WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11 2013 >>>

1. In the category of "things that should be totally silly but are actually awesome," a classic entry has to be Easy Star All Stars 2003 opus, Dub Side of the Moon. In the tradition of dub music, Easy Star All Stars covered an entire album in the style of reggae - a practice they've repeated with varied results on their OK Computer cover album, Radiodread (pretty great), and their Beatles cover album, Easy Star's Lonely Hearts Dub Band (not so great). But they never bested the magic to be found on Dub Side of the Moon, which Easy Star All Stars will be playing in its entirety to mark its 10th anniversary. Something I'm pretty sure everyone remembers from Dub Side is the replacing of the cash registers on "Money" with rhythmic bong rips. But "Us and Them" remains an utter showstopper in reggae.Hear thealbum live with Mighty High and Positive Rising at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

2. Drawn from Pacific Lutheran University's Permanent Art Collection, "To Be Human" features expressive, realist, and abstract images of the human figure in work in a variety of media. The exhibit opens today with an artists reception from 5-7 p.m. in the University Gallery.

3. After being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer at age 27, Sarah Thebarge moved away from the East Coast and a failed relationship to Portland, Ore. to start over. A chance encounter with a Somali mother of five struggling to raise her daughters alone becomes a lifeline, not just for Hadhi and her daughters but also for Thebarge herself. She recounts her the experience in her new memoir, The Invisible Girls. Thebarge will discuss the book and the Somali family who were practically invisible to the rest of the city at 7 p.m. in the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch.

4. Having made his entry into rap through the "breathe easy" click, Akeem has remade his name as a battle-MC and lyricist, gaining the favor and respect of many ears in The 25360. Thus, it is fitting that he invites the public to celebrate a fall-back-to-school show, which doubles conveniently as his birthday bash. Helping Akeem blow out candles will be Cauze N Efekt, Patron, DJs Pasquan and Luvva J (me!) and the award-winning MC (and long-expected "next-to-blow"), Afrok.  Also, there will be open-mic ciphers for MCs, polished and aspiring, who want to bless the mic one time. It all goes down at 7 p.m. in Sampan Restaurant and Lounge.

5. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi has hosted an open jazz session for years, a backyard patio for his music school friends, fellow musicians and newbies to jam out standards - fresh, fiery and exciting. The jam now resides every second Wednesday at 7 p.m. in The Swiss.

LINK: Wednesday, Sept. 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area