MUSICALLY SPEAKING >>>

It's Monday, which means my outlook on life isn't quite as rosy as it was merely 48 hours ago - and it's time for your weekly preview of what's on tap musically speaking from the Weekly Volcano.

C AVERAGE: It's been over two years since Oly's quintessential heavy, heady rockers have taken to the stage - but that all changes Saturday at the Eastside Club. The Weekly Volcano's Nikki Talotta sat in on a recent C Average practice, and she'll bring you the juicy tidbits - including why C Average drummer Brad Balsley "plays for his mental health."

SONG SPARROW RESEARCH: After being talked into the proposition by $2000 Puma, Seattle's Song Sparrow Research - a band that's done plenty of evolving over the last few years - will make its first trip to T-Town, playing The New Frontier on Saturday. Leader Hamilton Boyce, who says Song Sparrow Research is going into Tacoma with "an open mind," sounded optimistic about playing Tacoma for the first time. "I've been to some shows down there," says Boyce, "and have been impressed by some of the musical taste."

WESTERN GHOST HOUSE: From Austin, Texas - this gaggle of alt-country tinged troubadours will hit The New Frontier on Tuesday, March 2, as part of the band's "Lonesome, Rowdy and Restless Tour." The Weekly Volcano's Rev. Adam McKinney connected with lead singer Jesse Pantoja this week, and you'll be able to catch his interview and more in Thursday's print edition of this fine rag.

PLUS: Taj Mahal, Sok and the Faggots, Thrones, and France's L'Orchidée d'Hawaï

TUESDAY, FEB. 23, 2010 >>>

1. REI in Tacoma hosts a free Snowshoeing Basics class at 7 p.m.

2. Portland artist Jef Gunn's Undo Every Woven show - paintings, prints, photographs and mixed media collages capturing Oregon's high dessert - is on display from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Traver Gallery.

3. Award-winning NPR journalist and author Naseem Rakha will present a workshop "Writing For Change" at 6 p.m. inside the Olympia Timberland Library.

4. Guitarist Patrick Dethlefs performs at 7 p.m. inside the Mandolin Café.

5. Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill hosts a benefit for Bikers Fighting Cancer featuring the band Koz Of Konfusion at 8 p.m.

LINK: Today's movie showtimes

SMASHING NEWS >>>

Watch people smash things. Smashing things is fun and cathartic. Watching others smash and smash and smash into each other can be equally entertaining and potentially cathartic in a vicarious kind of way. A sold-out crowd watched the Slamfest Demolition Derby at last year's Spring Fair in Puyallup. Afterward, families left the Fairgrounds with smiles, smashing their first together as if they were cars.

Therefore, Spring Fair folks have added Slamfest it to this year's spring shindig — April 17 at 6 p.m. and the large cars April 18 at 2 p.m. Both derbies will feature the oh-so-popular Rollover, Crazy 8 and Demo Derby Heat Races. New this year will be dare devil stunts with extreme automotive acrobats and fire walks.

Because it sold out last year, the Weekly Volcano suggests you purchase your Slamfest tickets when they go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets are $30 for the Golden Derby box seats, $15 for your run-of-the-mill adult seats, $12 for those skipping their studies and $5 from ages 3-5. A special $50 family pack will also be available. All tickets include admission into the Spring Fair.

Did we mention the new sizzling stunts this year?

OLYMPIA COMMUNITY ARTS ROUNDTABLE >>>

What are your feelings on costumes? Like them? Well, let's start from the beginning. The Arts Commission of the City of Olympia invites local artists and arts organizations to join its March Olympia Community Arts Roundtable on costume design Monday, March 1 inside the Olympia Timberland Library meeting room. The Commission hopes you will listen to University of Puget Sound costume shop manage Mishka Navarre-Huff's discussion on bringing a costume together from script to final stitch - then share your costume ideas and experiences. As always, 'tis best to heed the warnings of a overactive mind. Your prawn costume will never kill at your company retreat.  Navaree-Huff will confirm this.

[Olympia Timberline Library meeting room, Monday, March 1, 6 p.m., free, 313 Eighth Ave. SE, Olympia, 360.709.2678]

IT'S HAPPENING IN TACOMA >>>

Arts Advocacy Meeting

The Washington State Arts Alliance Foundation will host its next Arts Advocacy Meeting Wednesday, March 3 inside Visibility Center (ninth floor, 747 Market St.) in downtown Tacoma. On the agenda: Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland discusses arts and culture in Tacoma and Pierce County; reports by city/county/state and other municipal arts leaders; the latest statewide K-12 report by Lisa Jaret, program manager for the Washington State Arts Commission; and information on current status of arts-related bills during the 2010 session. 

Arts Leadership Lab

The Arts Leadership Lab Core Team is taking applications for its next 18-month professional development, peer learning and community building opportunity. According to the release, the Arts Leadership Lab "is a home for creative dialogue, learning, and networking opportunities for the emerging and current leadership of our arts and cultural sector. ALL produces regular public events that explore innovation, public issues, and best practices in the arts. The Core Team of 8-12 individuals acts as the governing body that collaborates to produce one of each of the following public events every quarter:

• Accountability and the Arts - Seminars in best practices for arts management
• Creative Conversations - Forums/panels on issues impacting arts and culture (e.g. space, technology, advocacy)
• S'PIKEd/ALL Out - Happy hour networking events

Beginning in 2010, the Core Team will also produce and host an "UnConference," a half-day of short presentations by innovators in cultural ecology."

Applications for the program are due Friday, March 5. To download the application, click here.

ARFS & CRAFTS

ARFS & CRAFTS, the annual benefit for the Prison Pet Partnership Program at the Women's Correctional Institute at Purdy and the Gig Harbor based Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound, will be held April 15-17, 2010 at The Art Stop in downtown Tacoma. The folks behind the event seek artist pet dishes for the art show with a focus on "function, fanciful, funky, fun and fabulous" states the press release. "Each year entries range from practical put-‘em-on-the-kitchen-floor pet dishes to exquisite and artsy works of fancy."

The Art Stop will, once again, hand out the Silver Biscuit Award. Hand-crafted of sterling silver by Tacoma artist Joan Joachims, the Silver Biscuit is awarded to the artist whose bowl is voted Best of Show by visitors to ARFS & CRAFTS. In addition, a panel of celebrity judges will select The Pick of the Litter from the entries.

The pet bowls are due at The Art Stop by April 10. For more information, call The Art Stop co-owner Phyllis Harrison at 253.274.1630.

WARM UP FOR MAY 14 IN TACOMA >>>

As I broke worldwide early this month, Nashville Pussy is headed to Hell's Kitchen May 14 with Green Jelly and Psychostick in tow. Tickets are $15 at ticketweb.com.

Psychostick drummer Alex Preiss will host a live webcast Thursday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. PST to discuss the tour.

"I like to do webcasts to make a better connection with our fans," says Preiss in a press release. "I get to meet a lot of them on tour, but there are so many that live in places that we haven't been able to get to yet. Sometimes there are lame age restrictions on shows and kids can't get in. So it's for all of them! Come say hi, ask some questions about whatever, or you could just watch. It's important to me that everyone knows that we are accessible."

LINK: Hell's Kitchen's fancy new Web site

HERE COMES SONIC DRIVE IN >>>

The old Godfather's Pizza/Classy Casuals building came crumbling down this morning making way for a future Sonic Drive In.

Does anyone know if RR Anderson reported from inside this demolition as he did during the Luzon Building's destruction?

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 24, 2010 >>>

1. Trip The Light Fantastic, Destruction Island, Paris Spleen and The Dignitaries rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

2. The Movement of Impressionism: Europe, America, and the Northwest at Tacoma Art Museum offers an impressive sampling of this expanded movement from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Giants in the Mountains: The Search for Sasquatch at the Washington State History Museum examines how scientists attempt to explain and investigate the Sasquatch phenomenon. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

4. The Food For Thought Book Club will discuss Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl at 6:30 p.m. inside the Garfield Book Company.

5. The Tempest Lounge hosts Female Singer-Songwriter Night at 7 p.m.

LINK: Movie show times in the South Sound

THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2010 >>>

1. Poet Lucia Perillo will be in the house for PLU English Department's Visiting Writers Series at 3:30 p.m. inside the Garfield Book Company. An accomplished author, Perillo's poetry has made her a previous finalist for the L.A. Times Book Prize, and scored her the Kingsley Tufts prize from Claremont University. Perillo will be discussing and signing her latest work, Inseminating the Elephant. Perillo will also readat 5:30 p.m. inside the Scandinavian Cultural Center.

2. Tacoma Runners start and end their 3-ish mile run at Terry's Office Tavern beginning at 6:30 p.m. After the run, they'll head inside Terry's to discuss potholes over beers.

3. Yenney Music in Olympia will host a hand drum class from 6:30-8 p.m.

4. Reggae will fill The Swiss beginning at 9 p.m. when Higher Vibes hits the stage.

5. The $100 for Haiti benefit will feature Perry Acker, Christopher Day, art by Chris Sharp, poetry by Jessica Uhler and dance by Faith Stevens beginning at 7 p.m. inside the Urban Grace Church.

LINK: Movie show times in the South Sound

WHAT WE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tacoma's Warehouse has been shut down.

RIP Rickrolling

Is Google A Content Provider After All?

Your chair is your enemy.

Dismal news for college ladies: apparently one in five of us will be the victim of sexual assault, thanks to a new study.

FutureWorks' Brian Solis: Facebook trumps Twitter for marketers.

Zach Galifianakis and Lowboy's John Wray make a book trailer (thanks blogtown)