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Alt Rock: You're probably familiar with the Marcy Playground story - or at least the band's hit "Sex and Candy." The song came from Marcy Playground's platinum-selling, self-titled, major label debut, released by Capitol Records in '97 and highlighted by a grunge-stained take on folk rock and the occasional children's rhyme. As you may recall, "Sex and Candy" spent 15 weeks atop Billboard's "Modern Rock" chart. Friday, Marcy Playground will play the Royal Lounge in Olympia, where most of the preceding will matter very little. Read the full story here. Friday, June 11, 7 p.m., $20, The Royal Lounge, 311 Capitol Way N., Olympia, 360.705.0760 - Michael Swan
Art Rock: I think it's safe to say Myths want to fuck your minds and leave them feeling dirty. Myths make confrontational music that leans toward art rock but never displaces its ambition of alienating its audience. The band is made up of two women who perform to a backing track and scream in syncopated bursts of crazed fury. Though it may not be for everyone, Myths do make arresting music that borders on performance art, and it's worth witnessing in the flesh. To be attacked by music every once in awhile is equal time in my book. With Lake, Paris Spleen, and People Under the Sun, Friday, June 11, 9 p.m., $7, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020 - The Rev. Adam McKinney
Indie Pop: James Jenkins played a big part in initiating me into the world of Tacoma music and Team Unicorn. His now-defunct band, Mama Loves Daddy, was and still is one of my favorite bands to come out of this city, and long nights spent at the "Gloom House" served to throw me head first into the deep end of cigarettes, Carlo Rossi and vintage vinyl. Mama Loves Daddy eventually dissolved, and Jenkins moved down to Portland. His triumphant return to Tacoma with his freshly assembled People Under the Sun outfit will be paved with flicked cherries, hazy binges and smoking guitar amps. With Myths, Paris Spleen, and LAKE, Friday, June 11, 9 p.m., $7, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020 - The Rev. AM
Singer-Songwriter: "When I started out," says Kazutaka Nomura, AKA Pwrfl Power, "(I was playing) mostly silly songs, shorter songs just about daily topics. ... After about three years of playing, they've become not so funny." Funny or not, Pwrfl Power's music is still marked by quirky awkwardness and unique guitar work. There's an undertone of quiet romanticism in Nomura's writing that makes it endlessly endearing. With Strange Holiday, Oberhofer and Cap Lori, Friday, June 11, 6 p.m., all ages, $6, The Squawk Box, 745 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, myspace.com/squeakandsquawkfestival – The Rev. AM
Indie Pop: LAKE is five K Records cuties from the mystical Isle of Whidbey and the natural springs of Olympia. The primary songwriters are Eli Moore and Ashley Eriksson - a golden-haired couple who look like Muppets and sing like sunshine. Their music is so special and impossible to force into any genre. It's like trying to grip a big, slippery beach ball. OK. I'll try. It's like R&B/jazz/calypso/indie-folk. No, that's not it. Imagine forest elves who listen to nothing but Motown. Actually, don't try to crack this coconut. Just let it sing for you and be happy. With Myths, Paris Spleen, and People Under the Sun, Friday, June 11, 8 p.m., $7, The New Frontier Lounge, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020 - Heather Thomas Loepp