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Charlie McManus is a bad ass, plain and simple. Sure, he uses locally grown produce to make food the Dalai Llama would put down with ease. And some macho moron might quip at his general avoidance of alcoholic beverages. But trust me. He’s a bad ass. Take his work at
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Still patio weather The Weekly Volcano loves to toast the YMCA workout classes that run up and down 15th Street, doing their little jumping jacks, from the Sea Grill’s deck with a happy hour $2 off gin and tonic. That’s right — wells are $2 off. Bar menu is loaded with
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After Labor Day Weekend, I felt all itchy and unkempt and disjointed like nothing really fit and nothing made sense and everything had this bitter washed-out pallor and sticky oily residue. Then my car broke down in front of Applebee’s at the Lakewood Towne Center, and once again, booze was
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At a loss to decide among the performance choices lined up at the Tacoma’s Broadway Center and Olympia’s Washington Center? Here’s a selection of highlights from what’s in store to make it even harder to decide: Broadway Center for the Performing Arts Cirqueworks Birdhouse Factory I’m still not sure what it is, but
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Tacoma City Council Position 8 candidates Marilyn Strickland and David Curry don’t get invited to talk about the arts much. Arts get about as much play as animal rights and shoreline development during election season. In Tacoma, down-to-earth issues such as affordable housing, economic development, neighborhood growth, administrative reform and
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From the outside, the distinctive, sturdy and simple shape of the house — generally low-pitched roof with deep eaves embellished with exposed rafters or decorative brackets, front porch screaming for a low-slung Adirondack chair, and simple double-hung windows — may clue you in to the style of the home. On the
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The YMCA of Tacoma/Pierce County offers Zumba classes at all its branches. The aerobics class serves up dance with a generous topping of salsa, adding in merengue, cumbia, calypso, and reggaeton. Class originator Beto Perez, choreographer for the likes of Shakira, created the class to combine fun moves that maximize
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You say it’s my birthday I signed up for Dame Lola’s mailing list years ago when the shop first opened and have been receiving postcards telling me of their events and sales ever since. A big plus to signing up, which may seem insignificant, is the birthday discount you get during
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With a slogan like “Exciting. Versatile. Handmade,” you better believe Marilyn LoSavio, owner and designer of Materialization, has been sewing for about 40 years. She describes her Materialization line as “Ready-to-Wear, made out of exciting, high quality fabrics … eye-catching, but comfortable clothing.” Marilyn’s inspirations come from the fabrics themselves,
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Sarah Bostelle walked into the party. People stopped talking, not in an exaggerated Hollywood way, just in quick quiet admiration. Bostelle looked smashing at Viva La Rose, Saturday’s birthday celebration for North Tacoma resident Rose Peterson. Bostelle’s 1920s-inspired backless, vintage satin dress was handmade, as interior stitching and utter lack
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Chicago quartet the Boxers start out their most recent LP, The Blue Pool, with washed-out snippets from Bobby Vinton's "Blue Velvet," distorted and sinister, before segueing into a sort of anthemic, melancholy rock. It's reminiscent of the days when the Flaming Lips were transitioning from stoned punks into the glorious
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Portland trio the Woolen Men carry with them a number of easily identifiable influences that mix together in delightful ways. They bring the '50s rock by way of Violent Femmes, the stately indie pop of Guided By Voices, and the shambolic lo-fi rock of Pavement. It's ear candy for a
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Award-winning Olympia-based funk rock band The Brown Edition wants you to join their band. Hold on - don't get your hopes up. The band, led by the charismatic Miguel Pineda, will host a jam session inviting all to join them on stage Thursday night at the Rhythm and Rye venue
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Chris Ballew, lead singer for mid-'90s Seattle alt-rock outfit The Presidents of the United States of America, has a pair of Grammy nominations under his belt. His hit singles "Lump" and "Peaches" are fixtures on rock radio. So it's amusing that Ballew reentered the public consciousness,