Music
Funny thing happened along the way. Thanks to the evolution of popular music, a whole generation of current rockers became dated faster than at any previous point in history. These days, if it doesn't include a Pitbull sample, a Casio keyboard line or even the remote chance of "going viral,"
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The Black Swans, in Olympia next Thursday for a show at Olympia's Guest House, is not the type of band that lifts you up with bouncy, hopeful energy. The Black Swans don't dabble in sunshine pop or carefree smiles without caveats. What the Black Swans do deal in - led
Cup Check
Last week's column was probably the second most popular Cup Check of all time. And if you consider that the most popular Cup Check of all time, dedicated to ESPN college football analyst turned US Senate candidate Craig James not killing five hookers, will never be touched - having shattered Weekly
Cup Check
As hard as it may be to believe, I'm going to avoid the compulsion to dedicate yet another column to Tim Tebow. There's literally nothing left to say on the matter. I'm out. I'll let everyone else take it from here. I am, however, going to focus on being a Denver
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I've raved about Aaron Daniel before. I've trumpeted his skill and uber-unique style. I've urged one and all to see the mastery of Daniel and his "One Man Banned" live and in person. Friday at Olympia's Royal Lounge, you'll get another chance to do just that - and those searching
Music
Good things come to those who wait. Or, in Girl Trouble's case, good news has come to those who waited - specifically news that the lawsuit hanging over the band's head in Ohio for almost two years has officially been dismissed. Judge Joan Synenberg ruled Nov. 22 to toss a lawsuit
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The Volcano has sung the praises of Roman Holiday many times before (as recently as last September, in fact, when the band released its second full-length, Move Your Heart/Shake Your Bones). With a localized brand of seemingly arena-ready pop rock, the band - led by longtime friends Shane Lance (lead
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Olympia's Christian Mistress, purveyors of old school metal of the purest and most potent kind, will release their sophomore LP, Possession, on Relapse Records Feb. 28. Expect it to be scorching, and like a literal flashback to the glorious 1980s. Anchored by the darkly feminine vocals of Christine Davis, Christian
Ragnet
In every issue of this fine rag my hack team of wannabe journalists and I tackle some of the most laughable criminal acts that have recently happened in our area. Then - if we're doing our job - we write about those crimes in a way that makes you chuckle,
Cup Check
We're smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season. Which for most Americans, of course, is just a less confrontational way of saying Christmastime. And believe me, the last thing I want to inspire is confrontation - at least as it relates to national holidays and the sanctioned distribution of candy canes. That's
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Networking is important. These days, you can't really get anywhere without rubbing a few elbows and kissing a few babies. The powers behind the Northwest Convergence Zone podcast and NWCZ Radio know this - and in an attempt to lift our entire scene up created the annual Tacoma Musicians and
Cup Check
ESPN analyst Craig James may not have killed five hookers while playing for SMU in the early '80s, but it appears the much-despised commentator is running for US Senate. No, seriously. It was reported Tuesday by Dallas Morning News political reporter Gromer M. Jeffers that James - who starred as a running
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Christmas in Tacoma is synonymous with a number of things. Half-racks of Pabst adorned with bows. Eternal darkness. Mediocre gift exchanges. Heavy drinking. Loneliness. Depression. They all have their place on the Tacoma holiday mantel. Luckily, T-Town also has the annual (or somewhat annual) Girl Trouble Countdown to Christmas show,
Cup Check
It's come down to this. After 13 weeks of almost wholly trivial, borderline sad, make-believe competition, most fantasy football leagues are either starting their playoffs this week or in the final week of regular season competition. This means the fantasies of grown men (and women) everywhere, fantasies they've devoted precious time
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Why does The Jet City Fix still do a show every once in a while at Hell's Kitchen? Because Tacoma fucking loves The Jet City Fix, that's why. Perhaps it's because the band takes the town back to a simpler time - the early Bush years - when living was
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According to the hype, on Saturday night "The Space is going to be filled with so much fun and excitement you will be unable to contain it. You might even dance!" How's that for a promise? And there's good reason to believe it, with a bill that includes local favorites
Cup Check
Not that you noticed, but I was on vacation last week. There was turkey. There was stuffing. There was cranberry sauce. But there was no Cup Check. I'm assuming you survived. The good news is (at least for fans of lowbrow sports-related pandering), I'm back this week and so is the
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It was mid-summer when Legend of Bigfoot returned from dormancy, and - quite simply - Tacoma's scene has been a whole lot more rockin' since. The rarest of bands - able to entertain hipsters and metal-heads alike - the LOB is on the move, playing a show this Saturday at
Cup Check
Though you may not have felt it - Perhaps you have better things to do Sunday morning? - the news rumbled across the fantasy football landscape like a last-minute bombshell. Eagles' wide receiver DeSean Jackson had been benched by coach Andy Reid, according to reports, a penalty assessed because Jackson missed
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First it was Mickey Avalon. This week, Jazzbones welcomes "rapper" Dirt Nasty to Tacoma, founder of the Dyslexic Speedreaders (of which Avalon and Andre Legacy were also a part of), and - more importantly - Simon fucking Rex from former MTV fame. That's right. Dirt Nasty is Simon Rex, and
