DANIEL BLUE: MEET NICK BUTLER >>>

This striking young gentleman is Nick Butler. Since he moved to Parkland two years ago he has been coming downtown to explore the offerings of a larger social community.

"I have dogs," he says in response to unaired inquiries about the choice to live in such a strange place outside of where he obviously wants to be. I guess they don't allow dogs in Tacoma anymore. I was unaware of this because I am a cat person.

Butler is an artist in the most technical sense of the word. His figurative work is breathtaking and sometimes even titillating. There are few artists circling downtown who understand the human form as well as this friendly chap.

Currently he is renting studio space around the corner from the Monsoon Room on South 11th and J Street. 

I met Butler outside of the UW Tacoma on my way to work one morning, he stopped me and asked me a lot of questions about the arts in Tacoma, and I learned that he had an obsession with the creation of comic books. The next time I ran into him was several months later in the form of his work, which hung for a long time at the One Heart Café on South Sixth and Fawcett.

Butler is a must see and must meet. The quality of his work is bested only by the sincerity of his smile.

DANIEL BLUE: MEET OLIVER DORISS >>>

The Artist formerly known as the glassblower Oliver Doriss is currently known as the Viceroy of Hilltop for a reason (somewhere in the background several voices are whispering the word "timeless").

"I was born in Davenport, Iowa, but I'm from Massachusetts," says the local gallery tycoon who purchased a building on 13th and MLK Jr. Way last September, renovated it himself (with the help of some choice friends) and opened the Fulcrum Gallery by December. Doriss has been blowing glass, teaching glassblowing, and rocking the hot shop for longer than I've been doing anything. His work has been featured, praised and sold on both coasts, and despite the gallery he still blows two or three times a week and teaches at the M-Space hot shop downtown.

When he's not wearing the hat of a gallery director or glassblower, you can catch him under the needle as DJ Broam, usually accompanied by a dance floor full of wild sweaty abandon. This innovative artist/businessman hybrid says when he grows up, "I want to get paid to be exactly who I am."

When I grow up, I want to be Oliver Doriss.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: THEATER THURSDAY >>>

Tempest
Take a trip in space for a trippy, sci-fi version of Tempest as Theater Artists Olympia stages a version of the work by William Shakespeare that includes a ruling wizard and her daughter facing off with a fairy creature, a beast, and an odd assortment of nymphs and fanciful creatures.
[Black Box Theater, Kenneth Minnaert Performing Arts Center, through June 29, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $12 and available at www.buyolympia.com, South Puget Sound Community College,  2011 Mottman Road S.W., Olympia, 360.357.3471]

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Lakewood Playhouse gets a bit dark with its staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a theatrical adaptation by Dale Wasserman of the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey. What makes this show work is the strength of the supporting cast. There were no stereotypical “crazy people”; each had his own ticks and nuances that showed the actors paid attention to their roles and developed their characters.
[Lakewood Playhouse, through June 22, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $11.50-$19.50, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, 253.588. 0042]

LINK: The Beauty Queen of Leenane review
LINK: Local stage calendar

SUZY STUMP: WASHINGTON CENTER'S 2008-2009 SEASON >>>

The Washington Center's 2008-09 season looks solid, and we are saving our pennies to see as many shows as we can.

Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra w/ Bravo! Vancouver Chorale
 â€" Oct. 2
Natalie MacMaster
 â€" Oct. 4
Lura
 â€" Oct. 23
American Ballet Theatre II
 â€" Nov. 1
Two Martins
 â€" Nov, 7
Linda Eder
 â€" Nov. 21
Best of the Seattle Comedy Competition
 â€" Nov. 29
Mark Morris Dance Group â€" 
Dec. 5
Movin' Out
 â€" Jan. 11
Los Lobos Acoustic â€" 
Jan. 24
Imani Winds
 â€" Jan. 28
Pilobolus Dance Theatre
 â€" Feb. 5
Sarah Vowell
 â€" Feb. 13
Afro Cuban Allstars
 â€" Feb. 18
Capitol Steps
 â€" Feb. 27
Guitar Blues
 â€" March 6
Seattle Symphony â€" 
March 13
Lauren Weedman in Bust â€" 
March 18-21
Gilligan's Island - The Musical
 â€" March 28
Best of Doo Wop
 â€" April 3
Altar Boyz
 â€" April 8
George Winston
 â€" April 24

