MONDAY, DEC. 16 2013 >>>

1. The moths are on to something. Lights are awesome. Especially holiday lights. Make tonight the night 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. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood. A Monday evening would be a nice time to take the family out and see some bright shiny things ... if you're not already sick and tired of the holidays, that is.

2. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. continue to explore the edges of jazz by hosting a jazz jam every Monday at 8 p.m. inside The New Frontier Lounge. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that draws the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd.

3. Since the beginning of time, The Swiss has hosted live blues every Monday at 8 p.m. Factor in the free pool on Mondays and guitar legend Jerry Miller on the stage, and you have yourself a night.

4. 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. Tonight, Jazzbones will give $250 to the ugly holiday sweater. Here's hoping someone sings "Run to the Hills" while wearing a sweater featuring two lovely polar bears that appear to be best friends. 

5. Each Monday DJ No Pants and Mega Hit DJ Aaron Miggity Mack want you to come and join us at O'Malley's Irish Pub for all of your fave songs and probably some that you never heard of from a different genre of music. That's right, nothing static. Tonight, it's new wave night. Whether you're a 21-year-old feeling nostalgic for a time you never lived through, or a crimp-haired, stone-washed new-waver who never got over the Talking Heads breaking up, the music of the 1980s spans cultures and generations to bring the he-men and she-bops in from the cold.  

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Monday, Dec. 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 4 2013 >>>

1. There is the sometimes perilous aspect of holding a discussion in a room full of folks who have had a couple. People feel inclined to yell weird stuff like ‘I've done Jager! I've done Jager!' But it's that kind of energy that makes the Broadway Center's Think & Drink. Part of the Center's yearlong Free For All focus, Immanuel Presbyterian Church Tacoma and Humanities Washington team up two panelists and moderator/KPLU-FM business and labor reporter Ashley Gross for a discussion on holiday shopping and the American consumer culture at 7:30 p.m. in Engine House No. 9's upstairs room. As far as audience members go, if you can handle your alcohol without being a complete asshole, we totally suggest drinking your face off. Drink, drink, drink, drink - because the amount of money you will spend this holiday season will be depressing.

2. Stretch your legs and your mind today through Dec. 8 as Columbia Bank celebrates its 20th anniversary by sponsoring free admission to the Tacoma Art Museum, Washington State History Museum and the Children's Museum of Tacoma. That's lovely of them.

3. 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 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of Spark: A Burning Man Story in the Movies section.

4. You're in denial, but the signs are hard to ignore. Shops are draped in red and green; cocktail parties - your calendar, and you can't button your skinny jeans anymore. Yep, it's the holiday season. As they say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, which is why you'll be singing at the top of your lungs at the Saint Martin's University and South Puget Sound Community College's "Ring in the Season" holiday concert at 7 p.m. in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts. The Department of Washington American Legion Band joins the two Thurston County institutions for a lively Christmas pops concert with multiple choral groups, holiday band music and a carol sing-along. Hark you sing!

5. At The Brotherhood Lounge, aerialists are about to take flight again. The re-vamped team is ready to amaze audiences with its color brand of trapeze, beginning at 8 p.m. Creativity never ceases and performances range from naughty to funny to just plain beautiful. The shows are free and tips are encouraged. New this year is a dance party to follow, with grooves by DJ Fir$t Lady. If you've ever been to one of the Broho's impromptu dances parties at past aerialist events, then you know about the twerking, pumping and shaking that goes on. 

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, NOV. 26 2013 >>>

1. Located alongside the Tennessee River, Muscle Shoals, Alabama is the unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. At its heart is Rick Hall who founded FAME Studios. Overcoming crushing poverty and staggering tragedies, Hall brought black and white together in Alabama's cauldron of racial hostility to create music for the generations. He is responsible for creating the "Muscle Shoals sound" and The Swampers, the house band at FAME that eventually left to start their own successful studio, known as Muscle Shoals Sound. Greg Allman, Bono, Clarence Carter, Mick Jagger, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals' magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today in the film Muscle Shoals, screening at 2:30 and 6:45 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

2. Rosemary Adkins, author of a new memoir, Reflections of Mamie: A Story of Survival - a heartrending account of her life that took 16 years to write - will sign and discuss the book at noon in Orca Books. Her message to other victims is to "share your story" with someone you trust and if you are able, "shout it out" to other victims, showing them how you overcame and got help.

3. The South Sound has its share of geeks. We should know. Our office D&D room is full of them. Heck fire - we every post a weekly Nerd Alert on our blog. When local book geeks aren't tinkering with gizmos that can scan books at 2,000 pages an hour, they're reading them, including Deadpool, Vol. I: Dead Presidents by Brian Posehn & Gerry Duggan. Said geeks will gather at 7 p.m. in King's Books to discuss the chemical reactions to control moisture when cooking turkeys, as well as Posehn and Duggan's book about an overly patriotic ex-Shield Agent, who is also a necromancer, resurrects all our nation's Dead Presidents in order to fix the nation's problems. Unfortunately, the Dead Presidents' solution is to wipe the slate clean with the blood of the American people who they feel have forsaken its dream. S.H.I.E.L.D. dispatches Captain America to confront the issue and things turn bloody.

4. Full Moon Radio plays grunge/pop/punk rock with crystal clear lyrics that are moving and edgy, executed with the feminism and integrity of three superbly powerful women. Catch the band with The Ground Up and Red Red Red at 9 p.m. in The Brotherhood Lounge.

5. The 1230 Room probably has you at "free taco bar," but you also may be interested in the downtown Olympia club's new Tuesday deep, tech and progressive house night "The Deep End." It launches at 9 p.m. with drink specials, no cover and resident DJs Alex Bosi, Evan Mould and Chris Paro.

LINK: Tuesday, Nov. 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SCARY DAY, OCT. 31 2013 >>>

1. The frights are upon us once again, and there are, as always, plenty of ways to spend the Devil's holiday. The Weekly Volcano has gathered a list of parties, theater performances, haunted houses, kids fare and live music - it's up to you to decide where you'll go, and, of course, what you'll wear. Boo, South Sound.

2. The Tacoma Runners will summon their inner ghoul for tonight's Halloween running Spook-tacular. That's right, the Runners will don costumes for their weekly run, which begins at 6:30 p.m. at Puget Sound Pizza in downtown Tacoma. We're talking running zombies people.

3. Comedians Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner send up all seven Harry Potter novels and stage a live match of Quidditch in only 70 hysterical minutes in Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry experience in the Rialto Theater. We're talking 300 characters, many female, with a variety of accents from Beauxbatons in France to the highlands of Scotland. Oh, and what the hell, let's throw in a fire-breathing dragon - live on stage. The zaniness begins at 7:30 p.m.

4. No one expresses that raw blend of punk and country like Joe Buck Yourself, the Kentucky-blooded boozehound who has collaborated with the likes of Hank III. Buck will bring his one-man show - with kick drum, aggressive guitar playing and honey-toned voice - to the Acme Grub Cage at 8 p.m. with Viva Le Vox and C.F.A. opening.

5. DJ Freshwell will spin beats while Bacardi hands out swag beginning at 9 p.m. at The Swiss.

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30 2013 >>>

1. Halloween might be tomorrow night, but pull out your LED Tron costume anyway. Providing house music geeks to get their bump on early, The Lochs is hosting ARSON!!! Devils Night in Tacoma featuring DJs dAb, Cide, The Architects, Chris Savenetti and Demetre Baca. Just to make the night more blinking and glowing 1313effect.com will be in the house.

2. Founded 20 years ago in response to a wave of attacks on freedom of speech and artistic expression, Rock the Vote concerts represent the intersection of young people, politics and popular culture. From 5:30-8:30 p.m. at The Swiss, the University of Washington-Tacoma and Pacific Lutheran University will Rock The Vote with several bands, including Michelle from the Club and SHEBEAR. There will be a ballot drop bag on site.

3. Wednesday night is always good for getting quizzical in the South Sound. The Harmon Brewery hosts Trivia Night with Gordon Adams, Doyle's Public House offers Knowledge Night team trivia with awesome prizes, and Rev. Colin holds trivia court at Meconi's in downtown Tacoma. Find all the info you need right here.

4. It's no surprise that Rufus Wainwright should find himself years later to be a consummate showman. The son of folkies Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright grew up in a house of music, joining his mother's band at the age of 13. Even his sister, Martha, has a respectable music career in her own right. Wainwright was destined for the stage, though he veered off early on from the folk music legacy of his family. Wainwright takes the Pantages Theater stage at 7:30 p.m. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Rufus Wainwright in the Music and Culture section.

5. Lindsey Pavao from NBC's The Voice will perform at Jazzbones with Hero's Last Mission, Whitney Myer and Olivia De La Cruz, beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Wednesday, Oct. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, OCT. 29 2013 >>>

1. It's no surprise that Rufus Wainwright should find himself years later to be a consummate showman. The son of folkies Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle, Wainwright grew up in a house of music, joining his mother's band at the age of 13. Even his sister, Martha, has a respectable music career in her own right. Wainwright was destined for the stage, though he veered off early on from the folk music legacy of his family. Wainwright takes the Washington Center stage at 7:30 p.m. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Rufus Wainwright in the Music and Culture section.

2. Red Obsession is David Roach and Warwick Ross' directorial debut. This engaging documentary from the "Land Down Under" takes audiences on a journey into the fascinating world of winemaking by going right to the source. No, not California, (apologies to Paul Masson fans), but rather to France and China, the two largest vintners in the modern world. The film screens at 2 and 6:45 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

3. James Clarkson spent a career as an Olympia police sergeant interviewing crime victims, collecting evidence from crime scenes, auto wrecks and autopsies - and then met respected, no-nonsense June Crain who could prove she worked in secret laboratories at Wright Patterson Air Force Base and who told him about UFO crashes, alien bodies, and how the cover-up works. Clarkson penned Tell My Story - June Crain, the Air Force & UFOs. Upon retiring, he joined the Mutual UFO Network in 1986 and is now the Washington state director. Clarkson will discuss his research at 7 p.m. in the Lakewood Library. 

4. Comedians Daniel Clarkson and Jeff Turner send up all seven Harry Potter novels and stage a live match of Quidditch in only 70 hysterical minutes in Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry experience in the Rialto Theater. We're talking 300 characters, many female, with a variety of accents from Beauxbatons in France to the highlands of Scotland. Oh, and what the hell, let's throw in a fire-breathing dragon - live on stage. The show opens at 7:30 p.m. for a week's run.

5. The 1230 Room probably has you at "free taco bar," but you also may be interested in the downtown Olympia club's new Tuesday deep, tech and progressive house night "The Deep End." It launches at 9 p.m. with drink specials, no cover and resident DJs Alex Bosi, Evan Mould and Chris Paro.

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

MONDAY, OCT. 28 2013 >>>

1. Tacoma's Art at Work Month has become a Godzilla's feast of literary, visual and performing arts. Is there any other town of comparable size in the Western Hemisphere that has anything to match it? We don't think so. November is Art at Work Month, but the festivities actually begin at 6 p.m. with an opening party and the AMOCAT Arts Awards presentation inside and outside of the Foss Waterway Seaport. The free event offers appetizers, dessert and a no-host bar while Taxi Driver plays jazz, Tacoma Community College artists pour molten iron into blocks of ice, BareFoot Collective dances, Fab-5 breakdances, Tacoma Poet Laureate Lucas Smiraldo paints with words and Kat Ogden and Carla Barragan screen their latest films. As a bonus this year, Diane Hansen will remove the rope around her soon-to-be-installed public art piece, The Locks, so guests may personalize a provided padlock to hang on the installation. Toward the middle of the evening, Mayor Marilyn Strickland and the Tacoma Arts Commission will present the three 2013 AMOCAT Arts Awards winners, as well as the 2013 arts fund recipients. Dress warm.

2. The frights are upon us once again, and there are, as always, plenty of ways to spend the Devil's holiday. The Weekly Volcano has listed the parties, the theater performances, haunted houses, the kids fare and the rock 'n' roll here - it's up to you to decide where you'll go, and, of course, what you'll wear. Boo, South Sound.

3. Janelle Gordon is a Jamaican native who is a poet, performance artist, painter, designer and photographer, as well as a University of Puget Sound alumna. In her work as a mixed media artist, she promotes art as an experience and describes her style as "freestyle." Gordon is the author of the poetry chapbook i&i Reflections (2013), which explores issues of cultural, spiritual, and sexual identities. She has produced and participated in numerous art and fashion shows including Spectrum of Colors, which was composed of exhibits exploring the combination of writing and painting. Gordon is co-founder of JFearon art and design company and artistic director of kbphotoart.com studio. At 6:30 p.m., as part of UPS's Caribbean Writer Series, Gordon will lecture on "I & I Reflections: A Poetic Exploration of Spiritual, Cultural, and Sexual Identities" at the Rasmussen Rotunda in the Wheelock Student Center.

4. Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins' highly-acclaimed film Girl Risingis an innovative documentary telling the stories of nine girls from around the world who, through access to education and mentoring, have risen from poverty to productivity and a promising future, narrated by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Liam Neeson, Cate Blanchett, Selena Gomez and other Hollywood luminaries. At the heart of the film is the desire to educate girls and change the world. Uptown's Galaxy Theatre will screen the film at Gig Harbor's Galaxy Theatres as a fundraiser for Strong Women Strong World, YWCA of Pierce County and Jubilee Women's Center. The doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with a silent auction and raffle, followed by a few words from the national director of World Vision Women of Vision's Cindy Breihl, before the 6:30 p.m. screening.

5. The stereotype is racing through your head: Everyone is in all black, many are wearing dark and heavy eye make-up and every now and then, the DJ stops a tune with a vertebrae-shattering guitar riff for chants of, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" But O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned," is not some cartoon-like parody like you see in the movies. For the most part, the Monday DJ night is just your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, Goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, tonight at 9 p.m., it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's Goth scene.

LINK: Monday, Oct. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, OCT. 15 2013 >>>

1. Tacoma's Head Bookworm Erik Hanberg is everywhere. If he's not helping old ladies across the street, or building little houses for squirrels at every park in Tacoma, or designing a marketing program with his wife, or ballroom dancing to raise money for charities, or giving local dignitaries a ride on a 12-person bike, or building a shrine out of cocktail swizzle sticks for Tacoma author Frank Herbert, he's releasing a new book. Old ladies, squirrels, dance partners, city councilmembers and cocktails will be on hold tonight as Hanberg releases yet another book, The Lead Cloak, with a book launch party at 7 p.m. in King's Books. The book, his first science fiction adventure, is set in 2081 when "The Lattice" enables anyone to re-live any moment of his or her life. According to pre-event hype, "Most people love (The Lattice). Some want to destroy it. Colonel Byron Shaw has just saved the Lattice from the most dangerous attack in its history." It's best to arrive at King's early as the Stadium District bookstore will, no doubt, be full of old ladies, squirrels, dancers, Tacoma City Councilmembers, drinkers and his wife, Mary.

2. Based on true events and laced with wry humor, Still Mine is a heartfelt love story about an 89-year-old New Brunswicker who comes up against the system when he sets out to build a more suitable house for his wife whose memory is starting to go. The Grand Cinema screens the flick at 2:10 and 6:40 p.m.

3. Women vs. men. Make all your jokes about remote controls and refusing to ask for directions, but we all know it's way more complicated than that. The complexities are ripe for the examining, precisely what Hanna Rosin, senior editor at The Atlantic, editor and founder of Slate's women's section DoubleX, and author of a new book, will do at 7 p.m. in William W. Philip Hall on the UW Tacoma campus. Rosin will explain her reasons for believing that, although men currently seem unwilling to adjust to new realities that are changing their roles in society, they "may become more flexible as the world around them continues to change." 

4. Sinatra-esque crooner Chris Anderson takes his show to the Red Wind Casino at 6:30 p.m., hitting all the notes and making the ladies swoon in the process. Anderson has repeatedly proven to offer a throwback good time.

5. The 1230 Room probably has you at "free taco bar," but you also may be interested in the downtown Olympia club's new Tuesday deep, tech and progressive house night "The Deep End." It launches tonight with drink specials, no cover and resident DJs Alex Bosi, Evan Mould and Chris Paro.

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

MONDAY, OCT. 7 2013 >>>

1. The Tacoma Film Festival is on, celebrating current independent film from around the globe ... and in our backyard. The 253 represent at this year's TFF. A whole slew of local film shorts will be screened at The Grand Cinema from 4-5:30: Harbor Island (Mystery, 23 min, Scott Capestany); Light and Black (Drama, 10 min, Brian Parker); Look Up In the Sky (Drama, Thriller, Sci-Fi, 9 min, Arthur Rains-McNally); One For the Record Book (Comedy, 5 min, Emily Bjarke); Practical Things (Drama, 5 min, Lindy & Kris Boustedt); The Shootout (Western, 20 min, Craig Muller, Tonya Yorke); The Small Stuff (Drama, 3 min, Andrea Capere) and The Sweet Sorrow (Drama, 12 min, Jeff Barehand).

2. Toscanos Café & Wine Bar and Cline Cellars have teamed up to raise money for Good Samaritan Hospital's Cancer Care Fund. Beginning today, buy a glass of Cline Cellars Wine or special "Pink Cocktail" at Toscanos and receive a free hand-painted collectable cordial glass. Each week the Puyallup restaurant feature a different glass color. For every bottle of Cline wine poured at Toscanos this month, Cline will donate $1 to Good Samaritan. And, Toscanos will match that donation.

3. Meet authors Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones and learn about their latest addition to the Dreamspeaker Guides featuring Gig Harbor and other South Puget Sound boating destinations at 6:30 p.m. at the Tides Tavern. Puget Sound - A Boater's Guide is the seventh Dreamspeaker Guide and captures a fresh perspective to cruising our local waters. 

4. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. have launch the city's newest jazz jam inviting talent to sit in as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space at 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about.

5. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned," is your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, if you're into it, it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's goth and industrial scene. Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs will spin, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50.

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

MONDAY, SEPT. 30 2013 >>>

1. Look! Over in the corner! It's some drunks! It's some trash movie buffs! It's a bunch of cheesy movies! Actually, it's all of those things. The Tacoma Cult Movie Club gathers at 7 p.m. in the Acme Grub Cage bar to watch cheesy superhero movies. As always, admission is free, popcorn is free, drinks are delicious and raffle participation is appreciated and fun.

2. It's a rainy Monday in Tacoma, but inside The New Frontier Lounge, the night is hot. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. have launch the city's newest jazz jam inviting talent to sit in as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about. It kicks off at 8 p.m.

3. In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems guitarist Rafael Tranquilino must fuse genres across various musical projects in order to stay afloat. His arrangements incorporate blues, funk, rock, funk, ska, metal, reggae, Latin and jazz-fusion. As accomplished as he is varied, Tranquilino can be seen every Monday night as host of Stonegate Pizza's rockin' blues, if not experimental, jam at 8 p.m.

4. O'Malley's "Mondays For The Damned" is your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, if you're into it, it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's goth and industrial scene. Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs will spin, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50.

5. Want to feel like a rock star without all the pain and annoyance of having to be a  fire-breathing demon that bleeds from the mouth? Then hit Jazzbones Monday nights for Rockaraoke at 9 p.m., where you can belt out songs like the Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again," Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and enough INXS tunes to make you feel like you're on a reality show, and other hits from the days when you made mixtapes by recording the radio, all backed by a live band. Expect a college crowd enjoying $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots and $4 Smirnoff Flavor Vodka Bombs.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area