Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: September, 2010 (126) Currently Viewing: 21 - 30 of 126

September 6, 2010 at 7:45am

5 Things To Do: Rhombus, Red Wolf Woods at zoo, barstool bingo, Rockaraoke ...

Rhombus

MONDAY, SEPT. 6, 2010 >>>

1. Rhombus is a punk band with absurdist tendencies. They have a hard-bitten sound that mixes with silliness in a way that reminds us of early Ween, when every heavy metal anthem was tempered with some under-the-counter chemical to form a queasy mélange. Check them out at 8 p.m. inside The Den @urbanXchange.

2. The Red Wolf Woods hillside exhibit is now open at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium with activities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., keeper talks at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and a Howl-A-Thon for kids at 1:30 p.m.

3. Rockaraoke, karaoke with live band, goes down at 9 p.m. inside Jazzbones. Click here for scenes from last week's Rockaraoke.

4. Jason Diamond spins reggae during  Rebel Monday/Industry Night at O'Malley's Irish Pub beginning at 9 p.m.

5. The Mix hosts Barstool Bingo with prizes beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

September 6, 2010 at 10:19am

Weekly Volcano vs. Bumbershoot 2010: Day Two recap and today's plan

Billy Bragg at Bumbershoot/photography by Christopher Nelson

TODAY'S PICKS >>>

Bumbershoot, day two: survived. Albeit slowed down a bit. Having played a three-hour show of my own Friday night, it's felt from minute one like I was one day deeper than I ought to be into the festival. So today felt like the tail end of day three, when there is still one more to go. I did manage to make at least the majority of my planned list, though.

If I'd known that The Tripwires were fronted by Minus 5 guitarist John Ramberg ... well I still would have seen them. But I would have done it for an actual reason, instead of their leadoff position. They have a bizarre but awesome tendency to leap suddenly from power-pop to classic boogie. I am for it.

Eldridge Grave & The Court Supreme were, let's be honest, just a lot whiter than I was expecting. Fortunately it did not make them less funky, and thus was my craving satisfied.

Sweet Water was Sweet Water. I was able to catch a few songs, including old classic "Feed Yourself," before fleeing off to the indoors for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

The cast of Putnam was not exactly top-notch pros, and the singing was a bit off throughout, but the show is quite entertaining, and they all play their absurd characters with enthusiasm and enjoyment.

A brief stop at Fisher Green Stage for Georgia Anne Muldrow & Declaime provided the main "meh" of the day. Maybe I'm missing something key, but I've always found that my favorite rappers are the ones with an actual band, instead of just a laptop.

Instead we trucked over to catch David Bazan, who, unlike the last time I saw him - and unlike Ms. Muldrow - was sporting a band. Having a drummer does wonders for his energy level, and makes his excellent songwriting much less likely to put everyone to sleep.

A quick stroll past The Bouncing Souls confirmed that while I've no complaints about their quality, it just was not what I was in the mood for. Instead it was back to Broad Street Stage for Ra Ra Riot. Good music for lying in the grass and relaxing for a while.

My search for jazz failed somewhat, as the Coryell, Auger Sample Trio turned out to be less jazz and more funky than anticipated, and my funk quota for the day had been filled.

Fortunately yesterday's mediocre start left me craving some blues that actually sounded like the blues, and James Cotton with his Superharp skills gladly provided.

Winner of the day goes to the last act I say, British folk legend Billy Bragg. There's just something about an Englishman standing at the microphone, waiting until everyone is quiet and saying "Tumescence," just to see how it sounds with the reverb – that speaks to me.

So far Bumbershoot this year has, on the whole, under whelmed. It had a lot to live up to for me after the last couple years, but has been falling short. Still, there's one day left, so we'll see. And speaking of one day left, let's see what's on for Monday:

12:30 p.m., EMP Sky Church: People Eating People

What, not the first show of the day? Madness! Anyway, I figure I ought to venture into Sky Church and see what kids these days are listening too at least once this year. And I like piano-driven music, and missed Vienna Teng.

1:15 PM, Starbucks Stage - Trampled By Turtles

Trampling seems such a violent act for such slow critters. I'm hoping they live up to their name, even though I don't really have any idea what that would mean.

2 p.m., Leo K Theatre Words & Ideas Stage: Why Bacon? Why Cupcakes? Why Now?

They seem to be ridiculous questions, I know, but apparently the discussion is on their recent pop-food-culture invasion - cupcake boutiques, Baconaisse - rather than why we like to eat them. This is admittedly not entirely my selection, but I'm engaged now, and no longer entirely responsible for my actions.

4 p.m., Broad Street Stage: Meat Puppets

There's a big chunk of time in there where I can't quite make up my mind, but when it comes to the Meat Puppets, there can be no question. These are guys I need to see, end of story.

5:15 p.m., Center House Theatre: Sondheim, Weill & Newman: A Cabaret

One more chunk of theatre, as Black Box Opera assembles a show out of the work of Stephen Sondheim, Kurt Weill, and curmudgeonly Randy Newman. It'll be too bizarre and potential awesome to miss.

6:30 p.m., Center Square Stage: Anvil

Enjoying a resurgence - or possibly just a surgence - due to their recent documentary, Anvil: The Story of Anvil, Anvil brings a much-lacking dose of metal to the proceedings. I should only need a song or two to get me through, for which my girlfriend will thank me.

6:45 p.m., Starbucks Stage: Jenny & Johnny

Jenny Lewis, lead singer of Rilo Kiley, seems to be pretty much everywhere these days, and one of those places is here, with gentleman friend Johnny Rice. Worth at least some of a listen to see what's up.

8:30 p.m., Starbucks Stage: Booker T.

After dinner, there is no choice but to see Booker T. As much as anyone at this festival except Dylan, Booker T. is true legend, as a songwriter, studio musician and all-around organ badass.

9:30 p.m., Fisher Green Stage: The English Beat

They don't lie; there really is a mirror in the bathroom. That kind of honesty is hard to come by these days.

See you out there, kids! I'll be the guy hoping he doesn't have to use his umbrella for anything but a walking stick.

LINK: Today's Bumbershoot schedule

Filed under: Concert Review, Music, Theater,

September 7, 2010 at 7:39am

5 Things To Do: Eboo Patel lecture, AIDS WALK happy hour, salsa demonstration and more ...

Eboo Patel

TUESDAY, SEPT. 7, 2010 >>>

1. Eboo Patel, the executive director of Interfaith Youth Core and a member of President Obama's Advisory Council of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, will lecture on "Acts of Faith: Interfaith Leadership at a Time of Global Religious Crisis" at 6:30 p.m. inside Schneebeck Concert Hall at the University of Puget Sound. Has there ever been a more appropriate time for this talk? OK, maybe the Crusades. But still. It's close.

2. Oregon glassblower Otter Rotolante's unique functional art goblets, flutes, and shot glasses, bowls and jellyfish sculpture that give a fluid feel of the ocean and all its submerged creatures are on display at BKB & Company from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3. Tempest Lounge will host an AIDS Walk happy hour event from 5 to 7 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from drink specials will be donated to the AIDS Walk. You will have the chance to win tickets to the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum. Dining Out for Life discount cards will be welcome all night on food orders.

4. Chef Jasmine will pit tomatillo and tomato salsa against each other during a 5:30 p.m. chef demonstration at the Fiesta-themed 6th Avenue Farmers Market.

5. The Brothers Comatose play an all-ages 8 p.m. show at the Mandolin Café.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

September 7, 2010 at 7:54am

NIGHT MOVES: Brazilian garage rock, Elvis, Brothers Comatose and others ...

The Brothers Comatose play the Mandolin Cafe tonight.

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT >>>

6th Ave Farmers Market Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Blackbird Pie. All Ages. 4:30 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. The Brothers Comatose. All Ages. 8 pm.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Joe Faker Band, with Allen Alto. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Garotas Suecas, Arrington de Dionyso. All Ages. 8 pm.

  • Go down to Brazil, though, and everything gets a little brighter, more colorful. Case in point: Garotas Suecas, or which happens to translate to Swedish Girls. Garotas Suecas take their cue from garage rock and funk. Read the full story here.

Red Wind Casino Yelm. Danny Vernon's Illusions Of Elvis. 21+. 8:30 pm. NC.

Sax Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Open Jazz Jam. Hosted by Kareem Kandi. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Summit Pub Puyallup. Tim Hall & The Band Real Times. 21+. 7:30 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Oly Songwriter Circle. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound tonight

Filed under: Night Moves, Music, Olympia, Tacoma,

September 7, 2010 at 9:27am

Plan Ahead: Poster of the Day

ANOTHER GREAT ONE BY TACOMA ARTIST CHRIS SHARP >>>

LINK: Humble Cub band

LINK: The Peabody Waldorf

September 7, 2010 at 9:58am

Weekly Volcano vs. Bumbershoot 2010: Final Day recap

I listened to Chris Pureka at Bumbershoot 2010. Photography by Christopher Nelson

LISTEN >>>

The 40th Bumbershoot Festival is done and gone. I'm sure no-one will mind terribly if I abandon my pointless blurbs of randomness and make an effort to actually say something.

I mentioned after the first two days a sense of disappointment in this year's festival. Not for want of good music or good weather, but something both less tangible and more substantial.

Bumbershoot means a lot to me, on a number of levels. It is years of memories. It is sun and rain and noise and sweat. But mostly it is a feeling, and a sound. It is the ability to close your eyes and hear the joy of hundreds of musicians and artists at every turn.

Listen: Nouela Davis is smiling so hard you can hear it in her voice, even as she belts out piercing anguish in a minor key. The two pianos of People Eating People pound out under her and around her, and she is struck with amazement at the size of her crowd at 12:30 p.m. on a Monday. Someone yells that she is beautiful, and she cannot even react, but to start another song.

Listen: the strings under Chris Pureka's fingers sparkle with beauty and regret, and a pedal steel guitar belts a siren song over and through her. She last visited the Seattle Center as a busker of unfortunate circumstance, scrambling for dollars, and now she sings through a microphone to the dozens and dozens who would rather hear her stories than keep out of the rain.

Listen: The Clientele captivate an audience with their '60s tinged songwriting, and at the edge of sound you can hear half a dozen audience members falling in love with their keyboardist on the spot. A stone's throw away, Trampled By Turtles make a banjo and a mandolin as punk as any guitar. The Meat Puppets spent an hour doing exactly what they have spend the last 25 years doing, and they are adored for it.

Over here someone tries to hand you a flier. There a crowd shouts for encore. Across every step of every path of these grounds, someone is laughing or talking or simply themselves as they travel from stage to stage. Raindrops are pattering across your umbrella and there is a sizzle as they pull your brick of potatoes out of the fryer, and Jenny & Johnny are singing another song together, because that's what makes them happy.

Listen: Bumbershoot is happening all around you. The superstars may be mumbling and shuffling their way through songs you've heard a thousand times in yonder stadium, but that's not where you know you need to be. You need to bask in the middle of it all, surrounded by nothing but the sound of a thousand people experiencing joy and love and music together.

So that was my Monday. And I hope it was yours, too, in one way or another.

Filed under: Concert Review, Music,

September 7, 2010 at 10:54am

Happy Hour on Broadway

HAPPY HOUR OF A DIFFERENT COLOR >>>

In addition to Big Ass 2010-2011 arts season, the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts offers a big-ass happy hour to celebrate said season. Tomorrow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., David, Benjii, Lacey and crew will offer backstage tours, preview the upcoming season and serve dollar drinks.

DOLLAR DRINKS!

As a bonus, if you purchase a ticket package of four or more shows, you'll also receive free parking passes for each event.

Backstage Tour and Happy Hour

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 5:30-7:30 p.m., no cover
Broadway Center Rehearsal Studio, Ninth and Broadway, Tacoma
253.591.5894

LINK: More South Sound happy hours

September 7, 2010 at 11:28am

Short Order: Tuesday Beer Nights, Ramblin' Jacks RibEye opens, sustainable coffee cup ...

Ramblin' Jacks RibEye in Chehalis is now open. Photo courtesy of Facebook

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

First Tuesdays: The first Tuesdays at 99 Bottles (35002 Pacific Hwy. S., Federal Way) are Style Nights where you receive five pours of a single style of beer, each pour from a different brewery. They run 5-7:30 p.m. with a cost of $5 a person.

Now Open: Ramblin' Jacks RibEye is now open at 1336 Rush Road in Chehalis. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a western themed interior. The restaurant is owned by the Ramblin Restaurant Group, the same people who own Ramblin' Jacks, Mercato and i.talia pizzeria in Olympia.

Deal Of The Day: Every Tuesday night Harmon Brewery & Eatery serves a 6-ounce sirloin steak or half pound of rib tips - both on a bed of fries - for $5. Check it at 1938 Pacific Ave. in downtown Tacoma.

Future Things Are Coming: The Olympia Mahayana Buddhist Center (211 Legion Way SW, Olympia) will teach you how to eat and drink the Buddha way 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18. Reserve your space at 360.754.7787.

Food Matters: Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts, & Green Mountain quest for Holy Grail - the sustainable coffee cup.

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: Grocery Stories

September 8, 2010 at 6:36am

5 Things To Do: Patsy Cline meets happy hour, Zoe talks "Endo," very good sand sculptors, Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ ...

Rachel Flotard will sing songs by Virginia Patterson Hensley tonight.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 8, 2010 >>>

1. Seattle Theatre Group presents Sweet Dreams, The Music of Patsy Cline inside Tacoma's Rialto Theater at 7:30 p.m. This is STG's second year of gathering together the Northwest's best female singer/songwriters for a run through of Cline's talent. Scheduled to take the stage Wednesday are Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs, Rachel Flotard (of Visqueen), Kristen Ward, Kim Virant (of Lazy Susan), and Victoria Wimer-Contreras. The Broadway Center will host a happy hour before the show that includes backstage tours, a preview of their upcoming season and $1 drinks.

2. Zoe Donnell, the curator of Edo to Tacoma: Japanese Woodblock Prints from the Collection, will discuss the collection and how it came to be at the Tacoma Art Museum then lead a tour of the collection - all beginning at 10:30 a.m.

3. Screw the rain! The World Championship of Sand Sculpting (yes, it really exists!) had been held in Harrison Hot Springs British Columbia for nearly 20 years, but this year it's moving to Federal Way (yes, it's really true!). Kicking off today, the World Championship of Sand Sculpting will draw top-notch sand sculptors (yes, they really exist!) from around the globe to compete in the yearly sand showdown. According to Google Maps, it'll be held in a parking lot near the Gene Juarez Academy and 24 Hour Fitness.

4. Kim Archer and Nick Sandy strum and sing at 7 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge.

5. Your Girlfriend's Favorite DJ spins during Masa's College Night beginning at 10 p.m. Ladies slide in free before 10 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

September 8, 2010 at 6:55am

Adams' families

TO THE RESCUE >>>

"We have more kids under the age of 12 living at our Tyler Street Campus than we have single men at our downtown shelter," said the chief executive officer of The Rescue Mission.

On any given day, The Rescue Mission - which recently dropped "Tacoma" from its name because it helps folks countywide - will tell 30 homeless families it has no room for them.

"We turn away three out of every four families," Curry said Tuesday.

Whoa.

The above graphs are from a News Tribune story on the Rescue Mission's new Adams Street Family Campus. Read it here.

LINK: Donate to the Rescue Mission

Filed under: Community, Health, News To Us, Tacoma,

About this blog

News and entertainment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord’s most awesome weekly newspapers - The Ranger, Northwest Airlifter and Weekly Volcano.

Recent Comments

Walkie Talkies said:

Thanks for posting! But I want say that Walkie Talkies are really required while organizing fun...

about COMMENT OF THE DAY: "low brow’s" identity revealed?

Humayun Kabir said:

Really nice album. I have already purchased Vedder's Album. Listening to the song of this album,...

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

AndrewPehrson said:

Your post contains very beneficial content. Kindly keep sharing such post.

about Vote for Tacoman Larry Huffines on HGTV!

Shimul Kabir said:

Vedder's album is really nice. I have heard attentively

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

marble exporters in India said:

amazing information for getting the new ideas thanks for sharing a post

about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...

Archives

2024
January, February, March
2023
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2022
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2021
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2020
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2019
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2018
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2017
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2016
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2015
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2014
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2013
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2012
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2011
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2010
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2009
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2008
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2007
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
2006
March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December