SUNDAY, MAY 18 2014 >>>
1. LAKE had a busy 2013, releasing two full-length albums - The World is Real and Circular Doorway - while continuing their habit of not making too much of a fuss about it. Throughout their seven-year career, LAKE has quietly established itself as one of the best bands in the Pacific Northwest, crafting little lo-fi gems of glowing '70s soft rock-indebted indie rock. Their music is sunny and buoyant without falling into twee territory, and airy without risking the chillwave categorization. Any integration of discord into their waves of pristine harmonies is a welcome one, and helps to integrate texture and movement into what sometimes approaches the overly serene. Today finds them joining a free bill with two other solid local indie bands in Humble Cub and Coma Figura at 6 p.m. in Half Pint Pizza Pub. It's not to be missed.
2. The Tacoma Art Museum and Museum of Glass offer two-for-one admission today as part of the international Art Museum Day. TAM opens at 10 a.m., while MOG waits until noon. They both close at 5 p.m.
3. The Foss Waterway Seaport - the South Sound's maritime heritage center - will officially open its doors for the summer season at noon. Located on Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway, the Seaport will host a re-opening celebration, including family-friendly festivities, cake cutting, live music, the Tacoma Fire Department fire boat, special maritime vessels, activities and exhibits, appearances by Captain Vancouver and Thea Foss, and the firing of cannons until 4 p.m. The inaugural exhibit for the summer season, "Peek in our Attic and Share our Dream," will highlight the many historic maritime treasures in the museum's collection.
4. Anyone who has visited Point Defiance Park is familiar with the stately Japanese-inspired details of the Point Defiance Pagoda. First opening in 1914 as a streetcar station serving the park, the Pagoda celebrates its centennial this month in grand-fashion following the recent announcement naming it to the National Register of Historic Places. In honor of both the centennial and naming to the register, Metro Parks will host a public celebration from noon to 4 pm. The free event welcomes the community to explore the building, enjoy live music and refreshments, create handmade event souvenirs, learn about the history of the Pagoda and future plans for the Japanese Gardens which surround it, and take part in free guided tours.
5. Olympia Little Theatre's production of playwright Lauren Gunderson's Exit, Pursued by a Bear ends its run today at 1:55 p.m. The prey in this story is Kyle Carter, a short-tempered redneck who may or may not have beaten his wife, Nan. On a quest for revenge and emancipation, she recruits the help of a stripper/wannabe actor named Sweetheart (stage name "Peaches," which isn't much better) and Simon, her gay best friend, who arrives in a cheerleader's uniform. Nan's plan is to stage a reenactment of key moments with Kyle, then douse him in honey and open the door wide to Ursus americanus floridanus, a 300-pound Florida black bear. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Exit, Pursued By A Bear in the Music & Culture section.
LINK: Sunday, May 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
