FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

The Harvey Girls play the all-ages venue The Den in Tacoma this Friday at 7 p.m.

Here is a snippet of what Weekly Volcano scribe Jason baxter wrote in tomorrow's Weekly Volcano: "Portland indie band The Harvey Girls aren't girls at all - they're actually married couple Hiram Lucke and Melissa Rodenbeek. While it might not be the most accurate moniker in the world, their name does serve a distinct purpose (beyond the general band-name imperative of "sounding cool"): in its syntactic construction, it recalls familial groups of yore such as The Everly Brothers - a band that, incidentally, is a favorite of Lucke and Rodenbeek's."

Below is a video of their song "Puss" off their I've Been Watching a Lot of Horror Movies Lately album. Enjoy.

NEW DANCE CLUB TO OPEN ON SIXTH AVENUE >>>

The Weekly Volcano drools when we see paper-covered windows in vacant buildings and storefronts; it means something new for Tacoma. Case in point: the Sixth Avenue space that formerly housed Hell's Kitchen. Behind those papered windows the Gruv Lounge & Nightclub owner Jason Rim and crew are building Tacoma's new dance spot.

Long time DJ promoter and co-owner of Ocean Grooves Entertainment Calvin Murphy will be the general manager for the Gruv Lounge & Nightclub. Last week, he confirmed the nightclub would primarily be a DJ oriented electronica music venue with the occasional jazz and other live acts. Murphy was a bit hush-hush on specific acts, but did share electro-mash up, reggae, dubstep, break beats, house, salsa and more would be heard seven nights a week.

"Saturdays are always going to have house music," Murphy promised adamantly.

The building's previous lay-out has been gutted and tailored to the new Gruv featuring elevated DJ booth, raised main stage, hardwood dance floor, private rentable karaoke rooms and VIP suites with bottle service, coat check, and artwork by Jeremy Gregory and other local artists.

Read more...

NEW "ART PARTY" HITS TACOMA SATURDAY >>>

Cool art and music aren't a bad start to a Saturday evening, but rather than your ex's mixtape and pasting together a photo collage, hanging out at "Some Things Don't Have To Make Sense" makes, well, more sense. Inspired by James Hume and the Dead Artists' Kulture Lab parties in Tacoma a few years back, Scott Hissem, aka brutalpinktutu, aims to bring back the "spirit of art and people" of the Kulture Lab parties.

"I love the fact that (Kulture Lab) brought everything to an art form whether you thought it was or not. Indian food - who ever thought of that as being art, but the way it looked on the table and the way it smelled was beautiful as well as delicious," states Hissem, who cut his event production teeth years ago organizing live music at the former Java Jump in Fife. "I honestly believe that anyone can do art, it just depends on what you see as art. That's the one thing Kulture Lab taught me - everything is art. They brought a brand of art with music, food, and performance to the Tacoma people."

Hissem and his art collective Visualize Tacoma (inspired by Tacoma artist James Bender's "Visualize Tacoma" bumper stickers from the 1990s) will gather artists James Hume, Glewcifer (Laurie Anne Glew), Mandy Vondeadly (Mandy Lundell), Elvis Christ, Elizabeth Labouve - and brutalpinktutu - toss in Seattle punk rockers The Triple Sixes, Tacoma's hip-hoppers the Revengers and DJ Machine_Logic – then add food, drinks and billiards this Saturday inside Malarkey's Pool and Brew in Tacoma.

"I chose Malarkey's because that is a place that I like to go too. Recently they started doing live music and karaoke so I have been going there more frequently," explains Hissem. "Tacoma doesn't really have any places to hold an event other than some of the local clubs or bars. I'm hoping that "Visualize Tacoma" will become a regular type event either at Malarkey's or any venue that will accept us."

The first Visualize Tacoma art party will be free.

"We want everyone to be a part of this," says Hissem. "After all, it is we as people that have to do the visualizing." 

Some Things Don't Have To Make Sense

Saturday, July 10, 9 p.m., no cover
Malarkey's Pool and Brew, 445 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma
253.383.3301

WATCH OUT FOR THAT RAMEN BEAR! >>>

Bloody hell! It will be a dark red week when Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 film Hausu hits The Grand Cinema's screen starting Friday. Heralded for its trippiness and cheesy special effects, Hausu, or House, has been restored, newly subtitled and re-released in the United States by Janus Films for another round of feline-fearing, mirror-smashing, random plot detouring (look out for the ramen bear) wackiness.

The goofy ghost story centers on "Gorgeous" and her group of giddy teenage girlfriends who summer vacation at Gorgeous' wheelchair-bound aunt's country house, only to encounter cackling severed heads, a man transformed into fruit, a killer piano, and the meanest house cat of all time.

The Grand Cinema hasn't posted starting times yet. They might be too scared (or more likely can't stop laughing long enough to post them).

Below is the film's trailer if you need your arm twisted (off):

IT REVS UP THE FIRST WEEKEND IN AUGUST >>>

Tacoma artist James Bender sent us the new poster for this year's Hotrod-A-Rama, which will, once again, consume South Jefferson Street and The Swiss.

Check out the poster below for the bands performing live during the two-day festival.

It's going to fucking rock.

TACOMA ROLLER DERBY LEAGUE FINALS >>>

I couldn't think of a better way to spend a summer Saturday than on a hot date with myself tossing back beer and watching tough-as-nails roller derby chicks knock each other on their asses. Yes, my Saturday will be spent with the Dockyard Derby Dames characters like Lt. Stryk-her, Lush-Ace Harms, Knuckleberry Finn, Anita Hit Sum Won, Lola Pistola and Paula Bunion crammed at the front of the flat track, jumping around, screaming my lungs out, picking fights and hocking loogies. With a beer garden, girls in fishnets, Three Chicks Catering barbecue, Last Stand hot dogs – this will be the perfect post-Tacoma Hempfest spot for me.

After the bout everyone will head to Rock The Dock Pub & Grill for the afterparty.

<H3>Dockyard Derby Dames Championship Bout</H3>

Saturday, June 26, 5 p.m. doors, 6 p.m. bouts, $15, $12 at Brown Paper Tickets, 7 and younger are free
Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock St., Tacoma
dockyardderbydames.com

CONCERT ALERT >>>

Grammy award-winning R&B artist John Legend - the man behind the singles "Ordinary People," "Used to Love U," "So High," and "Save Room" - will entertain Puyallup Fair goers Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings will open so Legend can score a scone or two before he goes on.

Tickets are $35, $45, $55 and $75, and will go on sale at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 26 at the Fair's ticket center and Ticketmaster.

CONCERT ALERT >>>

Van Morrison, that barrel-chested Belfast brooder, brings his misty and mystical meanderings, his legendary brand of white soul, and a dose of cynical complacency to the Gorge Amphitheatre Sunday, Aug. 8 at 6 p.m.

Morrison may be a bit of a curmudgeon these days, but take a listen to the dusk-time sound of Astral Weeks and you'll be reminded why the mercurial man and his inimitable voice can be classified as timeless.

Tckets are $50, $90, $125 and $200 and go on sale Monday, June 28 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 800.745.3000.

BLASTOFF >>>

There are superior doughnuts with beautifully textured interiors, rolled in the perfect quantity of powdered sugar or chocolate glaze. There are stale donuts whose half-eaten remains lie forgotten in a grease-stained cardboard box on the conference table in the Weekly Volcano World headquarters' lunchroom. There are doughnuts that may be denser or airier than you prefer. But overall, there are no rotten doughnuts.

Just wander into Satellite Coffee inside Masa next weekend and try to prove me wrong.

This morning I stood in line at the Satellite coffee embedded into Masa on Sixth Avenue waiting for free samples of Sputnik Donuts, Satellite's new doughnut holes void of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, fake sugar and evil high fructose corn syrup. The doughnut machine, which was Satellite co-owner Pat Brown working the deep fryer, rolling the balls of goodness in cinnamon and sugar then plopping two of them into paper bags - was the star of the happy show. Yes, the delicious doughnuts holes were made on-site.

If you love cinnamon toast covered with sugar, this is your hole.

Brown says new handmade pastry will be offered – hopefully by next weekend - on a limited basis only at Satellite's Masa location on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma - only on the weekends.

Satellite Coffee at Masa

2811 Sixth Ave., Tacoma

DINING NEWS, NIBBLES AND BITS >>>

Fresh Today: The Tacoma Farmers Market opens at 8:30 a.m. today and runs until 2 p.m. featuring multiple lunch options, kids activities, local produce, roots music by Tommy Dean and DJ Bobby Galaxy spinning classic soul and R&B.

Beer Dinner: Brix 25 hosts its Gig Harbor neighbor 7 Seas Brewing for a beer dinner tonight - 6 and 6:30 p.m. seating - featuring  7 Seas current releases paired with five courses prepared by Chef Thad Lyman.

You Can Dine On The Cliff Again: Speaking of Gig Harbor, Sue Glenn, owner of The Green Turtle restaurant, will reopen The Cliff House Restaurant and Lounge today. Established in 1925, this restaurant has one of the best dining views around.

Future Things Are Coming: El Gaucho Tacoma's wine captains' Scott Schultz and Mark Gaimster invite you to join them for a wine dinner - sipping and swirling - some of their favorite West Coast wineries Friday, June 18, 6-9 p.m. For $75, you can sip treats fromBaer Winery, Corvus Cellars, DeLILLE Cellars, Gifford Hirlinger Winery, Justin Vineyards, Owen Roe Winery, Pont 21, Seven Hills Winery, and Sokol Blosser Winery while enjoying the fruits of Executive Chef Kevin Daft's labor. To reserve your space, call 253.272.1510.

Food Matters: Burger King unveils solar panels, part of its BK Positive Steps. Still no grass-fed beef.

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

LINK: Restaurant coupons

LINK: Join the Nosh League