WHEN OLD IS NEW >>>

Finally, a use for all my old CD spindles (thanks Core77).

Who makes your favorite morning bagel in the South Sound? The Weekly Volcano found awesome bagels at Bagel Boyz in Puyallup.

MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011 >>>

1. According to Weekly Volcano scribe Jason Baxter, Olympia band Masters and Johnson's music is "full of orgasmic climaxes and colossal walls of distortion, but also has the capacity for lulling, post-coital ambient passages and ... hyperactive noodling. Catch them at 8 p.m. with This City Defects at Northern in Olympia.

2. Galleries at both Pierce College campuses - Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup - will celebrate the work of more than 30 artists and writers with a special show highlighting 30 years of CrossCurrents magazine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Featured artists include Yvette O'Neill, David Roholt, Rick Mahaffey, and Joe Batt.

3. If you've noticed we're pushing local breweries lately, you've caught us. We can't stay away from local beer. Plus, there's something about a local brewery that screams perfect date night. A couple pints of lager, a couple side salads, a doggy bag for the happy couple. ... Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery in Puyallup offers a pasta and pint combination every Monday that's easy on the wallet. Buy pasta off the menu and get any one of Powerhouse's seven beers free of charge.

4. Award-winning operatic soprano Kathy McNeil will sing to music distinguished by agile runs and leaps beginning at 8:30 p.m. inside the Abbey Church at Saint Martin's University.

5. Oh, we know it sounds simple enough: They call a number, you stamp it, when you have five in a row you yell "Bingo." But grownup bingo has a ton of variations. The Weekly Volcano discovered that the standard bingo game matched with witty banter between host Charles Jaffries and the crowd at the gay-friendly Mix on Monday nights felt like Thanksgiving dinner. The sea of mostly gay chaps joked around like they were in their own living rooms, the sort of fun a great bar offers. Check it out beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

PUYALLUP'S BAGEL BOYZ ARE ALL THE RAGE >>>

More and more often, when I ask who supplies the bagels at a local café or coffee shop, the answer is Bagel Boyz. Last fall a barista at Clancy's almost peed himself in excitement when telling me it would be only a matter of days before the downtown Tacoma coffee shop began selling them. Likewise, a smiling woman at Beyond the Bridge Cafe on Sixth Avenue recently told me how great they are for bagel sandwiches.

Since Bagel Boyz Bistro opened July 2009, the young owners have been taking care of business in downtown Puyallup. Wade Reynolds, Tim Satre, Jordan Caine and Scott Reynolds handle the roles of bagel maker, cashier, waiter, cook, dishwasher, deliveryman and coffee and espresso maker. The menu consists of New York-style bagels - think chewy and dense - bagel sandwiches, chicken tenders, fries, fish and chips, coffee, teas, espresso, sodas, juices and sweet and savory crepes.

The caramelized banana crepe with chocolate, and the from-scratch lemon-curd-filled crepe with raspberry sauce drizzled on top came highly recommended. Brownie sundaes, ice cream cones and hand-dipped milkshakes are also served. Also, five burgers have recently been added - the most popular is the barbeque burger. Basically, it is a half- or quarter-pound of beef topped with Swiss cheese, an onion ring, barbecue sauce and lettuce served on a toasted bagel. Bam! It's a bagel burger.

Bagel Boyz is open for breakfast and lunch, and has a family-friendly, casual and comfortable environment. In warm weather, a flower basket-lined patio makes a great getaway.

[Bagel Boyz Bistro & Catering, 109 S. Meridian, Puyallup, 253.466.3979]

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2011 >>>

1. Hey, poser! Did you know the New Frontier Lounge hosts Rock and Roll Bingo every Wednesday? It's true! Check it out tonight!

2. OK. So maybe you like bingo but don't want to get all drunk and shitty and pathetic. We can understand that (though it'll never stop us!). If this sounds you, perhaps the all-ages free bingo night at Applini's Two Clean and Sober Club in Puyallup is your cup of tea ... literally. Find out tonight with action starting at 6 p.m.

3. Pining for some grownup music? Pastiche on Sixth Avenue in Tacoma hosts John Phillips & Gary Crooks at 6 p.m. For the Weekly Volcano's comprehensive live local music listings, go here.

4. It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means it's time for Story Time With Leroy at the Tacoma Art Museum - for the kiddies, of course. Do we know exactly who Leroy is? No. Does it matter? Not really. The guy will read stories to your kid for a whole hour, 11 a.m. - noon. And the books are picked by ARC volunteers and based on current exhibits at the museum.

