REMEMBER THE RUMORED ITALIAN RESTAURANT? >>>

A Xgroup Restaurant van is parked outside the Stadium District building that once housed El Guadalajara. Paper now covers the front windows. Just saying.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2010 >>>

1. Brothers Evan and Ryan Purcell will perform as a duo - singing each other's songs, favorite covers and maybe punching each other in the arm once or twice - from 7-9 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

2. Citizens are invited to help mold the future of Tacoma's new community garden program by attending the Community Gardens Kickoff from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Evergreen Tacoma campus, 1210 Sixth Ave.

3. Sixth Annual City of Destiny Faith and Film Series - which explores themes of hospitality and community under the theme "Welcoming the Stranger" – presents The Visitor at 6:45 p.m. inside The Grand Cinema.

4. Joe Hansen and Ashley Cozine present an evening of short plays from 7:30-9:30 p.m. inside Stonegate Pizza on South Tacoma Way.

5. Tonight's 100^th Monkey party hosted by 100^th Monkey Kathy Anderson and featuring the music of The Painkillers will begin at 7:30 p.m. inside the Speakeasy Arts Cooperative.

LINK: More arts and entertainment happenings in the South Sound

RETURN TO EDEN >>>

Do the mid-workweek doldrums have you down? Sounds like dance-party time to us.

Head over to Jazzbones tonight for Black Ice Booking's "Return To Eden." Vinyl Tribe DJs DefCon1 and Bennienugs will spin the gritty South London-style street rhythms known as dubstep, as well as house music.

"My plan is always rough going into the evening," explains DefCon1, AKA Damon Kaiser. "Typically it only starts with what song I want to play first, or a few that I want to get out there and heard. I'll go from there because it depends on the vibe. I've always thought of it as going where the dance floor wants to go."

A special live hip-hop appearance by Faraca from Tacoma will be wedged between the two DJs.

Sounds like the perfect "welcome back from spring beak" night out. Who really cares if you have poli sci at 8 a.m.?

[Jazzbones, Wednesday, April 21, 9 p.m., $5, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

Bonus

The following are DefCon1's records he would take with him if banished to a deserted island:

"Throw" - Paperclip People: '90s classic hard house track with an amazing vocal. It's featured on my Northern Lights mix.

"Mother Earth" - Dubtribe: '90s underground SF trance stomper with a message that never gets old.

"Super Stylin'" - Bassnectar: Reggae drenched dubstep is an understatement.

"Dum Dumz" - Blackheart: Eerily intelligent dubstep - a good example of what my "sound" is.

"Marshall Bass Stacks" - Mochipet: Dubstep that captures the old rave feel sans over obnoxious synth lines.

"Deepest Fear" - Search and Destroy: Atmospheric and spacey - a dubstep journey via jazzy grooves.

"Gone Too Far" - Dre Skull feat. Sizzla: Is it progressive or is it dubstep? I have no clue, and I love that. It's also on my Northern Lights mix.

"Skin" - Bassnectar: It's trip-hop. I respect the variety, and the rap + groove is ace. It's featured on my Eastern Philosophy mix.

"A Go Go (Boozoo Bajou Mix)" - Trüby Trio: Great fusion of acid jazz and chill. Fun song and lots of cowbell! It's also featured on my Eastern Philosophy mix.

"Hallucifruge/Trancendental Funk Bump" - Freaky Chakra: I'm not cheating if they're both on the same 12" single. Probably my all time favorite SF trance record next to the 2x12" Hardkiss - Delusions of Granduer LP. It's featured on my Southern Comforts mix.

BLOGS? WHATEVER >>>

Before everyone and his great aunt were clogging up fiber-optic networks with quiche recipes and sociopolitical minutiae, there were zines. But even though zines are tangible, handmade publications invested with character and soul, zinesters are sometimes as isolated as bloggers - which is why local letterpress printers, book artists and King's Books have teamed up to present Wayzgoose, a celebration of printed word, Sunday, April 25.

Various print-related activities will be held at the free event, giving tips on everything from watching letterpress printing in action to creating your own book. Of course, attendees should expect to walk out a few bucks lighter - and a few pounds of letterpress-printed wares heavier.

Seventeen groups will be in the house - including Springtide Press, Beautiful Angle, Guinea Pig Press, Anagram Press, C.L.A.W., and Notta Pixie Press.

And most importantly – How many chances do you have to see sweet pea, of King's Books, driving a steamroller? While those in pea's inner circle may witness such majesty on a regular basis, average folks aren't as lucky -one of the many reasons why the sixth annual Waygoose "letterpress and book art extravaganza" is so damn cool.

Sure, there are plenty of other reasons, like tons of hands on demonstrations from artists and printmakers, but we settle on sweet pea behind the wheel of a big-ass steamroller doing letterpress as reason enough to check it out. Seriously.

[King's Books, Sunday, April 25, 12-4 p.m., free, 218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.8801]

LINK: Buttload of wayzgoose information

THIS JUST IN >>>

Remember the cocktail cubbyhole with a tiki motif called The Monsoon Room? The exotica lounge disappeared in the Fall of 2008 and the 1022 South lounge emerged from its ashes last year. Well, the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters just received the follow email from former Monsoon Room owner Laura Malone, who now signs her name Kimberly Laura Mychal Malone. Apparently, Malone will resurrect The Monsoon Room close to the Spanish Steps in downtown Tacoma, which Malone urges everyone to help restore said Steps.

Dear Monsoon Room Friends, Family and Lovers alike:

Due to the urgency of the below request we do not have time to fill you in completely...

We hope it is enough to have the insider information that The Monsoon Room will once again be welcoming you into her warm embrace, once again, by the close of November 2010.

Not sure you will recognize her at first. Don't worry, you'll see. We ain't shy about introductions anymore (plus, she's more of a wild woman these days;-)

In the mean time please take notice below!

The Monsoon Room's new projects will be founded in the neighborhood around the Spanish Steps (one of our favorite Tacoma landmarks.) So yes, the request for your votes to preserve and restore this landmark is totally self serving.

...

Vote now to help the City of Tacoma raise funds to restore the Spanish Steps!

Read more...

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UMBER SLEEPING TO PERFORM SATURDAY AT THE NEW FRONTIER LOUNGE >>>

Many times over the course of my career covering music in Tacoma, I've heard Umber Sleeping's Peter Tietjen referred to as the best drummer in town. Having seen Umber's magic live on more than ten occasions, it's hard to argue against it. Tietjen, behind the kit, is a consummate pro - not to mention a badass. He's the rhythmic visionary behind Umber Sleeping's extraterrestrial synths, two tons of reverb - and crapload retro chic.

Oh, and Umber Sleeping is mildly infatuated with Three's Company - which makes things even better.

I caught up with Tietjen this week to get his thoughts on Umber Sleeping's upcoming show this Saturday at The New Frontier Lounge with Seattle's The Little Penguins, and local favorites Blanco Bronco and The Dignitaries. Since it's a bill he helped put together, it only seemed fitting.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: First of all, since you put the bill together, talk a little about the upcoming show and what you were going for. Do these bands compliment each other, or is there a common thread that runs through what this show is about? OR will it just be a mish-mash of damn fine music?

PETER TIETJEN: Well, for me it'll be a refreshing blend. Blanco Bronco is one of our favorite local groups, and The Dignitaries I haven't heard, but a little garage rock is always fun. All these groups are good people and that makes for a good night from our point of view.

VOLCANO: What is new with Umber Sleeping? I feel like I haven't caught up with you guys in forever. Can you give me a rundown of the recent history, and where you guys are at as a band?

TIETJEN: For the last few months Andrew has been bringing his keyboard skills to the group and Steve is also new on bass guitar. James, who played keyboards and/or guitar with the group since about 2005, abruptly moved to Portland - so we though we'd experiment and have bass guitar instead of moog bass that we'd always had. So, I think we rock a bit more now. Also, we've started a new CD that is more live and is being recorded very close to how the group sounds live - with more guitar going on and new deeper songs subjects like MacGyver, those little dinosaurs from Pee-Wee's Playhouse, the tri-clops from the He-Man series, etc. ...

VOLCANO: I've heard you called the best drummer in Tacoma. Thoughts? 

Read more...

THURSDAY, APRIL 22, 2010 >>>

1. King's Books hosts a special Murder Mystery edition of Scrabble rousers of all ages from 6:30-9 p.m. Entrance fee is $10 per person with proceeds directly benefit the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund, which assists students as they transfer from TCH to community college.

2. Beginning at 5 p.m. Inside the Crown Bar on Sixth Avenue bartender Dino will serve a martini made with fresh local rhubarb and a Tacoma-made IPA called Jack Rabbit, Chef Charlie McManus will grill up his Walla Walla Thundering Hooves 100 percent organic grass-fed beef burger, and local artist Susie Russell Hall will be showing her hummingbird painting in the lobby. There will also be trivia contest and prizes including two seats to a Primo Grill cooking class. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Tahoma Audubon Society and their mission of Connecting People to Nature.

3. Tacoma Little Theatre's final performance of Samuel Beckett's Endgame goes down at 7:30 p.m.

4. Billy Roy Danger & The Rectifiers perform their rockin' blues at 7:30 p.m. inside the Happy Days Casino in Lakewood.

5. Hell's Kitchen celebrates Earth Day with The Keeper, Vallor, Cold Cold Ground, Voxxy Vallejo, and 4th Dimensional Nightmare at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC IN THE SOUTH SOUND TONIGHT >>>

POP ROCK: L. Alex Guy (as Led to Sea) is one of those artists, like St. Vincent or Andrew Bird, who approaches pop music with the eye of a classical composer, breaking down and rebuilding pop tropes into something resembling fine art. Guy is an accomplished violist, having lent her talents to the likes of Laura Veirs, Mirah, Xiu Xiu, and Seattle's art-punk collective, Degenerate Art Ensemble. Her music can be a challenging, sometimes frustrating, but it always sweeps up through pop and rock on its way back to chamber music, and her voice is always expressive and engaging. It's a constant balancing act, combining classical and pop. But in Led to Sea's case, Guy is able to have her cake and eat it too. With Mirah, Kane Mathis, Thursday, April 22, 8 p.m., all ages, $7, Northern, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia - Rev. Adam McKinney

HIP-HOP: Tonight, Vancouver, B.C. native turned Portlander Josh Martinez will make a return visit to "Tha O" as he headlines an awesome lineup of hip-hoppers at Olympia's Royal Lounge. The show, put on by Homeland Security, features appearances by The Junkyard Gang and house-party rockers extraordinaire Night Fox - followed by The Elements with Cornerstate, and DJ Deadbeat holdin' down the tables and hosting duties. Junkyard Gang dropped the official re-release of their award-winning album Where In The World Is Taylor Jones? on April 20 - and should certainly be in rare fashion tonight with their West Olympia rock star antics. Thursday, April 22, 8 p.m., The Royal Lounge, 311 Capitol way N., Olympia - Jose S. Gutierrez Jr.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound

The Weekly Volcano follows the people you're too embarrassed to >>>

EDITOR'S NOTE: We were without Internet yesterday morning here at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters. We apologize for not Twitter Stalking. We promise we'll make it up to you.

Just like most good, new-age, social media applications, Twitter allows people to share and be privy to once personal, almost wholly pointless information about peoples' lives. It's seemingly endless. While Twitter is mostly full of everyday, ho-hum people - just like you and me, sharing info about what type of oatmeal we ate for breakfast and where we get our hair cut - Twitter is also a magnet for the moderately-famous.

Stars of yesterday, illiterate millionaire athletes, former cast members of Saved By the Bell - you can follow them all, intimately, on Twitter.

But, you've got standards. We get that. Following @Snow on Twitter isn't going to look cool (#alickyboomboomdown).

That's why we'll do it for you, in a feature we like to call Weekly Volcano Twitter Stalker.

This week, checking in with...

Justin Bieber

April 20: Justin Bieber does Japan - Bieber style

"ç§ï¿½ã�¯ã��ã�ªã��ã�®é�»è©±ç�ªå�·ã�'æ��ã�-ã�¦ã��ã��ã��ã��ã��That is "Can I have your phone number?" This line is very important to me while traveling this country. lol" via Web, 9:24 p.m.

April 20: Justin Bieber proclaims the tightness of Japan

"Sight seeing with @scooterbraun. Japan is so tight..."via Echofon, 7:39 p.m.

April 20: Canadian Bieber breaks the rules

"Breaking the rules In japan.. I almost got attacked by ninjas.. It was awsome!" via Echofon, 7:06 p.m.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

The first Earth Day was 40 years ago today.

The U.S. Treasury used its YouTubez to unveil a new $100 bill.

Sarah Palin's Christian nation.

Kate Gosselin creeps us out.