-- by Dawn Ross Vicci Martinez may live on the other side of the country now, but she likes to share that her Tacoma roots run deep, being the first baby to be born in her mother’s delivery room at the new (in 1984) Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. Martinez discovered a love of playing and... Continue Reading →
Stephanie Anne Johnson: Finding Home Through Music
-- by Azana Cain Tacoma has brought us some amazing musicians throughout history. But one fresh artist you may not have heard about is Stephanie Anne Johnson. Johnson is a powerful and moving singer, songwriter, guitarist, and performer born and raised in Tacoma. They have a long history of accomplishments in music, going back to... Continue Reading →
Reggae on the Way Festival: A Celebration of Music and Community in Tacoma
-- by Ash Leon Guerrero Every summer, the streets of Tacoma, Washington, pulse with an infectious rhythm that beckons music lovers from all walks of life. The source of this vibrant energy? The Reggae on the Way Festival, an annual celebration that has quickly become a cornerstone of Tacoma’s music scene. Since its inception in... Continue Reading →
Investigating the Punk Rock Renaissance from Tacoma, Washington
-- by Tori Goodrich It is most likely that if you hear someone call something “punk rock,” you have some idea of what they’re referring to, and that can mean different things to a lot of people. Some may picture dyed mohawks and body piercings, some think of rebellious teenagers rocking out in a garage.... Continue Reading →
Greenwich Coliseum: An Original Musical Hotspot of Tacoma
-- by Trinity Kovalick In the early 1920s live music was the bees knees. A budding city like Tacoma had been gaining in popularity as they didn’t adhere to strict rules like Blue Laws that required venues in Seattle to stop playing music at a certain hour. Linked directly to prohibition and founded out of... Continue Reading →
The Impact of Criminal Nation
-- by Meadow Erhardt Growing up, Nasty Nes would visit his sister every year in New York City, where he was exposed to the world of hip-hop music. He brought hip-hop music with him when he returned home to Seattle. Nes started his music career by being a DJ for high school dances and functions,... Continue Reading →
Botch
-- by Joe Seats In the mid-90s, Seattle made itself known as the home of grunge. Grunge music was among the most notorious things to come out of the Pacific Northwest, birthing bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. It generated a fusion between metal and punk, building a new rock style with heavy distortion... Continue Reading →
Tacoma Classics Reimagined
by Wyatt Logan Wyatt Logan & Friends: Tacoma Classics Reimagined At the turn of the 20th century, the city of Tacoma, WA was still in developmental stages. During this time, several promotional songs were written for the purposes of advertising. These “booster songs” were sold in sheet music form, as commercial recording techniques were largely... Continue Reading →
Happy 40th, Tacoma Dome: a decade of iconic performers
by Nadia Naushab The Tacoma Dome is arguably the most recognizable structure in Tacoma, Washington. As someone not from the city, seeing the massive building just off I-5 is how I know I've entered Tacoma. The iconic venue is one of the largest wood-domed structures in the world, and can accommodate up to 23,000 people... Continue Reading →
Blissful Blues Bassist from Tacoma: Richard Cousins
by Evan Hoang Chances are, you’ve never heard the name Richard Cousins before, but millions of people have heard his bold, brazen bass lines from albums accompanying legends like Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker. This 2 time Grammy-winning bassist was one of the founding members of the Robert... Continue Reading →
