IT'S HAPPENING THIS FRIDAY >>>

Tacoma natives Tyler Willman (vocals), Steve Ross (guitar), Dan Kempthorne (guitar) and Bob Martin (drums) began jamming together in 1991 as the neo-punk band Inspector Luv and the Ride Me Babies.  Then they added bassist Mary Anne Braeden, changed their name to Green Apple Quick Step and released the 1993 Wonderful Virus on a Warner affiliate.

That's where the Weekly Volcano picks up the story:

• Drummer Geoff Reading tells how he got the GAQS gig here.
• Editor Matt Driscoll interviews Ty Willman here.

Green Apple Quick Step performs Friday, March 26 at Hell's Kitchen.

[Hell's Kitchen, with The Jet City Fix and Broken Cannon, Friday, March 26, 9 p.m., $10, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

Psst: We're giving away a pair of tickets to see Green Apple Quick Step at Hell's Kitchen tomorrow morning through our Morning Quickie Newsletter. Sign up on our homepage and get in on the action.

THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010 >>>

1. The heartbreaking and rigorous anti-romance Korean flick Christmas in August will screen at The Blue Mouse Theatre as part of the Sister Cities International Film Festival. For $10 you can watch the flick and enjoy Korean cultural events. The festivities begin at 6:30 p.m.

2. Edward Matlock's Loteria show at Fulcrum is cool. His subjects are culturally and generationally iconic. Rendered in extreme contrast they are reduced to abstraction devoid of contextual information. Our favrote is the lazer gun. Check them out between noon and 6 p.m.

3. If Darwin's theory of evolution is correct, then it appears the human animal has attained a plateau in physical development even as the intellect doggedly advances. Is this true? Author Pat Shannon tackles the subject at 6 p.m. inside Orca Books in Olympia.

4. The Thursday Beer Run is growing. Runners show up at a bar ready for a social 3-miler loop. They leave the bar later in the night loopy. The runners will meet at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Cloverleaf Pizza on Sixth Avenue. The runners know why the Cloverleaf's crust is so crunchy. Seems like an extra mile is in order.

5. EvergreenOne, Todd Sykes, the Revengers and Jr. Hill take The Swiss' stage at 9 p.m.

LINK: Plan your weekend concert purchases

THURSDAY, MARCH 25: THE END OF ROUND ONE >>>

Yesterday's Results

Yesterday saw one blowout and two last-minute victories.

Here were yesterday's match-ups:

El Perran vs. El Tenampa

Reyna's Mexican Restaurant vs. La Fondita II

The Beach Tavern vs. Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery

El Pulgarcito vs. Taqueria Los Parados

Game 1 yesterday saw the biggest blowout of the tournament so far. The authentic Mexican environment of El Tenampa crushed el Perran's sports bar like environment. El Perran must have not paid attention to Tenampa's massive dance floor in the back of its restaurant. They packed them in on the weekends for Mexican cumbia by large touring bands.

The hole-in-the-wall Reyna's held a slight lead all day until the nightlife crowd logged on. On the strength of its bar we believe, La Fondita pulled ahead in the final few minutes of the voting to capture 86.7 percent of the vote. We're sure no one expected Reyna's to go down in the first round.

The Beach Tavern also held a lead all day over the Powerhouse in Puyallup. Then the comments began to flow in - every single one cheering on the Powerhouse. Where were the Beach Tavern fans? Where was its cheering squad? Our guess is the Beach Bunch was inside their beloved Titlow Beach watering hole instead of logged online. Powerhouse, with 52.2 percent of the votes, moves to the next round.

El Salvador wins! The Salvadoran El Pulgarcito nestled in Ponder's Corner in Lakewood grabbed 55.2 percent of the vote sending Taqueria Los Parados packing.

Let's get down to the hard shell facts. The following are advancing to the next round:

El Tenampa

La Fondita II

Powerhouse Restaurant & Brewery

El Pulgarcito

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

Today's Competition

OK, time to move on to today's competition, which is the last day of Round One. Hey! We heard that sigh. Grab a bottle of Pepto and get back at it! ...

Game 1: Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant (806 72^nd St. E, Tacoma) vs. Bonita Restaurant & Lounge (5604 Portland Ave., Tacoma)

Hidalgo serves traditional opened-face tacos as one can find on the streets of Mexico City. While offering several meat fillings, we always head for the lengua (tongue). It's a strong competitor. Bonita is backed heavily by its loyal nightlife following. 

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 2: The Swiss (1904 S Jefferson Ave., Tacoma) vs. Hell's Kitchen (928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

The Swiss' Thursday taco night squares off with Hell's Kitchen's popular Tuesday taco night. Both tacos are cheap, tasty and served fast. We expect the whistle to be blown constantly in this game.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 3: Matador (7212 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. El Toro (various locations)

The Matador serves outstanding chorizo and fish tacos with a strong tequila bench in a downright sexy environment.   El Toro, locally owned with many locations in the Tacoma area, is the Cornell of the tournament. Nothing flashy - just a good consistent taco.  Flash versus a workhorse. Hang on to your hats folks.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 4: La Huerta 2 International Market (5605 Pacific Ave., Tacoma) vs. La Pecera Taqueria (10422 Pacific Ave., Tacoma)

The final game of Round One could be a blowout. Juan and Rossy Murguia opened La Huerta two years ago serving authentic Mexican food amidst aisles of grocery products, a meat department and a bakery. Their fresh tortillas alone could carry them to the next round. What La Pecera has in its pocket are authentic Mexican tacos served at unbelievably low prices.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Tomorrow's Taco Battles, Round Two

Game 1: Los Reyes Del Taco vs. El Guadalajara Lakewood

Game 2: Masa vs. La Fondita

Game 3: Taqueria La Fondita vs. El Purgarcito

Game 4: Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe vs. Duke's Chowder House

OUR POSTER WAS DRY! >>>

The new Beautiful Angle posters hit the streets last night. Ten hours later we found one still dry.

LINK: The story behind Beautiful Angle

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

It's Sarah Jessica Parker's birthday! Square Pegs!

How Republicans learned to stop worrying and love climate change denial.

US Marines find themselves in a difficult situation: If they destroy opium crop fields, they may very well likely lose the support of Afghanis. Awkward.

Check out this parody of music biopics about parody king Weird Al Yankovic.

MUSIC IN OLYMPIA TONIGHT >>>

LO-FI POP: Tonight, June Madrona will celebrate its new album, Lions Of Cascadia, with its current four-piece lineup. The party will also include a screening of Moon Diary, a half-hour short animation the band scored. There's tacos, too. With with Rye N Clover, Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m. tacos, 8 p.m. show, $5-$10 sliding scale, The Loft on Cherry, 508 Legion, Olympia - Owen Taylor

WORLD BEAT DANCE MUSIC: Imagine a bar so full you have to dodge poised pool cues and swinging dreadlocks (Ever been hit in the eye with one? It's like a hairy mallet, and stings like a bitch.) Imagine a bar so lively that dank beers slosh on you and skanking elbows poke you in the ribs. Imagine a place to get down and dirty and dance and get drunk and have such a good time listening to the band that all of the above afflictions don't even faze you. Such a place is the Eastside Club in Olympia. And such a band is Yogoman Burning Band. Start your weekend right and groove down to this fresh percussion/brass five-piece whose MySpace motto is "let's get ridiculous." With The Quick and Easy Boys, 9 p.m., $5, The Eastside Club Tavern, 410 Fourth Ave., Olympia - Nikki Talotta

LINK: More live music and DJs in the South Sound tonight

ART STILL GROWS ON US >>>

Snapping shots this week for Kris Blondin's Grocery Stories piece on the Neighborhood Market on Sixth Avenue, we were reminded how cool the 2007 Art Grows project was. The Central Neighborhood Council in partnership with the North End Neighborhood Council and the 6th Avenue Merchants Association nabbed $2,500 in innovative grant money to purchase five planters embellished by Tacoma artists and placed along the 6th Avenue Business District

Justin Hahn's piece landed at the Neighborhood Market. (He also has a piece at the South 72nd Street police substation.)

Those who still don't have cell phones can enjoy Hanh's piece as they operated the pay phone.

FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2010 >>>

1. China Davis will perform at 8 p.m. inside Jazzbones.

2. Did you miss Montana author Pat Shannon's talk on Darwin's theory of evolution yesterday at Orca Books? The fittest should catch Shannon again at 6 p.m. inside King's Books.

3. Speaking of Orca Books, author William L. Marcy will discuss his book The Politics of Cocaine at the Olympia book store at 6 p.m. The book investigates the role the United States played - through flawed policy and tactics - in building South America's cocaine economy, specifically the mistake of mixing anti Communism and anti drug policies and the absolute havoc and death it created.

4. The all-ages Destiny City Metalfest 2 will host Culling The Weak, Mortal Remails, Never Met A Dead Man, Pity, Autumn Awakening, To The Wind, and Creature Of The Deep at 7 p.m. inside the Viaduct.

5. Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera HMS Pinafore opens at 8 p.m. for a five weekend run at the Lakewood Playhouse.

LINK: New movies open today

FRIDAY, MARCH 26: ROUND TWO BEGINS >>>

Game 1: Los Reyes Del Taco (6308 McKinley, Tacoma) vs. Taqueria El Guadalajara (7421 Custer Rd., Lakewood)

Los Reyes fresh off their impressive opening round victory takes on surprising winner El Guadalajara in Lakewood.  A birth in the "Spicy 16" would benefit both, as these two restaurants tend to fly under the taco radar.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 2: Masa (2811 Sixth Ave., Tacoma) vs. La Fondita II (2620 N. Proctor, Tacoma)

Masa - rested after a big opening round victory over Chevy's on the first day of the tournament ­- must rally its fans to help them do battle with Proctor District's red-hot La Fondita.

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 3: Taqueria La Fondita (38^th St. & G St., Tacoma) vs. El Pulgarcito (12134 Pacific Hwy. SW, Lakewood)

The Lincoln International District taco truck moves on to battle El Pulgarcito, a tiny Salvadoran restaurant on Pacific Highway in Lakewood. This should be an interesting game - two authentic tacos do battle. 

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Game 4: Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe (3529 McKinley Ave., Tacoma) vs. Duke's Chowder House (3327 Ruston Way, Tacoma)

East Tacoma's scrappy, gritty Top of Tacoma Bar & Café plays the underdog role against the waterfront's Duke's Chowder House featuring a very tough-to-beat fish taco.  But, as everyone knows, watch out for the underdog in the second round, especially since the Top just hosted its "Taco Thursday" night. 

>>> CLICK HERE TO VOTE!

Tomorrow's Taco Battles

Game 1: Vuelve A La Vida vs. Taqueria El Antojo

Game 2: The Funky Iguana vs. El Toro

Game 3: Taqueria La Carreta vs. La Huerta 2 International Market

Game 4: Hell's Kitchen vs. Dave's Meat & Produce

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

HOW TACO VOTING WENT DOWN THURSDAY, MARCH 25 >>>

Yesterday was the end of Round One voting. Below are the exciting results. Word of warning: Any time someone asks you to partake in something that involves ice cream and deep-frying, the innate human response is to heartily acquiesce. We can't help it; the response involves the same part of our reptilian brain that takes over whenever we hear the words "open" and "bar" in the same sentence. Fight this urge. It will make your face look fat.

Here were yesterday's match-ups:

Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant vs. Bonita Restaurant & Lounge

The Swiss vs. Hell's Kitchen

Matador vs. El Toro

La Huerta 2 International Market vs. La Peceras Taqueria

Hidalgo Mexican Restaurant's traditional Mexico City street tacos were no match for Bonita Restaurant & Lounge. Hidalgo grabbed 64.6 percent of the votes. It now moves on to battle El Tenampa on March 29.

Slow-paced, constant fouling and even a depantsing early in the game- the battle between the taco nights at The Swiss and Hell's Kitchen was a spectacle in the true sense of the word. A second-half voting spurt propelled Hell's Kitchen into the next round with 70.3 percent of the vote.

Is Matador too sexy for its tacos? Yes, according to El Toro. The local chain blew out Matador's candles with 68.8 percent of the vote yesterday. El Toro takes on The Funky Iguana tomorrow.

The final game of Round One was the closest. La Huerta 2 International Market put the huerta on La Pecera Taqueria with 55.1 percent of the vote. No doubt the option of drinking beer and watching Mexican television at La Huerta was a factor.

Confused? Read our Tournament of Tacos introduction here.

Today's games are on. Vote here.