Forget David Bowie. Mike Patton is the king of rock chameleons.

He’s done alt-rock; rap-rock; trip-hop; doo-wop; hip-hop; jazzy pop; bossa nova; freaky a cappella music; thrash songs inspired by Saturday morning cartoons; at least one 75-minute song that sounds like the score to the scariest movie ever; and a gang of other styles I’m probably forgetting about. All that would be divided between his stints with Faith No More, Fantomas, Mr. Bungle, Lovage and other

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It appears Tacoma’s own Mono in VCF is slowly, but surely swinging back in gear, months after the departure of singer Charles Perales. For starters, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker learned about Mono thanks to recommendations by several of his Puget Sound-based My Space friends. And he picked the band to open his April 30 show at the Showbox. But before that, Mono has a warm-up gig scheduled for April 27 at Sandford & Son.

The band used to have a moody sound that was most akin to the Smiths or Joy Division. And I was curious about how

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Some passionate discussion has been going on with this Imus thing. But here’s my beef. What bothers me most about the Imus controversy isn’t some codger shock jock’s awkward use of hip-hop slang. It’s not all the cynical, race-baiting pundits that can actually call his firing “a lynching” with a straight face. It’s that more blatantly, racist and homophobic things get said on mainstream airwaves just about every week without much of a stink being made about them. And unlike Imus, listeners take some of the jokers featured in the clip below seriously.

Sorry for the belated Don Imus survey results, but I’ve been out sick a couple of days Hack! Cough! I think I had a touch of the ol’ Ebola.

But there’s been lots of good discussion in the aftermath of the shock jock getting canned, mostly along the lines of different standards for elderly shock jocks and rappers. I’d like to revisit this in the near future. But meanwhile, here’s what the readers thought about the firing:

Don Imus should have been fired: 24 percent

Don Imus should not have been fired: 76

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Just got back from Modest Mouse’s tour launch at the Paramount. Not nearly as good as the shows I caught in Portland and Seattle last month. A more detailed take should be up on our main page by late morning. Meanwhile, here’s a set list.

Modest Mouse set list

Paramount Theatre

April 15, 2007

Bury Me With It

Black Cadillacs

Dashboard

Paper Thin Walls

Fire It Up

Trailer Trash

Bukowski

Missed the Boat

Doin’ the Cockroach

Tiny Cities Made of Ashes

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Should the man have been fired for his “nappy headed hoes” comment? Put your two cents in here — or leave your take below if it’s more involved than “yes” or “no” — and I’ll post the results early next week.

Arlo Guthrie is the main attraction Friday night at the Pantages Theater on Friday, and I caught up with the folk legend a couple of weeks ago to talk about his Guthrie Family Legacy Tour. Apologies for the buzzing, but he gave me a lot of good stuff about …

… the inspiration for the tour.

… “lost” material that continues to surface from the Woody Guthrie archives.

… his first encounter with some guy named Bob Dylan (prompted by my reference to

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Emerging Market Development all but pioneered the swanky "ultra-lounge" concept with the 2003 opening of 21 Commerce (since sold) in downtown Tacoma. But the company is going in a decidedly different blue collar direction with Cans, the new pub and music venue that will open in the former Taboo/Comedy Underground space this spring.

The venue – located at the corner of Ninth and A streets downtown – has been closed for several weeks for renovation, with the Comedy Underground shows permanently moved to Emerging Market’s main downtown joint, the Varsity Grill. But company spokesman Jon

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It’s official. Shock jock Don Imus got canned today for his “nappy headed hoes” comment – which you might have actual heard once or twice by now. Sweet sassy molassy! Click

here for more details.

But I’m curious. How many of you think justice has been surved? Add your two cents here. And leave comments if you have something more than “yea” or “nay” to say.

Just got a call from Mike “Outtasite” Singleton who, along with the Presidents of the United States of America’s Chris Ballew, forms the Feelings Hijackers. And he informed me that my copy of the second TFH album, “Skeletal Remains,” is on the way, fresh from the CD presser.

The duo’s self-titled and independently released debut melded buoyant pop material Ballew had written over the years, breakbeats and Singleton’s crafty rhymes. And this time around Singleton said fans should expect a more energetic albums with songs that are a few BPM’s faster than those on the first

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