A few storefronts on Sixth Avenue currently have that Christmas gift look going. Though wrapped up tight, there are definite signs of life in three well-known spots.
Medi's, which the Weekly Volcano wrote about in the spring, is a family-friendly Italian fare (read: pizza) casual dining establishment brought to you by the folks at O'Malley's. Word on the street is Medi's will be open by mid-June. Think about Medi's as the younger, prettier sister of the rocker chick you play pool with.
Diagonally across the street, the lights may have gone out at Beyond the Bridge Cafe (RIP), but the spot will not be dark long. In late July or August, Marrow will reportedly open - a joint venture Top of Tacoma owners Jaime Kay and Jason Jones, and Kyle Wnuk, currently slinging stellar eats at DOA down the Ave. The Tacoma Weekly and News Tribune have already helped get word out. The whiskey bar/gastro pub will offer small plates of exotic sounding culinary creations with beer, wine and liquor.
An upstairs resident of the building says Buck Naked should open within the next month - but that's nothing we've verified with owners. Since we first heard rumblings of a Voodoo Donuts-style establishment popping up in this location months and months ago, we'll feel comfortable providing an exact opening date for Buck Naked when we actually have a Buck Naked donut in our mouth. Of course, with the opening of Buck Naked Donuts, a 5 - 10 pound weight gain is predicted for Tacomans this summer.
I've reported on no less than four comic book conventions, and attended something around twelve. I've never been to the granddaddy of them all-the media-blitzed San Diego Comicon-but I've logged some serious nerd hours searching back-issue bins at various trade shows, nervously chatted with Paul Pope about Jean Girard at Portland's Stumptown fest, and watched Seattle's Emerald City Comicon grow increasingly larger and more ambitious over the past decade.
All the same, I've never been to a comicon as small and singularly Northwestern as Saturday's Olympia Comics Festival (also in its tenth year). Everything, from the "Third Wave Feminism in Comics" panel that kicked off my Oly Comics Fest experience, to the generously low price of admission (everything was free except the $5 "stage show"), to the decentralized sprawl of the festival (which spanned four separate locales), to the emphasis on alternative, underground, and self-published material pegged the weekend event as quintessentially Olympian. Even the festival guide was a Xeroxed black-and-white onesheet with the authentic no-budget aesthetic of 'zine culture. Restricting the floor space in the Olympia Center to actual comic artists served to further differentiate this festival from similar events. Most conventions are congested with vendor booths and retailers, but this one was less crowded, less hectic, and driven more by art than commerce; powered by raw creative expression rather than geeky adulation (no Spock, Sherlock).
The aforementioned panel on Feminism yielded fewer insights than I'd hoped, despite bringing together cartoonist and essayist Megan Kelso and younger contemporary Andrice Arp (Hi-Horse). Then again, there were no mics, and I was near the back of Room 101, so maybe I was missing all the juicy stuff (Kelso's voice carries, Arp's does not). Still, it was fun hearing Kelso-who attended Evergreen State College contemporaneously with Kathleen Hannah-reminisce about the "electrical energy" she felt in the city during the birth and evolution of the Riot Grrrl movement. The work of a newer generation of female cartoonists (like Arp and others) seems possessed of a self-confidence and angst-lessness that Keslo sees as "post-Riot Grrrl," and which might not exist in the medium today had it not been for the ideological heavy-lifting done by early-'90s feminist musicians, writers, and-yes-cartoonists. The audience (which was almost equitably divisible along gender/sexual lines) had some smart questions, and Kelso had a few winning anecdotes up her sleeve. My favorite was her explanation for a cheeky illustration of US President Alexander Hamilton: "He was described as having violet eyes, and the only other person I could think of who had violet eyes was Elizabeth Taylor."
"Maybe he smelled like White Diamonds, too," ad-libbed moderator Abbey Bruce.
Following the panel, I explored the show floor for a while, picking up an old Dash Shaw collection and a handful of 'zines. Based on my inspection, the spread of underground "comix" being hawked ranged from "totally awesome" to "why bother?" That said, everything in the room was preposterously affordable, with a good chunk of the 'zines on display being free. The room reminded me of the DIY-versity of Stumptown, only there was a total, characteristically Olympian absence of corporations/publishers (even forward-thinking locally-based indies like Oni Press or Top Shelf Books).
At the nearby Danger Room Comics, co-owner Frank Hussey was proselytizing on behalf of the festival he helped organize, urging customers both young and old to go check it out. He was back at the Olympia Center in time for the start of the "Walk a Mile in Paul Chadwick's Shoes" panel, featuring the acclaimed local creator of Concrete. For the uninformed, Concrete, as Christian Carvajal wrote in his Volcano preview article, follows "the adventures of [former political] speechwriter Ron Lithgow after a serious case of alien experimentation." It's also one of the most quietly profound comic series I think I've ever read-gorgeously rendered, with lovingly well-realized characters and legitimately exciting scenarios. Besides plumbing serious philosophical depths, Chadwick's tales incorporate an evident and appreciable love for the natural world. Concrete may be an imposing character, but there seems to be no shortage of stories that Chadwick's been able to fit his hulking gray frame into: "Killer Smile," for example, is a hand-wringing thriller narrative, whereas his most recent Concrete collection "The Human Dilemma" is a deeply political examination of the under-discussed issue of global overpopulation.
As Chadwick narrated a slideshow on Concrete and some of his other past and future projects, I couldn't help but notice that in person, he somewhat resembled his signature creation: soft-voiced, incredibly contemplative (sometimes staying silent for five or ten second intervals before answering questions), stocky in his slate-grey blazer, with small, gentle eyes and a relaxed, self-effacing manner. To my surprise, Chadwick stuffed his presentation with news on upcoming projects. Attendees were the first people, anywhere, to publicly glimpse some gorgeous wraparound oil-painted Concrete covers for an upcoming story that may or may not be released as a standalone graphic novel. One features Concrete in the middle of a vast ocean of sand dunes, with a lightning storm raging in the sky next to an apparition of Mother Earth. In addition to this story, Chadwick's publishing three new Concrete shorts in 2011 (one has already appeared in the most recent issue of Portland-based Dark Horse Comics' re-launched flagship title Dark Horse Presents). One of these narratives will be a "political story about the overuse of tasers," another has Concrete encountering a voice coming from beneath the caldera of Hawaii's Haleakala volcano. The 54-year-old writer/artist has even more in the works, including the "wonderful, pulpy" miniseries Seven Against Chaos with ailing sci-fi author Harlan Ellison for DC Comics, a for-kids comic called Sid and Siddhartha, the Concrete novel that he's "ten years deep into," and a rom-com-script-cum-graphic-novel penned by Dark Horse founder Mike Richardson.
The tireless, insightful Chadwick also explained that he's been mentoring younger cartoonists. Portlandite Sam Ford, he said, might be a name we'd recognize from the Northwest music scene. Ford plays in a metal act called "Wizard Rifle," who sound about as ridiculously heavy as you might imagine. It's a band that's as loud and in-your-face as Chadwick is quiet and thoughtful.
For his final slide, Chadwick-ever the cosmically-attuned armchair naturalist-selected a photograph of the Milky Way at night, seen in all its luminous glory spackling the night sky over a desert vista. "I just wanted to leave you with this image," he said, matter-of-factly. It seemed a fitting way to close out a day devoted to the power of visual storytelling and the overwhelming importance of artistic integrity.
J-Mar Da Sik is back with Du4Self Records to hit us with another mixtape, Off With Their Heads. The mixtape drops May 27 and will be available on datpiff.com and du4self.com.
Da Sik is celebrating the release of the mixtape with a ridiculously packed album-release show at the Gruv Lounge (also on May 27), featuring Chris Crazy, Leezy Soprano, Second Family, Island Trybe and KNM. There will be hard copies of the album available at the release show. Da Sik will also be opening for Naughty by Nature in Seattle at the Showbox on May 23.
[Gruv Lounge, J-Mar Da Sik, Chris Crazy, Leezy Soprano, Second Family, Island Trybe, KNM, Friday, May 27, 9 p.m., $10, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.761.1550]
I really enjoyed the show,I didnt read about it at before attending the event because i figured it was a reinactment of michael jacksons semi hit, The spoof on diana ross was slow for me to catch at first ,and then i realized what was going on ,,And LOL. The boxing DUDE reminded me of what ToshO would look like if he were trying to dance , The only problem I had was the people behind me were talking to loud and I turned around and asked the to please be quiet,or leave the theater,,And they did ,,and so did a lot of other people ,,I couldnt beleive my eyes,I want to apologize to the theater and all the players ,,Respectfully yours ,Michael Dziechiasz
The first two bouts of the Dockyard Derby Dames fifth season took place inside an expansive stadium-type athletic center on Pierce College's campus in Steilacoom. As fancy as this might've been for our nitty-gritty roller derby teams, I'll be honest - it was a complete bitch to drive all the way out there. Thank goodness the Derby Dames moved the action back to Dock Street in Tacoma and the Foss Waterway Seaport building Saturday.
Vitamin V tells me that even though Steilacoom is far away, it was definitely a lot easier to set up there, adding, "Here in this building (Foss Waterway Seaport), it takes two days to set up our bout. There's lighting, porta-potties, and bleachers that need to be installed here that are already installed for us out at Pierce College."
I'm not quite sure Tacoma knows exactly how much work goes into a completely volunteer-run sporting event like roller derby.
Bout 1: The Trampires vs. Marauding Mollys
As the first bout of the evening began, the Foss Waterway Seaport was standing room only, and the energy level was through the roof. Excitement flared as The Trampires' Razzle Jazzle yanked the rug out from Marauding Mollys' C. Jane Skate in the second jam, taking lead jammer position and scoring four points despite fierce resistance from Mollys' blockers.
Side note: "Razzle Jazzle versus the world" became an ongoing theme throughout the night. She was in it for blood, and that's a fact.
The jams were tight as jammers eagerly squeezed their way through thick walls of opposing blockers, scoring points and keeping the score close in the first half. Mo Ratorium of Trampire fame spent her fair share in the penalty box, however this never seemed to inhibit her ability to skate fast and score point after point after point.
Mollys' jammer Booty Trapp polished her speed effortlessly on the flat track while blocker Rocky Hardplace played body-pinball with anyone who got in her way. I even saw her thrust the front of her pelvis into someone's rear end in one of the jams. She doesn't care how she knocks them down, as long as the hit the floor crying.
The Trampires' Betty Drillder (#86'd) was definitely star jammer of the evening. With the Mollys' jammer sent to the penalty box, Drillder was given free reign, scoring a double grand slam in just one jam. The Marauding Mollys attempted to catch up with Frankey Bones taking on her own double grand slam.
While my derby cohorts Liesl Kondor and Melanie Rushforth tipped their tall boys of Bud Light and provided their typical babbling commentary, I made a few mental notes:
-Seriously, Betty Drillder is not normal. Her freakishly awesome speed and agility leads me to believe she is from outer space. An investigation is underway; I'll have more on this later.
-Best outfit award goes to The Trampires' Morna Handful and My Tai Smashya. Anytime I can see ANY type of asscrack, your outfit's a winner.
-I love Psychopath Chick. She's been part of DYDD from the beginning and tells me this is her last year. I'm sad. That is all.
FINAL SCORE: Trampires = 139, Marauding Mollys = 70
Bout 2: Femme Fianna vs. Hellbound Homewreckers
It's no secret one of my favorite skaters is Femme Fianna's Skate Paulie Girl, who sported fluorescent orange hot pants Saturday night, as did another Femme Fianna, Snickerbrutal. Coincidentally, they both rocked the jammer position all night in those hot pants.
A good 15 minutes into the bout Misty Miyagi rolled out on the floor in full force. I definitely did not see her as much as I would've liked. She has serious skate power and I'm not quite sure she was utilized as much as she could've been.
With 13 minutes left in the first half, the clock stopped. We waited. And waited. And we waited some more for the jam to begin. We couldn't help but think, "Was this how it was going to be tonight?" A slow bout with the clock stopped repeatedly? Yeah, it kinda was like that all night. Clock was stopped ... a lot. Yawn.
Eventually Snickerbrutal was sent to the penalty box giving Twiggy Smalls of the Hellbound Homewreckers a chance to catch up with a double grand slam. Once she was finally allowed back into the bout, Snickerbrutal was almost immediately penalized again and sent straight back into the box.
Throughout the evening Hellbound Homewreckers' jammers Twiggy Smalls, Hazel Nut and Robin Y'man headed up the score count and were challenged repeatedly by the fiercest of Femme Fianna blockers. The last thing you want to do is let a Homewreckers' jammer through the pack, and it was obvious the Fianna crew was doing everything to stop them. Need a hard-hitting Femme Fianna example? Three words: Louda Than Bombs.
FINAL SCORE: Hellbound Homewreckers = 123, Femme Fiana = 117
Oh, and by the way, by the end of the second bout I had figured out what the F made Betty Driddler so ninja-like as a jammer. Watch this video to see what we discovered.
1. Well-known old time musicians James Bryan and Carl Jones will bust out the fiddle and geetar action tonight at Traditions Café in Olympia. It starts at 8 p.m., and tickets run $15.
2. Learn about natural lawn care and what the city calls "smart watering" today at the "Natural Yard Care" workshop at the City of Tacoma TAGRO facility (2201 Portland Ave.). The learning runs from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. and is completely free. However, space is limited, so register by calling Geoff Rinehart at 253.798.4587 or emailing him at grinehart@tpchd.org.
3. James Coates will make an appearance today at the Sixth Avenue Tacoma Farmers Market.
4. James Hunnicut performs this evening at Gruv Lounge's Booze and Tattoos night. It's going to be awesome. But, if you're looking for something else, try the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.
5. Get down with the upstart Vegan Book Club tonight at King's Books in Tacoma. It's free, starts at 7 p.m., and the book for May is Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?: Reflections on the Liberation of Animals by Anthony J. Nocella II & Steven Best. It that doesn't sound like your bag, browse the Volcano's South Sound arts and events calendar here.
According to an article in the April 27 issue of the News Tribune, a semi-truck driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving early April 26, not long after overturning his truck at the corner of 24th Street East and 142nd Avenue East in Sumner. The accident occurred at approximately 1:50 a.m., and according to reports blocked traffic until about noon, when two tow trucks finally pulled the truck upright. No one was hurt, but the wreck did take out a stop sign and a light pole.
Oh, and did we mention the semi was full of CHOCOLATE WINE!?!
To read this week's full Ragnet column click here.
I often complain when abstract painters throw in a bit of recognizable subject matter in order to please a public that is still - after more than a hundred years of abstract art - not quite comfortable with paintings that don't have things they can recognize in them. Like they just can't get it if they can't see a tree or a face or a juicy red apple. Often when artists throw in a little something to please those people it's an obvious sell-out (unless the artist is Pablo Picasso, who never in his life painted a fully abstract painting).
CJ Swanson, late of Tacoma and now living in Seattle, is an abstract artist whose latest work combines abstraction and landscape in ways that are unique and intriguing. Some of her latest works (online at http://cjswansonart.com) are disturbingly blatant in the way they cater to the folks that just have to be able to recognize something. Is she making a point of that, playing with it? Is she putting us on? Or is she selling out? It's hard to tell. And I think I like some of them, although they're going to take some getting used to.
The paintings in question are a series of landscapes in which buildings and trees are flat silhouettes in the foreground and the sky is a patterned color field, and another series of works on paper with abstract patterns imposed on a single tree. I really don't like the tree paintings. They seem overly decorative and sweet and the multi-colored, linear patterns are jumbled in an uncomfortable way. The ones with the patterned sky are much more interesting. Two in particular that I like are "Due West" and "Facing Southwest."
In "Due West" the sky is a field of vertical stripes in red, yellow, green and blue. In the foreground are trees and houses painted in dull flat colors. Of all the paintings in this series this one is the most harmonious in the relationship between the two contrasting parts of the picture. The colors are all within a narrow value range and the paint application is the same throughout, which creates a nice balance between harmony and contrast throughout.
"Facing Southwest" is similar, but the houses and trees are one solid shape in flat black and the sky is a field of clouds in overlapping, transparent red-orange, yellow and purple. Another similar one that I like a lot is "Northwest View," which is just like "Facing Southwest" but the clouds are bubbles or balloons.
These paintings represent a new direction for Swanson that may turn out to be pretty exciting, but for now I'm withholding judgment.
At the same time that Swanson added these new paintings to her website she also added some new fully abstract works. Some of the best of these are paintings of interlocked and overlapping chain links and ovals. To see these click on the link to works on paper.
Tacomans may remember Swanson as the former co-owner - along with husband David N. Goldberg - of the Art on Center gallery in T-town. She moved to Seattle but still shows her work regularly in Tacoma. Both Swanson and Goldberg are prolific artists whose work continues to evolve.
Do you know Joe? In case you don't, actor-producer Joe Rosati has entertained Tacoma for the past several years with a stack of film roles that continues to grow. My own first encounter came in 2008, as I had the privilege of watching Rosati sledgehammer the honest-to-God crap out of a honey bucket in the short comedy It Don't Rain on Sunny Days.
Memories...
Three years later, J-Ro commands the screen once more, showing audiences his serious side as a down-and-outer in Chad Ruin's feature A Perfect Life (costar Ashley Cozine appeared in a Biz Buzz several weeks back). Already the movie has generated buzz around Park City, Utah, where Rosati and Perfect cinematographer Scott Stone relocated some months ago. And when you practically share a backyard with the Sundance Film Festival, a little interest in your picture doesn't hurt.
It was Park City, Utah where they ran into some good fortune in the form of Vivian van Dijk, owner and editor in chief of Eyes InTM Magazine. "She was intrigued by our story," says Stone. You can find Van Dijk's published article via the "Press" page of www.a-perfect-life.com. Both men found the attention a pleasant surprise.
"We had no idea that it would be a 13-page spread...in a global art publication, so this is a real honor," says Stone.
Rosati attributes this to "an energy" he hasn't seen before at other festivals. "It's just been amazing, the people we've networked with down here. Meeting Vivian was huge," says Rosati.
A risky yet strategic move has started paying off for two intrepid filmmakers. The world premiere of A Perfect Life took place just days ago at the Park City Film Music Festival, and very soon the rest of us can see the film. It screens Tuesday, June 7, at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. Find more details at www.trueindependent.org.
Let the Weekly Volcano be the first to congratulate the Tacoma Rainiers (20-26) for winning three games in a row for the first time this season.
Why are we the first to congratulate the team on this achievement? Well, depending on when my illustrious editor decides to post this blog, the game might not even be over. But here it is, the top of the eighth inning, and the Rainiers are up 15 to 3. That's safe to call, right? Right?
-Barring an unforeseen comeback (boy, paint my face red if that happens), starting pitcher Luke French just won his first game of the season. Sure, the Rainiers are forty-six games into the season and French's ERA is a bit south of stellar, but that doesn't matter now. One of our best pitchers from last season just pitched a fine - if not above average - game. Revel in the niceties as they come, people.
-The Rainiers are starting, just starting, to look like a strong team. They've won eight out of their last twelve games. They've crawled out of last place for the first time since April 14. Even at Cheney where they've previously struggled, the team has won four out of their last six games. Is it too early to start talking about a second half revival where they make a run at defending their PCL Championship? We think not.
-A large part of the team's recent success is due to the long ball. Sunday, Dustin Ackley hit a two run home run to break up a 2-2 tie. Yesterday, Mike Carp and Alex Liddi both hit home runs in the sixth inning to give the Rainiers a lead. Any competent baseball analyst could tell you exactly how many more home runs the Rainiers are hitting in clutch situations now as opposed to the beginning of the season. But I'm no competent analyst. More of a lazy one, actually. So you'll just have to trust my gut.
- Finally, I watched the season finale of Bob's Burgers Sunday. I know, I know, this has nothing to do with the Rainiers' recent success. But it does have something to do with Minor League Baseball. Cartoon Minor League Baseball, but baseball nonetheless.
In the episode, a minor league pitcher uses some of Bob's burger grease to more effectively throw a pitch he called the ‘Split-Finger Squidooch'.
The episode made me think. You don't hear that much about spitball pitchers these days. In fact, the only one I can think of is Gaylord Perry. And even he liked to make people think he was throwing a spitball more than he actually liked to throw them.
Curious, I emailed my friend Eric Nusbaum over at the baseball blog Pitchers and Poets. I asked him if anyone -- in the Minors, the Majors or otherwise -- is well-known for throwing doctored pitches these days. Eric responded quickly.
"Spitballs are pretty much dead," Nusbaum told me. "Some guys get caught doctoring balls sometimes, but as far as I know, it's not a regular thing anymore."
For now, I'll have to trust Eric's word. But if anyone knows more about spitball pitchers, especially recent ones in the Minors, I'd love to hear what you have to say.
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