FRIDAY, JUNE 14 2013 >>>
1. The music of Baltic Cousins is defined by balls-out folk instrumentation, with Bradley Lockhart's voice shouting above the crazed din. It calls to mind easy comparisons like the Pogues, with its melding of traditional instrumentation and sloppy, emotionally resonant melodies and lyrics. There's nothing involving half-measures even close to the work of Baltic Cousins. Everything has an urgency and unapologetically bombastic energy to it. Though there's nothing new to the idea of introducing punk to the folk world, the way that Baltic Cousins combine the sounds has an interesting bent to it. Check them out with Santee and Tortilla Flat at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full featuree on Baltic Cousins in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.
2. Singing while drinking is one of life's greatest treasures. That's why nothing is more hilarious than watching a dueling piano show in a room overflowing with patrons who are doing both. It's not your typical comedy venue, but we guarantee you'll laugh your ass off to the tune of classic sing-alongs and the witty repertoire provided by pianists at 7 p.m. at the AFC Arena at Lewis Main. Admission is free. Food and cash bar are on site.
3. UK playwright Pericles Snowdon's Bluebeard is a story about isolation, family, betrayal, apocalypse and parenthood. Under the direction of David Domkoski, Assemblage Theater brings to life the dark story of Blue, a woman who has been so hurt and disillusioned by her experiences in the outside world that she steals three little girls and locks them away in an abandoned church - our beloved Urban Grace Church in downtown Tacoma - for their whole lives in order to protect them, while a kind of apocalypse happens outside. Blue creates strict rules by which the girls must live and re-writes history, making the girls "perform" a different chapter of it each day. Creepy. Then, the mysterious Magnon steps into their melancholy blue world and turns it upside down. Watch it all go down at 8 p.m. inside the Urban Grace.
4. Comedian Caroline Rhea will perform at 8 and 10:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Rhea began her career in comedy in 1989, taking the trek from her native Montreal to the mecca of stand-up comedy, New York City. She studied performance at The New School and trained at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club before breaking out in stand-up, both with live comedy performances and appearances on MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour and Comic Strip Live. Rhea's talent in comedy has led to roles on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Drew Carey Show, the movie Man on the Moon, and as the host of the talk show The Caroline Rhea Show and The Biggest Loser. Her trademark upbeat perkiness can mask a routine just as vulgar as anyone.
5. O'Malley' Irish Pub hosts an intimate, free show featuring Black Pussy, The Triple Sixes, Ancient Warlocks and Fist Fite beginning at 8 p.m. Bring a date.
LINK: Friday, June 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
