SUNDAY, JAN. 4 2015 >>>

1. What is brunch doing to jazz? Must I resign to hearing second-rate elevator music as I nibble smoked salmon and sip Bloody Marys? This thought seems too horrible to accept, so I'm thrilled to announce the Museum of Glass debuts its Sunday Music series with the Kareem Kandi Band in the house, beginning at 11 a.m. When Kandi put his sax to his lips, I hear evidence he's devoted years of his life listening to Dexter Gordon, Sonny Stitt and Joshua Redman. The Kareem Kandi Band owns the "Best Jazz Group" in the Weekly Volcano's annual Best of Tacoma issue. Jazz this hip will fit perfect in MOG's Grand Hall. Brunch and beverages will be available for purchase from Choripan, the Museum's café, during the performance.

2. The final day of the Puyallup Home & Garden Show runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show offers garden displays and vendors with opportunities to shop at participating nurseries, as well as exhibitors demonstrating the latest in home remolding, building, decorating and improvement techniques. It's all there, from windows to doors, bathrooms to kitchens, decks to roofing and furniture to spas. Northwest leading experts will be presenting home ideas for 2015.

3. Tonight is the last night to check out Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offering a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. A Sunday evening would be a nice time to take the family out and see some bright shiny things.

4. Tacoma record label Maurice the Fish Records presents another Sunday Session concert with Sleepy Pilot and Negative Inside taking the Jazzbones stage at 7 p.m.

4. Jay Hollingsworth is one "big dude" (those are his words, as are "I'm six-eight. I weigh right around twoooo much") who tells some big-ass jokes. He was born in Portland, moved from Seattle to Los Angeles and happily refers to himself as "Big Irish." He's a fixture on podcasts including Doug (Benson) Loves Movies and his own HollingsWorthless. Louie Anderson calls him "a great joke writer," and we agree. Catch his show at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Sunday, Jan. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, JAN. 2 2015 >>>

1. It's winter (duh!) and Green Thumbs have a bad case of Seasonal Affective Disorder. For these folks, artificial won't do; it's just a countdown to spring. Ah, but there are a few plants that flourish indoors during the cold months to keep Green Thumbs smiling - and they're not plastic. Green thumbs hanging out at the Puyallup Home & Garden Show from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. know which plants flourish indoors. The show will feature garden displays and vendors with opportunities to shop at participating nurseries. Green Thumbs will dig lectures given by Certified Sustainable Landscape Professional Bill Peregrine. The show will also feature exhibitors demonstrating the latest in home remolding, building, decorating and improvement techniques. It's all here, from windows to doors, bathrooms to kitchens, decks to roofing and furniture to spas. Northwest leading experts will be presenting home ideas for 2015. If Green Thumbs are mad about keeping up with the Joneses, then this congregation of home and garden exhibitors will inflame their covetous inclinations.

2. Formed by Ryan Giffin in support of his original material written for both studio and the stage, Sea Of Misinformation - a 2012 Seattle Wave Radio Jammin' Challenge Top 4 finalist - will celebrate the release of their second album, North Star, at 7 p.m. in Louie G's Pizza.

3. The innovative genre-bending double bassist Ethan Jodziewicz and award-winning Appalachian fiddler and singer Tatiana Hargreaves will present passionate and virtuosic acoustic music at 8 p.m. in Traditions Café.

4. Jay Hollingsworth is one "big dude" (those are his words, as are "I'm six-eight. I weigh right around twoooo much") who tells some big-ass jokes. He was born in Portland, moved from Seattle to Los Angeles and happily refers to himself as "Big Irish." He's a fixture on podcasts including Doug (Benson) Loves Movies and his own HollingsWorthless. Louie Anderson calls him "a great joke writer," and I agree. Catch his show at 8 and 10:30 p.m. at the Tacoma Comedy Club.

5. Tonight's "Smart People" DJ dance party, organized by Tacoma's Mr. Melanin and hosted by Gallery of Ambition's Neon Dion, features Mr. Melanin, DJ Midnight Mike and DJ SlimRock spinning R&B, electronica, indie rock, house and disco in an improved setting of coolness. Dancing is awesome, but you'll catch yourself gazing at the turntable skills. It's OK. It really begins at 9:55 p.m. at The New Frontier Lounge.

LINK: Friday, Jan. 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31 2014 >>>

1. Yeah, right, like you need the Weekly Volcano tonight. However, there's that thing you told yourself you were going to investigate or learn about or take a class to study further, and yet you've never really gotten around to it. Oh sure, you bought that book two years ago and had a fascinating conversation with that guy who is sort of already doing the thing you would love to learn about, but that was last year, and you were a bit drunk and so was he. So here you are just looking at your shoes going, "Hmm, another year and I still don't know squat about Taoist philosophy/chakra bingo." Now 2015 is looking you right square in the Forever 21 T-shirt and saying, "All right then, so what have we here? Are you ready to make the best of me and take me out and ply me with wine and soft and gentle yet commanding words, or shall I just shrug and sigh and watch you wither and whimper and say hey maybe next year for sure?" Or simply hie thee to the Weekly Volcano's listings, honeychile, scan our nightlife calendar, peruse of NYE party list and then party away your paltry ideals.

2. Of course, the big NYE party is First Night Tacoma. To wit ...

3. Oh, sure, the South Sound breweries like to party on NYE ...

4. Stand-up comedian Jon Reep is best known as the "That thing got a Hemi?" guy in Dodge commercials, and more recently as the winner of the fifth season of Last Comic Standing on NBC. He's spending his NYE at the Tacoma Comedy Club.

5. New Year's Eve is all about letting go of the past and embracing the future. Jazzbones certainly isn't letting go of its blues, jazz and rock live music past, but it's embracing country music tonight. After making it all the way to the top 10 in the 2013 version of The Voice, Duvall, Washington, native Austin Jenckes has been touring the nation. The big, bearded dude with a soulful, charismatic voice will join Enumclaw country music heroes Aces Up for a big hoedown at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 31 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Just saying no to the Polar Bear Plunge, this is Nerd Alert, the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete, and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

THURSDAY, JAN. 1

Jay Hollingsworth is one "big dude" (those are his words, as are "I'm six-eight. I weigh right around twoooo much") who tells some big-ass jokes. He was born in Portland, moved from Seattle to Los Angeles and happily refers to himself as "Big Irish." He's a fixture on podcasts including Doug (Benson) Loves Movies and his own HollingsWorthless. Louie Anderson calls him "a great joke writer," and I agree. He's also industrious enough to fly to Tacoma for a week of shows in winter, on New Year's Day no less, and that seems worthy of our mutual respect. Give him a shot; see if he doesn't deliver serious laughs per minute.

JAY HOLLINGSWORTH, 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Tacoma Comedy Club, 933 Market St., Tacoma, $10-$15, 253.282.7203

FRIDAY, JAN. 2

The only downside of compiling my year-end "Carvy awards" for Olympia theater practitioners is that you, our devoted readers, forwent your chance to see all my favorites months ago. I'm happy to report that's not the case for my top pick of 2014, Theater Artists Olympia's The Head! That Wouldn't Die! No, that show sold well enough to justify two reprise performances this week, not to mention two italicized exclamation points. It's a toe-tapping musical that'll put a smile on your face and a song in your heart and other clichés in your brain, then cut that brain full of clichés out and set it in a pan for future audiences to enjoy. It's just so damned! Entertaining!

THE HEAD! THAT WOULDN'T DIE!, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Midnight Sun Performance Space, 113 Columbia St. NW, Olympia, $15, 360.259.2743

SUNDAY, JAN. 4

The art form our English readers refer to as "the telly" returns this week, beginning with the long-awaited Downton Abbey premiere on PBS (9 p.m.). I say "long-awaited," but of course that's assuming you aren't really a recent immigrant from the United Kingdom. If you are British, then you caught Downton's season five starting over three months ago and have probably moved on to Walking with Beasts or The Blue Planet. Also, you say "al-yuMINium" and "adVERTis-ment" and "vitt-amin" and frankly, we're all getting just a bit sick of your superior attitude. Also, Nigella Lawson is getting clobbered on The Taste again, so put that in your calabash and smoke it, guv'nor.

Speaking of stupid jokes about a mythical land, ABC's Galavant premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. It's almost certainly terrible, but it does feature a couple of songs composed by Disney vet Alan Menken. Or you could check out the broadcast premiere of Life Itself, a biography of dearly departed columnist Roger Ebert, at 9 p.m. on CNN. Two thumbs sad.

TUESDAY, JAN. 6

My wife and I caught the Master Chef Junior bug late, but boy, did we. I actually thought about calling ex-girlfriends on the sly, not to catch up but as it occurred to me I may have unknowingly fathered some of these junior-high competitors. Chubby kids with outsized vocabularies and culinary ambitions? An 11-year-old gastronome who referred to another guy's food choices as "pedestrian?" Yeah, remind me to screen calls from Maury Povich. Anyway, season three debuts on Fox at 9 p.m.

Also at 9 p.m., set your DVR for the premiere of Disney's, ABC's, Marvel's Agent Carter. It stars Hayley Atwell as Captain America's former squeeze, then recruits her as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent to clear the name of Howard Hughes - I mean Stark! - aka Iron Man's superrich daddy issue. Also: amazing hats.

Tuesday marks the DVD/Blu-ray release of what a fair number of critics are calling the best movie of the year, director Richard Linklater's Boyhood. It's the film that cast Ellar Coltrane at age 6, then followed him to legal voting age at Sul Ross State University. I haven't seen it yet, so I'm rooting for Birdman till a Netflix viewing of this movie changes my mind.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7

Speaking of boyhood, how much would your kids enjoy building robots out of Legos at the library? Well, today brings your first of several chances, which continue through the spring. Remember to teach your kids how to code Asimov's Three Laws of robot behavior. You and the rest of humanity will be so glad you did.

ROBOTS!, 3 p.m. Wednesday, Pierce County Library, 3609 Market Pl. W., Tacoma, free, 253.272.8801

Until next week, may the Force be with you, may the odds be ever in your favor, and thank the Maker, this New-Year's-Day, post-hangover oil bath is going to feel so good.

SUNDAY, DEC. 28 2014 >>>

1. Does Stickshift Annie and The Fugitives really need an introduction? Is there a more professional band? Is there a more respected one? Are you really going to pretend that you don't enjoy hearing America's sweetheart Stickshift Annie on vocals? Let alone watching her front the band with charisma few have, right? Do you not remember how great a guitarist Kimball Conant is? Geez, why are you not at The Spar right now securing a front row seat to watch this awesome blues band perform at 7 p.m.?

2. Franciscan Polar Plaza is the place to be once winter hits. Think you can find something better to do than busting out some ice skates? Yeah, good luck with that. Polar Plaza is on its fourth year of setting up an ice-skating rink decked out in wintery goodness at Tollefson Plaza, just across from the Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma. With three fabulous years behind them, the Plaza folks put their heads together and found a few key ways to make this ritzy rink even better for 2014. Skate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

3. In the Appalachians, the holiday season is devoted to dance-happy house parties. That's the tradition celebrated by husband-and-wife mountain music gurus Erynn Marshall and Carl Jones in their "Breaking Up Christmas and Appalachian Country Dance" program at 6 p.m. in the Prosperity Grange Hall. They'll be joined by caller Charmaine Slaven, fiddler Tony Mates and guitarist Catherine Alexander; and, as folks might say up in the holler, it'll be finer'n a can o' snuff.

4. Temecula, California, hardcore/death rock band The Coltranes spread holiday cheer at Le Voyeur beginning at 7 p.m.

5. As the son of longtime Seattle DJ Bob Rivers, Andrew Rivers got accustomed early to the not-always-flattering spotlight. "I was the butt of so many jokes on the radio show," he says. Maybe that's why - despite his jokes about how he's not tough enough to walk those female friends to their cars - Rivers seems to have a pretty thick skin. Read Molly Gilmore's full story on Andrew Rivers in the Music & Culture section, then catch Rivers at 8 p.m. at the Tacoma Comedy Club.

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, DEC. 21 2014 >>>

1. You can bet the CD Woodbury Band will be celebrating at 7 p.m. in The Spar. Sure, the blues band is down with the holiday spirit, but more importantly, they are about a month away from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. The band won the South Sound Blues Association's "Back to Beale Street Competition," which means the Tacoma-based organization is sending them to Tennessee to compete with blues bands around the nation. Our fingers are crossed the band's eclectic array of originals and obscure "gem" covers encompassing roots, blues,rock, old school R&B, funk, jazz, jump swing and Americana - all flavored with the spirit of Jam Band improvisation - will blow the judges' minds. In the meantime, indulge in great blues and tasty brews tonight.

2. A Winter Solstice Parade will be held in Tacoma's Sixth Avenue neighborhood today. It's doubtful the druid and pagan communities will be out in full force, dressed in magnificent costumes and singing incantations while waving luminous willow lanterns. No, this parade is a staggering affair between The Red Hot's Darkest Day and Engine House No. 9's 2014 Snow Cru release party. There are many ways to celebrate the solstice, but only the souls at The Red Hot and Engine House No. 9 could, by chance, create an observance loaded with symbolism, and robust, full-bodied beers with rich color and flavor. For complete details, click here.

3. Franciscan Polar Plaza is the place to be once winter hits. Think you can find something better to do than busting out some ice skates? Yeah, good luck with that. Polar Plaza is on its fourth year of setting up an ice-skating rink decked out in wintery goodness at Tollefson Plaza, just across from the Tacoma Art Museum in downtown Tacoma. With three fabulous years behind them, the Plaza folks put their heads together and found a few key ways to make this ritzy rink even better for 2014. Skate from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

4. Hello, holiday tradition! The Nutcracker ballet performance is a holiday forever classic. The Tacoma City Ballet does it up right and with a delightful twist. Did you know that there's a "prequel" to The Nutcracker called Tale of the Hard Nut? Celebrating its 31st performance season, the ballet company takes on The Nutcracker performance in its entirety, which includes the prequel. In short: prepare to be dazzled, delighted and enchanted at 3 p.m. in the Pantages Theater.

5. Remember that time in high school when your parents went away? You know, plot line of every teenage movie ever made - except this time, you blew up the house. Standing in the ashes as your parents roll up, what do you do? Say it with us now -iiiiiimprovise. Take notes at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Comedy Club when male and female comedians battle with improv and sketch skills.

LINK: Sunday, Dec. 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

The phrase triple threat, meaning a person who excels at acting, dancing, and singing, is among the most overused in all entertainment. Oh, sure, any number of actors can carry a tune. I've even met trained opera singers who can manage a waltz without requiring emergency services. All the same, it's rare to meet a performer who's better than average at all three - yet the phrase seems an understatement when applied to Lauren O'Neill. I have to be careful when I refer to her, as she wears so many hats in Olympia's live entertainment scene that it's important not to use her right stage name for the wrong occasion. She's an improv artist, a fixture in the local burlesque scene, and a go-to when, say, a sassy mistress of ceremonies is required. Her performance as Glenn Danzig (of all people) was a highlight of Oly's Night of the Living Tribute Bands a few years ago.

Now there's a new persona, "Dr. Lauren," who'll probably look a lot like Lauren O'Neill but say things distinctly less practical. I write "Dr. Lauren" in quotes for the same reason Ms. O'Neill adds an asterisk to her title: "*Dr. Lauren is not a licensed therapist or cosmetologist." In actual fact, I'm not sure what subject Dr. Lauren's doctorate is in. She may have earned it sketching that turtle in the back of TV Guide, or ordered it from an online church group. Whatever the case, O'Neill's press release for her show promises "a vehicle for self-discovery and worldwide growth and healing," along with "advice! Music! Makeovers! Therapeutic happenings! Catharsis!" So yeah. Whatever that means. Your guess is good as mine. But relax! Try not to worry about the specifics. I've seen O'Neill's brand of holiday cabaret merriment before, and it's always a joy to behold. Fans of dearly deported (not a typo!) entertainer Saul Tannenbaum will remember O'Neill's appearances as sultry chorine Kitty Beaujolais-but again, different hat, different character. She's a slippery one, that Lauren O'Neill.

Of course there'll be acting, dancing, and singing; and yes, there will probably be charming little holiday ensembles. Her show will be campy in the best way, amusing in an intentional way, and in every way, good for what ails you.  Plus there'll be catharsis! - as Dr. Aristotle intended. Oh, and drinks. Let us not dismiss the power of drinks.

DR. LAUREN'S HOLIDAY BIZARRE!, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 26-27, Urban Onion Lounge, 116 Legion Way SE, Olympia, $7, drlauren.brownpapertickets.com

THURSDAY, DEC. 18 2014 >>>

1. Can you smell it? Holiday shopping panic. (You smug bastards who already finished your shopping can just keep it to yourselves. No one wants to hear how organized and on top of things you are.) But panicking doesn't help; it just makes you drink more and understand why suicide rates go up around the holidays, and no one wants that. What you need is a little break. A third Thursday hits this week, which means the Tacoma Art Bus will hit the streets of Tacoma, toting around art enthusiasts to art shows in galleries, spaces and businesses - away from the gridlock and parking nightmares. And, most likely, you'll happen upon that perfect gift for picky-ass Aunt Edna whose good side you're trying to get on for inheritance reasons. Holiday ugly sweaters are encouraged, awesome Puget Sound Pizza will provide pizza and the tour begins at 5:45 p.m. in front of the Tacoma Elf Storage.

2. Spaceworks Tacoma partnered with property owners Jori Adkins and Rick Semple to help launch a collective of furniture makers - REVIVE, locally crafted custom furniture close to the Tacoma Dome. The beautiful 2,500 square foot showroom, right on the corner of Puyallup and D Streets, is a perfect fit along "Furniture Row." The five businesses are: Alchemy Concrete, birdloft, reply Furniture, Spring Fever Upholstery and Wane + Flitch. The grand opening is from 5-9 p.m.

3. Ho, ho, hold up - where's your ugly holiday sweater? Don't show up to Tacoma Runners Ugly Sweater Run tonight without one, because some sort of ugliness - be it a deck-the-halls display or a simple Santa face - is mandatory. The event will kick off with a 6:30 p.m. check-in at Slappy's Garage - North End Tavern. The Christmasy 3-mile run will wind through Tacoma's northend, with the runners returning to Slappy's to toss back a bunch of drinkies. You've finally got a use for that reindeer sweater grandma knitted you, so Febreeze off the mothball odor and come run around the Proctor District to spread some Christmas cheer.

4. Bruce Pavitt helped put the Pacific Northwest on the music map in the 1980s with his record label, Sub Pop, with business partner Jonathan Poneman. Pavitt has written a book about his experience at Sub Pop. He will talk about and read from that that book, SUB POP U.S.A.: The Subterranean Pop Music Anthology, 1980-1988, at 7:30 p.m. in the Olympia Timberland Library. K Records founder Calvin Johnson, a.k.a. Selector Dub Narcotic, will DJ 45s following the reading and book signing. This program will occur after regular library hours and no other library services will be available. 

5. As the son of longtime Seattle DJ Bob Rivers, Andrew Rivers got accustomed early to the not-always-flattering spotlight. "I was the butt of so many jokes on the radio show," he says. Maybe that's why - despite his jokes about how he's not tough enough to walk those female friends to their cars - Rivers seems to have a pretty thick skin. Catch him tonight with local comedian Nate Jackson at 8 p.m. in Little Creek Casino in Shelton.

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 17 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, DEC. 12 2014 >>>

1. Seasoned musicians Nathan Weaver and Chris Beug recently opened Obsidian music venue and cafe in downtown Olympia. They chose the name because of the healing and purifying properties associated with the black crystal formed from fast cooling volcanic lava. The aesthetic of Obsidian is an amalgamation of the building's existing industrial architecture and organic elements such as cedar and natural fibers. They offer local, organic and gluten-free options including waffles, sandwiches, salads and small plates. The waffles are freakin' delicious. After dark, the lounge offers a selection of craft cocktails, local craft beer, hard cider and wine while providing unique ethereal ambience. At 9 p.m., Weaver and Beug host a grand opening celebration featuring electronic music by Ocean, D.A. Terence and Vowl.

2. The Evergreen State College's Longhouse Education & Cultural Center will host its 18th annual Holiday Native Arts Fair from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fair will feature nearly 40 Native artists from Washington and Oregon, as well as Alaska Native and First Nations artists from British Columbia. Among the items for sale are original carvings, woven textiles, prints, basketry, jewelry, clothing, musical instruments and more.

3. For Andrew Rivers, poking fun at himself just comes naturally. "I have a lot of female friends," the Seattle comedian jokes in an appearance on Fox TV's Laughs. "Because they put me there." Rivers is headlining Stand Up For A Cure, a benefit for research into childhood cancer, at the Capitol Theater in Olympia, beginning at 8 p.m. Also on the bill are Seattle comedians Narin Vann and Mike Coletta and the show's producer, Jacob Johnson of Lacey. Read Molly Gilmore's full story on Andrew Rivers in the Music & Culture section.

4. The Grand Cinema's annual showings of the delightfully demented Finnish film, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale will hit the screen at 9 p.m.The new holiday classic is a pulpy, darkly comic take on what is essentially the Krampus mythology, where Santa isn't so jolly and children are dirty little urchins that deserve to be punished. The horror comedy is a gorgeously shot descent into yuletide madness, and it is a wonder to see on The Grand's (relatively) big screens. It'll make you rethink candy canes.

5. Charlatan is surging, post-punk inspired electro-rock. As a solo project of Omar Rashan, Charlatan combines programmed beats, synthesizers and fuzzed-out guitars into a sound that's reminiscent of Joy Division. In a positively packed lineup, Hot Panda is the other standout. The Vancouver, B.C., trio combines art-rock, punk and psychedelia into a propulsive mixture that moves feet as much as it lights up neurons. Both Charlatan and Hot Panda take inspiration from the UK's post-'70s explosion, though neither sound like tribute bands. Check them out with Beatrix Sky and Jupiter Sprites at 9 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Friday, Dec. 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, NOV. 25 2014 >>>

1. Combining investigative reporting with a sometimes-mischievous sense of humor, documentarian Michael Moore shined a light on social ills that were otherwise ignored. Although rightly acclaimed for films like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling For Columbine, his television work provided many indelible moments. The Grand Cinema celebrates the 25th anniversary of Moore's breakout hit Roger & Me with a screening of the film at 1:45 and 7 p.m., followed by a discussion on Skype with the man himself after the late screening. Have your questions about Flint, Roger Smith and the current whereabouts of Crackers the Corporate Crime-Fighting Chicken ready. 

2. Longtime Daily World city editor and former Daily Olympian sports editor Bill Lindstrom will give a talk, sell and sign his new book, John Tornow: Villain or Victim?, from 6-8 p.m. at the Shelton Timberland Library.

3. Bar Bistro hosts a five-course beer-pairing dinner with the Harmon Brewing Co. For $35, you'll receive an ahi crostini with a Hop ‘N Rye beer cocktail, braised pork belly with the Black Tartan CDA, pork tenderloin with the new Fall Ball Imperial Red and other treats, beginning at 6 p.m. Reserve your space at 253.537.3655.

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

5. For the Love of Comedy is an all-ages (teen and up) stand up open mic that aims to bring the community together with a microphone and a shared love for the funny things in life at Café Love in downtown Olympia. Comics from LA, San Francisco, Seattle, Tacoma and the south Puget Sound region have performed at this 8 p.m. mic.

LINK: Tuesday, Nov. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area