LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Kidnap The Past, Elbow Coulee, Astrovan. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Kramer, The Bismarck, Apache Chief, Wyoming Young & Strong. 9 pm.

• Rarely do Washington rockers sound this Midwestern. The Bismarck is a Seattle quartet of North Dakotan expats with a penchant for hard-hitting, hickory-smoked rock 'n' roll. It seems appropriate that they'll be playing Bob's Java Jive with a band called Wyoming Young and Strong (named for a line in that state's official song). And while the Bismarck shares rambunctious energy with Apache Chief, another band on the bill, they have a singular, ostensive interest in red-blooded Americana; the first word heard on their latest record Great Plains is a throatily-shouted "America!" and the song  "Not If You Were the Last Team Gina Fan on Earth" features the lyric, "Take me back to the Great Lakes/Take me back to red states/Take me back to the Midwest" (the title references - perhaps satirically - one of Seattle's lesbian hip-hop duos). Read the full story here. – Jason Baxter
  

Cicada Restaurant Olympia. Valentine Weekend Celebration, with LaVon Hardison, Joe Baque. 8 pm.

The Den at urbanXchange Tacoma - Downtown. The Den Fundraiser with the Nightgowns and Check Please. All Ages. 7 pm. $10.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Phunkatron & The Double Deuce Horns. 9:30 pm. NC.

FuSE Cafe & Imbibery @ Pt Defiance Cafe & Casino Ruston. Billy Shew and the Spanktones. All Ages. 8 pm. No Cover.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Missionary Position, High Noon Horizon, Jobe Himself, The Material. 9 pm. $5.

The Hub Tacoma - Stadium District. Fingertips. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Valentine's Day Kickoff Party, featuring Cherry Cherry (Neil Diamond Tribute). 8 pm. $10.

Koncrete Studios Olympia - Eastside. We Out Here All Ages Showcase, featuring Metaphantom, Cyrus, Young Sash, Mr. Twist, Kyle Duffey, Young & Brave and more. All Ages. 7 pm. $10.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Les Jupes, Mirror Mirror. 9 pm.

• The 20th Anniversary re-release of British shoegaze group Ride's seminal album Nowhere was recently awarded a "Best New Reissue" commendation and lusted-after high score from taste-making news and reviews site Pitchfork Media, evidence that (in some critical circles, anyway) bleary, reverb-soaked ear candy will continue to be celebrated, appreciated and encouraged. Olympia's Mirror Mirror are unabashedly aiming for a smudged, smothering shoegaze sound, though their (relatively) clear vocals and occasional acoustic jangles set them apart from run-of-the-mill Jesus and Mary Chain imitators. Their music is more in line with bands from shoegaze's immediate legacy (Brian Jonestown Massacre, et al.); guitar-centric, vintage-influenced rock that shimmers as much as it simmers, and sounds totally righteous at full blast. - JB

The Loft on Cherry Olympia - Downtown. Countdown to Love 3 with Pizza T's Z Kamp, High Ceiling, Danny Kelly, Bodhi Drip. Includes a barter fair. Beer garden for 21+. All Ages. 7 pm. $5.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. James Hunnicut. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Stephen Heinzman Trio. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

Matrix Coffee House Lewis County. Romantic Song Contest! Winners in three categories: Best Original Song, Best Cover Song, Best Youth Performer (18 or younger). Winners chosen by audience participation. All Ages. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. The Purrs, The Drug Purse, Spanish For 100. 9 pm.

• Over their 10-year career, the Purrs have exuded, above all else, a supreme sense of confidence. Every song is lavishly produced and drenched in gorgeous guitar work, every lyric almost off-handedly intoned by lead singer Jima. The casual mixing and matching of rockabilly and psychedelia and shoegaze - it all speaks to the kind of intrinsic confidence (and the talent to back it up) that all rock bands strive for. The seeming effortlessness of the Purrs only adds to their hypnotic allure. Comparisons with bands like the Brian Jonestown Massacre or the Verve notwithstanding, the Purrs have managed to quietly carve out a niche for themselves in the admittedly overcrowded psychedelia scene. Saturday finds them sharing a bill with lively punk rockers Red Hex, an excitingly unlikely pairing if ever there was one. - Rev. AM

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Cave Singers, Whalebones, Takhoma. All Ages. 8 pm.

• Let's imagine a band comprised of steaming momentum that has been abruptly decompressed and cooled in a folk-rock mold. Its members cut their teeth in art punk and prog-rock outfits, all wound up energy and attitude, when suddenly, in 2007, they came together in a kinder, gentler recording project. This project would develop into the Cave Singers. Later in 2007, they would sign to Matador Records. Speaking with Marty Lund, drummer for the Cave Singers, this transition doesn't come off nearly as abrupt as one might picture it. Coming out of Cobra High, a Seattle math-rock band, Lund happened to be living nearby Derek Fudesco (formerly of Pretty Girls Make Graves and Murder City Devils) and Pete Quirk (of Hint Hint) when they started casually collaborating. Read the full story here. – Rev. Adam McKinney

Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub Tacoma - Downtown. Big Wheel Stunt Show. 8 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Hip Replacements. 8 pm.

Swing Wine Bar & Cafe Olympia - Westside. Valentine's Show, featuring Vince Brown. 7 pm. NC.

Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe Tacoma - Eastside. Mahnhammer, Hands of Toil, 12 Guage Saint. 8 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Back Porch Swing. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Tim Hall Band. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound