LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live 1-Year Anniversary Music Night, with John Dolge, Jon Parker, Micaela Cooley, Sam Bogle, Russ Dahler, Gen Obata, The Collaborators. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

• Time flies when you're having fun. Or so the saying goes - and fun is definitely one of the many great, hyper-local bits of awesomeness being served every day at Tacoma's Amocat Café, celebrating one year this Friday with the aptly titled, "Amocat Live." Expect an evening full of live music for all ages including John Dolge, Jon Parker, Micaela Cooley, Sam Bogle, Russ Dahler, Gen Obata, and The Collaborators. Best of all, it's free. Plus, the ambiance at Amocat can't be beat. This event is a win for all involved. Stop by and thank proprietor Morgan Alexander for a year of dutiful service to his community. — Weekly Volcano
  

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Klondike Kate, Automatic Theory, Riot In Rhythm, Attack With Care, Lucky Bunny Foot. 7 pm. $10.

Chris Knutzen Hall Tacoma - Parkland. University Jazz Ensemble, featuring Anton Schwartz. All Ages. 8 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Underground Tacoma - Stadium District. Science!, Chris Hyde, Kitt Bender. 10 pm. $5.

• The finger-plucking beauty and ease of Science!'s folksy, acoustic, storytelling is easy on the ear. Voted "Best New Band" in the Volcano's Best of Olympia 2012 Readers Poll, Science! has a rootsy vibe that goes a long way in a town like Oly. Comprised of vocalist Justin Stang and guitarist Jim Elenteny, "Science! is a musical pursuit of empirical evidence, using poetry and soundscapes to express the truth of daily life," according to the band's bio. Via phone, Stang and Elenteny have a more straightforward description. "We wanted something that was simple, that was universal, and that was truthful. That's a lot of how we view our music," says Stang. There's a familiarity with Stang's work in Olympia thanks to his contribution to the well known, nationally touring jam-rock outfit Sideways Reign. Elenteny, for his part, plays bass in the also-well-known Seattle-based jam act Nefarious Jones. Catch Science! in Tacoma this week when Stang and Elenteny hash it out at the Harmon Tap Room Underground along with show headliner Chris Hyde and Kitt Bender. - Matt Driscoll

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Thou Shall Kill, Days Armour, Vigilante Sol, Devil On A Leash. 9 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Too Slim & The Taildraggers. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $10.

• Take the modern alt-country blues sound of Drive-By Truckers, throw in the fun loving attitude and riff-blues-rock of ZZ Top, mix them all together and you get close to the vibe of Too Slim and the Taildraggers. This is real, down and dirty rock and roll - a delightful jumble of virtuosic slide guitar work from frontman Tim "Too Slim" Langford and the revamped rock sound of the Taildraggers. The band's vibe blends power-chord-driven, fun-loving nasty grooves with a new, indie-rock songwriting vibe. And it works. Don't worry, though, Too Slim and crew definitely infuse plenty of blues and Americana into their work. You dig? - WV

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Nolan Garrett. All Ages. 7 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Thea Wescott & Timberland Ridge. All Ages. 8 pm.

Medi's Pizza & Pasta Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Just Cuz. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Maxwell's Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Trio. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Anthony & Anthony Dirty 30 Party, with Destruction Island, DJ Babycham. 8 pm.

• Destruction Island makes big sounds and big hooks with their guitars, but the band persists in being betrayed by small sound. As much as Destruction Island puffs out its chests with these arena sounds, the band always cheat a look of uncertain modesty - like a plunky piano line or a hollow snare tap - to lend an aspect of humility to the proceedings. Though they largely succeed in dealing up proper, confident indie rock, they have a nagging need to bare themselves in plaintive ways. Driving and lively though their songs may be, there is a definite sense of searching, unsure wanting. Even if these notions don't strike you upon listening to Destruction, the strength of the band's indie pop songcraft should do well in propelling you from one song to the next. - Rev Adam McKinney

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Hilltop. Paul Kroeger. 8 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Blacktop Demons, Breaking Quarantine. 9 pm.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. An Evening With Leo Kottke. All Ages. 8 pm. $30-$50.

• There are few, if any, guitarists like Leo Kottke. An acoustic fret master, tickling both the six and 12 string varieties, Kottke's blazing licks have inspired guitarists worldwide for nearly the entire length of his legendary four-decade career. With a wry, almost comical approach to life and songwriting, mixed with unfathomable skill, Kottke is one for the ages. Friday, Kottke returns to the South Sound for a show at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia. Come out and be amazed. — WV
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound