THE MUSIC OF PATSY CLINE HEADED TO TACOMA >>>

Some say March 5, 1963 was the real day the music died. Patsy Cline was on her way to a benefit for a fellow performer with two other country stars, Cowboy Copus and Hawkshaw Hawkins, when her plane went down, killing everyone onboard. I'm not a huge Patsy Cline fan, but I respect the female country pioneer's musicianship, and I never turn the dial if "Crazy" pops on.

This Wednesday, Seattle Theatre Group presents Sweet Dreams, The Music of Patsy Cline inside Tacoma's Rialto Theater. This is STG's second year of gathering the Northwest's best female singer/songwriters for a run through of Cline's classics. Scheduled to take the stage Wednesday are Star Anna and The Laughing Dogs, Rachel Flotard (of Visqueen), Kristen Ward, Kim Virant (of Lazy Susan), and Victoria Wimer-Contreras.

Virant's name brings back awesome memories of seeing the Clover Park High School grad front the band Lazy Susan in the early '90s. I remember listening to her sensual and gravely vocals at the Victory Club (now Jazzbones), lost in her melodies and whole lot of hair. Lazy Susan's bluesy, roots rock attracted a wide audience, including members of Pearl Jam. Lazy Susan was invited to open PJ's famed Drop in the Park concert, and back in the day guitarist Mike McCready frequently donned a Lazy Susan T-shirt during performances and promotional stills.

The other Sweet Dream musicians are first rate, but it'll be cool to see Virant back in Tacoma and on stage.

[Rialto Theater, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m., $23-$26, $3 off for military, 310 S. Ninth St., Tacoma, 253.591.5894]