Bartenders can make or break a bar. The Unicorn Sports Bar sits in the former category. The folks who hang at the Ruston watering hole do so because of bartender Darrell. He seems to know all of his customers and what they drink. He is Johnny Hustle with those bottles and taps. Added to that, the DJ music, mixed age and race crowd and the way-too-good for-bar-food eats on the menu make this a hole in the wall worth navigating the neighborhood to find it. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Originally created by the Tacoma-legendary Reverend Colin and Tobin Ropes, and now with the venerable poster design skill of Holland Hume on board, there’s no stopping the Tacoma Cult Movie Club. Sunday, April 10, they celebrated their second anniversary in style with a kickass raffle and a potluck at the Acme Grub Cage … not to mention the all time best TCMC flicks, which included "Zombie Strippers." Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The annual Gray Sky Blues Music Festival kicked off directly after Saturday’s Tacoma Daffodil Grand Floral Parade filling The Swiss, the Harmon and Cutters Point Coffee with topnotch blues. Organized by the Tacoma Events Commission and folks involved with the South Sound Blues Association, the Gray Sky Blues Music Festival was destined to provide everything its name suggests ??" though those in attendance could likely do without the clouds. Photography by Pappi Swarner and Steve Dunkelberger
Hosted by TW and his Calendar Girls, this race of weirdos proved to be as crazy as it sounds. What began as a bunch of beers at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 8, ended up a wild tricycle race around 5 p.m. down Saint Helens Avenue to the finish line Dorky's Bar Arcade - and St. Joe's Hospital for Alan Gorsuch. Alan lost control of his antique tricycle by Puget Sound Pizza and the peddles ripped open his calf. He was rushed to St. Joe's for stitches. As you'd expect, Alan is in good spirits. Photos by Pappi Swarner
THURSDAY, APRIL 7: Hundreds gathered at the Pacific Grill to drink happy hour specials, nosh on free food, listen to rare funk and soul grooves spun by DJ dAb, and be the first to download the Weekly Volcano Happy Hour mobile app. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
DUELING PIANOS SING-ALONG: It all starts innocently. You sit down to dinner. A friendly blonde brings drinks. More drinks. Then people of many generations all sing along to the same Billy Joel song. Then another blond appears. More drinks. Suddenly Chopstix on Sixth Avenue transforms into a rowdy, raunchy room where the crowd washes, ocean wavelike, over the tops of their daytime inhibitions. It's true that cash-lubricated requests - for anything from the Beatles to Bob Seger - drive the dueling piano players. But as they pound and wail through the hits, it becomes clear that the piano men are in control.
Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
My wife, Kate, and I attended this year's Dirt Bag Ball sandwiched between two days of awesome powder this past weekend. It was the best night of people watching I've experienced in a while. This year's theme was Rocker and Rockettes - and they came out in full force. And the $25 ticket benefitted the Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol education fund. - Pappi Swarner
Saturday, March 26 was the inaugural Tacoma Metal Awards show, which consumed Hell's Kitchen in downtown Tacoma. Congratulations to Unhailoed who took home the title of Tacoma's hard rocking band. The metal band won by a 170 ballot spread over second place.
Here are a few shots of the awards show and winning band Unhailoed. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
O'Malley's Irish Pub's inaugural Open Stage Mondays night saw a stack of solid talent and a light crowd. Hosted by the female duo Sevens Revenge, the all-acoustic open mic night witnessed rappers, folk songsters, cover acts and original artists trying out new stuff. One dude just happen to stop by and heard the music. He came in and found himself on stage with a borrowed guitar, smacking it like it owned him money. Toss in the working-class crowd of PBR regulars and casual date-night couples and the scene was set.
Open Stage Mondays runs 8:30-11:30 p.m. every Monday with no cover charge. As an added bonus O’Malley’s throws in $3 craft beers and $5 hot wings.
Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Beyond the Bridge Cafe on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue is the extended living room for musicians and musicians-in-the-making every Friday night during its all-ages open mic. People - ranging from members of the silver haired set to tweenies - read, surf the Net, chat or kick back with a beer or a mug of joe and listen to music strum and holler from the stage. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Open Mic
Fridays, 7-10 p.m., no cover
Beyond the Bridge Cafe, 2717 Sixth Ave., Tacoma
253.572.9199
A cold, rainy night calls for a freaking fun night of live music ... or a car with heated seats. But because I don't know how to install heated seats, I give you photographs from a freaking fun night of live music at Bob's Java Jive. Before a fairly full venue, The Ram Rams, Murder Party, MC Mike Kopf and the Tacomen rocked it, playing musical members as they swapped out keyboards and drummers here and there. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Saturday night, The High Rollers filled Dawson's Bar and Grill at 56th and South Tacoma Way with tight chords, jam riffs and classic rock from the Doors, Santana, and the golden age of rock. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The dodo's extinction didn't expire "The DODO show" at Mad Hat Tea Company. The bird graced Mad Hat's first tea label - Pai Mu Dan, a white tea from Fujian, China - so owners Maureen and Tobin thought, "why not center a show around the dodo."
And in true Mad Hat fashion, March 11 they kicked off the show with a big party featuring treats from Puget Sound Piazza and Corina Bakery, beer, wine, music by singer-songwriter Stephanie Johnson ... and the participating artists in the house.
Drop by Mad Hat Tea Company in the next month to see the show before it goes the way of the dodo.
Mad Hat Tea Company
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday
1130 Commerce St., Tacoma
253.441.2111
Photography by Steve Dunkelberger (crowd) and Pappi Swarner (art)
We draped scribe Steve Dunkelberger in beads and shoved him out the door to find a local Mardi Gras party. He ended up at the Peabody Waldorf Gallery's soiree. The crowd was light and subdued but grew as the evening progressed. A lull allowed Dunkelberger to jet over to The Mix to wish Johanna Gardner a happy birthday and catch up with other members of her burlesque troupe. Below are Dunkelberger's shots of the night.
Stonegate's Tuesday Blues Jam has been growing as news has spread about a place where blues fans can enjoy award-winning pizza, 10,000 different rums, and watch the area's best blues musicians riff, jam, experiment and practice outside their normal band or schedule. Guitarist Rafael Tranquilino keeps the jam on track in Stonegate's Rum Lounge, beginning around 8:30 p.m. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
You know a neighborhood bar kicks ass if it doesn't sport video games, pool tables or foosball and people still hang around and drink beer. No one was even playing darts. Friday, a lively crowd stood around talking as if they were at a high school house party. Welcome to Doyle's Public House. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Grand Cinema hosts its annual Academy Awards Party Sunday, Feb. 27 inside the Theatre on the Square in downtown Tacoma. Everything was running smoothly on the surface. Folks entered on the red carpet to discover free makeup sessions from Embellish MultiSpace Salon, a silent auction, beer, wine, Academy Awards ballot contest, a costume contest, raffle prizes - and a sold out event. Behind the scenes organizers were dealing with a failed primary over-the-air signal from Hollywood. Emcee Marty Campbell did a brilliant job entertaining the crowd - a crowd that was reduced by 90 percent once the announcement was made that the broadcast was going to be carried out on a backup Internet signal, which resembled watching video on aol in the early '90s. Those who left received their money back. Those who stayed enjoyed the show that often connected in real time, as well as a steady stream of free gifts. The night ended up being more fun than anyone who stayed imagined.
Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
After the Dockyard Derby Dames battled it out Saturday night at the Pierce College Health Ed. Center, the women's flat track roller derby league from Tacoma partied it up at the Steilacoom Pub and Grill. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Last night inside the Pierce College Health Ed. Center, Tacoma's roller derby league - the Dockyard Derby Dames - opened its fifth season with fierce battles. It was a sold out bout that had some of the closes scores on record. The Femme Fianna would pull away from the Marauding Mollys with incredible moves and strategy, only to have the gap diminished. In the end, the Fianna edged the Mollys 138 to 125. And how many times was Femme Fianna's Snickerbrutal in the penalty box?
The Trampires and Hellbound Homewreckers match was just brutal - the floor was littered with bodies. After around five minutes of tally, and tally again, the season four champions The Trampires bit the Homewreckers by one point, 145 to 144.
Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Weekly Volcano dropped in on the opening night of the 253Heart Music Festival Friday, Feb. 25. The Hub Event Space's all-ages crowd was light through most of the night, but the Hub and Harmon Tap Room held a large crowd act after act. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
