>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 21 <<<

Sixty-four South Sound breakfast joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Breakfast, which is now seven days into the competition. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, restaurant hallways and birdcages. Morning business meetings have been moved to restaurants. Everyone is discussing syrup flavors and waffle thickness. It's crazy fun.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Spar Cafe (Olympia) vs. Bread Peddler (Olympia)

Ben Moore's Cafe (Olympia) vs. New Moon Cafe (Olympia) 

Cicada Restaurant (Olympia) vs. Shipwreck Cafe (Olympia)

Darby's Cafe (Olympia) vs. Quality Burrito (Olympia)

Yesterday, we predicted the Spar Café would give the bread Peddler an early run for its money, which it did. The McMenamin brothers venture exploded with an early lead. However, the Peddler, with its yummy baked goods and freakin' delicious quiche, came on strong around dinnertime. In the end, the Spar Cafe squeaked out the win by a three-vote margin. The game will no doubt be the talk on Fourth Avenue corners today.

The opposite of the above game, Ben Moore's Café and the New Moon Café were neck and neck throughout the morning and afternoon. Then, as if Edward Cullen and his pals swooped in after dark to terrorize Ben Moore's, the New Moon went on an incredible terror and grabbed an amazing 70 percent of the votes. Could it be black magic, or the Moon's fried egg sandwich? Doesn't matter now. The New Moon Café enters the second round to battle the Spar Café March 23.

Cicada is fine and dandy, even after the ownership change. Commenter jjtandcompany says the Crabcake Benedict is to die for. Commenter Roger says Cicada's staff is friendly and treats the customer right. And the Tournament of Breakfast voters say Cicada is worth sending to the second round by awarding the Northwest restaurant with Southern accents 60 percent of the votes over the Shipwreck Cafe.

Every city has a restaurant that reflects the people, the culture, the reality of the place - not the town you see in a tourism brochure, but the town that folks actually live, work and eat in. Olympia has Darby's Café. Darby's represents the city of Olympia to the tea (15 versions).  Funky, liberal, friendly, and laid-back, it's all about serving quality food in the Man's front yard. While elected officials and developers argue about waterfront condos, folks can enjoy the democratic principles of fairness, whole foods, open-toed sandals, and an odd assortment of Wizard of Oz paraphernalia in this tiny joint. And Olympia returned the favor by awarding Darby's with 70 percent of the votes over Quality Burrito, and a ticket to the next round.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• McMenamin's Spar Cafe
  
• New Moon Cafe
  
• Cicada Restaurant
  
• Darby's Cafe
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 19 <<<

Good morning! It's still March, and dagnabit if all that "Madness" isn't still in the air! What's one to do with all that pent up "madness?" It can make for quite a dilemma. ...

Unless, of course, you've found something like the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Breakfast to help get you through. Throughout the month (and into early April, even) the Volcano's readers will be voting on the South Sound's best breakfast through daily head-to-head matchups here on Spew. We started Thursday with 64 breakfast joints, and only one can be crowned king.

Without further ado, let's get down to business. Pass the syrup.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Fife City Bar & Grill (Fife) vs. Shorty's Grub House (Federal Way)

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill (Tacoma)vs. Buttered Biscuit (Sumner)

Dixie's Home Cookin's (Sumner) vs. BerryLand Cafe (Sumner)

Kelly's Kafe (Spanaway) vs. Boxcar Grill (Tacoma)

Fife City Bar & Grill's dining room has all the charm of a Hampton Inn breakfast buffet, minus the Fox News blaring overhead. But, what every trucker that enters the Port of Tacoma will tell you - Fife City's breakfast is awesome, confirmed yesterday when it grabbed 76 percent of the votes over Shorty's.

Rock The Dock Pub & Grill also beat its opponent by a landslide. The Buttered Biscuit had its biscuit buttered by Rock The Dock as it watched the Tacoma waterfront watering hole run away with 70 percent of the votes.

You've seen and smelled it on your way to Crystal Mountain. There's hard work happening in Sumner. Farmers rise before the roosters to tend to their livestock and daffodils. They do more work before 8 a.m. than the Weekly Volcano staff can accomplish all day. By 8, they're ready for a big, tasty plate of breakfast served with a smile. And according to yesterday's voting, they prefer Dixie's Home Cookin' over the BerryLand Cafe by a two to one margin.

Yesterday we warned you about Team Boxcar Grill. The Freighthouse Square restaurant has a hardcore following. Team Boxcar registered the most comments on yesterday's post. There's a lot of hoopla over its chicken fried steak. And it's hard to argue with 99 cent coffee. The Boxcar Grill followed yesterday's trend of blowout games capturing 79 percent of the votes and advancing to the second round.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Fife City Bar & Grill
  
• Rock The Dock Pub & Grill
  
• Dixie's Home Cookin'
  
• Boxcar Grill
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

>>> VOTING CLOSED FOR MARCH 18 <<<

Favorites or underdogs, fancy restaurants or dive bars, it's all the same. In the end, they all have one chance to crack an egg that can take the prize.

Yesterday's Tournament of Breakfast Results

Here were the match-ups:

Puget Sound Pizza (Tacoma) vs. The Spar (Tacoma)

The Harvester (Tacoma)vs. The Hub (Tacoma)

A Renaissance Cafe (Tacoma) vs. Bite Restaurant (Tacoma)

Southern Kitchen (Tacoma) vs. Dirty Oscar's Annex (Tacoma)

In the battle of Tacoma favorites, Puget Sound Pizza edged out The Spar with 51.2 percent of the votes. Could the fact The Spar partied it up on St. Patrick's Day affected its focus? Whatever, what's done is done. Puget Sound Pizza moves to the next round. The Spar made it through the Great Depression. It's tough. They'll have breakfast ready for you today as usual.

Flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs, milk, butter: Pancakes sound easy enough, but alas, they're not. We came across two particularly good versions at the Harvester and The Hub. Yesterday, voters agreed with our findings - The Hub won with 50.5 percent of the votes. 50.5 percent! The Harmon conglomerate restaurant now moves on to battle Puget Sound Pizza's stack.

Go local. Yesterday, the little guy, A Renaissance Cafe walked all over the fancy schmancy Hotel Murano and its Bite Restaurant grabbing 69 percent of the votes. A Renaissance Cafe will need to keep limber for its second round opponent. It will be the battle of its life.

Last, Dirty Oscar's Annex on Sixth Avenue put the hurt on Southern Kitchen capturing 65 percent of the votes. It's a given the line outside DOA is all a flutter with the news of the win. We expect many DOA customers will celebrate with a big ol' plate of elk hash.

Let's take a look at the stack. The following are advancing to the next round:

• Puget Sound Pizza
  
• The Hub
  
• A Renaissance Cafe
  
• Dirty Oscar's Annex
  

The daily breakfast battles here on Spew are sponsored by Shakabrah Java on Tacoma's Sixth Avenue.

OK, let's check out today's First Round breakfast battles. Vote for one breakfast joint per battle. Voting for today's breakfast battles ends at 11:45 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Dirty Oscar's Annex Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Phasers On Kill. 7 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Underground Tacoma - Stadium District. Automatic Theory, Bodybox. 9 pm. $5.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Righteous Vendetta, The Forerunner, Myself Aside, Kidsajoke, Through Darker Tides. All Ages. 6 pm. $8-$10. Madcap Reunion Show, with BND, Keeping The Gates. 10 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. VetsMeetVets Military Appreciation Fundraiser, with Cee Cee James, Voxxy Vallejo, Stacy Jones. Proceeds benefit VetsMeetVets.org. 20% off bar & food tab till 12 pm with Military ID. 7:30 pm. $10, $7 w/Military ID.

Le Voyeur Olympia. Stumblebum Brass Band, Vir, Levator. 10 pm. NC.

• The Stumblebum Brass Band is an entity that banks on novelty, but does its best to surpass it. The band succeeds in spades. Theirs is a collective of brass-band punk dudes, to put it bluntly. To incorporate marching/school assembly band elements into a punk outfit is not unheard of, but the Stumblebum Brass Band does well with making hay of the unlikely combination, and the band's recordings are lively fucking affairs. Having a gaggle of guys singing a rousing chorus in drunken unison, accompanied by belching tubas and squealing trumpets is something of a thing of beauty. One thing that the Stumblebum Brass Band can rightly be accused of is being more than the sum of its parts. Part of the band's M.O. is to melt your ears and brain, and they somehow manage it, in one gigantic swoop. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Half Of Infinity, Far From Given, Faces Pale. All Ages. 7 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Cloud Chowder. All Ages. 6 pm. Sanjaya Malakar. All Ages. 7 pm. Rafael Tranquilino. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Speakeasy Tacoma. Lance Buller Trio. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Sources In Code, Variety Hour, Tallest Tree, Loose Buoys. 9 pm.

