JUNE MADRONA

>>> Thursday, March 25

Ross Cowman is a humble tour-de-force to say the least. He has been quietly spearheading a huge folk movement in the underground scene in Olympia. His upstart label, Bicycle Records, has been dropping phenomenal releases for the past five years, including such acts as Polka Dot Dot Dot, Eleanor Murray, and his own group, June Madrona, whose CD release party is happening tonight at The Loft on Cherry, which is also one of his pet projects. A group known as The Art Kitchen runs the collectivized non-profit all-ages venue. Tonight, June Madrona will celebrate its new album, Lions Of Cascadia, with its current four-piece lineup. The party will also include a screening of Moon Diary, a half hour short animation the band scored. Oh, and the Art Kitchen is also providing tacos at 7:30 p.m. prior to the screening. Bicycle label mate Rye N Clover will be opening.  - Owen Taylor

[The Loft on Cherry, with Rye N Clover, 7:30 p.m. tacos, 8 p.m. show, $5-$10 sliding scale, 508 Legion, Olympia, theloftoncherry.com]

YOGOMAN BURNING BAND

>>> Thursday, March 25

Imagine a bar so full you have to dodge poised pool cues and swinging dreadlocks (Ever been hit in the eye with one? It's like a hairy mallet, and stings like a bitch.) Imagine a bar so lively that dank beers slosh on you and skanking elbows poke you in the ribs. Imagine a place to get down and dirty and dance and get drunk and have such a good time listening to the band that all of the above afflictions don't even faze you. Such a place is the Eastside Club in Olympia. And such a band is Yogoman Burning Band. Start your weekend right and groove down to this fresh percussion/brass five-piece whose MySpace motto is "let's get ridiculous." - Nikki Talotta

[The Eastside Club, with The Quick and Easy Boys, 9 p.m., $5, 410 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.357.9985]

GREEN APPLE QUICK STEP

>>> Friday, March 26

Whatever your viewpoint on Green Apple Quick Step, one fact is undeniable: The band struck a chord, and is still remembered. Aside from a handful of songs at a Caffé Vita employee party at the Showbox in December, Green Apple Quick Step - in any form - hasn't taken the stage in more than 12 years.

That all changes Friday at Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma - Ty Willman's hometown. Along with drummer Geoff Reading, guitarists Dana Turner and Mike Squires, and vocalist Christa Wells - none of whom are technically original members other than Willman - Green Apple Quick Step - at least for the evening - will be reborn in T-town.

The connection is no coincidence, as you read last week in the Weekly Volcano. Read the full story here. - Matt Driscoll

[Hell's Kitchen, with The Jet City Fix, Broken Cannon, Friday, March 26, 9 p.m., $10, 928 Pacific Ave., downtown Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

SIRENS SISTER

>>> Saturday, March 27

Sirens Sister is a band that succeeds in surpassing one's initial expectations. Despite having a certain air of mystical, Earth Mother uncoolness, the band's songs are wiry, nervy trains of crazed headlong rock momentum. They strike an easy balance of quite radio-friendly modern rock and a respect for dark '80s pop figures like Echo and the Bunnymen and the Cure. The lead vocals are convincingly histrionic, evoking a number of singers known for projecting to the back of the room, notably Jeff Buckley. It's the kind of music that either doesn't translate to a live representation, or, more likely, thrives on the energy an audience supplies. Regardless, Sirens Sister goes for broke, and their in-store at Rocket Records should be a sight to see. - Rev. Adam McKinney

[Rocket Records, 3 p.m., no cover, 3843 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.756.5186]

RIGHT ON JOHN

>>> Wednesday, March 31

Right On John is one man - John McColley. He's a one-man band, too. There's something so goddamn appealing about a one-man band, as Right On John is in the classical sense. He utilizes no looping contraptions. A man and a cavalcade of instruments is what he delivers. He takes his tools - a cigar-box guitar, a harmonica, a drum, a fiddle - and crafts tight Steve Earle-esque porch-jam ruminations with a subversive bent. Hints of punk-rock attitude gleam at the corners, making the country a little noisier and the bluegrass a little dirtier. Ultimately, the slight gimmick of watching one man juggle several instruments at a time is the dominant reason to see a Right On John show. But if the songs don't work, the gimmick gets old quick - a problem Right On John needn't worry about. - Rev. AM

[Bob's Java Jive, with The Slow Poisoner and Mosquito Bandito, 9 p.m., 2102 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.475.9843]