The common wisdom is that sequels inevitably disappoint. For every The Dark Knight, there are a half-dozen Iron Man IIs, and the maxim tends to carry over to other mediums, as well - Guy's "Teddy's Jam 2" couldn't match the New Jack punch and sizzle of the original eponymous Teddy Riley banger. With this in mind, you might expect the freshly dropped Kids in the Back II to weaken the brand established by Tacoma-by-way-of-Anchorage rapper Rockwell Powers and his producer, Ill Pill, on last year's Kids in the Back. Haters will be disappointed to hear that KITBII is another slick, solid outing from Rockwell (real name Zach) who - full disclosure - is a regular Volcano contributor, these days focusing mainly on Tacoma City Council action and local political dealings. 

[The Space, with State of the Artist, City Hall, Night Fox, Saturday, April 16, $8-$10, 729 Court C, Tacoma]