BRAD ALLEN: NONSENSE FROM DOUG MACKEY AND GAVIN GUSS >>>

MATT DRISCOLL: RAIN FEST UPDATE >>>

The music festival has to be one of the greatest ideas of all time. It’s simple, really, and classic. If one band is good, and a few bands are better, then a shitload of bands over multiple days must be the pinnacle.

It’s rock solid logic.

www.myspace.com/viaductvenue ">The Viaduct, a small venue which has risen to fill a large role within Tacoma’s all ages music community, obviously realizes this logic. Earlier this week the club announced the preliminary lineup for this year's www.myspace.com/rainfest ">Rain Fest, a three day extravaganza to be held at the Viaduct May 23-25. While more bands will be added, here’s a look at who they’ve got so far:

Ceremony
Crucified
Dangers
Endgame
Energy
Final Fight
Graf Orlock
Hostage Calm
Killing the Dream
Knuckle Puck
Life Long Tragedy
Mind Piece
Paint It Black
Pressure
Rotting Out
Ruiner
Sabertooth Zombie
See It Through
Skin Like Iron
The Carrier
The Homefront
Trapped Under Ice
Trash Talk
Whiskey Rebels

More bands and ticket info will be released in April, according to the Viaduct.

Mark your calendars for Rain Fest now.

POP
Queerfest
Like so many other spry bits of manliness with a propensity for nightlife chumming, I've dropped most of the obvious pretenses of dolled-up, decked-out, program-oriented entertainment in favor of that elusive worm at the bottom of the next cocktail. And while some of my best friends are gay, there is very little warbly-lipped gayness involved in my daily stumbles, and I like it that way.

However, tonight, I’m so gay. I will bury myself in a gaggle of hens, and nurse my own peculiar brand of ADD (another double drink) at Queerfest.  Tonight, Twin, New Bloods, Magic Johnson, Kiss Kill, Doomhawk, Here Comes A Big Black Cloud, and Piper McKenzie get it on at Jake’s on 4th. â€" Brad Allen

[Jake’s on 4th, 9 p.m., $5, 311 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, www.myspace.com/queerfestoly]

DJ
Salsa Night
So you were born with two left feet â€" so what? Down some liquid courage and head to 21 Commerce for one of the most happening Latin nights in the city. DJ Benny Rivas â€" originally from Puerto Rico and played AAA baseball there before relocating to Tacoma â€" will spin classic salsa and merengue as well as music-of-the-moment reggaeton, leaving little choice but to dance. You won’t need lessons (although they are available) â€" just a little rhythm and a lot of energy. With the help of a few mojitos, you’ll be pulling moves Shakira would envy. ¡Baila morena! â€" Suzy Stump

[21 Commerce, 10 p.m., $3, 21st and Commerce, downtown Tacoma, 253.272.6278]

LINK: Jamarokee Night with Just Dirt and more in the clubs.
LINK: Catch a film today.
LINK: Let’s eat Mexican.

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD
Stertorous \STUR-tuh-ruhs\, adjective:
Characterized by a heavy snoring or gasping sound; hoarsely breathing.

USAGE EXAMPLE: After a particularly hard night of booze, pills, Frappuccinos, cocaine, Alli weight loss pills, and Hostess products, and after Brittney Spears drifts off to sleep, her slumber is marked by grotesque outbursts of strained and stertorous breathing. It’s one of the reasons K-Fed left her washed up ass.

MORNING NEWS

SEATTLE: ELF clues

TACOMA: Army prosecution

OLYMPIA: Riot arrests

CAMPAIGN ‘08:Clinton's comeback

THINGS TO DO TODAY

QUEERFEST CONTINUES: Check it out

MOVIE TIMES: Look here

MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening

TONY ENGELHART: IT’S ABOUT TIME >>>

With record sales approaching 100 million, the Ventures are the best selling instrumental rock band in music history. It’s a fact, I Googled it. For nearly 50 years, the band has continually made its presence known and has become entrenched in the fabric of society. Whether their music appears on a TV show, film soundtrack or a commercial, they have become an invaluable part of pop culture. The band has influenced everyone from Joe Walsh and Jimmy Page to the B-52s and The Raveonettes.

On Monday, March 10, the Ventures will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and for many fans, musicians, music critics and music historians, this honor is long overdue.

Founding members Don Wilson and Bob Bogle both had a passion for the guitar and the new form of music called rock and roll, but had no idea their style would change the face of music. “Bob bought two guitars at a pawn shop, and we taught ourselves to play,” recalls Wilson. “Our sound wasn’t really influenced by anyone. We were just experimenting with the trembolo bar and my heavy right handed rhythm.” The Ventures officially formed in 1958 with Wilson, Bogle and Nokey Edwards on bass and Skip Moore on drums.

After recording the go-nowhere single “Cookies and Coke,” the band looked to Edwards for the next record, “Nokey was a big Chet Atkins fan,” says Wilson. The band selected a song from Atkins called “Walk Don’t Run.” According to Wilson, it was his mother who had a huge hand in the success of the record as she took it to local radio station KJR where it was used as the news kicker. KJR disc jockey Pat O’Day placed a call to the Seattle-based Dolton Records and told them they had better take another look at the band because the phones were lighting up every time they played their song. The Ventures signed to the small label in 1960. Dolton had national distribution through Liberty Records, who gave “Walk” a huge push. Eventually the single climbed to No. 2 on the national charts, “That’s when we knew we had something special,” says Wilson.

The success in the U.S. and European markets paled compared to the success the band experienced in Japan, “Our success in Japan was mainly because they had never heard anything likes us before. On our first trip in 1960 they would only hire Bob and I. Both of us were playing electric guitars, which was something very new to them. We were the first band to bring electric guitars to Japan,” explains Wilson. “On our next trip to Japan, we took the whole band. Nokey was playing electric bass, something they had never seen before. I’d say they like us a lot."

To date, the Ventures have had 25 No. 1 hits in Japan and have made visits to the small country since 1960.

Despite the departure of Edwards in 1968, the untimely passing of long-time drummer Mel Taylor in 1996, and the recent retirement of Bogle in 2005, the Ventures are still going strong. On their 50th anniversary the band is going to release a yet-to-be titled CD with the remaining members of the Wailers, “I’m very excited about it,” says Wilson. “It will include some new songs and some old songs.”

The induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame follows the recent Grammy Hall of Fame addition of “Walk Don’t Run” by the Ventures as one of the most influential songs in music history. For Wilson, it is a fitting tribute at the right time.

“My first thought was ‘it’s about time,’” says Wilson, “I appreciate it more than I would have 20 years ago.”

PAUL SCHRAG: NEW TACOMA NIGHTCLUB >>>

Tacoma has pined for a solid new music venue for a minute now. Well, George Reed-Harmon has answered the call. With conservative hopes of an April opening, Reed-Harmon, partner Neil Harris, and a third, unnamed partner are now putting finishing touches on The New Frontier, which will open kitty-corner from Freighthouse Square.

If anyone in Tacoma can pull off the feat of seeding a proper music venue, it’s George Reed-Harmon, who plays guitar for psychedelic pop sensation Mono in VCF and knows the gig game from the inside out. His vision for the spot involves regular shows with local talent, peppered with national and international acts. His dream show? The Flaming Lips and Erykha Badu (please, God, make his dream come true …). Expect leanings toward Americana and guitar-driven pop in a 21-plus lounge atmosphere, he says.

“Neil and I would both like to see a music venue where you can show up and experience something positive that they might not have experienced before,” says Reed-Harmon. “I want this to be more than the everyday ‘Let’s go see another band’ place. We’ll start with weekends, along with whatever strikes our fancy. I don’t think we have enough people to have shows every night, at least for now. But we’ll definitely have a lot of shows.”

The New Frontier’s menu will have a “turn-of-the-last-century feel” says Reed-Harmon, and will start small. Details about individual menu items were not made available.

“We’re going to try and focus on the getting the music up and running,” says Reed-Harmon. “And then after a year, if it’s flying, we’ll expand the menu.”
The mysterious turn-of-the-last-century menu is inspired by some unique historical architectural elements that were savaged from the soon-to-be New Frontier building. The bar back will be fashioned from an old Masonic altar. The restored front doors were found in a crawl space beneath the building. A main wall will be adorned with bead board salvaged from the same dusty crawl space.

“It’s going to be pretty rustic looking,” says Reed Harmon. “We’re trying to use a lot of found objects.”

Though details about possible musical guests were sparse, Reed-Harmon says he has a few big-name aces up his sleeve. Emphasizing that nothing is in the bag, Reed-Harmon has his sights set on acts such as the Screaming Trees’ Mark Lanigan and blues-rock machine Robert Ross. He promises not to forget the locals, too.

“I think there are a handful of really interesting bands in the area,” he says “I’d like to try and get acts in the area that are part of the community that the audience is part of.”

Beyond music and good food, Reed-Harmon hopes to use New Frontier as a platform for civic involvement.

“I like the idea of taking care of the community that’s already here,” he says.

MATT DRISCOLL: LOVES THE LADIES >>>

My favorite bar in all of Olympia, the Brotherhood, will be hosting a super cool event this Saturday, March 8. Apparently Saturday is International Women’s Day (am I a chauvinistic ass for not knowing this?), and to celebrate the Broho has invited DJ Shannon to unleash the fem dance beats.

Here’s what the Brotherhood has to say about the even on Myspace:

"DJ Shannon joins us to celebrate International Women's Day, Saturday, March 8th, 9pm-1am. There will be drink specials, a newly polished mirror ball, and room for dancin'! Shannon will be  spinnin' dancy tunes by ladies in soul, R & B, rock n roll, country, blues and whatever. Also, 10% of bar sales will go to Safeplace.”

MATT DRISCOLL: WORLD CHAMPION MOONER >>>

I stumbled across this gem a few minutes ago. Before Pappi Swarner tells me to get back to work I thought I'd share it. This is incredibly funny, and incredibly sad. What's the world coming to when mooning coworkers can cost you your job? By these standards I should have been fired 17 times.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: SIDE SHOW >>>

Capital Playhouse is stepping it up a notch by getting Keith Andrews, a "known" director and choreographer from New York City to direct the  Olympia theater's production of "Side Show."

Andrews is a full-time director and choreographer and member of The Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers with more than 50 shows to his credit, ranging from national tours of "The Full Monty" to a laundry list of productions in the New York and New England regional theatre scenes.

Andrews is coming off 15 productions last year, including two world premiere musicals, "The 7 Little Foys" and "Cold as Ice," the first original book-musical on ice and starring Olympic gold medalist Oksana Baiul. 

Performances of "Side Show" start this weekend and run through April 5. Shows run Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $27 to $33; Capital Playhouse is located at 612 E Fourthth Ave. in Olympia.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: STUBBLE TIME >>>

Tacoma Opera is concluding its regular season with the uber funny work by Gioacchino Rossini, "The Barber of Seville."

This voice-filled comedies tells the tale of Figaro, a famed barber, who learned a bit too much information about his customers as they relax under his razor.
He then uses this information to unite a pair of young lovers by using the rumors and confessions he learned from his clients.

Featuring Morgan Smith as Figaro, with Marana Avant, Jessica Robins Milanese, Ross Hauck, and Wesley Rogers alternating as Rosina and Count Almaviva, this is a talent-packed show. The show will be sung in Italian with English supertitles.

Performances are Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8 at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. at the Pantages Theater, Tacoma. Tickets are $24 to $78 and are available from Tacoma Opera at (253) 627-7789, the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts at (253) 591-5894, or online at www.tacomaopera.com.

LINK: Weekly Volcano previews The Barber.