CRIME STOPPERS ALERT >>>

Got this from Mark Fulghum over at the Tacoma Police Department not long ago. Wanted to pass it along in case anyone out there had information that might help. 

253.591.5959 - all callers will remain anonymous

RARE EXPORTS DEBUTS AT THE GRAND WITH FREE SCREENING THURSDAY >>>

"He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake..." growls the tongue-in-cheek voiceover during the trailer for Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, a Finnish import debuting at The Grand Cinema with a Dec. 16 free screening. Will this sinister Santa flick unravel into nostalgic camp like its ‘80s predecessors, Christmas Evil or Silent Night, Deadly Night? Or, like Sweden's popular vampire yarn Let the Right One In, will it instead offer American audiences a fresh take on another centuries-old myth? Either result would have pleased me, but Rare Exports decides on the higher road and reexamines its origin story with an unrelenting air of seriousness.

In the bowels of a remote mountain in Finland, an excavation by Subzero Incorporated and its craggy-faced Dickensian owner unearth...something. Pietari, a boy from a small village nearby, automatically pegs this discovery as the final resting place for one Saint Nick. And disturbing a legend's slumber, whether a mummified Egyptian or a frozen Finn, means only one thing for unsuspecting grave robbers: swift comeuppance. Other strange phenomena also occur: a farmer's collection of potato sacks vanishes; an unknown creature slaughters the town's yearly haul of reindeer. Probably just wolves, right?

Then one day Pietari's father finds a filthy, gaunt old man on his property - has Santa Claus finally come to town?

Director Jalmari Helander deftly milks every ounce of tension from the script's original premise. His film captures a mood similar to that in There Will Be Blood - beautiful cinematography masking a pervading sense of unease among characters and events. The brutal environs and driving score seem to plunge son and father toward an evil they can't comprehend. Small details such as a calendar date or drawings from a children's book carry ominous overtones. Even a recurring visual, the countdown to Christmas Day, bears a mark of impending doom. All these elements succeed in whisking viewers along for 84 minutes toward a surprise twist and satisfying finale, making Exports that rare alternative to traditionally sunny Yuletide cinema.     

THEY MAKE IT TOO EASY >>>

Every week, the Volcano's Cup Check column (conveniently located in the classifieds section of the paper) takes an irreverent look at the wild world of sports ... or at the very least that's the tagline.

Truth is, I just kind of make jokes about sports. It's not rocket science - it's just a good read about people with superhuman athletic ability doing really dumb stuff. Who doesn't love that?

Anyway, just wanted to let all seven faithful readers know that I'm currently hard at work producing this week's column, wading through stupid athletes left and right to make sure Cup Check includes nothing but the cream of the idiotic jock crop.

Will this d-bag coach from the NFL's Jets make the cut? Chances seem high ...

LINK: Previous Cup Check columns

AS SEEN IN THE WEEKLY VOLCANO >>>

Artist Michael Kaniecki just sent out a message on the TacomaArt listserv regarding that endless drawing of his - you know, the one the Volcano's Alec Clayton reviewed last week. It's called Semi-Automatic.

Kaniecki invites all interested to check out the FINAL version of his Spaceworks Tacoma installation, an India ink and wash drawing, this Thursday, Dec. 16. The work will also be on display for two weeks following this date.

Viewable at 1114 Pacific Ave. in Tacoma, next to Chase Bank, Kaniecki's drawing measures 40'' x 500'' and is supplemented by 35 additional drawings of two sizes (12'' x 44'' and 4'' x 5''). It's part of the Spaceworks Tacoma program, which aims to invigorate unused public space through art.

Read Clayton's review here.

BANDITO BETTY LOU WHO LEAP OF THE DAY >>>

"Hey Chief Don Ramsdell! Be on the look out for a "Four-Fifteen" on South Pine Street because I'm the mutha elfing Foursquare Holiday Mayor of your Tacoma Police Headquarters now!" screamed Bandito Betty Lou Who – our very happy friend who leaps for us on Spew. "You might want to issue an APB for ... THIS!"

Read more...

THIRD THURSDAY ART BUS IS MY FAVORITE >>>

I love Christmas. I got a swell $5 Radio Shack gift card and "Dilbert" coffee cup yesterday during a "Secret Santa" gift exchange with my two best friends. (Shhhh ... I know it was Artic Puffin because his bedroom is practically a nerd shrine to "Dilbert," so it's not a stretch to imagine him having a huge collection of coffee cups at home. And I remember him mentioning his sister works at Radio Shack, so it wouldn't surprise me in the least if she hooked him up with the card.) I know it was Artic Puffin. Seriously.

Anyways, I'm hosting the December Third Thursday Artwalk Art Bus like this Thursday! You gotta come. Seriously. It's going to be fun. We're going to sing everywhere. We're going to sing in the bus and at Two Five Trees and where an old building was and everywhere. Tacoma music guys Doug Mackey and Evan Purcell will lead the sing-along. I can't believe they're doing it. Awesome.

We're also going to see lots of pretty pictures and stuff. The bus goes everywhere; check it out here.

One of the stops will be at Brick House Gallery. A super tall and super pretty man named Peter MacDonald owns the house. I think HE'S the most interesting man in the world. Peter says he's got a new show up by Mindi Katzman called Another Point of View: Encaustic Paintings and Other Works. Peter says, "Mindi Katzman has been painting for more than 25 years and working in encaustics for almost 15. She brings a unique and unusual style to encaustics. Her latest work is extraordinarily vivid and has a depth that shows her mastery of this unique technique.  While her vision has mostly taken its point of departure from landscape, the viewer is always challenged with a 'close but not quite' sense of reality. This group of paintings and other works span some of her artistic journey."

I don't know what that means but EXCITING!

Those who have visited the Brick House Gallery during Third Thursday Artwalk know Peter has the best food and drinks in all of the world.

I asked Peter what the Brick House Gallery wanted form Santa and he said, "What I want from Santa this year is some people who appreciate fine art and have some Jingle in their Kringle. ..."

Jingle in their Kringle. Jeez, that's hilarious.

OK. So the bus is $10 to ride and it's going to be super cool. Sign up here. And that pretty girl Angela Jossy keeps bugging me to tell everyone that the Art Bus takes off at 5 p.m. from the NEW Speakeasy location at 409 Puyallup Ave. across from Alfred's Cafe. Jeez, Angela. I get it.

LINK: I said some other stuff here and here

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 15 >>>

1. There is no party like a Bill of Rights party ‘cuz a Bill of Rights party don't stop! What!?! What!?!  Put your hands in the air y'all! Now scream! OK, now get ready for the screening of This is What Democracy Looks Like, an uber-worthy documentary about the WTO protests in Seattle. It's the Bill of Rights Party at King's Books tonight.

2. Check out some talented people (never mind the fact they're mere children) tonight at Beyond the Bridge Café when the SOTA Songwriters Showcase Concert amazes all comers.

3. The 4 Tissimos Saxophone Quartet does its ragtime thing at the Mandolin Café today.

4. Like coffee? Like songwriters, poets and/or activists? Well, then, check out the legendary Jim Page today at A Rhapsody in Bloom Florist and Café Latte. All ages, and starts at 7 p.m.

5. Tacoma's Hilltop will be hoppin' tonight when the always-fantastic Maurice The Fish Records Showcase takes hold once again at Tempest Lounge. Expect no cover and an eclectic evening of fun and drinks.

ALL FIVE PEACE ACTIVISTS FOUND GUILTY THIS WEEK >>>

Five peace activists, including an 83-year-old nun and an 81-year-old Jesuit, were found guilty this week of a range of crimes after breaking into a nuclear storage facility in Silverdale, Wash. Anne Montgomery, 83, a Sacred Heart sister from New York; Father Bill Bichsel, SJ, 81, a Jesuit priest from Tacoma Washington; Susan Crane, 67, a member of the Jonah House community in Baltimore, Maryland; Lynne Greenwald, 60, a nurse from Bremerton Washington; and Father Steve Kelly, SJ, 60, a Jesuit priest from Oakland California will be sentenced in March.

LINK: The story of these activists was featured in the Weekly Volcano in November.

LINK: An post-conviction update, with quotes from Father Bill Bichsel

PROGRESS AS DEFINED BY JOE IZENMAN >>>

Goldfinch. They are a band from Tacoma. They have released one, self-titled album, and this Saturday, the first A/B single from their forthcoming new record, Vacant Lot/Elephant, will enter the world in physical form.

(My editor tells me my first paragraph is supposed to actually inform the reader of my subject, instead of jumping into a random midpoint. So here we are.)

I have peculiar feelings about this single. I believe if these were the first songs I heard from Goldfinch, I would not love them like I do. I equally hold that, now having heard these songs, it's only made me love the band more.

The joy I get from the new single is the joy of change, of progress. I know I was not the only one who loved Goldfinch's first record, who listened to Go Easy On Me on a loop, day after day. And far too many bands who have inspired that kind of reaction will seek endlessly to duplicate it, until the fans get bored and the band fades away.

Not so Goldfinch. Every song as a duet was centered around the collaboration of Grace Sullivan and Aaron Stevens. From start to finish, it was about the fluid harmonies, the interplay of guitar and keyboard. Other instruments filled out the sound, but that was it.

Now Goldfinch is a band. Not simply Goldfinch plus backing musicians, but a proper band. There is a breadth and depth to the music that was absent from earlier material. However, there is a sacrifice of intimacy. There is less room in the cracks of the song for the listener to feel like he is in on the musical conversation.

It is a difficult trade-off, but an important and ultimately positive one. Goldfinch has long since proven that they can create music worth listening to. Now they go a step further, and prove that they can change, and grow, and it bodes well for the future of Tacoma music.

RAIN CITY CAFE AND COFFE COMPANY >>>

Rain City Cafe and Coffee Company aims to fill your belly. The newest café to grace Market Street offers breakfast sandwiches, soups, leafy green and pasta salads, bagged chips and dessert and pastries from Corina Bakery. On the heartier side, Mike's East Coast Panini Sandwiches are packed full of winning ingredients and are a hot, quick meal for those on a short lunch break. Check out their specialty meat, mortadella, a cold cut of finely ground heat-cured Italian pork sausage. And their classic caprese sandwiches, which are spruced up with pesto mayonnaise spread.

Inside, 180-degree windows allow natural light in, which creates a pleasant vibe in the tasteful, uncluttered interior that has couches, a cozy fireplace and plenty of tables. A large off-street patio is certain to be popular come spring. Free Wi-Fi, books, magazines and games make it easy to stick around. Enjoy $2 espresso drinks during twice-daily happy hours (7-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m.). Food prices top out at $7-$8, coffee and beverages are $2-$5.

Also of note, Rain City plans to embrace the local art community by hosting the poetry open mic, "Mouths and Mics," every third Friday - hosted by Tacoma poet Antonio Edwards. 

[Rain City Cafe and Coffee Company, 744 Market Street, Tacoma, 253.383.2233]

LINK: BITE US