NIGHT MOVES: Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival, The Donkeys, Le Voyeur birthday, Rain Fest

By Volcano Staff on May 29, 2010

LIVE MUSIC TODAY IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Jazz/Blues: In a year ripe with new Tacoma music festivals, let us not forget the Tacoma Jazz and Blues Festival, set to engulf T-town Saturday with a big band stage at Freighthouse Square, a blues stage at the Harmon Pub, and an after party at Stonegate Pizza. Organized by the crew-cut, horn-blowin' Rich Wetzel, and The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, the festival shows off Tacoma and supports music education in our schools. It's hard to go wrong. Saturday, May 29, starts at 12:30 p.m., Harmon and Freighthouse Square, no cover, then $5 after party at Stonegate Pizza, see full schedule: tacomajazzfestival.com - Michael Swan

Pop: Remember all those times you've taken cross-country road trips, discovered hidden truths about yourself, and - ultimately - come of age? Sure you do. You laid down in the back seat, feet hanging out the window, millions of miles of road ahead and behind you. Do you remember what was on the radio? It probably sounded something like The Donkeys. They make warm, open, AM pop; if you'd stayed home instead of hitting the road, you might have heard it while sitting on your front porch, barefoot and admiring the setting sun. There are moments throughout the songs of the Donkeys that sound so damn familiar - you'll swear you've been hearing them all your life. It's a deeply unpretentious throwback, which can be a rather uncommon occurrence. With Austin Cooper and guests, Saturday, May 29, 9 p.m., all ages, $6, Northern, 321 Fourth Ave. Olympia - Rev. Adam McKinney

Rock: Just think. Ten years of sound bouncing off sweaty, hip, vegan bodies and concrete walls. Ten years of smells. Ten years of Olympia's Le Voyeur - which night after night seems to provide this fine rag with something bizarre, brazen or brilliant (sometimes all of the above) in the form of eclectic musical offerings. Saturday, Le Voyeur celebrates Part II of its 10th anniversary bonanza with Chief. It'll be more awesome than the chicken fried tofu. Saturday, may 29, 10 p.m., no cover, Le Voyeur, 404 Fourth Ave. E., Olympia, 360.943.5710 - Michael Swan

Hardcore: One of the Viaduct's crowning achievements has been the annual Rain Fest, a massive hardcore music festival spanning three days.  Since its inception in 2007, Rain Fest has served as a magnet for big names in the hardcore scene from the past and present. This year, Rain Fest has seven bands flying in, for a grand total of 50 bands over three days.  Scheduled to perform today: Backtrack, Black SS, The Bonus Army, Broadway Calls, The Carrier, Crooks to Kings, Disembodied, The Fake Boys, Gravemaker, Indecision, Keep It Clear, Like Wolves, Losing Skin, Pressvre (last show), Putrid Brew, Sabertooth Zombie, Sixes, Truth And Rights, Vanguard (last show), and Withdrawal. Saturday, May 29, 6 p.m., all ages, $20-$25, The Viaduct, 5412 South Tacoma Way, Tacoma, viaductvenue.com - Justin Miller

LINK: More live music today in the South Sound