MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012 >>>

1. Every Monday at 8:30 p.m. inside Magoo's Annex DJ Melodica hosts the Monday Showcase - a night of guests DJs and live bands. Tonight, guest DJ Darren Selector will spin his garage tunes in between sets by Umber Sleeping.

2. We often hear the cliché about "taking things to the next level." But what does that mean exactly? Would we recognize the next level if we saw it? Maybe so. Beginning today, the City of Tacoma would like you to take your homestead to the next level, and by that we mean off the Sanford & Son Junkyard Spitting Image Tour before someone at City Safety has "The big one." The City won't send over colorful fellas from the Bravo network, but it has developed a yard load of awesome free workshops and events to help you improve your home and yard during its Tacoma Neighborhood Makeover Week April 23-28. 

3. The Tacoma School District needs to know your thoughts on budget, services and programs. It asks you to attend a 6 p.m. meeting at First Creek Middle School and participate in an interactive polling session where you will use an individual handheld electronic device - like a TV remote control - to vote on and prioritize more than 60 district programs and services.

4. Tacoma Food Co-op invites the public to its screening of Food Matters at 7 p.m. in Rausch Auditorium on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. The focus of the documentary is in helping society rethink the belief systems fed to people by America's modern medical and health care establishments. The interviewees point out that not every problem requires costly, major medical attention and reveal many alternative ways that can be more effective, more economical, less harmful and less invasive than conventional medical treatments.

5. In Jon Wells' new book Shipwrecked: A People's History of the Seattle Mariners he asserts that the reasons the Mariners haven't reached the World Series are poor management and short-sighted ownership, despite the fact that they have three first-ballot Hall of Fame players. Hear his thoughts live at 7 p.m. inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours

THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2012 >>>

1. If local boy done good Donald Glaude is spinning in Tacoma that means it's either Christmas or an Ocean Grooves anniversary. Happy 13^th anniversary Ocean Grooves. It's hard to tell who is having a more time of your life experience - the crowd or Lakewood-raised now internationally famed DJ Glaude. He has an intoxicating energy about him. It's contagious. His lust for life shines on his face. Is that pure joy we see when a particularly tasty beat mixes lushly with an incoming track and fans voice appreciation for the talent it takes to make that magic happen with deafening cheering and dancing, dancing, dancing? Pure joy indeed. Joining the Ocean Grooves house music explosion with Glaude will be, of course, DJ dAb and Omar, as well as Mr. Clean beginning at 10 p.m. inside Encore Boutique Nightclub.

2. The Puyallup Spring Fair opens at 2 p.m. today for a four-day run. Organizers say that this year's edition, while shorter than its late summer edition, is crammed with more attractions than ever. For urbanites who need convincing, here's a handy checklist: Monster Trucks Friday, demolitions Saturday-Sunday, Rock U interactive music exhibit, Northwest Jr. Rodeo, Dock Dogs water jumping NASCAR race with an authentic simulator, Fiesta Mexicana, rides, fried foods and more. Go ahead: Leave your laptop behind, shimmy into that old pair of Wranglers, pull on those dusty cowboy boots, slap on a 10-gallon hat and prepare to spend yourself a day - or four - at this year's wingding.

3. "It's always the last place you look," people say about lost objects. Well, of course it is. As some comedian from decades ago (probably David Brenner) used to say, you wouldn't continue to search for something once you've found it. Sheesh. Anyway, the Tap into T-Town folks will make looking for hidden items fun Saturday, June 2 with a benefit scavenger hunt throughout downtown Tacoma. Afterward, you and your teammates (the hunting is done in groups of four) are invited back to the starting line at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center for a reception, and if you were very, very good at sniffing things out, an award might await. Team pre-registration sign up for the Tap into T-Town scavenger hunt is tonight from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at The Office Bar and Grill in downtown Tacoma. The Office will serve specials during the sign-up. Tonight's an awesome opportunity to meet other participants and strategize with your team. 

4. Riding a wave of positive vibes, the Third Thursday ArtWalk ART BUS is back this month with more art venue stops, launching from the Tacoma Art Museum at 6 p.m. The April bus is partnering with the local poetry community to celebrate National Poetry Month. Its celebrity guest tour guides are poet laureates and the VIP riders ($20, instead of $10) will receive a free, limited edition poetry booklet with poems from local poets about galleries, culture, writing and the muse. Each one is handcrafted, signed and numbered by local artist and writer, Maria Chong Gudaitis. Two buses will hit the street visiting 253 Collective, Wright Park Observatory, B2 Fine Art Gallery, A Touch of Magick, Anew Thyme, Brick House Gallery, Embellish Multispace Salon, City Grocer, Grassi's Garden Café, Merlino Arts Center, Nine Lives Vintage Wears, Throwing Mud Gallery, The Social and The Swiss. Remember, art is in the eye of the bus rider.

5. Baseball may no longer be the "national pastime" if judged by TV ratings. Judged by the quantity and quality of writing it inspires, however, baseball is still the champ. Paul Dickson is author of several mammoth baseball books including the indispensable Dickson Baseball Dictionary. His latest book, Bill Veeck: Baseball's Greatest Maverick, will be released in late April. Dickson will discuss his books, and sign autographs, at 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch, as part of the Tacoma Reads Together campaign to read and discuss the W. P. Kinsella's classic baseball novel, Shoeless Joe.

BONUS EVENT: Do you love Bob's Java Jive? Do you like wearing bunny ears? Join the bunch of weirdos at 8 p.m. for the "Bad Bunny" Java Jive Appreciation Night party at the historical tavern. Yes, there will be usual karaoke. Yes, there will be cheap beer. Yes, one guy will dress up as the rabbit from Donnie Darko and rap "Lose Yourself."

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours

IT'S COMING OFF AGAIN THIS SATURDAY >>>

Beneath Tacoma's thick outer skin of gritty beautiful people covered in tattoos and vintage tops are a group of creative, clever women who know there's more to turning people on than jiggling butt floss. The Gritty City Sirens are into its second year of reviving the art of burlesque dancing and old-school pin-up style. Using theme costuming and props - and the all-important nipple pasties to hide their goods - the Sirens bravely putting the "tease" back in "striptease," wisely realizing that what you don't show onstage can be as titillating as what you do.

The Sirens will hit Jazzbones' stage twice Saturday night under the tagline "Remixed," with a new master of ceremonies, new Sirens and a few surprises.

And even though she's gearing up for the "Remixed" shows, Siren Rosie Cheeks was willing to take time to give us the ins and outs of Saturday's Show.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: What's up with the "Remixed" tagline?

ROSIE CHEEKS: The show is called "Remixed" because all the Sirens are taking acts from our repertoire and reworking/reinventing them.

VOLCANO: Who's this Pretty Ricky?

CHEEKS: Pretty Ricky is our master of ceremonies. He's a Tacoma local, who graduated from UPS with a major in Theater and a minor in music. He is also a costume designer and dressmaker.

VOLCANO: Your poster says Miss Pistolita has returned. Is she on the permanent Sirens roster?

CHEEKS: No, she's a full-time student with a job. We're lucky to grab her when we can. She's best known for bringing a rock and roll attitude to the art of burlesque. Our newest Sirens Dean Jameson and Kitty Kisses will also join us on stage Saturday. DJ Broam will mix the show live, throwing in his touch remixes throughout the night.

VOLCANO: Who are the special guests your poster teases?

CHEEKS: Dancer and choreographer Joel Myers will perform, as well as Tabitha and Cathy from Flair entertainment.

VOLCANO: Anything else?

CHEEKS: Big shout out to Lisa Fruichantie for grabbing the Gritty City Sirens management reigns. She's awesome.

