Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: August, 2006 (90) Currently Viewing: 51 - 60 of 90

August 17, 2006 at 7:43am

Sister Soul does The Spar

Natasha_27 SCENE OF THE CRIME by Natasha
Ever since I was just a wee little Natasha, one of my dreams has been to own a house in Old Town Tacoma.
Even though I do pretty damn well financially, with skyrocketing home prices over there, I've realized that I'll need to win the lottery or sign up with one of those sugar daddy types to garner such a prize.
In the meantime, I prefer to spend QT in one of Old Town's best houses, one of the oldest houses, naturally, a drinking house.
The Spar.  The longest-standing beer parlor in Tacoma.
One of the first friends I ever made in Tacoma is Tony (aka Jimmy Sparkles, aka the Scuzztones' drummer) who works at the Spar. He shot the breeze with me for a while there and made me promise that I'd come back. I thought that was so nice that I've been drinking beer there ever since.
I adore the Spar's 20th-century homage with its exposed brick walls and the wood floors. The windows that face Ruston Way always get me into trouble because I often spend more time staring out at the water than paying attention to my friends. What can I say? I'm a dreamer.
My favorite piece of decor there is the Spar Fly hanging on the wall above the register. Sometimes I feel like I'm that fly.
The Spar carries with it a certain guarantee: It's always buzzing with fellow flies of all ages, shapes and sizes.
If you get there at 12:05 p.m. for lunch, you might be too late to get a seat for one of the Spar's excellent sandwiches. Any night of the week you can catch jubilant regulars flexing their microbrew prowess, too.
Also, there's an event that happens there that you have to partake in at least once in your life, seriously.
The Spar's Sunday Blues Night.
The weekly function packs in the baby boomers, but dear readers, I can't encourage you enough to develop an appreciation for this style of music if you don't have the love already. There's no easier way to do so than heading to the Spar's free early Sunday function.
Let me school you on one thing: If it wasn't for the blues, we wouldn't have any of our music moguls of today, from Kanye to the Stones.  Plus, quite simply, Tacoma has a fantastic blues community that's extremely easy to slip into.
What makes The Spar's blues night a good time is the relaxing atmosphere that it creates.  You'll forget that you've ever had a care in the world. I'm also grateful that the Spar and organizer Ted Brown created this tradition to wrap up my weekends in such a comfortable fashion.
With John Lee Hooker as my witness from above, I guarantee you'll enjoy yourself.
Call me Sister Soul.
The Spar, 2121 N. 30th, Old Town Tacoma, (253) 627-8215

Tell me where you like to party here.

Filed under: Club Hopping, Food & Drink, Tacoma,

August 17, 2006 at 8:19am

Eric McFadden, Peaches, Keaton Wilson Quartet and more

Gingerknoxx_20 PERMANENT LIPSTICK by Ginger Knoxx

MONDAY, Aug. 8

Eric McFadden Trio was amazing. Diehard fans showed up at Jazzbones paying rapt attention to the band's masterful spin through Americana, rock, flamenco guitar, classical bass and drum solos. Somehow Eric McFadden coaxed eerie violin sounds out of his electric mandolin. Awesome. Not surprising, many musicians were in the crowd. Justin McDonald (Top Heavy Crush) and Phil O'Sullivan (Nouveau Rich) rocked out with appreciative smiles.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 9
Brother Jeff bought tickets back in June for Peaches with Eagles of Death Metal at The Showbox. Theme of the night? "Get your real dirty drunk on." Predominant clothing choices for a lot of women and some men were tiny athletic shorts, spike heels and colored bras underneath tight wife beaters topped off with chunky necklaces, sweetly coiffed hair and glam makeup. What an amazing people watching exhibition of no inhibition. Kate B. exclaimed, "They're like Queen for our generation" as Eagles of Death Metal's Jesse Hughes did a nearly perfect Freddy Mercury. After their set, people started pushing, saying the bouncers wanted us to move. Not possible. We stood firm watching a tiny woman in a rhinestone head burqa being helped onto the bar by security. Peaches started her show from within three feet of us. Hell yeah! Out came cell phones for hastily snapped pics as Peaches' potty mouth let loose. Najamonique suddenly appeared right behind us eliciting squeals of delight from this silly tipsy girl. P Diddy wannabe stood too close to The Italian, and The Frenchman made best friends with a corn-rowed gentleman who seemed to have not two but three hot blondes jocking him. Drunk as hell chicks were grinding on each other like there'd never be another chance for sin. It was hard to keep focus on the stage with that nonstop spectacle going.

THURSDAY, Aug. 10
Weekly Volcano staffers represented en masse at The Factory's VIP pre-opening party. Rock 'n' roll covers blasted from the stage. I think the Atomic Outlaws guys would have liked it a bit harder (me, too), but hey, catering to the masses tends to be what keeps venues open these days. Look at Syren Lounge. Didn't that owner swear there'd never be hip-hop played? Natasha and her date bounced for quieter locales. The Italian and I ran into Del, Naja and their crew and did some shots. Then we headed for last call at Jazzbones as The Factory's green neon had become a blur.

SATURDAY, Aug. 12

I am glad Showcase Tacoma wasn't packed. I'm not being mean-spirited. After many events with hundreds of people, Saturday was refreshingly calm. Chalk artists dazzled; musicians performed in front of open cases, and vendors actually had time to chat. Rampart Bathroom Benefit was a fun, sensory expanding evening. Joseph Taylor talked of his upcoming short for Kulture Lab; Leonard Haggarty shared Vegas tales; and UrbanXchange's Julie Bennett dropped in to show support. She quickly pointed out the Benders, insisting those three talk clothes. MarTee C hung for a bit before heading off to the Grand Theater for "Shaun of the Dead" à la "The Rocky Horror Picture show" (come in costume and get in free). Tons of art was won at the raffle, and enough moolah was raised to get a new freakin' toilet. Amen. Pappi Swarner and the lovely Jaclyn joined about 10 of us for a nightcap at Tempest where we shared stories of embarrassing public drunkenness, frequent vomiting and a love of Sweet Caras, tequila neat, PBR and Manhattans.

Keaton Wilson Quartet

After the rough weekend of smoking and boozing into the wee hours of the morning that you know you have coming, downtime will be mandatory. Sunday evening at Mandolin Café is precisely what your doctor would order if America was a nation smart enough to have national health care coverage and you actually had a doctor to call your own rather than the free clinic guy who gives you the creeps. But my thoughts wander. The Keaton Wilson Quintet consists of Pacific Northwest musicians with jazz firmly embedded in the forefront of their consciousness. These young gentlemen offer their talents for public consumption along with the great soothing promise of uncomplicated jazz along the lines of Miles Davis and Cole Porter. The summer air could carry Sarah Vaughn right in the door to start singing with these cats for accompaniment. Keaton "Tones" Wilson himself has been into music since he still had baby teeth, but he seems to have developed his own chops nicely. Sunday, Aug. 20, 7 p.m., all ages, no cover, Mandolin Café, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, (253) 761-3482.

Give me a wink and a kiss here.  Knoxx knows.


August 17, 2006 at 12:39pm

Melvins add all-ages show

Bust out some earplugs kiddies!
The Melvins will pierce your five senses with droning metal riffs, gut-wrenching drums and bass, and some very strange sounds at a 5 p.m. all-ages show Sunday, Sept. 10, at Tacoma's Hell's Kitchen.
King Buzzo, Dale Crover and crew already are playing a 21 and older show at the Kitchen later that night.  Both shows open with Big Business.
Ticket for the all-age show are $15 at TicketWeb and $18 at the door. â€" Brad Allen



Filed under: Concert Alert, Tacoma,

August 17, 2006 at 3:56pm

Canadian poet Sandra Stephenson reading

You think you’re so cool and so cultured. You wrap up the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle over your extra-horseradish Bloody Mary by noon.  You dressed like Holly Golightly and drank wine at Rampart gallery's toilet party, and found it energizing.  You ditched your indie-show-hopping scenester friends to give your two cents at the Conversation Café event at the Mandolin Cafe. What could Tacoma possibly have to offer that you haven’t already chewed up and spit out? Probably nothing, but while you wallow in your culturally induced apathy, the Weekly Volcano will be hanging at The Seven Muses Friday while Canadian poet Sandra Stephenson reads from her latest stack of poems.  Since she's a humanities professor at John Abbott College in Quebec, a a PhD candidate in legal studies and a peace movement activist maybe the Weekly Volcano will learn someting too. Poetry should be right up your alley, if you can spare the time away from your absinthe distillery. Friday, Aug. 18, 7 p.m., free, The Seven Muses, 1127 Broadway, Tacoma, (253) 572-9998. â€" Suzy Stump

Filed under: Tacoma,

August 17, 2006 at 4:12pm

Christopher Mathie shows at Two Vaults Gallery

Christophermathie There are those days, aren’t there?  Those days when you ... have ... had ... it. Quite frequently, those days are Thursdays, aren’t they?  On days like today, you should just give up and do something out of the ordinary. “Accidentally” forget to go home for dinner, and “accidentally” wander (yes, this is easier if you work downtown, but you can wander in your automobile just as easily) to the Third Thursday Art Walk. Downtown Tacoma galleries, museums, restaurants and businesses stay open a bit later to expose art to the masses.  OK, you accidentally heard about all the galleries and museum around Opera Alley pulling out the bottle of wine too. Remember, it is about the art. (Dramatic pause.)
Don’t skip Christopher Mathie's show at Two Vaults Gallery.  He's pulling out the new large-scale Raku vessels and abstracts under the title "Ponds, Bridges, and Other Water Musings."  His show hangs through Sept. 10, but it's more fun to catch it during tonight's downtown Tacoma art walk.  Yo ho ho ho and a goblet of wine. Tonight, 5-9 p.m., free, Two Vaults Gallery, 602 S. Fawcett, Tacoma, (253) 759-6233. â€" Suzy Stump


Filed under: Arts, Tacoma,

August 17, 2006 at 5:30pm

Dockyard Derby Dames deliver

Girls will be girls, so look out: There should be no end of hair-pulling, bitchy name-calling, vicious elbowing and general duking it out when the Dockyard Derby Dames, Tacoma's all-girl, flat-track roller-derby squad, team up with local bands Sept. 1 to raise money for the Pierce County AIDS Walk.  OK, it might be a little more mellow. 
Inside Hell's Kitchen you can expect dames, lots of derby dames â€" some behind a kissing booth, some behind a table selling their swag and condoms.  On the stage Devil's Advocate, Sarah Connor, Organic Guerrilla, Bell's Theorem and I Defy will meet for an explosive rock your face off match.  Expect a raffle too.  Friday, Sept. 1, 9 p.m., 21+, $5, Hell's Kitchen, Tacoma. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Club News, Music, Tacoma,

August 18, 2006 at 9:44am

Bagels and Powerbooks

Bagel Brothers (400 Cooper Pt. Rd.) in Olympia announced that they installed a Wi Fi hot spot and it's free to the public â€" no purchase necessary.  Yeah, like you're going to just sit there and not gorge on a pile of cream cheese. â€" Jason de Paul

Filed under: Business, Food & Drink, Olympia,

August 18, 2006 at 12:16pm

Club Zoe to become a UW-Tacoma hangout

From Joey G's metal shows to Urban Arts Festival's Warhol-like fund-raisers, Club Zoe at 1710 S. Market St. has been a music hall for rent.  Tacoma blog Exit133 report that the University of Washington-Tacoma grabbed the building and might turn it into a student center.
Exit133 reports: As far as I can tell, Club Zoe is no more. A little bird has told us that the University of Washington â€" Tacoma has taken control of the building at 1710 South Market where Club Zoe has been rockin’ out for a bit. The only time we made it to Club Zoe was for the 100th Monkey a few months back. Full story here. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Tacoma,

August 18, 2006 at 9:43pm

Parkway Tavern IPA Festival

Parkwaytavernbeerfest Confession one: I have never been to the Parkway Tavern.
Confession two: It’s been more than six years since I’ve had a real beer.
Confession three: I took the afternoon off of work to absolve myself of confessions one and two.  Before you go telling my boss, be advised, my boss commanded me to go drinking.  And it was good.
When a person is twitchy from hunger and frayed nerves and general fatigue, and a person heads into the darkish, soothing atmosphere of a tavern, there’s a certain magic, almost like that which happens with the rushing of a waterfall in the wilderness, or the trickling of a fountain in a spa.  Only, it’s the smells of hops and barley and all sorts of beery goodness that soothe.
Ostensibly I was there for the Day of IPAs, but the Parkway Tavern's IPA Festival is tomorrow, Aug. 19.  Not one to get hung up on specifics, I figured I’d have an IPA anyway.  Bellingham's Boundary Bay was the kind barkeeps’ recommendation.  After my first few pretzels, and the first glorious sips of that nectar from the heavens, all the worries and stresses and fatigue washed away from me.  Mmm, beer.
Ryan Loiselle came into the tavern.  I recognized him from , well, actually his painting.  We had a quick chat about his showing at the Kulture Lab next Saturday (Aug.  26, 7-10 p.m., The Catapult Gallery, 608 Fawcett, Tacoma), and the appearance of his band, Broken Oars, with Neutral Boy at Hell’s Kitchen.
And yeah.  About that IPA fest tomorrow, from noon to close.  I speculated, as I savored the hoppy bitter cold spritzy love in my glass, how good a bratwurst with amazingly strong German mustard would be as an accompaniment, and nearly wept when the barkeeps said they’d be grilling ‘em outside tomorrow. I wanted to whine, like Veruca Salt, “But I want a brat NOW.”
Only I didn’t.  I went home with a smile on my face, though. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Food & Drink, Tacoma,

August 19, 2006 at 6:09am

Karma Yoga Book Fair

A massive amount of new or gently read books are up for grabs at a paltry $3 or less at the first annual Karma Yoga Book Fair Saturday at Bikram Yoga Center of Tacoma. Two complimentary yoga guest passes accompany each book purchase, offering a great way to check out this unique yoga with a friend. The idea for the book fair sprang from ongoing mutual book sharing between yoga instructors and students. Instructor Scott Gordon muses, “Our students are cool people; we’re cool people, so why not see what we’re all reading?” The idea was further solidified during a teacher meeting as a way of raising funds for charities. All proceeds from book sales will go to Pierce County United Way Community Solutions Fund, which focuses on community housing, dental and medical services and after school programs for children to keep them occupied and out of trouble. The icing on this karma cake is that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match donations. Past Karma Yoga endeavors have raised hundreds of dollars for New Phoebe House, Northwest Harvest, TACID, Humane Society and others. Talk with yogis over refreshments and books or watch the Bikram Yoga Expo DVD. Saturday, Aug. 19, Noon to 5 p.m., Bikram Yoga Center of Tacoma, 3907 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, www.bikramyogacenter.com. â€" Jennifer Johnson


Filed under: Books, Tacoma,

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