SUSTAINABLE MARKET/SWAP IN PARKLAND >>>

Parkland's not typically one of the first "neighborhoods" that comes to mind when you hear the term "cutting edge." That said, you'll find a sustainable swap meet every Friday on Garfield Street. Titled "Fresh Fridays," from 3-6 p.m. every Friday, you may sell, buy, trade or barter fresh produce, plants and flowers on a small grassy spot with a picnic table in front of the gravel parking area on the south side of the street. Can you picture the spot? It's more toward the Pacific Lutheran University end of Garfield Street.

People are welcome to come and set up a spot. There isn't a fee – just folks sharing their bounties.

HOMETOWN GEEKHEROES UNITE AS ONE! >>>

A sculptor. A poster artist. A film critic, and a team of filmmakers. Eight women on roller skates.

What do all of these things have in common? Not a whole lot. And that's just how Comic Book Ink owner John Munn likes it.

"All these different people go together like a kind of great big geek gumbo," says Munn of the first in what he hopes to craft into an annual tradition: Comic Book Ink's Homegrown Heroes signing.

Saturday, June 19, at 2 p.m., this eclectic array of ingredients will cram into Munn's comic shop to meet, greet and sign autographs for their fans, each other's fans, and whoever else shows up.

"We have so many different cool things going on here. Sculpture, web-comics, self-publishing, poster art, Derby Dames," continues Munn. "Every one of them have their own niche, and the fans of each get to experience something new."

Read more...

SATURDAY, JUNE 19, 2010 >>>

1. In February of 2006, Isaac Olsen got together with Kurt Kendall and Dale Phillips of Girl Trouble at a deserted farmhouse in Orting. They had broken into the house for their first day of shooting; the house needed to come first and the shoot needed to be quick, because there was no way of knowing how long the house would be around. This was the beginning of the Tacoma film noir Quiet Shoes. Over the next several years, working around the performing schedule of Girl Trouble, Isaac Olsen's year-long absence from Tacoma and budgetary concerns, the film would eventually take shape ... and screen tonight at 7 p.m. inside the Rialto Theater in downtown Tacoma.

2. The Tacoma Public Library kicks off its 2010 Summer Reading Club with a Summer Reading Club Block Party with performances by The Toucan Steel Drum Band and an appearance by The Bubbleman from 1-4 p.m. outside the downtown Tacoma Main Library.

3. Eight Dockyard Derby Dames, two members of local cartoonist group C.L.A.W., miniature superhero figurines sculptor Ben Misenar, comic improv troupe The Dead Gentlemen, Zombocalypse Now creator Matt Youngmark, creator of Zombocalypse Now and self-publisher Jack Cameron will cram into Comic Book Ink to meet, greet and sign autographs for their fans, each other's fans, and whoever else shows up, beginning at 2 p.m.

4. Local playwright Elliot Weiner's Brunch hits Tacoma Little Theatre's stage at 7 p.m. A comedy built on friendships and the challenges they create, Brunch is the latest theater gem to come to us via Weiner, who most recently directed TLT's The Star Spangled Girl, Greater Tuna and Tuna Christmas.

5. In The House with Nick Nicholas will lay down some rockin' blues boogie from 8-11 p.m. inside the North Shore Golf & Country Club with the net proceeds going to the Leukemia & Lymphona Society in Don Kornegay's name. 

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

New Doughnuts: The super awesome folks behind Satellite Coffee have a sweet deal for Tacoma and the world at large. If you buy a coffee, you get to try their new Sputnik Donut for free this morning from 9 a.m. to noon. The new handmade pastry will be offered on a limited basis only at Satellite's Masa location on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma - at least initially. Satellite Coffee will gage the response customers' give these tasty little morsels-shaped like the 1957 Soviet satellite

Go Local: Go Local Tacoma and the Proctor Farmer's Market invite the community out to Go Local Day at the market today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day's festivities will link community members with local independent businesses, and features music, fashion, a scavenger hunt and cooking demos.  

Historical Cooking: Get a taste of life in the 1800s and find out "What's Cooking at Fort Nisqually" from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum's re-enactors will serve up a day out of 1855 with a pinch of history, a dash of cooking and a smidgen of good old-fashioned fun.

Wine Tasting: Dockside Bistro and Wine Bar in Olympia hosts a McCrea Cellars and Vina Salida wine tasting at 1 p.m.  More South Sound wine tastings can be found here.

Food Matters: 10 foodie words to hate ... including "foodie."

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League

LIVE MUSIC TODAY IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Hip-Hop: He keeps rizing to new levels in the game. Josh Rizeberg, one of Tacoma's veteran MC/poets, had to be a part of Grit City Fest.  No doubt. He stays busy with dope material to deliver on stage and has the album credits from the studio to match his hustle on stage.  Having released two critically acclaimed albums - 2008's Spoken Worlds and 2010's Word to the Wize - Rizeberg should have a hefty track selection to choose from for his always crowd-engaging live performance. EvergreenOne and Todd Sykes have been earning respect in the 253 with their witty, original and Tac-Town-centric lyricism. Grit City Fest featuring EvergreenOne and Todd Sykes, Matty, SK, Lucky One, and Josh Rizeberg, Saturday, June 19, 6:30 p.m., $12, The Den @ urbanXchange, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280 - Jose Gutierrez Jr.

Punk: Staples of that now world-famous, rainy moment in Seattle music history, Coffin Break wasn't about sludgery or detuned drudgery, rather they harnessed the searing power of punk to full effect - eventually landing a deal with major label Epitaph for their effort and ass-kicking. With six records to their name, most of which were released by the classic C/Z Records, Coffin Break - through six or seven years - made a name in the Northwest music scene that still raises eyebrows and intrigue today. The band, which was led by Peter Litwin on guitar and vocals and Rob Skinner on bass and vocals, officially broke up in 1994. The band has rarely played since, always to the delight of the horn-and-glass-raising faithful. Tonight, Coffin Break will once again return, plugging in at Hell's Kitchen and setting a flame underneath the slumbering asses and memories of longtime Northwest music fiends. With Jet City Fix, Blanco Bronco, Pioneers West, Saturday, June 19, 9 p.m., $8 ADV, $10 DOS, Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003 - Matt Driscoll

Funk Rock: While some songwriters may woo listeners with well-woven lyrics that slice straight to the heart and plumb the emotional depths, Ben Union is not that songwriter. His funk and rock hybrid is not a reinvention of the wheel, but it is a sight to hear, behold and just maybe get down to - as well as something no one else in town is even approaching. That, in a nutshell, is the appeal of Ben Union: He takes things you already know and love and serves them back at you with passion, spark and just enough originality to make it all stick. Grit City Fest with The Reaching, Red Means Go, Daniel G Harman and the Trouble Starts, Boom Zzilla, 99 Men, Deborah Page, Rockwell Powers, Sota, and Lisa Dank, Saturday, June 19, $12, The Swiss, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821 - MD

Swamp Rock: Yes, goddamn it! SweetKiss, in the case of Puyallup's SweetKiss Momma, is one word! That's just how this band rolls. Who are we to judge whether or not the word "sweet" and the word "kiss" should ever have been joined as one? Rather, all we can judge is the band's swilling, swirling "swamp rock," straight from the fields and auto lots of Puyallup. As crazy as it sounds, and it sounds a whole lot less crazy after chugging a half-rack down by the river, SweetKiss Momma's rejuvenated and slapped-into-shape '70s Southern rock shtick really works. Grit City Fest with Voxxy Vallejo, Jay Barz, Shotty, and Spaceman, Saturday, June 19, 8 p.m., $12, Speakeasy Arts Cooperative, 746 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.426.5704 - MD

Roots Pop: Stop your goddamn giggling and get onboard with Pokey LaFarge. Yes, dagnabbit, his name IS Pokey LaFarge! Shilling a brilliant new record, Riverboat Soul, and coming the Mandolin Café in Tacoma Thursday and Olympia on Saturday with his band, The South City Three, guitarist LaFarge will bust out the old-time flavored American roots meshed with off-beat pop sensibilities, to the delight of all ears within hollerin' distance. Check it. Saturday, June 19, 8:30 p.m., $10, The Loft on Cherry, 525 Cherry St. SE, Olympia, 360.754.5355 - Michael Swan

Rock: Rock music history is littered with Anvils - bands that failed despite the successes of their contemporaries. For whatever reason, though they possessed the talent and ambition of their peers, fame never found these bands. Proof of their existence can be found in discount bins at your local record store. Panama Gold sound like one of these long-lost bands, maybe from that confusing period in the '70s when punk started to invade the sound of mainstream rock ‘n' roll. Panama Gold's sound is a mixture of fun-loving road trip music and punk sneer. The band's fake history indicates they could have been left behind by The Clash, or even someone like Tom Petty. Luckily, we don't need the dollar bins. Panama Gold can still be found in the here and now. With the Dignitaries, Revengers, and the Plastards, Saturday, June 19, 7 p.m., The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020 - Rev. Adam McKinney

LINK: More Live music tonight in the South Sound

WE"RE FINALLY ALLOWED TO POST THEM >>>

I'm in love and I can't do anything about it. I'm sweating, shivering and getting hot flashes. I'm listless and can't concentrate. I have a pain in my chest and I can't even get out of bed.

Wait. Actually, no. I'm not in love. I'm sick. Do you know how I know? Because I've been in love and that's more painful and confusing. Also, I have yet to meet a girl that gives me an explosive case of diarrhea like the one I have right now.

There's nothing worse than being bed-ridden. Unless you count being boat-ridden, or even worse, raft-ridden. Or even just plain ridden.

Anyway, I didn't go see Grit City Fest shows. And I didn't go to The Red Hot's Chefs vs. City party. I stayed home last night, waiting for the Neo Citran/PCP cocktail to kick in, and watched Chefs vs. City - you know, the episode that featured The Red Hot and the Weekly Volcano. Seeing The Red Hot, the Weekly Volcano, our own Steph DeRosa and a lot of Pappi Swarner's wife, Kate, on the tube was cool. Apparently, chefs Aaron Sanchez and Chris Cosentino won, as they do most of the time. I fell asleep after The Red Hot's six minutes of national fame.

Here are the photos the lawyers said we couldn't post until after the show aired. Ah-choo!

BLASTOFF >>>

There are superior doughnuts with beautifully textured interiors, rolled in the perfect quantity of powdered sugar or chocolate glaze. There are stale donuts whose half-eaten remains lie forgotten in a grease-stained cardboard box on the conference table in the Weekly Volcano World headquarters' lunchroom. There are doughnuts that may be denser or airier than you prefer. But overall, there are no rotten doughnuts.

Just wander into Satellite Coffee inside Masa next weekend and try to prove me wrong.

This morning I stood in line at the Satellite coffee embedded into Masa on Sixth Avenue waiting for free samples of Sputnik Donuts, Satellite's new doughnut holes void of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, fake sugar and evil high fructose corn syrup. The doughnut machine, which was Satellite co-owner Pat Brown working the deep fryer, rolling the balls of goodness in cinnamon and sugar then plopping two of them into paper bags - was the star of the happy show. Yes, the delicious doughnuts holes were made on-site.

If you love cinnamon toast covered with sugar, this is your hole.

Brown says new handmade pastry will be offered – hopefully by next weekend - on a limited basis only at Satellite's Masa location on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma - only on the weekends.

Satellite Coffee at Masa

2811 Sixth Ave., Tacoma

SMALL CROWD BUT BIG, HAPPY MUSIC >>>

Though The New Frontier Lounge didn't boast a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, Bandolier filled the space with a mix of '50s pop, modern indie rock, twirling and fun. Building on the strong foundation of Lino Fernandez's guitar (you can hear every note) and vocals and intensified by the whole cast integrating bedroom pop (many times couples hugged and kissed during their set) cries of their own, the Tacoma ensemble's set steadily grew more complex as it progressed. New singer Kristen's beautiful voice blends well with the vocals from Fernandez and keyboardist Kyle. And the small but engaged crowd cheered their version of Madonna's "Borderline." This band is flat out a happy, good time.

Bandolier celebrated their excellent set with Big Wheel skids on the street outside the Tacoma Dome District club.

From the first boom and crack of the drum kit, Skeletons with Flesh On Them had it locked up. What struck me most about the performance (aside from the fact that singer Scott Roots sound similar to John Flansburg) was the power the band has. On record, there's the complex melodic power pop, tight harmonies and, at least, six different styles of rock. While not losing that live, there is also a sheer power and showmanship that makes them completely original.

Last on the bill, The Purrs performed before a handful of happy people. The Seattle psych-rock band ripped through (a little perturbed due to the crowd) a tight, harmonic sonic set that at times bordered on overwhelming. They're an accomplished, polished band – a band that would be perfect to open for The Dandy Warhols at the Paramount or Moore. I'd love to hear them again with a packed crowd - although my ears are still ringing from the lead guitarist's feedback lovefest.

SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2010 >>>

1. The Cannon Ball Tricycle Downhill will go down today, starting at the Top of Tacoma Bar and Café and inviting all of T-town's weirdoes to hop on bikes, trikes and customs of all kinds and cruise down the hill to The New Frontier Lounge in truly bizarre and entertaining fashion. The action starts at the Top of Tacoma at 1 p.m. with music at the Top from the Fun Police. According the admittedly murky details, racers will reach The New Frontier by 6 p.m., just in time for more drinking and music. Good times.

2. The South Tacoma Farmers Market opens today at the corner of 56^th and Washington streets in historic South Tacoma. Expect an array of locally produced and grown delicacies such as: Lamb, beef, pork, poultry, eggs, rabbit, seafood, flowers, vegetables, herbs, strawberries, cherries, baked goods, hot foods, natural skin care products and more from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Sunday.  Today, the amazing acoustic singer songwriter Stephanie Johnson will perform, and they'll be a chef demonstration around noon.

3. Meet Visiting Artist Davide Salvadore and learn more about his art and career during this conversation and slide presentation at 2 p.m. inside the Museum of Glass.

4. The Seattle Men's Chorus and the Seattle Women's Chorus will join forces to offer what's sure to be a stunning tribute to composers Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim - yes... titled "Glitter and Be Gay." Expect music from Bernstein and Sondheim collaborations like West Side Story, along with plenty of other stage composition goodness beginning at 3 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

5. Black & Blue Sundays continues at Jazzbones with From The Sea, Resdeus, Raising Days, Acutal Depiction performing at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2010 >>>

1. The Wings of Freedom Tour of the WWII Vintage Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American P-51 Mustang are on display at Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor from June 21 to June 23. The plays will be on displays 2-5 p.m. today; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 22 and 9 a.m. to noon June 23. Visitors may also take a 30-minute flight aboard these rare aircraft for a lot of money.

2. Voices of Light, an exhibition of letterpress prints by Jessica Spring and photographs by Victoria Bjorklund, opens today at the Tacoma Public Library's downtown Handforth Gallery from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. with a reception today at 6 p.m.

3. Seattle had its Pigs on Parade, Tacoma its Traveling Suitcases; now Ruston has added to the list by inviting 21 local artists to create masterpieces on Adirondack chairs, which will be on display on the median at 51^st and Winnifred streets. The event kicks off with a reception today from 5 to 7 p.m. on site.

4. Cold Shot performs a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

5. The New Frontier Lounge hosts Grit Rock with DJ Darren Selector spinning local tunes from Big Wheel Stunt Show, Circle vs Square, The Drug Purse, The Fabulous Wailers, The Fucking Eagles, Kusikia, Mama Loves Daddy, Mono in VCF, Oh Voices, The Painkillers, The Variety Hour, The Ventures, and Waves and Radiation beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound