live From Somewhere (pictured), Refugee and Immigrant Connections Spokane, Spokane Folklore Society, Heatherann Woods/H. Woods Studios, Imagine Jazz, The Friends of the Bluff, GLOW Children Early Learning Center, and a mural project at Grant Elementary. Learn more at spokanearts.org/grants. (CHEY SCOTT)

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THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST
Noteworthy new music arriving in stores and online on April 18.

JULIEN BAKER & TORRES, SEND A PRAYER MY WAY
The two stellar queer indie singer-songwriters put on their boots and team up for an alt-country album.

TUNDE ADEBIMPE, THEE BLACK BOLTZ
The TV on the Radio singer explores everything from buzzy rock to flush indie pop on his solo debut LP for Sub Pop.

SUPERHEAVEN, SUPERHEAVEN
After a decade away, the Pennsylvania band is ready to get loud again with its grunge revival meets shoegaze sound. (SETH SOMMERFELD)