BY DOUG MACKEY for WEEKLY VOLCANO 4/3/26 |
In a city often defined by its independent spirit and artistic undercurrent, a new print-only zine is quickly becoming a connective thread for Tacoma’s creative ecosystem. Launched in December, the monthly publication, Underground Sound, created by T-town glitterati James Hume and Odessa Christiana, along with a growing team of local contributors, aims to do more than simply highlight local arts and entertainment. “It’s for the creative community here,” said Christiana, “to bridge us, to further connect us: businesses, artists, creators.”
And that mission is taking shape rapidly. With its fifth issue heading to print in April, the zine has grown from a lightbulb moment into a 2,000-copy monthly publication distributed across neighborhood hubs, from Sixth Avenue to South Tacoma Way. “You can look for us in bars, coffee shops, entertainment venues, most of the record stores around town, High Voltage, yeah, you know, is a big one,” Christiana said. And while many modern publications chase digital audiences, this one is deliberately analog. “It’s print only,” Christiana said. “We’ve been asked a lot if we’re going to do a digital version, and it’s like, no, that’s not the point.”
The zine’s origin story reflects the same DIY ethos it now celebrates. The idea emerged casually in early fall, when Hume floated the notion that Tacoma could use a true zine, something distinct from traditional magazines and newspapers, such as the Tacoma Weekly, The News Tribune, and our own Weekly Volcano. Soon after, Christiana walked into his workspace to find him already designing. “He’s like, ‘I’m creating the zine. What do you think about “Underground Sound” (as a name)?’” she recalled. “And I said, okay, you just stay in your happy lane and create.”
While Hume manages layout and design behind the scenes, Christiana has become the project’s public face, organizing events, cultivating contributors, and expanding its reach. Together, they have built a publication that feels less like a top-down editorial product and more like a living, evolving collaboration. “We have regular articles, but we also have inspiration that comes in,” Christiana said. “Sometimes someone just sends us something and says, ‘Hey, I’d love to write this.’ And we consider everything.”
Contributors include established local voices like writer John Kephart, as well as newer additions such as musician Brittany Danielle, who recently launched a column focused on Tacoma’s music scene and contributes regularly to the Volcano as well. “The zine is always evolving,” Christiana said. “I knew it would be bigger than us very quickly.” That openness has helped the zine reflect the breadth of Tacoma’s creative ecosystem: visual artists, musicians, writers, and entrepreneurs all finding space within its pages.
But the black-and-white glossy publication is only part of the equation. From the beginning, Hume and Christiana paired the zine with monthly community events designed to bring readers face-to-face. Held on second Thursdays at rotating venues, the gatherings are intentionally informal: less structured networking, more organic connection. “It’s 6:30 at night,” says Christiana. “You come, you have a drink or a mocktail, maybe there’s entertainment. It’s just chill.” At a recent event hosted at a local art space, Christiana watched as strangers became collaborators in real time, sometimes making the introductions herself, literally pulling people together. “And pretty soon people are just connecting, whether they’re pulling out their phones or their business cards or whatever,” she said. “It just feels different.” That sense of accessibility and spontaneity mirrors the zine itself: approachable, community-driven, and rooted in shared experience.
Financially, the project operates on a tight but sustainable model. Advertising from local businesses has so far covered printing costs, a milestone the creators were not sure they would reach so quickly. “It’s not a huge moneymaker, but as long as we can pay for print and pay our contributors, we’re happy.” Writers and cover artists are compensated, with artists receiving $150 per cover. Their work also lives beyond the page, as Christiana transforms each cover into a collectible T-shirt sold through her creative platform, Tacoma Loyal, which serves as the zine’s digital home base.
Originally launched in 2024 as a merchandise site celebrating Tacoma’s cultural icons from the Java Jive to The Swiss, it has evolved into a hub for multiple community-focused projects. Among them is a newly launched membership program called “253 VIP,” inspired by the old “Entertainment” coupon books but reimagined for a modern, creative audience. For a small monthly fee, members gain access to perks offered by participating local businesses and artists. “It’s about getting more eyes on what people are doing,” Christiana said.
As Tacoma heads into a busy summer season, anchored by events like Art on the Ave, Tacoma Porchfest, and Tacoma Pride Festival, the zine’s creators anticipate scaling up production, possibly doubling their print run to meet demand. That growth will depend, as always, on community support. “The money has to be there from advertisers,” Christiana said. “But the response has been amazing. We get emails all the time, people just saying they’re enjoying it while having coffee somewhere. That feels great.”
The project is also entering a new phase of development. Hume and Christiana were recently accepted into a business incubator program through Spaceworks Tacoma, a 12-week cohort designed to help creative entrepreneurs refine and sustain their ventures. For Christiana, the opportunity represents a chance to strengthen the foundation of something that, just months ago, was only a notion. “It’s funny how some ideas take years and others just happen,” she said. “This one? It just happened.”
And yet, in its short life, the zine has already become something many in Tacoma have added to their local reading regimen, in addition to this publication; a tactile reflection of the city’s creative heartbeat. No app required. No algorithm involved. Just paper, ink, and a growing network of people finding each other, one issue at a time.
