MUSIC GOODNESS IN PRINT & ONLINE >>>

Does it ever get tiring? Do we ever feel "stretched thin?" Do we ever fear we might not be able to pull it off?

Nope, nope and never.

Every Thursday the Weekly Volcano delivers another shining issue of our paper - and each and every one of those papers contains a Weekly Volcano music section, your go-to source for local music news and coverage. It's an important job, and we take it seriously.  We're all about the local music scene. But the proof of that is in the proverbial pudding.

In that light, here's a look at the music goodness waiting for you in print and online in this week's Volcano music section ...

HIP-HOP: EvergreenOne's "Fuck Vampires" and more

Earlier this month EvergreenOne dropped a solo joint titled "Fuck Vampires." It's a humorous anti-ode to all things "cool" right now. He disses popular culture, from vampires to snapbacks. The beat is a TrussOne slapper - very minimal, basically just an 808 and drum slap-fest. Evergreen's chops shine bright over the track. If ya like what ya hear be ready for more, as TrussOne is taking on the major production weight of EvergreenOne's upcoming solo album. Just search YouTube for EvergreenOne and "F*** Vampires" to get a listen. ... -- Josh Rizeberg

HIP-HOP: Fresh Heads in Olympia

In 2001 Bulldog News, a magazine and newspaper store in downtown Olympia, hosted a small hip-hop show for up-and-coming Los Angeles rapper, Aceyalone. 

Ten years later Aceyalone is now considered an underground hip-hop legend, and will easily pack out The Royal Lounge this Thursday, Sept. 29 when he comes to town on his West Coast tour with Bay Area rappers Opio of Hieroglyphics, Equipto and Z-Man. 

Opening up the evening will be Tacoma rappers CityHall and an Olympia group that has been catching a buzz as of late, Fresh Heads.  A familiar story, Fresh Heads met while attending the Evergreen State College and were able to begin creating music with people they felt chemistry with, all while making an impression on their new college hometown.  ... -- Nic Leonard

PUNK & METAL: The Damage Report with Jason McKibbin

Last weekend was a blast! Mine started off Friday at Hell's Kitchen, where I saw Plaster get super heavy and play the most "metal" set I've ever seen the band whip out; they grabbed the crowd by the short ones and didn't let go ‘til the set was done. Mom's Rocket from Olympia showed everyone that A.I.C. style arena rock is NOT a thing of the past. Tacoma's own Mahnhammer jack-hammered the audience into oblivion with a manic stage presence and ear-splitting volume. And just when I thought the show had reached its apex, former Hell's Belles frontwoman Jaime Nova mesmerized the crowd with an incredible vocal performance in Witchburn. Sabbath-y awesomeness as only the Burn can deliver. I am now a proud Burn Victim; I suggest you do the same ASAP. ... -- Jason McKibbin

FEATURE: The return of Tex

"It was a long time ago," says David Nichols over the phone. "I was playing in a band called Time to Fly, and I started writing songs that didn't really fit with that band. When I left that band, Tex started, because it was a way of getting those songs out there."

Nichols has been involved in more or less direct ways with the local indie-rock scene for almost a decade. Time to Fly, the band he was in before Tex, achieved a certain degree of notoriety in these parts for a sound that fit neatly into the pocket of emotionally-direct indie rock that had really begun to blossom. Beds of driving guitars supported sensitive vocals; in retrospect, Time to Fly's early '00s timestamp is very evident. Nichols found that the folk-inflected, downcast pop songs he was writing on his own couldn't quite fit into that mold.

In 2006, Nichols released his first album as Tex, The Angels Came to Take Me Home. A certain gloom hangs over the record in shrouds, as each song takes on either a sad-sack resignation or a bitterly stubborn stomp. When the clouds part and a sunny hook pops through, there's still a sadness looming in the lyrics. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

FEATURE: Adam Bredlau rocks out with Northwest royalty

What were you doing when you were 13?  For me, it was playing SimCity in-between rounds of Magic the Gathering.  But then again, I'm a geek who writes for the local arts paper.  For most, 13-years-old is not a productive age. 

For Adam Bredlau, a guitar player, his thirteenth year signifies a milestone in his rock education.  Bredlau's childhood was surrounded by music. The son of Aaron Bredlau, of the former Las Vega- based rock group Sparkler Dims, and Joanna Walker, Miss Tattoo Tacoma 2010, Adam grew up listening to a collection of seven-inch indie, punk and new wave records.   His parents soon introduced him to rock shows, with the Misfits, Pavement and Weezer rounding out his early music education. 

"He's gonna make a good rock star," says local music legend Kim Warnick, whose resume includes the Cali Giraffes, Fastbacks, Motorhoney and Visqueen. ... -- Josh Swainston

PLUS: Better Living Through Music - NoMeansNo, The Violet Burning, Hairspray Blues and Rocktoberfest at Hell's Kitchen

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: Live Local Music Calendar

PLUS: Ridiculous Madness Like This

ARTS COVERAGE TO END ALL ARTS COVERAGE >>>

At this point it goes without saying. If you're looking for coverage of local arts in Tacoma, Olympia, and all points in between, the Weekly Volcano is THE place to find it. Our goal is to consistently provide the best local arts coverage possible to our fantastic readers -- always be on the lookout for ways to shine a light on all the awesome creativity we see around us.

Here's a look at the Volcano arts coverage waiting for you this week in print and online.

MOVIE BIZ BUZZ: Pete Anderson's Break

I consider myself only a part-time filmmaker, so I can't say I belong in the same league as someone like Pete Anderson. When he told me Break marks not only his seventh time in the director's chair of a feature film, but also his seventeenth screenplay, my jaw dropped just a bit. I had to ask him to repeat himself. You have to admire persistence like this.

The 43-year-old Anderson seems to tear into every project like a tornado of talent, a battalion of one oftentimes taking on multiple duties with boundless energy. Anderson also produced, edited, and did some acting in Break, a dramedy about strangers whose only connection is a single gun. ... -- Christopher Woods

VISUAL EDGE: Art Chantry's Parkland Is Burning

(Fulcrum Gallery is packed with Art Chantry posters. Courtesy Fulcrum Gallery)

Inside Fulcrum there are three rooms loaded with Chantry's posters, representing 40 years of his art. You've probably seen many of these posters before, but probably not all at the same time, and never grouped together like this. Unless you are a fanatical collector I can almost guarantee you'll see many of Chantry's posters in this show that you've never seen before. ... -- Alec Clayton

THEATER REVIEW: Something Wicked This Way Comes

(Mr. Dark: Damian Gennette in character. Photo courtesy Dean Lapin)

Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes is awfully hard to stage. The novel relies much more on introspection and narrative than dialogue and action, and is thus in many ways the antithesis of a medium that eliminates the internal monologue.

Bradbury's adaptation, and the Lakewood Playhouse production, rely much more on recreating the dark tone and vivid imagery of the novel than its thematic depth.

As such, Something Wicked must be very technically ambitious, and in this director David Domkoski and his design crew succeed quite thoroughly. ... -- Joe Izenman

PLUS: More local theater coverage than you can handle

PLUS: Arts and Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Stupid Crap We Found on YouTube

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy, hi 70, lo 53

Saturday: Chance of rain, hi 63, lo 48

Sunday: Cloudy, hi 61, lo 52

>>> FRIDAY, SEPT. 30: THERESE AMBROSI SMITH READ FROM WAX

Olympia's Orca Books welcomes novelist Therese Ambrosi Smith, who will read from her debut novel, Wax. According to promotion, Wax is a "story of strong female friendship, sexual discovery, and long-held secrets," set in the 1940s, a time period that offers WWII as a background. Described as fiction inspired by the real lives of the era's many Rosie the Riveters, themes of civil rights and feminism will no doubt be tackled.

• Orca Books, 6 p.m., free, 509 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.352.0123

>>> SATURDAY, OCT. 1: 24-HOUR COMICS DAY

Saturday members of the CLAW (Cartoonists' League of Absurdist Washingtonians) will gather at Comic Book Ink to celebrate 24 Hour Comics Day, challenging themselves once again to complete a 24 page comic in only 24 hours. This isn't the first time it's happened. In fact, 24 Hour Comics Days, and similar complete-a-comic-in-24-hours competitions, go down all over the country, all over the world, and perhaps even all over the universe. Comic Book Ink has hosted 24 Hour Comics Day two years running, with this year's madness marking the third rendition. The event benefits CLAW's scholarship fund, raising money to help students with a passion for cartooning pay for things like tuition, books or art supplies. Local cartoonists RR Anderson is said to be planning a Wyatt James Boy Detective entry. Consider yourself warned.

• Comic Book Ink, 10 a.m. start, 2510 S. 84^th St., Lakewood, 253.761.4651

>>> SATURDAY, OCT. 1: DOWNTOWN OLYMPIA CLEANUP

Just like your apartment, downtown Olympia gets messy after a while - in need of some sprucing up. That's one of the reasons why the Olympia Downtown Association and the Downtown Clean Up Committee put together two Downtown Clean Ups every year, each of them a week before the Spring and Fall Olympia Arts Walk events. And with Olympia's Fall Arts Walk just around the corner, this weekend marks the fall version of the Downtown Cleanup. Saturday volunteers will weed, sweep, rake, prune and paint downtown all for the good and beautification of the community. To volunteer or learn more check here or email odaevent@tss.net

• Downtown Olympia, 8:30 a.m. - noon, downtownolympia.com]

>>> SATURDAY, OCT. 1: Oktoberfest Tacoma

The Weekly Volcano would travel to the ends of the earth for a savory helping of local craft brews and soft pretzels. We've proven it before. But thankfully, on Saturday we only need to go as far as Tacoma's Opera Alley. Presented by the Triangle Business District, Amocat Café and The Mix, Oktoberfest Tacoma will feature local craft beer, pretzels, a pie-eating contest, chainsaw pumpkin carving and more from 2-10 p.m.

• Opera Alley, 2-10 p.m., $12-$18 includes five tastings, Seventh and Opera Alley, downtown Tacoma, oktoberfesttacoma.com

>>> SATURDAY, OCT. 1: Fall Harvest Farm Tour

A bevy of local Pierce County farms will take part in a joint vision brought to you by the WSU Extension, Pierce County Conservation District and Cascade Harvest Coalition: the HarvestFest 2011 Farm Tour. Expect farm tours (naturally), chef demos, wine tasting, hayrides, corn mazes and all the like - in addition to plenty of learning. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., experience local farms from the Puyallup Valley to Orting and beyond, including Picha Farms and Terry's Berries in P-Town, Sholz Farm and Tahoma Farms in Orting, and Blue Willow Lavender Farm on the Key Peninsula. For more info visit county.wsu.edu/king/agriculture/harvestcelebration.

>>> SUNDAY, OCT. 2: Pierce County Hunger Walk

The motto of the annual Pierce County Hunger Walk is, "Fighting hunger, one step at a time." It's a little cheese-ball, but it's also totally appropriate. According to promotional hype, last year, "more than 1,800 feet (900 or so people, we presume) ran, walked, shuffled and pedaled around Waughop Lake at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood," all raising money to fight hunger in Pierce County and beyond. This year's goal is to raise $350,000, with half of the proceeds from Hunger Walk will benefit the Emergency Food and the other half going to international hunger relief agencies designated by each walker, including FISH Food Banks, St. Leo's Food Connection and several other food banks in the area.

• Fort Steilacoom Park, noon to 4 p.m., amhungerwalk.org  

>>> SUNDAY, OCT. 2: SEATTLE MANDOLIN ORCHESTRA

If you have yet to fully experience the musical majesty of the mandolin, Sunday offers perhaps the perfect opportunity to do just that, as the Tacoma Main Library welcomes the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra performing "The Italian Concert." Dedicated to, "revitalizing the mandolin ensemble and expanding its repertoire through commissions and arrangements," according to promotional hype, and led by Artistic Director and Conductor Joseph White, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra features the entire mandolin family of instruments, even the mandocello and mandobass. Best of all Sunday's concert is free.

• Tacoma Main Library, 2 p.m., free, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253.591.5666  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
I'm going to see "The Love List" at Harlequin and think about Picasso's last years.

.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
I'm headed to the Tempest Lounge in Tacoma for a shot of Meat Market. It will be nice to drink "spirits" instead of the normal "wells."

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
I've got kid's soccer games and Oyster Fest, a birthday party and little rest. Hopefully a date on Saturday night, and if I get lucky, I'll be feeling alright. These will be my weekends for the next 15 years, it's no wonder I like to drink so many beers. Cheers!

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
As per usual, all the theater troupes in Olympia opened their shows the same weekend, so I'm seeing Always...Patsy Cline at Capital Playhouse, The Love List at Harlequin, and Bunnicula at Olympia Family Theater.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
Saturday will be packed as I leave the little son with the husband and head to a baby shower. Saturday evening I will leave the little son with a babysitter and the husband and I are heading to Seattle to a German pub for a friend's birthday party. We'll be home early enough on Saturday to make it to church on Sunday.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Kiddie time with his new bike and maybe a trip to the zoo. Fabulously boring daddy stuff.

.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes former Tacoma Poet Laureate Antonio Edwards Jr. in response to this week's What's The Word hip-hop column by Josh Rizeberg.

Edwards writes,

Speaking of Vampires, we all cut our teeth at Free Ya Mind. Its been a great run with many of us going on to do big things from this jump off point in T-Town. Though it will be missed, Free Ya Mind and the word will go fourth. Thanks Josh...PEACE

FRIDAY, SEPT. 30, 2011 >>>

1. At 7 p.m. the last all-ages Free Ya Mind open mic at Tully's on Broadway in downtown Tacoma will go down. This open mic, run by Stella Haioulani of Free Ya Mind Inc., has been a fixture in the city since 2001. Everyone from General Wojack to Tacoma Poet Laureate Antonio Edwards caught wreck at this open mic. It's also where Weekly Volcano columnist Josh Rizeberg started doing his thing - even hosting it for two years during its 10-year run. According to Haioulani, Tully's management has decided to end the open mic.

2. Beginning at noon, Downtown On the Go will host its fall walking series. Back by popular demand, the walk events encourage downtown employees and residents to walk at work, get out and see Tacoma. The series of five walks, which follow each of the Downtown On the Go walking maps, will take place Fridays from noon to 1 p.m. No RSVP necessary, simply meet near the Wright Park white lions on Sixth Avenue for a walk with Metro Park's Melissa McGinnis, Historic & Cultural Resources manager, along the Wright Park to Stadium District.

3. Join the Olympia Poetry Network for special night of poetry, from some of Olympia's most dearly loved female poets, including Kathleen Byrd, Terri Cohlene, Chris Dahl, Jeanne Gordner, Jeanne Lohmann, Lucia Perillo, Cynthia Pratt, Linda Strever, Gaia Thomas, Emily Van Kley, Gail Ramsey Wharton and Willow Wicklund, with music from Amy Thomas. "The "Godiva Speaks: A Celebration of Women Poets in Olympia" runs from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Art Kitchen in Olympia.

4. While the name Lorna Luft may not instantaneously ring a bell, mention of Luft's mother, Judy Garland, always will. Garland was the ultimate legend, and to this day's fans of her work still fill the world. At 7:30 p.m., Luft - who made her television debut on her mother's Judy Garland Show at the ripe-old age of 11 - will be at the Washington Center performing, Songs My Mother Taught Me, an ode Variety called, "a rousing, dramatically riveting musical event."

5. South Sound's mad horn-blower Randy Oxford and his gang of bluesy merrymakers will tear the house down (in this case, Jazzbones - and not literally) while you shake whatever it is you have to shake on the dance floor from 8-10 p.m. The reason? - as if you need one: The Randy Oxford Band is celebrating the release of its new CD, Festival. Expect door prizes and special guests.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: New movies have hit local screens

LINK: New concerts are on sale.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Don't Mess With Zeeck In The Wee Hours: Pierce County sheriff's detective suspended for dissing Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. (News Tribune)

It's Back: Someone turned the lights on at Exit113. (Exit133)

Seriously: Fleeing driver climbs a tree in Tacoma. (Seattle PI)

The Avengers Dis-assembled: Exclusive cast portraits revealed. (Entertainment Weekly)

She's Back: Rosie O'Donnell has a new talk show. (Hollywood Reporter)

Of Course: Susan Boyle does Depeche Mode. (Prez Hilton)

Oh Good: Courtney Love to "set the record straight" in her memoir. (Rolling Stone)

Are You People On Drugs?: Movie "Ghost" to be a musical. (Entertainment Weekly)

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Slap! 9 pm.

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Pat Travers Band, guests. 9 pm. $20.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Marc Johnson & Joey. 7 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. NoMeansNo, The Fucking Eagles, Pioneers West. 9 pm. $12-$15.

• NoMeansNo is a band that should need no introduction. Unfortunately, even though they've been around for well over 20 years, they've remained hidden in the underground. Unfortunate for you, I mean, you poor ignorant soul who's never heard of NoMeansNo. There are hordes of people gunning to beat you in line and fill up Hell's Kitchen when NoMeansNo come to town. I am telling you to be prepared. What does NoMeansNo sound like? Fine, newbie. Theirs is a heavy rock sound incorporating the subversive energy of Frank Zappa with the time-signature-molding habits of math-rock bands. NoMeansNo has created, in their tenure as unfuckwithable godfathers, a genre-snapping hybrid that begs to be seen live. For the love of Pete, get off your duff and learn you something. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Randy Oxford Band. 8 pm. $8.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Sightseer, Furniture Girls, Verlee For Ransom. All Ages. 9 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Pearl Django. All Ages. 8 pm. $10.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Destruction Island, Hairspray Blues, guests. 9 pm.

• Hairspray Blues manages to boil rock 'n' roll down to its essence. It's nothing but hard-hitting electric guitar and bass, combined to extract every last bit of energy that can be obtained with such a small unit. There's brazenness at play with Hairspray Blues - a kind of snotty confidence that propels the band forward even past the extent of their musical ability. Dipping into punk rock as equally as heavy blues, Hairspray Blues seem to have a deep affection for the sound of the guitar, over almost any other quality they possess. It's simple, stupid and utterly guttural stuff. It's meant to affect you on an animalistic level, and it comes quite close to perfecting this goal. My advice would be to bring earplugs. - Rev. AM

The Spar Olympia. Wayward Vessel. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Jerry Miller Jam. 9 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

OKTOBERFEST TACOMA >>>

Beer! Pretzels! Beer! Pumpkin carving! Beer! Pie-eating contest! Beer! Yo-Yo Man! Beer! Tomorrow's Oktoberfest Tacoma has all of these fine things, but, most importantly, it has beer. Lots of beer. For a complete list of beers, check out our earlier blog post on the event.

I dropped by Amocat Café this morning to grab Oktoberfest Tacoma insider's tips from organizer Morgan Alexander. He came up with three tips.

Tip #1: Get your tickets early. It's like getting free beer. Tickets are $12 through Brown Paper Tickets, Amocat Café or 99 Bottles in Federal Way. Tickets are $18 at the event. The ticket includes five generous tastings.

Tip #2: If you like free pie, register for the pie-eating contest. The pies will be either blackberry or blueberry. And first pie finished wins a prize.

Tip #3: Get to the event early - the first 100 receive free collectors buttons for the event, which were designed by James Stowe.

[Opera Alley, Saturday, Oct. 1, 2-10 p.m., $12-$18 includes five tastings, Seventh and Opera Alley, downtown Tacoma, oktoberfesttacoma.com]

ROCK THE VOTE (OR WHATEVER) >>>

Every odd-number year Tacomans vote to determine which citizens will fill available seats on the Tacoma School Board, City Council, Parks Board, Port Commission and Civil Service Board. Often these campaigns can seem like nothing more than halftime acts between even-year elections, when citizens vote on the flashier county, state and federal positions.

I'll grant you that the even-year election positions have more "clout." However, consider the importance of the Tacoma School Board over these past few weeks during the turbulent negotiations with teachers. Consider the influence the Tacoma City Council has on our lives as they wield the city's budget and prepare to hire a new city manager. I don't mean to be preachy, only to remind readers these elections are important.

The field of candidates this year is quite strong. But the fundamental differences between the competing candidates aren't likely to be revealed in the voters' pamphlet. In even-year races, campaigns - largely due to contributing statewide special interest groups - have the financial means to deliver a great deal of information right to your doorstep (your mailbox, actually). But odd-year campaigns don't have large budgets. To truly glean information about these candidates you'll likely have to make more of an effort than you do in even-year elections. In my opinion the best way to truly get a read on the field and determine which candidate is right for you is to attend a candidate forum.

It just so happens there are a few candidate forums coming up in the next month (there was one last night, for instance, at Shakabrah Java). I encourage you to attend, especially if you're unfamiliar with the field. Don't underestimate the importance of these elections, and please understand that while many of these candidates don't have the means to reach out to you, they are eager to be heard.

Upcoming Candidate Forums

Oct. 10: North End City Council, School Board, Metro Parks Board candidates at the University of Puget Sound at 6 p.m.

Oct. 13: City Council Candidates at Carwein Auditorium (UWT) at 7 p.m.

Oct. 19: City Council, School Board, Metro Parks Board Candidates at Moore Library at 6 p.m.

"BOOM" BOOM" ON SIXTH AVENUE >>>

Classic rock is the dinosaur that refuses to die, and Tacoma always seems happy to take on these guys - the many, the stoned, the deaf - and give them a room for a night. See Emerald Queen Casino.

One such dinosaur is in Tacoma tonight. Bluesy classic rocker Pat Travers - born in Toronto on April 12, 1954 - will rock The Backstage Bar & Grill around 10:30 p.m. with three opening bands, which I couldn't nail down the names. Tickets are $20.

Travers first picked up the guitar just prior to entering his teens, after catching Jimi Hendrix in concert. It wasn't long before Travers was paying his dues playing in bar bands in the Quebec area.

Most remember Travers for his 1979 Go For What You Know record - a live recording that featured most of Travers' key work to that point. It was a tribute to big, blues driven rock everywhere, and, among other things, inspired a whole generation of air guitarists.  Among axe-aficionados, Go For What You Know is still considered one of the better live albums of all time.

Of course that album was made some time ago, but tonight's crowd at the Backstage can likely expect at least a glimpse of this magic.

[Backstage Bar & Grill, Friday, Sept. 30, 9 p.m., $20, 6409 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.564.0149]