JAN. 23-25: GILBERT GOTTFRIED AT THE TACOMA COMEDY CLUB

Even before Gilbert Gottfried's Comedy Central roast appearances became the stuff of legend, he was always a comedian with a uniquely skewed point of view. He combined an acerbic manner with a clearly very deep affection for the structure and melody of a well-crafted joke. As evidenced in his early days doing half-hours for HBO briefly joining the cast of Saturday Night Live in those doomed '80s years, Gottfried had a talent for taking even rote gags like impressions and putting a deliberate spin on them.

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THURSDAY, JAN. 9 2014 >>>

1. Green Drinks Tacoma, known locally as Tacoma's Green Happy Hour, is a monthly forum for business owners, students, academics, entrepreneurs, and members of the public to meet, exchange ideas, and grow their level of sustainability. It's a get-together for Green people - No, not individuals from other planets, but rather those interested in the environment, conservation and sustainability. Green Drinks kicks off 2014 at 6 p.m. with an informal get-together and brief discussion lead by Tacoma Power regarding its energy conservation efforts and programs at The Office Bar & Grill.

The locavore movement is real. It's in the Oxford Dictionary. So are the words doughnut hole, red velvet cake, panko, bibimbap and affogato. The English language has never stopped and will never stop evolving. Same with the locavore movement, thanks to authors such as Whidbey Island resident Vicki Robin. Her book, Blessing the Hands That Feed Us, is loaded with practical tips on adopting your own locally-sourced diet, in a candid, humorous, and inspirational voice. Grab a hold of Robin's views and tips at 7 p.m. in Orca Books.

The Tides Tavern has been an anchor in Gig Harbor nightlife scene. If the waterfront watering hole wants to have its New Year's kickoff party on Jan. 9, who's to argue. Appropriately Gig Harbor '70s and '80s acoustic rockers The Shy Boys will be the entertainment from 7-9 p.m. Happy New Year!

4. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Now that's what we call a play. Three acts of two married couples screaming and crying into the existential void of Cold War America. Nice. Catch the pay at 8 p.m. in the Lakewood Playhouse, and pay-what-you-can.

As you read in this week's Nerd Alert! column, Rev. Adam McKinney has been following comedian Matt Braunger. "With a boisterous and animated style reminiscent of Brian Regan, Braunger has been receiving a lot of attention for the past couple years, culminating in the release of his 2012 Comedy Central special, Shovel Fighter. Coming out of a remarkably fertile scene in Chicago that also nurtured the careers of peers such as Pete Holmes, Kumail Nanjiani, T.J. Miller and Kyle Kinane, Braunger is a comedian still on the rise, and one that seems poised to keep getting better as time goes on." Catch him at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

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

JAN. 9-11: MATT BRAUNGER AT THE TACOMA COMEDY CLUB

One of the pleasures and pains of being nerdy about pop culture is that you will inevitably watch as certain people and things you love grow in popularity and visibility. Frequently, and unfortunately, the nerd will respond by then boycotting what he or she once loved ("I was there in the beginning, before they were a total sellout!" the nerd will yell, like John Lithgow telling Harry that he doesn't love him any more).

Personally, I'm always happy to see success come to things of which I'm a fan. Matt Braunger is a comedian I've been following for a while. With a boisterous and animated style reminiscent of Brian Regan, Braunger has been receiving a lot of attention for the past couple years, culminating in the release of his 2012 Comedy Central special, Shovel Fighter.

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SUNDAY, JAN. 5 2014 >>>

1. If you ever wondered what would happen if the Terminator had a love affair with Sarah Conner, then this show's for you. An offbeat comedic showdown titled "Competitive Erotic Fan Fiction" is pitting 10 comedians against each other in a battle for laughs, where they win points telling stories about steamy love affairs between popular film and television characters. Led by Bryan Cook, comedy writer for Joan Rivers' Fashion Police, the contest tasks professional comics to arrive with their own piece of erotic fan fiction on anything from Harry Potter to 60 Minutes, perform it, then quickly scribble and perform another story of the audience's choosing. A national hit on the comedy-festival circuit, the show drops in on the Tacoma Comedy Club at 8 p.m.

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SUNDAY, DEC. 29 2013 >>>

1. "The first thing I saw was my drums, although I didn't recognize them," said Tacoma musician Dean Tsapralis, also known as "Dean the Dreamweaver," after he opened his storage unit door in September. Tsapralis' life-long collection of musical instruments from around the world, along with many personal belongings, was below 9 feet of mud and water. "I was devastated," said Tsapralis. For the past three months he has worked hard to salvage what he can. This process and the consequent loss of work have left him both physically and financially drained. As Tacoma does, a benefit concert will be held at Benefit Central, also known as The Swiss, beginning at 3 p.m. featuring Dakota Bob, Tatoosh, Jerry Miller, Tim Hall, Steve Cooley, Spin Cycle and a 9 p.m. open jam.

2. The film Inside Llewyn Davis showcases a week in the life of its titular character. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is a down-and-out folk singer struggling to find fame and fortune, or maybe just earn a living, in 1961 New York. Despite enjoying a small degree of success early in his career, things aren't going well for Llewyn when we meet him. Mike (sung by Marcus Mumford), Llewyn's musical partner, committed suicide some time before the film's opening. Llewyn, unable to find solo success, is reduced to playing sleazy juke joints and couch-surfing amongst a rotating roster of friends and vague acquaintances. Catch the film at 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:25, 6:45 and 9:05 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. Make Sunday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m.

4. Let's be honest. You love The Spar. You love drinking beer. And you love rockin' blues. Do yourself a favor and check out the twangy and bluesy rock of Billy Stoops & the Rectifiers at 7 p.m. in The Spar. You love Stoops in Junkyard Jane. You love him every Thursday at the Stonegate. You just love him.

5. At 8 p.m. the Tacoma Comedy Club hosts Jay Hollingsworth's True Comedy Show. Immediately following each comedian's act, Hollingsworth will probe comics Duane Goad, Rodger Lizaola and Aaron Kirb ywith questions to reveal what's true and what's fiction in their material.

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, DEC. 27 2013 >>>

1. Longtime rhythm and blues sensation Randy Oxford Band hits the infamous Midwest Blues Highway to kick off 2014 with one really important stop along the way. The band will represent Tacoma at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis this January. It's the largest gathering of blues bands in the world and a big deal: bands had to compete locally and regionally to get the honor. Expecting more than 300 acts from around the world, IBC is five days of bluesy goodness. Add in the launch of the band's highly lauded and buzzworthy new CD, ... it feels good, and it's extra bluesy special. Before hitting the road, the band will perform at its annual Night After Christmas show at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones. Read Kim Thompson's interview with Randy Oxford in the Music & Culture section.

2. Because electronica is a style that functions effectively removed from the traditional guitar-drum-bass mold, enabling the creation and exploration of a whole new range of sounds, it becomes helpful to find distinctions: is it aggressive like drum 'n' bass and jungle, cartoonish like chiptunes and glitch, cerebral like IDM and trip-hop, or mellow like dream-pop and chillwave (which, ugh, not a fan of that word, either). Lobsana falls more on the latter end. Anna Moore is the artist behind Lobsana, a project that began back in 2011 as more or less a lark. Catch Lobsana with Field Trip and Hana and the Goose at 8 p.m. in Metronome Coffee. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Lobsana in the Music & Culture section.

3. The Tacoma Comedy Club hosts Nigel Larson at 8:30 p.m. The club would like you to put that pair of holiday footie jammies back where they belong: way waaaay back in the closet, get out of the house and laugh it up with this comedian who at one time was a single, unemployed college dropout living in his parents' basement in Rochester. Wanting to make more of himself, Larson left the safety and security of that basement for the safety and security of his grandparents' basement in Tacoma. His act is largely autobiographical, turning a lifetime of failure into consistent on-stage success with honest stories and sophisticated material.

4. You have been digging the Monday night jazz jams at The New Frontier Lounge with Nate Dybevik on keys, Cameron Arneson on bass and Peter Tietjen on drums as the core group. At 9 p.m., the trio takes it to the next level in what they like to call the Friday Night Jazz Super Jam. You will Marvel at the talent.

5. The Spider Ferns are a duo that aim to hypnotize. Made up largely of just electric guitar and bass, with no drums, there is very little to prevent you from getting lulled into their bubbling tones. Without percussion, the sounds tend to just wash over you, lively though they may sometimes get. The band performs with Elbow Coulee and Dionvox at 9:30 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Friday, Dec. 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, DEC. 20 12013 >>>

1. So the tree and the fairy lights are up, you have enough booze and unhealthy snacks to sink the Titanic, and your television is about to explode in a flurry of consumerism and romantic schmaltz. But there's something missing. That's right, folks: it just wouldn't be a happy holiday without some singing about God. And for that, there's no beating Handel's "Messiah," a piece for choir, orchestra and soloists that has delighted audiences worldwide for more than 270 years. As 18th-century music historian Charles Burney once said, "Messiah" has fed the hungry and clothed the naked, fostered the orphan, and enriched succeeding managers of Oratories more than any single musical production in this or any other country." We're not totally sure what that means, so check it out at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Charles Borromeo Church when the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra presents its version with soprano Maria Mannisto, mezzo-soprano Melissa Schiel, tenor Eric Neuville and baritone Peter Tuff.

2. Where The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol and other traditional holiday shows have a plot, The Alternative Holiday Show does not. It's not a play, but instead a variety show with multiple acts determined to keep you giggling. Acts range from musical numbers to skits and even to poetry readings. Still, the acts are not random. There is a clear message that ties them all together. The Alternative Holiday Show seeks to poke a little bit of fun at the current state of our highly commercialized and a bit crazy holiday season. But don't count on finding any anti-Christmas scrooges here. The show is all in good fun. Catch it at 7:30 p.m. in the Midnight Sun Performance Space in downtown Olympia.

3. Danny Barnes and Matt Sircely, friends for more than a decade, reside on the Olympic Peninsula. When Barnes and Sircely play together, they swap original songs and showcase their love of many music forms - both roots-oriented and forward-thinking. Poetic songwriting framed with guitar, banjo and mandolin traverses the unexpected, conjuring great traditions in American music right before launching into something that's never been heard. Catch the duo with the Oly Mountain Boys at 8 p.m. in Southbay Dickerson's BBQ's Pig Bar.

4. Brad Upton in a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and appeared recently at Caesar's Palace as part of the HBO Comedy Festival. Twenty-six years and 5,000 shows have made this Seattle based comic a much sought after performer and earned the respect of his peers. At 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tacoma Comedy Club celebrates Upton's new CD.

5. Metcalf Manor is a bed and breakfast on more than 6 acres of property located five minutes from downtown Olympia and downtown Lacey. There is a huge backyard with a fire pit and spa, but much of the property is wooded and there is a network of nature trails running through the woods. Quite lovely. Tonight at 9 p.m. No Body, Full Moon Radio, The Celestials and Trash Heap will turn the Manor into a rock and breakfast.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

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

FRIDAY, DEC. 13 2013 >>>

Ed. note: This show is actually Saturday, Dec. 14: 1. Working our way through Modern Kin's self-titled debut, the word that kept swimming around in our heads was "skeletal." Though the songs are adorned with expansive reverb, what you really pick out and identify are the three people behind the songs: Drew Grow, Kris Doty and Jeremiah Hayden. Even though Modern Kin's sound is big, the songs remain testaments to the tight musicianship of the trio. Modern Kin is a remarkable surefooted debut for the band, and one of the reasons may be that it's actually not a debut - not really, anyway. Modern Kin began life in 2007 as Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives, an acclaimed folk-rock band that incorporated elements of soul and spine-tingling gospel. Recently, with the loss of a member, the decision was made that a change was needed. Catch the band with Not From Brooklyn and Us Lights at 8 p.m. in Grit City Grindhouse. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Modern Kin in the Music & Culture section.

2. So many times during the holiday season, there are great events that last just a day, and, if we're lucky, maybe two days. However, LeMay America's Car Museum, a South Sound, state and national automotive loving treasure, takes it 12 steps further. Enjoy 12 days of Christmas at this iconic museum with awesome giveaways, Santa Claus, kid and family activities and all the rad transportation goodness that you can possibly take. Visit the website for the activities of the day. 

3. Don your festive cool weather gear and pop down to the Foss Waterway Seaport on the esplanade to see festive boats from the Tacoma Yacht Club all decked out in holiday lights and displays as they make their way to the Foss Waterway from 7:30-9 p.m. Enjoy a little holiday treat and cocoa (provided by Goodwill's Neighborhood Bistro) by the sea as you watch the boats cruise on by. Do good and bring a non-perishable food item to help out the St. Leo's food drive.

4. The Spider Ferns are a duo that aim to hypnotize. Made up largely of just electric guitar and bass, with no drums, there is very little to prevent you from getting lulled into their bubbling tones. Without percussion, the sounds tend to just wash over you, lively though they may sometimes get. The band performs at 9 p.m. with Oh Dear! and J. Martin in The New Frontier Lounge.

5. Tonight is the first show from Muh Grog Zoo, a four-man improv group that creates an improvised one-act play, starting only with a single word from the audience. Shout the word at 9:45 p.m. in The Lakewood Playhouse.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Friday, Dec. 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, DEC. 5 2013 >>>

1. This date in history marks the day Prohibition was repealed back in 1933, and Olympia bartenders and the folks at the Olympia Film Society will be celebrating in grand style with an evening of burlesque, music, films and craft cocktails at 6 p.m. in the Capitol Theater. From classic cocktails to Tush! Burlesque and Greta Jane Quartet's old-timey music in the 1924 theater, it will indeed be a celebration. Read Nikki McCoy's full story on the event here.

2. Spark: a Burning Man Story is an engaging documentary that gives audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at Burning Man - a week-long annual art exhibition/party/socioeconomic experiment held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. While on the surface it may appear to be nothing more than a bunch of hippies living it up in the desert, Burning Man is a monumental undertaking, requiring months of planning and the combined efforts of hundreds of people to pull off each year. The film screens at 2 and 9 p.m. with a film discussion after 9 p.m. show at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of Spark: A Burning Man Story in the Movies section.

3. Hear ye, hear ye, longtime (or short time) people of Tacoma and the South Sound! Job Carr, Tacoma's original Gritizen and the first settler in these here parts, has a sweet little museum and original cabin replica in his honor in Tacoma's Old Town district (birthplace of our wonderful city), set near the shores of Commencement Bay. Feel all old-fashiony and nostalgic at the Old Town tree lighting celebration at the museum site and Old Town Park from 4-6 p.m. Free photos with Santa, cookies and hot cocoa (while supplies last) mark the event. Even better, non-perishable food donations for Food Connection will be accepted during the event.

4. Circle of Friends in Action, or COFIA, hosts a night of holiday shopping to benefit health and educational programs for the students in Rubongi, Uganda at St. Jude's Primary School. From 6-8:30 p.m. in Tacoma's Proctor and Triangle/St. Helens districts, select retailers, businesses and restaurants will donate a percentage of tonight's sales to the cause. St. Helens neighborhood: Dwelling, Giraffe and Maxwell's Speakeasy. Proctor District: Compass Rose, Megs & Mo, Pacific Northwest Shop, Soul, Teaching Toys, The Old House Mercantile Company, Envy, Foxfire Salon and Spa Aveda.

5. Tommy Johnagin started stand-up at the age of 18, dropping out of college at 21 to become a full time comedian. Tommy vows he will one day make enough money to pay his parents back for the six semesters of college he wasted. Catch him at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, NOV. 30 2013 >>>

1. Winters here are cold and wet, and it's better to admit that fact and find a way to enjoy the season than to stay home depressed. Ice skating, with its low requirements in start-up costs and athletic prowess, may be the perfect way to beat the winter doldrums. It's charming and, in Tacoma, it comes with live music. Every Saturday night the Weekly Volcano turns on the amps to the Electric Salchow Stage at the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink. Back from recording a kick ass album in Nashville, voted Best Band in the 2013 Best of Tacoma issue and recent winner of the WAVE Radio Jammin' Challenge Battle of the Bands at the Hard Rock Café, SweetKiss Momma will fire up its Southern soul rock sound at 7 p.m. and perform for skaters until 9 p.m. Oh momma, that's sweet.

2. The Lincoln Winter Market organized by Make Olympia is just what the doctor ordered. Well that, and a hot buttered rum. The market is in its third run, and has grown to more than 70 vendors from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary Gym in Olympia. Shanty Slater, who has been heavily involved in Make Olympia (which hosts markets at a variety of locations) since its incarnation in 2010, said the Lincoln Winter Market is "a very special place to buy gifts and treasure from the community." Discover the seven must-see items at the Lincoln Winter Market here.

3. In an effort to make it easy and fun to shop local this holiday season, Duchess of Downtown Tours, best known for its monthly Tacoma ART BUS tours, has hand selected nine of its favorite locally owned shops for the Small Business Saturday Shopping Tour at 1 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include pizza, beverages, VIP swag bags and entry into the raffle for several awesome prizes including two tickets to the sold out Santarchy craziness, a gift basket from Blue Mouse Theater and more. Tickets and list of shop can be found at brownpapertickets.com.

4. For the fourth year in a row, the entrepreneur and hilariously funny and talented Nate Jackson will treat the Puget Sound to a holiday event chock full of fun, class and comedy. Nate Jackson's 4thAnnual Thanksgiving Weekend Super Funny Comedy Show will consume the Temple Theater Plaza Ballroom at 8:30 p.m. featuring a live comedy show followed by an after party. Shang Forbes, whose socio-political views graced CBS's The Late Show and BET's Comic View, will join Jamie Foxx 2011 NBA All Star Comedy vet Lil Rel and fellow Comic View funnyman Ronnie Jordan and Tacoma's own Mr. Mookie on the Temple stage. Afterward, The D1 Experience Band and DJ TuMuch rock the party. Jackson's events are always full of fun, good-looking people and mo' fun.

5. So you don't want to admit to drinking and going to the mall with your friends when you were a teenager. Fine. But there's no shame in shopping at The New Frontier Lounge Saturday night with a few drinks in hand. The fine folks at Feather & Oar men's clothing store are hosting a fashion show with Tacoma Apparel Co., Paper Diamonds Clothing, Gallery of Ambition, Kinfam and Noble Suit Co. with original music by the Keyboard Kid from 9-10 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge. Rumor is the tickets are going fast; you might want to give Feather & Oar a buzz, or jump on Brown Paper Tickets. After the show, The Flvr Blue will fill the joint with synth pop in between the funky beats spun by Mr. Melanin. Hot Topic this ain't.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area