LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Bikers Against Child Abuse benefit featuring the Hollywood Allstarz. 9 pm. $10.

Beyond the Bridge Cafe Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Open Mic Night. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Blue Mouse Theatre Tacoma - Northend. Spring Zing, with Vicci Martinez, Dana Lyons, Evan Greer, Jason Webley, Rona Yellow Robe, What She Said, Garden Level. All Ages. 4 pm. $7.

Emerald Queen Casino Tacoma - Eastside. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo. 8:30 pm. $35-$65.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Spare Me Poseidon, Noel Austin Phreaks, Jobe Himself, The Screaming Starts, Blame It On The Girl. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Heartless (Heart tribute). 8 pm. $8-$10.

LakeBridge Forza Lakewood. The Kari Ehli Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Heaven Generation, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Awesome Cam. 9 pm. $2-$3.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Chrome Molly. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Afra Clinics Charity Auction, with music by Parallel 49. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

Maxwell's Speakeasy Tacoma. Lance Buller Trio. All Ages. 7-10 pm. No Cover.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Nightgowns, Seapony, Hello Electric. 9:30 pm.

• The cover photo of Seapony's Dreaming single depicts sunshine pouring through a line of evergreen trees - rays of sun so intensely radiant that the picture is overtaken by lens flares. It's a potent distillation of the Seapony ethos, and the ethos of bands like them, this idea of a never-ending summer, so light and ebullient that it can almost become overwhelming. Around these parts, we never get summers like that, instead only experiencing brief windows of sunshiny promise that prove more mocking than anything. It could be that, more than most, we need bands like Seapony. For more on Seapony, click here. – Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Japan Benefit, with D+, Lois, Calvin Johnson, The Maxines. All Ages. 8 pm.

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. Buddy Guy, Little Bill and The Blue Notes. Pre-show in the lobby: Bassic Saxx. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $45-$79.

• What will you be doing when you're 74 years old? If you're anything like the Weekly Volcano the answer involves copious amounts of Scotch and being dead. Blues legend Buddy Guy, on the other hand, is still cranking out the music at 74 - he recently released a new record, Living Proof. According to hype, the record "takes a look back at (Guy's) remarkable life." Living proof. Get it? Tonight, Guy comes to Tacoma and the Pantages Theater. Predictably, it's sold out. – Michael Swan
  

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Swing Dance, with Lizzy Boyer, Joe Baque, Steve Luceno, Richard Lopez. 7 pm. $5.

The Spar Olympia. Mike Fekete. 8 pm. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Vicci Martinez. 9 pm. $8.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. David Roth. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $12-$15.

The Vault Nightclub Olympia - Downtown. Volcano Weekly's Best Of Hip Hop Show with Xperience, Never Sleep, Free Whiskey, Young Sash, One Kahleo. 9 pm. $6-$10.

• Tonight, Weekly Volcano Best of Olympia 2011 winners Xperience ("Artist of the Year" and "Album of the Year") and Never Sleep ("Best Live Performance") will hit the stage together at The Vault in downtown Olympia. Also performing will be Free Whiskey, Young Sash and One Kahleo. It's a great show for people who haven't had a chance to check out the award winners live in action. And since the show is 18+, some of Oly's hip-hop fan base that doesn't get the opportunity to see their city's finest will finally be able to. – Nic Leonard
  

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Red Horse, featuring John Gorka, Eliza Gilkyson, Lucy Kaplansky. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $16-$32.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound