AND WHAT THAT HAS TO DO WITH T-TOWN >>>

Local news this week has been rightfully dominated by the down-to-the-wire state budget passed in Olympia. This week lawmakers worked fast and furious to pass a budget, ending the 30-day overtime in dramatic fashion. However, at the culmination of yet another extra session, most politicians and citizens seem much more relieved than excited about this week's proceedings. The budget itself includes billions in spending reductions and no tax increases. Plenty of public employees and social service programs will see funding decreases, most notably educators.

A particular lowlight of the new budget is a pay cut of 1.9 percent for all teachers and support staff and 3 percent cut for school administrative staff. Earlier this week Tacoma Superintendent Art Jarvis didn't hesitate to blast the cuts in an interview with Debbie Cafazzo of The News Tribune, calling the Legislature's approach "cavalier" and speculating that the cuts will cause even more friction at education labor bargaining tables across the street. Check out Cafazzo's full story with many more comments from Jarvis here.

Another legislative development of local note was the ultimately failed effort to fix the state's medical marijuana law, allowing for dispensaries (or some other legal avenue) for patients to actually obtain the pot their doctors have been able to legally recommend since 1998. Earlier this month Governor Gregoire rejected what appeared to be a very promising bill seeking to legally legitimize dispensaries and protect medical marijuana users.

To read this week's full Tacoma Week in Review column by Zach Powers click here.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from marymbarb in response to this week's Cup Check column by Matt Driscoll, in which the recent Dancing with the Stars victory by Hines Ward is discussed.

Marymbarb writes,

Chelsea and Mark should have won hands down. Hines was a decent dancer, but he didn't really dance a lot of the time. I think his partner was very good at choosing dances and costumes that put the spotlight on her, and she used Hines as a "prop" in a lot of the dances.

This just in from Ernest Jasmin, currently making his way to the Gorge at George for the Memorial Day Weekend Sasquatch Festival. Headlining band Foo Fighters are scheduled to play tonight.

According to EJ ...

There's a nasty little backup headin' into the ol' Sasquatch Festival, at least a couple of miles. But here's a little tip from your Uncle EJ. Take the same exit from I-90, but turn off at Northeast Frontage Road in George.

Take a left on 1 Southwest, Right on V Wouthwest and left on Baseline. If you are staying at Wild Horse this will get you to the gate with no traffic. Or keep going and you can get back in line a couple of miles (and maybe hours) down the line. You're welcome.

The view ...

SATURDAY, MAY 28, 2011>>>

1. The Metro Parks annual Outdoor Challenge is right down your alley. Starting at 11 a.m. today at Owen Beach at Point Defiance Park, teams of two adults and family teams of four will battle for supremacy in a bevy of outdoorsy and just plain absurd challenges. Cross-country skiing, golf ball chipping and adult dress up will all be in play. Be warned, and be ready.

2. Today, Tacoma and Fircrest upstart team Toxic 253 will engage in their second bout ever, taking on the Ft. Lewis Bettie Brigade Team Bravo at Wheelz Skate Arena. Did we mention there'll be a beer garden? Sold.

3. Today at Freighthouse Square and the Harmon, and in the evening at Stonegate Pizza, the 8^th annual Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival will offer exhibitions of all the South Sound has to offer in jazz and blues. Familiar names like Little Bill and the Bluenotes and Jerry Miller will make their expected appearances. Closing out the festival will be Rich Wetzel's Groovin' Higher Jazz Orchestra. Or, if this isn't down your musical alley, find the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.

4. Born in Everett, currently a resident of Portland, and birthed on blues-worn stages up and down the West Coast, Curtis Salgado is the type of musician you don't get a chance to see every weekend. Luckily for all of us, today Salgado will do his thing at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia.

5. Today, Rock the Dock Pub & Grill's two-year anniversary party will offer live tunes by Tim Hall and Zero Down. Find details here.

TOO MANY SIMILIARITIES >>>

Here's the short version: The Hangover Part II is The Hangover Part II. It's as if a strange experiment was done to see if a sequel can be made that literally repeats, beat for beat, the original movie. I think it would be giving director Todd Phillips too much credit to assume that the jarring similarities to and recreations of scenes from the earlier film is some sort of commentary on the absurdity of sequels. Sadly, the distinctive smell of a desperate cash grab consumes Part II.

To read Rev. Adam McKinney's full review of The Hangover Part II click here.

ALEC CLAYTON REVIEWS THE VISUAL ARTS >>>

How many typos can you count in the title above? The answer is none. That's the correct title for the new show at Fulcrum Gallery, complete with the threes in place of E's and weird capitalization. And the title is about as weird as the art, which is to typical glass art what one of Lady Gaga's outfits is to a typical Sunday-go-to-meeting dress.

Featured are glass art by gallery owner Oliver Doriss (it's about time he featured his own work) and neon artist Galen McCarty Turner ...

To read Alec Clayton's review of Pr3v1eW & Pr0t0tyt3ps click here.

[Fulcrum Gallery, Pr3v1ew & Pr0totyp3s, noon - 6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and by appointment, through June 11, special G.A.S. Open House Wednesday, June 1, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.250.0520]

MORE LIVE MUSIC IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Black Market Revue. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. PoP-Rock-A-Rama! Gavin Guss and the Fun Boys, The Webelos, The Spins, plus Special Guests! 8pm-1am. $5.

Cassidy's Pub & Mini Golf Tacoma - Eastside. Loose Gravel & The Quarry. 8 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. T-Town Aces. 9 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Prom Night 1980 Tacoma, with Stay Tuned, DJ Melodica. 9 pm. $5 couples / $6 stag.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Five Alarm Funk. 8:30 pm. $10.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Blues Redemption. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Heaven Generation, Hopeless Jack & The Handsome Devils. 9 pm.

Mary Baker Russell Music Center Tacoma - Parkland. University Jazz Ensemble. All Ages. 8 pm.

Metronome Coffee Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Flight of Phanuel, Levi Baxter. All Ages. 7 pm doors. $3.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Tommy Tutone. 8 pm. $25.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Pioneers West, Mal De Mar, Musuji. 9 pm.

• Mal De Mar make absurdly catchy indie pop confections which, on Saturday, will be served along with the considerably more caustic Pioneers West and the experimental hard rock of Musuji. It'll be a strange grouping, to be sure, but a bill so intriguing in its strangeness that one should hardly be blamed for failing to resist it. Mal De Mar, alone, shouldn't be missed. Their "Bubble Bobble," for example, is packed tight to bursting with neat hooks and goodwill, complete with an energetically falsetto chorus. This is the kind of music to send your head floating up into the cloudless sky of these increasingly warm Washington days. Pioneers West and Musuji will be there to usher you back into the sure-to-return rain and gloom to which we've grown far too accustomed. - Rev. AM

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Princest, Hot Rush, Ketamine Fight Club. 9 pm. $5.

• The songs on Princest's EP are foreboding, lo-fi post-hardcore rock that hint at fearsome live performances just out of range of the recording equipment's ability to capture them. Slinking bass lines provide a wobbly platform upon which all of the songs shakily stand. Front man Ben Farr's vocals are pitched halfway between terrifying and terrified - even when he swallows the mic and starts screaming, there's something in his voice that sounds as wounded as it is defiant. The riffs, when they come, are heavy and plodding, a trudging march to inspire dangerous headbanging. I've seen sinkholes of mosh pits open in the floor at Northern, which this show (also featuring Hot Rush and Ketamine Fight Club) definitely seems determined to inspire. Try your best to stay on your feet. - Rev. AM

Old General Store Steakhouse & Saloon Roy. Robbie Walden. 9 pm.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Warehouse Presents Elk & Boar, Hurtbird, Brothers Young. 8:30 pm.

• When the Volcano's resident Dungeons and Dragons expert, Joe Izenman, says something, I tend to listen. (Especially when he's talking about beards or mustaches, but that's beside the point.) So, when Izenman said on SPEW a few months back, "I first saw Travis Barker leading blues outfit the Black Sails, but he's really found his niche partnered with the siren voice of Kirsten Wenlock," I knew he meant business. The group Izenman was referring to was Elk & Boar; at the time the duo had just performed in Tacoma at the Peabody Waldorf. Saturday, Elk & Boar are back, playing a Warehouse-produced free show at O'Malley's with Hurtbird and Brothers Young. There's no doubt this will be one of the best, hippest shows of the weekend. Brush your beard and come on out. - Matt Driscoll

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown (waterfront). Two year Anniversary Party featuring Tim Hall and Zero Down, beer garden, balloon drop with prizes, free buffet and more. 6 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Hip Replacements. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Tacoma Jazz & Blues Festival Stonegate Stage, with All Star Youth Blues Jam, Rich Wetzel's Groovin' Higher Orchestra. All Ages. 8 pm. For more information, click here.

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

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Daze of Never, with KZOK & KISW DJ Rockfish & Friends. 7 pm.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. An Evening With Curtis Salgado. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $20-$35.

• Curtis Salgado, who spent time early in his career fronting Robert Cray's band-including holding down the main vocal duties on Cray's debut album, is a NW blues legend. He's got a blues swagger, the vocal chops and the harmonica magic to put him on a level few musicians reach. Born in Everett, currently a resident of Portland, and birthed on blues-worn stages up and down the West Coast, Salgado is the type of musician you don't get a chance to see every weekend. – Weekly Volcano
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE FROM THE GORGE >>>

The amount of time that passed between entering the Gorge Amphitheatre and overhearing a debate about hockey: Approximately 40 seconds. 

Yes, the Canadians have crossed the 49th parallel and taken over Sasquatch, the Gorge's annual kickoff party, again. And this year, with Vancouver headed to the Stanley Cup, Canucks pride has overtaken furry panda hats as the style du jour. (See dude in photo above.) And I'm calling it right now. By Sunday there will be packs of drunken Vancouver hockey hooligans that will make the year Canadians were all yelling "let's go Oooooooilers" every five minutes seem like an afternoon at the library. (Then again, maybe the $12 tall boys will put a damper on those shenanigans.) 

But I digress. Got a late start on day one of the festival, but immediately honed in on a few changes from last year's layout. For starters, the covered area that was the comedy stage last year has been cleared of comics (today's "Trailer Park Boys" gig aside) and re-dubbed the Banana Shack. The layout is a bit more open to accommodate the late night dance parties that will be sprawling out onto the lawn every night, a la DJ Anjali & the Incredible Kid, who spun a mix of Banghara meets block rockin' beats as a few hundred fans jumped around last night. 

The Banana Shack

There's also a fancy new shelter/product placement called the Red Bull Lounge nearby, which would be more fun if it served more than just, well, Red Bull. It's got two levels and moody magenta lighting; and, if nothing else, it'll come in handy if there's a repeat of the Biblical deluge that drove Neko Case offstage a few years back. And also, there's an entire trailer dedicated to PS3, which briefly stirred up that "L.A. Noire" monkey that's been on my back lately. (Will strong. Must resist and focus on music.)

The main stage

There weren't a whole lot of bands on Friday. And on the main stage I didn't quite feel the screechy, distorted jams that reunited dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 was kickin' out. I liked their energy, but singer/drummer Sebastian Grainger and bassist/synth man Jesse Keeler often sounded disjointed and offbeat, like they were having trouble hearing themselves through the monitors. Maybe they're supposed to sound like that, but I haven't really gone through their catalogue.   

New weird structure

For their part, day one headliners, the Foo Fighters, turned out the most galvanizing set I've seen them play. (Granted, I've only seen the band three times.) The Dave Grohl-led arena rock outfit rumbled to life with "Bridge Burning" from its decent new disc, "Wasting Light." And throughout, the Foos were playful and energized in a way that suggested the clock had been rolled back 15 years. 

There was a fashion statement to underscore that notion, too. 

"We made a point to have a full front row of flannel for ya tonight," said Grohl, as drummer Taylor Hawkins false started his old band's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." 

Grohl, Chris Shiflett, Nate Mendel and Pat Smear were all rockin' their best retro grunge wear. But Hawkins kind of screwed up the motif. "Don't they make flannel board shorts?" Grohl teased. "Bet you'd wear them then." 

The Foos' two-hour set was, of course, a big hit parade and occasional ‘90s nostalgiafest capped off by - what else? - dreamy Gen-X anthem "Everlong." But what took the performance to the next level was Grohl's natural, head whipping showmanship and playful arrangements that breathed new life into familiar songs. 

The band capped off "My Hero" with a frantic, prog rock breakdown (fitting since hit single "Rope" kind of sounds like Yes.) Jazzy, dub-inflected interludes and dueling blues guitar solos contrasted that killer riff from "Stacked Actors." and they even dropped bits of "Baba O'Reilly" into "Monkeywrench." But the set's highlight was "This is a Call," the first song the wrote together. 

"Old motherfucker," Grohl said, teasing old school fans. "This song goes out to you." 

For live updates throughought this year's Sasquatch Music Festival follow Ernest Jasmin at @SavageErnests on Twitter.

Foo Fighters partial set list

Gorge Amphitheatre
May 27, 2011

Bridge Burning

Rope

The Pretender

My Hero

Dear Rosemary (with Bob Mould)

Learn to Fly

White Limo

Arlandria

Breakout

Cold Day in the Sun (Taylor Hawkins singing)

Stacked Actors

Monkeywrench

This is a Call  

All My Life

Times Like These

Young Man Blues (The Who)

The Best

Everlong

LIVE FROM THE GORGE >>>

Not to beat this whole "Canadians are taking over" thing, but not only do a whole gang of today's acts - K-Os, Dan Mangan, "Trailer Park Boys" - hail from north of the border, but I've also witnessed no less than two mob outbursts of "Go, Canucks, Go!" And it's early, when most of those guys are (presumably) reasonably sober. I smell a hockey riot a brewin'. 

Actually, I recently became a huge fan of Trailer Park Boys. I got hooked and breezed through all seven seasons just this month, thanks to Darrell from Northwest Convergence Zone. But nothing's been quite right with "TPB" since Trevor and Corey left after season six - live show included. 

Main characters Bubbles (actor Mike Smith), Ricky (Robb Wells) and Julian (John Paul Tremblay) were on hand at the Banana Shack just a little while ago, but muddy sound made it pretty difficult to pick out much more than Bubbles' screechy f-bombs. 

Wonkawonkwonka.  Something about reenacting the Apollo 13 mission. But why do they have tin foil on their heads? 

Wonkawonkawonka. Something about Ricky starting a school where you can smoke pot.

Wonkawonkawonka. "Samsquanch" reference, some bimbos onstage. Hell, I didn't know what was going on. But I could agree with the lady perched on her friend's shoulders, gleefully waving her maple leaf flag as Bubbles sang his cult hit. 

"Liquor an Whores": Pure genius.

GO CANUCKS GO!

For live updates throughought this year's Sasquatch Music Festival follow Ernest Jasmin at @SavageErnests on Twitter.

LINK: Sasquatch Day One: Foo Fighters go retro

SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2011 >>>

1. Check out Surreal Ultra Lounge's "All White Everything Memorial Weekend Party" tonight. It's awesome because you don't have to go to work tomorrow!

2. See what the kids in the Morgan Family YMCA's Dance Department have been working on when they bust out It's Showtime! - a dance recital performed at the Pantages Theater.

3. Loose Gravel & The Quarry will fill The Spar with blues tonight. Or, if you're looking for something else, find the Volcano's extensive South Sound live local music listings here.

4. Since the little buggers have no school tomorrow, drop into the Jazzbones Kid's Jam, hosted by Randy Oxford.

5. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Puyallup Farmers Market is in full effect. Find info on it and more in the Volcano's comprehensive South Sound arts and entertainment calendar.