FRIDAY, MAY 23 2014 >>>

1. Kevin Seconds has never been a slave to expectations, even as his immensely influential band, 7 Seconds, helped to foster the West Coast hardcore scene in the early '80s. Today, Seconds is on his own as an acoustic singer-songwriter. Extricated from the context of the hardcore frontman, Seconds blossomed as both a writer and a performer. The man always possessed one of the best voices in punk, but his true range was given the spotlight once everything else was stripped away. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Kevin Seconds in the Music & Culture section, then catch Seconds with Erica Freas, Secret Abilities and Sullivan Street for an all-ages show at Northern.

2. Visitors to Museum of Glass, as well as viewers around the world, will have the unique opportunity to watch the first-ever live filming of the museum's new web series, The Hot Shop Live Show, from noon to 1 p.m. Hosted by Hot Shop Emcee Greg Owen and Visiting Artist Coordinator Katie Phelps, visitors will watch artist Preston Singletary work in the Hot Shop and learn more about the inspiration for his upcoming exhibition Raven and the Box of Daylight. 

3. The TCC Orchestra welcomes pianist Dr. Amy Grinsteiner as the featured soloist for our final concert of the 2013-14 academic year at 7:30 p.m. in Building 2 Auditorium. Expect to hear "Air for Strings" by Delo Joio, "Piano Concerto No. 9" by Mozart and "Symphony in d minor" by Frank. Grinsteiner has received every honor on the planet.

4. David Mamet's 1975 A Life in the Theatre is about two actors - one a seasoned veteran, the other a professional novice. They seem to have a growing friendship based on collaboration and mutual respect. But this is Mamet; other things, such as reputation and ambition, soon roil the waters, and Working Class Theater NW will shine a light on them. As part of Spaceworks Tacoma, the theater company will stage the petty skirmishes, eggshell egos and dying nobility on the third floor courtroom of the Old Post Office in downtown Tacoma at 8 p.m.

5. The Kim Archer Duo performs an all-ages show at 8 p.m. at the B Sharp Coffee House in Tacoma.

LINK: Friday, May 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Do you think the Clover Park School District bugs out early for Memorial Day Weekend? No, they do not. Just received good news from Gary Sabol, the community relations manage for the district:

Clover Park School District has received a Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) grant to improve K-12 student achievement at Lakewood Career Academy, Lakes High School and Woodbrook and Mann Middle Schools. The funds will focus on math and science achievement utilizing technology and engineering methods and provide teachers with professional development opportunities in science, engineering practices and computer science. The grant is also intended to improve each student's sense of community, personal responsibility and well-being through further development and expansion of positive school culture-building programs. Teachers will also receive training in positive school culture-building programs. This is the fourth DoDEA grant the district has received.

"These grants have been helpful in improving academic and support services to the district's military-connected student population, strengthening relations between schools and families and cementing the partnership between the district and Joint Base Lewis-McChord," said Maria Flores, supervisor of curriculum and instruction.

The funding of the three-year, $1.755 million grant begins June 15 and runs through August 2017.

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.23.14 >>>

The Pentagon announced it was closing down 21 military facilities in Europe, a move the Department said would save $60 million annually.

At the end of a week rocked by allegations of mismanagement and cover-ups at the Veterans Affairs agency, Pres. Obama used his weekly address today to again vow to make sure veterans get the necessary medical care.

Four things Washington could do right now to fix the VA.

Smoke and flames rose from Somalia's parliament building in Mogadishu after militants launched an attack today.

Candidates in Ukraine's presidential election stayed out of the public eye today, observing a ban on campaigning on the eve of a vote that Kiev hopes can help end a bitter confrontation with Russia.

Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) announced that a bipartisan proposal was included in the Senate's defense bill to end a Pentagon contract with a Russian firm to supply the Afghan air force with 18 more transport helicopters. 

As the Army fights an uphill battle on Capitol Hill to avert deep budget cuts in 2016, it is also mounting a public-relations campaign against pundits and analysts who downplay the value of land forces.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to include measures in its defense policy bill aimed at curbing the number of military suicides, which officials fear could spike this year.  

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) has introduced a bill to give Medal of Honor recipients the highest priority among veterans seeking access to Veterans Affairs healthcare.

Tensions are rising in the East and South China Seas. America needs to walk a fine line between appeasement and confrontation when it comes to China.

