THURSDAY, JULY 31 2014 >>>

1. You know who looks great for her age? Washington. Yeah, I said it: Washington. For 125; are you kidding me? This state doesn't look a day over 80! At 6 p.m., three experts in what it means to be a Washingtonian musician will come together for a brisk, metaphorical slide show at the State Capital Museum Coach House. Lois Maffeo is an Olympia musician and writer who's been a theater manager for the Olympia Film Society and served on the Olympia Arts Council. She'll be joined by Calvin Johnson, who moved on from adolescent volunteer work at KAOS-FM to founding media outlet K Records in 1982, and by Sub Pop co-founder Bruce Pavitt. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on the 25 Years of Music in Washington lecture in the Music and Culture section.

2. Three beer-tasting events in the South Sound tonight. The pFriem Family Brewers out of Hood River, Ore., celebrate their first anniversary with kegs of Rye Lager, Dunkel and their IPA at Pint Defiance from 5-7 p.m. Per Pint Defiance, expect a bitchin' raffle. The Topside Bar & Grill in Steilacoom hosts Alaskan Brewing Co. beginning at 6 p.m. Expect four Alaskan beers on tap including Icy Bay IPA, a food pairing, giveaways and prizes until 9 p.m. The Puyallup River Alehouse is going old school, pouring Rainier, Olympia and Pabst Blue Ribbon for $2.50 each. The downtown Puyallup's gathering spot will host its first Cornhole competition during the Throwback Thursday from 6-9 p.m. 

The Garden-Raided Bounty farm, or GRuB, hosts a carnival from 6-9 p.m. featuring games, vaudeville entertainers, raffles, min-auction, food vendors, local artisans dunk tank and more.

3. Lakewold Gardens, the 10-acre estate with its carefully maintained plantings, will host the some of the Northwest's finest classical musicians when the Second City Chamber Series presents "Berlin and Brazil in Tacoma" (Lakewood?), featuring pianist Jairo Geronymo performing works from his native Brazil and new home Germany with violinist Svend Ronning and cellist Richard Treat at 7:30 p.m.

8. Barleywine Revue is just awesome. The band writes and performs contemporary, relevant bluegrass and Americana music while paying homage to the traditions that have come in generations before ... think Bill Monroe meets Bill Withers. Oh man, that's fresh! Catch the band at 8 p.m. in The Swiss Restaurant & Pub.

LINK: Thursday, July 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, JUNE 20 2014 >>>

1. The Grand Cinema and Tacoma Symphony Orchestra celebrate the union of film and music by teaming up to present An Evening of Cinematic Music. Narrated by Northwest Public Radio's Steve Reeder, the event features TSO's string nonet (a fancy way of saying "nine musicians") and "some of Tacoma's most popular singer-songwriters" performing selections from various iconic songs from throughout film history, such as "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music, a medley of James Bond theme songs, Breakfast at Tiffany's "Moon River" and "I Just Called To Say I Love You" from Lady In Red. All proceeds will benefit The Grand and TSO. The music kicks off at 7:30 p.m. in the Urban Grace. We can only hope they'll cover "Lethal Weapon" by Honeymoon Suite.

2. The selfie craze has hit The Gallery at the Kenneth J Minnaert Center for the Arts. Well, kinda. "Faces from the Crowd"will be on exhibit today only from 2-6 p.m. Inspired by the longstanding tradition of portraiture and the much more recent social media "selfie" craze, but with a filter focusing on positive self-image and personal empowerment. The show highlights the faces that converge on campus, and participate by creating a selfie of their own or by posting a positive comment next to someone else's picture. Think social media in person.

3. Hotel Murano kicks off summer with a golf themed party from 4-7 p.m. Locals are invited to "Swing Into Summer" with a miniature golf course in the hotel plus test new summer drinks. Expect raffle prizes.

4. The last-minute firings, hirings, and general histrionics behind Gone With the Wind are legendary among film buffs. It's this last angle that's the primary concern of Tacoma Little Theatre's Moonlight and Magnolias, a comedic romp about the monumental difficulties of making Margaret Mitchell's humongous best-seller into a decent film. Read Christian Carvajal's review of Moonlight and Magnolias in the Music & Culture section, then catch the show at 7:30 p.m.

5. Luke Short, the mind behind Egg Plant, is too laid back of a person to really make much of a thing about his Tacoma homecoming. It's been four years since I've written about Egg Plant, as the band had made its home in Portland shortly before then. While Short had made Tacoma his home, he went south to complete his music project. Also, in 2010, I interviewed The Thermals. Both bands are performing in Tacoma this weekend, four years since last we contacted, but Egg Plant's show carries with it a connection that The Thermals does not, regardless of their merit as a band. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Egg Plant in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Boy and Bean, People Under the Sun and Tyson Griffin at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: Friday, June 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, JUNE 10 2014 >>>

1. More than 20 years have passed since Anita Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas' workplace sexual harassment. Conservatives then set up a smear campaign to discredit her testimony, but the national dialogue about harassment had changed. The television broadcasts sent shock waves through every office in America, bringing the issue of harassment into the open and ending the Mad Men era forever. Freida Mock documentary Anita: Speaking Truth to Power, is compelling for its first hour, as she recounts the high drama of Thomas' confirmation hearings. The second half shows Hill being applauded at lecterns. So strange to think there are now generations who don't know the name Anita Hill or understand her importance in history, which makes the documentary important. Catch it at 2:10 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

2. Westside Olympia is happening, but that's not news to those who live up on the hill. If you want proof, drop by the Tuesday West Olympia Farmers Market from 4-7 p.m. In addition to an awesome selection of local vendors, this season features live music, raffles and special events. Drop by for fresh produce, baked goods, pastured poultry and meats, flowers, veggie starts and crafts.

3. Commencement Bay Haiku will meet at King's Books to read haiku or one page of haibun (prose with haiku), as well as discuss various aspects of haiku, haibun, or haiga (a painting, sketch or photo with haiku). It's not easy to convert the innards of your soul into scrawled words on paper and then wax rhapsodic as judging eyes stare at you. You have our permission to use this haiku at King's: "At the tractor pull / We shared super nachos, Coors / Belched each others' names."

4. The Pierce College Concert Band presents "A Little Bit of Americana" spring concert including students Aaron Petit on "Rhapsody in Blue" and trumpeter Tyler Rasmussen on "Danse Napolitaine" at 7:30 p.m. at the Pierce College Puyallup campus.

5. Teeph, Joseph, Enumclaw, Mad Mardigan and Amigos On Speed will rock Half Pint Pizza Pub at 8 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, June 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, MAY 23 2014 >>>

1. Kevin Seconds has never been a slave to expectations, even as his immensely influential band, 7 Seconds, helped to foster the West Coast hardcore scene in the early '80s. Today, Seconds is on his own as an acoustic singer-songwriter. Extricated from the context of the hardcore frontman, Seconds blossomed as both a writer and a performer. The man always possessed one of the best voices in punk, but his true range was given the spotlight once everything else was stripped away. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Kevin Seconds in the Music & Culture section, then catch Seconds with Erica Freas, Secret Abilities and Sullivan Street for an all-ages show at Northern.

2. Visitors to Museum of Glass, as well as viewers around the world, will have the unique opportunity to watch the first-ever live filming of the museum's new web series, The Hot Shop Live Show, from noon to 1 p.m. Hosted by Hot Shop Emcee Greg Owen and Visiting Artist Coordinator Katie Phelps, visitors will watch artist Preston Singletary work in the Hot Shop and learn more about the inspiration for his upcoming exhibition Raven and the Box of Daylight. 

3. The TCC Orchestra welcomes pianist Dr. Amy Grinsteiner as the featured soloist for our final concert of the 2013-14 academic year at 7:30 p.m. in Building 2 Auditorium. Expect to hear "Air for Strings" by Delo Joio, "Piano Concerto No. 9" by Mozart and "Symphony in d minor" by Frank. Grinsteiner has received every honor on the planet.

4. David Mamet's 1975 A Life in the Theatre is about two actors - one a seasoned veteran, the other a professional novice. They seem to have a growing friendship based on collaboration and mutual respect. But this is Mamet; other things, such as reputation and ambition, soon roil the waters, and Working Class Theater NW will shine a light on them. As part of Spaceworks Tacoma, the theater company will stage the petty skirmishes, eggshell egos and dying nobility on the third floor courtroom of the Old Post Office in downtown Tacoma at 8 p.m.

5. The Kim Archer Duo performs an all-ages show at 8 p.m. at the B Sharp Coffee House in Tacoma.

LINK: Friday, May 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MAY 11 2014 >>>

1. It all starts with those peepers, of course, sometimes flirty, sometimes intense, but always aware, of the cameras, of the crowds, of the cool. Ol' Blue Eyes, a singin' joe with the world on a ring-a-ding string. Sinatra made his way, like a figure out of a 19th century novel, from the rough Italian neighborhoods of Depression-era Hoboken to the heights of musical popularity in wartime New York, crashed and then recreated himself in 1950s and '60s Hollywood and Las Vegas. It's those Vegas shows Joey Jewell will recreate with Jim Kerl's Swingin' 60's Orchestra at 6:30 p.m. in Jazzbones. Well, maybe not an exact replica of those times. Jazzbones' hat-check girls shouldn't need to be on alert.

2. CycloFemme is a global women's cycling day created to honor the past and the emancipation of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, for the freedom to choose and the chance to wear pants. To celebrate the present, Tacoma's VeloFemmes invites women to join them for a ride around Tacoma, beginning at noon at The Spar in Old Town Tacoma.

3. We promise you, no animals were harmed in Olympia Little Theatre's production of playwright Lauren Gunderson's Exit, Pursued by a Bear. The prey in this story is Kyle Carter, a short-tempered redneck who may or may not have beaten his wife, Nan. On a quest for revenge and emancipation, she recruits the help of a stripper/wannabe actor named Sweetheart (stage name "Peaches," which isn't much better) and Simon, her gay best friend, who arrives in a cheerleader's uniform. Nan's plan is to stage a reenactment of key moments with Kyle, then douse him in honey and open the door wide to Ursus americanus floridanus, a 300-pound Florida black bear. Read Christian Carvajal's full review of Exit, Pursued By A Bear in the Music & Culture section, then catch the show at 1:55 p.m.

4. The Five Changes (Wu Xing) are the five material elements of the traditional Chinese Daoist world, and the transformations that turn each into the other through natural processes over time.  At 3 p.m., "The Five Changes" will be performed by the Pacific Lutheran University Percussion and Wind Ensemble in Lagerquist Concert Hall.

5. Jubal Flagg hosts Comics Eating Brownies at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Five comics will perform, then eat a brownie, and perform again.

LINK: Sunday, May 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, APRIL 29 2014 >>>

1. Thursday marks the beginning of National Bike Month. In Tacoma and Pierce County, employees are encouraged to do lots of bike stuff, and ride their bicycles to work.  According to commute co-op Pierce Trips, if you live within five miles of your workplace, biking may not be as hard as you think. With gas hitting $3.75 a gallon, we thinks Bike to Work Month is gonna be crackin' this year. Planning to organize a Tacoma-Pierce County Bike Commuter Challenge Team? Enjoy food and drink specials while picking up special Captain's Packet with Bike Month incentives to help you and your team get in gear from 5-7 p.m. at the Harmon Tap Room.

2. Sure, you know about cow-tipping and daffodils ... but what do you really know about Sumner? Carmen Palmer and Paul Rogerson will share the histories and stories of Sumner at 6 p.m. in the Sumner Pierce County Library. They will discuss their book, Sumner, a new volume in the award-winning local history series, Images of America.

3. "Now Wally, I want you to go in the living room and pick up those orange peels that you left on the coffee table. If your father comes home and sees them he'll be in a terrible mood all through dinner and won't let you and The Beaves rock the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m." - June Cleaver

4. Not that anyone needs another excuse to eat tacos, but Southbay Dickerson's BBQ in Olympia has declared Tuesday the day of the taco. And while barbecue and tacos may not sound harmonious on the surface, the principle behind "low and slow" cooking crosses any border. These hybrid tacos come with slow-cooked pork shoulder or smoked chicken for $1.50 a piece. To take Taco Tuesday to the next level, Southbay invites the Don Cohen Jazz Quartet to fill its Pig Bar with jazz at 8 p.m. Five dollar margaritas just make the night crazy delicious.

5. Pacific Lutheran University Singers and Men's Chorus under the direction of Brian Galante and Nathan Frank perform at 8 p.m. in Lagerquist Concert Hall.

LINK: Tuesday, April 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

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

THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 >>>

1. For most musicians the worlds of classical and modern music move in different orbits, if not galaxies. But when he sits down Thursday at the piano in the Rialto Theater, Christopher O'Riley should, once again, bring these spheres together. American pianist O'Riley has been sneaking Radiohead into the classical music world for years. As host of NPR's child-musician showcase From the Top, he gets to pick the music that gets played during station breaks. Rather than Mendelssohn preludes, O'Riley would draw up piano transcriptions of pop songs, which he'd then play without preannouncing. O'Riley will tape From the Top in front of a live audience at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater. If they haven't listen to anything written since 1900, he most likely will mess with their heads.

2. More than 50 establishments will be participating in Dining Out for Life today. During this large scale culinary fundraiser 25 percent of your bill will go directly to fund AIDS and HIV advocacy care and prevention programs. All types of cuisine are available from the rise of the sun until that late night nibble in the South Sound. Check out full details and a list of participating restaurants at diningoutforlife.com.   

3. Say friend. Do you like the poetry? Tacoma Poet Laureate Lucas Smiraldo is back at B Sharp Coffee House for another "Live at the Auricle" show. Spoken word will be fused with the musical styling of percussion master Davidson Gomez beginning at 7 p.m. An open mic will follow.

4. Barleywine Revue is just awesome. The band writes and performs contemporary, relevant bluegrass and Americana music while paying homage to the traditions that have come in generations before ... think Bill Monroe meets Bill Withers. Oh man, that's fresh! Catch the band from 7-10 p.m. at The Swiss Restaurant & Pub.

5. Formed by Dustin Hill, Black Pussy is a band that leans into the stoner rock label, despite the fact that listening to their music doesn't instantly evoke images of smoke sessions and unbearable jams. Rather, their sound and look is absolutely reminiscent of the '70s and the nascent birth of cock rock, back when cock rock was essentially still just synonymous with rock 'n' roll. They come across like the fictional band at the center of Almost Famous - all long hair, denim, booze, and groupies for days, a band lost in time. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Black Pussy in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. 

LINK: Thursday, April 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, APRIL 15 2014 >>>

1. One of India's renowned music masters, sarod virtuoso Rajeev Taranath, brings a rare performance of classical South Asian music to University of Puget Sound at 7:30 p.m. in Rausch Auditorium. Accompanied by Vikas Yendluri on the tabla, the duo will perform ragas - intricate forms of colorfully improvised melodies and rhythms, which have drawn accolades on their many international tours.  

2. The Saint Martin's University Music Program's final Music @ 11 series ends with internationally recognized pianist Stephen Moore, Ph. D., and his thoughts on the Emile Jaques-Dalcroze approach to music. Moore will perform a piano recital, "Carnival in Venice," as well as conduct a master class on the Dalcroze approach at the appropriate time of 11 a.m. in Kreilsheimer Hall.

3. JobFest, the largest young adult job fair in Washington for job seekers age 16 to 24, will be held from 2-5 p.m. at the STAR Center in Tacoma. 

4. The 4th Annual TCC Diversity Film Festival rolls on with Purgatorio, in which director Rodrigo Reyes likens the U.S./Mexico border to a terrestrial version of the purgatory envisioned by Dante Alighieri. It's an apt comparison; both the border and Dante's supernatural way station serve as punishment-filled waiting rooms for wandering souls struggling toward a final destination. Catch it at 2 and 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

5. Hot Hoodoo, The Falsies and Red Red Red will rock Olympia's all-ages Northern at 8 p.m.

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

FRIDAY, APRIL 11 2014 >>>

1. If someone asks, "How are you?" and you smile warmly and say, "I feel great and life is amazing," something is clearly wrong with you and you should be shunned. We mean, obviously. Life is one giant death-defying chase. Don't believe us? Catch six, thrilling real-life stories from local people who found themselves in a chase: on rollerblades, with government officials, after a murder suspect, for sexiness, for a reason to live and as fast as the speed of sound. It's called Drunken Telegraph, and the chase begins at 7:30 p.m. in Broadway Center's Studio III. Got a chase story? After the main-stage performers, audience members can take their own turn sharing stories on the spot during the "Story Slam." Do tell.

OK, if you are going to have nine bands play a show, it's awesome to start at 4:30 in the afternoon, and it's awesome to make it all ages. So, there's that going for Captain Jack Fest '14. The other thing going is it's at The Midnight Sun, which is going through some changes. But, perhaps, the most important thing is the line-up totally rules. Do I write about our 2014 Best of Olympia Best New Band winner Fruit Juice and their poppy, fantastic dance vibe? Do we write about Mosquito Hawk's sexy, tight, space-themed rock? Or do we write about Captain Algebra's punk/metal, Karp-esque skills? Man, Olympia rules.

Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly, when performed well, fulfills all of the promise of what opera can be. It is a perfect story of innocent love and betrayal. Cio-Cio-San - Butterfly's Japanese name - is one of the best-developed and most sympathetic characters in the operatic repertoire.  And the music that envelops this touching tale is rich with melody and orchestration. Opera lovers look forward to seeing it time and time again, and many a novice has come to love opera through Butterfly.  Experience Tacoma Opera's version at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

Pacific Lutheran University's Dance Concert 2014 is a repertory dance concert comprised of dances created by PLU student choreographers, PLU's Dance Team, and two works of professional choreography by Director Paula J. Peters and guest choreographer Mary Reardon. A variety of choreographic works featuring upbeat rhythms, strong and succinct movements, and elegant sophistication revealed through serious and comical pieces will hit Eastvold Auditorium's stage at 7:30 p.m.

5. The Portland Cello Project and Stephanie Anne Johnson - who enjoyed an extended run on NBC's "The Voice - will perform at 8 p.m. in the Blue Mouse Theater. 

LINK: Friday, April 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area