THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>
WEATHER REPORTFriday: Rain, hi 46, lo 40
Saturday: More rain, hi 45, lo 44
Sunday: Even more rain, hi 53, lo 51
For the uninitiated, guitarist Dick Dale initially rose to fame during the high tide of the '60s surfing craze. While some peg "surf music" as synonymous with the sunny pop of the Beach Boys, for many it's Dale's turbulent, violently fast guitar sounds - coupled with the reverb effects developed by Fender Instruments and trial-tested by Dale - that truly define the genre. On early recordings like 1961's "Shake-N-Stomp," Dale debuted what would come to be known as his signature style: insistent, relentless 16th-note picking meant to evoke, as he once put it, "the sound of waves chopping."
Billy Stoops will literally rock the dock (acoustic style) Saturday at Rock the Dock in Tacoma. If you know Junkyard Jane - and most Tacoma music fans do - you know Billy Stoops. Coincidentally, we're pretty sure we saw Stoops in full-spandex biking attire the other day at Stadium Thriftway, but that's really not important. One thing that is important is Stoops will be joined by the venerable Jim King
Look, there's a decent chance you need a Christmas tree. Or, at the very least, you know someone who needs a Christmas tree. But acquiring said Christmas tree doesn't have to cost you at least $65 for anything that doesn't look ghetto, and more importantly it doesn't need to be a huge pain in the ass. Head on down to the rarely-used Tollefson Plaza and check out Two Five Trees - the best use of this space since Volcano editor Matt Driscoll got drunk before Showcase Tacoma 2009 and totally bombed his introduction of the Helio Sequence.
M
ATT DRISCOLL Editor (aka - the guy to blame)
Well, I got sick last Sunday and missed my appointment with the famed Northwest Convergence Zone, so I'll ACTUALLY be doing that this weekend. Otherwise, I expect some frantic consumerism in the spirit of Christmas, ANOTHER todler birthday party (What's with these toddlers and all their incesant damn birthdays?), and another dissapointing loss by my Denver Broncos (although not as dissapointing as usual, with a new coach and all...). Good times.
RON SWARNER Publisher
Although my moves lean more toward the dos-y-dos, I'll be shakin' what my momma gave me to rare funk and soul grooves Friday at Rare Groove Night inside the Tempest Lounge. Saturday, the annual day trip to a city corner tree lot should go down, followed by the obligatory wrestling match with tree lights. Although I've seen the phrase "Tacoma get smashed" a thousand times, it's now the official name for this Sunday night at The New Frontier. I might be seen at The New Frontier on said evening covered with scratches and a pint stuck to my pitch-covered hands.
NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
I'm letting my new tattoo of tumbling dice heal, getting a Christmas tree, making a ton of hot toddies at the bar, hitting up Duck the Malls at the Capitol Theater, and hosting a Christmas party while a DVD of a fake fire loops in the background and five little boys run around with light sabers. Good times.
BRETT CIHON: Meat Market Correspondent
This weekend looks fairly typical: club, booze, party, booze, relax. On Friday evening I shall visit whichever establishment Mr. Driscoll deems appropriate for next week's Meat Market. Saturday I'll be attending a friend's third annual holiday sweater party. I look forward to an evening of cashmere, eggnog and tacky Santa prints. I might head up to White Pass on Sunday, but more likely I'll be nursing a hangover and watching football.
JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
Friday night I'll be playing the part of The Wife and attending a dance concert at School of the Arts with Mr. Varnell, SOTA teacher extraordinaire. Saturday will be a blur of house cleaning while juggling my amazingly beautiful (and possibly teething) four month old to prepare for our annual "Yuletide on the Eastside" party. Sunday follows, naturally, with church, football at Masa and putting the house back together after our aforementioned festivities.
CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'm paying a second visit to the March sisters of Little Women, courtesy of Olympia Family Theater, and my girlfriend and I are attending a friend's semi-naked graduation from Burlesque 101 in Seattle.
PAUL SCHRAG: Senior Contributor
I'm working on the next round of edits for my book, organizing a sustainable business seminar, and trying to figure out how to pay my bills next month. If I'm lucky, I'll get to see my old pal Gabe for a minute.
STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I will be going to country western dance lessons tonight at Big Whisky before heading out of town for vacation.