Attractions
The Puget Sound is a maritime region. Even if you're not a boater, you can still delve into the local maritime heritage in plenty of ways - some of the best of which are festivals, museums and actual water vessels. Get up close and personal with submarines, Navy destroyers or
Music
Sykes can sing I'm still working on catching ya'll up on what you've missed so far hip-hop-wise in 2011. Todd Sykes (one half of the Volcano's favorite hip-hop group, City Hall) dropped a solo instrumental album in mid-January. This album is available for free on their slick website, wearecityhall.com. The album
We Recommend
Memoirist, poet and spoken-word artist Michelle Tea will visit Olympia next week with her Sister Spit literary tour - and a free workshop at Timberland Library aimed at helping writers learn more about the art of writing about themselves.Don't let the term "literary tour" mislead you.
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE So, the time has come for another installment of Cup Check ... Timeout! Oh, wait! They're not giving it to me ... Crap. Seems the referee made it to five. Looks like I'll just have to lose possession of this column right off the bat and deal with it. Talk about
Military Life
When we say Olympia Meet-ups, we're not necessarily talking about groups organized around a topic or discipline like a booklovers' meet-up or skateboarders' meet-up. We're talking about places where people in Olympia get together to talk about stuff. And since it's Olympia, we're talking about hippies, artists and writers -
Archives
“Shrek the Third” is a damped-down return to the kingdom of Far Far Away, lacking the comic energy of the first brilliant film and not measuring up to the second. From the thrills of dragon-slaying and damsel-rescuing, Shrek’s challenges have been reduced to a career decision: Should he become the
Music
In the latter portion of 2010, on a Wednesday, I found myself drinking whiskey at The New Frontier Lounge and participating in the bar's weekly Rock ‘n' Roll Bingo. It's free to play, and winners get to peruse a table full of kitschy prizes. When my final number was called,
Stage
I think your enjoyment of The Secret Garden at Capital Playhouse will be determined almost entirely by whether or not you're already versed in The Secret Garden. Perhaps you're a fan of the Marsha Norman musical, or maybe you grew up reading the 1911 book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Unfortunately,
Stage
I feel like I have a stake in Holly Senn's art career. I don't; she's done it all on her own, but I still feel that way. Years ago I taught a class for Bellevue Community College where I took students on tours of Seattle art galleries and discussed the
Attractions
The gorgeous example of turn-of-the-century architecture known as "Building 50" sits adjacent to the Bremerton ferry dock in the picturesque town of Bremerton. Inside its thoughtfully restored walls, it houses permanent and temporary collections of photos, documents, artifacts, scale models and interactive exhibits, all detailing the indispensible role of the
Arts
Memoirist, poet and spoken-word artist Michelle Tea will visit Olympia next week with her Sister Spit literary tour - and a free workshop at Timberland Library aimed at helping writers learn more about the art of writing about themselves.Don't let the term "literary tour" mislead you. For starters, the tour's
Travel
Nestled beyond the shorelines of Bainbridge Island sits 150 acres of meticulously cultivated land. The land began as the property of Prentice Bloedel, son of a prominent lumber company owner, and his wife Virginia. While Bloedel followed in his father's footsteps and took over the MacMillian Bloedel Timber Company in
Travel
If you can sing every word of Disney's Frozen, you're basically a Norway fan. Animators based the fictional kingdom of Arendelle on Akershus Fortress, Bryggen town, and the Norsk Folkemuseum in Oslo. You may have sung "Let It Go" in the shower, imagining yourself wailing away from an ice castle
Music
SIC ALPS >>> Thursday, March 24 Sic Alps hail from the same effervescent Bay Area garage scene as Ty Segall and Nobunny. They ply bright, psychedelic guitar sounds and offbeat lyrics, but their music is ultimately more pockmarked than paisley, with gnarly guitar textures and walloping drums so forceful they poke holes
PROMO
(CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN OF OLYMPIA!) Welcome to another awesome Weekly Volcano Morning Quickie Newsletter giveaway. This morning we're giving away a pair of tickets ($180 value) to see The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour Friday, July 8 at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma. Relive The Monkees (1966-'68) prime-time television
We Recommend
Sic Alps hail from the same effervescent Bay Area garage scene as Ty Segall and Nobunny. They ply bright, psychedelic guitar sounds and offbeat lyrics, but their music is ultimately more pockmarked than paisley, with gnarly guitar textures and walloping drums so forceful they poke holes in the "screen of
Music
Last week I had the chance to sit down with Norman Beats, one of Olympia's most slept-on producers, who admits he avoids the spotlight purposely. Beats talked about his past, future and life as a local hip-hop producer. On Feb. 24 Beats was in the audience of the sold out Macklemore
Music
Last week may have marked the silver anniversary of the South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin, Texas, but it was my first time attending. Looking back on the experience, I'm mystified by the apparent absence of a unifying narrative or clear, inarguable breakout star. I'd been led to
Military Life
Someone once said, "A house is not a home without a pet," and I tend to agree. Throughout my childhood, my family owned several different dogs and the occasional cat, and over the years we cared for more than our share of rescues and strays. It was almost as if
Ragnet
In every issue of this fine rag my hack team of wannabe journalists and I tackle some of the most laughable criminal acts that have recently happened in our area. Then - if we're doing our job - we write about those crimes in a way that makes you chuckle,
