LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

The Acme Grub Cage Tacoma - Downtown. Blanco Bronco Record Release Party with Furry Buddies. Gritty City Sirens burlesque also in the house. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. SEACATS, The Echo Echo Echoes, Hearts Are Thugs, Luxe Canyon. 8 pm. 45.

• I can't be certain, but it seems likely that SEACATS may have the distinction of being the first band I've covered that were born out of a comedy web series. Formed by Kelso, Wash., by brothers Josh and Mike Davis, SEACATS make boisterous power-pop that recalls the guitar heroics of Fang Island and Surfer Blood, with a dash of the humorous self-deprecation of Weezer. While SEACATS describe themselves as "funny guyz," their songs don't make the mistake of drifting into a full-on comedy act. Despite their onstage antics and clearly tongue-in-cheek writing, these songs are by and large legit anthems that can be enjoyed by those people that tend to dismiss anything even close to comedy bands - even ones that were erroneously labeled as such, such as They Might Be Giants and Ween. But don't get me started on those people. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Triangle District. Kimball and the Fugitives. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. World's Finest featuring Steve Swatkins, Brett Cummings, Josh Hegg, Camron Arneson, Jesse Turcotte, Jeff Berghammer and Kevin Blackwood. 9 pm. NC.

Franciscan Polar Plaza Ice Rink Tacoma - Downtown. Kim Archer on Ice. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC, $4-$8 ice skating.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Stephanie Anne Johnson (of The Voice) Welcome Home Show. 8 pm. $8-$15.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Culcullen. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Echoes: Tribute To Pink Floyd. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Amber's Birthday Party, with Death By Stars, People Under The Sun, Oh Dear, Milk. 9 pm. NC.

• The New Frontier Lounge is hosting a free birthday bash for some chick named Amber, who is now apparently old enough to join Betty White and the rest of the Golden Girls, at least according to the Facebook event page. While I don't know Amber (Happy Birthday anyway!), I do know the line-up looks smokin'. Death By Stars is one of four bands set to play, and one of my personal Tacoma faves. Number one reason they are on the fave list? They make me want to dance. I'm listening to them right now, and I'm having trouble typing because it's out of sync with their synth-y, catchy beats and I'd rather be bouncing with the rhythm, riding the groove, closing my eyes and getting into the vibe. But hey, there's work to do, so back to reality. But, come this weekend get ready to let loose and party with the best of 'em. - Nikki McCoy
  

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The One & Only Ramains. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Los Flacos. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Klasx. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Dec. 28 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Slutty Hearts, Vox Mod, Back From Hiatus. 8 pm. $5. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Slutty Hearts in the Music & Culture section.

Franciscan Polar Plaza Ice Rink Tacoma - Downtown. Kurt Lindsay on Ice. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC, $4-$8 ice skating.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Hell's Belles (all-female AC/DC tribute), Adrian and the Sickness. All Ages. 5 pm. Hell's Belles (all-female AC/DC tribute), Adrian and the Sickness. 9 pm. $12.

Jezebels Bar & Grill Olympia - Downtown. Heretic The Heathen Birthday Show. 9 pm. $5. 

• There aren't many celebrities in the South Sound, but there are people who make our communities better just with their presence and energy - of course, coupled with good deeds and service. In the local hip-hop community - with a touch of 206 - Heretic The Heathen (representing The 360 real tough-like) is just one of those people. The rappin'-ass promoter/battler/media man will join Puget, Ang P, Patron and Akeem, and special marquee battle featuring SOS vs. Double B, in downtown Oly. Heretic is one of the problem-solvers and do-gooders - not because he's trying to do good, but because it's the right thing to do - in our community. Join him and the other talent at this public party with party people and DJ DP Sea on the 1s and 2s. - Jose Gutierrez Jr.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Shmuskin. 9 pm.

• The landscape of music is lousy with bawdy comedy music - from the party records of the '50s and '60s, through on to Blowfly's reign as the king of bad taste, and a slew of generally puerile and juvenile underground releases catching dust in discount bins - but this trend has largely slowed down. Part of the genre's decline is as a result of the comparatively more open culture we live in today, which doesn't quite necessitate getting kicks from records where people say bad words. Regardless, Shmuskin (Andy Shmuskin, that is) seems to be carrying that torch, not least with his holiday classic, "Christmas Cunnilingus." Just a man and his guitar, writing filthy folk paeans and tributes like "Sarah Silverman," where he laments that the "thinking man's sex symbol" dated Jimmy Kimmel. Shmuskin's giddily lowbrow songs are a welcome return to those crass old party records. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Mechanism. All Ages. 8 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. NWCZ Night of Gritmas, with The Big Wheel Stunt Show, Fred Speakman, Gavin Guss, Halcion Halo, Bandolier, Regan Lane, The Harolds, The Gimmer That Stole Christmas, The Reindeer Droppings. Proceeds benefit Tacoma Rescue Mission. 8 pm. $3 + can of food.

Northern Pacific Coffee Co. Tacoma - Parkland. Mudslug, Boreal and Trueno. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Old General Store Steakhouse & Saloon Roy. Doubleback. 9 pm.

Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. DBST, The Hard Way, a light show and burlesque, 9 pm. $10.

• I keep hearing about DBST. Facebook feeds, fliers around town and in conversations overheard at the bar. So, when I saw they were playing the growing tradition of the winter "Soulstice" event held in the Olympia Ballroom, I figured it was time to check them out. A Youtube search brings up a video of the band's intimate performance at the Pig Bar. My first impression was Grateful Dead, not so much in the sound, although it wouldn't be too far-fetched, but in the instant roll into psychedelic rock. The song, "Every Word," was 8:53 minutes long if that tells you anything. The three piece easily slips into jam space where conversation from the bar can peep through the recording, but not because the music has become disengaging, but rather as a compliment to the band's ability to change tempo and dynamic with the flick of a wrist. - Nikki McCoy

Sanford and Son Library Tacoma - Downtown. Dames, Hunnywell, Evan Main. 7:30 pm. $5 donation.

• Two of the influences cited by Dames do well to encapsulate their particular charm: Mac DeMarco and Tacoma's own (possibly defunct?) Makeup Monsters. What all three of these groups have in common is a certain embrace of a slacker ethos, which presents not as apathy, but as a shaggy energy. Instead of having a blasé attitude to match their laid-back vibes, Mac DeMarco, Makeup Monsters and now Dames, all have a deep, abiding love for catchy songcraft and a reverence for the godfathers of outsider pop such as Jonathan Richman and Gordon Gano. Dames make sunny indie pop that isn't afraid of hooky backing vocals ("oohs" and "aahs" abound) and reaches back as much for classic inspiration as it does reach out for the trendy jangle of today. - Rev. AM

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Tatoosh. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Tingstad & Rumbel. All Ages. 8 pm. $15-$22.

Triple Play Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Ride and guests. 9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. ABATE Bake Sale, with Strange Pleasure. 9 pm.

Waterstreet Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Dennis Hastings & The Joe Baque Trio. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Dec. 21 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Triangle District. Ty Wilan. High energy R&B. 8pm-11pm. free.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Brakemouth, Not From Brooklyn, Future Fridays and the Sound of Speed. 9 pm. $5.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Blue Grit Gypsy Band. 9:30 pm. NC.

The Gig Spot Gig Harbor. The Blackberry Bushes Stringband. All Ages. 8 pm. $12.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Approach CD Release Party, with Vividal, Mighty High. 8 pm. $8.

• A cursory look at the Tacoma reggae quartet The Approach's debut record suggests the band favors upbeat rhythms over the lazy, laid-back tempos preferred by too many of its contemporaries. This gives the songs an exceptionally strong rhythmic backbone. Combining hip-hop, reggae, rock and ska, the band isn't afraid to throw in some unexpected tricks, such as shredding guitars and a few Anthony Kiedes-like interludes. Although some of the songs go on a bit long, they rarely sound self-indulgent. No, instead they sound like a party, which is exactly what the band's live shows bust out. Drop by Jazzbones Saturday night for The Approach's CD release party with Vividal and Mighty High setting the tone - emphasis on "party." - Ron Swarner
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Shit Blizzard, Fox & The Law, Thunders Of Wrath. 9 pm.

The Lochs Tacoma - Downtown. Under Sin, Black Top Demon, Riot and Rhythm. 8 pm. $10.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Lefthead, Beyond Theory, Charlie Drown. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Metronome Coffee Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Debbie Neigher. All Ages. 8 pm.

• A hip coffeehouse and a young, bright singer/songwriter/pianist from the Bay Area? Sounds perfect for a November evening. Debbie Neigher is on tour to promote her sophomore album, Unravel, a joint effort by talent that has worked on The Mountain Goats, Rogue Wave and Death Cab for Cutie. The result is lovely, with a lot of feminine power, a lot of pop-synth and a lot of heart. Dancing or relaxing would both be appropriate when listening Neigher's soprano sweet voice and piano-driven jams. Hype for the artist from San Francisco Bay Guardian reads, "She's youthful (just 24), yet her voice is strong and conveys a wise understanding of past, similar to Michelle Branch or Fiona Apple. Her lyrics often dive into difficult topics ... And her intricate piano work soars." - Nikki McCoy
  

Northern Olympia - downtown. Aan, Gothic Tropic and guests. 8 pm. $5. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Aan in the Music and Culture section.

Southbay Dickerson's BBQ/Pig Bar Olympia - Downtown. Daniel "Mudcat" McKinstry. 8 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Argonaut, Dogs Of War, Skies Below, Furry Buddies. 9 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Aan, Gothic Tropic. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Cleric, Czar, Mahnhammer, Barefoot Barnacle. 9 pm.

Red Bicycle Bistro and Sushi Bar Vashon. The Ian McFeron Band. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Rockodiles. 8 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Correo Aereo. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Treos Tacoma - Central. Michael Coucoules. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Midnight Ride. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Nov. 16 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Triangle District. Rod Cook. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. Night Of The Living Tribute Bands, featuring tributes to The Specials, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Beastie Boys, They Might Be Giants, The Pixies, Queens Of The Stone Age, Spinal Tap. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $8-$10.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Aaron Daniel's One Man Banned. 9:30 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. First Degree The D.E.'s Halloween Horror Night Costume Party, with Blue Nose Music, Shao Sosa, Awall AKA 2Piece, Beanz & Rize, hosted by Josh Rizeberg. 8 pm. $10.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Clinton Fearon & The Boogie Brown Band, with New Kingston. 8 pm. $10.

Kilworth Chapel Tacoma - Northend. La Familia Valera Miranda. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $12.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Oly Freakdown Halloween Hardcore & Metal Show with Eidola, Redeem the Exile, ThisTopia, Enclosures, T.H.O.R. All Ages. 5:30 pm. $5. MC Swamptiger, Smoke Of Oldominion. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Wide Eye Panic, In The Between, December In Red, Insuburban Avenue, Watcher's Eye. All Ages. 6 pm.

Matrix Coffee House Chehalis. 16 Sparrows. All Ages. 8 pm. $6.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Lovers Without Borders, Lois, The Hive Dwellers. All Ages. 8 pm. $6.

• Saturday's show at the Northern is a showcase of Olympia legends, including K Records founder Calvin Johnson with his Hive Dwellers project, and a supergroup of Karl Blau, Allen Peril, and Jessica Bonin by the name of Lovers Without Borders. Of particular interest is a performance from Lois Maffeo, who tends more often to go by the Google-confounding title of, simply, Lois. A prolific member of the Olympia DIY community throughout the '90s, Lois's output has slowed over the years, but she leaves an impressive collection of collaborations with any number of alt scene movers and shakers - most notably her quite good album, The Union Themes, which she recorded with Brendan Canty of Fugazi. All along the way, what distinguished Lois were her lovely voice, her strong songwriting and her flair for knocking out warmly catchy folk-pop. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. 13 Eves of Halloween with Ghost 211. Creepiest costume contest for cash. 9 pm.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. E-40, Beejan, Krucial Barz, Mr. Tist 7 Yak Nasty, Frankie Hustle, Circle of Bosses, Free Whiskey and XPerience. 9 pm. $20.

• The legend, the lyricist, the greatest gamespitter of all time, the Ambassador of The Bay, E-Feezy Fonzarelli ... Call him what you want, but don't be late catching this man rock the stage at The Royal Lounge Saturday night in Olympia - and he often travels with his cohort from The Click, B-Legit. E-40 is the hardest working man in hip-hop, at least in terms of albums output.  In the past three years, 40 Water has dropped the Revenue Retrievin' series (four CDs) and The Block Brochure Volumes 1-3, his collaboration with Too Short's Mob & Function Music (double disc) and the forthcoming parts 4-6.  You do the math - that's 12 quality releases in as much time as it took you to write your last resume. He's a model for the art of hustling and he's in The 25360 this weekend, The Mailman cometh. Alongside 40 will be a lineup of local talent including Beejan, Krucial Barz, Mr. Twist & Yak Nasty (celebrating a long-term of sobriety - go, Yak!), Circle of Bosses, Free Whiskey, XP (coming off the release of his new classic, The Revelations [EP] and hosted by Frankie Hustle. Bound to be plenty of memorable moments at this one. - Jose Gutierrez Jr.
  

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Pre-Halloween Party, with Crosswalk Band, costume contest. 9 pm. NC.

Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe Tacoma - Eastside. 6th year Anniversary Show featuring Pioneers West Reunion, with The Wheelies. 9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Spanaway & Tacoma ABATE Halloween Bash, with Justice Creek. 9 pm.

Westgate Bar and Grill Tacoma - Northend. Halloween Party, with Tumbling Dice. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Oct. 26 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LINK: Today's Halloween events in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

502 Downtown Tacoma - Downtown. Kim Archer Band with Gritty City Sirens burlesque troupe and DJ Ninja Kat. Halloween costume contest plus raffle. 9 pm. $10 cash.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Heavy Prog with Breag Naofa, Feng Chia, Moraine, God Hates Fads. 8 pm. $5.

• If you find yourself thirsty for post-metal, heavy prog rock, look no further than Bob's Java Jive tonight. Political, anti-religious, and blood-shedding doom is the nature of Seattle's Breag Naofa, who perfectly execute the qualities of the genre, with plenty of mid-tempo drone and growly vocals. The evening also promises the interesting music of Fang Chia, a Tacoma-based experimental jazz-rock band consisting of music alumni of the University of Puget Sound. Blurring lines and blowing minds is what Fang Chia strive to do with self-promo stating their combined musical background is "rooted in grit and improvisation." Also on the bill are two more Seattle bands, Moraine, featuring instrumental fusion appealing across all genres, and God Hates Fads, whose doom-jazz is prone to wandering depths and trippy heights. - Nikki McCoy
  

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Stagecoach Nettie & The Wolf Tones. 9:30 pm. NC.

Grit City GindHouse Tacoma - Triangle District. The Warehouse Presents: Rockwell Powers and DJ Phinisey Album Release Party. With The Breaklites, Ra Scion and Mr. Melanin. All Ages. 9 pm. $7-$10.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Heartless (Heart tribute). 8 pm. $8.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. X Suns, Chung Antique, Fall Of Electricity, A God Or An Other. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Half Of Infinity. All Ages. 7 pm.

Lucky Eagle Casino Rochester. Little River Band. 8 pm. $15.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Northern Pacific Coffee Company Tacoma - Parkland. Wild Berries, J. Martin and Andrew Cook. 7 pm.

• Recently, the powers of two bands joined together. The two-piece of Rowhouse became a four-piece with the addition of Aaron Berryhill and Chelsea Reed, of the well-liked but short-lived band, the Nadines. With the change in lineup came a change in name, to Wild Berries. With the incorporation of Berryhill and Reed, the sound of the band has certainly begun to gel. And louder? Yeah. Wild Berries have slid toward the Nadines' brand of garage psych, while still incorporating the jazz and blues elements that Rowhouse embraced. With no bass, and with the witchy, tremulous background vocals of Reed, Wild Berries is all craning energy and no low end. When they really get on a jag, it's like watching them tiptoe along a balance beam. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Wild Berries, including an interview with Alex Tapia of Rowhouse, in the Music and Culture section.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Still Got It. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. The Cantrells. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Spanaway ABATE Octoberfest, with The Skinny White Samoans. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Oct. 12 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

In 1944, 63 young men stood trial at a Japanese internment camp at Heart Mountain, Wyo. for resisting the draft; the impact of this action was a poignant part of American history. A local filmmaker brings this history alive, and now South Sound residents have the opportunity to be a part of the conversation.

The Fife History Museum, which recently launched its latest exhibit, "Rights, Rations, Remembrance: Fife in World War II," proudly offers patrons an opportunity to learn more about this significant era. The general public is cordially invited to the museum on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. to view director Frank Abe's controversial World War II documentary, Conscience and the Constitution.

The film reveals the long-untold story of the organized draft resistance at the American concentration camp at Heart Mountain and the suppression of that resistance by Japanese American leaders. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmaker and other community leaders.

Conscience and the Constitution takes us back in time to December 1941, when war was raging in Europe and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor stunned the nation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast, many of whom were already U.S. citizens, be placed in internment camps spread out among seven states.

Read more...

SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 2013 >>>

1. There are hundreds of opportunities for the amateur and the professional photogs to get some incredible shots at the annual Oceanic Lumins Festivus as it travels from Wright Park to Tacoma's Theater District beginning at 7:15 p.m. Flex your photojournalism muscle as costumed folks march a winding path, try your hand at an abstract camera toss using the lanterns as your light source, or test your skills in Instagram, Vine, or video with ... just about anything. Thousands of people doing hundreds of things: kids picking their noses; people dressed as fish running, sea urchins marching, mermaids singing; anything goes in this autumnal procession of lights in illuminated sea sculpture. Everywhere you look there's something to document, so you can't go wrong.

2. National Alpaca Farm Days is this weekend. Oh, did you not hear that? You've never heard of an alpaca? Alpacas resemble little Wookie-horses or miniature llamas. Unlike llamas, though, alpacas are not for carrying things; specifically, they are bred for their hair, which is a lot like sheep's wool. Alpaca wool is a silky and lustrous luxury. You should pet one. While these unique creatures hail from the Andean steppes, they seem to like Fife, as well. The Firwood Farm Alpacas in Fife celebrates National Alpaca Farm Days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go learn about alpacas and pet one.

3. The Double Shot Festival gives playwrights, directors and actors a mere 24 hours to write, rehearse, and stage original plays. Not even George Bernard Shaw worked this fast. The plays unfold in a leisurely two hours, twice - at 7 and 9 p.m. in Broadway Center's Studio III - so you don't have to sweat, they do. The Double Shot Festival is a partnership between the Northwest Playwright Alliance and the Broadway Center's year-long Free For All focus, which means the Double Shot Festival is free to attend.

4. With The Evens, Amy Farina barrels on the drums, sometimes sounding as easy as morning fog rolling over settled water, other times sounding as sharp and heated as a first piercing. When she sings, she saturates with feminine power. Together with Ian MacKaye's sometimes plucking, often grinding guitar and hard-hitting vocals that evoke nostalgia for your first Fugazi or Minor Threat album but also wakes up little pieces of your heart that weren't there before, the duo makes a memorable sound. Catch The Evens at 7 p.m. in the Olympia Eagles Hall. Read Nikki McCoy's interview with Ian MacKaye in the Music and Culture section.

5. Music combined with atmosphere is one of the many aesthetics that The Warehouse production company aims for. Its Candle Lit series is another way to highlight the unique visions of these Tacoma creatives - music by candle light in a church. Headlinging the Candle Lit Show at 8 p.m. in Tacoma's Urban Grace Church are the trio You Are Plural, a band that make music for the kind of people that need a little more propulsion in their chamber pop. Made up of cello, Wurlitzer organ and drums, You Are Plural construct perfectly lovely tunes that benefit greatly from the sort of nervous percussion provided by not only the drums, but by the Wurlitzer. The Local Strangers, Spirits of the Red City and Bradford Loomis join in.

LINK: Saturday, Sept. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, SEPT. 22 2013 >>>

1. The Broadway Center welcomes travel guru Rick Steves to its Pantages Theater for a travel chat at 5 p.m. Steves - book author, Europe expert, pot smoker, global wanderer, TV host - has spent four months each year overseas for the last 30 years. According to pre-event hype, "Travel helps us appreciate the spiritual diversity of the planet while nourishing the soul of the traveler as he/she encounters the beautiful and the unique in new and unfamiliar places. Rick shares how the other 96 percent of humanity sees our nation and explores how his social activism has grown naturally out of his travel experiences."

2. Be prepared, Tacoma - prepared for a trail system the likes of which this city has never seen. We have the waterfront trail along Ruston Way. We have a network of trails in Point Defiance. But, until now, these two trails were so close, but so far. Downtown to Defiance: Sunday Parkways will usher in a new era - the beginning of these two trails coming together. The city of Tacoma, Metro Parks and Tacoma Pierce County Health Department have partnered up to close down one lane of the streets running from the Tacoma Dome to Point Defiance Park between 8 a.m. and noon, opening up almost seven miles of waterfront streets for cyclists, walkers and runners. Starting at 7:30 a.m., participants can gather at the T-Dome. The walk/ride along the parkways starts at 8.

3. Revered by fans and artists alike for it's fantastic stage, professional lighting and wonderful sound, Louie G's Pizzeria in Fife is loved in numbers. Beginning at 1 p.m., the venue's 2nd annual Dreamfest opens for day two action. Though the event is only in it's second year, it is shaping up to become the establishment's trademark music festival. For complete schedule, click here.

4. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) closes today at 2 p.m. in the Tacoma Little Theatre. The show is a whirlwind revue of the Bard's entire run of comedies, tragedies, histories and even sonnets in less than two hours. Imagine Monty Python on speed - except don't, because neither you nor aged British comedians should ever take speed. Stay in school, kids. we mean it.

5. Brian Lee & The Orbiters fills The Spar in Old Town Tacoma with blues beginning at 7 p.m. 

LINK: Sunday, Sept. 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area