Perhaps you remember me posting this photo of Jerry Roslie back when the Sonics reunion was just a rumor. This was taken in 1968, shortly after he split from the Sonics. He was playing in the Jerry Roslie Riot, a house band at the Mod Room in Scotty's, 29 Tacoma Avenue North, at the time.
RICHARDS STUDIO COLLECTION/TACOMA PUBLIC LIBRARY

Well, fan Gregg Osborn (left) sent me this pic from when he spotted Roslie in University Place back in August; good eye, considering the Sonics' reclusive howler has been out of the public spotlight for four decades.
LAUREL WRIGHT

And here's a Getty portrait of the lineup that will headline the Paramount Theatre on Friday night. From left to right, that's Don Wilhelm, Rob Lind, Larry Parypa, Ricky Lynn Johnson and Jerry Roslie. Wilhelm and Johnson are filling in for the rhythm section from the Tacoma band's classic lineup, Bob Bennett and Andy Parypa.
LAUREL WRIGHT

Surely, a bunch of you have noticed this recently opened joint on Sixth Ave. I've been either been out of town or busy soaking up the ambiance over at New Frontier. Anyone checked it out and have any impressions so far? Maybe I'll swing by tonight.

Chris Cornell a year ago, pre-Timbaland, at the Paramount Theatre. You can catch him Sunday at Showbox SoDo and signing autographs in Tukwila (details below).
ERNEST A. JASMIN

I was already planning to check out Chris Cornell’s show with Timbaland Sunday night at Showbox SoDo. You know, even if the idea of Chris Cornell and Timbaland together gives me vertigo. Cripes! What is this world coming to, people? Actually, the first few singles from the duo's forthcoming album that I downloaded from iTunes are pretty good once you get past the idea of the "Outshined" guy bringin' "SexyBack."

But I digress. If you're a fan, you probably already know about the show. But did you know that the ex-Soundgarden singer and freed Audioslave will sign autographs around 4:30 p.m. Sunday [corrected from an earlier version of this post] at the Verizon Wireless store located at 17100 Southcenter Parkway, according to a Verizon press release sent out this eve. And it's for a cause. Two causes, actually: Curbing domestic violence and keeping old cell phones, which Cornell fans are asked to bring between noon and 4 p.m., out of landfills. Take it way, truncated press release!

Rock Icon Chris Cornell Encourages Fans to Help Curb Domestic Violence and E-waste

Fans Urged to Bring Used Cell Phones to Autograph Session at Verizon Wireless—Tukwila
Auburn Domestic Violence Task Force to benefit from Verizon Wireless HopeLine® Sunday collection

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008—Seattle, WA -- Chris Cornell fans have a chance to make a dream come true and do something good for their community at the same time. Next Sunday, November 2nd, Cornell and Verizon Wireless are asking fans to bring their old cell phones and accessories (from any carrier) to the Tukwila store to help the Auburn Domestic Violence Task Force (ADVTF). Verizon Wireless will donate ten mobile phones (each with 3,000 minutes of airtime) to the ADVTF for distribution to battered women in the area.
Fans bringing used phones to the Tukwila store (17100 Southcenter Parkway) on Sunday between 12-4 PM have an opportunity to meet the artist and qualify to win an autographed guitar and tickets to the Chris Cornell & Timbaland concert later Sunday evening at the Showbox in Seattle.

[snip]

Wireless phones and batteries can be donated to the HopeLine program year-round at any Verizon Wireless Communications Store across the country. For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline.

Mato Naji is singer, guitarist and main songwriter for popular blues-rock band, Indigenous. You can catch him on Nov. 6 at the Paramount with the Experience Hendrix tour. Or you can check out the new Indigenous disc, “Broken Lands,” which came out in August and features the band’s new lineup. Click the link below to hear what he had to say about that last bit.
PIPER FERGUSON

It hasn't been 100 percent Sonics mania this week. I also took a few minutes to interview Indigenous singer-guitarist Mato Nanji this week. Mostly, we talked about touring with the Experience Hendrix show, which will also bring Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox from the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsys, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, The Doors’ Robby Krieger, Jonny Lang, Chris Layton, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Hubert Sumlin and Seattle prog-metal band, Queensryche to the Paramount Theatre on Nov. 6. How’s that for a guitar clinic?

But Mato and I also talked about the new Indigenous album, “Broken Lands,” and his split with Pte, Wanbdi and Horse -- brother, sister and cousin -- following 2006's "Chasing the Sun" disc. Click this link to hear what he has to say, plus clips from new songs “Should I Stay,” “Eyes of a Child” and “Place I know.”

And Sonics week continues with comments from Mudhoney’s Mark Arm (who I’m guessing may be somehow involved in Friday’s show at the Paramount.) Click this link to hear Arm talk about how he discovered and fell in love with the Sonics as a kid growing up in the Seattle suburbs.

Girl Trouble -- from left, Bon "Von Wheelie" Henderson, bro' Bill "Kahuna" Henderson, K.P. Kendall and Dale Philips (out of frame) -- will open for the mostly reunited Sonics Friday night.
JANET JENSEN

I had my Olympus recorder in my pocket when I ran into the good peeps of Girl Trouble at the Patfest benefit show Friday at Hell’s Kitchen. And since I knew they were opening for the Sonics on Halloween, I talked drummer Bon “Von Wheelie” Henderson into a quick quick, on-the-spot interview, which mostly focused on the magnificence of Sonic beatmeister, Bob Bennett.

Towards the end you’ll notice I asked Bon which Sonics song she was most amped about hearing the Friday’s homecoming show. Sonics howler Jerry Roslie tells me “Strychnine” and “Have Love Will Travel” have been getting the best responses at previous comeback shows, the latter having grown in popularity in recent years after providing the soundtrack to SUV commercial. But personally, I’m partial to “He’s Waitin’.”

Discuss: What songs are everyone else looking forward to and why?

OK, those last two posts were pretty depressing. How 'bout this to lift your spirits and restore your faith in humanity? The Sonics, Friday! Whooooooooo!!! Here's what they looked like at New York's Cavestomp festival last November. And I'll have more related audio, pics and stuff in the next couple of days.

The Jennifer Hudson story just keeps getting sadder. The award-winning singer identified the body of 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, this afternoon after it was found in an S.U.V. that Chicago police sought in connection with the murder of Hudson's mother and brother. The Chicago Breaking News site has more details.

Chicago Police Forensic services look at a car at the scene outside the home at an address listed to singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson and Darnell Donerson, the name of the singer's mother, in Chicago, Friday Oct. 24, 2008. At least one of two people found shot dead Friday at a South Side home was believed to be a relative of Hudson, and police were seeking a missing child who might also be related to the singer.
DAVID BANKS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Several sources are reporting that Jennifer Hudson's mother was found shot to death today in Chicago and that the "Dream Girls" star's 7-year-old nephew is missing. This is an excerpt from a Chicago Tribune report:

CHICAGO -- A relative of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson is believed to be one of two people found slain Friday in a South Side Chicago home, according to a police source.
According to public records, the home is owned by Darnell Donnerson, Jennifer Hudson's mother.

A Chicago police spokeswoman also said a 7-year-old boy was reported missing. Police identified him as Julian King, but they would not say whether he is a relative of the actress. He is 5-foot tall, weighs 135 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair. An Amber Alert has been issued for the missing boy.

The police said they are searching for a William Balfour as a suspect in the double homicide. They said he is considered to be armed and dangerous, and may be driving a white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate No. X584859 or a teal/green Chrysler Concord four-door with a left front headlight hanging out that is scratched all along its left side. The Chrysler is displaying temporary tags of 332K823.

While police identify Balfour as a suspect in the Amber Alert, he has not been charged.
Public records list one of Balfour's previous addresses as Donnerson's home.
Court records show Balfour pleaded guilty in 1999 to attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. He also was convicted in a 1998 case of possession of a stolen motor vehicle, the records show.

The clever band name of the week award goes to (drumroll, please) Seattle tribute band Halloqueen. Those guys will headline a big Halloween pre-funk party at Jazzbones on Sunday. And as you might have guessed, they pay homage to Queen, but only around this time of year when they get the most bang for their buck for that punny name.

Halloqueen hails back to a post-Sept. 11 benefit for the Red Cross in 2001. The lineup is Sean Bates on lead vocals and keys, Rick Friel on bass, Tim DiJulio on guitar and Chris Friel on drums. And Friel (also of Goodness fame) shared this funny detail about Bates the other day: “He grows the mustache once a year. But he has red hair, so we call him Reddy Mercury.”

Sadly, he sounded doubtful that Halloqueen's front man would show up wearing a Freddy Mercury-style unitard. “I don’t know if we want to put Sean in tights,” he said. Personally, I think he should just go for it.

If the answer is yes, you'll want to drop by the Swiss Tavern on Sunday when the filmmakers behind Tacoma production "It Don't Rain on Sunny Days" will be shooting "a major scene" and raising money to finish the thing. A bunch of local bands are pitching in towards the effort, and the evening's musical lineup includes several bands that are contributing tunes and performances to the film, according to writer/producer Randy Sparks. Check it out:

Hosted by Randy Oxford

Featuring (in order):

The Trevalyan Triangle
The Randy Oxford Band
Kim Archer Band
Nicole Fournier and Her 3lb Universe
Loose Gravel and the Quarry
Swampy Draws
I Defy

Local musician and former Shoboat owner Joe Rosati (above) will star in the forthcoming indie film "It Don't Rain on Sunny Days." Rosati will film a scene with a cross-section of local music all-stars -- including Randy Oxford, Junkyard Jane's Leanne Trevalyan, Nicole Fournier and others -- Sunday at the Swiss.
COURTESY PHOTO

OK, you've heard release dates for Axl Rose's bazillion-years-in-the-making "Chinese Democracy" album. And it started to sound like that boy who cried wolf story, like, five years ago. But this time the announced release date is Nov. 23, and Best Buy is taking pre-orders for it and stuff, suggesting stacks of this thing are sitting in warehouses as we speak, ready for retail. You can even listen to the title cut, which ain't bad, here.

Anyway, here are excerpts from the press release that Solters PR sent over this morning, for what it's worth:

GUNS N’ ROSES CHINESE DEMOCRACY CD SET FOR NOVEMBER 23 RELEASE AT BEST BUY

Pre-Order Begins Today at www.bestbuy.com/chinesedemocracy
* *

MINNEAPOLIS, October 22, 2008 – Best Buy and Geffen Records announced that one of the most highly anticipated albums of all time, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy, will be available beginning Nov. 23 at Best Buy and BestBuy.com on CD, vinyl, and digital downloads. The title track, the first single from the album, was released to radio today, October 22. Chinese Democracy is the first album of new material from one of rock's most influential bands since the 1991 simultaneous releases of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II.

"The release of Chinese Democracy marks a historic moment in rock n' roll," said co-managers Irving Azoff and Andy Gould. “We're launching with a monumental campaign developed by Gary Arnold and the Best Buy team that matches the groundbreaking sound of the album itself. Guns N’ Roses fans have every reason to celebrate, for this is only the beginning.”

Can you feel it yet, people? There are just 10 days and counting till the Sonics’ first Puget Sound performance since the early ‘70s!

On Halloween at the Paramount Theatre, lead howler and keyboard player Jerry Roslie, guitarist Larry Parypa and sax player Rob Lind from the band’s most well-known lineup will be joined by Ricky Lynn Johnson and Don Wilhelm, in place of rhythm section, Bob Bennett and Andy Parypa. Manager Buck Ormsby, of Wailers fame, tells me there are still tickets left, shockingly enough.

And less than an hour ago, I caught up with Roslie, who has had so much fun since the band’s comeback shows in New York last November that he wonders why he took four decades off. “I feel kind of like I wasted 40 years of my life doing other things," he said. Click the link below to hear more of what he had to say about getting back in the saddle and touring Europe.

Clip 1: “We should have never quit.”

I guess the Sonics are proof that it’s never too late to get the band back together. And the most exciting part of my Roslie interview was the revelation that the Sonics are apparently working on new material that could see the light of day early next year!

Clip 2: Could new Sonics songs be on the way?

Stay tuned. I'll post more from Roslie and company in the days to come, and we've got a big cover story planned for GO on the day of the show. Meanwhile, you can always go back and check out my interviews with Jerry and Larry last fall.

Uh, guess I should clarify. Worthless Peons is one of the names that the a cappella/comedy group that's headlining the University of Puget Sound’s Schneebeck Concert Hall on Nov. 9 go by on the sitcom, “Scrubs,” a.k.a. Ted’s Band, a.k.a. the Blanks. And the folks at UPS e-mailed me some show details today. Check it out:

Sunday, Nov 9th
University of Puget Sound
(Schneebeck Concert Hall)
6:30PM Doors, 7:30PM show (with opener: university acapella group “Garden Level”)

Tickets are available at the UPS Information Center, University of Puget Sound.
$12 gen. public. Phone no. is 253.879.3419

www.theblankswebsite.com

Los Angeles' Dengue Fever is the main attraction tonight at Neumos in Seattle tonight. And if you didn't catch their hip, genre-blurring set at Sasquatch Memorial Day weekend, it's well worth the trip. The band is (L to R) Ethan and Zac Holtzman, Senon Williams, Chhom Nimol, David Ralicke and Paul Smith. And you can click this link to hear Williams talk about his band's sound (a blend of Cambodian pop, psych-rock, surf music and other styles) and its band's forthcoming documentary, plus clips of "Tiger Phone Card," "Seeing Hands," "Sober Driver" and "Monsoon Perfume" from the band's last album "Venus on Earth."
KEVIN ESTRADA

I’ve been out of town for a few days, so I’m just getting up to speed on a cool benefit show set for Friday night at Hell’s Kitchen, called Patfest in honor of recently deceased Tacoma musician, Pat Bostwick. Many of you longtime Tacoma scenesters knew Bostwick as a guy who collaborated with a ton of local bands, including the Jolly Ranchers, Combover and Girl Trouble. More recently, he played harmonica on the F------ Eagles debut album. Most recently, he played harmonica on the Eagles' debut album. Or maybe you had a pint with the guy at his favorite watering hole, Magoo’s. He died in August at the young age of 45.

Recently reunited metal band Taist of Iron, Guns and Rossetti, Nancy Frieko and the F------ Eagles will play in his honor Friday night, with recordings of his many collabs with local bands played in between. Organizers say proceeds from the show will go towards a memorial totem pole to be set up on his family's property in McKenna, where Bostwick would host an annual Labor Day weekend concert, and a plaque commemorating his seat at the bar at Magoo’s. A Patfest account has been set up at Bank of America for anyone who can’t make it but would like to kick in for the cause. You can find more info here.

I was a bit drained and jet lagged Sunday night, but I had to make it to part of the Helm Gallery's Squeak & Squawk Festival, the part held at the New Frontier Lounge. And I hung out long enough to catch the Kindness Kind (singer-keyboardist Alessandra Rose, top photo, tells me their second album is coming out soon) and the Dead Science (that's bassist Jherek Bischoff). The festival is a great showcase of Puget Sound's truly indie rock scene, and tonight is the last chance to catch it. Photosynthesis, Colonies, Freeze and Fur Coat will play the Helm starting at 6 tonight, and Evangelicals, Parenthetical Girls, Why I Must Be Careful and Friskey will be at the New Frontier starting at 9.
ERNEST JASMIN

I’m actually out of town this week, but still managed to round up a few details on a big AC/DC pre-funk at McCabe’s, scheduled to kick off around 2 p.m. on Nov. 30, the day the Aussie classic rockers headline the Tacoma Dome.

