Leah's Summer Checklist

by Leah Sottile


Practice My Punk Rock ABCs -- Alkaline Trio. Bad Religion. Coheed and Cambria. Don't Look Down... Looks like the organizers of the annual Vans Warped Tour booked this year's acts based on simple ABCs -- OK, maybe not. But it seems like it.


The 10th annual summer punk rock festival is on again for this summer, dragging nearly 60 bands (with names starting with every letter) around the country with it.


Flogging Molly. Guttermouth. Hazen Street. Ima Robot.


The tour will make its regular stop at the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash., again this year. The July 10 show's headliners include the all-girl band Lillix, punk favorites NoFX, the poppy New Found Glory and the latest MTV chart-toppers, Yellowcard.


Not to mention more (alphabetical) acts: Pulley, Revolution Smile, Stretch Arm Strong, Taking Back Sunday. Underoath.


The Warped Tour has always been known for combining music with extreme sports like skateboarding and biking. But for its 10th year, Warped will now add the Digital Media Pavilion -- a tent featuring the newest high-tech toys, wireless Web access and digital downloads of live tracks from the tour.


Admission to the music and tech show will only cost you 32 bucks. And if you book your tickets through the Warped Tour's site (warpedtour.com/pre04), you'll get a free compilation CD highlighting this year's acts.





Drink Wild Turkey and Chase a Ball -- Running amok -- it's a term I've always loved. But what does it mean? Sprinting wildly through the streets, hands in the air? Ditching work for the day and going on a drinking binge with your co-workers?


I have never encountered anything that has defined the term as well as the Lead Creek Derby -- the annual lose-your-mind and run, bike, drive or stumble from Mullan to Wallace, Idaho race. And for what? It's all in the pursuit of a large leather ball dropped into the south fork of the Coeur d'Alene River by the Gyro Fraternal Organization. The madness starts on June 19 at noon.


For 62 years, the people of Wallace have made this a tradition. It's an event that .... well, missing it would simply be un-Wallace-like.


The derby began as a carriage procession of families from Mullan to Wallace. As the tradition continued, people started the un-official "Hill Climb Daredevil Contest" -- a race through the nearby hills and mines in order to follow the ball on its track. The race continued through the dirt and mud, and it was customary to unclick your seatbelt and drink mass quantities beforehand.


That tradition has mostly ended, but the derby continues. The Gyro Club allows Derby-goers a chance to bet on how long they think it will take for the ball to reach the Sixth Street Bridge in Wallace. Don't miss your chance to participate in this much-loved North Idaho tradition.





Stare at a Wall and Eat Popcorn -- In essence, that's what you do when you watch a movie in the theater -- so why not do it outside? When you watch an outdoor movie at the Shop this summer, you'll stare at the wall of the building next to it. That's where the Shop owners project a selection of summer flicks. Last summer, the owners only gave us a funny line to preview each film, but this summer they've lined up classic movies based on customer ballots. They'll show Three Amigos on June 17 and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory on June 24. Rumblings about screenings later in the summer of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Smoke Signals are rampant.


At another outdoor venue, Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake, the summer offerings include Romancing the Stone (July 9), The Little Mermaid (July 23), American Graffiti (Aug. 13) and Best in Show (Aug. 27).


Forget about those nasty ticket-takers who've barred "outside candy" from the theaters. Pop your own popcorn, grab a lawn chair and enjoy some classic American cinema -- in the fresh air.





See the Offspring of a Legend -- Celebrity children never seem to be as good as their parents -- it's as if the talent pool gets watered down with the second generation. Sean Lennon has never found the cult following that his father, John, had. Lisa Marie doesn't measure up to the King. But there's always an exception -- who knew that Bob Dylan would be the one to produce a talented kid?


Unlike most other famous kids, Jakob Dylan hasn't had to ride his dad's coattails. As the lead singer of the Wallflowers, he's made a name for himself in the music industry and crept his way into the hearts of many blue-eye-loving female fans. He'll make a stop in Spokane to recruit some more on June 22 at the Big Easy.


But it wasn't always easy for the younger Dylan, who started the Wallflowers back in the early '90s. His band was picked up by Virgin Records but quickly dropped after a weak first album.


Jakob Dylan bounced back and recruited a whole new crew of musicians, creating the Wallflowers, version 2.0. The lineup recorded the band's next album, under the same name, on Interscope Records. That record, Bringing Down the Horse, produced three radio hits -- including the rootsy-rock hit "One Headlight." Since the 1997 album dropped down the charts, the Wallflowers have slowly trickled off the mainstream scene. But that doesn't mean they're gone. You can hear all of your favorite Wallflowers hits, and some of their new stuff for a mere $25. If you're lucky, Dylan might do a cover of one of the real Dylan's songs.





Publication date: 06/10/04