EDITOR'S NOTE: The Weekly Volcano is one of forty-some alt-press papers around the country to co-sponsor SXSW. Because of this, we get to send scribes to Austin, Tex. every March for the annual music festival orgy. This year Owen Taylor is our correspondent (or something). He submitted this letter to Volcano Editor Matt Driscoll earlier today.

Hey Driscoll, 

What fresh new hell is this you've sent me into? There's free booze and women everywhere, and I have a special little lanyard that gets me into damn near everything ... It's all being documented, simulcast, streamed, uploaded and imbibed. I'm cursing my mother's rapidly increasing aptitude at technological innovation. She will surely see something someday to officially disown me. Assume I will eventually blame you for this. 

This is a people watcher's wet dream. This is Graceland for the social networker, the awkward interactive debauchery of industry people and full time drunks, all politely convening to divvy up the rotting cheese of the music industry. Everything is sponsored, from the trashcans to the low-level sexual harassment and paralytic alcoholism. I've seen plenty of hands on asses, celebrities being retarded, and hordes of nervous, finicky bloggers obviously new to the game. You can see it a mile away at the registrant's tent, actually believing their complementary drink card is only good for one small beverage, and not all the vodka and Dorito's they can shove in their free tote bag.

It's muggy and gray. I've slept with the windows open in my clothes every night thus far, improving from van to couch to full-blown bed in only three days! They have a keg of High Life in the press lounge. You'll know where to find me. 

Yours,

O

Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire on the streets moving between one of his dozen showcases this year.

Danny Brown, rapper. (Not some crazed hobo wearing a sequin dress.)

Playing with fire.

Pickster One, Moombahton Stuntin

Olympia's own Black Top Demon rocking one of the several food truck corrals.

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment of the day comes from Mr. McCoullagh in regards to the Tournament of Breakfast battles currently underway. We can only assume he speaks of the famous Mundo Chicken Fried Steak from Norma's Burgers in Lacey.

Mr. McCoullagh writes,

You haven't lived until you polish off the Mundo Chicken Fried Steak. The wife always orders the vanilla cinnamon French toast{I don't know what kind of bread they use but it seems like french bread, much better than regular bread}. Sundays they give free fruit plates, with alot of seasons best fruit. The servers always know your name and you feel like they wan't to adopt you.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17, 2012 >>>

1. The internationally-acclaimed exhibition Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture caused a ruckus when it debuted at The Smithsonian Institution's National Portrait Gallery in 2010. David Wojnarowicz's unfinished film, A Fire in My Belly, was removed from the exhibition, sparking a national controversy, demonstrations and renewed discussions about censorship and artists' rights. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Virginia) called the exhibition "an outrageous use of taxpayer money," and a spokesperson for House Speaker John Boehner told The Hill newspaper "Smithsonian officials should either acknowledge the mistake or be prepared to face tough scrutiny beginning in January." Tacoma Art Museum - which celebrates the opening of Hide/Seek today - will proudly include A Fire in My Belly along with photographs and paintings by a slew of famous American artists with an eye toward issues of gender and sexual identity for nearly 150 years of American art. Yes, this is the queer show. And despite outrage by a few people such as Cantor and Boehner, it has been a stupendous success with audiences across the country. Read Alec Clayton full feature on Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

2. The Women's League of University of Puget Sound Flea Market will be awesome. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Memorial Fieldhouse, expect more than 50 booths of antiques, not to mention: collectible dolls, oversized calculators, his and hers chocolate mummies, little plastic models of 747 airplanes, a griffin's toe, three rectangular-block-shaped wooden Santa Clauses, bouncing ice cubes, a copy of Rubber World magazine, four condiment trays, lots of walnuts - and more.

3. With its language-related title and collection of seemingly disparate sections that slowly merge into one larger story, Kinyarwanda - its name taken from the official dialect of Rwanda - is the latest docudrama on the 1994 slaughter of some 100 million Tutsis by Hutu militia. The Grand Cinema screens this extremely moving film at 1 p.m. followed by a Skype discussion with the film's producer, Darren Dean. After the 5:55 p.m. screening, The Grand will Skype the film's director, Alrick Brown.

4. Scottish fiddle, Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, funky bass lines and a
healthy dose of jazz harmony and improvisation come together when Neil
Pearlman brings his new band to the Mandolin Café at 8 p.m. according to around 46 news agencies, Pearlman and crew will blow you off Mandolin's comfy couch.

5. There is a rumor that people do something on St. Patrick's Day besides watch Leprechaun 4: In Space on the Sci-Fi Channel (oops - Syfy). We can't imagine what that would be, unless it involves these South Sound joints.

MORE THINGS TO DO: The Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 17 <<<<

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Remember, today is a marathon, not a sprint. Especially if you plan to start early, water and even a couple snacks deserve a reserved space in your plaid fanny pack. In fact, hacktheday.com offers an excellent guide on how to drink properly. They suggest never to drink on an empty stomach, make your own decisions when it comes to volume of consumption, sip don't chug, try not to mix types of alcohol (liquor, beer, wine, etc.), eat oily food and if you feel sick, excuse yourself to the port-o-john for a refreshing upchuck.

We say kick off your St. Patrick's Day with a tasty breakfast.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

The Tournament of Breakfast was seeded by readers' votes through the month of February. Norma's Burgers received the most votes, placing it in the Number One position in the South region. It's no surprise then that Norma's grabbed 75.6 percent of the votes. Eastside Big Tom was sent packing.

Yes, Sage's Brunch House's potato pancakes are seriously delicious. So is the migas - a mix of red and ancho peppers, garlic, beans, corn tortillas, onions, eggs and Portuguese sausage. However, what also might have contributed to Sage's win over Budd Bay Café, grabbing 55.6 percent of the votes, is Sage's awesome selection of kid's toys. Parents know whiny kids can kill a pancake zen.

While River's Edge has the serene view of a golf course, Hawk's Prairie Restaurant serves stiff drinks and ginormous portions. With nearly 60 percent of the votes, Hawk's moves into the Second Round.

The Black Bear Diner is part of a chain that spans a good chunk of the West Coast. Maybe 80 stores as of this writing, according to its website. Its large portions for low prices really strike a chord with a good chunk of the local populace, as put a hurt on the Red Wind Casino grabbing 62 percent of the votes. The Black Bear Diner faces off with Hawk's Prairie Restaurant March 25 in Second Round action.

Let's take a look at the griddle iron. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Norma's Burgers
  
• Sage's Brunch House
  
• Hawk's Prairie Restaurant
  
• Black Bear Diner
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL >>>

Thursday night 500 people, some dressed in green, slowly strolled up the wide concrete floor of the new LeMay America's Car Museum as Irish melodies from band Mooncoyne filled the enormous space. A bit of dodging was in order as many stopped to gander at the 1930 Duesenberg, the 1961 Chrysler and some 30 other cars parked inside. An impressive buffet and green Coors fueled the conversations, which all centered on attorney Jack Connelly, the North End Tacoma Democrat throwing the shindig.

This past summer Connelly, who grew up in Lakewood and has been practicing law in Tacoma for 30 years, announced he would run for the seat in the state Senate opening up with Debbie Regala's retirement this year. Since his announcement for the 2012 state Senate seat in 27th District, Rep. Jeannie Darneille has announced her intention to seek the same seat, with Regala's seal of approval.

I've known Connelly since the mid-'70s, when he would yell at me, push me in the pool and work my ass hard. He was my swim coach. A damn good one, too. Connelly was also an accomplished swimmer, nabbing Lakes High School's first All American title, and later a collegiate All American swimmer for Stanford.

It wasn't a shock when Tacoma attorney Dan Hannula took the podium first during Connelly's 2012 campaign kick-off event Thursday night. Hannula, a six-time NCAA All American swimmer, was Connelly's swim mate/rival, which began at the Tacoma Swim Club. Hannula praise Connelly's strength and courage to stand up to bullies by representing those who have no voice. 

"Come One, Come all. This is exactly what this campaign is about. Coming together to make each other stronger," said Dr. Kelly Goodsell, who works regionally in education management, reiterating one of Connelly's campaign platforms - bringing the community together as one with fairness, equality and respect for every person. "Jack Connelly is a leader who acknowledges and celebrates our differences," she said with emphasis.

Connelly ended the short program explaining his campaign would be about "We" not "I." His desire is to start making works as it's designed to work. "Having people work together, we the people working together for the state of Washington," said Connelly. He explained his desire to improve education, provide more family wage jobs and to promote small business opportunities.

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Avenue Tavern Olympia - Downtown. The Tilted Stilts. 9 pm.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. "Have You Ever Had A Beard" screening & Q&A, with live performance by Hive Dwellers. All Ages. 9 pm. $5.50-$8.50.

• Calvin Johnson is an Olympia legend - a throaty mouthpiece for one of the most musically and artistically relevant and independent little towns in the history of the world. Seattle's Chris Estey is a much-loved music journalist known for his work with Three Imaginary Girls along with just about every other Seattle-based alt-media outlet that's worth two shits. The new film, Have You Ever Had a Beard? brings      Johnson and Estey together. Hype calls the film, "a study in contrasts," that shines a light on "the lyric-heavy songwriting of Calvin Johnson vs. the ebullient music journalism of Chris Estey." When the film screens tonight at the Capitol Theater, the film's directors, Kathy Wolf and Pat Thomas, will be on hand for a post-performance Q&A along with Johnson, who will also take the stage with his band, the Hive Dwellers. – Weekly Volcano
  

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Ruston Way. Bagpipers 6:30-8 pm. Cottonwood Cutups 8 pm.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Billy Farmer & Sway (Rolling Stones tribute). 9 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Patty's Day Celebration, with Blvd Park, Mighty High, The Fucking Eagles, Ben Union, SweetKiss Momma, The Excellent Gentlemen. Began at 3 pm.

• Over the years, The Fucking Eagles have worked hard to make a name for themselves, not only in the supremely ubiquitous genre of garage rock, but in a city like Tacoma - where garage rock bands seem to fall from trees. While many bands in these parts skew toward the psychedelic side of the '60s, the Fucking Eagles make their home in the stomping, shuddering footsteps of the Sonics, our blistering rock forefathers. It's relentless, pounding rock 'n' roll - the kind that kids with crew cuts and horn-rim glasses had to find in underground clubs, far from the prying eyes of grown-ups. Catch the Fucking Eagles along with SweetKiss Momma, Mighty High, Ben Union and the Excellent Gentleman as part of the big-ass St. Paddy's Day celebration that starts at 3 p.m. - WV

Harmon Brewery & Eatery Tacoma - Downtown. St. Patrick's Day party with food and drink specials, plus Pierce County Pipes and Drums. 7 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma. Sok and the Faggots, Czar, Deathbed Confessions, South 11^th, Bloodhunger, I Earth Mother, Reptile Eurption. 8 pm. $5.

• Naming a band Sok and the Faggots is kind of the musical equivalent of setting a height requirement. If you're able to accept the name, you've passed the first of the many, deliberately offensive tests set by Sok and the Faggots. The Faggots are followers of a style set by G.G. Allin, the shock-punk weirdo famous for his unending envelope pushing and all-around gross-out live performances. He threatened, every year, to bring a gun to his Halloween show, with the intention of shooting as many audience members as he could before turning the gun on himself. People showed up every year. Sok and the Faggots may not take it to that extreme, but the band certainly does its part in upholding the wild and base Allin tradition. Saturday, join Sok and Co. at Hell's Kitchen for what's being billed as a "St. Paddy's Day Drink-A-Thon." - WV

The Hub Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Patrick's Day Party with Myles Crew. 6-9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. St. Paddy's Day Violin Vs. Vinyl Celebration, with Kytami, PhonoGraff, Jay Tablet. 7:30 pm. $10.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. St. Patty's Day, with Neil Pearlman. All Ages. 8 pm. $5 suggested donation.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. St. Patrick's Day Party, with OMG, special guests. 9 pm.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. St. Patrick's Day Bash, featuring The Whistling Oysters. 6 pm.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. St. Patrick's Day Party with The Fun Police, Shivering Denizens, Menace, Smoke Like Daddy, Firefighter Pipes and Drums, The Piping Duo. 11 am-1 am. $5.

• The Fun Police, it must be said, are one of those workhorse local bands that absolutely fucking brings it. They treat each venue the same, making sure the crowd leaves dazed, a ringing in their ears and smiles on their faces - because they've just seen a show. Through a dizzying mesh of styles including Celtic rock, punk, and reggae, the Fun Police have created a sound all their own. Saturday the band will be at O'Malley's Irish Pub, celebrating the beer-flavored holiday in quite possibly the most authentic place to fall down and get drunk (Irish style) that T-Town has to offer. - WV

The Red Room Tacoma - Downtown. This Is Treason, Strike To Survive, Matahari, For My Existence, Blood & Thunder. All Ages. 7 pm. $7.

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. St. Patrick's Day Party with Triple Threat Band. 8 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Paddy's Day with Mooncoyne. 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. St. Patty's Day Party, with Kashmir. 9 pm.

Waterstreet Cafe Tacoma. The Joe Baque Trio, with Dennis Hastings. 9:30 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2012 >>>

1. The Northwest Sinfonietta bills itself as, "an orchestra to be reckoned with," not to mention an orchestra of, "passion, vision, thrill, and creation." Anyone who has seen it in action would have trouble arguing with these statements, as the musical body routinely wows audiences in Tacoma, Puyallup and Seattle. At 2 p.m. in the Pioneer Park Pavilion, the Northwest Sinfonietta will be joined by violinist Marié Rossano for Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, followed by Schubert's 4th Symphony, named "Tragic." Be ready for plenty of pathos.

2. Speaking of the Northwest Sinfonietta, after its 2 p.m. concert at the Pioneer Park Pavilion, the musicians will walk over to Gallery Three for a post-concert discussion from 4-6 p.m. After the discussion, Gallery Three will bust out the wine and chocolates. Oh, almost forgot, Gallery Three hosts three of its new artists - Joan Nicholson, pastels; Jerome Petteys, illustration; and Anette Lusher, acrylics - for a 2:30 p.m. reception.

3. Entertainer and storyteller extraordinaire Elizabeth Lord returns to the stage at 2 and 4 p.m. the next two Sundays in support of the venue she's been such a huge part of over the years - the Midnight Sun. Designed as an interactive variety show geared toward young audiences featuring the wit of Lord and the musical contributions of local favorites Scuff & Al, "Tall Tales and Silly Songs" is part of the "Save The Sun" benefit series, with proceeds going to Prodigal Sun Productions, the managing non-profit organization for The Midnight Sun Performance Space.

4. Puget Sound Music For Youth Association hosts a jam session featuring PSMFYA bands at 2 p.m. inside The Swiss. No, this will rock.

5. Mambo musician Tito Puente Jr., following in his father's footsteps and drawing from his musical catalogue, will hit Tacoma and the Rilato Theater at 3 p.m. According to hype, Puente, "brings the sounds of Latin jazz bursting with energetic rhythms and contagious melodies for a new generation." In addition to the music, Puente and KCTS 9 educator Antonio Gomez will take part in a pre-event lecture.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 18 <<<

Favorites or underdogs, fancy restaurants or dive bars, it's all the same. In the end, they all have one chance to crack an egg that can take the prize.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Puget Sound Pizza (Tacoma) vs. The Spar (Tacoma)

The Harvester (Tacoma)vs. The Hub (Tacoma)

A Renaissance Cafe (Tacoma) vs. Bite Restaurant (Tacoma)

Southern Kitchen (Tacoma) vs. Dirty Oscar's Annex (Tacoma)

In the battle of Tacoma favorites, Puget Sound Pizza edged out The Spar with 51.2 percent of the votes. Could the fact The Spar partied it up on St. Patrick's Day affected its focus? Whatever, what's done is done. Puget Sound Pizza moves to the next round. The Spar made it through the Great Depression. It's tough. They'll have breakfast ready for you today as usual.

Flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, butter: Pancakes sound easy enough, but alas, they're not. We came across two particularly good versions at the Harvester and The Hub. Yesterday, voters agreed with our findings - The Hub won with 50.5 percent of the votes. 50.5 percent! The Harmon conglomerate restaurant now moves on to battle Puget Sound Pizza's stack.

Go local. Yesterday, the little guy, A Renaissance Cafe walked all over the fancy schmancy Hotel Murano and its Bite Restaurant grabbing 69 percent of the votes. A Renaissance Cafe will need to keep limber for its second round opponent. It will be the battle of its life.

Last, Dirty Oscar's Annex on Sixth Avenue put the hurt on Southern Kitchen capturing 65 percent of the votes. It's a given the line outside DOA is all a flutter with the news of the win. We expect many DOA customers will celebrate with a big ol' plate of elk hash.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Puget Sound Pizza
  
• The Hub
  
• A Renaissance Cafe
  
• Dirty Oscar's Annex
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tacoma's Lower Pacific Avenue: It will open to traffic for the first time since June. (News Tribune)

Tacoma And Puyallup Police: They've had it with the whole smash out a car window and steal stuff trend. (News Tribune)

Holy Crap: There are Washington state high schools where four out of 10 students do not earn a diploma in four years. (News Tribune)

Madoff Madness: The owners of the New York Mets reached agreement today to pay $162 million to settle claims related to the Bernard Madoff case. (CNN)

Apple Computers: Investors will score big this summer. (The New York Times)

Rosie O'Donnell: Oprah fired her. (USA Today)

Never Too High To Talk: George Clinton takes fashion, fishing and fun. (SF Gate)

Shirley Manson Of Garbage: She was on Chelsea Lately. (Pink Is The New Blog)

Rock Stars: Let's see what they look like old. (Buzz Feed)

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 19 <<<

Good morning! It's still March, and dagnabit if all that "Madness" isn't still in the air! What's one to do with all that pent up "madness?" It can make for quite a dilemma. ...

Unless, of course, you've found something like the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Breakfast to help get you through. Throughout the month (and into early April, even) the Volcano's readers will be voting on the South Sound's best breakfast through daily head-to-head matchups here on Spew. We started Thursday with 64 breakfast joints, and only one can be crowned king.

Without further ado, let's get down to business. Pass the syrup.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Fife City Bar & Grill (Fife) vs. Shorty's Grub House (Federal Way)

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill (Tacoma)vs. Buttered Biscuit (Sumner)

Dixie's Home Cookin's (Sumner) vs. BerryLand Cafe (Sumner)

Kelly's Kafe (Spanaway) vs. Boxcar Grill (Tacoma)

Fife City Bar & Grill's dining room has all the charm of a Hampton Inn breakfast buffet, minus the Fox News blaring overhead. But, what every trucker that enters the Port of Tacoma will tell you - Fife City's breakfast is awesome, confirmed yesterday when it grabbed 76 percent of the votes over Shorty's.

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill also beat its opponent by a landslide. The Buttered Biscuit had its biscuit buttered by Rock The Dock as it watched the Tacoma waterfront watering hole run away with 70 percent of the votes.

You've seen and smelled it on your way to Crystal Mountain. There's hard work happening in Sumner. Farmers rise before the roosters to tend to their livestock and daffodils. They do more work before 8 a.m. than the Weekly Volcano staff can accomplish all day. By 8, they're ready for a big, tasty plate of breakfast served with a smile. And according to yesterday's voting, they prefer Dixie's Home Cookin' over the BerryLand Cafe by a two to one margin.

Yesterday we warned you about Team Boxcar Grill. The Freighthouse Square restaurant has a hardcore following. Team Boxcar registered the most comments on yesterday's post. There's a lot of hoopla over its chicken fried steak. And it's hard to argue with 99 cent coffee. The Boxcar Grill followed yesterday's trend of blowout games capturing 79 percent of the votes and advancing to the second round.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Fife City Bar & Grill
  
• Rock The Dock Pub & Grill
  
• Dixie's Home Cookin'
  
• Boxcar Grill
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.