LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Custom, Guns of Barisal. 8 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Tacomen, MC Mike Kopf, Murder Party, The Ram Rams. 9 pm.

• There are pockets of Tacoma that are well aware of just what exactly the Tacomen are and what they do so well. Regulars at the Antique Sandwich Company's Victory Music open mic will recognize the group as the frequent closers or penultimate act of the night, and what a bizarre feeling they bring to the room. Led by Taco Mike (oh, he of the crazy long, black hair), all of the Tacomen's songs are improvised on the spot, usually with Taco Mike focusing on some strange notion like what he would do if his car got a million miles to the gallon (true story). The Tacomen are weird, funny and totally unique in these parts, and their show at the Jive will be a rare opportunity to witness them live in the wild. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Conquering Lion Tacoma - South. Barrington Levy, Ras Attitude, DJ Arch. 8 pm. $20.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Highrollers. 9 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Ryan Purcell & Last Round. 9:30 pm. NC.

Eastside Club Tavern Olympia - Downtown. How Now Brown Cow, EnRoot. 9 pm. $5.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Underride, Atomic Outlaws, Wide Eye Panic, Riot In Rhythm. 8 pm.

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

Hub Bar & Grill Centralia. Chief, Big Chunk, Rock City Refugees, 9 pm. NC, donations accepted.

• Centralia knows how to party. Seems like Podunk towns always do, especially when it comes to hometown pride. The bands come out, the kegs are tapped and everyone and their moms and grammas turn out to show some spirit. Saturday, Centralia and The Hub Bar and Grill pull out all the stops to raise money for a beloved Northwest icon, the Yard Bird - leftover from the home improvement chain of yesteryear. A benefit show to help restore the huge, ugly-yet-endearing black bird (still standing at the former corporate flagship location of Yard Birds in Chehalis - having endured 40 years of weather and having garnered more than 5,000 friends on Facebook) will go down with Olympia heavyweights Chief, and Centralia bands Big Chunk and Rock City Refugees. Throw in a visit from Ms. Yard Bird and this is one loud and local party worth making the drive for. - Nikki Talotta

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Vicci Martinez Band, Aaron Daniel. 8:30 pm. $10-$12.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Tacoma All Ages Music Project Benefit Show. Bands scheduled to perform: Sons, Wake The Giant, The Wheelies, Mount Forgotten, Marissa Olson. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $10 spaghetti feed an dshow, $5 show.

• I didn't even bother to ask who was in the band. I just assumed that, like most of the rest, it would fade away, only to leave behind another reason to lose faith in the music scene that is Tacoma. ... Then came that fateful day. I was on my way to Westport for a surfing trip when the CD changer switched discs. It only took about 30 seconds for me to ask my friend who the band was. He said he thought they're called the Wheelies. Now I get it. Every song sounds good. Not just the kind of good you say when a co-worker asks if you like Rush - the kind where you might actually go looking for some of their music yourself. I could call it groovy starry shoe gaze pop, but instead I'm going to simply define it as indie rock. Now you can feel comfortable knowing that if you get caught on a bus with the headphones too loud, you're still hip. - Justin Arter

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Argonaut, Plastards, Sleeper Cell. 9 pm.

North Shore Golf & Country Club Tacoma. Boogie 4 The Wailer: benefit for Kent Morrill. Jim King & The Southenders and many friends join in to raise money for medical expenses in Kent's fight against cancer. All Ages. 7:30-10:30 pm. $20 donation.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. The Curious Mystery, Karl Blau, Georgy. All ages. 8 pm.

• Last week, the Curious Mystery (Seattle's most rustic, roots-y psych band) released We Creeling, their second LP for esteemed Olympia imprint K Records. Saturday's show is the first of two South Sound dates on the quartet's schedule, and this spring they be spreading the gospel of their self-styled lysergic Americana on a nationwide tour. The band's sound is a mélange of familiar styles, all gussied up in one atypical package. Imagine Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo as filmed in the Southwestern United States instead of Mexico - the Curious Mystery's music is simultaneously bluesy, trippy, and bursting with vibrant Tex-Mex plumage and Western flair. Elegiac hallucinatory jammer Georgy and Karl Blau open this all-ages show. - Jason Baxter

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. City Hall, Rockwell Powers. 9 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Brotherhood Of The Black Squirrel, Trees Without Leaves. 9 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. The Makedonians. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Steve Cooley Band, featuring Billy Moss. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound