A couple of weeks ago at Hell’s Kitchen I ran into Big Wheel Stunt Show’s Evan Nagle, who was excited about an all-star jam he was putting together for the finale of the inaugural Tacoma Hempfest, which took place Saturday at Wright Park. On site, Legend of Bigfoot’s Jason Flom hinted that they’d practiced a song by a band that played Woodstock. So thinking about the styles of music that LOB and Stunt Show play I figured … Hendrix? The Who? Uh, Sha Na Na?

You could say I …

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This comes from the Dignitaries’ set last weekend at the New Frontier Lounge.

Sure, KUBE 93′s Summer Jam had big shots Drake, the Game and Rick Ross down at the White River Amphitheatre. But Grit City Fest showcased some of the best in local hip-hop, with a show at the Harmon HUB headlined by Tacoma’s Evergreen One & Todd Sykes.

The duo tells me their debut album is weeks away from being finished, and you can catch ‘em next opening for Tone Loc at Jazzbones. Meanwhile, here’s some of what you may have missed last night.

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Leave it to the Fun Police to bring actual grits to Grit City Fest. A guy introduced to me as simply “Fryin’ Ryan” is the newest member of their posse. And while the band served up “We Don’t Want No More” and “Bar Fly,” ol’ Ryan was busy whippin’ up the most mouth-watering batch of cheesy grits I’ve ever had. That’s no exaggeration, my friends. And I’m from down South!

Guitarist and lead singer Kevin Schulz tells me free food will be a regular part of the ever-expanding Fun Police experience. As if you needed another …

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If you read today’s local section you know Tacoma rapper Roderic was down at Classy Chassis Car Wash & Detail in Lakewood yesterday shooting a video for his song “Freshman,” a cut that’s generated a little buzz on a few hip-hop sites. He’s already appeared on B.E.T. and a national ad campaign for the U.S. Census. So could 2010 be a breakout year for the Curtis High grad?

Check out this clip I put together to get a better idea of what went down. Hell, watch if a few times. You might pick up …

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Here’s one of those videos I tweeted about shooting at Breast Fest, the cancer benefit that Tacoma singer-songwriter Deborah Page put together over at the Swiss earlier this month. (Or did I tease that on the Facebook page? Whatever, can’t remember.)

Here’s Page and hubby Paul Uhl doing a mash-up of their song, “The Like Before,” and Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.” Think I’ve got a clip of China Davis from that same show sitting on one of my hard drives somewhere.
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And heeeeeeerees Tacoma’s Gold Teeth. While these dark, grainy, distorted clips won’t win any awards for sound and cinematography, they give you the gist of the mayhem that unfolded last Sunday at Top of Tacoma.

P.S. I know “time machine” isn’t spelled that way. I checked my AP Style Guide and everything. But GT’s Sean Horst insisted that’s how the band rolls. You know, they spell like rappers.

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So, yesterday I ducked into the Red Hot where I ran into Swampy Draws drummer Mudd Butt Mysterioso (who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mike from Tacoma hardcore band South 11th.) And he tells me last Sunday’s gig at the Spar would be Swampy’s last “for a long time.”

Needless to say, that inspired me to quit slackin’ and finally chop up a couple of clips I shot from a previous gig at the New Frontier Lounge – you know, to tide Swampy’s fans over while he’s on hiatus.

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Here’s an up-and-coming Tacoma band I’ve been meaning to showcase for a while, Pioneers West. These clips are from the New Frontier on March 20. They’re playing there again on Thursday if you want to support what you see and hear here.

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There was a big local buzz leading up to the debut of Manhammer, the new hard rock outfit that formed from the ashes of Dirty Knockers, the late Brian Redman’s last band. You could call the quintet a T-town super-group with members of Gold Teeth and Cody Foster’s Army also in the fold – Tacoma’s Down, if you will.

Needless to say, the New Frontier Lounge was totally packed last night. Of course, I had my point an shoot in hand, and I braved spilled beer and gnarly injuries …

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