SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2011 >>>

1. Don't you just hate Vancouver, B.C. with its international vibe, beautiful surrounding landscape, dim sum, and awesome herbal jazz cigarettes? Wouldn't you like to see representatives from the Canadian city elbowed in the gut? The Dockyard Derby Dames' all-star team, Wave of Mutilation, are rolling out the track for their first home bout against Vancouver's Terminal City Rollergirls at 6 p.m. on the Pierce College campus in Lakewood.

2. Step back into a time before Lindsay Lohan, before Twitter - before Maverick hit on the frigid, man-faced Kelly McGillis and eventually has PG-rated sex with her while the lead singer of '80s pop band Berlin encouraged an unseen lover to take her breath away (which one hoped he would do before we had to listen to one more emotionless note emerge from her wretched glottis) - by visiting the Fort Nisqually Living History Museum today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reenactors and docents will provide glimpses into a time when the Pacific Northwest was British-held territory as part of the "Sewing to Sowing Living History Day." Fort Nisqually, which was located in present-day DuPont, was the headquarters of the Puget Sound Agricultural Company. Now located in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, the fort acts as a living museum of the way things were.

3. With no words and no motorized vehicles (except wheelchairs), the annual Procession of the Species is a celebration of Earth Day, green power, the web of life ... you name it. It's also the year's best people-watching opportunity, particularly those people who just wake up the morning of the event and throw something together so they can walk in the procession. For the hip and sardonic, it doesn't get much better than the 4:30 p.m. parade from Cherry and Legion to Heritage Park in downtown Olympia.

4. From 5-8 p.m., The Space owner Athena Hitson presents Sugar & Spikes, a group exhibition featuring Robert Evans, Jeremy Gregory and Geoffrey Weeg. According to the press release, "Athena's goal in presenting Sugar & Spikes is to share challenging, amusing and emotive artwork inspired by love and fear, the two emotions that rule the world. The works by Robert Evans, Jeremy Gregory and Geoffrey Weeg - three of the region's most exciting artists - move beyond simple aesthetics and strive to authentically illustrate the two emotions that rule the world." At 8:30 p.m., Maus Haus, Check Please and others will rock The space.

5. Tacoma PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) hosts Rainbows Over Tacoma 2011 tonight at the Washington State History Museum. With entertainment from Kim Archer, Sylvia O'Stayformore, the Seattle Women Chorus' Sensible Shoes and Oasis Youth, expect an evening full of music and smiles - all for a good cause. Entertainment runs from 7 - 9 p.m., but stop by the museum early, starting at 6 p.m., to tour the exhibits before the show.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Wine tastings!

DAVID JOEL AND HIS "YELLOW BRICK WALL" >>>

Darby's Cafe in Olympia has always been a spot filled with quirky things to look at - sarcastically funny posters and signs, Wizard of Oz memorabilia and a huge mural on the back wall of the dining room.

If you're picturing an African drum circle and a tree frog, then you haven't been to the popular breakfast and lunch spot in a while. It's high time you went and checked out the current mural, the 1-year-old The Yellow Brick Wall.

Wall, a hypnotic mix of swirls, dots and Easter eggs in brilliant colors, is the work of Seattle artist David Joel, who'll be showing new paintings at the cafe for Arts Walk XLII, happening Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23.

To read Molly Gilmore's full article on David Joel, click here.

Arts Walk XLII

Paintings by David Joel
Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23; free
Darby's Cafe, 211 Fifth Ave. SE, Olympia
360.357.6229 or davidjoel.deviantart.com/gallery/

SIMON SAYS COLLABORATE >>>

In a town full of coffee shops, rainy days and open minds, it's fair to say everyone in Olympia has an "inner artist" - each person has a story to tell  through a stroke of a brush, a curve of a line or the ramblings of a doodle.

This town full of artists is precisely why the twice-annual celebration, Arts Walk, is in its 21^st year and going strong. Friday and Saturday in downtown Olympia, more than 130 businesses, artists and performers (including the finale, the Procession of the Species parade) will participate in the festivities. It's a contagious collaboration of creativity, a spreading seed of self-expression, an infectious institute of inspiration.

And Evergreen State College alumni, Simon Calcavecchia, caught the visionary virus. He put together a series of canvases he simply calls "Community Art," a collection of nine pieces that were created by random members of the community.

The project took nearly five months to complete, with about 40 hours per canvas and more than 1500 participants.

To read Nikki Talotta's full article click here.

THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH >>>

Being that Louie G's Pizzeria opened a mere four years ago, in 2007, it could be said that it's still finding itself as a restaurant. What seems abundantly clear, however, is that the space is certainly still finding itself as our newest all-ages music venue. Having recently moved up the street from its old location on Pacific Highway E. to a bigger space near the Poodle Dog, owner and operator Louis Galarza decided to take advantage of the new size and build a stage.

"We built a small stage for karaoke," says Galarza. "We built the stage out a little bigger, and I got a hold of Chris Pederson, who used to do sound at (the Cedarwood Sports Bar & Grill), and was a friend of my friends. Next thing you know we just started building it bigger and bigger and bigger. Then we started booking shows, and I'm not just booking any show."

To read Rev. Adam McKinney's full article on Louie G's in Fife, which will host the Cody Rentas Band Saturday, click here.

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Oly Arts Walk Show, with The Brown Edition, Smitty's Trio. 8 pm. NC.

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Stand Up and Shout Ronnie James Dio tribute band. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Baby Gramps. 9 pm.

• Baby Gramps looks just like he sounds. His appearance is a more or less spot-on indication of the noises that soon follow when he picks up an old gee-tar and starts a-singing. A long, scraggly white beard, some spectacles, a low-brimmed hat, and when he opens his mouth, the strangest sounds fall out. Throat-singing, it's called, this kind of guttural croak - and it's Baby Gramps' most effective tool in transforming these old folk songs, labor songs and sea shanties into something that feels real. Twee anachronism fades, and all that remains is the pungent punch of that voice. Knowing about how long Baby Gramps has been busking on Seattle streets - somewhere close to 50 years - it's hard to really question the sights that beard has seen. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Cork! A Wine Bar Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Gina Belliveau. 7 pm.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Fingertips. 9 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Northwest Sons. 9 pm. NC.

Eastside Club Tavern Olympia - Downtown. The Blackberry Bushes Stringband. 8 pm. $5.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Helles, Black Heart Blight, A City Screams In Terror, Athena, Groundlevel Vertigo. 9 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Doxology, The BGP. 8 pm.

LakeBridge Forza Lakewood. Erik Thomas. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Frozen In Light, Beringia, Echoes Of Infiniti. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Cody Rentas Band & Nolan Garret Trio. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

Being that Louie G's Pizzeria opened a mere four years ago, in 2007, it could be said that it's still finding itself as a restaurant. What seems abundantly clear, however, is that the space is certainly still finding itself as our newest all-ages music venue. Having recently moved up the street from its old location on Pacific Highway E. to a bigger space near the Poodle Dog, owner and operator Louis Galarza decided to take advantage of the new size and build a stage. Read the full story and interview witt Galarza here. – Rev. AM

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Robert Boyd & Nick Sandy. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Destruction Island, Sons, Oh Dear! 9 pm. $5.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Eleanor Murray, Camp Wisdom, The Bob Schwenkler Experience, Sunshine & Irony. Fundraiser for Northern's PA & recording equipment. All Ages. 9 pm. $5.

Old School Pizzeria Olympia. Hard Rock Parking Lot, with FallBack, Recoil, Second Skin, Greenwich Mean Time, Screaming Sons Of, Affected, Tatarus, Left 4 Dead. All Ages. 12 pm. NC.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Nothing You'd Like, Vida Vore, Negative Press. 9 pm.

R & R Live Graham. Kari Ehli Band. 9 pm.

The Royal Bear Algona. Black Dog. 9 pm.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. 7 pm. $5.

The Space Tacoma - Downtown. Sugar & Spikes art show opening, with Maus Haus, Check Please. 5 pm. $5.

Swing Wine Bar & Cafe Olympia - Westside. Hot Club Sandwich. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Arts Walk Procession Night, with The Holly Graham Group Ensemble. All Ages. 5:30 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound tonight

HAPPY EASTER  >>>

It's Easter Sunday! We're gonna spend 12 straight hours eating malted milk eggs and peanut butter Reester bunnies and other sugary wonders shaped like spring flora and fauna.

How about you? What and where are you eating today?

EASTER, APRIL 24, 2011 >>>

1. The California-bred Coco Montoya honed his skills as a sideman for blues legends Albert Collins and John Mayall. The latter hand-picked Montoya to be the lead guitarist for a new, mid-'80s version of his famous '60s-era band the Bluesbreakers, taking on the role once handled by Eric Clapton and Peter Green. Montoya finally went out on his own, immediately winning a W.C. Handy Award as "Best New Blues Artist" in 1996. Montoya has been a blues-scene fixture ever since. Catch him at 7 p.m. inside Jazzbones.

2. Today marks the last day you can check out the photographic survey of Tacoma's neighborhoods, families at the museum, community groups and businesses as the Tacoma Art Museum's Mighty Tacoma exhibit closes at day's end. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. you can add your own picture to the exhibit's Internet site.

3. No doubt area churches will be hosting Easter services today. However, First Congregational Church in Tacoma amps it up with a "pancake brunch."  After the kids have destroyed the house searching for eggs, grab their shaky bodies and make them go to church beginning at 11 a.m.

4. Guitarist Billy Farmers launches the Westgate Bar & Grill's Sunday Night Jam at 8 p.m. followed by his Super Rock Trivia Contest at the North 26^th and Pearl Street watering hole. "All singers interested in taking their game to the ‘live band status' are encouraged to come and join in with a songlist of 500 songs with which to sing-along," states Farmer.

5. Michigan's four-piece nu metal group Taproot the Backstage Bar & Grill in Tacoma for a 7 p.m. show.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Go see a movie

BUT HE THINKS YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT >>>

I'd never heard of Ken Balsley when I was assigned this interview, but that was my fault, not his. He's been doing everything he can to get his name out there. If you grew up in this area, you know him from his commentaries on KGY AM 1240. Or you might read his blog, Ken's Corner, at kenbalsley.com. Or perhaps you live in Lacey, where he's all but ubiquitous. Ken Balsley is a very big fish in a growing pond. And yes, if you voted in our Best of Olympia poll, he thinks you, Gentle Reader, are full of shit.

Oh, we'll get to that, I promise.

To read Christian Carvajal's full story on Lacey's Ken Balsley, click here.

LOW TECH CAN BE FUN >>>

This weekend calls for the celebration of one of my favorite holidays! No, not Easter - although any excuse to eat chocolate bunnies is a helluva good holiday if you ask me.

Sunday is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day.

Yes, there is indeed such a thing.

In this day and age, we all like to think there's a little photographer in each of us. Snapping away with our digital cameras, large to pocket sized we can document every moment through the lens of high tech camera - complete with the instant gratification of our digital screens, prescreening every picture to determine what's going to make it on our favorite social networking site.

Pinhole photography, on the other hand, is a dying art that requires patience - utilizing a lightproof box with a single aperture allowing in only the natural light of the environment, embedding the image onto light sensitive film.  The singular source of light calls for a slower exposure, from several seconds to several minutes (if there is less light available more time is needed).

The outcome of the time consuming process can cause infinite depth of field, double exposures and skewed perspectives-- much like Alice in Wonderland with a touch of a raw humanistic edge.

Pinhole cameras can be easily found browsing online or made. The Internet is a goldmine of resources, including common supplies to instructions.

How does one celebrate Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day? Make or acquire a pinhole camera, some of your favorite film and take a photo or two to share with fellow pinhole lovers. The results may surprise you.

Happy (random) holidays.

WISH YOU THE BEST SEAN! >>>

Magoo's Annex and Eatery in Tacoma's Northend neighborhood is taking back Monday nights with DJ Melodica working his vinyl collection loaded with New Wave, post punk, early electronica and garage. Magoo's slices its micro brew price to $2.75 a pint.

Last Monday, the University of Puget Sound hangout collided with Sean Alexander's farewell gathering. It was the perfect storm.

LINK: More photos from last Monday at Magoo's