SATURDAY, JULY 6 2013 >>>

1. The past couple of years have been exciting ones for Lemolo. Last year, in particular, saw the release of the Seattle duo's debut LP, The Kaleidoscope - an appropriate title, evocative as it is of the band's dreamy, summery shimmer. Capitalizing on the steam that Lemolo had been building up, The Kaleidoscope cemented them as one of the more buzzed-about bands in the Seattle scene, and landed them on year-end lists, including being named the number one best new band in Seattle by City Arts. At 7 p.m., Lemolo will be performing the entirety of The Kaleidoscope, live on the Urban Grace's stage, as close to the sound of the record as possible. This is because they will be joined onstage by two dance troupes: The BareFoot Collective and MLKBallet. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Lemolo in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. The brand spankin' new Stadium Fare is a bi-weekly event coming to, yup, the Stadium District. The eclectic neighborhood open-air market opens at today at 10 a.m. and runs to 3 p.m. every other Saturday through Sept. 28. Food, vintage and artistic wares vendors will gather in the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church, across from Wright Park and on the corner of South 2nd and South G St. Stadium Fare so you can take a breather, stroll for goods and listen to some tunes. Hurrah!

3. Who doesn't like meat off the grill? Well, vegetarians we suppose, but still. Barbecue is pretty damn popular. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. the Lacey Chamber of Commerce looks to jump all over this fact with the South Sound BBQ Festival, this year at Huntamer Park. Expect an amateur cooking competition, vendor booths and tons of food. Admission is free, and yes - there will be a giant pink slide.

4. July is International Zine Month, and the Olympia Timberland Library is celebrating by hosting the 5th Annual 24-Hour Zine Thing: Zinester's Choice Edition. This drop-in workshop, will be held 2-8 p.m. and is open to all ages and levels of experience. The challenge is to make a 24-page zine from idea to completion in 24 hours. Snacks and supplies will be provided along with typewriters, long-armed staplers, glue sticks, recycled magazines, Print Gocco, paper, and copy machines. You bring your interviews with obscure punk bands and sad comic about someone's deep, personal heartbreak.

5. Hammond organist Joe Doria, guitarist Andy Coe and saxophonist Cliff Colon cross the barriers of jazz with powerful keyboards, rhythmic drums, screaming sax and sometimes fuzz-distorted guitar in their band McTuff. Improvisational and funky with a whole lotta swagger, the band's epic jams knock the mind into the far reaches of a 1970s version of space and then butt into an uncontrollable groove. The Seattle band will give their drummer Tarik Abouzied a break, and pick-up drummer Barrett Martin (Mad Season, Screaming Trees, Walking Papers) for a free 10 p.m. show at Doyle's Public House.

LINK: Saturday, July 6 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JUNE 27 2013 >>>

1. Do you find science less than thrilling? Maybe all those memories of sitting in biology class while your teacher prattled on about the phylum classification of the thorny-headed worm has put you off forever. But what if you could listen to an exciting presentation about researching and planning for dangerous viral outbreaks, followed by the screening of a cult classic ABOUT a dangerous worldwide viral outbreak and its consequences? How could you say no to that? At 6:45 p.m. The Grand Cinema and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department present "Science on Screen." Emerging Diseases expert Dr. James Bales, and disease outbreak control public health leader Nigel Turner (try fitting that on to a business card!) will give just such a presentation. This will immediately be followed by the 1995 film 12 Monkeys. The next lecture and film in this series will undoubtedly be about an attack of giant thorny-headed worms. 

2. At 7 p.m., three local writers will take to the hallowed spaces of King's Books for a reading - an evening of good old fashioned storytelling in Tacoma's most awesome of bookstores. The three writers: Titus Burley, Melissa Thayer and Joshua Swainston seek to entertain you with their clever words, their wit, their art.

3. The four-day America's Classic Jazz Festival in Lacey kicks off today with an upbeat mix of ragtime, jazz, swing and blues on the menu. Saint Martin's University will transform into Dixieland during the festivities presented by the Greater Olympia Dixieland Jazz Society. The "Kick Off Party" from 7-10:30 p.m. features bands West End, High Sierra/Brady McKay and Wally's Warehouse Waifs. For a complete festival schedule, check out olyjazz.com baby.

4. The Barleywine Revue will fill The Swiss with bluegrass beginning at 8 p.m.

5. Punk bands Kramer, the Mormon Trannys, Enemy Combatants and Raptor Tractor play a free 8 p.m. show at O'Malley's Irish Pub in Tacoma.

LINK: Thursday, June 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Upon the evening of Thursday, June 27, three local writers will take to the hallowed spaces of King's Books for a reading - an evening of good old fashioned storytelling in Tacoma's most awesome of bookstores. The three writers: Titus Burley, Melissa Thayer and Joshua Swainston seek to entertain you with their clever words, their wit, their art.

"Readings usually aren't the most exciting thing in the world," says Swainston. "I'm not juggling chain saws. What I can promise is entertaining literary work from a few members of the community who are foolish enough to stand up and have their work be judged in such a way. Both Titus and Melissa are very skilled readers and performers and will be putting on a great set. As for me, I'll read about drugs and crime, so if you're into that sort of thing, and are tired of watching it on FOX then you'll enjoy it."

Read more...

TUESDAY, JUNE 18 2013 >>>

1. Since its introduction in 1894, the motorcycle has spawned a variety of cultures and uses. As basic transportation, as leisure activity or as a die-hard lifestyle, millions of people have a love affair with Choppers, Crotch Rockets, Thumpers and all things two-wheeled. The action-packed exhibit "Let's Ride! Motocycling The Northwest at the Washington State History Museum is a celebration of the region's never-waning motorcycle culture - will include interactive exhibits, videos and impressive displays of machines from 1906 to the 21st century. Check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

2. It's Tuesday and that means The Grand Cinema unleashes another special film as part of its Tuesday Film Series. Today at 1:40 and 6:30 p.m. The Grand will screen bio-doc Renoir, a look at the  elderly painter Auguste Renoir who finds inspiration in a new model. Read John Kephart's preview on the Walkie Talkie blog.

3. With a 90-minute set featuring around 20 of Diamond's hits – ranging from his early work for television shows, such as The Monkees ("I'm A Believer") to songs from his movie "The Jazz Singer" – Neil Diamond tribute band The Diamond Experience will rock the Red Wind Casino from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

4. A poignant story of lost love in the greatest tradition of Greek tragedies told through the recollections of WWI veteran Nick Carraway. A relatively rich young mid-western bachelor living on Long Island Sound and attempting to break into the bond business, Carraway finds himself in the opulent lifestyle of the rich and famous. But very soon he is drawn into the  messy lives of a distant cousin and her abusive, philandering husband, an odd female golfer and a mysterious man, his rich and somewhat eccentric neighbor. Sounds like a read right up the Banned Book Club's alley. The club will discuss The Great Gatsby at 7 p.m. inside Doyle's Public House.

5. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds at Victory Music Open Mic at the Antique Sandwich Co. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians bare their souls impromptu-style. Performances start at 7 p.m., and if you're thinking that your shower-time ballads are ready for public consumption, you can sign up for your own moment in the, er, sun at 6.

LINK: Tuesday, June 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JUNE 9 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Comedy Club presents Comics Under The Influence where five comics perform a set each sober, and then while the other comics are performing they pound booze and return to the stage wasted to do another set. Jubal Flagg from Movin 95.5 FM tries to keep the thing flowing, beginning at 8 p.m.

2. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Pacific Avenue Community Street Fair and Car Show will consume Stewart Middle School with vendors, food, classic cars, skateboarders and entertainment.

3. Author Richard Blumenthal will discuss his new book, Maritime Place Names: Inland Washington Waters, at 2 p.m. in Quarters 2 at Historic Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood.

4. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. Kandi has been hanging with organist Delvon Lamarr and drummer Adam Kessler, which has added groovy innovation to Kandi's sound. Catch Kandi's trio with three Northwest jazz legends will guest appear:  Bill Ramsay on sax, Jay Thomas on trumpet and Julian Priester on trombone at 5 p.m. as part of the Jazz Live at Marine View series in the Marine View Church.

5. Professional storytelller Elizabeth Lord's original The Swimsuit Area stage play "explores reproduction in today's modern age.  What it means to be a parent, and more importantly what it means to choose not to be a parent." Apparently Lord will explore the hard issues such as deciding not to have a child - and what someone does about that - and the finality of hysterectomy surgery which results in never being able to conceive a child - all with her trademark humor lined glow. The show hits the Midnight Sun stage at 8 p.m. through June 9.

LINK: Sunday, June 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 2013 >>>

1. Even though Steve Madden has a spring 2013 glam line, and parody bands such as Steel Panther are making their way into mainstream, there is one band who perfectly embodies the spirit of sleaze rock - the Tacoma/Olympia band Prophets of Addiction (POA). Former Pretty Boy Floyd and Queeny Blast Pop bassist Lesli Sanders combined his connections, skills and wardrobe with the tight licks and pouty lips of bandmates Pat Hall, Jimmy Mess and newest addition Tim Diedrich to create one hell of a glam band that is often compared to Guns N' Roses with a worldwide following. POA is tight, practicing multiple times a week, touring as often as possible, and even thrift shopping together. Catch the band with Mosquito Hawk and Wikid Sin at 8 p.m. in the 4th Ave Tav in downtown Olympia.

2. Nothing says good times like family fun and a whole crapload of pirate references. By the look of things, that's exactly what's in store for those headed to the 2013 Maritime Gig Festival in Gig Harbor. Expect wholesome treats like a family fun run, a pancake breakfast, car show, a Saturday "Pirates of the Peninsula Yo Ho Harbor Grand Parade," fishing stuff, music and what's billed as the "Round Rock Contest." We have no idea what a "Round Rock Contest" is, but it sounds AWESOME! The festival stretches all weekend in downtown Gig Harbor, along Harborview Drive, between Pioneer and Rosedale, and along the waterfront near Jerisich Dock and Skansie Brother's Park.

3. You can find cut herbs, seasonal fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and baked goods along with live entertainment, free crafts for the kids and gardening advice from master gardeners from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Proctor Farmers Market. Come see the farmers market the Weekly Volcano readers voted Super Best Farmers Market of 2011.

4. May we suggest you plan for international bestselling fantasy author - and Tacoma resident - Robin Hobb's appearance at 2 p.m. in the Tumwater Timberland Library. She'll discuss her new book, Blood of Dragons, which completes the story of the dragons, their keepers, and their quest to find the lost city of Kelsingra and the mythical silver wells that could save the dragons from extinction. We have no idea what that means, but exciting!

5. The Gritty City Sirens prsents Deja Revue, a night of burlesque featuring Rosie Cheex, Ava D'Jor, Funny Face Fanny, Kitty Kisses, Heather Hostility and Dessi De Vine beginning at 9 p.m. in Jazzbones.

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

FRIDAY, MAY 24 2013 >>>

1. All you really need to know is Seattle band Levels band lives for the structure and impact of a tightly constructed riff. Though adorned with bare-bones effects, their song "Ghoul" thrives on the immediacy and unimpeachably affecting riff supplied by guitarist and frontman Jerry Van Galder. His vocals are masculine and deadpan, another nod to the efficiency that seems to define Levels. As of the recording, Levels were just a two-piece, Van Galder's voice and guitar propelled forward by the drumming of Saba Samakar. Catch them at 10 p.m. with Simon the Leper, Icanus at New Mexico at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Level in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. Pierce County Gleaning Project has created the Food Justice Book Club in which members will be be reading fiction, nonfiction and memoir around the topics of food justice, gleaning and food security. Drop in on the club at 7 p.m. in King's Books and get in  the discussion over A Place at the Table: The Crisis of 49 Million Hungry Americans and How to Solve It by Peter Pringle.

3. Junkyard Jane is a Northwest "swampabilly" blues band performing original music and consisting of: vocalist/percussionist Leanne Trevalyan, vocalist/guitarist Billy Stoops, bassist Barbra Blue and drummer Chris Leighton. Check them out in all their blue collar glory at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

4. Tacoma Comedy Club presents comedian Nick Vatterott - name dthe funniest man in Chicago - at 8 and 10:30 p.m. The Tacoma Comedy Club offers free admission for active and retired military and dependents May 23-26.

5. You can watch a movie anywhere these days: your phone, Xbox, iPad, iPod and whatever Apple decides the next iProduct should be (iPants gets my vote - hip yet functional). But despite all the advances in movie-watching technology, there's nothing quite like gritty classic gore projected on the big screen in original 35mm film to a room full of horror nerds. Justin Giallo knows this, which is why he invented the Grindhouse Theater Film Series at The Grand Cinema. At 9 p.m., Giallo - oh boy get ready to crap your pants - will screen the sickest and most violent of all the '80s slasher movies, PIECES "uncut." 

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

FRIDAY, MAY 17 2013 >>>

1. Talented artists command the Madera Architectural Elements Showroom semi-monthly, illuminating their work and creativity with the visually aided enhancement implied by the name of the series, TRIPOD Slide Shows. Created by Tacoma artist Lynn Di Nino, the night of digital slides features three artists and one creative theme.  The next TRIPOD Slide Show slides into Madera tonight from 7-8:30 p.m. featuring 15-minute slide shows by Mady Murrey will show slides of art hidden at Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, nationally syndicated political cartoonist Chris Britt and Oregon’s "Barbie Lady" LaVonne Sallee.

2. The annual Military Retiree Appreciation Day event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hangar 9, building #1166, on JBLM-McChord Field. Event officials are expecting approximately 2,000 military beneficiaries to attend, who will enjoy the Madigan Healthcare System Health Fair, ID card issuance and replacement opportunities, the Legal Assistance Station, Vehicle registration fun, the VA Compensation Review Station and the Veterans Information Expo.

3. Grit City Comedy Club will be closed for three weeks while Malarkey’s Pool & Brew hosts the APA League Championship for Pierce County May 17-June 1. Winners will move onto the Nationals in Las Vegas.

