If it wasn't for the mention of a high-end martini bar, this news release from the City of Tacoma's Forward Tacoma newsletter would make Bobble Tiki angry.  All Bobble Tiki needs is more people walking on his lawn.

• Forward Tacoma reports: Metropolitan Real Estate Development, LLC, recently announced plans to revitalize the intersection of 6th and St. Helens avenues.  According to a news release issued by the organization, they'll be completing a historic renovation of the Walker Building to create 36 residential units.
• They'll also begin new construction on the adjacent property, the North Walker Project, which is planned for another 55 residential units atop retail space. Potential tenants for the retail area within these two developments include a high-end martini bar and a real estate brokerage.
• On the opposite side of St. Helens, in a joint venture between Metropolitan Real Estate Development, Beaver Brinkman and Walt Sharp, a mixed-use development of approximately 526,000 square feet will be constructed. Known as the Sharp Project, this development has been planned to include more than 150 residential units and over 100,000 square feet of commercial space by 2008.
• They're currently negotiating with potential tenants for the commercial space usage in the Sharp Project, including a hotel and three different grocery store chains.

There's something about a musical that makes everybody want to sing and dance. Maybe it's all that singing and dancing. If the musical happens to feature people in drag, well, it's ready-made for audience participation. The toast-throwing Rocky Horror crowd may get mangier with each passing year, but never fear: A Tacoma presentation of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" is in the works for early May 2007, according to the pink piece of paper we found and the In-Tacoma.Net site.  It will be a benefit for the Rainbow Center in Tacoma.

The folks behind the production are looking to form the Angry Inch band.  Lead guitarists, bassist, drummers and keyboards can inquire here. â€" Suzy Stump

Tacoma Community College has partnered with the Wine Bank in University Place for three one-night classes on buying and enjoying wine: The Basics of Enjoying Wine, Jan. 18; Wine Characteristics, Jan. 25; Your Personal Flavor Profile, Feb. 1.  The two-hour classes start at 6 p.m.  The cost is $35 each. â€" Jake de Paul

All gambling puns aside, there’s more to gain at Red Wind Casino than just a few coins on the slots.  Like the well-known Vegas buffets, this Nisqually casino offers a Sunday brunch that is not only worthy of the drive but also the kind of place you’d want to take Mom for Easter or Mother’s Day.

You might want to call ahead for brunch reservations this Sunday before their outdoor ice sculpture melts. â€" Jake de Paul

Tom Brosseau Grand Forks (Loveless Records)
With impassionate lyrics, simple guitar compositions and his unusually high voice Santa Monica singer/songwriter Tom Brosseau has built a loyal following primarily centered on a solo acoustic format that is akin to Woody Guthrie.  While he has broke free from his format on his previous recordings, Grand Forks, Brosseau changes tempo just enough to almost be categorized as folk rock yet still retains his organic roots.

Grand Forks may very well be Brosseau’s most ambitious effort to date.  Picking up where he left off with the song “West of Town” from What I Mean to Say Is Goodbye the record is dedicated to the 1997 flood that destroyed much of his North Dakota hometown. With the gentle brushing of a high hat and snare drum, the disc opens with the alt. country “I Fly Wherever I Go” which features some twangy guitar riffs.  Brosseau teams up with legendary punk pioneer John Doe and Grammy Award winning classical violinist Hilary Hahn on the tender ballad “Fork in the Road.”  Hahn makes a second appearance on “Blue Part of the Windshield” which adds profundity to the acoustic composition. A bouncy Tom Waits vibe manifests on “Down on Skidrow.”  He returns to his solo acoustic design on the final two tracks, “Dark and Shiny Gun” and “97 Flood.” 

Produced by Gregory Page and John Doe, this record demonstrates Brosseau’s versatility as he welcomes several guest musicians to create a full bodied and diverse compilation of songs. â€" Tony Engelhart

www.lovelessrecords.com

www.tombrosseau.com

Evan Purcell's new CD, Attachments, was scheduled to be released last month at Shakabrah Java, but alas, it was not meant to be. Tacoma's longtime favorite acoustic music venue decided to be a little less shaka and a little more java and canceled all of its music performances. But Sixth Avenue's loss was Parkland's gain because Friday Purcell's dream child will be released at Northern Pacific Coffee Company Friday, Jan. 19, one of the coziest, well loved coffeehouses in the South Sound.

Check out my interview with Purcell here. â€" Angela Jossy

So there you are in your studio, right now, stuck in a hopeless mire of artistic schizophrenia, checking out this dorky blog instead of creating. Hum. Traditional painting is more respectable. Computer-generated art is edgier. Ceramics break, but have a certain charm.  Woodcarving?  Water-color? Your studio is empty; your head is scattered.  What is the best way to express yourself?

Take a stroll through downtown Tacoma in an hour.

The Tacoma Third Thursday Art Walk begins in 45 minutes.  Besides the museum and art galleries parading their wares, businesses and restaurants open their walls to artists.  See, art in a vacant building.  Get ideas.

Then check out James Whiton & the Downtown Apostles at Jazzbones or the "Chill" happy hour at Pacific Grill or whatever and start scribbling ideas.  Get busy.

Third Thursday Art Walk, tonight, 5-8 p.m., downtown Tacoma. â€" Suzy Stump 

After a couple weeks of avoiding the elements, isn't it time you get a little bit of exercise?

Friday, Jan. 19
EVAN PURCELL CD RELEASE: Hey, Evan, what's the nicest thing anyone ever told you about your music? 

“I tell a story sometimes about a woman who bought the Prairie Dogs album Brand New Heart because of a song I wrote called “Let It Be Of You,” explains Purcell.  “She was a waitress in a Chili’s in Largo Florida and we were on their restaurant music player and she heard the song, found out who sang it, hunted down a CD and bought one.  To me, that was just the coolest thing ever.”

Nice!

Guitarist Purcell performs a CD release show for Attachments at Northern Pacific Coffee Company at 8 p.m. Jeanlizabeth opens.  Full story here. â€" Angela Jossy

Saturday, Jan. 20
IAN JONES & THE JONES FAMILY FORTUNE: Ryan Adams popularized what artists such as Steve Earl and Gram Parsons had been doing while he was still a toddler, and thankfully this has opened the door for other musicians who have an affinity for alt country.  Just babes in the Northwest music scene, the Jones Family Fortune are slowing gaining a reputation as a force in the Americana arena.

Formed officially in March of 2006, the group consisting of Ian Jones (guitar, piano, keyboards, harmonica and vocals), Scott Martin (drums and vocals), Jason Gover (bass), and Derek Pulvino (lead guitar) blend indie rock, folk and country, therefore offering many layers to their sound.  Jones’ sensitive voice is complemented by the lush harmonies of Martin. 

While they promise their debut album is coming soon, they have four tracks free for the downloading on MySpace in the meantime. They seemingly pay homage to Dylan with “Blood on the Tracks,” a slow burning tune with just a hint of twang. “She” and “Waiting on a Girl” both possess the pop sensibility of a Tom Petty ditty.  Finally, “As the Night Falls …” is reminiscent of a Grateful Dead composition. 

Guys, get that CD out so we can hear what else you have up your sleeve.  Check them at Jazzbones beginning at 9 p.m. â€" Tony Engelhart

KULTURE LAB: The Kulture Lab's "Censored Art & The Art of Politics" party will delve into the world of politics Saturday, Jan. 20. If your political views are right of center, by all means go to this party. The hosts, the Dead Artists, will prick your consciousness and maybe make you reconsider a few things, even if they don't change your mind. If your political views are left of center, by all means go to the party. The Dead Artists will comfort you in places, certainly. Expect provocative art by Lynn Di Nino, Jesse Edwards, The Dead Artists, and others, a cutting-edge video installation by Jason Gutz, music to tickle your palate and edible art by T.V.Dinners. 

Kulture Lab is at 608 S. Fawcett next to the Grand Cinema.  It begins at 7 p.m.  It's free. - Suzy Stump

Sunday, Jan. 21
TACOMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA: The Pantages Theater will be the setting for the Tacoma Symphony Pops performance of "Bernstein & Sondheim On Broadway." "The Tacoma Symphony chooses Pops programs based on what our audience tells us they'd like to hear and what will translate well to an orchestral performance. Broadway tunes are always a popular choice for our audiences and have wide community appeal," explains Lisa Brown, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra marketing director.

Done deal.  Check it at 2:30 p.m. â€" Angela Jossy

I’m pretty much a sure thing.  Not in a hooker type of way, but when it comes to restaurant reviews.  So, listen up Tacoma.  For months now I’ve heard tell of an up and coming fish n’ chips restaurant, or chippie, as they’re called in London.  At last, the time has come.  The Stadium District is forkin’ over yet another option for filling our bellies. 

St. Helen’s Café, which is technically on Tacoma Ave, has outdone themselves.  Their prime location sits right above Doyle’s Public House and Stadium Bistro, with a stellar view from the dining area.  Of course, we at the Weekly Volcano got first perusal of the joint. 

The timber clad exterior is comparable to Masa’s, yet a little more inviting.  I felt like I was walking in a buddy’s house back home, as I crossed the wooden porch.  The color scheme inside is a slick combination of deep red and olive green, with small wooden tables.  It feels classy yet laid back at the same time.  Huge glass garage doors in front open the place up, along with exposed ceiling pipes and plants throughout.

“It’ll be fast casual,” says Joe, the manager.  Don’t get it twisted though.  St. Helen’s Café is a restaurant, not a conveyor belt of processed food.  They’ll be serving fish and chips (Alaskan true cod), burgers, pasta, etc, ranging from $6-$12.  Owner John Holt, decided to nix the wait staff and allow customers to order at the counter.  Same goes with the bar, which serves beer and wine, with an upscale wine list from approximately $5-$10. 

Set to debut on Tuesday, Jan. 30, St. Helen’s Café will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.  Holt says he’s excited to open, after the year and a half renovation of the 100-plus-year-old building.  Overall, it’s an attractive and functional space, with goodies to fit your palate and your pocketbook.  It might not be a bird, probably not a plane, but it sure is super, man.  â€" Julie Jordan

When adults go to the Tacoma Art Museum, they walk reverently, talk in hushed tones, and use their eyes as their primary art appreciating sense.

Not so with children.

Turns out, when kids look at art, they run from point to point, chatter non-stop, try to touch everything, and occasionally come up with a new viewpoint.

I wandered along with the r-year-olds from the North Tacoma Montessori Center as they took a look at "The Art of Eric Carle" exhibit before its last day Sunday, Jan. 21.

Leroy greeted us at the entry; the kids were excited to see such a huge dog made of paper. The difference between cardboard and paper didn’t mean much to them, they just liked the fact that a huge dog was at the museum.

Walking further, the kids saw Richard Rhodes’ “Untitled,” the huge exterior sculpture that’s part landscape, part seascape, part whatever-you-make-of-it.  One kid saw water, while another piped in, “It looks like a skate park!” 

Once in the Carle exhibit, the fingers started twitching to touch the art; I could sympathize because Carle’s art has that effect on me, too. 

In one particularly vibrant picture, a ship pitches on the water.  The teacher asked, “How does the water look? And a little voice piped in, “ugly?” While it’s true, in this picture, Carles’ typically cerulean blues were mixed and muddied, and it’s true that “ugly” can be an adjective used to describe bad weather.

The question was then rephrased. “Does the water look calm? Or rough?”  10 little voices piped in “rough,” in unison.

The highlight of the field trip was the video presentation of Carle making, and talking about, his art. Twenty eyes were riveted as 10 bodies sat still, listening in rapt attention to the author’s words.  When Carle finished the piece he was working on, he suggested that the title would be, “A very hungry caterpillar…and only one leaf left.”

A little boy’s sad throat emitted a plaintive, “oh…” and I have to admit, that was the sound of my feelings, that this beautiful and well put-together exhibition will be leaving us.

Still, we’ll have Kahlo to look forward to, among other cool stuff; visit the TAM website for details. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler