WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Occupy Halloween Parties: Tacoma Halloween party picked up by The Association Press. (Montgomery Advertiser)

Third Quarter Monster Ball: Third quarter projects reveal show the City of Tacoma is in a world of hurt with a $26 million shortfall in its general fund budget. (News Tribune)

Go South Sumner!: The Pierce County Council gives the City of Sumner a thumbs up to extend the urban-growth boundary southward into an area of rich farmland. (News Tribune)

Occupy Pain: Authorities arrested Occupy Wall Street protesters in California and Georgia on Tuesday, with police in Oakland using tear gas on demonstrators. (CNN)

Absurdity Of Life: 92-year-old Andy Rooney hospitalized. (Wavy)

127 Seconds: James Franco recorded video of himself reading a short story in bed. (Flavorwire)

Meanies: Warner Bros. will yank all Harry Potter DVDs out of circulation before New Year's Eve. (Latino Review)

Wild Boy: Duran Duran's Simon Le Bon is chatty. (Village Voice)

It's Hump Day. Boy, could we use a dance battle.

COMEDY IN A BOX >>>

Back for its fourth season, the Washington Center for the Performing Arts' Comedy in the Box series opens this year's schedule Thursday with Pittsburgh native Eddie Ifft, who has probably been heckled in at least a dozen different languages. That happens when you headline comedy shows in 17 different countries.

Ifft's resume is about as eclectic as they come, billed in pre-event hype as a comedian who has "hosted Shark Week, spent a season as the ABC College Football Guy, earned a job as ‘man-on-the-street' on the Queen Latifah show, and was co-host of a sports radio show on New York's legendary WNEW."

He also used his globetrotting to make America: The Punchline, a documentary featuring interviews with comedians and others about their perception of America.

Technically, this show can't be called Comedy In A Box as the Washington Center moved it from its Black Box Theater into the larger Mainstage due to the show's ticket sales.

[Washington Center for the Performing Arts, Thursday, Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m., $15, 21+, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8585]

OH, YOU CAN EAT THESE >>>

Thing: Edible bakery oddities

Made by: Kim Alexander

Business began: Just this year

Already: Balls to the wall busy

Can't say I'm not: A little creeped out

By: Her creations

That: You're supposed to eat

And: Her giddy attitude

At: Something so wrong

I mean, really: Ogre Toes?

And: Witch's Digits?

Tasting like: Almond or maple?

She's: nuts.

What creeped me out the most in the whole scenario was the sheer pleasure Kim Alexander exuded at the thought of making hundreds upon hundreds of popcorn balls that resembled bloody dragon eyeballs.

Alexander must've had a traumatic childhood.  I can only imagine. At what point in life did she decide it would be a good idea to make something so damn ugly that tastes oh so incredibly delicious? 

Discover the story behind her Scrumpalicious Novelty Bakery Arts here.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Johnathon in response to our Bar & Club listing for The Right Spot in Fife.

Johnathon writes,

This a great bar..happy hour 3pm to 7pm and again starts back up at 9pm to close..7days a week..great sports bar.

THURSDAY, OCT. 27, 2011 >>>

1. While the Weekly Volcano occasional dips its toe in a department store (here's looking at you, Saks!), there's nothing like the rush we get from uncovering a hidden treasure at a local mom-and-pop or specialty boutique. So after you've thumbed through Vogue, Nylon, Elle, or wherever you go for your style fix, check out a local take on fall fashion from the cool kids at The Salon Professional Academy. From 6:30-8:30 p.m. you may enjoy a fun, flashy New York-style runway fashion show benefiting the YWCA Pierce County ($10). You'll admire the work of the academy's cosmetology and aesthetics students as well as 10 RAGS Wearable Art Sale artists (yes, their work will be available for sale).

2. The Sixth Avenue Progressive Dinner visits Marrow, Medi's and Studio 6 Ballroom at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Dance to jazz and blues by Maia Santell & House Blend from 8-10 p.m. at Studio 6.

3. At Bates Technical College you can learn a lot of things. Welding. Commercial truck driving. Sheet metal technology. Early childhood education. Even how to be a barber. And on Thursday, Bates will diversify the educational opportunities it offers even more, hosting a "Hoptoberfest" event - designed to educate the masses on the pairing possibilities of beer. According to hype, "Bates' culinary arts students will prepare and serve guests a five-course gourmet meal. Each dish will be partnered with flavorful brews from New Belgium Brewing, home of perennial favorite Fat Tire Amber Ale." The event starts at 6 p.m. at Bates' downtown Tacoma campus and tickets run $40 - which goes to Bates scholarships for students in need.