The Army is replacing its Universal Camouflage Pattern with Scorpion, a pattern similar to MultiCam developed around 2002.

The task force working to come up with ideas for the U.S. Navy's small surface combatant got a major data download, as industry submitted their proposals for modified or entirely new designs.

A report blames the CO of a destroyer for shiphandling that caused a helicopter to be swept off the flight deck by a rogue.

The future of defense.

Using Google Street View to study the Great Barrior Reef.

Watch this guy jump over an entire island while kitesurfing.

The last thing the world needs is another singing competition, but Sing Your Face Off has something the others don't: Torchwood/Doctor Who alum John Barrowman.

Keep an eye on this guy: Brandon Scott Wolf.

Every single Nicolas Cage laugh ever compiled in one single video.

Chicago critics Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot delivered another great episode of their podcast with an installment devoted to influential alt-country band Uncle Tupelo.

Seriously?: Fox may have cancelled Enlisted, but one fan is launching a campaign to get the network to bring the show back.

How to drink Gothic.

This version is the best X-Men ...

LINK: Original photo by Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Moore

SATURDAY, MAY 24, 2014 >>>

1. Beginning in 1981, front man Regan Lane, along with keyboardist Robert Richholt, guitarist Jesse Seales and bassist Bob D'Angelo (now of Mechanism) brought a certain power-pop, boy-band charm (complete with '80s hair) and danceable, relatable stories and music to their hometown of Tacoma, and then to the world. Fans in Japan, Korea, Philippines and Guam witnessed the new wave glory of Strypes, and L.A. welcomed them many times over. After a successful run, in 1990, the band members went their separate ways. Now, the band will re-visit the good side of things, and what the band has at its core - great chemistry, and, of course, great music. At 8 p.m., Strypes, (with Strangely Alright's Preston Darvill on drums) will reunite to play one powerful night at Jazzbones. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Strypes in the Music & Culture Section.

2. The Gig Harbor Street Scramble is a treasure hunt that leads participants to 30 checkpoints throughout the community. The checkpoints are circled on a map, and each has a description such as "sculpture" or "road bend." They can be visited in any order, on foot or bike. Participants cannot use a motorized vehicle. Participants must return to the finish line before their time is up. It kicks off at 9:30 a.m. at Skansie Brothers Park.

3. Several weeks ago Weekly Volcano food critic Jackie Fender gushed over Maxwell's Restaurant & Lounge's head chef, Hudson Slater. Deservedly so - the man is on culinary fire. Today, The Grand Cinema hugs Slater. The Grand announced it has invited the chef to host a post-film discussion after the 3:10 p.m. screening of Chef. 

4. A bevy of vinylists will dig through the crates and study album covers, remixes and the oh-so-sought-after UK 12-inch mix from 5-9 p.m. at the Olympia Record Show in the Olympia Elks Lodge. The show is a bargain hunter's heaven, a record show full of classics.

5. A certain rush is felt when listening to the Wheelies' garage pop, invoking a sense of wanting to be at their parties, relating to the angst, the desire to try something on one wheel instead of two, and then riding it as long as you can. Easily moving from breezy, low-fi, shoegazey to rough and raw and fast and punchy, Wheelies are must listen. Catch the band with Watermelon Sugar, People Under the Sun and Deep Kink at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

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

The 13th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival has taken over the Gorge Amphitheater this weekend, bringing with it plenty of people in weird costumes and great music for them to get down to.

And Red Williamson is there.

The newspinphoto.com photographer from Olympia took some time off from producing music videos for Demaro and Double B to snap shots with his fellow photographer Arno Matz from the Sasquatch photo pits. As you can see below, it was a wise choice on our part. The photos are awesome.

For more information on the 2014 Sasquatch! Music Festival, click here.

>>> Balloon Girl

>>> Chance the Rapper crowd

>>> Circus troupe

>>> Cool Glasses Guy

>>> Die Antwood crowd surf

>>> Eyeball Creature

>>> Happy fans

>>> Horned Creature

>>> Outkast

>>> Phantogram

>>> Maya Rudolph

>>> Sam Lachow band

>>> Sasquatch!

>>> Super Geek League

LINK: More photos from the 2014 Sasquatch! Music Festival

SUNDAY, MAY 25 2014 >>>

1. Picture your perfect Sunday night: the drinks are flowing, the tunes are cranking and you and your friends are dancing it up, having a grand old time. Now picture that evening exactly the same except you are covered in foam. We are not talking about the type of foam that resembles squishy Nerf balls; this is foam that is caused by soap. Soapy foam! Jazzbones hosts Foam Fest 8 at 8 p.m., promising to be more foaming than Foam Fest 3. DJ Pedro will be spinning, which is nice. Beach attire is strongly encouraged. 

2. Comedian Mike Merryfield will records his Irrelevant Radio podcast live at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Expect part talk show, part stand up comedy.

3. Full Moon Radio rock out with sweet and sassy vocals, powerful instrumental, and pure indie rock vibe. Catch the Olympia quartet with The Falsies at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge.

4. The truth is, not everyone in town has made a mass exodus this Memorial Day Weekend, and not every painted blue fan will be at the Gorge for Sasquatch! Facts are facts. And it's not as sad as it seems. You see, for those smart enough to be sticking around, The Swiss dropped a last minute bombshell that will totally make hanging around town worth it. The downtown Tacoma hangout will host DJ Switch tonight at 9 p.m. so switch up your plans.

5. A cracking drum machine provides the aggressive backbone of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, post-punkers Rhythm of Cruelty. That relentless beat is what propels these nervy tunes, accompanied by the reverb-engulfed vocals of bassist Brandi Strauss and the sharp guitar attack of Ian Rowley. Things are decidedly moody for Rhythm of Cruelty, but their self-assigned goth label is a little misleading. Sorrow isn't on the table for this band; rather, anger and twitchy outbursts are more their style. Catch the band with Criminal Code at 9:30 p.m. in Half Pint Pizza Pub.

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

Coachella schmoella. The 13th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival is a more laid-back, beautiful festival than Coachella. At Sasquatch!, people mill about from stage to stage, looking for the right music for their mood. Sasquatch's smaller stages give everyone the chance to be a part of the set, unlike the massive Main Stage, with its explosions, light shows and jam-packed crowds.

Red Williamson and Arno Matz of newspinphoto.com are photographing Sasquatch! for the Weekly Volcano. Red's photography has received many a Best of Olympia honor, so were thrilled he's snapping photos for us at The Gorge Amphitheatre this weekend.

Did you catch their shots from yesterday's Sasquatch! action? Awesome.

For more information on the 2014 Sasquatch! Music Festival, click here.

Without further ado, below are Saturday's Sasquatch! scenes captured by Team Newspinphoto. Enjoy.

>>> Willy Mason

>>> The Bright Light Social Hour

>>> Deap Valley

>>> The Augustines

>>> Headbanger

>>> All American Girl

>>> Bubble Boy

>>> Right Eye

>>> Best Friends Forever

>>> Couple shoppers

>>> Violent Femmes

>>> Neko Case

>>> The Grizzled Mighty

>>> Cloud Control

>>> M.I.A.

>>> The National

>>> Super Geek League

>>> The Cut Copy

LINK: More Sasquatch! Music Festival photos snapped Saturday, May 24, 2014

GRAB A CUP AND READ THE MORNING REPORT FOR 5.26.14 >>>

President Obama issues Memorial Day Proclamation.

The roots and lessons of Memorial Day.

Obama secretly slipped into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness Sunday for a weekend visit with U.S. troops serving in the closing months of America's longest war.

White House inadvertently identifies CIA chief in Kabul.

Ukraine's next president, Petro Poroshenko, pledged to restore control over the separatist east, and said he would meet Russian officials to secure their help in resolving the crisis. 

Thai coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha said today he had been formally endorsed by the king as head of a military council that will run the country, and warned he would use force if political protests flared up again.

The Pentagon announced it's suspending exercises with Thailand's military and called on officials to restore democratic rule after a bloodless coup there.

The Pentagon is distancing itself from the U.S. Justice Department's charging of five Chinese People's Liberation Army officers with 31 criminal counts of hacking and cyber espionage against six U.S. companies.

South Korea: Asia's new powerhouse arms exporter.

Increased risk for Army, National Guard missions.

The scandal involving a potential cover up of medical mistreatment of military veterans by the Department of Veterans Affairs dominated discussion on the Sunday morning political talk shows. 

China-Vietnam sea spat heats up.

Russia is buying new weapons and aims to modernize its Aerospace Defense Forces.

