STRIK AND KRUSAL

>>> Thursday, June 17

One of Tacoma's most notorious duos and most slept on acts, Strik and Krusal (pronounced Strick and Crucial) will represent the after-party portion of Thursday's jump-off night for The Grit City Fest. They'll take the stage at The Den after a series of artist workshops. The veteran duo is a 253 fixture, having put in work since their days at Way Out Records.  Strik and Krusal, with their amped-up live performances and lyricism, are worth your time and attention at Grit City Fest.  We need a new album from Strik and Krusal!  Where is it, fellas? - Jose Gutierrez Jr.

[The Den @ urbanXchange, with Digga Mac, Name the Uncanny, 7:30 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]  

BIG WHEEL STUNT SHOW

>>> Thursday, June 17

There are far too many people who would be ashamed to say they like something as fundamentally shallow and conventional as AC/DC, but I'm not one of them. I think this is part of why I've grown to love Big Wheel Stunt Show. They don't sound like AC/DC, per se. They have a little more energy than the Aussies' relentless groove and a little more of a punk rock, grungy tinge. But on some level they occupy the same headspace within the dark bowels of my musically eccentric brainpan. - Joe Izenman

[Hell's Kitchen, with Paris Spleen, Destruction Island, Fun Police, 9 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, $12 at door, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

DESTRUCTION ISLAND

>>> Thursday, June 17

There's something to be said for keeping a foot or two on the ground. For as much as aspirations may urge them to rise into the sky, Destruction Island keeps their feet planted on Earth. Every arena ready element that invades their music is always tempered with a ground level, charming, analog element like a chord organ. It's confident rock music that rejects pretension in embrace of humanism and quirky humor. To become a band as well liked as Destruction Island without abandoning integrity in favor of jerky rockstarism is a very good thing. - The Rev. Adam McKinney

[Hell's Kitchen, with Paris Spleen, Big Wheel Stunt Show, Fun Police, 9 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend $25, $12 at door, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

FUN POLICE

>>> Thursday, June 17

The Fun Police are one of the most hardworking, unique and entertaining bands in the state. With their eclectic folk punk style and brilliantly executed pop sensibilities this multi-instrumental ensemble never fails to deliver. Their infectious energy and dynamic, well-crafted songwriting are undeniable. Comprising an array of talented players and seasoned vets of the local music scene, this is a band with a look and sound all their own. If you haven't seen this amazing group in action yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. This is what independent music is all about. - Potter

[Hell's Kitchen, with Paris Spleen, Big Wheel Stunt Show, Destruction Island, 9 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, $12 at door, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]

BEN UNION

>>> Saturday, June 19

While some songwriters may woo listeners with well-woven lyrics that slice straight to the heart and plumb the emotional depths, Ben Union is not that songwriter. His funk and rock hybrid is not a reinvention of the wheel, but it is a sight to hear, behold and just maybe get down to - as well as something no one else in town is even approaching. That, in a nutshell, is the appeal of Ben Union: He takes things you already know and love and serves them back at you with passion, spark and just enough originality to make it all stick. - Matt Driscoll

[The Swiss, with The Reaching, Red Means Go, Daniel G Harman and the Trouble Starts, Boom Zzilla, 99 Men, Deborah Page, Rockwell Powers, Sota, Lisa Dank, 12-7 p.m., 9 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821]

DEBORAH PAGE

>>> Saturday, June 19

Deborah Page seems to reside in that confusing period of the mid to late '90s, when singer-songwriters were itching and tearing to breach the borders of more adventurous music. Some of her songs sound like they could be accompanied by a fuzzy, saturated music video of Page in a field of clover. At other times, the music pulses and scratches with an aggravated attitude. It all reeks of the underside of the '90s dial - innovation and rock ‘n' roll lockstep mixing together in an uneasy stew. Delineations in the '90s between alternative and mainstream were awfully murky (much like today, with the dubious indie moniker), and Deborah Page seems to reflect that confusion. - The Rev. AM

[The Swiss, with The Reaching, Red Means Go, Daniel G Harman and the Trouble Starts, Boom Zzilla, 99 Men, Ben Union, Rockwell Powers, Sota, Lisa Dank, 12-7 p.m., 9 p.m., VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, 1904 Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821]

EVERGREENONE AND TODD SYKES

>>> Saturday, June 19

EvergreenOne and Todd Sykes have been earning respect in the 253 with their witty, original and Tac-Town-centric lyricism.  Case in point: their peer-voted 2009 Weekly Volcano 25360 Award in the "Best Video" category for "'90s Shit."  The blue-collar MCs will take the stage during a dope Grit City Fest Saturday night that absolutely should be a memorable one.  Also, be on the lookout for EvergreenOne and Todd Sykes, who are reportedly nearing completion of an album release that heads are whispering about. - JG Jr.

[The Den @ urbanXchange, with Matty, SK, Lucky One, Josh Rizeberg, time TBA, VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]  

JOSH RIZEBERG

>>> Saturday, June 19

He keeps rizing to new levels in the game.  Rizeberg, one of Tacoma's veteran MC/poets, had to be a part of Grit City Fest.  No doubt. He stays busy with dope material to deliver on stage and has the album credits from the studio to match his hustle on stage.  Having released two critically acclaimed albums - 2008's Spoken Worlds and 2010's Word to the Wize - Rizeberg should have a hefty track selection to choose from for his always crowd-engaging live performance.  The curly locked MC is always a courageous vocalist who will rock the crowd whether there are five or 5,000 people in the audience - the definition of an MC. - JG Jr.

[The Den @ urbanXchange, with Matty, SK, Lucky One, EvergreenOne and Todd Sykes, time TBA, VIP pass $40, weekend pass $25, 1932 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2280]  

SWEETKISS Momma

>>> Saturday, June 19

Yes, goddamn it! SweetKiss, in the case of Puyallup's SweetKiss Momma, is one word! That's just how this band rolls. Who are we to judge whether or not the word "sweet" and the word "kiss" should ever have been joined as one? Rather, all we can judge is the band's swilling, swirling "swamp rock," straight from the fields and auto lots of Puyallup. As crazy as it sounds, and it sounds a whole lot less crazy after chugging a half-rack down by the river, SweetKiss Mama's rejuvenated and slapped-into-shape '70s Southern rock shtick really works. - MD

[Speakeasy Arts Cooperative, with Voxxy Vallejo, Jay Barz, Shotty, Spaceman, 8 p.m., VIP pass $40, $12 at door, 746 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.426.5704]