SUNDAY, MARCH 16 2014 >>>
1. Christian Mistress, Olympia's favorite metal sweethearts, are about to make their home stop on a wailing west coast tour. The bellowing harmonies of a front woman - who was clearly born from the ashes of a phoenix - the dueling guitars that create paths of thunderbolts in your mind, and the brilliant tempo of a drummer who gets in your spine, Christian Mistress is the real deal. Voted by Weekly Volcano readers as the Best Metal Band in the 2014 Best of Olympia issue, you should see this band live at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge. On deck is Broken Water with punk rock/shoe gaze delights and Paralyzer with indie dance vibes.
2. Twelve chairs surround the table, and the audience surrounds the chairs. Lakewood Playhouse's 12 Angry Men's set design announces its intentions immediately and without mistake: as an audience, we are made to be conscientious observers, to judge these jurors as they judge a murder. It's an intriguing way to view this show, and it's one of the things that this production gets absolutely right. Read Rev. McKinney's full review of 12 Angry Men in the Music & Culture section, then catch the closing show at 2 p.m.
3. Conductor Christophe Chagnard, the Northwest Sinfonietta, PLU Choral Union and five soloists perform J.S. Bach's sacred oratorio St. John Passion - a harrowing tale of power, betrayal, murder, love, compassion and hope at 2 p.m. at the Puyallup Pavilion.
4. Children are stubborn creatures. Molding them into the clean, safe-driving, classical-music-loving model citizens you dream of them being is just not as simple as it should be. It takes creativity and an ability to be extremely entertaining for long periods of time. You should share your burden. Take Junior and Junior Junior to Mini Maestros: Jungle Jams at 2:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Hall, where the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet will teach children how horns, trumpets, trombones and tubas can sound like animals - while you sit in the back and wonder how the musical and zoological worlds all collided without your noticing.
5. Little Bill Engelhart grew up on Hilltop Tacoma and learned rock 'n' roll by playing rhythm and blues with the black musicians' downtown, which was unusual for a young white kid at the time. He formed a band with some of his teenage friends and had a national hit when he was just 19 titled "I'm in Love with an Angel." Life after that seemed a bit anti-climactic. Once you've toured with the most famous musicians of your time, it's hard to come home and be an every day guy. Engelhart turns 75 tomorrow, but still works most days booking, promoting and playing music. At 5 p.m., Englehart will headline the Blues Vespers in the Immanuel Presbyterian Church. Wish him a happy birthday.
LINK: Sunday, March 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
