MORE LIVE TONIGHT THAN YOU'LL EVER BE >>>
4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Humble Smile. 9 pm.
First Christian Church Olympia - Eastside. Olympia Community Bluegrass Show, with Runaway Train, Oly Mountain Boys, Blackberry Bushes. All Ages. 6:30 pm. $5 or $3 with 2 cans of food.
Firwood Rock Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. DSD1, Lawrence and House Six, DJ Chill. 9 pm. $5.
Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. China Davis. 8 pm. NC.
Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. The Flight Of Phanuel, Zoo Animal, A Leaf, The Merry Way, Magic Mirrors. 8 pm. $5.
Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Big Wheel Stunt Show, Voxxy Vallejo. 8 pm. $5.
Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Judd Wasserman. All Ages. 6 pm. NC. Luke Sayers. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $5.
Maxwell's Speakeasy Tacoma. Lance Buller Trio. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.
The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. The Horde & The Harem, Fox & The Law. 9 pm.
Northern Olympia - Downtown. The Solvents, Letters. All Ages. 8 pm.
- Minus the violin, the Solvents would still be a band worth watching and listening to - earthy, melancholy, lively in the face of heartache. They draw from indie rock godfathers who innovated by veering closer to the heart of pop music, not running away from it (Big Star, the Replacements, etc.). But the ever-present, beautifully expressive violin work provided by Emily Madden offers the perfect counterpoint to Jarrod Bramson's gruff, mournful lead vocals and steadily strumming acoustic guitar. Bramson's vocal ticks, if not his tones, owe a bit to John Lennon in the way he can express regret, shame, remorse and vulnerability without sacrificing masculinity and a cynical bite. And all the while, Madden's violin sweetens and gently badgers Bramson in a game of musical one-upmanship that elevates Solvents into something special. - Rev. Adam McKinney
Personal Power Company Tacoma - Downtown. Slashed Tires, Allan Boothe, Seed, Morgy Pepper and Battle Stations in this Spaceworks Tacoma space. All ages. 7:30 pm. Donations.
- Personal Power Company is the latest entity granted corporealness by the Spaceworks Tacoma project. Kris Crews and his fiancée, Bridgett Nicol (who identify under the titles of artistic director and executive director, respectively), were given a space from which to operate what is essentially a video production company/multimedia gallery/community gathering place/occasional venue. Their first official live show will be happening tonight, featuring the music of Allan Boothe, Margy Pepper, Seed, Battle Stations and Slashed Tires (who will be performing in that shower room I mentioned earlier). Read the rest of the story here. – Rev. AM
Schneebeck Concert Hall Tacoma - Northend. Saxophones & Friends. All Ages. 7:30 pm.
Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Fade to Black. 9 pm.
Washington Center Olympia - Downtown. Loudon wainwright III, Shawn Colvin. 7:30 p.m. $19.25-$46.50.
- Loudon Wainwright III is many things. To some in my generation, he's known as a minor comedic actor, having appeared in M*A*S*H and Judd Apatow productions like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and the short-lived college comedy Undeclared (as well as more dubious cinematic fare like 2009's G-Force - the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced family romp about CGI gerbil secret agents). Decades earlier, Wainwright was a singular and widely admired folk talent that critics eagerly labeled "The New Dylan," back when that honorific was still fresh and hadn't been devalued through overuse by unimaginative journalists. Others might know him best as the patriarch of a preternaturally talented brood (his son Rufus and daughters Martha and Lucy are acclaimed singer-songwriters in their own right). Read the rest of the story here. – Jason Baxter
LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound
