LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Anthem Coffee & Tea Tacoma - Downtown. Piko Panda & Justin Martin of Oh Dear! All Ages. 7 pm. $5.

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Rockin' Comedy Extravaganza. All Ages. 8 pm. $9.

• A line-up of comedians - including Travis Simmons "The Big Funny," Justin Hayes, Greg Baldonado, Jeremy Whitman and Eric "Puddin" Lorentzen - start off the night followed by Hookerfist, a Tool tribute band, and local rockers C.F.A. The event is a NWCZ Radio sponsored listener's party, with on-air host Darrell Fortune playing emcee. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Steve Cooley & The Dangerfields. 9 pm.

Forza Coffee Fircrest. Rev. Slim's "Grin & Bear It" Medicine Blues Revival. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Champagne Sunday. 8 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Nearly Dan (Steely Dan tribute). 7 pm.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Tyranny Theory, The Lush Tones, In The Between, Stript. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Combo. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Elbow Coulee, Trees & Timber. 8 pm.

• Much has been said (by me, at some times) about how Elbow Coulee sounds like the meeting between pop-punk and dancey synth-rock, but the truth is that the band's range is larger than that. I mean, yeah, lead singer Andrew Tuller's voice does tend to sound pretty similar to that of the dude from the Offspring - but other than that, there are flourishes of lite prog-rock guitar noodling, mixing with dips into '90s emo and tight, spiky, early '00s dance-punk. It's a soup of offbeat rock from throughout the past couple decades, which makes for an intriguing and rather time-traveling listening experience, like flipping around the radio dial and landing on The End, KISW, or college radio, depending on which song (or, even, which verse) you happen to be hearing. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Northern Olympia - Downtown. The Good Chills, Them Dogs, Sick Minds Think Alike. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $5.

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Fruition String Band, Kendl Winter & The Summer Gold, Science! All Ages. 9 pm. $10.

• Science! has reaped the benefits of hard work and staying grounded. The band was featured in High Times as January's unsigned band of the month, has a SXSW tour planned for March, and its clever and catchy tune, "Seattle Song," has received airplay on Jet City Stream and the Bob Rivers Show. Olympia readers knew what they were doing when they voted Science! "Best New Band" in this rag's 2012 Best of Olympia issue. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Science! in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Dusty 45s. 8 pm. $10.

• For most Olympians with even a passive interest in attending live shows, Dusty 45s is a known quantity. Truth is, I shouldn't have to tell you about the band's renowned blend of rockabilly, honky tonk, folk and Americana, because you probably already know. You also may already know that it served as famed rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson's backing band on the tour to support her Jack White produced album, or toured with Adele at the height of her rise to fame. The Seattle band has become an institution, and when it returns to Olympia at The Royal Lounge Jan. 18 it is a homecoming of sorts for one of its members. Drummer/backing vocalist Kelly Van Camp is a Thurston County native whom performed in the early '90s power pop group The Noses, which featured John Merrithew of C Average and Tim Brown of the Dirty Birds. For $10, you will not regret catching a band with over a decade on the road, a deep discography and thousands of miles on the odometer; they are a band worth catching time and time again. - Timothy Grisham
  

Spar Cafe Olympia - Downtown. The Pine Hearts. 8 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Cosy Sheridan. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Black Box Cabaret Jazz Series: Steve Luceno & Friends. 8 pm.

LINK: More live music Friday, Jan. 18 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area