SATURDAY, JULY 3, 2010 >>>

1. Like cherries, handmade knickknacks, ice sculptures and free parking for your SUV? Then you'll love the Puyallup Farmers Market, a valley institution for nearly as long as cows have been tipped. Engulfing historic downtown P-town from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday - drawing impressive crowds on a regular basis - there's no doubt Ezra Meeker would be proud of what the Puyallup Farmers Market has blossomed into.

2. The Tacoma Polo Club's Independence Cup hits the field (202 288^th St. S. in Roy) - with Mt. Rainier as the backdrop - from noon to 6 p.m. Bring a picnic lunch, pet the horses, and swing a mallet. A chukker, by the way, is a period of play in a polo game lasting 7 1/2 minutes.

3. As part of the 2010 American Harp Society conference, harpists and tango dancers from Seattle's Spectrum Dance perform works by Salzedo and Piazzolla at 7:30 p.m. inside the Pantages Theater.

4. Fingertips perform Motown, funky R&B, and blues at 9 p.m. inside The Hub.

5. The Ben Union Band performs at 9 p.m. inside Doyle's Public House.

LINK: Concerts go on sale this morning

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: What the Weekly Volcano scribes are doing today

FOURTH OF JULY PREFUNK AT TEMPEST LOUNGE >>>

"It calms and moves the soul," says dj dAb of music.

A mainstay of the Tacoma eletronica music scene, dj dAb has done and seen it all, as he told Pappi Swarner over past couple of weeks.

Tonight, he's adding another notch to his DJ setup when DJs Chris Savenetti and Bilori Howard join him for a Fourth of July prefunk at the Tempest Lounge. The three will spin house music with a bang.

Rumor is Tempest co-owner Denise Tempest will dress up as the Statue of Liberty (that hasn't been confirmed).

indepenDANCE

Saturday, July 3, 9:30 p.m., 21+, no cover
Tempest Lounge, 913 Martin Luther King Junior Way, Tacoma
253.272.4904

LIVE MUSIC TODAY IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

INDIE ROCK: Remember Sylvester Park way back, like, 15 years ago? When you were young and defiant and totally comfortable doing anything from having drum circles and smoking jays to making out and getting homemade tattoos? A time when the gazebo was a living room for you and your best buds to laze around and get creative in? Well, that creativity still thrives and is being brought back by a talented handful of bands this Saturday as part of Olympia's second annual Independent Music Festival. Bands will be rocking the park with unbridled sweaty jams in a fiasco of summer music lovin'. Featuring Hard Way, Glass Elevator, One Nation Undereducated, Noah Parriott, Sea of Tides, Oly Mountain Boys, Dry Ink, Saturday, July 3, noon to 9 p.m., all ages, free, Sylvester Park, Capitol Way and Legion, Olympia - Nikki Talotta

HIP-HOP: Hip-hopper Josh Rizeberg is everywhere, from shows to poetry readings to art workshops to the express checkout lane at the grocery store. Straight off a performance at The Den last night, Rizeberg will fill (hopefully) Rocket Records on Sixth Avenue for a free, in-store performance today. While you're there, pick up Rizeberg's latest gem, A Word to the Wize - a record that, impressively, might just outdo his critically acclaimed debut, Spoken Worldz. Saturday, July 3, 5 p.m., all ages, no cover, Rocket Records, 3843 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.756.5186 - Michael Swan

GOSPEL PUNK: Ian Svenonius is an artist in the truest sense of the word. Regularly described (endearingly) as a mouthpiece and even "slyly legendary," Svenious has written books and hosted online talk shows, but is best known for fronting bands that teetered on the artistic ledge, from his first D.C. outfit Nation of Ulysses, which made it its goal to destroy the "corrupt medium" of rock and roll, to the Make Up and the band's self-ascribed genre "Gospel Yeh-Yeh," to Cupid Car Club, to Weird War, to his newest incarnation, Chain and the Gang - which incorporates a strict set of musical rules that materialize into familiar, reductionist, prison-blues tropes, a call and response backbone and a driving R&B feel. Read the full story here. With Nightbeats, Basemint, DJ Dub Narcotic, Saturday, July 3, 9 p.m., $5, The New Frointier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020 - Matt Driscoll

BLUES: While Walter Trout doesn't have the most recognizable name in blues or rock, he should be up there, and the fact that the kids of today know nothing of the guitarist's career worth of musical accomplishments strikes Bobble Tiki as both unjust and inevitable. Rock and roll and blues were once the soundtracks of youthful rebellion. Today they're more like the founding fathers. Most kids today don't know a damn thing about William Whipple either. Born in New Jersey in 1951, Trout cut his teeth in the same local music scene as Steel Mill, which featured a fresh face by the name of Bruce Springsteen. After moving to Los Angeles, Trout eventually hooked up with Canned Heat and then John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - where he and Coco Montoya formed one of the most fearsome guitar tandems of all time. It was during this period that Trout made a name for himself. See what he's all about tonight. Saturday, July 3, 8 p.m., $15, Jazzbones, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169 - Bobble Tiki

PROG/NOISE ROCK: If you're not hip to Minneapolis' Gay Beast yet - described as "Minnesota's premier agit-prog queer band" by the their label, Skin Graft, on skingraftrecords.com - there's still plenty of time to get on board the guitar/synth/drums, math-y and sporadic bandwagon - even if the New Yorker has beaten you to it. Luckily, most mainstream ears haven't - nor would they tolerate it.Which is just fine by Bobble Tiki, since mainstream ears don't deserve what guitarist Isaac Rotto, keyboardist and vocalist Daniel Luedtke and drummer Angela Gerend bring to the table. Gay Beast is - indeed - a best, and one worth hearing and seeing yourself. With The Awesomes and Broken water, Saturday, July 3, 9 p.m. all ages, $5, Northern, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia - BT

LINK: More live music today in the South Sound

SUNDAY, JULY 4, 2010 >>>

1. If you heard Parenthetical Girls' most recent LP, Entanglements, you might be tempted to call them orchestral pop. Listen to the band's previous album, and you'll not be so quick with your designation. Despite how loaded the word "experimental" is, this is the basic definition of experimentation: Lead singer and brainchild Zac Pennington desired to make orchestral pop, and Entanglements was his experiment. "We generally just consider the music that we make to be pop music, because it's a pretty wide umbrella, and it allows us not to have to feel like we have to do any one sort of thing," says Pennington. "As a rule, we are generally pop music fans, so it's easier to classify it that way and not put ourselves into a corner." Check out Parenthetical Girls with Deerhoof and AU at 7:30 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

2. If drunken debauchery and in-your-face patriotism seem a little too much for you, check out Grand Old Fourth of July in Steilacoom from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Here you'll take in free historical walking tours, ice cream socials, an old-fashioned parade at 1 p.m., street dance at 7 p.m. and fireworks around 10:30 p.m. 

3. A community band will present a late afternoon concert of patriotic and old-fashioned music on the lawn of Meeker Mansion in Puyallup from 3-5 p.m.  The Meeker Society, the private nonprofit organization that maintains the 1890-era Victoria Home erected by Puyallup founder Ezra Meeker, will sell hot dogs, soft drinks, ice cream sundaes, and more.

4. Country band Broken Trail will perform from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at Red Wind Casino's outdoor Fourth of July party, which also features a booze garden, inflatable jumphouse and fireworks after dark.

5. The South Sound Blues Association hosts a Blues Stage during the Tacoma Freedom Fair and Air Show on Tacoma's Ruston Way Waterfront.  The Blues Stage is at Duke's Chowder House with Blues Redemption opening the stage at noon. The Back to Beale Street Blues finals begin at 3:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

MONDAY, JULY 5, 2010 >>>

1. The Bran Flakes, The Evolution Control Committee, Gitar play a 7 p.m. all-ages show at Northern in Olympia.

2. See The Light, Swinglow, We Move Mountains, and Ashlynn play an all-ages show at The Viaduct.

3. Sons of Norway play an all-age show at the Mandolin Café.

4. Dented Trucks perform Chicago and Texas blues at 8:45 p.m. at The Swiss.

5. DJ Darren Selector spins Tacoma indie rock and underground hits during "Grit Rock Monday" beginning at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Huey Lewis is 59 today.

>>> SOUTH SOUND SPECIFIC

Steilacoom was the site of many firsts: The first incorporated community in Washington Territory; the first brick building north of the Columbia River (which was also the first jail in Pierce County); the first Protestant church building; the first school in Pierce County; the first official U.S. presence in Washington Territory (Fort Steilacoom, now located within the boundaries of Lakewood); the first public lending library in Washington Territory

>>> TODAY'S WORD

gambol \'gam-bel\ verb intransitive (1508)

To skip about in play: frisk, frolic

Usage example: "I tell ya, it's like the Microsoft engineers and executives are just gambolling around, racing golf carts on their Redmond campus, searching for jobs on Google. And I can't reach anyone there on my Kin, too."

>>> STORY PICK OF THE DAY

Science Daily reports: "Researchers from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, have discovered that a potent new drug restores hearing after noise-induced hearing loss in rats. The landmark discovery found that injection of an agent called ‘ADAC', activates adenosine receptors in cochlear tissues, resulting in recovery of hearing function."

This glorious news will be shouted by parents – standing at the top of their basement stairs – AT their grown sons, who will briefly stop creating their iPod party mix of ‘80s hair band anthems, and annoyingly reply, "WHAT?!"

>>> NEWS TO US

Somali Pirates strike again.

Yummy "occult jam" was made with Princess Di's hair.

Colorado woman blames car crash on a vampire.

Morning Spew posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on this blog. Sometimes, it even posts in the morning. Nice.

Join the Weekly Volcano community if you dare.

WATCH OUT FOR THAT RAMEN BEAR! >>>

Bloody hell! It will be a dark red week when Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 film Hausu hits The Grand Cinema's screen starting Friday. Heralded for its trippiness and cheesy special effects, Hausu, or House, has been restored, newly subtitled and re-released in the United States by Janus Films for another round of feline-fearing, mirror-smashing, random plot detouring (look out for the ramen bear) wackiness.

The goofy ghost story centers on "Gorgeous" and her group of giddy teenage girlfriends who summer vacation at Gorgeous' wheelchair-bound aunt's country house, only to encounter cackling severed heads, a man transformed into fruit, a killer piano, and the meanest house cat of all time.

The Grand Cinema hasn't posted starting times yet. They might be too scared (or more likely can't stop laughing long enough to post them).

Below is the film's trailer if you need your arm twisted (off):

GOING BOB ROSS ON THE BUDGIES >>>

Some people are just not "people" people. Some people are dog people, some are cat people and some are just plain animal people. If you are an animal person, at least 14 years old, and a desire to be an artist, here is the event for you. Artist Susan Massey will teach you the basic elements of art as you draw animals at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. No doubt Massey will prove that most animals share a remarkable amount of shapes and characteristics. Massey will also probably suggest you dress similar to the animal you'll be sketching for the best animal facial expressions.

The cost is $85 person, which includes zoo admission.

To register, contact Melisa Jennings at 253.312.4304 or MelisaJ@TacomaParks.com. Jennings will have the scoop on required art supplies

Sketching at the Zoo

Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24, 10 a.m. to noon, $85
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, 5400 N. Pearl, Tacoma

TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2010 >>>

1. Abi Grace and Josiah Bogle will perform acoustic music at 3:30 and 5 p.m., respectively, during the 6th Avenue Farmers Market, which runs 3:30-7:30 p.m.

2. Read, drink tea, and argue politics every Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. at Last Word Books in Olympia.

3. Danny Vernon brings his Illusions Of Elvis show to the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m.

4. Guitarist Steve Stefanowicz hosts Dawson's Bar and Grill's last Open Mic Night until autumn beginning at 7 p.m.

5. Longhorn Saloon hosts a beer pong tournament with cash prizes at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment in the South Sound

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Now Serving: Primo Grill added the 2007 Turnbull Old Bull Red to its wine list. The delicious catch-all blend is rich with aromas of plums, berries, dried cherries and a touch of mocha. It sells for $39 a bottle.

Supper On A Shoestring: Johnny's Dock serves charbroiled sirloin, charbroiled "Jamaica Mistake" chicken breast or filet of Northwest salmon with green salad or clam chowder, garlic mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and New York style cheesecake for $16.95 Monday through Friday before 5:30 p.m.

Tightwad Tuesday: Every Tuesday Hell's Kitchen serves $2 tacos, $2 wells and $2 beers. Get on it at 928 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma.

Food Matters: Food & Wine Editor Dana Cowin's diary on negotiating a constant landscape of workday snacks and eating out.

LINK: South Sound happy hours

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide