Neighborhoods
I really like Pao, and I really, really like his donuts, but to be completely honest the huge pictures hanging in his donut shop (you know, the ones that each feature one of his three kids, at age one, propped up and smiling next to - quite literally - a
Features
I really like Pao, and I really, really like his donuts, but to be completely honest the huge pictures hanging in his donut shop (you know, the ones that each feature one of his three kids, at age one, propped up and smiling next to - quite literally - a
Cup Check
There was no Cup Check column last week. I was sick. Sometimes when the body says rest, all you can do is listen. But missing a column never feels good, so I did manage to drag myself over to Twitter and apologize to Cup Check's seven faithful readers for the interruption
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There was a time when the Big Friction Jam at Jazzbones was THE place to be for Sunday night maxin', relaxin' and jammin'. Powered by the groove-heavy leanings of saxophonist Brett "Big Friction" Cummings, and aptly backed by a rhythm section the South Sound knows well - drummer Darin Watkins
We Recommend
The finger-plucking beauty and ease of Science!'s folksy, acoustic, storytelling is easy on the ear. Voted "Best New Band" in the Volcano's Best of Olympia 2012 Readers Poll, Science! has a rootsy vibe that goes a long way in a town like Oly. Comprised of vocalist Justin Stang and guitarist
Cup Check
Look out Twitter, the rednecks are coming. Appropriately enough, Jeff Gluck, the Motorsports Editor at SBNation.com, summed the situation up on Twitter. It's becoming clear the Daytona 500 will be remembered for two things: The jet dryer explosion and Keselowski's tweet. He was nearly dead on. He probably should have said tweeting, as
We Recommend
As far as Jeff Angell goes in this world, Tacoma will always claim the born-to-be frontman as its own. And with good reason. Junior cut his teeth in T-Town, and the grit shows in his music to this day - even on his band's, the Missionary Position's, most recent effort
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This blurb officially marks the 87th time I've written about Guttermouth coming to Tacoma. Something tells me that while I may be running out of things to say about the iconic Huntington Beach punk rockers, Tacoma's many fans of the band aren't getting tired of seeing them. This Friday, Guttermouth
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Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel's second record, The Dust Bowl Ghosts, released last April, is described as "a trip through the dreams and nightmares of a down-on-his-luck circus comedian with a bum leg and child support payments." If that doesn't sound like a musical good time, I don't know what
Cup Check
I went to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. As Washingtonians know, it's a small liberal arts school in the middle of the woods, full of hippies. Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Kramer from Seinfeld (the racist one), Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of groundbreaking riot grrl band Sleater-Kinney and
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Update: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony canceled Holy crap! The South Sound has suddenly become the epicenter for slightly-past-their-prime touring hip-hop artists. Not only will Coolio turn Hell's Kitchen into a "Gangsta's Paradise" this week, but mid-'90s favorites Bone Thugs-N-Harmony will also be in town, sing-songing their way through a collection of hits designed
Guides
There's excitement behind Justin Stang and Jim Elenteny's new band, Science!, a project fully realized in Olympia over the last year but born out of the duo's long-term musical relationship. You can tell there's excitement by the exclamation point. And you can tell by the voting. Stang and Elenteny's Science! received and
Cup Check
In an effort to be timely in this lightning-fast world we live in, I often write the Cup Check column at what amounts to the last possible minute. Yes, this practice also has a small bit to do with my tendency toward procrastination, but in this case the procrastination is
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Flowmotion is now the True Spokes. Got it? Good. According to the band's website, the change was made at the beginning of the year to allow the Seattle-based quintet more artistic freedom and wiggle room when writing songs. "The music the band is writing and recording has reached a point
Cup Check
In honor of the close of the NFL season, here's one more Cup Check entirely dedicated to the pigskin ... As I've noted before, the absolute truth is rarely black and white. The world is full of subtleties and shades of gray, and nothing is as simple or straightforward as it
Music
The Songwriters Composers Music Conference (SCMC), based out of Washington D.C. and coming to Tacoma Feb. 4, bills itself as a nationally-travelling event designed for unsigned artists, bands, songwriters, producers and independent labels. The SCMC says it offers lessons for success in the music business along with a chance for
Cup Check
There's not a country on the map at this point where the Super Bowl isn't a big deal. OK, maybe Moldova. I have no idea what goes on in Moldova. But everywhere else this Sunday's big game, pitting the Tom Brady-led, Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots against the Eli Manning-led, Tom Coughlin-coached
Cup Check
Even though CBS Sports, the Huffington Post and the Penn State student news website Onward State jumped the gun just a wee-bit on breaking the news, it's now very official. Legendary college football coach Joe Paterno died last weekend from complications related to his treatment for lung cancer. Paterno was 85.
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I'm not Catholic, but my dad was. Or at least he grew up Catholic. From what I understand it involved a lot of guilt. And nuns. At any rate, one year, back in the day, he and my mom went to see some version of Late Night Catechism in Tacoma -
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Funny thing happened along the way. Thanks to the evolution of popular music, a whole generation of current rockers became dated faster than at any previous point in history. These days, if it doesn't include a Pitbull sample, a Casio keyboard line or even the remote chance of "going viral,"
