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 press locally that comes from a nice, little, local DIY buzz.

In the beginning, Union had two goals: the successful meshing of alt, funk and rock into one cohesive sound, and success in a venue he deemed perfect for his still emerging, unique approach to music.

"The original dream was to own Jazzbones," says Union. "I was poor. I didn't know what to do. I had no outlet."

So, although he didn't realize it at the time, Union started work on The Light, an album he'll officially release - not surprisingly - with a show Saturday at Jazzbones.

Read full story here.

[Jazzbones, Ben Union CD Release Party, with Colonies, Benjamin Doerr, Saturday, April 3, 8 p.m., $5, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]