MATT DRISCOLL: 15 YEARS OF THE SWISS >>>

While you may not have realized it yet, today is not just another typical Monday.

Today the Swiss is celebrating its 15th anniversary â€" and you’re invited.

While Bobble Tiki already offered his thoughts about the Swiss’s anniversary, even including the underused phrase “delicious collegiate boob,” one thing Tiki didn’t mention was the food.

When the Swiss opened in 1993, all the famous Tacoma bar had in the kitchen was a microwave, and the menu reflected it. Today’s anniversary menu at the Swiss will pay homage to the club’s beginnings, featuring items from the original menu like microwavable cheese pizzas and “nacho chips with that waxy cheese,” according to a press release. Expect plastic silverware and paper plates.

I, for one, love waxy cheese. My wife considers it a flaw. I see it more as a refined taste.

Either way, on this Monday night, the Swiss will have it â€" and the club’s 15th anniversary will be better for it.

DANIEL BLUE: NOTHING REALLY SMASHED >>>

Saturday morning I was sitting outside the Mad Hat Tea Company on Commerce enjoying a cup when I heard the drumming sound of protest making its way through downtown.  I made my way around the corner to see a crack team of professional riot police pouring out of several unmarked white minivans. The heavily armored stick-wielding infantry was flanked by a fleet of highly mobile bicycle police who were backed up by a handful of motorcycle cops who were double backed up by a squad of zooming patrol cars and paddy wagons.

And then I saw them. Obviously anarchy in motion at least 25 skinny teenage vegans â€" a.k.a. Tacoma Smash ICE (Immigrations and Customs Enforcement) â€" waving signs and holding banners â€" the largest of which read, "Burn all prisons now."

Their plan was to march across the Murray Morgan Bridge to the Northwest Detention Center in the Tide Flats Industrial District. The bridge was mysteriously drawn, though not a tall ship was in sight.

The message from the city seems clear.  We will do everything in our power to oppose these terrorists.   Props to our men in blue, some of those stick-spinning skills were sick.

LINK: Previously on Spew

LINK: A general overview of the demonstration

LINK: A point by point live blog

RON SWARNER: TRANSFORMATION >>>

There are few civilized pleasures as sublime as the three-hour-plus Sunday prime-time dinner, especially inside Maxwell’s Speakeasy + Lounge, Tacoma’s new, sleek restaurant down Sixth Avenue from The Grand Cinema.

Situated between the bouncing light show between opposing mirrors in the bar, Tacoma’s urban poet and I discussed community, paradigm shifts and the re-culture of Tacoma over creamy Mt. Townsend Seastack cheese ($3 single selection) and Laphroaig Islay single malt scotch. Waiters Ethan and Corey (formerly with Pacific Grill) double teamed us with exceptional service.

We revisited the Islay region and added the potato-crusted cod and espresso & porcini dusted beef tender. Chef Matt Colony cuts the cod into pieces and arranged in a cylinder draped with a potato weave. The result is lively and delicious, the potato flavor amplifying the typically muted taste of the cod. The beef tenderloin, one of the least expensive signature plates at $14, is flawless â€" it's nearly as tender as room-temperature butter, and as silken. But it's fighting with a Worcestershire and porcini one-two that ends up with the title of best dish at the table.

By the time 9 p.m. rolled around, we’d achieved artistic giddiness during an evening of very pleasant food and solicitous service, amplified by a little hot-spot atmosphere, for a mere $70.

STEPH DEROSA: SWEATIN’ TO THE OLDIES, AND A FEW NEW ONES, TOO >>>

Collectively The KAke, Bandito Betty, Gayle Selden and I lost a total of 87 pounds in body water last night. We sweated our asses off in the bleachers of the 186-degree UPS Field House in order to witness one of my all-time favorite artists: Ben Folds.

I’ve seen Ben Folds perform a few times, and it’s always such a treat. I would go see him every week if I could. That’s how much I love his music. Folds is a pure gem to see live. His talents are displayed to perfection every time he takes the stage. And if you remember: In my opinion a live performance is the tell-all of an artist.

The packed gymnasium was treated to the theatrical and humble stories that Ben Folds is known for. We were teased with new songs from the upcoming album due sometime in September 2008. “Hiroshima” has a humorous, but true, story behind its conception: Apparently a few years ago while taking the stage in Japan, Folds misjudged the distance between the stage and piano and took a head dive into the audience. With blood all over the place and a slight concussion, he finished the show but was rushed to the hospital for treatment immediately afterward. “Hiroshima” is that story put to music.

Folds states (in so many words) that his songs are all true stories because making stuff up takes too much effort.

Folds stole my heart when he pounded out some of my old favorites that are better appreciated when seen live, such as: “Army,” “Zak and Sara,” and “Not The Same”

Other classics from the Ben Folds’ Five days like “Brick,” “Battle of Who Could Care Less,” and “Kate” brought down the house.

But of course, one of the highlights (and my favorite) was a cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Bitches Ain’t Shit” rhapsody.

Surprise guest Moby took the stage during a brilliant performance of “Narcolepsy.”

Although Bandito didn’t get her wish of hearing “The Luckiest,” I felt as though I was the luckiest person last night, just being able to share a great night and a great show with some of my best friends.

BRAD ALLEN: SOUTH TACOMA WAY ANOTHER WAY >>>

Jeff Call's 8,000 square-foot Stonegate Pizza & Bar will open in July if all goes as planned. Call is knee-deep in remodeling, which includes a 2,000 square-foot live music stage, dance floor and high-roller lounge on the top level with a gourmet pizza restaurant and lounge through the door off 54th and South Tacoma Way. The street level restaurant will feel classy with cherry wood, tile, granite and slate floors.

If you happen upon a $100 bill or lottery ticket on Stonegate's floor be prepared for laughs. Artist Karen Hallis has created 3D floor art that looks amazingly real.

One other point should be mentioned: Call's uncle help create the original Cloverleaf pizza recipe. Call says his kitchen will be flipping this original dough recipe in the air for the amusement of diners.

FILM
Baby Mama
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler take their longtime partnership from Chicago's improv clubs to Saturday Night Live and re-energize it in this extremely funny, yet poignant movie. Poehler is a scream as the "trailer trash" surrogate to Fey's uptight, successful career woman â€" desperate to become a mom. Throw in an excellent supporting cast, including Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear, Maura Tierney, Sigourney Weaver and Dax Shepard, and you have a true winner here. Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and a drug reference. Three-and-a-half stars. â€" Bill Zwecker
[Century Olympia: 11:30 a.m., 1:55, 4:20, 7, 9:30; Galaxy Tacoma 6: 12:45, 3, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45; Galaxy Uptown Theatre: noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 9:55; Lakewood Cinema 15: 11:50 a.m., 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Lakewood Towne Center 12: 2:55, 5:10, 7:30, 9:50; Longston Place 14: noon, 12:30, 2:30, 3, 4:45, 5:25, 7, 7:50, 9:30, 10:15; Regal Martin Village 16: noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Yelm Cinemas @ Prairie Park: 12:15, 2:40, 5:15, 7:30, 9:50]

LECTURE
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Besides directing the Hayden Planetarium, serving on two presidential-appointed commissions, and hosting PBS' Nova Science NOW, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has made it his mission to get science and space back to the forefront of the American cultural landscape. He firmly believes that a return to the impassioned dedication of the Apollo-era space programs can only benefit the future generations as science and technology fast become the norm.

Tyson pens a column in Natural History magazine titled "The Universe," where he takes bold stances on issues from string theory to intelligent design. He was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2007 and has also been named "The Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive." His latest book, Death by Black Hole, was a bestseller. His ability to intermix humor, wonder, and science has made him a favorite repeat guest on The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Colbert Report, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Tonight at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Dr. Tyson will address the public as part of the Willi Unsoeld Seminar Series. He will discuss the importance of assessing the role and value of science and technology education, and how to get Americans interested in taking a vital role in developing our future on (and off) our planet. â€" Owen Taylor
[The Evergreen State College, 7:30 p.m., $5-$20 at Rainy Day records in downtown Olympia and www.buyolympia.com, College Recreation Center, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy., Olympia, 360.867.6833]

LINK: White Wizard and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: Let’s eat Northwest cuisine today.

PAUL SCHRAG: HIP-HOP COMMUNITY DIALOGUE >>>

So, a dancehall DJ-turned-UPS-professor, several city and county officials, a Tacoma hip-hop heavy named General Wojack, several cops with guns on their hips, a few b-boys, a bunch of poets, bloggers, community activists, nerd rappers, educators, street hustlers, journalists, thug rappers, theater administrators and graffiti artists walk into a theater to talk about hip-hop. …

Punchline: It actually happened … in Tacoma. Thanks to Dexter Gordon, Lucas Smiraldo, General Wojack (Levitate all of a sudden, son!), David Fisher, Ms. Jessy, 2012 crew, and about 100 people that showed up to discuss why the E-40 concert was canceled at the Pantages Theater in March, breathe fresh life into Tacoma’s surprisingly live scene, and teach the following lessons:

Lesson No.1: Elements of hip-hop culture have encouraged alienation from Middle America by emphasizing misogyny, decadence and violence. Those elements are not unique to hip-hop. You’ll find celebrations of violence, abuse of women and worse in country music, rock and roll, folk, Chinese opera and screamo. Hip-hop is at risk at being marginalized indeed, but it would be dishonest to say it’s all about the message embedded in a bunch of cartoonish, pop-culture constructs. Much of the opposition to hip-hop is rooted in age-old fears of angry black men, says Gordon, a professor of African American studies at the University of Puget Sound and event moderator of the Broadway Center’s community forum on hip-hop held Sunday inside Theatre on the Square.

Lesson No. 2: Gangsta rap, sold to America by the same people who sell Tim McGraw and Celine Dion, hasn’t helped matters. Gangsta rap, by the way, is a relatively new aspect of hip-hop culture. Most people don’t know that hip-hop has much more to offer.

Lesson No. 3: This conversation is rich with risk, and it’s not always positive. It is definitely not safe. But it is as real, significant and meaningful a conversation as any that has ever occurred in Tacoma.

Lesson No. 4: Hip-hop saves lives. As an artistic outlet, as a business venture, as an excuse to party amidst struggle, and as a medium for sharing knowledge, inspiration and pain, hip-hop is a positive force in the lives of everyday folk.

Lesson No. 5: This conversation was powerful because it included voices from all corners of hip-hop culture â€" not just the components that middle-class Americans can identify with â€" and people from throughout the greater Tacoma community. It may not have been entirely comfortable, but it was real, and everybody learned something.

Lesson No. 6: Hip-hop has a place in Tacoma. In fact, Tacoma better make room if the turn out for this conversation was an indicator of hip-hop’s potential in Tacoma.

Lesson No. 7: Collectively, hip-hop and its supporters are more than capable of coming up with a plan to set this off.  Dozens of ideas and pages of feedback gathered at the event are now being compiled by Broadway Center for the Performing Arts officials, who will distill it all into a roadmap and learning tool for people dedicated to moving hip-hop forward.

Lesson No. 8: Behind this conversation is a much larger conversation about race, culture, poverty, oppression, and centuries of confusion about who we are, and how we relate. If you haven’t been part of that conversation, look at the covers of major dailies across the country, listen to conversations in coffee shops, dive bars, street corners, boardrooms, senate subcommittees and watch this year’s presidential debates. Or listen to hip-hop â€" heads have been talking about it since the early ‘70s.

Who wanna be down? Learn more here.

LINK: Tacoma's bad rap.
LINK: E-40 concert canceled.

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

Gimcrack \JIM-krak\, noun:
1. A showy but useless or worthless object; a gewgaw.
2. Tastelessly showy; cheap; gaudy.

USAGE EXAMPLE: Since it was a party, Bobble Tiki put on his 8 pound replica Mr. T god chain necklace â€" the perfect gimcrack for a special occasion.

MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Bad trip

OLYMPIA: No money for sports

SEATTLE: Restricted booze

UNITED STATES:Poehler  is funny

THINGS TO DO TODAY
FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening

MATT DRISCOLL: DOLPHIN CARNAGE >>>

Check this out. And I thought SeaWorld was boring.

MATT DRISCOLL: A LONG WAY FROM TACOMA >>>

Coachella, a yearly fiasco in the desert of California that has become the biggest and baddest American alternative music festival there is, went down over the weekend.

Let’s be honest. I didn’t go. And you probably didn’t either.

Lucky for us the NY Times did go to Coachella, and they wrote about it.

Here’s what we missed.