FRIDAY, JAN. 3 2014 >>>

1. Seattle's the Mama Rags are a group of Northerners taking on Southern rock with gleeful aplomb, combining the rousing barroom ditties of the Band with the streak of sweaty melancholy that colored Creedence Clearwater Revival (who themselves were the bayou by way of Berkeley, Calif.). While the Mama Rags are a very new band, it'll be exciting to watch them progress and anticipate their debut EP, which is supposedly forthcoming. Catch the band with Ice Teeth at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. It's winter (duh!) and flower lovers have a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. For these folks, artificial won't do; it's just a countdown to spring. Ah, but there are a few plants that flourish indoors during the cold months to keep you smiling - and they're not plastic. Green thumbs hanging out at the Puyallup Home & Garden Show today through Sunday know which plants flourish indoors. The show will feature displays and vendors, such as new furniture so you can gaze at your pathetic plants in comfort. If you're mad about keeping up with the Joneses, then this congregation of home and garden exhibitors from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. will inflame those covetous inclinations.

3. The Olympia Timberland Regional Library hostsListen Here: A Lunch Break Story Time for Adults from 12:10-12:50 p.m. at the Olympia Timberland Library. Corey Snow, a professional audiobook narrator and voice actor, will read two short story selections: The White Silence by Jack London, and Saki's The Music on the Hill.

4. The Tacoma Dome hosts the enormously popular diversion Monster Jam this weekend for a screeching, smashing round of vehicle-crunching monster-truck competitions featuring, among others, champion truck Gravedigger, and its amped-up mechanical opponents, such as: Northern Nightmare, Monster Mutt Dalmatian, Metal Mulisha, New Earth Authority, El Toro Loco and Captain USA and Double Trouble - driven by Gig Harbor brothers Travis and Tyler Groth, respectively. (Keep in mind that while the drivers are important, the trucks - gargantuan bundles of concentrated horsepower that can fly up to 25 feet in the air - are the real stars.) The action begins tonight at 8 p.m. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Groth brothers in the Military Life section.

5. The Pig Bar has gained reputation as a solid music source in Olympia, providing quality, free music every weekend. This weekend is no exception with The Blackberry Bushes String Band tonight at 8:30 p.m. and The Pine Hearts Bluegrass Band Saturday at 9 p.m.

LINK: Friday, Jan.3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area