[DJ] + Fri, Nov. 8

Friday nights are typically reserved for your release after a week of monotony. If you stop by 1230 Room Friday, your release will be lit on fire and blasted straight into the weekend. The downtown Olympia's award-winning resident disc jockey DJ Drastic celebrates his birthday by giving up some time for Atlanta's Shawty Slim to rock the 1s and 2s and host the gig. The 1230 Room boasts The O-town's sexiest venue with multiple stages and VIP sections and will now boast B.O.B.'s DJ as a guest performer. Of course B.O.B. - known for "Strange Clouds," "Airplane" and "Nothin' On You" has to have a crowd-rocking DJ - that's Shawty Slim.  As one of the Southeast's most respected party-rock DJs, Shawty Slim is known to play Southern classics, electro, house, hip-hop and more. If you're looking for a party with Dirty South flava and want something "different," the 1230 Room is the place to be Friday. {JOSE S. GUTIERREZ JR.}

DJ DRASTIC'S BRITHDAY, w/Shawty Slim, 8 p.m., 21+, The 1230 Room, 111 Washington St., Olympia, 360.352.1230

[BLUEGRASS] + SAT, NOV. 9

I've got a hankering for bluegrass this week. Maybe it's the rain, the flannel shirts and the switch from summer's gin to autumn's whiskey. Whatever the case, it's nice. Tacoma's The Cottonwood Cutups are bringing that satisfying pluck and twang and funk to Olympia for a hot set in a cool bar. The three brothers - who enjoy Dr. Dre, campfires and the Hoh Rainforest - deliver toe-tapping Americana, tickled by mandolin and banjo, with guitar and an upright bass to root it all down. Southbay's Pig Bar is the perfect backdrop - intimate, wood walls, nice people, warm food and cold beer. {NIKKI MCCOY}

THE COTTONWOOD CUTUPS, w/Scuff & Al, 8 p.m., Southbay Dickerson's BBQ (inside Pig Bar), 619 Legion Way, Olympia, no cover, 360.943.6900

[ELECTRO-POP] + Nov. 11-12

I first wrote about Melanie Valera, aka Tender Forever, almost exactly two years ago. But, I never had the opportunity to catch her live until I booked her for my music festival, Squeak and Squawk. There, I finally saw what Tender Forever is all about. While all of the glossy, radio-ready electro-pop and achingly beautiful, heartfelt lyrics of her recordings were well on display, what I wasn't expecting was how utterly charming and downright funny Valera is in a live setting. Kicking off her shoes and dancing down in the pit with us audience members, Valera announced herself as a mesmerizing performer. Narrating youtube videos via projection screen, conducting percussion with Wii remotes, making a shaved-head picture of Britney Spears both silly and inspiring - Tender Forever is a stunning live act, and one that you shouldn't dare miss. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

TENDER FOREVER, w/ Poppet and Mirrorgloss, 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 11, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, cover tba, 253.572.4020; w/ Poppet, Hot Fruit, Symmettrix, Hym(e)n, Everybody Weekend, Taylor Newcomb, DJ r0yal bleu and DJ anna phylaxis, 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 12, Northern, 414 ½ Legion Way, Olympia, $7

[ALT-ROCK] + TUES, NOV. 12

Bay Area band One Hundred Percent channel the sort of guitar-driven alt-rock that dominated the ‘90s, calling to mind groups like Dinosaur Jr. and My Bloody Valentine. Angular guitars melt into fuzzy atmospherics before exploding into a squall of distortion, all the while accompanied by the sensitive lead vocals of Matt Habegger. Rather than send-up that period of music with touches of contemporary influences, One Hundred Percent instead strive for slavish recreation, the end result being an uncanny approximation of the kind of band you would theoretically spot on a flyer for a Jawbox gig, or would see pop up on 120 Minutes. On record, One Hundred Percent are bathed in the warm tones of that period, but I suspect that a live performance will find them giving over to a more abrasive edge. {REV. AM}

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

See Also

Calendar: Arts and Entertainment

Calendar: Music and Nightlife