TUESDAY, MAY 13 2014 >>>

1. It's a true-enough story about something that really happened: Posing as a Canadian filmmaker, a CIA agent got six Americans out of Tehran in 1980 after an angry mob of "students" stormed our embassy and held its occupants hostage for 444 days, a siege that gave us, more or less, the Reagan presidency. Mark Lijek was one of those six hiding in Iran. At 10:30 a.m. in the Garfield Book Company, Lijek will reveal how he and the five other Americans avoided capture, detail their months of hiding and describe the facts of the CIA rescue, which includes more Canadian involvement than portrayed in the film, Argo. 

2. The exhibition called "Wet" and subtitled "Abstract Expressionism in Fluidity, Movement and Space" at B2 Fine Art is a retrospective of work by Chuck Smart with some works by other well-known artists thrown in - like Yakime Brown, who is beginning to make a splash in New York; Judy Hintz Cox, a regular at B2 who has four excellent paintings in this show. And just for good measure there are a few glass vessels by Dale Chihuly. But Brown, Chihuly and Cox are bonus artists. What this show is really all about is the amazing artwork of Chuck Smart. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Wet: Abstract Expressionism in Fluidity, Movement and Space" in the Music & Culture section, then check out the show from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Next Goal Wins, a documentary about American Samoa's soccer team and how it became known as the worst soccer team on the planet after compiling a 0-31 record, will screen at 2 and 7 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

4. Twelve years ago, Jason Padgett was a party-loving jock and a college dropout who'd never made it past pre-algebra. But a violent mugging permanently and profoundly altered the way his brain works, giving him unique gifts. He's now a devoted student and an award-winning artist, hand-drawing the stunning geometric patterns he sees everywhere. His is the first documented case of acquired savant syndrome with mathematical synesthesia. At 7 p.m. inside the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch, Padgett discusses his book, Struck By Genius: How a Brain Injury Made Me a Mathematical Marvel.

5. You are getting sleepy, v-e-r-y sleepy. Now, go see the hypnotist show at 8 p.m. inside the Red Wind Casino. Whether a skeptic or believer, the show will be sure to entertain with its comedy, rock and roll and outrageous hypnosis, like people sneezing and having orgasms(!) when Ron Stubbs, the man behind the magic, utters the word "pepper."

LINK: Tuesday, May 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, MAY 10 2014 >>>

1. Since its beginnings in 2006, MLK Ballet's MOVE! has popped up in different types of venues and sometimes had more than one performance per year. For all 21 performances, the goal has remained the same - present contemporary dance in Tacoma. This year's show, which hits Theatre on the Square at 7 p.m., will feature work from Vincent Michael Lopez, a choreographer and former dancer with Spectrum Dance Theater (SDT); Jade Solomon Curtis, a current dancer with SDT; Lilianna Koledin, formerly of Alloy Dance Project; a local student choreographer, Celeste Reed, from SOTA; and many others. Read Kristin Kendle's full feature on MOVE! #21 in the Music & Culture section.

2. Do you yearn for the long-lost days of dapper duds and the fash 'stache? Feather & Oar's inaugural Tacoma Tweed Ride will recall those finer bits of life. A celebration of turn-of-the-century fashions, particularly the tweed suit, this Victorian-esque bike ride starts at 10 a.m. in front of the Point Defiance Park Pagoda and winds through Tacoma's North End neighborhood - along one of the first streetcar routes in town - to the Pacific Pop-Up Shop, 1743 Pacific Ave., in downtown Tacoma. With one hand on a handlebar and the other twisting your mustache or hanging on to your fancy hat, this unhurried jaunt will take you by photos of historic bicycles, buildings and streetcars. Not in it for the exercise? Dust off your fanciest hat, polish your monocle, don knickerbockers and berets and hang at the finish line, before finding a nearby ale.

3. Hilltop Artists is a nonprofit glass arts program created by the iconic Dale Chihuly designed to use "glass art to connect young people from diverse cultural and economic background to better futures." The program boasts more than 500 students a year, and each year its Spring Glass Sale acts as both a great opportunity to make its mission known, and offer chances at top-notch work to one and all. In fact, the Hilltop Artists Spring Glass Sale has become so popular that attendees are asked to start showing up at 9 a.m. to take a number, with entry starting at 10 a.m. in the order that people arrived. All proceeds go directly back to the program. The sale will be held at the Jason Lee Hot Shop and Gymnasium.

4. The biting, satirical, outrageous feminist art group Guerrilla Girls will present a live performance sponsored by Tacoma Art Museum and University of Washington Tacoma. The event is called Guerrilla Girls: Not Ready to Make Nice. What they will do is anybody's guess, but rest assured it will be provocative, entertaining and educational. The show starts at 1 p.m. atPhillips Hall at University of Washington Tacoma. Read Alec Clayton's full story on the Guerrilla Girls here.

5. Prom Queen is cinematic. The soundtracks and scores of movies are valuable, and can be great, but when we use the word "cinematic" to describe a band, what we're really talking about is the idea of a soundtrack - the music accompanying an impossible film, one that features a dizzying array of romantic overtures, bitter double-crosses, scenic panoramas, carefree comedic set pieces, scenes of deep horror, and the tacit acknowledgement of those grainy shadows and pieces of hair that cling to the projected film. Prom Queen is that kind of cinematic. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Prom Queen in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with the Dee Dee's, the Plastards, Bullets and Balloons at 8 p.m., in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, May 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, MAY 9 2014 >>>

1. The West have been working at carving their place in the still-burgeoning indie dance-rock scene since 2011, steadily working to refine their air-tight grooves. There's a jubilance lurking in the back of even their most post-punk indebted compositions that charmingly calls out to guarded hipsters and asks them to crowd the stage. Catch the band with Death By Stars, Cloud Person and Bandolier at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

2. Jodorowsky's Dune is the latest from director Frank Pavich. This documentary chronicles director Alejandro Jodorowsky's legendary but ultimately unsuccessful attempt to make a film adaptation of famed science fiction author and Tacoma native Frank Herbert's novel Dune in the mid-1970s. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of Jodorowsky's Dune, then catch it at 2, 6:30 and 8:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Susan Christian continues to show the strongest art to be seen in Olympia in her little "Project Space" at Salon Refu. Her latest show is "Thomas Johnston Palmpeset II, Paintings and Photography," which can be seen noon to 6 p.m. This is some powerful stuff - most notably "Envelop," the painting used on the posters and invitations. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Thomas Johnston: Palmpeset II" in the Music & Culture section.

4. The Grand Cinema's 72-Hour Film Competition enters its 10th year. Its evolution over the years has seen it rise from humble, let's-put-on-a-show beginnings into a genuine behemoth. What started as 11 teams gathering at The Grand has ballooned into a totally legit happening. Every year some 25 to 30 (26 this year) teams of filmmakers collectively spill out of the woodwork to be met with the challenge of creating a five-minute film in three days. As if that weren't enough of a task, they are also required to somehow fit in a designated line of dialogue, a prop, staging, and an action: "I love it when you do that," Duct Tape, a product placement and a countdown, respectively, are this year's requirements. The films screen at 7 p.m. in the Urban Grace Church. Expect shocks, laughs, maybe even a few tears shed. And of course, without fail, one or two zombies.

5. British prog-rockers Wishbone Ash's harmony-laden dual-guitar attack predated Thin Lizzy, the group often credited with inventing it. Of course, Wishbone Ash also perfected the slow beginning/fast ending rock anthem. The band will rock Tacoma's Jazzbones at 8 p.m.

LINK: Friday, May 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia areas

TUESDAY, MAY 6 2014 >>>

1. For those green-thumb-challenged folk who haven't quite got growing seasons down, the 6th Ave Farmers Market opens today at 3 p.m. Learn to grow a secret garden of your own and see it blossom. Not a gardener? Well then just visit the world's most productive gardener, the farmer, and pick up a bunch of their "fruits of labor" until 7 p.m. at Sixth and Pine in Tacoma. The first 50 bicyclists will receive a $2 market token.

2. In recognition of National Bike Month "Inky Spokes: A Traveling Exhibition of Bicycle Art" opens at the Tacoma Art Museum at 10 a.m. The exhibition, an initiative of The Levee Breaking, in conjunction with the Gigantic Bicycle Festival, features work by emerging to late career artists based in the Pacific Northwest.

3. The Grand Cinema continues its Tuesday Film Series with screenings of NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage, follows Kevin Spacey and director Sam Mendes as they take their stage tour of Shakespeare's RICHARD III around the world. It screens at 2 and 6:45 p.m. A post-show Q&A session will be held with actor Gavin Stenhouse at the 2 p.m. screening, and a videotaped version after the 6:45 p.m. show.

4. Let's go camping! Where to camp? We don't know. That's why you should head to Olympia to catch David Kaynor's one-hour slide presentation, "10 Great State Parks To Camp In," at 7 p.m. in the Olympia Center. He'll tell you when, where and why camping in Washington state is awesome.

5. KUPS 90.1 FM hosts bands Posse, Wind Burial and Hana and the Goose at 8 p.m. in Club Rendezvous on the University of Puget Sound campus.

LINK: Tuesday, May 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30 2014 >>>

1. Art is most effective when it can evoke the essence or the spirit, of a person, place or event without necessarily looking like that person, place or event. More often than not it is most effective when it does not look like the subject because illusory depiction often detracts from the core of the artistic statement. Coastal Alchemy at Museum of Glass beautifully, inventively and powerfully evokes the natural world of our Pacific Northwest in painting, sculpture and poetry by artists Anna Skibska, Meg Holgate and Trenton Flock. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Coastal Alchemy" in the Music & Culture section, then see the show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. For those interested in something with a more scientific take on, er, science, than Star Trek has to offer, a fascinating documentary hits The Grand Cinema screen at 1:55, 4:25 and 6:50 p.m. Particle Fever is the exploration of the development and launch of the Large Hadron Collider. Ten thousand scientists from all around the world collaborated to create the Collider, which was designed to recreate the conditions that existed in the wake of the Big Bang. Those following the news of the past couple years know that the result was the discovery of the Higgs boson (AKA the "God particle"), which has long been the missing link in our understanding of just why we exist.

3. Pour at Four wine bar in Tacoma's Proctor District will pour complimentary tastes from Southard Winery. This small, boutique winery located in Selah, Wash., has flown under the radar, but makes outstanding wines. Meet Scott Southard and enjoy tasty wines from 5:30-8 p.m.

4. Ah, the clarinet. It's the godfather of the woodwinds. You only have, say, a half-inch diameter to blow through. If you don't blow properly, it makes a loud, annoying noise. But if it's blown through properly, it's a beautiful instrument. The sound is so mellow, and soothing, and healing and quiet and serene. Unless Eddie Daniels is blowing. While an accomplished classical musician, Daniels is best known as the rarest of rare, hard-bop clarinetist. He's the modern Benny Goodman. And the Grammy winner will sit in with the University of Puget Sound Jazz Band at 7:30 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall.

5. Philly folk-punkersMike Bell & the Movies join Handwritings and Trout Stream for an 8 p.m. show at Northern in downtown Olympia.

LINK: Wednesday, April 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

What do the follow things have in common: painter Chuck Close, glass artist William Morris, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Tacoma's Antique Row, a Russian rescue mission, a flying pig, filmmaking and the Seattle Seahawks?

They are the intertwined subjects (yes, really) connected to local, national and international Camano Island artist Jack Gunter's wild ride of art, auctions, action, adventure, filmmaking and international intrigue.

It all began in 1989 with SeaTac airport. (Important note: you think the random subjects were going to end in the opening paragraph? Well, think again and buckle up folks, we are just getting started)!

OK, so SeaTac needed another runway to expand its operations, and Stanwood, Wash., was one of the targeted options. Gunter "reacted" to that news by creating 17 paintings depicting airplanes crashing into the town's most beloved and iconic features. The paintings were a hit (and the runway headed south).

Now, enter the Russians.

Later that year, a group of folks from Siberia touched down in the Pacific Northwest to promote economic understanding and support on a friendship mission. The group's leader, Valeryan Ivanchenko, met Gunter and liked his work. That led to an invitation to take his aforementioned paintings to the then-Soviet Union for exhibitions. Three museums featured the art. The exhibition was well received and a smash success.

The following year, Gunter flew overseas to retrieve his art and take it home; but alas, his plans turned into one giant debacle (paperwork problems, customs issues, bureaucratic screw-ups) and $80,000 worth of art remained behind in the basement of a Siberian museum.

Gunter vowed to return to reclaim his paintings.

Fast forward to 24 years later and Facebook (oh, yeah, that's right; Facebook).

Ivanchenko and Gunter regained contact through social media and Gunter learned that his paintings were alive and well. So, what was Gunter's next move?

Well, to put together a rescue team of course! So, you're probably thinking Navy Seals or secret spies, yes? Well, think again.

"I gathered two filmmakers for the rescue team," said Gunter. "We picked up about $8,000 in camera equipment, the best small and high tech stuff we could get, because we had to film surreptitiously."

And these weren't just any filmmakers either. Jesse Collver, a filmmaker and actor who happens to work on this little show called CSI:NY and Ken Rowe, an award-winning filmmaker and film professor. So, armed with his crack team, they headed to Siberia to a large town near the Mongolian border armed with their film gear and six Marshawn Lynch Seahawks game jerseys (uh huh, really).

"We had big media coverage in Russia," smiles Gunter. "We were there for 11 days filming the rescue attempt and our quest to find the paintings."

One of Gunter's talk show appearances went 12th Man when a show staffer donned a Seahawks jersey, jumped in front of the camera and chanted "Go Hawks!" to one million Russian viewers. The jersey also made its appearance in a yurt in Mongolia during a special blessing ceremony to find the paintings. The woman who conducted the ceremony donned a jersey, too and chanted the infamous slogan too.

The film, Siberian Rescue: The Documentary Film, is currently being put together. The narrator is one of Gunter's iconic and animated flying pigs; the pig will be voiced by none other than Andrei Codrescu, of NPR, All Things Considered fame.

See, what did I tell you? Beautiful randomness seems to follow Gunter wherever this journey takes him.

So what the hell does this film have to do with Chuck Close, William Morris and Frank Lloyd Wright?

Well, Gunter has recently gotten his hands on some really cool stuff along with some of his own collection that is going to auction at 10 a.m. May 3 at Sanford and Son Antiques in downtown Tacoma's Antique Row, and online to help fund the movie. The artist also has a Go Fund Me page for the film project as well.

>>> William Morris, "Ryton," blown and sculptured glass, 4" x 3" x 4", 1996, up for auction at Sanford and Son Antiques May 3.

Just some of the many featured items include a Chuck Close mural discovered in a Lake Stevens home, a William Morris original creation (from one of Gunter's "Honey, I Shrunk the Art" past events) and a Frank Lloyd Wright bed from his private collection that he "...chased for years and 10,000 miles." All three have larger than life stories of course, and continues Gunter's brush with the random. Here's just one of the stories.

"This lady stopped by my gallery and told me she bought a house that Close owned in Lake Stevens," says Gunter. "He painted inside the house. So, the lady said they found these doors. I told her to put the doors all together like a puzzle, just for fun."

"The result was 88 by 60 mural; it's a complete image. And this is "real" art, not doodling. She asked me to help me sell it, so I am representing the family. I am so thrilled that it all came together."

"This is pretty high altitude for Antique Row, don't you think?"

Uh, yeah.

To learn more about the upcoming May 3 auction at Sanford and Son Antiques, visit its Facebook page and the online auction site. Siberian Rescue: The Documentary Film has a Go Fund Me page.

SUNDAY, APRIL 27 2014 >>>

1. Acclaimed British pop songwriter David Gray - a gentle-voiced vocalist known best for his 2000 single "Babylon" - will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Gray creates soulful pop that combines folk immediacy with subtle electronic flourishes. His vocals have a tossed-off, over-the-top quality that qualifies him as a cousin to Dave Matthews, and his forthcoming full-length Mutineers should be front and center.

2. Each year, the Lakewood Sister Cities Association holds a three-day festival highlighting the culture of one of its sister cities. This year, the organization is proud to bring the rich culture of Okinawa, Japan to the area with its 2014 International Festival and ArtsFest Celebration. The festival concludes today with a fun-filled lineup planned. Entertainment for the day will include the Shahdaroba Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, the Chang Hee Suk Woman Drummers, Lakewood Playhouse Performers, art exhibits, food, crafts, Kids' Corner and more from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Pierce College in Lakewood.

3. Paul Fritts' organ has a following. In fact, it's so awesome he's being honored for it 2 p.m. in Kilworth Chapel. Fritts and his team of artisans in Tacoma craft thousands of wood and steel components into some of the most graceful and inspiring modern pipe organs in the world. One of these artworks is the Bethel Schneebeck Organ in Kilworth, on the campus of University of Puget Sound, where Fritts graduated in 1973. The public is invited to presentation in Kilworth, which will take place following intermission during the 23rd Annual Bethel Schneebeck Organ Recital, with university organist Joseph Adam performing. The concert will include works by Heinrich Scheidemann, Francois Couperin, Johann Sebastian Bach, César Franck, and Maurice Duruflé. Admission is complimentary and no tickets are required.

4. Little Bill Engelhart is soul on wheels. He’s also probably one of the most inspirational musicians that you’re likely to meet in person. He grew up on Hilltop Tacoma and learned rock ’n’ roll by playing rhythm and blues with the black musicians’ downtown, which was unusual for a young white kid at the time. He formed a band with some of his teenage friends and had a national hit when he was just 19 titled “I’m in Love with an Angel." These days, Little Bill & the Blue Notes play all over the South Sound. But they always make time for the Spar in Old Town, and the quintessential Tacoma restaurant's Sunday Night Blues. Little Bill and the Blue Notes will stop in again at 7 p.m., making it the perfect time for you to drop in.

5. Portland dream pop band WL doesn't suffer from gauzy translucence. Though their songs do hazily float along, there's a very clear backbone to their music, defined by crisp percussion and strong melodies. Nothing by WL sounds like a whale so. Occasionally, some honest-to-goodness aggression peaks its head up through the clouds, as seen on "Sugar Pill," whose fuzzy crunch does wonders for lead singer Misty Mary's serene vocals. Catch the band with Appendixes and Red Alder at 8 p.m. in Northern.

LINK: Sunday, April 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014 >>>

1. When 25-year-old Ben Rice opened his mouth to sing, we did not expect to hear the voice of an old soul, belted out in the honey-haggard tone of one who has been singing for a career, but that's exactly what happened. Combine with quick-picking on the guitar (sometimes on a cigar-box guitar), throw in some resonators, and you get roots-rock-blues-Americana for the new generation. Ben Rice and the Illamatics will perform at 9 p.m. in Stonegate Pizza.

2. Olympia Spring Arts Walk - a celebration of music, theater and art - is proof Oly knows how to have a good time. It's one huge block party. It's a great place to bring the kids during the day and then hit the bars at night. All of downtown Olympia is transformed into a giant smorgasbord of food, fun, art and music for an entire weekend, more specifically this weekend - April 25-26. The fun kicks off tonight from 5-10 p.m., including a Nirvana tribute concert at the Capitol Theater.

3. Each year, the Lakewood Sister Cities Association holds a three-day festival highlighting the culture of one of its sister cities. This year, the organization is proud to bring the rich culture of Okinawa, Japan to the area with its 2014 International Festival and ArtsFest Celebration. Tonight features ArtsFest, with a showcase of student and veteran artwork from 6 to 9 p.m. at Pierce College. There will be a reception following the exhibition and an opportunity to meet the artists in person. The Clover Park High School entertainers will provide entertainment.

4. If you've ever wanted to get levitated, drowned in a milk jug, or penetrated by Spikes of Doom, now's your chance. Married illusionists Kevin and Cindy Spencer were named "Magicians of the Year" by the International Magicians Society in 2009, and yes, they do call people up out of the audience to get ensorcelled within an inch of their lives. Kevin has a habit (swiped from Harry Houdini) of walking through brick walls, so catch his act at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater before he does himself any permanent craniofacial damage.

5. A Leaf and The Sound and The Fury perform at 8 p.m. in Metronome Coffee in Tacoma. According to the Internet, "It's gonna be a rad show!!!"

LINK: Friday, April 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater TAcoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, APRIL 21 2014 >>>

1. "The Meaning of Wood" at the gallery at South Puget Sound Community College is one of the best theme shows Weekly Volcano art critic Alec Clayton has seen in a long time. This spacious gallery in the Kenneth J Minnaert Center features sculptures, paintings and drawings from many artists in a wide range of styles, all commenting on trees, wood products and the ecology of our forest lands, and nearly all of excellent artistic quality. The curators of this show chose wisely. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "The Meaning of Wood" in the Music & Culture section, then catch it from noon to 4 p.m.

2. The University of Puget Sound's 2014 "Senior Show" features the artwork of 10 seniors who are graduating with their Bachelor's degrees in studio art. This group exhibition showcases a diverse range of subjects and media, and includes paintings, prints, mixed-media works, sculpture, and ceramics. The artworks on view offer a lively and engaging opportunity to see a variety of work by these emerging young talents. The show opens today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can meet the young lads and lasses behind the exhibition during a public reception 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23. If you don't catch the reception, that's fine. Their artwork will be on display until May 17.

3. Ready for round two? The Barefoot Collective and MLKBallet perform, once again, in-process works for a small audience in a relaxed atmosphere, where the dancers show the audience how the dance was created. For audience members, this is an opportunity to experience live theater and get a rare glimpse into the creative process of artists in all types of performing arts. After the performance, the audience can ask questions and offer feedback. Check out Works In Progress at 7:30 p.m. in the Urban Grace Studio.

4. Olympia Jazz Tentette pays tribute to Charles Mingus at 8 p.m. in the Rhythm and Rye club in downtown Olympia.

5. Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says there are vocal similarities between Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley. The Rev. says, "Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk." See for yourself at 8 p.m. when Lindsay performs at the Steilacoom Pub & Grill.

LINK: Monday, April 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, APRIL 20 2014 >>>

1. Starting at 4:20 p.m. (for some unexplained reason), there will be many delirious festivities to be had at The New Frontier Lounge. Returning local heroes and tireless road warriors the Night Beats will be performing, along with a cavalcade of psychedelic friends, including People Under the Sun, MILK, the Pharmacy, and out-of-towners Cosmonauts and the Black Seas. At press time, it's unclear what's so special about starting a show at 4:20 on April 20, but one thing is absolutely clear: this will be a long, sloppy day of psych-rock so blistering it'll blast the haze from your head. Every once in a while, it's a good idea to take a squeegee to your brain before coating it with some more smoke, liquor and other unsavory pastimes.

2. Two shows close today at the Tacoma Art Museum. "Optic Nerve" highlights a collection of works from its permanent collection - including works by Riley, Anuszkiewicz, Vasarely and others - that stretch the definition of optical art - including photo-realist paintings because paintings that look like photographs are a kind of optical illusion. "Sitting for History: Exploring Self-Identity Through Portraiture" is an exhibition of more than 60 paintings, drawings and photographs by artists such as Pierre August Renoir, Chuck Close, George Luks, Mary Randlett, Gilbert Stuart and Andrew Wyeth, plus some sculpture and jewelry. See both from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Between 1853 and 1929, through both the American Civil War and World War I, the Orphan Train Movement shipped over a quarter of a million parentless children to the Midwestern states from overcrowded metropolises on the Eastern seaboard. Olympia Family Theater tells 12 stories from the Orphan Trains in its finally production of "Orphan Trains" at 1 p.m. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Orphan Train in the Music & Culture section.

4. Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill hosts a 420 Smoker with the musical stylings of Church of Hate and others beginning at, yup, 4:20 p.m. 

5. Aaradhna calls her sound "retro-metro," after studying R&B greats Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Little Anthone and the Imperials. Catch her silky voice and old-school soul at 7 p.m. with Sammy J and Stay Grounded in Jazzbones.

LINK: Sunday, April 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area