MONDAY, AUG. 11 2014 >>>

1. The Olympic Flight Museum will host the B-25 "Maid In The Shade" Aug. 11-18, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The B-25 Mitchell was made famous by the Doolittle Raiders, when 16 of these medium bombers took off the deck of the USS Hornet and bombed Tokyo just four months after Pearl Harbor.  The B-25 served in both theaters of war in many roles from bomber to transport.  After the war, it continued service best known for its role as a fire bomber.  The aircraft will be on display for the public, offering cockpit tours and rides.

2. Author and mountaineer David Stevenson will talk about his new collection of short stories, Letters from Chamonix, at 7 p.m. in Orca Books. Mountain climbers and story lovers should get a kick out of the chat.

3. Guitarist, harpist and singer Brian Lee has led popular Northwest bands Brian Lee Trio, Streamliner, and Brian Lee & the Orbiters for many years. These musician's musicians have mantle full of awards, playing originals and cover. The Brian Lee Trio pops in at 8 p.m. for Blues Night at The Swiss Restaurant and Pub.

4. Dennis Hastings will retake the stage at Rhythm and Rye for another great night of vocal jazz. With David Joyner on piano, Osama Affifi on bass and Steven Bentley on drums, Dennis' group will perform a wide variety of jazz and blues standards, including arrangements from his upcoming album. The show begins at 8 p.m.

5. Daniel and the Lion, a six-piece band currently on tour with the Counting Crows, will bring their pop-rock sound and soulful lyrics to Olympia's Capitol Theater for an 8 p.m. concert benefiting the Olympia Artspace Alliance, a local nonprofit.

LINK: Monday, Aug. 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, JULY 28 2014 >>>

1. Tacoma has a few Irish traditions. One of them is going to Doyle's Public House on St. Patrick's Day and being part of a party so huge that anyone can incidentally wander (stagger?) into St. Helens Avenue and block it like a giant amoeba without having to worry about being arrested or asked to please step aside. Hopefully, here's a new tradition. David McDonnell, author of ClanDonnell, the epic story of Ireland told through the lives of the McDonnell clan and their descendants, will discuss his family history at 7 p.m. in King's Books. Because the first McDonnells were mercenaries called to service in all corners of Ireland, the clan's history is intertwined with the history of the entire island. Immediately following the talk, the group will wander (not stagger) next door for storytelling at Doyle's.

2. A visit to Bill Colby's latest exhibition at The Gallery at Tacoma Community College is like a trip to the beach. The gallery is filled with - by my cursory count - 44 bright paintings dominated by clear blue water and clear blue sky complemented by rocks of bright orange. It's a feast for the eyes, restful and joyous. "The joy of nature is within all of us and in my art work," said Colby in his artist's statement. "'Water and Rocks' has been an evolving theme from 1956 to the present." Read Alec Clayton's full review of Bill Colby's "Water And Rocks: A Journey" in the Music and Culture section, then see the show from noon to 5 p.m.

3. A Most Wanted Man is a taut, tense spy thriller, a fitting swan song for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and a poignant reminder of why he was a most wanted man in Tinseltown. Read Jared Lovrak's review of the film here, then catch it at The Grand Cinema at 1:10, 3:45, 6:20 and 9 p.m.

4. Flamenco dancer and Seattle native Savannah Fuentes presents La Luna Nueva, a presentation of Spanish flamenco music and dance featuring special guest artist, direct from Spain, world renowned flamenco singer Jose Anillo in The New Frontier Lounge at 8 p.m.

5. Podunk Funk will combine elements of jazz, rock, Bluegrass, classical, fun, and many other influences to produce a "jazz-grass and psycho-grass" sound in Rhythm and Rye in downtown Olympia at 8 p.m. 

LINK: Monday, July 28 arts and entertainment event sin the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, JULY 15 2014 >>>

1. The World Cup is over, which most likely eliminates crazy dudes wearing soccer ball hats screaming weirdness at Doyle's Public House, the home of Tacoma's Banned Book Club. The book club will be able to chat about books shunned by uptight people without having beer spilled on them. At 7 p.m., Suzanne Collins' book Catching Fire has the spotlight. Yup, Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen in this second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. We imagine kids killing kids could be the reason why some folks have banned this book. 

2. When it comes to documentaries, it's nothing short of the Wild West out there. There are just so many, from theatrical to television to stuff that just shows up on Netflix or Hulu one day in your recommended list. And while we're a bit perturbed Pink Hearts! Yellow Moons! Orange Stars! Green Clovers! White Toe Tags! didn't make this year's list, The Grand Cinema does have quite the Documentary Week going. Check out today's screenings here.

3. This past weekend Tacoma's gay community hits the street and celebrated its identity. But thanks to the The Grand Cinema, some of that out-and-proud celebration will take place indoors. The Tacoma Pride Film Series kicks continues today at 2 and 7 p.m. with Appropriate Behavior, the story ofShirin who is struggling to become an ideal Persian daughter, politically correct bisexual and hip young Brooklynite but fails miserably in her attempt at all identities. Being without a cliché to hold onto can be a lonely experience.

4. 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."

5. Olympia's all-ages venue Northern hosts the Brightside CD release show at 8 p.m. with The Dirty Nil and Noise Brigade opening. The Olympia indie rock band Brightside will showcase Common Decency. 

LINK: Tuesday, July 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, JULY 14 2014 >>>

1. Seth Freeman has played the guitar since the age of 4. He has spent time in both the city and the mountains of Arkansas, in the heart of the South in a large, and very musical, family.  When you hear Freeman play guitar, you quickly realize these are not the same old licks. At 23, he opened for Jonny Lang, Wes Jeans, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Damon Fowler and Devon Allman. Today, he spends most of his time on the road, gigging with Chris Duarte, Wes Jeans, Damon Fowler, Michael Burks, Lance Lopez and Jeff Lang, when not fronting his own band, which brings its driving blues, Ozark Mountain bluegrass and sweet tender ballads to The Swiss for the second time this year, this time for Monday Night Blues at 8 p.m.

2. When you read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, does the book provide a secret passageway to Narnia? Flipping through Chitty Chitty Bang Bang does it frustrate you the car can't fly? Pop-up books are endlessly fascinating. Being able to conjure up a three-dimensional world just by pulling a tab never gets old. Also cool are handmade bookbindings where a simple blank journal can become an elaborately illustrated storybook complete with 19th century photographs, old quilts, cereal boxes and vintage record albums. In conjunction with The Puget Sound Book Artists "4th Annual Member's Exhibition," the group presents the panel discussion "The Artist's Vision: From Idea to Completion." From 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Collins Memorial Library, Suzanne Moore, distinguished calligrapher and book artist, will ask Pat Chupa, Lucia Harrison, Mari Gower and MalPina Chan to explain their complete artistic process.

3. This past weekend Tacoma's gay community hits the street and celebrated its identity. But thanks to the The Grand Cinema, some of that out-and-proud celebration will take place indoors. The Tacoma Pride Film Series kicks off today at 2 and 7 p.m. with Lilting, the story of a mother's attempt to understand her son after his untimely death. Her world is suddenly disrupted by the presence of his lover. Together, they attempt to overcome their grief while struggling with not sharing a language.

4. L.A. dark psych-country band The Abigails will perform their stoney slow jams off their new album, Tundra, at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Garage rock duo Pecos opens.

5. Improvisational rock group Ground Score Willie will take you on an "unpredictable ride through danceable grooves, dirty riffs, ambient sweetness, lyrical gems, sparkling harmonies, and daring loop-a-whirls that may result in motion sickness, possibly dry heaves (although we take no responsibility as we DID warn you not to drink the whole bottle)" at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Monday, July 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

For several years, Mexican auteur Guillermo Del Toro has been working his way through the Hollywood studio system, and has been mostly successful in bringing his unique, artfully grotesque vision to the likes of the Hellboy franchise and Pacific Rim. Still, the purest expression of Del Toro's style is perfectly distilled in Pan's Labyrinth, a beautifully visceral spin on fairy tales. It is this form, presumably, that Del Toro has been struggling for years to bring to his proposed adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's novella, At the Mountains of Madness.