4. Paula McLain wrote The Paris Wife, a novel that captures the love affair between Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson. McLain paints a real sense of their daily life - Hemingway's charisma, genius, stinginess and cruelty that apparently could erupt with no warning - and the citizens of Pierce County know this. For the past two months, thousands have been reading the book as part of the Pierce County READS program. At 7 p.m., McLain will drop in on the McGavick Conference Center to discuss the book, and the life of the famous couple.

5. Local Internet NWCZ Radio knows music. It's not only obvious from their daily shows, but also in the live shows they produce — as in the case of the 9 p.m. presentation of Ben Union, Perry Acker and The Furniture Girls at the Harmon Tap Room in Tacoma.

LINK: Friday, May 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, MAY 9 2013 >>>

This summer Music and Art in Wright Park will, once again, shake the lawn bowlers at Wright Park in Tacoma's Stadium District. What began in 1993 as an awesome outdoor rock concert is still an awesome outdoor rock concert, only now with more art. Last year 2,500 lounged in the sun and soaked up Girl Trouble, Humble Cub, Walking Papers, The Plastards, The Jilly Rizzo and many other bands. There's no reason this summer's MAWP won't be equally awesome, unless there's no money in the bank. Unlike most summer outdoor rock concerts, there are no advance tickets for MAWP. The whole dang thing is free. However, like most worthy events, it's expensive. Therefore, festival producers will host a spaghetti feast and the musical stylings of the Original Rich Bundy and special guests from 4-8 p.m. at Louie G's Pizzeria. It's a family friendly, slurp fest. 

2. New York Times bestselling author Margaret Stohl, co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series, will discuss her new novel, Icons, which tells the story of four very special teens who could be humanity's only hope after Earth is taken over by aliens at 7 p.m. inside the University Place Library. She will be joined on the YA Icons Tour with local favorite Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder and Scarlet, Leigh Bardugo, author of the Grisha Trilogy and Kimberly Derting, author of the Body Finder novels.

3. The Oly Mountain Boys will perform at 8 p.m. inside the historic Spar Cafe in Olympia. The band proclaims its mission is to "reinvigorate the bluegrass genre by bringing the original bluegrass sound of the 1950s to a new generation of fans." We believe them, especially after taking a listen to the passion guitarist Chris Rutledge, mandolin player Derek McSwain, banjo player Tye Menser, bassist Phil Post and fiddle player Josh Grice get down with.

4. You could learn swing's Africanist cousin, blues dancing, at 9 p.m. inside the Olympia Eagles Ballroom. Blues dancing derives from the so-called "Black vernacular" of Southern dance styles and includes such moves as the Lindy and the irresistibly named "Funky Butt." Worst case scenario: you have two left feet but get to listen to Nina Simone.

5. The Engine House No. 9 is housed in a firehouse built in 1907 and still retains some of original firefighting artifacts. Purchased by the X Group, the force behind Asado and Masa, there's new excitement with better food, a whiskey bar, more craft beer from head brewer Shane Johns and a shuffleboard in the side room. Rev. Colin hosts karaoke two nights a week, including tonight at 9 p.m. He possesses a wealth of oddball musical knowledge and a disarming ease for calling everyone "baby."

LINK: Thursday, May 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, MAY 7 2013 >>>

1. For those green-thumb-challenged folk who haven't quite got growing seasons down, the 6th Ave Farmers Market opens today at 3:30 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.

2. The Grand Cinema continues its Tuesday Film Series with screenings of The Silence, the story of 13-year-old Sinikka who vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past.See it at 1:40 and 6:55 p.m.

3. Sidney Rittenberg toured China during WWII, witnessed the birth of the People's Republic of China, got to know the Republic's founding fathers, and subsequently spent 16 years in solitary confinement. His documentary, The Revolutionary, screens at 3 p.m. in Tacoma Community College's Building 2 Auditorium, followed by a presentation at 4:30.

4. "My father's mother, Abuela Evila, liked to scare us with stories of La Llorona, the weeping woman who roams the canal and steals children away. She would say that if we didn't behave, La Llorona would take us far away where we would never see our parents again.My other grandmother, Abuelita Chinta, would tell us not to be afraid of La Llorona: that if we prayed, God, La Virgen and the saints would protect us from her. Neither of my grandmothers told us that there is something more powerful than La Llorona - a power that takes away parents, not children. It is called the United States." ... So begins the prologue of The Distance Between Us, as Reyna Grande, a 4-year-old with a fractured heart, says goodbye to her mother in Iguala, Mexico. Tonight, author Grande will discusses her immigration memoir, The Distance Between Us, at 7 p.m.inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in Downtown Tacoma.

5. On any night of the week at 9 p.m., one can meander past the main bar in Olympia's China Clipper Club Cafe, to the back room where a disco ball, stage, stellar PA system, extensive song list, savvy DJ and lively, often tipsy, crowd scribbles on tiny, colorful paper then waits ... for Clipper Karaoke.

LINK: Tuesday, May 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area