LINK: Request a season brochure: 360.753.8586
LINK: Washington Center's Web site

FESTIVAL
Juneteenth
Many may not know that Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom by commemorating June 19, 1865- the day that Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas, with the news that the Civil War had ended and Southern slaves were finally free.

This celebration is the oldest known commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States. While marking that pivotal date, Juneteenth is also about encouraging self-development, unity and respect for all cultures.

This year's Tacoma Juneteenth celebration is open to everyone and features guest speakers Bishop C. Edwards Pringler, Stella Haioulani, General Wojack, Fatimah and many others, plus music, spoken word, food, and raffles, and it will afford attendees the opportunity to learn about Tacoma's African-American history.- Michael Swan
[People's Park, Saturday, June 14, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., free, South Ninth Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.759.0373]

ART
The Neddies
The Neddies are here again. The Neddy Fellowships are among the most prestigious art awards in the state and are granted each year to two worthy Washington state artists in honor of longtime Seattle painter Robert "Ned" Behnke, who died in 1989. Every year for the past four years Tacoma Art Museum has shown works by the winners and nominees. The Neddy Artist Fellowship 2008 exhibit opens Saturday night with live music, hors d-oeuvres and a no-host bar. - Alec Clayton
[Tacoma Art Museum, Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m., $10, members free, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.4258]

SINGER/SONGWRITER
Dave Roberts
On Dave Roberts' business cards, his title reads: -Songwriter / Entertainer and all around good guy. I don't think I could've said it any better myself. At least, that's not what I would say about myself. I am far from being a good guy.

If you've ever had the chance to catch guitarist Dave doing his acoustic cover (with a Mexican flare) thing on any given Tacoma night at any given Tacoma bar, you've seen an entertainer at his best.

Dave Roberts will be empowering Meconi's Pub & Eatery Saturday night. This offers up a great opportunity to hang out, listen to the musical stylings of Roberts, and sip on some of Meconi's righteous beer selections. This event is for the big kids to play, so leave the minors at home. - Steph DeRosa
[Meconi's Pub & Eatery, 7 p.m., 709 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.3388]

SPORTS
Roller derby
The Dockyard Derby Dames are real, they rock, they have heart, and they skate like they live, with energy and vivacity and a bit or Rawr for good measure. Whether you're high-brow, monster-truckin', perverse, or hipster. Certainly the past packed-house crowds reflected that, with little kids running amongst an old woman with a walker and all ages and types in between, who watched assorted cool fishnets, cleavage, and butt-cheeks. - Jessica Corey-Butler
[Tacoma Soccer Center, Saturday, June 14, 7 p.m., $10-$12, 2610 Bay St. E., Tacoma, www.dockyardderbydames.com]

ALT-COUNTY
Jeffery Halford and the Healers
While Ryan Adams is credited with popularizing alt-country, he never really did it for me. I like my country a bit more rough around the edges, and Jeffery Halford and the Healers fit my liking. The San Francisco-based, Dallas-born and-raised Halford is a singer/songwriter who plays a mean six-string. With shades of country, blues and rock and roll, he and his band play with a fiery fury that is raucously delightful.

Growing up, he was inundated with music by everyone from Ray Charles and Dave Brubeck to Johnny Cash and Elvis and books by Walt Whitman and Dylan Thomas. It was these two mediums that shaped Halford as an artist. His personal story would make a great movie as he gave up architecture schooling to become a street singer in San Francisco until the police shut down his corners. This led him to Oakland where he played alongside blues legends Sonny Lane, Mississippi Johnny Waters and JJ Malone. His hard living as a young man prepared him to pen honest accounts of brawling, boozing and loving, and he is about as authentic as the day is long. - Tony Engelhart
[Jazzbones, 8:30 p.m., $8, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

LINK: South 11th & Sarah Connor CD Release Party and more in the clubs tonight.
LINK: The movie starting times are here.
LINK: Let's eat Mexican today.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: THEATER THURSDAY >>>

Empress of the Waves
An original work that tell the story of an amazing pirate and a woman's obsession. The show is fast paced and as everything a solid adventure story should have, action, romance and leather boots.
[The Midnight Sun Performance Space, 7:30 and 10 p.m. tonight and Friday, $5-$10, 113 N Columbia St., Olympia]

The Beauty Queen of Leenane
This creepy Irish tale of mental torture, odd behavior and suspense will have you jumping from your seat.
[Olympia Little Theatre, through June 22, 7:55 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1:55 p.m. Sunday, $10-$12 at Yenny's Music on Harrison Ave., or BuyOlympia.com, 1925 Miller Ave. N.E., Olympia, 360.786.9484]

Pinocchio
Tacoma Children's Musical Theater is staging Pinocchio, its adaptation of the classic Italian storybook tale involving some dude with a creepy need to have a boy of his own so he crafts one out of wood, dreams it becomes real, which happens due to fairies. That seems like a bad acid trip that should be reported to Child Protective Services to me. But that is another story.
[Narrows Theatre, 2 p.m.  June 14, 15, $10-$15, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.6867]

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Lakewood Playhouse gets a bit dark with its staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a theatrical adaptation by Dale Wasserman of the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey. What makes this show work is the strength of the supporting cast. There were no stereotypical “crazy people”; each had their own ticks and nuances that showed the actors paid attention to their roles and developed their characters.
[Lakewood Playhouse, through June 22, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $11.50-$19.50, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, 253.588. 0042]

LINK: Rocky Horror Picture Show review.
LINK: Local stage calendar

ART
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Lynn Di Nino's latest show at Mineral is a departure from her usual. Known for concrete sculptures of very weird and comical animals, in this exhibition she tackles the theme of martyrdom with a series of jewelry that would be impossible to wear "great big hurkin concrete jewelry that hangs like a millstone around the wearer's neck". One of the pieces actually is a millstone, which is Di Nino's way of acknowledging the source of her metaphor, the Bible: "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble."

The name of the show is No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. It is a show that exhausts all the synonyms for heavy: ponderous, weighty, meaningful and- well, it's not really any of that, but rather a lighthearted poke at everything that is heavy, ponderous, weighty, meaningful and. You'll love it. -Alec Clayton
[Mineral, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday noon to 5 p.m., and by appointment, through June 17, 301 Puyallup Ave. Suite A, Tacoma, 253.250.7745]

FOLK
James Coates
Think early David Gray meets Ryan Adams with a little Neil Young thrown in and you can peg James Coates. Performing solo acoustic, he's a little West Coast country and a little Newport folk. It would seem Coates was born to play music as he started at the age of two with piano. By the time he was 16, he had mastered guitar, drums, bass mandolin, harmonica and ukulele.
While he is an extremely talented musician, it's his songwriting that takes center stage and penning simple tunes about complex issues is what makes this local folkie so unique. He has been compared to Dylan but it's unclear to as to why. The only similarities are that he plays the acoustic six-string while blowing a harp. He's not as edgy or as overtly political as the Woody Guthrie inspired legend; He's kinder, gentler and sings better- no offense to you hard-core Bobby Zimmerman fans. -Tony Engelhart
[Jazzbones, with the Pete Moss Band and Dane Wallace, 7 p.m., $3, all ages, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

BLUES
Loose Gravel and the Quarry
They call Steve Luhtala "King of the Tideflats," and nothing says gritty Tacoma like a night of blues with Loose Gravel and the Quarry. Luhtala comes across like a big and tough longshoreman with a heart of gold, and his deep, sexy baritone voice and songs about good ole T-town make Loose Gravel and the Quarry a must-see for local blues aficionados. -Angela Jossy
[Seafarers Sports Bar, 8 p.m., 3878 S. Center St.. Tacoma, 253.572.8141]

LINK: Carnelian Agency and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: Check out when the movies start.
LINK: Let's eat American today.

PAUL SCHRAG: GEOFF KANICK WILL BLOW YOUR MIND >>>

Tacoma-born magickian Geoff Kanick invites you to follow him down the rabbit hole this weekend. A master of many arts, Kanick’s talents will be offered this weekend as part of Hypothesis, a synthesis of illusion, comedy, sideshow feats, juggling and vaudeville variety. As he describes it, Tacoma should prepare to get its mind “blowed.”

Kanick spells magick with a “k” to distinguish his art. Magick with a “k” is a linguistic signal pioneered by Victorian bad boy, mountain climber and legendary mystic Aleister Crowley, who used the word magick, with a “K,” to distinguish his explorations of consciousness and other psychonautic systems from the stage work of everyday magicians. Kanick, like Crowley, is no everyday magician, and says his goal is to take people out of their comfort zones to a place where magick is more than an act.

Pick up the Weekly Volcano Thursday for the full story on his magick.

[McAstocker Theater, June 13 7:30 p.m., June 14 7:30 p.m., and June 15 2 p.m., $10 available at Brown Paper Tickets or at the door, Bellarmine Preparatory School, 2300 S. Washington St., Tacoma]

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: THEATER THURSDAY >>>

Here's the local weather forecast.  Head inside and catch one of these stage productions:

Pinocchio
Tacoma Children's Musical Theater is staging Pinocchio, its adaptation of the classic Italian storybook tale involving some dude with a creepy need to have a boy of his own so he crafts one out of wood, dreams it becomes real, which happens due to fairies. That seems like a bad acid trip that should be reported to Child Protective Services to me. But that is another story.
[Narrows Theatre, 2 p.m.  June 7, 8, 14, 15, $10-$15, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.6867]

Reviving Ophelia
Olympia Family Theater is staging Reviving Ophelia, a play based on the best-selling adolescent psychology book by Dr. Mary Pipher that dives into deals with the  “look-obsessed, media-saturated, girl-poisoning culture” we find ourselves living in these days. The stage adaptation is designed to showcase several episodes of adolescent development in younger girls that lead to self-esteem issues and self-defeating actions, and ultimately leave the audience questioning the role of society in raising teenage girls.
[The Midnight Sun Performance Space, through June 6, 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $8-$15, 113 Columbia St., downtown Olympia]

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Lakewood Playhouse gets a bit dark with its staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a theatrical adaptation by Dale Wasserman of the 1962 novel by Ken Kesey. What makes this show work is the strength of the supporting cast. There were no stereotypical “crazy people”; each had their own ticks and nuances that showed the actors paid attention to their roles and developed their characters.
[Lakewood Playhouse, through June 22, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $11.50-$19.50, 5729 Lakewood Towne Center Blvd., Lakewood, 253.588. 0042]

The Rocky Horror Show
Talking about evil stuff, how about the creepy Dr. Frank N Furter and his sex-starved minions. These days, we can string our sexual deviances together into a pearl necklace, as it were, of letters (BD, DS, SM, PS, SBB, CD, TV, TS). Thirty years ago, some of this new vocabulary was given to us by that now-famous transsexual prophet from a distant world. And The Rocky Horror Picture Show still rouses people’s interest, thanks to Harlequin Productions.
[State Theater, through July 22 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $12-$38, 202 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.786.0151]