After the Alice in Chains tour announcement I surfed on over to AliceinChains.com and noticed the band is giving away a "Looking in View," the first single from their forthcoming album "Black Gives Way to Blue." Sure, it's bound to be controversial since it's the first cut the band has released in the post-Layne Staley era. But it that menacing riff hooked me right away; vintage chains with William DuVall holding his own.

Listen to a sample here

The good news: Alice in Chains today. The bad: There's no Seattle date. Yet. But you know it's coming. Here's what just arrived in my inbox:

Alice in Chains tour dates

July 18: Detroit, MI (Comerica Park, with Kid Rock)
Aug. 1: Dublin, Ireland (Marlay Park)
Aug. 2: Stevenage, England (Knebworth House - Sonisphere)
Aug. 4: London, England (Scala)
Aug. 6: Cologne, Germany (Essigfabrik)
Aug. 8: Berlin, Germany (Columbia Club)
Aug. 10: Hamburg, Germany (Grunspan)
Aug. 12: Amsterdam, Netherlands (Melkweg)
Aug. 22: Pomona, Calif. (Epicenter)
Sept. 4: Washington (9:30 Club)
Sept. 5: Philadelphia (Theatre of Living Arts)
Sept. 7: Boston (Paradise Rock Club)
Sept. 8: New York (The Fillmore)
Sept. 15: Toronto (The Opera House)
Sept. 16: Cleveland (House of Blues)
Sept. 19: Chicago (House of Blues)
Sept. 20: Milwaukee (The Rave)
Sept. 21: Minneapolis (First Ave)
Sept. 26: Portland (Roseland Ballroom)
Sept. 28: San Francisco (The Fillmore)

So I chatted up Tim Wilson, whose dad is none other than the Ventures’ Don Wilson, before Saturday night’s Dick Dale show. We get to talkin’ and he tells me about a sweet interview his sis, Staci Lyne Wilson, scored recently – none other than Jimmy Page and Jack White. (Yeah, I could make that happen.)

In this clip, those three and film director Davis Guggenheim talk about the forthcoming flick, “It Might Get Loud,” which also features some named the Edge or something. Check it out.

Steve Gaydich over at Rocket Records just called to alert me to a pretty killer bill he's got coming up on July 19. He's got Stone Axe, a new band featuring Mos Generator's Tony Reed, with Zook and the Plastards.

Listen to some cuts from the forthcoming Zook album that I leaked here, and check out Rocket Records' MySpace page here.

For those who missed Dick Dale's amazing guitar clinic Saturday night at Hell's Kitchen, here's the finale. (Two guesses on what song he finished with before you click on the video. Just think "Pulp Fiction." You know, the song Black Eyed Peas ruined.)

And just for kicks and giggles, I shot some footage of Tacoma's favorite garage-punk outfit, Girl Trouble, too; if for no other reason, so you could check out singer K.P. Kendall's sexy dance moves. Woot! This clip features the solid one-two punch of "Bring on the Dancing Girls" and Grit City anthem "My Hometown," which they played as their set wound down.

Before I write anything else about the Jonas Brothers’ headlining set at the Tacoma Dome Sunday night, I have to give a big shout out to “South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. They made my experience at the T-Dome far more bearable than expected, and at times pretty humorous.

I don't mean to hate on the Jo Bros. They seem like nice enough lads. But I’m the wrong gender and about two decades too old to get it. Their confectionary, Disney-sanctioned pop makes my eyes glaze over faster than melatonin, and many of the parental guardian types on site at the T-Dome Sunday feel the same way by the looks of things.

But tweeners fiend for the Jo Bros in a way that can't be cured without a trip to the ol' Schick Shadel (or, like, turning 16 and discovering emo.) And being reminded just how crazed those hormone-addled fans get at the mere mention of Nick, Kevin or Joe, and just how little the “South Park” guys had to exaggerate for their Jonas Brothers episode, was heeee-larious!

=> Read more!

Cinematic is the first word that sprang to mind when I first listened to Los Angeles psych-rock band Spindrift’s latest album, “The West.” Cinematic, as the album title suggests, in a way that recalls Ennio Morricone and spaghetti westerns.

Spindrift will headline Bob’s Java Jive tonight. So recently I caught up with band member Henry Evans to chat about his band’s six-shooter psychedelia and “The Legend of God’s Gun,” the indie western that Spindrift actually shot. That's the trailer above. Click here to listen to excerpts from the interview, with snippets from their cuts “Ace Coletrain,” “Isle of Lost Souls” and “The New West” playing in the background.

By now, you probably know that Michael Jackson has died. Here's a local reaction story I'm working on for tomorrow's paper.

Puget Sound’s music fans and local media reacted to the death of pop trailblazer Michael Jackson Thursday afternoon.

News that the 50-year-old performer had gone into cardiac arrest spread virally, with many receiving the news from Twitter or text message.

Others tuned into local music stations KUBE-FM (93.3) and KBKS-FM (Kiss, 106.1), which kept the King of Pop’s hits in heavy rotation. And over on KPTK-AM (1090), even Seattle pundit Ron Reagan shifted from talk of universal health care to take calls about the pop star’s demise.

=> Read more!

Several sources, including the Los Angeles Times, are reporting that King of Pop has died of an apparent heart attack. He was 50.

Not sure how much further Renton's David Johnson will make it after confessing his love for Hasselhoff (a good gimmick) on last night's "America's Got Talent" episode. But here's a clip for anyone who missed it.

Hey, just caught a glimpse of Fuschia Foxxx, the woman on the cover of the new Ventures/Wailers album, "Two Car Garage." Then what happens when I look away for just a sec? My girlfriend exclaims, "Hey! Your big #@@ head was just on TV!" (I'm beginning to think my ol' lady is kind of abusive.) See if you can spot my noggin'. It's about 12 feet to the Hoff's left if they pan my way again in the "Seattle" scenes.

Also, I hung out with Manuela from Austria. She was hella cool. If memory serves, she said that Austrian dominatrix bit is one of her characters she does for Seattle's Teatro Zinzanni.

Anybody who was at the Pantages during the early “America’s Got Talent” session knew Rafael the bouncer dude would make the cut. Those splits were far more painful to watch live, and he did ‘em twice. I’m still waiting for the Pure Cirkus scene and for the “Susan Boyle” type they found in Tacoma. Which, for the last time, is not Seattle.

Oh, forget it. I give up. Do St. Paul, Fort Worth and Oakland get dissed like this?

Well, still not sure what happened with the service we were subscribing to for the South Sound Mix Tape player. But in lieu of a slick, purty interface, I've stuck a few MP3 links in the window so you'll have something to listen to. And on the up side we've finally got a copy of Gold Teeth's "Robots vs. Zombies" that doesn't sound all jacked up. Woot woot!

Hey, I met Bruce and Simmone from Seattle Aerial Arts backstage at the ol' "America's Got Talent" tryouts, but never got to see them perform. Nice peeps. I figured they’d get some face time after Bruce described the erotic aspects of their acrobatic routine with lots of new agey speak thrown in for good measure. I would link to their Seattle Aerial Arts web site, but it seems to confirm what Bruce told me about his partner sometimes performing topless.

But wait! They're switching to New York already? I just knew the "yodeling dominatrix" I interviewed backstage would get some face time. Pure Cirkus, too, though I did catch a glimpse of Mad Mat, the goth clown guy you may have noticed licking the sword. Oh well, guess they're saving some "Seattle" footage for tomorrow.

Wait, here they are. The Eriam Sisters, the first local act to pass muster on "America's Got Talent," hails from Renton. They performed a Jackson Five joint, but click the link above to check out some original tunes. And the Renton Reporter's got the skinny on the family act here.

And speaking of repping Renton, anybody else who went to the early taping remember this singer-songwriter guy that's coming up? OK, no spoilers if you didn't, but I knew he'd would wind up on TV thanks to his sexy muse (hint, hint). Pretty smart strategy, even if Sharon Osbourne tried to throw a little salt in his game. C'mon Sharon! Whaddaya doin'?

Are the Eriam sisters from Tacoma? Leave your tips in the comments section. Anyway, they were adorable. And I remember seeing daddy Eriam in the audience after their performance. (I was backstage when they were on.) Could they be our new Sanjaya?

OK, cliche footage of Nick Cannon with the fish tossing guys at Pike Place Market aside, "America's Got Talent" did not shoot the bulk of the show in Seattle. The performances took place in frickin' Tacoma! Not that most of the country really knows the difference. Just flash some stock footage of the Space Needle and it's pretty easy to fake. (See also: Several TV shows shot in Vancouver, BC where they pretend it's Seattle.)

On a different topic, the freaky fish hook and drill in the nose guy is simultaneous revolting and awesome. Huh huh, huh huh. The freak show shtick is totally unexpected from a guy who came across as someone's shop teacher before he got started. Watch out, Jim Rose.

Sharon Osbourne declares, “This place is absolutely barking mad.” But, FYI, there was method to putting together this televised madness. Several of the weirder burlesque acts I interviewed backstage - including the glittery guy you saw dancing around in silvery drawers - said the show producers contacted them after seeing their act online and requested that they show up to audition.

So is Seattle, I mean, Tacoma being typecast as freak central after the precedent set by the "American Idol" episodes? Which were actually filmed in Seattle, for the record.

I interviewed the couple in shiny silver pants that you saw making out before the commercial break, prompting Piers Morgan to suggest, "OK, go and get a room." I figured their erotic acrobatic routine would get them face time. I'll have to see if I can dig up the audio from our interview. Stay tuned. Looks like it's time for some T-town action on "America's Got Talent."

Backwards walking guy was freaky. Figured FootWorkingz would be tight. Was it Piers or the Hoff who mentioned having seen better dance acts in other cities as they were critiquing Seattle’s Massive Monkees? Anyone remember?

And for all you people who were there, isn't it weird seeing the finished product all edited together? During the live taping there were five minute breaks between each act, with a hype man keeping everyone engaged. Lots of coaching on the cheering. Even coaching on how to act as we exited the theater.

Ha! See a couple of moments I remember from the "America's Got Talent" session I attended just in the opening montage. Hey, there's that flamboyant, heavyset bouncer guy from Seattle doing the splits. Ouch! And I hear that pig rangler they showed briefly was also at the Pantages, though I missed that performance.

But, really, I didn't expect them to so blatantly fake Seattle. This is a much bigger slap in the face than the endless parade of pop knuckleheads that shout out "Seattle" from the Tacoma Dome's stage. Get a map, people! We are, like, 40 miles away from Seattle. It's like calling Dayton Cincinnati. Oy!

Well, we just witnessed Federal Way's Sanjaya Malakar bite the dust on "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me out of Here." Now let's see if any other locals launch their own 15 minutes of fame on the season premiere of "America's Got Talent," which starts in a few minutes on NBC-TV.

Not sure how much Pantages footage will be on this first episode. But between now and tomorrow night, expect to see snippets of Seattle's Pure Cirkus troupe. Trust me. If you were at the taping, you know they're getting face time, though not necessarily for good reasons. In case you didn't read or listen to my last related post, there's a little buzz about a Susan Boyle-type coming out of the T-town crop. And prepare to groan as they pretend our fair city is - gag! - Seattle. No offense, Jet City, but this is so, so predictable. and the longer I live here, the more annoying it gets.

So grab a sandwich, hit the head, stay tuned and check back during the show. Out!

“America’s Got Talent” footage filmed at Tacoma’s Pantages Theatre in April will air tonight and Wednesday on NBC-TV. Which makes you wonder, could the South Sound unleash another Sanjaya type on the world (even as the Sanjayanator extends his 15 minutes of fame on “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here")? Or could the Tacoma sessions yield someone more akin to British reality TV phenomenon, Susan Boyle.

Well, judges Piers Morgan and David Hasselhoff seem to be leaning towards the latter. Listen to the Hoff’s take here ...

… then click on Morgan’s take (which also refers some weirdo who hunts chickens but sings "like Garth Brooks") here.

You may have noticed the space under the South Sound Mix Tape over on the right has been blank for a few days. Well, the service we use for uploading tunes is "down for routine maintenance." Has been for several days running, actually. But we'll hopefully have the local music up and running again soon. Cheers.

PJ Harvey is seldom more experimental (or screechy) than when she teams up with longtime collaborator John Parish. And Tuesday night at Seattle’s Moore Theatre, the duo performed rootsy selections from their two discs, “Dance Hall at Louse Point” and this year’s “A Woman A Man Walked By.” Apologies for the late set list, but I’m actually out of the office for a few days. But here ya go.

ERNEST JASMIN

PJ Harvey & John Parish set list
June 16, 2009
Moore Theatre
Seattle

Black Hearted Love
Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen
Rope Bridge Crossing
Urn with Dead Flowers In a Drained Pool
Civil War Correspondent
The Soldier
Taut
Leaving California
A Woman A Man Walked By/The Crow Knows Where All the Little Children Go
Passionless Pointless
Cracks in the Canvas
Pig Will Not

Encore:
False Fire
April

I spoke with Wintergrass director Patrice O'Neill earlier today. And she requested that I post this letter responding to comments about the festival's relationship with Hotel Murano. So here it is, bluegrass fans:

In 1993 a quartet of unlikely people got together at the Ruston Inn and hatched a plan to present a bluegrass festival in the dead of winter in the middle of downtown Tacoma. At the time, it was not safe to walk down 15th Ave. the History and Art Museums did not exist, the UW wasn’t even a gleam in anyone’s eye and the Sheraton Hotel had a 3% occupancy rate at the end of February. There were also no other independently produced indoor bluegrass festivals anywhere. We made a phone call, did a little tour and promised that we could fill not only the hotel, but the streets of Tacoma with the sounds of music and joy. Were it not for the audacious and even playful attitude of the staff at the then Sheraton Hotel, Wintergrass would have been laughed right out of the building.

But sixteen years and many banjos later, we look back with nothing but the greatest affection, respect and love for the hotel that took a chance on us and the city that slowly allowed us to occupy a place in their heart.

As the story of this difficult decision has emerged many voices were added to the chorus shouting advice and casting aspersions. It is important to those of us who have worked to create and sustain Wintergrass, that our farewell to Tacoma not be viewed as a feud, but rather as what it has been – a painfully difficult, very emotional decision to choose between two excellent options for the future of our event.

=> Read more!

Wintergrass is leaving Tacoma.

The Wintergrass board of directors’ voted to uproot the popular bluegrass festival and move to Hyatt Regency Bellevue in 2010 after a 16-year run in Tacoma, festival directors said today.

“I wish it was another way,” Wintergrass director Patrice O’Neill said Tuesday afternoon, audibly choked up as she prepared to break the news to management at Hotel Murano, which has served as ground zero for the event.

“Ultimately, the decision had to be made on what was best for the long-term health of the festival. And that was a tough, tough call,” she said.

=> Read more!

Bob Bogle - the co-founder of legendary Tacoma garage-rock band, the Ventures, and the architect behind the distinctive guitar sound of early hits “Walk, Don’t Run” and “Perfidia” – has died.

Bogle, a resident of Vancouver, Wash., was 75 when he died on Sunday. He suffered from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and became too frail to play with the Ventures in his waning years. But he lived long enough to see his band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008.

“Thank God that they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Bob’s passing so that he had the joy of that long overdue and well-deserved recognition,” said Seattle rock legend Pat O’Day, who helped break the Ventures as a DJ for KJR-AM in 1960.

=> Read more!

The Flaming Lips will headline Redmond's Marymoor Park on Aug. 21, Seattle Theatre Group announced today. The alt-rock band - known for cult hits "She Don't Use Jelly," "Fight Test" and quirky live shows featuring fans dancing in furry animal costumes and, occasionally, singer Wayne Coyne rolling over the crowd in a giant "hamster" ball - will have support from Stardeath and White Dwarfs. Tickets are $36.50 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday (June 19). Check here for more info.

Capitol Hill Block Party organizers announced more acts for this year's festival, which will take place on July 24 and 25, with the main stage located outside of Seattle's Neumo's. Built to Spill, Pela, The Lonely Forest, Fences, Awesome Color, Wild Orchid Children, FourColorZacka and a Sing Sing reunion have been added to the bill. Read more here.

I was chatting up F-ing Eagles bassist Kelly Mickelson the other night at Top of Tacoma, and he tells me the follow up to his band's debut, "A Million Dollars Worth of Music," is all set to drop this summer. I went to the F-ing Eagles' MySpace page for more details. Here's how they put it in a blog post from last week:

Hiyo! We'll be finishing up our new record over the summer gunning for an August 2009 release...lots of new songs! It's called Midnight Sour and it's a concept record! Holy bad ideas! Sheesh, anyho we'll be doing a few shows here and there but generally holding off on playing to get this fiasco out. Come fall we'll be out and about and all up in your bananer. We do however have a big hurkin' Tacoma record release party planned for August 21st at the New Frontier w/ our exotic foreign friends Thee Manipulators (from Canadia!), Pure Country Gold (from Portland!), The Party Line (Wash, DC - with Alison Wolfe origgginal rrriot grrrrl (Bratmobile!)), and Night Hair (PDX). Massive no?

So save yer ducats and mark it on the calendar, people.

Cheryl Tucker just posted a response to our recent Wintergrass editorial from Hotel Murano's Portland ownership over on the Inside the Editorial Page blog. I thought a few of you might be interested in reading excerpts here, too. I was most interested in what Provenance Hotels president Howard Jacobs wrote in the last paragraph of the letter:

Let’s focus on the real issue. The Wintergrass Festival desires the lowest possible hotel rates and is shopping the competition in Bellevue and other cities to force us to hold their festival at the Murano at rates and conditions which are economically unsustainable. For years, we have had a close working relationship with this group and would hope to be able to continue that relationship. For more than 10 years, we have even created leased office space for their leadership in our hotel, which they use year-round. While we have upgraded the facility to provide their guests with top-notch amenities and service, they would like to pay less in real dollars than they were paying during the pre-renovation days. That is something that we cannot do and still remain in business. The Hotel Murano, The City of Tacoma and other constituencies have bent over backwards to meet the demands of Wintergrass, even as those demands change and grow by the hour. It’s time for the editorial board of the Tacoma News Tribune to use its power of persuasion on Wintergrass to support the community that has in turn supported them over decades, instead of asking the City, the Murano and others to lose money for the “privilege” of having them in Tacoma. It’s a privilege we can’t afford.

Read the entire letter here. And tell me what you think in the comments section.

Wintergrass won't make an announcement about whether the popular bluegrass festival is staying in Tacoma or moving to Bellevue until tomorrow at the soonest, according to director Patrice O'Neill.

The City of Tacoma, Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau and other entities offered concessions to woo Wintergrass back to Tacoma earlier this week. But the final hitch appears to be the festival's contract with Hotel Murano, where the Wintergrass office is located and a bulk of musical activity takes place in February.

Wintergrass organizers gave Hotel Murano until 5 p.m. today to revise the contract extension it had submitted to them earlier this week. And the Murano has been working with festival co-director Stephen Ruffo today to come up with a contract that "is a detailed and satisfactory response to the things that are most troubling to Wintergrass fans," according to an e-mail sent a short while ago.

Many Wintergrass attendees have been put off by a less jam-friendly atmosphere since Hotel Murano (formerly the Sheraton Tacoma Hotel) opened in 2008. Organizers feel the art-filled Murano's icy reception to instrumental jam sessions - an essential part of the festival for many - is partly to blame for a 25 percent drop in attendance at this year's festival.

"I am pushing as hard as I can to get this done by tomorrow," O'Neill wrote by e-mail. "Otherwise it will be Monday. Things are looking pretty good for Tacoma right now, but that's about as much as I can say."

Alice in Chains' first album with new singer William DuVall will be called "Black Gives Way to Blue," EMI Records announced today. The disc, recorded with producer Nick Raskulinecz, will come out on Sept. 29.

South Sound bluegrass fans anxiously await news about whether Wintergrass will remain in Tacoma or move to Bellevue in 2010. (Click here to read the last story I wrote on the issue if you're not up to speed.) And the ball is now officially in Hotel Murano’s court, according to an e-mail festival director Patrice O’Neill sent earlier tonight.

O’Neill and co-director Stephen Ruffo conducted a conference call with Wintergrass board members today. They determined that Wintergrass' fate rested on contract negotiations with Hotel Murano, she said.

Excerpts from O’Neill’s e-mail:

What will happen is this. We are giving the Murano until 5 p.m. on Thursday to revise the standard contract they just sent to us. This contract does not address the most critical issues to us. The contract from the Hyatt [in Bellevue] does. Our board recognizes that there are huge risks inherent in a decision either way. …

At this point, it looks like the whole ball of wax rests on whether or not the Murano can give us a satisfactory contract. That in and of itself is not satisfactory to me. I love what the city of Tacoma has done in the last few days. I am touched beyond belief and impressed and very willing to give Tacoma another shot.

Much of the friction between the hotel and Wintergrass since 2008 has stemmed from restrictions to instrumental jam sessions in the hotel lobby and other areas, a main attraction to the festival for many regulars.

Murano general manager Mark Van Cooney admitted that jamming was a point of contention. But during a recent interview with News Tribune staffer Ian Demsky he said the hotel had made concessions by allowing 24/7 jamming in the hotel ballroom and in the lobby until 2 a.m. The hotel had received complaints from some festival attendees about the late night noise, he said.

So you've got your copy of the Nightgowns' rad new disc "Sing Something," right? Well, here are two good reasons to show up and support the Tacoma indie-pop outfit when you see they're playing around town, too. The fellas dropped these two non-album tracks during their May 29 set at Urban Grace Church downtown. And if I'm readin' their MySpace page correctly, your next chance to catch them live is a July 2 gig at EMP/SFM's Skychurch. Shweeet! Now ch-ch-check out these cuts.

Specks of Dust

Humans Extinct

Blink 182, Weezer, Taking Back Sunday and Chester French are the first names KNDD-FM (“The End,” 107.7) to be announced for Endfest. The Seattle rock station's annual summer gala is set for Sept. 10 at Auburn’s White River Amphitheatre this year, and tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, the End announced today. Ticket prices range from $20 to $69, and Live Nation will have ‘em.

Indie label Kill Rock Stars is reporting that Jeff Hanson has died. From the KRS newsletter:

We are deeply shocked and saddened to report that Jeff Hanson passed away on June 5, 2009 in his home, a victim of a terrible accident. Jeff has been a part of the KRS family since 2003.

Jeff Hanson was an amazing artist, a riotously funny person, and a good friend. Everyone at Kill Rock Stars feels that we were privileged to put out his records. We will miss him tremendously. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Here are some songs to remember him by:

Hiding Behind the Moon

This Time It Will (video)

Hanson's hometown paper is saying the singer-songwriter's death may have been caused by a fall. Read more here.

Alice in Chains will release a new album in September. So says a press release issued today by the band’s new label, EMI. The band started recording with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Rush, Foo Fighters) last October at Studio 606 in Northridge, Calif., according to EMI’s release.

In 2005, singer-guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez reunited for their first show performance together since the tragic death of lead singer Layne Staley, a benefit for Indonesian tsunami victims held at the Premier in Seattle, a venue since renamed Showbox SoDo. The band started touring with with new lead singer William DuVall after that first reunion show.

=> Read more!

Anyone intimately acquainted with Tacoma’s hard rock scene probably knows Carl Zook for his stints shredding with I Defy, Buckwildz and probably a bunch of other bands he was in before I met the guy.

These days, he’s building up a new, stoner-metal project that’s simply called Zook. After last weekend’s performance at Hell’s Kitchen he handed me a few demos of songs that will probably wind up on the band’s forthcoming debut album. They're pretty tight, so I thought I'd leak 'em here and on the South Sound Mix Tape. Enjoy and leave comments.

Saddle Up

Big Baby Blues

Ton of Lead

War Dance

A closed door meeting has been set for Monday aimed at keeping Tacoma’s Wintergrass festival from moving to Bellevue. The meeting is expected to focus on rising hotel rates, parking and other issues that have organizers of the popular bluegrass festival eying a move to Hyatt Regency Bellevue in 2010.

“The city wants to have an opportunity to respond to the offer that they’ve been presented by the Hyatt,” said Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride, who called the meeting. “So we’re doing everything in our power to come up with a package that will entice them to stay here.

McBride did not elaborate on what the city and other entities were prepared to offer Wintergrass. But Wintergrass director Patrice O’Neill anticipated that Hotel Murano and other local hotels would offer significantly reduced rates for Wintergrass patrons, and that the Tacoma Dome might offer free parking.

Hotel Murano is ground zero for Wintergrass activity. “The Hotel Murano has really kicked into high gear and is working pretty hard with Amy and a number of other people to make it possible for us to stay,” O’Neill said.

Among those O’Neill expected to meet with on Monday were Tacoma’s community and economic development director Ryan Petty, Tacoma Regional Convention & Visitor Bureau president Tammy Blount and Tacoma’s public assembly facilities director Mike Combs.

“We want people at the table who can make decisions (and) present the offer with credibility,” McBride said.

“In my opinion they’re an extremely important Tacoma event,” she said. “I think for a town that bills itself on the arts, it would be a real black eye to lose them. They do great work and they need to be recognized for that.”

Apparently, lots of Tacomans agree. O’Neill said festival organizers have been deluged with feedback from patrons insisting that Wintergrass stay in Tacoma, where it has been for the past 16 years. (You can add your two cents here.)

“It’s been honestly quite surprising hearing people be so passionate about Wintergrass staying in Tacoma,” O’Neill said. “It’s nice. It’s very nice to hear. So I think the efforts that the Murano and the city are making and the voices of (fans) are making this a lot harder than it was already.

“At this point I couldn’t tell you what we’re going to decide,” she added. “I don’t think we know.”

Tacoma trumpeter Lance Buller is all set to stage his second annual Swing Daze concert, a tribute to the big band era that will bring the talents of Greta Matassa, the Swing Reunion Orchestra and more to Tacoma Musical Playhouse on Saturday night. And recently I caught up with him to find out what was new for this year's show. Click here to listen. And just so you can get an idea of that movie clip with Cab Calloway performing "Reefer Man" Buller talks about towards the end, here's that, too. Call is "The Chronic 1932."

Pearl Jam performed a private concert at Seattle’s Showbox late last week for a Target ad filmed by Singles director Cameron Crowe, Rolling Stone reports. More here.

I have fond childhood memories of driving to Florida for summer vacation with my dad with the Queen of Blues’ signature hit blaring from pop’s mix tape. It was his generation's equivalent of gangsta rap, not to mention one of the most bada-- songs ever. P.J. Harvey’s cover is pretty tight, too, if you haven't heard it live or on her "Peel Sessions" album. Click here if you have no idea what I'm talkin' about.

Then click here to read Rolling Stone's obit.

Daddy’s at the Emerald Queen this weekend. And now Miley Cyrus will follow with a big blowout in September. The tweener-pop idol will headline the Tacoma Dome on Sept. 16, promoter AEG Live announced today.

The tour will kick off two days before that, on Sept. 14 at the Portland’s Rosegarden.
Ticket prices will range from $39.50 to $79.50, according to today’s announcement. They’ll go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. on June 13, but American Express card holders will be allowed to purchase tickets online beginning 10 a.m. on June 10; www.ticketmaster.com/mileycyrus for details.

In case you missed the Wintergrass story I wrote with fellow staffer Ian Demsky for today's paper, festival organizers are considering moving to Bellevue for 2010. Click here to get the skinny.

Wintergrass co-director Patrice O'Neill followed up with an e-mailed response to this line from the story: City Manager Eric Anderson told the Council members at Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting that Tacoma was fighting hard to keep festival and had offered organizers “a small sum of money” to stay."

O'Neill writes, "Just so you know, we have not ever spoken to Eric Anderson and this is the first we've heard about a small sum of money being offered to us. No such thing. We would love to hear directly and officially from anyone at the city but have not. There has been no small sum of money offered to us for anything."

Forget that “papa” guy. Neko Case is the real rolling stone, having switched cities like an overgrown army brat in the decade and a half since she left our “dusty old jewel in the South Puget Sound.”

The red-headed chanteuse has moved to Seattle, Vancouver, B.C., Chicago, Tucson, Ariz., and most recently settled down on a farm in rural Vermont; you know, where she recorded the amphibian chorus you hear on the last half hour of her dreamy, new “Middle Cyclone” album.

But you know what they say about absence. “I’ve never played here before,” Case confessed at the beginning of her headlining set Tuesday night at Tacoma’s Pantages Theater. “I’ll try to do this without bawling.”

Case wasn’t joking. The mood was mostly light, with funny Frisko Freeze and Steve Miller references dropped in between song banter between Case and backup singer Kelly Hogan. But tears did eventually flow during a loving, set ending performance of “Thrice All American,” Case’s ode to Tacoma, her home in the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Case said it had been eight years since she did the song. And she dedicated it to her friends in the crowd, asking them to imagine they were back at the Community World Theater. That would be the short-lived but locally legendary punk venue located at 56th and M streets in the late ‘80s. (Case was into the local punk scene back then, and could have caught a fledgling Nirvana at CWT, before those lads were even called Nirvana.)

Fans stood and sang along with Case’s nostalgic, bell-clear vocals. “Well the factories churn and the timber's all cut down, and life goes by slow in Tacoooooma.”

The singer's excitement was palpable as she danced with a bashful little girl named Opal, who had been brought onstage by daddy, Kelly Mickelson of Tacoma garage-rock fixtures, the F---ing Eagles. And as the Case coasted to a cathartic close, joyful tears could be seen streaming down here.

Tacoma was happy to finally see you again, too, Neko, even if it took you way too long. And guess you weren’t kidding about that “I sadly neglect you” line in the song. (Now if only we can get the Sonics to do a hometown show.)

Case’s homecoming was all the more special since, a decade and change into her solo recording career, she’s achieved a commercial breakthrough with “Middle Cyclone.” The album reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this year, 51 spots higher than her previous studio album “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.” And while she’s still not quite a household name, appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman,” NPR and in the pages of Paste and other glossy rock rags have definitely raised her profile.

Backed by Hogan, multi-instrumentalist Jon Rauhouse, guitarist Paul Rigby, drummer Barry Marochnick and bassist Tom V. Ray, Case delivered a healthy dose of the new disc, with the title track, lead single “This Tornado Loves You” and ballad “Don’t Forget Me” providing high points. “I Wish I Was the Moon” from 2002’s “Blacklisted” disc packed and emotional punch, too, even if Case zoned out and skipped the song's bridge.

“I’m sorry,” Case acknowledged, laughing. “I’m just nervous.” Honestly, the song sounded great, and she could have acted as if the mistake hadn't happened with most fans none the wiser.

Rauhouse's rousing pedal steel guitar playing elevated many of the songs. And granted parts of the set were sloppy, with awkward pauses for tuning, miscues and technical glitches. But with Case and the witty Hogan trading jokes, the lulls and responses to fan outbursts were pretty funny. Hogan's spirit animal is “the cougar,” in case you were wondering. Go wherever you will with that.

Artist Kathleen Judge’s mostly impressionistic videos clips provided eye catching backdrops for the songs. Hazy clouds drifted by. Galloping Gerty bounced and buckled during "Thrice All America." Killer whales, deer and tigers (lots of tigers) underscoring the natural themes running through “People Got a Lotta Nerve,” “The Tigers Have Spoken," "I'm an Animal" and Case's cover of Sparks' "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth.”

And a note on security: Before we even sat down for Calexico's opening set, no less than three little old lady ushers warned us that our cell phones would be confiscated if we pulled them out during the show.

Huh? They were very polite with their warnings, but I'd never heard of that kind of phone scrutiny at a rock show. Can they even do that? Was this a mandate from Neko's handlers, attempting to put the kibosh on YouTube bootlegs? Or was there something else going on here?

Anyway, I posted the set list here, in case you missed it. And you can find find details for Thursday night's show at Seattle's Paramount Theatre here. Assuming you can still find a ticket.

Neko Case wrapped up her Tacoma homecoming show at the Pantages an hour ago. Her joyfully tearful performance of "Thrice All American" was worth the price of admission alone. More on that later. Here's the set list for now.

Neko Case set list
Pantages Theatre
June 2, 2009

Maybe Sparrow
People Got a Lotta Nerve
Fever
Hold On, Hold On
The Pharoahs
Middle Cyclone
Deep Red Bells
I Wish I Was the Moon
I’m an Animal
Prison Girls
The Tigers Have Spoken
Margaret vs. Pauline
Red Tide
Don’t Forget Me
That Teenage Feeling
This Tornado Loves You

Encore:
Vengeance Is Sleeping
Lady Pilot
Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth
Thrice All American

Opening act: Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino

Sure, most of the headlines were about Conan O'Brien taking over the "Tonight Show" last night. But a bigger deal, as far as I'm concerned, is that Pearl Jam dropped some new tunes. In case you missed it (like me) Rolling Stone has the skinny.

Foreigner is the latest addition to Concerts at Marymoor. The arena rock band – best known for “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded” and other hits – will perform at KZOK-FM’s classic rock festival, Zok Stock, which will take over Redmond’s Marymoor Park on Aug. 22.

Tickets are $40 to $60 and will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday (June 6). Check Ticketmaster for further details.

... there's this. Note to T-Pain and Kanye: Regular Auto-Tune is officially played out. But comedic Auto-Tune? Heeeee-frickin-larious! Especially when you throw Katie Couric into the mix. Out.

Live Nation is trotting out a couple of ticket deals this week. For starters, the world’s biggest concert promotion company announced the launch of “no service fee Wednesdays,” which will start this week (June 3). Locally, that amounts to service charges being nixed for lawn seats at Live Nation’s White River and Gorge amphitheaters for 24 hours.

Live Nation also announced discounted tickets for tweener idols, the Jonas Brothers’, June 28 stop at the Tacoma Dome. Beginning 10 a.m. Sunday (June 7), a limited number of $19.99 Jo Bros tickets will go on sale. Find out more here.