WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 2013 >>>

1. Founder and co-owner of Tacoma's Maurice the Fish Records Raymond Hayden will host a EP release party for his third release Broken from 6-9 p.m. above BJ's Bingo in Smokey Joes Cigar Lounge in Fife. One can hope the same band who performed on the album will be in the sports bar tonight with pianist Hayden: guitarist Scott Malone, saxophonist Paul Sawtelle, cellist Emily Ann Peterson, bassist Jim Tussing, singer Leah Tussing and drummer Chris Tussing. Besides the performance, and scotch and cigars, the band will host a Q&A session. Everyone who attends will receive a free single that Hayden recorded just for this event.

2. Burnished metal art is like glass art in this respect: It's natural beauty can be so enticing that the artist doesn't really have to do much of anything. It's so easy to get by with just a nice surface. Luckily for visitors to Fulcrum Gallery from noon to 6 p.m. artist Devin Reynolds brings a nice aesthetic sense to his brushed metal work in his show, "Caustic Compositions." Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Caustic Compositions" in the Weekly Volcano's Arts section.

3. At 6 p.m., about the time the congressional staff gossip really begins to flow around the bar inside Swing Wine Bar, which can be found just down the street from the Capitol Campus, guitarist Vince Brown will change the conversation with his swing jazz.

4. Many things go well with beer: Pretzels. Football. Your mother-in-law away on an extended cruise. You know what else goes great with beer? Tacos and tunes. Every Wednesday night Tacoma's Lucky Silver Tavern has $1 tacos and $1 plates of tater tots, not to mention a full docket of karaoke songs. Chugging beer, pounding beef tacos and belting out some Fleetwood Mac - now that's a Wednesday night.

5. The Northern Pacific Coffee Company is the quintessential college hangout. Located on Parkland's Garfield Street - one block away from Pacific Lutheran University - this coffee shop hosts an open mic every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Though much more casual than the other open mics I've mentioned, I have seen incredible talent the last six years. The NPCC also has resident musicians throughout the week that perform traditional jazz music for the regulars. And much like the Antique Sandwich Company, the NPCC features a great selection of food and beverage options.

LINK: Wednesday, Jan. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area