MONDAY, SEPT. 16 2013 >>>

1. Beginning this month, a sparkling selection of writers of Caribbean descent will be in Tacoma to engage the community in conversations about the history, culture, and literature of the West Indies region. First up, Prof. Tiphanie Yanique - a Virgin Islands native and author of the collection of short stories, How to Escape from a Leper Colony (Graywolf Press, 2010) and I am the Virgin Islands, a poem and collection of collages - will lecture on "Those Who Wait for Us," discussing colonialism, slavery, tourism, and multiculturalismat 6:30 p.m. in the Rasmussen Rotunda and the University of Puget Sound.

2. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic. It ends tonight: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) Goat, Upchcuk and the Chunksand others (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) Rowhouseand assorted friends. 

3. The country band Alabama has reunited and will perform at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington State Fair. Picking which songs they will perform won't be an easy task since the band has had 43 No. 1s since its formation in 1972.

4. Want to feel like a rock star without all the pain and annoyance of having to be a  fire-breathing demon that bleeds from the mouth? Then hit Jazzbones at 9 p.m. for Rockaraoke, where you can belt out songs like the Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and enough INXS tunes to make you feel like you're on a reality show, and other hits from the days when you made mixtapes by recording the radio, all backed by a live band. Expect a college crowd enjoying $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff Flavor Vodka Bombs. Dibs on "Hungry Like a Wolf."

5. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned" is not some cartoon-like parody like you see in the movies. For the most part, the Monday DJ night is just your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50 beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, SEPT 15 2013 >>>

1. The city of Lakewood, in cooperation and partnership with the Lakewood Subchapter of the Association of the U.S. Army, the 4/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team and other community partners, will host two welcome home events for members of 4/2, who have recently returned from a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan.  The morning kicks off at 9 a.m. with a parade to welcome and salute the returning troops.  The route begins at the Lakewood Police Department (Lakewood Drive and 95th Street), and ends at Lakewood City Hall (6000 Main St. SW). The homecoming event continues with a family friendly community party at Fort Steilacoom Park. This event will begin at noon and run until 6 p.m. There is no entry fee, and free onsite parking is available.

2. The Red Hot has added three sausage hot dogs to its menu: The Cowboy ($4.75), Berliner ($4.25) and The Dakota ($4.50). TRH bartender Mitchell gave nod to The Cowboy, a locally made beef/cheddar sausage link on a steamed poppyseed bun, topped with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, slice of bacon, nacho cheese sauce and jalapeños. Giddy up! The Cowboy pairs well with Belgian style ales, which are $1 off on Sundays. Oh, TRH opens at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays for the game.

3. Latin Americans love to party. From Mexican tamales to pizza from Argentina, food is crucial in the holiday mix, as is dance, whether it's salsa, samba or merengue. The moves and beats differ, but they always create a purely Latin rhythm. Taste, feel and see the action at Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Latin America's Independence Day at the Washington State Fair. From noon to 9 p.m. a collection of Latin entertainment ranging from traditional mariachis to colorful folkloric dancers to Roberto Tapia and other well-known musicians playing on the radio will gather in the Main Grandstand. Plus, expect authentic foods, vendors, artisans and kids activities.

4. Pound the buttons on some old school title, claim the next game by placing quarters on the edge of the screen or just watching other players defeat pixelated villains with killer techniques from 1 p.m. to midnight during Dorky's third-year anniversary party. For $20, you will receive unlimited play, trips to the taco bar and quarterly raffles.

5. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival has invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic through Sept. 16. Here is the schedule for today: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) LAKE, Friends and Family and The Hoot Hoots (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) Not From Brooklyn, Fen Wik Ren and the Wheelies. Descriptions of the bands can be found here.

LINK: Sunday, Sept. 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14 2013 >>>

1. We've often heard it said, "I'd run only if something were chasing me," most often while listening to myself at the gym. We submit that a killer app for the Kinect would be a game in which if a player doesn't run in place fast enough, he or she is overrun by the Walking Dead. But why wait? Wright Park is proud to present its Zombie Tag Takeover! (Exclamation point theirs but understandable.) Ward off the biters and shield your personal flags by lobbing sock bombs and skipping past infested blood splatters at 5:30 p.m. in Wright Park. Then celebrate the zombie apocalypse by knocking back steins in a comforting Hilliard's Beer garden. You'll earn a survivor T-shirt and donate all ordnance to the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Hey, Deputy Rick, you want to quit ogling your dead wife and help out here? Hello?

2. Stadium Fare, Tacoma's original craft market, runs 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the First Presbyterian parking lot across from Wright Park. The Fare offers local food, vintage and artistic wares, and entertainment. It's awesome.

3. The Olympia Independent Music Festival (OIMF) has put on one hell of a shindig the past few years, creating a free block party with all the usual perks of Olympia - killer bands, ladies of burlesque, art, vendors, chin-balancing - all in the name of helping the Olympia Film Society. From noon to 9 p.m., organizers are bringing back all that Oly love, but under a new moniker: OOPS!: The Olympia Outdoor Public Spectacle. And a spectacle it will be. In addition to a lineup featuring The Fabulous Downey Brothers, Fruit Juice, Full Moon Radio, The Hard Way, Horace Pickett, Tangerine and Teardrop City, the event will be hosted by funny women Elizabeth Lord and Lauren O'Neill and there will be an attempt at a Guinness World Record for chin-balancing by Big Sam Miller. There will be an outdoor beer garden for those 21+, a silent art auction in the mezzanine of the Capitol Theater, a cakewalk with the ladies of TUSH! Burlesque, a local business raffle, plus lots of local food and craft vendors. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on OOPS!: The Olympia Outdoor Public Spectacle in the Music and Culture section.

4. The Oly Funk Fest is an overnight break down to celebrate the end of summer with the proper booty-shaking, beer-drinking, boom-shaka-lakin, finger-snapping, jiving, locking, popping and electric boogalooing that it deserves. At 3 p.m. in a field at 4326 Shincke Rd. NE, Funk Agency, DBST, Polyrythmics, and Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme will set the mood for this festival that benefits Safeplace of Olympia. Camping is encouraged and food will be available from Al Forno Olympia Sicilian Cuisine.

5. The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival has invited indie bands from all over the Northwest and beyond to stop by Tacoma and unleash their magic through Sept. 16. Here is the schedule for today: (6-9 p.m., all ages, Library at Sanford and Son) Tender Forever, La Luz, Margy Pepper; (9:30 p.m., 21+, The New Frontier Lounge) I Will Keep Your Ghosts, Man Plus, Future Bass Dance Party. Descriptions of the bands can be found here.

(6. Dale Chihuly, James Mongrain and Pino Signoretto are collaborating in the Museum of Glass's Hot Shop today.)

LINK: Saturday, Sept. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

502 Martini Bar Tacoma - Downtown. Ed Taylor Band. 8 pm. NC.

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live! featuring the Amocat House Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Fingertips. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Leroy Bell & His Only Friends, Kim Archer. 8 pm. $15.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Mighty Mighty Chitons, Frances Rose, Trevor Peach, The Old Salt. 8 pm.

• The line between mainstream music and indie music has grown so thin that it's often hard to differentiate between the two. Recently, returning popularity of cheesy mainstream music from the '80s and the '90s have enveloped themselves in the output of indie artists, creating a kind of crazy verisimilitude where mockery and reverence blend together. Frances Rose, from Brooklyn, ride such a fine pop line that it's hard to tell why these songs are playing on indie blogs instead of on whatever "hot" Top 40 station. These are impeccably glossy electro-pop songs of the sort that inspire the kind of adulation that leads to young folks scrawling "Frances Rose" into their notebooks. This is a band that's made for bedroom posters. Frances Rose's music leads to a terrifying proposal: nostalgia for the now. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Squeak & Squawk Music Festival 2013, featuring Twin Steps, Summer Cannibals, Tangerine. 9:30 pm. $7.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Richard Album and the Lifestyles, Palace Buddies and Stephen Steinbrink. 8 pm.

• Richard Album (along with his band, the Lifestyles) is a master of power pop, straight down to the sort of vulnerable songwriting that once defined the genre. Similar to those artists, his album covers feature faux-heartthrob poses. On the cover of Sophomore he poses as a college man circa 1955, which he cribbed from Nick Lowe and Greg Kihn, who both cribbed from Frankie Avalon and other clean-cut heart throbs. As a musician, Richard Album tends to find the middle ground between the too-brief punk blowout and the power pop treatise. Album's voice cracks, more often than not, revealing the sort of love-starved boy that Costello, Jackson and Lowe always represented. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Richard Album in the Music and Culture section.

Sanford and Son Antiques Tacoma - Downtown. Squeak & Squawk Music Festival 2013, featuring Carletta Sue Kay, Hands In, The Optimistics. All Ages. 6 pm. $7.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Mark Ettinger. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

LINK: More live music Friday, Sept. 13 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Want to see one of the world's best glass sculptors in action? Pino Signoretto is working in the Museum of Glass's Hot Shop today through Sunday.

What? Gardening is not an excuse.

OK, how about if MOG throws in a Dale Chihuly and James Mongrain?

It's true. The two glass-sculpting greats are car-pooling down from Seattle to join Signoretto. The three are collaborating on pieces all weekend.

MUSEUM OF GLASS, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 1801 Dock St., Tacoma, $5-$12, 253.396.1768

Last night's Squeak and Squawk Music Festival didn't disappoint.

Solo, or singing with buddies, J. Martin, he of Oh Dear! fame, kicked off the festival, christening the all-ages stage at the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques. His latest release, Awake of a Dream, was front and center, emotionally bare songwriting, and down-home charm. His folk-rock held the audience, in between chuckles aimed at Mr. Swimsuit on bass.

The Fame Riot's set may not have felt as blisteringly loud as their show at Art of the Ave this summer, but the band didn't exactly skimp on the volume either this time out. Between the sweeping dynamics, the tones, the swelling volume and the wild jumps on the stage, this show felt like a roller coaster ride. Not sure how the books remained on the shelves.

My apologies to the Xylophones. I had to spring across downtown for a haircut.

Freshly shampooed, I made my way to The New Frontier Lounge for the 21+ Squeak. Dressed as if they might jump off stage and heal folks, the white-clad Week of Wonders hit the stage like a great, long lost band from a remote Caribbean island. With its catchy melodies, and calypso rhythms, the band recalled the Talking Heads by way of the Cocteau Twins at the Sandals resort.

I Like Science followed, with one giant song. I jest, but damn these guys can go forever. More a throbbing ball of hypnotic electricity than a collection of songs, I Like Science answered the eternal question, Why did the chicken cross the road? Answer: Because art is alive. Peter Tietjen can freakin' play drums.

I caught People Under the Sun's show at last year's Squeak and Squawk, and I was so looking forward to seeing the talented neo-psychedelic band on a larger stage. However, the wife texted that she had popped a bowl of corn at the new Star Trek movie hit the tube, so I grabbed that A-Train to Awesome.

See Also

Friday, Sept. 13 Squeak and Squawk shows

Jazz guitarist Ed Taylor used to be everywhere. From 2006 to 2010, you could find the smooth-talking, smooth-jazz musician most nights in the South Sound.

Then he disappeared.

"About four years ago, I went through a horrible divorce after 20 years of marriage. At that time I was working on an album tentatively titled Connections. It was based on how all of us as well as animals and nature are all connected together," Taylor said. "That was coming along fine, until I found out a few personal things. I was so bluesy and moody that everything I tried to write turned out depressing."

