When I first met legendary headman of Hell's Kitchen, Ken "Flash" Connell, I immediately knew he was a force to be reckoned with. Not only was he in a killer punk band, A.M.Q.A., he was a fixture at the premier Tacoma live music venue - the world-famous Community World Theater, run by Mr. Jim May.

I was writing for a now-defunct Seattle music mag called YEAH!. It was early 1988 and I had already done stories on acts like Green River (who went on to become Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam), Young Fresh Fellows and some other obscure bands, and was coming to Tacoma from Bellevue to write about the upcoming closure of the Community World Theater. The last month of the Community World Theater featured some of the best shows to ever happen in Tacoma, period. The Accused, the Vandals and Canada's S.N.F.U. (still my vote for best frontman performance - look for pictures on the Internet from that show ... incredible) all took the stage. It all ended on June 28, 1988, with Circle Jerks, 7 Seconds, S.G.M. and Alphabet Swill. Flash was a part of all these events.

Fast forward a year or so: I was now living in Tacoma and singing in my first real band, Toxic Shock (featuring Cody Foster on bass). We had our first show booked at the Temple Theatre before it was abruptly cancelled the night before, leaving several bands high and dry. Luckily, there was a new dance club in the space at South 13th and Fawcett known as The Crescent Ballroom (and later Legends). We convinced the owner, Gary Scott, to let us do the show there at the last minute and it went off. Kids showed up, slamdanced, stage dived and the next wave of Tacoma music was born.

After seeing what a good scene Tacoma had, Mr. Scott decided turning the venue over to live music was a good idea. Within a month or two, Flash was back in the picture, helping book some awesome shows. Bands like Bad Brains, All, Alice In Chains, Testament, 24-7 SPYZ, Nitro, Mother Love Bone, Melvins and Nirvana all played huge shows at the Crescent Ballroom along with countless local groups. It was here that people like Flash, Don Robertson (now the man in charge of Century Media Records), Ken Johnson and myself started to develop relationships that would help shape the face of Tacoma's music scene for years to come. In the 1990s I was the head booking agent for several clubs, Club Tacoma and the Java Jump/Club Extreme being the most notable. During that time Flash was always there with advice, and passed several great shows on to me. Bands like D.O.A., Strung Out, Toxic Narcotic, NoMeansNo, Dayglo Abortions and more all played Tacoma because of Flash.

Fast forward again to 2002 and Flash finally got his own venue, Hell's Kitchen, which, as you all know, has been the true heartbeat of the Tacoma music scene ever since.

This past weekend, Flash stepped down as headman at Hell's Kitchen, making room for new partners Jimmy Paulson (former guitarist in the Lemons, New American Shame, Tramp Alley) and Donny Hales (drummer god in Zeke).

I would like to take this time to personally thank Flash for everything he has ever done for the scene. Flash is a true hero of our scene! I don't know what he will do next, but I know it will be important to me, and all of us who love and live for live music.

Thank you, Flash, from all of us!!!