Music
Less than one year ago, I met Shazam "Tea Time" Watkins and Liz Scarlett, the faces of Tacoma electro-pop band THE FAME RIOT. When I first encountered the glamorous duo, it was coincidentally right before the release of their first single, "Heart Stray." Watkins told me about the track, and
Music
Had I known what I was going to witness Sunday night at The Northern, I would have gone to much greater lengths to combat the obstacles that nearly cost me my attendance. A last minute decision to bring a friend with me to the Olympia all-ages venue found me sitting
Music
You know how it's said, "The journey is half the trip"? Well, slogging through northern Oregon on Amtrak's Train 11 en route to San Francisco, exhausting what little literature I brought with me and sitting next to a less-than-interesting fellow passenger - don't worry Rosemary, this was before you boarded
Music
Since 1994, Allstar Guitar in Gig Harbor has been proudly owned and operated by Dan and May Wilson. Allstar Guitar is a multi-faceted operation - it serves the community as a custom guitar shop, instrument repair and music academy. This month it's celebrating the grand opening of its new location
Music
From the moment I heard The Informal Gentlemen's song "Cold Dish," I felt a sense of clarity, a sense of purpose. This is conveyed not only through the band's sound, but also through the more implicit vibe that a band can give off. When you listen to The Informal Gentleman,
Music
All too often do I encounter snobby, adolescent bands that spend more time gelling hair than playing instruments. It's a common plague: buy a mediocre instrument, take music lessons at Ted Brown, then write some generic self-loathing sounding music and you're golden. Fans and females will come in droves. You'll
Music
My first Red Hex experience was not one of little consequence. Acting as an arbitrary milestone of my youth, my first witnessing of a Red Hex show lent me insight to how a band of real substance operated and performed. Don't let them catch you off guard - because when
Music
In my never-ending search for new Tacoma music, and my relentless attendance of all-ages shows in the South Sound, I incidentally hear more bands than I can possibly write about. And when presented with such a plethora of music, I can't help but take note of bands I'd like to
Music
Traditionally speaking, the most popular music venues in the South Sound are bars. Most Tacoma bands worth their salt aspire to appear in long standing booze-pouring hot spots such as The Swiss, Brotherhood Lounge, Jazzbones and the former Hell's Kitchen. Even with clubs opening up to all-ages until 8 or
Music
In the past few years, I've observed a once-dying medium's return to music's mainstream, and it's re-entering into the consciousness of America's youth - the vinyl record. Even after its coercion into near extinction, vinyl maintained its appeal to a small group of music listeners due to its richer sound,
Music
A long-standing tradition in the South Sound, open mics allow artists to build their name and test original music on an audience. The local open mic scene can deliver, with many stages and amateur stage experiences. Most open mics take little more than signing your name on a slip of
Music
In a world where every new band claims to have invented its own genre, and synthesizers outnumber real instruments, it's easy to think tradition has gone by the wayside. Especially when it comes to blues music. Telling people you listen to blues music usually produces a somewhat judgmental look, as
Music
For those of you who have been reading my column, you have inevitably inferred my belief that Tacoma is a musical epicenter of sorts. It has provided a starting platform for many bands that have gone on to find great success on an international level. The Northwest has been both
Music
Last week, in a resolute effort to clean up my act and attend more shows in Olympia, I stumbled upon a band while plotting my way through Northern's website. My efforts were rewarded in the form of Math the Band, a high energy, "electro-punk spazz duo" from
Music
This week, I would like to take a moment to discuss the phenomenal vitality of the Tacoma music scene. It would be a safe assumption to say that many of you often get dismayed over the condition of popular music today. I sometimes find myself genuinely depressed about the quality of
Music
Welcome to the first installment of the Weekly Volcano's all-ages column, The Rockford Files! You read right, dear readers. After many years in the local music scene - on stage and in front of it, from Louie G's and Hell's Kitchen to Tacoma basements - I'm ready. I'm steppin' up
