ILLFIGHTYOU, But Don’t Run (Debut Record Release – June 13)
There has been quiet buzz building about Tacoma’s ILLFIGHTYOU since last year — They’ve caught the eye of The Stranger and have been featured on KEXP. With the release of their debut record on June 13, this strange and intimidatingly smart trio ought to turn a lot of heads in Tacoma and beyond.
Read articlePost Defiance City Council Candidate Endorsement
When we considered these candidates, and how their strengths and weaknesses might alter the political direction of Tacoma, we knew it would be tough to choose which one to endorse. After weeks of deliberate conversation and heated debate, our editorial board could not arrive at a clear consensus. In the end, Post Defiance chose to endorse…
Read articleShake Shake Shake: Contemplating Comestibles and Desire
What happens when Post Defiance takes a wild and crazy trip to the heart of funky family dining in Tacoma’s “cool-cats’ zone” called St. Helens? Read more to find out!
Read articleHow the Mighty Have (Almost) Fallen
The giant totem pole in Fireman’s Park near Old City Hall is fatally deteriorated, and no longer structurally stable. Any dead tree, no matter how intricately carved or fancifully painted, would rot and topple after 110 years of exposure to Tacoma weather. It should not come as a surprise that this particular 83-foot-tall log is crawling with carpenter ants and mushy to the core.
Read articleWaiting For A Voice: Grumpy Thoughts on Tacoma Music
If you’re interested in following me on this journey of highly personal observations, and if you feel you might have had encounters with music in Tacoma that were similar to my own, read on. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Read articleHistoric Streets?
The City of Tacoma is considering a proposal to designate the pavement on certain streets in the North Slope area as protected historic features – specifically, the stony slopes of North 9th, 10th and 11th Streets between North K Street and North G street.
Read articleSlow and Romantic: Driving in Tacoma
Washington State is notable for many reasons: its natural beauty, its superior music festivals, its tech-centered economy. It’s most distinctive element, however, is its painfully slow drivers. I get the feeling these drivers don’t have any place they are actually trying to get to – they just happened upon a vehicle, and decided to drive it around for a bit, as if the highway system is their personal Walden Pond. Tacoma drivers are particularly insufferably slow.
Read articleWaiting For “The Big One”
The Pacific Northwest is a cleverly alluring natural death trap. With an agreeably mild climate and natural beauty that combines endless coastline with icy mountain peaks and abundant flora and fauna, it is easy to forget that the very earth that spawns us seems particularly eager to bury us or shake us to death.
Read articleRaymond Lucas: Monkeyshines Smasher
Someone in Tacoma is not happy about Monkeyshines. We talked to him.
“Daniel, listen. I haven’t told anyone this, but I’m telling you. Every year, I go out and I try to find every last one of those Monkeyshines balls, and then I take them to the nearest sidewalk and stomp on them. Smash them to bits,” he said.
You Will Be Going To Awesomeparty on Friday
There is a party this Friday at New Frontier, thrown by none other than the intrepid and infamous Camp666.com. I think you should go to it. I will be going to it, and maybe we could meet each other.
Let me explain why you should go to this party.
Live/Work Space
The Live/Work Space concept, vital because it is one of the few progressive options our cash-strapped economy can easily navigate, is gaining traction in Tacoma. It could provide a pivotal bridge between business potential and our unfortunately ample local stock of empty or decaying business space.
Read articleTacoma’s Greatest Day
On this beautiful Election Day, Post Defiance decided to step out of our gloomy war room to mingle with Tacoma’s voting public. What we found astounded us.
Read articleThe Pains of Drinking Locally
When pondering the beers that are actually brewed in Tacoma’s city limits, many beer enthusiasts might lower their countenance and take on the posture of someone suffering from mild gastric distress. It’s a discomfort that isn’t often spoken of in a city that’s so fiercely supportive, insular, and defensive. But the discomfort is there.
Read article“Martial Law Looms in Tacoma”
The summer of 1935 gripped Tacoma in a frenzy of unrest. Thousands regularly took to the streets in protest of labor disparities, leading to the deployment of National Guard troops. Tear gas was used liberally. Citizens and policemen traded blows on 11th Street and on the deck of the lift bridge we now know as the Murray Morgan Bridge. Meanwhile, the lumber mills lining the city waterway ran on shoestring capacity, or not at all.
Read articlePost Defiance One Year Anniversary
On Sunday, August 26th, Post Defiance was able to throw what may well have been the Tacoma party of the year, thanks to the support of our readers and the generosity of donors like 1022 South, 21 Cellars, Hilltop Pop Shop, Backcountry Creamery, Bluebeard Coffee, Sean Alexander, King’s Books, Springtide Press, Anagram Press, and Libertine Tacoma.
The party was our opportunity to thank our many contributors, while showcasing some of our favorite local artists – with performances by Taxi Driver, Colin Scott Reynolds (ILow), Kye Alfred Hillig, and Grace Youn with Angel Llanos.
Read articleGrace Sullivan: Drifting Toward Apartment Lights
There are a lot of fractured reflections in Grace Sullivan’s debut EP as Apartment Lights. “The White River” is an album composed of three songs that emerged from restorative moments in the natural world.
Read articleEquality Fair
The first self-evident truth listed in the Declaration of Independence is this: “All men are created equal”. That’s the first thing we said when we wrote our letter to the King of England. We followed it by saying that equal men have inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Our rights as Americans are based upon equality. Freedom means nothing if it is not shared equally by all citizens.
So why don’t we celebrate equality? It’s an easy concept – much easier and less fraught with ethical complexities than the concept of freedom. No one is better than anyone else. We have the right to equal access and equal protection under the law.
Read articleApartment Lights Switching On
Music lovers in Tacoma and beyond are familiar with Grace Sullivan. As a founding member of the very popular Goldfinch, she co-wrote and performed songs of barren sincerity mined from the dark vein between sacrament and sense. Last year, fans noticed changes in the band, including Grace’s absence. But by no means had she stopped writing music.
Read article“I Think Tacoma May Be the Twilight Zone”
In December of 1984, Bruce Springsteen was Rolling Stone magazine’s cover story, as he has been many times. But the first three paragraphs of that story – an interview by Kurt Loder (of MTV fame) with the meteoric mega-star – were all about Tacoma and its infamous aroma.
Read articleLive/Work Space in Tacoma’s Historic Buildings
Thanks to ongoing policy discussions at City Hall and the support of Historic Tacoma, our city’s historic structures may begin to play a more active role in our economy and culture through an innovative business model.
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