SOUTH SOUND COMES ALIVE >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Offshore Radio, Congratulations, Mercurial. 21+. 9 pm.

Bethany Open Bible Church Tacoma - Eastside. SAMFEST 2010. Sam Stevens passed away due to an accident involving a drunk driver. Bands will rock in his memory. All Ages. 5-10 pm. $10.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Toward The Flame, Education. 21+. 8 pm.

Cedarwood Dome Milton. 10th Annuel Rize Of The Dead, with Unhailoed, A Lesson In Chaos, Church Of Hate, The Curse Of Western Culture, Demented Souls, Murmur. 21+. 7 pm. $10.

Cork! A Wine Bar Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Mr. Fusion, featuring Joe Izenman & Erich Sachs. 21+. 8:30 pm.

The Den @ urbanXchange Tacoma - Downtown. Eleanor Murray, Little Horses. All ages. 7 pm.

• For music fans that obsess over production and arrangement, the brand of stripped-down, no-frills folk that's ubiquitous in the Pacific Northwest can, at times, become tedious and uninspiring. With those kind of bands (and the area is lousy with them), there is little to scrutinize or pick apart aside from the lilts and wavers of a singer's voice, or the lyrical content of their woodsy ditties. Fortunately, Eleanor Murray (ostensibly a five-piece band led by Ms. Murray) is not this kind of Washingtonian folkie. Across two well-received releases, Murray has capitalized on the (sometimes offbeat) contributions of her bandmates, resulting in a fuller - and fully-realized - sound. Despite the brittle, glass-like quality of her voice, and the pervasive simplicity of her compositions, Murray's songs feel hearty in a way that so much local folk doesn't. - Jason Baxter

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Hammy's Birthday Party, with Manhammer, Blanco Bronco. 21+. 9:30 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Witchburn, From The Sea, Resdeus, Jobe Hiimself. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Rockfish. 21+. 8 pm. $8-$10.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Chicken Joe. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Le Voyeur Olympia - Downtown. Lovers. 10 pm. NC.

• There are few things more powerful (not in a sissy way, but in a gut-twisting, heart palpitation-causing kind of way) than some well-placed synthesizers and cracking handclaps. Lovers are synth peddlers and handclap manufacturers. Dark electro-pop accompanied by badass chick vocals, the songs vacillating between lovestruck declarations and eloquent fuck-yous. Of all of the mish-mashed revivals that the '00s have wrought, by far my favorite sound to see a comeback is that '80s New Wave pulse. Dancing to Lovers in you living room, you'll feel like you could finally give your heart to that certain mousy someone or other. Listening to it in a car with the windows down will give you the dangerously real sensation that you're about to do some damage to the popular kids. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Stillwater (bluegrass). All Ages. 6 pm. NC. Devil On A Leash. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. The Flight Of Phanuel, Lemolo. 21+. 9 pm.

• Here's a band whose name has appeared in the Weekly Volcano countless times, on bills all over town, sharing stages with well known T-Town rock stalwarts, yet the Flight of the Phanuel has received next to no ink of its own. Well, that's just wrong, and it stops here. The band's got chops that deserve recognition. Playing The New Frontier Lounge Saturday, guitarists Jeremy Baxter and Preston Lewis, bassist Nathan Munoz and drummer Mike Pierce - collectively the Flight of the Phanuel - will put it on display,  dropping their unique brand of real life, soaring pop rock. "The Flight Of Phanuel brings to you a platform of ethereal, atmospheric soundscapes that are written from emotional responses to real events in their own lives or the lives of others," says the band bio. But the truth is in the pudding. See for yourself. - Matt Driscoll

North Shore Golf & Country Club Tacoma - Northeast. Boogie For The Cure, featuring The T-Town Aces, Steve Bailey. 21+. 7:30 pm.

Rhythm & Brews Tacoma - Downtown. Michal Miller Band. All Ages. 9 pm.

SideBar Bistro Tacoma - Downtown. John Nichols and cellist Caleb. 7 pm. NC.

Top of Tacoma Bar & Cafe Tacoma - Eastside. Third Anniversary Party featuring CFA Disarmed (which is the acoustic-sexy version of the regular, high octane CFA), DickEd and Looking for Lizards? (Carl Zook along with Damien Simard, also rocking acoustics). 9 pm. NC.

• Bobble Tiki has the scoop on this show.

Urban Grace Church Tacoma - Downtown. Uncle Bonsai & Christine Lavin CD Release Concert. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $17-$20.

• Bobble Tiki has the scoop on this show.
  

LINK: More live shows tonight in the South Sound