THURSDAY, FEB. 27 2014 >>>

1. What does your mind go to when you hear the names Miss Massive Snowflake and Rainstick Cowbell (two bands currently nearing the end of month-long west coast tour)? If you were picturing a pair of twee indie bands or cutesy folk-rock, you'd be wrong. Miss Massive Snowflake and Rainstick Cowbell are Shane de Leon and Scott Arbogast, respectively - two fiercely idiosyncratic Portland performers that manage to find common ground together. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Miss Massive Snowflake and Rainstick Cowbell in the Music & Culture section, then check out with Dionvox at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. Well holy crap. Honestly, we see an event title like "Sewing & Stitchery EXPO" and our eyes instantly glaze over. Sounds like about 11 old ladies in a double wide crocheting death certificates, right? Wrong. Completely false. As it turns out, the Sewing & Stitchery EXPO overtaking the Washington State Fairgrounds through Sunday is freaking gigantic - "the nation's largest event for sewing enthusiasts," according to hype. Apparently, "The Expo is the foremost venue for the home sewing industry attracting leading authorities including Susan Beck, Michelle Muska, Lisa Shaw, and Pati Palmer." Do we have any clue who those people are? Of course not. But they sound important. And we're not in the home sewing industry. Maybe, just maybe, after this weekend we will be. It runs 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

3. The city of Olympia and The Washington Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate the new renovations at The Washington Center beginning at 5 p.m.  The celebration is open to the public. Featured entertainment includes Ballet Northwest, Masterworks Choral Ensemble, Student Orchestra of Greater Olympia and Ed Echtle, Historian, which begins at 6 p.m. if the whole program isn't funny enough for you, stick around for the Center's popular Comedy in the Box show at 7:30 p.m.

4. The folks at Valhalla Coffee Co in Tacoma take their roasted bean biz seriously and prove it by hosting #TNTNW - aka Thursday Night Throwdown Northwest - showcasing local barista talents making latte art from 7-9 p.m. The $5-buy-in-winner-takes-all event is open to the public. Festivities include beer, pizza, prizes and like-minded individuals for those who appreciate the fine art of coffee.

5. South Puget Sound Community College's production of Playboy of the Western World isn't about Hugh Hefner's life. Turns out this Playboy is a satirical look at Catholicism and Irish peasantry, and the "playboy" in question is actually a character named Christy Mahon who, true to the early-20th century meaning of the word, is a trickster or hoaxer. The original 1907 production supposedly caused a riot in Dublin when it was first performed, but don't expect the same reaction at 8 p.m. in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts Black Box Theatre.

BONUS: As we mentioned, Vicci Martinez plays The Swiss tonight.

LINK: Thursday, Feb. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Filed under: 5 Things To Do, Music, Olympia, Events, Puyallup, Food & Drink, Tacoma, The Mouth, Arts, Comedy,