The Weekly Volcano dropped in on KC Brakes at C.I.Shenanigans, Seattle International Comedy Competition at Tacoma's Underground Comedy and the Time and Space Halloween Party in a warehouse Saturday, Nov. 3 in downtown Tacoma.
For the past 12 years, in honor of Halloween, the Olympia Film Society has hosted an event simply known as Night of the Living Tribute Bands. weekly Volcano scribe Nikki McCoy was on the scene.
The Tacoma-based rock opera short film "Rock A Bye Dead Man" - about a detective and a police officer who are summoned to an old dark house to investigate the murder of their boss - opened to two sold out shows Monday, Oct. 30 at the Washington State History Museum's Mount Tacoma auditorium. Black-tie hipsters and movie lovers in T-shirts and jeans joined the cast and crew of the film noir flick in celebration of the screening. The after party was held at Magoo's Monday Madness courtesy of DJ Melodica's Halloween Showcase featuring band Death by Stars and DJ Sliide. Photographer Steve Dunkelberger was on the scene. Read up on the film: http://bit.ly/WNveuh
The Tacoma cabal found itself at the official grand opening of Tacoma Cabana, a tiki lounge and restaurant of all things rum and pineapple brought to the 253 by Robyn Murphy and Jason Alexander. The Cabana, at 728 Pacific Ave., makes some mean rum drinks and crafted eats, particularly the uber yummy bacon and pineapple skewers with tacky decor straight from the South Pacific that is the "way of the Tiki." But yet, not a single ukulele, barstards... Oh look, more bacon, never mind.
A Wednesday night is not the idea rock night, but there I was, snapping pics at Jazzbones that staged Cottonwood Cutups and the Voodoo Organist. So it is not like I couldn't go. Those Cottonwood boys deliver the goods every freaking time, no matter the venue or the crowd. And of course, who could resist songs about Satan on an electric organ by the Voodoo organist himself.
Toss in a game of what crap does Dawn carry in her purse, and the night was well worth the effort of going out on a worknight.
Tacoma artist Matthew Scott - formerly a staff sergeant in the Air Force - unveiled his latest acrylic paintings Wednesday, Oct. 24 at The Hub Wednesday, Oct. 24 in a party atmosphere. Photographer Steve Dunkelberger was on the scene.
One thing that is fun about Tacoma is that music can be found in pretty much any bar or coffee shop. Every band works its way up from open mics and weekday gigs to headlining on larger stages. But the size of the stage certainly doesn't mean the acts are better. Or visa versa. Such was the case with a recent performance at the Harmon Tap Room, where Josi and the Push and Variety Show took to the back stage.
While the crowd was small, the music was solid and the beer was cold. Oh yeah, and then there was pizza, deliciously gooey and meaty pizza.
Oh Puget Sound Pizza karaoke night, you are my BFF. What makes the nights of off-key, drunken yelling so entertaining is not only the way Rev. Colin holds court over his flock of wayward pilgrims but the randomness of the night.
Sometimes there will be celebrities, like members of the now-defunct Paris Spleen stopping by or the soulful Kim Archer getting real on the mic. And of course, being Tacoma, there is a guy in the corner who passed out who is now getting drawn on by all of his friends. Boom, because that's how we roll.
Oh Tacoma, how do I love thee. It was all things ghetto and leather pants with feathered hats at the annual Maltoberfest at Bob's Java Jive on Saturday with all the Brass Monkeys (Colt 45 and orange juice) five tickets from the doors the crowd could handle. Most could handle less than that, but that fact didn't stop them from getthing their money's worth.
Also on tab was: Q Dot, Speeding Kills Bears, I Like Science, 508 Disturbance, The Shrines and DJ Melodica, spinning from his personal collection of German hits.
Toss in some pretzels and hotdogs along with hot frauleins carrying steins and all was right with the words, in true 253 style.
Zombies and the hunters who love them came together in harmony and bliss at the 2012 Zombie Preparedness Expo at the Tacoma Dome Best Western this weekend to learn all about how to live alongside each other and sing campfire songs.. What am I saying, zombies came to eat brains and hunters were there to learn tips and tactics on how to turn their undead friends into sausage. The expo had everything from zombie survival gear and combat tactics to life insurance policy agent to guard against the unforeseen expenses of a zombie infestation and, of course, bacon socks from Poison Apple. Good time was had by all.
It was a long day for the Weekly Volcano's man about town. Starting off with a trip down Opera Alley for some shopping of things he didn't need then a mic check for his performances with the Monday Ukulele Ohana group, followed by 12 hours of photographing as many dance performances, poetry readings, dramatic showcases and musical acts his feet could wander into. Enjoy the photographic flashback.
Tuesdays are game night at Meconi's, with the hostess with the mostest Renee Seamount calling the shots. While bingo is always an option, game nights can often venture into the back room for some air hockey bouts, pool sharking or dart chucking. Whatever the masses desire is up for debate in this democratic world of barstool game playing.
Oh the tales of being a bar owner. The night started out at the Tempest for a little live music in this charming little watering hole. But the legal-eagle owner canceled toe duo on deck after the under-age songstress of the group was spotted chugging down a beer after the band pulled up ... right outside the bar. In case any bands are wondering, that is a huge no-no. Huge. Like, Grand Canyon huge. These sorts of stories make it all too clear why the Tempest is up for sale.
So then it was off to O'Malley's to catch Source in Code to support my Lakes High School alum brothers. The band has sort of an experimental grunge meets progressive rock sound that involves a bit of yelling. The band was on the bottom of the lineup that also included Digital Chemistry, Bone Cave Ballet and Marching Mind.
The crowd was a mix of aging punk rockers and wanna-be rockers with their tattooed girlfriends downing PBR like it was a house party before prom night.
Trivia nights in waterholes around the 253 are fairly commonplace. Attendance levels are made and broken by what the host brings to the experience. Some game hosts spend hours on collecting the questions in efforts to stump the pint-chugging experts. Others mix it up a bit. Question-maker and Oddio Puget Sound founder Aaron Whitfeldt does a bit of both and adds his own twist by tossing in a bit of audience participation in the process. He holds court at the Trivia Nights at the Swiss Pub on Tuesday nights.
The losing team at the end of the night gets to pick one of the categories for one of the rounds the following week. Whitfeldt also has an identify the "celebrity" photo round that is a further twist on the trivia landscape.
Players pay $2 each and can form teams of up to seven people. The winning team splits the pot at the end of the night, while a handful of month-long "championship tournaments" dot the calendar as well just to keep thing interesting.
The New Frontier Lounge was the place to be Friday night if you were searching for all things indie rock that doesn't suck. Because, let's face it, it often does since 'independent' has become a euphemism for making 'music' while living in your parents garage alongside an Atari game system and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos.
New on the scene was People under the Sun, with its keyboard duo, while Still Caves brought in an energetic drummer turned vocalist. I Like Science mixed up the scene with keyboard, drums, vocals and bass. Rounding out the night was the Nightgowns with just plain lyrical goodness as it always does.
What made the night particularly unique was not the crowd of sweaty bodies grooving to the tunes but the apparent glaucoma convention that made the New Frontier its bar of choice to take their medical marijuana doses in the restrooms. It was good to see so many patients out and about with their bags of medication at hand.
The third annual Downtown Block Party took over Opera Alley on Saturday for all things fun and family. Well, mostly, there was a beer garden after all. There was face painting and hop scotch and rock music and games of four square. There was chalk arting and mural painting. There was beer and there were laughs, all for free. And never underestimate the power of goofy hats and feather boas to get the party started. And of course, there was the Sonics Guy.
Gone are the days of rock bands with massive walls of hair thrashing around and their bass player stretches his tight spandex pants to mundane lyrics about lost love and fights.. Oh what, never mind. The Backstage Bar and Grill hosted Hairstorm, cover band that brings the standard 80s "hair band" music back to the stage. On this list were Guns and Roses, Poison and their brothers in arms. The band is part tribute, part spoof in a Spinal Tap sort of way, but the music was ... well, all things spandex rock.
Music and Art in Wright Park did not disappoint this Saturday, with its great weather and roster of mostly Tacoma talent on the stage. The day offered rock-n-roll and alternative pop music on the harder edge of the spectrum, but that didn't keep rockers young and old from doing their dancing thing. On deck was: Trashholes, Centre Cannot Hold, Rusty Cleavers, 13 Scars, Mos Generator, CFA, Girl Trouble, Jilly Rizzo, Humble Cub, Plastards, Walking Papers, Dignitaries, Big Wheel Stunt Show and Fun Police. What made it decidedly Tacoma was that there were no fights or arrests or pot vendors, and the place was spotlessly clean as the sun set over the trees.
Tacoma's own Heather Hostility, of Gritty City Sirens fame, won the Rebel Riot Queen pinup contest at the Rebel Riot car show at the New Frontier this weekend. The contest was brought to Tacoma by The Pinup Angels, the nonprofit gaggle of hotties with the mission of sending car packages to deployed soldiers.
The car show included a host of pre-1965 European hotrods and motorcycles.
A who's who of Tacoma's gritty city scene came to pay homage to the queen bee on her wedding. But to be clear, Dagmar Peterson and Damien Simard actually got secretly hitched May 1. It just took since then to plan the party. There was all things Tacoma at Weddingocalypse. The house party off Sixth Avenue had PBR on tap, Rainier in cans, a three-legged dog with its own Facebook page, a bouncy house, torn punk rock shirts, black leather jackets and multi-colored hair alongside grilled pork, princess dresses and boots. Lots and lots of boots.
It was a day-long affair that brought artists, musicians, film makers, groupies and closet punk rockers in ties. Ok, maybe that was just me. Good times Tacoma, good times.
Kry, recently named the best cover band in Tacoma, did their thing at Jazzbones Thursday, as they have since Noah finished his ark. The show never fails to deliver energy and swaying hips, which are often "covered" by snug mini skirts, or spray-on jeans. That fact makes Kry's time on stage almost like background music to the anthropological research opportunities people can have just by watching the mating rituals play out time and again.
