DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

As I post this, I'm gazing out onto Fourth Avenue in downtown Olympia through the windows of Sizizis Coffee and Tea House, snug on a rickety chair sipping "Baby's Breath" herbal tisane – mullein, spearmint leaf, Echinacea leaf, slippery elm, ginger, anise seed, orange peel and licorice ($3.50) – with swirling ambient music overhead. Yes, it's awesome.

Primo Grill: Chef Charlie McManus will be slow roasting pork Saturday, Jan. 15.  He'll be perfecting one of Cheryl "The Pig Lady" Ouellette's delicious Berkshire pigs, pulled and served with caper mint salsa verde. To pair with the pig, his wife Jacqueline recommends a bottle of Primo's new Rioja from Marques de Murrieta or a glass of Small Vineyard's Perazzeta Sangiovese. On a side note, Primo Grill will be hosting a Small Vineyards Tuscan Wine Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 27 for $80 a pop. Reserve your spot at 253.383.7000.

Wine And Charity: For each $100 you spend Jan. 13-16 at Gig Harbor's Water to Wine during their close out sale, they'll give you $5 to donate to a charity of your choice - although they are partial to the Gig Harbor-Peninsula Fish Food Bank.

Future Things Are Coming: Pints & Quarts embedded in Olympia's Capital Mall hosts the 2011 Winterfest and Oyster Bar at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. Partnering with Widmer Bros., the event will feature live music, $5 beer samplers, a free raffle for a Widmer snowboard and other giveaways.

Food Matters: Florida's orange crop predicted to be at least 2 percent smaller this year due to cold. Yikes.

LINK: Vote for the Best of Olympia

LINK: Happy hours!

GOODNESS IN STORE IN PRINT & ONLINE >>>

Sure, sometimes we all feel a little like that dead guy Peter Fonda stumbled upon this week, but in times like these - unless you really are physically dead - it's important to keep your chin up and your feet moving forward. Perhaps some Weekly Volcano music coverage is just what the doctor ordered ...

Here's a look at the musical goodness in store in print and online in this week's Volcano

DRAGGING AN OX THROUGH WATER & GHOST TO FALCO

Portland multi-instrumentalists Dragging an Ox Through Water and Ghost to Falco make enveloping, hard-to-categorize music. Dragging an Ox Through Water (Brian Mumford) colors his folky jams with circuit-bent flourishes from tweaked oscillators and light-dependent resistors.

Historically, Ghost to Falco (Eric Crespo) has played his eclectic, Elverum-esque compositions solo, but for his show at The Den, he'll be joined by Ryne Warner (of Castanets) and Aan's Bud Wilson. - Jason Baxter

GREYLAG

I don't believe that Greylag are charlatans. A four-piece from Portland, the band makes music that wisely avoids any attempt to replicate traditional folk tropes, instead focusing efforts on creating a warm ambience of airy harmonies, gentle guitars and distantly chugging drums. Were it not for the insistent momentum that the drums provide, one might worry for a Greylag song evaporating into the atmosphere - as in "Winter White," which nearly floats off before being plucked down by its toes. - Rev. Adam McKinney

WHEELIES

To celebrate the birthday of Neil Harris, owner of The New Frontier Lounge, the venue has booked pizza-loving indie rock bikers Wheelies (no strangers to The New Frontier), caffeinated 253 veterans Gold Teeth ("the most rock and roll band in Tacoma") and ecstatic Tacoma punks The Fucking Eagles. - JB

ROMAN HOLIDAY

The Volcano has sung the praises of Roman Holiday plenty of times before. With a local brand of seemingly arena-ready pop rock, the band -  led by longtime friends Shane Lance (lead vocals, guitar) and Emerson Shotwell (drums) - has been rocking hard and looking good doing it in these parts since 2008. - Matt Driscoll

MAKEUP MONSTERS

Makeup Monsters (formerly the duo of Shayne Weeks and Isaac Solverson, now a trio including Jay Clancy) are a band that's frustratingly talented, handsome and widely beloved. They're also remarkably young - something that's been discussed to death here and elsewhere. - JB (Video courtesy of YouTube/ Kris Crews)

PLUS: Concert Alert

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 52, lo47

Saturday: More rain, hi 52, lo 47

Sunday: Even more rain, hi 51, lo 46

>>> FRIDAY, JAN. 14: JIM BASNIGHT

Jim Basnight - of the Moberlys fame - will be playing Friday at The Harmon Tap Room - the action starts at 8 p.m.  Every indie artist should be looking in their backyard and in the scrap heaps of major labels for bands like the Moberlys. The fact that Basnight is still playing a busy year round touring schedule after 35-plus years shows us that he believes in his musical vision and loves what he is does.

• The Harmon Tap Room, 8 p.m., 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.2725

>>> SATURDAY, JAN. 15: OLD SCHOOL DROPOUTS

The Old School Dropouts play "party rock," or at least that's the claim. Judging by the shows this band plays and the hot nights of drinking and rocking they seem to inspire, our guess is it's an accurate one. Saturday, the Dropouts will be in Graham at the R & R Live for a serious night of revelry.

• R & R Live, 9 p.m., 9807 224th St. E, Suite 120, Graham, 253.375.7155 

>>> SUNDAY, JAN. 16: FROST/NIXON

As you know if you've seen the erstwhile Opie's 2008 movie version, Frost/Nixon is Peter Morgan's dramatic distillation of David Frost's historic 1977 TV interviews with Tricky Dick, in which our 37th president finally admitted to being a nefarious crapsack. As good as Michael Sheen and the Oscar-nominated Skeletor (aka Frank Langella) were in that film, this is one confrontation that deserves to be seen live and in the moment - and so it shall, at Tacoma Little Theatre, opening Jan. 14, and certainly hitting full-stride by Sunday.

• Tacoma Little Theatre, 2 p.m., $15-$24, 210 North I St., Tacoma, 253.272.2281
  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer

Dinner with friends and Colin's b-day at PSP, or Kamel Toe for the Ravens Rants video shoot.

RON SWARNER Publisher
Friday, I'm going to catch the great Jim Basnight of The Moberlys fame at the Harmon Tap Room. Saturday night I'll pop over to the Peabody Waldorf to catch the righteous band A Leaf. Love those guys. Sunday morning I'll probably head back to the Harmon Tap Room for the game, on account of them taking half off tabs every Sunday. Can't beat that.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This weekend I will be working my magic down at the bar, handing out Best of Olympia 2011! Vote Now! handbills with every drink. I will also be enjoying free movie channels that my husband so craftily earned from Direct TV. Those suckers were going to try and charge us an extra $3 per month. But, now, thanks to my husband, we will be paying $2 less per month and kicking back with some Showtime. I knew I married him for a reason.

JOE IZENMAN Music/Theater Critic
First up: preview night of Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre (review inevitable in next week's issue, because I know everyone's been missing my writing skillz). Then venturing to the far-off mythical Northern land of "Anacortes" for birthday shenanigans (not mine) and wedding planning excursions (mine). I'll check back into the (relatively) South Sound on Sunday, with a show rocking the keyboard of Deborah Page at the long-lived J&M Cafe.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
Friday night I'm checking out South Pacific in Tumwater. The cover band Stir Crazy will be rockin' the joint. Then for the rest of the weekend: playoffs, playoffs, playoffs.

REV. ADAM MCKI: Lifestyle/Leisure Writer
Friday, I'll be at the Makeup Monsters show at The New Frontier. It's their last one for a while, so it's bound to be packed. The next day, I'll be meeting up with Apache Chief at their dad's house to talk about their forthcoming album, and apparently listen to it on cassette. Come to think of it, Matt Driscoll had a similar experience a while ago... This is where we'd flashback if flashback existed.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Another weekend of being mom awaits. Friday night I'll probably watch the Netflix movie that's been on my coffee table for the last two weeks. Saturday I will learn the songs to play on Sunday. Sunday is for church, football and a long nap. Yawn

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
Beginning with a free preview the very night this week's Volcano hits the streets, I'll be playing Bob Zelnick in Tacoma Little Theatre's production of Frost/Nixon. Hey, Tacomans, it's your first chance to come see locally whether I know what I'm talking about when I write about your work.

MATT DRISCOLL  Editor (the guy to blame)
Self loathing. Dr Pepper. Queso-dip. Toddler tantrums. More self loathing. The Hawks game. The rest of the playoff games that actually matter. Even more self loathing. And maybe I'll order a pizza from the Cloverleaf...

ALEC CLAYTON: Visual Arts Critic
 It's going to be a weekend for plays. Frost/Nixon at Tacoma Little Theatre and Ring Around the Moon at Lakewood Playhouse.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

TODAY IN ONLINE TALK >>>

Today's comment comes from Jon, in regard to this week's Cup Check column in which Matt Driscoll discusses the many, many mistakes of Redskins' owner Dan Snyder.

Jon says,

"Matt,
I'm disappointed that you jumped on the "kick-em when their down" wagon with regard to Jim Zorn. Do you remember what the Redskins record was after first 8 games of 2008? They beat Dallas in Dallas, beat Philly in Philly, beat New Orleans, and beat the Super Bowl bound Cardinals, and were 6-2. But from game one of Zorn's first season as head coach, offensive linemen "fell like flys", by the ninth game of the season, they only had 2 starter quality players on OL; they finished out the season 2-6. The coaching staff's top priority for the offseason? They wanted 2 or 3 quality offensive linemen. What did Vinny Cerrato and Dan Snyder give them? They gave Zorn Albert Hayneworth and one offensive lineman. Zorn only got to pick two of his 12+ coaches, the others were picked by Snyder and Cerrato before they hired Zorn as head coach. You tell me - did Zorn get a fair shot with the Redskins?"

FRIDAY, JAN. 14, 2011 >>>

1. Makeup Monsters will play their last show in quite some time tonight at The New Frontier Lounge tonight. As the Volcano's Jason Baxter so aptly noted in this week's paper, "Makeup Monsters (formerly the duo of Shayne Weeks and Isaac Solverson, now a trio including Jay Clancy) are a band that's frustratingly talented, handsome and widely beloved. They're also remarkably young - something that's been discussed to death here and elsewhere. MM's youthful energy is in keeping with their aural ancestry, which dates back to the distant year of 2001, when vibrant, fresh-faced sensations (the Strokes, et al.) helped re-legitimize FM "alt" radio with contagious, candied rock. But rather than simply regurgitate those millennial tropes, Weeks, Solverson and Clancy make them their own, infusing feel-good jingles with rhythmic restlessness and barbed, sometimes-prickly lyrics. Theirs is not your father's rock music, but it might sound a little like a revisionist take on your older brother's."

2. Bates Technical College always gets in on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration - and this year is no different. Today, the school will sponsor a free screening of Stanley Nelson's documentary, Freedom Riders, from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the downtown campus.

3. Unschooled in the "neo-cabaret" musical genre? Don't fret - just check out Portland's Vagabond Opera Friday in Olympia. Truly offering music of the world, the six-piece Vagabond Opera reportedly dabbles in sounds spanning the globe - from European cabaret, to Balkan belly dance, to Old World Yiddish theater and beyond. Tonight, the Vagabond Opera takes over the Kenneth J. Minnaeart Center for the Arts in Olympia.

4. What's that rumbling you hear? It's the Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam, bringing demolition to the Tacoma Dome once again - and crushing things throughout the weekend.

5. Comedian Rebecca Corry kicks off a sure-to-be-funny-as-hell weekend stand at the Tacoma Comedy Club tonight. Share the laughs.

LINK: New movies open today

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

SMALL TOWN, BIG TASTE>>>

Neighborhood:  Downtown Milton

Address/phone:  2416 Milton Way, Milton, 253.943.5248

Hours: 5:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday; 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday; 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Sunday

Standard Cup of Brew: $2

Bean Source: The omnipresent Dillanos Coffee and its incomparable taste

Crowd: Middle age to seniors, some high schoolers, soccer moms and Dads

WiFi:  You have to ask?

Noshing/Sipping:  Breakfast and lunch are always available.  The most popular mocha is called "the Snakebite," a mixture of white chocolate, white coffee and coconut.  Yikes!  There is also a drive-thru for those on the run.

Bonus:  Milltown Caffe offers a warm and friendly ambiance that clearly has a small town feel to it.  The lighting, the wooden tables and the friendly service are nice touches. 

LINK: More local coffee houses

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Sadness: Woody's on the Water's website states the Dock Street restaurant has closed. The News Tribune is reporting The Cliff House could be temporarily closed.

St. Helens On Saturday: From the Amocat Café website: "Starting Saturday, January 22nd, we will be open from 8am to 2pm for those of you in need of a weekend fix. That same week, starting Monday January 17th, our weekday hours will change to the following: Monday 7am to 3pm and Tuesday through Friday 7am to 5pm." Amocat Café is at 625 Saint Helens Ave. in downtown Tacoma.

Does Your Kid What To Be a Chef?: The Bayview School of Cooking in Olympia will host a La Petite Chef Academy: Chinese "Take Out" class from 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 22. Instructor Linda Hunter will demonstrate how to prepare egg flower soup and a Chinese New Year's favorite, sesame balls. This is a hands-on class for children ages 5-8 and is $25. Registration is required by calling 360.754.1448.

Food Matters: Innovations in sustainable food

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

HEAR THE MAN BEHIND THE MOBERLYS >>>

"C'mon, everybody, one, two, three, now!!!" is a fitting beginning to Jim Basnight's Do-It-Yourself music career. When you hear the opening to the song "Live In The Sun" from the Moberlys first album, Sexteen (1985), you quickly realize that Basnight's songs embody joy of music - as opposed to other post-punk and new wave acts of the late '70s and early '80s. The song is early-'60s pop sped up in tempo to fit the energy of the post-punk era. The song elicits happiness, which is a stark difference from most of what was happening at the time.

Basnight drops by the Harmon Tap Room tonight for an 8 p.m. show. C'mon, everybody, one, two, three, now!

Basnight's unique sense of humor has intrigued me since our first meeting while he was booking music at the old Mothership in Fife. At first I thought he was plain crazy. I handed him a tape of my band, ironically named The CDs, but he didn't have a tape player. Instead, he jumped into my passenger seat and threw it in the car stereo. I was blown away by his enthusiasm for an unknown band. Booking agents aren't supposed to be pumped about the music; they are supposed to make sure people come to their venue, right?

The seemingly caffeinated personality I met that day struck my curiosity - if not just to be character in one of my songs or books. Researching Basnight's musical career I felt as if given a treasure I wasn't meant to ever hear. Basnight is the deep dark secret of Seattle music pre-grunge and post-everything-else-that-matters.

Basnight is unique, for so many reasons. He is an enigma: Is he pure genius or a complete fool? As our relationship grew, I realized he's closer to pure genius than complete fool.

The beauty is in his music, as well as his "I'm doing it my way" attitude.

Basnight has history. His band Meyce opened for the Ramones' first show in Seattle. REM guitarist Peter Buck joined him on stage many times.

However, I'm most intrigued by Jim Basnight & the Moberlys' music and what the band represent in Northwest music history.

I have both Moberlys discs, which are stacked with great songs. The discs document a great band over nearly a 10-year period.

The first disc, Sexteen, runs the gamut of pop and punk. There is the early Beatles and Buddy Holly influenced "Live In The Sun," "Blow Your Life Away" and "You Know, I Know." There's the Kinks influenced "Country Fair," which I swear is the funniest song ever written by a serious songwriter. Then there's the one-minute punk tune, "She Got Fucked," which proves you can never pin down Basnight as a particular type of songwriter. I can hear Pete Townshend, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie influences on the worth "I'm in Fire. It, along with numerous other songs, have a real Buck guitar feel that preceded REM.

On the second disc, Seattle-NY-LA, we hear the second half of The Moberlys catalog - a great reminder of where the whole alt-country genre developed, especially in songs "What I Wouldn't Do" and "Lose Me" - which could receive airplay with the Wilco touch. Just like Sexteen, the second CD is all over the place - in a good way. "Rest Up" or the Byrds flavored "Summertime Again" could have been hits if backed by a marketing machine.

Basnight loves music, and continues to tour yearly. Drop by the Harmon Tap Room tonight to witness a talent who, after 35-plus years of performing, still believes in his musical vision.

Jim Basnight

Friday, Jan. 14, 8 p.m.
The Harmon Tap Room, 204 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma
253.212.2725

CALLING ALL MUSICIANS >>>

For the past two years the Weekly Volcano has proudly sponsored the music stage at the Tacoma Farmers Market in downtown Tacoma. It's a no brainer for us since we enjoy music and produce. Naturally, when the Tacoma Farmers Market brain trust send a press release to the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters announcing that it seeks musicians for next year's market, we dropped our cucumbers and jumped on our computers. Here is the release:

Sure we're right in the middle of winter, but plans are already underway for our 2011 summer season at the Tacoma Farmers Market. We ask you to once again help us manifest our vision of a more sustainable, peaceful world and a vibrant Tacoma community by sharing your music with our market goers at the Broadway, 6th Avenue, and South Tacoma markets this summer. 

The market ambiance is truly the product of our partnerships with different artists, and we will compensate you to the best of our ability for your time and energy.

For more information and our 2011 application form, please email cathy@tacomafarmersmarket.com. To be a part of our 2011 marketing, this application will need to be returned by no later than March 31.

I truly look forward to hearing you at our best ever market season this year! Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Cathy Marcotte
Performance Artist Coordinator, Tacoma Farmers Market
cathy@tacomafarmersmarket.com
(253) 272-7077

LINK: South Sound band database

SAVED BY THE PILLS >>>

Everything I learned in the '90s I gleaned from Eddie Vedder lyrics, some of the stuff my parents said, but mostly ... from a little show called Saved By the Bell. The show that made you laugh, showed you just how cool acid-wash jeans and a tucked in dress shirt could be, also imparted life-lessony wisdom. Sure, the gang spent a lot of time getting goofy at The Max, but they also confronted some major young adult issues. Here, the gang gets real. For realsy real.