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Rumors are a funny thing, and one thing’s for certain: This town is FULL of them. Tacoma is small enough to where the smack talk flies and you often don’t know if it’s fact or fiction. Rumors have seriously been circulated about me my whole life. By the time I was 16,
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Roxanne Murphy, community relations specialist for the City of Tacoma, has one word for thugs, hookers, gangsters and drug dealers inhabiting Tacoma’s East Side. “Rawwwrrrr!” That, for the apathetic among you, is the primal scream of a community activist. Hear it in your head, feel it, recognize what it represents, and read
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Normally, as a general practice, I try to avoid the Proctor District in Tacoma — and I’m quite aware of the fact that I’m one of the only people in this city who does so. It’s really not because I dislike the Proctor District, quite the contrary, it’s so downright adorable
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At the risk of stating the obvious, Ashley Wells’ paintings at Two Vaults Gallery are Hopperesque. Edward Hopper set the standard for the type of urban landscape Wells paints, and the inevitable comparison is not fair to Wells or anyone else who paints gritty urban scenes marked by strong lighting and
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The Downtown Farmer’s Market kicked off last Thursday with a variety of treats ranging from edible to inedible; with the Go Local campaign and the REI tent giving props to the two-wheeled commuters present, it was a busy, fun day.
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Well shiver me timbers, it’s that time again. The scrumptious Johnny Depp can be hankered for in yet another pirate flick — “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” this weekend. And in honor of this not-so-momentous occasion, we at the Weekly Volcano have declared it Week o’ the Pirates!
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Zhang Baibo traveled here from China so Americans can view his secret during a Chinese Reconciliation Park fund raising event Tuesday, May 22. However, the artist expects Americans to appreciate his secret for the beauty it brings, not to figure it out. Baibo, a 63-year-old artist considered elite in his
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Molly Shannon stars as Peggy, an executive assistant with a tidy little life. But then her pet dog suddenly dies, leaving an unexpectedly large void. Without anyplace to channel her prodigious energy, Peggy flounders from one passion to the next. Director Mike White has become adept at creating uncomfortable little movies
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What if the producers of the current television series “Lost” had said during pilot season, “We love the story, but can we do it without the plane crash?” Crazy, right? Because the plane crash is what sets the whole show in motion. This is essentially what happens to writer Mike Klein,
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“Shrek the Third” is a damped-down return to the kingdom of Far Far Away, lacking the comic energy of the first brilliant film and not measuring up to the second. From the thrills of dragon-slaying and damsel-rescuing, Shrek’s challenges have been reduced to a career decision: Should he become the
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SECRET TICKET CODE TM = Ticketmaster, (253) 627-TIXS TW = TicketsWest, (800) 325-SEAT TWEB = Ticketweb, (866) 468-7623 on sale now The Randy Oxford Band CD Release Party with Jude Dugan Seattle. May 26 8 pm. $10-$12 (Jazzbones, www.jazzbones.com). No Quarter, Blind Floyd Tacoma. June 9 9:30 pm. $8-$10 (South Sound Garage, TW). Joshua Redman Trio Seattle.
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Let’s take a glance at the new Latin dance/World Beat Night at Jazzbones: 1. Latin music and hips, when mated, produce wiggly, gyrating offspring (often concealed beneath tight black pants or short skirts). 2. Latin music speaks a sensual language, perhaps best received while gazed at from the balcony at the dancers
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The eighties. Ahh, memories. Bobble Tiki has many. Every once and a while, something comes along that sends Bobble Tiki into a retrospective haze, staring glassy eyed into space and recollecting a time when the Great Communicator was giving Dubya’s daddy lessons on ideological warfare, women wore shoulder pads, and Bobble
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Carrie Akre is a name associated with rock royalty in the Pacific Northwest. Her former bands, Hammerbox and Goodness, are the subject of local legend. Her name will be written in any credible Northwest rock history book. She’s on a first name basis with people that the average person couldn’t
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Jerry Falwell is dead. Stop me if it’s too soon to joke. Better yet, how about you stop reading this right now if you think it’s too soon to joke. When I woke up this morning, I knew I needed to put together 750 slightly above average words on Dinosaur Jr, and its
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Friday, May 18 ROCK Slowly We Survive Five years ago when Stefan Elmer, Nick Thompson and Jordan Nielsen were students at Linden High School in Bellingham, they received an assignment in English class that prompted them to become a band. The assignment was to work on a group project. All three played
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Old-school metal holds a dear place in my heart, and I’m proud to say I never condoned the crap that those doll-faced boys spewed out in the ’80s. Saxon, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest were more to my liking, as they didn’t water down the music but rather poured gasoline
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Open, for real Stymied by yet another delay, Urban Tanning Spa did not open, as reported, on Thursday. Nor was it open Friday, Saturday or Sunday. However, owner Aaron Delatorre assures me the Urban Tanning Spa is open and fully operational. Monday, his first day, saw between 50 and 60 customers walking
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It’s time to split. We’ve been together nearly a year, and it’s been a mostly good year, but I’m tired. Now I know there are people out there who can juggle multiples, switching things up at whim, and there are those people who can stay with one ’til death. I suppose I’m something
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Happy, green toes I love me some comfy shoes, and I love me some win-win situations. At Dante’s, I found both of these things, especially when it came to the Simple brand sandals in the Green Toe line — these puppies will keep my piggies happy with simply divine comfort, and they’ll
