ADVICE GODDESS RADIO >>>

Nationally syndicated advice columnist and author Amy Alkon (I See Rude People) graces more than 100 newspapers across the U.S., including your beloved Weekly Volcano. Apparently her Advice Goddess column is going global. Alkon will now take your questions and advice requests and bat around issues on love, dating, sex, relationships and manners from 7-8 p.m. every Sunday on her new Internet call-in advice radio show.

You may call Advice Goddess Radio live Sunday at 347.326.9761.

You may listen at this link starting at 7 p.m. Pacific Time Sunday.

There will also be a podcast you can download later here.

LINK: Read her columns

NOT JUST FOR SNOBS >>>

What pairs best with salmon, a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot? And what is the best wine to serve with pork. Red or white?

As it turns out, questions like these aren't just for wine snobs. According to Nick Coughran, the owner of Tacoma's Cork Wine Bar, learning about wine can be a leisurely, fun-loving experience. Also an experience perfectly suited for singles.

"At wine tasting events, you get the opportunity not only to learn about the wine, but also to talk and interact with those around you," says Coughran.

Wine tasting events are offered in many places around the South Sound. From leisurely tableside events to more formal tasting rooms, wine tastings teach the basics of wine, such as the difference in grape varietals, understanding a wine label and to how to properly taste the wine. Most wine tastings are suitable for novice wine drinkers and foster a friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere. 

"These are comfortable settings," says Coughran. "There are no bad questions."

Cork offers a tableside wine tasting event every Thursday night. Throughout the night, patrons are served three or four different types of wine. They are told about each wine and how it might pair with something on the menu. The wine tasting is free with the purchase of a meal, and full glasses of are available for a special price.

Throughout the night, Coughran encourages wine tasters to give feedback about the wine. 

"It becomes an opportunity for us to get feedback from our customers," says Coughran. "They get to tell us what they like and don't like about the wine."

Coughran believes Cork's Thursday night tastings make for a great first date. The friendly, interactive atmosphere can go a long way toward breaking the ice associated with first-time romantic meetings. Wine tastings automatically provide ready-made topics of conversation.

"By tasting wine with a date or a partner, you already have a shared topic of conversation," says Coughran.

For those interested in formal, sit down wine tasting classes, Coughran says Cork offers larger, private events for groups. He recommends Wildside Wine, Wine Bank and Pour at Four for weekly or monthly wine tasting classes. But for those just getting into tasting their wine, he said a tableside tasting is more than adequate. Plus, cork has recently started pairing wines with Dulce Cupcakes for Thursday night deserts. A treat, Coughran says, that's a can't miss.

And with Cork's food menu starting at just $8, it's also a fairly inexpensive way to dip a toe into the wine tasting world.

"I hope more and more singles get out here," says Coughran. "It's a nice casual time."

[Cork Wine Bar, wine tasting every Thursday night, 606 N. State St., Tacoma, 253.212.5593]

LINK: South Sound wine tastings, deals and events

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from Voodoo-Rabbits in response to a blog post from May on Motopony's "King of Diamonds" video.

Voodoo-Rabbits writes,

Well said Steve...Mr. wtf should A.) Get with the 21st Century B.) Let go of the homophobia (real men don't suffer from this weakness) as negative emotions kill us a little each day from the inside out. C.) Judge the music and not a possibly true or false connotation. D.) All of the above (this is a trick question...lol). Rob Halford is openly gay and I still think Judas Priest was awesome...grow up wtf...

THURSDAY, OCT. 13, 2011 >>>

1. There's something to be said for how far a modicum of confident swagger will take you. Rooftop Warrior understands this principle and uses it to good effect when it employs classic-rock-indebted gutter-blues tonight at Hell's Kitchen. Vigilante Sol and Devil On A Leash join the 6 p.m. bill, which is free.

2. Tacoma's Toy Boat Theatre Company opens The Zoo Story at 7 p.m. in its Spaceworks Tacoma spot on Hilltop Tacoma. The play, which explores newly relevant themes of isolation, loneliness, and dehumanization in a volatile and unstable world, serves as the theatrical centerpiece for an evening that begins with a "zoo-themed" dinner (think hot dog cart, popcorn stand, standard day-at-the-park fare) and ends with live music by a series of dynamic local artists.

3. Want to see and hear Karen Smitherman and Anders Ibsen face off? Want to see Ryan Mello tell it how it is? Want to see David Boe and Mike Hardy spar on the tough issues, like whether those stoned on weed are easier to deal with than drunks? You'll have just such a chance today as the University of Washington Tacoma sponsors and hosts a Tacoma City Council candidates roundtable forum, moderated by the League of Women Voters and presented by UWT's Politics Philosophy and Economics faculty and Student Club beginning at 7 p.m. inside the UW-Tacoma's Carwein Auditorium. Get out. Get informed. And then vote in November.

4. The Pacific Lutheran University Theater Department opens its brand new studio theater at 7:30 p.m. with The Fantasticks, the story of a young boy and girl who fall madly in love at the hands of their meddling parents, but soon grow restless and stray from one another.

5. The Surreal Ultra Lounge in downtown Tacoma hosts a 9:30 p.m. hip-hop/R&B after party for the early Nate Jackson Comedy Show, which is hosted at the Varsity Grill. Everyone enters with a smile; many leave with two smiles.

PLUS: Check out the free archery lesson today in our Freeloaders

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Kids These Days: Cost per kid at Remann Hall juvenile detention center has dramatically risen in the past decade while the number of residents has declined. (News Tribune)

Cars Vs Guns: Tacoma police shot and injured a man last night after he refused to pull over. (News Tribune)

Highway 101 Shake: A magnitude 5.3 earthquake jolted an area about 140 miles off the southern Oregon coast last night. (News Tribune)

Blackout Berry: BlackBerry says service is fully restored. (CNN)

Best News Ever: HBO has renewed Boardwalk Empire. (Comingsoon.net)

Don't Panic!: Widespread Panic is not breaking up. (Billboard)

Effed Up: Bookstore chains (like Barnes & Noble) are pulling DC graphic novels because of DC's exclusive deal with the Kindle Fire. (Robot 6)

Of Course Gossip Girl Is On The List: The 10 most annoying characters on TV right now. (Flavorwire)

Halloween: 15 freaky crafts. (Blastr)

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: Dark magic

Authors have book readings. Painters have exhibitions. So why don't more indie moviemakers have public showings of their works beyond a film festival setting? Finding an appropriate and affordable venue is just one hurdle to overcome. The real struggle may reside within the artist himself: he thinks he hasn't enough films completed to sufficiently occupy an audience's time, and even if he does, who would care?

Olympia's Mutually Assured Productions doesn't have these problems. Instead the group secured a venue - the West Side Bar and Grill in Olympia - for Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. For the past several years Mutually Assured Productions has been quietly at work, adding short after short to its stockpile. This weekend they show off the best in a roughly 90-minute program that includes The Van Job, A Bullet Riddled Atheist and The Man Upstairs, Senator Feelgood, and Pacifica: The Biggest Stick. The evening wraps with a premiere of MAP's latest, Missed Connection. ... -- Christopher Wood

VISUAL EDGE: 9th Annual Juried Exhibition at Tacoma Community College

"The Couple": Acrylic painting by Barlow Palminteri Courtesy the gallery at TCC

On the upside there are exciting pieces by Ron Hinson and Barlow Palminteri, whose two-man show at South Puget Sound Community College last year was probably the best of the year outside of major museum exhibitions. In this show, Palminteri has a painting called "The Couple," which is a cluttered studio scene with chairs stacked in front of easels and a barely seen artist dressed all in blue with paint brush in hand. The couple of the title is hinted at but not actually shown. Other than the artist, who is shown only from chest down, the only human presence is in the painting-within-a- painting of an artist's hand. There are two versions of this little painting, both stacked on chairs in the studio. At first glance this painting looked far more chaotic than the carefully composed pictures I've come to expect from Palminteri, but on closer inspection it becomes clear that a composition centered on the blue pants and shirt of the artist brings order to the chaos. ... -- Alec Clayton

FEATURE: ROTATOR DEBUTS

ROTATOR celebrates its first issue Friday at Fulcrum Gallery in Tacoma.

ROTATOR, set to debut this week, is at once a periodical and a piece of art. Headed up by Lance Kagey, Tom Llewellen and the collaborative efforts of plenty of other local talent, ROTATOR will cover topics relevant to the Pacific Northwest, largely focused on urban life. Its creators refer to it as a "quarterly portfolio of Pacific Northwest anti-suburban arts and industry."

Aside from Llewellen and Kagey, ROTATOR will incorporate letterpress printers, illustrators, graphic designers, photographers and videographers. "Arguably some of the best in the region," offers Kagey. This ragtag collection of artists was brought together by a love of design and print. It's also true that many have worked together on other projects. ... -- Kristen Kendle

PLUS: More local theater coverage than you can shake a stick at

PLUS: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Questionable stuff like this

YOUR DAILY GUIDE TO THE 2011 TACOMA FILM FESTIVAL >>>

Tonight The Grand Cinema folks will sweep the popcorn, scrap the gum off the seats and flick the lights off on another Tacoma Film Festival. Finishing out its sixth year, The Grand decided to go out with a Pacific Northwest bang. The closing film will be Seattle filmmaker Megan Griffiths's The Off Hours, the story of a 20-something waitress unsure of what she wants out of life but increasingly certain that the answer will not come from the lonesome derelicts that populate her small joyless world.

Before Griffiths's flick, another Pacific Northwest filmmaker Kristi L. Simkins will screen her three-minute Something Special about a young war veteran exploring the wilds of New Zealand to fulfill the last wish of a close friend who died in combat.

Both filmmakers will be in the house tonight.

2011 Tacoma Film festival Closing Night

Thursday, Oct. 13, 6:30 p.m., $15-$18
The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett Ave., Tacoma
252.593.4474

For a complete list of today's films, click here.

LINK: 2011 TFF award winners

LINK: Opening Night Gala photos

LINK: Three stories behind the stories

LINK: Big stars at the Tacoma Film Festival 2011

LINK: Our Tacoma Film Festival preview

LINK: TFF Director Emily Alm's picks

LINK: TFF on twitter 

LINK: TFF website

THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO IS AWESOME >>>

Honestly, it was hard to concentrate this week. With all the time I spent organizing the new South Sound chapter of the Tim Tebow fan club, it was nearly impossible for me to give my full attention to this week's Volcano.

Luckily,  the Volcano's music writers are trained professionals. While I might be easily distracted by a handsome, non-aborted left-hander with an awkward throwing motion and a lot of heart, the Volcano's music scribes surely are not. They keep their nose to the grindstone.

Here's a look at the musical goodness headed your way in print & online in this week's Volcano ...

FEATURE: The Bismarck loves the riffage  

True to the name, the Bismarck is made up of friends who met while growing up in North Dakota, though the band was formed in 2002 after they had all individually made the trip to the Pacific Northwest. Bismarck's songs are raucous, jumpy affairs, dominated by overdriven guitars and an unerring sense of energetic urgency. To describe the band as punk would be incorrect, though the Bismarck does seem to embrace a DIY spirit and a fuck-you attitude (at least musically). Mostly, it just seems like Bismarck values noise and the very real possibility of damaging eardrums as much as classic rock structures. This also helps to explain why the vocals seem to have an insistent and frequently futile desire to rise above the music.

"I would say that the entire vocal structure is an afterthought," says Marshall. "It literally gets written after the rest of the song is done. ... Usually what happens with lyrics is we get a concept for either a phrase someone said, or a concept based on the song title, and we just build on that. We definitely concentrate more on the riffage, as the kids call it." ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

HIP-HOP: Young Krime, a.k.a. Ghetto Baby, Illizm, Sonny Bonoho

To start off the new season, check out Illizm's video for "Dark," featuring Young Krime, a.k.a. Ghetto Baby. Ya'll can YouTube it. Technically the video's not new, but I just came across it.

It also gives me a good excuse to speak on Young Krime, a.k.a. Ghetto Baby. Some may remember when he was Felony Entertainment's flagship artist. For those not in the know, Felony Entertainment was one the most successful Tacoma hip-hop labels in the late '90s, and it's still in existence. Felony Entertainment brought us artists like Awall, a.k.a 2-Piece and Skirt Diggla. ... -- Josh Rizebeg

PUNK: The Load Levelers

Was it always destined that bluegrass and punk would make such a happy marriage? In hindsight, it seems like a natural fit, but the first person to bring a banjo or washboard into a punk band had to have had such brilliant intuition. The Load Levelers continue in this tradition, slamming together the most recognizable tropes from punk and Southern music into a freakish amalgam that also finds the time to inject some speed metal into the affair. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

PLUS: Better Living Through Music - Violin vs. Vinyl, Voxxy Vallejo, Side Show Spook-tacular

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: Live Local Music Calendar

PLUS: Nonsense

CITY LAUNCHES NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE >>>

Can't live without knowing the Tacoma City Council agenda before Tuesday night? Want to find out who the Tacoma Police have chase dup a tree? Need to know if Tacoma Community Relations Manager Rob McNair-Huff ran 10 or 15 miles home on a dark Wednesday night?

The City of Tacoma now has a new, free electronic news service that has this and much more for anyone with an email address.

Let's read a press release:

The easy to use, online service is offered through the City's website and enables residents to choose the information they wish to receive about City projects, development, initiatives, public safety and more. ??Subscribers to the service simply select from various topics of interest and when the relevant information is updated on the City website, they receive instant, automated email alerts or wireless notifications. As a result, residents save time and stay better informed.

To subscribe, go to the City's website www.cityoftacoma.org, register and choose topics of interest. Once subscribed, City news and updates will be emailed directly to the subscriber.

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy, hi 58, lo 42

Saturday: Chance of sun, hi 59, lo 42

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 57, lo 43

>>> OCT. 14-16: GIG HARBOR FILM FEST

Just can't get enough local film festival action? Neither can we. That's why we'll pony up the bridge tolls this weekend to venture to Gig Harbor, where the annual Gig Harbor Film Festival will run all weekend. An endearingly quaint endeavor, despite the cushy, stadium style seats of the festival's home (the Galaxy Theatre at Uptown), the Gig Harbor Film Festival shines a spotlight on independent film while simultaneously inviting the entire Gig Harbor community to come together and connect through the power of cinema.  This year's festival highlights are sure to include the screening of A Perfect Life including a Q&A with director Chad Ruin and actor Joe Rosati, the Kids Fest and Gig Harbor 72 Hour Film Competition awards ceremony on Sunday, and the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award, which will go to Blake Edwards and be accepted by his wife, Julie Andrews, on Saturday.

• Galaxy Theatre at Uptown Gig Harbor, three-day pass $40, individual tickets $6-$8, $6 Kids Fest, Julie Andrews event sold out, 4649 Point Fosdick Dr. NW, Gig Harbor, gigharborfilmfestival.org

>>> FRIDAY, OCT. 14: ROTATOR DEBUTS

ROTATOR, set to debut Friday with a kickoff event at Fulcrum Gallery, is at once a periodical and a piece of art. Headed up by Lance Kagey, Tom Llewellen and the collaborative efforts of plenty of other local talent, ROTATOR will cover topics relevant to the Pacific Northwest, largely focused on urban life. Its creators refer to it as a "quarterly portfolio of Pacific Northwest anti-suburban arts and industry." To Read Kristin Kendle's full feature, click here.

• Fulcrum Gallery, 7 p.m., free, 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.250.0520

>>> FRIDAY, OCT. 14: THE LAMB LIES DOWN AT THE BROADWAY CENTER

Concept records and rock operas aren't what they used to be. Hell, records in general aren't what they used to be. But Friday, the Musical Box - a Quebec-based Genesis tribute act that bills itself as the only band in the entire world to cozy up to Genesis and Peter Gabriel enough to acquire the performing rights and access to archives, audio tracks and the original images for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway - will perform the classic rock opera, in its entirety, in Tacoma, at the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts.

• Pantages Theater,  7:30 p.m., $29-$75, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894

FRIDAY, OCT. 14: SYMPOSIUM ON CONTEMPORARY NATIVE AMERICAN ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Now in its fourth year, the annual UWT Symposium on Contemporary Native American Issues in Higher Education is designed to increase college enrollment among Native Americans and help open new education doors for tribal communities. The event invites native students, their families, teachers and advisors to "learn about what it takes to become a successful college student. Participants may participate in workshops, campus tours and discussions about the college experience." Well-known and respected filmmaker Sandra Sunrising Osawa will deliver the keynote address.

• UWT - Philip Hall, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m., 1900 Commerce St., Tacoma, tacoma.uw.edu

>>> FRIDAY, OCT. 14: SIDE SHOW SPOOK-TACULAR

A proper burlesque show - in the vaudevillian sense of the term, not the hipster reclaiming sense - is all about excess and spectacle. It's a variety show, featuring not just the burlesque dancers, but music, comedy and oddities. Tacoma's resident burlesque troupe, the Gritty City Sirens, will be throwing a Halloween-themed "Side Show Spook-tacular," which does well to reflect these different aspects of burlesque. In addition to the Sirens' always engaging performances, there will be appearances by Tacoma artist/juggler Jeremy Gregory, a fire dance display and magic. Thrown on top of all of this will be musical sets from DJ Buckets the Pony and the country/reggae/punk rockers, the Fun Police. It will be a night of sensory overload and, perhaps, just a little bit of spectacular chaos. 

• The New Frontier Lounge, with Dessi De Vine, Heather Hostility, Dean Jameson, DJ Buckets the Pony, the Fun Police, the Mesmerizing Magic Steve, Jeremy Gregory, Tacoma Eclectic Flame, 301 E. 25^th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020

SATURDAY, OCT. 15: NORTHWEST SINFONIETTA >>>

The Northwest Sinfonietta bills itself as an "orchestra of passion, vision, thrill, and creation - an orchestra that awakens the musical spirit in all of us, performing to sold-out crowds of youngsters, hipsters, and connoisseurs alike." You see that? They're talking to you, hipsters. Saturday, the Sinfonietta delves into Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 at the Rialto Theater, inviting pianist John Novacek into the mix and letting the magic happen. The concert will also feature works from Wagner and Fauré.

• Rialto Theater, 7:30 p.m., $19-$49, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

SATURDAY, OCT. 15: OCCUPY TACOMA DAY OF ACTION MARCH >>>

In solidarity with the ongoing Occupy Wall Street movement and protests, and Occupy movements all across the country, T-Town is getting in on the action and letting its voice be heard. Occupy Tacoma has been growing stronger by the day, and Saturday - as part of the National Day of Action - Occupy Tacoma protestors, aiming their wrath at rampant corporate abuse of democracy, will march from People's Park to Tollefson Plaza to show support for "the 99-percent."  Find all the info you need right here.

• People's Park to Tollefson Plaza, 1 p.m., occupytacoma.org

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
I'm going to see Jekyll & Hyde at Tacoma Little Theatre. I hope it will be as good as it was at Harlequin. Sunday I just might Occupy Olympia's Sylvester Park.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Going to Lattin's Cider Mill for apple slingshots, wagon rides and apple fritters. I wonder if they have any hard cider? If not, a stop by the liquor store is in my future, because, the other task on hand, is a mean jam session between my keyboard and I as I work on a variety of holiday article delights just for Volcano readers. To have a little lubrication always helps the motivation. Cheers!

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
We have absolutely zero plans, but the weather will be nice so I'll probably do some yard work. Also, we're in physical training for an upcoming week in Orlando.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY: Music Writer
Friday, I'll be attending Basemint's first show in quite a while. But earlier that day, I'll be helping to make a ridiculous amount of pretzels for my Saturday activity, Maltoberfest.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
Wait, weekend? Already? Oh, um, I'm thinking of baking some cookies for the baby and finishing a baby blanket for a friend whose baby is now two. Most exciting is a trip to Renton to take one of my favorite people to get dim sum for her recent birthday. YUM!!!

JENNIFER JOHNSON: Food & Lifestyles Writer
Friends' 50th Wedding anniversary party Friday, Church conference Saturday, Church Sunday. And the never ending homework.

JOE IZENMAN: THeater Critic
Theater, theater, music. Friday night brings the opening of Tacoma Little Theatre's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, marking that rare occasion where I will be both reviewing the show and listed in the program as crew. Saturday night we truck out the ol' alma mater, PLU, to see their new theater space and opening production of The Fantasticks. And Sunday, anyone who knows what's good for them will get their asses to Neumo's in Seattle to catch English songwriting badass Frank Turner belting out tunes like there's no tomorrow.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I have the kiddos, so we are doing whatever they want to do. That said, it might involve some walking, lounging, laughing and general dingo wrangling.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound