WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13 2013 >>>

1. Author David Cantlin will lecture on Tacoma Rail, one of the largest short-line railroad systems in the country, at noon inside the Washington State History Museum. Cantlin's new book showcases the history of the railroad industry in Tacoma, from its humble beginning as a rickety trolley line to the economic engine that helps power the Port of Tacoma and surrounding area.

2. Digital media pioneer Jennifer Steinkamp fabricated a vividly seductive digital artwork following a tree through the four seasons as though blown by unpredictable winds, causing the branches to twist and clench. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Tacoma Art Museum, the artwork charts the passage of time by following the path of a single tree as it cycles through a year of change in 11 minutes.

3. Meghan Mitchell's drawings in the show "Hello" at Fulcrum Gallery are delightful. We could easily dismiss them as cute little drawings not really important as art, but we could just as easily dismiss the art of great graphic artists like Saul Steinberg and Jules Feiffer in the same way. We can see similarities between Mitchell's drawings and some by Steinberg and Feiffer. We also see similarities in style to popular Tacoma artist Sean Alexander. We can also see the show for the last time as it ends today. Catch it from noon to 6 p.m. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Hello" in the Music and Culture section.

4. There are not many foods you can philosophize about effectively (what does a hamburger mean?), but soup is one of them. It's the perfect winter food, it's rich and healthy, it's just so damn ... warm. You could probably come up with many more fitting theories why soup is so metaphorical. So, come embarrass your peers by waxing poetic at Pacific Lutheran University's Empty Bowls benefit where bowls created by professional and amateur potters will be on sale from 4-6 p.m. to benefit the Trinity Lutheran Church food banks. Admire (and take home) the pretty bowls at $10 a pop. Oh, and there's soup, baby ... beautiful, bottomless bowl after bowl.

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, Nov. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SweetKiss Momma's rebel rock is something that resonates from the Deep South, through their home in Puyallup and beyond. When you listen to the grit of dirty guitar, down-home lyrics and whiskey-licks, it's irresistible.

Don't just take my word for it. SweetKiss Momma is now in The Final Four competition of the Seattle WAVE Radio Jammin' Challenge Battle of the Local Bands held Saturday, Nov. 16 at The Hard Rock Cafe in Seattle.

"We've been extremely busy as a band over the last year," explains SweetKiss Momma front man, pondering what edge the band might carry into the final competition. "Gearing up to do a proper release of the new album (A Reckoning Is Coming), playing more on the road than we ever have before, and getting involved in opportunities that have caused us to focus on nailing a specific performance. ... I realize that may not sound all that sexy, but at that moment when all the writing, rehearsing and preparing is done, and you have given all you have to the effort of creating, you have to believe that you are bringing your absolute best."

He pauses.

"And you have to trust that the other guys are feeling the exact same way. I feel like we are just hitting our stride. We are comfortable together and confident in what we do. If we have an edge, it's that we really are, as Adam McKinney put it, ‘comfortable in our own skin.'"

Another winning factor is that Eric Robert - keyboard player for Vicci Martinez, and current touring key player for Michael Franti & Spearhead - will sit in with the band for their set Saturday at the Hard Rock.

"He's played a couple of shows with us over the last few months, and we are looking forward to having him as our secret weapon," says Hamel.

SweetKiss Momma will be playing for more than $16,000 in prizes, including the opportunity to perform at Play It Forward 4 early next year. Last year's Play It Forward concert included members of Heart, Yes (official), John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and Spike from Spike & The Impalers.

SWEETKISS MOMMA, 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, Hard Rock Cafe, 116 Pike St., Seattle, $7, hardrock.com/seattle

See Also

SweetKiss Momma named Best Band in 2013 Best of Tacoma issue

THURSDAY, NOV. 14 2013 >>>

1. In honor of National Pickle Day today, Lynnae Schneller of Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles will place nine jars of pickles in Tacoma businesses and on historic Tacoma monuments for fans to locate and win up to $1,000 in cash and prizes. Tacoma's Mayor Marilyn Strickland will announce the first clue for the location of the first jar of pickles via her Facebook page at 9 a.m. followed by clues posted hourly until 5 p.m. on the Lynnae's Gourmet Pickles Facebook page. For more information visit www.lynnaesgourmetpickles.com.

2. At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, we believe that cell-phone use is a prime contributor to the breakdown of civility in society, but using the dastardly devices while driving a car is simply stupid, illegal and deadly. Bates Technical College agrees. The school has teamed with UNITE International's Arrive Alive Tour to educate the public about dangers associated with texting and driving. From 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. the Arrive Alive Tour will bring a distracted-driving simulator to the college's South Campus auto body program. Ah for cryin' out loud, you're texting a link to this story on your iPhone while you sip coffee and weave through morning traffic on Interstate 5 using your knees - JUST STOP IT.

3. The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's "Foundation of Art Award" has been recognized as one the most notable art awards in the South Sound region. To celebrate the sixth anniversary of the Award, the Foundation is hosting an exhibit featuring the 12 talented artists that were nominated in 2013 through Jan. 10 at Fulcrum Gallery. The exhibit will also unveil the commissioned artwork created by the 2013 winning artist, Shaun Peterson. An artist reception for  Sean Alexander, Beautiful Angle, Laurie Cinotto, Scott Haydon, Ellen Ito, Chris Jordan, Nicholas Nyland, Chandler O'Leary, Shaun Peterson, Juliette Ricci, Holly Senn, Kenji Stoll and Britton Sukys will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the gallery.

4. Washington state is a hotbed of first-rank poets says Kathleen Flenniken, Washington State Poet Laureate. Flenniken will be at the Olympia Timberland Library from 7:30-9 p.m. to prove it. Joining her will be local poet and playwright Barbara Gibson, as well as students Savannah Berrington from Capital High School; Hope Dorris and McKenzie Murray from Olympia High School; and Maggie Neatherlin, Everett Werner and Tom Clewes from Nova Middle School, who will also read their work.

5. Every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Kim Archer performs old-school soul and funk, sultry blues and strong original tunes at the 502 Downtown in downtown Tacoma.

LINK: Thursday, Nov. 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

All right, can I just level with you for a minute? In this here column, I do a whole lot of shit-talking about movies I'll never see. It's kinda the whole point of this thing: I watch a trailer, I judge it as harshly as I can and then I stave off the ever-present fear of my own mortality for a few blissful, fleeting moments. That's the trade-off.

Usually, this is an easy enough task, with the sheer volume of dreck that comes down the pike in Hollywood. Riddick? Battle of the Year? Last Vegas? Fuck those movies. Straight-up fuck 'em.

Unfortunately, the only movie coming out this week (besides The Wolf of Wall Street, but that's a limited release and besides, it's Martin fucking Scorsese) is The Best Man Holiday. Besides pointing out the clumsiness of the title, there's not a whole lot else I can say about what appears to be a perfectly decent, well-meaning romantic comedy.

The sequel to the modestly charming 1999 comedy, The Best Man, this film looks about as innocuous as they come. Featuring a cast of very pretty, affable people, it presupposes a whatever-the-neutral-version-of-dystopian-is present in which everyone basically gets along and has really great smiles. The end.

Instead of wallowing in pleasantness, can we just talk about the newly released trailer for that awful-looking Robocop reboot? Good.

Robocop: The New Class doesn't open until February (prime movie-going season!), but I just need to talk about it with someone besides my therapist. Starring Joel Kinnaman (the only redeeming quality of AMC's The Killing) as the titular Robocop, this new version eschews the '80s ultraviolence of the original in favor of a PG-13 story about robots with feelings.

While the trailer would love to entice you with people like Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton - do not give in to temptation. 1987's Robocop will always and forever be the one true Robocop, no matter how much the shadowy overlords of Hollywood would like to convince you otherwise. Rise up, readers! Rise, and refuse to worship false Robocop! Sic semper tyrannis!

But The Best Man Holiday looks OK.

See Also

A Nerd Alert! has been issued for this week

FRIDAY, NOV. 15 2013 >>>

1. Drunken Telegraph (taking its name from a Rudyard Kipling quote about Tacoma) is a local storytelling live show. Each show has a central theme featuring various Tacomans telling different stories on that theme, with the final act being a storytelling slam from members of the audience. This installment - hosted by the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts as part of their "Free For All" series - is entitled "Clash of the Titans," and will focus on the battles faced by the evening's storytellers. The tales begin at 7:30 p.m. inside Broadway Center Studio III.

