WE RECOMMEND THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>
4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Audacity. 21+. 9 pm.
C.I. Shenanigan's Tacoma - Northend. Collaborative Works Jazz Trio. 21+. 8 pm. NC.
Cork! A Wine Bar Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Drew Pine & Peter Schilling. 21+. 8 pm.
D4 Sumner. Autumn Awakening, Athena (ep release), legendhasit, Hands of Gabriel, Buried On The Shore, and Mr. Death Hoax. Local metal bands. All Ages. 6:30 pm. $8-$10.
Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Missionary Position. 21+. 9 pm. NC.
Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. The Shy Boys Christmas Concert. 21+. 7 pm. NC.
Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Dirty Hollywood (Motley Crue tribute), The Pete Moss Band, Bone Flower, Keg. 21+. 9 pm. $5.
- Oh, folks. Are you ready for something absolutely ridiculous? You may look no further than KEG. I can't do his act justice by merely describing it - he is a one-man hair metal band. Sure, it sounds kind of funny, but to watch it is a thing of eye-rubbing, snort-inducing beauty. It may be possible to effectively replicate the sound of an entire hair metal band through the use of a looping pedal, much like the kind that KEG utilizes, but that's not KEG's M.O. He wants to replicate the feeling of a hair metal group, and in that case musicianship comes in a far second behind balls-to-the-wall theatrics. He breathlessly pulls out every trick in the hair metal playbook: high kicks, spitting water, gesturing with his crotch, etc. KEG is a tornado of absurdity. - Rev. Adam McKinney
The Hub Tacoma - Stadium District. Eric Miller Trio. 21+. 9 pm. NC.
Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Paperboys. 21+. 8 pm. $13-$15.
Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Hot Rush, The Rainiers. 21+. 9 pm.
The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Nightgowns, Tall Girl. 21+. 9 pm.
The Peabody Waldorf Tacoma. Apricot & the Beginners, Check Please, Trevor Dickson, Nickelson Nicklesby. All Ages. 7 pm. $3.
- Part of the appeal of Apricot & the Beginners' gentle indie lies in the way their impeccable instrumental arrangements interact with huskily delivered, domestically minded - and sometimes silly - lyrics ("BLTs at 2 AM / Nothin' better than preemptive hangover medicine"). There's an undeniable winsomeness in the raw sound of their recordings, which juxtapose banjos with xylophones, synthesizers, acoustic guitar and faint or uncomplicated percussion (if any at all). More fully realized tracks like "Darling" (not to be confused with Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House's "D.A.R.L.I.N.G.") demonstrate a savvy understanding of how a single, well-conceived melody can carry an entire song if properly fleshed-out and matched with heart-on-sleeve, down-to-earth lyrics. The inclusion of background chatter and between-song ad-libs makes their songs feel that much more intimate, like a window in on the warmest winter sweater party ever. - Jason Baxter
Rocket Records Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Rooftop Warrior, Broken Twigs, Midnight Bears, Bucky Virginia, 3-6 p.m. NC.
- Kids these days are way cooler than you ever were. Trust us. Or don't - just check out Rooftop Warrior, set to play a free all-ages show Saturday at Rocket Records. This one should be a fine snapshot into the lives of Tacoma's youth, as well as a prime chance to catch some searing new tunes from a band with a sound wise beyond its years that meshes varied influences into a modern mélange of new fangled yet reverent rock swagger. – Michael Swan
Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. The Trevalyan Triangle. 21+. 9 pm.
The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Hi-Fi Reset. 21+. 8 pm.
Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Voxxy Vallejo, Deborah Page. 21+. 9 pm. $5.
- On Tacoma singer and songwriter Deborah Page's impressive website, after clicking on a fire-engulfed guitar, you're taken to a page where quotes from reviewers scroll across the top of the screen. Naturally, the chosen quotes are positive, all (rightfully) coloring Page and the five-piece band that bares her name as a truly unique South Sound act on the up-and-coming list - a ‘90s-bred yet contemporary take on the rock we all grew up on. Well ... except for one. Amidst all the well-earned praise from local journalists of every ilk, there's a quote in there that is typical of the juvenile and somewhat low-brow author given credit for it. "Deborah Page is hot," it says - credited to yours truly. Well, you know what? I stand by that statement. It's not the smartest thing I've ever written, and surely not the most insightful, but facts are facts and I won't back down from my previous assertion - even if there's probably a strong possibility I was high when I wrote it. Not because it's not true, mind you - because it is - rather, I'm just high much of the time ... and so I craft website-ready quotes like, "Deborah Page is hot." Look at me, mom! - Matt Driscoll
Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Bryan Bowers. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.
LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound