Organizers over at Beyond the Bridge Cafe have announced their first shows since relocating from Sumner to 2717 Sixth Ave., in Tacoma. “The Phoenix” will pair dance troupe BBC Bots with local rocker Vicci Martinez for a night of dance, story and music that will kick off at 8 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 25. Tickets are $15, and they’re available here.
There are relatively few places in the Northwest for getting your vintage pinball and old-school arcade fix on. Seattle has Shorty’s, Portland has Ground Kontrol (see video at bottom of this post) and soon Tacoma will have Dorky’s Barcade.
Dorky’s owners Les Bond and Caroline Dennewith are awaiting liquor license approval and putting the finishing touches on their forthcoming arcade, bar and grill (specialty, grilled cheese) which will soon open at 754 Pacific Ave., formerly home to Brick City Project.
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A new nightclub called Vanity is headed to 5602 S. Washington St., in Tacoma, previously the home of rock club Station 56.
Local entrepreneur Ali Mehdizadehkashi – who owns Cheers Bar & Grill in Puyallup and has been affiliated with the Sixth Avenue Bar & Grill, Area 151, Cheers West and Lipstix, among other local establishments – is leasing the space. He applied for a liquor license for Vanity last month and has revealed tentative plans to open by mid-September.
Among the entertainment he said he may showcase are live rock bands, comedy, jazz and salsa. …
Encore will not open this week, as previously reported on TRC. Co-owner Jon Tartaglia cited a number of reasons for the delay related to the construction of Encore and remodeling sister venue Big Whisky Saloon around the corner.
“We’re also trying not to rush it,” he said, adding that Encore will likely not open for at least two more weeks.
Encore is under construction at 1025 Pacific Ave., in Tacoma, formerly the location of the Vault, which has been moved upstairs at the Varsity Grill. For Encore, Tartaglia again partners with Roger …
Encore will open in downtown Tacoma on July 23, according to co-owner Roger Rahil. [Note: Date updated from earlier version of this post.] As reported last month, Encore is the new nightclub that he and partner Jon Tartaglia are constructing at 1025 Pacific Ave., formerly the location of the Vault.
Rahil and Tartaglia also worked together on the Loft and 21 Commerce, adjoining nightclubs that were among the city’s most popular dance destinations before closing, under different ownership, in 2008. Encore will build on the aesthetic the duo developed at that complex, which was located at 21st …
Tacoma’s popular Sixth Avenue bar strip may have another hot spot this summer in the spot that Tacoma’s Hell’s Kitchen abandoned for downtown late last year.
The owners of Gruv Lounge & Nightclub – a dance club under construction at 3829 Sixth Ave., formerly home to popular rock club, Hell’s Kitchen, which moved downtown – applied for a liquor license on March 25.
Jason Rim said he bought the space a month and a half ago, attracted by the synergy building on the Sixth Avenue. “There are some good bars around there, like Jazzbones and Chopstix and some …
Just got a call from local promoter Melissa Wheatley of Footwork Media, who’s brought the likes of Too Short and Devin the Dude to Grit City in recent years. And it looks like her focus is on bringing big, monthly shows to the Vault in Olympia these days. The next on the list: Ginuwine on Feb. 19 and Twista on March 26.
Yesterday, local big band leader Rich Wetzel sent me details on a new jazz series set to kick off this weekend at South Tacoma Way’s newest hot spot, the Stonegate.
“Tacoma Just Got Hipper – Jazz at the Stonegate” will go on from 5 to 8 p.m. on Sunday (Jan. 10). The kickoff event will feature Rich Wetzel’s Groovin’ Higher Orchestra playing jazz and funk tunes, ranging from Maynard Ferguson to James Brown.
For more info on the Stonegate, check here.
Recently, I reported that Hell’s Kitchen ownership was eyeing New Year’s Eve for the grand opening of the new facility, located in downtown Tacoma at 928 Pacific Ave. And now it’s official, with The Jet City Fix, Atomic Outlaws and Wide Eye Panic confirmed for a free show that will start at 8 p.m. Check the venue’s site for the most up to date info.
They’re hammerin’ away on the new Hell’s Kitchen, which is in the works at at 928 Pacific Ave., in case you haven’t read this. When I toured the premises last week, booking guru Flash Connel gave me New Year’s Eve as the tentative grand opening date.
“Bottom line is a coupe of badass shows in mid-January that we have to be open for,” he said. Those shows: Rorschach Test on Jan. 16 and Guttermouth on Jan. 22. Check out the venue’s site here.