BOBBLE TIKI: HOT TWO-PIECE TONIGHT AT THE JIVE >>>

It’s cold outside, Tacoma, and Bobble Tiki can feel it throughout his Tiki body. Bobble Tiki’s bones are aching, and his motivation is lacking. All Bobble Tiki can seem to do is stare out his tiny Tiki office window and dream of a warmer, dryer place to go home every night and pass out on boxed wine.

But not everything is so bleak. While it might be cold outside, Tacoma’s music scene right now is hotter than hot. The success of last week’s Squeak and Squawk Music Festival is proof of that fact, and the bevy of quality shows happening around Grit City this weekend only furthers the notion.

One of the best, sexiest, and most rockin’ shows scheduled to go down this week will happen at Bob’s Java Jive on Friday, Oct. 24, when Seattle’s The Get Off make the trip south to bestow their brand of garage punk goodness on Tacoma.

Made up of only two members, drummer Mario and singer/guitarist/femme fatal rock and roll bombshell Leigh, The Get Off is about as tight as a band can get â€" as you’ll find out below. Bobble Tiki caught up with Leigh this week to get her thoughts on The Get Off’s upcoming show at Bob’s Java Jive.

To read Bobble Tiki's full interview with The Get Off in the latest issue of the Weekly Volcano click here.

[Bob’s Java Jive, The Get Off, The Syph, Dialtone, Sammy Swell, Friday, Oct. 24, 8 p.m., $5, 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]

Photo courtesy of Myspace

BOBBLE TIKI: TONIGHT AT SANFORD AND SON >>>

Bobble Tiki’s high school prom isn’t exactly an event he holds fond memories of. At 17, Bobble Tiki was the definition of awkward. Bobble Tiki’s face was oily, his clothes were cheesy, and his palms sweat like crazy every time he talked to a member of the opposite sex. While all that has changed with age for Bobble Tiki (except the cheesy clothes part), in high school â€" and especially at the prom â€" Bobble Tiki was a mess. Add all that inner awkwardness to the fact that Bobble Tiki has no actual feet â€" and just sways to-and-fro on a spring like contraption, making it awfully hard to slow dance â€" and Bobble Tiki’s high school prom made for one forgettable evening.

Tonight, though, the fine folks at Sanford and Son Antiques are giving Bobble Tiki an opportunity to make new memories â€" prom memories, not full of suckiness and self-loathing.

Aided by the soothing sounds of famous Tacoma band Girl Trouble, with help from rockin’ blues band the Toughtimes and DJ Infinity, prom at the Library at Sanford and Son on Saturday is sure to be an event everyone will be talking about for weekends to come. Based on the success of last year’s Sanford and Son prom, at least, it seems Bobble Tiki isn’t the only slouch in Tacoma who’d like to make a few new positive prom memories.

What’s the deal with prom at Sanford and Son, you ask?

Check out the full story in this week's paper here.

BOBBLE TIKI: OLDER THAN FLASH BUT NOT AS KICK ASS >>>

Most of Bobble Tiki’s friends, many of them reclusive sorts who emerge from their dank, squalid apartments only to grab groceries and report for jury duty, aren’t really into their birthdays that much.  Bobble Tiki hangs out with them one day, doing very little of consequence, and he finds out a week later, by accident, that it was their birthday, and all Bobble Tiki did to celebrate it was watch some court show on television. Honestly, Bobble Tiki doesn’t understand these people. 

Flash, the man behind Hell’s Kitchen’s genius and stability, is turning 40. The hell to keeping it secret. Flash has titled a killer rock show the “Flash’s 40th Birthday” show. Everyone bring him a case of Diet Coke and go rock your face off to The Dehumanizers, Mos Generator, South 11th, Mico De Noche, Toe Tag, Artimus Maximus, and Star Spangled Bastards Saturday night.

Happy Birthday Flash.

[Hell’s Kitchen, Saturday, Oct. 4, 8 p.m., $8 at TicketWeb, 3829 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

Oh, by the way, it’s Tightwad Tuesday tonight at Hell’s Kitchen. Enjoy two tacos for $2, any beer for $2, well drinks, yup, $2 â€" at 5 p.m.

BOBBLE TIKI: NATIONAL COMIC BOOK DAY >>>

Besides “Double Bubble” gum comics and licking off the sweet “powder,” young Bobble Tiki skipped the funnies and read comics with humorless muscle-bound heroes in Spandex saving the world on a monthly basis, or women who turn themselves into fire, and guys who shot ice from their hands to foil bank robberies.

Today is National Comic Book Day. Comic Book Ink is offering 50 percent off everything in its store, except Magic and new stuff this week.

Pow!

[Comic Book Ink, 1625 East 72nd and Portland Avenue, Tacoma, 253.761.4651]

BOBBLE TIKI: HE'S THE KING OF NEWS, THERE AIN’T MUCH HIGHER >>>

Bobble Tiki had a sneezing attack last night during the Kid Rock show at the Puyallup Fair. He thinks it had to do when Rev. Run of Run-DMC fame made a special appearance and the light show became much brighter. Reflexive sneezing induced by light is estimated to occur in 18 to 35 percent of the population and is known as ACHOO (automatic compulsive helio-ophthalmic outbursts of sneezing) syndrome. Unfortunately, in Bobble Tiki’s case, might be having flashbacks about his former job toiling under the harsh fluorescent glare at the pepper factory. The best Bobble Tiki can do is spring three times and with a Krusty Pup in each hand exclaim there's no place like the South Sound … there’s no place like the South Sound:

TRASHED: California garbage handlers are about to make a fortune. And we're all going to pay.

HUGE TRASH PILE: A look behind the Tacoma-Pierce County Solid Waste Management Plan.

NUKES IN OLYMPIA: Olympia City Council voted to repeal the popular law.

EXPIRED: Minus 5 kind of week in Pierce County.

BOBBLE TIKI: FINALLY CATCHES UP WITH JOE HAEGE >>>

In last week’s edition of the Weekly Volcano, Bobble Tiki took a moment to wax poetic about one of his favorite Portland based band, www.myspace.com/31knots ">31 Knots â€" who will play Hell’s Kitchen tomorrow night (Thursday, Sept 11).

While Bobble Tiki did plenty of waxing last week about 31 Knots, what he didn’t do was interview the band. If you read the column than you know the story, but suffice to say Bobble Tiki was awfully disappointed about the development.

This week, however, 31 Knots frontman Joe Haege took a moment to speak with Bobble Tiki about his band’s new record, the tour that currently has him in Japan, and his thoughts on the City of Destiny.

Here’s how it went down:

Bobble Tiki: You just released Worried Well. How does it pick up where The Days and
Nights of Everything Anywhere left off? It seemed like Bobble Tiki noticed a few new flares this time around. Where did your inspiration for this latest record come from?
Hage: Honestly, I don't know if we ever have a concrete influence for a particular album. Our influences or inspirations are always on and always pretty equal. We could want to sound like Bowie and the MinuteMen one day and the next day Sparks and some 80's new age composer.

Tiki: You're about to embark on an extensive tour - bringing you to Japan and Tacoma. How is the reaction to what you do in far away places like Asia? What was your impression the last time you were in Tacoma â€" at the Helm Gallery, if I'm not mistaken? Did you find the audience receptive?
Haege: We had  a great time in Tacoma. The show was a lot of fun and it was nice to see a scene in Tacoma that was its own burgeoning thing. We've always had people tell us, though, that Hell's Kitchen is where we should play, so we'll see. Its hard to top an all age antique gallery where people are getting their drink on.
      
Japan…wow. You can't beat Japan. The food is amazing and everyone is very nice. This is our 3rd time here so we also get to see some friends we haven't seen in a while. Tonight we're playing with Melt Bannana and our friends Balloons in Tokyo. The only downside I can think of is the humidity. It reminds me of the Midwest. Ugh.

Tiki: The last time Bobble Tiki saw you - which, admittedly was a long time ago at the
Doug Fir in Portland - the show was energetic to say the least. Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for this tour, or is the 31 Knots live show all off the cuff, spur of the moment stuff? Do you plan it or does it just happen?
Haege: By tricks I assume you mean my cheap stage antics. Yes, I have a few. It's getting hard to come up with new ideas that I really like and that don't involve large sums of money or adding a member. I just can't be a straight rock and roll guy anymore. Something seems disingenuous about it, or, rather if you're going to play the part of something or someone make it obvious you're playing a part. There is a lot of posturing that goes on in the world of bands and musicians and its just not my thing. Though, I fucking love to play rock music and have irony not invited to the dinner table.

Tiki: You told Bobble Tiki when you guys released the last record that it was the closest you'd come to satisfaction. How does Worried Well stack up?
Haege: I think this one we blazed through so fast none of us have been able to come up with an answer yet. People seem to not like the fact that every song is quite different from each other, but you can't please them all.

Overall, I think we're really happy with it, but I may be happiest because I feel like my voice is finally getting to somewhere that I feel is mine.

Tiki: Are you mainly in PDX these days, or is the band split between there and SF? I'm only assuming here, but why is PDX such a good home for what you do musically? It seems like you guys are just one of many ultra creative groups pushing the boundaries. Do you find this to be true? With all the attention on PDX these days, where do you think it's all headed for the Rose City?
Haege: Portland is a city that I truly love and feel is my home, but, man, is it a bummer to see it change so fast and get so much hype about it. Still, it's an amazing place to want to be creative and not have a lot of money. Hell, we still practice in my basement. That is truly great.  We spend most of the band time on tour or in Portland. Going to SF means 2 of us flying or driving down as opposed to 1 of us coming up. It’s finances that bind us.

BOBBLE TIKI: ANOTHER WEEK IN THE 253 >>>

Sometimes Bobble Tiki believes the universe is trying to tell him something? Like certain events that happen in his life are really signs from a higher power? Maybe this higher power has a direct line to Bobble Tiki or whatever â€" heck, Bobble Tiki met a scruffy guy in Roy who swears that Crispin Glover was talking to him from beyond the grave. When Bobble Tiki pointed out that Glover was very much alive, scruffy guy looked at Bobble Tiki with wild eyes and said, “Is he really?”, tapping his forehead. “Think about it.” At which point Bobble Tiki backed away slowly. The best Bobble Tiki can do is spring three times and with road work everywhere and exclaim there's no place like Pierce County … there’s no place like Pierce County:

THIS JOB STINKS: The business of picking up dog poop.

RUSTON ROULETTE: Steve Fabre is losing thousands in Ruston.

NOT ALL SUNSHINE: This reeks of politics.

THE METER: Below average week in Pierce County

BOBBLE TIKI: ANOTHER WEEK IN THE 253 >>>

There is a certain evident moment when, try as Bobble Tiki might to ignore it, it becomes clear things are careening dangerously out of control. Often its true weight hits when Bobble Tiki realizes he became the guy who drinks wine out of a box every evening, who can’t figure out how to stop the toilet from running all the time and whose major excitement each week revolves around hoping the new issue of Rolling Stone has some good cleavage shots. The best Bobble Tiki can do is spring three times and with road work everywhere exclaim there's no place like Tacoma … there’s no place like Tacoma:

TACOMA AT THE DNC: Tacoma City Council member Marilyn Strickland reports from Denver

BRIDGE CONNECTION: Murray Morgan Bridge too important not to save

KICKED IN THE WINTERGRASS: Hotel Murano might pull the plug

THE METER: Below average week in Pierce County

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

terete \te-'ret\ adjective [L teret-, teres well turned, rounded; akin to L terere to rub] (ca. 1619)

Approximately round or cylindrical but usually tapering at both ends

USAGE EXAMPLE: "If you look closely, which you probably shouldn't, you'll notice that Michael Bolton's head is eversoslightly oblong and terete in shape, due to the amazing proliferation of bizarre worm-like annelids growing in his alienesque skull," Nicolette Sheridan did not say.

THE MORNING NEWS

PIERCE COUNTY: Graham has garbage until 2036. Yeah!

THURSTON COUNTY: Do tent cities need more laws?

SEATTLE: Sims wants to increase in Metro bus fares

DNC: Hilary in the house

JUST BIZARRE: One-horse town votes to evict said horse

MORE STRANGE NEWS: Rat meat quadruples â€" that sucks for soup

THINGS TO DO TODAY

FILM LISTINGS: Look here

MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening tonight

SHOOT THE SHIT: Let's talk DNC

BOBBLE TIKI: BREAKFAST WITH BOBBLE TIKI >>>

THE DAILY WORD

Momus \'mo-mes\ noun [L, fr. Gk Momos]

The Greek god of censure and mockery

USAGE EXAMPLE: And several years later, the great God Momus came down and smote clueless Naked Dad, in the form of his own son effortlessly smacking him with an intellectual bike lock.

THE MORNING NEWS

TACOMA: Too tall Tacoma?

OLYMPIA: Thurston commissioner's requests costly for state

STATE:  Immigration initiative seeks state crackdown

DNC: Hilary urges unity, attacks McCain

MORE DNC: Sky box parties

JUST BIZARRE: U.S. Marshals arrest self-proclaimed vampire

MORE STRANGE NEWS: Woman dies in golf cart accident

THINGS TO DO TODAY

FILM LISTINGS: Look here

MUSIC LISTINGS: Here’s what’s happening tonight

SHOOT THE SHIT: Weekly Volcano forums