BY DOUG MACKEY for WEEKLY VOLCANO 7/25/25 |
He’s Derek, and he likes to party. And the party is called You Are Here 3. That’s the Java Jive’s Derek Walden, to be more specific, and he’s throwing said party at T-Town’s legendary roadside venue both Saturday, July 26, and Sunday, July 27, from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. (which would trickle into the 28th, actually). It will truly be “Carnage at the Coffee Pot,” as it’s being billed.
You want wrestling? Lucha Libre Volcánica will be dropping elbows and chokeslamming on Saturday. You want Tacoma’s dopest inclusive freestyle hip-hop happening? Grit City Cipher welcomes you on Sunday. You want eight bangin’ bands to do your thing to? Come both days.
“Fans of the Jive love to see what new things we’re doing,” says Walden. “This type of thing is for music fans, industry people, folks that work and live here. Refresh their cup a bit.”
The original event was inspired by the Beatles’ famous rooftop performance. “It’s an outdoor event. We extend our beer garden out and utilize the rooftop stage. I nicknamed it the High Dive Stage.” (Sounds like a dare. But the musicians, once up there, will know better.)
“We’re off the beaten path a bit, but that seems to work pretty well for us,” Derek notes of their South Tacoma Way location. “We’re deeply seated in PNW music history, and that makes us obligated to try to keep up with that legacy as well.”
You Are Here 3 implies a You Are Here 1 and 2. Derek commandeered them both. What did he learn from the first two? “I haven’t learned much,” he confesses. “The last two years have been vastly different. The first year we had a celebrity presence. The second year ran too close to a holiday. I did learn that Tacoma loves doing things, however, and I’ve learned how to pull them off, flow, and be immersive.”
That immersion includes the artists Zallie Haze, Happy Chems, Milk Krayt, and Serpentfoot on Saturday, and Dirty Tribe, Giant Octopus, Ethan Tucker, and Stay Grounded on Sunday.
“I’ve always seen Tacoma as a cultural melting pot,” he says, no pun intended. “Strong people who aren’t shy to celebrate their diversity. This is a space where we celebrate Tacoma—especially that aspect. Not only celebrate, but be loud about who we are in this community we’re all a part of.”
The true superstars of the event, Derek insists, are the whole constellation of folks putting You Are Here 3 together. “I’m working directly with the bar staff, sound engineers, performers, vendors, etc. All of them have been really patient and also driven to make this event as big as possible.”
The Java Jive, for those who have not been, is simply a Tacoma must. Its history is weirder than you can even imagine, and for the old guard like me, memories of monkeys in a box, beer served in frosted plastic cups, and nightly entertainment by the Maestro Bobby Floyd and Steve and his Sexy Sticks will be etched in our brains until the end of the road (Route 66). You Are Here 3 promises to continue the grand T-Town tradition of folks (some freaks) meeting at the Jive for something special.
“The Jive is what you make it,” says Derek. “Most people who give it a shot always come back. We work hard at making it a place for everyone, and that’s something we get better at every day.”
