SUNDAY, JULY 14 2013 >>>

1. Is there any more vexing wee-hours quandary than "What is art?" According to Teller of Penn & Teller, "Art is anything we do after the chores are done." By that reasoning, most things we do can be art, as long as we enjoy them. (Ideally, someone else enjoys them, too.) Live music can be art, but does haute cuisine qualify? Graffiti can be art, but what about sand sculpture, board games, glasswork or robot designs? You bet! At Art on the Ave in Tacoma, all such pursuits are invited. If you're accustomed to thinking of art as esoteric - or, for that matter, if you regard it as material to enliven the walls over sofas - then prepare to have your mind ba-lown. Live bands, Grub Crawl, pinup photography and classic cars, Tacomapoly, tons of art and more from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on Art on the Ave in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. Kandi has been hanging with organist Delvon Lamarr and drummer Adam Kessler, which has added groovy innovation to Kandi's sound. Catch Kandi's trio from 3-6 p.m. at Uncle Thurm's Finger Lickin' Ribs & Chicken in Tacoma's Lincoln District.

3. An evening of dinner, dessert and performances celebrating LGBTQ youth is a part of this year's Tacoma Pride Week. Friends of Oasis are hosting dinners throughout the community from 4 to 7 p.m. After dinner, join Oasis for Proud Outloud dessert and youth performances from 7 to 9 pm in the Pantages Theater. Tickets for dessert are $25 each, dinners and dessert $50 and up. All proceeds benefit Oasis Youth Center.

4. Pop punk made it to all the way to France, as it turns out. Xtramedium, hailing from the French Riviera, have mastered all of the little emo flourishes and all the punky switches from contemplative riffing to spiteful rave-ups. Thrown into the mix is a healthy dose of lively folk punk, with interludes of ukelele and harmonica lending nuance to the proceedings. catch them with Bad Hex at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

5. The Tacoma Comedy Club presents Comics Under The Influence where five comics perform a set each sober, and then while the other comics are performing they pound booze and return to the stage wasted to do another set. Jubal Flagg from Movin 95.5 FM tries to keep the thing flowing, beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, July 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area