MATT DRISCOLL: BACK IN ACTION >>>

There’s nothing quite like going on vacation. There’s also nothing quite like coming back from vacation only to see your inbox crammed with messages and your schedule just as full. With Bumbershoot going down this weekend, and a press pass in my name, this is the situation I find myself in.

Tough draw, I know.

That, of course, is sarcasm. I’ve driven a forklift for a living, and you’d better believe I’ll take a weekend of blogging Bumbershoot any day over broken pallets, the smell of diesel dust and turning rear wheels. Covering Bumbershoot for the Weekly Volcano is a pretty cool job, but just like the shitty ones â€" someone’s got to do it. That someone is me, and along with (perhaps) some occasional help from Brad Allen and Co â€" who will probably be keeping it real in the beer garden - the Weekly Volcano will be your South Sound eye on all the action at Bumbershoot this weekend.

For all you die hard Gritsters out there who love a good local bent, I’ll be keeping a special eye on Tacoma’s local talent preparing to let loose at Seattle’s biggest music festival, like Vicci Martinez, Mono in VCF, and even Neko Case â€" to name but a few.

In all, it should be good times. If there’s one thing I love it’s a good music festival. If there are two things I love it’s a good music festival and getting paid to check it out. If there are three things I love it’s a good music festival, getting paid to cover it, and shotgunning beers with Brad Allen before bloodying myself at a Monotonix show.

At Bumbershoot this year, all three seem likely. 

(Photo credit: Christopher Nelson)

SUZY STUMP: 5 THINGS TO DO TODAY >>>>

9 A.M.: If it weren’t for the 97th Annual Washington State Dahlia Society Show at Freighthouse Square this weekend, we’d have given up gifting any and all swanky flowers for a lifetime. Hearts would’ve been broken, but the beauty that lies within a Dahlia would forever be classic. Go see what beauty lies within this extravagant flora, enter raffles, and peruse Washington state’s finest vegetation cultivators in their happiest habitat.

10 A.M.: Celebrate Olympia maritime heritage with tugboat races, crafts, music, food and tours and cruises on the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain tall ships during the Harbor Days Festival along Percival Landing and the Port Plaza.

7 P.M.: Dolly Parton looks amazing these days. Mostly in the way that she’s always looked amazing: sort of a plastic surgery wax museum all unto herself, wigged and sequined to the furthest reaches of taste. Her dimples rest somewhere close to her ears, and her eyes never close. Catch Dolly Parton tonight at the Tempest Lounge. OK, Parton won’t technically be at the Tempest Saturday, but her spirit will. And many that look like her, too.  The lounge will host an outdoor screening of 9 to 5 in its back patio â€" the one behind the fence â€" as well as a Parton lookalike contest, drink specials and popcorn. It’s also a great opportunity to taste what the Weekly Volcano readers picked as Best Drink in Tacoma â€" Tempest’s Pink Pussycat.

9 P.M.: Laying down a bluesed-up, fuzzed-out rock that recalls dusty ideals from the past and a time when music fought oppression and had meaning, the gentleman of the Joshua Cain Band have quickly established themselves as one of Tacoma’s most exciting musical attractions. The Joshua Cain Band â€" swampy, gospel coated Grit City rock at its best â€" certainly has the sound. And the band’s ’60s civil rights bent is certainly one of a kind. Check them out at Doyle’s Public House tonight with Kyong Kim and The Loveseat Drivers.

9:30 P.M.: Not neo-soul, not urban, and not contemporary R&B, the Next Movement is authentic R&B akin to such legendary Motown units as the Temptations and the Four Tops. Chock-full of tight arrangements, fat horns and flawless harmonies, the group is a live act not to be missed tonight at Muckleshoot Casino’s Club Galaxy.

LINK: ViVA South Sound arts and entertainment guide
LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

DANIEL BLUE: MEET RON GEIER >>>

Ron Geier is a soundman.  He also is a rare and interesting source of Tacoma's culture history.  Having grown up in this town, played in bands in the 80's and since moved to Korea and back, his memories of the pre-boom Tacoma are both adorable and hilarious. 

I met Ron when he moved in next door to me in the beautiful alcove we have carved out of the alleyways of downtown.  He has all sorts of valuable knowledge about sound and lights and recording. He has been forever generous to lend his skill and gear when our budding art sensibilities called for a show off session.  Ron has provided stage, sound and lights for at least six events that I have squeezed into the Tacoma public eye. 

I've fond memories of late nights drinking and swapping stories over the kitchen bar inside the Warehouse. 

Ron is a stand up man, and a good friend to have in your corner.  His ingenuity and creative thinking are unrivaled among his peers.

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

Fop \FOP\, noun:
A man who is overly concerned with or vain about his dress and appearance; a dandy.

USAGE EXAMPLE: With football season right around the corner, you can expect to be hearing a lot more about America’s favorite pigskin tossing fop. Tom Brady will be back and dumber than ever.

MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: More antacid jokes about Wapato Lake

OLYMPIA: Harbor Days, yo!

SEATTLE: Schultz doesn't want the Sonics back

UNITED STATES: Experience? Who needs it?

ENVIRONMENT: Arctic ice death spiral

JUST BIZARRE: Edwards raises his price

MORE STRANGE NEWS: Motor home surfing is a dangerous sport

THINGS TO DO TODAY
FILM LISTINGS: Look here
MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening
SHOOT THE SHIT: Weekly Volcano forums

MATT DRISCOLL: TRYING TO GET DRUNK ON LITE BEER >>>

If there was a more perfect way to kick off Bumbershoot 2008 than a rushed Miller Lite in the beer garden and a set by Tacoma's own Neko Case, I can't imagine one. That's exactly how my first hour and a half at Seattle's biggest music festival was spent, and as I type this- back in the beer garden, believe it or not â€" I have absolutely no regrets.

Traffic sucked, but parking was a breeze. I entered the Seattle Center Bumbershoot Compound right around 1 p.m. After a stop by the press tent, and a glance at the schedule, it quickly became apparent I had about 10 minutes to guzzle something alcoholic if I wanted booze in my blood for Case's set.

Of course I did.

While I only caught the last five or six songs of Case's performance â€" which was well received by an impressively full Memorial Stadium crowd- it was enough to remind me exactly how unbelievably talented she is. There were times when the band stood still, allowing the perfect pause for Case- her flowing red hair and stunning, Tacoma bred voice- to steal the show. Bathed in her trademarked, sleepy country vibe, Case and her band left no one disappointed. The five or six songs I saw were equally divided between fan favorites and new material â€" with a Dylan song thrown in for good measure. As sun washed over the masses and Case closed the occasion with a charmingly slow paced country ballad, all in the world seemed right.

Things are off to a good start. 

LINK: Bumbershoot photos in the Photo Hot Spot

MATT DRISCOLL: SWARNER GAVE ME HIS NOTES >>>

While I was checking out Neko Case's stellar performance at Memorial Stadium, my talented and always well dressed boss Ron Swarner was taking in Tacoma's own Vicci Martinez on the Starbucks Stage.  While - believe it or not - Swarner had to blow this joint for a godforsaken barbecue in Carnation of all places, he was nice enough to leave me his notes from the Vicci Martinez action.

According to Swarner, Martinez's performance was everything T-Town has come to expect from our short but uber-talented songstress. Bare feet. Energy. And a lot of "jam."

"This show felt awesome," said Darin Watkins, drummer for the Vicci Martinez band. "I hope it sounded OK out there. It felt good back here."

While Martinez's mom and sister watched Vicci do her thing from the comfort of the grass, a packed in crowd got as close as they could to the action - which proved perfect for a sunnier than expected afternoon.

LINK: Bumbershoot photos in the Photo Hot Spot

MATT DRISCOLL: TECHNOLOGY SUCKS >>>

Technology is not my strong suit. It never has been, and as every day passes that I'm confounded by some gadget with a USB cord or bewildered by an ISP it becomes more and more obvious that it never will be.

That, my friends, is a long winded explanation of why none of the pictures I've taken so far today have made their way to the Spew. I do apologize. After spending a number of hours wrestling with the problem in the Bumbershoot press room, I've given up on it for now. I'll post the pictures as soon as I figure them out, which for those who care will probably be later tonight.

But pictures have never been my purpose. Words are my purpose, and I do have a few of those to offer.

If Neko Case was the highlight of the early part of my day at Bumbershoot, Mono in VCF's set at the EMP Sky Church has been the highlight of the evening. The venue fit the atmospheric rockers perfectly. An entrancing spectrum of light show color provided the backdrop, and Mono in VCF's opuses of mood and tone filled in the voids. Singer Kim Miller â€" who I'd never had the pleasure of seeing man the ship for Mono in VCF since she's relatively new to the band â€" delivered a jaw-dropping performance. It's now obvious to me why the guys in Mono recruited her. Miller's voice is amazing and her look makes the Mono package whole.

Despite some equipment humming and a few feedback snaps, Mono trudged through a set heavy with new material â€" a set the crowd seemed to lap up with delight. Jordan Luckman was steady as always on bass, and guitarist Hunter Lea seemed at home on the brightly lit EMP stage. Highlights of the band's set included two covers. The band nailed a Terry Jacks tune â€" who I do believe Mono in VCF has a serious rock and roll crush on â€" and the band then invited Mark Pickerel (of Screaming Trees fame, and also Mark Picerkel and his praying hands) on stage for a cover Lee Hazelwood's "Some Velvet Morning" With Pickerel manning the main vocal duties and Miller playing the part of Nancy Sinatra, it was a sight to be seen and especially heard.

UPDATE: Here are a few of those pictures I promised

BRAD ALLEN: YOU’RE A WORDY ONE, MR. GRYNCH >>>

I caught a few minutes of Seattle hip-hop artist Grynch and DJ Nphared on the Fisher Green Stage yesterday at Bumbershoot. Grynch has a gift for graceful, powerful stage presence and a heavy, resonating voice.

Grynch will be headed our way Sept. 24 for a show at Hell’s Kitchen, and Sept. 25 for a visit to The Royal in Olympia.

LINK: Live From I-5 â€" Weekly Volcano's hip-hop column