HERE COMES A CAMPAIGN >>>

Priceless cars and a simple but elegant LeMay America's Car Museum set the mood for one of Columbia Bank's Blue Couch tapings, in which real customers kick back on the bank's iconic blue couch as tell it how it is.

"It's unscripted," commented Stacia Allen, a spokeswoman for GreenRubino, the bank's advertising agency, during yesterday's taping at LeMay.

Columbia Bank senior vice president of marketing, David Devine nodded his head in agreement.

"Simple, beautiful, well-crafted," he added.

The focus of the Blue Couch taping was the museum's CEO David Madeira and COO Paul Miller. The Blue Couch campaign launches next month.

As employees for NorthXNorthwest set up lights, cameras and sound equipment for the commercial, the chemistry between the museum's leaders was clear and simple.

The taping went smoothly and crisply - both Madeira and Miller clearly had fun.

"This was great, just great," commented Devine.

LINK: More photos from the shoot

WE SCENE IT >>>

Easter Sunday, the venerable Tacoma Cult Film Club marked its third anniversary with hallmarks of American film.

Not.

In keeping with tradition, the films screened were bad, bad, bad, bad. Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard wept from the back of the house.

The Rev. Colin quipped, "These films are not inept. There is nothing ept about them."

The third anniversary program featured "overlooked films" from the past' year's bi-monthly TCFC gathering at its permanent home, The Acme Grub Cage. Rev. Colin smiled as she screened Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, an environmental tome shot in 2011 set in the Everglades starring '80s pop stars Tiffany and Debbie Gibson. Spoiler alert: Gibson is a very tone string bean; Tiffany is ... well, not.

Another film selection was Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which is basically a modern version of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but without the cool special effects, solid acting, artistic camera angles or quality production.

Toss in a potluck of pork products and it was a great Zombie Jesus day at the movies.

LINK: Rev. Colin's other job

WE SCENE IT >>>

The Tacoma music and arts community turned out Sunday, April 1 to support 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.

"Dave Graham has quite a background in music; he had a music store called Room 220 for a while, and he was around back in the '80s, he actually hung out with the guys in Nirvana and Courtney Love, and a lot of those people," says Randy Sparks, one of the organizers of the benefit. "He's always been an inspiration to me, especially when I started filming movies. He's just a great guy to talk to about art and music. He's out there. I think a lot of people could see a lot of really good things about him and how he's been involved in the community."

Read Rev. Adam McKinney's feature story on the Dave Graham benefit Show in the Music section on weeklyvolcano.com.

Weekly Volcano Photographer Steve Dunkelberger and Publisher Pappi Swarner snapped a few photos. ...

Photo Credit: Steve Dunkelberger

Photo Credit: Steve Dunkelberger

Photo Credit: Steve Dunkelberger

Photo Credit: Pappi Swarner

Photo Credit: Pappi Swarner

Photo Credit: Pappi Swarner

Photo Credit: Pappi Swarner

LINK: More photos of the benefit

WE SCENE IT >>>

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, his Amocat Live show celebrated its first anniversary to a full house.

"This town is loaded with talented musicians," says Alexander. "I'm so happy they drop by once a month to perform acoustic folk-rock, pop, bluegrass and country."

So happy is Alexander that he's pondering adding a second live music night each month.

"It's a shame each musicians can only play three to four songs during the night. They deserve more stage time."

Be on the lookout for Amocat Cafe's second birthday party in June.

In the meantime, enjoy these shots of the Amocat Live party snapped by Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger.

LINK: More Amocat Live one-year anniversary show shots

WE SCENE IT >>>

Weekly Volcano hired shooter Steve Dunkelberger hovered around McKinley Hill last night.

First, he dropped in on Camp 6's Tacoma Social party at the Top of Tacoma Bar and Café. Dunkelberger found an even mix of Top regulars and Top newbies who came for the social gathering centered on fashion, the arts and a love of the 253. It was a thing of beauty: jean jackets and tats merged with ties, tight jeans and Buddy Holly glasses for a surge of Tacoma collaborative goodness.

The ruckus and throaty band Overboard found fans in both camps.

Having dutifully done his damage, our hired gun darted to The New Frontier Lounge to catch the last few songs of Ghost Writer's sweat-filled rockabilly set before The Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel emerged from their cave for another trip through roots- and blues-based experimental rock and roll.

PBR was the drink of the night.

LINK: Photos from The Tacoma Social

LINK: Photos from Ghost Writer and Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel

OVER THE WEEKEND >>>

I ran into red Saturday night in downtown Tacoma.

The Mix

Dungeon Science at Hell's Kitchen

WE SCENE IT >>>

From the backward spelling of its name to the tree-studded front patio, to the upper reaches of the "Swiss Building" that seems to spread its arms into many different worlds at once, it is evident that the Amocat Cafe occupies a space all its own. The building, a merger of a Swiss chalet style and gothic Tudor, is an amalgamation that sets the eye at odd angles and comforts with charm. The Webster Apartments above exist harmoniously with AMOCAT and neighboring businesses, The Mix and Puget Sound Pizza

While the atmosphere isn't comfy, it's comfortable. The laid back, inviting three-room café sports hardwood floors, funky artwork, local goods, Valhalla coffee, tasty grilled panini sandwiches, Northwest craft beer and wine, and a wall of windows to the outside world.

But ambiance isn't all that's offered at Amocat Cafe. Once a month 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, which was Friday. 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.

LINK: More photos of Amocat Cafe's January Live Music Night

LINK: Amocat grabbed a Super Best of Tacoma award

WE SCENE IT >>>

If you're a frequent bar-goer in the South Sound, then you've surely been corralled into going to a trivia night, only to be stumped by the name of Jupiter's second moon. We all know the empty feeling of watching geekier teams chug beer after free beer after winning each round of trivia, then continuing to drink and win while much drunker than you, and it aint pretty. We all know the feeling of being beat by individuals with one eye on the English football on the boob tube. And we all know what it's like to be mocked unmercifully by someone who calls himself Trivia Newton John.

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 Café.

From 6-8 p.m. host Jeff Ross tosses out random trivia questions about movies, sports, news and geography to teams of players - while students study in the corner, ladies knit and that one guy dozes next to the fire. 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.

It's a challenging, fun night.

Last night Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger dropped in on the Mandolin to watch seven teams battle it out.

Team Awesome

Team Bob Loblaw

Team Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

[Mandolin Café, Monday Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m., 3923 S. 12^th St., Tacoma, 253.761.3482]

LINK: More photos of Mandolin's Trivia Night

RAISING THE ROOF FOR ROOFS >>>

Considering I might have been the oldest person in the room, and certainly one of maybe six donning a tux, I still had a blast at Project: U's Get Involved Gala Saturday night at the Tacoma Art Museum. The United Way's 20- to 30-something gang of do-gooders sure knows how to throw a party. The benefit, without a doubt, was the youngest gala crowd I've seen in Tacoma - and certainly the most grinding I've seen in TAM's Marie A. Helmer Lobby.

I was overwhelmed by the mass of young, beautiful people. I counted 293 people, which is impressive for the inaugural event. I also counted an average of seven drinks per person. I'm sure the United Way folks are please with the money raised.

Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger was in the house. See more of his shots here.

The Weekly Volcano has teamed up with United Way for a year's campaign to fight homelessness in Pierce County. Please text "House" to 20222 and give $10 to a worthy cause. Thank you!

LINK: Project: U

WE SAW WEIRD PEOPLE >>>

Swarms of death-obsessed folks converged on downtown Tacoma today. From far and wide they came, like zombies searching for human necks, to take in the festivities at the Tacoma Art Museum's Day of the Dead community festival, as well as the Le Noir Bizarre in the lower level of Sanford and Sons Antiques. Some folks dropped in on both festivals.

Held in conjunction with Centro Latino, TAM's annual festival celebrated Dia de los Muertos with traditional music and dance, food, art activities, displays of art that included a traditional Tapete, or sand painting, and community altars honoring passed loved ones. It was also opening weekend for the impressive exhibit, Folk Treasures of Mexico, full of skeletons, devils and colorful spirits.

As in years past, the community showed up in throngs, forcing elbowing to get to the craft rooms and peruse the altars. There weren't as many altars this year, but still plenty of empty booze bottles as part of the displays. And the sugar skulls for decorating ran out early.

It's one of our favorite Tacoma community festivals of the year.

Down the street along Antique Row, Le Noir Bizarre, "The Dark Market," looked like what you'd expect if Jules Verne and Tim Burton had a garage sale. All the vendors were in costume, as well as many shoppers, and every 10th person was carrying a giant fake ray gun. There were hundreds of skulls and creepy dolls. Men in steampunk-inspired brass goggles rubbed elbows with Victorian-era dressed women. Quite a few costumes were cleavage friendly, creating a constant collision hazard for distracted attendees like yours truly.

Most of the action was in Sanford and Son's lower-level library floor, but the merchants in the above two floors dressed for the occasion too, including organizer Julia Jones holding court in her Goth fashion store, A Little Touch of Magick.

From the merchants and wandering characters to the music and theater, Le Noir Bizarre was dark bizarro fun.

LINK: More photos from the events

LINK: Le Noir Bizarre background story