4. Unless you're of the Folger's drip tribe, you know good coffee is an art - a mercurial mix of water, finely ground beans and flavoring. The folks at Bluebeard Coffee will showcase this art form beginning at 6:30 p.m. when dozens of hirsute non-bikini-clad baristas battle for latte art honors while the rest of us drink beer. Watch the fine hands of the baristas as they shake the milk pitcher before pouring it onto the espresso. Presto, there's a leaf on your cup. Or - if you like - a feather. Could it even be a whirlwind? Look hard enough and you might even see Van Gogh's ear. Check it!

5. If there's one thing the Weekly Volcano has learned this past year, the Tacoma Thursday Runners are freakin' nuts. Running 3 miles in pink tutus like they just don't care. Oh good lord. Well, Halloween is basically upon us and it's Thursday. Appropriately, the Thursday Runners will meet at 6:30 p.m. in front of Hell's Kitchen for their weekly 3-mile jaunt - this time with more bed sheets with holes cut out for eyes. And if timed right, the Runners will be in the Kitchen when Led Zeppelin tribute band Kashmir hits the stage. Ah ah aaaaaaaaaah ah!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Happy hours!

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

The Importance of Being Earnest Money: University Place Town Center is back on (News Tribune)

Tacoma Vs. Spokane: News Tribune columnist Peter Callaghan sends Tacoma self-deprecating care package to a Spokesman-Review columnist. (The Spokesman-Review)

The Terrible Economy Hasn't Pummeled Everyone: Exxon Mobil rode higher oil and natural gas prices to a third-quarter profit of $10.3 billion - a surge of 41 percent from a year earlier. (CNNMoney)

Social Media Shitstorm: ChapStick chaps some hides. (Ad Week)

Will Ferrell Love Fest: Famous people salute the actor. (Vulture)

Happy 60th Birthday: Chattering teeth. (boing boing)

Worst Music Video Of All Time (according to I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution)

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.

Q&A INTERVIEW: JOAN RIVERS

Since her days on The Tonight Show in the 1970s, Joan Rivers has been a comedic icon. Now 78, Rivers, as captured in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (last year's film documentary about her life) seems to fear just one thing: a blank calendar. Co-host of E! Entertainment TV's Fashion Police, she also stars with her daughter, Melissa, on their reality show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? - which has been renewed for its second season on WE network starting in January. When not lambasting celebs for their sartorial mishaps or videotaping Melissa in the shower, Rivers travels the country performing stand-up. Ahead of her gig Nov. 4 at the Pantages, Rivers dished with the Weekly Volcano.... - Heather Robinson

Q&A INTERVIEW: MARGARET CHO

As the cliché goes, "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." And such is the case with Margaret Cho, who somehow parlayed the poignant failures of her early career - namely, the cancellation of '90s sitcom All American Girl, a gig that, literally, almost killed her - into one of the most successful standup careers of the last decade.

Friday night, Cho will bring her raunchy comedic stylings to Grit City for the first time as she headlines Broadway Center's Pantages Theater. We caught up with her to mark the occasion.

But for reasons that will soon become apparent, we must add the disclaimer that the Volcano has ABSOLUTELY no insider knowledge of who any of this year's presidential candidates are sleeping with.

Or to put it more bluntly, please don't sue us, Rick Perry. ... -- Ernest A. Jasmin

VISUAL EDGE: LARGE GROUP SHOW AT CHILDHOOD'S END GALLERY

(Beth Brooks' "Market Day": It's so Degas. Courtesy photo)

The first works I noticed were a group of etched copper wall pieces by Shelly Carr. Each consists of square and rectangular copper plates etched with drawings (or perhaps photographs that have been etched into the surface) of things like street signs, random words, parts of buildings and bicycles put together like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The arrangement of the pieces and subtle variations in color and texture are visually pleasing, but the imagery seems superfluous. When the overall affect is an abstract arrangement of colors, shapes and textures that is pleasing to the eye, which these are, the imposition of recognizable imagery becomes a distracting gimmick. These pieces work best when seen from enough distance to appreciate the overall patterns. ... -- Alec Clayton

THEATER: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Despite three good actors and a director I respect, signs augured trouble as the metaphorical curtain rose on Theater Artists Olympia's co-production (with the Outfit Theatre Project) of The Hound of the Baskervilles in TAO's quirky new digs, the Eagles Ballroom basement.

I relaxed within seconds, I'm happy to report, because Baskervilles is instantly funny and stays that way. It owes as much to Monty Python's Flying Circus as it does to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you've seen Shakespeare Abridged or, for that matter, Airplane, you have a feel for its tone: linear narrative cohesion has been sacrificed gleefully at the altar of one goofy joke after another. It even follows the Shakespeare Abridged model to the extent of restaging previous scenes in fast-forward, probably in the hope that this will help us make sense of the plot. It almost does. ... -- Christian Carvajal

PLUS: More Local Theater Coverage Than You Can Shake a Stick At

PLUS: Comprehensive Arts & Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Halloween Costume Ideas

VOLCANO MUSIC >>>

It's true. The kicker to this week's Volcano (which hit streets today) is the dual Q&A interviews with comedians Margaret Cho and Joan Rivers. Honestly, it's not every day you get a chance to chat it up with TWO comedy icons. And it makes for a pretty spectacular paper this week.

But, as always, music is still a huge part of this week's Volcano package (cue sophomoric snickering). When it comes to covering local music in the South Sound, no one does it better or with more authority than the Weekly Volcano - and this week is no different.

Here's a look at the musical goodness waiting for you in print & online ...

FEATURE: DEATH BY STARS

The string of words that make up the name Death By Stars sounds at once full of portent and utterly frivolous. This dichotomy seems to seep into and help define the band's music as well. Combining the biggest, most direct qualities of punk, electronica and psych-rock, the band has cooked up a cutting, immediately hooky sound. There's an invigorating quality to Death By Stars that seems to transcend their basic formula of spacey, psychedelia-informed vocals encased in programmed beats, exploding into life-sized dance-punk refrains. In a live setting, Death By Stars veers into performance art territory, with light shows and costumes. It's a delirious soup - all surface, really. But what a surface it is. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

DAMAGE REPORT: AMERICAN WRECKING CO. & MORE ...

American Wrecking Company has a brand new EP out called Force (x) Mass (=) Acceleration, and jeez does it rip! Masterful production from the fine folks at Pacific Studios makes this local CD really stand out. When I heard the first track, "Collapsed," the song was so fast and brutal I thought the CD was skipping. Nope! The band was just getting the shredding thrash going with new vocalist T.J. (Ex-De-KreP-iT), who really surprised me. I can actually understand what he's saying! And boy is he pissed! "New Birth" is a great breakup song - the polar opposite of sappy. "Start a War," "Vicious" and "Invaded" continue the assault, reminding me a bit of the debut Slipknot CD, without the crappy rap-rock elements and double the rage and fury. Pick up this CD and find out for yourself. ... -- Jason McKibbin

HIP-HOP: CLEMM RISHAD & MORE ...

Could the biggest MC from Tacoma be someone ya never heard about? I think it could, and his name is Clemm Rishad.

Rishad has been the Boy Wonder of Tacoma rap ever since his days at Foss High School, circa the early-to-mid 2000's. He's been respected by other MCs in the local scene for at least that long. While he never really did enough local shows to get noticed by the populace, he was so good that he did get noticed by Universal. The label signed Rishad to a deal and he's been ghostwriting verses for literally the top rappers on the national level for a couple years now.

In a sense, Rishad skipped the local scene and kind of went straight to the top.

Rishad just dropped a slick-looking video for the song "Back to the Paper." The video highlights Rishad's rise, showing him pushing CDs locally all the way to walking into the Universal Building signifying his deal. ... -- Josh Rizeberg

WE RECOMMEND: PETER WOLF CRIER

There's a marshal beat that overtakes Peter Wolf Crier, filling the insides and edges of the band's songs with a stuttering, clanging rhythm. These are break beats that fizzle and surge beneath the kind of tuneful indie rock that has come to be expected from the Jagjaguwar label. The juxtaposition presented with Peter Wolf Crier can be, at times, frustrating, and still otherwise compelling. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

PLUS: Better Living Through Music - CFA, Night of the Living Tribute Bands ...

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: Live Local Music Calendar

PLUS: Crazy Stuff

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 53, lo 44

Saturday: Cloudy, hi 57, lo 43

Sunday: More rain, hi 51, lo 43

>>> FRIDAY, OCT. 28: FALL BREW FEST

Your routine come fall is fairly predictable. The flannel shirts come out. Your motivation level slows to that of a nearly-hibernating American black bear. And your consumption of beer goes WAY up. That's why Friday's annual Fall Brew Fest at Varsity Grill in downtown Tacoma is so perfect for you. Entry fee earns you nine fall beer samples, a variety of appetizers and all sorts of fun. Plus, 950 AM KJR sports radio will be broadcasting live until 7 p.m., and the always awesome RockBot live-band karaoke will take over after that. A good time will be had by all.

• Varsity Grill, 5:30-8:30 p.m., $10-$15, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229

>>> FRIDAY, OCT. 28: WALKING WITH ERIK HANBERG

On Friday the Downtown On The Go-sponsored fall walking series will conclude with a stroll from downtown to Hilltop with Metro Parks Commissioner and City Club Executive Director Erik Hanberg. Yes, it's true, you probably remember visiting with Hanberg in a park not long ago. Now is your chance to walk with him in the flesh. Ask questions. Keep pace. Compliment his beard. The world is your walkable oyster. Friday's walk meets at noon and begins at 11th and Broadway in front of the Woolworth Building

• Woolworth Buidling, meets at noon, free, 11th and Broadway, Tacoma,downtownonthego.org

>>> SATURDAY OCT. 29: 3 GLORIAS FLAMENCO EN VIVO

For the uninitiated, there are apparently three main components of flamenco: cante (voice), toque (guitar) and baile (dance). From what we understand it takes all three to make flamenco magic, and that's just what 3 Glorias Flamenco en Vivo should offer up Saturday at the Broadway Center in Tacoma. Bringing singer Saray Muñoz (all the way from Spain) to the stage, along with accompaniment from renowned guitarist Pedro Cortes, 3 Glorias Flamenco en Vivo should entertain and provide a bit of culture - which is way better than anything another Saturday night in front of the boob tube is going to do for you.

• Theatre on the Square, 8 p.m., $12-$25, 915 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

>>> THROUGH NOV. 6: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Despite three good actors and a director I respect, signs augured trouble as the metaphorical curtain rose on Theater Artists Olympia's co-production (with the Outfit Theatre Project) of The Hound of the Baskervilles in TAO's quirky new digs, the Eagles Ballroom basement. I relaxed within seconds, I'm happy to report, because Baskervilles is instantly funny and stays that way. It owes as much to Monty Python's Flying Circus as it does to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you've seen Shakespeare Abridged or, for that matter, Airplane, you have a feel for its tone: linear narrative cohesion has been sacrificed gleefully at the altar of one goofy joke after another. It even follows the Shakespeare Abridged model to the extent of restaging previous scenes in fast-forward, probably in the hope that this will help us make sense of the plot. It almost does. ... -- Christian Carvajal

• Eagles Ballroom basement, 8 p.m. Fri-Sat, 2 p.m. Sun, $12, 805 N. Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.790.1138

>>> SUNDAY, OCT. 30: LE NOIR BIZARRE

Julia Jones may have found Tacoma's Halloween Pulse. She's the mind behind Le Noir Bizarre, a three-floor, dark holiday extravaganza happening Sunday at Sanford and Son Antiques. Jones has a couple dozen craftspeople, performers and assorted weirdoes lined up for this romanced/goth/steampunk celebration, and promises there will be plenty of skulls, goggles, lace, fire, demons, devils and tons of stuff made from pieces of animals and old clocks.  Surprisingly, Le Noir Bizarre does not translate as "the new weird." It means "The Dark Market," which only describes about half of what Jones has lined up. Expect all sorts of creepy and mysterious goodness. To read Paul Schrag's full feature, click here.

• Sanford & Son Antiques, noon to 5 p.m., 744 Commerce St., Tacoma
  lenoirbizarre.com

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
I'm going to see the Folk Treasures of Mexico at Tacoma Art Museum.

.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music & Features Writer
This weekend will be a mad dash to try and fit in as many Halloween-y shows as possible. In addition to the shows I wrote about, there's the Nightmare on 25th St. DJ show at the New Frontier, and Not From Brooklyn, I Will Keep Your Ghost, Umber Sleeping at the Space--all on Saturday, to say nothing of the Night of the Living Tribute Bands in Olympia. Tough call.

BRETT CIHON Features Writer/Meat Market Correspondent
Halloween is like the meat market's Christmas. Sexy costume this and sexy costume that. Tacoma clubs, here I come.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
It's my first Halloween weekend off in nine years! So Saturday night me and the hubs are gonna hit every party in town, especially The Brotherhood's Halloween Bash! I'm dressing as Flo from the Progressive commercials and he's Keith Stone from the Keystone commercials. Together, we're gonna bundle that smoothness. Cheers!

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
Amanda and I are finally going on our honeymoon! We're flying to Orlando this weekend, where we'll catch Blue Man Group and occupy Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios plus Islands of Adventure and all four boroughs of Disney World. Y? Because we like to.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
My amazing husband snagged a Living Social (or Groupon or something) for a family getaway to Vancouver, BC where we will eat crepes and do some shopping on Robson Street. The drive there and back will be the most amount of time our nearly 15 month old will have spent strapped to a car seat. Thankfully, he doesn't know how to say, "Are we there yet?"

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Food & Lifestyles Writer
Friday Forum luncheon at the LDS church. Homework. October birthdays dinner that night. Homework. Gladiator Run event in Kent Saturday morning with "Team Stinkin Rushforth Wheels." Homework. Wedding reception that evening. Homework. Church on Sunday. Fall into an exhausted comma Sunday night. Homework.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I will be doing the St. Mary's Harvest Fest and the Marcus Walker Way dedication at Lakewood Playhouse with the kids on Friday, the Comcast movie morning at the Grand Cinema Saturday, followed by the Tacoma Youth Choir family performance in the afternoon and the "Bogey men and Beaver Pelts" ghost stories at Fort Nisqually that night. Sunday will bring church and a screening of "Puss in Boots 3-D" in the comfy chairs at the Lakewood Towne Center.

STEPH DEROSA Person, Place or Thing Correspondent
Believe it or not, I will be participating in the Gladiator Rock N Run this Saturday at Kent Speedways.  (And I use the word "participating" loosely.)  I am part Team Stinkin' Rushforth Wheels.  If you can guess which two business entities developed our team name I will award you with a lavish tongue kiss just moments after eating forty cloves of raw garlic and a bag or Doritos.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

ROCK A BYE DEAD MAN >>>

Over the years, I have seen countless versions of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, from student productions to community theater to national tour companies.

I have never seen a film noir rock opera about a detective and a police officer who are summoned to an old dark house to investigate the murder of a commissioner.

That's the premise of Director Joseph Kephart's rock opera Rock a Bye Dead Man.

Who in the hell do you think you are ... Kephart?

He's a Tacoman with a lifelong passion for art and film. And he's rallied his brother, John Kephart, and friends singer Darryl Small and drummerRich Bundy to form a core group for the project.

In the film, the detective and police offer become entangled in a web of deceit among the guests, and are forced to confront the supernatural presence within the dark manor – while a group of Tacoma musicians rock out the soundtrack. The short film project includes musicians and cast members from Tacoma entities such as bands as The Plastards, The Kim Archer Band, Taist of Iron and Prometheus, as well as actors from local productions of Guys and Dolls, Brigadoon, Hello Dolly and Les Vampyres: Thrice Bitten.

With filming to begin shortly, I juggled a few questions with the four main characters behind the Tacoma film.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What was the impetus for making the film?

JOE KEPHART: I wanted to do something different. I enjoy juxtaposing different genres, in this case rock opera and film-noir, into something new.

RICH BUNDY: Filmmaking is the ultimate way of telling stories. Putting audio and visuals together.

DARRYL SMALL: And smells.

JOE KEPHART: Smell-o-rama.

SMALL: The farmer plants his seeds, nurtures the tree, waters the tree, for the only joy that farmer is going to get out of his tree is sharing his fruit with the world.

VOLCANO: How did you come upon these characters? Why a musical?

JOE KEPHART: I took the majority of these characters from the classic Hollywood whodunnit - the butler, the maid, the widow.

JOHN KEPHART: So you plagiarized them?

JOE KEPHART: I was inspired by the characters from the Hollywood whodunnit, I should've said.  As for why a musical, we consider it to be an "opera" in that it's all singing, no dialogue.

SMALL: A rock opera!

VOLCANO: What was your biggest challenge in making the film ... so far?

JOE KEPHART: Location.

SMALL: Location, location, location!

JOHN KEPHART: In other words, we're having a little trouble finding a house with all the features we're looking for.

VOLCANO: Will you take the band created for this film on tour?

BUNDY: Due to the fact that we have lives and jobs and the sheer number of people involved, it probably would not be possible.

JOE KEPHART: What a downer you are.

BUNDY: The movie would really have to take off, and if someone came along and offered us a large amount of money, then that might be different.

SMALL: We're holding out for the Japan tour.

VOLCANO: Rock a Bye Dead Man live at Budokon. 

Rock a Bye Dead Man is the definition of a grass roots endeavor, which requires a lot of fundraising. To learn more about this homegrown project, and to contribute to its Kickstarter, go to www.rockabyedeadman.com.

And keep you eye on the butler.

LINK: These guys were on Northwest Convergence Zone