Bobble Tiki makes no bones about it. He’s no young pup anymore. Even on weeks like the current one, when Bobble Tiki is just returning from a relaxing vacation full of boxes of wine and naps on the couch, Bobble Tiki can’t help but feel his age. Bobble Tiki’s bones creak a little more every year, and the weight under his shirt increasingly sags. These facts are undeniable, and Bobble Tiki makes no attempt to hide them.

The only thing that gets Bobble Tiki through that depressing reality is the fact that, while he sits and ages more and more every day, so does everyone else on God’s green earth — if they’re lucky. Bobble Tiki’s not the only person out there dealing with a receding Tiki hairline and increasing Tiki wrinkles. To age is to be alive, and Bobble Tiki will take life over death any day of the week.

Bobble Tiki brings up his age this week not just to scare the crap out of all the whippersnappers
out there that think they’ll be young and fit into skinny jeans for eternity. That’s only part of it. The main reasons Bobble Tiki brings up his age this week are twofold. Number one, on Saturday, Oct. 4, Flash — the main man and booking agent behind Hell’s Kitchen (the best live rock venue in Tacoma since 2002) — will celebrate his 40th birthday with a blistering punk rock show and spaghetti feed — with proceeds going to help pay for a sprinkler system that will help Hell’s Kitchen stay open. Those who know Hell’s Kitchen, and know of Flash’s punk/metal history, know of the immense influence the man has had on our town. Without Flash and Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma would likely be a far crappier place. Scratch that. Without Flash and Hell’s Kitchen Tacoma would definitely be a crappier place. When Flash celebrates his big 4-0 and asks the community to help with a much-needed sprinkler system, Tacoma should stand right beside him.
 

Secondly, and on a musical note, Flash chose veteran Seattle punk band the Dehumanizers to play his party — and Bobble Tiki couldn’t think of a more appropriate choice. Not only do the Dehumanizers fit Flash’s musical preferences and personality (known for their “if you don’t like the way we do things then f*** off,” vibe), but — like it or not — the Dehumanizers aren’t exactly young.

When it comes to picking the perfect punk band for a 40th birthday party, Flash nailed it. 

While the Dehumanizers may be getting long in the tooth, that’s not to say their relevancy is waning. In a time when insipid crap fills the airwaves and many kids don’t seem to know anything better than what corporate money mongers shove down their youthful throats, a band like the Dehumanizers is as important as ever. 

“We’re all pretty old and we all have baggage,” says Dehumanizer’s guitarist Zoli Semenate, while discussing the band’s resurrection, which started a few years ago after the Everett Tattoo Emporium contacted the band with hopes of using one of their old tracks on a new compilation.

“That started the process,” continues drummer Ed Portnow. “We were all having a blast. It just felt right. It’s a pretty cool feeling.” 

Remember the Kill Lou Guzzo 7-inch? Bobble Tiki sure does. While the record came out in the mid’80s, as far as scathing skate punk goes, Kill Lou Guzzo was and still is a Northwest high water mark.

Twenty some years after the Kill Lou Guzzo 7-inch, the Dehumanizers are still at it. Sure, they’ve switched members more times than Bobble Tiki can count on his Tiki fingers and toes; but these days they’re back to their core. Even with age — the Dehumanizers are as pissed off, loud and high as ever.   
 

“To be truthful this is pretty much the original group,” says Portnow. “It’s the version of the Dehumanizers most people in Tacoma saw when we were playing there a long time ago.”

“When we started this band it was the Reagan era,” explains singer Joe Daut. “It just feels relevant again. Sometimes time and events happen in a circle. There are a lot of things going on right now that piss me off.”
 

Besides being pissed off, though, the band is excited to be going full force again, excited to be heading back to Tacoma for Flash’s birthday show, excited to help Hell’s Kitchen earn money for its sprinkler system, and excited at the chance to reunite themselves with Tacoma.
 

“Tacoma is f***ing hardcore,” says Daut. “Flash is kind of a hero. He’s stayed in the scene and he’s a real integral part of Tacoma now. I’m hoping we can get him up on stage to give him a birthday spanking.”
 

Bobble Tiki can only hope.

As usual, Bobble Tiki doesn’t care what you do this week because he doesn’t even know you. After 360-some issues of the Weekly Volcano, you’d think you’d come to expect that by now. Unless you can tell Bobble Tiki why the hair on his head keeps disappearing, yet the hair on his back keeps growing, then he’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to meet you. Check out www.weeklyvolcano.com for all your South Sound Internet needs, and consider that good enough. If you got any closer to Bobble Tiki you could see the salad in his teeth.   

[Hell’s Kitchen, The Dehumanizers, Mos Generator, South 11th, Mico De Noche, Toe Tag, Artimus Maximus, and Star Spangled Bastards, Saturday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m., $8 at ticketweb.com, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]