I have always said that Tacoma is a sandwich town but when the owners of the outpost, originally Outpost Kitchen now Outpost Sandwiches, first moved to downtown Tacoma they were right options for a unprocessed sandwich were dismal and unexciting. Tacoma is fortunate they decided to do something about it. Since their opening Outpost continues to grow as a staple in the downtown Tacoma lunch service. It was interesting to see the growth in real time. It felt as though it was all word-of-mouth. Someone would leave the office on a lunch adventure and return to the office with a sandwich sleeved in parchment paper and I’m sure the questions arose. “Oh, that’s smells good, oh where did you find that? Oh, how much was it? Oh, how long have they been around?” Eventually, the questions stopped and the praise began, local clothier and community business eTc Tacoma has collaborated with their downtown neighbor Outpost in the past as well. Outpost has also done community outreach and given back through portions of proceeds going to feeding kids for the Summer via specialty lunch meals, put together for Daz Deal community programming another downtown activation. The owners are a handsome couple and one treat of the experience is seeing how in unison they are preparing lunch orders, call-in orders and moving seamlessly together. The food is so good they’ve even had IG accounts start their content rollout with just their sandwich offering. There’s a lot of reasons to love this business if you can find it.

Someday, there will be proper studies done to explore the effect that a certain global pandemic had on creative processes. Anecdotally, through conversations and interviews over the past few years, I’ve heard artists report everything from a complete inability to create, to others claiming that they’ve never been more productive with their art. For those who were able to avoid writers’ block, though, one thing seems to be a constant: projects that might’ve otherwise never seen the light of day were given the chance to blossom in these times.This is certainly the case with Small Paul, a band that came together in a Seattle basement, formed with members of the Moondoggies, Chris King and the Gutterballs, and All Star Opera, towards the beginning of the pandemic. Rather than reflect any of the anxiety that has permeated the past few years, Small Paul carries with a warm, harmonic twang that recalls the ‘70s intersection of country and rock, a sound both laidback and soulful. Their debut EP, Strangeland, feels at times like a balm to protect against the stressors of the modern world. This is especially felt on album standout “Mexico,” with its vibes of golden hour, of a sun peacefully disappearing behind a horizon, and untold adventures waiting in the future.Small Paul’s debut LP, Come Alive & Live Again, is due to be released at the end of July – hopefully supplying the perfect soundtrack for another summer in the unknown.ALMA RooftopFriday, July 14thSmall Paul, w/ Salt Lick, RestrospecterAll Ages, Doors at 6pm, Show at 7pm, $15Tickets instagram

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.

The Whole Bolivian Army | Saturday, January 28In Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the film ends as our heroes find themselves surrounded by the Bolivian army, with little hope of making it out alive. Thankfully, the movie cuts to credits before we have to see them get riddled with bullets. Tacoma mainstays The Whole Bolivian Army, however, have unambiguously survived their own insurmountable odds: formed in 1993, smack dab in the middle of the alternative boom in the Pacific Northwest, facing down waves of groundbreaking bands and hangers-on, releasing album after album in the face of a fickle music industry. Married couple Mary Beth and Matt Kite, founders of The Whole Bolivian Army, are the only ones remaining from the initial lineup, but their staying power is exemplified by their son, Gibson, joining the band as drummer.