SATURDAY, NOV. 1 2014 >>>

1. You've had the mustache for a year now, and have been contemplating jumping from amateur to pro. Grab some friends, bearded or not, and head to O'Malley's Irish Pub at 7 p.m. in Tacoma for a 'stache-ogling Movember Kick Off Party in honor of whiskers. On the other hand, if you're competitive, there are prizes for "Best 'Stache" for male and female. Expect a raffle. Expect prizes for the Guess The Famous 'Stache trivia game. And expect to drop donations into a jar. After all, Aussie blokes conceived Movember in 1999 as a way of publicizing men's health issues, especially prostate cancer and depression. The Movember Foundation, which refers to participating dudes as "Mo Bros," says the purpose of those autumn mustaches is to "change the face of men's health."

2. They'll be there with their buckskins, their powderhorns and their tinware. Folks in period dress with monikers such as Chauncey, Jededian, Booshway, Eleanor, Bear Legs, Prudence and Huck will demonstrate blacksmithing, cooking, spinning, basket weaving and woodworking, along with a variety of music. All but Huck are re-enactor artisans assuming 19th century pioneer names as they share their talents and creations, such as intricate needlework and forged metalwork at Fort Nisqually Living History Museum during Arts of the Fur Trade from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Huck will try to score pelts to make a vest for his high school post-punk revival band, James Buchanan Side Shave.

3. Tacoma Brewing Co. celebrates its second anniversary from 2-9 p.m. Founder Morgan Alexander will have several anniversary stouts on the "Specials" board: sour stout, bourbon barrel-aged stout, licorice stout, vanilla stout and a coffee stout. On the IPA side, expect Fresh Mosaic Hop IPA, Fresh Citra Hop Broken Window IPA and Penalty Kick Triple IPA. "I will also have a fresh batch of Dr. Alexander's Hard Ginger Ale," says Alexander. "This will be the first batch that will be sold in local stores starting this week." The party will include hourly giveaways, and Finnwick's Food Truck will be parked outside from 4-8 p.m.

4. Sandwiched between Hilltop Loans and Pho Bac Cafe sits the quintessential neighborhood bar, Eleven Eleven. The Hilltop Tacoma sandwich and booze parlor carries a lovely selection of brewskis on tap. Tonight kicks off the 1111 Fest, featuring events, specials and giveaways every night through Nov. 11. Tonight, DJ Marcus will spin during the 1111 Fest Kickoff Party featuring Silver City Brewery and limited edition Heaven Eeven Cask Brew. A different brewery will be in the house every night until 11-11.

5. Formed by longtime Tacoma music fixture Justin Tamminga and his two children, Dahlia and Lucien, Pig Snout is a testament to the joy and universality of rock 'n' roll. If it can be believed, Dahlia and Lucien are 6 and 9, respectively, and they just started learning their instruments in earnest earlier this year. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Pig Snout in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Hell's Belles and Clear Chaos for a 5 p.m. all-ages show at Jazzbones. Hell's Belles plays a 21+ version at 9 p.m.

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, OCT. 31 2014 >>>

1. The frights are upon us once again, and there are, as always, plenty of ways to spend the Devil's holiday. The Weekly Volcanois your source for South Sound parties, theater performances, haunted houses and live music - it's up to you to decide where you'll go, and, of course, what you'll wear. Click here for a list of adult Halloween parties. Click here for South Sound live music and parties. Click here to read about a scary haunted house in Tacoma.

2. The Magic Flute is set in an unnamed fantasyland, but this production benefits from local stylistic influences. Tacoma Opera drew inspiration from the art and culture of Pacific Northwest Salish tribes, with valuable assistance from the Puyallup tribe in particular. The event's web page notes the indigenous culture's "impish sense of humor and ... immense respect for nature, all of which blend perfectly with the transcendent music." It'll be interesting to note how these tribal elements are woven into set and costume designs, as The Magic Flute's expansive, episodic structure demands a unifying aesthetic perspective. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on The Magic Flute in the Music & Culture section, then enjoy the opera at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

3. Tacoma Little Theatre's staging of the classic tale of crime and betrayal, Dial "M" for Murder, draws your eye chiefly to three things: a telephone positioned on a desk by a window, an apartment's front door looming in the background and a green handbag resting on a davenport. These three ingredients, coordinated in symphony, are the most powerful chess pieces in a play that is less a "whodunit," as the program notes, and more of an exploration of what happens after "it" has been done. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full review of Dial "M" for Murder in the Music & Culture section, then see the play at 7:30 p.m.

4. Most musicians first get their feet wet by aping their favorite bands for hours in front of their mirrors, so it makes perfect sense that bands would dress up as their favorite acts for Halloween. To wit, Night of the Living Tribute Bands features Olympia's musicians and artists forming one-off bands to pay tribute to some of the greatest acts in music history. While it may be a one night event, some of these thrown together tribute acts practice for months in advance. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature story on Night of the Living Tribute Bands in the Music & Culture section, then head to the Capitol Theater at 8 p.m.

5. Vampires, alien invasion, monsters and Frankenstein: these are the things of which Misfits songs are made. It's appropriate punkgrass band The Rusty Cleavers will perform seven Misfits songs as part of their distilled rootsy meets punchy punk set Halloween night. Also on the bill is Shotgun Kitchen, with stories about white-trash-living and country-road-dying. Remember sexy costumes are to Halloween what ketchup is to french fries. Speaking of french fries, there is nothing sexier than dressing up as an artery-clogging fast food item. Catch the bands at 9 p.m. at The Valley.

LINK: Friday, Oct. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, OCT. 30 2014 >>>

1. During the American occupation of Japan at the end of World War II, more than 100,000 native Japanese women married American soldiers. Between 1946 and 1960, they came to the United States with their husbands and were settled at remote Army posts around the country, one of which, Fort Riley, in Kansas, is the setting for Velina Hasu Houston's born-in-anger play, TEA, opens at Tacoma theater company Dukesby Productions at 7:30 p.m. The story revolves around five Japanese women who are supposed to become a part of the great American melting pot. But when one of them shoots herself, the others are drawn to the traditional Japanese teapot.

2. New works by some old favorites in pen and pencil, metal and dirt can be seen for the last time as "Metal & Paint: New Work by Jeremiah Maddock, Kyle Dillehay and Quinn Honan" closes today at Moss + Mineral.

3. The Tacoma Runners will summon their inner ghoul for tonight's Night Before Halloween Run. That's right, the Runners will don costumes for their weekly 3-mile run, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma's Dome District. We're talking running zombies people!

4. A Pre-Halloween Extravaganza featuring The Oly Mountain Boys, The Pine Hearts and Br'er Rabbit hits the McLane Grange Hall in Olympia at 8 p.m. The all-ages show is $5, but only $3 if you bring a carved pumpkin. 

5. The Sixth Avenue Mexican restaurant turned dance club at night Masa hosts two Halloween parties: DJ Niros and a costume contest tonight at 10 p.m., and another costume contest and DJ Sessions upstairs and DJ Derdee downstairs Halloween night. Cash prizes for best costumes and drink specials are on the dockets.

LINK: Thursday, Oct. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 29 2014 >>>

1. Northwest music scene break-out since 2004, High Ceiling plays alongside some of the biggest names in jam-rock-reggae: John Brown's Body, Rubblebucket, Clinton Fearon, Kyle Hollingsworth, Junior Reid and many others. Roots reggae, world, trance and jazz sounds are infused with improvisation, defining High Ceiling's unique presence in the Northwest music and eclectic arts scenes. Catch the band with IWayne and Black Am I at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

2. Between 10-11 a.m., Red Wind Casino will cut the ribbon for its new 600-space parking garage. After the ribbon cutting, head inside for a $6 Sloppy Joe and fries meal in The Medicine Creek Deli. Then, hit the Craps table.

3. Today is the last day you can grab shigoku oysters at Salty's at Redondo Beach. For the uninitiated, the shigoku oyster has a light, clean taste of cucumber and salt with a finish of water chestnut and Jerusalem artichoke. Salty's tops each oyster with local huckleberries poached in champagne and then finish with a lemon thyme-infused verjus mignonette. It's the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors.

4. The rich get richer, the poor get the picture, as noted U.S. policy experts Midnight Oil once said. The gap in the U.S. between the rich and the poor has never been wider. As we learn in the film Inequality for All, earnings for the "1 percent" have doubled in the last 35 years, while wages for workers have diminished dramatically. The film features Robert Reich -professor, best-selling author, and Clinton cabinet member - as he demonstrates how the widening income gap has a devastating impact on the American economy. Catch the film at 6:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater, then stick around for a post-film discussion.

5. Barbara Ehrenreich's 2001 book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is about her cross-country odyssey as a voluntary member of the working poor. Ehrenreich believes that even as poverty rates - and income inequality - climb, it's only getting harder to be poor. Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland has selected Ehrenreich's groundbreaking study of our nation's working poor for the 2014 Tacoma Reads community reading program.Throughout the month of October, the Tacoma Public Library has been hosting book discussions in various forms, covering topics such as income inequality, the death of the American Dream, the destruction of the middle class and certainly the battle to raise the minimum wage. What is the impact of raising the minimum wage on workers and businesses? Will it substantively address rising inequality and the broad decline of the middle class or, as some assert, result in more youth unemployment, higher prices and increased automation? Discuss it at 7 p.m. at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma.

LINK: Wednesday, Oct. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, OCT. 28 2014 >>>

1. The paintings of Mark Landis have been featured in at least 46 museums in 20 different states over the course of 30 years. So why isn't this shy, slender Mississippian a renowned artist in his own right? Chalk it up to his knack for crafting expert forgeries of everyone ranging from Valtat to Picasso, Seuss to Schulz, as chronicled in the fascinating documentary Art and Craft, screening at 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema. Co-directors Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman, and Mark Becker allow museum registrars crackle about getting duped (one insists Landis should be in jail). But mostly the film steeps us in Landis's existence. He paints. He watches TV. He measures time by how many years it's been since his mother passed. The film's a fascinating portrait of loneliness, of the mind, of talent undirected toward purpose.

2. Northern Pacific Coffee Company cold brewed Turkish coffee from Olympia Coffee Roasting Company and delivered gallons of it to Narrows Brewing Co.'s head brewer Joe Walts. Walts added the coffee and spices from Mad Hat Tea Co. to his cardamom stout recipe, brewed it slowly at low temperature to extract all of the brilliant notes of the coffee while reducing acidity for a balance between the coffee and malt in the beer. Walts then brought in a secret weapon to add a creamy finish. The easy drinking Coffee Cardamom Stout - 4.3 percent alcohol - will debut at 6 p.m. at a release party in Northern Pacific Coffee Company.

3. Pacific Lutheran University will host a free public screening of the multiple-award-winning documentary Sweet Dreams at 7 p.m. in the Anderson University Center Regency Room, followed by a Q&A session with its director, Academy Award-winner Lisa Fruchtman, with ice cream provided by Tacoma's female-owned Ice Cream Social. Sweet Dreams is the story of female survivors from both sides of Rwanda's 1994 genocide who defied devastation to form the country's first all-female drumming troupe - and later to open its first ice-cream shop, Inzozi Nziza (Sweet Dreams).

4. Radio and theater performer Harlan Zinck reads spooky stories for adults at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Pierce County Library. Zinck, a frequent contributor to Lakewood Playhouse, has shared his talents with hundreds of listeners throughout the Puget Sound region in his popular "Story Time for Grownups" programs.

5. Cirque Zuma Zuma, a world music and dance show seen by millions on America's Got Talent, will bring spectacular African performers at 7:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall at University of Puget Sound. Created as an "African circus," the 15-member troupe combines the mysticism of Africa with the nonstop excitement of a theatrical cirque performance. Described as an "African-style Cirque du Soleil" because of the rigorous standards of the performers - trained in Kenya and Tanzania - and the dynamic quality of the show, it's suitable for all ages.

LINK: Tuesday, Oct. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, OCT. 27 2014 >>>

1. There are those among us who can make their trip to a hair stylist the most riveting story you've heard all week. People whose stories never trail off into "it was really cool. ..." Envy them. They are not like you. Not only do they have great success at parties, they have a future with Creative Colloquy. See what all the storytelling fuss is about Monday when authors Teresa Carol, Patti Crouch, Titus Buley, Ross Dohrmann and Nicole McCarthy share their latest work, followed by an open mic at 7 p.m. in B sharp Coffee House. If you can stand a 5-minute hairdo story, just imagine how riveted you'll be by something with an actual plot.

2. On view at Kittredge Gallery for the month of October and first half of November is a dynamic exhibition of related, but distinct, recent work by Puget Sound faculty members Janet Marcavage, associate professor of printmaking, and Elise Richman, associate professor of painting. Ripple and Unfold explores their shared interests in pattern and visible process, juxtaposing Richman's paintings, drawn from natural forms, with Marcavage's prints, which investigate the manmade, both deliberate and accidental. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. With more than 25 years of experience in her field of study - soils, hydrology, and the wetland sciences - Lisa Palazzi is a regional expert in hydrology science and has worked with numerous Washington State Native American Tribes, regional Universities and county extension groups, local and county governments and the Coastal Wetlands Training Program among others. Palazzi will discuss the environmental policy of Washington state of the past 25 years at noon in the State Capital Museum in Olympia.

4. Olympia Jazz Tentette will perform a Thelonius Monk tribute at 8 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye in downtown Olympia.

5. Formed in the summer of 2006 in San Diego and hailing from the wrong side of the tracks, Some Kind of Nightmare is the pure embodiment of punk rock. Expect the band to voice the thoughts and opinions of the rock bottom class and making a hell of a lot of noise doing it at 9 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, OCT. 26 2014 >>>

1. 1. Moby Grape was one of the most versatile San Francisco rock bands to emerge out of the summer of love. Sadly, through a combination of inner turmoil and bad management decisions, the mighty Moby Grape broke up in 1969. However, their debut album is still considered one of the best of all time by many critics, in part because of the nimble fingers of guitarist Jerry Miller. Miller was named one of the top 100 guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone above Eddie Van Halen, Johnny Winter and Randy Rhoads. The Tacoma native has enjoyed a rich career sharing the stage with countless musicians including members of the Doobie Brothers and Carlos Santana. Miller performs at 7 p.m. at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma. 

2. Pacific Coast Brass, a new ensemble of world-class performers, will make its debut with New York trombonist and guest artist John Rojak at 2 p.m. in in Schneebeck Concert Hall on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. Rojak, a faculty member at The Juilliard School, and musician in the American Brass Quintet, will join five of the new group's members - playing trumpet, French horn, tuba, and trombone - for the public performance.

3. Esteemed character actors Alfred Molina and John Lithgow play George and Ben, longtime partners who get married in Love Is Strange's opening scenes. After a celebration at their apartment things immediately fall apart. With his sexuality now a matter of public record, George is fired from his job as a choir director at a Catholic school, and the two must sell their apartment and stay with different sets of friends and relatives until they find a new place of their own. Indie filmmaker Ira Sachs creates finely observed relationship dramas (Forty Shades of Blue, Keep the Lights On) in which life's disruptions are characterized not by dramatic blow-outs but by small everyday scenes that slowly build to heartbreaking clarity. Here, a loss of a job leads to a drop in finances which forces Ben and George to give up their Manhattan apartment. After nearly four decades together, the pair is also physically separated, forced by the city's brutal real-estate market to seek temporary shelter apart: Ben bunks down with his nephew's squabbling family and George gets a couch with former neighbors, two young gay cops who stay up late. It's awkward for everybody. Catch the film at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater.

4. Every year, the Washington D.C. comedy troupe Capitol Steps descends on the South Sound bringing with it a full bag of political humor and clever song parodies about things that rhyme with Scalia. Major laughs ensue. The Steps will perform at 3 p.m. in  the Pantages Theater, no doubt full of new material thanks to a whole year of new inspirations - American political attack ads, Obama administration's drone wars, NSA spying scandal, Bridgegate. ...

5. Seattle's Jennifer Kelly Band will perform their high-energy blend of folk and rock at the Out of the Woods benefit show at 7 p.m. in Traditions Café. Olympia's Out of the Woods shelter is one of only two family shelters in Thurston County. A rocking band, an amazing vocalist and helping families with children find stability and safety in a home environment makes for a great Sunday night.

LINK: Sunday, Oct. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, OCT. 25 2014 >>>

1. Eliot Lipp, Rockwell Powers and Lozen - a musical dream lineup for many - will fill Fulcrum Gallery with a little bit of this and a whole lot of that beginning at 7 p.m. It's eclectic enough roster to be a good match for its beneficiary, 2nd Cycle. This 6-year-old nonprofit bike shop, located next to Fulcrum, is saving up to move into a bigger place where more people can be helped. 2nd Cycle is around to educate, support, and advocate for Tacoma cyclists. The shop sells used bikes and bike parts as well as host educational programs. All funds go toward 2nd Cycle's efforts to move into a larger space.

2. It was more than 20 years ago Dick Young started off as a humble home brewer, brewing in the back of Northwest Sausage & Deli. Since October 1994, Dick's Brewing has grown from a three-barrel operation brewing flagship Dick Danger Ale to more than 20 varieties of beer, a new brewery location with taproom, new Black IPA recipe called Midnight Ride - the first of Dick's beers carry the brewery's new label and logo - and a 20th anniversary celebration from 3-8:30 p.m. at the Centralia brewery, coinciding with the honoring of Dick Young's passing in 2009.

3. Every year, the Washington D.C. comedy troupe Capitol Steps descends on Tacoma and Olympia, bringing with it a full bag of political humor and clever song parodies about things that rhyme with Scalia. Major laughs ensue. The Steps will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Washington Center, no doubt full of new material thanks to a whole year of new inspirations - American political attack ads, Obama administration's drone wars, NSA spying scandal, Bridgegate. ...

4. Uncle Bonsai's gorgeous harmonies and silly, singular lyrics remind us of Louden Wainwright III, only sweeter. Start with "Boys Want Sex in the Morning," then listen to "Doug at the Gates of Hell." If you didn't LOL at the first song and shed a tear over the second, then we don't get you but at least we're square. If we're right about your reaction, though, you know what you have to do next, because Uncle Bonsai plays Traditions in Oly at 8 p.m. We love this group!

5. The genius thing about the subgenre of post-punk is that we now have bands like Phobos & Deimos who can mine inspiration from a vibrant variety of bands that existed during the wild and innovative times of the late '70s to the early '80s. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Phobos & Deimos in the Music & Culture section., then catch the band withChung Antique, Battersea, Bullets or Balloons and Fountains at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, Oct. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, OCT. 24, 2014 >>>

1. Pimp 'n' Ho parties just aren't cuttin' it anymore, are they? Neither are the toga parties, the erotic costume contests or naughty nurses. So much bare flesh, so much cold weather. If Halloween is really to turn into The Day of Getting As Close to Naked As Possible, it should be moved to July. This is not the point. The Weekly Volcano apologizes. The point is that, for you, today no longer holds the magic it once did. You yearn for Halloweens of yesteryear. Fort Nisqually Living History Museum at Point Defiance Park has you covered with its 20th version of Bonfires, Beaver Pelts and Bogeymen - a chance for revelers of all shapes and sizes to sit by a bonfire, sip cider, eat cookies and hear tales of ghostly pipers, haunted whaling ships and demon snakes told by the scariest folks of all - those who dress in clothing from the 1800s for fun. The wood will be lit at 7 p.m.

2. The Magic Flute is set in an unnamed fantasyland, but this production benefits from local stylistic influences. Tacoma Opera drew inspiration from the art and culture of Pacific Northwest Salish tribes, with valuable assistance from the Puyallup tribe in particular. The event's web page notes the indigenous culture's "impish sense of humor and ... immense respect for nature, all of which blend perfectly with the transcendent music." It'll be interesting to note how these tribal elements are woven into set and costume designs, as The Magic Flute's expansive, episodic structure demands a unifying aesthetic perspective. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on The Magic Flute in the Music & Culture section, then catch the performance at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 in the Rialto Theater.

3. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is Lakewood Playhouse's 7th Annual Live Radio Show and is also their spooky Halloween offering at 8 p.m. For two nights only, the theater will be transformed into a live radio show featuring actors reading many parts and the director (and many of the actors) performing all the sound effects. The show starts with "another twisted episode from the iconic radio show "Lights Out" and many more surprises" before beginning Robert Louis Stevenson's classic horror tale of a scientist and the monster that lurks just under the surface. Read Joann Varnell's review of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on our Walkie Talkie blog.

4. The Little O and his Lonely One Man Folk-Punk Band is a wonderfully self-referential project. As the one-man band in question, the Little O is a self-styled caricature of a rambling troubadour. Most of his songs are titled with variations on "The Little O Sings About (Blank)," essentially rendering him a kind of Sunday comics character, doing bluesy little folk ditties about his thoughts on zines, phone calls, postcards, and - most delightfully - what it's like to be a one-man band. Catch Little O with Forest Beutel, Micaela Cooley and Emelie Peine at 8 p.m. in the Northern Pacific Coffee Company.

5. Sounding like a cross between Captain Beefheart's elegant experimentalism and the Shaggs' aggressive non-conformity, Philadelphia's Hermit Thrushes possess the sort of innate musicality that might make you believe that they're just making shit up as they go along, even when it's been carefully laid out. Every halting screech and skronk and sideswiping instrumental intrusion is in its right place. Take it all in with REDS, Humidity and Static at 8 p.m. in Half Pint Pizza Pub.

LINK: Friday, Oct. 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, OCT. 23 2014 >>>

1. The Olympia chapter of the Collective of Lady Arm Wrestlers, or Oly CLAW, will battle beneath the holiday lights at The Brotherhood Lounge in downtown Olympia, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Characters such as Ivana KrushU, Cold As Isis, Vegan Villain and more will go head-to-head, or should we say arm-to-arm, in a full-out fight to raise money and awareness for Garden Raise Bounty, or GRuB, an organization that inspires positive personal and community change by bringing people together around food and agriculture in Thurston County. Spectators are encouraged to dress as wild as the arm wrestlers. After the last arm is slammed to the mat, DJ Fir$t Lady will spin favorite jams.

2. Flavor, a night of dining at immigrant-owned and immigrant-supporting restaurants has reached its second birthday tonight with participating restaurants kicking back 25 percent of food sales to Tacoma Community House. Participating restaurants include Adriatic Grill, Aviateur French Diner, Doyle's Public House, El Pulgarcito, Gateway to India, Il Lucano Ristorante, Indochine, Karma Fine Indian Cuisine, Pho King, Southern Kitchen and others. See the full list of participating restaurants, visit TacomaCommunityHouse.org/Flavor.

3. If you walk through the ParkWay Tavern's door between 6-10 p.m., you'll sure to be hit in the face with fresh herby, piney, fruity, floral and earthy aromas. That's right friends, it's Fresh Hop Fiasco night at the Tacoma tavern. The ParkWay will serve Fresh Hop beers while raising money for adorable animals. Click here for the beer list.

4. Olympia's loudest three-day Halloween party begins tonight with an all-ages show at Le Voyeur. Serling, Right Your Wrongs, Tallest/Of/Mountains, Whitewoodfunk and Fuzz Bomb will rock the tiny room, beginning at 6 p.m. For more Oly Freakdown Fest details, click here.

5. Last Thursday The Valley tested the live music market hosting the Voodoo Organist and Swampy Draws. The Tacoma restaurant and bar was packed. Wisely, The Valley jump back into live music hosting Kim Archer at 8 p.m. Archer's powerful voice a la Janis Joplin and Chaka Khan will rattle the taxidermy.

LINK: Thursday, Oct. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area