Archives
When it comes to spooky Halloween shit, it doesn't get much more quintessential than talking to dead people. Enter the classic "Ouija Board," which may be the perfect way for you and your buddies to make contact with the afterlife, or at the very least kick back a few beers
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Tacoma Opera's production of Pinafore boasts vocals by Boston Lyric Opera soloist Michael Drumheller, Seattle Opera Guild's Ksenia Popova and returnees from The Barber of Seville. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on H.M.S. Pinafore in the Music & Culture section. H.M.S. PINAFORE, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 and 2 p.m. Sunday,
Features
Candy and sweets are as synonymous with Halloween as ghosts and goblins. Notoriously frugal, I decided to make my own Halloween candy this year. After reading a few recipes and seeing all the ingredients needed, I moved on to my next brilliant idea - searching out locally made candy and
Arts
There was a period in my life when I knew, but didn't know I knew, H.M.S. Pinafore. Not that I could distinguish Gilbert & Sullivan, the composers of that masterpiece, from Lerner & Loewe, but I recognized some of their songs. Just as Bugs Bunny had introduced me to the
Stage
A quick search of my computer reveals the word delightful appears in 10 of my theater reviews prior to this one. I've overused it, I suppose. It's an affected, even poncey word, but I need it again to describe Cirque du Soleil's traveling tent show, Kurios. Here's why: I was
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Unless we're talking about people with actual chest hair, no one loves beer, booze, blues and Buicks more than the Weekly Volcano. We're willing to bet that the vast majority of celebrants at "Drive the Blues Away," a celebration of beer, booze, blues and automobiles at LeMay - America's Car
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If the modern blues too often feels ossified - riffs and poses handed down from the Blues Brothers and white classic rockers - then meet Mark Dufresne. The blues musician looks backward and forward at the same time. Dufresne is schooled in the ways of Sonny Boy, Junior Wells and
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As a scarf-wearing Muslim teenager in Chicago, Tahera Ahmad played a mean game of basketball. As a young woman, she wrestled with interpretations of her own faith and went on to study Islamic law at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo. Today, as a respected scholar, speaker, and youth leader,
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Few songs are sweeter than "Tennessee," the acoustic tune by upstate New Yorkers Band of Lovers. Their debut single comes correct with homespun violin, upbeat lyrics, even trilled ooh-oo-oohs and la-di-dahs. Friends for 10 years, Sabina Beachdell and Dave Strumfeld united their troubadour talents in 2013 to craft a five-song
Music
It's a new week, which means it's time for a new installment of Bobble Tiki's South Sound music news and notes column. Without further ado, let's get rolling. ... Bobble Tiki is, quite possibly, one of the least productive island themed souvenirs you'll ever meet. If there's a way to put
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Tom Anderson is one of the most prolific and most popular artists in Olympia. He paints with chemicals, gold leaf, pastel, Graphite and varnishes on recycled metal and aluminum sheets. In the 26 years since I first saw his work I've observed an endless recycling of a
Music
In January of 1999 I got this killer job working at Amazon.com. Customer service. On the phones. It started out with a 10-week full time training course. I was the only person in my 30 person training class without a four-year degree. I had an in, though, and I am
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Before Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein branded Portland, Oregon, Elliott Smith did the same - except his Portland was about self-loathing. He told stories about addicts getting off the bus at Southeast Powell Boulevard and 6th Avenue to cop, and chronicled the absurd ritual of the Rose Parade. After battling
Military Life
Carrie Daws and Kathy Barnett have walked different paths in their military lives. Although their personalities on the outside are quite different, the military spouses are nonetheless strikingly similar. Both are devout Christians, both home school their children, and both minister to military families. And last year, they authored a
Stage
Chatting with Miss Lily Verlaine, ballet-trained burlesque artist extraordinaire, two things become instantly clear. First, she and her partner, Jasper McCann, have exceptional phone voices. Seriously, these folks should moonlight (daylight?) on FM radio. Second, they're about to give Oly one hell of a show. They've reimagined Lewis Carroll's 1871 classic,
Stage
Musicals are hard. Let's acknowledge that first. They take so much more work than most "straight plays" (the jargon, by the way, has nothing to do with orientation) that it's impossible not to root for them. We've taken heat here at the Volcano for being less than overwhelmed with recent
Arts
Race + Education = Art. That is how local artists see the controversial issues of race and education - matters they consider too important to leave solely to those in the halls of power. During October, a selection of artists will present their own creative interpretations of how race impacts
