‘Humor, heart, a dash of mild profanity’ highlight offerings in new Tacoma zine
If you’ve been to a Tacoma coffee shop, bar, diner or music venue in the past few weeks, you might’ve seen a stack of funky black and white magazines hanging around.
The relatively new publication is called Underground Sound, a self-described infotainment zine that highlights Tacoma creatives, artists and businesses.
The zine was born a few months ago in the home of Tacoma couple Odessa Christiana and James Hume.
“One day I went into his office, and he’s literally sitting there on Photoshop, designing the zine,” Christiana said. “He said, ‘What do you think about the name Underground Sound?’”
How Underground Sound came to be
Christiana and Hume met through the art community in Tacoma many years ago, before eventually moving to California for over a decade.
When the pair came back to Tacoma in 2023, Christiana said they knew they wanted to do something creative.
“Neither him or I really sit still,” Christiana said.
That urge to create originally led to Tacoma Loyal, a web platform that Christiana calls a “stage for local creatives.”
Part of Tacoma Loyal includes creating and selling merchandise like T-shirts and tote bags for local businesses, and Christiana said she put part of those profits aside for a future project.
“I knew that there was something big there, but I wasn’t quite sure what it was going to be,” she said. “And then James introduces this zine concept.”
Hume had been reminiscing on local zines that popped up in decades past, like Pandemonium Magazine, ManSplat Magazine and Weekly Volcano.
Christiana said Hume wanted to resurrect the form, and she was immediately on board.
The zine would be print-only and uber-local, spotlighting the people and businesses that make Tacoma great.
Hume got to work in September, eventually creating a promotional copy to take to local businesses to see if they wanted to advertise.
Hume and Christiana weren’t particularly worried about gathering enough content to fill up the first issue, since they already had a lot of connections in the business and arts community.
What’s inside the zine?
The zine is free, and all artists and writers are paid for their work. Christiana said she and Hume got enough businesses to advertise to cover printing costs for the very first issue, which dropped in December.
“We will always report with humor, heart, a dash of mild profanity and a sprinkle of hometown mischief,” reads the letter from the editor in the first issue.
The inaugural zine includes interviews with the founders of local businesses like Peterson Bros. 1111 and The Method Skateboards & Coffee, a column on Tacoma’s best happy hours, a guide to the best vinyls to give as Christmas gifts, and games titled “Real Band Name Or Fake?”
Underground Sound also offers an opportunity to put local art on the cover.
Designed by local artist Josh Casey, the cover art for the first issue depicts the popular “deaf boy” tag found around Tacoma, but the boy has face makeup like the members of the rock band Kiss.
Lots of the authors stay anonymous or use monikers to fit what Christiana calls the “cheeky vibe” of the zine. But Christiana will sign her real name when she writes articles, including a column in the second issue called, “Reflections of a Rebel Sipper.”
Christiana is coming up on two years alcohol-free, and in the first column she interviewed the owner of Sober AF Zero Proof Bottle Shop in Tacoma.
“There’s some really cool stuff happening around Tacoma, and I just get really excited about promoting these people and talking about it,” Christiana said.
The first two issues of Underground Sound have proved to be popular.
“We heard from people, when we were starting, [say] ‘Print is dead,’” Christiana said. “Well, obviously it’s not.”
How can I get it?
Christiana and Hume distributed around 2,000 copies of each issue for local businesses to display.
After the first issue dropped, more writers started reaching out to get involved, and more businesses wanted to advertise.
“People are actually taking them and holding them in their hands and saying, ‘This is what Tacoma needed,’” Christiana said.
While Underground Sound is print-only, it does have a social-media presence on Tacoma Loyal’s social media pages.
Christiana has found another way to spread the word: monthly pop-up parties at local businesses to celebrate and hand out the latest issue.
Christiana said the parties, and the zine itself, serve another important purpose — making connections.
The last pop-up took place at the Hob Nob in Tacoma, and Christiana said she witnessed some local creatives getting to know each other for the first time.
“My heart was just so happy. I was looking around that room, and there were literally people with their phones out getting one another’s numbers and connecting with each other,” Christiana said. “And these were local business owners, artists, event producers … that were like, ‘Hey I’m so happy to meet you. I’d love to help you do what you’re doing and help your business.’”
In the future, Christiana said, she and Hume want to get more creatives and businesses involved in each issue. They also hope to collaborate on more projects within the community.
“We have the passion and the skills to bring things to life,” Christiana said. “James and I are going to continue to just go out of our way to really make the people that come in and advertise with us and contribute to the zine feel welcome.”
This story was originally published January 24, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
