THE DINER BREAKFAST >>>

Hey Mikey!

These days, diners are scarce, and therefore, ill defined. We're talking about a place where you can eat at the counter and josh with the waitresses or watch the choreographed artistry of a short-order cook at work. Here are

Alfred's Cafe & Bubble Room: When you drop in for the weekend breakfasts, the triple-decker Monte Cristo with ham, turkey, Swiss and cheddar cheeses is a stack of sandwich devilry - grilled on all six sides like a cubic block and served with requisite raspberry jam. Pancakes are huge, bacon is peppered and everything else good diner fare. 402 Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253.627.5491

Harvester Restaurant: The six cushy stools bolted in front of the Harvester's counter doesn't receive much breakfast action, but the booths and tables in the main dining room do - although mainly on the weekends. The bell dings, interrupting the soft pop music overhead, and most likely one of the 15 omelets will be rushed to patron, who has already been offered 15 cups of coffee. Pete Pilkey's Pick omelets arrive at our table most often. We dig the hard cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese shell loaded with green and red peppers, onions and diced sausage. However, all your favorite traditional morning starts are represented. 29 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1193

Marcia's Silver Spoon Cafe: Tucked along the industrial warehouses, Marcia's Silver Spoon Café serves large platters of hot off the grill specialties such as hand rolled omelets, pancakes, patty melts, fish baskets and more. The country fried steak swims in gravy with two eggs, hash browns and toast - but mostly, it takes nearly two plates to hold up the goods. The omelets are equally large, and the ingredients inside are surprisingly fresh and crisp. The Denver omelet is one of the best we've tried.  Breakfast is served all day, except the pancakes as large as my head and the scrambles end at 11 a.m. on weekdays. 2601 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.472.0157

What is your favorite South Sound diner breakfast? We'll pop back on Spew with a few more of our favorite breakfast diners soon.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2010 >>>

1. Deanna Riley will teach Hula Hoop for dance, meditation and low-impact exercise at 6:30 p.m. inside the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative.

2. No one pisses more freely on the futility of existence than Samuel Beckett, embracing and mocking the confines of reality. The characters particularly of Endgame - hitting the Tacoma Little Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m. - are defined by their bleak worldviews and confined environments and yet can forget their plights instantaneously.

3. The Art Kitchen of Olympia presents an all-ages Open Mic Night at 8 p.m. The performances will feature the enthusiastic poetry of prize-winning poet Casey Fuller, as well as the distinctive and compelling music of guitarist Eleanor Murray.

4. Sixth Annual City of Destiny Faith and Film Series - entitled "Welcoming the Stranger" - explores themes of hospitality and community. The series begins with a screening of To Kill a Mockingbird with a reception and lecture by Whitworth Professor of film and literature Leonard Oakland at 5:30 pm inside The Grand Cinema.

5. Redneck, Algiers, Lavas Magmas, and Marlo Eggplant perform at 9 p.m. inside Le Voyeur Café and Lounge.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

TAP THIS >>>

"It's always the last place you look," people say about lost objects. Well, of course it is. As some comedian from decades ago (probably David Brenner) used to say, you wouldn't continue to search for something once you've found it.

Sheesh.

Anyway, the Tap into T-Town folks will make looking for hidden items fun Saturday, May 1 with a benefit scavenger hunt throughout downtown Tacoma. Afterward, you and your teammates (the hunting is done in groups of four) are invited back to the starting line at the Varsity Grill for a reception, and if you were very, very good at sniffing things out, an award might await.

Team pre-reistration sign up for the Tap into T-Town scavenger hunt is tomorrow, April 13 from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Varsity Grill. Every member of your four-person team must be 21 and older. The entry fee is $80 cash per team, which includes dinner and T-shirts.

Registration will remain open past the April 13 pre-registration party. Click here for more information.

The Tap into T-Town scavenger hunt benefits the Tacoma City Kids Marathon.

LINK: Tap into T-Town

LINK: Tacoma City Kids Marathon

SIX WEEKS OF SHOTS >>>

Bobble Tiki loves his Fisher-Price Crazy Daisy (the package says ages 3 and up, but that doesn't fool Bobble Tiki. He claims it's one of those toys that should not be wasted on kids). Bobble Tiki enjoys few things as much as springing through the water streams, laughing, while cranking the soundtrack to Beach Blanket Bingo.

The fact that Bobble Tiki loves the Crazy Daisy isn't the crazy part of this tale. The crazy part is Bobble Tiki pulls out the Crazy Daisy year-round. He hooks up his hose to the silly looking, giant plastic flower sprinkler. Then he opens the spigot and watches the daisy go, well, crazy - berserk - nuts - in the rain, snow, sleet and hail.

Originating from the Islands, Bobble Tiki hangs onto summer year-round. It's sad, really.

Unfortunately, the Weekly Volcano doesn't have photos of the spectacle to show you. They'd certainly be Kodak moments.

Which ... brings ... us ... to our Signs of Summer photo contest (you know we love the lengthy introductions).

In anticipation of the arrival of summer in the South Sound, the Weekly Volcano is holding a special competition for the wackiest outdoor summer photo snapped between now and May 24.

Here's what we're looking for: People walking around in shorts and T-shirts in freezing weather sunbathing in cloudy conditions year-round-shirtless guy - you get the picture.

Generally, we're searching for photographic evidence of the time-honored Northwest tradition of people pretending they're in the middle of summer ... when they're clearly not.

Submit your photos - as many as you like - for a chance to win one of three prize packages:

Grand Prize: Your shot will be included in the Best of Tacoma 2010 issue at the end of July! In addition, you'll get the Weekly Volcano gift basket*, including $50 at a great local restaurant.

Second Prize: The gift basket*, plus $25 at a local restaurant.

Third Prize: The gift basket* in all its glory.

We'll pick a winner a week during the six-week contest that will be eligible for the prizes. Keep an eye on Spew every Monday for said winner.

Uploading your photos to our Flickr site is pretty simple:

Sign up

Join our Group

Tag your photo(s) as Signs of Summer

Click "send to Group"

So whip out the camera (or the camera phone) and hit the town. Then submit your photos for a chance at Weekly Volcano immortality.

*The Weekly Volcano gift basket includes suntan lotion, Donna Summer CD, volleyball, glow-in-the-dark Frisbee and a pack of AA batteries.

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Live Nation just released the new that Roger Waters will hit the road with The Wall tucked under his arm. He will bring the show to the Tacoma Dome Dec. 11. Ticket prices haven't been announced, but they will go on sale May 10.

The full press release after the jump ...

Read more...

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 2010 >>>

1. White Ribbon - the 2010 Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film -  is an unsettling story set in a small, pre-World War I German village. Strange things are happening. Fear and suspicion spread as everyone tries to discover who is responsible. Featuring monochrome cinematography, the film was shot in color and the color was then removed. Roger Ebert calls the effect "visually masterful" and says "color would be fatal to [the film's] power." It will screen at 9 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

2. The State Capital Museum hosts historian Karen Johnson who will discuss the history of The West Shore at noon.

3. The Graphic Novel Book Club will discuss Me and the Devil Blues I: The Unreal Life of Robert Johnson by Akira Hiramoto at 7 p.m. inside the 1022 South lounge on Hilltop Tacoma.

4. Loose Gravel & The Quarry will fill The Swiss with blues at 8 p.m.

5. Jazz singer Greta Jane performs at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge.

LINK: Movie showtimes in the South Sound

DRISCOLL IS BACK ON THE RADIO >>>

For some strange reason, the student radio jocks at KUPS 90.1FM have invited Weekly Volcano editor Matt Driscoll in for their "Guest Hour" today - from 1-2 p.m. It'll be Driscoll's second appearance on "The Sound." Listen in as he talks Tacoma, local music and whatever else comes to mind - trying desperately not to embarass himself or his family in the process.

KUPS can be found at 90.1FM on the dial, or online here.

VINYL TRIBE REPRESENT >>>

People who consciously attempt to be cool are a turn off. Those who try to act cool to earn the money of other people should be dragged into Tollefson Plaza and forced to sit there. Those who make great music don't do it for us, but for themselves.

Art is a form of self-expression and brings self-satisfaction. This does not mean it cannot be admired. Presentation is one thing; creating a work of art is another entirely different consideration.

As soon as people are willing to pay money to witness artistic output, that product becomes a commodity. Honors go to those who work dreary 9-to-5s in order to support themselves and still find the energy within to create magnanimous odes to human existence.

Such is the case with Tacoma's new DJ collective Vinyl Tribe, three veteran DJs who are slowly building their collective with pile-driving techno and dubstep on the scene. While slaving away in the local clubs (OK, make that 9-to-5 a.m.), Damon Kaiser (DefCon1), Chris Savenetti and Garret Winebrenner (BennieNugs) met at house parties only to discover they live within a few blocks of each other. Witness their skills every Thursday at Sax Restaurant and Lounge on Sixth Avenue. They spin techno, dubstep and house under the title Tribal Thursdays, which begins at 9:30 p.m. What I have discovered chatting with the collective over the past two weeks is that they're cool without trying to be cool.

The men behind Vinyl Tribe are regular guys who are in love with music, the art of collecting vinyl, and the discovery of new music. They create the music for themselves, and then share the joy with others. Yes, they watch the crowd closely - monitoring the vibe and adjusting as necessary. That's what the great DJs do. However the three Vinyl tribe DJs spin for themselves, too. You can see it in their eyes and smiles behind the decks. It's passion not posing. And ultimately the crowd wins.

If you haven't heard DefCon1 spin yet, you may grab a taste today when he's the guest DJ on DJ Michael Sherman's "Intersections" show on enSonic.FM at 1 p.m. The show connects listeners with rising star DJs in the underground dance scene. DefCon1 will showcase his Western Technology set today on the show.

What follows is my conversation with DefCon1 concerning his "Intersections" appearance.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Tell me about Western Technology.

DEFCON1: Well, when I was initially putting together the DJ mix set of Western Tech I wanted to not just do a decent mix for Michael Sherman's "Intersections" show, I wanted to introduce what is an exploding new form of dance music, dubstep. Hence, I didn't want to just throw together some tracky set, where each new song is trying to top the other. Western Technology is more of a gradual up and down journey in feel - a condensed version of what an evening out at a party might be like. If you're familiar with dubstep, it's a treat to hear the songs not normally heard, and if you're new to it, it's a great introduction, I think.

VOLCANO: Sometimes there's a fine line between identifying a common set of sensibilities, which make up a genre. Do you follow a strict dubstep genre path?

DEFCON1: Not in the least. I love the mellower side with its spooky reggae or trip-hop harmonies, as well as the old school screaming acid lines in stuff from artists like Datsik. In fact it's the entire, "let's take a bit of this and that" mentality of dubstep that draws me and a lot of others into it. People are much more astute regarding dance music than when I began DJing and it shows in the progression of the music and what they want to hear. When you listen to Western Tech, it's an example of how I spin in song selection with this in mind. Now there are others that do just spin one type or the other, but I think that limits them creatively.

VOLCANO: What kind of music did you listening to growing up? What led you to the dark side?

DEFCON1: HA! I grew up listening to all kinds of music, my dad liked country and 1970s folk and mom liked metal, classic art rock - and Kraftwerk of all things. I would say that those pioneering German geniuses were my first introduction to electronic music. I mean, just like any kid I had periods where I only liked one thing - AC/DC and Metallica one month, Easy-E and NWA the next. Influentially though, what brought me into dance music and away from the traditional was darkwave like the Cure and Depeche Mode, followed by techno - and I mean fast, breakbeat, we-just-broke-into-this-warehouse rave music. It was just like now, an incredible new form of music bursting on the scene. I loved it. I had just hit my late teens/20s and went to every party I could go to, I couldn't get enough of the energy. Spinning naturally followed.

Catch Defcon1 on enSonic.FM today at 1 p.m., and every Thursday with his Vinyl Tribe collective mates at Sax on Sixth Avenue.

On Wednesday, April 21, DefCon1 and collective mate BennieNugs will spin as part of Black Ice Booking's "Return to Eden" show at Jazzbones, which will feature live hip-hop from Faraca. DefCon1 and I chatted up the show, which I will post the conversation on Spew later in the week.

Now bookmark enSonic.Fm and enjoy DefCon1's world.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE SPEAKEASY >>>

Before he becomes king, Prince Hal gives his dear old dad King Henry IV a few headaches. He drinks, throws down and hangs out with all manner of slatterns and washerwomen. He cavorts with Falstaff, a disreputable knight, while numerous parties plot against his father, the titular king. Eventually, he realizes the need to prove himself as heir to the throne, and the challenge to his father provides the perfect foil.

Watching Tacoma's Shakespeare in the Parking Lot troupe rehearse Henry IV Part 1, Act 4, Scenes 1 and 2 at the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative today, I wonder if the honor-crazy Hotspur (son and heir of the Earl of Northumberland and the nephew of the Earl of Worcester) might not steal the show. Prince Hal is the true focus and hero of the drama, which is considered Shakespeare's greatest history play, supposedly written in 1591 and 1592 along with Henry V and Henry VI. However watching the fiery female redhead perform the role of Hotspur, performing it as if it was opening night, the others, including Prince Hal, better step it up. She had her game face on, often screaming at her mistakes as if part of the play.

Shakespeare in the Parking Lot was rehearsing for their upcoming Shakespeare-a-thon to be held April 23-24 at the Speakeasy. More than 50 actors and Shakespeare enthusiasts will recreate the three King Henry and two King Richard plays in "Shakespeare Unplugged" staged readings and performances.

Here is the schedule:

Friday, April 23 (the first 12 hours - the first four plays)

6:30 p.m.: Richard II

8:30 p.m.: Henry IV Parts 1 and 2

11:00 p.m.: Henry V 

Saturday, April 24 (the final 12 hours - the final four plays

3 p.m.: Henry VI Parts 1, 2, and 3

8 p.m.: Richard III

Saturday, the staged reading of Henry VI at 3 p.m. and the final show of the series, Richard III, will both be presented for free. Otherwise, adult tickets are $10 for each play. All plays will be free for those 18 and younger.

A "meal ticket," which will include the three Friday evening shows and an Elizabethan inspired dinner, is $32 or $45 for two. Meal ticket reservations must be made before April 19.

Call 253.318.5182 for more information and tickets.

And keep your eye on that redhead.

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Blues: Today, directly following the Daffodil Parade, the Gray Sky Blues Music Festival will kick off at venues all over Tacoma, like the Swiss, Stonegate Pizza, Indochine, the Harmon Brewery, Paddy Coyne's and Cutter's Point Coffee. Performers include Sean Carney, the Blue Mongols, the Randy Oxford Band, Blues Redemption and a boatload more. Saturday, April 10, noon to midnight, cost varies by location, complete schedule here - Michael Swan

Party: This weekend, in typical Jive, DIY fashion, Bandolier, Motopony, The Painkillers, DJ Darrren Selector, Dave the bartender - and the Jive's extended, beer drinking family - will gather at the South Tacoma Way landmark to celebrate 55 official years of Bob's Java Jive. The event is intended to mark the anniversary of when Bob and Lylabell Radonich made the fateful decision to purchase the coffee pot shaped restaurant - originally constructed in 1927 - and turn it into a bar and music venue, creating a Tacoma legend along the way (as well as a few nicotine addicted chimps). It's a celebration, and without even saying it, it's also part of a community's - our community's - constant effort to "Save the Jive." Read the full story here. Saturday, April 10, 9 p.m., $5, Bob's Java Jive, 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843 - Matt Driscoll

Jam: If there's one thing Tim Reynolds (of the appropriately named Tim Reynolds Trio) can do it's jam on it. Dude is like best buds from way back with Dave Matthews, after all, which means he's no fan of the two and a half minute pop song. Nope, this guitarist is all about the improvisation. Playing Colombo, my guess is Reynolds smokes a little weed - but that's neither here nor there, and I'm not going on anything but his band, his hair, and his penchant for "jamming on it."  Perhaps that's stereotypical of me. Tonight, Reynolds will give fellow jammers and those just waiting for Dave Matthews' annual sandal-fest at the Gorge something to chew on when the Tim Reynolds Trio lights up Jazzbones. It'll probably smell like a skunk in there, but - again - that's probably stereotypical. Saturday, April 10, 9 p.m., $15, Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169 - MD