It's almost a foregone conclusion that Del Toro and Lovecraft are a match made in heaven, with their shared love of insanity-inducing god-monsters. But, the filmmaker has yet to realize this adaptation, thanks to Universal refusing to grant him the R-rated cut that he desired. Recently, however, Del Toro has admitted to the Wall Street Journal that he would be willing to give a PG-13 Madness a shot. While the outcome is still up in the air, Lovecraft fans should breathe a sigh of relief that Del Toro is back at the helm.

Personally, I'll never forgive the Del Toro for backing out of The Hobbit - thus extending our inexorable exposure to Peter Jackson - but I'm willing to let him win me back with a flurry of tentacles and psychotic destruction.

YOU KNOW I FEEL ALRIGHT: The Fab Four in A Hard Day's Night

Roger Ebert summed it up just about perfectly when he said that A Hard Day's Night was "one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies." In terms of pure joy, nothing quite matches up to the Beatles' film debut. For any unfortunate souls who have yet to see this classic, it's so much more than a vanity project for a band that attracted hordes of screaming girls.

While there's a requisite amount of fast-motion goofing off, there's also plenty of delightfully dense dialogue and clever wordplay. One scene, in particular, stands out to me: John Lennon is backstage at some sort of show, when he runs into a woman who seems to recognize him. "Are you ..." she starts, before Lennon tells her no. Back and forth they go, with neither saying who the other one is talking about, in a bit that borders on Abbott and Costello level comedic timing.

A Hard Day's Night is a must-see, especially if you have the opportunity to catch it on a big screen, which you now have.

A HARD DAY'S NIGHT, 1 p.m. Friday July 11 and Sunday, July 13 and 7 p.m. Thursday July 17, The Grand Cinema, 606 S, Fawcett, Tacoma, $5-$9.50, 253.593.4474

WEDNESDAY, JULY 9 2014 >>>

1. Author Marc Hinton visits the Washington State History Museum to share the history of cuisine in the Northwest - from the time of the mastodon to the molecular gastronomic revolution of today. Hear how chefs have used our region's bounty to create our local cuisine and how winemakers and brewers have carved out their own traditions in Oregon and Washington. Expect to taste samples from Hinton's book, A History of Pacific Northwest Cuisine: Mastodons to Molecular Gastronomy, beginning at 11 a.m.

2. The Berry Festival is a summertime tradition at Pacific Lutheran University; each monthly lunchtime concert focuses on one delicious berry and features summery desserts and free live music and entertainment. From 11:30 to 1 p.m., raspberries will be the focus with live music by the Funaddicts, in PLU's Red Square.

3. The South Sound's popular young adult author Marissa Meyer will hang at the Puyallup Public Library at 6 p.m. as part of the library's summer reading program. She'll discuss her Lunar Chronicles, a book series of futuristic fairy tales made up of Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress.

4. The 35th season of Music in the Park opens with a rousing performance from a crowd favorite - the 133rd Army Band from 7-8 p.m. in downtown Olympia's Sylvester Park.

5. The Something Wicked improvisational comedy troupe presents an evening of ad-libbed shenanigans, performing a movie to your specifications. It's called Double-Double Feature; and if you can imagine it, they can bring it to life before your very eyes. They'll even throw in a couple of jokes at no additional charge. But wait. Now you have to think of something original? On the spot? Making movies is haaard! Check it out at 8 p.m. inside Harlequin Productions' home.

LINK: Wednesday, July 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, JULY 8 2014 >>>

1. I remember the day when my junior high buddies and I finished our weekly Wednesday of all-you-can-eat Pizza Haven feast then strolled into the Villa Plaza to check out girls inside the Liberty House store. Suddenly girls took a back seat when sitting in the middle of the store was the debut of Pong. The store manager had to kick us out. Today, video-game competitions are serious business, with tens of thousands of dollars in prize money at stake, sponsorship deals and all the other trappings of a big-league sport. But there was a time when video games were much simpler - and probably a lot more fun, too. The Tacoma Public Library wants my generation to relive those good times. It's hosting a Retro Video Gaming for Grownups night from 5-7 p.m., erecting Atari, Nintendo Entertainment System, PS1 and Gamecube systems. Who's up for some Missile Command? Oh joystick! 

