Every once in a while an idea pops up that seems like such a no-brainer that you wonder why you never thought of it before, like putting French fries inside your bacon double cheese burger to save time on your lunch break, or offsetting the calories of the cherry covered cheesecake by ordering a diet soda. Such is the case with Swissapalooza, a showcase featuring four bands at the Swiss in Tacoma.

The Swiss, with its music-friendly ownership, is the perfect breeding ground for young talent and makes an ideal day job for musicians. What better environment could there be for them to hob-nob with their target demographic? So it’s actually not surprising at all that four local bands each have members who are gainfully attached to the Swiss.

Basically, paraphrasing what Jason Freet of the Drug Purse said, Swissapalooza is a night of music groups who contain employees, ex-employees and patrons who are so ever-present that they are often mistaken for employees. Joshua Vega of Paris Spleen, Kyle Brunette and Vega of the Drug Purse, Shaun Stokes of Dos Vulturos and Nathan Kirby of Melenzi are all on the Swiss payroll. It’s like the Paris Spleen MySpace page says, “It’s a family affair of sorts, good wholesome fun.”

For more info, visit www.myspace.com/parisspleen and www.myspace.com/ thedrugpurse. — Angela Jossy



[The Swiss, Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m., $3, 1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821]