TODAY IN ONLINE TALK >>>

Today's comment comes from Altwin Hawksford in regard to our recent story about Cody Jones and his love of VHS tapes.

Hawksford writes,

"To Cody Jones...I too am an avid VHS collector. About 1000 titles. My shelves are my wallpaper adorned by them (and cassettes and vinyl). Directors (Kurosawa, Wes Anderson. Steve Buscemi.....Actor(Clint Eastwood outside western, Harry Dean Stanton...), B-horror and sci fi, big horror & sci-fi, foreign, classics, 80's, westerns, Troma shelf, blaxploitation shelf, Bruce Campbell shelf(this is where the different covers are cool), Twin Peaks shelf...Yeah, it's something to be proud of. It's an art and it's space limiting. But it's the ultimate library when it's all said and done. I too have paid good money for a rare film that was never put on DVD like Ludia Lunch's "This Gun Is Loaded" or The Evil Dead Lunchbox that comes with the VHS tape inside. It's a good love to have. Good to know I'm not alone."

FRIDAY, FEB. 4, 2011 >>>

1. From 4:30-8 p.m. Amocat Café will be overrun with brain-slurping zombie goodness and there is nothing any of us can do to stop it. Read the full story here.

2. Beginning at 10 a.m., in proceedings sure to feature much pomp and circumstance, the WIAA Girls State Bowling Championships will go down in our very backyard. Some of the best young female rollers from around Washington will converge on the 10-pin Mecca that is University Place and Narrows Plaza Bowl to test the limits of athleticism and endurance as part of a two-day, no-balls-barred throwdown where only the cream of the bowling crop will emerge victorious. Even more impressive, some competitors will do this while eating CornNuts.

3. In Tacoma, there is a growing movement to use permaculture design to create abundant, thriving systems to that provide for people while supporting ecological function. Grab a primer on the movement at King's Books when they screen the film Permaculture: The Growing Edge at 7 p.m. Expect to pay $5-$8 for your new knowledge.

4. Harlequin Productions is chicking up its stage production of The Last Schwartz tonight. It's Ladies Night Out featuring free champagne and chocolate from 7-7:30 p.m. before the 8 p.m. show. Groups of six or more chicks will receive 20 percent off.

5. The excitedly named "TacSea! TacSea!: A Celebration of Music, Art and Life" event at Varsity Grill in Tacoma has a lot of promise to it. Not only does the inclusion of exclamation marks usually indicate good times, but musical guests like Brooklyn Pool and Xylophones only add to the urgency. Pre-show hype promises "an eclectic dance party and art showcase like no other." See if that's a good thing beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: New movies open today

STOP PROCRASTINATING >>>

Almost three years ago the Weekly Volcano's cover story "85 things to do in Tacoma before you die" hit the streets. Looking over the list, I still haven't:

1. Made love on the Bridge of Glass at 2 a.m. on the night of a full moon.
2. Rented the pink gorilla suit from Northwest Costumes and passed out bananas in Wright Park during Sunday afternoon picnics.
3. Built a tricked-out bike and rode to the Rosewood Café with artist Ryan Loiselle.
4. Visited the Java Jive dressed as Neo, drink PBR, and play pool.
5. Been a part of the pre-game rules demonstration at a Dockyard Derby Dames bout.

How many things have you completed on The List?

HAPPY FRIDAY VIDEO DISTRACTION>>>

Don Hertzfeldt is genius. The man creates stickfigure short animated films that make Trey Parker and Matt Stone look like a couple of amateurs. In this video he's compiled a bunch of shorts together, all of which have previously been rejected from network television - probably because of the bloody violence, the brutality toward infants, and the excessive use of the word "anus" (14 times).

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Conquering Lion Tacoma - South. Clinton Fearon, Dub Lounge International, DJ Qualifi. 8 pm. All Ages. $5-$20.

• Clinton "Basie" Fearon is counted among Jamaica's most talented musicians by peers and professionals in the realm of reggae. He was a house musician for Coxsonne Dodd's Studio One and Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio. He recorded many of Perry's best-known songs, including "Roast Fish" and "Cornbread," which features one of Fearon's most famous and infectious bass lines. He also composed some everlasting noggin-nodders for Yabby You, Jimmy Riley, Max Romeo, Junior Byles and many others. Friday at the upstart Conquering Lion on South Tacoma Way, as part of the "Reggae Consciousness - Spirit of Bob Marley" event, fans look forward to being soothed and soul-charged by delicious bass riffs, guitar licks, percussion accents and downright powerful vocals. Fearon is a living legend among reggae musicians, for good reason. - Weekly Volcano

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Malcolm Clark Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Dockyard Derby Dames Fundraiser, with Psycho 78, The Enemies Of, Vile Display Of Humanity, The Dead Giveaways, Listen Louder. 9 pm. $5.

• In a Friday full of musical options, it's going to be hard for Tacoma to deny one very worthy cause strapping up tight for a good time at Hell's Kitchen. As part of a fundraiser for the beloved roller derby force known as the Dockyard Derby Dames (who, by no coincidence, kick off their season Feb. 26 at Pierce College), Psycho 78 headlines a show also featuring the frantic sounds of the Enemies Of, Vile Display of Humanity, the Dead Giveaways and Listen Louder. In addition to the scorched punk offerings of the always-pumping Psycho 78 (a three-piece of power made up of Mikey Waco, Jay O'Neill and Davo Sanchez), there'll be a raffle and chances to win tickets to see Guttermouth at Hell's Kitchen next Friday. You really couldn't want anything more than cheap beer and/or strong cocktails, and, well, they've got all of that at the Kitchen too. Choose wisely with your musical time and dollars Friday, but it's impossible to go wrong with this show. - Matt Driscoll

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Billy Shew Band. 8 pm. $5.

Little Creek Casino Shelton. Randy Linder & The Classix. 9 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Barley Wine Revue. All Ages. 6 pm. NC.

Maxwell's Speakeasy Tacoma. Lance Buller Trio. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Quevelo, Hella Sunshine, Killer Kanary. 9 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Beep, Ben Kamen, Heatwarmer. All Ages. 9 pm. $5.

• Young Seattle band Heatwarmer have an interesting vibe and clearly, there's a lot of talent going around between its four members, who gig from time to time at Seattle's jazz and progressive-friendly college-area bars. There's a "School of Music" approach evident in their sound, but also a real adult contemporary schmaltziness that feels more accidental than ironic (which is how it should be). Some of their songs take crazy, daring left turns, following strange and twisty paths in a figurative, ramshackle vessel cobbled together from the scraps of numerous musical varietals (jazz, folk, rock, country, world, etc.). File them under "potpourri" maybe, but whatever you do, don't shrug off their super-heated sound just because they've got a dorky song called "We've Got the Beat" (ugh). - Jason Baxter
  

The Peabody Waldorf Boutique and Gallery Tacoma - Downtown. Grand Hallway, Goldfinch, Birds & Batteries, Kimo Muraki. All Ages. 8 pm.

Tacoma Community College Auditorium Tacoma - Westside. Ryan Shea Smith, performing with Thomas Marriott, Jeff Johnson, Eric Eagle, Michael Eads, Roger Wood, James Smith, Stephanie Porter. All Ages. 7:30 pm. TCC students NC/$10 all others.

• The Weekly Volcano likes to say, "Everything is jazz," but, in truth, we don't really believe it. Only SOME things are actually jazz, and the way Ryan Shea Smith tickles the ivories definitely qualifies. The highly regarded Seattle native will visit Tacoma Community College Friday and drop a concert sure to be ripe with excitement and spontaneity - two of Smith's many musical qualities. Others include smarts, soul and - yes - jazziness. Smith's show at TCC also features the Marriot Brothers and Stephanie Porter. — Michael Swan
  

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Gaelica. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Left 4 Dead, Last Man Standing, Koz Of Konfusion. 9 pm.

Varsity Grill Tacoma - Downtown. TacSea! TacSea!: Phan/Harm/Sok Family Fundraiser, with Black Soul, Brooklyn Pool, Xylophones, Pocket Panda, TraQ, The Cool Vibes, DJ J-Fresh, DJ Kuhnex. 9 pm. $10.

• The excitedly named "TacSea! TacSea!: A Celebration of Music, Art and Life" event at Varsity Grill in Tacoma has a lot of promise to it. Not only does the inclusion of exclamation marks usually indicate good times, but musical guests like Brooklyn Pool and Xylophones only add to the urgency. Pre-show hype promises "an eclectic dance party and art showcase like no other." See if that's a good thing Friday. — MS
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

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 week: Big & Rich

One benefit of bartending is meeting semi-celebrities like Elvis impersonators, Chippendale dancers and the occasional rock star.

And Olympia seems to attract celebrities of all status for one reason or another.  Jared Leto filmed the movie Prefontaine on the streets surrounding Sylvester Park. Adrock from Beastie Boys has been known to pop into Old School Pizzeria. And just this December, Uncle Andy from Weeds was spotted eating pancakes with his mom at the Westside IHOP.

But, nothing could brace this little town for the arrival of Big & Rich. You remember that song, "Save a horse, ride a cowboy"? That's right, those dudes showed up in numerous downtown bars not too long ago, sporting a white limo, cowboy hats and a big bald bodyguard in a business suit. Say that five times fast.

While the country stars appeared to be having a rough night (not being doted upon, losing a credit card) there were a few people excited to catch a glimpse of the dirty duo. One young blonde thing jumped up and down squealing about one of them singing her a song ... she just didn't know if it was "Big" or "Rich," that sang it to her.

After a night of longnecks and mixers, the country singers rounded up an entourage of mud-slingers and construction workers and - apparently touring the casino circuit - headed out to The Little Creek Casino in Shelton. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I suddenly have a hankering for a can of Skoal and a bag of chili Fritos.

LINK HUB - PREVIOUS "BEHIND BARS"

LINK: Tales From the Incident Log Book

LINK: The Tip Jar

LINK: Aural Adventures

LINK: Smooth Transitions

LINK: The Pooper

ALL-AGES ACTION IN OLY >>>

In my childhood home, I would often stand down the hallway from the computer room, wherein my father would sit and listen to records. Bizarre songs that seemed to go on forever that sounded like jazz, but filtered through a kind of loopy logic that always found its way back to rock ‘n' roll. Of course this was progressive rock, and at the time it made me feel queasy and scared. Beep sound like my remembrance of progressive rock, aggressively transported through time and space to find me and turn my stomach into knots once more. Their music works like sense-memory to make me feel again like a kid peering around the hallway corner, confused and intimidated by the strange sounds emanating from the computer room.

[Northern, with Ben Kamen, Heatwarmer, 9 p.m., $5, 321 Fourth Ave., Olympia, northernolympia.org]

NAMED AFTER A DOG >>>

Neighborhood:  Downtown T-Town by UWT campus

Address/phone:  1911 Pacific Ave.; 253. 572.4060

Hours:  6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday.  Also, open until 9:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month

Standard cup of bean juice:  $3

Bean Source:  Caffe' D'arte

Crowd:  Business people, college and art students, visitors to the Washington State Historical Museum and folks, like me, passing by.

WiFi:  Yes

Noshing/Sipping:  Muffins, cinnamon rolls, sandwiches, soups and soft drinks are also available.  Great selection of espressos and coffees; Pumpkin Spice lattes are a big draw.

Bonus:  Named after Kaity Rawson's dog, Clancy, the architecture, décor and light, airy feel of Clancy's Coffee is worth a visit.  Artwork by Lisa Brown adorns the walls.  Baristas are polite and very knowledgeable.  The mocha I had was superb.

LINK: More "Keeping Up with the Coffeehouses"

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD >>>

Earlier this week Broadway Center for the Performing Arts Marketing Director Lacey Leffler sent us a friendly reminder about the annual "Your Theaters. You Decide" survey, which is currently open to anyone interested in having a say in what the Broadway Center brings to Tacoma's Theater District in 2011-12.

Want to see Penn and Teller? How about the Monkees? Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers? Bonnie Raitt?

What about Boys II Men?

No joke. Freakin' Boys II Men ...

Go here to vote now.

And let this inspire you ...

FAMILIAR FACES >>>

Tacoma knows the faces in this video all too well, as Night Beats have been a part of some of the more memorable shows this town has seen in recent memory. To those that know the band, the psyched-out, tie-died, smoke-pouring-out-of-the-mouth vibe of the band's new video for "They Came In Through the Window" will come as no surprise.

Night Beats will play this year's SXSW festival in Austin, Tex., and are currently embarking on a tour that kicks off Sunday at Slabtown in PDX.

Here's that video ...