SATURDAY, AUG. 23 2014 >>>
1. Soak up the rays, suds and music at the Tacoma's Hilltop Street Fair from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. At the intersection of South 11th Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, fairgoers will choose between puppets and improv comedy, American pop band The Tenants and metal band Deathbed Confessions, the beer garden next to the BMX bike tricks demonstration team and the dunk tank, Dockyard Derby Dames demonstration and participatory drum circle, Peace Lutheran Choir and rockers The Fucking Eagles. Radio Disney, health screenings, Hilltop Heroes Awards (2 p.m.), Kids Area in People's Park with the castle of imagination, Buffalo Soldiers, booths up and down, and so much more. Sponsors include 1022 South J Cocktail Lounge, Eleven Eleven bar and Broken Spoke canned beer tavern, so that doesn't suck.
2. If little red Porsches are for emasculated middle-aged men and monster trucks are for tattooed mullet-heads in muscle shirts, what rides do cool guys roll in? The answer idles among the motorcycles in the third annual Vintage Motorcycles Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the LeMay Car Museum. That's right, see how they made them when they used to make them like they don't make them anymore - pre-1981 motorcycles, including BMW, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Indian, Lambretta, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Royal Enfield, Triumph, Vespa and Vincent. In addition to the 450 vintage motorcycles and scooters from across the nation, LeMay will host judged classes with an awards ceremony; used bike corral and swap meet; vendors offering apparel, bike accessories and restoration services; motorcycle brands offering new motorcycles for test rides; observed Trials demonstration (motorcycle balance and control through varied terrain) by the Puget Sound Trailers Club and precision group formation demonstrations by the Tenino Motorcycle Drill Team.
3. The city of Tumwater has had a long history associated with brewing beer. To celebrate and preserve the history, the Olympia Lacey Tumwater Visitor and Convention Bureau and the city of Tumwater have joined together to create the Tumwater Artesian Brewfest, a day of Northwest breweries and 10,000 games from 1-8 p.m. at the Tumwater Valley Golf Course. Read Pappi Swarner's New Beer Column for the full scoop.
4. For a band that was essentially formed on the whim of two people talking in a bar, with one of them not really knowing how to play an instrument, Killer Ghost is as tight of a band as is going on in the psych rock world. Their recent EP, Sad Boys Magic Club, is full of bright melodies and evocative vibes. All of the calling cards of today's psychedelia remain, but what matters is the amount of character the band can bring to the table, which is made in spades with Killer Ghost. Their touring partners, Gang Cult, take a different tact. As a pairing, they are somewhat reminiscent of The Odd Couple - two sides of the same depressive coin. Whereas Killer Ghost filter their anxieties through catchy rhythms and bouncy psych rock, Gang Cult confront their issues head-on and abundantly. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full story on Killer Ghost and Gang Cult in the Music and Culture section., then catch the bands at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.
5. Neutral Boy has been on the scene for years, punk rock staples. If you opened a fridge labeled Northwest Punk, Neutral Boy would be in the crisper, right next to the tall boys. Neutral Boy's catch phrase is "Ruining Lives Since 1992". That's how much these guys love living their shit-hole dream. South Sound punk rockers are peeing their dirty black skinny jeans, because the Olympia Track House, despite rumors, is still having shows, and Neural Boy is going to fill their filthy earholes with tight fast licks and raunchy lyrics at 10 p.m.
LINK: Saturday, Aug. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area
