I'm actually out of the office this week, but I had to at least post a link about the father of the electric guitar dying. Read Rolling Stone's obit here.

You may not know Kris Brannon by name. But if you've been to just about any big even in Tacoma this summer chances are you've noticed him.

It's kind of hard not to, actually. Brannon is that tall guy with the afro you spotted waving his "save our Sonics" sign at Taste of Tacoma, Art on the Ave and outside the American Idols Live show. I wrote a story about his late, one-man crusade for Monday's SoundLife section. Until then, you can click on the video clip to learn about the method behind his madness.

The Hoff leaves Tacoma, where he filmed material for "America's Got Talent" last week, and a minute later he's knee-deep in a big ol' scandal. Well, a little and possibly overblown one, actually. TMZ has details.

Come back, David, come back! TMZ's reach doesn't extend to Tacoma. So it's kind of like the tree-forest thing. If something crazy happens to you and there are no paparazzi to document, did it really happen? Hmmmmm?

Duuuuudes! I typed this blog entry with the hand that shook hands with David Hasselhoff. You know, the guy with the talking car? Huge in Germany? Did lots of slo' mo' beach running with Pam Anderson? Shweeeet!

But seriously, while I normally focus on pop music on this here blog, you know I had to make an exception for clips I gathered on the set of "America's Got Talent," which taped today at Tacoma's Pantages Theatre. Not only did I get face time with the Hoff, I also kicked with new host, Nick Cannon, and judge Piers Morgan (who's not nearly as mean in person. Quite charming, actually?)

Nick Cannon on his first season, "wild and crazy stuff" in Tacoma and upcoming projects

"The Hoff" on the potential for another Susan Boyle, his first visit to Puget Sound and an encouraging tidbit about "Knight Rider" towards the end

Piers Morgan on "eccentric people doing weird things" in Tacoma and being the tough judge

I promised not to give away any big spoilers regarding who made the cut and whatnot. But I can tell you that several contestants will be familiar to many of you who frequent local rock clubs, cabarets and festivals. Seattle b-boy crew Massive Monkees was there. So were performers from Pure Cirkus and Teatro ZinZanni, not to mention Fuschia Foxxx, a.k.a. that sexy lady from the cover of the new Ventures/Wailers album.

lso, there’s a potential outrage for Grit City. There were several indications during taping that this will be yet another show that will try to pass us off as “Seattle” when the episode(s) air this summer; you know, Seattle shout outs, the guy next to me claiming the crowd had been coached to say Seattle.

Boooooo! to faking Seattle and not giving Tacoma props. Hoooooooray to local peeps on national TV. And could we have another Sanjaya on our hands? Time will tell. The Tacoma footage will air some time after the season premier on June 23.

In case you've been in a coma and have, therefore, been insulted from the buzz, "America's Got Talent" is coming. The open cattle calls begin at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday (April 25 and 16) at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, with pre-registration info available by clicking here. (But what's up with that "Seattle" nonsense in the link? This is Tacoma, Grit City, you California TV types!)

Tryouts will be followed by two show taping sessions at 1 and 6 p.m. next Wednesday at the Pantages. Check the Broadway Center site for details on that.

You know, in case you haven't been following this. And it only took, what? Six years?

I dropped in on the soft opening of 1022 South on Sunday night. That’s the new joint just opened at 1022 S. J St., a space owned by the Frontier Room’s Neil Harris, in case you missed my last couple of posts. And it’s still dark, hip and ultra cozy with a slick but subtle makeover. It takes a discerning eye, or someone who spent way too much time in there when it was the Monsoon Room, to pick out the changes. The shelves and arrangement behind the bar is different, a bit slicker. The fancy piano in the corner is definitely new, and 1022 South's Chris Langston tells me local singer-songwriter types will get a crack at the 100-year-old antique once it's back in tune.

But atmosphere aside, the thing that's bound to make this place a great date or concert pre-funk spot is the unique drink menu. All the drink names are nods to 1022 South organizers' favorite authors. Death in the Afternoon is for Hemingway. The Bluebird is for Bukowski. We'll go with Nietzsche over the less marketable alternative for the Hilltop Uber Alles.

The one I really fell in love with was the Garden of Forking Paths, basically a modified mojito made with tequila in lieu of rum and a bit of muddled jalapeno that gives it a pleasant bite. I was a big fan on sip one, having conditioned my taste buds through years of palak paneer consumption. But my girlfriend couldn't get past the lingering burn and left hers unfinished.

But one thing that visibly put off a couple of patrons I saw checking out the menu was how pricey the specialty cocktails were. At $8 to $10 a pop, not sure how well they will go over during this whole recession/depression thing we've got going on. But they've got cheaper beer on tap, too, at any rate.

Langston tells me the web page is still in the works, but I believe this is them on MySpace.

Daily newspapers aren't the only media outlets getting crushed by this brutal economy. Advertising Age is reporting that Blender magazine has pulled the plug and that the current issue, the one with Kelly Clarkson on the cover, will be its last.

OK, I'm finally like all the cool kids and on twitter (www.twitter.com/noiseblog). Then again, the cool kids have probably moved on to some hipper new thing that lets them keep up with each other telepathically or something. But so what! I've done some cool interviews, ranging from T-town's own Vicci Martinez to punk legend Exene Cervenka of X, and plan to post lots of audio soon. So I you should really click the link for updates. Because just bookmarking is sooooooo 1999.

Rolling Stone has details here. Hmmm. Wonder how Pearl Jam feels about this.

The incident that kept Rihanna and boyfriend Chris Brown from participating in the Grammys Sunday may be even uglier than we imagined. Quoting police, several reports, including this one from TMZ, say Rihanna suffered "horrific" injuries during an assault that allegedly involved Brown, including bite marks and facial contusions.

Lacey Leffler at Broadway Center sent me this regarding the Feb. 17 appearance of Juan de Marcos & the Afro-Cuban All-Stars at the Pantages Theater.

We are working a pretty cool project with Emergency Food Network that we’re just announcing this week. Key Foundation, the performance sponsor, has helped us join forces with EFN to help encourage food donation at a time when they need it most. We’re making $15 tickets available to the show with a non-perishable canned food item donation. We’ll have food bins set up at the Box Office.

Learn more here.