CLAW CARES >>>

Students looking for scholarship money don't need to tape their breasts and smear Vaseline on their teeth. They don't need to cinch their waists. And they certainly don't need to prove they can balance a book on their heads while walking a straight line.

They do need to be able to doodle well in said book.

The Cartoonist's League of Absurd Washingtonians - a group of cartoonists that dress women in tight superhero costumes to act out their fantasies - offers a yearly scholarship to college students who demonstrate carton-drawing brilliance.

It seems like yesterday when CLAW doled out its first scholarship - $368 in 2010.

This year, the Tacoma-based art organization has $1,059.10 stuffed in its Crayola 64 box, ready to award it to a budding talent. That is, if CLAW receives an applicant.

According to C.L.A.W. scholarship hype. ...

With the deadline of March 15th only a week away The CLAW has yet to get a single application. We ask that you share this link with students you know who are trying to master the glorious technique of sequential art. The scholarship is awarded based on artistic merit, wit, and whims of the judges.

Applicants must:

Provide evidence they are enrolled in college.

They are capable of filling out a form and following its instructions.

Have a letter of recommendation

Show samples of their cartoon brilliance.

Applications can be downloaded from the CLAW Student Scholarship Page. See past winners too!

Great Bluto's beard! Don't let this money be spent on more fezes for the CLAW membership. Put it in the hands of a talented kid. Spread the word. Click the link to CLAW's scholarship page, print the applications and slide them under windshield wipers in your neighborhood. It could be some kid's density!

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 2013 >>>

1. You may not be familiar with the wrestling phenomenon known as lucha libre, but it's all the rage in Mexico, where its popularity lags only behind that of soccer. For the second year in a row, costumed warriors will flex and destroy under the tutelage of José Luis Gómez, over 20 years a luchador in Mexico. His troupe, Lucha Libre Volcánica, hails from Renton, but they're performing at the Lucha de Sound event inside the University of Puget Sound's Memorial Field House at 7 p.m. to benefit a student group, CHispA, the Community for Hispanic Awareness. This event features commentary in both English and español, and you can't beat the price, amigo: it's free! (Since it is a benefit, however, a $5 donation is suggested.) So round up su familia and root for Puget Sound técnicos El Fénix, El Hero, and Rey Jaguar in their never-ending quest for justice against rude boys Chicano, Peligro, and Prófugo. There's a técnica, too: Vancouver, Washington's own La Avispa.v¡Que viva los luchadores!

2. Today marks the final monthly version of the Proctor Farmers Market, which goes down between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. You can expect garden plants and local produce from Cottage Gardens, tasty smoked salmon from Wilson Fish and the musical stylings of John Hoover and the Quinns, in addition to its regular farmer market awesomeness.

3. Sure, Tacoma celebrates its status as an arts community.  Sure, Tacoma loves to band together for a good cause.  With the YWCA RAGS Guild Wearable Art Sale and Juried Gallery, continuing for its 19th year, it does both. RAGS started as a fun way to raise money for the YWCA, whose mission statement is all about honoring diversity and creating opportunities for women’s growth, leadership, and power in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. RAGS offers guests an opportunity to view and acquire fabulous handmade clothing, jewelry and accessories created by artisans from across the country. Check out RAGS from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. inside the Mercedes-Benz of Tacoma new showroom at 1701 Alexander Ave. East in Fife.

4. Wait ... you have a vision. You plug into the area’s collective unconscious. In a flash, you remember that you — and those of your ilk — don’t need the cathode ray tube and the remote control to flip through images of far-flung places. You’re telekinetic. Telepathic. Otherworldly. And — irony of all ironies — you almost blanked on today’s Psychic Fair at the Meeker Mansion Psychic Fair from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. But then, in the nick of time, your sixth sense kicked in. It always does.

5. Grab the nearest mouth guard, roller derby is back in Tacoma. Actually, it has been here for some time. And, it's in Lakewood. That said, the Dockyard Derby Dames open its season Saturday night at the Pierce College Health Education Center at 6 p.m. For the uninitiated, the all-female flat-track roller derby team has been blocking and lapping like mad for six seasons. The Femme Fianna, Hellbound Homewreckers, Trampires and season six defending champions Marauding Mollys will throw on the elbow pads, kneepads, helmets, fishnet stockings for two bouts. Grab a spot on the bleachers, or if you're really up for it, hang in the beer garden, where your own protective gear is probably a wise idea, and enjoy a night of good ol' fashion bruising.

LINK: Saturday, March 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 2013 >>>

1. Typically when discussing beers and hops, one is discussing intensely bitter and bracing beers with a pronounced bite that stays in your mouth all the way to the bottom of the glass ... and beyond. From 6-10 p.m. at Doyle's Public House, hops will take a more literal form, as in bunny rabbits. Project:U, those hip, 20-something, do-gooder rascals from United Way, will host their second annual Brews and Bunnies night. Besides collecting calories, Project:U will collect stuffed bunnies of all shapes and sizes to give to local kiddos during Easter weekend. Doyle's has graciously agreed to donate a portion of the night's proceeds - which will be given to the United Way of Pierce County's Community Solutions Fund - because that's how the Stadium District bar rolls.

2. If you need a beer break from Doyle's, walk next door to King's Books and catch Greta Berlin and Bill Dienst, co-editors of the new book Freedom Sailors, as they discuss the 44 intrepid passengers who sailed through Israel's illegal blockade on Gaza in August, 2008. The discussion will begin at 7 p.m.

3. Usually, the Weekly Volcano feels pretty cool when we order drinks. James Bond clicking opening his cigarette case as he orders his martini kind of cool. We imagine we just kicked ass in our tuxedo and call for our libations with pride. Unless, it's early Wednesday evening after we put the newspaper to bed. Then we drag our tired asses to The Hub. The bicycle-themed neighborhood joint serves $3 Orange Appeals, J&J's, Cosmos, Kamikazes - vodka drinks - and Harmon pints every Wednesday.

4. Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub in downtown Tacoma will launch its new Wednesday night bingo game at 7:30 p.m. It's free to participate with prizes to be scored. If you like a little B-9 with your bangers and mash, then pull up a bar stool. Expect drink specials. Expect not as many blue hairs as your typical bingo game.

5. Dorky's Bar Arcade in Tacoma knows there are many who love live for Twilight's gleeful decapitations and fang-on-fang showdowns. That's why the downtown Tacoma bar + arcade will occassionaly focus its weekly trivia session - Trivia for Dorks - on the vampire melodrama. Held every Wednesday at 8 p.m., Trivia for Dorks is a free, all-ages affair with such prizes as gift certificates to Dorky's. Sure, prizes are nice, but even better is dropping your win at your next round table D & D discussion.

LINK: Wednesday, March 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FUNDRAISER GALA >>>

Star Chefs at the Broadway Center comes with a winning formula: one part delicious dinner, one part sweet dinner show, a dash of helping out an awesome cause in the community. There are some drinks involved, too. Oh, and people have hung from the ceiling. Woohoo!

Each year, Star Chefs strives to be the best dinner party in town - and wins. The area's best chefs prepare a mah-velous meal on which you sup whilst you watch acrobats, performers, perhaps a bit of burlesque. This year, the theme centers on the magical world of Oz. Break out your ruby red shoes. Don your emerald green finest. See if your flying monkey costume from college still fits.

"We're reinventing the event this year to add to the magic," says Jane Bell, development manager at Broadway Center. "With great food from local chefs and local bartenders, you'll follow the yellow brick road through themed lounges, silent auctions all leading up to the best dinner party in town! It's a great evening to spend among friends."

The event raises funds for one of the biggest arts education programs in the entire state - one that serves 35,000 students and staff each year. To support this monumental effort, this year's event introduces a brand spankin' new online auction. Bid from the comfort of your couch in three separate auctions: It's a Twista from Feb. 15-March 5, Surrender from March 6-24 and There's No Place Like Home from March 25-April 14. Auctions start off with about 40 items each and more gets added along the way. Items range from estate planning services to great local travel deals to restaurant gift certificates.

PANTAGES THEATER, STAR CHEFS "OVER THE RAINBOW," SUNDAY, APRIL 14, 4 P.M., $200, $700 VIP, 901 BROADWAY, TACOMA, 253.591.5894

LINK: Weekly Volcano has crashed Star Chefs

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20 2013 >>>

1. Don't even act like you're not going, Olympians. The Weekly Volcano is celebrating this week's third Best of Olympia issue by blowing the roof off the Capitol Theater, beginning at 6 p.m. No cover. Beer and wine in the balcony. Live music by DJ Joel, Mosquito Hawk and Science! TUSH! Burlesque troupe will grace the stage three times during the night. Thurston County's best and brightest. A killer raffle. The Best of Olympia issue in your hot little hands a day before it hits the street. And, best of all, your favorite local Volcano "celebrities," including the cool chick who bartends, the guy in the hip-hop band and that dude related to John Grisham. 

2. "Tacomapocalypse" is now in its third year, morphing just a tad with each incarnation. The first "Tacomapocalypse" focused on zombies and destruction. The second took a tongue-in-cheek look at the end of the world. "Tacomapocalypse III" in turn is centered on what has lived through the end of days and what that recovery might look like. So if you need a little boost getting over your end-of-the-world fretting from last year, think of "Tacomapocalypse" as a little bit of unconventional therapy. The show hangs at the Amocat Café.

3. The Tanked for Tortoises event tonight at the Parkway Tavern will raise money to help the Madagascar Biodiversity Project and the Radiated Tortoise Project. Every 50 cents spent on beer, cider and wine between 6 and 10 p.m. will go toward helping our friends the tortoises.

4. Dorky's Bar Arcade in downtown Tacoma hosts Trivis for Dorks every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Weekly Volcano scribe Nikki McCoy has the scoop here.

5. Play bingo with those not just killing time before the Grim Reaper calls their number. Every Wednesday at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier, bingo players are treated to a rather boisterous evening of number-calling. The music rocks, the prizes are craptastic and there's something very satisfying about yelling "It's not a tumor!" when B-9 is pulled from the hopper (Schwarzenegger anyone?). Sessions are free with $2 margaritas during bingo. Every Wednesday night is also Taco Night with $1 beef, $1 black bean and $2 chicken in soft or crunchy shells.

LINK: Wednesday, Feb. 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

AGAIN >>>

The Weekly Volcano can't count the number of times we have written stories about Bob's Java Jive - the Tacoma legend — needing help to stay alive. We have urged readers to save, honor, pay tribute to, support and celebrate the Jive — either by our pleading, on behalf of Dani Staatz, Bob's daughter, or by request from longtime supporters such as Girl Trouble and Dave Graham. We have even relayed the happenings of the Java Jive Appreciation Society.

Why?

We love the Java Jive. Tacoma loves Bob's Java Jive — although apparently not enough. The Weekly Volcano just fielded a call from Jive supporter Joe Thomas asking us to spread the word that the Jive is doomed unless it receives help installing a new heater and new beer compressor, both of which are sitting inside the South Tacoma Way tavern. Thomas is pleading to electricians to help install the units out of the kindness of their hearts. The Jive doesn't have any money.

If you want to help, call 253.535.1019 during the day, or 253.475.9843 at night. If you drop by with your tool belt tonight, you will enjoy karaoke with host Nikki Weatherhead.

DEPT. OF NICE! >>>

News arrived again at the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters. We believe we saw this press release two week ago, but it ended up on the wrong refrigerator. It's worthy news, so here you go. And the Tacoma Arts Commission pile of money goes to ... (rip!) ... 20 lucky Tacoma arts organizations.

The Tacoma Arts Commission recently awarded $50,000 in 2013 Arts Projects funding to 20 Tacoma organizations in support of public outreach projects in the fields of music, dance, theater, literary and visual arts. The awards ranged in value from $1,000 to $5,000.

"These arts and culture programs - initiated and delivered by local, grassroots organizations - demonstrate a broad and strong commitment to accessible, homegrown arts experiences," said Robin Echtle, chair of the Tacoma Arts Commission. "Many of the funded art projects exhibit uniquely 'Tacoma' sensibilities and reflect the distinct and diverse voices of our community."

Funded projects include the production of five diverse cultural and arts festivals, poetry readings and spoken word performances, contemporary and multidisciplinary dance events, a variety of music performances, two theatrical productions, visual art programs for families, urban art classes for youth, a sculptural seating element and a community-wide guerilla art project.

Funded organizations include 9th and 10th Horse Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers Museum, Asia Pacific Cultural Center, Black Student Union @ UW Tacoma, Children's Museum of Tacoma, DASH Center for the Arts, Elements of Education, Fab-5, Fort Nisqually Foundation, King's Bookstore, Local Life, Metropolitan Glass, Old Town Business and Professional Association, Puget Sound Poetry Connection, Ruston - Pt. Defiance Business District, Second City Chamber Series, Tacoma City Ballet, Tacoma Concert Band, Tacoma Little Theatre, the BareFoot Collective and the Washington State Historical Society.

The Arts Projects funding program supports high quality community projects with a strong focus on arts that are accessible and affordable to the public. Twenty-eight Arts Projects applications were submitted to the Tacoma Arts Commission with requests totaling $115,568.?? Arts Projects is one of three funding programs administered by the Tacoma Arts Commission. For a complete listing of funding programs and information about the Tacoma Arts Commission, visit tacomaculture.org.

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

As far as Sundays go, the next big one drops Feb. 24. Oscar day. The day all those little-golden-statue-grubbers have been losing sleep over. You want to watch, you know you do. But. You are cool. You are hip. You are in. And, in your crowd, you do not watch the Oscars. It is not done. But, oh, how you want to.

The Grand Cinema's Academy Awards Party will include a fundraiser element this year, raising funds to help the movie theater convert to digital and continue to bring first-run independent films to Tacoma. Your ticket helps keep The Grand alive, and you will get to alleviate your social conscience while maintaining your coolness, as well as enjoy tasty food, beer and wine, participate in a costume contest and win prizes for guessing winners.

We threw a couple questions at Grand Cinema's Market Director Zach Powers, a hip guy in his own right, regarding the upcoming Academy Awards Party & Fundraiser.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Anything new at this year's Oscars Party?

ZACH POWERS: Yes, there is an entire new VIP viewing area and buffet dinner provided by our friends at Maxwell's Restaurant. We are selling two types of tickets - general admission, which is basically everything the event has always included such as snacks, open seating in the theater and access to all the event activities - and VIP tickets, which grants event goers access to the second viewing area, the full dinner buffet and two complimentary drinks.

VOLCANO: Please say there's still dessert.

POWERS: hello cupcake and Corina Bakery will be there.

VOLCANO: Is the costume contest based on characters from this year's films?

POWERS: The costume contest is always film related, and mostly has to do with the past year's films, but sometimes the costumes can be film related - folks dressing up as iconic characters or film personalities.

VOLCANO: So, 60 percent of the total films nominated for Academy Awards were screened at The Grand this past year. Can you name them?

POWERS: Amour, Bests of the Southern Wild, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, The Sessions, The Master, Anna Karenina, 5 Broken Cameras, The Gate Keepers, The Invisible War, Searching for Sugar Man, Inocente, Kings Point, Mondays at Racine, ...

VOLCANO: You're going to name them all, aren't you?

POWERS: You asked. Open Heart, Redemption, Kon-Tiki, NO, A Royal Affair, Hitchcock, Chasing Ice, Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, ...

VOLCANO: You are reading this off a list.

POWERS: No, I memorized it. Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, Paperman, Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Dood Van Een Schaduw, Henry and Moonrise Kingdom.

VOLCANO: Nice work Zach. What film does the Grand staff think will win best picture?

POWERS: Thanks. That's a tough question. We root for films that screened at The Grand against the rest of the field. The two films that most are predicting to win are Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln - both of which are currently playing at The Grand.

THEATRE ON THE SQUARE, SUNDAY, FEB. 24, 5 P.M., DOORS AT 4 P.M., $30-$80 ADVANCE, 915 BROADWAY, TACOMA, 253.593.4474

FRIDAY, JAN. 31 2013 >>>

1. Since its introduction in 1894, the motorcycle has spawned a variety of cultures and uses. As basic transportation, as leisure activity or as a die-hard lifestyle, millions of people have a love affair with Choppers, Crotch Rockets, Thumpers and all things two-wheeled. The action-packed exhibit "Let's Ride! Motocycling The Northwest at the Washington State History Museum is a celebration of the region's never-waning motorcycle culture - will include interactive exhibits, videos and impressive displays of machines from 1906 to the 21st century. At 3 p.m. WSHM curator Remond Barrett will host a walk and talk of the exhibit.

