FRIDAY, AUG. 12, 2011 >>>

1. In the grand, and unusual, tradition of skinny English boys bopping about in even skinnier ties to American soul and jazz music, local DJs Bobby Galaxy and dAb offer a night of soul, funk, jazz and rare grooves under the tag Rare Groove at 9:30 p.m. inside the Tempest Lounge. Back in the day, Brits loved obscure American soul records almost as much as they loved mayonnaise and cucumber sandwiches. Galaxy and dAb celebrate this phenomenon by playing authentic, obscure soul, funk and jazz records. It's the kind of music that would have been heard at all-night parties in Manchester or Blackpool back in the day.

2. You will take the spotlight at 7 p.m. for the monthly Distinguished Writer Series gathering inside King's Books. After you demonstrate why you've been published on numerous refrigerator surfaces, the floor opens up for everyone to lay some words down.

3. The Happy Socks Club asks everyone to drop by Amocat Café at 7 p.m. with a pair or two of festive socks for the kids supported by Stand Up for Kids Tacoma.

4. Surreal Ultra Lounge is the full-service grocery store of Tacoma bars, its clientele and staff a fascinating mix of fresh meat, some discontinued items marked for quick sale, and some of the finest melons I've seen. At 9:30 p.m. the staff will step aside for a bikini and boardshorts contest with big money on the line - a sexy preliminary for the sexy final bikini and boardshort competition Sept. 9. Expect courageous girlies parading their perky tops and wedgied bottoms in front of a braying crowd. These are prelims for the finals on September 9th. Booze and copious amounts of skin - aren't we lucky to live in an area that has it all?  Thank you Surreal Ultra Lounge for recognizing the power of the booze, skin and Friday combo.

5. Tacoma garage rock is front and center at 9 p.m. when The Plastards and The Fuzz begin ripping it at The New Frontier Lounge.

PLUS: A couple of Friday events in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment today in the South Sound

LINK: Movies open today!