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Posts made in: October, 2014 (58) Currently Viewing: 1 - 10 of 58

October 1, 2014 at 7:44am

5 Things To Do Today: Cat Power, Metal-Urge, Tacoma Arts Month, Double Mountain's Fresh Hop Fest ...

Cat Power performs tonight in Olympia. Photo credit: Stefano Giovannini

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 1 2014 >>>

1. Her friends and family may call her Chan Marshall, but the music-loving world knows her better as singer-songwriter (and actor and model) Cat Power. She opened for Liz Phair in the mid-'90s, then crushed on her 2003 album You Are Free. She made an excursion into Memphis soul, starting with a wonderful album of original material, The Greatest. Perhaps her fascination with Delta blues gave way to more personal, vital, even humorous material on Sun, her latest collection. It'd be hard to imagine a more bracing anthem, for example, than "Human Being," which insists, "You got a right to scream when they don't want you to speak." Well, get ready to scream, Oly Sun-worshipers! Cat Power has returned from the blues for an 8 p.m. show at the Capitol Theater.

2. "Metal-Urge" is a massive celebration of all things metal-art forged by 80 artists holding firm in 20 venues all around Tacoma through the month of October and November. Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride created the event, her first large-scale project for the cultural tourism program, nearly 15 years ago. "Metal-Urge" is a citywide celebration of the metal arts that includes both traditional and non-traditional gallery venues exhibiting the metal work of talented artists and includes jewelry, sculptures, vessels, home décor, enamel and artifacts. "Metal-Urge" kicks off today in the LeMay Car Museum's Family Zone offering hood ornament design fun. Museum staff will pick the most creative idea for the month of October and November, offering a special prize for the winners.

3. Tacoma Arts Commission's Tacoma Arts Month kicks off today. Tacoma Arts Month is a rebranded incarnation of Art at Work and is now in its 13th year. The new name is intended to capture the all-encompassing artsy nature of arts in the community - which is exactly what Tacoma Arts Month is all about. Arts Month is an umbrella that arches over more than 300 individual events, workshops, classes et al - music, theater and dance performances; films; literary and cultural events; workshops and classes; and more, all happening in the city in October. Read Kristin Kendle's feature story on Tacoma Arts Month, then learn about the exciting work of artist Marita Dingus as she discusses finding artistic inspiration in her African American heritage and using found materials in her art at 11 a.m. in the Tacoma Art Museum.

4. Fresh hopped brews, also called wet brews, are Pacific Northwest-centric because we live in one of the largest hop growing regions in the world.  Hops are harvested in late summer/early fall and are usually dried to use in beer recipes throughout the year. But because our location has great quantities of hops, many are brewed within hours of coming off the hopbine (the climbing stem of the hop). And no brewery tackles this concept with quite the zeal than Hood River Brewery Double Mountain. Their two fresh hop beers, the big apple/pine punch Killer Red and herbal-esque Killer Green, are often used as currency along the Columbia River. Pint Defiance has scored some of the first kegs of Killer Red Fresh Hop IRA and Killer Green Fresh Hop IPA in the area and will tap those suckers from 5-7 p.m. in what it calls the Double Mountain Fresh Hop Fest.As an added bonus, the beer store/taproom will be Randalling a fresh keg of Vaporizer Pale through locally harvested fresh hops. You're not going to work tomorrow.

5. Grammy-winning saxophonist Paul Sawtelle, who just finished recording a new album, Virtual Insanity, will bring his all-star band to Jazzbones for an all-ages, 8 p.m. show. Power trio pianist Brooke Lizotte, drummer Greg Gilmore and bassist Jon Bayless will open.

LINK: Wednesday, Oct. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 1, 2014 at 10:56am

Olympia Arab Festival - peace be upon Shuruq II

Shuruq II will celebrate Arab culture from all 22 Arab countries. Photo courtesy of rachelcorriefoundation.org

It's a story most South Sounders know well: on the afternoon of March 16, 2003, Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old Olympian peace activist, planted herself in front of an armored Israeli bulldozer in the Gaza strip city of Rafah. She was in Rafah to aid the International Solidarity Movement, a nonviolent pro-Palestinian organization, and that confrontation resulted in her untimely passing. Yet a death sometimes brings new things to life, and so it was with Corrie: her activism and determination inspired the Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and Justice, a grassroots effort that seeks peace in the Middle East and around the world. The group's mission includes "foster(ing) connections between people, that build understanding, respect, and appreciation for differences." In that spirit, then, the Corrie Foundation (along with numerous cosponsors and individual donors) presents Shuruq II, otherwise known as Olympia's second Arab Festival.

