THIS WEEK'S VOLCANO IS AWESOME >>>
Sure, it was a little harder than usual to concentrate this week around Weekly Volcano World Headquarters, what, with the publication of this week's Volcano Restaurant Guide. Deliciousness abounded. Pictures of doughnuts and bacon French toast and all sort of delectable treats floated around the office. To be truthful, it was sweet torture.
But, lucky for you, the highly trained monkeys tasked with producing the Volcano's music section each week soldiered on, pumping out another fine example of music-oriented literary awesomeness that hits streets today, inside the tastiest looking Volcano in some time.
Here's a peek at the musical goodness waiting for you in print and online ...
FEATURE: Historical Society honors Grit City's rock ‘n' roll roots
All across the world, but particularly in the Pacific Northwest-and especially in Tacoma-the influence is still felt. The impact of certain bands called the Sonics, the Wailers, the Ventures and others still reverberates. These were groundbreaking bands in the late '50s and early '60s that helped pave the way for punk, grunge and everything generally loud that came to follow. The Sonics poked holes in their amps to attain that sweet level of distortion, and out of those holes burst decades of garage rock spirit and punk rock attitude.
Sunday, the Tacoma Historical Society will gather for its 5th Annual Destiny Dinner, although this time the focus will rest on the rock 'n' roll pioneers of the Pacific Northwest.
"Part of what makes Tacomans Tacomans is our respect for our cultural heritage, and rock 'n' roll is a part of that," says Owen Atkins, member of the F***ing Eagles, as well as a Tacoma Historical Society member. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney
DAMAGE REPORT: NoMeansNo and the Tacoma Cone
NoMeansNo, Canada's Prime Ministers of Thinking Man's Punk, sure do rock for three guys old enough to be MY dad! With so many LP's under their belt, the band's 90-plus-minute set Friday night ebbed and flowed with sing-along brilliance and tongue twisting perfection, spanning nearly three decades of off kilter jazz punk. One onlooker stuck outside in the cold peered in on the throbbing scene and said, "It's like the Grateful Dead, Primus and the Dead Kennedy's all had a baby!" ... (Ha!)
After a steamy set the band signed tons of autographs, and I was lucky enough to get in one question.
"What is your favorite memory of any Tacoma show you've played over the years?" I asked.
They sat there for a bit, throwing out stories of the Community World Theater and even the original Sixth Avenue Hell's Kitchen. But, after reflection, one show stood out for the band.
"Playing the Tacoma Cone with My Name," they all answered. It made me chuckle, as it's one of my favorites too. The Tacoma Cone was actually The Rotunda at the University of Puget Sound back in the late 1980s. It WAS an incredible gig, and makes me wonder why more shows don't happen there. ... -- Jason McKibbin
2011 has been a huge year for 253 hip-hop. One of the busiest artists this year has been Todd Sykes. He's dropped three albums! That's major grind. Sykes' latest is Out of the Blue - a fuller hip-hop album than his previous two releases. (His first two were mostly hip-hop/jazzy/soul instrumental delights.) This current album is full of Sykes rhyming over his own beats. I guess it's his first full release with vocals, but it's not much different than his first two albums. Todd has a vibe and its classic smooth hip-hop. His voice has the same effect as his beats: mellow and easy. Sykes' topics are also safe, basic and cool. If you're a hip-hop purist you're going to dig Todd Sykes. Go treat yourself to his whole catalogue, free at wearecityhall.com. ... -- Josh Rizeberg
PLUS: Better Living Through Music - Tallest Tree, Charlie Musselwhite, Rooftop Warrior, Maltoberfest
PLUS: Live Local Music Listings
PLUS: Concert Alert