It seems like just yesterday that Tacoma was called upon to attend an overabundance of rock shows (oh, the burden!) for a good cause. Come to think of it, while I'll readily admit it was most certainly not yesterday, it really was not that long ago that we bandied around that ubiquitous Tacoma heart to give back a little bit in exchange for the opportunity to celebrate quite a bit of local music. In point of fact (fact!), it was but a mere four months or so ago.

Why is the 253Heart Music and Arts Festival back so soon? What do you care?

Quit complaining; it's going to be awesome.

As it happens, the 253Heart Music and Arts Festival is returning at precisely the right time - in time to help out its newly adopted cause, and in time to not compete with approximately one million other shows, as was the case back in October. Poor timing had the festival competing with not only a weekend packed with generally great shows, but with the Squeak and Squawk Festival. In spite of this, says festival producer Steve Naccarato, the festival did well for its first year and did not dampen spirits or expectations for the second run.

Just as with the first 253Heart Festival, the lineups over the weekend-long event - booked largely by Ben Fuller of the band China Davis - are loaded with familiar faces from the Tacoma music scene, as well as some relative newcomers. A particularly intriguing inclusion is Peter Tietjan's - formerly of the recently disbanded, Three's Company-obsessed garage rockers Umber Sleeping - new project, Follow the Kites. Tietjan's latest endeavor played their first show just last month. It will be interesting to see how Follow the Kites transitions out of the long, looming shadow of Umber Sleeping's considerable tenure.

Of course, Follow the Kites is just one of many riches that the 253Heart Festival will provide over the weekend. Other notable acts, taking to local stages like The Harmon Tap Room, The Hub, The Hub Events Space and Doyle's Public House, include EvergreenOne, Quincy "Q-Dot" Henry, Apache Chief, Roman Holiday, Perry Acker, SweetKiss Momma, Evan Purcell, Jim Basnight, the Dignitaries, the Artichoke Project, Doug Mackey, Jeff Angell, etc, etc, etc.

And, lest we forget, the money is going to a good cause, which in this year's case is KGHP - the student-run high school radio station based in Gig Harbor.

If moths aren't flying out of your out-turned pockets, I expect to see you there.

253Heart Music and Arts Festival

Friday, Feb. 25-Sunday, Feb. 27
For more information on artists, venues
and starting times, visit their Facebook