Critics' Picks
[HIP-HOP] + SAT, JULY 5 The first annual Northwest Freedom Fest is upon us this weekend. Not the big hoopla along Tacoma's waterfront, but rather an Olympia festival of music, food and fun, founded by Heidi Rosetta, a behind-the-scenes musician and self-described music lover. With the goal to raise awareness for female survivors
Music
In the 1970s, a Canadian folk-rocker named Bruce Cockburn released almost an album a year for the entire decade. He missed 1977, but this was most likely due to a shortage of notebook paper he suffered after penning seven albums worth of material - so get off his back. My
Concert Alert
We list major concerts going on sale this weekend, as well as national touring acts performing in the Puget Sound this week. SECRET TICKET CODE TM =
Viva South Sound
Look, there's no point in pretending that this whole article is anything other than an excuse to publish a singles classified ad for myself, so let's go ahead and get that right out in the open. I enjoy whiskey, comedy podcasts, whiskey, dialogue-heavy films, whiskey and having long, intimate conversations
Focus
Spc. Jonathan Castillo grabbed the Scotch broom plant and pulled. It didn't move. Undeterred, he tugged harder, and this time the plant exploded out of the ground, showering the area with dirt. "That's done," said Castillo as he began to cut through a tangle of Himalayan blackberries. "But there's a lot
Operation Family Support
Jeff Kemp was concerned about the conditions that young children were growing up in. There were just too many kids from broken homes. The more he witnessed, the more he wanted to do something to help strengthen marriages, and in turn families, he said. "I wanted to find a way to show these
Listings
COMEDY/GAMES Willoughby's Restaurant and Lounge Yelm. Bar Bingo. 21+. 7 pm. NC. DJ/ELECTRONIC Latitude 84 Tacoma - South. DJ Jacob. Hip-hop, R&B, Top 40, and dance. 21+. 9 pm. NC. Happy Days Casino Lakewood. DJ dance. Top 40. 21+. 9 pm. NC. O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Rebel Monday/Industry Night. DJ Jason Diamond
Features
You may have cranked your head while whizzing toward downtown Tacoma along Sixth Avenue. You break into a cold sweat. The Hob Nob looks different. The charming diner across from Wright Park has new outdoor signage. Has your favorite Tacoma hang for breakfast with the seedy intimate Side Door Lounge
Listings
BLUES Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall. 21+. 8 pm. The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Careless Hunters. 21+. 8 pm. NC. City Hall Saloon and Eatery Enumclaw. Rockin’ Blues Jam Session. Hosted by Max Renshaw. 21+. 6 pm. Uncle Sam’s American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Sunday
Food Matters
BEER BEER BEER Tacoma Stadium District burger joint Shake Shake Shake (124 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma) has added beer beer beer. Wine, too. Beers on tap include Tacoma brewing Company's Broken Window IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Coors Light. Rainier is available in can. Gig Harbor's 7 Seas Brewing's brews
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Aaron Daniel: "One Man Banned". 21+. 9:30 pm. NC. Westminster Presbyterian Church Tacoma -East. Maurice the Fish Records will present their third annual FISH Food Bank Benefit Concert featuring JNC Trio, Eric Montgomery, Nick Sandy, Savannah, Raymond Hayden and the Dark Drive Home, and
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Harbor Greens Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Jennifer Lind. 21+. 8 pm. NC. Matrix Coffee House Chehalis. Tyler Fortier, Patrik Storedahl. All Ages. 8 pm. $6. BLUES Mineral Lake Event Center Mineral. 4th Annual Music On The Mountain Festival, with The Kim Archer Band, The Dana Lupinaci Band, Little Bill & The Bluenotes, Loose
Stage
It's a tribute to the dedication of Shakespeare in the Parking Lot that it was able to compile eight adaptations of the Bard's history plays with the same troupe in only a few months, in and around Tacoma's Speakeasy Arts Cooperative. It's an even bigger compliment to the writing
Listings
ACOUSTIC/FOLK/CELTIC Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Billy Stoops Acoustic Jam Night. 21+. 8 pm. NC. Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Chris Marshall. All Ages. 7 pm. NC. Uncle Sam’s American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Jerry Miller Unplugged. 6 pm. NC. Liquid Soul Coffee Roy. Open Mic. Hosted by David Wayne. All Ages. 7 pm.
We Recommend
San Francisco duo Callow are inordinately preoccupied with mood. Everything they do is measured and drawn out, lending unbearable proportions of tension to every song they make. Composed of Red Moses on guitar and Sami Knowles on drums and keyboard, with both singing, Callow describe their music as "ghost western,"
We Recommend
B-Lines are very much not in the mood for fancy-pants subgenre naval-gazing. No hifalutin descriptors; just "stupid punk" emblazoned on their page. One thing does pop up, though: they refer to one of their albums as "post-proto-hardcore," a designation so colossal in its meaninglessness that it approaches the sublime. There needn't
We Recommend
We've come a long way. If you need proof, know that I just I wrote that while Skyping in a pizza order, text-messaging my grandma and Tweeting about my last bowel movement. However, sometimes it is nice to look back - as James Venturini and the Lakewood
Military Life
Oh Canada! Our neighbor to the north celebrated its national holiday yesterday. While Canadians across their country showed pride in their history, culture and achievements, some assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) did so as well at Heritage Hill. "Whenever we move, I bring my country with me," commented Kim Dorion as she
Food Matters
Thursday, April 29 Europe on $11 a Bottle wine tasting, 5:30-8 p.m., complimentary, Pour at Four, 3814 N. 26th St., Tacoma, 253.761.8015. Ladies Night featuring half off all wine flights and $5 house pours, Sip, 4793 Point Fosdick Dr. N.W, Gig Harbor, 253.853.3020. Wine tasting, noon to 6 p.m., complimentary, Walter Dacon Winery,
Food Matters
DINING OUT FOR LIFE Restaurants in Pierce and Thurston counties will donate 25 percent of their food revenue to local AIDS service organizations as part of tonight's Dining Out For Life. More details here: diningoutforlife.com. MOMMY DAY The Vault will hold its 10th Annual Mother's Day Brunch inside Varsity Grill on Sunday, May