Shuruq is the Arabic word for sunrise. As used here, it evokes a new day in international relations and intercultural understanding. According to Masjid al-Nur, the Islamic Center of Olympia, the capital community boasts Islamic people of more than 25 different ethnicities, yet even in this liberal bastion Muslim culture seems poorly understood. The Corrie Foundation's Arab Festival proceeds from the belief that deeper understanding and appreciation puts many concerns to rest and engenders a sense of intercultural responsibility which, in turn, inspires greater activism.

Having said that, the festival is really about fun over anything else. The festival staff welcomes visitors at 11 a.m., followed quickly by a presentation of Gulf and Saidi (upper Egyptian) dancing by the Shahrazad Dance Ensemble of Seattle. House of Tarab, the band performing at noon, is a well-regarded septet of Egyptian-style magicians; the tarab in their name refers to the joy of being transported by the evocative power of music. The one-o'clock hour is devoted to Arab fashion. Belly dancer Sabura takes the stage at 3:15, followed by the Levantine folk dancers of Jafra Dabke at 4:45. The festival finishes huge when Al Andalus, an internationally recognized ensemble fronted by oudist Tarik Banzi, plays from 5:30 to 6:30. The Olympia Center will also host a half-dozen side presentations, including lessons in Arabic for people from kindergarteners to adults at 11 a.m.

Just don't get so wrapped up in the day's entertainment that you miss out on the food! The intersection of State and Capital Way is the site of the Olympia-Rafah Solidarity Mural. This weekend it'll also host the "Mural Café and Hookah Lounge," a center of (as the Golden Arches once had it) food, folks and fun including more music and dancing. Here's hoping the café's menu includes harissa-spiced merguez sausage, a standout of north African Islamic cuisine, as it is just ridiculously tasty. And yes, there will be hookahs, so smoke 'em if you got 'em.

This Saturday marks the eve of Eid al-Adha ("Festival of the Sacrifice"), an Islamic holiday which honors Ibrahim's (Abraham's) obedience to the will of Allah. Eid al-Adha is a day of sacrifice, devout prayer, and charitable acts - but hey, there's nothing that says we can't get our party on the evening before.

OLYMPIA ARAB FESTIVAL-SHURUQ II, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, free admission, 360.754.3998

Filed under: Community, Events, Olympia,

October 1, 2014 at 12:13pm

Trail To Western American Art: Sellen Construction dangles the keys

Tacoma Art Museum Director Stephanie A. Stebich watching removal of construction fencing, revealing the new Haub Family Galleries wing, designed by Olson Kundig Architects and built by Sellen Construction. Courtesy photo

Friday, the Sellen Construction crew removed the banners concealing the Haub Family Galleries wing at the Tacoma Art Museum. The expansion is fully visible, gracing Pacific Avenue. The tall canopy that arches over the museum’s new entry doors connecting the Antoine Predock building and the new Olson Kundig Architects designed wing will be completed by Oct. 3. The new canopy provides a covered outdoor gathering space for community festivals and events.

Sellen will soon hand over the keys to the new wing. There are a few small items to complete, and the museum’s director, Stephanie A. Stebich, is working in collaboration with the architects Olson Kundig and Sellen to compile the final punch-list.

The new TAM store will soon re-stock in preparation for the Nov. 15 grand opening celebrations. Look forward to wonderful new merchandise including the new TAM logo items, Western influenced jewelry, products featuring images of the artwork in the Haub Family Collection, and new Northwestern items as well. TAM’s Leroy has a new friend — an adorable stuffed bison named Cody after the first bison brought to the Haub’s ranch.

TACOMA ART MUSEUM, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. third Thursday, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, $8-$10, 5 and younger free, 253.627.6031

SEE ALSO

Checking in with the Tacoma Art Museum

Colors, video, improved store at Tacoma Art Museum

Filed under: Arts, Tacoma,

October 2, 2014 at 6:59am

5 Things To Do Today: Tacoma Arts Month Opening Party, Green Drinks, "From Here to Eternity," Zeahorse ...

Tacoma artist and puppeteer Jeremy Gregory will present his work at the Tacoma Arts Month Opening Party tonight. Photo credit: Kris Crews

THURSDAY, OCT. 2 2014 >>>

1. Have you heard? Tacoma's gargantuan feast of literary, visual and performing arts has moved from November to October. That's right; October is Tacoma Arts Month (formerly Art at Work Month), but the festivities actually start Oct. 2 with an opening party and the AMOCAT Arts Awards presentation at the Tacoma Post Office Building. The annual kick-off party goes gargantuan too with the most "arts" in its 13th year history. The free event offers appetizers, dessert and a no-host bar while Speed Queen and Okinawa Taiko Drums perform, exhibits of work by Jessica Spring and The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's Foundation of Art Award honorees hangs, exhibits of work by Beautiful Angle, Jeremy Gregory, Isaac Olsen, Alice Di Certo, Kristin Giordano, The C.L.A.W., and Poly Rev "pop up," Tintype photo booth by Kyle Dillehay opens and closes, Working Class Theater performs, Abby Kok, Alana Tamminga and Katlyn Hubner create art live, Tacoma Poet Laureate Lucas Smiraldo recites, Kat Ogden, Nick Butler, Kris Crews and The Grand Cinema screen films and trash fashion hits the runway. Mayor Stickland's presentation of the 2014 AMOCAT Arts Awards and recognition of the 2014 funding recipients begins at 7:45 p.m. Now that's art at work. Read Kristin Kendle's full feature on Tacoma Arts Month in the Music & Culture section.

2. The South Puget Sound Chapter of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild will be hosting October's Green Drinks outing at 6 p.m. in The Forum in Tacoma. Steve Abercrombie, the South Sound Chapter president, will be providing updates on the new Vision to Action Symposiums and anything and everything that empowers people through education to transform the built environment for long-term sustainability. This could be a three drink night.

3. Tonight's Olympia People's Mic will feature Garfield Hilson, a Washington State University grad who reclaims his "stolen language" and does it well. He is the 2014 Seattle Poetry Individual Word Poetry Champion. Hilson joins the open mic at 7 p.m. in Café Love in downtown Olympia.

4. One of our most notable musical offerings this time around is a movie ... sort of. Y'know how a company called Fathom Events beams one-night-only screenings to movie theaters? In addition to RiffTrax commentaries and Metropolitan Opera productions, that service also transmits the occasional show from London's West End. This week, the play is a musical adaptation of From Here to Eternity - not the movie starring Burt Lancaster macking total PDA on Deborah Kerr, mind you, but the 1951 novel by James Jones. Jones's original draft had its soldiers swearing and talking about gay prostitution. Such content was struck prior to publication, of course, and it wasn't restored till a 2011 rerelease. When composer Stuart Brayson read that new edition, he recommended it to lyricist Tim Rice, and the result was an October 2013 musical extravaganza. So what? Well, Rice had a hand in some of our all-time favorite shows, including Evita, Chess, The Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. And you can see his new show from a better-than-front-row vantage point at 7 p.m. in the Century Olympia, all for cheap and with nary a passport. Brilliant!

5. Zeahorse is a band that does not stumble blood-crusted out of the outback. They're from Sydney which, one imagines, could not be without at least a couple air-conditioned fast food restaurants. The prospect of losing one's mind in the wasteland of the desert would likely be far from the minds of the members of Zeahorse. Still, the legacy of groundbreaking Australian acts is a heavy load to carry. Zeahorse, being a band that trades in heavy psych-rock, must be particularly aware of how they enter into the conversation of heavy bands that come from down under. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Zeahorse in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Ex-Gods and Magnetic Rose at 8 p.m. in Northern.

LINK: Thursday, Oct. 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 3, 2014 at 7:18am

5 Things To Do Today: Olympia Arts Walk, Oktoberfest Northwest, Mudhoney film, Strangely Alright ...

China Faith Star performs "Liquid Letters" at 8 p.m. in Last Word Books as part of the Olympia Arts Walk tonight.

FRIDAY, OCT. 3 2014 >>>

1. Largely because of its abundance of offerings, the Olympia Arts Walk is a bit of a cross between a scavenger hunt and a grab bag. Local businesses - 96 of them this weekend - become galleries for the weekend, week or month, showing paintings, sculptures, photographs and more. Some serve as performance spaces, too. The streets are filled with people and the occasional juggler. But where to go? What to see? There's the fun. Read Molly Gilmore's full feature on Olympia Arts Walk XLIX in the Music & Culture section, then hit downtown Olympia from 5-10 p.m. and have the time of your life.

2. Born and raised in Tacoma, Noah Struthers is a unique product of this "blue collar" environment. His particular mechanic-laborer experiences were tainted early on by artistic explorations, resulting in a unique hybrid of outsider-illustrator art. His work addresses themes of local identity, mechanical structures, nature, and wildlife, which can be seen at the Fulcrum Gallery. Struthers will hang at Fulcrum from noon to 6 p.m. to discuss his art, or the Second Cycle Community Bicycle Shop, which he co-founded.

3. The three-day Oktoberfest Northwest Bavarian celebration at the Washington State Fair and Events Center officially kicks off at 6:15 p.m. with the taping of the Firkin, although the gates open at noon. In its 10th year, this Oktoberfest celebration includes a Munich-inspired Festhalle Biergarten, authentic entertainment, traditional German food, Hammerschlagen Tournament of Champions, the always-popular Weiner Dog Race, and the Sunday morning Oktoberfest Northwest Stein Dash 5K. Manuela Horn, the 6 foot 2 "Australian Amazon" and the Oktoburlesques will headline authentic German entertainment featuring performers crooning everything from Edelweiss to polka versions of popular rock songs.

4. Mudhoney, while beating its fellow flannel-powered pedigree to the punch - Sub Pop released vinyl anthem "Touch Me, I'm Sick" and Superfuzz Bigmuff 12 months before Nirvana's Bleach and three years before Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten - has never had a chart topper, but the group has a following more loyal than a mob family. A 6:30 p.m. screening of I'm Now: the Story of Mudhoney film in the Capitol Theater should get folks chatting up Mudhoney again. Full of the same nasal yowls and shag-carpet riffs that made the band a Northwest favorite during the grunge daze, the film will screen with one of the greatest cult flicks of all time - 1979's Rock & Roll High School featuring The Ramones in their prime. Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner and I'm Now director Ryan Short will hang for a post-film Q&A.

5. Strangely Alright's power pop awesomeness will invade The Swiss Restaurant and Pub for the first time, with Brian James opening at 8:15 p.m. and a celebration of Shannon Kristine Rachel Briggs' birthday all night long. If you haven't seen Strangely Alright, expect ringing, triumphant chords and lyrics that allude to conquered tribulations. Frontman Regan Lane's charismatic presence and ability to get asses out of their seats and the underlying lyrical message of hope, empathy, and love rightly live up to the title of the band's album, Forever Is Right Now, a tireless and persistent group of catchy, edgy rock songs that are sugar coated with the band's love of all things rock.

LINK: Friday, Oct. 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 3, 2014 at 9:52am

Judging by the Trailer: "Left Behind"

Nicolas Cage in "Left Behind."

I haven't tried very hard to keep a secret of how much I dislike most holidays. I've written multiple times about my disdain for New Year's Eve and my lack of enthusiasm for Christmas and Valentine's Day. People tend to think that I'm somehow missing out on the boundless joy that people derive from these celebrations. Do I really go all year without a special day coming along to connect me to my fellow man?

No. That day has arrived, and it is the release of the newly Nicolas Cage-ified Left Behind. I don't know who's been reading my diary, or what star I wished upon, but Hollywood suddenly had the earth-shattering idea to pair film's most insane actor with an Evangelical property that gets all of its tension and suspense from piles of clothes.

Earlier this year, my friend Nicky and I took some time out to get obsessed with films made by and for Christians. The first one we decided to watch just had to be the Kirk Cameron vehicle that was the original, hilariously inept Left Behind. That original run of direct-to-video atrocities capped off at as trilogy, though the books upon which they were based total something in the range of 16 (!). My only hope is that this new Left Behind decided to throw every one of those pages at Nicolas Cage, just to see how badly they can make him lose his shit.

This new Left Behind is directed by former stuntman Vic Armstrong, which is just too good to be true. While making the transition from stunts to directing worked out for Hal Needham, I have little hope for this Vic Armstrong guy. But, you never know. All I want in the world is for this to spawn a reality series about the friendship between Cage and a crazy religious stuntman. I know you've already given me Left Behind, God, but can we get one more miracle?

October 4, 2014 at 7:56am

5 Things To Do Today: Oly Mountain Boys, Harvest Fest, Yachtoberfest, Heritage Blues Orchestra ...

The Oly Mountain Boys new bluegrass "concept" album tells the life story of fictional historical early 20th century Northwest character Charlie McCarver. Photo credit: Jim Oas

SATURDAY, OCT. 4 2014 >>>

1. If you like your bluegrass complex, melodic and focused on weighty matters such as the hard life of Washington state living in the early 20th century, have we found something you're going to love. Olympia bluegrass outfit The Oly Mountain Boys has released their new, epic concept album, White Horse, for your consideration. Comprised of Menser (banjo, piano, lead vocals), Derek McSwain (mandolin, vocals), Chris Rutledge (guitar, vocals), Phil Post (bass, dobro, pedal steel, vocals) and Josh Grice (fiddle), The Oly Mountain Boys dwell in the musical (and conceptual) neighborhood inhabited by outfits such as the Who, Tool, Queensryche and the more operatic rock groups. Join the Boys for a CD release party with The Hollerbodies and The Warren G. Hardings at 9 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye.

2. Wood-fired pizza and goats: Do you need any more reason to drive to Orting? At Terra Organic's annual Harvest Fest, you can also pick the perfect pumpkin to carve. The crisp air of the fall in the country and the sunchoke maze are pretty good reasons for getting in a little farm-browsing, too. If it's warm, leave the jackets at home and dig into the flavors from Ice Cream Social; if it's cool, dance up a gig in front of the Pine Hearts, Dysfunction Junction, Squirrel Butter and Roosevelt Road. Shop the market area. Take a hay ride. Modern farm-to-table take on Mediterranean food ... Primo Grill is there, too! Join in from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Tahoma Farms.

3. More than 15 breweries, three wineries and a couple cideries will stretch along the esplanade from the Museum of Glass to the entry of the Foss Harbor Marina for Yachtoberfest, running 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. German food will be served from The Social Bar and Grill, Paesan Kitchen and Bar, Fleischkuechle food truck, Hess Bavarian Deli and Choripan By Asado. Moorage will be available at Delin Docks, Dock Street Marina, Foss Harbor Marina and the Foss Waterway Seaport. Tickets are $20 at the gate. Beverage tickets will be five for $10. Each ticket is worth a 5-ounce beer pour; two tickets will put a 12-ounce pour. Limited edition commemorative beer steins and apparel will be available for purchase. Read Pappi Swarner's full story on Yachtoberfest in the New Beer Column.

4. The New York-based Heritage Blues Orchestra plays traditional blues backed by a classic jazz horn section. Young vocalist Chaney Sims has been compared to jazz/blues legend Nina Simone. The band's 2012 debut album, And Still I Rise, which included covers of Son House and Muddy Waters classics alongside traditional material, was Grammy-nominated. Catch the band at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

5. Zeahorse is a band that does not stumble blood-crusted out of the outback. They're from Sydney, which, one imagines, could not be without at least a couple air-conditioned fast food restaurants. The prospect of losing one's mind in the wasteland of the desert would likely be far from the minds of the members of Zeahorse. Still, the legacy of groundbreaking Australian acts is a heavy load to carry. Zeahorse, being a band that trades in heavy psych-rock, must be particularly aware of how they enter into the conversation of heavy bands that come from down under. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Zeahorse in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Sok and the Faggots, Blanco Bronco and MILK at 8 p.m. in Half Pint Pizza Pub in Tacoma.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 5, 2014 at 9:32am

5 Things To Do Today: Midday Veil, Steilacoom Apple Squeeze, "Project 562," James Adomian ...

Seattle experimental rock ensemble Midday Veil combines otherworldly vocals and cosmic synths with driving, hypnotic rock grooves. Photo credit: Frank Correa.

SUNDAY, OCT. 5 2014 >>>

1. Midday Veil takes cues from krautrock without explicitly copying it. There's experimental improvisation and rigid beats, but the '70s were a long time ago. What remains with Midday Veil is an exploratory way of approaching an inscrutable subgenre dipping into different cultural influences to provide an mélange of textures and atmosphere. Catch the band with Swahili, Total Life and Lost Integrity in 8 p.m. at Northern.

2. The town of Steilacoom will host their annual cider squeeze from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. offering to press apples for folks, or having jugs of fresh squeezed cider available. And if the cider isn't reason enough to go, then go to sample fresh baked apple pies, cider floats, apple fritters, pony rides and music by Barleywine Revue and Steve and Kristi Nebel.

3. Matika Wilbur's "Project 562" is an ambitious and fascinating photographic study of Native American culture and an equally ambitious artistic project of which Tacoma Art Museum is fortunate to be able to present to the world the inaugural exhibition. Today is the last day to see the exhibit. Read Alec Clayton's full review of Matika Wilbur's Project 562" in the Music & Culture section., then see the show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

4. Shakespeare can be a bit inaccessible for the average Joe and many a community theater company has butchered it so badly as to make the audience loathe ever catching another production of The Bard's works. So leave it to director Suzy Wilhoft and Tacoma Little Theatre to stage something that could go so, so wrong. Fortunately it doesn't and the audience is presented a modest start and a whiz-bang finish in A Midsummer Night's Dream, which closes today at 2 p.m. Read Joann Varnell's full review of A Midsummer Night's Dream in the Music & Culture section.

5. Fans of Comedy Bang! Bang! rejoice! James Adomian will be at the Tacoma Comedy Club at 7 p.m. You've no doubt heard his voice on the podcast, doing spot-on impressions of Jesse Ventura, Tom Leykis, Dov Charney, Alan Rickman and Paul Giamatti, among others. While Adomian is nominally an impressionist, what makes his characters so special is that he takes them and spins them into surreal and inspired territory. It's a crime that he hasn't been cast on Saturday Night Live, where he is destined to become a post-modern Darrell Hammond. He's only appearing for one night, so consider this a can't-miss.

LINK: Sunday, Oct. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 6, 2014 at 7:35am

5 Things To Do Today: "Ripple and Unfold," Northwest Repertory Singers, Maia Santell, Harvey Wainapel ...

"Untitled (blue)," 2014, by Janet Marcavage, on display at Kittredge Gallery on the University of Puget Sound campus.

MONDAY, OCT. 6 2014 >>>

1. University of Puget Sound Associate Professor of Painting Elise Richman teaches painting, drawing, and 2-dimensional design courses as well as the 2-D senior seminar every other year. Her innovative, process-based paintings explore elements of the material world and states of flux. Janet Marcavage, also an Associate Professor of Art at UPS, specializes in printmaking. She teaches studio courses incorporating a range of print media such as lithography, etching, relief, and intaglio, plus experimental, photomechanical and digitally-augmented methods. Today, the two professors open a shared show, "Ripple and Unfold," at the Kittredge Gallery on campus. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. Oktoberfest is dead. Halloween is dead. The Day of the Dead is dead. Even Thanksgiving is dead. Well, at least to the Northwest Repertory Singers. The Tacoma-based organization has just nudged out the department stores in the race toward Christmas. The choral group is currently rehearsing for its annual December concerts, and like every year, opens the singing sessions to the public. So exchange your pumpkin sweater with that candy cane ditty in the back of your closet, because the sugarplums are rockin, and there's no need for any knocking, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Mason United Methodist Church.

3. Jazz and blues band Maia Santell & House Blend will perform at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

4. Bay Area clarinetist and saxophonist Harvey Wainapel has been making yearly musical pilgrimages to Brazil since 2000, and has no plans to stop. The variety of musical traditions across cultures and regions is practically inexhaustible, he says, with perhaps only a single common thread: "they all swing like hell." Naturally, that irrepressible, infectious rhythmicality will be on display as Wainapel hosts a CD release party for his new CD, Amigos Brasileiros Vol. 2, at 8 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye. Pianist and frequent collaborator Jovino Santos Neto will join him.

5. While there have been a few bars that have tried hosting karaoke nights with live bands, Jazzbones' Rockaraoke live band karaoke is one of the ones that's lasted. It can be fun as hell singing along with a live band. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

October 6, 2014 at 1:49pm

Nerd Alert! - Leonard Maltin in Tacoma, Star Wars Reads Day, Alien: Isolation, Star Wars Rebels debut ...

Star Wars Reads Day: The novels set in the Star Wars universe are great for one more hit of that sweet, sweet Jedi action, and as a way to get Star Wars-mad kids excited to read.

Talking dead, this is Nerd Alert, the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete, and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

If you're a true movie lover, or just feel like not hating yourself, leave Dracula Untold this weekend and dive into the Tacoma Film Festival instead. It's running all week, with nerd god Leonard Maltin sitting in Friday and Saturday. Opening night (Friday at 7:30) gets underway with a screening of Laggies, a rom-com starring Keira Knightley and the great Sam "Guy" Rockwell. (Any fellow Galaxy Quest fanboys out there? Right?!) It's directed by Lynn Shelton, who's already given us the charmers Humpday and Your Sister's Sister. Alternately that night at 7, there's a Viggo Mortensen thriller, The Two Faces of January, which finds a con man and his wife chased through present-day, camera-ready Greece. A Maltin Q&A follows the latter film. The festival's chockablock with shorts, too, with everything from animation to documentary to efforts by some of our favorite Northwestern filmmakers. Saturday afternoon at 1:30, Maltin will sign copies of his 2015 Movie Guide and host a screening of Frank Capra's 1948 classic, State of the Union. Hail to the chief!

SATURDAY, OCT. 11

It's Star Wars Reads Day (yay!) at a library near you. The main branch of the Tacoma Public Library celebrates with crafts, a screening of Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles at 2:30, and Mel Brooks' ludicrously-speedy Spaceballs. Why? Because nothing encourages reading like watching a video. Ooh, burn for literacy! Incidentally, the Imperials at Lucasfilm Licensing recently decided that almost every Star Wars novel or comic book published since 1977 is now completely non-canonical. The exceptions began with a "dark times" novel, A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller, which hit shelves Sept. 2. So if you're still lugging around that crate full of Rogue Squadron actioners and hoping to hit payday on eBay, the Force may no longer be with you.

STAR WARS READS DAY, 1:30-6 p.m., Tacoma Public Library, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, free, 253.292.2001

SUNDAY, OCT. 12

The last time we saw our heroes on AMC's The Walking Dead, a group of them were trapped in a boxcar in a gated community with the deceptive name of Sanctuary. Meanwhile, one claims to know how the plague of undead walkers can be stopped once and for all. As season five begins Sunday at 9, we have reason to believe two things: first, Rick will snap out of his sleepwalk; and second, Michonne will remain a total effing badass. Oh, and Carl will continue to wear that stupid hat.

MONDAY, OCT. 13

The eagerly awaited Star Wars Rebels debuts on Disney XD Monday at 9. In fact, this first 90-minute episode airs on other Disney channels as well, but once the hook has been set, you'll be asked to pony up for the obscurer XD. Well, I will not! I will dig it up on the Internet, unless it is illegal, in which case never mind! I win this round probably, Uncle Walt! Anyhow, the same folks who gave us Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a show I grew to like very much, produce this new animated series. Even better, Star Wars Rebels is set in the far more interesting and Vaderful period between the two movie trilogies. Disney approved this show for season two before its pilot even aired, so apparently show runner Dave Filoni and his Jedi apprentices have delivered again.

TUESDAY, OCT. 14

A lot of you will be running out to buy Gearbox Australia's Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel! Tuesday, because violence. Your humble commentator, however, will still be panic-racing through the flickering halls of space station Sevastopol. That's where Amanda Ripley, daughter of the still cryo-frozen Ellen, confronts a xenomorph of her own in The Creative Assembly's terrifying Alien: Isolation (to be unleashed Oct. 7). Use your flares, check your corners, and for the love of sweet Jebus - whatever you do, do not eat that cornbread.

Until next week, may the Force be with you, may the odds be ever in your favor, and may you never need a pit stop on LV-426. Aye-firmative!

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Humayun Kabir said:

Really nice album. I have already purchased Vedder's Album. Listening to the song of this album,...

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

AndrewPehrson said:

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Shimul Kabir said:

Vedder's album is really nice. I have heard attentively

about Eddie Vedder’s "Ukulele Songs" available today - and I don’t hold a candle to that shit

marble exporters in India said:

amazing information for getting the new ideas thanks for sharing a post

about 5 Things To Do Today: Art Chantry, DIY home improvement, "A Shot In The Dark" ...

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