Look, I’m only human; you show me a band that’s as dedicated to oddness and spirited performance art as Snõõper is, and I’m bound to take notice. What began as a pure recording project between Nashville punk rocker Connor Cummins and animator/artist Blair Tramel eventually hit the stage in 2021. Suddenly Snõõper (the Project) gave birth to Snõõper (the Band) – which, yes, is how the duo distinguishes themselves. Sn õ õ per’s sound may be familiar to those who dug into the alt-rock underground of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s: hyperactive, punk-inflected tunes that roughly average around the one-minute mark, recorded in a quick-and-dirty way to cassette, with programmed drums and effects making the two-piece sound both bigger and less human.Tramel’s experience in art, as well as her history in early education, makes Snõõper a magnet for puppetry. Sure enough, their videos and performances are packed with handcrafted props and papier mache characters. Now that the duo has expanded to have an actual live band accompanying them, they seem to have even more freedom to let their freak flags fly. More than ever, they are able to access their sonic forefathers in Devo to create the most energetic blast of art-rock imaginable.Alma Venue:Thursday July 6thSnõõper, w/ Forty Feet Tall, MuñecaAll Ages, Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm, $15ticketsinstagram

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.

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.

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.