THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2011 >>>

1. Lew Tabackin has been nominated for Grammys, yo - like plural Grammys. Freakin' 10 times. While there's no doubt the Black Eyed Peas et al. have cheapened that honor, it's still kind of a big deal ... although it may be the least impressive thing on Tabackin's resume. Dude's flute is "electric." His tenor sax style "distinctive" - these the words of people much smarter than us ... real heady jazz types. Did we mention his name is Lew Tabackin? Say that three times fast. He's at the University of Puget Sound at 7:30 p.m.

2. What's a good sign adult dodgeball has jettisoned itself into the mainstream, no longer a fringe activity engaged in by alt-types, Ben Stiller characters and nostalgia freaks? Well, when the Pierce County prosecutors office and local members of the defense attorneys bar face off in a dodgeball match (refereed by Superior Court Judge John McCarthy, no less) to benefit charity, it's a pretty strong indication. Starting at 6 p.m. at the People's Center (1602 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma), that's exactly what will happen. The after party is at the SideBar Bistro, where they all hang out.

3. After the winter we went through, we could use a little tropical injection. Hanging in a coffee shop in Fircrest isn't going to cut it. However, when you add the topical musical stylings of Trio Tropical (and a flask full of rum), your smashed fender and broken arm from that trip to the grocery store in the snow just might disappear out of your mind (with enough rum). Check out the combo from 6:30-8 p.m. at The Greener Bean.

4. Greasy rocker Meatloaf sang, "There's evil in the air and there's thunder in sky, and A killer's on the bloodshot streets / Oh and down in the tunnel where the deadly are rising / Oh I swear I saw a young boy down in the gutter / He was starting to foam in the heat. The song, of course, is "Bat Out Of Hell." The Weekly Volcano wasn't able to confirm if Paul Richards' "Bat Out of Hell" - performed tonight by saxophonist Fred "Don't Call Me Henry" Winkler and the TCC Symphonic Band - is of the same ilk as Meatloaf's version. If it is, the 7:30 p.m. show inside TCC Building 3 will be sure to incite an encore call, which we can only hope will feature Winkler busting out "Paradise by the Dashboard Light." 

5. Project:U, the United Way of Pierce County offshoot loaded with young cool cats, hosts comedian Ty Barnett at 8 p.m. inside the Tacoma Comedy Club. The Tacoma Comedy Club will donate 20 percent of their post tax ticket sales - and Barnett will toss in another $2 per ticket - toward United Way's local charities, which is nice.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound