FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

If you've seen AKA and The Heart Hurt Goods perform, you've seen how much the band loves its art. You can see it in the band member's fist pumps and facial expressions; in their hip shakes and smiles and in the way they administer their music, be it through a microphone, keyboard, guitar or turn table.

Seven years in the making, Heart Hurt Good, the debut album from Olympia's AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods has 12 fresh songs featuring special guests Double B, Brad Bowman, Nicatine of Free Whiskey, Qstorm, Skyler Blake and Nathalie Elam. The album was produced by Smoke of Oldominion.

"I think of the album as a triumphant album," says Mark Bowen, or AKA. "I lost my mother and my grandfather a year apart from each other followed by cancer in the family and the burning down of my sister's house during the writing of this album - each event dramatically reshaping the album.

"It's like a tutorial on how to draw from the powers of love when shackled by personnel grief, sorrow and pain," he continues. "I hope it helps during the late nights when left to your thoughts. This album has acted as a teacher for me. ... I'm very proud of it."

Catch AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods before the band rakes its album on tour March 18, and get a little of that Oly hometown lovin'.

MCCOY'S CAVERN, W/FUNK AGENCY, SATURDAY, MARCH 16, $3, 9 P.M., 418 FOURTH AVE., OLYMPIA, 360.352.0696

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland and recently wrapping up a UK tour, the Golden Grrrls trio will play its air-tight set of indie pop punk laced with impeccable harmony March 20 at Le Voyeur in Olympia. (Check out why Le Voyeur is the perfect venue for the Golden Grrrls here.)

"What began as bedroom guitar experimentation soon bloomed into a fully-formed pop language inspired by the '80s New Zealand and Australian indie pop scenes, DIY punk and Glasgow's own rich pop history (think The Vaselines, The Pastels)," according to Grrrl's hype. "Drummer Eilidh Rodgers' inventive, loose-cannon drumming and lead vocals have framed Ruari MacLean's baritone from the beginning, with newest member Rachel Aggs (also of Trash Kit) bringing an effortless melodic sensibility on guitar and backing vocals."

A listen to the band confirms the sensation. Plus, who can resist a name like Golden Grrrls?  Blanch, Sophia, Rose and Dorothy were the OG's of riot grrrls. 

LE VOYEUR, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 7 P.M., ALL AGES, 404 FOURTH AVE. E., OLYMPIA, 360.943.5710

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

BRING ON THE ELUSIVE Q-WITHOUT-U WORDS >>>

When Words with Friends is not enough - never fear. When Deluxe Scrabble with your significant other loses its shine - don't you fret! The world of word games has much to offer you. Your wordy nerdiness is not at an end yet, young padawan.

Scrabble Rabble has come to King's Books. Whether you've never played Scrabble before or consider yourself armed and dangerous with a letter tile, you can join in, play a few rounds of Scrabble, and help raise funds for a good cause.

The event rises out of the ashes of a former event, Scrabble Rousers. Like Scrabble Rousers, raised funds still go to the Tacoma Community House. The group is now self-running, too.

The first fresh incarnation is at King's Books Wednesday, March 13, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The goal is to have two timed 45-minutes games once a month, with up to 20, two-person games running.

"We try to march people on the basis of self-identified ability, but we'll also be keeping a score based ladder, so that a 300 point a game player doesn't get matched with a 100 point a game player," says organizer Richard Lovering.

The cost to play has also gone down from $10 in the past to $5 now. If you can't afford the $5, they still might even let you in.

"We used to have theme nights - bad poetry night, pirates night, murder mystery night," says Lovering. "Now we're just playing Scrabble, but as things roll out, we may do more. We donate to TCH because we always have, but we are open to other charities. In our re-infancy, big profits have yet to happen. When they do, we'll figure out a way to give 'em away to a worthy cause."

For future game times, check out Scrabble Rabble on Facebook.

KING'S BOOKS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 6:30-9:30 P.M., $5,

ELLIOT SAWYER:  The former Scrabble Rouser offers a Scrabble tribute to Tacoma.

PHOTOS PHOTOS PHOTOS >>>

Friday night, I was privy to a personal tour of Shake Shake Shake, the 40-seat, retro-themed walk-up Tacoma Stadium District burger joint that owners Steve Naccarato and Robert Stocker as well as Chef Gordon Naccarato will soon(!) serve roadside diner style burgers, hot dogs, fries and local fruit shakes. Grabbing the apron strings of several restaurant industry folks, including Dirty Oscar's manager Jennifer Johnson, I poked around the joint with my camera, as well as sampled its burgers, fries, shakes and malts. Wow.

I'll let my camera do the talking.

SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE, 124 N. TACOMA AVE., TACOMA, 253.507.4060

LINK: More Shake Shake Shake photos in our Photo Hot Spot

FUTURE (PAST) THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Last weekend, after a long, grueling day of floor sanding, JoAnna Farr fell into a chair, lifted the remote as if it weighed 10 pounds and pressed on. The show Modern Marvels welcomed her home. The episode featured "The Marvel of Steam" stating "the largest steam explosion known to modern man was Mount St. Helens."

A smile erupted on Farr's face.

She sat up, threw her hand into the air knowing the next giant steam explosion is going to occur at Steampunk Vapory Lounge on St. Helens Avenue in downtown Tacoma.

Farr and business partners Jim Oliver and Natalie Durflinger will open the vaping/beer & wine lounge next month, if all goes well. The shop will sell electronic cigarettes and e-cig accessories, in addition to providing an environment for vaping e-cigs backed with local beer and wine.

An electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, does not contain tar or carcinogens that can harm the body like typical cigarettes, but does contain nicotine. The nicotine is turned from liquid to vapor by a lithium battery-operated heating element inside the e-cigarette. It is then inhaled and exhaled simply as water vapor. The nicotine is absorbed into the system and the exhaled water vapor does not leave lingering odors or anything in the air.

"E-cigarettes satisfy not only the nicotine crave, but the entire habit and addiction of smoking cigarettes," told me as I toured the shell of the future Steampunk Vapory Lounge. "Many long-time smokers use vaping to quit smoking."

Farr says their vaping juices are made locally - many of which are organic. They are working with several local juice creators, including, Banzai Vapors in Tacoma, which will introduce a steampunk juice flavor for the grand opening of the Steampunk Vapory Lounge.

The Steampunk Vapory Lounge is the brainchild of Oliver and Durflinger. Farr met the two at her former business venture, the SideBar Bistro.

"Their office was literally next door to the restaurant and they were also our best customers," explains Farr.  "Natalie's daughter even worked with me at the restaurant.  Jim, Natalie, and I had plenty of time to talk - as the SideBar was usually empty - and they had mentioned they were in the process of opening their own firm.  Fast-forward a year. ... The Bistro had closed, and Natalie called me out of the blue to offer me job in their thriving law firm - Durflinger, Oliver, and Associates, on St. Helens Avenue. We found that we really enjoyed working together and soon after I started, they asked me to be part of Steampunk Vapory Lounge. So once we found this great new space, right down the street from the firm, we went straight to work."

Farr explains the SideBar failed because of "a terrible location, tanking economy and outrageously high rent. It was a business owner's worst nightmare. It cost me my marriage. Needless to say, I was more than leery to ever open another business."

The cozy space will easily morph into the trio's Neo-Victorian antique theme. Expect ornate tin ceilings, rich dark hardwood floors and plush leather seating. The color scheme will vary from beiges to velvety maroons - all laced with black trim to match the amazing original staircase that curves up to the upstairs lounge. Dotting the walls will be unique signage and artwork.

Unbeknownst to the trio during planning phases, The Tea Works - a few doors down in the St. Helen's Ave. Mercantile - carries a steampunk theme. Tea Works will add a few elements to the Steampunk Vapory Lounge's interior, including assisting the trio with signage.

While local beer and wine contracts are in the initial phases, it looks as if Pacific Grill will cater SVL's food, making proposed vape meetings and wine tastings more desirable.

If you have been dreaming of vaping e-cigs and sipping a local brew in a post-apocalyptic, neo Victorian parlor, keep an eye on this blog for more details on the Steampunk Vapory Lounge's opening.

STEAMPUNK VAPORY LOUNGE, 759 ST. HELEN'S AVE., TACOMA

CHECKING IN WITH A SISTER >>>

For a month now, Tacoma's sister cities has been feeding the Mouse. And by feeding the Mouse we mean feeding the Blue Mouse Theatre with delicious foreign films and cultural programs. Each Thursday through April 4, the Sister Cities Film Festival highlight's one of Tacoma's sister cities with a program and film that matches the culture of a city that Tacoma calls a sister. Take this Thursday, Gunsan, South Korea has been Tacoma's sister since 1978 and had a curiously parallel course of development to Tacoma - Gunsan is a port city that boomed in the 1890s due to a rail link, and there is even an American Air Force Base in the vicinity. We're still checking to see if Gunsan has a weekly chalk competition in a park or if Guy Fieri has his Camaro towed down its streets.

Anyway, in honor of Gunsan, the film Secret Sunshine will screen at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 7 at the Mouse.

"The movie Secret Sunshine was chosen by the committee members," says Sister Cities coordinator Debbie Bingham. "They compiled a list of movies that their members had reviewed and which ones they were able to get access to show in the U.S. and Secret Sunshine won."

Directed by Lee Chang-dong, the 2007 film garnered some strong attention around its release date. Lead actress Jeon Do-yeon scored best actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her role as troubled Shin-Ae, who is recovering from the death of her husband only to have another major tragedy jump into her path.

Get to the Blue Mouse at 6 p.m. and enjoy the full cultural program, which includes live classical Korean music and introductions by officials from the Korean Consul General's office and City of Tacoma's mayor's office.

BLUE MOUSE THEATRE, THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 6 P.M., $10, NORTH 26TH AND NORTH PROCTOR, TACOMA, 253.752.9500

FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, RUN BOYS RUN >>>

Bruce Molsky plays a mean fiddle. In one YouTube video, he sawed the hair right off his bow!

Speaking of shredding, he tears up a banjo and guitar with the same vigor. And when he throws his voice in the mix, the combination is a complete expression of old-time music.

Solo, or with other musicians, his music is simple, effective and at times haunting. A blurb on his record label website, Compass Records - where Molsky has six albums under his belt - reads, "Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades - synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his."

If It Ain't Here When I Get Back, his latest album, drops March 5. Enjoy this world-touring master of old-time Appalachian Sunday, March 10 at Traditions Cafe in Olympia. 

TRADITIONS CAFE, SUNDAY, MARCH 10, 7 P.M., $12-$18, 300 FIFTH AVE. SW, OLYMPIA, 360.705.2819

THERE ISN'T REST ON SUNDAY >>>

Last weekend was crazy. There were three shows to choose from every night of the weekend. This weekend is a little bit mellower. I'm thankful. I could use the rest. There really is not that much to do concerning 253 hip-hop on Friday and Saturday. You will have to find yo kicks elsewhere. The fun actually starts on Sunday night.

If ya want to go out Sunday and have some fun, then hit the California Club at 56th and Portland Ave. in Tacoma. Starting this Sunday and then every first Sunday of every month after, Power Moves Ent and SlapBoy Ent will throw benefit shows. All the proceeds from these shows will toward buying school supplies and gift cards to clothing stores for young students. You can donate money at the door or actually bring school supplies and/or clothing store gift cards to the show.

This is an awesome idea. I congratulate P.M.E. & SlapBoy for making a true effort to help young people in the community. That's umoja!

If ya want to stay home Sunday but still experience some of the best Tacoma hip-hop, then tune into KEXP 90.3 FM - or stream it live at www.kexp.org - at 8 p.m. to listen to a live on-air performance from Bruce Leroy. Bruce is fresh off a dope performance at The Breaklites show in Seattle. His album is still getting props. I have spent many a car ride listening to track 1 "Leroy" on repeat - man that beat goes. Props to 1^st Born! All we need is a fresh video from Mr. Leroy and our lives would be complete.

Also on Sunday, as always, the Graffiti Garage Sunday Cyphers fires up at 1 p.m.

Peace family, see ya'll out there!

LINK: Josh Rizeberg's What's The Word? column featuring Starr

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Thea's Landing condo building towers over the Thea Foss Waterway, providing residents with a glorious view of Mount Rainier, Commencement Bay, Museum of Glass and sunbathers on yachts. Residing on the lower half of Thea's Landing facing the water is The Social Bar and Grill. Owners Jason Bailey, Philip Panagos and Chef Rodel Borromeo - all part of the team that opened the Matador - serve flavorful and eclectic dishes from Spain, the Mediterranean, South America and Asia, all with a touch of heat.

Team Social wants to be more social, so it's grabbing the space once occupied by the Dock Street Sandwich Company and transforming it into Paesan Kitchen & Bar, with an opening date sometime in May.

A fire has been at the center of human social life from the beginning, and an enclosed hearth gives any restaurant a welcoming feeling. Upon entry into Paesan's refined rustic interior diners will come face-to-face with a wood-burning oven. But this oven won't be for decor or ambience. It will be a workhorse, central to the cooking of Chef Borromeo's housemade pizzas focusing on unique and tasteful flavor profiles - think oxtail or lamb, chicken pesto and different fruits.

The kitchen will not only be visible to diners but open enough to really increase the dining experience and broaden the back of the house to front of the house bond and interaction. In the tradition of The Social Bar and Grill, Chef Borromeo's flavor profiles will pair with crafted cocktails.

Panagos says Paesan will be family friendly but will include a small bar featuring four beers on tap, several Italian wines and Campari or Galliano tinged cocktails. During the summer months, Paesan's will dot its patio space with same outdoor fire tables that reside on the other side of the building.

Paesan intends to open as early as 6 a.m. offering residents and commuters espresso and morning drinks - a service in large demand from Thea's Landing residents. Though nothing is set in stone, the morning plans may also include housemade pastries or collaboration with a local bakery.

I know where I'll be landing this summer. 

PAESAN KITCHEN & BAR, 1701 DOCK ST., TACOMA

GREENER PASTURES >>>

The doctor is in. If you've been grappling with making your lifestyle choices greener, the presenters and exhibitors at the fifth annual South Sound Sustainability Expo have the answers you've been seeking. Around 70 vendors and resources are included in the cost of admission, which is FREE written in big, green letters.

According to hype, the South Sound Sustainability Expo is "intended to provide residents and business owners in the greater Tacoma metropolitan area a place to discover services, products, companies, and agencies in our region that address sustainability needs in our community." As part of that goal, instruction and information on everything from urban chicken cooping to waste minimization and recycling will be discussed.

New this year is a mini farmer's market with about eight vendors selling everything from dried beans to organic ice cream; an art exhibit by local elementary schoolers in the Arts EnviroChallenger program made from refuse; and an interpretive dance by SOTA students titled What the Frack? The piece is a social commentary on fracking and has original music composed by Tacoma jazz saxophonist Kareem Kandi.

The sections of the dance interpret the environment moving from healthy to a state of digging madly for oil and then back to nature.

"Movement is abstracted from societies' multiple perspectives regarding this topic, from the oil companies to the landowners to the environmentalists. The final section of What the Frack? takes us back to nature. It is intimate and personal, yet it is also now broken. This piece leaves the audience to wonder."

You can also use this event to up the ante on your green know-how. The Expo runs (cleanly) from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. During this time, there will be five free workshops spread throughout the day, including how to design a sustainable landscape, solar power, and spring gardening wisdom.

To cap it all off, there is also a raffle - the raffle to end all environmentally centered raffles! Prizes are from a long list of local companies and businesses, from Northwest Natural Lighting to University of Puget Sound to Rain Dog Designs.

TACOMA CONVENTION AND TRADE CENTER, 10 A.M. TO 3 P.M., FREE, 1500 BROADWAY, TACOMA, SOUTHSOUNDSUSTAINABILITYEXPO.ORG