MONDAY, JUNE 24 2013 >>>

1. Tonight is Name That Tune night at Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia. The bar tries to create a fun party vibe by offering up brain teasing beats and a chance to win great prizes. Trivia Newton John returns (hello 2005!) along with Gary Keys, and Wylie Van Wenger, What's to expect? Head's up play with questions and clues about songs from yesterday, and today, with an added emphasis on TODAY! Also, a "finish the line" a karaoke style contest featuring the pipes of Wylie Van Wenger and a special guest appearance by Jerry Seinfeld.

2. John F. Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Paul Newman. Cool, cool cats. And these cool cats wouldn't suckle off the Wednesday night $1 PBR special. They went for top shelf. Single malt. They went classy. The best of the best. Fortunately for us cool cats in training, Asado of Tacoma has a weeknight happy hour that keeps the classy cocktails at a reasonable price. Every weeknight from 2:30-6 p.m. Asado offers $2 off any of the specialty cocktails and wine, as well as $3 selected food items. Not to mention $1.50 off draft beer. Because even the classiest of us crave some hops from time to time.

3. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. At 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

4. Steve Cooley & The Dangerfields will fill The Swiss with rockin' blues beginning at 8 p.m.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, June 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, JUNE 16 2013 >>>

1. In the year 2018, Cyndi Lauper astonished the world by staging a coup and becoming Earth's first Overlord. It started nonchalantly enough, with clandestine visits to Camp David and crossing the International Date Line multiple times in an evening. Nothing a globetrotting rock star wouldn't do, right? But Lauper had secret plans. No one would have guessed, back in the halcyon days of 1983, that Lauper would have designs on global domination. I mean, sure, she conquered the world in a metaphorical sense with the power of pop hits like "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "True Colors," but becoming a literal world superpower was far from anyone's mind. Hear her plans at 7:30 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full analysis of Cyndi Lauper's world domination in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. The 18th annual International Military Band Concert, hosted by the Washington National Guard, will be held at 3 p.m. Father's Day Sunday in the Washington Center in downtown Olympia. Scheduled to perform at the NADEN Band of the Royal Canadian Navy; Band of the 15th Filed Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery; 56th "I Corp" Band; US Navy Band Northwest and the 133D Washington National Guard Band. And just like previous years, this popular concert is free and will sell out. To reserve your seat, call 360.753.8586.

3. Take the modern alt-country blues sound of Drive-By Truckers, throw in the fun loving attitude and riff-blues-rock of ZZ Top, mix them all together and you get close to the vibe of Too Slim and the Taildraggers. This is real, down and dirty rock and roll - a delightful jumble of virtuosic slide guitar work from frontman Tim "Too Slim" Langford and the revamped rock sound of the Taildraggers. The band's vibe blends power-chord-driven, fun-loving nasty grooves with a new, indie-rock songwriting vibe. And it works. Don't worry, though, Too Slim and crew definitely infuse plenty of blues and Americana into their work. You dig? Then catch the band at the 5 p.m. Blues Vespers show at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church.

4. Mark Dufresne will lay it down at the Spar in Old Town Tacoma at 7 p.m.

5. Ten comedians battle for $2,500 first prize at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Sunday, June 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, JUNE 14 2013 >>>

1. The music of Baltic Cousins is defined by balls-out folk instrumentation, with Bradley Lockhart's voice shouting above the crazed din. It calls to mind easy comparisons like the Pogues, with its melding of traditional instrumentation and sloppy, emotionally resonant melodies and lyrics. There's nothing involving half-measures even close to the work of Baltic Cousins. Everything has an urgency and unapologetically bombastic energy to it. Though there's nothing new to the idea of introducing punk to the folk world, the way that Baltic Cousins combine the sounds has an interesting bent to it. Check them out with Santee and Tortilla Flat at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full featuree on Baltic Cousins in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

2. Singing while drinking is one of life's greatest treasures. That's why nothing is more hilarious than watching a dueling piano show in a room overflowing with patrons who are doing both. It's not your typical comedy venue, but we guarantee you'll laugh your ass off to the tune of classic sing-alongs and the witty repertoire provided by pianists at 7 p.m. at the AFC Arena at Lewis Main. Admission is free. Food and cash bar are on site.

3. UK playwright Pericles Snowdon's Bluebeard is a story about isolation, family, betrayal, apocalypse and parenthood. Under the direction of David Domkoski, Assemblage Theater brings to life the dark story of Blue, a woman who has been so hurt and disillusioned by her experiences in the outside world that she steals three little girls and locks them away in an abandoned church - our beloved Urban Grace Church in downtown Tacoma - for their whole lives in order to protect them, while a kind of apocalypse happens outside. Blue creates strict rules by which the girls must live and re-writes history, making the girls "perform" a different chapter of it each day. Creepy. Then, the mysterious Magnon steps into their melancholy blue world and turns it upside down. Watch it all go down at 8 p.m. inside the Urban Grace.

4. Comedian Caroline Rhea will perform at 8 and 10:30 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Rhea began her career in comedy in 1989, taking the trek from her native Montreal to the mecca of stand-up comedy, New York City. She studied performance at The New School and trained at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club before breaking out in stand-up, both with live comedy performances and appearances on MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour and Comic Strip Live. Rhea's talent in comedy has led to roles on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Drew Carey Show, the movie Man on the Moon, and as the host of the talk show The Caroline Rhea Show and The Biggest Loser. Her trademark upbeat perkiness can mask a routine just as vulgar as anyone.

5. O'Malley' Irish Pub hosts an intimate, free show featuring Black Pussy, The Triple Sixes, Ancient Warlocks and Fist Fite beginning at 8 p.m. Bring a date.

LINK: Friday, June 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, JUNE 13 2013 >>>

1. Lauded as the greatest performer of all time, Michael Jackson was a dancing, singing, performing phenomenon, and we are not likely to see another performer of his caliber ever again. The life of Michael Jackson is being retold at 7:30 p.m. when Kenny Wizz, considered the world's best Michael Jackson impersonator, takes th Pantages Theater audience on a musical Jackson journey from the Jackson 5 era to the current decade. What to wear to the show? One white glove. 

2. Upon first listen to Memory Boys, one gets the impression that they are practitioners of this sort of trendy, depressive songwriting, cloaked in darkness and murky with reverb. This is certainly the case, to an extent, but repeated exposure reveals a nifty knack for interesting twists and turns - unexpected bursts of sunshine that cast a relief over the rest of the proceedings. Catch them with Humble Cub, Slushy and Half Shadow at 8 p.m. in Metronome Coffee.

3. Comedian Caroline Rhea will perform at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club. Rhea began her career in comedy in 1989, taking the trek from her native Montreal to the mecca of stand-up comedy, New York City. She studied performance at The New School and trained at the Catch a Rising Star comedy club before breaking out in stand-up, both with live comedy performances and appearances on MTV's Half-Hour Comedy Hour and Comic Strip Live. Rhea's talent in comedy has led to roles on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Drew Carey Show, the movie Man on the Moon, and as the host of the talk show The Caroline Rhea Show and The Biggest Loser. Her trademark upbeat perkiness can mask a routine just as vulgar as anyone.

4. A Leaf has the honest qualities of '60s psychedelia and harmonic folk with a splash of this generation's shoe-gazey pop rock. The band's songs range from groovy instrumental to Beatlesesque love songs. The stories told are catchy and engaging; something listeners can relate to, and dream with, such as, "See the world inside a seed. Feel the ocean moving through me. Fell asleep on a trembling leaf, woke up in a cloud and I heard them sing, "Wherever we go, wherever we go... we're alright". I'm a caterpillar you're a butterfly." There's a motivation behind the music that seems to work itself out in every riff and harmony, allowing a sense of movement and grounding at the same time. A Leaf performs at 8 p.m. with Owl Parliament and A Breakthrough In Field Studies in The New Frontier Lounge.

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 sideroom. Rev. Colin hosts karaoke at 9 p.m. He possesses a wealth of oddball musical knowledge and a disarming ease for calling everyone "baby."

LINK: Thursday, June 13 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

SUNDAY, MAY 26 2013 >>>

1. There is nothing on holiday Sunday-night TV, so you might as well dust off those dancing shoes and head over to Tacoma's fancy fun house, Encore Boutique Nightclub. The downtown Tacoma hotspot will open at 10 p.m. for "Sundazed" - a celebration of warm weather, summer time vibes and the three-day weekend. Enjoy free VIP tables, half price on bottle service and no cover. Now those women who wear almost nothing at Encore have an excuse.

2. Whether you've seen Little Shop of Horrors or not, it is so much a part of our pop culture that it is difficult not to have some preconceived ideas when you hear the title. Thankfully, Tacoma Little Theatre's production of the musical by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken lives up to the musical's quirky and fun reputation. The production ends its run today with a 2 p.m. show. Read Joann Varnell's full review of Little Shop of Horrors in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

3. 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 from 3-6 p.m. at Uncle Thurm's Finger Lickin' Ribs & Chicken in Tacoma's Lincoln District.

4. Award-winning comedian Tyrone Hawkins will take the Tacoma Comedy Club stage at 8 p.m. The Tacoma Comedy Club offers free admission for active and retired military and dependents tonight.

5. Jazzbones has a special treat for you, and it's gonna be all over the dance floor. One word, four letters, starts with "F" the next letter is a vowel, and the last letter is a consonant. F-O-A-M! Bet you thought from our clues it was going to be an Anglo-Saxon word for fornication, huh?  But trust us, foam is even better than that other word, since while that other word can imply fornication it can also be a curse uttered out of anger or disappointment. Foam, on the other hand, always produces good feelings! Unless it's in a glass of beer and you got cheated out of extra beer. Jazzbone will pump out the foam tonight on the scantily-clad Jazzbones patrons. You see, the ladies who dance at Jazzbones usually wear cocktail napkins for outfits.  Tonight, they'll wear even less. When the clock strikes 9,DJ Switch and drummer Wiggles will provide the beats for your grinding pleasure. Beach attire is highly suggested. And remember, "what happens in the foam stays in the foam!"

LINK: Sunday, May 26 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

SUNDAY, MAY 11 2013 >>>

1. Hey moms! Bikes are cool and they make you butt look great. They are the best things to hit Tacoma since craft beer in cans. On this Mother's Day join CycloFemme and the global women's cycling movement for a spin around and around and around the Point Defiance's Five Mile Drive. Tour Defiance launches at 10 a.m. from the Antique Sandwich Company. Bring your helmets. Mother's Day dinner from a hospital would suck.

2. Yesterday's weather was nice, but you could barely enjoy it since all you could think about was the sad state of your closet. You want flirty skirts and kitten heels in the freshest colors and styles for spring, yet your warm wool trousers and cashmere sweaters are still taking up prime real estate in your closet. You better believe that after today's Mother/Daughter Fashion Show at Sonja - Clothes To Live In, you'll be singing a happier tune. Sonja Silver has been dressing women for many years, and since moving her boutique behind her Proctor Frozen Yogurt, she and Craig Fite have been keeping Tacoma smiling since last summer. at 3 p.m., three sets of three generations will model Silver's spring/summer fashion. So, before heading outside to soak up the spring weather, check in with Silver so you can really enjoy the season in style.

3. Jazzbones hosts a "A Very Special Day with Sinatra: A Night at the Sands," a long title but cool nonetheless. Joey Jewell will be in the house to sing the Sinatra hits with Jim Kerl's SWingin' '60s Orchestra backing. Ten bucks gets you in to the 6:30 p.m. show.

4. Chris Stevens & The Surf Monkeys will will be joined by Jay Mabin and his harmonica for a free show at 7 p.m. in The Spar. 

5. 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.

LINK: Sunday, May 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS >>>

I first fell in love with David Sedaris after discovering his Holidays on Ice book on a friend's coffee table. The book's hilarity and satirical descriptions of the author's experiences with elf jobs and prostitutes so grabbed me I dismissed myself from company rather rudely to finish the book of short stories in another room, while my husband was left socializing solo.

I fell deeper in love with author, cultural philosopher and satirist when my husband surprised me with tickets to see Sedaris read and speak in Seattle as a Mother's Day gift. We got stuck in traffic and only caught about 15 minutes of the performance. I was pissed, but tried to console myself with the fact that I could meet Sedaris in person and get an autograph. But, I was pissed once again as I saw the un-godly length of line to see him. Instead of standing painfully in heels for two hours, I suggested we wait over martinis at a fancy bar down the street. After a three-martini chat, we stumbled back to the Sedaris line. By that time, the alcohol had enhanced my previous grumpiness, and it was all I could do to not cuss in every face I saw. Luckily, there were only a few people left in line. Sedaris and his boyfriend were waiting behind a desk, looking terribly bored and pleasant all at once. As I approached, I had the thought to ask Sedaris to please write some words of encouragement for an aspiring writer. I was hoping for a sentence or two designed by the Sage Sedaris, whose flowing words would keep me inspired and aloft. Staring at my one eye closed to steady my balance, grabbing a whiff of my Grey Goose and olives perfume, he wrote, "Keep Typing."  It was a sobering statement. I didn't know whether to be thankful or more pissed. I decided to love him even more.

Anyway, I'm not the only one who loves Sedaris. According to Lacey Leffler, marketing director for Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma loves Sedaris, too.

"We've been presenting David Sedaris at the Pantages Theater since 2003 and our patrons are always requesting that we bring him back, so we've been trying to present him at least once every two years," Leffler told me. "This year is particularly exciting as his show coincides with the April 23 release of his new book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls."

King's Books of Tacoma's Stadium District will be on site, fully stocked with all books by David Sedaris and a few titles from his recommended reading list.

I suggest getting there early.

PANTAGES THEATER, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 7:30 P.M., $34-$79, 901 BROADWAY, TACOMA, 253.591.5890

MONDAY, APRIL 22 2013 >>>

1. Guy Fieri visited Puyallup when he blasted through the South Sound in November. His show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, filmed at six popular locations, including Darby's Cafe, Fish Tale Brew Pub, Crockett's Public House and Crown Bar — all of which have aired on Fieri's Food Network show. Tonight, Dirty Oscar's Annex receives the spotlight with the episode screening at 7 p.m. In celebration, Dirty Oscar's Annex invites everyone to join them at 6 p.m. to watch the show and enjoy lots of specials — drinks, food and giveaways.

2. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. Every Monday at 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

3. Soulful viscereal blues singer Linda Myers  and her band will perform at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

4. Every Monday Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids at 9 p.m. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

5. The Carrions, Little War Twins and White Fang will rock Le Voyeur at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, April 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area