Weekly Volcano Blogs: Walkie Talkie Blog

Posts made in: September, 2013 (79) Currently Viewing: 31 - 40 of 79

September 13, 2013 at 7:38am

5 Things To Do Today: Theater party, beer release, Squeak and Squawk, Nate Jackson, and more ...

Jonathan Brewster (Chris Cantrell) creeps behind Mortimer Brewster (Jacob Tice) in "Arsenic & Old Lace" at the Lakewood Playhouse. Photo credit: Kate Paterno-Lick

FRIDAY, SEPT. 13 2013 >>>

1. The year was 1938-1939. The minimum wage was first established. Hitler marched into Austria after signing a sketchbook for Indiana Jones. Elliot Gould was born, as were Frank Langella, Tommy Chong ... and the Lakewood Playhouse.Tonight, the Playhous ecelebrates its 75th birday with an anniversary ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m. and the civic proclamation of "Lakewood Playhouse Day" at 5:30. A silent auction begins with a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m., which continues until a live auction at intermission of Arsenic & Old Lace. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on the Lakewood Playhouse in the Music and Culture section.

2. The annual South Sound Wine Trail Fall Passport event kicks off noon to 6 p.m. and runs through Sunday. You can purchase your passport online or in advance at any of the six participating wineries: Madsen Family Cellars, Northwest Mountain Winery, Walter Dacon, Scatter Creek Winery, Medicine Creek Winery and Stottle Winery. Your passport gets you a tasting at each winery. The passport is valid all three days, once per winery. Bonus: Get your passport stamped at all the wineries and be entered for a chance to win a Thurston County getaway for two.

3.Wingman Brewers will its release the first 22-ounce bottle in its new Seasonal Bomber Lineup. Grab a taste of the Coconut P-51 Porter in its the taproom from 2-11 p.m.

4. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival has invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic through Sept. 16. Here is the schedule for today: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) Carletta Sue Kay, You Are Plural, Hands In; (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) Twin Steps, Summer Cannibals, Tangerine. Descriptions of the bands can be found here.

5. Nate Jackson, an award-winning comedian from Lacey, is back fresh from The ATL's Comic View taping, and hosts former Monique Show co-host and funnyman Rodney Perry to headline the Nate Jackson's Super Funny Comedy Show at 9 p.m. in the Temple Theatre. Perry, renowned for his quips and thoughtful and physical humor, will receive a boost from DJ Tu Much and live music by The De 1 Experience.

LINK: Friday, Sept. 13 arts and entertianment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 13, 2013 at 1:39pm

Words & Photos: Squeak and Squawk Day One

J. Martin and friends were in tune last night at the Library at Sanford and Son. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner

Last night's Squeak and Squawk Music Festival didn't disappoint.

Solo, or singing with buddies, J. Martin, he of Oh Dear! fame, kicked off the festival, christening the all-ages stage at the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques. His latest release, Awake of a Dream, was front and center, emotionally bare songwriting, and down-home charm. His folk-rock held the audience, in between chuckles aimed at Mr. Swimsuit on bass.

The Fame Riot's set may not have felt as blisteringly loud as their show at Art of the Ave this summer, but the band didn't exactly skimp on the volume either this time out. Between the sweeping dynamics, the tones, the swelling volume and the wild jumps on the stage, this show felt like a roller coaster ride. Not sure how the books remained on the shelves.

My apologies to the Xylophones. I had to spring across downtown for a haircut.

Freshly shampooed, I made my way to The New Frontier Lounge for the 21+ Squeak. Dressed as if they might jump off stage and heal folks, the white-clad Week of Wonders hit the stage like a great, long lost band from a remote Caribbean island. With its catchy melodies, and calypso rhythms, the band recalled the Talking Heads by way of the Cocteau Twins at the Sandals resort.

I Like Science followed, with one giant song. I jest, but damn these guys can go forever. More a throbbing ball of hypnotic electricity than a collection of songs, I Like Science answered the eternal question, Why did the chicken cross the road? Answer: Because art is alive. Peter Tietjen can freakin' play drums.

I caught People Under the Sun's show at last year's Squeak and Squawk, and I was so looking forward to seeing the talented neo-psychedelic band on a larger stage. However, the wife texted that she had popped a bowl of corn at the new Star Trek movie hit the tube, so I grabbed that A-Train to Awesome.

See Also

Friday, Sept. 13 Squeak and Squawk shows

Filed under: Music, Photo Hot Spot, Tacoma,

September 13, 2013 at 2:43pm

Psst: Dale Chihuly, James Mongrain and Pino Signoretto hug it out in Tacoma this weekend

Dale Chihuly, James Mongrain and Pino Signoretto collaborated today in the Museum of Glass's Hot Shop. Photo courtesy of @MuseumofGlass

Want to see one of the world's best glass sculptors in action? Pino Signoretto is working in the Museum of Glass's Hot Shop today through Sunday.

What? Gardening is not an excuse.

OK, how about if MOG throws in a Dale Chihuly and James Mongrain?

It's true. The two glass-sculpting greats are car-pooling down from Seattle to join Signoretto. The three are collaborating on pieces all weekend.

MUSEUM OF GLASS, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, $5-$12, 253.396.1768

Filed under: Arts, Tacoma,

September 13, 2013 at 3:44pm

Night Moves: Leroy Bell, Ed Taylor, Richard Album, Frances Rose, Summer Cannibals, Carletta Sue Kay and others ...

Palace Buddies

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

502 Martini Bar Tacoma - Downtown. Ed Taylor Band. 8 pm. NC.

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live! featuring the Amocat House Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Fingertips. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Leroy Bell & His Only Friends, Kim Archer. 8 pm. $15.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Mighty Mighty Chitons, Frances Rose, Trevor Peach, The Old Salt. 8 pm.

  • The line between mainstream music and indie music has grown so thin that it's often hard to differentiate between the two. Recently, returning popularity of cheesy mainstream music from the '80s and the '90s have enveloped themselves in the output of indie artists, creating a kind of crazy verisimilitude where mockery and reverence blend together. Frances Rose, from Brooklyn, ride such a fine pop line that it's hard to tell why these songs are playing on indie blogs instead of on whatever "hot" Top 40 station. These are impeccably glossy electro-pop songs of the sort that inspire the kind of adulation that leads to young folks scrawling "Frances Rose" into their notebooks. This is a band that's made for bedroom posters. Frances Rose's music leads to a terrifying proposal: nostalgia for the now. - Rev. Adam McKinney

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Squeak & Squawk Music Festival 2013, featuring Twin Steps, Summer Cannibals, Tangerine. 9:30 pm. $7.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Richard Album and the Lifestyles, Palace Buddies and Stephen Steinbrink. 8 pm.

  • Richard Album (along with his band, the Lifestyles) is a master of power pop, straight down to the sort of vulnerable songwriting that once defined the genre. Similar to those artists, his album covers feature faux-heartthrob poses. On the cover of Sophomore he poses as a college man circa 1955, which he cribbed from Nick Lowe and Greg Kihn, who both cribbed from Frankie Avalon and other clean-cut heart throbs. As a musician, Richard Album tends to find the middle ground between the too-brief punk blowout and the power pop treatise. Album's voice cracks, more often than not, revealing the sort of love-starved boy that Costello, Jackson and Lowe always represented. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Richard Album in the Music and Culture section.

