SANTA KNOWS >>>

It's November 19. Do you know where your perfect gift is?

Well, gift hunters, take heart, Santa has your back. The Giver of Gifts has been blogging his fat heart out at the far end of the Weekly Volcano's website. Tucked in the corner is the Santa Says Blog, a daily blog - penned by Santa - loaded with gift and holiday event ideas by the UPS delivery truckful.

So, venture forth. Savor the chaotic whirl. It's the holly jolly time of year.

We should mention that Santa has come clean with several events happening today. Here are the direct links:

Christmas Open House

Artist Craft Fair

Empty Bowls

Yule Boutique

Holiday wreath class

Holiday Dance Special

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Pizza Klatch Benefit, with Func Pro Tunc. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Legend of Bigfoot, James Coates, Vile Red Falcons, DJ Darren Selector. 8 pm.

• It was mid-summer when Legend of Bigfoot returned from dormancy, and - quite simply - Tacoma's scene has been a whole lot more rockin' since. The rarest of bands - able to entertain hipsters and metal-heads alike - the LOB is on the move, playing a show this Saturday at Bob's Java Jive with Vile Red Falcons and James Coates, not to mention re-releasing their debut LP and premiering a first-ever music video, and finishing up work on a new CD due out sometime in the spring. As they say, "It's all happening" for Legend of Bigfoot. The big, fat maraschino cherry on top of all of it? As regular KISW 99.9FM listeners can attest to, Legend of Bigfoot has been the "Loud and Local Band of the Week" this last week - scoring a prime interview on the station and turning the whole region on to a fresh local sound that pays homage to many of the KISW staples.  Dig it. - Matt Driscoll
  

Cork! A Wine Bar Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Suzanne Brewer. 8 pm.

The Den at urbanXchange Tacoma - Downtown. Death By Stars, Dark Snack, Dungeon Science. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. The Return Of Redneck Girlfriend Show, with Aces Up, Graceland. 6 pm. $7.

• Redneck Girlfriend's description of itself incorporates many utterances of stuff like "yee-haw!" and references to Yankees. The band seems to be about creating the illusion of country music - shrouding it over hard rock hearts and delivering it in a blistering fury. But for as much as the band embraces this surface sound, Redneck Girlfriend manages to cut to the real essence of country music, in much the same way hip-hop possesses many of the same ethos as classic country: Redneck Girlfriend is about drinking beers and having good times, even as they squint their eyes in manly ways to keep from having a teardrop land in one of those beers. In the end, though, it's about that lively rolling sound, and Redneck Girlfriend delivers that in spades. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Curtis Salgado, The Red Hot Blues Sisters. 8 pm. $15-$18.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Elizabeth Cook. 8 pm. $25.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. The Hunting Accident, Lozen, Help. 9 pm.

• In addition to the Big Star influence that infects just about every power pop song ever produced, the Hunting Accident has its own internal power pop lineage to draw from. Hunting Accident members Nate Greely, Aaron Stuart and Travis Shettel cut their teeth in the mid-‘90s in the bands Arlo and Piebald. Both incorporated the era's tendency to make songs that were revealing and personal, while at the same time being goofy and almost tossed-off. Arlo's career culminated in the release of two albums through Sub Pop in the early 2000s, while Piebald hung around for a while longer, but both bands eventually came to a close. To read the full feature, click here. – Rev. AM

Ray Gibson's Caballeros Club Tacoma - South. Kingfish. 9 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Billy Farmer and Sway. The band will be paying tribute to the Rolling Stones for this gig. All Ages. 8-11pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Mary Flower. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Fro Blow Birthday Bash, with Blood & Thunder, DA 27, Decibal Point, Days Of Never. 9 pm.

Uncle Thurm's Finger Lickin' Chicken and Ribs Tacoma - Lincoln District. The Kareem Kandi Band. 8-11 pm. NC.

Waterstreet Cafe Olympia. Late Night Concert, featuring Joe Baque, Steve Luceno, Michael Olson, Dennis Hastings. 9:30 pm. NC.

Waves Studio Olympia. Sean Gaskell with Pachi Pamwe. All Ages. 7:30-10:30 pm. $10.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

SUNDAY, NOV. 20, 2011>>>

1. Culminating a full week of celebration in the name of 50 years in the pizza business, Tacoma's iconic Cloverleaf will welcome the band Sunny 4 Cast to "rock out" tonight. Not surprisingly, there will also be beer specials. There have been specials all week, in fact, from kids' nights, to happy hour beer prices all day, to pizza "squashing" contests. Good times have been had by all. As we're reminded by press release, "The Cloverleaf was established in 1951 and began serving our World Famous Pizzas in 1961. ...The purpose of this celebration is to thank our loyal customers. We could not have made it 50 years without them and that is why we are hosting this celebration, in their honor."

2. Drop by Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Tacoma for Blues Vespers and be treated to the sure-to-be-spectacular jams of Rod Cook & Toast with special guest Jay Mabin.

3. Been jonesing for some drum circle action? Ted Brown Music has you covered. Check out the all-ages community drum circle every Sunday at Ted Brown Music on Tacoma Mall Boulevard from 6:30 - 8 p.m. There's no cover charge, and you can bring your own drum or one can be provided.

4. Check out the Super Rock Trivia Contest Karaoke at the Westgate Bar and Grill - billed as, "live band karaoke with a twist." The fun starts at 11 p.m., after "Sunday Jam Night" wraps up.

5. The Fair Trade Market, hosted by St. Leo Parish and Urban Grace Church, promises a guilt-free way to start your holiday shopping. In its final day today at Catholic Community Services, the annual event is your chance to get in on, "baskets, ornaments, linens, musical instruments, food products and more from vendors such as Ten Thousand Villages, Theo Chocolate, Laughing Lotus, L'Arche, and many more," according to pre-event hype. 

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

ALL FREAKIN' MORNING >>>

All Freakin' Night, Olympia Film Festival's all-night mini-fest of blood-injected spazzmatic anti-cinema (that always causes at least one of our major organs to fail) is just wrapping up.  Soon, the rummy crowd will file out of the Capitol Theater. In year's past, the exhausted All Freakin' Night crowd stood in front of the theater for hours - readjusting to the light, readjusting to what they saw with their naked eyes.

This year, the OFF brain trust has instigated a program to help the AFN audience return to normal life. Beginning at 10 a.m., the Artesian Rumble Arkestra - the large orchestra of musicians specializing in jazz, Balkan brass, Brazilian samba and Bollywood film music - will lead a parade through downtown Olympia ending at The Clipper for pancakes and Bloody Marys. This "Zombie Parade" is appropriate for kids, as cartoons will fill the televisions.

Breakfast will wrap up at 1 p.m. The cost is $6 with proceeds benefiting the Olympia Film Society.

For more information on the Olympia Film Festival and today's film schedule, click here.

LINK: Details on Oly Film Fest's All Freakin' Night show last night are in our Weekend Hustle

For a sneak peek at what the Artesian Rumble Arkestra can do, check the video below.

FREE EVENTS FOR THE WEEK NOV. 21-27 >>>

Well, the spirit of Christmas is lurking around Freeloadersland, giving Bobble Tiki a wedgie. Bobble Tiki has already seen It's a Wonderful Life three times and the Christmas tunes are making him cross-eyed. And Bobble Tiki loves it! The trees are decorated, the stockings are hung and the egg is nogged. And in that spirit, Bobble Tiki has a lot of love and news to give, gentle reader, so sit back, pull that Santa hat up from your eyes and enjoy these free events this week in the South Sound.

MONDAY, NOV. 21: Ahh, Thanksgiving. Picture Bobble Tiki's festive holiday scene in your mind. Mom and dad are fighting over the giblets, again. Grandma's working on her 12th vodka gimlet and grandpa has followed Aunt Ho into the bathroom with the video camera. Downstairs, the kids are fighting over who gets to break the wishbone. Sure, it's 87-year-old Uncle Milikona's fragile collarbone, but now that television has supplanted actual parenting, no one cares. Well Uncle Milikona does, but he's already signed the will giving everything to some (gasp!) charity so no one will come to his aid anyhow. Meanwhile, there's a catfight a-brewing in the kitchen as the women in the family pick sides (well, except Aunt Ho, she's still in the bathroom) to fight to the death over who has the damn Tupperware. Every year someone brings Tupperware to collect leftovers and every freakin' year it disappears. Well this year someone's gonna die unless Bobble Tiki's entire family attends the 10:30 a.m. Avoid Those Holiday Blues Class at the Mill Ridge Village Retirement Community in Milton.

TUESDAY, NOV. 22: When Bobble Tiki thinks of stained glass, he thinks of Bruce and Peggy of Walden Designs. The Olympia couple has a showroom inside Sanford and Son Antiques displaying their centuries old traditional techniques of stained and kiln fired art glass - holiday style. Head for Tacoma's Antique Row and check out their handcrafted holiday show.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 23: Doyle's Public House hosts its annual Bad Sweater Party Wednesday night giving away prizes for the ugliest holiday sweaters. Santa has the details here.

THURSDAY, NOV. 24: Bobble Tiki can picture it.  First the turkey, then the stuffing, and of course the cranberry sauce . . . and you won't be able to resist the sweet potatoes with the little marshmallows. Afterward, you'll be collapsed on the couch with your pants unbuttoned, swatting helplessly at the bottle of Tums on the table. Bobble Tiki has a suggestion for you. Wake up Grandpa Joe, grab yourself an Everlasting Gobstopper, and burp your way over to The Acme Grub Cage for DJ Aaron Mack's "Thanksgiving Escape Plan," beginning at 8 p.m. He invites everyone over for a night of music and drinking - cover free. Mack is even willing to spin your music.

FRIDAY, NOV. 25: Every single one-day-at-a-time day is a struggle, particularly around the holidays - specifically during Black Friday. Bobble Tiki knows there are seven habits to becoming a highly effective person, 50 ways to leave your lover and 12 steps to sobriety. But after years and years as a recovering believer in Santa Claus, Bobble Tiki has to ask, "When will it end?" He can't let it go. And there's no better place to get into the holiday spirit than the brand spanking new Franciscan Polar Plaza in downtown Tacoma. Opening Nov. 25, and running through Jan. 2 at Tollefson Plaza, Polar Plaza gives the community an opportunity to come together and make memories to last a lifetime. The center of the holiday festivities is an outdoor ice rink, which costs money and doesn't have a home here in Freeloadersland. At the heart of Polar Plaza will be music, special holiday events, decorations, Christmas trees, coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Just go, hang and get in the spirit.

SATURDAY, NOV. 26: America seems to have no real idea who the hell we are anymore, or what it means to have a humane and thoughtful national identity, and therefore we happily scratch and claw and fight our way into giant fluorescent-lit hellpits for a chance at a $31 DVD player and some crappy plasma TVs and a pallet of heavily discounted spatulas. Enter the Jada-Moon Gridley-created Gritty City Gift Fair, where local artists and crafters will offer their one-of-a-kind fairs - plus music and refreshments - from 3-9 p.m. at the 906 Broadway space in downtown Tacoma. Santa has more details here.

SUNDAY, NOV. 27: Olympia's Downtown for the Holidays is a day filled with fun and entertainment, from noon to 4:30 p.m. Most activities are centered in and about Sylvester Park, which will include free horse-drawn wagon rides with Mrs. Claus, a holiday parade (3 p.m.), and a tree-lighting ceremony.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Santa Says Blog

MONDAY, NOV. 21, 2011 >>>

1. Have you seen the temporary public art exhibit that celebrates the important transformation of the Prairie Line Trail from rail to linear park in downtown Tacoma? The Temporal Terminus: Marking the Line exhibition features sculptural work by Austin-based national design team Thoughtbarn, as well as a who's who of the Tacoma arts scene: Jennifer Renee Adams, Kyle Dillehay, Kristin Giordano, Jeremy N. Gregory, Diane Hansen, Christopher Jordan, Lance Kagey, Lisa Kinoshita, Ed Kroupa, Bret Lyon, Janet Marcavage, Maria Olga Meneses, Nicholas Nyland, Chandler O'Leary, Elise Richman, Claudia Riedener, Holly A. Senn, Chris Sharp, James Grayson Sinding and Kenji Stoll. For more details, click here.

2. The Manitou Art Center hosts another fused-glass class, concentrating on holiday designs from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Give them a buzz at 253.584.3605 to see if there's room.

3. It's a University of Puget Sound String Chamber concert, dahling, but there's not a chamber to be found. Unless you count UPS' Schneebeck Concert Hall as a chamber, but that's impossible since it's a hall. Oh dear, this is very confusing. Perhaps the Hall is very small, intimate, if you will, like a chamber should be. But it's not. Oh goodness. Well we're sure Director David Requior will do his best to overlook the whole chamber thing and concentrate on the classic strings. Head to the Hall at 7:30 p.m. to see what happens.

4. The Steve Munger Quartet continues its Monday night thang at The Royal in Olympia, performing original compositions as well as unique arrangements of classic jazz, beginning at 8 p.m.

5. Guitar legend Jerry Miller is at The Swiss at 8 p.m. enough said.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: This week's freebies

LINK: South Sound holiday events

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman: Dead. (Seattle Times)

Our Crabbing Season: It's back on! (The Olympian)

Shorelines Master Program Update: The finish line is in sight. (News Tribune)

Debt Panel Fail: A weekend of talks among members of the congressional panel charged with finding $1.2 trillion in budget cuts apparently failed to produce a compromise. (CNN)

Nice: Arrested Development is officially returning in 2013. (USA Today)

Songs For Stuffing: A Thanksgiving Mix. (NPR)

Time Waster: Here all the Beatles songs played at one. (Flavorwire)

True: Darth Vader has asked for a land plot in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa to park his space ship. (disinformation)

In Case You Need It

NEW WEB SERIES PHOENIX RUN TO BEGIN SHOOTING IN DECEMBER >>>

I think all this gray weather has gotten to some local filmmakers. The stories behind my most recent Buzzes - which I seek out at random every week - all ended up gravitating toward the macabre, like The Resolution's plot of sadistic revenge, or the demon-infested haunted house of Grimises Rising. Both the sun and sunny cinema seem to be on holiday.

But Tacoma's T.J. Walker embraces the dark side of life, and asks us to do the same with his new web series, Phoenix Run, which he will produce and direct. The tale takes place in a grim reality where every human on earth lives infected with an engineered zombie virus (can't you get ONE thing right, science?). So to stay un-undead, people must pay for the services of "vaccine-runners" like Fleet, a main character in the series.

Episodes (each roughly 12 minutes long) will feature landmarks in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and other nearby cities to make the fantasy feel chillingly real. Walker also has plans to fuse local sights with local sound - Run's soundtrack will feature songs from eclectic rockers Death By Stars, whom Volcano music journalist Rev. Adam McKinney recently called "a delirious soup." (With winter nigh I hope it's the audio equivalent of Progresso Chicken Noodle.)

Run moves in a direction not typically traversed in the zombie genre. "This isn't about survivors," Walker tells me. "(The series) works differently. The world keeps going, the world didn't end...we still got Starbucks, there's McDonald's still, people are still going to work ... but everybody's sick."

The 32-year-old graduate of Bates Technical College found inspiration for his concept in the 2006 film Children of Men. The individuals in this similarly bleak dystopia also live with the knowledge of an impending global crisis. Powerless to stop it, they can only cling to their daily routines. With that said, HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!

Walker and his crew will begin shooting Run in December, with the first episode online by February. Find updates in the coming weeks by searching "Phoenix Run" on Facebook and YouTube.

LINK: Listen to Movie Biz Buzz on Volcano Radio, Episode 3

MAYBE YOU MAY HAVE A BOWL WHILE YOUR BRAKES ARE FIXED >>>

Remember all those boxes of cereal in Jerry Seinfeld's set kitchen? Bobble had more: Go Lean, Raisin Bran, Wheat Chex, Kashi, Grape Nuts. Bobble Tiki regarded Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cocoa Puffs as "dessert cereals." (Hey, it works with wine.) A bowl eaten after 10 p.m. (and after a glass of wine) was the perfect soporific snack.

Perfect, that is, until Bobble Tiki couldn't fit into his pants.

Anyway, if you have a love for dessert cereals, stop by Simmons Automotive on South 56th Street and South Proctor in Tacoma. Obviously, the folks working at the automotive repair shop love them, too.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment of the day comes from Melissa Bird in response to our post on Metal Mondays at The New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma.

Bird writes,

With Jason Locking (jLo) slangin drinks & cookin munchies ( the French Bread pizza is SOOO good)... Come get some!!!

That's good enough for us.