When people outside of Washington state picture it in their minds they see forest for miles, pretty lakes, raging rivers, wilderness trails, farms and country. Those ideals are usually followed with images of fresh markets and farm to table meat by the pound from persons who are masters of agriculture and livestock. It’s one of the more romanticized versions of living in the Evergreen state and it’s not completely inaccurate. But it doesn’t encompass the entire picture and that lifestyle is few and far between in the Western half of the state. The glimpses you do get remind you how lucky we are to have such a blended mix of town and country for retailers and markets like the Tacoma Boys.

Jesus on the Moon | Wednesday, March 29It’s been established, again and again, that the idea of a singular artistic mind and voice being entirely responsible for a band’s sound is bunk – making an album is a collaborative experience, no matter who you are. Still, that notion lingers, which lends a bit of extra juice to one-man bands, where a person locks themself away to create magic on their own. Jake Frye would undoubtedly bristle at this image, but as the operating brain behind Jesus on the Moon, his music project since 2005, Frye has been quietly writing and recording songs in tucked-away spots like basements and bedrooms. Like it or not, his authorial stamp is all over every guitar-spiked, synth-soothed note of his music.

There’s almost too many good things to say about the Grand Cinema in Tacoma. At its core function, it stands for art with a hyper focus on cinema in the best way. It’s a nonprofit, providing a pathway to pop culture while keeping its doors and programming open to local and international film enthusiast, supporters, directors, and film industry professionals. All of that speaks to and sticks to the heritage that began at the Grand Cinema, once the Grand Theatre, in 1997. Two years prior in 1995 the cinema was closed after being freshly built, but was saved and turned into a nonprofit by to Tacoman film enthusiasts. Since then it’s functioned well, and only continues to stay head of the curve culturally while doing its civic duty, provide entertainment and service, at a high-level.

The Shakabrah is cool because it has been around forever (25 years or so) and gone through a few iterations of itself without losing the environment that has turned it into a staple over time, nothing cooler in Tacoma than being around for a reason. Its placement in the 6th Ave district is definitely a help but it’s the food, people, service and the experience that keep the word of mouth reviews rolling in. Since about 2015, Tacoma has been in a serious growing phase and it’s resulted in a lot of change in ownership and that’s continuing to happen. Some of them have been really bad and some of them have been for the better. Shakabrah’s changes have only been to its benefit. In 2017 it changed hands and the new owners couldn’t see a reason for change. The old adage “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” rang true. And the changes they did make have only made it more dynamic, a remodeled kitchen, a liquor license and advancement of their espresso/coffee offering.