SATURDAY, FEB. 5, 2011 >>>

1. Lakes High School graduate Donald Glaude taught himself to wreck records with a pair of mismatched turntables and a Radio Shack mixer in the '80s. He began to DJ anywhere he could in the Seattle and Tacoma area, working the same clubs as another up-and-coming DJ by the name of Dan. In short order the pair managed to spark a rave scene in Seattle and developed masses of underground fans. Today, Glaude travels the world anchoring nights, including tonight at the Gruv Lounge on Sixth Avenue.

2. 99 Bottles in Federal Way hosts a Snoqualmie Falls Brewing tasting from 4-6 p.m., including root beer floats for the kids.

3. Gig Harbor-based singer and guitarist Michael O'Neill has successful organized a monthly Americana music dinner show at Morso Wine Bar. Tonight at 8 p.m., singer/songwriter Templeton Thompson will draw from a deep well of influences that combine with her Texas roots to give her style of country music a distinctive, soulful edge. Reserve your spot at 253.530.DINE.

4. Tacoma Opera presents a local production of Emmanuel Chabrier's An Incomplete Education and Joseph Haydn's The Building Soprano at 8 p.m. inside the Theatre on the Square. This is original staging, with chorus members and orchestra players from our neighborhoods.

5. DJ Mauro will up the fog machine, hype the crowd in Spanish and spin his unique mix of Latin-infused music beginning at 9:30 p.m. inside Club Vanity at 56^th and South Tacoma Way. Witness the most intricate, talented and sensual dancing you'll ever see.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Wine tastings!

STAY-CATION = LOTS OF TIME TO FOOL AROUND >>>

If you're in a LTR - you know, a Long Term Relationship such as marriage - a stay-cation during Valentine's weekend is a fun way to stir and reignite the proverbial embers of love into a roaring fire. Or it just might be the fireplace suite at The INN at Gig Harbor making it hot.

Either way, it's hard to go wrong at this ultra-romantic spot. Sweet in-room bonuses of red roses and bubbly or vino await your arrival; it's a sure win for scoring effortless points with your amore. So is choosing a Jacuzzi suite.

On the dining front, stay-cation packages at the INN at Gig Harbor include a Heritage Restaurant prix-fixe dinner for two including delightful sounding selections like Firecracker Chicken, Caribbean slaw, lemon and caper pan-seared Alaskan halibut, jerk-style pork chop with mango apple chutney, smoked white truffle mashed potatoes, orange curry glazed scallops and jumbo shrimp, pecan-espresso encrusted sirloin and amaretto-sauced bread pudding.

If that doesn't blow the mind, next day breakfast from Heritage Restaurant is included, too. A menu of Pacific Northwest-influenced American cuisine includes omelets with ingredients like Dungeness crab, sun-dried tomatoes, avocado, meats and artichoke hearts. Grilled King salmon or broiled rib steak can take the place of typical sausage patties or bacon with eggs. Enjoy homemade biscuits, buttermilk pancakes, fruit platters and breakfast breads. 

Hot damn. They thought of everything.
[The INN at Gig Harbor, 3211 56th St. N.W., Gig Harbor, 253.858.1111, innatgigharbor.com]

GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT >>>

Often, when a business closes it's viewed as a negative situation. On the other hand, the closing of Water to Wine, a favorite wine shop in Gig Harbor at the corner of Peacock and North Harborview Drive, may just be one of positive change and future promise. It may mean better things are to come. In existence for about 11 years, Water to Wine has held the Peacock Hill location since 2005. 

The shop offered regular tastings - the Friday wine tasting were a favorite of patrons. Attentive staff could answer almost any question regarding selections of affordable global wines and those made in wineries right in our backyard, and did so in a manner that was not condescending. So why close the wine shop?

In an e-mailed announcement of the impending closure sent to the Weekly Volcano, shop owners expressed that "if there was a way to make Water to Wine in our current space we would." Changes in how wine, beer and liquor are regulated in Washington state may have contributed to the decision.

On a bright note, the owners go on to say that there's a good chance of "exciting things around the corner," possibly hinting at a new store location in the near future.

A list of inventory up for grabs is in PDF format on the Water to Wine website. The shop will open at 9 a.m. daily through the end of the month, but hurry - the doors will close for good on Jan. 31.

[Water to Wine, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave. # 103A, Gig Harbor, 253.853.9463]

LINK: Wine tastings today

SATURDAY, JAN. 8, 2011 >>>

1. Every second Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Freighthouse Square hosts a bazaar loaded with wares from local businesses and artists. You could possibly find Buddhas, wool handbags, vintage T-shirts, Taco Bell's International Collection CD, 64 small stainless-steel baking pans, Brady Bunch lunchboxes, The Golden Fleece, faded Life magazines, reproductions of Canadian postage stamps, 8-by-10 photos of Fred Gwynne and an unexpected trove of things for children inside the Freighthouse.

2. Jared Abwawo is both a math teacher and an artist - a photographer, to be exact. There's a certain precision in his art that would suggest as much. An exhibition of Abwawo's photography will open with a reception from 1-3 p.m. at the Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor campus. "The creative essence of the image has no language but its own. It is a communication from one human being to others," Abwawo says in pre-show hype. See what he's talking about this afternoon.

3. Bingo is the ideal place for both loners and people who want to be in a crowd. And for those who are a strange combination of the two. There are big family groups and lots of men and women alone, some who sit as far away as possible from everyone else and kept their jackets on the entire evening. Join these people for many games from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6:30-9:30 p.m. inside the AMVETS Post 1 in Tacoma.

4. Olympia will score two chances to catch the National Tour of the Wizard of Oz at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, hitting the Yellow Brick Road at 2 and 7:30 p.m. "Breathtaking special effects" are promised, as are "the classic Wizard of Oz songs and the beloved characters Dorothy, Toto, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow ..." That pretty much covers the bases.

5. The Jazz in the Cellar series gets off to a grand start in 2011 when guitarist Vince Brown is joined by internationally acclaimed gypsy jazz guitarist Neil Andersson at 9 p.m. in Swing Wine Bar's cellar.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Wine tatsings!

LET'S DO THIS 2011 THING >>>

Ah, the sweet artificiality of the New Year - the reassurance of a clean calendar, of resolutions for self-improvement. And then you pick up the newspaper, and that pure artifice of the change of year, that vagarious demarcation of another arbitrary moment, is rendered meaningless by the inexorably continuing chains of events that know no boundaries defined by pages in a calendar. (Remember, the Chinese and the Jews have their own calendars, no less arbitrary, no more meaningful.)  It's no wonder revelers seem to work so hard trying to have a good time as the countdowns begin.

We here at the Weekly Volcano and Spew hope you had a nice holiday season and we wish you the best all year around.

HO HO HO >>

Every year our Christmas dinner has one flaw.  We have no gripes about eating the same menu annually - ham with cherry sauce, green bean casserole, twice-baked potatoes, and freshly baked rolls. It's the Jell-O salad that gets us. 

Our mom makes a strange concoction of dark cherry Jell-O with Coca-Cola and bits of cream cheese, which is not as bad as it sounds, but she serves us a slab on top of a piece of iceberg lettuce.  The lettuce is our mom's way of dressing up a barren salad plate, but the lettuce taste is transferred to the Jell-O.  We end up eating lettuce-flavored Jell-O, and trust us we've protested. 

As we gather around the Christmas dinner table with family and friends - feeling fortunate to even have food, family and friends - no doubt we'll have Jell-O on lettuce again.  We'll eat it, with a smile

What ever this day brings you, the Weekly Volcano staff wishes you a merry one. As always, thanks for reading, commenting and joining the fun. Cheers!

DONATE TO A LOCAL CHARITY >>>

There's no better way to support your community than supporting your neighbors in need, especially during the holiday season. We'll feature local charities on Spew throughout this holiday season with links to donate your money, supplies and time.

Give the karmic wheel a spin for today's charity focus:

Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children

Clinics in Parkland, South Tacoma, Gig Harbor and Buckley
253.539.7445

Healthy teeth are important for good health and self-esteem.

According to the 2000 Surgeon General's report, "Oral Health in America," tooth decay is the single most chronic childhood disease - five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever.

The 2003 Pierce County Needs Assessment survey pinpointed that finding and accessing dental care to be in the top five overall needs and service needs throughout Pierce County.

Read more...

THIS WILL BE A TREAT >>>

I met Steve Poltz at an American Music label party at SXSW in 1994. A couple months before I flew down to Austin, his folk rock band, The Rugburns, released their debut album, Morning Wood, and I had been playing the shit out of it. Guitarist Poltz and his band mate, guitarist Robert Driscoll, performed acoustic melodies spiked with ridiculous lyrics. The most popular song off the album, "Me and Eddie Vedder," was a grating contemplation on the glorious possibilities of overdosing in a hotel room alongside Eddie Vedder.

As I chatted with Poltz during the party, a young woman with an amazing voice performed for the crowd. Halfway through her first song, she had the balls to tell the music executives, media and partygoers in the room to show some respect and, basically, shut the hell up.

"That's my girlfriend," Poltz said, pointing to the blonde on stage.

The blonde was Jewel. Later on, she would yodel for the crowd.

A couple years later I saw him in Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me" music video (a song he co-wrote). He was the skinny guy teenage girls everywhere stared dreamily at.

After The Rugburns faded, Poltz released several well-received albums and started his own record label. His songs are popular for their clever and often moving lyrics, and his way with an acoustic guitar is impressive.

Stoltz will perform Thursday, Dec. 2 at the Morso wine bar in Gig Harbor. I highly recommend this show.

UPDATE: Michael ONeill, the man who is bring Poltz to Gig Harbor, will interview the singer-songwriter tonight on his KGHP 89.9FM radio show at 7 p.m. Listen to the stream here.

Steve Poltz

Thursday, Dec. 2, 8 p.m., $20
Morso wine bar, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave., Gig Habor
253.530.3463

WHAT WE CHEWED ON THIS PAST WEEK >>>

Flying Food: Mizu in Gig Harbor is part presentation, part atmosphere and part taste by Jason and Jake de Paul

Pass The Gravy: Japanese curry, love it or leave it by Ken Swarner

Feedbag: Nibblets of information on all things food and drink in the South Sound

Sipping Out: Wine and beer dinners, tastings and events in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Restaurant Guide

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

DO NOT BE ONE BIG MASHED COUCH POTATO >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Bump Kitchen, Square N The Jimis. 21+. 9 pm.

Beyond the Bridge Cafe Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Phoenix Show, featuring The Black Sails. All Ages. 8 pm. $15.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Sean Pratt. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. NORML Benefit: Northwest Sons, Mighty High, Dirty Change Up. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

• Reggae and the march toward marijuana legislation reform just go together. Seriously. If you've ever been to a Hemp Fest, 420 rally or a long car ride through Eastern Washington with Bobble Tiki you know this. A wise man once said you'll never end marijuana prohibition without a drum for the circle, a Bob Marley poster in your room and a great acronym. Luckily, tonight at Hell's Kitchen you'll have a chance to score all of the above. With a bill headlined by the brightly colored and HIGH-ly enthusiastic Northwest Sons, and including Mighty High and Dirty Change Up, tonight's sweet-smelling benefit for NORML will be your chance to get down and (figuratively speaking) get high all in one place. NORML, founded in 1970, is a nonprofit public interest advocacy group that lobbies for marijuana legalization and, well, basic common sense when it comes to pot. They claim to represent the "tens of millions of Americans who smoke marijuana responsibly," which might be a conservative estimate based on an informal poll of the Weekly Volcano scribes. - Matt Driscoll

Little Creek Casino Shelton. Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Rebecca Reddin. All Ages. 7 pm. NC. Gina Belliveau. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. The Revengers. 21+. 9 pm.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Tim Hall Band. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Rhythm & Brews Tacoma - Downtown. Black River Blues. Under 21 welcome until 10 pm. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $5.

SideBar Bistro Tacoma - Downtown. Saxophonist Michael Hershman. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound