SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012 >>>

1. Presented by the Washington State Arts Commission, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, today's Poetry Out Loud State Finals will pit winners from seven regional finals held across Washington state in an ultimate throwdown of poetry recital. Along with ultimate statewide bragging rights, competitors will be vying for an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Poetry Out Loud national finals.

2. Ariana Throne's one-woman "dance drama" Collision looks at rape culture in American college life. She herself was involved in two such collisions, and much of her performance is uncomfortably autobiographical. Throne uses a variety of performance skills to examine our views about rape - and to tell her own story - from multiple angles. She brings much to the table: self-penned guitar ballads, a black-light dance routine, tongue-in-cheek vignettes. Throne's show runs today and tomorrow at the Evergreen State College. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on Collision in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

3. There's not much that's funnier in this world than Dave's of Milton. See for yourself when Dave's hosts its "Comedy Night," tonight featuring Jay Wendell Walker and Rodney Sherwood. The laughs are hosted by Stephen Morton Jr., and expect musical guest O Dark 30.

4. It's Grown Folk Saturday at Last Call Bar in Lakewood. Expect DJ C-Luv to bust out all sorts of "old skool," hits from the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s  dance hits.

5. Join Tacoma's master of Karaoke, the Rev. Colin, at Engine House No. 9 tonight. The tunes start getting belted out at 9:30 p.m.

MORE THINGS TO DO: The Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Felim Egan of The Chancers. 8 pm. NC.

Eastside Club Tavern Olympia - Downtown. McDougall, Sassparilla. 8 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Underground Tacoma - Stadium District. Jerin Falkner. 10 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Sandlot. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. December In Red, The Fail Safe Project, Riverbend, EROS. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Charles Wilson. All Ages. 8 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Sound Icons: Music, Art & Fashion with The Wheelies, Paris Spleen and Lozen. 10 pm.

• All right, so here's a thing that's happening: Saturday, an assemblage of Tacoma's most stylish bands will convene in one place, play music and have photographs taken of themselves in starkly fashionable rock 'n roll clothing, and you will be there to bask in all the ridiculous, trendsetting-ness of it all. Reader, if you'll allow me to be frank with you, I will be there with absurd bells on my discount-bin shoes. Bands in toe: Interpol/Walkmen-devotees, Wheelies; dance-punk Tacoma provocateurs, Paris Spleen; and the inimitably badass all-girl metal duo, Lozen. These are all unequivocally cool bands in these parts and, fashion-focused evening aside, this is a bill worth attending - even in the blandest of clothes. Pro tip: come naked, and let stylists Del Brown and Najamoniq do you up right. - Rev. Adam McKinney

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless, with Antonio Pito Edwards, Afrok & The Movement, Collective Love Unlimited, Speaker Minds, DJ Budget Money, DJ Drastic, Khingz, OTOW Gang, DJ Tee, Free Whiskey, hosted by Luvva J. All Ages. 6 pm. food or clothing donation.

• Founded in 2002 by Olympia DJ and hip-hop activist Luvva J- real name Jose Gutierrez Jr. - in Vancouver, B.C., the non-profit organization Hip-Hop 4 the Homeless has now been spreading awareness of homelessness for a decade. Once a year, Luvva J and friends host the two-day event that includes one day of live performances by various hip-hop artists and offers free admission with donations of clothes, blankets, tents, food or anything that could be useful to the homeless. Day two of the annual event offers open doors to the homeless community, providing those in need the opportunity to take whatever necessities are available from the previous night's donations. A warm meal is also provided, along with a haircut and professional massage. In 2006 Luvva J decided he wanted to move the organization to the states and since then Olympia has happily become its home. "The purpose of this event is to not only spread awareness of the issue but to encourage folks to get involved and develop a deeper understanding surrounding poverty in America" says Gutierrez, who has written for the Volcano in the past. This year's Hip-Hop 4 the Homeless music showcase promises some of Olympia, Seattle and Portland's best, including DJs, spoken word and live performances by Khingz & OTOW Gang, Alex Duncan, Afrok & The Movement, Speaker Minds and many more. Read Nic Leonard's full feature on Hip-hop 4 the Homeless.
  

Oscar's Restaurant & Lounge Tacoma - South. Fingertips. Funk, blues and jazz. 6 pm. NC.