With sequestration likely to remain, the U.S. Air Force is looking for ways to drive down cost on protected military satellite communications.

One Vietnam veteran is receiving long-delayed recognition for his heroism in a 1968 battle.

How to become an astronaut.

Watch a barn blow-up.

Japan to start building giant ice wall at Fukushima.

Meet the Asian giant hornet. Soon.

Mad Men mid-season 7 finale recap.

Eight literary homes you can buy right now.

Who wants a snake massage?

LINK: Original photo by Chief Petty Office Ryan Wilbur

MONDAY, MAY 26 2014 >>>

1. Memorial Day is the one day of the year that we set aside to remember and honor our country's patriots, yet we owe them a debt of gratitude, every day of every year. The Evergreen State College will hold a remembrance roll-call commemoration honoring the U.S. military men and women of all races, faiths, and nationalities who have died serving in the global war on terror at noon in the Evergreen State College Library Lobby. There will also be an exhibit of names of all of the U.S. military fatalities since the start of the war. Both are open to the public. Pierce County Veterans Advisory Council and Mountain View Funeral Home, Memorial Park & Crematory present their annual Veterans Memorial Day Service at 2 p.m. at the Joint Services Memorial in Mountain View's Garden of Honor section. The general public is warmly welcomed to participate.

2. In director James Gray's The Immigrant, Ewa Cybulksi (Marion Cotillard) and her sister, Magda (Angela Sarafyan), arrive at Ellis Island in 1921, intent on pursuing the fabled "American Dream." Their plans get derailed when Magda is denied entry and quarantined due to a lung disease and Ewa is nearly deported because of alleged prostitution on the very ship that brought her to New York. The mysterious Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix) gets Ewa out of trouble and into a dancing gig in his Bandits' Roost Theater where she can earn money for her sister's treatment. There's just one catch: Bruno's dancers dance vertically and horizontally. It's far from the glamorous new life Ewa imagined, but it's a means to an end. Catch the film at 12:15, 2:50, 5:30 and 8:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Creative Colloquy, which goes down at 7 p.m. at B Sharp Coffee House, encourages scribes to connect with like minds. Short stories and novel excerpts are encouraged but other prose is welcomed. Each performer will have up to 5 minutes to read. Opportunities are based upon those who arrive and sign up first. Tonight's featured storytellers include Nick stokes, L. Lisa Lawrence, William Norris Turbyfill and the work of Alec Clayton performed by actors Sharry O'Hare, Michael O'Hara and Christian Carvajal. Come imbibe in libations or sip on roasted bean concoctions and watch storytellers do the thing they do best - narrate their tales.

4. New vintage swing band Chickadee will perform tunes that invoke and satisfy dreams and passions for dancing and romancing at 8 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye in downtown Olympia.

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 and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

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

As we have mention, Red Williamson and Arno Matz of newspinphoto.com are photographing the Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge for the Weekly Volcano. Their photos have been nothing less than spectacular. You must see Friday's Sasquatch! shots as well as Saturday's pics.

Their photographs from yesterday's shows were slow coming. The lowly few working here at the Weekly Volcano World headquarters today speculated what caused the delay. Were Red and Arno face down in the dirt? Did they hook up with a tribe of free spirits and were halfway to Northern California?

"Sorry for the delay. I'm wiped," texted Williamson.

Completely understandable. The two hugged and clawed their way through hordes of happy, young concert to capture photographic evidence of crystal clear guitar lines, pop built for computer speakers and trippin' youth wearing what ever they found in the back of their hatchbacks.

The wait was worth it. Team Newspinphoto has done it again. Enjoy Sunday, May 25 at the 13th annual Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge.

>>> Team America

>>> John Grant

>>> Pollens

>>> Tacocat candy heart

>>> La Luz

>>> Tune-Yards

>>> Party Animals

>>> Dad!

>>> Shakey Graves

>>> Syd Arthur

>>> Black Joe Lewis

>>> Black Joe Lewis fans

>>> The Flavr Blue crowd

>>> Happy Viking

>>> Oh Canada!

>>> Haim

>>> Kid Cuti

>>> Portugal The Fan

>>> Major Lazer

>>> Major Lazer butt

>>> See ya next year!

Thank you very much ...

>>> Red Williamson!

>>> Arno Matz!

LINK: More photos from Sasquatch! Music Festival Sunday, May 25