Features
It's always a race to snag the best seats for Valentine's Day dining. And many local restaurants still have seats available, but you'd better hurry, be happy eating at 4 p.m. or 9 p.m., or plan to celebrate this weekend instead. To help you, sweethearts - here are some romantic
Features
Greek deli-style Gyro Spot boasts fresh, blue paint and stainless steel kitchen equipment. The business may look new, but the sticker on the front door tells curious passersby this place is the new home of longtime restaurant owner, Kenny Trobman. Trobman's signature image - a big-eyed chef with tons of frizzy
Bars & Clubs
When it comes to football season, even casual sports fans appreciate good food, fans and atmosphere - and finding the right spot to watch the game can be half the fun. For casual and hardcore enthusiasts alike, here are a few favorite bars and restaurants in the South Sound to keep
Bars & Clubs
The most cleverly-named beer festival in the South Sound is right around the corner. Brew Five Three is Tacoma's beer and blues festival, and in its 3rd year, is well on its way to becoming tradition. On Saturday, Aug. 8, from 1-8 p.m., Broadway, between 9th and 11th, will turn into
Arts
Compass Rose celebrates two years at its Proctor location in Tacoma. Following the model of its sister store in Olympia, which has been delighting shoppers for more than 17 years, the Proctor location features all the quirk, class and sass of its origins - with a T-town flair. "Compass Rose hearts
Music
The term "Parrot Head" was coined in 1985 at a Jimmy Buffett concert in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the show, Jimmy commented about everyone wearing Hawaiian shirts and parrot hats and how they kept coming back to see his shows, just like Grateful Dead followers, Deadheads. Thus, the term "Parrot Head"
Outdoors
With many eyes on Joint Base Lewis-McChord and Tacoma's Fourth of July festivals, you may think that is the beginning and end of it. Here are the Top 10 in the area we'd suggest:TACOMA AREA1. Freedom Fest:Let's start with Freedom Fest at JBLM, the annual celebration that invites the public
Music
With pro lighting, sound and fog machine, professional musicians and amateur singers forged together on stage to create renditions of everything from Tool to country and R&B, and even Disney's Frozen anthem, "Let it Go." This was the scene on a recent Wednesday at The Town, Tacoma's newest venue. The 7,000-square-foot space,
Outdoors
Farm-to-bottle tastes at a family run distillery, Icelandic lamb and u-pick blueberries available for purchase, hiking through mysterious Mima Mounds or a beautiful sculpture park. These are just a few of the stops along a 60-mile stretch of road, one that lives up to its name - Thurston Bountiful Byway. Dotted
Guides
We've experienced an unseasonably warm, dry winter in the Pacific Northwest, but don't bust out the sun block just yet. There will be plenty of rain in the coming months, (April showers bring May flowers) so we've compiled a list of weather-friendly activities, all on a wallet-friendly budget. When the forecast
Music
Everyone knows that musicians have to be a certain level of crazy to be in the field. They have to sacrifice normal hours, humility and pieces of their very soul to survive on stage. Then, you have musicians who play in more than one band. You know those are the certifiable
Arts
Love Our Local Fest (LOL) could very well be in the running for the Weekly Volcano's next Best of Olympia issue: Best Use of Giant Coloring Paper To Make a Community Mural, Best 30-Foot Geodesic Workshop Dome, and Best Reason To Shut Down Traffic on The Eastside are certain category
Music
What does Music and Art in Wright Park (MAWP) mean to Tacoma? Why did 2,500 people rally last year to support artists, musicians, food and craft vendors? "All the old punk rockers get to bring their kids to a place that is beautiful and full of what makes them happy -
Music
The concept: Ask a question and have it answered by a randomly chosen song, like a musical tarot card. Andras Jones created Radio8Ball in 1998 on KAOS in Olympia. Now, he is producing it as a local TV series (for the web, for now) with Olympia Film Collective. The episodes are
Music
It's like money in dog years. For FISH Food Banks of Pierce County, every dollar raised has seven times the buying power. Based on this math, last year's Maurice The Fish Records' (MTFR) benefit concert brought in nearly $50,000 to help feed the hungry. Taking place this Sunday, June 22, eight
Arts
The last time I wrote about Mark Rentfrow was because he played Porl Thompson in a Cure cover band. This time I'm writing about him because he and his comrades have come up with a cure - for how to display content from your tablet device. The product is Project Wedge. The
Music
Here's how I first knew the Strypes reunion show was an important piece to write about: Ron Swarner, our fine, fedora-wearing publisher/editor at Weekly Volcano, sent me an email pitching me the story. "Please, please, please!" he pleaded. It is not often the man begs. Here's how I next knew the
Features
Culinary artist and bladesmith Mareko Maumasi recently attended the Seattle International Knife Show. His 222-mm Babbling Brook Damascus Chef's Knife with Thuya Burl Western Handle swooped up two awards out of five categories - Best Chef's and People's Choice. This was Maumasi's first trade show. "To win those awards was a
Music
The band was jamming in the studio that's situated to accommodate both musicians and fans. Around 40 people were there, some in suits, some with piercings and tattoos, all with toes tapping or heads banging. Behind a large window, an audio engineer sat in his recording studio, and in front
Music
In the media frenzy generated by the 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death, there is plenty of talk about Nirvana, Seattle and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Huffington Post, Seattle Times and CNN mention Cobain's early home of Aberdeen, Wash. or report on the details of his suicide.