MICHAEL SWAN: TAMMY ROBACKER RELEASES BOOK OF POETRY >>>

Quick question for you: What's the poetry scene like in Tacoma?

If you said, "Wait a minute! What poetry scene?" - you're exactly the type of person I'm looking for.

(Unless, I suppose, your idea of poetry is the stuff scrawled on the walls of Honeybuckets.)

Fact is, while it may be small and fledgling, there is a poetry scene in Tacoma - and it's growing.

People like Tammy Robacker - who has written for the Weekly Volcano in the past and has become a force within Tacoma's poetry scene-are making it possible.

And the City of Tacoma is also helping.

Through a funding from the Tacoma Artists Initiative Program (TAIP) and a grant awarded to her from the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Arts Commission, Robacker is releasing her first book of poetry, The Vicissitudes, this week. Robacker will hold a book release, reading, and signing party Sunday, Oct. 25 at bellaballs art studio (747 S. Fawcett Ave., Suite B, Tacoma). Tacoma Poet Laureate Antonio Edwards Jr. will emcee the event, and fun is expected to be had by all.

Those who need proof of Tacoma's poetry scene need look no further.

LINK: Tammy Robacker's Poem-A-Tacoma blog series

MICHAEL SWAN: FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 2009 >>>

1. 
The Vile Red Falcons CD Release Party with The Fuzz and The Legend Of Bigfoot begins at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge.

2. A free, three-hour bus tour of the Port of Tacoma will depart the South Hill Park-and-Ride at 9 a.m.

3. Walk behind the scenes in an old ballet studio and see what kind of chills, thrills, and arabesques lurk as Tacoma City Ballet dancers are joined by the Bare Foot Collective â€" and maybe a couple of ghouls and goblins â€" in an interactive experience titled “The Haunted Theatre: Backstage Tour and Eerie Dances” at 2, 4 and 5:30 p.m. at The Merlino Art Center.

4. Ghost stories from past centuries will be told around a roaring bonfire from 7-9 p.m. as part of “Bonfires, Beaver Pelts & Bogeymen” at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.

5. The Going Green at The Mix â€" Approve 71 Fundraiser begins at 8 p.m. inside The Mix.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

RON SWARNER: CELEBRATING WITH TWO HOT BANDS >>>

Proprietors Jaime Kay Newton and Jason Jones will celebrate the Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe's second anniversary tonight with free live music from The Fucking Eagles and the Revengers - arguably two of Tacoma's best bands.

[Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe, Friday, Oct. 23, 9 p.m., no cover, 3529 Mckinley Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.1502]

JAKE DE PAUL: FOOD MATTERS >>>

Friday’s Uncorked: The Bayview School of Cooking presents a $12 wine tasting today from 5-7:30 p.m. titled Wines of the Mediterranean. You do not need to reserve space.
 
Naan And Beyond: East India Grill damn near makes Gateway Center delicious.

Plan Ahead: Crown Bar celebrates its second anniversary Monday, Oct. 26 with munchies, micros, wine and the musical styling of the Crown Bar House Trio from 7-9:30 p.m. Cost is $30 a person, $50 a couple. Reserve your space at 253.383.7000.

Food For Thought: A New Orleans restaurateur eliminates a competing restaurant â€" by setting it on fire!


LINK: Weekly Volcano’s Eat & Drink section

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

JENNIFER JOHNSON: SAMPLING OFF THE LOUNGE'S NEW MENU >>>

The Monsoon Room was known for handmade cocktails that utilized fresh ingredients and creative drink recipes. Lounge 1022 South, now open in the same location for seven months, has raised the bar in Tacoma's cocktail department. Beverages are crafted from scratch using a large array of well-known and obscure spirits, liquors, liqueurs, aperitifs, and elixirs.

After removing all traces of tiki, adding soaring shelving to complete the back bar, a shift in the color scheme and seating arrangements, the only thing left for general manager Chris Langston to deftly handle was the query of - "What is there to eat?"

Last night two companions and I posed just that question over cocktails. We were treated to Langston's new menu of light victuals, as his well-thought out selection of appetizers, snacks and small plates are so charmingly labeled.

We started with six half-dollar size crostini loaded with goat cheese drizzled with balsamic, olive oil and a slight bit of Yakima smoked sea salt. The crostini was wonderful and toasted perfectly. No one will suffer from Scraped Roof-of-the-mouth Syndrome.

Next, we dove into smooth, mellow hummus liberally dusted with paprika.

The marcona almonds and Parmesan reggiano arrived as a piece of art. The cheese was roughly cubed and served mixed with the nuts.

We shared a charcuterie platter of pale yellow smoked Gouda, orange cambozola, thin perfectly salty Genoa salami and rich prosciutto, and a dish of black and brown Mediterranean olives and sourdough. When ran into trouble with the olive pits. Didn't know where to discard them.

Looking for a little zing, spicy pepitas (roasted, salted pumpkin seeds) and pretzels with mustard were ordered.  As with everything they arrived swiftly. Pepitas were not terribly spicy nor was the mustard; both had just enough heat to be flavorful.

We skipped garlic sesame crackers with wasabi peas and also the cheese plate since we'd already had smoked Gouda and cambozola.

All dishes were served on pure white tableware - graceful and classic, as well as bold and modern. 

The victuals menu at 1022 South tops out at $10 with an average of $5. Portion sizes are that of hordevours. Given that all dishes are finger foods, cloth napkins would be an ideal and practical upgrade.

Langston has put together a menu of uncomplicated food that is creative enough to be appealing and simple enough to leave focus on the complex layered flavors of his cocktails - the real stars of the show. The 8 year old in me pouted; no dessert is currently offered.

Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Sunday-Wednesday; 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday; happy hour every day until 8 p.m.

[1022 South Lounge, 4 p.m. to midnight Sunday-Wednesday; 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, happy hour every day until 8 p.m., 1022 S. J St., Tacoma, 253.627.8588]

MICHAEL SWAN: CD REVIEW >>>

Lauren Faulkner, program director for KUPS 90.1 FM in Tacoma, reviews Hospice, the new CD from The Antlers, on our Web site.

SUZY STUMP: THE ART AND DJ PARTY CELEBRATES ONE YEAR AT JAZZBONES TONIGHT >>>

Warhol may have come and gone but the spirit of art parties is alive and kicking at Jazzbones tonight. The Seattle-based - with Tacoma ties - multi-genre art show organization Artifakt celebrates it's one-year relationship with the Sixth Avenue club with DJs SwerveWon (pictured), File Jerks, and Hanible spinning hip-hop, mashups and dance music - and a diverse display of visual art by the Saves crew, including Jack Saffle, Aaron Crane and Dominic Vaccaro.

"I'm excited for the art show featuring Saves," says Tacoman Matt Eklund, who will show his art at Artifakt tonight. "They have some really talented artists in their crew."

Saves is a Northwest-based clothing company offering skate and snowboard street wear for the masses.  

[Jazzbones, Friday, Oct. 23, 9 p.m., $5, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

MICHAEL SWAN: SATURDAY, OCT. 24, 2009 >>>

1. Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Opening Concert featuring Bernstein’s “West Side Story Dances,” Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” and Dvorak’s “From the New World” with Andrew Armstrong on the piano, at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

2. The AIDS Housing Association of Tacoma hosts its 2nd Annual Halloween Ball and Auction at 6 p.m. inside the Temple Theater. This year’s event is called “Thriller.”

3. Walk behind the scenes in an old ballet studio and see what kind of chills, thrills, and arabesques lurk as Tacoma City Ballet dancers are joined by the Bare Foot Collective â€" and maybe a couple of ghouls and goblins â€" in an interactive experience titled “The Haunted Theatre: Backstage Tour and Eerie Dances” at 2, 4 and 5:30 p.m. at The Merlino Art Center.

4. Ghost stories from past centuries will be told around a roaring bonfire from 7-9 p.m. as part of “Bonfires, Beaver Pelts & Bogeymen” at the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum.

5. Yeah, right. It's a tie: "Curtains," "A Streetcar Named Desire," Reaper Ride, Art Door Auction, Fang, "The Woman In Black," "Lend Me a Tenor" and more.

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: Local movie starting times

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

JAKE DE PAUL: FOOD MATTERS >>>

Wine Tasting: A bunch today.

Plan Ahead: The Washington State Liquor Control Board will open a Liquor and Wine Holiday Gift Store inside The Commons at Federal Way Nov. 1-Dec. 31. It will almost make driving South 320th Street worth it.

Food For Thought: Embrace the urban backyard chicken trend? NYTimes says proceed with caution: "Chickens, it turns out, have issues."

LINK: Weekly Volcano’s Eat & Drink section

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

MATT DRISCOLL: FANG >>>

Fang is coming to Hell's Kitchen, and quite honestly writing this preview scares the crap out of me. The last thing I want to do is cross a band like Fang - hell, I might end up dead.

That'd suck.

So, instead, I'll play it safe and just give Hell's Kitchen props for continuing to bring real life punk icons to town - this time in the form of the legendary East Bay band that Sam McBride (Sammytown, these days) helped make famous. Fang may be older than you, and it might seem like the band's best days are behind them, but that doesn't mean these punks won't sonically lash you with a bike chain and break bottles of JD over your head. Shit, they might even do that for real - no "sonically" about it.

Of course, I mean that in the best way possible. Seriously, guys. No trouble here. 

[Hell's Kitchen, with Cody Foster's Army, I Defy, The Triple Sixes, Three Punch Drunks, Saturday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $7, 3829 Sixth Ave, Tacoma, 253.759.6003]