ART
ICONcepts
The show is called ICONcepts, but it could just as well be called the beatification of Dale Chihuly and Lynn Di Nino.

The term “icon” is one of those words the meaning of which has been so expanded through common usage and misusage that it can mean almost anything, from Hannah Montana to Jimi Hendrix to the Coca-Cola logo. Dictionary.com defines icon as “a representation of some sacred personage, as Christ or a saint or angel, painted usually on a wood surface and venerated itself as sacred.”

The curators of this show apparently gave the artists a lot of leeway. Most chose to iconize the Tacoma arts scene. As I implied in the opening paragraph, a lot of these artists chose to make living saints of Di Nino and Chihuly, the former because she has done so much to enliven the Tacoma arts scene and the latter because he has focused the world’s attention on Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest. Read my full review here. â€" Alec Clayton
[Two Vaults Gallery, through Sept. 12, 602 South Fawcett, Tacoma, 253.759.6233]

CONTEST
Lakewood Idol auditions
At long last, months of training and hours of preparation will finally pay off â€" for eight Lakewoodians, at least. Lakewood Idol 2008 auditions will kick off at 4 p.m. at Lakewood City Hall (doesn’t get much more Hollywood than that), and by approximately 7 p.m. the panel of judges will have whittled the field of hopefuls down to the aforementioned eight lucky finalists. Those finalists will go on to compete at the official Lakewood Idol 2008 competition, to be held Friday, July 22 at American Lake. By rule, you must be at least 12 years old to compete in Lakewood Idol, and provide your own karaoke or backup music. â€" Matt Driscoll
[Lakewood City Hall, 4 p.m., $10 to audition, 6000 Main St. S.W., Lakewood, 253.589.2489]

ROCK
9 Pound Hammer
After extensive research, I was able to determine that 9 Pound Hammer is a dive bar in Seattle, Wash., an old folk song, a punkabilly band in Kentucky, a small sledge hammer, and a Southern rock band in Tacoma fronted by Dustin Lafferty.

Like the hardware it was named after, Lafferty’s band was forged in metal, dragged through the backwoods and surrounded by enough rubber to make for easy swinging. What I mean by that (get your mind out of the gutter) is this acoustic guitar- and harmonica-infused rock music is happy, full of local references and lighthearted enough to give us a giggle once in awhile. The band is a three-piece outfit with Lafferty (formerly of The Evergreens and The Alley Walkers) on vocals and acoustic guitar, Todd Arrighi (formerly of Lew Schmngy) on harmonica and vocals, and Jake Gurrido (formerly of the Earl White Revue) on drums. â€" Angela Jossy
[Wayne’s Inn, 9 p.m., 1902 E. Main, Puyallup, 253.848.3466]

LINK: Dirty Knockers and others in the clubs tonight.
LINK: Steph DeRosa is looking for volunteers
LINK: Give Fujiyama a shot today.