[ELECTRO-POP] + FRI, SEPT. 13

The line between mainstream music and indie music has grown so thin that it's often hard to differentiate between the two. Recently, returning popularity of cheesy mainstream music from the '80s and the '90s have enveloped themselves in the output of indie artists, creating a kind of crazy verisimilitude where mockery and reverence blend together. Frances Rose, from Brooklyn, ride such a fine pop line that it's hard to tell why these songs are playing on indie blogs instead of on whatever "hot" Top 40 station. These are impeccably glossy electro-pop songs of the sort that inspire the kind of adulation that leads to young folks scrawling "Frances Rose" into their notebooks. This is a band that's made for bedroom posters. Frances Rose's music leads to a terrifying proposal: nostalgia for the now. {REV. ADAM MCKINNEY}

FRANCES ROSE, w/ The Mighty Mighty Chitons, Trevor Peach, The Old Salt, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. 4th Ave, Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

[COMEDY] + FRI, SEPT. 13

Yes, the comedy scene in Seattle and Bellevue is alive, thriving with national headliners offering marquee-level entertainment to those who want laughs with their prime rib and Cosmopolitan. The South Sound has also been laughing it up for years, thanks to Lacey's own, Nate Jackson. Jackson, an award-winning comedian, has been using his talent and notoriety to open the gates of entertainment in Tacoma and Olympia. Since the late 2000s, Jackson has not only developed his star act, but has produced and hosted many comedic shows. This week, fresh back from The ATL's Comic View taping, Jackson invites former Monique Show co-host and funnyman Rodney Perry to headline a show at The Temple Theatre. Perry, renowned for his quips and thoughtful and physical humor, will receive a boost from DJ Tu Much and live music by The De 1 Experience. {JOSE GUTIERREZ JR.}

NATE JACKSON'S SUPER FUNNY COMEDY SHOW, w/Rodney Perry featuring DJ Tu Much and live music by The De 1 Experience, 9 p.m., Temple Theatre, 47 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, $20 at brownpapertickets.com

[FUNK] + SAT, SEPT. 14

The Oly Funk Fest is an overnight break down to celebrate the end of summer with the proper booty-shaking, beer-drinking, boom-shaka-lakin, finger-snapping, jiving, locking, popping and electric boogalooing that it deserves. Funk Agency, DBST, Polyrythmics, and Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme will set the mood for this festival that benefits SafePlace of Olympia. "I volunteer for SafePlace as a Sexual Assault Advocate, and I believe the services the organization provides are absolutely crucial for our community," said Abbie Darin, festival organizer. "Education, awareness and training around domestic violence and sexual assault still has a ways to go for the public, and the more exposure the agency can get - as well as a little bit of funding help - the better. Oly Funk Fest is not an event we organize to make a profit, it's an event we organize to experience community, amazing live music, and enjoy the great Pacific Northwest one last time before the fall comes around again." Camping is encouraged and food will be available from Al Forno Olympia Sicilian Cuisine. {NIKKI MCCOY}

OLY FUNK FEST, 3 p.m., big field, 4326 Shincke Rd. NE, Olympia, $15 at brownpapertickets.com, $20 gate, includes camping

[PUNK] + WED, SEPT. 18

It gets to a point where differentiating between punk bands becomes a game of inches. It's all such a matter of feeling and the indescribable act of actually going out and seeing a show. Listening to punk bands and saying, "Hey, this is one to write about," is a fruitless journey and, ultimately, an unrepresentative way of judging a band. That being said, the attack that hit me when I pressed play on the first song on Babysitter's EYE LP was so immediately guttural that I imagined the sonic damage it would do to your internal organs if you exposed them to the ridiculous vibrations emanating from the amplifiers. The rest of the songs flirt with early ‘90s indie and grunge, while never giving up the caustic edge that first alerted me to Babysitter. {REV. AM}

BABYSITTER, w/guests, 10 p.m., Le Voyeur, 404 E. Fourth Ave., Olympia, no cover, 360.943.5710

See Also

Arts and Entertainment Calendar

Music and Nightlife Calendar