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Whether you like it or not, more than sound goes into making a successful rock band. It starts with the riffs, typically, but there’s a lot more to it. Image. Dreamy eyes. Politics. All of these can play a part in a band’s popularity or lack thereof. Plenty of rock bands
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When the Weekly Volcano hears the words “record label” and “Olympia” in the same sentence, we tend to get a little giddy. We recently received word that Rumbletowne Records, named after a soon-to-be extinct Olympia house party venue (like the famed Red House), will officially launch in February with a
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The comforting smell of coffee welcomes those who walk into the Java Flow in Tillicum. The hardwood floors shine. On the wall to the right is a framed movie poster promoting “We Were Soldiers Once,” starring Mel Gibson. To the left of the poster — on the other side of a
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Bayou Billy When Chef Billy Robertson talks about food and cooking, his smile gets as wide as the muddy Mississippi. Given what went down in his home state of Louisiana — it’s a wonder he’s able to smile at all. I smile every time I visit his Olympia restaurant Cicada. His inventive
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Thursday, Jan. 24: Red Wines to Keep You Warm, 5:30-8:30 p.m., complimentary, Pour At Four, 3814 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.761.8015. Fridays: Wine tastings, 6-8 p.m., Mandolin Cafe, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, 253.761.3482. Saturdays: Wine tasting, 2-5 p.m., Wine Bank, 7017 27th St. W., University Place, 253.564.1101. Saturdays: Wine tasting, 11 a.m.
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First place winner for best entrée at the Taste of Tacoma in 2004, Chico and Annie Mageo’s Polynesian Grill restaurant offers laid back dining and the chance to experience East Asian, Hawaiian, Filipino and other Pacific Rim tastes blended to create unique dishes. As obvious first-timers, we were warmly greeted
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Apocalypse eventually My girlfriend of four years is sweet, smart and sexy, in a vanilla kind of way, but I’ve never felt passionate about her. We’re both grad students and we were getting sick of our respective roommates. My girlfriend wanted to move our relationship forward, and found us a great
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Victory is mine! I’ve waited years, and although it’s been a snaillike process, the thong baring, low riding pants have finally gone back to buttcrack hell where they belong. A few years ago the high waist reemerged, but it’s taken designers awhile to get it just right. For 2008, designers
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Bobble Tiki is a tiki about town. Of course, he’s also a social anxiety ridden hermit at times, but that’s the nice thing about Bobble Tiki. He mixes it up. He’s a little like everyone and a lot like no one. Being a sometimes socialite, Bobble Tiki truly enjoys the resurgence
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Thursday, Jan. 24 FOLK charlotte thistle I’ve always been a sucker for women songwriters. Maybe it’s because they give me insight on how to deal with the opposite sex. But folk singer Charlotte Thistle refuses to give me any tips on how to do this as she pens tunes that speak directly
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Make it stop. I clicked on The Devil Wears Prada’s MySpace page and was assaulted with a wash volume that shoved me back in my chair. The Devil Wears Prada — no, not the movie or the book, the metal band — defines hardcore. With machine gun drums, nasty guitar
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On Saturday, Jan. 26, Doxology will play Jazzbones in Tacoma. First and foremost, the show is a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Though Doxology has gained a reputation for being one of the brightest soul/groove/rock bands around, even prompting Pappi Swarner to swoon “Imagine the music of Maroon
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Wondering how to beat the post-holiday blues? Have the nerve to stand out from the crowd? Then consider treating some of the Tacoma area’s upcoming afternoon and evening winter season events as excuses to play dress-up. All you need is a little imagination and a cooperative costuming consultant. I found my
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ANNOUNCER: The boys have a dream of traveling back in time to the age of the dinosaurs to eat pterodactyl eggs and brontosaurus steaks. They know this will never happen because not only has no one invented a working time machine yet, but if the boys ever did get their
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I immediately want to compare this quaint diner to Tacoma’s very own Harvester. Add a bit more history, a cozy feel, and you have King Solomon’s Reef. One of the biggest comparisons is the hidden hole behind the dining area that houses one of Olympia’s best dive bars: The Reef. Past
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One thing about theater is that directors make the shows their own more often than not by personalizing the show and interpreting the text their way. I only wish theaters dunked their buckets into deeper wells of work rather than drawing from the same pool of plays time after time.
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THE MULTI-MEDIA Dance meets animation Though Pixar is working to change things, animation in this country is still wildly undervalued. We watch our “Simpsons,” we go see “VeggieTales,” but we see animation as a source of idle entertainment rather than the vibrant art form it is. As a result, the medium remains
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Two of Tacoma’s Proctor District businesses, Culpepper Books and The Pacific Northwest Shop, are hosting receptions and book signings Friday evening, featuring the authors of a recently published book on the district. The twin events are set from 6-8 p.m. “Tacoma’s Proctor District” is among the latest releases from Arcadia Publishing,
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The latest in cooperative art galleries, Impromptu Gallery next to the Grand Cinema in downtown Tacoma, had its debut this month with an eye-pleasing multi-artist show. The gallery cooperative is not a new concept — it’s one that allows member artists more control over the space they show in and
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I’m overflowing with excitement right now because tonight I’ll have a chance to meet and party with one of my all-time heroes, and if you don’t know this guy, please allow me to introduce you: John Fluevog. Fluevog is a shoe designer from Vancouver, British Columbia, who has an amazing cult
