LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. The Heels, The Jilly Rizzo, Needles & Pizza, Gold Records. 8 pm.

• "Whether they admit it or not, everyone's got a bit of a heel fetish." So proposes the bio of Seattle glam-power-poppers the Heels. For a band as preoccupied with aesthetics (sound-wise and clothing-wise), it's easy to see why they'd think that. Further, on their Joan Jett-esque anthem, "Fetish," they name-check leather, pencil skirts and angora sweaters. Coming from the rock scene of Los Angeles, frontwoman Paula Spas relocated to the Pacific Northwest, where she uncannily assembled the type of band that you might see play a booze-soaked set at the Whiskey a Go Go in the '70s. This is playful punk at its finest - winking and sexy in equal measure. The Heels exist in a world where everyone has a little secret (which they might be wearing right now, underneath their civilian clothes). - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. UpWest Arts Presents: An Evening With Slack-Key Guitarist Keola Beamer & Moanalani Beamer. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $20-$25.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. The Bog Hoppers. 9:30 pm. NC.

El Potrero Tacoma - Eastside. Banda La Pachanga, DJ Sunami. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Grayskul, RA Scion, Xperience, Rockwell Powers. 9 pm. $7.

La Gitana Olympia - Downtown. Red & Ruby. 6:30 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Eclectic Approach, Amadon, Clear The Chaos, Static. All Ages. 5 pm.

Matrix Coffee House Lewis County. Just Plain Bill, Patrick Storedahl. All Ages. 7 pm. $10.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Michael ONeill CD Release. 8 pm. $25.

• Forged in the ‘70s renaissance of popular Americana, Michael ONeill is a paragon of the ways in which art and life mutually influence one another. He was singing about the dusty trails and the tear-strewn beers and the fast women before he'd ever really spent time with them. So many years on, his music is imbued with the post-world-weary resign that comes with being a man of a certain age, with all the regrets and the fond remembrances that come along with that. Read Rev. McKinney's interview with Michael ONeill.
  

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Cottonwood Cutups CD Release Party, with Rusty Cleavers, McDougal. 9 pm. $5. 

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. Ann Hampton Calloway Presents The Streisand Songbook. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $35-$79.

Rhythm and Rye Olympia - downtown. The Brown Edition, DBST. 9 pm. $5.

Slavonian Hall Tacoma - Old Town. Ed Taylor Band CD Release Party for It's Complicated. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $35 includes dinner.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. North Country Bluegrass. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. April Verch. All Ages. 8 pm. $15-$22.

Treos Tacoma - Old Town. The Alex Worland Trio. All Ages. 7:30 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Fun Police. 9 pm.

Vaeth Mansion Tacoma - Northend. Bluegrass and Old Time Jam & Feed, benefit for Lyn Neal who had her instruments stolen. All Ages. 3 pm. Donations.

LINK: More live music Saturday, March 22 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, MARCH 22: FIRST ROUND BURGER ACTION >>>

Even in this era of kohlrabi salads, Haute Mexicanand Chinese-Peruvian, the hamburger remains America's favorite food, and burger fans - of which you are undoubtedly one - are insanely opinionated about what the consummate burger should look and taste like. Tear into the Tournament of Burgers, make a mess and dribble 'til the cows come home.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: Duke's Chowder House vs. Chalk Talk Bistro

Duke's Chowder House has fancy newsletters, kick ass chowder and a gorgeous view of Commencement Bay. Chalk Talk Bistro has chalk ... oh, and delicious burgers. Formerly Mary's Burger Bistro, the sportsified Chalk Talk put the dispsy-doo double-a-roo on Duke's, and grabbed 56 percent of the votes from way at the end of the grill, BANG!

Game 2: Pick-Quick Drive-In vs. The Schooner Pub & Galley

The Schooner Pub is a dark place. It's truly one of the darker watering holes in the South Sound. Obviously, there are advantages to drinking in dimly lit joints. For one, squinting isn't attractive. Anyway, yesterday was the Lakewood bar's worst possible cave scenario. We haven't had many sunny days since early autumn. The Schooner's competitor, Pick-Quick Drive-in, offers a nice park-like outdoor eating area (albeit, with a view of I-5). The walk-up burger joint was packed with questionable open shirts and giddiness. Sunshine grabbed 75 percent of the votes and Pick-Quick moves into the next round to take on Chalk Talk Bistro March 28.

Game 3: Loose Wheel Bar & Grill vs. The Westside Tavern

If there's one thing our food tournaments has seen over the years; you don't mess with West Olympia. The community huddles around their own - more often than not with sleeves rolled up and a chew in place. The Westside Tavern grabbed a respectable 62 percent of the votes yesterday in its win over the tough Loose Wheel Bar & Grill. That's impressive. That's the Westside.

Game 4: Pacific Grill vs. South Bay Pub & Eatery

If there's a trend developing it's that elegance or unique toppings don't wow Tournament of Burgers voters. Sure, a fancy burger can get you somewhere in the Tournament of Burgers, but it doesn't guarantee anything - your burger foundation has to be sound before voters will get behind some of the fancier stuff. While Pacific Grill gushes sophistication and class, it had a tough day on the burger court. It beat Olympia's scrappy South Bay Pub & Eatery by one vote. One. Pacific Grill will need to reanalyze its game plan, as it will take on another scrappy Olympia burger flipper in the Second Round - Westside Tavern.

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Chalk Talk Bistro
• Pick-Quick Drive-In
• Westside Tavern
• Pacific Grill

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 22

Hop head. Sounds like a euphemism for a speed addict, no? Or a professional pogo stick stunt artist. Maybe a bunny-loving furry. Well, it's none of those things. Hops go in beer, and hop heads like 'em bitter. Meet some Saturday, March 22 when the Harmon Brewery releases its Hops of March. Ridding the wave of enthusiasm for our Tournament of Burgers, or more likely the March Madness college hoops tourney, Harmon brewmasters Jeff Carlson and Jesse Holder will, once again, release its Hops of March IPA. Every March, Harmon releases this hoppy IPA, but rotates the hops. This year, the hops varieties of Magnum, Amarillo, Rainier, Columbus and Horizon - M.A.R.C.H. - were brewed with five malted barleys to give this medium- to full-bodied IPA (8.2 percent ABV, 101 IBUs) a brown color similar to a basketball. Nothing but the bottom of the pint, baby! Drink it up at one of its four houses of beer.

7 Seas Brewing will unleash its new fancy glass growler made in Germany at 11 a.m. Saturday. Fresh Northwest Design in Gig Harbor decorated them, which are priced at $60 and come with a coupon for $2 off your next growler fill.

As opposed to most kegged beer, cask-conditioned ale is unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally carbonated by secondary fermentation inside the cask. It's a very traditional British method employed not widely used by American brewers. Those who make cask-conditioned beers in this state will gather Saturday at the Seattle Center for the Washington Cask Beer Festival, a fundraiser for the Washington Brewers Guild, a non-profit organization that helped squash the state's proposal to drastically raise beer excise tax last year. It's a huge affair, broken into two sessions: noon to 4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m. The $40 admission fee includes a commemorative tasting glass and up to 25 beer samples. Designated driver admission is $5 and available at the doors only.

SUNDAY, MARCH 23

Judging Saturday's beer calendar, you might want to bring it down a notch Sunday. Pint Defiance continues its popular Sunday Sampler series, this week offering tastings of low-ABV brews with flavor. From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., flights of four 4-ounce pours will be served for the cost of a normal pint.

For all of you health-conscious people out there who want to join in on all the St. Patrick's Day festivities without consuming so many calories - this is for you. Ranker.com, a platform loaded with crowdsourced answers to opinion-based questions, has collected the aggregated opinion of nearly 1,500 voters on "The Best Tasting Light Beers." Here is the top 10:

1. Sam Adams Light

2. Heineken Premium Light

3. Coors Light

4. Bud Light

5. Amstel Light

6. Miller Lite

7. Yuengling Light

8. Michelob Ultra

9. Kirin Light

10. Corona Light

If this list interests you, click here for the other beers on the list.

Read more...

For Americans, bigger is better. Whether it's buildings, boobs, buffets or beer, we want it big enough to block out the sun or at least put us down for the count. When it comes to beer, we celebrate the brewers who go big and bold with their beer-making experiments using creative and crazy combinations of spices, barrels, exotic fruits and big alcohol.

Beer brewers are constantly pushing the boundaries of their craft, often times brewing beers that defy mainstream beer styles and/or looking at other alcoholic beverages for inspiration. Strong, or big, beers are just one of the many byproducts of this artisanal approach to brewing. The processes involved to create such beers aren't simple. Brewers spend a lot of research time, money and trial and error to cultivate their super yeast strains that can survive the high-alcohol brewing environment and produce well-attenuated beers that have a minimum of six percent alcohol by volume.

Last winter, the South Sound packed Tacoma's Foss Waterway Seaport for the inaugural Big Beer Festival, an event born in Tacoma Brewing Company's founder Morgan Alexander's head, but produced by Tacoma Craft Beer Festival co-founders Roxy Wolfe and Bennett Thurmon. A sold-out crowd enjoyed 20 regional vendors and around 60 beers.

Alexander has grabbed the reins of the second annual version, and will be serving triple and quadruple IPAs, imperial porters, big stouts, a triple bock and barleywines with an alcohol by volume (ABV) rating of 9 percent or higher, Saturday, March 15 at his much smaller Tacoma Brewing Co. on Saint Helens Avenue. Returning from last year's big beer shindig will be Alexander's Cascade Quad - a cross between a Triple IPA and a barleywine. No growlers will be filled during the festival.

Here's the Big beer Festival tap list: Matt's Barleywine, Citra Kick Barleywine/Triple IPA, Simcoe Kick Triple IPA, Noble Barleywine/Triple IPA, Cascade Quad (quadruple IPA), Licorice Stout, "Wacked" Stout (orange/chocolate), Nitro Vanilla Stout and Ashen Stout (aged on ash wood).

There is no admission to the event, which runs from 2-10 p.m. The Tacoma Brewing Co. taproom is located in the Triangle District in the heart of downtown Tacoma at 625 St. Helens Ave.

BEER HERE

FRIDAY, MARCH 14

Chambers Bay (6320 Grandview Dr., University Place) hosts an Irish beer and food tasting Friday, March 14. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., Chef Corcoran presents a seven-course meal paired with Guinness, Harp and Smithwick's. As you nibble on Irish pretzel sausage and classic corned beef cabbage, Guinness experts will take you through an Irish beer journey. Tickets are $55; call 253.552.4867.

SATURDAY, MARCH 15

Sound Brewery out of Poulsbo will drop in on Gig Harbor's Morso wine bar Saturday, March 15 for tastings. Brewmaster Mark Hood will be pouring from 2-4 p.m., with a $5 cover. If you can't wait, here's Morso's current line-up: The GoodLife Mountain Rescue Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Bellevue425 Pale Ale, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Elysian Dragonstooth Oatmeal Stout, pFriem Saison, Ommegang Abbey, Morso Pilsner by Alpine Brewery and Everybody's Brewing Country Boy IPA.

The Parkway Tavern asks you to drop your pants Saturday. The Tacoma tavern hosts a pants drive for those in need. Donate a pair of pants and you'll be entered in a raffle for prizes. The pants party is at 313 N. I St.

SUNDAY, MARCH 16

Pint Defiance has announced its "Sunday Sampler." From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., you may sample 4-ounce pours of Goodlife Mountain Rescue, 10 Barrel Project Failed red, Crux Outcast IPA and Worthy Lights Out Vanilla Cream Stout for $4.25. Go small at 2049 Mildred St. W. on the edge of Fircrest.

MONDAY, MARCH 17

Everyone and their mother will be pushing the Irish beers on St. Patrick's Day. Of note, Harmon Brewery will be offering its Jameson Oak Soaked Black Tartan. This beer has become a yearly tradition for the Tacoma brewery. Head Brewer Jeff Carlson incorporates medium toast oak spirals and soaks them in Jameson. Next, he ages his Black Tartan Black IPA on the spirals producing a wonderful combination of oak, boozy Jameson goodness and, of course, the roasted hoppy flavors of his Black Tartan IPA. Harmon will also be this year's Rajah's Royal IPA and a new Imperial Stout over the weekend. Drink them up at The Harmon Brewery and Eatery, The Hub in Tacoma and Gig Harbor and, of course, the Harmon Tap Room. Harmon Central is here.

For a listing of South Sound St. Patrick's Day parties, click here.

