We Recommend
The South Sound music scene knows how to take care of its own. Our woodsy, water hugging corner of the state has nurtured some remarkably supportive and artsy communities - a minor empire of wide-eyed, openhearted creatives. Saturday's Mitch Reems fundraiser - featuring Rich Wetzel's Groovin Higher Orchestra and Champagne
Listings
BLUES Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Baby Gramps. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15. COMEDY/GAMES Tacoma Comedy Club Tacoma - Downtown. Comedian Matt Braunger. 8 and 10:30 pm. $15. Grit City Comedy Club Tacoma - Downtown. Comedian Sam Demaris. 8:30 pm. $15. Dave's of Milton
We Recommend
Americana roots-rock singer/songwriter Ian McFeron will bring his mix of alt-country, acoustic based pop rock and blues to Gig Harbor's new all-ages venue the Gig Spot Friday night. The darling of former Seattle radio station KMTT The Mountain, this is not your grandfather's back porch fiddle music. It has groove-based
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live! featuring the Amocat House Band. All Ages. 7 pm. The Gig Spot Gig Harbor. Ian McFeron. All Ages. 8 pm. $10.. Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. Indigo Girls. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $26-$72. Anthem Coffee & Tea Tacoma
We Recommend
Green Drinks Tacoma, known locally as Tacoma's Green Happy Hour, is a monthly forum for business owners, students, academics, entrepreneurs, and members of the public to meet, exchange ideas, and grow their level of sustainability. It's a get-together for Green people - No, not individuals from other planets, but rather
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Cascadia Grill Olympia - Downtown. Jeremy Serwer. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC. Tides Tavern Gig Harbor. New Years Kick Off Party with The Shy Boys. 7 pm. BLUES Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Billy Shew Band Open Jam Session. 8 pm. NC. The Swiss Tacoma
News Front
Besides being lethal, flexible and agile, the Army is adaptable to change. The country's largest armed force is cutting it combat brigades from 45 to 32 and shifting thousands of soldiers as it moves toward the goal of trimming the service by 80,000 as it pivots toward challenges in the Pacific. Army
We Recommend
Over the past year or so, Trees and Timber have picked up a lot of steam around the South Sound. Their brand of garage rock incorporates playful elements of gypsy music, casually tossing in a French verse here and there, luring audiences into impromptu oompah dance parties. Their sense of
We Recommend
Baltimore artist Abdu Ali is a tough one to pin down. Combining surreal poetry with droning R&B, Abdu Ali comes across as a restless experimenter, switching back and forth from rapping, chanting, singing and startling outbursts. His recent, lurching "Thornz" is as unsettling as it is oddly sensual. Elsewhere, "Machete
Show And Tell
My recommendation last week (The Broken Circle Breakdown) was an excellent film, but also a very depressing piece of cinema. It was certainly an odd way to start the New Year, but I didn't take it as a taste of things to come. Let's see what this week's film is
We Recommend
"Grand opening!" "Grand closing!" These two words grace South Sound hip-hop music venue posters too often, many times within two months. Somebody with an attitude, somebody messin' with somebody's somebody or somebody trippin' in general - dope hip-hop shows or parties disappear because somebody acts "ignint." This isn't the case for
News Front
Whether Jason Truskowski was in the back of an ambulance racing to an accident, or standing in front of a group of women teaching self defense, or putting away tables and chairs at an annual hunter's breakfast, he always had the same feeling - satisfaction. It's the payment of volunteering. And that
We Recommend
The Echo Echo Echoes are a Seattle band, far from the sunny beaches that they love to evoke. Though they call themselves a surf-pop band, and they have a song nostalgically titled "Surfer Girl," they are very quick to joke that wearing wetsuits and catching waves is something very far
Concert Alert
We list major concerts going on sale this weekend, as well as national touring acts performing in the Puget Sound this week and down
Heroes & Awards
Retired Lt. Col. Richard "Ken" Wheeler, almost 91, has a story to tell and, if you ask nicely, he'll leave you enthralled. Wheeler, who resides in Gig Harbor with his second wife, Sharon, is a World War II veteran that survived the harrowing ordeal of being shot down over German territory.
Reviews
Ah, winter. Even while wishing for a mountaintop fireplace, darting from place to place for warmth, the first layering of woolens, drabbest down or brightest fleece begin to muffle forms and features. The back of the closet comes to the front, here's the Siberian mufti, the Antarctic-suited yakwear. Fake fur
Music
If you'll allow me a brief aside, I'd like to have the opportunity to get this observation out of my brain. "Laguna," the opening track off an EP of demos by the Echo Echo Echoes, reminds me so viscerally of Some Loud Thunder - the effectively career-ruining sophomore slump from
Music
Conventional wisdom suggests that one's best bet for combating those bleak Winter doldrums is to stay cooped up inside, shielding oneself against the elements, drinking heavily, and awaiting that glorious day when the weather turns. As a counterargument against conventional wisdom, I think it's vital to brave the outdoors and push
Arts
Walking into BramCo Entertainment studios, the brainchild of Isaac Cooper and David Bramwell, two friends from Olympia who have known each other since middle school, I was led to a room with a microphone, a pitcher of water, and a Mac computer. Despite the minimal set up, the duo produces a
Stage
The latest show at The Gallery at Tacoma Community College is outstanding. It provides a look into the art and cultures - and most particularly the lives of working class people throughout the world as seen through the eyes of local artists. Included are paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography by