Sanford and Son Antiques Tacoma - Downtown. Squeak & Squawk Music Festival 2013, featuring Carletta Sue Kay, Hands In, The Optimistics. All Ages. 6 pm. $7.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Mark Ettinger. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

LINK: More live music Friday, Sept. 13 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Filed under: Night Moves, Music, Olympia, Tacoma,

September 14, 2013 at 7:52am

5 Things to do Today: Zombie Tag Takeover, Stadium Fare, OOPS!, Squeak and Squawk and more ...

It's going to get weird tonight at Wright Park in Tacoma. Photo design by James Hume

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 2013 >>>

1. We've often heard it said, "I'd run only if something were chasing me," most often while listening to myself at the gym. We submit that a killer app for the Kinect would be a game in which if a player doesn't run in place fast enough, he or she is overrun by the Walking Dead. But why wait? Wright Park is proud to present its Zombie Tag Takeover! (Exclamation point theirs but understandable.) Ward off the biters and shield your personal flags by lobbing sock bombs and skipping past infested blood splatters at 5:30 p.m. in Wright Park. Then celebrate the zombie apocalypse by knocking back steins in a comforting Hilliard's Beer garden. You'll earn a survivor T-shirt and donate all ordnance to the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Hey, Deputy Rick, you want to quit ogling your dead wife and help out here? Hello?

2. Stadium Fare, Tacoma's original craft market, runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the First Presbyterian parking lot across from Wright Park. The Fare offers local food, vintage and artistic wares, and entertainment. It's awesome.

3. The Olympia Independent Music Festival (OIMF) has put on one hell of a shindig the past few years, creating a free block party with all the usual perks of Olympia - killer bands, ladies of burlesque, art, vendors, chin-balancing - all in the name of helping the Olympia Film Society. From noon to 9 p.m., organizers are bringing back all that Oly love, but under a new moniker: OOPS!: The Olympia Outdoor Public Spectacle. And a spectacle it will be. In addition to a lineup featuring The Fabulous Downey Brothers, Fruit Juice, Full Moon Radio, The Hard Way, Horace Pickett, Tangerine and Teardrop City, the event will be hosted by funny women Elizabeth Lord and Lauren O'Neill and there will be an attempt at a Guinness World Record for chin-balancing by Big Sam Miller. There will be an outdoor beer garden for those 21+, a silent art auction in the mezzanine of the Capitol Theater, a cakewalk with the ladies of TUSH! Burlesque, a local business raffle, plus lots of local food and craft vendors. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on OOPS!: The Olympia Outdoor Public Spectacle in the Music and Culture section.

4. The Oly Funk Fest is an overnight break down to celebrate the end of summer with the proper booty-shaking, beer-drinking, boom-shaka-lakin, finger-snapping, jiving, locking, popping and electric boogalooing that it deserves. At 3 p.m. in a field at 4326 Shincke Rd. NE, Funk Agency, DBST, Polyrythmics, and Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme will set the mood for this festival that benefits Safeplace of Olympia. Camping is encouraged and food will be available from Al Forno Olympia Sicilian Cuisine.

5. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival has invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic through Sept. 16. Here is the schedule for today: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) Tender Forever, La Luz, Margy Pepper; (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) I Will Keep Your Ghosts, Man Plus, Future Bass Dance Party. Descriptions of the bands can be found here.

(6. Dale Chihuly, James Mongrain and Pino Signoretto are collaborating in the Museum of Glass's Hot Shop today.)

LINK: Saturday, Sept. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area


September 15, 2013 at 9:13am

5 Things To Do Today: Military parade, Fiestas Patrias, Dorky's birthday, Squeak and Squawk and more ...

Soldiers with the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division will march through Lakewood as part of the Welcome Home Celebration Sunday, Sept. 15. Photo credit: Reese Von Rogatsz

SUNDAY, SEPT 15 2013 >>>

1. The city of Lakewood, in cooperation and partnership with the Lakewood Subchapter of the Association of the U.S. Army, the 4/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and other community partners, will host two welcome home events for members of 4/2, who have recently returned from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.  The morning kicks off at 9 a.m. with a parade to welcome and salute the returning troops.  The route begins at the Lakewood Police Department (Lakewood Drive and 95th Street), and ends at Lakewood City Hall (6000 Main St. SW). The homecoming event continues with a family friendly community party at Fort Steilacoom Park. This event will begin at noon and run until 6 p.m. There is no entry fee, and free onsite parking is available.

2. The Red Hot has added three sausage hot dogs to its menu: The Cowboy ($4.75), Berliner ($4.25) and The Dakota ($4.50). TRH bartender Mitchell gave nod to The Cowboy, a locally made beef/cheddar sausage link on a steamed poppyseed bun, topped with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, slice of bacon, nacho cheese sauce and jalapeños. Giddy up! The Cowboy pairs well with Belgian style ales, which are $1 off on Sundays. Oh, TRH opens at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays for the game.

3. Latin Americans love to party. From Mexican tamales to pizza from Argentina, food is crucial in the holiday mix, as is dance, whether it's salsa, samba or merengue. The moves and beats differ, but they always create a purely Latin rhythm. Taste, feel and see the action at Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Latin America's Independence Day at the Washington State Fair. From noon to 9 p.m. a collection of Latin entertainment ranging from traditional mariachis to colorful folkloric dancers to Roberto Tapia and other well-known musicians playing on the radio will gather in the Main Grandstand. Plus, expect authentic foods, vendors, artisans and kids activities.

4. Pound the buttons on some old school title, claim the next game by placing quarters on the edge of the screen or just watching other players defeat pixelated villains with killer techniques from 1 p.m. to midnight during Dorky's third-year anniversary party. For $20, you will receive unlimited play, trips to the taco bar and quarterly raffles.

5. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival has invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic through Sept. 16. Here is the schedule for today: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) LAKE, Friends and Family and The Hoot Hoots (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) Not From Brooklyn, Fen Wik Ren and the Wheelies. Descriptions of the bands can be found here.

LINK: Sunday, Sept. 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 15, 2013 at 11:23am

First Peek: The Hub at Gig Harbor

Planes, bikes and beers on The Hub at Gig Harbor's back patio. Photo credit: Pappi Swarner

Given the breakneck pace of most people's lives, sometimes neighborhood dining spots really do the trick - predictable, affordable and filling. I was happy to hear business partners Pat Nagle and Carole Holder were bringing their bicycles, pizza, burgers and beer concept to the other side of the Narrows, opening The Hub at Gig Harbor Monday, Sept. 16. The two took over the restaurant space at the Tacoma Narrows Airport. I found myself looking around and trying to remember the room before it looked so "Hub"-ish - reds, golds and bicycle parts. The change is dramatic ... and welcoming, full of colors and bicycle kitsch, such as mounted handlebars and saddles to resemble trophy animal heads. When full, as Friday's investors' party and Saturday's test run with friends, the atmosphere is lively and roaring, but it manages to be calm and serene too, with patio seating facing the runway and a large, outdoor beer garden off the left side.

Your dish favorites from the St. Helens Hub Restaurant grace the menu, loaded with pizza and burgers, a few pasta dishes and, of course, the Harmon brews. Fans of the weekend breakfasts at Hub and Harmon Brewery in Tacoma will now have to choose which side of the Narrows Bridge to start their Saturday and Sunday.

Many Gig Harbor familiar faces were in the house both nights, including chefs Lucas Ortiz and Jeremy Barber, and sous chef Aimee Cox, who command the kitchen.

I wouldn't be surprised if Gig Harbor embraces the restaurant. It screams, "Let's meet at The Hub," whether to enjoy drinks in the outdoor beer garden - lit by Tivoli lights, firewood and sunsets; enjoy burgers on the back patio and watch who exits planes; or watch the game, which is easy to do from all angles.

THE HUB AT GIG HARBOR, opens Monday, Sept. 16 for lunch, dinner and weekend breakfasts, 1208 26thAve. NW, Gig Harbor, 253.224.2624

September 16, 2013 at 7:10am

5 Things To Do Today: Tiphanie Yanique, Squeak and Squawk, Alabama, Rockaraoke and more ...

Prof. Tiphanie Yanique will transport you to warmer lands tonight at the University of Puget Sound.

MONDAY, SEPT. 16 2013 >>>

1. Beginning this month, a sparkling selection of writers of Caribbean descent will be in Tacoma to engage the community in conversations about the history, culture, and literature of the West Indies region. First up, Prof. Tiphanie Yanique - a Virgin Islands native and author of the collection of short stories, How to Escape from a Leper Colony (Graywolf Press, 2010) and I am the Virgin Islands, a poem and collection of collages - will lecture on "Those Who Wait for Us," discussing colonialism, slavery, tourism, and multiculturalismat 6:30 p.m. in the Rasmussen Rotunda and the University of Puget Sound.

2. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic. It ends tonight: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) Goat, Upchcuk and the Chunksand others (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) Rowhouseand assorted friends. 

3. The country band Alabama has reunited and will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington State Fair. Picking which songs they will perform won't be an easy task since the band has had 43 No. 1s since its formation in 1972.

4. Want to feel like a rock star without all the pain and annoyance of having to be a  fire-breathing demon that bleeds from the mouth? Then hit Jazzbones at 9 p.m. for Rockaraoke, where you can belt out songs like the Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and enough INXS tunes to make you feel like you're on a reality show, and other hits from the days when you made mixtapes by recording the radio, all backed by a live band. Expect a college crowd enjoying $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff Flavor Vodka Bombs. Dibs on "Hungry Like a Wolf."

5. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned" is not some cartoon-like parody like you see in the movies. For the most part, the Monday DJ night is just your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50 beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

September 16, 2013 at 12:00pm

Words and Video: Fight during The Hoot Hoots's Squeak and Squawk show

And the scene is set. Photo by Pappi Swarner

Oh sure you've got your Japanese artifacts and your epic dragon sculptures and your steampunk laser guns, and every single thing everywhere smells like some combination of grandpa and grandma. And sure there's your writhing dancing and improvised kitchen-sink costumes and thunder and lightning outside. And of course there is always, always an incredible line-up of regional indie bands. This is pretty much a given. Just another night at a Squeak and Squawk Music Festival all-ages show in the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques in downtown Tacoma.

Last night during day four of SQSQ, the above scenario was topped off by the glory of a shark vs. alligator fight during The Hoot Hoots's set - a Seattle power-pop band that combines fuzzy guitar, fuzzier keyboard lines, cheerfully crashing symbols and fun.

We captured the fight below. Bless you all.

LINK: Tonight's Squeak and Squawk Music Festival shows

Filed under: Music, Video Hot Spot, Tacoma,

September 17, 2013 at 7:11am

5 Things To Do Today: Italian night, "This is Martin Bonner," halfway to St. Patrick's Day and more ...

I better see you at Morso.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 17 2013 >>>

1. Tonight, Morso converts into an Italian bistro. The Gig Harbor wine bar pulls out a special Italian menu that includes traditional favorites such as cannelloni, seafood linguine, pasta puttanesca and chicken rigatoni. No Italian dinner is complete without a glass of wine, which will be discounted to $5 while they last. Run a little pomade through your coif, and head out to enjoy a sampling of Italian dishes with a view of the harbor.

2. Martin Bonner (Paul Eenhorn) leaves his old life behind and relocates to Reno, where he finds work helping released prisoners transition to life on the outside, while trying his hand at speed dating and passing time as a soccer referee on weekends. He meets Travis Holloway (Richmond Arquette), who has just been released from prison after serving 12 years, and strikes an up an unlikely friendship that offers them reciprocal support and understanding. This is the film This is Martin Bonner. Catch it at 2:20 and 7:05 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Usually when you go to the casino you just lose money - but tonight could be different. Danny Vernon's Illusions of Elvis will be at the Red Wind Casino. Travel out to Yelm and have a great time with the King's likeness, starting at 6:30 p.m.

4. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds and storytellers at Victory Music Open Mic at the Antique Sandwich Co. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians bare their souls impromptu-style beginning at 7 p.m.

5. Doyle's Public House throws a "Halfway to St. Patrick's Day Party" featuring traditional Celtic tunes by The Fire Inside at 8 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Sept. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

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