Sean Alexander is no stranger to the Weekly Volcano. Just a few weeks ago, for example, Heather Thomas Loepp profiled Alexander the artist, known for - among other things - his maniacally intricate sketches, the sadly defunct but modestly legendary Helm Gallery, and a fondness for conversational f-bombs.

This week Alexander is back, whether we fear it will come off as repetitive or not. As - quite literally - the lone Tacoma visionary behind the second Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, June 10-14 at the New Frontier Lounge and impromptu all-ages venue "the Squawk Box" - we had no choice but to track down Alexander once again. 

Believe me, we tried other approaches.

"Is there someone that'd be down for an interview about the festival? Preferably, someone involved, I suppose - or you could just throw me Joe the Plumber. That might be interesting too," I wrote a few weeks back to the mysterious Squeak and Squawk Facebook page. "We recently ran an interview with Sean Alexander, so it'd probably be best if the Squeak and Squawk interview setup wasn't a complete duplication."

The reply was simple and sweet, and completely devoid of capitalization - classic Alexander.

hey matt. unfortunately for both of us, this is a one man operation.

- sean alexander

Well, fuck.

So, what we have here is another interview with Alexander - whether you read the first one or not. It's OK, though, because Alexander is a man of many quotable thoughts, and as the main force behind this year's Squeak and Squawk, making its return to Tacoma after more than a year and a half, there's plenty to talk about.

Having spent countless hours crafting, creating, coaxing and coalescing this year's Squeak and Squawk festivities, not to mention ironing out lineups, promising bands paychecks, procuring venues, producing flyers, and talking to hacks like me at Mad Hat Tea Company, in the name of promotion, mere days before the festival kicks off - Sean Alexander has devoted his life as of late to ensuring Squeak and Squawk's success. With a festival lineup including Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Typhoon, Tiny Vipers, Grand Hallway, Reporter, People Under the Sun, Lake, Pwrfl Power, Trevor Dickson, Terrordactyls, Basemint, Oberhofer, The Pica Beats and more - it's not hard to see he has thrown his soul into the project.

Hence, with a slight look of exhaustion on his face, Alexander has plenty to say on the subject.

"Oh, man. It's fun," says Alexander when asked why on earth he's so dedicated his life as of late to making another Squeak and Squawk a reality. "It's fun to make shit happen.

"At the same time, this whole week I've been like, ‘Why the fuck am I doing this?' There's no pay. I owe all of these people money now. But somebody has to do it," Alexander continues. "Tacoma is awesome. I wish more people in the music scene would get involved.

"The whole idea is to bring in talent, showcase local talent, and create an event that's promoted well enough so people on the outside go, "Hey, there's an indie music scene here,'" says Alexander of Squeak and Squawk's purpose. "There are a lot of people (in Tacoma's music scene) that don't know how to promote. I've kind of found my niche doing that."

Despite the fact he'll almost surely walk away without a paycheck - and at the end of the Capitalist Day, will have very little of "monetary value" to show for his tireless efforts - Alexander, predictably, says it's not about that. Squeak and Squawk, as an idea and as a physical, four-day music festival, is about much more.

It's about Tacoma - specifically our sometimes lonely and directionless arts and music scenes.

"There's way too much insular stuff going on here. No one is ever going to be able to turn art and music into a career," says Alexander. "Some people, that's not what they want to do. But being an artist from around here it would be awesome to get better, and be able to make a living.

"It's difficult to get people to come here. It's hard," says Alexander. "When people come in we need to take care of him. If that becomes the norm, it could blow up."

For the record, by "blow up" Alexander means we could have the type of city where artists and musicians move to Tacoma, and can actually modestly support themselves doing what they love.

Squeak and Squawk is a step the right direction.

The unstated question posed by the festival is even more important: What are you going to do next?

Squeak and Squawk Music Festival

June 10-14
The New Frontier Lounge (301 E. 25th St.), Squawk Box (745 St. Helens Ave.), Tacoma,
more details at myspace.com/squeakandsquawkfestival