Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: June, 2007 (45) Currently Viewing: 31 - 40 of 45

June 20, 2007 at 10:19am

Cans opens last night

The official opening of Cans last night was without a doubt the place to be. "Tacoma's finest dive" was filled with gorgeous people and high energy for the friends and family gathering that started at 6 p.m. and then the public grand opening at 9 p.m. The place was loud with fun music and lots of conversations, but that's just how I like it.

Everyone I spoke with felt nothing but adoration for the incredible windows that stretch all the way up to the sky high ceiling. But most of the remarks were made about one very important installation: A giant moose head. So cool.

People also liked the location of Cans, its comfortability and, most importantly, affordability. We nibbled on dirt cheap treats like mac and cheese bites, popcorn chicken and onion rings. They also have a big barrel of free peanuts. That could be dangerous for those of us with a strong arm.

And as for them cans, well, I was briefly reprimanded by proprietor John Tartaglia for enjoying a pint glass filled with Beach Bum Ale (I really wanted to try it!), but my focus quickly went to the 16-ounce can of Busch Lite (such sweet memories of Central Washington University) and of course Pabst Blue Ribbon. For the full lowdown on the joint (especially their $1 PBR night), be sure to read tomorrow's spicy Weekly Volcano. The Scene of the Crime just keeps on getting bigger. â€" Natasha

Filed under: Club Hopping, Natasha, Tacoma,

June 20, 2007 at 10:48am

Alano Club shut down by Tacoma Fire Department

EJ reports that the Tacoma all-ages Alano Club was shut down by the Tacoma Deputy Fire Marshal  Phil Ferrell. Friday's show is canceled. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Club News, Tacoma,

June 20, 2007 at 3:25pm

Nothing But Rock tomorrow

Glass Ceiling Music hosts Nothing But Rock every Thursday on the same dance floor where cowboys and cowgirls twirl about smartly on the weekends â€" McCabe’s American Music Café.

Set to kick off the music series tomorrow night are Society Says, Big Fat Alice, Ideophone and Crackpot Junkies. These bands runs tighter than a dry county. 

KGRG 89.9FM will do live remotes.

Take your “young country” and stick it. â€"Brad Allen

[McCabe’s American Music Café, Thursday, June 21, 8 p.m., $5, 2611 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.5403]

Filed under: Concert Alert, Music, Tacoma,

June 22, 2007 at 11:29am

Solstice, touch, and twitching

There was some twitching in discomfort at the Mandolin Café Summer Solstice celebration last night when Chiara, our goddess moderator of the evening, told us we’d be holding strangers’ hands and looking deeply into their eyes, being present. For 30 seconds!

It’s wedding season for Chiara, and the time of the honey moon, that golden summer celestial body, for the earth (hence, honeymoon time.)  Handfasting being one of the rituals that is, yes, associated with weddings, is also appropriate in this time of disconnection from humanity, as we sit on the Internet and drive in our cars and our only connection is the occasional text message.
So Chiara’s point, to get us to leave the café friends, through a physical, personal connection, was welcome, though I’ll admit to being one of the most visible twitchers present (but a 20-ounce latte will do that to you, I guess).

At the end of it all, I walked away feeling... lighter.  There was something about Chiara’s message to slow down, go with the rhythms of the earth, and celestial bodies that gave me permission to let go of some of the rapid-rabbit running I’ve been doing lately.

And there was something about being present with strangers, reaching out and touching them without the fear of being decked, that made me feel connected, even more than the festival-going, interviewing, hanging out with others that I’ve been doing.

There was also something in the music, as well as connecting with friends, that made the evening that much more worthwhile. I ran into John from high school, and his three kids and sweet (and lovely!) wife, who was there supporting her co-worker who was playing with the jazz band  Near the Beat jazz trio who entertained us as, and after we supped. They did a wicked cool "Ruby Tuesday" cover!)

I ran into Sonja and her lovely friends Lisa from Russell days, who helped Calla come up with the name “heel!” for that now-closed mecca of fabulousness in downtown Tacoma, as well as her friend Paige who runs the most intriguing-sounding outside exercise program, ever.

Running into former pro tennis player Caroline, whose daughter my wee one had daycare with several years ago, made me catch her intoxicating and contagious wanderlust; her husband’s kind eye-lock was disconcerting at best, though his kind words hit me the same way, I suppose, that my words might have hit others.

Lastly, there was Chiara herself, resplendent in her floral headdress like many others of the staff at the Mandolin; Chiara, though, emanated a sense of warmth, love, and peace, just as she was surrounded by it.

Lovely evening, lovely people, lovely Solstice.

Namaste. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Culture, Tacoma,

June 23, 2007 at 12:58pm

Stop! MLKBallet switched venues

The MLKBallet recital set to happen today at 2 p.m. will still happen today at 2 p.m., only the location has change.

It’s been relocated to the SOTA Theatre at 1118 Commerce Street.

Come see what the hard workers have accomplished, and catch the energy of Tacoma’s new dance kids in town. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

Filed under: Culture, Tacoma,

June 23, 2007 at 1:24pm

Love Tacoma and receive cheap reggae tickets

Years after they changed music history with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Livingston, The Wailers remain the model for every reggae band trying to cut its teeth.  The band will perform Sunday, June 24, at the Pantages Theater in downtown Tacoma.

Bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett remains the sole link to the heady early days with those reggae legends, but along with guitarist Junior Marvin and singer Gary "Nestsa" Pine, Barrett has kept the tradition alive and well by touring relentlessly and making sure the band's mix of political consciousness and Rastafarian world view is still preached to the masses.

The Broadway Center for Performing Arts loves Tacoma so much that they're offering Love Tacoma hipsters half price tickets for the low, LOW price of $17 to see Bob Marley's The Wailers Sunday. This offer will be extended to more than 200 people who receive updates on Love Tacoma's enticing events, and you'll need to mention the Love Tacoma discount upon purchase.

No refunds on previous purchases will be offered.

For more information, check it here. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Music, Tacoma,

June 24, 2007 at 11:10am

Connections, not in a good way

So.

A friend of a (virtual) friend of mine was found (really) dead in Ohio.

My friend’s daughter’s best friend, co-worker, and confidante, was a mommy to be, due imminently, a great mommy who loved her big (two year old) boy, and was excited about the future.

She had a wee teeny one in her belly when she was found, lifeless, and the man held in question is a cop, the (married) father of the big guy and the infant in utero.

The 2-year-old talked about mommy being in the rug; he’s a 2-year-old who wants his mommy back.

What does it matter to me, in Tacoma, that a woman in Ohio (and her unborn baby) is dead?  I have a wee one who is 5.  To imagine having been gone â€" capital G â€" when my baby was only 2, makes my heart stop. To know that my (virtual) friend is seriously suffering from this craziness, makes me sad.

To connect the dots, to remember how it feels to be a community in the eye of the media (Brame, That Mall Shooting) â€" the pain is real.

Weird, and really real.

And really sad.

Peace, out, North Canton. â€" Jessica Corey-Butler

June 25, 2007 at 10:00am

Urban Art Festival brings rain dancing to Fireman’s Park

Urbanweather Ominous clouds and frequent torrential downpours did nothing to daunt the plucky festival planners and participants putting on the Urban Art Festival yesterday.  While a couple of booths closed up shop after the first main deluge soaked goods and spirits, festival-goers were treated to plenty of amusements and entertainments regardless of weather.

Urbanhooters One of the highlights for me was the sight of the busty beauties wandering about the festival, putting their assets out front and center for the world to appreciate.  I particularly liked “knockers” and “hooters,” though all of them made me smile and giggle.

I loved what scribe Angela Jossy did with the Volcano space, and I loved seeing co-scribe Paul Schrag (and was that a Natasha sighting?).

Urbanart Another highlight, both for the wee one and me, was the needle-punched felted creatures created in the i heart rummage booth by Laurie Sharp of woolpets â€" as well as the potions and lotions by Knelow cosmetics next to her. I loved the Hogbot art and seeing my Midsummer Soiree-creating friends as well as the new stuff I’d not yet seen.  The illustration-like art of Justin Hillgrove caught my morbid fancy, and the graffiti art in-process impressed me with its immediate, impromptu strength next to the club-like atmosphere of the Bank of America parking lot, where DJs spun and random acts of dance love occurred.

Urbandanielfour Urbandanieltwo Urbandanielone Urbandanielthree Not so random acts of dance love happened during Daniel Blue’s show, as well, a fun little romp about hot chicks and pirates.  And who know that Blue could sing? Or that Oliver Doriss could act?  It was exactly the kind of “only in Tacoma” event where music, fashion, dance, and art collided into a beautiful jumble observed by a huge, umbrella-ed crowd as the rain poured down.
That crowd, commanded by Blue to dance, did just that, a community moving as one with a standard poodle in their midst.

And the sun came out.

Of course it was at this point that kid hit critical-surly-mass, after jumping in the bounce house (a big hit!) making a mask with Leah Craven (cool stuff, there!) she decided, at that moment, she was DONE, and we had no choice but to make our way past the beer garden (hi friends, wish I was there!) and the stage where music played and Lulu Spice shook her tasseled hips next to Laura Eklund; their work might not yet be done, but they were enjoying the fruits of their labors.

Urbanlisa The rain began again as we drove home, and I waited for the magic moment the sun would emerge again, knowing it would be Tacoma’s Urban Art Festival magic that would make that happen.

Filed under: Culture, Music, Tacoma,

June 25, 2007 at 11:22am

Devo to play Puyallup Fair

The worried man's Talking Heads, Devo, will play the Puyallup Fair Sept. 21. Appropriating the band's name from the concept of de-evolution â€" the notion that man is regressing rather than evolving â€" Devo sought to attack conformity and dehumanization with their tongue-in-cheek imagery and mechanical sound. The Fair show should serve up the sarcasm with such favorites as "Whip It," "Girl U Want," and a selection of Devo's infamous covers such as "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Are You Experienced?"

Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30, at Ticketmaster. â€" Brad Allen

Filed under: Concert Alert, Tacoma,

June 25, 2007 at 11:31am

The Wailers were righteous, mon

eIf you weren't at last night's Wailers show at the Pantages, I'm sorry to say that you really, really missed out, mon.

The show was amazing on so many different levels. And best of all, almost all of the levels in the Pantages were full. Sweet!

Personally, I'd never been to a show there before, and I was so grateful for the fact that the Broadway Center for Performing Arts offered Love Tacoma a discount. Thank you, BCPA!

Right away I was awe struck by the diversity in the lobby where people were sipping on cocktails and sharing the excitement. To be honest, I'd be surprised if the Pantages has seen that much ethnicity before in its lifeline. The crowd looked like a United Colors of Benetton ad, and it felt incredible to be a part of that.

We eventually headed to our seats for the start and when the huge band moved to their instruments, the crowd went absolutely wild. Jessica C-B and I noted that the Pantages had probably never heard a roar that loud before.

We sat down for the first song, which was an instrumental jam. I think most of us were a little worried that the whole concert was going to be solely mellow and instrumental until a voice so clear, pristine and completely Marley-style started blasting through the speakers. When the vocalist first showed up on the stage, I sincerely thought he was lip syncing because I couldn't believe a noise that big could come out of a guy who was so slender, and from a distance looked like a very young Fidel Castro. He is Yvad, who was once signed to Tuff Gong by Bob's daughter Cedella Marley. He immediately got the crowd to jump on their feet, and every person in that audience danced the ENTIRE time. Little kids, hipsters, grown ups and grandparents â€" it was so wonderful to see everyone grooving all at once.

I was unfamiliar with the first couple of songs, but the hits started rolling in with "Stir it Up." Then that colorful audience sang all of the lyrics to songs like "One Love," "No Woman No Cry," and "Three Little Birds." Back-up singers Marie Dominuque Luce and Pascale Kameni Kamga hit chilling notes that filled the room and rose to the rafters. Add that on to the guitars, keyboard, organ, drums and horns, and you can only imagine how difficult it would've been to stay seated.

Also, it's tough for me to explain, but every time Yvad gave a shout out to Tacoma, the people responded in such a way that right then and there you could feel our city taking a turn for the better.

I called it early in the show that I'd be more than satisfied if I could only hear "Redemption Song." After the band made their first exit toward the end of the show, and the crowd went berserk to call 'em back. I was so stoked to see a bare bones assemblage of them return, and I knew what that meant. People raised their lighters and cell phones to welcome "Redemption Song," a song that will always bring a lump to my throat because those lyrics are so powerful and I miss Bob so much.

Their finale was perfect since it ended with "Exodus," but right before that they played "Get Up, Stand Up," which should really be Tacoma's theme song right now, but it also represented the successful venture of getting the crowd to dance for at least an hour and a half.

After, people could not stop talking about how much fun they had, how incredible of a show that was, and how this was exactly what Tacoma needed.

I have to sincerely congratulate the Broadway Center for Performing Arts. These are the types of shows that will bring life back to our theater district, and this is the exact kind of excitement and reassurance that our downtown deserves.

But most of all, it really reminded me of one very important thing to always remember:

Everything's gonna be allright. â€" Natasha

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