In 2006, a few things were happening in the greater indie rock landscape, including the ever expanding tendrils from the past few years’ rediscovery of previously discarded genres like psychedelia, garage rock, and goth; the excitement of hundreds of bands scrambling to see where everything was going next; and the birth of two bands: the Growlers and the Coathangers. For the Growlers, surf-rock and an arid, dusty atmosphere led them to describe their sound as “beach goth”; as for the Coathangers, they embraced an increasingly hooky brand of punk, bolstered by an unfuckwithable swagger.

Enumclaw | Saturday, Dec. 10Around these parts, whenever bands evoke the sounds of the ‘90s, it’s almost always through the prism of American alt-rock and grunge – two movements that still loom large in the landscape of the Pacific Northwest music scene. It’s a little surprising, then, that despite the similarities Tacoma shares with blue-collar British hotbeds of ‘90s rock, like Manchester and Sheffield, Britpop is a genre that seems to receive little to no homage in our neck of the woods. Bands like Blur, Pulp, Suede, and Oasis came to define Britpop, bringing anthem-ready tunes and working-class grit to the airwaves.

Hilltop Tacoma is going through some drastic changes over the last 4 years (2019-2022). It’s no longer the historically Black neighborhood that it once was, full of men and women that served their country and stayed in the PNW to make a better way for their families, inducing a serious White flight that is now attempting to circle back and push out the residents that made the community close knit and family oriented. It’s a shame but it’s the name of the game. That’s how change works good or bad, it affects people and it doesn’t affect everyone the same, for some there is opportunity for others there are empty promises unfulfilled. The change has come and will continue so why not highlight the few that aren’t harming the environment and have become a haven for some?

Airport TavernFor decades South Tacoma Way has been silently and patiently waiting for things to come full circle. Prior to the I-5 and the Tacoma Mall scooping up all the attention the lengthy strip was home to the nightlife for Tacomans of the past, who saw those businesses and bars they love close down one after another due to diverted traffic. Historically this happens in Tacoma, one area rebuilds and the rest seems to be obsolete until they follow suit. A once very neon and bustling downtown suffered from something similar. But following suit isn’t so easy for most small businesses and without a cult following of regulars the ‘phase out’ happens faster than expected. But prior to the pandemic Tacoma was in a new stage of growth that shined a light on revitalization of our business districts as much as exploration into new territories or those that had been underused. And a man ahead of the curve as he has proven so many times before, Danno Rankin, saw that very early on. Like most of South Tacoma Way at that time, with the exception of a few key players, the Airport Tavern was on its way there before he had the foresight to remodel and bring it back to life. Danno did everything under the sun at Jazzbones for a long time including booking all the talent, so his resume and expertise speak for itself when it comes to understanding what Tacoma wants from a venue. His answer was providing the best of both worlds, Tacoma’s love for dives with his booking abilities creating a bar/venue. While it does tend to cater towards rock bands, Airport Tavern and Danno have a huge hand in putting on Reggae on The Way, a block party style reggae fest that in the past has shut down the main retail strip of South Tacoma Way. It has now outgrown that setting and is being held at LEMAY. His ability to revitalize has been impressive.