LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. The Smokin' Js. 9 pm.

Caffe Dei Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Tacoma Noise Rodeo featuring Bagger288, Full On, Firedrill and Infradead. All Ages. 8 pm. NC. To read the full story on the Tacoma Noise RAdio, click here.

Dorky's Arcade Tacoma - Downtown. One-year anniversary party featuring IDon'tKnowWhoTheyAre, MC Mike Kopf, Phantom Twin, Gonken, SliiDE, Kitty Cats in Pirate Hats. 9 pm. NC.

• Dorky's Arcade has been on a role as of late. As Dorky's near its one-year anniversary (can you believe it's already been a year?), the arcade has finally acquired a liquor license and started throwing rock shows. To celebrate the first year in existence, Dorky's is having a typically nerdy anniversary show, featuring the silly pop-punk of Gonken, the sci-fi electronics of SliiDE, the tongue-in-cheek rap of Cutwinkles member MC Mike Kopf, and a comedy troupe called Kitty Cats in Pirate Hats. Of a certain note will be electro-pop Phantom Twin, featuring Brandon Beauchesne. Eagle-eyed readers will recall that I wrote about him for 2010's Best of Tacoma issue - about what, I will not say. Just know that this show will tickle your dorky cockles in the least weird way possible. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Halfway To St. Patrick's Day, with Blvd Park. 9 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Chris "Cricket" Johnson's Birthday Blowout, featuring Unhailoed, No Living Witness, Osama Bin Rockin, Deathbed Confessions, Bloodhunger, Deathmocracy. 9 pm. $5.

The Hub Tacoma - Stadium District. Tai Shan. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Aces Up, Rae Solomon. 8:30 pm.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Klover Jane, Kertson & The Immortals, Riot In Rhythm, J.T. Phillips, Rane Stone. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Ten Pound Note. All Ages. 8 pm. $10.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel, Ghostwriter, Russ Dahler, John Walker. 9 pm.

• The one-man-folk-band thing is getting a wee-bit played out. There's only so much banjo-plucking and foot-stomping - coming from a single person with an "Isn't it impressive how many things I can do at once?" look on their face - that a set of refined ears can appreciate. After a while, unless you're actually on a porch somewhere and drunk on moonshine, the head pat-tummy rub shtick just gets old. That said, Ghostwriter is NOT played out - and the shtick is anything but boring. While Steve Schecter - the man who is Ghostwriter - has the country-fried, chicken feather bit down - there's also a gloominess to what he does that keeps things interesting. Saturday Ghostwriter plays twice, for the all-ages crowd early at Rocket Records, and later for the drunks at The New Frontier for a 21+ engagement with Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel. Both shows are worthy. - Matt Driscoll

Northern Pacific Coffee Co. Tacoma - Parkland. Stephen Robert and the Other Ones. All Ages. 8-11 pm. NC.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Gnar at the Bar with Wheelies, City Hall, Revengers and Overboard! 8 pm.

The Red Room Tacoma. Icarus The Owl, Shrouded In Veil, True Love & High Adventure. All Ages. 6:30 pm. $6-$8.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Billy Farmer. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Devil on a Leash, Animals in Cars, Love and the Lords of Chaos. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Chuck Stentz, Steve Luceno. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. 100th Monkey. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Today's comment comes from the Volcano's own Jennifer Johnson in response to today's Person, Place or Thing column by Steph DeRosa, in which she highlights Fife's Tahoma Market.

Johnson writes,

I think you hit the Jack Pot, Steph. Get it? Jack Pot. heh

SOMETHING AWESOME IN FIFE >>>

Place: Tahoma Market

Located: Highway 99 in Fife

Disregard: The faux casino next door

Unless: You have a surplus of nickels

Because: It's primarily nickel slots

Unlike: A real casino

Which: Allows you to blow more cash

With: One roll of a dice

Such as: Craps

So, like I said: Disregard the faux casino next door

Weekly Volcano columnist Steph DeRosa has fallen in love with a grocery store inside a Fife gas station. Read her column here.

THURSDAY, AUG. 11, 2011 >>>

1. It's hard to go wrong with great rock ‘n' roll and great spaghetti. We're pretty sure there's actually a commandment to that effect. From 5:30-10 p.m., as a fundraiser for next week's Underwater Music Festival, SweetKiss Momma and Perry Acker will be at Louie G's in Fife for an all-ages throwdown that also benefits the Girls Campaign (girlscampaign.com). This one's a no-brainer.

2. The yearly celebration of rural life, agriculture and good old family values hit Graham's Frontier Park from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. That's right! It's Pierce County Fair time featuring food, entertainment, attractions and overalls.

4. The routine is simple. You look through the songbooks scattered around the joint, write down a song title and your name on a piece of paper, and hand it to the deejay. In a few minutes, you'll hear him say, "Dave, c'mon down," and the fantasy begins. You're Bob Dylan or Shania Twain - or whoever the hell you want to be. It's cheap therapy, if nothing else. Thursday nights at the Loose Wheel Bar & Grill - voted "Best Sports Bar" by Weekly Volcano readers - the karaoke routine becomes more complex when the entire joint ties one on.

5. There was a time when MC battles were a huge part of determining how good of an overall rapper you were. That time has passed, but not completely. Although battles may not be as popular as they once were, Olympia rapper Heretic the Heathen still continues to grow - both as a battle rapper and as a solid music maker. Heretic has been circulating in the battle scene since 2002, and as of now is one of the top battlers in the Olympia area - crushing opponents any chance he gets. Heretic is set to release a new mixtape, Writer's Block, at 9 p.m. at The Royal Lounge in Olympia. Read Nic Leonard's full story on Heretic here.

BONUS: Til Thursday DJ night at The Acme

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Happy hours!

THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2011 >>>

1. It's the third Thursday of the month in Tacoma and you know what that means! It's Art Walk time! There's a ton of stuff going on, including the growingly famous Art Bus. Find more info about all of it here.

2. The Musicianers from El Paso, Tex. play tonight at The New Frontier Lounge. You can find the Volcano's extensive live local music listings here.

3. Get Your Hands on Some Clay!

4. In Puyallup it's time for Open Social Knit & Crochet at Yellow House Yarns. Find info here.

5. In Fife, Jared Blake (dude from NBC's The Voice), along with Rane Stone, Jason Kertson and Dudley Taft will unleash the tunes at Louie G's. As the pizza joint/venue prides itself on, the action will be all ages.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

WE'RE A BIG BOY NOW >>>

The Weekly Volcano's "personal" Facebook page is closing in on FB's 5,000 friends limit. Holy wow is right. We've started a "fan" page, which will allow us to compile as many friends/fans as technologically possible. If you're on FB and dig the Volcano's posts, quips, discoveries and news breaks – as well as content that doesn't appear either online or in print – go to facebook.com/weeklyvolcanofanpage and please "like" us.

Bonus: To make you really "like" us, we will enter those who "like" us before 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 8 into a random drawing for a free one night stay for two in a King Deluxe Room at the Hotel Murano. You will need to redeem the room before June 30, 2011.

The new Weekly Volcano Facebook page will also be your guide to exclusive Weekly Volcano events, promotions, blogs and photos.

Thank you!

LINK: Like us

THE POLLS ARE NOW OPEN >>>

Spring is in the air.

This means lust is in the air - and in the pages of the Weekly Volcano.

Once again, the Volcano is unleashing The Sexy Issue, giving one and all the chance to gaze at the sexiest people in the South Sound - as voted on by all of you, our dear readers.

Our annual celebration of the flesh, The Sex Issue is the Weekly Volcano's way of showcasing the South Sound's sexiest denizens - and by denizens we don't mean celebrities; we're talking about regular dudes and dudettes who just happen to look sexy as hell. Not just cliché sex appeal, of no relation to AXE Deodorant Body Spray campaigns, and certainly much more than mere looks, the Volcano Sexy Issue attempts to answer simple question: What defines sexiness in the South Sound?

This year, we are asking you to nominate the person who makes you all hot and bothered in the following categories: Bartender, Barista, Delivery Person, Real Estate Agent, Athlete, Servicemember, Drummer, Tattoo Artist and Mom.

On Thursday, June 2, the Weekly Volcano will publish The Sexy Issue, immortalizing the sexy, chosen few forever.

Help us find them.

Voting ends May 12 - so help the Weekly Volcano find the South Sound's hottest citizens. Vote today!

Vote for the South Sound's sexiest people (please include where they work):

THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH >>>

Being that Louie G's Pizzeria opened a mere four years ago, in 2007, it could be said that it's still finding itself as a restaurant. What seems abundantly clear, however, is that the space is certainly still finding itself as our newest all-ages music venue. Having recently moved up the street from its old location on Pacific Highway E. to a bigger space near the Poodle Dog, owner and operator Louis Galarza decided to take advantage of the new size and build a stage.

