THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>
WEATHER REPORTFriday: Mostly sunny, hi 68, lo 49
Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 72, lo 52
Sunday: Partly sunny, hi 74, lo 55
Amocat Cafe's live music night -- the appropriately titled "Amocat Live!" -- goes down on the second Friday of every month. And, lo and behold - that's this week! As of this writing the list of scheduled performers includes: Gabe Rhee, Sam Bogle, Steve Cairns, Karen Miller, Volkert Volkersz, Morgan Alexander & Kevin Freitas and Amocat Live! house band Les Collaborateurs.
There comes a time in every great performer's career when they stare the Emerald Queen Casino square in the eyes. Ted Nugent has arrived. A shredder of '70s testosterone-driven hits like "Cat Scratch Fever"; the man behind some of the best bow-hunting-based television ever produced; and right wing gun-advocate many consider to be a prolific racist, Ted Nugent will be in T-town for a two-night stand starting Friday. Both shows are basically sold out. Quick! Think of something that rhymes with poontang!
Who doesn't like meat off the grill? Well, vegetarians we suppose, but still. BBQ is pretty damn popular. This Saturday the Lacey Chamber of Commerce looks to jump all over this fact with the South Sound BBQ Festival, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Cabella's. It's free, and yes - there will be a chicken wing eating contest.
Tacoma's annual, awesome LGBTQA Pride celebration, Out In The Park, goes down this Saturday. Not only does the yearly event have a new locale this year -- taking over Ninth and Broadway -- it's also part of ten full days of Pride events this year in T-Town. It's literally fabulous. Find our full article on Tacoma's Pride festival here, and look for pictures and words coming on SPEW shortly after Saturday's big-ass party.
Tacoma is a blues town. For every sparsely attended indie show or spotty DJ night there's a hopping blues jam packed by a familiar set of middle-aged South Sound blues hounds. The yearly Old Town Blues Festival draws these faces out en masse. Saturday, catch 15 bands - names like Little Bill and the Bluenotes, Cold Shot and the High Rollers - and more than 15 hours of entertainment throughout Old Town. Check out the full schedule here, including the 9 a.m. BluesBerry pancake breakfast.
NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Got the Subaru loaded with beach pails, diapers, extra pillows and a cooler full of Capri Suns and PBRs. Yep, the Talotta - McCoy clan is packing it up for a weekend at the beach. Beautiful grey-blue waters, kids splashing through the waves , and late night games of dominoes with the hubby. Damn I'm a lucky girl.
CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I play half of the characters in David Mamet's incendiary Oleanna, a thriller of intellectual combat, which opens this week at Olympia Little Theater. I'm also catching A Midsummer Night's Dream in Priest Point Park and, at some unknown point, sleeping.
JOE IZENMAN: Theater Critic
Umm... getting married. I think that pretty much covers it. OK, so really it's two days of mad scramble to get everything ready, one day of getting married and partying, one day of opening presents, and one day of chilling in Tacoma and going to the Red Hot and Parkway for Tap Night Tacoma. But I figure that was mostly implied in "getting married."
JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
This weekend I will be busy reviewing Cats at Tacoma Musical Playhouse, celebrating my son's 11-month anniversary of being alive, and playing music at church on Sunday.
ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
'm going to see "Oleanna" at Olympia Little Theatre and "Cats," America's most overrated musical, at Tacoma Musical Playhouse, and an art exhibit called "Three old guys and one old lady" at Art House Designs in Oly, which I plan to write about for Spew, and a PFLAG meeting Sunday.
BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent
I'm heading to a Meat Market on Friday night. Then maybe a hike on Saturday? Not that I'm much of a hiker, I just like to balance out the debauchery.
Jennifer Johnson Food and Lifestyles Writer
Girlfriend's birthday party in Puyallup Friday. Saturday, Motorcycle Rally ride and benefit show at Jersey's in Federal Way followed by a stop at the FedWay farmers market; Putt-Putt golf that night. Sunday after church it's all about AoA...that's Sixth Avenue's Art on the Ave for the peeps that don't know.
Steve Dunkelberger Photographer
I'll be going to the new Pooh movie, then seeing Cats at TMP before heading to Art on the Ave