COMMUNITY
Go Local or Die
Questions such as: “How do I get involved?”; “Does the city really give a shit what I think?”; and “What kind of city can I imagine loving to live in?” are a good start. But how about: “What does quality of life mean for my whole neighborhood?; “How can I combine my creative power with others?”; and “What change would make us all come up at once?” This sort of thinking outside of our own yards is the start to a whole lot of grassroots power that has saved and improved places such as Portland, Austin and the Seattle neighborhoods of Wallingford and Fremont.

Involvement, surprisingly, starts right next door. At the most basic level, connecting with the people around you is the fastest track to making positive change in more than just your patio furniture.

Start tonight with the “Go Local or Die” conversation featuring Tacoma urbanists Jim Diers, Amy McBride, Derek Young, Roxanne Murphy and Justin Mayfield. It’s what Local Life Tacoma is calling a "charrette to resuscitate community and cultural life in downtown Tacoma." â€" Daniel Blue
[Veritas Mortgage Group, 6-8 p.m., no cover, 762 Broadway, Tacoma, www.golocaltacoma.com]

ANTI-FOLK
Hamell On Trial
New Yorker Hamell on Trial (aka Ed Hamell) pontificates and plays guitar like a demon. He’s often referred to as a one-man punk band. But what he does for a living isn't exactly easy to categorize. He's not quite a pundit, not quite a comic, and definitely not a touchy-feely singer-songwriter mope. Hamell mixes politics, the Ten Commandments, drug dealers, road trips, sex and worry warts into an intoxicating, confessional spoken-sung brand of anti-folk. â€" Brad Allen
[Northern Pacific Coffee Company, 8 p.m., all ages, $10-$12, 401 Garfield St. S., Tacoma, 253.537.8338]

LINK: Lewd Acts and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: Erica Lord, Matt Hamon and Kirk Lang show at Black Front Gallery.
LINK: Let’s eat seafood today.