Excitement is brewing over the anticipation of one of Olympia's most reputable restaurants opening a sandwich shop in the recently revitalized Wildwood building in the South Capitol neighborhood in Olympia.

According to Swing Wine Bar owner Nicole Butigan, the rumors are true.

"We are still in the early design/equipment layout stages of the sandwich shop," she writes in an email. "It will be called Lunchbox Sandwich Shop and will be a grab-and-go type of place with gourmet sandwiches and a couple of soups and a daily pasta or quinoa salad plus some specialty desserts. There may be a few counter stools inside and a couple of tables outside on nice days, but it is mainly a to-go type of shop. We will also be doing targeted delivery to offices and want to increase our catering presence at Swing. We don't have a specific opening date yet, but our aim is for August or September."

The shop will be located in a small vacancy subleased by Olympia Coffee Roasters and situated next to Spud's Produce Market. Desserts by Tasha Nicole, on the other side of Oly Coffee Roasters, will be closing June 29 due to a co-owner's unexpected health problems, after operating 20 years in the same location.

The Wildwood building is located at 2828 Capitol Blvd. SE, Olympia.

THURSDAY. JUNE 20, 2013 >>>

1. Hot off his work as illustrator for the South Sound User's Guide, Alexander put down his tiny line making pens and explores Hilltop Tacoma though found objects. According to pre-show hype, "These found objects were collected and considered before artworks were made from them. Interactions with residents of the neighborhood also served to create work, especially those with the mysterious drifter and neighborhood staple Henry Lee Walls." Titled "Life is OOD," a play off the slogan "life is good" as well as rapper Nas' most recent album, Life is Good, Alexander and Walls offer their inspirations for public viewing with a reception from 5-9 p.m. at Fulcrum Gallery.

2. Of course today is the third Thursday of the month, which means only one thing for the Tacoma crowd: Time for Tacoma Arts Mingle - a night of strolling through galleries, museum and art friendly businesses. And as such hip citizens, you take Tacoma Arts Mingle virgins to the best galleries - and, of course, to galleries offering the best appetizers - hello 253 Collective! But even the hipsters might not know that this gallery across from The Swiss hosts an artist who digs existentialist French author Albert Camus - William H. Bryant III. Does Bryant follow Camus's creed: The artist must create dangerously? That's for you to decide. Bryant says Camus's philosophy of the absurd, views on art and society have been his biggest artistic influence, and the reason why his style of painting depicts the world's ugliness and beauty absurdly in his painting simultaneously. Don't wait for the last judgment - it takes place every day. Yes, there will be nibbles. Check it out from 3-8 p.m.

3. Another Art+Sci Salon will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the Tacoma Art Museum. This collaboration between the University of Puget Sound and the Tacoma Art Museum will focus on the intersections between the arts, ecology, and community - through a panel consisting of Amy McBride, Tacoma art administrator; Elizabeth Conner, artist and adjunct instructor at University of Washington Tacoma; Vaughn Bell, also an artist and adjunct instructor at University of Washington Tacoma; Peter Hodum, biologist and assistant professor at University of Puget Sound.

4. The Kareem Kandi Band will fill the lobby of the Hotel Murano with jazz from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.

5. Thrones, C Average and Moldy Castle will rock The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia beginning at 9 p.m. 

LINK: Thursday, June 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, JUNE 21, 2013 >>>

1. Typically, we at the Volcano don't like to travel farther on our skateboards than Best Burgers down the street, but we may have to make an exception for this unique challenge: the Go Skate Tacoma Sk8venger Hunt. Presented by the wacky scavenger-hunt enthusiasts over at Go Skate Tacoma, in conjunction with the opening of the new Spaceworks Tacoma skateboard shop Grit City Grindhouse, this "rad" event has teams of two to five people skating throughout Tacoma (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) gathering pictures of the solutions to clues presented at Grindhouse, which is owned by Taylor Woodruff and Robert Boyle. From 7-10 p.m. the winners will be celebrated over pizza and music.

2. The concept of the Broadway Center's Cathedral series is simplistic to the point of perfection: get some beautiful-sounding artists to perform in beautiful spaces designed to bounce around beautiful sounds. These are not raucous events, but rather contemplative experiences that take exploit churches' natural abilities to heighten and highlight negative space. This time around, our money is on Denver's Paper Bird as the band most likely to fill in those empty spaces. A baroque art-folk-pop seven-piece, there's never a moment wasted or tossed away without being occupied by some lively instruments or flatly gorgeous harmonies. Shenandoah Davis and Elk & Boar join Paper Bird at 7:30 p.m. in Tacoma's Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

3. Sometimes you desperately need something to bring a laugh or distract you enough to allow you to let go of whatever has been troubling you, even if only for a couple hours. Lakewood Playhouse's production of The Importance of Being Earnest does all of that. Oscar Wilde's 118-year-old script is as smart and fresh now as when it debuted in London. While director Marilyn Bennett had a fantastic play to work with, her direction of the cast and crew of the quick paced, witty script was flawless. It hits the stage at 8 p.m.

4. At 8 p.m. inside B2 Fine Arts Gallery, the ‘Til Midnight Poetry Series launches for the summer featuring the poetry and hybrid art of Travis Anderson and his presentation, "Bathers of the Sun, Bathers of the Moon." Anderson will perform his unique brand of poetry/gospel/hip-hop inspired by fellow artists Leonardo Lanzolla, Jennifer Kuhns and Mary Pacios. Anderson's performance begins at 8:40 p.m. followed by an open mic and open studio, where the community is invited to participate.

5. If you're a celluloid lovin' madman and you needed a sendoff film before jumping on your zombie horse and riding off to Austin, Texas, the late Lucio Fulci's flick The Beyond would do the trick. The Italian director upped the gore quotient in this blood-soaked, surrealistic nightmare of hell on earth film. Sadly, this scenario will indeed play out as Grindhouse Theater host Justin Giallo is outta here, but not before screening The Beyond, bustin' out trivia, passing out creepy prizes and biting a few necks. The acariness begins at 9 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

LINK: Friday, June 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Steve Cooley & The Dangerfields. 9 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. NWCZ Presents: I Like Science, Not From Brooklyn, Le Lo/Fi, DJ Hogwood. 9 pm.

Immanuel Presbyterian Church Tacoma - Northend. CATHEDRALS: Tacoma, with Paper Bird, Shenandoah Davis, Elk & Boar. All Ages. 8 pm. $16.

• The concept of the Broadway Center's Cathedral series is simplistic to the point of perfection: get some beautiful-sounding artists to perform in beautiful spaces designed to bounce around beautiful sounds. These are not raucous events, but rather contemplative experiences that take exploit churches' natural abilities to heighten and highlight negative space. This time around, my money is on Denver's Paper Bird as the band most likely to fill in those empty spaces. A baroque art-folk-pop seven-piece, there's never a moment wasted or tossed away without being occupied by some lively instruments or flatly gorgeous harmonies. The opening track Rooms, "As I Am," is as potent an opening salvo as I've heard in some time, the energy building and building in a pleasantly organic fashion, the voices aching to pull every last note from deep inside, propelling them out with great velocity. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Bloodbirds, Planet Of Giants. 9 pm.

• The similarities between Bloodbirds' album, Psychic Surgery, and the early Flaming Lips album, Telepathic Surgery, don't stop at the names. Like the work of the early Flaming Lips, Bloodbirds create psychedelic slash-and-burn screeds, with little dashes here and there of the kind of charming silliness in the lyrics that would eventually come to overtake the Flaming Lips. But Bloodbirds are in their larval stage, still hungry and fighting for attention, for credibility, and as such their music is uncompromisingly gritty, no nonsense rock. The type of brain surgery they do is less the gentle psychic variety advertised in their album title, and more the medieval kind - you know, the kind that involved ice picks and that aimed more for ridges and divots than anything in particular. Their music is a slapdash perusing of your brain matter. - Rev. AM
  

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Cody Foster's Birthday Party, with The Plastards, Blanco Bronco. 8 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Swamptiger's Birthday Bash, with Refugee, Heretic The Heathen, Swamptiger, The Blue, DJ Justincase, DJ Pasquan. All Ages. 7 pm.

Northern Pacific Coffee Co. Tacoma - Parkland. Heidi Vladyka, Gina Belliveau and Heidi Stoermer. All Ages. 8 pm. $4.

Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Soulstice! funk fest with The Jefferson Rose Band, McTuff and The Brown Edition. 9 pm. $15.

• "All the bands are top musicians," says Lee Brooks, who is presenting the third consecutive Soulstice! celebration in Olympia Friday. "The key word we've been using is "heavy." It's heavy funk. Its amazingly mind-blowing heavy funk." The Jefferson Rose Band, McTuff and The Brown Edition will be plowing through spring and straight into summer with their world-renowned funk, jazz, fusion and variations. Bonus: The Brown Edition - voted best band by Weekly Volcano readers in the 2011 Best of Olympia issue - will be playing a set hot off being named Best Funk/Fusion/Jam Album at the 2013 Independent Music Awards. After a predicted four days of rain, this Friday show will be a welcome-back party for the sun, perfect for a Soulstice! party. Come on down and get groovy. - Nikki McCoy
  

Six Olives Lounge and Restaurant Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Kareem Kandi Band. 9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Gravenloch, American Wrecking Crew, Dirgeera. 9 pm.

Waterstreet Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Dennis Hastings & The Joe Baque Trio. 9 pm. NC.

LINK: Live music tonight in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, JUNE 22 2013 >>>

1. With the combination of local food vendors, blues bands and more than 35 Washington craft brewers, Brew Five Three is one not to miss. This inaugural event, put on by Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, takes place from 1 to 10 p.m. on Broadway in downtown Tacoma. The $30 tickets include eight tasting tokens and a collectible tasting glass, and additional tasting tokens can be purchased at the event. A designated driver ticket - which includes admission to the event, music and food vendors - is available for $5. There will be a half hour break when no beer will be poured from 5-5:30 p.m. Music schedule can be viewed here.

2. Drag queens Marlayna, Deeva and Flirticia will be in the Capital City Pride parade "in face" and will perform on stage at Sylvester Park and again tonight at Jake's on 4th in downtown Olympia. The parade down Capitol Way from the Capitol campus to Sylvester Park is Saturday, June 22, beginning at noon, and the festivities in the park with speeches, food and information booths, entertainment headlined by the Kim Archer Band and emceed by Gregory Conn, will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Conn and drag queen Kimber Lee will also be parade announcers from their booth atop the Governor's House Hotel. Read Alec Clayton's full feature on the Capital City Pride Festival in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

3. Hot off his work as illustrator for the South Sound User's Guide, Sean Alexander put down his tiny line making pens and explores Hilltop Tacoma though found objects. According to pre-show hype, "These found objects were collected and considered before artworks were made from them. Interactions with residents of the neighborhood also served to create work, especially those with the mysterious drifter and neighborhood staple Henry Lee Walls." Titled "Life is OOD," a play off the slogan "life is good" as well as rapper Nas' most recent album, Life is Good, Alexander and Walls offer their inspirations for public viewing at Fulcrum Gallery. At 1 p.m. Alexander and Wall discuss the work in Life is OOD. The talk will cover the process of creating while providing back story for this seemingly random grouping of objects and ideas.

4. At 8 p.m. in the Capitol Theater, the ever-creative ladies of TUSH! burlesque will present a night of naughty Vegas delights. The hype alludes to "gambling, shows, games, rides, girls - whatever your pleasure, Sin City will provide." Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Tush! burlesque show in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

5. Say kids, do you like the band Heart? A pretty damn good Heart tribute band, Heartless, will rock Jazzbones at 8 p.m.

LINK: Saturday, June 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013 >>>

1. Bruce Walkup was the booking agent for Tacoma's Prosito Restaurant in the mid-'80s. Considered the first commercial venue to host alternative bands, Prosito's music was turned off by the Liquor Board for graffiti and noise complaints; Prosito let Walkup go. The restaurant morphed into the Central Tavern, which housed many a grunge-era show, then the 6th and Proctor Bar and Grill, and finally Hell's Kitchen (Gruv what?). To fulfill his musical needs, Walkup changed his name to Spud Goodman and bought time on Tacoma's cable system for a parody/music show.  With a spatula in one hand and an open bottle of Pepto-Bismol in the other, Goodman interviewed guests and provided airtime for alternative bands in the area. It was the beginning of many cable access music shows to hit the local airwaves. It was an awesome show. Spudman, his cast and crew will commemorate the show 3-7 p.m. at The Red Hot on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue. Click here to join the Facebook event.

2. The Messiah has returned. Once again. He's holding court in downtown Olympia, in Harlequin Production's Jesus Christ Superstar. For a man who's been dead some 2,000 years, Christ sure gets around. He's resurrected (almost) as often as Joseph, of Technicolor Dreamcoat fame. JCS is very loosely based on the Gospels, and emerges as a hip passion play with a heavy emphasis on human passion. And despite the title, the star is actually JC's betrayer, Judas, here depicted as a victim of circumstance. Catch the show at 2 p.m.

3. Two theater shows close today at 2 p.m. The Laramie Project, about the killing of a gay man, Matthew Shepard, in Wyoming in 1998, ends its run at the Tacoma Little Theater. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of The Laramie Project in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section. Same Time, Next Year, the story of a love affair between two married people who see each other only once a year over the course of 25 years, closes at Olympia Little theater. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Same Time, Next Year in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

4. Havey ou been to Treos in Old Town Tacoma? Here's an excuse. The Alex Worland Jazz trio will set up in the corner from 3-5 p.m.

5. Meeker Days continues in Puyallup this morning with bands Sammy Steele Band and Aces Up beginning at 3 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, June 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Aside from being an auto enthusiast with sleeved tattoos, Daymon Fritz, a Tacoma native, is also a talented musician. He jams an acoustic guitar at a local tea and coffee house during open mic nights and is a member of an up-and-coming band, DedElectric.

Fritz's lyrics range from topical to deeply personal, covering relationships, religious jewelry, and even siblings. After finding out that his brother was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, he begrudgingly promised to play at his funeral.

The song turned into a celebration of his life, said Frtiz. His brother likes to live fast and take life head on and he wanted the song to reflect that passion. Like his brother, Fritz is no stranger to life in the Army.

Read more...

MONDAY, JUNE 24 2013 >>>

1. Tonight is Name That Tune night at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia. The bar tries to create a fun party vibe by offering up brain teasing beats and a chance to win great prizes. Trivia Newton John returns (hello 2005!) along with Gary Keys, and Wylie Van Wenger, What's to expect? Head's up play with questions and clues about songs from yesterday, and today, with an added emphasis on TODAY! Also, a "finish the line" a karaoke style contest featuring the pipes of Wylie Van Wenger and a special guest appearance by Jerry Seinfeld.

2. John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Paul Newman. Cool, cool cats. And these cool cats wouldn't suckle off the Wednesday night $1 PBR special. They went for top shelf. Single malt. They went classy. The best of the best. Fortunately for us cool cats in training, Asado of Tacoma has a weeknight happy hour that keeps the classy cocktails at a reasonable price. Every weeknight from 2:30-6 p.m. Asado offers $2 off any of the specialty cocktails and wine, as well as $3 selected food items. Not to mention $1.50 off draft beer. Because even the classiest of us crave some hops from time to time.

3. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. At 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

4. Steve Cooley & The Dangerfields will fill The Swiss with rockin' blues beginning at 8 p.m.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, June 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

When considering wine bar destination, Cafe Divino is one that should always be on the list as it was one of the first wine bars to open in the South Sound. Located in Old Town Tacoma, a mere stroll from a spectacular waterfront journey, Cafe Divino boasts a lovely and vast selection of wine varietals.

The ambiance is casual class, candlelit tables in an intimate establishment, a good stop for conversation over some Cabernet or a nice date night. Outdoor seating makes it an especially pleasant trip during the summer months.

The lunch and dinner menu highlights local seafood options from small bites to sandwiches and dinner entree choices that include baked salmon and crab cakes ($9.99-$24.99). On my last visit, I had dessert on the brain and chose to splurge with Cafe Divino's chocolate decadent cake ($5.99).

This cake is perhaps one of my favorites in town. It's delightfully moist and manages to be a rich, velvety treat without being too rich. Pair with a cup of Cafe Divino's French press coffee and you are on cloud nine.

Besides you can easily minimize your guilt for indulging with a brisk walk along Ruston Way.

CAFÉ DIVINO, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, 2112 N. 30th St., Tacoma, 253.779.4226

Upon the evening of Thursday, June 27, three local writers will take to the hallowed spaces of King's Books for a reading - an evening of good old fashioned storytelling in Tacoma's most awesome of bookstores. The three writers: Titus Burley, Melissa Thayer and Joshua Swainston seek to entertain you with their clever words, their wit, their art.

"Readings usually aren't the most exciting thing in the world," says Swainston. "I'm not juggling chain saws. What I can promise is entertaining literary work from a few members of the community who are foolish enough to stand up and have their work be judged in such a way. Both Titus and Melissa are very skilled readers and performers and will be putting on a great set. As for me, I'll read about drugs and crime, so if you're into that sort of thing, and are tired of watching it on FOX then you'll enjoy it."

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