MONDAY, JUNE 23 1014 >>>

1. Comedy open mics are where performers cut their teeth, develop their chops and other folksy idioms meaning "possibly suck to get better." Comedians nervously testing out premises they thought of while parking. These baby-steps are often tucked into weekdays as not to compete with the weekend's bigger events. Do you smell an opportunity? Or is that the Pabst sloshing around on the bar? Local comedian and host Eric Puddin Lorentzen want you to indulge in both with the brand new, weekly, Monday Madness Comedy Night with Puddin at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Expect 6-10 minute sets, each recorded. The audience will choose a winner, who will headline the following week. It was the great Bill Cosby who said, "Puddin, you can't be a comedian without him," or something.

2. Get out your dancing shoes and join in the whimsy of a country western shuffle dance, hosted by the Evergreen Country Dancers. What is a shuffle, you say? It's the country western version of polka - the primary difference being that the style of shuffle is less hoppy than the polka - and there's nothing wrong with that. The feet hit the Olympia Elks Lodge floor at 6:30 p.m.

3. With three different singers, dual lead guitars and one of the best rhythm sections around, Palmer Junction is heavily influenced by blues artists such as Freddie King, Peter Green, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers, Robben Ford and Joe Bonamassa. Named best blues band in the Weekly Volcano's 2013 Best of Tacoma issue, the band will perform at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

4. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi and his band will fill Olympia's Rhythm and Rye club with the enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, original material and funky delight at 8 p.m.

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, June 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area