So he took time off - until a blue light bulb went off above his head. He turned the negative energy into songs.

"I sent four songs to four important people to help me choose which of those would be best for a single release," he said.

Then, it got complicated.

Read more...

THIS WEEK IN MUSIC >>>

The Weekly Volcano never sleeps. It's true ... or very close to true.

We average only a few hours of shut-eye a night, be it because we're compulsive insomniacs who stay up long hours watching Star Trek Into Darkness over and over (hit On Demand), or simply because there's just so much to do.

Included in all this doing? As always, another shining installment of the Weekly Volcano music section.

We wouldn't lie. You better believe we pumped out another stellar Weekly Volcano music section - your every-Thursday chance at the best in local music coverage.

Here's a look at the sonic goodness coming at you in print and online in this week's Volcano ...

FEATURE: INTERVIEW WITH IAN ANDERSON OF JETHRO TULL

When Ian Anderson, the flute-playing frontman of Jethro Tull, is not on tour, he wakes to his farm in southwest England. He usually rises around 6 a.m. for a rotation of breakfasts: crispy bread, oily fish, and poached eggs from his wife's chickens, accompanied with half a glass of orange juice and strong black Italian coffee.Sunday, Oct. 27, Tacoma's Broadway Center welcomes Ian Anderson to its Pantages Theater stage. He and his mates will perform Thick as a Brick in its entirety for the first time since 1972, then follows up with Thick as a Brick 2. This will be Anderson's only West Coast stop this tour. ... — Nikki McCoy

FEATURE: RICHARD ALBUM AND THE LIFESTYLES

Richard Album (along with his band, the Lifestyles) is a master of power pop, straight down to the sort of vulnerable songwriting that once defined the genre. Similar to those artists, his album covers feature faux-heartthrob poses. On the cover of Sophomore he poses as a college man circa 1955, which he cribbed from Nick Lowe and Greg Kihn, who both cribbed from Frankie Avalon and other clean-cut heart throbs. ... - Rev. Adam McKinney

FEATURE: OLYMPIA OUTDOOR PUBLIC SPECTACLE

The Olympia Independent Music Festival (OIMF) has put on one hell of a shindig the past few years, creating a free block party with all the usual perks of Olympia - killer bands, ladies of burlesque, art, vendors, chin-balancing - all in the name of helping the Olympia Film Society. Saturday, Sept. 14, organizers are bringing back all that Oly love, but under a new moniker: OOPS!: The Olympia Outdoor Public Spectacle. ... - NM

ALL-AGES COLUMN: LOOKING NORTHERN

I suppose it's due time I update you on what's coming up at my favorite all-ages venue in Olympia - Northern. And it is for good reason I am bringing you this information because some fantastic acts are scheduled to be visiting our State Capitol. Thursday, Sept. 12 Portland-based band Hits - formerly Hits Of Sunshine - will be making their way up to Olympia to perform their percussion-based music that originated in Joshua Tree, Calif. Also joining the bill that evening will be French-born solo artist Angelo Spencer, as well as Hugo Berlin, who will be bringing her dream-like original songs to the venue. ... - Rockford Rowley

WE RECOMMEND: BABYSITTER

It gets to a point where differentiating between punk bands becomes a game of inches. It's all such a matter of feeling and the indescribable act of actually going out and seeing a show. Listening to punk bands and saying, "Hey, this is one to write about," is a fruitless journey and, ultimately, an unrepresentative way of judging a band. That being said, the attack that hit me when I pressed play on the first song on Babysitter's EYE LP was so immediately guttural that I imagined the sonic damage it would do to your internal organs if you exposed them to the ridiculous vibrations emanating from the amplifiers. The rest of the songs flirt with early ‘90s indie and grunge, while never giving up the caustic edge that first alerted me to Babysitter. ... - Rev. AM

PLUS: Music Critics' Picks Frances Rose, Nate Jackson and Oly Funk Fest

PLUS: Squeak and Squawk Music Festival

PLUS: Strangely Alright's video shoot

PLUS: Comprehensive live music listings

PLUS: What if Monty Python and The Holy Grail would release in 2013?

THURSDAY, SEPT. 12 2013 >>>

1. The Pacific Northwest is a haven for indie music and representation from Portland to Olympia and Tacoma to Everett will represent at this year's Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which opens today and runs through Monday. There are two shows a day: At 6 p.m., all-ages performances take place at the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques followed up with 9 p.m. shows at The New Frontier Lounge for those 21 and over. The festival kicks off at 6 p.m. with The Fame Riot, Xylophones and J. Martin in the Library, and the 9 p.m. evening show at The New Frontier features I Like Science, Week of Wonder and People Under the Sun.

2. How does this sound: fashion, wine, food, giveaways and an auction and raffle with some fab items? Sounds fun, yes? Envy boutique is proud to play host to "Envy's Girls Night Out" - a benefit auction and raffle from 5 to 8 p.m. Sip wine, nosh on yummy eats, shop until you drop, and enjoy Envy's unique items and sweet deals. The best part? One-hundred percent of the auction and raffle proceeds benefit South Sound Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, "The Breast Savers."

3. If you're a dedicated Volcano reader or fan of local literature, you've devoured the Southern-fried fiction of our own Mr. Alec Clayton. His fall 2012 release Return to Freedom, a sequel to 2010's The Backside of Nowhere, finds its Mississippian characters reeling from the aftermath of a deadly hurricane. Also, and we hope we're not being too glib or immature about this, but it features hot MILFs making out. Unwilling to settle for a mere, mundane book signing, Alec prefers to cast local actors in readers' theater adaptations of his scenes. He calls his cadre of thespians the Freedom Players, and they're performing at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberline Timberland Library.

4. Olympia Little Theatre stages Neil Simon's Last of the Red Hot Lovers, at 7:55 p.m. It's set in December 1969, the same month the play opened on Broadway, and it follows the adventures of Barney, a middle-aged husband, as he attempts to cheat on his wife with three different women. What keeps this nebbish from being despicable is his amorous ineptitude - no spoilers, but his fourth time's the charm - and the fact that he really just wants to learn what's so fantastic about the Sexual Revolution. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Last of the Red Hot Lovers in the Music and Culture section.

5. Danny Barnes and Matt Sircely return from far-flung escapades to perform in Olympia at 9 p.m. in the Pig Bar. After 10 years of friendship, Barnes and Sircely began touring this year, stretching the full length of the West Coast from Los Angeles to Port Angeles, and as far east as Moscow (Idaho). One outing resulted in a live recording that will be available in cassette format at the event.

LINK: Thursday, Sept. 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Randy Walker, stage name of Carletta Sue Kay, is a powerful vocalist out of San Francisco. Walker's wigs, lipstick and fetching fashion - combined with moving ballads, heartfelt, gritty rock and an affinity for torch songs - have caught Tacoma's attention. Heads turned at last year's Free For All Festival, and then again in anticipation of his performance at the Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, Sept 12-16.

Nikki McCoy caught up with Walker for insight to his fashion, learn his thoughts on Carletta and gender roles, and hear why he thinks Squeak and Squawk rocks.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: Are you psyched to return to Tacoma? What was your previous experience like?

RANDY WALKER: Tacoma is lovely. We did the Free For All Festival last year and enjoyed it very, very much. The folks were fantastic and made us all feel right at home. We got to play in the gorgeous Pantages and it was a real thrill. Squeak and Squawk organizer Adam McKinney had seen us play SXSW a couple years back and that led to us coming to Tacoma for the first time to do the Free For All. We're super looking forward and are very excited to see what interesting and daring things Adam is going to put together for SQSQ.

Read more...