THURSDAY, SEPT. 1, 2011 >>>

1. If you came of age, musically speaking, during a similar period in time as this hack writer, you're probably moderately familiar with the Marcy Playground story - or at least the band's "hit," the radio friendly "Sex and Candy." The song came from Marcy Playground's platinum selling, self-titled, major label debut, released by Capitol Records in '97 and highlighted by a grunge stained take on folk rock and the occasional children's rhyme. "Sex and Candy" - the record's second single, following "Poppies" and achieving considerably more success - spent 15 weeks atop Billboard's, "Modern Rock" chart, and the album managed to spawn two more singles, "Saint Joe on the School Bus," and "Sherry Fraser." Next Tonight, Marcy Playground will play Jazzbones in Tacoma, where most of the preceding stats will matter very little. It'll be like the '90s all over again. 

2. It's Taco Thursday at Uncle Sam's in Spanaway with the venerable Jerry Miller. Or, if that doesn't tickler your fancy, peruse the Volcano's extensive live local music listings here.

3. Sure, the Fort Nisqually Candlelight Tours scheduled for Oct. 7-8 are more than a month away, but there's no reason you can't get excited for the re-enactments and melted wax now. Furthermore, there's absolutely no reason why you can't buy your tickets now, as they officially  go on sale today. More information can be found at fortnisqually.org.

4. Check out the open mic and "musicians night" at Rock the Dock Pub and Grill tonight, hosted by Big D of 9 Pound Hammer. The action kicks off at 9 p.m.

5. Today is your last chance to catch the serious mindf*** movie, Another Earth, at the Grand.  It's a worthy escape.

LINK: Arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound