Focus
Soldiers from Battle Company, Second Platoon of the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), 2nd Infantry Division from Joint Base Lewis-McChord will always remember March 14, 2007. March 14 was the day Cpl. Brian "Chevy" Chevalier was killed by a roadside bomb. The day the Soldiers
Scene It
I don't like to gamble. Card tables, slot machines, the lottery; I do my best to stay away. As much as I love the thrill of winning, I hate the overall despair of betting away money. But I'm only human. So every time I step into a casino I blow 50
Guides
Going green is good. Compostable chip bags, solar powered buses, wind powered electricity plants. Most everyone will agree we should save our mother Gaia's resources and cut back on our carbon footprint. But going green isn't always easy. It can be a complicated, messy process. And as many from The Evergreen
Hip-Toss
On April 2, the Tacoma Rainiers hosted a preseason party at Cheney Stadium. The party gave Rainier's fans, interested Tacomans and those craving free hot dogs a chance to view the ballpark's recent renovations. The party could've been called a house re-warming party. Because while Cheney Stadium has housed baseball teams
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I'm in no mood. No mood for Graham, no mood for rockaraoke and no mood for (gasp!) beer. I'm in no mood to visit a bar and write a review. Instead of surveying R & R Live, I'd rather be in bed. When I arrive at the R & R's weekly
We Recommend
Months and months of rain. Bad traffic. A high suicide rate. The not-so-subtle odor of pulp hanging in the air. With all of this, is it much of a surprise that Tacoma spawns some damn fine blues? "Some of the best blues artists in the country come from the Pacific
Music
Months and months of rain. Bad traffic. A high suicide rate. The not-so-subtle odor of pulp hanging in the air. With all of this, is it much of a surprise that Tacoma spawns some damn fine blues? "Some of the best blues artists in the country come from the Pacific Northwest," says
Scene It
The first thing I notice when walking into the nightclub at El Tenampa Mexican Restaurant is that everyone speaks Spanish. Everyone. The guy checking IDs at the door, the lady taking my entrance fee, the bartender, the band. Each time I talk to someone, I'm forced to utter one of
Archives
After months of driving rain, chilly wind and unpredictable weather, the first full week of April can be a great time to take a relaxing stroll around the Capitol Rotunda in Olympia. This year, however, you might want to reschedule your peaceful springtime walk. Labor and social justice organizations like Washington
Scene It
I'm not one to believe rumors. And even though I've heard plenty of rumors about The Royal Lounge, I've always sloughed them aside. People say the bocce ball courts have disappeared, the music has changed and the weekend nights are stacked with ditzs and D-bags. But I hold up my
Music
After 32 years in business, Sluggo Music is closing its doors. By the end of the month every gold cymbal, every wood-grained guitar and every last guitar pick will be sold off. The iconic Sluggo sign on the front of the building will disappear. Upstart musicians will lose their Sixth
Focus
Speakers at the Bridges to Healing training seminar on Feb. 25 and 26 wanted to make it clear that, with training, anyone can help Soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But no one human, they claim, can heal a PTSD sufferer: Healing must come from above. "God is the
Scene It
Tonight, I have a hankering for a barn burner. A saucy humdinger. A real part-y. Because I didn't shine my dancing shoes for nothing. I'm scheduled to check out The Matador, but I quickly learn it's more of a dinner spot than a real meat market (wood-grained tequila bar aside). Undiscouraged,
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In my many months reviewing meat markets, I've only seen two cover bands: KRY at The Swiss and Stir Crazy at the Emerald Queen Casino. Both bands tore it up. The crowd, the bar, the music, everything. Stir Crazy especially. A babe lead singer.
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When editor extraordinaire Matt Driscoll suggests I check out the Nightgowns SXSW sendoff show for this week's column, I happily agree. See, Matt promises me a meat market of epic proportions, saying, "just about every hipster in Tacoma should be there." Every hipster in Tacoma, you say? Finally, a place
Scene It
The following is a true story. Cross my heart, hope to die. My first time visiting Tumwater's South Pacific, I was approached by an older woman. She was petite, blonde and pretty. She grabbed my waist while I was shaking my stuff on the dance floor. "I'm 48 years old," she
Scene It
"This is the place to come to and get drunk when you're 21 and trying to get laid," says an attractive middle-aged woman waiting next to me at the bar. Yahtzee! Right when I think Tacoma's running out of proper meat markets, this is the first thing I overhear at Masa
Guides
The Brown Edition doesn't play the dirty, crunchy style of garage rock or the bedroom indie jams that helped launch Olympia onto the musical map. In fact, their unique brand of jazz/funk can be difficult to find in any town. Self-described as "all the soul, funk and jazz your ass
Scene It
Since starting this column, I've been careful to pay attention whenever I overhear the phrase "meat market." Like, when I heard a skinny brunette say, "The Swiss was fun. It was a total meat market." Or, "The Royal can be cool, but it's the biggest meat market in town." When
Music
It was Friday night at a crowded club. I was taking refuge near the back, sipping water out of a small plastic cup. All around me happy partyers fought for position at the bar, flirted with members of the opposite sex and dripped sweat on the dance floor. Occasionally I'd