FRIDAY, MARCH 14 2014 >>>

1. Man of La Mancha opens at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Set in the 16th century, this play within a play is the musical version of Cervantes's Don Quixote. While Cervantes awaits his trial with the Spanish Inquisition, he fights to put on a show that involves all of the other inmates. Sue Brabham, who plays Maria, says the music is very representative of 1500's Spanish music. It has a "flamenco element," which made it "more challenging for the performers to learn," she adds. She also said for the music, the means are as important as the end. As this play progresses, Brabham says watch for the transformation of Aldonza into Delcinea as she progresses from a "whore to having self esteem and self respect," which is Brabham's favorite part.

2. Used books reign supreme over new books because there's something to be said for encountering a chocolate stain, a teardrop or a snot smear on random pages, reminding you that you're holding something someone enjoyed before you. Used books are things with histories. At the Friends of Lakewood Library's Book Sale you can unleash your fetish for used books with wild abandon from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tens of thousands of books will be on sale, not to mention CDs, cassettes and DVDs. Knowledge has become ridiculously cheap and accessible. Take advantage.

3. The genial satire of contemporary feminism Angry Housewives ran for ages in Seattle centering on Jetti, Bev, Wendi and Carol — good friends, but angry over the lack of respect from their men. So, they form a punk rock band, Angry Housewives, and take their local club scene by storm gaining new self-respect and renewed respect from their men. The play hits the Paradise Theatre stage at 7:30 p.m.

4. Award-winning vocalist/songwriter/harmonica icon Curtis Salgado, touring in support of his Alligator Records debut CD, SOUL SHOT, will perform at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

5. Dance beats and distortion, love and anger, tooth and nail -in all its lo-fi, 8-bit finery will go down when MirrorGloss and RowHouse meet at 8:30 p.m. in the Half Pint Pizza Pub.

PLUS: South Sound St. Patrick's Day parties tonight!

LINK: Friday, March 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Did you enjoy Tacoma Beer Week? What were your favorite beers? How do your teeth feel?

Have you heard? There's another natural cure for a common ailment. Take note, though, beer drinkers: It's the part of the leaves discarded in the brewing process.

Beer drinkers know that hops are what gives the drink its bitterness and aroma. Recently, scientists reported that the part of hops that isn't used for making beer contains healthful antioxidants and could be used to battle cavities and gum disease. In a new study in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they say that they've identified some of the substances that could be responsible for these healthful effects.

Read the full story here.

Where to fight cavities drink beer this week ...

Monday, March 10

Pint Defiance is knocking off a dollar on all pints today, which includes M.T. Head's Zeus's Revenge IPA, Lost Abbey Carnevale Saison, Alameda P-Town Pilsner and Alaskan Oatmeal Stout.

Wednesday, March 12

Who's got the best IPA? It's Washington vs. Oregon for all the marbles. Ninkasi Brewing, 7 Seas Brewing Co., Silver City Brewery & Taproom, Deschutes Brewery, Laurelwood Public House & Brewery and NoLi Brewhouse are bringing their best IPAs to The Swiss for a Battle of the Brands: The IPA Face Off, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Grab a passport to sample all the IPAs before casting your vote. Expect giveaways and swag. Grand prize drawing is a VIP tour of the winning brewery and the "Swiss Golden Ticket," entitling the winner to one year of free cover at The Swiss.

Friday, March 14

Chambers Bay (6320 Grandview Dr., University Place) hosts an Irish beer and food tasting Friday, March 14. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., Chef Corcoran presents a seven-course meal paired with Guinness, Harp and Smithwick's. As you nibble on Irish pretzel sausage and classic corned beef cabbage, Guinness experts will take you through an Irish beer journey. Tickets are $55; call 253.552.4867 or emailashipman@kempersports.com.

Saturday, March 15

Sound Brewery out of Poulsbo will drop in on Gig Harbor's Morso wine bar for tastings. Brewmaster Mark Hood will be pouring from 2-4 p.m., with a $5 cover. If you can't wait, here's Morso's current line-up: The GoodLife Mountain Rescue Dry Hopped Pale Ale, Bellevue425 Pale Ale, Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA, Elysian Dragonstooth Oatmeal Stout, pFriem Saison, Ommegang Abbey, Morso Pilsner by Alpine Brewery and Everybody's Brewing Country Boy IPA.

Last winter, the South Sound packed Tacoma's Foss Waterway Seaport for the Big Beer Festival, an event born in Tacoma Brewing Company's founder Morgan Alexander's head, but produced by Tacoma Craft Beer Festival co-founders Roxy Wolfe and Bennett Thurmon. A sold-out crowd enjoyed 20 regional vendors and around 60 beers. Alexander has grabbed the reins of the second annual version, and will be serving beers and barleywines with an alcohol by volume rating of 9 percent or higher, Saturday at his much smaller Tacoma Brewing Co. on Saint Helens Avenue. The big beers will flow 2-10 p.m.

Last, the Parkway Tavern asks you to drop your pants Saturday. The Tacoma tavern hosts a pants drive for those in need. Donate a pair of pants and you'll be entered in a raffle for prizes.

FRIDAY, MARCH 7 2014 >>>

1. From Bach to Bird to Biggie, Black Violin executes a unique and often brilliant juxtaposition of urban and classical styles. The two-man violin/viola hip-hop outfit of Wil B and Kev Marcus mix classical music with hip-hop beats, and then toss in some rap and freestyle to keep it interesting. Yes, violins. Yes, hip-hop. With the addition of a hip-hop DJ, this talented trio fuses funk, hip-hop and classical music to create a sound and style that very nearly defies traditional genre categorization. Some might call it revolutionary. Check it out at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

2. Sure, Tacoma celebrates its status as an arts community.  Sure, Tacoma loves to band together for a good cause.  With the YWCA RAGS wearable Art Sale and Gallery, continuing for its 20th year, it does both. RAGS started as a fun way to raise money for the YWCA, whose mission statement is all about honoring diversity and creating opportunities for women’s growth, leadership, and power in order to attain a common vision: peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all people. RAGS offers guests an opportunity to view and acquire fabulous handmade clothing, jewelry and accessories created by artisans from across the country. Check out RAGS from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. inside the Mercedes-Benz of Tacoma new showroom at 1701 Alexander Ave. East in Fife.

3. The Tacoma Community College Symphonic Band concert and trombone soloists Sara Mayo present a variety of contemporary wind band music, exploring ideas around tradition, conversation, spirits and dance at 7:30 p.m. in TCC Building 2 Auditorium, which is close to South 12th and Mildred.

4. The genial satire of contemporary feminism Angry Housewives ran for ages in Seattle centering on Jetti, Bev, Wendi and Carol — good friends, but angry over the lack of respect from their men. So, they form a punk rock band, Angry Housewives, and take their local club scene by storm gaining new self-respect and renewed respect from their men. The play opens at Paradise Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

5. Near as we can tell from what little music is available of Coma Figura, one might describe them as a sort of Foxygen or Titus Andronicus for the bedroom pop set. These are bands that mash together influences and jumble them up into something that surges past imitation and into a kind of fervent homage. Whereas Foxygen and Titus Andronicus reinterpret pastoral psych rock and boozy Springsteen-isms, respectively, Coma Figura take stabs at the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter. Catch the band with BA the Scribe, FLORIDA, Mad Youth at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: Friday, March 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MARCH 2 2014 >>>

1. The Academy Awards are tonight. There's plenty of speculation about who's likely to win, along with conversation about who's worthy of the awards. Team Walkie Talkie has our money on American Hustle or 12 Years A Slave. Speaking of the golden naked dudes, there are not one but two local venues at which you can put on your Oscar Sunday best and savor the festivities with hundreds of other cineastes. The Olympia Film Society rolls out the red carpet at 4 p.m. in front of the Capitol Theater. The Grand Cinema opens its Oscars party at 5 p.m. in Tacoma's Theatre on the Square. 

Read more...

While many are feeling anxious over the proposed Pentagon budget cuts, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, the Democrat out of Gig Harbor, wants students to consider the armed forces. Kilmer will host a Service Academy Night Wednesday, March 19 at Foss High School in Tacoma.

"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I'm looking forward to extending this exciting opportunity to students in our region who are considering a top-tier education with service to our nation in our armed forces," stated Kilmer in a news release.

The night is dedicated to those students attending high school - public or private - in the Tacoma and Peninsula school districts, and who live within Kilmer's 6th Congressional District.

Those in attendance will also see bright and shiny faces from U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and ROTC representatives.

We haven't confirmed the rumor of a post-event screening of Taps at nearby Cheney Stadium. It's unlikely.

SERVICE ADACEMY NIGHT, 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, Foss High School Auditorium, 2112 S. Tyler St., Tacoma, 253.272.3515