THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Clear and cold, hi 45, lo 30

Saturday: Mostly sunny, hi 43, lo 34

Sunday: Partly cloudy, hi 43, lo 32

>>> FRIDAY, DEC. 2: TUSH! Burlesque Holiday Soiree & Calendar Release Party

The performers of the Olympia-based TUSH! burlesque troupe are simply dazzling. And they also know how to put on one hell of an event. For these reasons and plenty of others Friday's TUSH! Burlesque Holiday Soiree and Calendar Release Party will almost certainly be nothing short of spectacular. Pre-event hype promises, "[a] glitzy, glittering, glamorous evening of delight awaits you; let TUSH! enchant you as only they can!" It's also your first chance to buy the 2012 TUSH! calendar, an opportunity to dine on the provided appetizers and sweets and an opening for you to get your dance on with DJ Ira Coyne. Hell yes.

• The Washington Center-Black Box Theatre, 8 p.m., 18+, cash bar with ID, $10 plus $3 service fee, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia, 360.753.8585

>>> SATURDAY, DEC. 3: RAVENNA WOODS

According to the hype, on Saturday night "The Space is going to be filled with so much fun and excitement you will be unable to contain it. You might even dance!" How's that for a promise? And there's good reason to believe it, with a bill that includes local favorites Not From Brooklyn, Moonjuice and headliner Ravenna Woods. Celebrated in indie circles for a percussion driven approach to the hipster folky shit that's considerably more gray and foreboding than the overpopulated genre usually allows, Ravenna Woods - while orbiting many contemporary indie clichés - offers the kind of creativity and originality that keeps live music interesting. Saturday's show at the Space is the first in a string of fundraising events for the non-profit all-ages venue, according proprietor Athena Hitson. Don't miss this show. 

• The Space, with Not From Brooklyn, Moonjuice, 8:30 p.m., all ages, $8, 729 Court C, Tacoma, thespace729@gmail.com

>>> SUNDAY, DEC.4: SOUNDS OF THE SEASON

Fight as you may, it's officially "the season." Kids are already sitting on various Santa laps at malls across the country, and A Christmas Story is probably already re-running on TBS. The Tacoma Symphony Orchestra will spend Sunday at the Pantages Theater with the Tacoma Youth Chorus, jaw-dropping vocalist Stephanie Porter and singer and trumpeter Jake Bergevin and doling out beloved seasonal music, probably a few familiar classics and a maxed-out credit card full of sing-along enjoyment for the whole family.

• Pantages Theater, 2:30 p.m., $24-$77, 901 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.591.5894

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 4: FRIENDS OF THE HOLIDAYS

They're still going strong, and still swarming The Swiss to do good, get loaded, auction and raffle stuff off, and enjoy the spirit of the season in Tacoma. The Friends of the Holidays benefit is Sunday at The Swiss, and the T-Town institution shouldn't disappoint: Linda Meyers Band, Kathi McDonald, Fingertips, Mojo Overload, Junkyard Jane and James King & the Southsiders will all be doing their part to help provide meal support for low-income families during the December holiday season.

• The Swiss, 3-10:30 p.m., $10 donation, 1904 S. Jefferson Ave., Tacoma, 253.572.2821

>>> SUNDAY, DEC. 4: A FIRE FOR WINTER'S EVE - LIVE PAINTING WORKSHOP FOR FAMILIES

Despite what you've been told by Joe Capitalism, the holidays are really about spending time with your family and loved ones. We promise. Start Sunday, with the little ones, as the Tacoma Main Library hosts "A Fire for Winter's Eve" - described as a live painting workshop for families. Designed for children 3-8 years old and their families, Sunday's event will be heavy on the storytelling and the art, promising a chance for kids and their families to, "circle around our fire as snowflakes fall and stories are shared of adventures taking place deep in the winter's snow." The hype also says, "[c]hildren will create an art project based on our wintry theme that are perfect to give as a gift to someone they love. Children will also be invited to create cards that will be given to residents in an adult living facility." This is what it's all about.

• Tacoma Main Library - Olympic Room, 2 p.m., free, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S, Tacoma, 253.591.5666

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO 

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
Saturday I'm going to meet the wonderful and sexy Josh Anderson and the sexy and wonderful Christina Collins and pick their brains about Saul Tannenbaum's "Claus for Celebration," and Sunday I'm going to the SAGE Olympia monthly brunch.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
This is going to be the best weekend ever! My biggest little one is turning six, it's the Brotherhood Christmas party - which means a private restaurant, lots of vino and hilarious Secret Santa exchanges. And in the midst of all these festivities, I'm buffing up my word play skills in preparation for my final audition for the Wheel of Fortune on Wednesday! Yay!

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
After a loooong week at work I plan on resting and hanging with my husband and little son. We may go pick out our Christmas tree from 25Trees, but taking the tree on the light rail and then dragging it up Mckinley hill (on a sled) has been vetoed by my husband (who I may or may not have called a Scrooge for nixing my awesome plan).

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
Well, my birthday party benefit concert at Jazzbones on Friday will take up much of my weekend energy, but I will likely be working in the yard at St. Mary's Church and School Saturday morning and then go to A Christmas Carol at Tacoma Little Theatre that night. Sunday will bring church and the Tacoma Youth Chorus concert with the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra at the Pantages.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food & Lifestyle Writer
Friday evening at Jazzbones for birthday bash of Steve Dunkelberger, Tacoma’s very own Ladies’ Wing Man. Saturday morning hot yoga, homework, holiday choral concert in Olympia. Sunday church service, potluck dinner, Festival of the Nativity.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I have the honor of playing The Old Man in Olympia Family Theater's production of A Christmas Story, opening Friday night with matinees Saturday and Sunday. Nottafinga!

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: The weekend's freebies

The Weekly Volcano never sleeps. It's true ... or very close to true. We average only a few hours of shut-eye a night, be it because we're compulsive insomniacs who wake up several times a night just to check their fantasy football lineups (Matt Driscoll), or simply because there's just so much to do.

Included in all this doing? As always, another shining installment of the Weekly Volcano music section.

We wouldn't lie. You better believe we managed to pump out another stellar Weekly Volcano music section - your every Thursday chance at the best in local music coverage.

Here's a look at the sonic goodness coming at you in print and online in this week's Volcano ...

THE FOGHORNS

The Foghorns sound exhausted. Like, physically exhausted. Delirious. They sound like they've been up for two days and the only way they've found to keep their eyes open is to have a series of sing-alongs that sound, at various times, punchy, wistful, embarrassingly forthright, spiteful, defiant, sorrowful and oddly exuberant. In their manner of languidly drifting folk songs delivered by questionable narrators, the Foghorns often resemble Lambchop, minus the lush orchestration. And plus buckets.

Hailing from Seattle, by way of Brooklyn, by way of Reykjavik, by way of Wisconsin, the Foghorns have clearly picked up some odd influences from desolate places. Using country and folk as a bed, the band adorns its songs with borrowed sounds from punk, new wave, zydeco and Hawaiian music, all tinged with a lo-fi style that can bring to mind Old World field recordings or outsider artists like Daniel Johnston. ... -- Rev. Adam McKinney

HIP-HOP: BRUCE LEROY & FARID XAN

Next up we have Bruce Leroy. This local artist just dropped two EPs almost back-to-back. Of course, the two albums are five and six songs each, so it probably could've been one album, but they're free so who are we to complain? On Halloween Bruce released To the Death, and on Black Friday Leroy released Black Everyday.

Leroy is a dope MC with a crisp, clear, flow and shades of darkness and grime in his voice. He's a talented MC who is a lot of fun to listen to. There's just enough humor and angst in his flows to keep your attention while ya sit on the edge of your-seat waiting for the next slightly violent rhyme to drip from his chops. Leroy has the certain vibe that the blogs are digging. ... -- Josh Rizeberg

TIKI LOGIC: DEVIL ON A LEASH

Have you ever seen the look on someone's face the first time he rides a roller coaster? It's a mixture of abject fear, exhilaration and satisfaction. This same convoluted look might grace your mug standing in front of Devil On a Leash Friday night at Hell's Kitchen.

Bobble Tiki urges you to blow off some serious steam with twice as many drinks as you all can handle with Devil On a Leash. This band rocks, and rocks it in a roller coaster way. It's an up-and-down ride in terms of their sound. The band changes its style of rock within a set more than the City of Tacoma changes its mind on policy. That said, its heavy guitars remain a constant base. ... -- Bobble Tiki

WE RECOMMEND: RAVENNA WOODS

Celebrated in indie circles for a percussion driven approach to the hipster folky shit that's considerably more gray and foreboding than the overpopulated genre usually allows, Ravenna Woods - while orbiting many contemporary indie clichés - offers the kind of creativity and originality that keeps live music interesting. Saturday's show at the Space is the first in a string of fundraising events for the non-profit all-ages venue, according proprietor Athena Hitson. ... -- Matt Driscoll

BETTER LIVING THROUGH MUSIC: JET CITY FIX, MIKAL CRONIN, THE MOTHERSHIP

PLUS: Concert Alert

PLUS: Live Local Music Listings

PLUS: Crazy Stuff Like This

THURSDAY, DEC. 1, 2011 >>>

1. Tacoma's Blue Mouse Theatre kicks the holiday season off in style today with a classic, 1954's White Christmas - which will play at 7 p.m.. Director Michael Curtiz shrugs off the cynicism in his Casablanca and plunges into this unabashedly sentimental musical starring Bing Crosby. The teary finale makes the singing and dancing near worth it.

2. In Olympia, the Blackbery Bushes Stringband will play at McMenamins Spar Café & Bar at 7 p.m. All ages can get in on this bluegrass and Americana-tinged good times, and there's no cover.

3. William Breitenbach, a professor of history at the University of Puget Sound, will lead a public conversation on the Civil War today at the University Place  Pierce County Library. The event, which is the first installment of a series of book readings and discussions led by Breitenbach called "Let's Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War" happening on the first Thursday of the month, will run from 7-9 p.m. Tonight's event is especially important, as a short orientation meeting and distribution of the free books to be read will kick things off. Register at the library or by contacting Adult Services Librarian Jason Anderson at janderson@piercebountylibrary.org.

4. Today is World AIDS Day. In that spirit, the Tacoma Art Museum invites the public to join them and Visual AIDS, "to honor 30 years of AIDS by viewing the film Untitled by Jim Hodges, Carlos Marques de Cruz and Encke King," according to the press release. The film is described as, "a moving, nonlinear montage of archival and pop footage recalling the passionate activism sparked by the early years of the AIDS crisis." Find more info here.

5. The band Keeping Secrets will play Hell's Kitchen tonight - a dynamically rocking reason to start your weekend just a wee-bit early. Plus, the dudes of Keeping Secrets are all about standing around in large bodies of water (see above). So there's that.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30, 2011 >>>

1. Scout Niblett, originally hailing from England, manages to wring more tremulous menace out of her guitar than seems quite possible. A singer/songwriter with a taste for the ominous, Niblett has a way of making songs that straddle the line between intimate and violently standoffish. The moment her vocals lull you into a feeling of personal connection, a guitar stab crashes in to create a separation. Echoes of Nirvana and the Beatles run through Niblett's music, which tends toward the minimal. Rarely are more than a guitar and drums featured, and this starkness transforms the music into a sort of void, open, waiting to be fallen into. Tonight Scout Niblett plays the Capital Theater Backstage in Olympia.

2. Can you guess what "Pin a Dorito on an American" is about? This art installation by Lynn Di Nino is part of the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's Fourth Annual Foundation of Art Award exhibit show, which itself is a part of Spaceworks Tacoma, a program that utilizes vacant storefronts to display various forms of art. "Dorito" features five sculptures of people, each around 16-inches tall, and each enormously fat. Di Nino says her inspiration came from the United States' unhealthy relationship with corn byproducts. It's humorous examination of what is quite a real problem. Catch Di Nino's "Dorito" today at the Chamber of Commerce Building in Tacoma between 5 - 7 p.m. as part of a celebration of (and showing of work from) the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation's artist of the year nominees.

3. This week's installment of Wednesday Sessions at Jazzbones brings the hot country licks of Aces Up. The best part: It's all ages. The show kicks off at 9 p.m.

4. MetroGruv on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue (formerly Hell's Kitchen) busts out the burlesque shows tonight - surely enough to get the rainbow unicorn painted on the front of the building all riled up.

5. And it's "Quiz Night" at Engine House No. 9 - get your smarty-pants on.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

MONDAY, NOV. 28, 2011 >>>

1. Today in Olympia the legislature's special session kicks off - with lawmakers in town to grapple with the ominous budget shortfall. Swaths of education supporters organized by the Washington Education Association will also be in Oly for "Standing Strong. Standing Together" - a rally at the West Capital Campus against cuts to education funding. The rally runs from noon to 12:45 p.m., though those attending the rally are encouraged to arrive by 11:30 a.m.

2. The University of Puget Sound invites one and all to a "Fossil Fuel Forum" tonight from 5 - 6 p.m. in Trimble Forum. Including four UPS professors, the forum aims to educate students and community members about coal, all other fossil fuels and their alternatives.

3. Hip Bone hits the stage at 8 p.m. tonight at The Swiss. Blues on a Monday is very fitting. Get in on the action.

4. Stuck in Lacey on a Monday night with nothing to do? We've all been there. Try Team Trivia Night, kicking off at 7 p.m. at Farrelli's Gourmet Wood Fire Pizza. Yes, you can totally win prizes.

5. In Tacoma, hot trivia action can be found at the Mandolin Café, hosted by Jeff Ross. It's all ages, gets going at 6 p.m. and is totally free to get in on (though we do recommend buying a coffee ... because coffee is delicious).

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

LINK: Live music tonight

SATURDAY, NOV. 19, 2011 >>>

1. Imagine an entire Elks Lodge filled with nearly 40 tables. Now imagine those tables teeming with rare records, lost VHS classics, band merchandise and memorabilia. Imagine you could swap, sell or purchase any of these precious items while listening to a DJ spinning sick-ass records and mingling with other connoisseurs. Oh, and did we mention the full bar with ID? Well, quit thinking about it and go do it! The annual Olympia Record Show happens today, from 5-9 p.m.,  at the Elks Lodge in Olympia. While in the past there have been two Olympia Record Shows per year, from this point forward there will be only one - only magnifying the importance of getting your ass to today's affair.

2. Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month - celebrating its 10th year and chugging along in fine fashion - continues this weekend with the much-anticipated Arts Symposium at the University of Puget Sound. In the simplest terms, the Arts Symposium is a weekend program geared toward local artists. It focuses on the practical side of art and involves panels, presenters and discussion sessions. More specifically, pre-event hype promises: "From nuts and bolts business information to legal advice to creative solutions, this event is designed to get your creativity flowing and push your career to the next level." Today, Gigi Rosenberg, author of The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing, will deliver the symposium's keynote address.  Find more info here.

3. Comedian Ron White ashes his cigar on Tacoma tonight, performing at the Emerald Queen Casino at 8 p.m.

4. Blues legend Curtis Salgado returns to Jazzbones on Sixth Avenue tonight, taking to a stage he's grown familiar with over the years. Tonight's performance by Salgado, which also features the Red Hot Blues Sisters, will commence at 8 p.m.

5. It was mid-summer when Legend of Bigfoot returned from dormancy, and - quite simply - Tacoma's scene has been a whole lot more rockin' since. The rarest of bands - able to entertain hipsters and metal-heads alike - the LOB is on the move, playing a show tonight at Bob's Java Jive with Vile Red Falcons and James Coates, not to mention re-releasing their debut LP and premiering a first-ever music video yesterday, and finishing up work on a new CD due out sometime in the spring. As they say, "It's all happening" for Legend of Bigfoot. The big, fat maraschino cherry on top of all of it? As regular KISW 99.9FM listeners can attest to, Legend of Bigfoot has been the "Loud and Local Band of the Week" this last week - scoring a prime interview on the station and turning the whole region on to a fresh local sound that pays homage to many of the KISW staples.  Dig it. 

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Rain, hi 39, lo 30

Saturday: Partly sunny, hi 41, lo 27

Sunday: Partly sunny, hi 43, lo 34

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 19: WHITEOUT 9

Sometimes you've just got to dance, yo. For, like, ten straight hours. In the Tacoma Dome exhibition hall. Because you just don't give a fuck. Luckily, Saturday Phase 3 Events presents "Whiteout 9," easily the raviest thing to do in T-Town this weekend. With doors opening at 8 p.m. and the good times rolling until 4 a.m. Sunday, Whiteout 9 will bring electronic heavyweights like Alex Morph, First State, Kutski and a crapload of others to the gyrating masses.

• Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall, 8 p.m. Saturday - 4 a.m. Sunday, $35-$75, 16+ to enter, bar w/ ID, 2727 East D Street, Tacoma,ticketmaster.com  

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 19: OLYMPIA RECORD SHOW

Imagine an entire Elks Lodge filled with nearly 40 tables. Now imagine those tables teeming with rare records, lost VHS classics, band merchandise and memorabilia. Imagine you could swap, sell or purchase any of these precious items while listening to a DJ spinning sick-ass records and mingling with other connoisseurs. Oh, and did we mention the full bar with ID? Well, quit thinking about it and go do it! The annual Olympia Record Show happens this Saturday at the Elks Lodge in Olympia. While in the past there have been two Olympia Record Shows per year, from this point forward there will be only one - only magnifying the importance of getting your ass to this Saturday's affair.

• Olympia Elks Lodge, 5-9 p.m., all-ages, 1818 Fourth Ave., Olympia, olympiarecordshow.com

>>> NOV. 18 - NOV. 20: FAIR TRADE MARKET

Through three days the Fair Trade Market, hosted by St. Leo Parish and Urban Grace Church, promises a guilt-free way to start your holiday shopping. Running Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Catholic Community Services the annual event is your chance to get in on, "baskets, ornaments, linens, musical instruments, food products and more from vendors such as Ten Thousand Villages, Theo Chocolate, Laughing Lotus, L'Arche, and many more," according to pre-event hype.

• Catholic Community Services, 4-7 p.m. Friday, 3-7 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, free admission, 1323 S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma, 253.272.5136

>>> NOV. 19-20: ARTS SYMPOSIUM

Art at Work: Tacoma Arts Month - celebrating its 10th year and chugging along in fine fashion - continues this weekend with the much-anticipated Arts Symposium at the University of Puget Sound. In the simplest terms, the Arts Symposium is a weekend program geared toward local artists. It focuses on the practical side of art and involves panels, presenters and discussion sessions. More specifically, pre-event hype promises: "From nuts and bolts business information to legal advice to creative solutions, this event is designed to get your creativity flowing and push your career to the next level." Saturday, Gigi Rosenberg, author of The Artist's Guide to Grant Writing, will deliver the symposium's keynote address.  

• University of Puget Sound, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, $20 for two days, $12 for one day, or $7 for one session, financial assistance available, 1500 N. Warner Street, Tacoma, 253.591.5191, tacomaculture.org

>>> SATURDAY, NOV. 19-20: ALL FREAKIN' NIGHT

Olympia has more traditions than most places. It's the kind of town where history is important. It's the kind of place where people keep things alive, breathe new life into them, and rally together to make cool shit happen. It's the kind of place where people go to college, grow a beard, graduate from college, get a co-op membership, go back to college, and never leave ...While it's doubtful that last part has much to do with anything, the Olympia institution that is All Freakin' Night is here once again - devouring the historic (there Olympia goes again with its history...) Capitol Theater Saturday night and into Sunday morning. For the uninitiated, or the new faces in the Invisible Man seminar, All Freakin' Night is an annual part of the annual Olympia Film Festival - now in its glorious 28^th year. A collection of cultish horror flicks and just plain strange stuff, All Freakin' Night has reached institution status because of a few things - not the least of which being its eccentricities, and the fact it literally offers Olympia the chance to sit in the Capitol Theater all freakin' night and hang out. Both are very cool, and what it's all about.

• Capitol Theater, doors at 11 p.m., $10-$15, 206 E Fifth St., Olympia, olympiafilmsociety.org

>>> SUNDAY, NOV. 20: FIFTY YEARS OF PIZZA AT THE CLOVERLEAF

Culminating a full week of celebration in the name of 50 years in the pizza business, Tacoma's iconic Cloverleaf will welcome the band Sunny 4 Cast to "rock out" on Sunday night. Not surprisingly, there will also be beer specials. There have been specials all week, in fact, from kids' nights, to happy hour beer prices all day, to pizza "squashing" contests. Good times have been had by all. As we're reminded by press release, "The Cloverleaf was established in 1951 and began serving our World Famous Pizzas in 1961. ...The purpose of this celebration is to thank our loyal customers. We could not have made it 50 years without them and that is why we are hosting this celebration, in their honor."

• The Cloverleaf, 8 p.m., 6430 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.1111

>>> WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO 

ALEC CLAYTON Visual Arts Critic
Occupy Olympia during the day Saturday and the dance at 4th Av Tav with Pro Func Tunc Saturday night. But these old bones aIn't going to be dancing. Just drinking and listening to the music.

NIKKI TALOTTA Features Writer
Well, I saw the KARP documentary Wednesday night at the Olympia Film Festival, so anything that happens this weekend is small potatoes. But if you must know, I might go shopping for socks.

JOANN VARNELL: Theater Critic
Due to unfortunate accidents involving one of my large dogs and the carpet in my TV room, I will be getting my carpets cleaned this weekend. Fortunately a Living Social deal saved me from having to rent a steam cleaner and I get to see pros in action. Sadly, this is the most exciting thing scheduled all weekend. 

STEVE DUNKELBERGER Meat Market Photographer
I will be cleaning the yard at St. Mary's Church and School and attending a Murder Mystery Party and then do more cleaning.

JENNIFER JOHNSON Food & Lifestyle Writer
Hosting a 5-course, quadruple double date dinner party at my apartment then going to see Savior of the World followed by fro-yo at Gibson's on Friday evening. Workout Saturday morning, meet girlfriends for Zoo Day at Pt. Defiance (hopefully it wont be raining), then quality time with my couch for movie night at home. Church and friend/family dinner Sunday.

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
All I have planned for this weekend is Christmas Story rehearsals and hoping it doesn't snow.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound

FRIDAY, NOV. 18, 2011 >>>

1. First it was Mickey Avalon. Today, Jazzbones welcomes "rapper" Dirt Nasty to Tacoma, founder of the Dyslexic Speedreaders (of which Avalon and Andre Legacy were also a part of), and - more importantly - Simon fucking Rex from former MTV fame. That's right. Dirt Nasty is Simon Rex, and these days his gig revolves around producing ridiculously funny hip-hop tracks pertaining to drugs, the '80s, cocaine, sex, even more drugs and the inability to dance ... not necessarily in that order. According to the show's billing, Dirt Nasty will come to T-Town prepared to bust out his "hits," including "1980." Cue the hook in your head: "I got a gold chain ... I'm on co-caine ..." Honestly, there's no way this show won't be entertaining. The Breaklites and DJ Pedro are also on the bill. 

2. Through three days, the Fair Trade Market, hosted by St. Leo Parish and Urban Grace Church, promises a guilt-free way to start your holiday shopping. Running Today, tomorrow and Sunday at Catholic Community Services the annual event is your chance to get in on, "baskets, ornaments, linens, musical instruments, food products and more from vendors such as Ten Thousand Villages, Theo Chocolate, Laughing Lotus, L'Arche, and many more," according to pre-event hype. 

3. Join the benefit and auction to honor the life of Staff Sergeant Nathan Wyrick, who grew up in our area, attended Franklin Pierce High School and was recently killed while serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, and the Remembering Nathan Wyrick Foundation, tonight at Varsity Grill. The event starts at 7 p.m., with all proceeds from the event being placed in trusts for each of Wyrick's four sons.

4. Tonight at Big Whisky Saloon in downtown Tacoma, Comedy Underground welcomes Seattle-based, Nashville born, national touring comedian Billy Wayne Davis - billed as, "the thinking man's hillbilly."

5. Tonight, for those on the outskirts, the band Moose Knuckle plays The Royal Bear. Stay classy, Algona.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

THURSDAY, NOV. 17, 2011 >>>

1. Blues legend B.B. King visits the Little Creek Casino tonight - the kind of musical opportunity you rarely have on a Thursday. Take advantage of it. Find details on the show here.

2. As a society, it seems (and to put it lightly), we've got some things to talk about. As a community we can start tomorrow with a public forum at the University of Washington Tacoma titled "What is the Occupy Wall Street Movement? (And where is it going?)." Both Occupy Tacoma and Jobs with Justice will have representatives in the discussion. According to the press release, "This event includes panel presentations, an open forum, and exploration of the goals of the current movement as well as its historical roots and potential political consequences."

3. There's all sorts of cultural to be had today, including a free performance of WaT is DaDa? - described as "an original Dada Theatre Cabaret, conceived by Neo-Dadaist Marilyn Bennett and University of Puget Sound theatre arts students." Tonight (and tomorrow's) performance starts at 8 p.m. at Norton Clapp Theater on the UPS Campus. You can also catch  WaT is DaDa? Saturday at Toy Boat Theatre (1314 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) at 8 and 10 p.m. All the performances are free.

4. Drive Thru Junkies, Pizzacat, Silent Planet, Murder Wizardz and Superpro will play an all-ages show tonight at The Red Room in Tacoma. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and cover runs $5.

5. Catch the Seattle Comedy Competition semifinals tonight at the Washington Center of the Arts in Olympia. Hosted by Jim Short, the night of laughs is part of Washington Center's Comedy in the Box series, even though ticket demand has been so intense festivities have been moved to the main stage theater.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight

LINK: This week's freebies

TUESDAY, NOV 15, 2011 >>>

1. The Olympia Film Festival continues today, running through Nov. 20 with screenings at the Capitol Theater. Find a full schedule of Olympia Film Festival events here.

2. Grizzled Mighty will perform tonight at Uncle Sam's American Bar Grill in Spanaway. We don't know much about Grizzled Mighty, other than the band's promo shot (above) is totally hot. Literally.

3. Remember the swing dance revival of the late ‘90s? That was fun, right? Well, there's no reason for the good times to stop thanks to OlySwing. Tonight at the Eagles Club in Olympia drop in on the weekly swing dance action from 7:30 - 10:30 p.m. For those in need of a swing refresher or some tips to get started, there's a "quick" beginning swing dance lesson from 7 - 7:30 p.m. hosted by Christine Corey. The action is all-ages, with a $5 admission.

4. Tuesdays seem to be the hottest night for the overeducated South Sound masses to prove their intellectual worth. And where do such brainiacs head? Glad you asked. The GEEKS head to Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub. The Tacoma watering hole is the site of John Dicker's Geeks Who Drink pub quiz night. Dicker, a genius from Colorado, has taken the Irish Pub quiz tradition to a new level with Geeks Who Drink games across the nation, including every Tuesday night at the downtown pub, hosted by graphic artist and Weekly Volcano production assistant Holland Hume. The quiz 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.

5. Need a good laugh? Try Jazzbones, where every Tuesday comedian Ralph Porter hosts Ha Ha Tuesday starting at 8 p.m. There's a $5 cover, and DJ Omar spins for the masses after the jokes.

LINK: More arts and entertainment events in the South Sound
LINK: Live music tonight