THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Partly sunny, hi 79, lo 58

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 78, lo 57

Sunday: Showers possible, hi 63, lo 54

>>> FRIDAY, SEPT. 23: TRIPOD FOCUS ON TACOMA

Friday, the Madera Architectural Elements Showroom presents the newest installment of the monthly Tripod Slide Shows series, welcoming local photographers Kevin Frietas (yes, he of feedtacoma.com), Sharon Styer and chip Van Gilder's presentation of Tacoma, a digital slideshow featuring works that capture Grit City. Now in its seventh month, the Tripod series at Madera is structured to let three photographers show 15 minutes of slides under one unifying theme. This one-time event should be awesome.

• Madera Architectural Elements Showroom, 7 - 8:30 p.m., $5 donation at the door, 2210 Court A, Tacoma

>>> SEPT. 23-24: WHAT YOU GOT FEST

The What You Got Fest offers films, bands, skateboard ramps, free workshops, a chance to watch a mural being painted outside the Capitol Theater - and zombies. The ghoulish creatures are a pop-culture trend with staying power, and they'll be modeling in the Olympia youth art festival's trash fashion show. "In the trash world, zombies represent stuff that doesn't really go away," said Ruby Re-Usable, who helped youth organizers with a workshop on and materials for creating trash fashion. "Plastic bags get ratty, and they might break up into little pieces, but regular plastic bags do not decompose. They're like the undead." With music by DJ Selector Dub Narcotic (aka Calvin Johnson), the fashion show (6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24) looks like a highlight of this year's festival. To read Molly Gilmore's full feature on this weekend's What You Got Festival in Olympia, click here.

• Capitol Theater, $5 per day, $8 for both, free for workshops and outdoor activities, 206 Fifth Ave. S.E., Olympia, 360.754.6670, olympiafilmsociety.org

>>> SATURDAY, SEPT. 24: K-Pop Contest for Non-Koreans

Love Korean pop music? Not Korean? Well then, you may already know about Saturday's second annual "K-Pop Contest for Non-Koreans." We felt the need to put that in quotations just so you know it's the actual name, not just a somewhat questionable (yet wholly accurate) description that we came up with. Produced by Radio Hankook, the contest is open to all Non-Korean U.S. residents, age 12 years and older, and is patterned after an event originally held last year at the Knutzen Family Theatre in Federal Way. Basically, non-Koreans take the stage and bust out Korean pop songs, in competition, for the delight of all in attendance. According to hype the contest was "originally created to bring together the many different ethnic communities of Puget Sound," becoming, "a meeting place for people who share one common interest; their love for Korean Pop Music and the Korean culture."

• Pantages Theater, 6 p.m., $10-$20, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894 

>>> SUNDAY, SEPT. 25: JAZZ JAM SESSION

The thing about Tacoma's Jazzbones is it rarely hosts jazz. You'd assume by the club's name that it was all jazz, all the time; but in truth history has seen more DJ nights, KRY shows, foam partiers and co-ed Jager-bomb orgies than nights of actual jazz. The good news is, at least for jazz aficionados, Sundays at Jazzbones have now been claimed by the genre that loaned the club its name, because Kareem Kandi is now hosting a weekly jazz jam session sure to cap the week of in style. The jazz jam is all ages and has no cover, so bring the kids out with you.

• Jazzbones, 7:30 p.m., all ages, NC, 2803 Sixth Ave., Tacoma

>>> SUNDAY, SEPT. 25: NEVER SHOUT NEVER

Look, we're old and jaded here at the Volcano. When we hear a band like Never Shout Never we can't help but scoff, squirm, and throw up a little in our mouths. We're assholes like that ... old and jaded, like we mentioned. We're, basically, the exact opposite of a youthful, hopeful, innocent, teenage girl - the kind of demographic we assume makes up the bulk of Never Shout Never's fanbase. The kind of person who doesn't look at contemporary mainstream pop music (and, to be honest, contemporary American culture as a whole) as instantly start groveling about how we're all headed to hell in a hand basket. If this sounds like you, check out Never Shout Never, The Maine, A Rocket to the Moon and The Downtown Fiction Sunday at the Puyallup Fair, closing down this year's Fair Concert Series.

• Puyallup Fair, 4 p.m., $30, 110 Ninth Ave. SW, Puyallup  

>>> WHERE OUR STAFF IS GOING

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music/Film Critic
Saturday, I'm going to try and hit up both the Campfire OK show at The Space, and the Night Beats at the New Frontier. Monday night at Magoo's, I'll be doing a guest DJ set with DJ Melodica for Micro Mondays.

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
I'll be seeing Lord Franzannian's Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show Friday night at the Midnight Sun in Oly and Something Wicked This Way Comes at Lakewood Playhouse Saturday night. Sunday I plan to zone out on the couch in front of the TV if I'm awake at all.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food and Lifestyles Writer
Hitting the town in Olympia Friday night, volunteer work Saturday morning, church dinner followed by Marguerite's b-day at the Mix. Church and rest on Sunday.

BRETT CIHON Meat Market Correspondent/Features Writer
Is this the last weekend of summer? Is that an official thing? If this is the last weekend of the summer, than I'll be dancing in the sun. If it's already technically fall, I plan to spend the weekend dwelling. I ain't ready for winter yet. 

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Aah, the weekend ... Thursday I'm going to Blue Scholars, baby. Friday is Lord Franzannian's Royal Olympian Spectacular Vaudeville Show, and Saturday is girl's night out! Sunday is reserved for recovering from aforementioned activities.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL: Theater Critic
I have a dinner engagement on Friday and a play reading on Saturday. That's it, really. Wow. It's thrilling how boring I am at the moment.

JOE IZENMAN: Theater/Music Critic
Saturday Deborah Page is packing up and trucking down to Rainier, Wash. for the End of Summer MS Benefit at the Hidden River Music Society. And the fruits of Sunday you will no doubt read next Thursday, as I view and review Something Wicked This Way Comes at Lakewood Playhouse.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
This weekend I will be home with the little son while my better half gets to play recording engineer, attend a swanky fundraiser and go to a Master's class. I clearly have the better deal.

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
The boy child turns five .... Shhhhh he is getting a bike.

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LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound