SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2012 >>>

1. The tiny Telephone Room Gallery will host 6-9 p.m. opening reception for Julie Alpert's Zigzags, Stripes, and Shadows, an art exhibit showing, according to Alpert, "Stream of consciousness drawings become blueprints for how I respond to the Telephone Room's cramped, charming, and curious architecture. Utilizing the shelves, telephone alcove, cabinet doors, and window, painted lines follow and cascade off the various surfaces transforming the once useful room into a mysterious three-dimensional painting."

2. Fun fact: Before there were expos, people had no idea how to disseminate information about sustainability. It was a bleak time. Luckily, events like today's South Sound Sustainability Expo at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center have solved this problem, bringing "green" to the masses. According to hype, the South Sound Sustainability Expo is "intended to provide residents and business owners in the greater Tacoma metropolitan area a place to discover services, products, companies, and agencies in our region that address sustainability needs in our community." As part of that goal, instruction and information on everything from urban chicken cooping to waste minimization and recycling will be discussed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

3. Kids these days are no damn good. You hear about it all the time. But at 1:30 p.m. at the Tacoma Nature Center anyone interested can get a look at some of the positive things kids are capable of - like baking-soda volcanoes and paper towel strength test. It's called the Snake Lake Science Fair, and kids from throughout Tacoma - many of them homeschooled - will participate with gusto this weekend, making for an event that's sure to be both enjoyable and enlightening. And it's also free to drop in on.

4. Artist John Miller's five-foot tall Venetian glass sculpture "Cheeseburger Goblet" and smaller "Slider Goblets," currently on display at the Museum of Glass as part of the Gathering: John Miller and Friends exhibition, have inspired Slider Cook-Off "Shake, Rattle & Grill" - an evening of 1950s kitschy fun at the museum, centered around a culinary battle pitting area chefs and their sliders competing for bragging rights, awards and art trophies beginning at 6:30 p.m. "We've given the chefs free rein to bring any recipe they'd like. They definitely all won't be beef cheeseburgers," says event organizer and Museum of Glass Corporate and Donor Relations Manager Mandy Lane of the sliders expected to compete. Read Jennifer Johnson's full feature on the Slider Cook-Off, including recipes and events, in the Restaurant section at weeklyvolcano.com.

5. The Missionary Position, SweetKiss Momma, Hot Bodies In Motion and Ape Machine will perform beginning at 7 p.m. inside Jazzbones.

PLUS: More event recommendations in our Weekend Hustle

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012 >>>
 
1. Those who attended the Valentine’s Day burlesque show at the Pantages Theater know Poledello owner Noelle Wood can bring it. The Tacoma pole-dancing studio owner received a standing ovation for her performance that night. Tonight at 8 p.m. at her Seventh and Commerce Street studio Wood and her students present a Burlesque Open House, a free event for those 18 and older. Word on the street is the final two act include professional pole dancers – an acrobatic pole/silk duet with costumes and props and “Snow White and the Huntsman” featuring dudes.  If you are dead to seduction, you might enjoy the raffle prizes.

2. Perhaps you have the next big idea floating around in your head, but you've so far been unable to see it to fruition because you're just one little person. The coming Olympia Startup Weekend, today through Sunday at Saint Martin's University in Lacey, could be the answer to your dilemma. Billed as an "intense 54 hour event," Olympia Startup Weekend aims to combine great ideas with talented people and watch the creativity and innovation ensue. Registration and an entry fee are required for the three-day event - go to olympia.startupweekend.org for more information.

3. The bitch of directing Shakespeare is the number of plates that must be kept spinning: a text packed with outdated language, a chorus of actors running on and off stage for dozens of scenes, and probably a concept Shakespeare never intended. If this daunting effort fails, the director gets most of the blame; we surely can't fault the author. If it works, each cast and crewmember deserves credit. Material that seems as dense as theatrical calculus in Act I must feel breezy and offhand by Act V. And when the timeless magic of Shakespeare truly sings, we get the sense of all gears meshing in a glorious machine. Much Ado About Nothing at 7:55 p.m. at Olympia Little Theatre is just such a production, and while its roster is impressively deep, it earns praise for its director, Terence Artz, most of all. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Much Ado About Nothing in the Arts section at weeklyvolcano.com.

4. The Lakewood Playhouse presents the Northwest premiere of Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention at 8 p.m. It's the story of the invention, and theft, of television in 1929 - presented "in the round." Bonus: New Managing Artistic Director John Munn will arrive at the theater around 6 p.m. to answer questions about the future of the Lakewood Playhouse. Parental Advisory: This production contains adult language, including "F" bombs.

5. Resident Kings (an Oly band featuring members of Dirty Birds and Fitz of Depression), Last Watch (featuring John Johnson of Hillstomp), and Hong Kong Banana will perform at 8 p.m. inside McCoy's Tavern. Expect a variety of sounds from these three bands, from the heavy melodic rock of Resident Kings, to the punk rock and roots of Last Watch, to the garage and soul of Portland's Hong Kong Banana.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012 >>>

1. Nicola Denzey Lewis, a prominent Brown University scholar, has a new interpretation of the story behind 12 ancient Egyptian books that changed our understanding of early Christianity, after they were dramatically discovered in 1945. Tonight, she will share her ideas about just how and why these ancient books were buried in the desert, and reveal a tale of Christian mummies, magical books, and a tomb robbing that changed the world at 7 p.m. inside Room 109, Wyatt Hall, on the University of Puget Sound campus.

2. Susan Owen, professor of Communication Studies, Zaixin Hong, professor of Art, and Jeff Solomon, visiting assistant professor of English, will discuss "censorship in relation to the upcoming Tacoma Art Museum exhibition HIDE/SEEK: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" at 5 p.m. inside the Trimble Forum on the University of Puget Sound campus.

3. R.R. Anderson's biting weekly sketches have become ingrained in Tacoma, part of our fabric, like stop lights that never change and functional alcoholism. Through the month of March, Amocat Café will exhibit 40 of Anderson's Tacomic drawings, which will be celebrated tonight at 6 p.m. in the form of an artist reception. Folksingers in Hell will be on hand to dole out some tunes. Local labor activists will turn selected drawings into performance art.

4. At 7:30 p.m. inside the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, Italy's Guitar Republic - more specifically Pino Forastiere, Stefano Barone, and Sergio Altamura - will blow you away with acoustic guitar awesomeness.

5. The Ram Restaurant and Brewery on Ruston Way hosts the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz, which consists of eight rounds of eight questions and is played in teams of up to six people. Questions are read aloud by the quizmaster; teams write their answers on provided sheets and turn them in at the end of each round. The team with the most points after eight rounds is the winner. Oh, and there's drinking involved, too. The fun begins at 8:30 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 29, 2012 >>>

1. Join the Tacoma Convergence for its second Exchange from 7:30-9 p.m. at Embellish MultiSpace Salon. Here's how it works: Everyone has old books, CDs, clothes, knick-knacks, chotchkies, and other stuff that they don't need. You bring your stuff. Other folks bring their stuff. Then, you take the stuff what you want. Others take the stuff they want. And all the stuff is free.

2. STINK Cheese and Meat in Tacoma will host a blind tasting of five IPAs from 5-7 p.m. for $5.

3. A good man in a G-string is hard to find. Sure, it's reasonably easy to persuade someone to pose for a drawing, but even if an artist's friends and loved ones are willing to pose in the name of art, they'll soon find that it takes exceptional patience to remain frozen in place for hours on end. Life painting is one of art's most time-honored traditions, though, and there will always be a stream of aspiring Renoirs and Vermeers eager to give it a shot ... including tonight at The Mix. Artist Julian Peña has organized a live art session at 8:30 p.m. inside the gay-friendly bar in Tacoma's Triangle District. Expect local artists of all skill levels painting and sipping cocktails.

4. Beginning at 6 p.m. the bicycle-themed neighborhood joint The Hub serves $3 Sex On The Beach, Sex On the Bar and wells every Wednesday. Yes, those naughtily named cocktails, so beloved by bachelorettes, frat boys and others who are but a few years beyond drinking age, are tasty cheap.

5. Every Wednesday at 10 p.m. inside the The New Frontier Lounge, bingo players are treated to a rather boisterous evening of number-calling by the lovely Brooke. The music rocks, the prizes are craptastic and there's something very satisfying about yelling "It's not a tumor!" when B-9 is pulled from the hopper (Schwarzenegger anyone?). Sessions are free with $2 margaritas and $4 Cuervo Gold shots during bingo. Every Wednesday night is also Taco Night with $1 beef, $1 black bean and $2 chicken in soft or crunchy shells.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

TUESDAY, FEB. 28, 2012 >>>

1. The University of Puget Sound website describes Wycliffe Gordon as a "musical ambassador, master trombone player, and vocalist," who heads to the school's Schneebeck Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. for a performance with the school's Jazz Band in celebration of Black History Month. A former collaborator with Wynton Marsalis and pianist Billy Taylor, The Jazz Journalists Association named Gordon Trombonist of the Year in 2011 - which has to be getting a little fucking boring for him, seeing as he's earned the title five times in the last decade.

2. Influenced by classic to contemporary and folk to hip-hop Coast Ghosts will take you on a musical journey beginning at 6:45 p.m. inside Tacoma's Mandolin Café. The band's pianist, Glenn, and a few friends will set the tone at 6.

3. Rallying at the Tacoma Nature Center, gardeners of all shapes, sizes and persuasions will gather to trade seeds and stories. It probably isn't too far out of the realm of possibilities to expect a few "Easter Egg" radish seeds to be swapped for a handful of "Park's Razzelberry" pink tomato seeds. The Tacoma-Pierce County Community Garden "Seed Swap," which also includes a potluck, kicks off at 6:30 p.m., with all Tacoma and Pierce County residents invited.

4. There are a few occasions when vegans can feel at a loss. One of them is when they pass the bacon smell wafting out of Doyle's Public House as they make their way to neighboring King's Books for the 7 p.m. Vegan Book Club gathering. Besides that bacon smell, the group will discuss The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams.

5. There's a buttload of snow in the mountains. What does that means in terms of glorious winter hiking? Ask Craig Romano. No, not the all Jersey monotone guy. Author, hiker and trails advocate Craig Romano. He's at the REI in Olympia at 7 p.m. with a bunch of winter hiking tips, tricks and locations.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

MONDAY, FEB. 27, 2012 >>>

The system that we've designed for students to pay for college is out of whack. Many college students emerge from their schooling these days with thousands and thousands of dollars in debt, without the job prospects to justify it. According to promotion for tonight's lecture from 7-9 p.m. at The Evergreen State College's Seminar Building 2 with Professor of Economics at Seattle University and Seattle Central Community College Kshama Sawant, "Student debt has exploded in the US and globally, with the average college senior graduating with more than $25,000 in student loans." Sawant will discuss this alarming statistic as well as the low wage job prospects and youth unemployment rate as part of a presentation titled, "The Student Debt Explosion: The New Indentured Servitude?"

The Olympia Monthly Community Arts Roundtable will host a Pecha Kucha in which presenters share 20 slides - 20 seconds each slide - centered on an arts-related topic. The event begins at 6 p.m. inside the Olympia Timberland Library.

The Tacoma Cult Movie Club hosts a night of free movies, shorts, trailers and wackiness under the theme "Before They Had Oscars: You Gotta Start Somewhere" at 7 p.m. inside The Acme Tavern.

3RP, Island Trybe, PO Boxx, J-Lei and D'Rocc perform at 8 p.m. inside Hell's Kitchen in Tacoma.

Vocalist Dennis Hastings joins The Joe Baque Trio for a night of jazz beginning at 9:30 p.m. inside the Waterstreet Café in downtown Olympia.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

SUNDAY, FEB. 26, 2012 >>>

1. If you're bored with watching the Academy Awards from the couch, or your space is too small to host your own soiree, consider joining the fun at the live Oscar broadcast parties in Tacoma, Puyallup and Olympia.

2. The Tacoma Public Library downtown branch deserves some props. Not only does it perform all the requisite library duties while also making sure vagrants don't shit and piss all over the bathroom, but the powers that be also line up some pretty solid events - like the 1:30 p.m. screening of Miss Representation: A Documentary. Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, according to hype posted to the Tacoma Public Library's website, Miss Representation "exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America." A panel discussion directly follows the afternoon screening.

3. You love television. You always have. It's part of being American, like processed cheese and alarming obesity statistics. Most of all, you love the really old TV shows you grew up on (or at the very least grew up smoking weed out of a Mountain Dew can to on Nick at Nite). For all of these reasons and more today's Big Shoe VI-The Golden Age of Television, heading to the Washington Center for the Performing Arts at 2 p.m., is the show for you, offering a glitz and glitter homage to TV of yesteryear.  According to the Washington Center's website, The Golden Age of Television, which focuses on 1948-70, is a "variety show with reminders of anything from Amateur Hour to Zorro with stops at Petticoat Junction, Bonanza and Laugh-In."

4. Tacoma Children's Musical Theater at Tacoma Musical Playhouse has the golden ticket for a musical for all ages. The stage version of Willy Wonka hits the stage at 2 p.m., formatted for children. At an hour and a half (including intermission), it's the perfect length for young children. The play is recommended for ages four and up. Based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl this adaptation also includes songs from the classic film with Gene Wilder, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Read Joann Varnell's full review of Willy Wonka in the Arts & Entertainment section at weeklyvolcano.com.

5. The T-Town Aces will fill The Spar in Old Town Tacoma with blues beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

SATURDAY, FEB. 25, 2012 >>>

1. It's another big night for music in the South Sound. In Tacoma catch EvergreenOne's solo album release party with The BreakLites and more, see Coolio at Hell's Kitchen, or head to the New Frontier for a beach part of epic proportion. For a full rundown of what's happening musically in the South Sound, find the Volcano's comprehensive live local music listings here.

2. Sure, you've tried the pizza and rum at Stonegate Pizza on South Tacoma Way - but have you dropped in on the club's comedy night yet? Tonight's your chance! Other comedy options include Tommy Savitt and Jeremy Greenberg at the Comedy Underground at Big Whisky Saloon, comedian Owen Straw at the Grit City Comedy Club, and comedian Mike MacRae at Tacoma Comedy Club.

3. At Tacoma's Club Silverstone, DJ Eric spins queer-friendly dance hits all night long!

4. Off the beaten musical path, Source Yoga in Tacoma's North End presents Music Without Borders: An Evening With Gary Stroutsos. It's all ages and starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets run $15-$20.

5.In Olympia, round up the kids and head to the Olympic Flight Museum for Paper Airplane Flight School. Good times are guaranteed. Find more info here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

LINK: The Weekend Hustle

FRIDAY, FEB. 24, 2012 >>>

1. It's a huge night for music in the South Sound. In Olympia, Free Whiskey will unleash on the Capitol Theater. In Tacoma catch Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel at the New Frontier. For a full rundown of what's happening musically in the South Sound, find the Volcano's comprehensive live local music listings here.

2. If it's comedy you're looking for, the Comedy Underground at Tacoma's Big Whisky Saloon presents comedians Tommy Savitt and Jeremy Greenberg. At the Grit City Comedy Club comedian Owen Straw will get the crowd laughing, while at the Tacoma Comedy Club Mike MacRae continues his weekend stand in T-Town.

3. It's another "Get Lucky Friday" at O'Henry's Sports Bar in Puyallup. You've really never "gotten lucky" until you've gotten luck at O'Henry's in P-Town.

4. One of Tacoma's favorite performers, Kim Archer, will do her thing tonight at the Tempest Lounge on Hilltop. The good times are all ages and start at 7:30 p.m.

5.If you enjoy art, and enjoy kids, check out the youth art show today at King's Books in Tacoma. You can find details here.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight

LINK: The Weekend Hustle

THURSDAY, FEB. 23, 2012 >>>

1. It's OlyBlues Dance Night at the Eagles Hall in Olympia. The fun is all-ages, starts at 9 p.m., goes down on the third floor and cost $5. And loners needn't worry - there's no partner necessary.

2. Celebrate Word 3rd Thursday tonight at Hell's Kitchen (produced, in part, by Volcano hip-hop scribe Josh Rizeberg). Hosted by Mr. Von and Rizeberg, tonight's event is an album release show for Fatal Lucciauno of SportnLife Records. The bill also includes Shao Sosa, Greg Double, Todd Sykes, Handle-Bar Raw and DJ Iceman.

3. The Tahoma Tea and Co. used to be The Den. It's still awesome. Tonight, leading into a weekend of "grand opening" shows, Tahoma Tea and Co. hosts an all-ages open mic from 8 - 10 p.m.

4. Get in on the Ram Restaurant and Brewery's version of the Geeks Who Drink pub quiz tonight by heading to the Ram on Ruston Way. Starting at 8:30 p.m. there'll be questions and drinking and more questions and plenty of fun.

5. Comedian Mike MacRae drops into the Tacoma Comedy Club tonight for a laugh-filled stay that runs through Saturday.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music and DJs tonight