WEEKLY VOLCANO: TUESDAY MUSIC LINK DUMP >>>

Batshit Crazy: Courtney Love battles The Veronicas over stolen dresses.

All The Girls Love Alice In Chains: Elton John guests on new Alice in Chains album.

Volcano Baby!: Volcano Choir releases "Island, IS," a song from Bon Iver leader Justin Vernon's new project.

Get Over Yourself: Thom Yorke says no more Radiohead albums.

We Always Thought He Was A Little Scary: Tom Waits terrifies in Doctor Parnassus trailer:

BOBBLE TIKI: WHO'S IN? >>>

If you are anything like Bobble Tiki, you played Wiffle Ball as a child in the backyard, on campus when you should have been in class, and, if you happen to work at the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, whenever a sufficient number of deadlines have been met.

And Bobble Tiki is sure you had the same arguments about balls, strikes and outs (all part of the fun of course) as we did.

Anyway, Bobble Tiki just received word that the Lakewood Community Center will host an adult Wiffle Ball league this fall:

 

By the way, the Volcano's baseball diamond was our lower parking lot that's usually dry (as opposed to the dripping ceiling we enjoy October through May). Four of us competed in an every-man/tiki-for-himself battle of "automatics" and "ghost runners" that typically found each person getting two at-bats. One person/tiki pitched to a catcher who called balls and strikes. The catcher also decided whether a hard grounder, line-drive or deep fly was a single, double, triple, homer or out.

MICHAEL SWAN: OIL VULNERABILITY RANKINGS >>>

As gas prices rise, consumers face increased threat of oil dependency. The Natural Resources Defense Council's analysis shows state-by-state ranking of oil vulnerability. The average Washington state driver spends 4.43 percent of their income on gasoline, which is low compared to other states.

MICHAEL SWAN: NOMINATIONS FOR ARTS AWARDS DUE AUG. 14 >>>

Stop practicing your Wiffle Ball swing and do this:

Jim Smith Memorial Award
The nominee has made significant contributions to the health and development of the arts, and/or the preservation of cultural traditions.
 
Excellence in the Arts
The nominee is actively involved in the creation, production, and /or performance of  works of significant quality in any artistic discipline.
 
Arts Education
The nominee has achieved excellence as a teacher, student or administrator in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
 
Career
The nominee has demonstrated success in pursuing a professional career as a visual, literary, and/or performing artist.
 
 All nominations must be received no later than August 14, 2009.  Nomination forms are currently available on our website or call 253-798-6902 for a copy.

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, 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 I'm pushing on you is Post Stardom Depression.

While officially not a band since November 2006, Post Stardom Depression is reuniting, once again, this time for the Music & Art in Wright Park show. Jeff Angell, Kyong Kim, Brent Saunders and Josh Fant â€" together once again. It’s a return most rock fans in the 253 continue to beg for, including Donny of Zeke who asked the band to reunite for this show. The last time I remember hearing their dark, moody blues rock was at the benefit for Kim’s daughter in March 2008.

Here's a taste of the musical stylings of Post Stardom Depression:

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

By the way, Angell's band The Missionary Position has a new album out. If you don't want to travel to Seattle (see their MySpace page), you can hear the new songs Sept. 19 at Doyle's Public House.

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

Today's Happy Hour Suggestion:

The Spar
2121 N. 30th St., Old Town Tacoma, 253.627.8215
Happy Hours: 4-6 p.m. Monday-Friday
Drink Specials: pints are 50 to 75 cents off

LINK: South Sound happy hours

MICHAEL SWAN: IN IPOD THEY TRUST >>>

In lower-tech, pre-CDR/iPod days, mix tapes were as convenient as High Fidelity Hallmark cards. The love was in the effort required for someone to sit down and record a tape of songs they think you had to hear or that, sigh, remind them of you. Then again, there was conceit in forcing friends to hear 90 minutes of your favorite songs. And don’t forget the inherent laziness of the lovelorn mixer’s borrowing, even thieving, of another person’s expression, not to mention their butchering or misinterpreting the intent of the song (ever had a song about a horse dedicated to you? Creepy).

I'm sure it's with a measure of all of these things â€" but with the emphasis on the mixer’s good intentions â€" that the Tempest Lounge launches iPod Tuesdays.

The hilltop lounge wants you to bring in your iPod or mp3 player every Tuesday. After you give them your playlist, they'll put your inner DJ on display.

It's a first plugin, first serve operation.

Tuesdays are also Industry Night at the Tempest. All Industry folks will receive happy hour pricing all night long, such as $5 tostados. Hey, maybe your first song on your iPod should be "Taco Flavoured Kisses" as sung by J Lo on South Park:

Maybe not.

[Tempest Lounge, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., 913 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.272.4904]

RON SWARNER: IT’S RECORD RELEASE DAY >>>

Cobra Starship, Hot Mess

Jessie James, Jessie James

Willie Nelson, Lost Highway

George Strait, Twang

The Rumble Strips, Welcome to the Walk Alone

Mindy Smith, Stupid Love

MICHAEL SWAN: WEDNESDAY, AUG. 12, 2009 >>>

1. It’s “Hump Day” at The Hub featuring $3 drinks and DJ J-Fresh spinning from 7-10 p.m. without a cover.

2. Singer/songwriter Tamara Lewis performs contemporary folk style with country and blues influences at 7 p.m. inside A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist & Café Latte.

3. Every Wednesday Doyle’s Public House in Tacoma hosts Knowledge Night where individuals or teams answer two pages of brain teasers, trivia and current events for shirts, tickets and gift certificates beginning at 8 p.m.

4. Award winning blues trombonist Randy Oxford a weekly Wednesday jam at Chopstix dubbed The Randy Oxford Jam beginning at 8 p.m.

5. “Lost and Found,” Freedom Records’ live and open auditions, will be held at 9 p.m. at Hell’s Kitchen.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide