JAKE DE PAUL: MANLY NO, BUT I LIKE IT TOO >>>

It’s a real challenge to feel and look manly while guzzling out of a blue kiddy’s bucket with a yellow shovel as a swizzle stick.

Often when I’m hanging at The Rock Wood Fired Pizza & Spirits’ Federal Way location â€" listening to Led Zeppelin, of course â€" I’m surrounded by burly bikers, classic rockers and hip-hoppers who probably drink alcohol mixed with ground espresso, Red Bull and/or gunpowder. And on a hot day like today, I order The Bucket â€" a five rum mai tai-like drink in a blue kiddy’s bucket. It’s refreshing, although it takes balls to drink.

I can’t drink it in the Rock’s packed dining room due to laughter from the kids. So, I retreat into the bar with said characters, drinking beneath ESPN while classic rock fills the entire building at the perfect sound level for both conversation and rocking out.

Like other Rocks in Tacoma, Puyallup, Lacey and outside the area, the Federal Way location features industrial rock and roll décor. However, this location takes the atmosphere to an 11 with high ceilings, crumbling brick walls, rusted steel, ghost-flamed bathroom stalls and, of course, rock and roll â€" guitar chandelier, stage lighting, roadie boxes for bar storage and table tops, semi truck rear doors, and skeletons. Yes, a “Pirates of the Caribbean”-like skeleton with a spray paint can and another playing guitar with flames shooting out. Yo-ho-ho and a bucket full of rums!

The menu is the same as the original locations, too, with more than 20 rock-themed signature pizzas to choose from. If you can’t decide, simply pick your own fresh toppings for the cooks to spread across the sauce before being smothered in cheese and slide into a wood-fueled authentic brick oven â€" which I’m glad I’m not operating today.

[The Rock Wood Fired Pizza, 34817 Enchanted Pkwy. S., Federal Way, 253.835.7625]

LINK: Previously on Spew

MICHAEL SWAN: WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 2009 >>>

1. The Thurston County Fair offers carnival rides, exhibits, animals, food, games and normal fair stuff from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Thurston County Fairgrounds in Lacey.

2. Renowned parking expert and UCLA professor Dr. Donald Shoup will give his thoughts on parking and mobility in downtown Tacoma during a free lecture at 8 a.m. inside the Carwein Auditorium at the UWT.

3. Guitarist Billy Farmer will host the Summer Music Club Open Mic at the Gig Harbor Farmers Market at noon.

4. I Defy, CLR, Violation, The Triggers and The Americommies play a loud, all-ages 6 p.m. show at Hell’s Kitchen.

5. Tunes At Tapps welcomes The African All Stars at 7 p.m. on the grass of Allan Yorke Park in Bonney Lake.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

JAKE DE PAUL: WEDNESDAY FOOD LINKS >>>

Hump Day: The Hub launches its drink specials ($3 cosmos, lemon drops, and premium wells), free music night tonight with the human jukebox Steve Stefanowicz at 5:30 p.m. followed by a DJ J-Fresh at 7 p.m. â€" without a cover charge.

Winepalooza: Wednesday means half-price wine at many South Sound restaurants.

T-town Not In Top Five: 10 Best U.S. Cities For Local Food vote.

The Blue M&M: A magic pill for spine injuries?

Today’s South Sound Special

The Bayview School of Cooking in Olympia hosts Blueberry Fields Forever class today at 6 p.m. The cost is $40. Reserve your spot at 360.754.1448.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

RON SWARNER: COUNTDOWN TO TERMINATOR STOUT IN TACOMA >>>

Last night the Tacoma City Council sanctioned city staff to complete a letter of intent with Tacoma developer Grace Pleasants and her business partner Rick Moses, formalizing the city’s role in the project to convert the landmark Elks Temple downtown into a McMenamins restaurant and hotel. The city's role includes building a 300-stall parking garage and providing a government load loan (ha, ha, heh) to help with the conversion.

Read the News Tribune for full story here.

NEWS TEAM: GOOD MORNING SOUTH SOUND >>>

Mixed-use Centers: Tacoma approves regulations to allow taller buildings.

Bob Olsen Comes Clean: He punked City Hall back in ’59.

Military Family Leave Act of 2009: Proposed legislation guarantees time off for military families.

Google Gang up: Microsoft and Yahoo strike deal.
http://www.techflash.com/microsoft

Ticker: Top Dem aide denies secret deal.

Dr. Conrad Murray: Issues!

Photograph: swallow flies through two-inch gap at 35 miles per hour.

This Probably Will Not Help…

MICHAEL SWAN: MORE METAL-URGE >>>

Gallery Madera joins Tacoma's summer-long celebration of everything metal, Metal-Urge, with its show, FLUX, opening Saturday, Aug. 1 with a reception from 5-8 p.m.

The downtown Tacoma gallery will hang Christine Parent, Jennifer Weddermann-Hay and Chris Spadafore’s wall-mounted sculptures; erect Danella Sydow and Chris Wooten’s free-standing sculptures; and display Amy Reeves and Cynthia Wood’s jewelry.

Plus Madera furniture designers/builders Steve Lawler and Carlos Taylor-Swanson will present new work with a special nod to Metal-Urge.

Bonus: Angel (Fred) Matamoros will display new paintings.

The FLUX show runs Aug. 1-Sept. 12.

[Gallery Madera, 2210 Court A, Tacoma, 253.572.1218]

Photo: Artwork by Chris Wooten

MICHAEL SWAN: YOU VOTED, NOW READ THE RESULTS >>>

Weekly Volcano writers are like scientists. We make Tacoma our lab. We take notes. We assemble the notes. Then we report to you.

In every sense, our Best of Tacoma is a scientific exploration for rare creatures â€" and the lab results hit the streets tomorrow as a special pullout section inside the Weekly Volcano.

Yes, once again, the Weekly Volcano staff contributed its choices to the Best of Tacoma issue. Because, truth be told, we can’t always rely on our readers for the most interesting choices. Living in a world where Olive Garden gets votes for “Best Italian” presents some pretty conspicuous challenges.

However, this is a free country, ours is a free weekly newspaper, and votes count. So this year, we are putting more emphasis on readers’ picks.

Still, for the total Weekly Volcano Best Of package, you’re just going to have to wait until tomorrow. But here’s a snippet of the goodness in store:

WEEKLY VOLCANO: WEDNESDAY MUSIC NEWS AND LINK DUMP >>>

Lost and Found, Take Two: After a few loose moments, Freedom Records’ live and open auditions for the band Visibility 00 survived its night at Bob’s Java Jive July 22.

A Freedom Records press release states:

Due to a contractual error, the Lost and Found show will be moving to Hell’s Kitchen beginning Aug. 12.

The record label encourages all musicians â€" bands, solo artists, half-bands, what-have-you to audition. They promise a more structured format for the Aug. 12 show.

More information can be found on the label's Web site.

Best Music of 2009 (So Far): Spin gave their thoughts a few weeks back, now NPR listeners chime in on the best music of 2009 â€" so far. Check out the results here.

Depeche Mode “Wrong”: Speaking of NPR, their Song of the Day is “Wrong” by Depeche Mode. The Martin Gore-penned first single off this year's Sounds of the Universe, is an example of what happens when Depeche Mode follows its better instincts.

MICHAEL SWAN:

Deschutes Brewing is cruising around Tacoma pulling a Woody. It will stop at The Red Hot on Sixth Avenue tonight at 7 p.m. with “heat-friendly” beers on tap in The Red Hot’s outdoor beer garden. Read the Beer and Hot Dogs blog for more details.

SUZY STUMP: NOW WITH MORE RUBBER >>>

You’ve probably seen the posters with the classic car below the paintbrushes (look right). If you haven’t seen them, you’re probably living in the wrong century, or at least the wrong part of the South Sound. The poster sets the stage for this year’s version of the Urban Art Festival, titled Iron Vs. Art â€" which will add classic cars to what’s typically a classic mix of art, music, barefootedness and dreadlocks.

With Hotrod-a-Rama on hiatus this year, organizer Johanna Gardner has teamed up with the Lifters Car Club and The Swiss Pub for her downtown Tacoma festival Saturday. Expect art exhibits, music (live and DJ), a beer garden, live painting, food, dancing, performance art, healing arts practices, demonstrations, and now â€" badass cars.

[The Swiss, Saturday, Aug. 1, noon to 9 p.m., free, 19th and Jefferson, Tacoma]