"We built a small stage for karaoke," says Galarza. "We built the stage out a little bigger, and I got a hold of Chris Pederson, who used to do sound at (the Cedarwood Sports Bar & Grill), and was a friend of my friends. Next thing you know we just started building it bigger and bigger and bigger. Then we started booking shows, and I'm not just booking any show."

To read Rev. Adam McKinney's full article on Louie G's in Fife, which will host the Cody Rentas Band Saturday, click here.

Place: Pick-Quick Drive In

Located: Fife

Open since: 1949

Building: 450 square feet

Average employees inside: Six

Most ever: Eight

Picnic tables: 22

Top seller: Double cheeseburger with bacon

Top milkshake: Wild mountain blueberry

Goddammit: Now I'm hungry.

To read Steph DeRosa's full column click here.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30: STUFFED 16 GAMES >>>

You know how yesterday we said you, much-appreciated readers, had responded in droves to our Tournament of Pizza so far this year.

Well, we lied. We hadn't seen anything yet.

Yesterday was droves, people, perhaps more. Yesterday was just plain freakin' nuts.

An astounding 2507 of you took a minute out of your schedules to participate in yesterday's Tournament of Pizza action - shattering all previous records (which is something we had the pleasure of saying a lot this year).

It was awesome. When it comes to pizza, it's obvious you really care.

Maybe too much ...

On to today's Tournament of Pizza action and yesterday's results.

Yesterday's Results

Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante vs. Delbrocco's Pizza, Steak & Hoagies

R-E-S-P-E-C-T is how the song goes, and that's just what unheralded Delbrocco's has been earning so far in the Tournament of Pizza, knocking off Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante yesterday and garnering - get this! - 73 percent of the vote. This is all the more impressive when you consider Joeseppi's Italian Ristorante took out Cloverleaf Pizza just a round earlier, meaning - by the power of Tournament of Pizza deduction - Delbrocco's, and its Philly style pizza action - can claim superiority over both. What's the world coming to? Find out when Delbrocco's moves on to face the currently enfuego Fan Club of Lakewood.

Fondi Pizzeria vs. The Fan Club Sports Bar

Honestly, poor Fondi Pizzeria never had a chance in this one. In a day of voting that shattered all previous Tournament of Pizza records, The Fan Club was likely the catalyst - bringing in (no shit) more than 1,700 votes. Take a moment to digest that performance. If it's a sign of things to come, The Fan Club - which amazingly entered the tournament as a 15 seed - has to be the odds on favorite to win it all. Now, digest that. Crazy, man. Just crazy. Their taco pizza may have something to do with it. But the ability to round up 1,700 votes in a single day probably has more.

Apollo Pizza & Pasta vs. Infernos Brick Oven Pizza

In a day of blowouts, Apollo of Olympia only continued the trend, knocking out Tumwater's Inferno's Brick Oven Pizza, a venue that defied the expectations of many just by reaching this point (if only for lack of Tumwater knowledge). In a packed South Region that originally held heavyweights like Oldschool, Vic's and even Smitty's, Apollo - originally a nine seed - now finds itself one win away from the Final Four. Next up for Apollo ...

Ricardo's Restaurant vs. Casa Mia Italian Restaurant

To be blunt, Ricardo's did far more damage in the Tournament of Pizza than anyone here at Weekly Volcano World Headquarters anticipated. We know the Lacey destination more for its steaks than pies. Taking out Smitty's in the first round, and later Farrelli's of DuPont in the second, was impressive to say the least. However, those good times came to an abrupt halt yesterday when Casa Mia once again flexed its muscles, perhaps emerging as the odds on favorite to make the Final Four out of the South Region. Snagging 76 percent of the vote, it was another dominant performance for Casa Mia, a local favorite that seems to be getting stronger with every victory.

The following four pizza joints will advance to the Baked Eight:

• Delbrocco's Pizza, Steak & Hoagies
  
• The Fan Club Sports Bar
  
• Apollo Pizza & Pasta
  
• Casa Mia Italian Restaurant
  

Today's Competition

Sponsored by al Forno Ferruzza Traditional Sicilian Cuisine

OK, time to move on to today's pizza battles. Vote for one pizza joint per battle, then scroll to the bottom and click "Done."