Audioslave will release a new album late this summer on the Epic label titled Revelations.  Full story here. â€" Brad Allen

It's like we are a running soap opera on the demise of the old Brickyard near 56th Street and S. Tacoma Way.  But here's the scoop, noentheless.  Access Golf expects to open a new restaurant called The Factory in the old Brickyard space in or around Aug. 10.  There will be a pool hall upstairs and a sports bar on the main floor. â€" Jason de Paul

Bobble Tiki loves guilty pleasures. There are a couple of Bobble Tiki’s own guilty pleasures that he’s almost excited to tell people about, like Ace of Base and Jim Varney films.
But there is one guilty pleasure that, growing up, was the source of much embarrassment, not just for Bobble Tiki, but for his entire family and others who grew up in a Hawaiian household. No, not the inability to pronounce Fs and Vs, but the Asian plague known as karaoke. Bobble Tiki remembers the countless Christmases spent forced to listen to Bobble Tiki’s dad sing his “paborite Prank Sinatra” tune “Come Ply With Me.”
Bobble Tiki vowed as a child never to follow in his parents’ footsteps. But then, as Bobble Tiki became older, he discovered the secret to karaoke fun â€" getting really, reaaaally wasted. Then it was all downhill from there, and Bobble Tiki’s dirty secret was buried deep in his psyche (next to his unhealthy obsession with Julie from “Love Boat”). So Bobble Tiki will check out TJ Nuttz's karaoke night at Charlie's Bar & Grill tonight.  Drop by and say aloha.  Bobble Tiki will be the wobbly one with shades.  9 p.m., no cover, 620 Fourth Ave., Olympia, across from the downtown Safeway.  â€" Bobble Tiki

Influenced by '60s blues revival acts such as the Yardbirds and the Cream, Wishbone Ash was one of England's most admired hard rock acts of the early and mid '70s.  Playing a combination of progressive rock, blues, and jazz, the band stood out from other rockers of the day.  Originally named Empty Vessels and then Tanglewood, the London-based band was discovered by a young rock promoter named Miles Copeland.  After losing their guitarist, founding members Steve Upton and Martin Turner enlisted two guitar players, David Alan Turner and Andy Powell.  The dual guitar assault would give the band their signature sound as Turner and Powell's interwoven riffs danced gently above the tight rhythm section.  Now over 35 years later, Powell is keeping the group's namesake alive and well. Tonight, 7 p.m., all ages, $15-$17, Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, (253) 396-9169. - Tony Engelhart

For the third time in his life, Bobble Tiki was shocked when a trusted friend announced his intention to buy a kayak … and use the thing!  Bobble Tiki can only put this down to his friend’s not smoking.  Since a carton of cigarettes these days costs about as much as a kayak, what sane person would want to risk getting them wet?
It’s not that Bobble Tiki doesn’t like the water.  But he likes it even more when it’s frozen into cube form and dumped in a glass with some vodka.
So you might catch Bobble Tiki’s friend at the Puget Sound Sea Kayak Symposium May 20 at Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park. And if you’re looking for Bobble Tiki, he’ll be the one waving to you from the shore, with a cigarette in one hand and a drink in the other.  May 20, 9 a.m., $30-$55, register online at Metro Parks Outdoor Adventures. â€" Bobble Tiki

At the beginning, Bobble Tiki thought it amusing when computer nerds rhapsodized about the brave new word that technology would usher in.  That amusement turned ugly as the nerds became increasingly surly, and less helpful when they realized computers weren’t anything new, just something else to pay for on installments.
And we’ve now reached a point where our technology has outstripped our intelligence; the nerds have become as utterly clueless as the Luddites they used to berate.  All that wizardry and the best they can come up with is “restart the computer … maybe that’ll help.”  Isn’t that sort of like smacking the side of the television to get better reception? â€" Bobble Tiki

How can you tell when you've listened to a CD one too many times? I guess when the person in the neighboring cubicle starts singing aloud, "Oh Tina, she's got ideas" and no one knows who this Tina is or what kind of kinky ideas she has anyway. But despite the fact that The Elephants have me and my co-workers singing about some strange woman named Tina, I can't help loving their demo CD. It's catchy; it's '80s retro; it's futuristic modern; it's happy, and it's sad at the same time. Example: I had the disturbing realization that I was dancing around in a towel to "The humans kill themselves and now they're gone." I guess I was hypnotized by the poppy synthesized beat. Sorry. I can't help it. I was once a waver. I especially like the closing song's "Here comes love, beware, defend yourself." Truer words were never sung to an electronic Casio beat. Luckily for those of you in T-town, these are local kids, and they are playing this Saturday at Hell's Kitchen with a couple of the Weekly Volcano's other favorite local bands.
Speaking of which, Paris Spleen must have shoplifted a copy of the Punk Rockers Pocket Guidebook because they seriously know the rules. They are following a very rigid formula for punk rock stardom, and they aren't ashamed to admit it. They are drunk, disorderly and disrespectful of anything resembling establishment (including venues and booking agents). But amazingly, after they keep getting banned (supposedly) from venues, they continue to have gigs and a fairly significant following. They quote Rimbaud, along with a few of the other authors frequently mentioned in rock biographies and seem to have the Dionysus gimmick down pat. Jim Morrison would be proud. It's a "life imitating art - imitating life" kind of thing, and it's working like clockwork. I suppose the whole shirtless animal magnetism thing isn't hurting matters either.
Both groups play on the same bill with Mono in VCF and Thee Emergency. tonight, 9 p.m., $5, Hell's Kitchen, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma. - Angela Jossy

The word on the Olympia streets is the all-ages venue Yes Yes will close in June.  Get in there while you can. â€" Brad Allen

Page Six reports: Some Pearl Jam fans are worried that lead singer Eddie Vedder's girlfriend, model Jill McCormick, is becoming "the Yoko Ono of the band." Griping about the recent Pearl Jam show at Irving Plaza, one source writes: "Eddie Vedder puzzled fans (who had waited up to 38 hours at Tower Records to get a ticket for the show) by repeatedly signaling to his girlfriend and other celebrities on the balcony." Hard-core fans seemed annoyed by the presence of former child star Mary-Kate Olsen, a friend of McCormick's. Full story here. â€" Brad Allen

MTV reports: Sum 41 lead guitarist Dave 'Brownsound' Baksh has decided to leave the band. I so don't care. â€" Brad Allen