Stage
John Cariani's Almost, Maine is cheese.Now, there are plenty of different kinds of cheese. There is the plastic, homogenized, processed American crap, devoid of flavor, that barely deserves to exist. Then there's the excessively fancy, expensive, snooty cheese that spends way too much time trying to pretend that it wasn't
Stage
In last week‘s column I made a distinction between fine art and illustration. That distinction applies to Justin Hillgrove's paintings at Mineral featured in a show with a title both clichéd and appropriate: Black, White and Read All Over.As illustrations for books and movies, or homages to the same, the
Scene It
I hate that I have to review Jezebels for the Meat Market. Hate it. Let me explain: One night, a couple of dude friends and I were drinking whiskey at neighboring McCoy's Tavern. After a few drinks (four or five), we decided we should devote the night to what all nights
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After a 7-year wait, the Oregon Symphony returns to Tacoma this Sunday to perform Mozart's Symphony No. 38 at the Pantages, complements of the Tacoma Philharmonic. Also on the bill is Maestro Carlos Kalmar's reportedly amazing integration of Shakespeare-related musical works and recited verse as written by Bill Shakespeare himself.
Music
In honor of the newly reformed New American Shame, here starts a two-part story about the very first day of the band's touring experiences. We were on our way. Figuratively and literally. Interstate-90 east to Chicago - to start our first tour. If Day One in the van was any indication,
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There sure are a lot of film festivals out there, all pompous and bloated, stretching out through days or even weeks with "a bunch of great films." Well, the Swiss Film Festival - packing itself into three short hours Sunday evening - is having none of it. What kind of
We Recommend
Science Café of Olympia meets each month on the second Tuesday at Orca Books. It provides an informal atmosphere where people with and without scientific background can meet to deepen their understanding of interesting topics in science and technology. After a presentation by an expert in the field, the meetings
Music
THE ART OF SHOOTING >>> Friday, Nov.12 Do you ever get the sensation a band is manipulating you? Do you ever care? The Art of Shooting is an abundantly melodramatic band from Brooklyn; they want very badly for me to feel something when I listen to them. And I do. When those
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Even without an actual warehouse, the collective that is the Warehouse continues to deliver musical awesomeness to Tacoma - this Saturday in the form of an intimate and surely remarkable show with Shenandoah Davis at Beyond the Bridge Café. Prior to Saturday's Tacoma show, Davis will drop into Northern in
Arts
Let's be honest, if I told you two very skilled college theater departments were staging productions of classic American plays this weekend, you wouldn't get too excited about that, would you? Instead, prompted by a suggestion from Volcano editor Ron Swarner, let's pretend these productions are duking it out mano-a-mano,
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This one's so big they're literally going to shut down the street. Help launch the 27th Annual Olympia Film Festival in style Friday at the Opening Night Gala. Acrobats, artists, dancers, freaks, psychics and geeks are promised - along with the unmatchable Romanteek and a showing of Fritz Lang's ultra-classic
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In the relatively fresh wake of Mono in VCF, Hunter Lea has started recording as a solo artist. Freed from the dark, melancholy restrictions of his former band, Lea has settled into a gauzy, psychedelia-inspired mode. His music sounds like a distant memory of the '60s -
Music
Mono in VCF towered over all others in the Tacoma music scene. As influenced by the '60s as other Tacoma mainstays, Mono in VCF careened into a wholly other dark territory. Slick and hypnotic, the band represented all of the music that seemed to never grow out of Tacoma's alcohol-infused
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Remember how much better life got once you learned not to bite your friends? Luckily, kids today don't have to wait until their third year of college to discover such secrets to life - they Yo Gabba Gabba. By far the best and trippiest children's program out there, Yo Gabba
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The most dominate cartoon force ever to roam the sacred streets of T-Town, the bearded and venerable R.R. Anderson, officially releases the much-anticipated 100 Tacomics: The Secular & Apolitical Cartoon Life of Tacoma and her Moral People(s) Monday at King's Books. An easy-to-reference and sure-to-offend collection of Anderson's work from
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It may be impossible to overstate William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr.'s contribution to pop music. For once, the term "living legend" sells the guy short. No less an artist than Bob Dylan listed Robinson among his favorite poets. It's not merely that his hits represent a significant chunk of the American
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A penny saved is worth two in the bush. And your burning bridges have been gathering moss lately, anyway. The time has come to rework your literary life (or maybe, to create a literary life). Too long have you lingered in the annals of John Grisham; the Classic Book Club
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Maurice The Fish Records Showcase. 21+. 7 pm. NC. Hannah's Bar & Grille Olympia - Downtown. Open Mic. 9 pm. NC. Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Practice Day, with Shillelagh Jack. 21+. 9 pm. NC. BLUES Charlie's Sports Bar and Grill Olympia - Downtown. Blues
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC O'Blarney's Irish Pub Olympia - Eastside. Irish Sessions. Live traditional Irish music. 7:30 pm. NC. Tugboat Annies Olympia - Westside. Open Mic Night. 9 pm. NC. BLUES Summit Pub Puyallup. Tim Hall & The Band Real Times. 21+. 7:30 pm. COMEDY/GAMES Westgate Bar and Grill Tacoma - Northend. Barstool Bingo. 21+. 6:30 pm. Red Wind Casino
Features
Weird things are happening. It's like I've entered some parallel universe or something. Worlds are colliding. Cats love dogs, rain is awesome, and to some of us, Bret Michaels is attractive (yeah, Steph DeRosa, that's for you). There's something way cool in Federal Way. First of all, I don't drive to