2. "Tacomapocalypse" is now in its third year, morphing just a tad with each incarnation. The first "Tacomapocalypse" focused on zombies and destruction. The second took a tongue-in-cheek look at the end of the world. "Tacomapocalypse III" in turn is centered on what has lived through the end of days and what that recovery might look like. So if you need a little boost getting over your end-of-the-world fretting from last year, think of "Tacomapocalypse" as a little bit of unconventional therapy. The show opens at Amocat Café today with a reception from 5-9 p.m. and will remain up through the month.

3. Stonegate Pizza hosts Art On A Mission, a benefit for The Rescue Mission featuring professional art, silent auction, raffle and live music by John Leonard from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

4. Australian Circus Oz is kicking off its new North American tour at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater. Formed in 1978, Oz is a rock and roll, animal free circus of musicians, acrobats, contortionists and artsy clowns. However, because Oz doesn't have the financial backing of Cirque du Soleil, it only has a dozen or so performers doing all the acts. Whether you've been awaiting its show or have never heard of them before, read five reasons you should be Circus Oz's new biggest fan here.

5. DJs Broam, Bobby Galaxy and Mr. Melanin have created something that should be reviewed in a gourmet magazine: We swear to you, their Future Bass is so good you might want to eat it. The bass throbs. The sounds ebb. The crowd is hyped. The roof is definitely being raised. All under the hypnotic influence of the trio's tight grooves. Future Bass is back at The New Frontier Lounge at 10 p.m. with its night of electroclash, EDM, hip-hop, disco, exclusive remixes and throwbacks - as well as guest DJs Delicious Brown and Ninjamonik. It's smart. It's waaaay groovy. It's obviously the product of much thought and dedication – just where the future of bass should be headed. Tasty.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater TAcoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JAN. 27 2013 >>>

1. Willian Hellman's The Children's Hour is a long play, close to three hours, and its first hour is depressingly boring. Yet it's easy to see how its daring, few-holds-barred script was a Broadway sensation in 1934 - so much so, in fact, that New York state authorities were willing to forgo a ban on one of its key themes. Two headmistresses who own and operate a private boarding school are accused of having "unlawful sexual conduct," with, as you might expect, disastrous effects on their lives. The catch is they're accused by a student, Mary Tilford, known to have a shaky regard for the truth. There's every reason to believe Mary's lying, and her rich, influential grandmother overreacting, until another student, Rosalie Wells, corroborates her story. The Lakewood Playhouse stages the production at 2 p.m. Afterward, Alec and Gabi Clayton from PFLAG Olympia will host a post-play discussion. Read Christian Carvajal's review of The Children's Hour in the Weekly Volcano's Arts Section.

2. A large percentage of people get married at some point during their lives. Some people, like Newt Gingrich for instance, do it several times. Hopefully soon it will be legal for gay folks to marry too. The fact is, weddings are a big part of our existence. All the more reason to check out the sixth annual South Sound Wedding Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Centralia's Great Wolf Lodge. Expect everything from wedding gown and tuxedo models to dancing demonstrations. Pro Tip: If you're South Sound Wedding Show date ditches you for one of the Great Wolf water slides, he's probably not the one. 

3. Everyone likes a good joke and being in on the joke is certainly better than BEING the joke. Well, usually. Certainly, people that take themselves too seriously are a drag and theater people who take themselves too seriously are often insufferable. Thankfully, Tacoma Musical Playhouse not only likes a good joke, with their latest production - The Musical of Musicals, the Musical! by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart - they ARE the joke. TMP's cast embraces the self-deprecating lyrics and dialogue and camps it up for the audience. The production hits the stage at 2 p.m.

4. Best-selling author Darren Shan will read from and sign copies of his new book Zom-B Underground at 3 p.m. inside King's Books. After a zombie outbreak in the UK, B wakes up in a military complex with no memory of the last few months. B has to piece together the new world and find some allies. 

5. Traditions Cafe in Olympia hosts a benefit show for Out of the Woods Family Shelter featuring Back Porch Swing, appetizers, desserts and more at 7 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, Jan. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area