[Jazzbones, Gritty City Sirens Burlesque Troupe's Remixed shows, Saturday, April 14, 6 p.m. with $12-$15 tickets, 10 p.m. with $15-$20 tickets, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.396.9169]

MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2012 >>>

1. Had the British Establishment injected the female hormone oestrogen into London-born mathematician Alan Turing during World War II, the brilliant man wouldn't have broke the German military's secret codes, the British Navy wouldn't have won the Battle of the Atlantic and Hitler might have kept the upper hand. Instead, Turing was chemically castrated for being a homosexual in March 1952, and the man who laid the foundation of modern computers, and was named one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century by Time magazine, killed himself to escape the horror. In conjunction with the HIDE/SEEK exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum, UWT's Queer Student Union and Diversity Resource Center present a 12:30 p.m. film screening of Decoding Alan Turing – the story of this great mathematician who was found dead at age 41 with a poisoned apple next to his bed – at the University of Washington Tacoma's Diversity Resource Center.

2. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival closes out its run with two shows: Si Si Si, The Rusty Cleavers and Secret Wives at 6 p.m. inside Tahoma Tea and Co. and Row House Orad, N. Dybevik and others at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge.

3. Drink craft cocktails with the Graphic Novel Book Club as it discusses The Book of Genesis Illustrated by R. Crumb at 1022 South, Hilltop's book-themed cocktail lounge, beginning around 7 p.m.

4. The Jr. Hill Band will rock The Swiss beginning at 8 p.m.

5. The band Bandolier will perform and join DJ Melodica behind the turntables during the Monday Showcase at Magoo's beginning at 8:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours

SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2012 >>>

1. The rites of spring are coming fast and furious these days. Valhalla will unfold on earth once again when the weekly Proctor Farmers Market opens for the season from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 31. While your best bets for fresh produce this time of year include asparagus, rhubarb, salad greens, edible flowers, fiddleheads, wild mushrooms and green onions, this popular farmers markets doesn't stop there: You'll also find meats and cheeses, fresh-cut flowers, garden gadgets, artisanal crafts, and concessions, with plenty of free samples being doled out. John Hoover and the Quinns and Kendl ad Joe (Southern Skies) will entertain. And Wilridge Winery of Seattle will be pouring. Come see the farmers market the Weekly Volcano readers voted Super Best Farmers Market of 2011.

2. If you're looking for a prom dress, you should attend the "It's All About the Dress" event from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound Memorial Field House. This one-day only special sales event showcasing nearly 3,000 brand-name evening, prom and wedding dresses - including large selection of tuxedos and accessories - starting at $19.99. Many of the dresses still have price tags on them, and most have only been worn once. Proceeds from the event help fund Goodwill's job training and placement services for people in the community with disabilities and disadvantages.

3. If you dig Jack Johnson's music, you relish in local singer/songwriter KC Brakes's show at 8 p.m. in C.I. Shenanigan's lounge. Arrive early for that coveted fireplace table.

4. The New York Death Metal Fest with Nocturnal Slaughter, Truculence, God Denied, Future Disorder and American Wrecking Company will invade Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway beginning at 9 p.m.

5. J. Elquist of The Camp - or whatever he's calling his Camp 6 organization since being served a cease and desist order from the Camp 6 Logging Museum in Point Defiance Park - hosts Static Snap every Saturday night at The Deltan Club, which sits on the top floor of the former Drake's nightclub at Seventh and Commerce. Beginning at 10 p.m. and closing the doors at 3 a.m., Static Snap kicks off tonight with DJs Omarvelous and The X-Man.

PLUS: More awesome event suggestions in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound happy hours

MONDAY, MARCH 26, 2012 >>>

1. Flamenco, like tango, is one of those exotic music-and-dance idioms for which the Weekly Volcano presses our nose to the glass and watches all the colorful action, amused and amazed at the sights and sounds. Flamenco is made up of the song, the dance, the guitar, and the rhythmic accompaniment of finger-snapping, tongue-clicking, or even knuckle-bashing on a tabletop. The music grabs us by the scruff of the neck and demands that we dance, or at the very least surrender to their sultry and explosive spell. The New Frontier Lounge hosts Arte Eterno Flamenco en Vivo at 8 p.m. featuring the powerful voice of Sevilla-born singer Jesus Montoya of Sevilla. Montoya will be joined by guitarists Gerardo Alcala and Tyson Kikuo, as well as dancer Savannah Fuentes.

2. Kitzel's Deli in downtown Olympia hosts an Open Mic Poetry & Jazz Night featuring The Joe Mailhot Jazz Unit beginning at 4:30 p.m.

3. The Weekly Volcano has discovered a few things about the devil over the years. He says the word "soul" too often. He's seriously thinking about switching hell over to cheaper natural gas. He can play an amazing fiddle. He also bites his nails while releasing tiny, lethal farts. We're pretty sure we don't know everything about the devil. Thankfully, the Tacoma Cult Movie Club's monthly 7 p.m. Monday night screening of free movies at The Acme Grub Cage centers on the theme "The Devil Made Me Do It." Somewhere in tonight's movie, trailers and commercials screenings - even the craptastic door prizes - there has to be new devil details we don't know. If not, at least co-producer Rev. Colin says he has new club button, which is nice.

4. King's Books owner sweet pea might not believe in capital letters, but he does believe in books clubs. He hosts a gaggle of them, including the Capes & Cowls Book Club, which meets tonight at 8 p.m. The caped readers will take a chair and discuss Kurt Busiek's Astro City: Life in the Big City, a collection of loosely-connected stories about life in Astro City, in a world where superheroes outnumber book clubs. Afterward, the caped readers will venture next door to Doyle's, where they'll repeat the exact same conversation over beers.

5. Every Monday, DJ Melodica and guests DJs spin a wide variety of tunes in between band sets during Showcase Mondays at Magoo's Annex in Tacoma, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. Except tonight. Producer DJ Melodica won't be at Magoo's. He'll be home having gusts sign his cast. Apparently, he's broken his leg. The Weekly Volcano can't confirm if a milk crate full of records was the cause. One would assume. DJ Darren Selector will step in as the host DJ with DJ Das Prompt riding in the sidecar. Will Selector continue the popular "Guess the TV Theme Song" segment regulars have grown to love? Not sure. We do know Magoo's will still offer $3 beers and $2 mondo hot dogs. And the Seattle band Watch It Sparkle will perform.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs in the South Sound

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012 >>>

1. Tonight in Olympia Romanteek is back again, packing the group's unique sound of hypnotic vocals, sometimes breezy, sometimes moody melodies, layered with soul-soothing guitar riffs and dance-beat drums into the Capitol Theater for an event called "All of the Shadows Open." For this performance Olympia's Romanteek will pair with another local favorite, the Tallhouse Arts Consortium - a trapeze and aerialist troupe. The two live performances will weave story, music and movement into a spectacular show for all the senses.

2. Tonight the historic walls of Tacoma's Immanuel Presbyterian Church will be filled with some very fresh sounds. Indie groups Pearly Gate Music, The Maldives and Pickwick make up the impressive line-up. An eye-stopping cobalt blue poster heralds the event as Cathedrals Tacoma: Part One. 

3. This afternoon at the Washington Center Black Box Olympia Family Theater presents Animal Farm, which it says is best enjoyed by kids 10 and older. According to hype, "this dramatization remains faithful to the book's plot and intent and retains both its affection for the animals and the incisiveness of its message." In other words, watch out for the pigs.

4. Tonight at the Last Call Bar in Lakewood with DJ C-Lu busts out another renditions of Grown Folk Saturday, Look for old school, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s dance hits starting at 9 p.m.

5. It's a day full of music at Tacoma's Mandolin Café, as Harbor Voice Music goes on at 1 p.m., Graydon Holden & Friends get down at 7 p.m. and Paul Mauer gets going at 8 p.m. All the action is all-ages.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: The Weekend Hustle

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Elwha Dam: It's so no there anymore, which is nice. (News Tribune)

Tacoma Budget Update: Labor union chats, tax measures votes and other option explorations have delayed city budget cuts. (News Trbune)

Mo Booze, Mo Booze, Mo Booze: California-based liquor retailer BevMo will arrive soon with a bevy of booze. (News Tribune)

Afghan Killings: Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is expected to face 17 counts of murder today for his alleged role in the killings of Afghan villagers, a senior U.S. official said. (CNN)

A Broader Right To Council: The Supreme Court improved American justice by extending the guarantee of effective counsel in plea bargaining. (The New York Times)

The Office Might Shut Down: The boss steps down, and staff members are in limbo. (Deadline)

Hanging On: Third Hangover film will be the last. (Hollywood Reporter)

Chachi Update: Scott Baio At Nite. (Cinemablend)

Of Couse Yahoo Has This List: 25 essential punk albums. (Yahoo)

Old McDonald Had A Fling: Online dating site for farmers. (Time)

100 Best DJ Names: DJ House Smells of Rich Mahogany, DJ MAILER-DAEMON, DJ Adult Diaper, DJ Pizza Slut, DJ Side Boob ... (BuzzFeed)

START WORKING ON YOUR EXPRESSIVE DANCE MOVES >>>

Do you use SoundCloud more often than Google? Do you enjoy the kind of excitement that feels like if you don't unleash it by dancing outdoors, it might give you an aneurysm? Do you hate normz and feed off of the creative energy of some of the most talented artists music-makers in Tacoma? If you answered yes to any of the preceding questions, your next big "thing to look forward to" is this year's Urban Art Festival Tacoma, which will be held June 30 and July 1 on Tacoma's Dock Street. The fest's in its eighth year. It'll be a lot more fun and cheaper than a year's supply of Prozac.

Keep in the know by joining its Facebook.

LINK: We've done it

MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012 >>>

1. Every Monday, DJ Melodica and guests DJs spin a wide variety of tunes in between band sets during Showcase Mondays at Magoo's Annex in Tacoma, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. If that wasn't enough, Melodica hosts a "Guess the TV Theme Songs" contest in which people guess the songs to win either a Jell-O shot or a mix disc compiled by Melodica. There are folks who show up just for this little game. All the while Magoo's shucks $3 beers and $2 mondo hot dogs. It's really quite fantastic. Tonight, guest DJ Das Prompt and band Rusty Cleavers are in the house.

2. In honor of Women's History Month, Dr. Susan Armitage, professor of History and Women's Studies, Emerita, Washington State University, will present "Connecting Women's Lives to Make a Women's History of the Great Pacific Northwest," the topic of her forth coming book on women in the Pacific Northwest, at noon inside the Washington State Capital Museum in Olympia.

3. Book clubs are one of the last vestiges we have of formally engaging conversations for groups of strangers. You can discover a lot about a person by learning their opinions on any piece of art, but books prove to be especially revealing. If you're into more non-traditional storytelling, King's Books hosts a Graphic Novel Book Club, which meets the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. inside 1022 South on Hilltop Tacoma, the craft cocktail house. Tonight's book is Sleeper: Season One by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

4. Let's tally up the score for Jazzbones Rockaraoke, shall we? A chance to sing onstage with a live band? Yes. Cheap Miller High Life? Yes. A valid excuse to drink on a Monday (repeat, Monday) night? Yes, yes and, oh God, yes. Of course, the real entertainment isn't the Rockaraoke, it's the people-watching. Since most of the patrons are just a touch this side of 21, a look around the club is akin watching a "how to hookup" instructional video. It all goes down beginning at 9 p.m.

5. Cowardice, The Sheds and Trey The Ruler play an all-age show at 7 p.m. inside The Red Room in Tacoma.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks