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November 14, 2011 at 10:00am

5 Things To Do Today: "Being Elmo," Tap Room Trivia, karaoke contest at the Play Pen and more ...

Public art by Thoughtbarn along Tacoma's Prairie Line Trail - part of "Temporal Terminus"

MONDAY, NOV. 14, 2011 >>>

1. We all know Elmo. Even if you don't have kids, will never have kids, in fact hate kids and everything about them, and have never even been a kid yourself, you know who Elmo is ... or at least you think you do. Elmo, of course, is the hug-giving, furry little red dude from Sesame Street - a staple of the last 25 years. In real life, however, Elmo is puppeteer Kevin Clash, who has portrayed Elmo on TV since 1985 and created the character we've come to know and love. This week the award-winning documentary Being Elmo: A Puppeteers Journey will screen at The Grand, allowing the old and young alike a chance to meet the man behind the puppet. Catch Being Elmo today at the Grand Cinema.

2. Tap into "Tap Room Trivia" tonight at the Harmon Tap Room in Tacoma from 6- 8 p.m. Not convinced? Did we mention the $50 cash prize for the winner of each round?

3. The venerable DJ Melodica spins punk, post punk, New Wave, early electronica, garage and more tonight starting at 8:30 p.m. at Magoo's Annex in Tacoma.

4. Did you get a chance to check out Temporal Terminus: Marking the Line when it opened Saturday? We speak, of course, of the new temporary public art exhibit along Tacoma's Prairie Line Trail that celebrates the important transformation of the trail from rail to linear park. It's awesome. Find more info here, then go out and see it for yourself.

5. Mosey on in to the Play Pen in Lacey for tonight's karaoke contest. The fun times and competition starts at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies!

November 10, 2011 at 1:18pm

WEEKEND HUSTLE: "ICONIC," Oly Film Fest, Frank Fairfield, Tacoma Fall Classic Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and more ...

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 52, lo 32

Saturday: Rain, hi 48, lo 37

Sunday: Rain, hi 50, lo 36

>>> NOV. 10-11: ... LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW

It's snow porn at its finest. After hitting T-Town last weekend, this week Warren Miller Entertainment presents its 62nd winter sports film, ...Like There's No Tomorrow, in Oly. Ski bums and snowboarding enthusiasts will surely flock to the Washington Center for a chance to catch this latest Warren Miller Entertainment joint, shot in India, New Zealand, Chile, British Columbia "and beyond," according  promotions. U.S. skiing legend and gold-medalist at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics Jonny Moseley narrates and hosts the film, which will show Thursday and Friday.

  • Washington Center, 8 p.m. Thursday, 6:30 & 9:30 p.m. Friday, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8586

>>> FRIDAY, NOV. 11: ICONIC

ICONIC will probably be epic. Or at least that's the safe assumption, going off the hype provided by the DASH Center for the Arts and the Tacoma Art Commission's Naomi Strom-Avila. Billed as an "exciting dance production paying tribute to popular music's greatest performers," ICONIC - presented by DASH Center for the Arts' artistic director Jimmy Shields - will "recreate the most ICONIC videos and stage performances of Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Usher, and, of course, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson!" Hence the name, we guess. Mt. Tahoma High School on 11-11-11 is where it will go down, with the dancers of RC-X, Koncrete Studio's, SOTA's FullForce and Studio West doing the dirty work.

  • Mt. Tahoma High School, 8 p.m., $11-$15, 4634 S. 74th St., Tacoma, 253.571.3646]

>>> NOV. 11 - NOV. 20: OLYMPIA FILM FESTIVAL

With an ambitious 10-day lineup spanning the ages of cinema, there literally is something for everyone at this year's Olympia Film Festival. The OFF looked deep into the past when building the 2011 festival, even inviting back a contributor to its own history. J.R. Baker finds himself in a sequel of sorts, back in the saddle again as OFF director after a 19-year absence. Baker compares his return to that other age-old travel metaphor: "It's like riding a bike. Once you get on ... after not riding it for awhile, you're good to go."

  • Capitol Theater, 206 E. Fifth Ave., Olympia, Find movietimes and ticket prices at www.olympia filmfestival.org

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 12: COMMUNITY ART DAY

Tacoma is a living, breathing example of the powerful positive impact art can have on a community. So it's not surprising to see Saturday bringing an event at Tacoma Art Place simply known as Community Art Day. And the title pretty much says it all. Expect workshops, demonstrations and family fun all day, and all for free. The Weekly Volcano is a proud sponsor of Community Art Day.

  • Tacoma Art Place, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., free, 1116 S. 11th St., Tacoma, 253.238.1006

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 12: FRANK FAIRFIELD

You've got to give it to the folks over at The Warehouse. At this point a production company (of sorts) specializing in bringing intimate, artistic and artist-friendly shows to Tacoma, The Warehouse looks to have hit pay dirt again with Saturday's performance by Frank Fairfield, an old school (and I mean ooold school) gee-tar, fiddle and banjo player who many fell in love with last summer at Doe Bay Fest. "His music immediately transports you to a dusty trail stop and a crackling fire. He is well versed in early American music and fits the part perfectly. Trust me, you have to see it to believe it," says The Warehouse's Adam Ydstie in email. "We at The Warehouse have worked hard to create a special evening for a small audience to experience Frank Fairfield as well as a host of other amazing musicians from the area. This performance will be on the stage at Urban Grace sans any amplification and lit primarily by candles. We will have chairs and pillows on the stage for the audience to sit back, relax, and enjoy the music."  The show will also include members of Sons of Warren Oates and Ravenna Woods. 

  • Urban Grace Church, with members of Sons of Warren Oates & Ravenna Woods, 7:30 p.m., $8-$10, 902 Market St., Tacoma, brownpapertickets.com

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 12: PRAIRIE LINE TRAIL PUBLIC ART TOUR

Art At Work: Tacoma Arts Month continues Saturday with the Prairie Line Trail Public Art Tour, celebrating the existence of possibilities Tacoma's Prairie Line Trail, and also a collection of temporary public art installations that have been set up along it to hopefully catch your eye and attention. According to Tacoma Arts Month hype, "Artwork includes Thoughtbarn's artificial landforms created from everyday materials like cardboard and zip ties and five other site-responsive, ephemeral works created by teams of Tacoma artists." The afternoon tour leaves from Tollefson Plaza at 2 p.m. Temporal Terminus: Marking the Line, an exhibition of eight temporary public artworks, runs Nov. 12-30.

  • Tollefson Plaza, 2 p.m., free, 17th and Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, website

>>> NOV. 12-13: TACOMA FALL CLASSIC WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Need something to reaffirm your faith in the decency and inherent goodness of athletics? You just might. This weekend the second annual Tacoma Fall Classic Wheelchair Basketball Tournament comes to Mt. Tahoma High School, pitting welcoming teams from around the region - including the local Tacoma Titans - competing for supremacy, offering fans of basketball a lockout-free chance to cheer on the competition. The games run Saturday and Sunday, with games in both gyms at Mt. Tahoma High School Saturday, and playoffs and the championship game in the main gym on Sunday. The two Tacoma Titans teams represent Metro Parks Adaptive Recreation program.

  • Mt. Tahoma High School, Saturday games at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4 p.m., Sunday games at 10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m., free, 4634 S. 74th St  Tacoma

>>> SUNDAY, NOV. 13: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S

The creamy filling of the ongoing, three-part Broadway Center for the Performing Arts "Film Focus" series on Audrey Hepburn, which opened with a screening of Roman Holiday on Oct. 23 and will conclude with My Fair Lady on Jan. 22, Sunday brings one of Hepburn's most well-known films, Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Even better, your ticket includes popcorn. This just might be the perfect Sunday afternoon escape.

  • Theatre on the Square, 3 p.m., $12, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO 

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
It's gonna be a sagacious gay weekend. First a SAGE mixer (that's a social get-together from our new group that works with GLBT elders) and then a PFLAG meeting Sunday, at which SAGE co-founders and board will be our special guests.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
For once, a free weekend! No birthday parties, no family dinners, no rock shows, no extra shifts at the bar. I think I will make cookies and a big batch of clam chowder. I will catch up on laundry. Domestic duties have never sounded better...

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
For my three day weekend I will be steam cleaning the carpets in my TV room and the bedrooms in an effort to rid the dog germs from the floor. If I'm lucky, my husband will take a turn playing with our 15 month old and I will FINALLY paint the TV room or possibly our bedroom. Oh, the glamor and dreams of newish parents.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I have some work  in the yard to do and will be geocaching around with the kids while trying to get over this freaking cold.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food & Lifestyle Writer
Game night at Institute Friday. Gym Saturday morning, a volunteer house painting project later, and a birthday party that night. Sunday church and family dinner.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
My wife has arranged a baby shower for our friend Heather, so I'm throwing her husband, the proud father, a "dad-chelor party." I also have to work on my lines for A Christmas Story, opening 2 December.

JOE IZENMAN Theater Critic
In classic American glutton fashion, I will be celebrating not one, not two, but three different Thanksgivings, with three different families. Thanksgiving: Part The First commences this weekend, after I jet from Friday night's Jason Webley 11-11-11 show up in Seattle. Mmmm turkey.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music & Film Writer
Friday's going to be pretty busy. There's the totally awesome Wax Idols show happening at the New Frontier, but there's also a show at the Piano Company, followed by a listening party for Tom Waits' new album, accompanied by some sort of beer/coffee/milkshake deal. Sounds too intriguing to pass up. I think I'm gonna pull a Flintstones and dash back and forth between the venues while hurriedly switching my outfits.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

Filed under: All ages, Arts, Events, Music, Olympia, Tacoma,

November 10, 2011 at 10:04am

VOLCANO MUSIC: Wax Idols, Sonny Bonoho, all-ages action returns to Hell’s Kitchen plus more …

YOUR SOURCE FOR LOCAL MUSIC COVERAGE >>>

Yes, we voted this week. Yes, we cleaned our room too. We took the garbage out, raked the yard, fed the dog and rubbed Aunt Gertie's feet. We did all the things we were supposed to do, like the good little boys and girls we are.

Included in all this doing? As always, another shining installment of the Weekly Volcano music section.

It's true. We wouldn't lie. You better believe we managed to pump out another stellar Weekly Volcano music section - your every Thursday chance at the best in local music coverage.

Here's a look at the sonic goodness coming at you in print and online in this week's Volcano ...

FEATURE: WAX IDOLS

As I'm sure we're all aware, there's a sort of renaissance happening right now with young bands rediscovering and reinterpreting the sunny, fuzzy garage pop sounds of the past few decades, particularly in California. These are bands that have the benefit of an enormous back catalogue of music to sift through and disseminate however they wish - to mix and match and come up with a composite sound, which will exist thanks entirely to the passing of time and muddying of cultural touchstones.

One such band is Wax Idols, a steadily rising fixture in this California scene. Headed by Hether Fortune, a former member of contemporaries like Hunx and His Punx and Bare Wires, Wax Idols has a similarly freewheeling sound that allows the band to experiment in punk, new wave and early goth. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

HIP-HOP: SONNY BONOHO'S "COOGARS" & MORE ...

Riding the national buzz from his last album, Sonny Bonoho recently released a brand new single, "Coogars." YouTube the song to hear it. It's about older women going after younger men, and it's one of Sonny's more humorous songs. His last video, "I Know" featuring Playboy Tre, was on the serious tip. I guess Sonny can't stay serious forever. He's got to let his funny-guy freak flag fly. ... -- Josh Rizeberg

PUNK & METAL: HELL'S KITCHEN GOES ALL-AGES (AGAIN)

Speaking of all-ages shows, Hell's Kitchen is joining the fray once again. You may remember that Hell's Kitchen was THE place for all-ages gigs back when T-Town had nothing else for the kiddies to do but roam the streets - bringing just about every legendary old-school punk band through our fine city. Nov. 18 brings stoner-metal godz High on Fire along with Indian, Bloodhunger and Unhailoed. I strongly suggest getting your tickets now.  ... -- Jason McKibbin

WE RECOMMEND: FRANK FAIRFIELD

You've got to give it to the folks over at The Warehouse. At this point a production company (of sorts) specializing in bringing intimate, artistic and artist-friendly shows to Tacoma, The Warehouse looks to have hit pay dirt again with Saturday's performance by Frank Fairfield, an old school (and I mean ooold school) gee-tar, fiddle and banjo player who many fell in love with last summer at Doe Bay Fest. "His music immediately transports you to a dusty trail stop and a crackling fire. He is well versed in early American music and fits the part perfectly. Trust me, you have to see it to believe it," says The Warehouse's Adam Ydstie in email. ... -- Matt Driscoll

PLUS: Better Living Through Music - Vance Gilbert, Meowtain, Hot Victory

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: South Sound Live Local Music Listings

PLUS: Goofy Nonsense

November 10, 2011 at 9:30am

VOLCANO ARTS: Olympia Film Festival, "Java Tacoma: Episode 38," "J. Edgar" and more ...

ARTS COVERAGE TO END ALL ARTS COVERAGE >>>

At this point it goes without saying. If you're looking for coverage of local arts in Tacoma, Olympia, and all points in between, the Weekly Volcano is THE place to find it. Our goal is to consistently provide the best local arts coverage possible to our fantastic readers -- always be on the lookout for ways to shine a light on all the awesome creativity we see around us.

Here's a look at the Volcano arts coverage waiting for you this week in print and online.

FEATURE: OLYMPIA FILM FEST


(Carlen Altman co-wrote and stars in "The Color Wheel", playing Nov. 17 at the Olympia Film Festival. Photo courtesy Sean Prince Williams)

The OFF looked deep into the past when building the 2011 festival, even inviting back a contributor to its own history. J.R. Baker finds himself in a sequel of sorts, back in the saddle again as OFF director after a 19-year absence. Baker compares his return to that other age-old travel metaphor: "It's like riding a bike. Once you get on ... after not riding it for awhile, you're good to go."

By now OFF's wheels turn so smoothly that Baker slipped into his former job without getting stuck in the gears.

Like Baker, other festival favorites have reappeared this year. Not only can visitors now cast their vote for the Audience Award, they also receive an extra day of movies. Usually the party ends on a good fright - that much-loved horror show All Freakin' Night - but this year the show goes on into Sunday, Nov. 20, with a Closing Night celebration.

"There are just so many wonderful films out there," says Baker, "that it's hard to pack them into nine days." ... -- Christopher Wood

THEATER: JAVA TACOMA: EPISODE 38

(Photo courtesy Jason Ganwich/Facebook)

The soap opera comedy utilizes a small ensemble cast and simple staging to tell a story of the "friends, neighbors and siblings" of Perky's coffee shop. Opening up the show, Kate (Betzy Miller) hit the stage with a PSA about Tacoma's atrocious neighbor to the north, Federal Way. Then the actors gave a whirlwind recap of Episode 37, and we learned that Perky's had lost its lease and the owners were forced to relocate.

The majority of the play was a pretty straight forward comedy, awash with references to all things Tacoma - the Murray Morgan Bridge, Tacoma Dome, Union Station, LeMay Car Museum, Point Defiance Zoo and Pho King included. There were moments of soap opera contrivances throughout Java Tacoma: Episode 38, but thankfully the actors were able to pull off the script and had the audience laughing throughout the hour-long performance. ... -- Joann Varnell

MOVIE BIZ BUZZ: SLAUGHTERHOUSE SQUARE

When I saw the big white ambulance with "Pierce County Asylum" engraved on its side, I knew I was close. Director Harry Tchinski had asked me to visit the closed set of his newest horror feature, Grimises Rising, buried somewhere deep in the bowels of Tacoma's Freighthouse Square. If you've walked through its multiple levels of seemingly endless hallways then you know its size, and I had only an inkling as to which entrance (FHS has lots) would get me on set. But like a gleaming arrow, the spooky vehicle pointed me in the right direction.

I knocked on a door painted crimson (REDRUM, my mind whispered), and after a few moments Tchinski stepped outside. ... -- Christopher Wood

MOVIE REVIEW: J. EDGAR

There are moments in J. Edgar that approach parody of Oscar-baiting biopics. Let's take, for instance, the moment when J. Edgar Hoover has to think up a new signature when signing up for a line of credit at a clothing store. "But I've always signed my name John Edgar Hoover," he protests. Cue a curiously long and unintentionally hilarious zoom in on his new signature: "J. Edgar Hoover." This is a moment that rivals John C. Reilly's prolonged and emphatic (and intentionally funny) lead up to his utterance of the words "walk hard" in the film of the same name.

I reveled in these awkwardly funny moments in the sea of steadfast mediocrity that is Clint Eastwood's latest effort. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

PLUS: Comprehensive Arts & Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Events We Recommend

PLUS: Volcano Visual Arts Critic Alec Clayton's Visual Edge Column

PLUS: Pure Craziness

November 6, 2011 at 9:02am

5 Things To Do Today: Back to Beale Street 2012 Fundraiser, Food & Crafts Bazaar, Butch Harrison and more ...

Fingertips will take part in the Back to Beale Street 2012 Fundraiser today at the Swiss.

SUNDAY, NOV. 6 2011 >>>

1. Every year in Memphis the top blues act in the world gather for one of the biggest blues competitions known to man - on Beale Street, of course. Also, every year the South Sound Blues Association holds a competition (usually in June) to choose one lucky band to represent them and the entire region at said competition in Memphis. This, naturally, takes money - which is where today's fundraiser at The Swiss in Tacoma comes into play. But the action isn't just about raising money - it's also about catching an amazing array of local blues talent. Starting at 4 p.m., the Back To Beale Street 2012 Fundraiser bill includes Jumpin' Josh and Felicia, Blues Buskers, Fingertips, Blues Redemption, the CD Woodbury Band and the Red Hot Blues Sisters. South Sound Blues Association members pay $8 at the door, everyone else doles out $10 - but it's all worth it.

2. The Tacoma Buddhist Temple hosts a free Fall Food & Crafts Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (food costs vary). Bobble Tiki loves the sound of that and was all set to go, until he discovered that Buddhism helps you wake up and find your true self. Bobble Tiki has made a career of being both unconscious and shallow, so maybe this event isn't for him. But it just might be for you.

3. It's your last chance to catch ...Like There's No Tomorrow in Tacoma. It's snow porn at its finest. Ski bums and snowboarding enthusiasts will surely flock to Tacoma's Broadway Center for a chance to catch this latest Warren Miller Entertainment joint, shot in India, New Zealand, Chile, British Columbia "and beyond," according  promotions. U.S. skiing legend and gold-medalist at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics Jonny Moseley narrates and hosts the film, which will show once today after screening twice yesterday.

4. Feeling jazzy? Drop in on Butch Harrison in the Piano Lounge at El Guacho starting at 6 p.m. The food and vibe is amazing, and a name like Butch Harrison can only improve things.

5. Today marks the second and final day of the Art At Work: Tacoma Arts Month studio tours. Don't let this yearly favorite pass you by without getting involved. Find all the info you'll need right here.

EXTRA CREDIT: Set your clocks back, yo!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

November 5, 2011 at 9:14am

5 Things To Do Today: Get Involved Gala, MOMIX, 7th Annual Tattoo Extravaganza and more ...

Mickey Avalon performs at Jazzbones tonight.

SATURDAY, NOV. 5, 2011 >>>

1. Project: U - a group of 20- and 30-somethings that parties in the name of United Way and community charities - will host the fancy-schmancy Get Involved Gala, a.k.a The GIG, from 8-11 p.m. tonight at the Tacoma Art Museum. With proceeds benefiting United Way of Pierce County's Community Solution Fund, party people will dress up, drink wine, nibble and win prizes while wearing their best cocktail attire. This is the inaugural GIG event, but Project: U has eyes on making it an annual premiere social/charity event. The Project: U asks attendees to wear cocktail dresses and at least slacks and ties for the gents. The Weekly Volcano is a proud sponsor. Be sure to say "hi" in the wine line.

2. MOMIX has dazzled Olympia before. And while the self-described dancer-illusionists of MOMIX may not catch many art and dance enthusiasts off guard tonight in this, the troupe's third trip to the Washington Center, there's no doubt MOMIX will entertain and awe everyone wise enough to be in attendance. As far as pushing the envelope of dance goes, this is about as good as it gets. But a more helpful description for those new to the magic of MOMIX may be in order, so for that let's turn to the Washington Center's website, which says MOMIX, "has been transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a rich fantasy world in over 22 countries for 30 years. Through a magical combination of movement, illusion, sound, color, and light, Artistic Director Moses Pendleton integrates athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, and pure talent to create a wildly entertaining, transcendent evening that is like no other."

3. Hell's Kitchen and tattoos go together like Bert and Ernie, like Hansel and Gretel, like hipsters and questionable facial hair. So it's no surprise that the annual Hell's Kitchen Tattoo Extravaganza is back for its seventh year, going down tonight and promising music from the likes of C.F.A. and Neutralboy along with the requisite tattoo contests, cash prizes and bad-ass trophies for the inked-up winners. The event is sponsored by Tsunami Tattoo and Action Tattoo, with entries will be accepted between 5-9 p.m. Judging runs from 9-11 p.m. before the music carries the party home.

4. Rapper Mickey Avalon isn't the first musician to champion the motto, "Live fast, die young & look good in your grave" (as is printed proudly at the very top of Avalon's website). He's probably not even the most recent. But chances are Avalon is the only member of the esteemed, previously described crowd of self-destructive entertainers scheduled to play Jazzbones tonight. Reportedly a member of the Los Angeles-based graffiti crew CBS (Can't Be Stopped / City Bomb Squad), a one-time heroin addict and male prostitute, and a collaborator with former MTV VJ Simon Rex, it seems Avalon has experienced no shortage of excitement, drama, close calls and failures during his journey. These days he's experiencing a few of the positives life has to offer, most applicable to this space success within the world of music. A former member of rap group Dyslexic Speedreaders, and with a penchant for penning lyrics about the grittier side of life, Avalon's T-town gig should go off like gangbusters.

5. It's the tenth anniversary of Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month, and as usual one of the highlights of this year's festivities promises to be the studio tours -- available for your enjoyment today and tomorrow. In all 57 artists are participating in this year's studio tours, with plenty of familiar faces and also some new, exciting ones. Even better, you can create your own self-guided route for the stuido tours - choosing who and what to see -- or you can let the Art Bus help, taking one of the two Art Bus led tours departing from the Tacoma Art Museum today. Find all the info you need right here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

November 4, 2011 at 10:04am

5 Things To Do Today: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Gems, Joan Rivers and more ...

Joan Rivers will like Tacoma

FRIDAY, NOV. 4, 2011 >>>

1. As an MC, Macklemore is somewhat difficult to pin down. His lyrics can venture into proud declarations of heritage ("Irish Celebration"), sentimental ruminations on his hometown and childhood ("My Oh My," which he recently performed on the grass of Safeco Field, in honor of Dave Niehaus), or the absurd (as in "And We Danced," a patently ridiculous party jam featuring Macklemore affecting a faux-serious British accent). All the while, his flow remains strong, and his voice distinct. Frequently, though, Macklemore's greatest strength is the music created for him by his producer, Ryan Lewis. Especially effective is the sampling of Beirut's gorgeous "Scenic World" accordion line in Macklemore's "Irish Celebration." It gives the song an air of epicness and importance beyond the power of the rhymes. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis play the Capitol Theater in Olympia tonight.

2. Gems, a band playing the New Frontier tonight as part of the Umber Sleeping CD release party, take the synths out on auditory explorations. The band's songs are equally built for black lights and full dance floors as they are solo listening in the dark of one's home. This is a show of different, yet simpatico bands, rounded out by the on-the-rise Not From Brooklyn - yet another band that manages to synthesize the electronic and the analog.

3. Since her days on The Tonight Show in the 1970s, Joan Rivers has been a comedic icon. Now 78, Rivers, as captured in Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (last year's film documentary about her life) seems to fear just one thing: a blank calendar. Co-host of E! Entertainment TV's Fashion Police, she also stars with her daughter, Melissa, on their reality show Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows Best? - which has been renewed for its second season on WE network starting in January. When not lambasting celebs for their sartorial mishaps or videotaping Melissa in the shower, Rivers travels the country performing stand-up. Tonight Rivers lands in Tacoma, playing the Pantages Theater with Brad Upton.

4. Want to get up close and personal with the Weekly Volcano's Steve Dunkelberger? Who doesn't? Better yet: want to improve your nighttime photography skills in the process? All of these irresistible opportunities collide tonight at Tacoma Art Place when Dunkelberger leads a "Basic Nighttime Photography" class from 8 - 10 p.m. According to the hype, Dunkelberger's class will demonstrate "that great photography doesn't demand expensive camera equipment." Find more info here.

5. The evocativeness of the name Tender Forever is unusually representative of the music that Tender Forever (AKA Melanie Valera) creates. It may be somewhat hard to track amongst the invigorating percussion that permeates the music, but Tender Forever's lyrics have a strong center in the intimate and revealing. Valera's slick arrangements do their part in creating a wall around the personal revelations that inhabit her songs, but a tender, beating heart lives in her music. Tonight Tender Forever plays the Midnight Sun in Olympia, a show co-produced by the Olympia All-Ages Association and Northern.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: Freebies this week

November 3, 2011 at 3:41pm

WEEKEND HUSTLE: MOMIX, Get Involved Gala, Mickey Avalon, "... Like There's No Tomorrow," Back To Beale Street Fundraiser and more ......

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Chance of sun, hi 48, lo 38

Saturday: Another chance of sun, hi 48, lo 38

Sunday: And back to rain, hi 48, lo 39

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 5: MOMIX

MOMIX has dazzled Olympia before. And while the self-described dancer-illusionists of MOMIX may not catch many art and dance enthusiasts off guard in this, the troupe's third trip to the Washington Center, there's no doubt MOMIX will entertain and awe everyone wise enough to be in attendance. As far as pushing the envelope of dance goes, this is about as good as it gets. But a more helpful description for those new to the magic of MOMIX may be in order, so for that let's turn to the Washington Center's website, which says MOMIX, "has been transporting audiences from their everyday lives to a rich fantasy world in over 22 countries for 30 years. Through a magical combination of movement, illusion, sound, color, and light, Artistic Director Moses Pendleton integrates athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props, and pure talent to create a wildly entertaining, transcendent evening that is like no other." See you there.

  • Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30 p.m., $11-$42, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8585

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 5: GET INVOLVED GALA

Project: U - a group of 20- and 30-somethings that parties in the name of United Way and community charities - will host the fancy-schmancy Get Involved Gala, a.k.a The GIG, from 8-11 p.m. this Saturday at the Tacoma Art Museum. With proceeds benefiting United Way of Pierce County's Community Solution Fund, party people will dress up, drink wine, nibble and win prizes while wearing their best cocktail attire. This is the inaugural GIG event, but Project: U has eyes on making it an annual premiere social/charity event. The Project: U asks attendees to wear cocktail dresses and at least slacks and ties for the gents. The Weekly Volcano is a proud sponsor. Be sure to say "hi" in the wine line.

  • Tacoma Art Museum, 8-11 p.m., $35 here, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4258

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 5: MICKEY AVALON

Rapper Mickey Avalon isn't the first musician to champion the motto, "Live fast, die young & look good in your grave" (as is printed proudly at the very top of Avalon's website). He's probably not even the most recent. But chances are Avalon is the only member of the esteemed, previously described crowd of self-destructive entertainers scheduled to play Jazzbones Saturday night. Reportedly a member of the Los Angeles-based graffiti crew CBS (Can't Be Stopped / City Bomb Squad), a one-time heroin addict and male prostitute, and a collaborator with former MTV VJ Simon Rex, it seems Avalon has experienced no shortage of excitement, drama, close calls and failures during his journey. These days he's experiencing a few of the positives life has to offer, most applicable to this space success within the world of music. A former member of rap group Dyslexic Speedreaders, and with a penchant for penning lyrics about the grittier side of life, Avalon's T-town gig should go off like gangbusters.

  • Jazzbones, 8 p.m., 21+, $25, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169

>>> NOV. 5-6: ... Like There's No Tomorrow

It's snow porn at its finest. This weekend, Warren Miller Entertainment presents its 62nd winter sports film, ...Like There's No Tomorrow. Ski bums and snowboarding enthusiasts will surely flock to Tacoma's Broadway Center for a chance to catch this latest Warren Miller Entertainment joint, shot in India, New Zealand, Chile, British Columbia "and beyond," according  promotions. U.S. skiing legend and gold-medalist at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics Jonny Moseley narrates and hosts the film, which will show twice Saturday and once on Sunday.

LINK: Warren Miller Prefunc Party

  • Pantages Theater, 5 & 9 p.m. Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday, $21, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5890

>>> SUNDAY, NOV. 6: FALL FOOD & CRAFTS BAZAAR

The Tacoma Buddhist Temple hosts a free Fall Food & Crafts Bazaar from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. (food costs vary). Bobble Tiki loves the sound of that and was all set to go, until he discovered that Buddhism helps you wake up and find your true self.  Bobble Tiki has made a career of being both unconscious and shallow, so maybe this event isn't for him.

  • Tacoma Buddhist Temple, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 1717 S Fawcett Ave., Tacoma

>>> SUNDAY, NOV. 6: BACK TO BEALE ST. 2012 FUNDRAISER

Every year in Memphis the top blues act in the world gather for one of the biggest blues competitions known to man - on Beale Street, of course. Also, every year the South Sound Blues Association holds a competition (usually in June) to choose one lucky band to represent them and the entire region at said competition in Memphis. This, naturally, takes money - which is where Sunday's fundraiser at the Swiss in Tacoma comes into play. But the action isn't just about raising money - it's also about catching an amazing array of local blues talent. Starting at 4 p.m., Sunday's Back To Beale Street 2012 Fundraiser bill includes Jumpin' Josh and Felicia, Blues Buskers, Fingertips, Blues Redemption, the CD Woodbury Band and the Red Hot Blues Sisters. South Sound Blues Association members pay $8 at the door, everyone else doles out $10 - but it's all worth it.

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts CriticBusy, busy weekend for me. Friday night I'm going to see "Java Tacoma Episode 38," the live Tacoma soap opera at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Saturday night it's the Coffee Strong 3rd anniversary celebration, and Sunday morning it's the SAGE Olympia Sunday Brunch. For those who don't know, SAGE is a nationwide organization serving GLBTQ seniors and the Olympia chapter is the first on the West Coast.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
I'm filling a weekend shift at the bar while the hubby parties at the Red Fang/Mastodon show in Portland. Something tells me that all those one dollars bills I'm gonna make are going to find themselves a new home in Portland...

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
After a busy weekend in Vancouver and a busy week running errands, I'm hoping that I don't have a ton to do. My one productive and Volcano related activity will be to catch the 2nd "Episode" of  "Java Tacoma" at Trinity Presbyterian on 6th Ave. We'll see what an original script from a local author has to offer.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Teaching my Night-time photography class for Tacoma Art Place on Friday, slots are still available. Then shooting Joan Rivers at her meet and greet at Broadway Center. Saturday will bring some church training and the Java Tacoma Episode 38 show.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

November 3, 2011 at 11:17am

VOLCANO ARTS: Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month, Folk Art Treasures of Mexico at TAM, Welfarewell and more ...

ARTS COVERAGE TO END ALL ARTS COVERAGE >>>

At this point it goes without saying. If you're looking for coverage of local arts in Tacoma, Olympia, and all points in between, the Weekly Volcano is THE place to find it. Our goal is to consistently provide the best local arts coverage possible to our fantastic readers -- always be on the lookout for ways to shine a light on all the awesome creativity we see around us.

Here's a look at the Volcano arts coverage waiting for you this week in print and online.

FEATURE: ART AT WORK: TACOMA ARTS MONTH

(Amy Reeves demonstrates how it’s done at the Tacoma Metal Arts Center during last year’s Art at Work studio tours. Photo courtesy Tacoma Art Commission)

Art at Work - an annual celebration of all things artistic in Tacoma - takes place each November, with related events scheduled throughout the month. The Tacoma Arts Commission heads up the effort, gathering all the artsy happenings into one snazzy brochure - almost a magazine in size. Events range from theater, to spoken word, to workshops, to art exhibits, and even to unexpected events such as hip-hop dance classes and free zoo days.

The annual brochure and many of the events within are free. The requirements to be included are simple: the event must be arts related, must be in November and must be in Tacoma.

"It's really trying to show that artists are just part of our community," says Amy McBride, Tacoma Arts administrator. "Art isn't untouchable." ... -- Kristin Kendle

VISUAL EDGE: FOLK ART TREASURES OF MEXICO AT TAM

(“Ascension of Christ” by David Villaftsez. Courtesy Tacoma Art Museum)

What a fun show! Folk Art Treasures of Mexico at Tacoma Art Museum, I mean. Nelson A. Rockefeller, former Governor of New York and former Vice President of the United States, owned one of the world's largest collections of Mexican folk art, which was given to the San Antonio Museum of Art and The Mexican Museum in San Francisco after his death. The San Antonio museum has loaned TAM some 80 major pieces from its collection for this comprehensive survey of Mexican folk art.

There are paintings, tapestries, toys, miniatures, painted wooden chests, water bottles and much more featured in this show - including many pieces that were made for Day of the Dead celebrations. ... -- Alec Clayton

THEATER: WELFAREWELL AT OLYMPIA LITTLE THEATRE

I know it's gauche to rely on national stereotypes, but golly, those Canadians sure are nice. Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote OLT a program note from Nova Scotia: "Big hugs!"...Theatre makes the world smaller and far more civilized." Awwww.

Delaney calls Welfarewell a "social satire." I call it liberal propaganda, and it gets a bit preachy toward the end. They should run it on a video loop at Occupy Wall Street events. I step lightly into spoiler country by saying that Welfarewell has the saddest opening scene of any comedy since Up. (Oh, that mailbox ... Damn you, Pixar!) We find our heroine, 80-year-old British expat Esmerelda Quipp, in an icy kitchen as her lights go out for nonpayment. She struggles to feed her cat, Merlin, her hands shaking so violently she can barely open the tin. Her story gets darker from there. ... -- Christian Carvajal

MOVIE BIZ BUZZ: MAKING THE RESOLUTION


And you thought Halloween had crawled back into its coffin for another year.

Allow me to fill in some blanks. "Twisted" belongs to Twisted Tales of Madness and Murder, a feature-length anthology of horror shorts written by Federal Way's Rick Tobin. Tobin and director Rick Walters (co-producer on Fantastic Confabulations) need some dough (roughly $17,000) to finance the completion of their first short in the Twisted family, The Resolution. So, like any committed artists in desperate need of cash, they resort to murder. ... -- Christopher Wood

PLUS: Comprehensive Arts & Entertainment Calendar

PLUS: Even more local theater

PLUS: Pouty NFL quarterbacks and their cats

November 3, 2011 at 9:44am

5 Things To Do Today: Tacoma Arts Month party and AMOCAT Awards, Lindquist Autographed Book & Wine Auction, Medi's acoustic open mic and more ...

Join Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist tonight at King's Books in Tacoma for his annual Autographed Book & Wine Auction.

THURSDAY, NOV. 3, 2011 >>>

1. Tonight, the Tacoma Arts Commission kicks of the tenth annual Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month with an opening reception and the presentation of the 2011 AMOCAT Awards. The celebratory good times run from 6 - 8:30 p.m. at the Museum of Glass. Expect fire dancing, a molton iron and ice pour, juggling by Jeremy Gregory and more. Find more info here.

2. Last year's Mark Lindquist-powered "Autographed Book & Wine Auction" at King's Books went over so well that the taller-than-average Pierce County Prosecutor just had to do it again. While he's not running for re-election this year or fending off attacks from bizarro candidates, that doesn't mean Lindquist can't raise a little money for his cause tonight, in the form of what promises to be a local politico-filled evening of who's-who handshakes and ass grabs. Benefitting People for Prosecutor Mark Lindquist, expect a live auction featuring fancy wines and signed books from authors Ann Rule, Garth Stein, Bret Easton Ellis and, of course, Mark Lindquist. Pre-event hype also advertises "libations, food and spicy discourse."

3. Hailing from Mexico City, Mexico, Los Headaches makes crisp and catchy garage pop that nominally vacillates between the notions of love and lust - with regards to girls. Sometimes these feelings are expressed with a kind of blushing, bashful naivete; other times - as in "Never Again," which finds Los Headaches wishing they could find a girl to please them, so they'd never again have to please themselves - these feelings approach the pure state of the undeniably sophomoric, yet admirably honest. Tonight Los Headaches play the New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma.

4. If you have yet to check out the acoustic open mic hosted by Mike Coucoules at Medi's Pizza & Pasta on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma on Thursday nights (the space formerly home to Sluggo Music), now is your chance. Even better: It's all ages until 10 p.m., so feel free to bring the kids, Mama Cass.

5. At Olympia Little Theatre, catch Welfarewell tonight, a play reviewed by Volcano theater critic Christian Carvajal in this week's paper. As Carvajal says, "Nice is all over Welfarewell, currently making its Northwest premiere at Olympia Little Theatre. Not only is the play harder to resist than a Snuggie full of kittens, but its author, Cat Delaney, wrote OLT a program note from Nova Scotia: ‘Big hugs! ... Theatre makes the world smaller and far more civilized.' Awwww." To read Christian Carvajal's full review, click here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

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