Has anyone else noticed the clown face kids? The first one I saw I was like, whoa, lay off the Ritalin. After seeing a couple more of these kids in different areas of town, I was like, ohhhh this is bad. One thin pre-teen looking boy was giving attitude to a man at Sixth and Pine's bus stop because the guy wouldn't move so clown kid's equally face-painted friends could sit down with him. Much cussing, yo's and generally unintelligent speech were falling out of this kid's mouth at a dangerous speed.  Clowny puffed up like he was to be taken seriously (with face paint on) and even feared by a man probably in his late 40s. Is this for real?

Thursday, Aug. 25

As predicted, The Forgery rocked the Casbah. Scott Turner took the vocals in hand, giving some seriously good front man stances on Jazzbones' stage. The band was tight and totally stoked to open for James Whiton. Cotton came out and showed support, so did Big Man, Pickett and Hollywood. It's always good to see the fellas. Lovely Ebony was entertained by Chops till he jetted out. I think the guys in The Forgery had hetero-crushes on James Whiton. And who wouldn't? One band member kept yelling out "We love you, James" and saying how sexy the music was and that, ladies and gentleman, is awesome!

Friday, Aug. 26

The Northwest Rock ‘n' Roll Showcase was pretty cool. Jazzbones had to turn people away; they were packed at one point. The Cloves have a crazy underage draw, and the club can hold only so many minors.  Wanting a change of pace, The Frenchman joined me on a trip down Sixth Ave to the Kitchen to see Fistful of Cash. They did Johnny Cash covers punk style that were pretty right-on, but Johnny Bobalouie and The Masters of Bation really stole the show. Johnny invited most of the bar back to his house. Fistful came over and kicked it, and before we knew it 4 a.m. had arrived again, and it was time to drop off Bender and The Frenchman and call it good.

Saturday, Aug. 26

Spent the entire day enjoying girl friend company at Fort Bender. It was like a mini-mini Ladyfest except the music wasn't live, we like guys, and no one was angry. Speaking of music, the Transplants are pretty hot (Gangsters and thugs ... /Some of my friends sell records/ Some of my friends sell drugs).The Hold Steady has become a solid fav of mine, too.

Threats and promises

The Vamanos play their last show at Tacoma Rising's party tonight at 10 p.m. Seems Russ is moving to Cali.

The Crossbones have decided to do different things, as well. Big bummer for those wanting to see them Sept. 2 at the Kitchen. Ike will be back soon though with a new project called The Broken Oars. Keep an eye out.

Friday, Sept. 2

clr

Earplugs.  Feed The Robots, Lurid, Potty Mouth Society and CLR. Uh, yeah, earplugs. CLR is still pretty wet behind the ears, but they've a few key things down about playing punk, ska, thrash and partying. "We will not stop moshing, so you can spin in circles like ballerinas. We will not write a love song or respect your X. We will not stop, period." If only half of this manifesto is true I adore them already.  9 p.m., $5, 21+, Hell's Kitchen,  3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, (253) 759-6003.

Saturday, Sept. 3

post stardom depression

There is an extreme amount of stuff going on this Labor Day weekend. For those of you staying in T-town, I recommend you go watch Post Stardom Depression at the Cat Box simply because I think singer Jeff Angel is hot. Besides, he's an incredible singer. Übertalented guitarist Kyong Kim joins Angel for a special unplugged set with special guest Agnes Ingarra. 9 p.m., $5, 21+, Cat Box, 5431 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, (253) 471-8703.