Priceless cars and a simple but elegant LeMay America's Car Museum set the mood for one of Columbia Bank's Blue Couch tapings Sunday, April 15. Photography by J.M. Simpson
The Tacoma music community turned out in droves Sunday, April 1 to the aid of longtime music scene supporter and friend Dave Graham, who is battling Stage 4 Melanoma. Hosted by The Swiss, the benefit featured sets James Hilborne and the Painkillers, Snak Pak, Bandolier, Mr. Blackwatch and China Davis. Interspersed amongst the day�¢??s activities were raffles of prizes from a huge assortment of Tacoma donors.
Derailed, like many things, by snowmaggedon 2012, the Dockyard Derby Dames roller derby league officially kicked off season six Saturday, March 31 inside the Pierce College Health Ed Center in Lakewood. Weekly Volcano columnist Steph DeRosa was on the scene.
After three weeks of voting the Weekly Volcano readers have picked the most popular breakfast in the South Sound. The Tournament of Breakfast Championship match pitted the Moon Rise Cafe in Lakewood against the new kid on the block, Dirty Oscar's Annex in Tacoma. April 2's championship battle saw the most online voting before dinnertime (5 p.m.) of the tournament, topping out at just over 7,000 votes. The Moon Rise Cafe had a commanding lead by the time the voting switched to the live ballot voting at 6 p.m. during the Tournament of Breakfast Party inside Meconi's Tacoma Pub and Eatery in downtown Tacoma. At the party, folks filled out breakfast voting/raffle ballots when they weren't tossing back $5 martinis and screaming at the NCAA Men's Championship hoop game on the tube. At halftime of the basketball game, Pappi Swarner jumped behind the mic, grabbed the house PA, and gave away six or so raffle prizes, most to the lucky employees of Dirty Oscar's Annex. The Weekly Volcano staff quickly downed their drinks and tallied the ballots. After combining the ballots with its 77 percent vote lead accumulated online, the winner of the 2012 Tournament of Breakfast was announced: Moon Rise Cafe. Photography by Winter Teems
The TV show "Mad Men" had its season premiere on the night of Sunday, March 25, so the Tempest Lounge on Hilltop Tacoma held a party with twinkling lo-ball glasses and pig-in-a-blanket appetizers to celebrate. Everyone had a blast, especially the folks who dressed in 1960s garb - which was 90 percent of the room. Leonard Haggarty won "Best Don Draper Costume."
The Weekly Volcano Street Team and its entourage invaded six downtown Olympia bars Friday, March 9. Photo credit: Max Honch
A year ago Amocat Café owner Morgan Alexander set aside his espresso duties, home-brew batch and Tacoma street car crusade to come up with a plan to offer live music one a month in the upper room in his backward spelling coffee house in Tacoma’s Triangle District. Friday, March 9, his Amocat Live show celebrated its first anniversary to a full house. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Weekly Volcano caught the last few songs of Ghost Writer's sweat-filled rockabilly set before Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel rocked The New Frontier Lounge Friday, Feb. 24. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Camp 6 crew held its second Tacoma Social party Friday, Feb. 24 at the Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe. Overboard and Moron Broz performed. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Kurt Lindsay and Daniel Blue took to their guitars in front of a Metronome Coffee crowd Valentine's Day in Tacoma. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Harmon Hub hosts a trivia contest every Tuesday night with a $50 prize for each of the two rounds, plus delicious chocolate martinis, Hub Hydrations and margarita frescos flowing from the bar. Photo credit: Steve Dunkelberger
The inaugural Tacoma Social, one of the many organized social gatherings the collaborative movement Camp 6, was held Friday, Jan. 27 at Anthem Coffee & Tea in downtown Tacoma. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Weekly Volcano dropped on the Guest House to catch variations of Globelamp, Camp Wisdom, The Fishermen Three and The Black Swans perform in the basement.
On Thursday, Jan. 12, 25 dedicated foodies and Weekly Volcano peeps gathered at Cafe Banana in Lakewood to sample an eye-opening variety of curry dishes and colorful cocktails. From a Massaman lamb curry to roasted chicken Kulumar to classic Penang, green and red curries, the choices were diverse, ample and delicious. It was an enormous amount of food. Many Nosh Leaguers took home piles of curry.
The Encore Boutique Nightclub is ostensibly about dancing, but everyone knows it's really about the VIP vodka, champagne and eyeballing the outfits. In honor of Friday the 13th, the downtown Tacoma nightclub discounted its VIP lounges, which also happened to be its weekly ladies night. Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger was in the house.
Once a month Amocat Cafe owner Morgan Alexander hosts a live music night anchored by the house band, the Collaborators, with performers Jessica Reid, Leslie Young, Kirk Parker John Dolge, Brian Neufeld, Donna Dolge, Karen Miller, Gen Obata and others rotating in and out of the makeshift stage in front of the northern-most window. Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger dropped in on Amocat’s January live music night. What he heard and photographed were many of the folks listed above singing and strumming acoustic folk-rock, bluegrass and country with the occasional venture into pop music and covers. Alexander’s birthday was also celebrated Friday night.
It's late Friday evening and a crowd is lined up outside the Last Call Bar stretching down to the karate dojo in the Lakewood strip mall. It’s also "Freakin' Dress Fridays," which means ladies donning dresses get in free to dance to DJ C-Luv's mostly old-school soul and R&B that bursts into a heavier rap toward the end of the night. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
The Tim Hall Band hosts the Sunday Night blues Jam at Dawson's Bar and Grill on South Tacoma Way. The night is filled with blues originals and covers, and tipsy middle-aged folks swaying to the music. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
Ten Miles of Bad Road and Speed Kills Bears drummer Justin Hosea celebrated his 30th birthday at The New frontier Wednesday, Dec. with his bands and Tacoma burlesque dancers Moonshine Molly Minski, Pistolita and Heather Hostility. Photo credit: Steve Dunkelberger
If you seek a mellower atmosphere to share your knowledge of actor Abe Vigoda or the difference of a traverse stage from a three-quarter thrust, may we suggest Monday nights at the Mandolin Cafe. From 6-8 p.m. host Jeff Ross tosses out random trivia questions about movies, sports, news and geography to teams of players. The winning team of each round - six total - receives a bowl of candy. The overall winning team scores a free drink, which means beer and wine. Photography by Steve Dunkelberger
