WEDNESDAY, DEC. 14, 2011 >>>

1. Get your holiday spirit on big band style tonight at Tacoma Musical Playhouse when the Swing Reunion Band busts out "A Big Band Christmas." The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets run $20.

2. Holy crap! Hump Day already? That must mean it's time again for Masa College Night. Expect flesh.

3. There was a time when the Big Friction Jam at Jazzbones was THE place to be for Sunday night maxin', relaxin' and jammin'. Powered by the groove-heavy leanings of saxophonist Brett "Big Friction" Cummings, the Big Friction house band took the stage, laid down the funk and groove, and magic ensued, with a cast of talented locals streaming through to take the stage and get down. Tonight, under the increasingly-cool "Wednesday Sessions" header, Jazzbones will welcome back the Big Friction Jam for an evening that's sure to blow your usual Hump Day plans out of the proverbial water. If you're down to jam on it (or enjoy when others jam on it) this one's for you.

4. John Phillips & Gary Crooks perform at Pastiche Wine Bar on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue tonight at 6 p.m.

5. Play bingo with those not just killing time before the Grim Reaper calls their number. Every Wednesday at The New Frontier Lounge, players are treated to a rather boisterous evening of number-calling. The music rocks, the prizes are craptastic and there's something very satisfying about yelling "It's not a tumor!" when B-9 is pulled from the hopper (Schwarzenegger anyone?). Sessions are free with $2 margaritas and $4 Cuervo Gold shots during bingo. Every Wednesday night is also Taco Night with $1 beef, $1 black bean and $2 chicken in soft or crunchy shells.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS >>>

For a few of you, on the second day of Christmas your true love will give you two turtledoves.

Nice.

You can put them in the back bedroom with the awesome partridge and the pear tree you scored this morning.

The Weekly Volcano would never discount turtledoves, but tickets to catch DJ Donald Glaude spin at The Swiss tomorrow would be a much cooler gift

Lakewood's Donald Glaude(he now lives in Los Angeles) was playing gigs in the South Sound long before he became famous in Miami, New York and European clubs. The Lakes High School graduate cut his chops at underground warehouse raves during the late ‘80s in Lakewood, Tacoma and Seattle. Playing a highly infectious blend of house and breaks, Glaude is an all-around entertainer rather than a typical stoic spinner: He screams, he pumps his fists and invites the ladies to dance around his decks.

Such antics set Glaude's show apart from those of his peers.

Every late December, Glaude returns home to spin before friends and local fans. Tomorrow, he will spin at The Swiss with buddies DJs Flave, Omarvelous and Paul Wheeler.

A Glaude show is always a stone groove. We're sure this one will be, too.

[The Swiss, Thursday, Dec. 15, 9 p.m., $5 before 10:30 p.m., $10 after, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821.

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

THURSDAY NIGHT RELEASE PARTY >>>

It may be winter, but the cherry kriek will be flowing at Engine House No. 9 where it will be celebrated tomorrow night. That's right, it's going to get fruity inside Tacoma's beloved E-9.

But not too fruity.

Fruit beer doesn't get much respect because most of it is awful: sweet, syrupy, artificially flavored, and tasting more like cherry soda than beer. E-9 brewmaster Shane Johns assures us his new kriek lambic, Love Child, doesn't taste like cherry soda, but rather it finishes clean.

"The Love Child is ruby in color with a pink head. Aromas of cherry and oak. And it has a cherry and slight sour flavor," says Johns.

The Love Child was brewed two years ago, then aged in a French Oak Cabernet barrel and an American Oak Shiraz barrel. After several months John and crew added 80 pounds of Bing and sour cherries from Diamondback Organics in Lake Chelan. It aged another 12 months on the cherries, and then blended the barrels together for further aging.

The Love Child is the first beer in a series of barrel-aged wild beers E-9 will be releasing under its new ownership.

"John and Jeff have allowed us to grow our barrel series by acquiring six French Oak barrels," says Johns.

John and Jeff being John Xitco and Jeff Paradise of X Group Restaurants, who with partner Luke Xitco bought Engine House No. 9 this summer. The group also owns neighboring Masa and Asado at Pine and Sixth Avenue in Tacoma.

"The new ownership pays incredible attention to detail, and has a great desire to be the best at what they do," says Johns.

When Love Child began receiving Johns' love, E-9 only owned one barrel. Currently, the restaurant and brewery houses four barrels with another six arriving by the end of the year.

"We are working with our good friend Trevor on a wild strain for one of those barrels that comes from the ambient air here in Tacoma," adds Johns.

Besides celebrating Love Child tomorrow night at E-9, John will also pour two Belgian lambics - Leifmans Cuvee Brut and Mort Subite kriek lambic - and an American-style sour ale - Boneyard Femme Fatal. Johns says a 5-liter firkin from Germany will also be in the house.

[Engine House No. 9, Thursday, Dec. 15, 7-10 p.m. or until the beer runs out, 611 N. Pine S., Tacoma, 253.272.3435]

LAST CHANCE TO HIT THE ART VENDING MACHINE >>>

What could be cooler than vending art from a machine? What could be cooler than art for a measly five bucks a shot? And could there be a cooler use for outlawed cigarette vending machines?

Nothing.

We're sad to remind you that the popular Art*O*Mat® art vending machine in Tacoma will disappear tomorrow.

BKB & Company, the upscale gallery and boutique housing said machine, closes its doors tomorrow for good.

"Since 1998 my mom, Corky, and I have had the pleasure of representing artists and introducing wonderful wearable arts and contemporary crafts to Tacoma through our gallery, BKB & Company.  We will close forever tomorrow, December 15^th," wrote Victoria Brown today on the TacomaArt listserv.

BKB & Company offers a 40 percent off storewide sale tomorrow. Drop by the Pacific Avenue store during Third Thursday Artwalk and bid them farewell.

[BKB & Company, 1744 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.6884]

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Just Like The Movies: Washington State Patrol troopers and law enforcement officers from three counties chased two suspected burglars from Tumwater to DuPont early today but ended the pursuit after it got too dangerous. (News Tribune)

Oh So Special: The Legislature adjourned a 17-day special session after voting to close $480 million of the state's $2 billion budget gap. (News Tribune)

Encouraging: About 366,000 people applied for jobless benefits last week, the smallest number since May 2008. The news was better than analysts expected and sent stocks higher. (CNN)

Best Reality TV Series of 2011: Republican presidential debates. (CNN)

Ten weird holiday albums: Including Scott Weiland's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. (Flavorwire)

The Best Celebrity Tweets of 2011: Note: several are NSFW. (BuzzFeed)

Cheerios Site Posts Graphic Honey Bee Comic: We're talking honey bee sex. (Cinemablend)

TCM Remembers: Celebrities we lost this year. (TCM)

THURSDAY, DEC. 15, 2011 >>>

1. There's a delightful dustiness that seems to adorn Eliot Lipp's electronic music; he embraces an old-school approach to arranging beats and synths and samples to create the kind of mélange that would find itself perfectly comfortable in a DJ's box of go-to vinyl. Whether tackling ambient soundscapes or club-bumping jams, Lipp manages to leave his own identifiable imprint on whatever he creates. Tonight Lipp plays the New Frontier Lounge.

2. Get a closer look at, and deeper understanding of, the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine by hitting the Capitol Theater in Olympia tonight for a screening of Swedish filmmaker Terje Carlsson's Israel vs. Israel, a documentary "about the current status of the Israeli peace movement includes both sensitive family discussion as well as secret testimony from former combat soldiers," according to promotions. Tonight's event will be a one-time screening, featuring a panel discussion led members of the Rachel Corrie Foundation and Carlsson via Skype.

3. Last year Weekly Volcano Publisher Pappi Swarner pounded some syrup, transformed into Buddy the Elf, and infamously acted as the tour guide for the Dec. 2010 installment of the Tacoma Third Thursday Art Walk Art Bus. Hilarity and art bus history ensued. Well guess what? Buddy is back, bitches! Tonight! Also returning will be musicians Doug Mackey and Evan Purcell who will perform Christmas music on the bus. Find more information about how to get involved in the art bus by going to creator Angela Jossy's website.

4. If there's nothing else that can be said about Tacoma's School of the Arts, it's a darn fine factory for churning out young and talented songwriters. To see each wave of SOTA musicians emerge from the school is an inspiring and fascinating thing to watch. To celebrate the end of the semester, tonight at The Space the students in SOTA's songwriting program will host a performance to showcase the wide array of voices and styles born out of the class. The action starts at 7:30 p.m. with a suggested $5 donation.

5. Peter Serko's photography exhibition at the Museum of Glass artistically documents the brief history of the museum since 2006. It also shows different aspects of the building, and of the adjacent Chihuly Bridge of Glass, taken during different times of day throughout the seasons. Serko, who will be on hand tonight to talk about the exhibit during Third Thursday Art Walk, says he hopes his show will prove to be an acknowledgement that art really has changed the city, and that the people, such as former Tacoma mayor Karen Vialle and longtime local artist Dayton (Karen) Knipher, who stuck their necks out for MOG and the arts in Tacoma were right. Serko says he hopes the exhibit will show that "this has been a wonderful thing for Tacoma. The Museum District has changed Tacoma for the good and in time I am certain it will be a thriving area for artists of all levels."

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

The Weekly Volcano never sleeps. It's true ... or very close to true. We average only a few hours of shut-eye a night, be it because we're compulsive insomniacs who stay up long hours practicing our karaoke chops (Rev. Adam McKinney), or simply because there's just so much to do.

Included in all this doing? As always, another shining installment of the Weekly Volcano music section.

We wouldn't lie. You better believe we managed to pump out another stellar Weekly Volcano music section - your every Thursday chance at the best in local music coverage.

Here's a look at the sonic goodness coming at you in print and online in this week's Volcano ...

FEATURE: REALLY OLD AIRPLANES

For how orchestrated Really Old Airplanes is, it's an interesting moment when the band incorporates more lo-fi techniques. For instance, there are a couple songs on the band's debut LP, Forgotten Sadly, and Broken Ends, where songs are led by a simple line of percussion likely produced by a Casio. To hear the warmth radiating from that core of straightforward clicking is a pleasant reminder of the steps taken to build up a song from its most primitive roots. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

HIP-HOP: SECOND FAMILY, HAVI BLAZE AND OTHERS

I guess all the major artists are laying it on heavy right now. Havi Blaze, one of the best lyricists from Tacoma at the moment, recently released a new single, "I'm On It". YouTube it, although brace yourself for the visual that comes with the song. Ha! It's nothing ya want to see right after ya eat. The song is a little more fun and upbeat than Havi's usual thoughtful, cerebral songs. It's still wordy though, with enough wordplay to keep the truest of heads listening. ... -- Josh Rizeberg

WE RECOMMEND: BODYBOX

The last thing I thought I'd be doing when I first put on a Bodybox song is begin to marvel at the unexpected vocal similarities between Bodybox frontman Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. "Supernova," in particular, shares qualities with Buckley's slash-and-burn classic, "Grace." Both songs cascade on waves of drama, building up to inscrutably fervent climaxes. Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's (though, of course, no one can truly touch Jeff Buckley, vocally), is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. ... -- Rev. AM

PLUS: Better Living Through Music - SOTA Songwriters Showcase, Kareem Kandi, NWCZ Tacoma Friends & Musicians Networking Party

PLUS: Comprehensive Live Local Music Listings

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: Tebowing

WHERE DREAMS COME TRUE >>>

When I was a wee one, my heroes were not Roger Staubach, James Bond or even H. R. Puffinstuff. No, I looked up to Ted Simmons, a science professor from Orlando, Florida, and Milly Cornwall, a "stewardess" from Wichita, Kansas. I knew little about them; Ted had a beloved coin collection, and Milly was an avid tennis player. But I absorbed their essence.

They were the few, the proud, the contestants on Match Game. RIP Gene Rayburn!

I'm told other kids frolicked outside on swings, swam in pools and jumped their bikes over their friends. I even think I saw a few of them from my window while I was immersing myself in $20,000 Pyramid, Break the Bank, Password, Joker's Wild and my beloved Family Feud.

This was showbiz: microphones, funny banter, flashing lights and lovely parting gifts.

I wanted so bad to be on one of those shows. To be that young boy from Enumclaw whom could one day grow up and stand next to Bert Convy.

Ah, but life is such a cruel bitch.

Now I hear Family Feud will be in the area in January looking for contestants. And the dream is once again sparked. Could I get the chance to trade witty banter with host Steve Harvey and win $100,000 in cold hard cash?

Then I remember I have to bring family members.

I'm out.

[South Hill Mall, Family Feud auditions, Saturday, Jan. 14-Sunday, Jan. 15, need five family members, call for an appointment at 323.762.8467, or email seattle@familytryouts.com for complete information and available times]

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.

PROFILE: HOLLY SENN

Holly Senn works undercover by day as a librarian at Pacific Lutheran University.

By night, Senn creates amazing artwork.

Senn is both an installation and sculpture artist. Her medium? Largely paper from old library books, with occasional splashes of cardboard and other materials. Senn's installations have filled spaces 16-feet tall, while many of her sculptures could fit in your hands. All of her works, big and small, involve rescued library books - books often scheduled for the recycling bin.

"My work is inspired by the life cycle of ideas," she says. "How ideas are generated, how they get dispersed, if they're forgotten, or if they're referenced or remembered again." ... -- Kristin Kendle

VISUAL EDGE: FOUNDATION ART AWARDS

The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation Award is a big deal. Being nominated is an honor bestowed by one's peers, and being chosen as the award recipient is an even greater honor. The choices are made by a committee including Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride; Jeremy Mangan, recipient of last year's award; Rock Hushka of the Tacoma Art Museum; local artist Susie Russell Hall and others. It's just about the biggest award granted to local artists. As such, it's a shame that it doesn't merit a major gallery or museum showing such as what used to be given to the Neddy Award nominees. As a matter of fact, since the Neddy has taken its show away from Tacoma Art Museum in favor of a Seattle venue, maybe the Foundation Award show could replace the Neddy at TAM.

Instead, it's a window show in the Chamber of Commerce building at Pacific and 11th. Not exactly the best way to show such honored work.

The nominees this year were: Jennifer Adams, Sean Alexander, Nick Butler, Lynn Di Nino, Oliver Dorris, Kristin Giordano, Ellen Ito, Matt Johnson, Rick Lawson, Nicholas Nyland, Elise Richman, Peter Serko and this year's winner, Jessica Spring.

Spring is the founder of locally-based Springtide Press. Her piece for the Foundation Award, titled "Ingrained," is an art book created on handmade paper made from ancient Western red cedar logs and printed with poetry written by Spring. The pages hang from a display rack similar to those used by stores to display flooring. ... -- Alec Clayton

MOVIE BIZ BUZZ: MICK FLAAEN AND THE GRITTY DETAILS

As the title of his Welcome to Parkland suggests, Mick Flaaen loves the local scene. Besides acting this year in two episodes of the ongoing theater series Java Tacoma, Flaaen made a short documentary about the city's graffiti artists called Paint. The project grew out of work he had done as a student at Clover Park Technical College. His instructor at the time, Austin Iverson, encouraged Flaaen to complete Paint. Its soundtrack includes music from Iverson's band Hands of Toil, infusing the piece with a lot of energy. ... -- Christopher Wood

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

PLUS: Comprehensive Arts & Entertainment Listings

PLUS: Pure Goofiness

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

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Cloudy, hi 48, lo 36

Saturday: Amazingly sunny, hi 48, lo 43

Sunday: Back to rain, hi 45, lo 36

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 16:Handel's Messiah

You can hate on the holidays all you want, but there's no denying they bring a wealth of artful yearly traditions. Tacoma Symphony Chorus' take on "Messiah" in St. Charles Borromeo Church fits this bill. As pre-event hype acknowledges, "Chorus Director Geoffrey Boers always brings a fresh take to Handel's beloved work," and there's no reason to expect this year to be any different. Four vocal soloists - soprano Denise Lees, mezzo-soprano Melissa Plagemann, tenor James Brown and Benjamin Harris - will join Tacoma Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, creating an event that's almost to put the whole family in the spirit.

• St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7:30 p.m., $25, 7112 S, 12th St., Tacoma, 253.591.2013

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 17: BRYAN BOWERS

According to Wikipedia, "There is debate over the origin of the auto-harp. A German immigrant in Philadelphia by the name of Charles F. Zimmermann was awarded US 257808 in 1882 for a design for a musical instrument that included mechanisms for muting certain strings during play. He named his invention the ‘autoharp.' .... Karl August Gütter of Markneukirchen, Germany, built a model that he called a "Volkszither," which most resembles the autoharp played today. Gütter obtained a British patent for his instrument circa 1883-1884. Zimmermann, after returning from a visit to Germany, began production of the Gütter design in 1885 but with his own design patent number and catchy name. Gütter's instrument design became very popular, and Zimmermann has often been mistaken as the inventor." Now, will you need to know any of this to appreciate autoharp master Bryan Bowers Saturday at the Tacoma Public Library, when he busts out a free holiday concert sure to delight the masses (or handfuls)? Of course not. But it won't hurt. And it just might make Bowers' mastery of the autoharp all the more impressive, as the singer songwriter is often credited as having redefined the instrument.

• Tacoma Public Library - Main Library - Olympic Room, 2 p.m., free, 1102 Tacoma Ave., South, Tacoma, tacomapubliclibrary.org

>>> SATURDAY, DEC.17: TACOMA MUSICIANS & FRIENDS NETWORKING PARTY

Networking is important. These days, you can't really get anywhere without rubbing a few elbows and kissing a few babies. The powers behind the Northwest Convergence Zone podcast and NWCZ Radio know this - and in an attempt to lift our entire scene up created the annual Tacoma Musicians and Friends Networking Party. This is your chance to meet the folks who make our local music landscape tick, and maybe even drink some rum or chow down on a burger or pizza. It's all part of your climb to the top. Musical entertainment will be provided by a bevy of awesome talent.

• Stonegate Pizza, with the Solvents, Eastern Sunz, In Cahoots, Afraid of Figs, Fox and the Law, 7 p.m., $5, 5421 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.473.2255

>>> SUNDAY, DEC.17: 2011 POKEMON CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS

You're either old or you play Pokémon. Deal with it. Or drive the point home this Sunday at The Game Matrix on South Tacoma Way when Lakewood's installment of the 2011 Pokémon City Championships goes down - starting at 11 a.m. According to promotional hype, this officially sanctioned event is free to play and intended for Pokémon players of all ages and skill levels (Note: Anyone born after 1996 *gulp* qualifies for the "Masters Division). "Players will compete in exciting one-on-one battles as they vie for the prestigious title of Pokémon City Champions," according to the release. "Players at this weekend's Play! Pokémon City Championships will also be playing for Championship Points, which are awarded to top finishers at al Pokémon Championship Series events. Championship Points are a new addition t the Play! Pokémon season, giving Pokémon TCG players more chances to reach their ultimate goal - earning an invitation to the Pokémon World Championship in Hawaii next August." Did you even realize there was a Pokémon World Championship, Oldie McOlderson? Of course not. Now you do.

• The Game Matrix, 11 a.m., free, all ages, 8610 South Tacoma Way, Lakewood, 253.583.9708

>>> SUNDAY (and Tuesday): MIRACLE ON 34th STREET

You have the tree picked out, every box of yard decorations categorized, and the yuletide music at full blast. Now all you need are some choice movies to fully embrace the reason for the season. At this time of year, more than any other (with Halloween as a possible exception), we use films as a way of connecting to that elusive holiday spirit. And The Grand Cinema in Tacoma continues this tradition this week with multiples screenings of the 1947 holiday classic, Miracle on 34^th Street. If this film doesn't get you in the holiday spirit we don't know what will.

• The Grand Cinema, 2:05 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18, 2:05 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20, 606 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.6062

>>> SUNDAY: BROTHERHOOD ANNIVERSARY PARTY

What's better than celebrating the birthday of a good friend? What about celebrating the birthday of a good friend that consistently provides you with drinks and a place to play shuffleboard? OK, OK ... what if we throw in some aerialists from Tallhouse Arts Consortium, free pizza and "lots of love," according to an esteemed member of the BroHo's staff (who may or may not be Nikki Talotta)? If you astutely observed that absolutely nothing is better than the aforementioned scenario you're a lot smarter than your parents give you credit for. And you can experience it this weekend. Help the BroHo celebrate its anniversary in style this Sunday.

• The Brotherhood, with DJ James, 8 p.m., free, 119 Capitol Way North, Olympia, 360.352.4153

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Oh Weekend Hustle, what can I say? There will be a whole lotta Talotta this weekend - it's the family X-mas party! That means a ton of food, fighting over gifts, and cruel comments disguised as jokes. Plus six boys under the age of ten running around, causing havoc. Once the eggnog kicks in, everything should be just fine - hugs will abound and there may even be singing. Wish me luck.

JOE IZENMAN: Theater Critic
Moving moving moving. We've leveled up our dwelling from apartment to house. It cost us our prime spot a block from the beloved Parkway Tavern, but in exchange we get walking distance to The Red Hot, The Mandolin Cafe, and Los Tres Hermanos. And no upstairs neighbors. I'll take it.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I'll be kicking it at the Tacoma Youth Chorus concert at PLU on Saturday and chilling it pre-school style with the boy offspring on Sunday.

.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
This will be our final, sold out weekend of A Christmas Story for Olympia Family Theater, so I'll be playing The Old Man five more times. Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra!

STEPH DEROSA Person, Place or Thing & 3 Drink Minimum Writer
This Friday I'm headed to The Big D.  I'll be full of fried okra and Lone Star beer before you can even think of jumping into your Prius and heading out to pick up your Tofurky. I'm going to be happily eating tons of dead animals, waving at cute cowboys in their huge gas-guzzling trucks, and spending copious amounts of money on materialistic things that I will refuse to donate to any humanitarian cause.  I'll get pedicures, go zip-lining and drive an enormous SUV across the state and on down to Houston to see of my more friends who will insist we eat more dead animals, fried okra and drink even more Lone Star beer.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food & Lifestyles Writer
Friday night seeing Lance Buller at Maxwell’s. Saturday hot yoga in the AM followed by lunch with Jazzbones’ original owner to talk about the Spring opening of his new place in Bonney Lake/Sumner then ice skating at Tollefson and Holiday Lights. Sunday I’m going to church and relaxing with friends.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound