Almanac

There’s a lot happening in Tacoma.

Music, visual arts, literature, printmaking, performing arts, public art, treasure hunting, found object-finding,

and more. The Almanac brings them all together as a weekly digital publication.

Make It To The Show: Mt Fog Aeroplane Icon
Adam McKinney
January 31, 2023
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Mt Fog | Saturday, February 4

Seattle’s own Mt Fog describes her music as “forest folktronica,” evoking the push-and-pull relationship between the natural and the inorganic. Truly, it’s easy to listen to Mt Fog and imagine the swirling synths, insistent beats, and alien vocals reverberating around a misty Pacific Northwest wood. Mt Fog is the work of Carolyn B., an artist whose adventurous, elastic vocal style hit the sweet spot for fans of Bjork or Joanna Newsom, serving as the perfect accompaniment for her largely minimalistic electronica. Her voice phases in and out of recognition, warping and wrapping itself around chiming keyboards.

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While her sound may be otherworldly, though, Mt Fog keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground, as evidenced on songs like “Waiting Through These Years,” lamenting that the drudging obligations of everyday life interfere with an idealized existence of purpose – that getting a job doesn’t always give one the time or resources to save the planet. On February 4, Mt Fog will sweep through ALMA, along with two other wildly unique voices: Maya Marie’s soulful, powerful voice rides high atop a bed of ragged rock ‘n’ roll; and Cullen Cochran recalls T. Rex’s Marc Bolan by way of nocturnal, jazz-inflected psychedelia. This is a night of strong personalities – artists with styles as distinct as the seasons.

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Make It To The Show: Home In Tacoma For All

Home In Tacoma For All | Thursday, Dec. 8Housing is a human right. Can we start with that? If we can, then we can move on to the myriad ways in which this right is distorted and kept from the vulnerable people who need it. Home in Tacoma is an organization that is working to address this in the face of opposition that seems to view those without access to housing as – without failure – drug addicts and violent criminals.The problem is that housing has become an asset that has been priced out of the attainability of all but the most fortunate citizens. As Home in Tacoma have reported, Tacoma’s average rent saw a nearly 40% increase from March of 2021 to March of 2022, meaning that so many people have had to resort to treading water by sleeping in cars, motel rooms, or tents. As we enter the cold months of Tacoma, it’s heartbreaking to consider how many people are being left out to fend for themselves, and the cruel mindset that keeps them that way.In an effort to provide some sort of relief, ALMA is hosting Home in Tacoma for their “Home in Tacoma For All'' show, featuring some amazing acts that showcase a pretty wide swath of Tacoma’s artistic expression.

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Umi’s Corner Tacoma: Pairing Pies & Pints

It’s a perfect Tacoman business. State Street hits all the touch points of Tacoma, fully wood decor, an open seating plan, outdoor seating with standing room, 15 rotating hand chosen tap beers, food, family-friendly, prime time hours and location. That means there’s no one that can’t pass through your doors and it’s easy to find your business. They are keeping it simple in the best way, I love the quote under their address on the website, “Located on 6th Ave, just behind Bluebeard Coffee Roasters and across from Hilltop Heritage Middle School”. You can’t miss them, and if you’re from Tacoma you can see it with your eyes closed.

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Umi Wagoner’s Tacoma: Shed Studios - The Passion of Practice

Timing is so crucial to starting a business and any sustainable small business owner will vouch for that. But it’s not just timing of course, your entry into the market needs to be impressive as well. Shed Studios has both and it’s been working for them ever since. It also has the golden ticket, location, on the corner of Opera Alley in the 705 Court C building so there’s decent parking and depending on the time you’re surrounded by food and entertainment. 

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Make It To The Show: DUMMY

When the internet became ubiquitous, and access to the entirety of pop music history was suddenly at everyone’s fingers, suddenly a whole generation of bands were armed with reference points that were heretofore only available to crate-digging record obsessives. Slamming two disparate sounds together, just to see what happened, became a thriving part of the music landscape. Certain genres would get a little more attention than others, depending on the time – dance-punk, New Wave indie twee, psych-electronica, just slapping a Bruce Springsteen filter onto any old genre, and other experiments all had their day in the sun in the first decade of the ‘00s. Nowadays, with this mixing and matching having effectively been gamified, it’s refreshing to run across a band that combines sounds in interesting ways.