NEW BREW FOR YOU ... AND YOUR DAD >>>

When someone tells you that theirs is the coolest Father's Day gift, you tend to scoff and say thanks but no thanks, that on June 20, you and your father plan to take turns punching each other in the shoulders as hard as you can, and then you'll go eat wings at Hooters, like you do every year.

Hey Lug Head, Pat Nagle, managing partner of Tacoma's Harmon Brewery Company Empire, has a better gift your father. He's release 60 cases of his new 253 ESB brew just in time for Dad's Day. Beginning Wednesday, he'll bottle the 60 cases, as well as 60 cases of his IPA, available to be picked up at his new Harmon Tap Room after 2 p.m. The price is $40 a case.

Order yours today at 253.267.5057. They'll be hitting the store shelves sometime in July.

Coolest Father's Day gift, indeed.

THE ART BUS IS BACK >>>

This Thursday, after you've picked up a free and excellent - if I do say so myself - entertainment weekly. After you've checked out the stories - including the cover story on Tacoma's Hempfest. After you've read the reviews. After you found out where DeRosa got drunk last week. After you've gotten some expert sex advice. What's a person to do after all that?

Jump on the freakin' ART BUS!

ART BUS is a bus tour of Tacoma's fringe art scene during Third Thursday Artwalk. The Tour begins at Speakeasy Arts Cooperative at 5 p.m. but passengers can board anywhere along the tour. Rider buttons are $10, this month designed by Speakeasy Arts Cooperative member Gregory Fricker (see art above).

Here's Thursday's route:

• 5:00-5:30 PM - Round 1: Speakeasy Arts Cooperative, 746 Broadway St. 
• 5:35-5:45 PM - Round 1: Brownie Morrison, 711 St. Helens Ave. #104
• 5:55-6:05 PM - Round 1: Tacoma Art Place, 1116 S. 11th
• 6:10-6:20 PM - Round 1: 253 Collective, 1901 S. Jefferson
• 6:25-6:35 PM - Round 1: Madera Architectural Elements, 2210 Court A
• 6:40-6:50 PM - Round 1: Mad Hat Tea Co., 1130 Commerce St.
• 
  
• 6:55-7:05 PM - Round 2: Peabody Waldorf, 745 Broadway
• 7:10-7:20 PM - Round 2: Sanford & Son Antiques Middle Floor Merchants, 743 Broadway
• 7:25-7:35 PM - Round 2: Smooth & Juicey, 1122 Market St.,
• 7:40-7:50 PM - Round 2: Fulcrum, 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
• 7:55-8:05 PM - Round 2: The Swiss, 1904 Jefferson Ave.
• 8:10-8:20 PM - Round 2: Tacoma Art Supply, 1552 Commerce St. #101
• 8:25-8:35 PM - Round 2: urbanXchange, 1932 Pacific Ave.
• 8:40-9:00 PM - LAST STOP: Speakeasy Arts Cooperative, 746 Broadway St.

The start and stop times are not an exact science. "We make every effort to stay on time but ‘shop' happens," explains ART BUS Capt. Angela Jossy.

Jossy also mentions that there will be a special silent auction at the 253 Collective with a portion of the proceeds going to Tacoma Art Place that night. And Jennevieve Schlemmer is having a special art show at Madera Architectural Elements Thursday night.

Grab a 10 spot, and plot your jump on point. It's a fun, relaxing way to check out the art during Third Thursday Artwalk.

TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010 >>>

1. The Lakewood Historical Society presents Steilacoom historian and author Joan Curtis, who will discuss "The Bad Boys of McNeil Island" - Robert Stroud, Roy Gardner, Alvin Karpis, Frederick Emerson Peters, Charles Manson, and others - at 7 p.m. inside the Lakewood Library.

2. The Tacoma Wheelmen's Bicycle Club hold their monthly meeting, which will include a presentation by the staff from Tacoma Bike about mandatory bike equipment, at 6 p.m. inside the Wild West VFW Post 91 at 2000 S. Union Ave. in Tacoma.

3. Does the idea of having a "Q" and no "U" give you the fantods? Do you know what it means to be greedy about triple-letter and double-word scores? Then the Scrabble Rousers have an event for you. Their "Schools Out" Scrabble competition pits adept, strategic descramblers of seven letters against each other, both competitively and socially, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. inside the Washington State History Museum. So put that Machiavellian plotting to capitalize on triple-word tiles to use for a great cause the $10 entrance fee goes directly top the Tacoma Community House Student Scholarship Fund, which assists students as they transfer from TCH to community college.

4. Banned Book Club - a book club reading books that have been banned or challenged - will discuss The Color Purple by Alice Walker over cocktails at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

5. Neutralboy, The Depths, Locke N Load, and Nothing You'd Like rock Hell's Kitchen beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Spaghetti And Drinks: We drank three drinks at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Follow our lead today at the Factory, which is open from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., then 5-9:30 p.m.

Seafood Bar: Salty's at Redondo Beach's outdoor Seafood Bar serves Redondo Cod Fish & Chips, Colossal Clam Strips, Blackened Salmon Caesar Salad and more from 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. Check out the menu here. 

Take It Home: Have a favorite bottle of wine at Pacific Grill? You can now purchase any bottle of wine from their extensive wine list to take home! Click here for the wine list. Speaking of Pacific Grill, they serve a fried chicken dinner for $19.85 every Tuesday. 

Future Things Are Coming: Every Wednesday in June, Brooke and Monti from Movin 92.5 FM will be at the Varsity Grill for a Working Women's Wednesday happy hour from 5-7 p.m. For a happy hour today, click here.

Food Matters: The Crisper Whisperer - 10 small ways to eat joyfully this summer.

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Who Knew?: A woman dies after she receives lungs from a 30-year smoker.

A sign?: A 62-foot-tall, $250,000 statue of Jesus outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, was struck by lightening last night and burned to the ground.

Gen. David Petraeus passes out in the middle of a Senate hearing. We would too.

Californian construction worker Gary Brooks Faulkner, 52, traveled to Pakistan with night-vision goggles, a pistol and a 40-inch sword to kill Osama bin Laden. He was detained by Pakistani authorities on Sunday, but suspiciously allowed on an American flight.

Hate the constant humming while watching the World Cup? It's just vuvuzelas, you're not going insane. Get an anti-vuvuzela filter to cancel out the noise.

NASA says a massive storm of solar flares will hit around 2013, which could fuck up a lot of electronics.

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

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.

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...

Jessica Simpson

April 1: Jessica Simpson is on the edge of her seat

"Did anyone watch 'The Real Face of Jesus?' on the history channel? I have it on tivo and pressing play now. Fascinating!!" 9:12 p.m., via UberTwitter

March 31: The real faces of Jessica Simpson and her boyfriend

"I love my BF ;)" 11:04 p.m., via UberTwitter

March 31: Jessica Simpson is two steps away from the University of Phoenix

"Is there an accelerated learning program to become an asteroid miner? If so, I'm in." 6:22 p.m., via UberTwitter

Tune in tomorrow for more tweets from the life of Jessica Simpson (@JessicaSimpson)

LEAVE YOUR PRADA MAN-PURSE AT HOME >>>

So the days of the extra-short, "Caesar" haircut are way past over, boys. That's right, shaggy hair is back. Shaggy, not long. Shaggy. You still have to cut it. Sorry. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Drag that snowboarder hair (you know who you are) over to the Embellish Multispace Salon today for a trim before it becomes a full-on mullet.

Salon? It's OK. They're not going to go metrosexual on your ass. It's Dude Day at Embellish.

You can get your cut for the bargain price of only $20, plus you'll receive a scalp message, hot dogs and beer (21 and older, of course).

Give them a buzz at 253.752.8144 for an appointment.

Embellish Multispace Salon

Tuesday, June 15, 2-7 p.m.
1121 Court D #A, Tacoma
253.752.8144

HAVE YOU VOTED YET? >>>

A true hipster has a deep concern for how they are viewed by their constituents. For this reason, golf is out of the question. While showing off their new tattoo and talking loudly about who they slept with that week, you might notice that the black painted fingernails digging into the can of PBR are never covered by a golfing glove. Personally, I have yet to make the turn onto 10 and look back and see a couple of dude's sashaying up to the 9th pin in uber-tight black jeans talking about how they're not hipsters.
[Allenmore Public Golf Course, 2125 S Cedar St, Tacoma, 253.627.7211]

BEST OF TACOMA 2010 VOTE NOW

Once again, the Volcano's readers' poll will be the engine that drives our Best of Tacoma 2010 issue, which hits the streets July 29. Here is a sample of the questions in this year's poll:

Best Karaoke Bar?

Best Local Hero?

Best Bike Lane?

Best Tacoma Celebrity?

Click here to vote now. You could win a fabulous prize, too.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2010 >>>

1. A night of exceptional theater and music will join forces tonight inside Tacoma Musical Playhouse to benefit the Tacoma Area Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities (TACID) and Pierce County Homeless Connect. First, Tacoma playwright extraordinaire Nick Stokes presents his one-act play The Sound We Make about three homeless locals discussing their dignity on a park bench in Tacoma's Fireman's Park. Afterward, The Total Experience Gospel Choir featuring Pastor Pat Wright will blow the roof off TMP with joyful gospel and blues music. It all begins at 7:30 p.m.

2. Glass artist Davide Salvadore's new works show, In Miniatura, runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Traver Gallery in Tacoma.

3. The Kari Ehli Band, Voxxy Vallejo, and the Reaching perform at 8 p.m. inside Jazzbones.

4. The downtown Tacoma nightclub Surreal Ultra Lounge hosts "I Heart House (The Cabana Cronicles)" beginning at 9 p.m.

5. Kamel Toe Bar and Grill hosts another Wednesday night jam featuring members of Kashmir, Butafuko, Sub-Vinyl Jukebox, Soul Stripper, Wiskey Creek and others rocking at 9 p.m. while chicks work the stripper poles and swings. Seriously.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Opening Day: The Intel Farmers Market opens today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the City of DuPont featuring local vendors (organic produce, bakery items, cut flowers, arts and crafts), musicians, artisans, lunch options and a tour of the Intel DuPont Community Garden. The market is at the Intel campus on Center Drive. Intel will host farmers markets every other Wednesday.

Also Opening Today: The Steilacoom Farmers Market featuring farm fresh vegetables, flowers, honey, herbs, plants, crafts, gifts, food vendors, a concert series and more opens today from 3-7 p.m. at the multi-purpose tennis courts next to Steilacoom Town Hall, corner of Lafayette and Wilkes streets.

Guided Olympia Food Walk: Brooke Guthrie still has a couple spots left for her leisurely, 1-mile guide tour through downtown Olympia learning about food and the best spots to get a bite to eat - which happens today from 4-7 p.m.

Get It While It Lasts: Tacoma's Harmon Brewery Company releases 60 cases of their new 253 ESB brew today. They have 60 cases, as well as 60 cases of his IPA, available to be picked up at his their Harmon Tap Room today after 2 p.m. The price is $40 a case. Order yours at 253.267.5057. They'll be hitting the store shelves sometime in July.

Superfruit: Jamba Juice is inviting fans to super charge their summer today with the antioxidant loaded, free radical fighting powers of superfruit - for just $1. 

Future Things Are Coming: Dockside Bistro and Wine Bar in Olympia hosts a Walter Dacon winemaker dinner Thursday, June 17 at 7 p.m.

LINK: Wine and beer tastings

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League