THURSDAY, JAN. 29 2015 >>>

1. Since his stage debut way back during World War II, Willie Nelson has laid claim to being one of our greatest singer-songwriters. He's beloved across genres and by people of all political stripes. Simply put, he's an icon, a living legend, and deservedly so. What you may not know about him is he recorded his first song, "No Place for Me," in Vancouver, Washington, where he worked as a disc jockey for KVAN. This was only a few years before he wrote "Crazy," arguably one of our greatest country songs. It's been said, in fact, that Patsy Cline's cover of "Crazy" is the biggest jukebox hit of all time, but that was no beginner's luck. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on Willie Nelson in the Music & Culture section, then catch Nelson's 8 p.m. show at the Emerald Queen Casino.

2. A public memorial service honoring the life of Babe Lehrer - Tacoma businesswoman, philanthropist and arts advocate - will be held at 4 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Honor Babe's energy, spirit and tireless involvement to her community.

3. Seattle's Cody Beebe & The Crooks make rock music that is inspired by the frontier attitude of the American Heartland. When you hear their music, you hear the West's Americana and blues roots. However, rather than eclectic, the music comes off with a directness and unpretentious nature characteristic of their hometown's rock and roll. Having recently performed at The Gorge's Watershed Music Festival and having shared stages with acts as diverse and accomplished as Buddy Guy, Stevie Nicks, Austin Jenckes, and Allen Stone, CBC rolls into Jazzbones for a 6:30 p.m. show with Ayron Jones & The Way, Tango Alpha Tango and Jared James Nichols.

4. Audrey Marrs played a significant role in Olympia's music scene in the '90s rocking in bands Mocket and Bratmobile, before graduating from The Evergreen State College in 1999. She became a filmmaker, and with Charles Ferguson, documented the Iraq War and decisions made by the Bush Administration in No End In Sight. The duo won a fair share of awards. Marrs and Ferguson teamed up again, this time for the 2010 film Inside Job, an expose of the 2008 global financial meltdown. The duo won the 2011 Best Documentary Film Oscar. Marrs returns to Evergreen as part of the Willi Unsoeld Seminar Series and will give a free, public presentation - and show a 3-minute clip of her current film on climate change - at 7 p.m. in the Evergreen Longhouse.

5. Barleywine Revue is just awesome. The band writes and performs contemporary, relevant bluegrass and Americana music while paying homage to the traditions that have come in generations before ... think Bill Monroe meets Bill Withers. Oh man, that's fresh! Catch the band at 8 p.m. in The Swiss Restaurant & Pub.

LINK: Thursday, Jan. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

This just in from the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Public Affairs Office ...

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - JBLM's Directorate of Family Morale, Welfare and Recreation along with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service is providing three free opportunities for football fans to watch the biggest game of the year.

- Warrior Zone, on JBLM Lewis North, will be open at 10 a.m. and hold a Madden NFL ‘15 tournament beginning at noon. Former Seahawks player and pro football hall of famer, Walter Jones, will be there signing autographs and watching the game with Service members. There are more than 50 high-definition TV's to catch all of the action. (Admittance to the Warrior Zone is restricted to those 18 years and older.)

- Nelson Recreation Center, on JBLM Lewis Main, will also host a Madden NFL '15 tournament and provides a 20-foot projection screen. Doors open at noon.

- Carey Theater, on JBLM Lewis Main, is the family friendly viewing location for those football fans with family members younger than 18 years old. The audio system combined with the digital 15- by 24-foot digital screen will provide a live in-the-stadium atmosphere for the family football fans. Doors open at 12:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 30 2015 >>>

1. It's not surprising to learn that Y La Bamba's records have been produced by the disparate likes of the Decemberists' Chris Funk and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin. The ornate instrumentation calls to mind the revivalist classicism of the Decemberists, as well as the Latin rock of Los Lobos, but the presence of both producers at various points highlights the range and varied output of Y La Bamba. While they are more than comfortable being classical with their interpretations of folk and world music, they thrive in that middle ground, where nothing is too easy to describe, let alone predict. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Y La Bamba in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with People Under the Sun, Skinwalker and Black Wolf at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

2. Brian Skerry travels the world photographing marine life. His images are stunning; his stories mesmerizing; his job awesome. He's an acclaimed National Geographic photographer who captivates his audiences with the same enthusiasm and excitement with which he captures his subjects. Skerry's award winning underwater photography will demonstrate the mystery of our ocean's depths. His powerful presentations showcase award-winning imagery and thrilling wildlife encounters, inspire reverence for the marine realm, and offer hope for protecting the vitality of our world's oceans. See his work at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center.

3. Folk music used to be synonymous with hicks, hillbillies, rednecks and traveling hobos. But not anymore! These days folk music is a marriage of soothing folk riffs and classical strings! Hee-Haw Ma! Violinist Maria Sampen is giving this genre a good name in our books in her upcoming recital Inspired by the Folk: The Romance Between the Violin and the Fiddle. The performance will include a world premiere, a piece evoking the Jewish fiddle tradition, and works that combine Western classical music with folk traditions from America and Romania. Roger Briggs, composer, conductor, artistic director of Whatcom Symphony Orchestra, and faculty member at Western Washington University, will be in the Schneebeck Concert Barn for a world premiere of his composition Tune My Heart. Let yourself be cradled by the calming tunes of folk and traditional music at 7:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Barn.

4. If you have a taste for Cuba's sexy island groove, get ready to shine up your dancing shoes, because a new age of Cuban-American détente is upon us. Soñeros Adonis Puentes and fraternal twin Alexis were already well known at home before their arrival in Canada 17 years ago. Since then, both have been nominated separately for Latin Grammys. Among other triumphs, Adonis played South by Southwest in Austin and, with Ruben Blades, at Lincoln Center. He describes his all-acoustic, dance-friendly vibe as "joyous hedonism." That sounds pretty damn buena to us, asere. Catch Adonis Puentes at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

5. From the cacophonous pounding of the drums that open Golden Gardens' Bellflower EP, you'd be excused for thinking that a Spector-esque wall of '60s sound was coming your way. As it is, that sound almost immediately gives way to a gothic, Nick Cave-esque haze. Churchly piano and '80s synths waft in, accompanied by the ghostly vocals of lead singer Aubrey Bramble. Golden Gardens make the type of music that you might hear on the Heathers soundtrack, or in the dorm of that beautiful, moody girl down the hall - you know the one. The band performs at 8 p.m. in Deadbeat Olympia record store.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, JAN. 31 2015 >>>

1. On May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m., where were you? Memories of the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption informs our knowledge of clear and present danger in the shadows of our dragons next door. That fact is made unnervingly clear by a new exhibit in Tacoma's Washington State History Museum opening at 10 a.m. today. Kudos to whoever had the dramatic idea of funneling audience members past a mockup of a 1980 living room, complete with vintage color TV. The television is running an episode of KOMO 4 News from that spring afternoon. The broadcast transports middle-aged viewers back in time while acclimatizing younger museum visitors. From there it's on to a display of mind-boggling physical destruction, in which a tree has been warped into a claw and the pyroclastic impact of tons of blazing mud crumpled a metal truck door like an aluminum soda can. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on "Living In The Shadows: Volcanoes of Washington" in the Northwest section.

2. Eugene native and brewmaster Trevor Howard opened Hop Valley Brewing Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. Indeed, he and his father, Ron Howard, Jonas Kungys and Chuck Hare chose Friday the 13th. Good luck has only come their way, as Hop Valley has undergone incredible growth. Drop by the Pig Bar inside South Bay Dickerson's BBQ and get an early start on the brewery's six-year anniversary by sipping a healthy Hop Valley line-up, win prizes and get in on some tasty ribs from 6-9 p.m.

3. The Soul Revue at 6:30 p.m. in Jazzbones will encompass the breadth and variety of soul over the generations. Featuring the songs of everyone from Aretha Franklin and Etta James to Frank Ocean and Janelle Monae, the Soul Revue will be covering selected bits of evolution from the world of soul music and all its various permutations. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Soul Revue in the Music & Culture section.

4. If you can say one thing about Rogues Gallery (formerly Jipsea Party), it's that they're clearly devoted to the mad energy of their spectacle. Their gypsy punk is a familiar enough style, but they infuse it with a fervency and a momentum that raises them above some of their other drunken Eastern European devotees. Catch the band with Wages of Sin, the Bog Hoppers and Micah Subar at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

5. Jimmi Davies is a coppersmith, motor head, artist and friendly face around Olympia. But perhaps he is best known for his music - with Oly legends The Dirty Birds and his latest project, straight up rock and rollers Resident Kings. Davies and the new line-up for the Resident Kings play Olympia's Rhythm & Rye with C Average and Marching Suns at 9 p.m. Rock and roll is here to stay.

LINK: Saturday, Jan. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area