5. How do you appeal to the "Tweens" these days? Try putting "OMG" in the title - literally. That's the tact the Lakewood Pierce County Library has taken with its "OMG Teen Gaming Club," which meets every Wednesday from 3-4:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, FEB. 22, 2011 >>>

1. We've all heard the sad news that Olympia's cool art space The Loft on Cherry will close. And some of you are even more sad as you never grabbed the chance to play inside the ginormous room. Well ... you have one last chance. The last Art Kitchen's Open Mic will begin at 8 p.m. inside The Loft on Cherry. Sign up is at 7:30 p.m. Crying on the street below will begin around 11 p.m.

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. "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 about his photography show at The Tacoma Community College Gig Harbor campus, on display from 8 am. to 9 p.m. Read what he's talking about here.

3. Whether you're into washboard abs or a long set of stems, a summertime beach typically doesn't disappoint in the eye candy department. One problem: the Northwest isn't overflowing with warm, beach-bod-scoping locations. Especially in February ... with snow threatening. Thankfully, The Beach Tavern fills us with enough alcohol to help us forget about those sunny days and beach bodies that are so far away. The Beach's Tipsy Tuesdays feature alternating drink specials - past favorites like shots of Jose Cuervo Gold for $3.25 and Three Olives Grape Vodka for $4.25 really rocked the house.

4. Vegans are a minority, but they make a lot of noise. That's one reason you've probably heard of the Vegan Book Club that meets the fourth Tuesday of every month at King's Books. At 7 p.m., the club will gather in the back of the store and discuss The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. You haven't heard of the VBC? S.O.Y.

5. Tim Hall & The Band Real Times will fill the Summit Pub in Puyallup with blues beginning at 7:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

ELECTION SHOWS WHO'S WILLING TO PAY FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT - AND WHO'S NOT >>>

Pierce County residents decided to reject Proposition 1, a decision that officials say will result in reduced transit services throughout the county beginning as early as July. Roughly 55 percent of voters chose to reject to measure. Perhaps more disturbing, only 33% percent of Pierce County's registered voters bothered to vote in decision that has big ramifications for our community.

Organizers of the Save Our Buses campaign, which encouraged voters to approve the measure, were disappointed but not shocked by the results.

"It was a tax increase in an anti-tax climate," explains Save Our Buses campaign manager Justin Leighton.

Leighton attributes much of the loss to a self-serving mentality amongst voters who do not use public transit or live in parts of the county that receive limited or no service. "Many voters had a sentiment of ‘if I don't use it, why should I pay for it?" he says.

 "You often see a similar sentiment concerning school bonds," he explains. "Not everyone understands the overall benefit of education, and (they) say because they don't have a kid or relative in the system they don't want to pay for it."

The map linked below released by Gecommons.com and Chris Karnes shows the approve/reject trends throughout the county. Tacoma strongly supported the measure, as did the core are of Puyallup, and much of Lakewood. However, the sprawling suburban and rural areas of Pierce County overwhelming rejected it. 

"We won Tacoma by 55 percent but lost a lot of other areas by over 60 percent," explains Andrew Austin, Field Director for Transportation Choices Coalition and Steering Committee member of Save Our Busses. "The urban ‘yes' vote wasn't enough to offset the suburban ‘no' vote."

It is now inevitable that services will be cut, and Austin says that the voter map should be considered by the County as they prepare to make tough decisions about where and how they make cuts.

"This map shows who is willing to pay for transit services," he observes.  "I hope that using this (map) Pierce Transit will have a serious conversation about shrinking their boundaries to places where they can better service communities and people have indicated that they want it."

LINK HUB

Pierce County Auditor's Special Election results

GeoCommons map breaking down the regional voting trends

AN UPDATE FROM P-TOWN'S FAVORITE SONS >>>

It's well established I have something of a "relationship" with the band SweetKiss Momma. It's a surprising one, in some regards. I don't have much Skynyrd in me, and Coors sometimes gives me heartburn. Still, I feel a connection to this hard working gang of throwbacks - a connection that probably stems from our humble Puyallup roots.

The band's singer, Jeff Hamel, keeps me fairly well up-to-date on SweetKiss Momma's progress. Earlier this week he emailed some exciting news for the band.

Hamel tells me the band was recently selected by The Hard Rock Café to be "one of the 15 bands representing the Seattle area for their 2011 ‘Ambassadors Of Rock" International Battle of the Bands."

Definitely pretty cool.

Also, Hamel tells me SweetKiss Momma's record, Revival Rock, has just been accepted for inclusion on Pandora. Though there's no SweetKiss Momma channel yet, Hamel jokingly points out these things take time.

SweetKiss Momma next plays Feb. 5 at Jazzbones.

And, now, a video to reward you for all that reading ...

TUESDAY, JAN. 25, 2011 >>>

1. Check out the opening reception at University of Puget Sound's Kittredge Gallery for two exhibitions - Marked, in the Large Gallery and including working from Susan Dory, Margi Livingston and Michelle Grabner, and Patterned Remarks in the Small Gallery, a portfolio of ten prints by Janet Marcavage, a UPS associate professor of art.

2. What's better than sitting at home watching Animal Planet? Drop into the Washington Center for the Performing Arts tonight for National Geographic LIVE with anthropologist Wade Davis.

3. Tonight would be an excellent evening to drop in on Rafael Tranquilino and the "rockin' blues jam" at Stonegate Pizza in Tacoma. Starts at 8:30 p.m.

4. Valley Arts United - an organization designed to "inspire, promote and cultivate all arts within the greater Puyallup community - will hold its annual meeting tonight at the Fred Oldfield Center at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. It'll be your chance to mingle with artists, and munch on appetizers while enjoying a no host wine bar.

5. Holy shit! Rick Springfield is at the Little Creek Casino tonight Feb. 25!

This week ...

Place: Puyallup's Organic Comfort Food Cafe

Items on menu: Somewhere between 30 and 300, more toward 30

Times I made the server come back to table: 13

Times I had showered that day: Zero

Server slightly victimized by my presence: Of course

Kid's menu: Yes

Alcohol: No

Parking: Street

Available seats: About 40

Hot men eating healthy: None that I could see

Tacoma and Olympia have a handful of organic dining options - and  by "handful" I mean the amount that would fit in a very small toddler's hand. But Puyallup's entire health-conscious community has even fewer options than the neighboring metropolis of T-Town. With a hankering for a meal sans hormones and pesticides, I packed up and headed out to explore what Puyallup had to offer besides deep-fried fair food served on a stick.

With the descriptive of "organic" in the Organic Comfort Food Cafe's name I expected to walk into an establishment where more than 80% of their menu items are made with organic ingredients - and I did.  Much to my giddiness (and what I certainly didn't expect) - they were giving away gluten at no cost!

Item after item on Organic Comfort Food Cafe's menu listed the term "gluten free" in the description. Wow! I wondered how much money they were losing by handing out all that free gluten.

I was twice as shocked when upon the delivery of my PB&J sandwich I realized it was "vegan." These people must be crazy! Someone please, for the love of all things sacred, please tell me how they fit all those tiny veggies into the peanut butter! I mean, I just don't see how broccoli wouldn't at least show up a little in the transparency of the jelly.   

After my meal I nosed around the place looking for more free stuff. I saw fresh flowers on all the tables, organic jelly beans in the candy machine, an Organic Food Shopper's Guide resting on a side desk and a note declaring the cafe as official sponsors of a child in Swaziland ... but no free stuff. 

As I was paying my check I decided to see if I could get more than gluten for free, so I asked my delicate server if she would pay my monthly house mortgage. 

Damn those organic folk sure are picky with their charitable causes. 

[Organic Comfort Food Cafe,  210 W. Pioneer, Puyallup, 253.770.6147]

MONDAY, JAN. 17, 2011 >>>

1. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said that "Life's most persistent and nagging question is: What are you doing for others?" He lifted up the value of service as the hallmark of a full life. At the 2011 Unity Breakfast ($5-$15) University of Washington-Tacoma from 8- 10:30 a.m. in the William W. Philip Hall, UWT History Professor Michael Honey will reflect upon the "full life" of Dr. King and how we can be of service to others.

2. As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Bates Technical College students will march to the Tacoma Dome at 9:30 p.m. after an hour of refreshments in their cafeteria. Students and staff members encourage community friends to join them as they march from Bates' Downtown Campus on 11^th Street and Yakima Avenue to the Dome to attend the City of Tacoma's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. event, which begins at 11 a.m.

3. Man's best friend comes in many shapes and sizes. There are small dogs, big dogs, hairy dogs and dogs that shit and piss all over the place. There are cute dogs, ugly dogs, stinky dogs, and, well, dogs that shit and piss all over the place. From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Puyallup Fairgrounds (specifically, the Americraft ShowPlex, Pavilion and Centennial Building) the Western Washington All Breed Dog Show Cluster will end its weekend run in epic fashion - pitting the most privileged and pampered yappers you'll ever seen in a battle royal for canine supremacy.

4. Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the Hon. Norman Rice (Seattle's first African-American mayor) will be a big part of the University of Puget Sound's annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration beginning at 7 p.m. Part of a bevy of planned events - from conversation to music to video and song - Strickland and Rice will take part in an onstage dialogue and keynote discussion, dishing on the importance of MLK's work and legacy. Find a way to attend this event.

5. At 9 p.m. Every Monday Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Bonus tonight: It's mustache night featuring the Miller Girls.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound