LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

The Embers at Indian Summer Olympia. Vince Brown. 6 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Science! 6 pm. The Vaudeville Gallows, The Bottlecap Boys, The Rusty Cleavers. 9 pm.

• As much as I've always enjoyed the tone of bluegrass, I've tended to think that a lot of the bands in that genre more often than not sound very similar. There's not much distinction, I've found. While The Bottlecap Boys are planted firmly in the bluegrass niche - with some added elements of poppy hooks - they certainly distinguish themselves with their impressive musicality, which allows them to pull out all the stops in a delightfully show-offy way. In the lively "Try and Try," for instance, there's a bit of vocal acrobatics where the two lead vocalists seamlessly trade off word for word in a breakneck refrain. Also helping to make the Bottlecap Boys stand out is the wry humor that permeates their songs, even as they shine as tightly crafted melodies.- Rev. Adam McKinney
  

House Show North Tacoma. The Warehouse Presents Grand Hallway, The Local Strangers, Honey Noble. For venue address, visit listing on brownpapertickets.com. All Ages. 7 pm. $10.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Brian Lee & The Orbiters. 8 pm.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Thunders Of Wrath. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Half Of Infinity, Late September Dogs, Larry Mitchell. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Combo. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Argonaut, Dead, Burning Ghats, Towers. 9 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. The Hipsters. 9 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Jerry Miller. 9 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Generation Unknown. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music tonight in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

See Also

Music critics' picks for Saturday, Aug. 24

SATURDAY, AUG. 24 2013 >>>

1. The Washington State History Museum is taking a step back in time to study one of America's greatest unsolved mysteries: the 1971 disappearance of skyjacker D.B. Cooper from a plane traveling from Portland to Sea-Tac. A grand opening public event of the "Cooper" exhibit will take placetoday . The celebration will include behind-the-scenes tours throughout the morning; at 11 a.m., Gary Young, a parachute expert and professional stuntman, will demonstrate what it's like to jump out of a Boeing 727 at night - and survive, and at 2 p.m., Citizen Sleuth investigator Tom Kaye will present his notorious search for Cooper.

2. The Weekly Volcano gears up for the annual Tacoma Maritime Festival like the Super Bowl. We just can't get enough of celebrating Commencement Bay, and the "Working Waterfront" as it's known. This year marks the 21st annual Maritime Fest - and it might host the most fighting ever. Expect harbor tours, seminars, tall ship cannon battles, music, Kids Zone, boat building, Knights of Veritas' medieval-period pavilion with handgonne demonstrations and a beer garden. The action runs Saturday and Sunday. That's why they call it a "Working Waterfront" - weekends off are for pussies.

3. We can't pass up a glass of wine. Just ask our rehab counselor. But stir it up in a bowl along with some local art, shopping the Stadium District, and all to benefit the Historical Stadium District - you've made a dinner we'll heat 'n' eat any day of the week. The Stadium District shops in conjunction with some Washington wines and local artists have put together a Saturday evening titled the Stadium District Art & Wine Walk. A $35 ticket includes 10 wine tastes at 21 host businesses, savory hors d'ouvres and a commemorative wine glass that we're sure will end up on the shelf at Goodwill Industries next spring. The best part of it all is there's a wine garden for people who don't enjoy walking for their wine. It runs from 4-9 p.m.

4. The Olympia Pub Crawl begins with a 5k run from Swantown Marina, then leads to a kick-off party at the 1230 Room and pub crawl along Fourth Avenue and culminates with live music at the Capitol Theater. Participants can attend one or all of the events. Full Moon Radio, 10 Cents in Oklahoma, Horsebodies and Hurts Like Hell will be rocking the Last Call Party, and Mr. Frank from Evergreen College radio, KAOS, will be playing emcee. The Olympia Pub Crawl kicks off at 2 p.m. at the 1230 Room in downtown Olympia. Day of tickets are $40, which includes T-shirt, if available, kickoff party at 1230 Room and the Last Call Party at the Capitol Theater. For the show only; it's $20. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Olympia Pub Crawl in Bars and Clubs section.

5. Tonight, a tradition is being revived in downtown Tacoma and everyone is invited to come and take part. The city of Tacoma and the Daffodil Festival will partner to host the inaugural Celebrating Military Service Parade. The Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force Reserves, Army National Guard, Navy Reserves, Washington Air National Guard, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion have all entered into the parade. The festivities will kick off at 5 p.m. in Tollefson Plaza, on South 17th and Pacific Avenue, with a performance by the 56th Army Band. Then, at 6 p.m., the parade will start out down Pacific Avenue and head throughout downtown. Read Melissa Renahan's full feature on the Celebration of Military Service Parade.

LINK: Saturday, Aug. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

See Also

>>> Live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

12th and Jefferson Olympia - Downtown. Stupid Fucking Ramp Party with Fitz of Depression, DJs Mike Corvin and Dalton Goodwin. 2 p.m. $20 covers entry, keg cup and food with proceeds to the Casey Heath Memorial Fund

• It's time again for Oly's favorite backyard skate jam - the Stupid Fucking Ramp Party (SFRP) - a place for ripping, riding, and hanging out with beers, barbeque and bands. Fitz of Depression is playing this year with the Have At Its and DJs Mike Corvin and Dalton Goodwin spinning hardcore classics - the perfect soundtrack for Lib Tech riders and local rippers to hit the ramp. What makes this particular show special - besides Fitz shows are few and far between - is it's a tribute to the late, great Casey Heath, who won "Best Trick" the previous three years. "I decided this year it would be appropriate to have Fitz return. They played the first party here, and were also a huge part of all the other benefits for the Casey Heath memorial fund," said Scott Lewis, event organizer. "They're about as local skatepunk as it gets, and they're the homies. Like, they'd be here even if they weren't playing anyway." Prepare to be rocked. - Nikki McCoy
  

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Music and Potluck. The Fabulous Downey Brothers, Dave Tara, The Cutwinkles, Yevtushenko and potluck food. 9 pm. $5, $3 with potluck dish.

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SUNDAY, AUG. 25, 2013 >>>

1. Imagine sitting close enough to a stage to feel the breeze off a dancer's pirouette, or to hear the shuffle of feet and the sound of bodies as they rise and fall. Now imagine watching these dancers on a 4-by-4 foot stage. This is the appeal of Ten Tiny Dances, a stripped down format where 10 dance artists demonstrate astonishing inventiveness and variety on a stage about the size of a coffee table from 6-8 p.m. at Jazzbones. Based out of Portland, the contemporary dance series has been adopted by many Northwest production companies, including Tacoma's MLKBallet. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Ten Tiny Dance on the Walkie Talkie blog.

2. Sand in the City, Washington state's largest sand sculpting event with 240 tons of sand, nationally known sand sculptors, features 40 different hands-on art and science activities and a live entertainment stage from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Olympia. All proceeds from Sand in the City directly support the Hands On Children's Museum's free and reduced admissions program. Show up with a shovel, a bucket and an idea.

3. The 21st annual Maritime Fest continues today around Dock Street in Tacoma. Expect harbor tours, seminars, tall ship cannon battles, music, Kids Zone, boat building, Knights of Veritas' medieval-period pavilion with handgonne demonstrations and a beer garden.

4. People like eating outside, and they'll stop at almost nothing to do it. They will choke down steaming food as mysterious water droplets rain down from air conditioners above. Crowd a party of eight into one pitiful corner of shade. Inhale exhaust fumes along with aromas of fine wine. At Paesan Kitchen and Bar next to the Museum of Glass, the only negative aspect of dining on its patio is trying to find a table. It's patio is a lovely spot to while away a weekend afternoon, sipping cocktails and old world red wine and watch condo residents walk their dogs. Come Sunday afternoon, tables mean nothing as resident DJ Mr. Melanin and rotating guests spin an eclectic and extremely tasteful selection of lounge, bossa nova and electro soul music 2-6 p.m. This quadruple threat of delicious pizza, booze, sun and hip tunes is known as Tacoma's only daytime summer party, "Dayclub."

5. The Vancouver, B.C., band The Plodes's debut album, A Foot Was As Long As... A Foot!, is packed to the brim with odd ideas and unbridled energy. The songs whip by, with none of them even approaching the two-minute mark, riding high on punk rhythms and fiery accordion. "I'm stimulated by the absurdity and the stupidity of something," says lead singer and guitarist Reid Blakly. "I just put out what I think is an interesting idea for a song." The Plodes join Gay Ghost and November Witch at 6 p.m. in Le Voyeur. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Plodes in the Music and Culture section.

LINK: Sunday, Aug. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

For the first time in 50 years, an all-military parade passed in downtown Tacoma yesterday evening.

The Daffodil Festival committee worked with community officials in coordinating the parade.

"It is great to honor those who serve," Joe Bernstein, a Daffodil Festival volunteer said moments before the parade began.

"This is just awesome!"

While thousands lined both sides of Pacific Avenue from 13th Street to 24th Street, more than 70 entries - comprised of active duty members, patriotic organizations, motorcycle units, historical groups and National Guard Soldiers - passed in review as Mayor Marilyn Strickland emceed.

Col. Joe Jackson, a Medal of Honor winner, served as Parade Grand Marshall.

The Daffodil Festival Royalty gave up their seats on the Queen's Float to 24 wounded soldiers from the Warrior Transition Battalion from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

"It's good to see that some people around here care," said Army veteran Paul Bradshaw. 

>>>  Zoie Creso of Tacoma got up close with members of the Army's 56th Band as it played at Tollefson Plaza.

>>> American Gold Star Mothers marched in remembrance of those service members who have fallen.

>>> A veteran shakes hands with a Marine before the beginning of the Military Parade, which was hosted by the Daffodil Festival.

Read more...

MONDAY, AUG., 26 2013 >>>

1. In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems guitarist Rafael Tranquilino must fuse genres across various musical projects in order to stay afloat. His arrangements incorporate blues, funk, rock, funk, ska, metal, reggae, Latin and jazz-fusion. As accomplished as he is varied, Tranquilino can be seen every Monday night as host of Stonegate Pizza's rockin' blues, if not experimental, jam at 8 p.m. He's one of the best guitarists in the South Sound.

2. Tacoma Deputy Mayor Marty Campbell invites the public to a Proposition 1 facts and information session at 6 p.m. in Lincoln High School. The Nov. 5 Tacoma election issue asks voters to consider a proposal that would authorize the City to levy an additional 2 percent tax on natural gas, electric and phone company earnings for the sole purpose of funding basic Tacoma-wide neighborhood street improvements and safety upgrades.

3. The Bam Bams - two women from Baltimore who rock the garage pop - join Chung Antique and Cruel Summer at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

4. Billy Stapleton joins Little Bill and the Blue Notes for "The Guitarists Recording Session" at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

5. O'Malley's Irish Pub on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue hosts "Mondays For The Damned," a night of new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial, post-punk and more from the '80s to current, spun by Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50, beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Aug. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Weekly Volcano's email inbox fills with all kinds of notifications - ad inquiries, press releases, overdue library notices, etc. Every so often an email arrives that immediately receives lunchroom refrigerator placement. A recent email from Isaac Olsen hit the frig - even landing above the heavily marked vacation calendar. Seems this Tacoma creative is teaming up with friends to start a new label: Strapping Young Productions.

Here's the scoop from Olsen:

"In a broad overview: My friends and I started a new organization called Strapping Young Productions in order to distribute work by local artists (in any discipline). Its primary purpose is not to be yet another branding exercise, but to promote work that we are involved in under one banner and use the capital to fund further projects, thus reducing out-of-pocket spending of the individual artist. I see this as a self-perpetuating venture and a vehicle to simply make a lot of things happen in a timely manner.

Our first priority is distributing and showcasing work that already exists in our immediate circle, such as my two feature films, Quiet Shoes and Ich Hunger, two singles from Red Hex, an EP by Trees and Timber, the music of Dick Rossetti and his current band Jilly Rizzo, and some electronic music by Sam Olsen. I also plan to use this new platform to promote the Girl Trouble documentary (which I hope to premiere at SIFF this coming May) with a gallery show featuring 30 years of Girl Trouble art, fanzines and photographs. The film is currently on schedule!

We also plan to put on live shows; the first of which will be a company launch of sorts hosted by The New Frontier on Saturday, Sept 21. This show will feature Trees and Timber, Red Hex, The Jilly Rizzo, Girl Trouble, and a showing of my German art film, Ich Hunger.

Strapping Young Productions has recently been approved for a spot in the next round of Spaceworks, and we hope to use this location to host art shows, small musical performances, and film screenings."

Wow. It's DIY spirit like this that make us love Tacoma.

The Garthim return! Did you miss us? Nerd Alert is the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

The first few weeks of September are a quiet time of gentle reflection in the geek community, as one by one costumed heroes disappear from our multiplexes and we await the fall TV schedule. Out there, in the muggle world, jerseyed superfans are getting ready for some football; yet we remain unfazed. In fact, the closest we come to big-league sports fandom is Madden NFL 25, which hits the field this week. Also available as of Aug. 27 is the page-one rewrite Final Fantasy XIV:  A Realm Reborn. Listen, Square Enix: that "Final" thing sounded ill-conceived after the first adventure, let alone a baker's dozen.

Friday, Aug. 30

If you're a geek of a certain age or, for that matter, anyone who loves cinematic comedy, you know exactly what happens when someone says the name "Frau Blücher." You know how to bring home the chorus of "Puttin' on the Ritz." You know who made a yummy sound, and you suspect Mel Brooks's 1974 masterpiece Young Frankenstein may be one of the greatest comedies in American cinema history. Whether you've seen it or not, we insist you follow your grentfadda's footshtops to the Washington State Capital Museum, where "Movies at the Mansion" presents an outdoor screening of the film. If it's brisk that night, some varm milk, perhaps?

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, 9 p.m., Washington State Capital Museum, 211 21st Ave. SW, Olympia, $2 suggested donation, 360.753.2580

Read more...

Growing up in the Puget Sound, many of us remember local commercial jingles and catchphrases - "Sleep Country USA, Why Buy a mattress anywhere else?" and "Honk when you drive by Vern Fonk" are a couple that come to mind.

But perhaps none resonated the way "Do the Puyaaaallup" did when it cut through the clamor of TV or radio programs. It's as if those three words epitomized what it meant to be a kid.

Luckily, the jingle was kept as the Washington State Fair's tagline when it made the switch this year from the Puyallup Fair - a testament to being the state's largest fair, bringing in more than a million people each year.

"It's about keeping the tradition," said Karen LaFlamme, public relations for the Washington State Fair. "People love the jingle - it just makes sense to carry it on."

TUESDAY, AUG. 27 2013 >>>

1. Alain Resnais, 91, began his directorial career shortly after the Liberation of Paris from the Nazis, so to say he has played a bit of a role in French cinema over the years is putting it mildly. His film, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!, opens with the sudden death of (fictional) playwright Antoine d'Anthac, (Denis Podalydès).  A cavalcade of legendary French actors, (playing themselves), are summoned to d'Anthac's home for the reading of his will. Via a prerecorded statement, d'Anthac asks that this his colleagues evaluate an experimental theater company's taped performance of his play Eurydice, a play in which each actor in attendance performed a role at some point in their career. However, as the viewing progresses, the actors find themselves slipping back into the roles they played years earlier, reenacting scenes from the play as they unfold onscreen. In some cases, actors who played the same role in different productions of the play decades apart from one another reenact identical scenes, but their individual idiosyncrasies make both performances unique and equally valid. Things take a turn for the dreamlike when the viewing room gradually transforms into stage sets to fit the scenes being performed and the actors in the viewing room give pointers to the actors onscreen, and the onscreen actors answer them, but their performances are so captivating, you just don't question it. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet! screens at 2 and 7 p.m. in The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet! in the Music and Culture section.

2. Look! Over by the cucumbers! It's Superman! Spider Man! Wonder Woman! A super-sized knitted Mr. Fantastic costume! And they're all dancing at the 6th Ave Farmers Market! Holy organics, Batman! That's right, Superfriends. The 6th Ave Farmers Market hosts a Homemade Superhero Costume Contest and dance party from 3-7 p.m. Superheroes will need to be prepared to answer two questions: What is your super power and what is your super name?

3. The Tacoma Rainiers kick off its final 7-game homestand, with its collective focus on the next three games, starting tonight at 7 p.m. against Salt Lake. The Bees - the Triple-A affiliate of the Angels - have a four-game lead on the Rainiers in the division. The only chance of making the playoffs is to take this series.

4. Speaking of superheroes, for many people around the South Sound, venturing into a comic book store for the first time can be a terrifying experience. Don't worry, the super hero-centric Capes & Cowls Book Club - billed as a "... book club adapted to mutants, aliens, technogeeks and puny humans who like to read superhero comics" - holds its monthly meeting at 8 p.m. in King's Books. This book club will ease you into the superhero comics genre with support and friendship. August's selection is Prophet Vol. 1: Remission by Brandon Graham where John Prophet is a genetically engineered super-clone sent by the Earth Empire on a mission to restore humanity. Boom! Biff! Biochemistry, beyotch!

5. On any night of the week, one can meander past the main bar in Olympia's China Clipper Club Cafe, to the back room where a disco ball, stage, stellar PA system, extensive song list, savvy DJ and lively, often tipsy, crowd scribbles on tiny, colorful paper then waits ... for Clipper Karaoke. There are number karaoke nights around the South Sound, but only one karaoke night that has been named Best Karaoke in Thurston County three years running in the Weekly Volcano's Best of Olympia issues. The China Clipper is the only lounge in Thurston County that hosts karaoke seven days a week. It's also the only lounge that uses state-of-the-art sound equipment rather than the typical karaoke set-up with a cordless mic that's passed from table to table. It goies down at 9 p.m. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Clipper Karaoke in the Weekly Volcano's Bars/Clubs section.

LINK: Tuesday, Aug. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area