The Weekly Volcano dropped in on the Saturday hip-hop night at the Backstage Bar & Grill in Tacoma. Photography by Steve Dunkleberger
Remember back in the day when you were in your first apartment and spent a memorable Saturday night with your friends just blaring the record player and singing along to random selections from your album collection? Toss in a pitcher of PBR and extreme lighting and that is karaoke at Bob's Java Jive. Sunday through Tuesday nights has Nikki Weatherhead on the mic. The spunky Tacoman never seems to lake energy or a smile even if the sign up sheet is less than full. Monday, Jan. 7 brought Tacoma filmmaker and all around hipster G.W. Welsh to the mic to celebrate his birthday. It was a good time. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Weekly Volcano fired up its Electric Salchow Stage Saturday, Jan. 5, hosting local rock band SweetKiss Momma for a night of Southern rock and couples skates. That's right. Besides rocking the Franciscan Polar Plaza louder than the previous five bands, SweetKiss Momma called for two couples skates, one funky skate and actually reversed the flow of the skaters during its two-hour set at the downtown Tacoma ice rink.
Bandito Betty Lou Who isn't a huge fan of jingtinglers, floofloovers, trumtookas, blumbloopas and the other wack musical instruments her fellow Whos bang during the holiday season. Every two years she gets the hell out of Whoville and spends the holiday season in the South Sound. She returned to Tacoma during December 2012 and leaped at businesses and venues that opened within the past year. The Weekly Volcano secretly tracked her. Read the adventures here: http://bit.ly/Ur6Zgw
The World's Shortest Parade, hula hoopers, giant puppets, fire, freaky clowns, musicians and impromptu performers invaded downtown Tacoma Monday night to ring in 2013 during First Night. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia celebrated its 10th anniversary with a huge bash Sunday, Dec. 23. Packed from the door to the back patio, the Broho was one giant hug. Owner Pit Kwiecinski provided free pizza. And Scorpions and The Cure tribute bands rocked it.
Champagne Sunday performed live Saturday, Dec. 15 on the Weekly Volcano's Electric Salchow Stage inside the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink in Downtown Tacoma.
"Oh Happy Day." This was the song pianist Steve Smith performed to begin the wedding of John McCluskey and Rudy Henry the afternoon of Saturday, Dec. 15 at First United Methodist Church in Tacoma. And Oh what a happy day it was. Complete with friends, dignitaries and the press. After being a couple for nearly 53 years, McCluskey, 76, and Henry, 78, were first in line to receive a marriage license in Pierce County Thursday, Dec. 6. Marriage licenses became available that day after state Referendum 74 was certified. Rev. David Alger and Mayor Marilyn Strickland officiated the ceremony. Photography by Ron Swarner
Tacomans came out to support one of their own Sunday night at The New Frontier Lounge. Bands played, henna ink got squeezed, fortunes were told and swag was auctioned off to benefit Euphoria Marie Sorensen, who was struck by a truck while crossing the street in October. She sustained several injuries including many broken ribs and a broken arm and had to have her right lung removed. She remains at the hospitalized and is still in serious condition. The benefit helped raise dollars to help pay for her medical care and living expenses during the long road ahead.
There is a website for anyone wishing to make financial donations. The site is gofundme.com. Once you do you can type in Euphoria Marie Sorensen in their search engine and it will show up. There are also links to it on her Facebook page. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Kim Archer performed live Saturday, Dec. 8 on the Weekly Volcano's Electric Salchow Stage inside the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink in Downtown Tacoma.
Igneous Rocks performed on the Weekly Volcano's Electric Salchow Stage at the Franciscan Polar Plaza Saturday, Dec. 1.
The Weekly Volcano dropped in on the opening night of the 2012 253Heart Music Festival Wednesday, Nov. 21. at the Harmon Tap Room and Dorky's Arcade. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger and Pappi Swarner
Tacoma knows singer and songwriter Kim Archer well. She's put in her time in this town, and has the fanbase to prove it. Her band knocked the mustaches off the folks celebrating Movember Wednesday night at The Hub. It was a stone groove. Photography by Steve Dunkleberger
Doyle's Public House in Tacoma held its annual Ugly Holiday Sweater party Wednesday, Nov. 21. It was completely packed with gawd awful sweaters. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Drunk chicks with press-on mustaches and $2 wells makes for a standard Rockaraoke night at Jazzbones, but toss in a Pray for Snow Party and $2 Jagers when anyone belts a suicide song, and you have a party. Such was the case Monday, and photographer Steve Dunkelberger was on the scene.
Saturday, Nov. 17 Tacoma's Encore VIP Club marked two years of gathering the beautiful people of 253 for nights of mixed drinks and Grey Goose bottle service, while pulsing lights batter the dance floor harder than the high heels. Photographer Steve Dunkelberger was on the scene.
Friday, Nov. 16, Amocat Cafe's Morgan Alexander tapped several of his brews in a tasting party environment that included live music in his St. Helens neighborhood cafe.
Photographer Steve Dunkelberger snapped and tasted his way through the small gathering.
Political figures and their supporters hung out at The Brotherhood Lounge in Olympia to celebrate, and in some cases commiserate, with one other as election results roled in on Tuesday night. Photography by Nikki McCoy
Founded in 2004, the Movember Foundation (Movember.com) has been launching health awareness campaigns across New Zealand and Australia, and by 2007, across the globe, most notably by encouraging "Mo Bros" to grow mustaches. The Weekly Volcano has captured South Sounders who cherish the movement. Send us a photo of your mustache to feedback@weeklyvolcano.com