SOTA SONGWRITER SHOWCASE
>>> THURSDAY, DEC. 15
If there's nothing else that can be said about Tacoma's School of the Arts, it's a darn fine factory for churning out young and talented songwriters. To see each wave of SOTA musicians emerge from the school is an inspiring and fascinating thing to watch. To celebrate the end of the semester, the students in SOTA's songwriting program will host a performance to showcase the wide array of voices and styles born out of the class. Take this showcase as an opportunity to see not only what Tacoma's music scene will look like in a year or two, but what music as a whole will look like. Let's not forget the success stories and truly creative minds that have come out of SOTA over the years. - Rev. Adam McKinney
[The Space, 7:30 p.m., all ages, $5 donation, 729 Court C, Tacoma]
TACOMA MUSICIANS & FRIENDS NETWORKING PARTY
>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 17
Networking is important. These days, you can't really get anywhere without rubbing a few elbows and kissing a few babies. The powers behind the Northwest Convergence Zone podcast and NWCZ Radio know this - and in an attempt to lift our entire scene up created the annual Tacoma Musicians and Friends Networking Party. This is your chance to meet the folks who make our local music landscape tick, and maybe even drink some rum or chow down on a burger or pizza. It's all part of your climb to the top. Musical entertainment will be provided by a bevy of awesome talent, including Port Townsend's Solvents - a band that might not technically be from Tacoma, but certainly worth your attention. The Solvents also obviously know the importance of networking. - Matt Driscoll
[Stonegate Pizza, with the Solvents, Eastern Sunz, In Cahoots, Afraid of Figs, Fox and the Law, 7 p.m., $5, 5421 S. Tacoma Way, Tacoma, 253.473.2255]
KAREEM KANDI BAND
>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 17
Jazz is the only purely American music and the one genre that has embraced elements of all musical forms. This is why it is always exciting to find young artists who push the boundaries to create their own unique style, and Kareem Kandi is one musician who does just that. The Tacoma-based sax player performs a style of jazz that incorporates blues, funk and rock. Kandi, who lists his influences from such renowned jazz greats as Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane, plays in a free-style manner that sounds improvised. Even though Kandi is the leader, the rest of the band is encouraged to take solos, and each band member is an intricate part of the overall outcome of each and ever tune they play. The Kareem Kandi Band performs classic standards, but it's their original material that has won them accolades from jazz enthusiasts throughout the Northwest (including multiple "Best of Tacoma" awards over the years from the Volcano and Volcano readers). - Volcano Staff
[The Royal Lounge, 7 p.m., no cover, , 311 Capitol Way N, Olympia, 360.705.0760]
BODYBOX
>>> THURSDAY, DEC. 22
The last thing I thought I'd be doing when I first put on a Bodybox song is begin to marvel at the unexpected vocal similarities between Bodybox frontman Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. "Supernova," in particular, shares qualities with Buckley's slash-and-burn classic, "Grace." Both songs cascade on waves of drama, building up to inscrutably fervent climaxes. Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's (though, of course, no one can truly touch Jeff Buckley, vocally), is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk. - Rev. AM
[Hell's Kitchen, with Life Afterlife, the Estafets, Levendy featuring Vanna D., 9 p.m., $3, 928 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.759.6003]