The Muse, an all-ages venue in Tacoma’s Sixth Avenue District, hosts a lineup of talent from bluegrass musicians to poets to acoustic indie and rock performers.  There’s a minimal cover charge and two free open mic nights a week.  Bandito Betty and I stopped in for a freshly made (delicious) sandwich and were somehow able to coax The Muse’s CEO, Tricia Berglund, into a conversation.  She was very cool and handled our badgering with nothing but style and grace. Then she fed us, so that was cool too.

STEPH DEROSA: You’ve been open one month?

TRICIA BERGLUND: Yep, November 23 was our one-month anniversary.  To celebrate we had Billy Farmer come in and do a 25-minute version of Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant.

DEROSA: Oh, freakin’ NICE. I bet that was awesome. So who’s this Joseph McMillan guy you work with? 

BERGLUND: We are partners in both business and life. In one week we’ll have been together three years.

DEROSA: So you had a good one-month anniversary here at The Muse. What kind of anniversary celebration can you expect on your three-year from Joseph?

JOSEPH MCMILLIAN (yells from kitchen): I thought this was a business interview!

DEROSA: I’m ignoring him. You should do the same. So what song would you request for your three-year anniversary?

BERGLUND: “Crystal Ship” by The Doors.

MCMILLIAN: “Just One Kiss” by Violent Femmes.

DEROSA: Damn, “Just One Kiss”? That’s rough. I’m sorry, Tricia.

MCMILLIAN: It has meaning. Goes back to a show we saw together in high school with Tool and Violent Femmes at Rockstock ’94.

DEROSA: So there’s no drama behind it? LAME. There’s gotta be some drama here, especially on Sixth Avenue.

BERGLUND: Well, during our election night party we had a couple of guys moon us through the front window.

DEROSA: There you go! Asses! Were they hot?

BERGLUND: I don’t think so.

DEROSA: Hairy?

BERGLUND: No.

DEROSA: Did they have zits?

BERGLUND: No, they were clean.

DEROSA: Would you be able to tell if they were zits, I mean, ’cause I have this one bump on my ass and I can’t quite tell …

MCMILLIAN: All right, Steph — that’s enough! 

BERGLUND: Yeah, I probably wouldn’t take your pants off in public anymore if I were you.

BANDITO BETTY: Seriously, Steph. They serve food here. Health code, remember?

DEROSA: Joseph’s the one making the sandwiches, not me.

MCMILLIAN: And I’m thankful for that fact every minute we’re open.
 
[The Muse Music Café, 2509 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.3934]