We Recommend
David Sedaris' highly imaginative, ridiculous, true and frequently heartbreaking content is derived from commonplace observations and events. The invitation you'll have Friday at the Pantages to pull up a chair and hear the stories Sedaris has to tell is a wonderful thing. Listening to Sedaris on This American Life is
Features
Retail practices crack me up. Don't get my wrong - I get the psychology behind the game, but at times it does seem rather excessive. Halloween isn't even here yet and stores are cutting half their seasonal display space back for Christmas decorations. It just doesn't seem right. There are no
We Recommend
If you stroll through downtown Olympia Thursday through Sunday, you'll most likely encounter a group of musicians playing banjos, fiddles and other instruments associated with Appalachian folk music. They'll be huddled in a circle, so close their knees are almost touching, fiddle bows flying precariously close to eye-poking level. Digging
Archives
Your Natasha is very rarely a downer, but this week I have to address a scene-of-the-crime issue that has thoroughly affected my entire person. While on my most recent vacation in Hawaii, I was given terrible, awful news. My friend from high school, Charlie LaBenz, died in a car accident on Guemes
Archives
The first thing they taught us in Art Snob 101 was that to find real art you have to drive up to Seattle, since Tacoma’s just an overgrown mill town with none of the real stuff — except for the one-eyed glass guy. And now the real art has not
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE For those who love carnage — and I’m talking LOVE carnage, like the type of person that owns all the Faces of Death movies — wunderkind Josh McDaniels officially sealed his fate last week, when his Broncos fell to the archrival Oakland Raiders, 59-14. No, that’s not a
Stage
When people complain about critics - which, come to find out, they do with some regularity - one of their first accusations is usually, "They make up their mind before they ever see the show." Well, perhaps some do. Personally, I haven't been able to make it work. Take, for example,
Arts
If you've driven down the 900 block of Market Street in the past couple of months, you have probably noticed the spectacular new mural on the side of the Rialto Theater. Like much of Tacoma's greatest art, it arrived with little celebration or acclaim, despite its beauty, grandeur and mystique.
Scene It
I imagine clubbing in Las Vegas is intimidating. Fancy ladies and dapper high-rollers looking down their noses at my worn sneakers. A land filled with quick rebuffs. What honey? Dance with you? You’ve got to be joking. Luckily, the Bridge Nightclub located inside of Tacoma’s Emerald Queen Casino is nothing to
We Recommend
NIGHT OF THE LIVING TRIBUTE BANDS >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 What do L7, Iron Maiden, Pat Benatar, Aerosmith, Heart, Dinosaur Jr. and Patti Smith have in common? Well, besides all having lived their fair share of the rock ‘n‘ roll dream, they're all being covered at this year's Night of the Living Dead
We Recommend
TENDER FOREVER >>>Tuesday, Nov. 2 Lyrics are typically secondary in electronic and dance music, but Melanie Valera's intonations on No Snare, her latest as Tender Forever, are not only emotionally resonant, but a critical part of the listening experience. While the electro-acoustic percussion on No Snare booms, chirps and rattles exultingly, it's
We Recommend
THE SPRINGBOARDS >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 Is it ever safe to assume that a band is messing around? This is not to say the music isn't good or valid, but just that it's delivered in a sort of tossed-off, casual manner that seems to say, "Hey, we're having fun." The Springboards seem to
We Recommend
DEAD MAN'S FEAST >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 Alright, alright, I admit it: I know basically nothing about house music. Looking at the poster for Dead Man's Feast, the New Frontier's house music-filled Halloween show, I ticked down the list of genres on tap for the evening. Drum and Bass, sure. Dubstep, OK. Wait,
Music
NIGHT OF THE LIVING TRIBUTE BANDS >>>Saturday, Oct. 30 What do L7, Iron Maiden, Pat Benatar, Aerosmith, Heart, Dinosaur Jr. and Patti Smith have in common? Well, besides all having lived their fair share of the rock ‘n‘ roll dream, they're all being covered at this year's Night of the Living Dead
We Recommend
Twig Palace started out as a recording project between Olympia regulars Colleen Johnson and Evan Hashi, resulting in their debut self-titled LP. Music-wise, it may best be described as rhythmic folk-pop. The worst sleepy nature of folk is staved off by an active percussion section and
Music
There's something strangely nostalgic about the music of Twig Palace. I don't mean that it evokes the ‘60s or that they remind me of any one band in particular, but rather they make me feel like I wa young again - back when I was just discovering music and the
Music
For almost thirty years, Olympia's K Records has been a cornerstone of the Northwest music scene. Founder Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studio has played host to some of our region's most celebrated bands, and its jaw-dropping wealth of vintage analog equipment has been used to produce some of the most
Stage
I've been thinking about Jeff Koons a lot lately. Koons is the heir apparent to Andy Warhol (who was the heir apparent to Marcel Duchamp), and he is one of today's most popular artists. Like Warhol, Koons' life is his art. A team of assistants executed Warhol's work in a studio
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Female Singer-Songwriter Night, featuring Kim Archer. 21+. 7 pm. NC. Hannah's Bar & Grille Olympia - Downtown. Open Mic. 9 pm. NC. BLUES Charlie's Sports Bar and Grill Olympia - Downtown. Blues Jam with Blues Attitude. 21+. 9 pm. NC. Sax Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC O'Blarney's Irish Pub Olympia - Eastside. Irish Sessions. Live traditional Irish music. 7:30 pm. NC. Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Oly Songwriter Circle. All Ages. 7 pm. NC. Tugboat Annies Olympia - Westside. Open Mic Night. 9 pm. NC. BLUES Summit Pub Puyallup. Tim Hall & The