Promoter Bart Leland tells me that Tacoma boy and superstar DJ Steve Slaton of KZOK-FM will will host. “I remember growin’ up nobody else played AC/DC,” he recalled. And tribute band Soul Stripper will get everyone warmed up for the big show.

Leland said there'll also be AC/DC themed drink specials. Recipes are still being finalized and all, but I'll take a shot at one. Take a couple of shot or top whiskey, a shot of Jaeger and mix it into a pint of Wired Energy Drink. Call it a Live Wired. Bwahahahaha! Uh, that actually sounds disgusting. But I still want royalties if McCabe's uses it.

And all of that is not to mention all-gal AC/DC tribute band Hell’s Belles' return to Hell’s Kitchen the night before this event. See you at one or all of the above.

This past summer you may have listened to my interview with Mastodon's Troy Sanders, then in the studio hashing out tracks for the follow up to 2006's "Blood Mountain." He described songs that were spacier and influenced by prog-rock likes of Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Yes.

Well, apparently that disc is done. And in a preview piece over on the Rolling Stone site, band mate Brent Hinds tells how a brain trauma he suffered after a scuffle in Vegas shaped the new sounds. Hmm, Troy didn't mention that. Click the link to check it out.

One of the most promising local music happenings this month is the Helm Gallery’s Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which will go on from Oct. 16 to 20 at the Helm, Wright Park and the recently opened New Frontier Lounge in the Dome District.

This is a great indie coup for Tacoma, featuring loads of imported bands (from Olympia's Calvin Johnson and Seattle's the Dead Science, to Oklahoma's Evangelicals) alongside homegrown talent from T-town (the Elephants, Paris Spleen, the Drug Purse. See the full lineup below.) And recently I caught up with Helm director Sean Alexander (no, not that guy) who e-mailed a few words about what went into putting this big, honkin' shindig together. A few excerpts:

How it came to be:

We [he and business partner, Peter Lynn] had been talking about trying to put together a music festival during the summer, but it we were so busy that it couldn't actually materialize (not to mention that would have been a terrible time for a Tacoma-based music festival.) We had already confirmed this great band from Oklahoma for Monday, October 20th, so we decided to plan the festival around that show. ... The lineup just kept getting better and better over the month that I spent booking (we used 95% door percentage based booking). All of the shows were put together carefully, including one local band. There is not a prominent sound that all of the bands in the festival share. In one night you could see a classically trained cello group, a rowdy post-punk band and a one-man blues project. It is all fairly sporadic. Great lineups though. We will definitely have trouble putting a better festival together next year (assuming it is a successful venture).

Sentiments:

The festival is 100% about music and community. The helm will be losing money in the process (hopefully less than $500 after everything). We see that Tacoma is becoming a place that more and more bands want to play as they pass through the Northwest. The local music scene is becoming stronger and stronger by the day. I guess now seemed like the perfect time to throw a festival that would highlight that growth and talent. Plus, there aren't very many cool underground festivals happening anymore. Olympia's legendary Yo Yo a Go Go is gone. Carousel is cool but seems to internalized. What the Heck Fest in Anacortes is great, but a bit far away. Bumbershoot and Sasquatch have become big McDonalds/Starbucks freakshows.

Hopefully this will be tacoma's festival.

Here's the lineup, copied from the Helm's site:

Imports:

Evangelicals (oklahoma)
The Dutchess and the Duke (seattle)
The Portland Cello Project (pdx)
The Dead Science (seattle)
Calvin Johnson (olympia)
T.V. Coahran (seattle)
New Faces (port townsend)
Your Heart Breaks (seattle)
Talbot Tagora (seattle)
Lake (olympia)
Photosynthesis (anacortes)
Quinn Deveaux (oakland)
The Mona Reels (olympia)
Why I Must Be Careful (pdx)
hanari Nannon (seattle)
The Kindness Kind (seattle)
Flexions (seattle)
Temple Vibe (seattle)
Charles Leo Gebhardt the IV (seattle)
Desolation Wilderness (olympia)
Powernap (pdx)
Birdwatchers United! (seattle)
and a few undertermined others.

Domestics: (at least one in every show)

The Elephants
Paris Spleen
The Drug Purse
Makeup Monsters
Don’t Tell Sophie
Mercy Pirates
Freeze and Fur Coat
Frisky
Trans Union
Colonies
more undetermined.

You know how things can get shuffled around at the last minute with these kinds of events. But I'm betting you'll be able to find the most up-to-date details on who's doing what when on the festival MySpace page. See you there.

Proto-grunge band Green River -- the band that included future members of Mudhoney and Pearl Jam in the '80s -- took more than 21 years off before reuniting for Sub Pop's 20th anniversary festival this summer. And at that rate, fans probably figured they wouldn't catch a repeat performance until those guys turned AARP-eligible. But not so, ye of little faith! Green River will actually replace Mudhoney for the Supersuckers 20th anniversary show at Showbox at the Market on Nov. 29, AEG Live announced.

And in case you missed it, you can click here to listen to bits of my interview with Mudhoney/Green River mouthpiece Mark Arm talking about getting his old band back together for the SP20 fest.

The Nov. 15 Scars on Broadway show at Showbox SoDo is officially off. The band -- which features Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan from System of a Down -- pulled the plug on the rest of its tour today. Here's the officially statement from the band's web site.

Scars on Broadway's North American tour, scheduled to begin October 19, as well as their October 14 performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," have been cancelled. Late last week, Malakian concluded that his heart wasn't into touring at this time, so he made the decision to cancel all scheduled performances. There are no plans to reschedule. Ticket refund for the North American Tour will follow shortly.

Refunds will be available at point of ticket purchase, says promoter AEG Live.

MC Hammer: A sick dancer, but definitely not responsible for any of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs of all time.
RON FREHM/ASSOCIATED PRESS

I missed VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs" shows, and it's probably for the best since extreme outrage would have morphed me into some sort of rampaging, Hulk-like creature, run amok through T-town's Stadium District. (Stereogum has the list posted here if you don't have the patience to surf through the VH1 clips, linked above.

Then again, I was only putting that outrage off for a couple of days, since I checked out the list today after Girl Trouble singer and secret hip-hop fan Kurt Kendall e-mailed me his own rant about what's wrong with VH-1's bogus rankings. And where do I even begin with this nonsense? Here are just a few gripes:

- Black Star's "Definition" makes the list, but not "The P is Free," the Boogie Down Productions classic that Mos and Kweli emulated on for this track? Were the people who compiled this blasted thing born in 1993?

- The Beastie Boys, responsible for so many bomb tracks, made it only as high as No. 27, and that was for "Hold It Now, Hit It," not the superior "Paul Revere" Even if this shallow list only digs as deep as hit singles, where's the "Sure Shot," yo? MC Hammer made it one notch higher than the Beasties with "Can't Touch This," by the way. And, no, I won't touch that for my blood pressure's sake.

- Well, I will say this about Hammer. The fact that anything by him or Puff Daddy even made the countdown just renders the whole thing irrelevant and, frankly, embarrassing. I'm surprised freakin' Vanilla Ice and Marky "Thank God He's an Actor Now" Mark didn't make the cut.

If I get bored on my vacation this week, I may come up with my own list. Meanwhile, I'm curious about what you guys think of this travesty.

Hey, how's that for alliteration? Anyway, I spotted several of my Tacoma peeps up north at Seattle's Showbox SoDo last night. But here's what the rest of you missed.

As it turns out, Santi White, the namesake for hipster-approved dance act, Santogold, had been hanging out in Seattle for a couple of days prior to her headlining date at Showbox SoDo. “I love this city,” she declared during the early portion of her set. And Seattle fans returned the love as White -- backed by a DJ and a pair stern-faced backup singer-dancers that came across as female, gold-lame clad versions of Public Enemy’s S1Ws -- delivered most of this year’s self-titled debut album, including some of my favorites, “Say Aha,” “Shove It” and “Unstoppable.” The Santogold eclectic sound -- built on new wave, hip-hop and dub -- embodies the spirit of late '70s post-punk pioneers, the Clash. So it was fitting that White's set included an echoey take on British band's anthemic classic, "The Guns of Brixton"; a nice touch, even if it lacked Paul Simonon's funktastic bass line.
ERNEST JASMIN

Low vs. Diamond and Mates of State opened, the latter’s Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel shown above. And here’s Santogold’s set list in case you missed it.
ERNEST JASMIN

If you read today's GO section you know the first part of my column is about a concert Hell's Kitchen will host Saturday to help raise funds for installing a costly new sprinkler system, as required by state law by the end of next year. In my column, booking agent Flash Connel argues that the expense ($30,000 to $50,000 by some estimates) will shut down a bunch of local music venues. But I thought I'd also post a link that deputy fire marshal Phil Ferrell sent me explaining the sprinkler law and it's implications.

Once you read that, surf back over here and tell me what you think. Is this law, first passed in 2005 and revised in '07, necessary? Is it fair? Should we start the countdown to several clubs shutting down, or is that "sky is falling" talk?

The South Sound Blues Association sent me details for an upcoming concert that's been put together to raise cash needed to send the Michal Miller Band and Son Jack Jr. to the International Blues Competition in Memphis next February. Highlights from the press release below:

The South Sound Blues Association presents “Back to Beale Street Blues 2009”, a fundraiser concert and dance to help send The Michal Miller Band and Son Jack Jr to the International Blues Competition in Memphis, Tennessee, in February 2009. The event will be held on Saturday, November 8th at Jazzbones, 2803 6th Avenue, Tacoma. 253-396-9169, 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Donations are $7 for SSBA members and $12 for non-members.

The event also includes a food drive that will be coordinated with Food Lifeline, a United Way Partner Agency. All attendees are encouraged to bring items that will help local families in need at Thanksgiving, i.e., canned foods and boxed items.

Fundraiser Lineup

7 p.m.: Son Jack Jr
7:45 p.m.: Red Hot Blues Sisters
8:45 p.m.: The Wright Brothers
9:45 p.m.: The Randy Oxford Band
10:45 p.m.: The Brown and Blues Band with Doug Skoog
11:45 p.m.: The Michal Miller Band
Plus special guest appearances by Maia Santell and Mariano Silver

Oktoberfest + malt liquor + cool local bands – high falutin’ imports = Maltoberfest.

You had to be one of the cool kids and get invited to the first couple of Maltoberfests, which were private parties put on by Tacoma's Craig Egan and Jenn Orr. But the event has gone public in year three, and you just have to show up at Bob’s Java Jive on Saturday (Oct. 4) and pay the $15 cover charge for all the malt liquor, hip-hop and indie rock you can stand. Call a cab if you need one, kids. And, by the way, you’ll get five bucks knocked off if you show up wearing a fashionable Maltoberfest ensemble.

Click this link to listen to highlights from my interview with event organizer Craig Egan and find out exactly what counts as Maltoberfest wear. Oh, and he'll tell you about Swampy Draws, the Drug Purse and the rest of the musical acts he's got playing the event.

Pacific Fusion's Matt Eklund just sent me some info on a pretty compelling hip-hop and visual/performance art bill he helped put together for Friday at Jazzbones. On display will be local hip-hop acts Life Cycle, Can U, John Crown and DJ Reign. Plus, there'll be live body painting, which will grab your attention for purely artistic reasons, right? Here, check out the flier:

Say, didn't the folks at Jazzbones insist they weren't skewing towards hip-hop a few weeks back? 'Cause that would make them, like, Hip-hopbones, which isn't nearly as catchy.