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Bad Plus Presents On Sacred Ground: Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $24-$56.

• Everything is jazz. Or damn near everything. As The Bad Plus proves, bald heads and fu Manchu mustaches are pretty freakin' jazzy, too. But let us not trivialize this world-renowned jazz band, hitting Tacoma's Pantages Theater Saturday, as anything but remarkable. There's good reason why Billboard, and subsequently the Broadway Center's website, hypes the band as, "America's most "audacious, rule-breaking jazz trio." It's because all those aforementioned adjectives apply. Plus there's the facial hair. Catch The Bad Plus in Tacoma Saturday taking on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - a pairing that should make for quite an evening of entertainment. – WV
  

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Still Got It. Rock, blues and funk from the 50s-80s. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Atomic Outlaws. 9 pm.

• Nothing fancy is at play here, just straightforward, riff-heavy RAWK with a little eyeliner around the edges. The Atomic Outlaws have been rock workhorses since the band's inception in 2007. As time has passed, the band has experienced several lineup changes, including shuffling through three lead singers, but the mission statement has remained constant: Through the use of guitars, drums, bass and big-old amps, the Atomic Oulaws aim to hurl rock 'n' roll at your head. Most of it will get in your ears, but if some gets on your face, they're fine with that, too. The Atomic Outlaws do not work in light brushstrokes. - WV

Tahoma Tea & Co. Tacoma - Downtown. Allan Boothe, Piko Panda, Brandon Sagnella. All Ages. 7-10 pm.

• Saturday at Tahoma Tea and Co. (formerly the Den @ urbanXchange) brings about a showcase of three singer-songwriters, each of whom are accustomed to performing with a full band. The evening will strip these performers down, creating a tableau of three unique voices: Humble Cub's Allan Boothe, Oh Dear!'s Brandon Sagnella and Piko Panda (AKA Jacob Gosselin). "Piko Panda started out as me writing songs by myself when I was 15 or so," says Gosselin. "It's always kinda been something I do on the side, and every once in a while, I'll play. ...  I play with a live band, every once in a while, and I never used to do that. I'm just trying to mature, musically, and play with different people and have different people's ideas in the songs. I guess I would describe Piko Panda as pop music. I don't really know how to describe it." Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on this show.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Faces Pale, Tyranny Theory, Unhaloed. 9 pm.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival. All Ages. 7:30 pm.

• The Harmony Sweepstakes may sound like a new dating service, but it's actually an annual event in Olympia featuring some of the region's best a cappella talent. No kidding. A night of music and awards, Saturday's festivities will include hosts and guest artists The Baudboys, the 2011 first-place champions, along with event emcee Smilin' Jay of Olympia's KGY AM/FM radio. Event hype available on the Washington Center's website promises, "an evening of impeccable harmonies and scintillation arrangements." Hard to go wrong there.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2012 >>>

1. Today brings a chance to join the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and guest pianist Wolfgang Wortberg for "By Audience Request," a performance promising Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15, Verdi's Overture to NabuccoI, Grainger's Irish Tune from County Derry and Stravinsky's Suite from The Firebird. While the Olympia Symphony Orchestra rarely-if-ever disappoints, much of the pre-show hype for this events centers on Wortberg's piano skills, and rightly so. As the Symphony's website notes, "Known for his musical insight, beautiful tone, and technical command, pianist Wolfgang Wortberg has performed in venues across the United States and Europe.  Audiences and critics alike acclaim his unique concerts: portraits of a single composer, interweaving music with insightful reflections on the life and work of the composers themselves and their contemporaries."

2. Rabbit Hole continues at PLU today, hyped on the school's website as "a story of loss, heartbreak, and forgiveness as a family attempts to move on after a life-shattering accident." Find more info here.

3.If you find yourself in Fife for some reason, consider dropping by Freddie's Club of Fife for another Sunday Jam Sessions featuring  Butch Harrison & Good Company. And let us not forget about Keely Whitney and friends. The music runs from 6 - 9 p.m. and there's no cover.

4. It's Service Industry Night at Rock the Dock Pub & Grill - meaning Lena with Songbird Karaoke will be in the house along with drink specials, games, contests and giveaways.

5. It's another Sexy Sunday in Puyallup (really, every day is sexy in Puyallup), with DJ El Guapo breaking out the hip-hop and R&B at O'Henry's Sports Bar.

MORE THINGS TO DO: The Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

MONDAY, MARCH 12, 2012 >>>

1. Every Monday, DJ Melodica and guests DJs spin a wide variety of tunes in between band sets during Showcase Mondays at Magoo's Annex in Tacoma, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. If that wasn't enough, Melodica hosts a "Guess the TV Theme Songs" contest in which people guess the songs to win either a Jell-O shot or a mix disc compiled by Melodica. There are folks who show up just for this little game. All the while Magoo's shucks $3 beers and $2 mondo hot dogs. It's really quite fantastic. Tonight, guest DJ Das Prompt and band Rusty Cleavers are in the house.

2. In honor of Women's History Month, Dr. Susan Armitage, professor of History and Women's Studies, Emerita, Washington State University, will present "Connecting Women's Lives to Make a Women's History of the Great Pacific Northwest," the topic of her forth coming book on women in the Pacific Northwest, at noon inside the Washington State Capital Museum in Olympia.

3. Book clubs are one of the last vestiges we have of formally engaging conversations for groups of strangers. You can discover a lot about a person by learning their opinions on any piece of art, but books prove to be especially revealing. If you're into more non-traditional storytelling, King's Books hosts a Graphic Novel Book Club, which meets the second Monday of every month at 7 p.m. inside 1022 South on Hilltop Tacoma, the craft cocktail house. Tonight's book is Sleeper: Season One by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

4. Let's tally up the score for Jazzbones Rockaraoke, shall we? A chance to sing onstage with a live band? Yes. Cheap Miller High Life? Yes. A valid excuse to drink on a Monday (repeat, Monday) night? Yes, yes and, oh God, yes. Of course, the real entertainment isn't the Rockaraoke, it's the people-watching. Since most of the patrons are just a touch this side of 21, a look around the club is akin watching a "how to hookup" instructional video. It all goes down beginning at 9 p.m.

5. Cowardice, The Sheds and Trey The Ruler play an all-age show at 7 p.m. inside The Red Room in Tacoma.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Why You Can't Read Morning Spew: Because your power is out. (News Tribune)

Not Good: Taliban vow revenge for Joint Base Lewis-McChord Army staff sergeant who went on a killing rampage in Afghanistan. (CNN)

Finally: Pierce County leaders stopped paying Assessor-Treasure Dale Washam's legal bills. (News Tribune)

President Obama's Health Care Law: It's go time for Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. (The New York Times)

Bob Dylan: He's working on a new album. (The Guardian)

Guns N' Roses: Reunion unlikely at Rock And Roll Hall of Fame induction. (NME)

Taylor Swift: She was the highest-earning musician of 2011. (BBC)

We Have To Drive To Lynnwood?: AMC Theaters to hold ultimate Marvel Marathon on May 3. (Coming Soon)

Will Ferrell: He has a new music video. (Hollywood Reporter)

Will This Happen In Tacoma April 23?

A GALLERY EVERY 15 MINUTES KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY >>>

What's considered chic one week is trashed by the trendsetters the next. It's in this blink-and-you-missed-it environment that Tacoma's Third Thursday ArtWalk has become something of an institution. Nothing more than an intermittent and amorphous congregation of people who enjoy original art, the monthly night has managed to snowball into a downtown Tacoma support system for the visual arts.  Or something like that. Here's a primer for Thursday's ArtWalk, which officially takes place from 5-8 p.m. in downtown Tacoma.

Also on Thursday are several South Sound art events not on the Thursday Artwalk path.

Let's take a look. ...

Tacoma Art Bus Two-Year Anniversary Tour: Tacoma's Little Engine That Could celebrates its two-year anniversary Thursday with two buses, two celebrity hosts - Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson and former State Rep. Dennis Flannigan - two VIP hostesses (Jackie Fender and Jada-Moon Gridley) and 15 art venue stops during Third Thursday Artwalk. Pay your $10 ($20 VIP), chose a bus and route at 5:45 p.m. in front of Tacoma Art Museum and tour Brownie Morrison, Rampart, Tacoma City Grocer IGA, Nine Lives Vintage, Freighthouse Square Studio 6, Tacoma Custom Jewelry, Brick House Gallery, Embellish Multispace Salon, Millesime Designs, 253 Collective, The Swiss, Art Stop, Posh Homes and Mousai Studios. At the end of the route is a party at The Swiss featuring an ART BUS drink special. 5-9 p.m., $10-$20, 17th and Pacific Avenue, Tacoma

Liz Sales at The Evergreen State College: An opening reception for video artist Liz Sales' Home, Itself, Strange will be held Thursday night in the Daniel J. Evans Library Lobby on The Evergreen State College Olympia campus. Sales' series of 69 synthetic images combines the data in still frames with audio data from the Magnetic Field's three-volume album, 69 Love Songs. She reinterprets image, audio, and text data allowing for the integration of essential information from each song into each image. 5-8 p.m., free, Galerie Fotoland, Daniel J. Evans Library Lobby 1st Floor, 2700 Evergreen Parkway NW, Olympia, 360.867.6289

Survivor show at flow Gallery & Studio: Of course mixed media artist Lynn Di Nino recaptures the archival nature of Hostess Brand products as they were recently unearthed near the newly discovered underground lake in Antarctica. Of course Di Nino uses polypropylene, cement, wood, paint, plastic, enriched bleached wheat flour (flour, reduced iron, "B" vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate (B1), riboflavin (B2). Folic acid), sugar, water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated vegetable and/or animal shortening (soybean, cottonseed and/or canola oil, beef fat), whole eggs, dextrose, sweet dairy whey, soy protein isolate, calcium and sodium caseinate, soy flour, salt, mono and diglycerides, polysorbate 60, soy lecithin, cornstarch, cellulose gum, sodium stearoyl lactylate, natural and artificial flavors, sorbic acid (to retain freshness), yellow, 5, red 40, contains wheat, egg, milk and soybeans to create temperature-sealed wall hung vignettes of pink Snowballs, Zingers, DingDongs Cupcakes and more, in their found environments. Check it out Thursday at flow by the Tacoma Dome. 5-8 p.m., 301 A Puyallup Ave., Tacoma, 253.255.4675

Creatures of Habit at Fulcrum Gallery: In celebration of the 46th annual NCECA ceramic conference Fulcrum Gallery presents Creatures of Habit. Artists Heather Cornelius and Spencer Ebbinga explore both the human and the animal consciousness. Heather uses her smooth visual language to articulate messages of feminine ideals and iconography. Similarly Spencer opens up his subconscious to us by extracting his surrealistic visions from the dream state and giving them physical form. Drop by tonight for the show's opening reception. 6-9 p.m., 1308 S. MLK Way, Tacoma, 253.250.0520

Sharon Carr at Morso: An opening reception for local painter Sharon Carr's solo show featuring acrylic on canvas works will be held at Morso. The Gig Harbor wine bar will serve wine and hors d'oeuvres, naturally. 5-7 p.m., free, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave., Gig Harbor, 253.530.3463

Shawn Sheehy at Pacific Lutheran University: Pop-up books that are as much feats of paper engineering as works of art. Don't take our word for it - just try snatching away your kids' copy of Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy. How does one make something as magical as a pop-up book? Where do the ideas and the skills come from? Shawn Sheehy talks about the influences and experiences in his life that have enabled him to concept and engineer pop-up books. 7 p.m., free, University Center Regency Room,12180 Park Ave. S., Tacoma, 253.531.6900.

Lisa Mereddy at 253 Collective: Fine artist Lisa Mereddy will display her works of oil on stretched canvas working with both brushes and painting knives. 3-8 p.m., 1901 S. Jefferson, Suite 100, Tacoma, 253collective@gmail.com

LINK: Tacoma Third Thursday Artwalk website

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

WE SCENE IT >>>

A year ago Amocat Café owner Morgan Alexander set aside his espresso duties, home-brew batch and Tacoma street car crusade to come up with a plan to offer live music one a month in the upper room in his backward spelling coffee house in Tacoma's Triangle District.

Friday, his Amocat Live show celebrated its first anniversary to a full house.

"This town is loaded with talented musicians," says Alexander. "I'm so happy they drop by once a month to perform acoustic folk-rock, pop, bluegrass and country."

So happy is Alexander that he's pondering adding a second live music night each month.

"It's a shame each musicians can only play three to four songs during the night. They deserve more stage time."

Be on the lookout for Amocat Cafe's second birthday party in June.

In the meantime, enjoy these shots of the Amocat Live party snapped by Weekly Volcano photographer Steve Dunkelberger.

LINK: More Amocat Live one-year anniversary show shots

SEE YOUR FUTURE, BE YOUR FUTURE >>>

Artists have integrated site-specific artwork into architecture for centuries, commissioned by churches, cities, and patrons, to add a visual complement to their buildings. Parallel to this history, street art has blossomed and thrived, with artists making their mark on decaying and crumbling walls.

Attracted to areas of undeveloped possibility, artists have pioneered the rejuvenation of communities. 

In Tacoma, Local Life and Go Local are partnering together to host City of Neighborhoods, a daylong conference about nurturing strong, identifiable neighborhoods in Tacoma (and beyond). The organizations will be holding a convening meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, March 19. If you are interested in art on a neighborhood level, or interested in neighborhoods on an art level, hit up Local Life leader Justin Mayfield (25Trees, Downtown Block Party, etc.) at justin@locallifetacoma.org for the haps.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012 >>>

1. Finnish director and master of deadpan Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre follows Marcel Marx, a sleepy, aging bohemian whose amblings run him afoul of Idrissa, a young African boy trying to sneak to England to reunite with his mother. With little hesitation, Marx begins helping him, first by leaving him food, then by giving him shelter, then by getting his neighbors involved, all while evading a dogged inspector. Le Havre, without ever mussing its hair or upsetting the deadpan fun, offers a testament to the warmth of people at their most wonderful. Catch it at 2:15 and 6:45 p.m. as part of The Grand Cinema's Tuesday Film Series.

2. Drop by the Mystic Mocha in Graham from noon to 4 p.m. for Tarot Reading with Hank. Hank? Can you see a Hank in flowing robes, leaning over a small table in a candlelit room, foretelling impending doom? Hank's a real name. Hank's your buddy. Hank's the kind of guy you can trust, the kind of guy you can drink a beer with, the kind of guy who doesn't mind if you puke in his car, Hank! Well, that's not really what Tarot cards are about. In fact, they're not even really meant to tell your fortune or future. According to The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, "The most powerful sources of information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one's Higher Self." See Hank.

3. An off-the-court fundraiser for the Tacoma Titans paralympic basketball team will be held from 5-9 p.m. inside Moctezuma's Restaurant. Fans can meet and greet the players, and eat a bunch of tacos. Moctezuma's will donate 20 percent of proceeds to the Titans. 

4. The Asia Pacific Cultural Center hosts a Japanese Tea Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. inside the Lakewood Library as part of the Pierce County READS program. Pierce County Library System selected Jamie Ford's best-seller Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - the story of the Japanese American internment during World War II through the eyes and voice of a child as he matures through life.

5. One of the quickest ways to impress someone is with a show of skill. And one of the easiest ways to get close to an attractive stranger is to ask them to dance. Said invitation is more likely to be accepted if you've been showing off your moves on the dance floor; doing it well turns heads. OlySwing offers an introductory swing class at 7 p.m. followed by the OlySwing Swing Dance from 7:30-10:30 p.m. inside the Olympia Eagles Ballroom. Since no partner is needed, this type of instruction is great for those rolling solo.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight in the region

LINK: South Sound happy hour food and drinks

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Weather: It's still messed up. (News Tribune)

Foothills: Your morning arithmetic quiz has been canceled due to snow. (News Tribune)

Dale Washam Update: The Pierce County Council wants him gone. (News Tribune)

6th Congressional Contention: State legislators Jan Angel and Jim Hargrove have bowed out of contention as successors to U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks. (News Tribune)

Afghanistan: The Obama administration is discussing a speedier pullout. (The New York Times)

Syria: Many women and children are among those killed in a year of attacks by the government, a U.N. official says. (CNN)

Jack Kerouac: Too bad he's not alive to see his only play staged for the first time. (Yahoo)

Kiss Mini-Golf Course: It's opening in Las Vegas this week. (NME)

Pork Donuts: Dunkin' Donuts will serve them in China. (Laughing Squid)

Background Music: Enjoy the '70s during your busy work today. (Network Awesome)

Grandpa Joe Gets Harshed