Music
Ah, Daniel Blue. Where have you gone? How is a Tacoma-based alt-press paper's website supposed to achieve previously unfathomable hits and venom without your self-created name to drop? The answer to one of these questions is simple and straightforward. Blue is living in Seattle, Capitol Hill to be exact, and his
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE First and foremost, it's good to be back. As you may have noticed (surely only while thumbing through this silly rag for the kick ass crossword), Cup Check has taken the last two weeks off. Sadly, I wasn't vacationing in Hawaii or sipping Mai Tais poolside in Cancun -
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Jesus. Am I getting old or what? It seems like only yesterday I was writing a Better Living blurb on Guttermouth's return to Hell's Kitchen - the iconic Orange County punks swinging through Tacoma, proving their punk prowess, rocking grayer but as ferverently as ever. I think
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In a Friday full of musical options, it's going to be hard for Tacoma to deny one very worthy cause strapping up tight for a good time at Hell's Kitchen. As part of a fundraiser for the beloved roller derby force known as the Dockyard Derby Dames (who, by no
Cup Check
Yay! Super Bowl Big Game edition! STRIKE ONE Sorry. I got a little carried away there and almost slipped. As you've probably noticed - on TV, radio, even online - it's that time of year again; the "Big Game" is around the corner, and the NFL and its many, many lawyers are
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FALL FROM GRACE Saturday, Jan. 29 Fall From Grace is a band that's seen more than most. Even before emerging from the Seattle area music scene - kicking, screaming, thrashing and hand-clapping with the best of them - each member had already overcome odds and dealt with experiences that might have buried
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE First, an admission: This week's column will be entirely dedicated to football. This Super Bowl is in the air ... I lost $20 in one of those stupid betting boards last weekend. There's just no denying it. Football is America's Game, and Cup Check is going to indulge in
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We've seen plenty of one-man bands in our day. Great ones like Phillip Roebuck come to mind. And plenty of not-so-great ones also come to mind. But when it comes to wow factor mixed with groove, few have the skills that Aaron Daniel has. Building intricate jams with beatbox and
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE As the saying goes, timing REALLY IS everything. Just ask former University of Nebraska basketball player Christian Standhardinger. The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a late-night Nebraska tryst has cost the 21-year-old the chance to transfer to La Salle University. According to reports, Standhardinger (you'll see the irony of his name
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The Volcano has sung the praises of Roman Holiday plenty of times before. With a local brand of seemingly arena-ready pop rock, the band - led by longtime friends Shane Lance (lead vocals, guitar) and Emerson Shotwell (drums) - has been rocking hard and looking good doing it in these
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has made plenty of mistakes in life. He hired Jim Zorn as a head coach, you'll remember, and that's just the tip of the poor-decision iceberg. Earlier this week Snyder spoke to a summit of Washington, D.C.-area sports team owners, and admitted that he hasn't
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There's something about a true troubadour - a road-tattered, singer-songwriter that's so basic it almost seems like a necessity. Originally from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and complete with the country, rhythm and blues and indie-acoustic leanings you'd expect, Zael Zura is just such a performer. And we're not the only ones
Cup Check
To celebrate the dawning of 2011 here at Cup Check, and because fresh ideas are hard to come up with all the time, I've decided to dedicate this week's column to a far less than comprehensive list of 2010's dumbest jocks. These are the sports figures that made last year
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE Deadspin.com - the sports worlds' leader in penis-related breaking news and everything else bizarre or downright absurd - uncovered and posted videos this week that appear to show Jets coach Rex Ryan's wife, Michelle, in what at first glance would seem to be a compromising position ... that is
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By the time Christmas night rolls around, we'll all be looking for something to do that doesn't involve sitting around Aunt Maureen and Grandpa Fred. Those two are insufferable. Luckily, the Top of Tacoma Bar and Café (3529 McKinley Ave.) has you covered - as you should have come to expect.
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On Tacoma singer and songwriter Deborah Page's impressive website, after clicking on a fire-engulfed guitar, you're taken to a page where quotes from reviewers scroll across the top of the screen. Naturally, the chosen quotes are positive, all (rightfully) coloring Page and the five-piece band that bares her name as
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STRIKE ONE To the best of anyone's knowledge, the Philadelphia Eagles' Michael Vick hasn't been involved with the killing of a dog in some time. This is good news for the quarterback, of course, and also good news for the NFL - as it damn well knows. Vick currently leads all
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It's not every day that you get a show from Ben and Dave Verellen's band Roy. In fact, as Tacoma music fans know all too well, it hasn't happened in three years. A veteran of notable recent-rock stalwarts like Helms Alee, These Arms are Snakes and Harkonen, Ben Verellen makes
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Kenseth Thibideau's name may sound familiar from the Pinback and Three Mile Pilot portions of his resume, or it may not, but whether you've heard of the dude doesn't necessarily matter - he'll be in Olympia at Northern this week, so it'd be wise to familiarize yourself. Utilizing minimalist tendencies,
Cup Check
STRIKE ONE It's the Major League Baseball off-season, meaning the "hot stoves" are heating up, and the Yankees are frantically throwing money at big-name free agents. While talk of where ace-pitcher Cliff Lee will end up next year has dominated most discussions, other - less crucial - tinkering is taking place
