IT WAS FAST TO ME >>>

Dashing to catch Hall & Oates at the Puyallup Fair last night, I grabbed a very quick bite at the new It's Greek To Me on South Meridian, which opened Monday in the spot formerly occupied by From The Bayou and DeCaterina's Market Grill & Bar. The Wicks who operate the take-out version on Sprague have opened a larger version with a full menu and bar. I only had time to grab the spanakopita appetizer, two tasty buttery wedges stuffed with a tangy mix of feta, lemon juice and not so much spinach that other flavors are diminished.

It's Greek To Me

328 S. Meridian, Puyallup

THIS JUST IN >>>

If you love the Pick-Quick drive-in in Fife, and live in South King County, you'll have to pick your Pick-Quick beginning Monday, so says this City of Auburn press release:

AUBURN, Wash. – September 23, 2010 – On Sept. 9, Gerard Centioli, CEO of Icon LLC announced that the iconic Pick-Quick restaurant will expand to Auburn (Wash.). A groundbreaking for the new restaurant is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 27 at 12th St. NE and Auburn Way North. This is the first expansion for the restaurant since it was built in Fife (Wash.) in 1949 and is expected to open before the end of the year.

Read more...

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ROCK MUSIC RETURNING TO RUSTON >>>

Wikipedia tells us that, "In electronics and electrical engineering a fuse (from the Latin "fusus" meaning to melt) is a type of ..."

Scratch that.

The residents of the Town of Ruston have short fuses due to political bickering and financial struggles ...

Nah.

The Ruston police will fuse ...

No.

I'm at a loss of how to cleverly introduce a new club/café called FUSE - Cafe Imbibery and Events that will open inside the Point Defiance Casino next week. Laurie Kimmel and her "team" have taken over the eastside of the casino, remodeled it, changed the menu and plan to bring "back music to Ruston" she states in an email.

In terms of music, FUSE will concentrate on rock and blues - with the hope of introducing a Sunday young musicians showcase.

Standard "American" fare will be served during breakfast and lunch hours; with a 3-5 p.m. bar menu and specials sheet during nights they host shows.

The official grand opening is 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 featuring the R&B band Loose Change from Vashon.

THE CLOCK STOPS FOR NOTHING >>>

Can you create a comic in 24 hours? That's the question the comic-book world asks every October when it challenges cartoonists to come up with 24 pages in 24 hours, complete with story, art and lettering. The local cartoonist league C.L.A.W. are down with the idea.

You?

Click here for details.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 24, 2010 >>>

1. Beyond the Bridge Cafe on Sixth Avenue presents its first "Phoenix" show - a live performance combining movement, story and dance with local musician Vicci Martinez - beginning at 8 p.m. Call 253.572.9199 to make sure there's room for you.

2. You may see Illusion/Allusion: Paintings By Barlow Palminteri and Ron Hinson from noon to 4 p.m. at South Puget sound Community College's Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Gallery. This isn't Hinson's first show at Minnaert Gallery, but then again, he used to teach art history there. (Membership has its privileges.)  According to the college website, "Palminteri often paints large, colorful narrative pieces highlighting domestic life, while Hinson works more in abstract painted constructions. ... Born of this relationship was Illusion/Allusion, allowing the observer to view the paintings for different aesthetic styles and themes, but also for their common artistic processes."  We think that means they paint big, awesome pictures (including one as a team) that look awesome and pretty and whatnot. We hope that's not too technical for you.

3. It's the fourth Friday of the month and that means the Free Ya Mind Open Mic takes over Tully's Coffee at the Bostwick Building at Ninth and Broadway beginning at 7 p.m.

4. Olympia's Washington Center for the Performing Arts is kicking of its 25^th season in style, with a whole weekend of entertainment and celebration planned. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Culture Vultures, a proudly under-40 comedy group, will throw a bash billed to include plenty of music, snacks, comedy by Travis Simmons and (drum roll please ...) a no host bar!

5. DJ Eric spins before a queer-friendly crowd beginning at 9 p.m. inside Club Silverstone. We know it's off the hook.

LINK: New movies open today

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Beyond the Bridge Cafe Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Vicci Martinez. A live performance combining movement, story and dance with local musician Vicci Martinez. All Ages. 8-10 pm. $15.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. What You Got Fest Backstage Show, with Out Numbered, Borderline Obsessive, Hail, Apache Chief, SeaCats, Makeup Monsters. All Ages. 8 pm. $5-$8.

• More than ever, the power to coordinate and organize youth-centered events is being put in the hands of young go-getters themselves (the Redmond Fire House, WhAAM up in Bellingham, et al.). The Olympia Film Society's seventh annual What You Got? Festival aims to provide local kids with a 48-hour arts festival of their own - like a "Bumbershoot Jr.," only with much better bands. The weekend roster isn't some mixed bag of good artists and crappy ones - there are great performers on deck, including no-fi thrashers Apache Chief, sugary-sweet Kelso quintet Seacats and remarkable Tacoma duo Makeup Monsters (whose relative youth seems underscored by the fact that their sound inspires a nostalgia for millennial rock acts). The festival will host workshops on a range of topics, including video editing, DJing and how to make comic books. The main attractions, however, will be screenings of youth-produced films, and performances by fresh-faced area bands. - Jason Baxter

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Flash Fridays, with Doom Of Babylon, DJ Vinnymac. 21+. 8 pm.

The Den Tacoma - Downtown. Sumner Brothers, Run From Cover. All ages. 8 p.m.

• Bobble Tiki has the scoop on this show here.
  

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Where Sails Meet Rails, Sordid Sentinels. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Firecreek Alehouse Lacey. Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Jennifer Lind. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Midnight Salvage Co., Dreams Jaded, No Make, Bone Flower, Howler. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Heartless (Heart tribute). 21+. 8 pm. $6.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Ghost Power, The Shots, Dragados. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Jaded Optimists. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Humble Cub, Check Please, Tallest Tree, Sad Mr. Robert Another Coward of Love. 21+. 9 pm.

• I wrote sometime back that one of my favorite Tacoma love songs was "Commitment Chant" by Alexander and the Optimistics, AKA local artist Sean Alexander. A simple line, repeated over and over atop a chugging beat box, it kind of perfectly summed up the fear and sadness that come with loving someone with all of your being. "Commitment Chant" is hard to find, his other songs impossible to find. I think Alexander likes it that way. Abandoning his old moniker in favor of Sad Mr. Robert Another Coward of Love, Alexander will be offering a rare performance at The New Frontier on Friday. His voice is warbly, cracked and soulful; his lyrics are strange and intimate. On stage, I anticipate a beautiful train wreck. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Deakin, Prince Rama, Jabon. All Ages. 8 pm.

Salty's at Redondo Beach Des Moines. Cory Wilds Band. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

SideBar Bistro Tacoma - Downtown. Saxophonist Michael Hershman. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. DoctorfunK. 21+. 8 pm. $8.

Temple Theatre Tacoma - Stadium District. Soul Fest featuring Silk, H-Town, Chico Debarge, Candyman. 8 p.m. $40-$60.

• There is such a thing as a once-in-a-lifetime concert, packed with show-stopping artists. If ever one of these shows has hit the Puget Sound area - Soul Fest is it. Hailing from the early- and mid-1990s (what I would argue was the last era of soul music), several R&B crooners and an MC come to Tacoma and the Temple Theatre this Friday. Known for songs that inspire love, lust and panty-droppin', Atlanta's famed quintet, Silk (of "Freak Me" fame) headlines. They are joined by H-Town (Houston's own "Knockin' Da Boots" boys); the infamous and brilliant R&B writer/singer Chico Debarge; and another boot-knocker from the early-1990s, Candyman. – Jose Gutierrez Jr.
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

THE NEW KING OF KING'S >>>

Last night sitting in my folding chair with my fellow Vehement Vassals - resident cat rubbing the hell out of my shoe - Sweet Pea Flaherty, the soon-to-be owner of King's Books, revealed his hopes and dreams for the Stadium District bookstore. I've known about the ownership change for many months, constantly prodding Flaherty for the right to reveal the news. Out of respect for owners Pat McDermott and John Schoppert, and the fact that it wasn't a done deal, he told me to hold off. He shared an idea or two, but I didn't learn the full scope of his dream until last night.

A few of his ideas dropped jaws during the meeting. I also witnessed many smiles, enthusiasm and respect for the 36-year-old Madison, Wis. transplant. Flaherty has taken the two owners' beloved bookstore - an independent bookstore that hosts weekly literary, political and arts events and lectures - and pushed it to the forefront of Tacoma's cultural scene through relentless marketing and creative events such as the Wayzgoose letterpress extravaganza, Intermittent Health and Fitness Club (jump roping!) and groups such as the Banned Book and Graphic Novel clubs. 

His new ideas include painting the cement floor, installing wheels on the bookshelves to provide more space for events, adding more children's picture books and graphic novels, and a partnership program with Brownie Morrison to sell novelty items. He announced a second pending partnership that could add a bizarro (but cool) element to the store, which I'm not sure he wants to announce yet.

Some might call Flaherty crazy. Owning an independent bookstore is a tough business. More than 15 years deep into giant booksellers' voracious gangbang of all things mom-and-pop, independent bookstores are now staring down the barrel of Sadness 2.0. Last August when I announced the Vehement Vassals program on this blog, the bookstore was on the verge of closing.

"The Vehement Vassals saved this bookstore," Flaherty announced last night thanking the membership. "Seriously, this program saved the store.

"I've always wanted to own a bookstore," he shared. "It's certainly a labor of love."

Flaherty has added two higher levels to his Vehement Vassals membership program. Currently fans of the store may purchase a $20 annual membership and receive a 10 percent discount on all purchases. Flaherty has added a $100 and $500 annual membership level with higher discounts and bonus gifts. The new levels aren't on the store's website yet; you must drop by the store to sign up.

Flaherty also wants to increase his involvement with reading programs at local schools.

To hear Flaherty reveal his plans, it's obvious that the ownership change process reinforced for him that bookselling is about more than profit.

“I really enjoy filling my life up with interesting people who stop by and love to read and love to talk about what they’re reading,” he adds.

LINK: The News Tribune posted an interesting interview with Flaherty yesterday, announcing the ownership change. Read it here.

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rather cloudy, hi 67, lo 47

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 73, lo 54

Sunday: Rain and drizzle possible, hi 69, lo 55

>>> FRIDAY, SEPT. 24: ANIMALS OF THE WORLD

Some nights ago, when I was awakened at 3 a.m. to the unmistakable sound of the cat retching up a hairball and a day's ration of Cat Chow, I reexamined my fixation with cats. It wasn't the cat's fault that most of it ended up on my antique Oriental rug, but why can't she have a little discretion? I need a new animal. I need to do some research. Therefore the Puyallup Fair's Animals Of The World exhibit is my next stop.  Yaks, Nigerian dwarf goats, wallabies and alpacas ... hmmm, maybe I need to rethink this. 

• Puyallup Fair, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. $9-$11, Ninth and Meridian, Puyallup
  

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 25: GREEN TACOMA DAY

Tacoma's going green. How do we know? Just the other day a nice man (without teeth) in a pickup truck swung by the office and offered to recycle all the "scrap metal" in our yard ... FOR FREE! How about that? Another sure sign of Tacoma's greenness is the third annual Green Tacoma Day, when the Green Tacoma Partnership invites everyone to get out and explore local parks and natural areas. Thea epicenter will be the Tacoma Nature Center, where the new nature themed playground, Discovery Pond, will be in full effect.

• Tacoma, 9 a.m. to noon, free, for more information, click here.
  

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 25: AIDS WALK

The 19th annual Pierce County AIDS Walkgoes down Saturday, another valiant effort on the part of our community and the Pierce County AIDS Foundation to raise money and awareness for H.I.V., AIDS and the lives they affect. Or, more eloquently put in PC AIDS Foundation promotion: "a family friendly event to celebrate the commitment we have made as a community to end the AIDS epidemic, and to commemorate the lives that have been touched by HIV." Get involved.

• Downtown Tacoma-Theatre Park, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., donations encouraged, Broadway between Ninth and 11^th streets

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT 25: UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE TOURING COMPANY

You probably recognize the Upright Citizens Brigade brand thanks to its cultish Comedy Central series, but many don't realize that UCB has a tireless national touring company. UCB alums appear on programs like The Daily Show and Best Week Ever, but they all got their start riffing onstage. As practitioners of "long-form" improv, where actors run with a theme for the duration of a 90-minute show, the troupe performs monologues and scenes inspired by audience suggestions and interviews. You may experience the zaniness in all its glory Saturday night at the University of Puget Sound.

• Schneebeck Concert Hall, 8 p.m. $4-$7, 1500 N. Warner, Tacoma, 253.756.3700

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

STEPH DEROSA Columnist
My weekend plans are, at this precise moment as I'm writing this, still up in the air.  If I'm not heading out to the beach for a VERY well needed "alone time" weekend with Mr. DeRosa, then I will most definitely catch the Phoenix show at Beyond the Bridge Cafe on Saturday night.  Really, at this point, I have no idea what I will be doing with my weekend. As far as I'm concerned, my plans could involve sweeping floors and cleaning toilets, as long as I don't have to look at an ugly, overpriced Daniel Blue shirt.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This weekend will be full of: working my butt off, smirking at fun stuff, jerking the kids around, and lurking around downtown. Also, I will be selling a bunch of junk, like broken bikes and old wood trunk, trying to get the basement cleared out, before clouds open up and the rain starts to spout. And hopefully, my urge to make stupid rhymes and silly banter will subside. I'm kind of annoying myself.

KRIS BLONDIN Food/Wine Writer
It's family time at the Blondins. Friday, momma hopes to spend time
with her boy Ryan, Saturday heading to Tumwater to visit with the
in-laws, and Sunday I might head to the lake for some huckleberry
picking! It's that time people! Get them while they're good!

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Friday night I'm going to enjoy dinner cooked by an old friend in Puyallup and relax. Saturday morning I'll hit Metro Coffee to check out Linda DeSantis Lapping's artwork before walking over to the Fitness Expo at the Marriot Convention Center (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) in anticipation of running the You Go Girl 10K Sunday morning. Saturday night I'll dance my booty off at Tempest Lounge to beats by DJ Broam. Sunday at 8:30 a.m. I will attempt to run a 10K in under three hours. Wish me luck.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Friday night, Tacoma music staples Where Sails Meet Rails and Sordid Sentinels rock Doyle's Public House. Saturday afternoon, Tacoma music staples Deborah Page and Voxxy Vallejo rock the Lakewood Towne Center parking lot. Sunday, Tacoma music stapler Joe Izenman takes a nap.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Features Writer
Friday, I'm finally getting to see Sean Alexander perform live, after being I think his biggest fan for years. He told me that he was writing a totally new set over the course of this week, and that it will be debuted on the New Frontier stage. Scary.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'll be reading through all the delightful religious and atheist emails and literature I'm about to receive.

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
Damn if these Weekend Hustles don't come around every week. This weekend I'm going to see The Goat or Who Is Sylvia at the Midnight Sun performance space in Oly.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: Nightlife Reporter
It is kiddo weekend at camp Dunkelberger. The boy child turns 4, which is code for all things Batman and jammies. But I'll get some time out with the girl child to see Hairspray at Tacoma Musical Playhouse and likely get into a scene or two of the local film-in-the-works, Jesus4Less.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

BRING ON THE WEEKEND >>>

Last week I was on vacation. There was no Prefunk.  Your weekend still happened, of course, and I assume you still figured out a way to occupy yourself. But, you didn't start things off with tasteless whip-it jokes from the Weekly Volcano, and there was no picture of an alcoholic household pet thrown in for good measure to set you on your way.

Was this a good thing or a bad thing? It's up to you to decide.

Whatever conclusion you reach, however, can't stop the inevitable. Here comes another installment of The Prefunk, a weekend primer for you and your liver. Turn away or stare in horror. The choice is yours.

THE B.B.C. BOTS PRESENT: THE PHOENIX

Friday & Saturday at Beyond the Bridge Café

Choosing events to highlight for the Prefunk isn't as easy as it might seem. For one, I'm forced to wade through hundreds of shindigs happening over any given weekend. There are more than you might think.

This week, for instance, before settling on what should be a spectacle to remember at Sixth Avenue's newest coffee hotspot, Beyond the Bridge Café, I considered the Washington History Museum's "The Many Shapes of Chess" exhibit, the White River Valley Museum's "Politics and Bedcovers" display, and even "Patriot Days" in Lake Havasu City, Arizona (yes, for some reason Lake Havasu's "Patriot Days" were submitted to the Volcano's online events calendar).

These are decisions no one should be forced to make.

Luckily, Beyond the Bridge Café went and made it easy on me - with their Bots and their performance of "The Phoenix." Aided by the always-worthy Vicci Martinez and her typical barefooted musical styling, the B.B.C. Bots, something of a genre defying performance group, will mix movement and music with "The Phoenix," pushing the artistic envelope all the while. "The Phoenix" will be performed by the B.B.C. Bots tonight and tomorrow, from 8-10 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available through brownpapertickets.com.

Here's a taste of what to look forward to, gleaned straight from the source, beyondthebridgecafe.com:

The BBC Bots present The Phoenix, with live entertainment by Vicci Martinez! Come and enjoy an evening of performance by Bastian Rogue, Nadia Dawn, Vylla Vortex, Darkly Riot and Skyler Ties... Beyond the Bridge Cafe's very own Bots! This night will be full of life changing movement and music put together in ways unimaginable. Enjoy the show!

PREFUNK: OK, whatever. Usually - as is suggested in the column's name - I suggest ways for you to prime yourself BEFORE the highlighted event. This week it's going to run a little differently.

You see, your best bet is to use Saturday's performance of "The Phoenix" at Beyond the Bridge Café on Sixth Avenue as a Prefunk for the show later that night at Jazzbones, which features Matt Coughlin and the Growlers. Coming of what I hear from reliable sources was a truly amazing CD release show at The Swiss Wednesday night, Matt Coughlin and the Growlers will provide an excellent way to round out an evening kicked off by the B.B.C. Bots and the sounds of Vicci Martinez. Mark my words.

See you next week.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 25, 2010 >>>

1. The Museum of Glass is offering complimentary admission to all visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate its recent accreditation by the American Association of Museums.  In fact, all the museums in town will let you in free as part of National Museum Day IF you ordered your ticket in advance.

2. Mayor Marilyn Strickland will lead the dedication of North Tacoma's new Orchard and Vine Community Garden at 45th and Orchard beginning at 12:30 p.m. What was once a lifeless, empty lot of sadness is now a thriving garden where the community can grow fruits and veggies and love.

3. The NW Film & Arts Festival at The Robert Daniel Gallery will expose local artists and filmmakers' work to the public beginning at 6 p.m. The show will include a series of short videos ranging from short stories to music videos to skits.

4. Tacoma's Dockyard Derby Dames will take on the Rose City Rollers in hot roller derby action beginning at 6 p.m. inside the Pierce College Heath Ed Center.

5. The What You Got? Fest Backstage Show and Dance Party with King's Ransom, The South Sound and Jeff Mikey & The Bouncy House begins at 8 p.m. inside Olympia's Capitol Theater.

LINK: Green Tacoma Day, Pierce County AIDS Walk and more in The Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Concerts go on sale today

LINK: Wine tastings