MATT DRISCOLL: PARIS SPLEEN PLAYS O'MALLEY'S TONIGHT >>>

Paris Spleen is easily one of my favorite Tacoma bands. Never mind the fact they sometimes get overlooked in a crowd rife with indie talent â€" bands like the Nightgowns, The Drug Purse, Makeup Monsters, Motopony, etc. â€" this is one retro rock outfit worth the hangover, rug-burned knees and blown eardrums.

Also, never mind the fact that most of the dudes that play in all those bands I just mentioned ALSO play in Paris Spleen. Or close to it, anyway. That’s just one of the beautiful things about Tacoma.

Tonight, Paris Spleen will be bringing the dirty fingernails indie rock to O’Malley’s on Sixth Ave. â€" offering songs from the forthcoming Like Love EP that’s scheduled to be officially released in late September or early October. Those interested will have a chance to buy one of 30 available advance copies at the show â€" plus I hear it’s a going away party for Liz, who’s moving to Korea.

Seriously â€" what more do you need?

O’Malley’s also serves one hell of a cheeseburger, if that puts you over the edge.

[O’Malley’s, Friday, Aug. 7, 9 p.m., free, 2403 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.3144]

NEWS TEAM: GOOD MORNING SOUTH SOUND >>>

Referendum 71: Backers keeping eyes on state’s signature validity checkers.

Not Cold As Ice: South Cascade Glacier shrinking.

Shitty Satchers: They persuaded nearly two dozen Tacoma-area residents to file false income-tax returns.

Slowly, But Surely Recovering Economy: U.S. payroll losses slow, unemployment rate declines.

Twitter Crash: The DDoS that prevented you from Twittering about not being able to Twitter were politically motivated.

Pakistan Foreign Minister: Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud is dead.

How Does This Work?: AIG posts first quarterly profit since 2007.

PAUL SCHRAG: SKIE BENDER AT THE PRESS TONIGHT >>>

Skie Bender, painter, writer, and voice and bass player for L.A.'s Fire Ants will celebrate the release of her latest writing project, Short Lived, tonight. The novel follows the true-life adventures of Skie and her canine soul mate as they cross America in a 25-foot camper.

Bender is a serious animal lover, and works at Wolf Haven International, a sanctuary for captive-born wolves.

One hundred percent of book proceeds will go to OldDog Haven in Olympia. Support animals in need.

[The Press, Friday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m., 406 Washington St., Olympia, 360.239.4104]

RON SWARNER: MUSIC & ART IN WRIGHT PARK PRIMER >>>

This Aug. 15, Music & Art in Wright Park 2009, which began in 1993 as Music in the Park, returns to Tacoma â€" showcasing some of the best bands in the area, including Guns & Rossetti, Girl Trouble, Post Stardom Depression, Broken Oars, The Plastards, James Hilbourne and the Pain Killers, Zeke, C.F.A., Zook, Stone Axe, Starstruck, Tarek Wegner, Tallest Tree, The Coloffs, NeutralBoy, and Mico De Noche. The Saturday outdoor concert at Wright Park will be free.

As a sponsor of Music & Art in Wright Park, the Weekly Volcano will highlight a band or two every day until the Aug. 15 show, which runs noon to 8 p.m.

Today’s Music & Art in Wright Park band we’re pushing on you is the Broken Oars.

“Broken Oars has been pummeling Tacoma since its inception a couple of years ago,” wrote Weekly Volcano editor Matt Driscoll two years ago.  “Led by their quintessentially punk frontman â€" Ike (who you may remember from Crossbones fame), Broken Oars is anything but a sinking ship. They do punk the way it was meant to be done, without apologies, without reservations.”

Here is a taste of the musical stylings of the Broken Oars:

LINK: To read a little history on Music in the, jump to here.

MICHAEL SWAN: ON SALE NEXT WEEK >>>

The American Living Unstoppable Tour 2009 will pull up to the Tacoma Dome Oct. 20 with Rascal Flatts and Darius “Don’t Ca;ll Me Hootie” Rucker.  Tickets prices haven’t been announced yet, but with JCPenney sponsoring the show, they’ll probably be less than a leisure suit. Tickets will go on sale Saturday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets or by phone at 800.745.3000.

MICHAEL SWAN: E-MAIL OF THE DAY >>>

This just arrived at the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters via e-mail:

How did Kevin know that we always have rock buckets in stock? We're all about rock buckets.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: KRYING INTO JAGER SHOTS >>>

The cover band Shifter had big shoes to fill last night at Jazzbones. Regular Ladies Night band Kry was on vacation. It was obvious. The crowd wasn't the usual wall to wall hormonal 20-somethings rubbing up against everything in site.  However, Shifter held its own. The crowd was into it, as well as multiple Jaegermeister shots.

I snapped a few photos. I have more posted on my MySpace page.

MICHAEL SWAN: TODAY’S HAPPY HOUR DISCUSSION TOPIC >>>

Today’s Happy Hour Suggestion:

Meconi’s Pub & Eatery
709 Pacific Ave., downtown Tacoma, 253.383.3388
Happy Hour: 3-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10-close (includes food only)
Drink Specials: $2 domestics, $3 microbrews, $3 wells
Food Specials: Nearly half price appetizers

LINK: South Sound happy hours

MICHAEL SWAN: SATURDAY, AUG. 8, 2009 >>>

1. Internationally acclaimed medium, clairvoyant and star of Lisa Williams, Life Among the Dead on Lifetime TV Lisa Williams will give a large audience reading at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

2. Poets Antonio Edwards, Gwendolyn Faye and Robert Lashley will be performing at First Fruits from 5-7 p.m. at Urban Grace in downtown Tacoma.

3. A 21 plus crowd will gather at the infamous Goldfish Tavern at 7 p.m. for what’s being called the Goldfish Gallop. Participants will first take off on a 5K run through Point Defiance Park (if they’re anything like the Weekly Volcano staff, cursing, sweating and battling with every painful, uncoordinated stride) only to end up back at the Goldfish Tavern for frosty adult beverages â€" possibly several.

4. Northwest Playwrights Alliance's Festival Northwest continues at the Tacoma Little Theatre with a production of A story that ends and begins with a dream by Nate Harpel at 8 p.m.

5. Tempest Lounge hosts drum 'n' bass night featuring Suga Jones, D-Fi and NME Sub at 9 p.m.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

PAUL SCHRAG: THE SPITTIN’ COBRAS PLAY HELL'S KITCHEN TONIGHT >>>

You know that feeling you get when “Ace of Spades” comes on the radio at 3 a.m. after you’ve been drinking whiskey, smoking Camels and getting tortured by a ruthlessly-strong, 90-year-old Asian man who’s hooked your nipples up to a car battery and doused you in old bath water?

OK, probably not.

But you can experience the next best thing: The Spittin’ Cobras.

No joke, no question â€" The Spittin’ Cobras are everything that rock ‘n’ roll’s been missing for 20 years. Comprising members of KMFDM, The Dwarves and Murdock, this new metal machine spews atomic rage; riding murderous, grinding guitar by Jules Hodgson (KMFDM), mega-blast beats by Andy Selway (KMFDM, The Dwarves, Genotorturers), and plain mean-ass bass from Jake Hagan.

Add the concrete-chipping voice of frontman Alx, and you’ve got the rebirth of Rock. These guys play fast, hard, and wreck grooves like nothing I’ve heard in recent memory.

Check it.

[Hell’s Kitchen, with Guns & Rosetti, Philo Beddoe, Psycho 78, All Bets on Death, Saturday, Aug. 8, 9 p.m., $5, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

Photo: Nate Manning/MySpace