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As much as Hyon Luv Kil would love for me to forget, I will always remember that fateful day of May 16, 2008 when we all watched the Firwood Roadhouse in Fife burn down.  From the moment he learned of the landmark's demise, Luv Kil swore he would do nothing but fight for the return of the Firwood.  After considering many locations, the infamous nighttime hot spot has finally found a new home - right in downtown Tacoma.

Shedding the old "Roadhouse" surname, what will soon be occupying Pacific Avenue's old club, The Drake, will be Luv Kil's Firwood Rock Lounge.  Be gone old reputation of female patrons with fake tans, fake boobs, outdated French manicured nails, Katy Perry wannabe haircuts, matching Hot Topic shirts, and knowing no other way to take pictures but by making that dumb "kissy face" pose. Luv Kil promises me that while still catering to his loyal "Roadhouse" crowd, he is setting up shop with the intention of entering the awesomeness of what Tacoma has to offer.  Read: He's welcoming live, local music. 

Oh, hell yeah. 

He just said those three magic words that my Weekly Volcano-loving heart wants to hear.

As I sat inside the grand, rebuilt, relocated Firwood interior, I felt a dash of coolness being part of something so undeniably needed in this area.  With so many evolving, talented bands in the South Puget Sound, venues for citizens to appreciate local music have become an ever increasing need.  Acoustic engineers have taken over the new Firwood Rock Lounge in order to give the place the best opportunity for exquisite live music.  An elevated stage, three brand new bars (one of them extremely huge), re-built booths, and an entirely cleaned-up kitchen now occupy the once gutted business space.

Neighboring businesses have openly welcomed the new Firwood Rock Lounge to their entertainment-laden block of downtown. 

"As long as it's not another Club Juno," says a neighboring business owner. 

"This will be the farthest thing from that," states Luv Kil.  

Luv Kil is hoping for an opening sometime in October 2009, though the Firwood Rock Lounge still has a few city hoops left to jump through, he says.

If the downtown Tacoma joint turns out to be what Luv Kil describes, expect this place to bear hug Tacoma's live music scene like you've never seen it hugged before.