MANIUM BUILDING COMES ALIVE >>>

In the dark old building on the corner of Fourth and Jefferson in downtown Olympia lives a dampened dream. A small square sign juts into the sky - "MANIUM," it reads. Black tarps cover the windows, as do layers of fliers.  A once lively all-ages punk and metal venue, the building has been unused by the public for four years. Run by a collaboration of music lovers and earth shakers, MANIUM was shut down for failing to comply with fire code. A ripple of doubt and sadness swept the town as the city shut down another all-ages venue.

But now, the building stirs.

The MANIUM building (whose owners wish to remain anonymous) is on the cusp of reincarnation. In its new life its name is CRYPTATROPA, and it's a bar. The tarps are scheduled to come down and the doors will be opened Friday, Oct. 1 at 4 p.m.

And quite the bar it is. I've seen it, and the careful crew in charge of the resurrection is ready to show Olympia what it has to offer. A place of potions and poisons, perils and passions, the space has incredible atmosphere. A long, softly-curved counter that has held the Manhattans of many is the center of attention. (Built in the ‘30s, the counter is rumored to have hosted the grandfather of American architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright.)

Complementing the counter is a series of booths and custom wood tables carved from 500-year-old fir.  Skilled hands created tables in a shape not unlike a shield, the corners curved in layered lines, inviting you to trace their shape in the ambiance of red lighting and candles. The jukebox, a ‘40s-style replica, glows gently against a wall. The music alone will be worth checking out. The eclectic mix will be unlike any in Oly, say owners. Big, round mirrors against dark walls, a huge iron table and a crouching, winged statue add to the aesthetics.

The only setback is the joint has to start small. Due to city codes, only 49 people will be allowed at a time. The booze, beer and prices will be roughly the same as most bars downtown, with a few specialty items, such as absinthe and other hand-crafted liquors. And, for now, there will be no music shows.

The owners say the ultimate goal is to make enough money to install a $150,000 sprinkler system. It needs to be added to make the place a proper venue and bar with a capacity of 420 people. An all-ages section would be included. Donations are being accepted to help bring this vision for the venue into fruition.

In addition to expansion, the dream is to have a drink menu as unique as the atmosphere.  As money trickles in, and roots start to grow, more specialty items will be added. Herbal cures and old-school tonics, bubbly brews and beaker shots, to name a few.

Curious? You probably should be.

CRYPTATROPA

opens Friday, Oct. 1
421 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia

THURSDAY, SEPT. 30, 2010 >>>

1. It's community arts appreciation day at the Tacoma Farmers Market on Broadway from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tacoma musician Deborah Page will perform at 10:30 a.m.

2. Megan Peters leads a group knitting sessions from 5-8 p.m. at Tacoma Art Place. Group knitting is always free for members and those with a day pass. First time visitors also can join once for free. You can be a beginner or expert, just as long as you're not one of those roughian sewers.

3. King's Books presents an engaging presentation on the history of banned books with Laura Ferri from Seattle's Book-It Repertory Theatre at 7 p.m. as part of Banned Books Week. Puyallup Public Library encourages folks to drop by between 6:30 to 7:30 and read excerpts from their favorite banned book.

4. The Thursday Beer Runners will kick off a 3-mile jog from the West End Pub & Grill at 6:30 p.m. only to return to the joint and put the calories back on with endless pints of beer.

5. DJ Toner spins vintage rock and soul beginning at 8 p.m. inside The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

MORE LIVE THAN YOU'LL EVER BE >>>

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Three Dollar Thursday, with 12 Gauge Saint, Curse Of The North, Regional Faction, Metal Mark. 21+. 9 pm. $3.

Lagerquist Concert Hall Tacoma - Parkland. PLU Regency Jazz Ensemble. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Heidi Vladyka. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Crank Sturgeon, Styrofoam Sanchez, Derek M Johnson, Soup Purse, Dead Air Fresheners. All Ages. 8 pm.

• It's not easy to labor in purposeful obscurity for more than a decade, cultivating an atmosphere of secrecy and hard-line artistic weirdness, but Olympia's Dead Air Fresheners have been going strong (and going secretive) for nigh on 13 years now. The creatively-uncontained, nominally-instrumental band (sometimes joined by spoken word performers) is a regular at Oly's Experimental Music Fest, where their droning, shrieking, aleatoric sounds are warmly received by the attendees' hard-bitten cochleae.  With their rotating roster of masked improvisers, a Dead Air Fresheners performance is like a Halloween-themed edition of "Guess Who?" simultaneously piquing the audience's curiosity and forcing them to forgo any desire to relate to the musicians themselves and asking them instead to focus all their attention on the thrumming, effects-addled vibrations being generated. - Jason Baxter
  

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall Band. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Acoustic Open Mic. Hosted by Dustin Lafferty. All Ages. 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Billy Stoops Acoustic Jam. 21+. 9 pm.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Come Out And Play Open Mic. Hosted by Kim Archer and Nick Sandy. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Taco Thursday, with Jerry Miller. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

SPECIAL FILM NIGHT OF LOCAL WORKS >>>

The 253Heart Music and Arts Film Festival is like the wily little brother of the Tacoma film family, taking place in the shadows of the city's more prominent film fests. But, as 253Heart Film Festival director Joe Rosati sees it, these films are important, and they should be seen - as they're not in either of the upcoming Tacoma or Gig Harbor film festivals.

"They're local films that have not been in any recent festivals and are done by some kids that have their finger on the pulse of current events around town," explains Rosati, who also is a local filmmaker and actor. "Some of them have been around for more than 10 years and are in the local section of Stadium Video."

The 253Heart Film Festival Friday night at the Varsity Grill kicks off the three-day Tacoma music and arts festival being held in various downtown Tacoma venues. More information is available on the festival's Facebook site.

One of the 253Heart films Chekov's Gun screened during the Tacoma Tortured Artists Film Festival in the late ‘90s - the festival Kristen Revis and James Hume, who owned and operated Club Seven Studios, produced from 1997-1999.

The other films scheduled to screen are:

• William Shatner Lent Me His Hairpiece (an untrue story)
• A First Time for Everything
• The Devil's in My Coffee
• Don't Run Johnny
• Kris Crews' 2-minute video of Galen Turner's recent bike jump through neon tubing
• And a video of several local visual artists and musicians centered on a group wall painting venture at Fulcrum Gallery

The film night is Rosati's attempt to connect the local film scene with the community, to pull a few films out of the ether and into the spotlight.

253Heart Music and Arts Film Festival

Friday, Oct. 1, 5-9 p.m.
Varsity Grill, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma
253.627.1229

LINK: 253Heart Music and Arts Festival feature story

PRIMO >>>

Chef Charlie McManus and Jacqueline Plattner raised the bar for Tacoma restaurants when they opened the critically acclaimed Mediterranean-ish Primo Grill in October 1999. And after more than 10 years of dining at Primo - each visit including three or four nightly specials that plants a Bill Cosby Jell-O pudding look of ecstasy on my face - nine times out of 10 I'll order their famous Bolognese pasta dish instead.

Just writing this plants that look on my face.

Their classic Tuscan ragu is sweetened with carrots and onions, packed with ground beef and then ladled over the perfect amount of al dente spaghetti. It's not always easy to get a lot of flavor out of a sauce as complex as the ragu; Primo certainly nails it, especially adding chunkier garlic pieces. Not drowning the pasta and sprinkling Parmesan instead of coating the dish pays off, too.

The perfect ratio of ingredients is the key to this dish's success: It's a well-balanced stunner that would grace any Tuscan's table.

Primo Grill

4-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday
4-11 p.m. Friday, 5-11 p.m. Staurday, 4:40-9 p.m. Sunday
601 S. Pine, Tacoma
253.383.7000

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Fifty Brewing Companies: The Tacoma Craft Beer Festival runs tonight from 5 to 9 pm and Saturday, Oct. 2nd from noon to 8 pm at the Foss Waterway Seaport in downtown Tacoma. For all the details, click here.

Grand Opening: The Green Coconut Tree celebrates its grand opening today from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. serving samples of its Jamaican, Chinese, and Vietnamese specialties.  Oh yes, all three. Read our review of the Lakewood restaurant here.

Washington State Represent: Today through Oct. 11 The Red Hot pairs up with their beer buddies at The Parkway, both pledging to serve nothing but Washington State beers on every handle, which is nice.

Future Things Are Coming: The Stadium District Art and Wine Walk will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 throughout the district. Tickets are $25, and that money will go toward the Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. This event will feature local artists, original artwork, Washington wines, tasty hors d'oeuvres and desserts and music at select locations. For more information, click here.

Food Matters: "Naturally, hotness will secure you a better table." Oh, no.

LINK: Wine tastings!