GOODNESS IN STORE IN PRINT & ONLINE >>>

It's Thursday, which means as sure as Mel Gibson gets turned on by beating women during sex, there's a new issue of the Volcano on the street ... which also means there's a new Volcano music section to devour.

Here's a peak at what's coming your way ...

SORDID SENTINELS

Where Sordid Sentinels succeed is largely on the basis of their tight arrangements, always firmly in the palm of propulsive drums and (Riley) Gratzer's pounding bass lines. "Four minutes and out" seems to be their motto, and there's joy to be found in the knowledge that a band has taken care to construct a concise delivery system of rock ‘n' roll to your brain parts. - Rev. Adam McKinney

OWEN HART

"Meth metal" band Owen Hart have a talent for demanding attention, whether through the aggro assault of their music or with disarmingly twisted, comical track titles. They're as heavy as they are heavily self-aware; even their name has a morbid, winking quality, deriving from the famed WWF wrestler who plummeted 78 feet to his death at Kemper Arena in 1999. - Jason Baxter

LIZ JANES

Liz Janes' new album for Asthmatic Kitty, Say Goodbye, is pretty close to flawless. Regardless of whether or not her Starbucks-friendly instincts tickle your earholes, it's hard to deny that her voice is gorgeous and supple, her lyrics insightful, and the arrangements sublime ... - Jason Baxter

TACOMA ALL AGES MUSIC PROJECT

Fast-forward to early 2011, and (Jeremy) Bushnell's vision is closer to becoming a reality. Bushnell and former Viaduct co-worker Josh Brumley (who, like Bushnell, is a veteran show-runner with a decade of experience) have been spearheading an effort to establish a one-stop all-ages arts and music destination for Tacoma's youth - a nonprofit public space in the vein of Seattle's always all-ages Vera Project. As the "Tacoma All Ages Project," they're working in tandem with the city's Live Music Alliance - a "dedicated committee of volunteers" in town working for the betterment of the local all-ages scene. The two organizations meet monthly. - Jason Baxter

PLUS: The Buddha Magoo, Wolves in the Throne Room, Zael Zura

HAS IT BEEN A MONTH? >>>

I dropped by Cork! A Wine Bar on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue last night. Weaving past the tables of female 20- and 30-somethings to the bar, I learned that owner Nick would add a bunch of new wines to his menu today. He also would add suggested wine pairings on his food menu for each dish.

Every month Nick shakes up his wine menu - replacing eight or so wines – resulting in a new full wine menu approximately every three months. He decides which wines to add based on the reaction from his Thursday night wine tasting crowd. It's a science.

Let's look at the new wines:

• Rose Regale, Sparkling Rose, Italy, $8
• Chateau Calabre, Sauv Blanc and Semillion Blend '80, France, $7/$24
• Chateauneuf Du-Pape 2007: Grenace/Syrah (80/20), France, $50
• Opolo Vineyards 2008: Zinfandel, Paso Robles, Calif., $34
• Peirano Cab '08, Lodi, Calif., $7/$25
• 181 Merlot '08, Calif., $8/$28
• JLC "La Violette Syrah '08, France, $8/$28
• Rapido Red '09, Sangiovese, Italy, $6/$24
• Domaine de L'Heres '04, Cab/Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc blend, France, $7/$24
• Titan Hills Vineyard '08, Zin/Syrah, Barbera blend, Paso Robles, Calif., $8/$28
  

Drop by tonight from 5-8 p.m. for the weekly Thursday night wine tasting.

Cork! A Wine Bar

3012 6th Ave., Tacoma,
253.212.1492

THIS JUST IN >>>

We've got an angry foot fetish defender going after Matt Driscoll and this week's Cup Check column, which mentions New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and the foot fetish videos his wife allegedly made a few years back.

tardis8868 writes:

You are an absolute Hypocrite, like the rest of the Media. If Ryan had been 'outed' as a gay, the Media would have staunchly defended him. But since Ryan is a fetishist, it's OK for you and the rest of your fellow piranhas to have a feeding frenzy.

SCANNING THE BLOGS >>>

A Tacoma band getting some rare Seattle media love -- a review of Canon Canyon at the Comet last night by the Seattle Weekly.

LINK: Canon Canyon's David Bilbrey and Mike Cooper (also founders of Rural Wolf Records) in the Weekly Volcano

FRIDAY, JAN. 7, 2011 >>>

1. In Olympia, the King's birthday has become synonymous with one man: Robert Washington - one of the world's top Elvis impersonators (see the film Almost Elvis) ... and a guy who just happens to be black. To some this is controversial. To Washington, it's simply his calling. "I don't really think about it. I'm not going to let my color prevent me from being the best," Washington told the Weekly Volcano in 2004. At 7:30 p.m. Washington will be back in Oly for the Elvis Birthday Bash at the Capitol Theater.

2. The Puyallup Home, Remodeling and Garden Show will assist homeowners in all stages of remodeling, landscaping and decorating their homes, with hundreds of exhibits, and product demonstrations, plus new products and expert advice from the pros from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Crowds will flow through gardens and around hottubs, yearn for kitsch, and fall prey to every kind of huckster. You know who you are.

3. Tacoma Little Theatre hosts To the Sea, two new short plays performed by an ensemble from Western Washington University at 7:30 p.m. Dr. Rich Brown directs the one-hour program, which includes a short play by Dan Erickson (Convention seen at TLT's 2009 festival of new works) and former TLT playwright-in-residence, Bryan Willis.

4. The Tacoma Comedy Club is off and running with a full head of steam, drawing national touring comics to the Gritty City on an almost weekly basis. Hell, the club even booked Skippy from Family Ties. This week, Clinton Jackson will be holed up, doling out the laughs to anyone interested. Sure, your kids might recognize Jackson from appearances on That's So Raven or iCarly, but we all know a good comic never turns down a little Nickelodeon money. You can't hold it against him. Check him out tonight at 8 and 10 p.m.

5. Things traditionally slow down for shows in the South Sound around this time of year, but don't worry, there are still some great places to dunk yer whiskers into some suds without any fear of encountering pesky MySpace kids and a DJ trying to sneak in a Smiths tune on ya. At 8 p.m., Olympia's home of absinthe - the Cryptatropa Bar - hosts DJs spinning metal. Satan, laughing, spreads his wings, oh Lord, yeah!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Subscribe to our Restaurant RSS feed

HEAVY, DARK ACTION (FOR A GOOD CAUSE) IN OLY >>>

Who better to perform at this charity show - benefiting the Wolftown Wildlife Rehabilitation Project and embattled "Green Scare" pro-Earth advocates - than Wolves in the Throne Room, the lauded, frosty-sounding Olympia noisemakers who are philosophically green, but whose music is ostensibly black (metal)? This homecoming show heralds their return from recent big-time dates like the UK's All Tomorrow's Parties festival, and will be their last local performance for a good while - the genre-blurring trio plans to spend the remaining winter months sinking their fangs into a brand new full-length record, one which will hopefully prove as satisfyingly atmospheric, haunting and intricate as their acclaimed Diadem of 12 Stars, Two Hunters and Black Cascade releases. Their set is sure to be hard and heavy - this ain't your daddy's environmentally-conscious fundraiser.   

[The Loft on Cherry, Wolves in the Throne Room with RVIVR, Druden & Alda, Sunday, Jan. 9, 8 p.m., all-ages, 525 Cherry Street, Olympia, 360.790.3887]

REAL STORIES FROM REAL BARTENDERS >>>

I've been a bartender for a long time. I have met countless freaks, jerks, pervs, sweethearts, rockstars and crazies. Even though it's a physically and mentally exhausting job, these are the colorful people that make it all worthwhile. Well, that and the tips.

I'd like to share with you some of my personal experiences behind the bar, along with the stories from some of my fellow bartenders. Each week - under the clever heading of "Behind Bars" - I will dig into my memory bank -- and the incident log books that all bars keep - to bring you some of my favorite stories.

Names of bars, bartenders and patrons have been changed or withheld to protect the innocent.

And the not so innocent.

Cheers!

This one takes us all the way back to last week, and New Year's Eve ...

>>>

Year of the Hare is said to bring smooth transitions, good health and, apparently, people so drunk they fall off barstools and crack their melons open.

Around 1 a.m., after a night of wild dancing, midnight kisses, and plenty to drink, one such gentlemen proved the latter part of that prediction true as he fell to the concrete floor, prompting a circle of wannabe paramedics to hover around him, shining cell phone lights into his non-dilating pupils, confetti hanging off their tiaras and ties.

The Budweiser-sipping man was unresponsive to all the commotion, and I began to worry, so with my co-worker dialing 911, I pushed through the crowd and made my way to his ear.

Crouching low, I spoke slowly and clearly, "I've been your bartender tonight, my name is Nikki, can you tell me your name?"

"Yeees," he slurred.

"J** C******n," he said, "And fuck you."

I stood up, relieved.  Anyone who can manage a little belligerence in that state would make it just fine.

I returned to pouring sex-on-the-beaches and as the medics escorted him out, I saw the severity of his injury; it looked as if a small volcano had erupted on his shaved head, spilling a jagged, wide river of blood.

A reminder of why my job can really suck rang through loud and clear as the barback scrubbed blood off the floor in the wee morning hours of the New Year. And as my co-workers and I recounted the event, we realized that for this one guy who had a shitty night, there were hundreds more that rang in the New Year right.

And if that's what the Hare means by smooth transitions, so be it.

LINK HUB - PREVIOUS "BEHIND BARS"

LINK: The Pooper

THIS JUST IN FROM FOUR LOKO>>>

Four Loko (just minus the uppers) will soon once again be stocked in your Washington State gas stations. It was approved by the Washington State Liquor Control Board on Dec. 8th, proving once again that the voices of the American public cannot be stifled. We will not be denied our Dimetapp flavored, paper-bag wrapped beverages! And, God, it was a rough month fighting through the Four Loko shakes, but now the Four Loko beer pong can resume, just minus the caffeine. (Thanks a lot Central Washington light-weights.)

Also hitting the newsstands today... The previously banned Four Loko removed from Washington stores is being recycled into Ethanol. That's right, your car running on last night's would-be-party. I think it's brilliant, but I think I hear my roommate crying.

THE REVEREND COLIN SHOWS US THE LIGHT OF BAD FILMS >>>

Off the top of my head I can't think of many film clubs led by a kilted ordained minister who moonlights as a karaoke host and (according to his business card) gun-for-hire.

Except for one. God bless this town.

The Reverend Colin, along with Mary K. Johnson and Tobin Ropes of Mad Hat Tea Company fame, kicked off the first Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathering in April 2009. Inspired by a Seattle group that regularly ran grindhouse cinema, the three founders desired to bring their own love of trashy art into this eclectic community. The free meetings take place at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday and third Monday of every month at The Acme Grub Cage. New members should brace themselves for much more than staid discussions of obscure films.

First, you won't know until you arrive what two features the good Reverend will bring down from his Sinai-sized mountainous collection of DVDs. He will announce in advance only the night's theme, and with titles like Jan. 9's "Back in the Slammer: A Return to Women's Prison," your imagination can roam. Reverend Colin punctuated our phone conversation with his encyclopedic knowledge of this and other cinematic sub-subgenres.

"He really is one of the most avid movie fans I've ever met," says 26-year-old Holland Hume, TCMC's self-billed "Creative Grunt" since June 2010 and designer of handbills and club posters (FULL DISCLOSURE: Hume has also created cover art for the Volcano in the past). "To him, the Cult Movie Club is his treat...He's always thinking, ‘If I only have this one opportunity to teach people about this director or this genre, what two films would I show?'"         

The Reverend also includes in his lineup themed shorts, vintage TV serials and a nightly raffle, with funds raised returning to the club's operating budget. Though it would please both the Rev. Collin and Hume to see more similar groups spring up in T-Town, for now they can feel good about what they've accomplished, and look forward to TCMC's two-year anniversary in April.

"It's a chance for a bunch of us people who love bad movies to...revel in their awfulness and enjoy each other's company," says the cult's clerical founder.

Amen to that.

You can receive updates by friending "TacomaCult MovieClub" on Facebook.

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Showers, hi 48, lo 36

Saturday: Showers, chance of mixed snow, hi 43, lo 33

Sunday: Chance of snow, hi 40, lo 28

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 8: BODYBOX CD RELEASE

A mix of funk, folk, bass-driven soul/hip-hop and alternative rock, a Bodybox song (or performance, Bobble Tiki assumes) could go any direction at any time. While none of the band's work comes off like a reinvention of the wheel, and all is comfortingly familiar, Bodybox definitely has a bevy of personalities to draw from - and they pull from them all with skill and obvious care. Saturday, they'll celebrate the release of an 11-song CD at the 4th Avenue Tavern in Olympia

• Fourth Avenue Tavern, 9 p.m., 210 Fourth Ave. E, Olympia, 360.786.1444
  

>>> SUNDAY, JAN. 9: PEKING ACROBATS

Unless you're completely dead on the inside, there should still be a bit of childlike wonderment that comes from seeing someone do something remarkable. The Peking Acrobats from China - a skilled touring troupe of jugglers, gymnasts, cyclists and tumblers - have the ability to instill such wonderment - and have been doing so for more than 50 years. Sunday, the Peking Acrobats will bring their "Silver Anniversary Tour" to the Pantages in Tacoma.

• Pantages Theater,-3 p.m., $19-$49, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

*

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

MATT DRISCOLL Editor and Self-made Hundredaire
I'll be dropping by the Northwest Convergence Zone podcast Sunday for my monthly visit with Darrell and the gang. I got real high a few months back and dreamed up this alt-sport/entertainment column - Cup Check. Amazingly it managed to come to fruition. Now I go on the Convergence Zone once a month and pimp the thing, which typically results in some pretty entertaining podcast fun. This week, Darrell tells me Paul Skansi will be calling in - I SHIT YOU NOT! Former Seahawk Paul Skansi ... Should be pretty cool.

STEPH DEROSA: Person, Place or Thing Correspondent
This weekend I plan on writing a haiku about the late rapper, Eazy-E.  In it I will try to refrain from using the word "fuck." Wish me luck.

*

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent
I have a full weekend of Meat Market. On Friday evening I'm headed to O'Henry's Pub in Puyallup to check out the action. Saturday, I plan to watch the Hawks game in the afternoon then cruise on over to the Lakewood Denny's. Probably won't be much dancing, but I received a hot tip that the Denny's might make for great Meat Market fodder. Even if it's a bust, I'll still get to order a Grand Slam. Things are looking up.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Looking forward to a great weekend! Friday the hubby and I are going house hunting - it's a buyer's market out there, and we're gonna see what Oly has to offer. Friday night I'm mixing up martinis, shooters and such. Saturday brings me back to the bar, serving up happy hour while watching football. And Sunday is reserved for reading books and writing articles.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
Let's see... Seahawks playoff game on Saturday, poker game with beer draft Saturday night, DnD Sunday... I'm not sure I can survive any more excitement than that, but if I find a way, it'll probably involve movies at the Grand, returning Christmas presents and buying birthday presents. Because I'm hardcore like that.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
I've been thinking about having some down time and this weekend sounds as good as any other time. Translation? I got no plans other than sticking as close to home and my occasionally-rolling little son as possible.

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Dinner and intellectually stimulating games on Friday evening. Yoga and kickboxing on Saturday morning, gonna shake, shake, shake it Saturday night.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I'll be in tech rehearsals for Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre most of the weekend, but I am planning to attend two different board game nights--by which I mean orgies!  By which I mean board game nights.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Hitting Stanley and Seafort's for my dad's birthday Friday and then the Bull Market at Paradise Bowl for a shoot of Ladies Night.

*

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
 Nothing doing this weekend except PFLAG-Olympia meeting.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound