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We've come a long way. If you need proof, know that I just I wrote that while Skyping in a pizza order, text-messaging my grandma and Tweeting about my last bowel movement. However, sometimes it is nice to look back - as James Venturini and the Lakewood
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Way back in the day I pissed off (I think) Tacoma's spandex-clad, glam metal rockers Splendid Vengance by calling them gimmicky, or hair-spray-y, or something. I can't really remember. It was a long time ago. Plus, it's tough to tell what's serious with these guys and what's tongue in cheek.
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"Tacoma gets a bad rap, but it's always been a good experience when I've played there," David Bazan once told me, prior to a performance in this Gritty City of ours. This week, Bazan - probably best known for Pedro the Lion - once again returns to Tacoma for what
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By now you've heard about the roller derby resurgence. Hell, you may have even seen that movie Drew Barrymore directed with the chick from Juno in it. I haven't seen it, but something tells me it's not half as cool as actually watching Tacoma's own Dockyard Derby Dames in action,
Music
To be blunt, Tacoma's quintessential Girl Trouble, with more than 25 years of surfy garage rock under its belt, and credited with Sub Pop's first full-length release, was DIY before DIY had an acronym. Coming from a shitty, dirty stepbrother town like Tacoma, you kind of had to be. You
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Church or awesome garage rock? These are the types of dilemmas presented to you when Tacoma's Gold Teeth (now with seven members!) slithers out of the depths and decides to plug in for a rare matinee show at Top of Tacoma. OK, sure - technically you could probably attend a
Music
Church or awesome garage rock? These are the types of dilemmas presented to you when Tacoma's Gold Teeth (now with seven members!) slithers out of the depths and decides to plug in for a rare matinee show at Top of Tacoma. OK, sure - technically you could probably attend
Music
Blanco Bronco is - easily - one of my favorite Tacoma bands. Messy, sometimes confused, heavily distorted - and with the gritty heart of a champion, there's not much not to like when it comes to Blanco Bronco's punk and new wave influenced take on ‘90s bred indie rock. When
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He sits on a stage - a stage that looks more like a wilting Southern front porch than the focal point of one of Tacoma's local music venues - playing a beaten acoustic guitar. It kind of sounds like the blues, but it's not. It kind of feels like
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What do classical string instruments and metal typically have in common? Oh, about as much as peacocks and pink monsters - but that's the beauty of Judgement Day - the string metal sensation that originally emanated from the crusty streets of Berkeley set to hit Olympia's Northern this week. Tying
Music
He sits on a stage - a stage that looks more like a wilting Southern front porch than the focal point of one of Tacoma's local music venues - playing a beaten acoustic guitar. It kind of sounds like the blues, but it's not. It kind of feels like you
Features
Bernie Garcia followed the action, so when we walked through the big front doors of Moctezuma's Mexican Restaurant, Tournament of Tacos championship plaque in hand, he wasn't terribly surprised - though he was happy to see us. "It was great. We had customers asking us all the time if we'd won,
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This weekend, in typical Jive, DIY fashion, Bandolier, Motopony, The Painkillers, DJ Darrren Selector, Dave the bartender - and the Jive's extended, beer drinking family - will gather at the South Tacoma Way landmark to celebrate 55 official years of Bob's Java Jive. The event is intended to mark
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If there's one thing Tim Reynolds (of the appropriately named Tim Reynolds Trio) can do it's jam on it. Dude is like best buds from way back with Dave Matthews, after all, which means he's no fan of the two and a half minute pop song. Nope, this guitarist is
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Believe it or not, it's been a year already. Rev. Colin Sannes' Cult Movie Club will celebrate its first birthday Sunday at the Acme Grub Cage - the movie club's ultra-appropriate home. Led by the bizarreness of Sannes (of which there is plenty) the Tacoma Cult Movie Club may be
Music
I can't count the number of times I've written stories like this about Bob's Java Jive - the Tacoma legend. I've urged readers to save the Jive, honor the Jive, pay tribute to the Jive, and come spill cheap beer and be mildly grossed out by the bathrooms at the Jive. I've
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Over the course of Union's short, locally brewed career - all two years of it - he's risen from general anonymity to the sort of name recognition that comes from having packed Jazzbones on a number of occasions, killed it at Art on the Ave, and received the positive
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No room has had the effect on music that the garage has. Think about it. Have you ever heard of kitchen rock? Absolutely not. But garage rock is a term that instantly makes sense - and things only branch out from there. Like Tacoma's Wheelies. While Blanco Bronco - one
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There are plenty of dangers to contend with living in Pierce County. Few people know this like Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist and Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. Hell, just about every gruesome thing that goes down in Pierce County crosses these guys' desks at some point. So, who better
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No, you're not just really high. You haven't just woken up after sleeping off some 96-hour meth bender and are now hallucinating that glam metal bands from the ‘80s are playing Jazzbones on Wednesday nights. It's real, dude. It's so real. PREDICTION: Frankly, folks, Miss Cleo couldn't call this one. There
