NEW BREW FOR YOU ... AND YOUR DAD >>>

When someone tells you that theirs is the coolest Father's Day gift, you tend to scoff and say thanks but no thanks, that on June 20, you and your father plan to take turns punching each other in the shoulders as hard as you can, and then you'll go eat wings at Hooters, like you do every year.

Hey Lug Head, Pat Nagle, managing partner of Tacoma's Harmon Brewery Company Empire, has a better gift your father. He's release 60 cases of his new 253 ESB brew just in time for Dad's Day. Beginning Wednesday, he'll bottle the 60 cases, as well as 60 cases of his IPA, available to be picked up at his new Harmon Tap Room after 2 p.m. The price is $40 a case.

Order yours today at 253.267.5057. They'll be hitting the store shelves sometime in July.

Coolest Father's Day gift, indeed.

OUR TIME FOR TIMER >>

The Grand Cinema announced that the film TiMER - which has only played in New York City and Los Angeles - will play exclusively at The Grand beginning this Friday, June 18. 

Take that Seattle!

Writer-director Jac Schaeffer's high-concept, low-budget romantic comedy TiMER requires a ridiculous leap of faith: that a bio-tech gizmo might be able to pinpoint your soulmate. (If true, we're sure Apple is on it.) Read a full review here.

TiMER will play at The Grand Cinema daily from June 18 through June 24 at 4:30 and 7 p.m., plus 9:10 p.m. screenings nightly June 20-24.

CONCERT ALERT >>>

Billed as "Country Music's Rowdiest Summer Party," country superstar Toby Keith's American Ride Tour visits the area on Saturday, July 24 with a concert at the White River Amphitheatre. Special guests include Trace Adkins and James Otto. That does sound like a party.

Tickets are on sale for $25 (grass stains), $40, and $67 at livenation.com, Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone at 800.745.3000.

FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

The City of Gig Harbor sent the following press release to the Weekly Volcano World Headquarters:

Gig Harbor, Washington (June, 2010) - It's time to celebrate the ingredients of the Good Life in Gig Harbor.  The inaugural 2010 Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival (Aug. 7, 2010) presented by the Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association, will feature the culinary talents of Fabio Viviani, Owner and Executive Chef at Osteria Italian Restaurant and Martini Bar in Los Angeles California.  Fabio was recently a contestant and Fan Favorite on Top Chef, season five.

In addition to Fabio's food preparations, the festival will feature a grand tasting tent, gourmet foods from the region, cooking classes and demonstrations, wine tastings and classes, food samples, and an auction.  Fabio will participate in a Celebrity Cook-off competition with another regional celebrity chef.  There will be book signings as well by Mr. Viviani and other celebrated local and regional authors.

The festival will take place on the grounds of the Harbor History Museum.  This inaugural destination event showcasing the talents of the nation's finest wine producers, chefs and culinary personalities promises to be a remarkable wine and food experience.  The festival will be a haven for foodies and wine connoisseurs, a celebration of  "the good life."

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association.  Both are committed to preserving Gig Harbor's rich history and charming waterfront district.

OH NO THEY DIDN'T >>>

Stop rifling through your couch's cushions for pocket change: there isn't any, and the act of scavenging is rather unbecoming. Yes, I know - times are tough. When you opened your most recent mortgage statement it actually mocked you. But still, scouring the nether regions of your furniture for stray nickels is an act reserved for college students and meth heads, so really, back away from the sofa.

If you need a little payday, you might try looking closer at the stuff you've amassed over the years. You've always been curious about the history of your thrift store finds and family hand-me-downs; you suspect some of them might be bona fide collector's items. Start rummaging through your stuff for Sprinker Recreation Center's Junk In Your Trunk garage sale July 10.

Yes, Pierce County Parks is calling it Junk In Your Trunk. Their press release explains why:

Here's a new twist on the old garage sale.  Load up your trunk and sell your stuff from the back of your vehicle.  You bring the junk, we bring the people, July 10 at Sprinker Recreation Center, 14824 S. C St, Parkland/Spanaway.  The fee per vendor is $15 for a car/truck/van and $25 per RV/Camper.  Each vendor will be assigned one parking stall for parking and one stall to set up tables.  The event runs rain or shine between 9:00am-4:00pm.  Pre-registration required.  For more information call 253-798-4177 or www.piercecountywa.org/parks

So If your closet is bursting at the seams with dust-collecting clothes that fit 20 pounds ago, Junk In Your Trunk is a simpler way of getting dough for your duds than advertising them on eBay or the sad shrubbery in front of your apartment building.

CONCERT ALERT >>>

KISW 99.9 FM will bring Seattle's concert festival "Pain in the Grass" back to White River Amphitheatre for the third consecutive year Aug. 28, 2010. Scheduled to perform are Godsmack, who also headlined the festival in 2007, Shinedown, Puddle of Mudd, Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, Sevendust, Drowning Pool, and more to be announced.

Essentials: Black stocking hat and/or baseball cap worn backward; stringy, shoulder-length brown hair; "Fred Durst Rules!" T-shirt. Take a shot of Jack, smoke two Pall Malls and imagine getting kicked in the nuts to achieve the nasal wail perfected by Puddle of Mudd's lead singer Wes Scantlin.

Tickets are $69, $49, and $29 with discounted lawn seats available for $20 with a valid Military I.D. and four-packs of lawn seats available for only $99. Tickets will go on sale this Saturday, June 12 at 10 a.m. through LiveNation.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, and charge by phone at 800.745.3000.

Grab more information about Pain in the Grass at www.KISW.com 

LINK: List of upcoming concerts

MOG'S VISITING ARTIST SUMMER SERIES >>>

The complete lineup for Visiting Artist Summer Series has been finalized, and all that's left to do now is countdown the days until the Museum of Glass rocks your world beginning June 16.

Thirteen artists in 12 weeks have been tapped to perform in the Hot Shop: Davide Salvadore (Murano, Italy), Lynda Benglis (New York City), Roisin de Buitlear (Dublin, Ireland), Marvin Oliver (Seattle) and Richard Royal (Seattle), Richard Craig Meitner (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Michael Sherrill (Hendersonville, N.C.), Pavel Mrkus (Usti nad Labem, Czech Republic), Michele Kong (Long island City, N.Y.), Kari Russell-Pool (Essex, Conn.), Brynhildur Thorgeirsdottir (Reykjavik, Iceland), Ed Archie NoiseCat (Sante Fe, N.M.), and Ron Desmett (Oakdale, Penn.). The residency dates are listed here.

Take a good look at the list. We think you'll agree that this year's local lineup is every bit as compelling as the line up at the White River Amphitheatre. Look for a healthy mix of exploring and demonstrating various glassmaking techniques and styles with public lectures and slide presentations. Highlights certainly include Benglis' translation of Jackson Pollock's drip technique, Meitner melding pre-made, flame-worked Pyrex forms with furnace glass (totally rocks!), and Mrkus live recording of his work.

Awesome, yes? Wait, it gets better. If 12 weeks of internationally-renowned artists featuring hundreds or works isn't enough, nearly half of the artists - including metal artist Thorgeirdottir - will also work at Pilchuck Glass School an instructors or artists-in-residence. All this for $5-$12 a day! Can you believe it? This summer will rock inside the cone!

Museum of Glass

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. third Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, $5-$12
1801 Dock St., Tacoma, 253.284.4750

MYTH AND CIRCUS TO MEET INSIDE THE TACOMA DOME >>>

Roughly translated from French to English, "Cirque du Soleil" means "party hard and live it up" (or something like that) - all the things most revelers are in search of after a summer with the kids. Alegria, which will be staged Sept. 15-19, 2010 inside the Tacoma Dome, is described thus on the Cirque press release:

Alegría is a Spanish word that means happiness, joy and jubilation and features an international cast of 55 performers and musicians from 15 countries and showcases breathtaking acrobatics. Acts include the Synchro Trapeze and the intense and high-energy Aerial High Bars in which daring aerialists fly to catchers swinging more than 40 feet above the stage. The vibrancy of youth is alive in Power Track, a brilliant display of synchronized choreography and tumbling on a trampoline system hidden under the stage floor. In Russian Bars, artists fly through the air and perform spectacular somersaults and mid-air turns, landing on bars perched on the sturdy shoulders of catchers.

Advanced discounted tickets for Alegría are available now online exclusively to Cirque Club members through June 20, 2010. Cirque Club membership is free and benefits include access to advance tickets, special offers and exclusive behind the scenes information. To join, go here.

Tickets - $28-$94 - will be available to the general public beginning June 21.

CONCERT ALERT >>>

The former Mr. Pamela Andrerson's good-humored salutes to his own cocksmanship, not to mention his skill at Xeroxing classic boogie, won't entirely offset occasional pretensions toward relevance when he revisits the Puyallup Fair Sunday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m.  Two years ago Kid Rock and his wack pack - including Rev. Run of Run-DMC - packed the Puyallup Fair Grandstand, performing songs of his Rock N Roll Jesus album.

The tickets - $40-$85 - to go on sale on Saturday, June 12, at 9 a.m. through the Fair and Ticketmaster.

HERE TO STAY >>>

Late one night in an unassuming alley in downtown Tacoma I met up with the lead singer for I Defy, Jason McKibbin. He led me into the old practice pad the band calls home. It was much as I suspected: cluttered with beer cans, gear, and wall-to-wall memorabilia. Fifteen years of history, and a testament to I Defy's dedication and determination.

Sorting through the memories and band members is complicated for this band, even for those who lived through them. It started back in 1995 when drummer Ben Nix arrived in the Northwest via Alaska. It was his vision that inspired the inception of I Defy. In its infancy, the band played anywhere they could, eventually becoming a somewhat notorious punk band lurking on the fringes of the Tacoma scene. Through sheer perseverance and a never-say-die attitude, the band built a following and stayed the course through lineup changes and the trials of life.

The current lineup is McKibbin, Nix, Damien Simard on bass, Johnny C. on guitar, Carl Zook on guitar - and the most recent addition, Shug Lewis rounding out the band on third guitar.

"Shug has really stepped up what we have been able to do," McKibbin explains. "We have fewer musical limitations than ever".

I Defy seems to be having more fun than ever before, too; and that is saying a lot. They will be the first to tell you their recent enthusiasm is largely due to the overwhelming support of their fans.

"We never would have made it to SXSW if it weren't for our fans," Nix comments.

"Not just our local fans either, people all over the country we connected with showed their support in a big way," added McKibbin.

I Defy shows no sign of letting up any time soon. At the end of June the band is scheduled to record songs for their next release, a DVD is in postproduction, they have a track on the upcoming Tacoma Skate Compilation, and the band has also hinted at a possible split 7".

All this and more shows than you could imagine.

Most notably, I Defy will play Hell's Kitchen June 5 with American Wrecking Company, South Kitsap Infidels, Godspit, Sargent D and the Accused headlining.

"This is our fourth or fifth time playing with the Accused and it's always been a blast," says McKibbin. "It gets better every time. You won't see another show this intense."

I Defy

With The Accused, Godspit, Sargent D, and South Kitsap Infidels
Saturday, June 5, 9 p.m., $7
Hell's Kitchen, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
253.759.6003