2. Talented artists command the Madera Architectural Elements Showroom semi-monthly, illuminating their work and creativity with the visually aided enhancement implied by the name of the series, TRIPOD Slide Shows. Created by Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino, the night of digital slides features three artists and one creative theme.  The next TRIPOD Slide Show slides into Madera tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. featuring 15-minute slide shows by Becky Frehse, Burk Ketcham and Sam and Sarah Tower following the theme "Americans Who Work Abroad."

3. Working Class Theater NW presents pop-up theater showcases readings from its upcoming season - thanks to the generosity of Spaceworks Tacoma. At 7:30 p.m., enjoy a staged reading of David Mamet's Life in the Theater, the first show WCT will be producing next year, on the 3rd floor of the Downtown Tacoma Post Office.

4. Regardless of your stance on Jane Austen's writing style, Lakewood Playhouse's production of Pride and Prejudice is a funny, well-acted play that will leave you loving the delightful characters, hating the rude and being impressed with the acting and technical skill of everyone involved. Catch it at 8 p.m. Read Joann Varnell's full review of Pride and Prejudice in the Music and Culture section.

5. Champagne Sunday brings its folk rock to the new Gig Spot in Gig Harbor at 8 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Nov. 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

The Guerrilla Man sneaks around in the dead of night - and sometimes brazenly in the light of day - and installs humongous metal sculptures in places they're not supposed to be. Sometimes in such out-of-the-way places that the authorities may never find them and remove them. Even if they do find them, removing them will be quite a job.

I can't divulge who the Guerrilla Man is, but I can say that he has a Facebook page, and from there you may be able to contact him and get him to tell you where to find his art. For a guerrilla artist, he's not very well hidden. He contacted me recently and took me to see one of his installations, which was quite impressive.

Hidden in plain sight underneath a highway overpass approached by a little-known and little-used walking path, the installation comprises three metal figures that stand approximately 20 feet tall and in their massive verticality resonate with the concrete posts of the overpass. The three pieces are abstracted standing men made of welded steel and corrugated steel plates upon which the artist has applied acid to "paint" selected areas with rust. Stylistically they are similar to works by David Smith and Mark Di Suvero, all harsh angles and soaring verticality.

Guerrilla Man has a team of friends who help him transport and install the pieces, the making of which is labor intensive and costly. It takes great dedication and love of art to make works like this, which may be destroyed any day. He says they may remain in place a day or a year.

He says the inspiration for these installations comes from graffiti art, and that he began working on the idea after attending a lecture about the nature of graffiti art and the philosophical ramifications of making art that is illegal and which will most likely be destroyed.

Guerrilla Man lives in Seattle, and his "Clark Kent" persona is that of a theatrical technician who has worked on many shows from Seattle to Olympia. You, dear reader, may very well know him without knowing you do. His art installations, so far, are all in the Olympia area. As of this writing he has four installations, the one under the freeway and three in hidden wooded areas. The ones in wooded areas are quite different and designed with the setting in mind, with parts of trees and tangled wires that look like vines.

"All my pieces currently are unsanctioned," he says. "While my current work is exploring guerrilla art, overall my work has always been about creating heightened environments. Both in theater and in my installation work. And the installation work is not just sculptural; past pieces have been lighting-specific, and I feel performance/experiential art is installation as well. I experimented with a guerrilla/flash dance party this summer. It is all about creating heightened environments and experiences."

SATURDAY, NOV. 16 2013 >>>

1. Erin Guinup knows her way around a concert stage. After earning her degree in vocal performance and music education from the University of Puget Sound, she went on to perform some of the best-loved roles in musical theater. She's directed, taught, conducted and acted her way around the entire region, performing for companies as diverse as Tacoma Opera and Shakespeare in the Parking Lot. Now she's returning to her alma mater for a one-night-only revue, which features female composers and lyricists of the last hundred years, from operetta to present-day Broadway. Catch The Ladies of Lyric and Song at 7:30 p.m. in the Schneebeck Concert Hall on the University of Puget Sound campus.

2. Tacoma's Arts Leadership Lab is hosting a full-day arts conference from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound. Sessions and forums cover topics such as arts education, funding, online engagement, public art, creative small businesses, and arts careers. The day will conclude with a rapid-fire presentation and panel discussion focused on the way space helps define arts programming.

3. Beginning at 11 a.m. at the Tacoma Urban League, the Tacoma Chapter of The Zulu Nation, aka Z53 Zulu, is celebrating National Hip-Hop Month by hosting Food For Thought, an event centered on collecting warm coats and jackets for those in need during this chilly season, as well as offer information about regaining one's right to vote and getting one's record expunged if her or she have gone wayward of the laws. There will be a screening of Hidden Colors 2, the sequel to the first "controversial" film that examines race from an Afrocentric perspective. Oh yeah, there will be food for everyone - and it's all free.

4. It takes cajones to be a good storyteller! You have to impress a crowd with no props, no fancy lighting and no CGI-crafted battle scenes! Each year around the world, "Tellabration!" is celebrated to honor these brave souls and their fans! In its purest form, Tellabration! binds people together in the most wonderful way: with stories and exclamation points, told in all languages and drawn from all manner of cultures - a way of detaching yourself from the video games and gnat-sized attention spans! Since stories were invented the Mt. Tahoma Storytelling Guild has hosted the national celebration at Antique Sandwich Company! It's on again at 7:30 p.m.! Hurrah!

5. Perhaps Aan's best quality is that they hit you with big impressions right off the bat. The Portland band's song "Mystery Life" bursts out of the gates with such impact that it's hard not to take notice. That the song never, ever lets up, is positively intoxicating. Pounding drums and churning guitars explode from the word "go," but what is most affecting is the lead vocal from Bud Wilson. Though his voice initially sounds like a straining yelp, what eventually becomes clear is that you haven't yet heard the boundary-pushing energy that he has to offer. Their press kit compares Wilson's voice to Jeff Buckley's and, while it lacks the pure beauty of Buckley's, it does possess that rough elasticity. Aan performs with Gothic Tropic and others at 8 p.m. in Northern. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Aan in the Music and Culture section.

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Triangle District. Ty Wilan. High energy R&B. 8pm-11pm. free.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Brakemouth, Not From Brooklyn, Future Fridays and the Sound of Speed. 9 pm. $5.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Blue Grit Gypsy Band. 9:30 pm. NC.

The Gig Spot Gig Harbor. The Blackberry Bushes Stringband. All Ages. 8 pm. $12.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Approach CD Release Party, with Vividal, Mighty High. 8 pm. $8.

• A cursory look at the Tacoma reggae quartet The Approach's debut record suggests the band favors upbeat rhythms over the lazy, laid-back tempos preferred by too many of its contemporaries. This gives the songs an exceptionally strong rhythmic backbone. Combining hip-hop, reggae, rock and ska, the band isn't afraid to throw in some unexpected tricks, such as shredding guitars and a few Anthony Kiedes-like interludes. Although some of the songs go on a bit long, they rarely sound self-indulgent. No, instead they sound like a party, which is exactly what the band's live shows bust out. Drop by Jazzbones Saturday night for The Approach's CD release party with Vividal and Mighty High setting the tone - emphasis on "party." - Ron Swarner
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Shit Blizzard, Fox & The Law, Thunders Of Wrath. 9 pm.

The Lochs Tacoma - Downtown. Under Sin, Black Top Demon, Riot and Rhythm. 8 pm. $10.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Lefthead, Beyond Theory, Charlie Drown. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Metronome Coffee Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Debbie Neigher. All Ages. 8 pm.

• A hip coffeehouse and a young, bright singer/songwriter/pianist from the Bay Area? Sounds perfect for a November evening. Debbie Neigher is on tour to promote her sophomore album, Unravel, a joint effort by talent that has worked on The Mountain Goats, Rogue Wave and Death Cab for Cutie. The result is lovely, with a lot of feminine power, a lot of pop-synth and a lot of heart. Dancing or relaxing would both be appropriate when listening Neigher's soprano sweet voice and piano-driven jams. Hype for the artist from San Francisco Bay Guardian reads, "She's youthful (just 24), yet her voice is strong and conveys a wise understanding of past, similar to Michelle Branch or Fiona Apple. Her lyrics often dive into difficult topics ... And her intricate piano work soars." - Nikki McCoy
  

Northern Olympia - downtown. Aan, Gothic Tropic and guests. 8 pm. $5. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Aan in the Music and Culture section.

Southbay Dickerson's BBQ/Pig Bar Olympia - Downtown. Daniel "Mudcat" McKinstry. 8 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Argonaut, Dogs Of War, Skies Below, Furry Buddies. 9 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Aan, Gothic Tropic. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Cleric, Czar, Mahnhammer, Barefoot Barnacle. 9 pm.

Red Bicycle Bistro and Sushi Bar Vashon. The Ian McFeron Band. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Rockodiles. 8 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Correo Aereo. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Treos Tacoma - Central. Michael Coucoules. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Midnight Ride. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Nov. 16 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, NOV. 17 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Symphony has decided to skip Craigslist and choose its next music director by throwing them to the dogs first chairs. The fourth and final candidate  - best-selling author, conductor, polylinguist, Rhodes scholar and public speaker Scott Speck - will lead the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra with Oksana Ezhokina on piano through Beethoven Piano Concerto no. 1, Philip Glass' "Funeral for Aknaten" and Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 5 at 2:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Talk about a group interview. ...

2. Beer and food have always co-mingled, especially in European cultures such as Belgium, Germany and England. At points, beer was food. According to lore, European monks brewed ales and bock beers to provide sustenance during their Lenten fasts. Beer and grilled sausage: the two are a natural fit. The Red Hot has added three sausage hot dogs to its menu: The Cowboy ($4.75), Berliner ($4.25) and The Dakota ($4.50). TRH bartender Mitchell gave nod to The Cowboy, a locally made beef/cheddar sausage link on a steamed poppyseed bun, topped with barbecue sauce, chopped onions, slice of bacon, nacho cheese sauce and jalapeños. Giddy up! The Cowboy pairs well with Belgian style ales, which are $1 off on Sundays.

3. As you might guess, converting a stadium from baseball to football is more than just pulling down some outfield walls and laying down new line markers. The outfield fence pads and fence posts are removed and stored ... somewhere. The pitching mound must be removed from what will be midfield on the sideline. Two bullpen mounds - one in each end zone - also are removed. Sod is laid down. Screw it. Let's just watch a football game on a baseball stadium's big screen. The Seattle Seahawks play the Viking at 1:25 p.m. Cheney Stadium will open its doors to fans 21 and older to watch the game on the 50 foot video board from the Sterling Bank Summit Club. Get in on the party at 253.752.7707.

4. What could be better than one thought-provoking piece of theater? Seven, of course. Saint Martin's University Theater Department presents An Evening of One-Act Plays, a taste of crazy-quilt comedy theater of actors taking to the stage to perform student-directed, one-act plays exploring topics as diverse as discordant marriages, life and death, and an initial meeting between Adam and Eve in a bar. Catch them at 2 p.m. in the Kreielsheimer Arts Building. Click here for the list of schedule plays.

5. Brian Lee & The Orbiters will fill The Spar in Old Town Tacoma with blues at 8 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, Nov. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, NOV. 18 2013 >>>

1. The Northwest Repertory Singers are deep in practice for its annual mid-December holiday concert. This year it will bust out seasonal songs from a variety of countries and cultures, including Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and the American Southwest twice - Dec. 14-15 at Mason United Methodist Church. How does this news help you today? When the NWS practices, it goes big and invites the public. It's never too early for worldly carols and favorite songs of the season. OK, maybe it is, but whatever. Drop by the Mason United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. and check out its progress.

2. Do you believe ballet is the appropriate medium for exploring a universe that is in flux, where opposites don't stand against but hold one another in balance? Do you believe ballet is geometry where a pirouette is a perfect circle and a tendu (stretched foot) a line that reaches into infinity? Do you believe ballet is a tool to investigate creativity, which is everyone's birthright? Then MLK Ballet's open adult ballet class is for you. Drop by at 7:15 inside the Urban Grace Church and explore the universe.

3. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. continue to explore the edges of jazz by hosting a jazz jam every Monday at 8 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that draws the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd.

4. Since the beginning of time, The Swiss has hosted live blues every Monday at 8 p.m. Factor in the free pool on Mondays and guitar legend Jerry Miller on the stage, and you have yourself a night.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, Nov. 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area