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In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems Melanie Owen and Joseph Barton must spread their talents across various musical projects in order to stay alive. Owen travels between Denver and Seattle with her band, The Groovetramps, fronts Cedar Avenue Blues Band in Denver
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Christmas in Las Vegas. It has a nice ring to it - the most unholy city in the world on the holiest holiday. What's a Vegas kinda Xmas all about? There will be a long line for $1.59 pork sandwiches. I'm sure you could expect ringing jackpots and clanking coins
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The holidays bring out the best in most. Of course, one must look beyond the wretched behavior of friends, family and those who feel entitled - at least from time to time. And when the going gets rough, with regards to coping, there is always booze, the great equalizer, the
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Ho, ho, hold up - where's your ugly holiday sweater? Don't show up to Tacoma Runners Ugly Sweater Run without one, because some sort of ugliness - be it a deck-the-halls display or a simple Santa face - is mandatory. The event will kick off with a 6:30 p.m. check-in
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The genius of David Sedaris' essays lies not in his unrelenting mockery of all who surround him, but in the underlying fact that it is he, not they, to whom fate has been most cruel. Yes, all the people involved with Macy's annual Santaland extravaganza may be insane, selfish or
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Generally, music intended for children is perky, chipmunk-y, condescending, cloying and unlistenable for anyone old enough to cut his or her own meat. Most kids' music seems designed to tell ham-handed moral lessons about sharing, being polite, and buying as much Disney-produced plastic material as possible. Enter Kim Archer (cue:
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Dan Navarro, whose songs have been covered by Pat Benatar ("We Belong"), Dionne Warwick, Dave Edmunds, the Bangles and a host of others, was one-half of the very successful songwriting/performing team of Lowen and Navarro for 29 years, although as far as performances go he's had to go it alone
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Washington state has a pedigree of comic-book artists to make any bullpen on any coast nervous. And it's certainly more than enough to justify the geek-chic culture. Comic book artist/writer Jim Woodring, who resides in Seattle, has made a name in the comic book world. He has penned the surreal
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Rose Peterson is a walking, talking library of Tacoma lore, Northwest music scene and South Sound restaurant history. A veteran of many of Tacoma's finest and most historic bars, she's also a constant presence in front of and behind the bar at 1022 South J cocktail lounge and eatery. I
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Antje Duvekot silky voice wraps around her songs like a nice hemp sandal. One song breaks out and tackles grittier social matters with razor sharp insights. The next song, her pitch perfect, sweet, delicate and poignant soprano voice waxes personal. Then, she'll sing a dark-eyed ballad about what becomes of
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If you enjoy claustrophobic crowds, sweaty people and hard rock, don't miss this show. Swelter, a Tacoma band formed around 1990, will reunite to rock The New Frontier Lounge Friday. The quartet began as Swelter Cacklebush, a heavy pop band formed by singer Micah Hembree, bassist Chad Baker, drummer Stuart
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(This event has been postponed) There's theater and then there's theater. There are the high school productions and then there's the theater. Sort of like the difference between movies and films. It either isn't or it is. Everything Everything Everything by Wesley K. Andrews and ilvs strauss probably falls into the
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Remember that time in high school when your parents went away? You know, plot line of every teenage movie ever made - except this time, you blew up the house. Standing in the ashes as your parents roll up, what do you do? Say it with us now - iiiiiimprovise.
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Monday is typically a black hole for nightlife. Sure, if you run a sports bar, you'll do well during football season, but for most eating and drinking establishments, it's just dead, dead, dead. The folks at The Swiss seem to have found a solution and, oddly enough, it's one that
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A cursory look at the Tacoma reggae quartet The Approach's debut record suggests the band favors upbeat rhythms over the lazy, laid-back tempos preferred by too many of its contemporaries. This gives the songs an exceptionally strong rhythmic backbone. Combining hip-hop, reggae, rock and ska, the band isn't afraid to
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After tiring of driving to Seattle for alcohol tasting events, Tacoman Todd Buckley created the Tacoma Alcohol Consortium in 2011. He wanted to create camaraderie between all local alcohol producers, such as The Harmon, Wingman Brewery, 21 Cellars and other future alcohol manufacturers, such as those distilling today in the
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Every November my snowboarding buddies and I head to the base of the mountains, light a fire in a garbage can and pray for snow. We call the event Frozen Man. I won't provide too many details, like the name of the host, the date or the location, because I want
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If a norm jazz show is a house scotch on the rocks, then this jazz show is a Glenlivet scotch on the rocks with a twist. Percussionist/composer Steve Bentley will join forces with saxophonist Jim Pribbenow, bassist Steve Luceno and pianist Brian Kinsella to launch the Washington Center's 2013-14 Black
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Most of the time they wash dishes in exchange for a day's ticket to ride. They probably drive a beat-up ride. And they definitely don't have full-ride dental plans. But the ski bums who careen through Warren Miller's annual ski-adventure films have this unnerving ability to inspire - for at
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I've been spending a lot of time in the shower lately. The acoustics in there are pretty awesome for a boy and his harmonica. My riffs are getting tighter but my fingers and toes look like raisins. That, and the iPhone acts up when it gets wet. So just leave
