GOING SHOPPING

>>>Thursday, March 11

Music is art; or, at the very least, important music is art. Art comes in all shapes and sizes - from straightforward, to abstract, to downright bizarre - just like music. A person could take a poop in an Easy Bake Oven and call it art - and the crazy thing is they'd be right. Thursday, Seattle's Going Shopping - an out-there mix of aural minimalism and audaciousness - will fill Fulcrum Gallery with sound, not to mention the abstract video work of the venerable Kris Crews. Oh yeah, and Allan Boothe and Tacoma's own Humble Cub are also on the bill. This show is guaranteed to pump your mind full of sound, imagery and inspiration, and should also serve as a proud barometer of Tacoma's artistic development. If nothing else, it'll definitely smell way better than taking a shit in an Easy Bake Oven. - Matt Driscoll

[Fulcrum Gallery Art Space, with Humble Cub, 8-10 p.m., all ages, $5, 1308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma, 253.250.0520]

RED JACKET MINE

>>>Friday, March 12

Check this out: For the month of March, Red Jacket Mine is the band in residence at the Hard Rock Café in Seattle - a distinction I find utterly baffling. Leaving this fact alone for a second, let's consider the band. Red Jacket Mine is an assembly of pop craftsmen, a group that creates radio-ready pop rock so friendly and easygoing that it's easy to pass it by without second thought. However, Red Jacket Mine's chops and know-how reveal themselves upon repeated listen. I must say, though, I knew the "hard rock" part of the Hard Rock Café's band in residence distinction was fairly obviously a misnomer - but this is ridiculous. Wrapped in the warm embrace of this genial pop of Red Jacket Mine, hard rock is the last thing on my mind. And that's not such a bad thing. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Sirens Sister, 9 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

INDIE ROCKERS FOR HAITI

>>>Friday, March 12

Remember Haiti? You know, all those collapsed buildings, scenes of despair and promises to help? Does the word "earthquake" ring a bell? The sad fact is, despite our best intentions, the swell of support that directly followed the Haitian earthquake will dry up long before the work is done. That's just one reason why continuing to support the cause in Haiti and keeping the ravaged country in the forefront of people's minds is important. In Olympia, a show featuring Calvin Johnson's Hive Dwellers, old-schoolers Pet Products, Al Larsen, The Human Skab, Mary Win, Redbird Fever, Wimps, Big Idea and Brazillian "superstar" Lulina will aim to do just that Friday at the Olympia Eagles Hall. Every cent of the $8 cover will go to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund. - MD

[Eagles Hall, with Hive Dwellers, Pet Products, Al Larsen, The Human Skab, Mary Win, Redbird Fever, Wimps, Big Idea, Lulina, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., all ages, $8, 805 Fourth Ave., Olympia]

HOTELS

>>>Saturday, March 13

While I generally like to think (probably incorrectly) that I have discerning tastes in music, for some kinds of music I'm just ... easy. I don't like knowing there's a surefire formula to get me to like a band, but it definitely seems like there is - more than one, in fact. Example: Hotels make the kind of music I can really get behind. I'm not trying to suggest the band got together and made all this music against their truer desires just to hook me (although that would be awesome), but I am saying dark, synth-driven, '80s-inspired pop is totally my bag. And Hotels play that. And they play it very well. Sometimes I enjoy being made to feel helpless against a band's power. - Rev. AM

[The New Frontier Lounge, 9 p.m., cover TBA, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]

EDDIE SPAGHETTI

>>>Sunday, March 14

Times have changed for Eddie Spaghetti and the Supersuckers. Guitarist Rontrose is gone, as is longtime ‘Sucker Chris Neal. To an outside observer, it might seem like the wheels are finally falling off the "Best Rock Band in the World." Hell, it's about time, right? Wrong. I dare you to say the Supersuckers are on the downhill slide to Eddie Spaghetti, the band's legendary frontman, when he hits Doyle's this week for a solo acoustic show on Sunday. He'll probably rock your face off - acoustic style. Check that. He'll probably rock your face off acoustic style one way or another; but if you bring up a rumored Supersuckers demise, he'll also probably look at you like you're dumb. - MD

[Doyle's Public House, 9 p.m., no cover, 208 Saint Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.7468]

THE FUN POLICE

>>>Wednesday, March 17

The Fun Police, it must be said, are one of those workhorse local bands that absolutely fucking bring it. They treat each venue the same, making sure the crowd leaves dazed, a ringing in their ears and smiles on their faces - because they've just seen a show. Through a dizzying mesh of styles including Celtic rock, punk, and reggae, the Fun Police have created a sound all their own. Needless to say, their show at O'Malley's on St. Patrick's Day will be just about as drunken, raucous and sweat-soaked a show as you're likely to see this year. You and the band will leave at the end of the night with cracked vocal chords and a sweet little skip in your stumble - and you'll be happier for it. - Rev. AM

[O'Malley's Irish Pub, 9 p.m., 2403 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.383.3144]