2. Jessica Oreck's documentary Aatsinki: The Story of Artic Cowboys chronicles a year-in-the-life of Finnish reindeer herder brothers Aarne and Lasse Aatsinki's rugged existence. Hear sounds of crackling flames, the insistent rasp of wind against her microphone and the hum of a generator at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

3. Join author Novella Carpenter for a reading from her latest book, Gone Feral, at 6 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. After writing the national best seller, Farm City, Carpenter has turned to write a more personal book about her family. The book documents her quest to find her missing mountain man father. Novella was raised in Shelton, and currently lives in Oakland, Calif. 

4. This may be a bit weird, but our favorite smell in the world is polyester ink. The strong odor makes us weak in the knees, which is why we are pumped for Last Word Books' poetry reading at 7 p.m. Last Word moved to 111 Cherry Street NE in Olympia, sharing a building with local screen printing company Don't Stop Printing. Sure, our ears will be tuned to poets Adam Hassel, Paul Elliott, Craig Harrison, Cleo Divine and Tess Elizabeth, but our noses will be wandering.

5. The Doors tribute band The American Night hits the Red Wind Casino's stage at 8 p.m. Strange days have found us.

LINK: Tuesday, July 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, JULY 7 2014 >>>

1. San Francisco duo Callow are inordinately preoccupied with mood. Everything they do is measured and drawn out, lending unbearable proportions of tension to every song they make. Composed of Red Moses on guitar and Sami Knowles on drums and keyboard, with both singing, Callow describe their music as "ghost western," which is about as apt as anything. While stopping just short of slowcore - that aching subgenre aimed at fetishists of melancholy - there is certainly no shortage of doom and gloom at work, here. The minimalism of the compositions highlights every sudden shriek or guitar stab, giving their songs the feel of a good, slow-burn horror movie. Catch Callow at 8 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. According to Kitsap CollaBEERation hype, the week of brewery pairings will "showcase the community spirit in liquid form. Kitsap Peninsula breweries were paired up two by two to create special collaborative beers. The breweries will then showcase the creations each day of the week leading up to the Bremerton Summer BeerFest. A limited amount will be available at the Fest as well at each brewery's booth." Today, Sound Brewery taproom and 7 Seas Brewing taproom feature their Crossover Cask collaboration.

3. Speaking of 7 Seas Brewing, five days before it throws its five-year anniversary bash, Gig Harbor's 7 Seas Brewing will take over the ParkWay Tavern's taps, beginning at 5 p.m.

4. Online Tacoma magazine Post Defiance wants you to SHUT IT in the Hotel Murano's lobby. Grab a book and read in silence from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Turn off the cellphone!

5. Guitarist Steve Cooley grew up in Chico, Calif., making a name for himself in the Cream-influenced band Gunge in 1967. The trippy band with blues riffs opened for the Grateful Dead at a Chico fairgrounds in November of 1968. Although Gunge was short lived, Cooley went on to share the stage with such notables as  Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Robert Cray, Little Charlie and the Nightcats and Tower of Power. After relocating to Tacoma in 1991, he formed the Steve Cooley Blues Bands, which turned heads and landed them a nomination for Best New Blues Band from the Washington Blues Society in 1995. Today, Cooley leads the blues band The Dangerfields, which includes popular keyboardist Johnny Burgess, Rich Nesbitt on bass and Tom Williams on drums. Catch the band at The Swiss' Monday blues night at 8 p.m. 

LINK: Monday, July 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 2014 >>>

1. You can't profess to love hip-hop without having, at the least, a passing appreciation for the foundation. You don't get Outkast or Dr. Dre without EPMD. There's no Jay Z without Rakim. The Geto Boys helped open up the South. Afrika Bambaataa, The Rock Steady Crew, Grandmaster flash, Kurtis Blow, Fab 5 Freddy, Public Enemy ... it's not just nostalgia; it's a history lesson you can't miss when DJ Fir$t Lady spins your favorite old school hip-hop, plus other eclectic and funky dance tunes Wednesday beginning at The Brotherhood Lounge's Summer Dance Party. Fir$t Lady will do all the heavy lifting for you so all that's left to be done is to fetch that headband out of the dryer and go freak out. Bonus: Twenty-five percent of the night's sales go to Planned Parenthood. It kicks off at 9 p.m.

2. Remember before the Internet when the only way to discover the local underground punk rock scene, slow food, yurt-builders, Kierkegaard or Shannon Doherty was to read bits of typed paper from someone pulling an all-nighter at Kinko's? Today, it's called Tumblr. Yet oddly enough, old school zines are experiencing a renaissance. How do people who've never existed in a world without the web create these handmade textures to express their unfettered opinions? In celebration of International Zine Month in July, the Lakewood Library will host several zine workshops throughout the month, the first one coming together from 6-8 p.m. Express your opinion between two staples! 

3. There will be an Elvis sighting tonight in Steilacoom when Danny Vernon's Illusions Of Elvis enters Pioneer Park at 6:30 p.m. The show is free. 

4. Here's a reason to toast: Scientists say drinking three glasses of Champagne per week helps stave off brain disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. So head to Abby's on Broadway Bistro and Wine Bar from 5-7:30 p.m. for a bubbles tasting. Fill your brain with Veuve Ambal Blanc de Blanc Brut, Veuve Ambal Brut Rose, Veuve Ambal Cremant de Bourgogne Brut and Veuve Ambal Rose Cremant de Bourgogne Brut.

5. It's the first Wednesday of the month, which means Maurice the Fish Records will take over Jazzbones tonight. The monthly all-ages event showcases some of the best the Pacific Northwest talent, including established musicians as well as young up-and-comers. At 8 p.m., Brooke Lizotte, Strangely Alright and Torre take the stage.

LINK: Wednesday, July 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JUNE 26 2014 >>>

1. Like the residents of Yelm, Washington, United States of America, we're super-psyched for the big and annual "Yelm Prairie Days Parade" which strolls down Yelm Avenue at 7 p.m. and has all the great parade stuff, marching bands, drill teams, fire trucks, old cars, various community organizations, girls wearing white gloves, Joint Base Lewis-McChord represent, farm animals, open-topped cars with like "Miss Yelm" and "Jr. Miss Yelm" and stuff like that, marching-band people carrying bigass drums and horns and whatever, and, of course, nutty guys with the tiny cars The parade kicks off Yelm Prairie Days, which runs through the weekend at Yelm City Park.

2. When the weather starts to turn warm, there's nothing we love more than to spend a night with a great book and spicy stir-fried fiddleheads with chile paste, sesame oil and walnuts. OK, maybe we also enjoy a little company, but where to find someone with the same weaknesses? Consider heading to The Commons at Fertile Ground at 6 p.m. for the Olympia Food Co-op's new Read and Eat book and potluck club. This week, the book they will discuss is Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer, Novella Carpenter's story of her move to an Oakland, Calif., neighborhood plagued by gang violence and her decision, despite the circumstances, to dive headfirst into urban farming.

3. The Copper Door in Tacoma's Stadium District hosts Double Mountain Brewer's Night featuring the release of the Hood River brewery's Cluster Single-Hop IPA with pineapple and orange flavors, dewy herbal character and a lovely floral note at the top. Also expect the Homestead, Rusty Zipper and free swag beginning at 6 p.m.

4. Tacoma poet Luke Smiraldo presents another Live at the Auricle performance, this time experimenting with word and sound and a loop machine at 7 p.m. in the B Sharp Coffee House. Smiraldo will create an instant collaboration of accapella voice, song and rhythm. Drunken Telegraph winner and Moth second place finisher Jim Kopriva will anchor the second set with a story linked to the loop theme.

5. Hailing from The Rose City, Landon Wordswell combines enthusiasm with sharp craft and delivery on the microphone. Billed as Wordswell's "Return To Olympia," and joined by his homie Mo Stafa, they picked Jezebels Bar and Grill for their return, with a flock of local openers including Dr. Roks, Syncopated Knock, Mistervits, MC Swamptiger, Soulless Kings and Krucial Bars at 8:30 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, June 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area