The Red Room Tacoma - Downtown. Oblivion, Prestige, Dead Weight, White Heat, Bad Influence. All Ages. 7 pm.

Spar Cafe Olympia. Jabi Shriki. 8 pm. NC.

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

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Playing For Change Band. All Ages. 7:30 pm.

• By now you may have heard the remarkable tale of Grammy Award-winning producer Mark Johnson's Playing For Change Band, set to hit Olympia and the Washington Center for the Performing Arts this Friday. Originally birthed as part of a PBS documentary Playing For Change: Peace Through Music, according to hype "Johnson traveled the world recording street performers of different faiths, backgrounds, and ethnicities and blended their contributions into a single unified, moving performance." In 2009 at SXSW a group of musicians from the film came together for a live performance as the Playing For Change Band, offering an "exhilarating mix of blues, gospel, reggae and Afropop," in addition to the straight-up neatness factor of seeing such a collection of varied street musicians jell. All of this will be on display tonight in Olympia. – Weekly Volcano
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Felim Egan of The Chancers. 8 pm. NC.

Eastside Club Tavern Olympia - Downtown. McDougall, Sassparilla. 8 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Underground Tacoma - Stadium District. Jerin Falkner. 10 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Sandlot. 9 pm.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. December In Red, The Fail Safe Project, Riverbend, EROS. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Charles Wilson. All Ages. 8 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Sound Icons: Music, Art & Fashion with The Wheelies, Paris Spleen and Lozen. 10 pm.

• All right, so here's a thing that's happening: Saturday, an assemblage of Tacoma's most stylish bands will convene in one place, play music and have photographs taken of themselves in starkly fashionable rock 'n roll clothing, and you will be there to bask in all the ridiculous, trendsetting-ness of it all. Reader, if you'll allow me to be frank with you, I will be there with absurd bells on my discount-bin shoes. Bands in toe: Interpol/Walkmen-devotees, Wheelies; dance-punk Tacoma provocateurs, Paris Spleen; and the inimitably badass all-girl metal duo, Lozen. These are all unequivocally cool bands in these parts and, fashion-focused evening aside, this is a bill worth attending - even in the blandest of clothes. Pro tip: come naked, and let stylists Del Brown and Najamoniq do you up right. - Rev. Adam McKinney

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Hip-Hop 4 The Homeless, with Antonio Pito Edwards, Afrok & The Movement, Collective Love Unlimited, Speaker Minds, DJ Budget Money, DJ Drastic, Khingz, OTOW Gang, DJ Tee, Free Whiskey, hosted by Luvva J. All Ages. 6 pm. food or clothing donation.

• Founded in 2002 by Olympia DJ and hip-hop activist Luvva J- real name Jose Gutierrez Jr. - in Vancouver, B.C., the non-profit organization Hip-Hop 4 the Homeless has now been spreading awareness of homelessness for a decade. Once a year, Luvva J and friends host the two-day event that includes one day of live performances by various hip-hop artists and offers free admission with donations of clothes, blankets, tents, food or anything that could be useful to the homeless. Day two of the annual event offers open doors to the homeless community, providing those in need the opportunity to take whatever necessities are available from the previous night's donations. A warm meal is also provided, along with a haircut and professional massage. In 2006 Luvva J decided he wanted to move the organization to the states and since then Olympia has happily become its home. "The purpose of this event is to not only spread awareness of the issue but to encourage folks to get involved and develop a deeper understanding surrounding poverty in America" says Gutierrez, who has written for the Volcano in the past. This year's Hip-Hop 4 the Homeless music showcase promises some of Olympia, Seattle and Portland's best, including DJs, spoken word and live performances by Khingz & OTOW Gang, Alex Duncan, Afrok & The Movement, Speaker Minds and many more. Read Nic Leonard's full feature on Hip-hop 4 the Homeless.
  

Oscar's Restaurant & Lounge Tacoma - South. Fingertips. Funk, blues and jazz. 6 pm. NC.

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. The Bad Plus Presents On Sacred Ground: Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $24-$56.

• Everything is jazz. Or damn near everything. As The Bad Plus proves, bald heads and fu Manchu mustaches are pretty freakin' jazzy, too. But let us not trivialize this world-renowned jazz band, hitting Tacoma's Pantages Theater Saturday, as anything but remarkable. There's good reason why Billboard, and subsequently the Broadway Center's website, hypes the band as, "America's most "audacious, rule-breaking jazz trio." It's because all those aforementioned adjectives apply. Plus there's the facial hair. Catch The Bad Plus in Tacoma Saturday taking on Stravinsky's Rite of Spring - a pairing that should make for quite an evening of entertainment. – WV
  

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Still Got It. Rock, blues and funk from the 50s-80s. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Atomic Outlaws. 9 pm.

• Nothing fancy is at play here, just straightforward, riff-heavy RAWK with a little eyeliner around the edges. The Atomic Outlaws have been rock workhorses since the band's inception in 2007. As time has passed, the band has experienced several lineup changes, including shuffling through three lead singers, but the mission statement has remained constant: Through the use of guitars, drums, bass and big-old amps, the Atomic Oulaws aim to hurl rock 'n' roll at your head. Most of it will get in your ears, but if some gets on your face, they're fine with that, too. The Atomic Outlaws do not work in light brushstrokes. - WV

Tahoma Tea & Co. Tacoma - Downtown. Allan Boothe, Piko Panda, Brandon Sagnella. All Ages. 7-10 pm.

• Saturday at Tahoma Tea and Co. (formerly the Den @ urbanXchange) brings about a showcase of three singer-songwriters, each of whom are accustomed to performing with a full band. The evening will strip these performers down, creating a tableau of three unique voices: Humble Cub's Allan Boothe, Oh Dear!'s Brandon Sagnella and Piko Panda (AKA Jacob Gosselin). "Piko Panda started out as me writing songs by myself when I was 15 or so," says Gosselin. "It's always kinda been something I do on the side, and every once in a while, I'll play. ...  I play with a live band, every once in a while, and I never used to do that. I'm just trying to mature, musically, and play with different people and have different people's ideas in the songs. I guess I would describe Piko Panda as pop music. I don't really know how to describe it." Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on this show.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Faces Pale, Tyranny Theory, Unhaloed. 9 pm.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival. All Ages. 7:30 pm.

• The Harmony Sweepstakes may sound like a new dating service, but it's actually an annual event in Olympia featuring some of the region's best a cappella talent. No kidding. A night of music and awards, Saturday's festivities will include hosts and guest artists The Baudboys, the 2011 first-place champions, along with event emcee Smilin' Jay of Olympia's KGY AM/FM radio. Event hype available on the Washington Center's website promises, "an evening of impeccable harmonies and scintillation arrangements." Hard to go wrong there.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live 1-Year Anniversary Music Night, with John Dolge, Jon Parker, Micaela Cooley, Sam Bogle, Russ Dahler, Gen Obata, The Collaborators. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

• Time flies when you're having fun. Or so the saying goes - and fun is definitely one of the many great, hyper-local bits of awesomeness being served every day at Tacoma's Amocat Café, celebrating one year this Friday with the aptly titled, "Amocat Live." Expect an evening full of live music for all ages including John Dolge, Jon Parker, Micaela Cooley, Sam Bogle, Russ Dahler, Gen Obata, and The Collaborators. Best of all, it's free. Plus, the ambiance at Amocat can't be beat. This event is a win for all involved. Stop by and thank proprietor Morgan Alexander for a year of dutiful service to his community. — Weekly Volcano
  

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Klondike Kate, Automatic Theory, Riot In Rhythm, Attack With Care, Lucky Bunny Foot. 7 pm. $10.

Chris Knutzen Hall Tacoma - Parkland. University Jazz Ensemble, featuring Anton Schwartz. All Ages. 8 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Underground Tacoma - Stadium District. Science!, Chris Hyde, Kitt Bender. 10 pm. $5.

• The finger-plucking beauty and ease of Science!'s folksy, acoustic, storytelling is easy on the ear. Voted "Best New Band" in the Volcano's Best of Olympia 2012 Readers Poll, Science! has a rootsy vibe that goes a long way in a town like Oly. Comprised of vocalist Justin Stang and guitarist Jim Elenteny, "Science! is a musical pursuit of empirical evidence, using poetry and soundscapes to express the truth of daily life," according to the band's bio. Via phone, Stang and Elenteny have a more straightforward description. "We wanted something that was simple, that was universal, and that was truthful. That's a lot of how we view our music," says Stang. There's a familiarity with Stang's work in Olympia thanks to his contribution to the well known, nationally touring jam-rock outfit Sideways Reign. Elenteny, for his part, plays bass in the also-well-known Seattle-based jam act Nefarious Jones. Catch Science! in Tacoma this week when Stang and Elenteny hash it out at the Harmon Tap Room Underground along with show headliner Chris Hyde and Kitt Bender. - Matt Driscoll

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Thou Shall Kill, Days Armour, Vigilante Sol, Devil On A Leash. 9 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Too Slim & The Taildraggers. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $10.

• 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? - WV

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Nolan Garrett. All Ages. 7 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Thea Wescott & Timberland Ridge. All Ages. 8 pm.

Medi's Pizza & Pasta Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Just Cuz. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Maxwell's Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Trio. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Anthony & Anthony Dirty 30 Party, with Destruction Island, DJ Babycham. 8 pm.

• Destruction Island makes big sounds and big hooks with their guitars, but the band persists in being betrayed by small sound. As much as Destruction Island puffs out its chests with these arena sounds, the band always cheat a look of uncertain modesty - like a plunky piano line or a hollow snare tap - to lend an aspect of humility to the proceedings. Though they largely succeed in dealing up proper, confident indie rock, they have a nagging need to bare themselves in plaintive ways. Driving and lively though their songs may be, there is a definite sense of searching, unsure wanting. Even if these notions don't strike you upon listening to Destruction, the strength of the band's indie pop songcraft should do well in propelling you from one song to the next. - Rev Adam McKinney

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Hilltop. Paul Kroeger. 8 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Blacktop Demons, Breaking Quarantine. 9 pm.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. An Evening With Leo Kottke. All Ages. 8 pm. $30-$50.

• There are few, if any, guitarists like Leo Kottke. An acoustic fret master, tickling both the six and 12 string varieties, Kottke's blazing licks have inspired guitarists worldwide for nearly the entire length of his legendary four-decade career. With a wry, almost comical approach to life and songwriting, mixed with unfathomable skill, Kottke is one for the ages. Friday, Kottke returns to the South Sound for a show at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts in Olympia. Come out and be amazed. — WV
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

SPEND YOUR MORNINGS WISELY THIS WEEK >>>

It's March ... meaning Madness is once again in the air. Soon, 64 early risers will tip off and do battle in part of an annual South Sound tradition - working their way through a tediously-constructed bracket and toward ultimate supremacy.

We speak, of course, of the Weekly Volcano's Tournament of Breakfast, which kicks off March 15 right here on Spew. This year's Tournament of Breakfast marks the continuation of an epic winning streak that began in 2010 with the Volcano's Tournament of Tacos, and continued in 2011 with the Tournament of Pizza.

This year, the Volcano has the South Sound's best breakfast in its crosshairs, and it's up to readers to decide who walks away the winner.

Through the end of March, and keeping pace with the national excitement on the college basketball courts (though far more tasty), 64 area breakfast joints will compete in the Volcano's 2012 Tournament of Breakfast. These pancake-serving and egg-frying establishments were selected and seeded by readers throughout February, and now the time has come to see who's best. Marcia's Silver Spoon, Shakabrah or Old Milwaukee Cafe in Tacoma? Carrs or Burs? Darby's or the New Moon Cafe down south?

Only one can be crowned king - so vote early, often and DAILY on this blog. Use the bracket inside the print version of the Weekly Volcano to guide you through the matchups.

Then, on April 2, join us at the Meconi's Tacoma Pub & Eatery for the Official Tournament of Breakfast Party - our winner will be announced during halftime of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship game.

See you back here Thursday, March 15.

Sponsored by ...

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Ale House Sports Pub & Grille University Place. Steve Stefanowicz. 8 pm. NC.

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Guttermouth, Boldtype, Neutralboy, The Unevil, South 11th. 8 pm. $12-$15.

• This blurb officially marks the 87th time I've written about Guttermouth coming to Tacoma. Something tells me that while I may be running out of things to say about the iconic Huntington Beach punk rockers, Tacoma's many fans of the band aren't getting tired seeing them. This Friday, Guttermouth again returns to T-Town, this time hitting up the Backstage Bar & Grill. The band has typically played Hell's Kitchen in the past, but this time around it appears former Hell's Kitchen booker Flash Connel - now a show-making free agent of sorts - has lured the band to the ass-end of Sixth Avenue and the Backstage. I expect the results of the show to be similar: loud, fast and balls-to-the-proverbial-wall. - Matt Driscoll

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Psycho 78, Artimus Maximus, Triple Sixes, Dead Giveaways. 9 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma. The Green reggae show. All Ages. 4 pm doors. $10. With Mighty High. 21+. 7 pm. $15.

Lucky Eagle Casino Rochester. George Jones. 8 pm. $45-$65.

Little Creek Casino Shelton. Glen Campbell. 8 pm. $30-$50.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. High Noon Horizon, River Of Disdain, Jobe Himself. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Ches Ferguson, Julie Campbell. All Ages. 6 pm. Ravin' Wolf. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Speakeasy Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Trio. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

McCoy's Tavern Olympia - Downtown. Resident Kings, Last Watch, Hong Kong Banana. 9 pm. $5.

• Resident Kings (an Oly band featuring members of Dirty Birds and Fitz of Depression), Last Watch (featuring John Johnson of Hillstomp), and Hong Kong Banana were all set to play the Eastside Club in Olympia this week. But, last minute changes have put Oly's most reliable weekend venue on hiatus until further notice. Lucky for Olympia, we have each other's back - and McCoy's will host Friday night's hoorah. Expect a variety of sounds from these three bands, from the heavy melodic rock of Resident Kings, to the punk rock and roots of Last Watch, to the garage and soul of Portland's Hong Kong Banana. Eat it up, South Sound. It's good for the soul. - Nikki Talotta

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Crypts, DBC, Bronze, DJ sets by Delicious Brown, Ninja Monique. 9 pm.

• Upon first being confronted with Crypts, the most immediate impression is a blast of non-directional aggression. Crypts is a band that seems intent on creating a vibe of barely contained chaos and vicious noise. Crypts want the audience to be conflicted, to be challenged. If you make it past those first intense minutes, however, Crypts has a way of revealing surprisingly beautiful compositions - bathed, as it always is, in scuzzy shock and awe. Read my full feature on the Crypts in the Music section at weeklyvolcano.com. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Olyphant Art Supply and Gallery Olympia - Downtown. Christian Mistress. 8 p.m., $5.

• For Oly home-towners, there's a lot of pride when people you see in your daily life - people who've made you a killer pizza pie, who you've listened to at house parties, or who've rocked your head in the middle of Fourth Ave - are on the cusp of greatness. Such is the case with Olympia's Christian Mistress, preparing to celebrate the release of their debut effort on Relapse Records, Possession, with a show Friday at Olyphant Art Supply and Gallery in Olympia. The music of Christian Mistress speaks straight to the heart. It's nostalgic, yet eye-opening. It's metal, yet soul. It's a twisted, yet straightforward way of playing good fucking rock music. See all of this firsthand Friday in a show that will also serve as a release party for the latest installment of Nuts Magazine. - Weekly Volcano

Southbay Dickerson's BBQ Olympia - Downtown. Oly Mountain Boys CD release Party. 8 pm. NC.

Spar Cafe Olympia. Vince Brown. 8 pm. NC.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Hilltop. Raeanne Phillips. 7:30 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Holly Gwinn Graham, Joe Baque. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. High Noon Horizon, From The Sea, Cadillac Radio, Halcion Halo. 8 pm. $5.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. Backstage Show, featuring Free Whiskey, Billy The Fridge, A.K.A., Night Fox, Lord Nock. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $5.

• Volcano music scribe Nic Leonard is perhaps better known as Nicatine of Olympia-based rap outfit Free Whiskey. Or, we mean, he's the dude with the mustache. Now are you picturing him? Good. Anyway, Free Whiskey has been gaining steam for a while now, thanks, in no small part, to Nic's mustache and the track "Man's Best Friend (Mustache Song)."  In October Free Whiskey released a much anticipated EP, What Am I Going To Tell My Mom?, which raised as many questions as it answered. Tonight Free Whiskey returns to the stage with the group's first-ever all-ages headlining performance at the Capitol Theater. The always entertaining Billy The Fridge and Night Fox are also on the bill. Sure, it's a conflict of interests of sorts to promote the show of someone who writes for us, but it's also going to be dope - so we did what we had to do. Free Whiskey for all. - Weekly Volcano

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Half Of Infinity, Godfed Static, Blasting Love Caps, Blood Hot Beat, Metaphoria. 9:30 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Cody Beebe & The Crooks, Aces Up. 7:30 pm. $10.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. The Crying Spell, Klover Jane. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Automatic Theory. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Trio. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Brotherhood Of The Black Squirrel, James Coates. 9 pm.

• Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel's second record, The Dust Bowl Ghosts, released last April, is described as "a trip through the dreams and nightmares of a down-on-his-luck circus comedian with a bum leg and child support payments." If that doesn't sound like a musical good time, I don't know what does. But tonight at The New Frontier Lounge it's likely to get even more real, with word on the street suggesting the five members that makes up this rodent-like brotherhood - guitarist and vocalist Patrick Baldwin, drummer Eric Thompson, bassist Jimmy Hughs, guitarist Stanford Mead and Wurlitzer wizard Andrew Childs - have been holed up recording a follow up to Dust Bowl Ghosts and are is ready to unleash the rock this weekend. Epic-ness seems certain to ensue. Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel will be joined on the bill by singer-songwriter and great-beard-grower James Coates and Ghostwriter. - Matt Driscoll

The Red Room Tacoma - Downtown. The Mural Project, Jon Heartbreaker. All Ages. 7 pm. $5.

Red Wind Casino Yelm. The Randy Linder Band. 8:30 pm. NC.

Spar Cafe Olympia. Strangled Darlings. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Jerry Miller. 9 pm.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Hilltop. Kim Archer. All Ages. 7:30 pm. NC.

Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe Tacoma - Eastside. Camp 6 Tacoma Social featuring Overboard and The Moron Bros. 8 pm, music at 10:30 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Versus The Nothing, BND Band. 9 pm.

• Vancouver B.C.'s Versus The Nothing comes to town from the Great White North, intent on proving not everything from Canada is uber-lame. OK, OK ... so the band never claimed to be fighting for Canada's good name, but they are Canucks, and they do come to town this week looking to throttle hard rock fans with a blistering repertoire of power chords and wife-beater style undershirts. They're calling it "The Grind Stone Tour." Versus The Nothing released its most recent record, The Black Gloves EP, in July 2011, classifying the record as a "tease to our upcoming sophomore album," according to a press release. "We have been living the ups and downs of being a touring rock n roll band," the release continues. "We eat, drink and almost die doing what we love. Our upcoming release is laced with those life experiences on the road." Tonight, that life on the road brings Versus The Nothing to Uncle Sam's in Spanaway. They've finally arrived. - WV

Westbay House Olympia. Arctic Flowers, Milk Music, Hysterics, Crude Thoguht. 8 pm. $5.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LINK: EvergreenOne showcases new work tomorrow night

IT'S HAPPENING TONIGHT >>>

Amocat Cafe Tacoma - Triangle District. Amocat Live! featuring the Amocat House Band. All Ages. 7 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Projections, They Charge Like Warriors, Until This Sunrise. All Ages. 6 pm. The Dignitaries, Deathtrap America, Variety Hour, Sources In Code. 9 pm. $5.

• Momentum is a cherished quality in the world of music. It's what led hype-monster and Internet meme Lana Del Ray to a notably uncomfortable, Brian Williams-baiting performance on Saturday Night Live with only three songs to her lazily made-up name. It's what caused Radiohead to slam on the brakes and reinvent their sound, effectively creating a massively smaller but exponentially more devoted audience. It's what Tacoma's the Variety Hour has lacked over the past year, as the band has taken what more or less amounted to a hiatus, wherein the band regrouped, recast, and recorded their follow-up to their eponymous debut EP. To read the full feature on The Variety Hour, click here. – Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Cherry Poppin' Daddies, Phasers On Kill, Black Top Demon. 8 pm. $14-$17. See 5 Things To Do Today

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Oly Music Awards Pre-show featuring Jabi Shriki, Fight for Change, Elbow Coulee, Point Process. 9 pm. Read the interview with Jabi Shriki here.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. The Flanagan Precept, Jared Blake. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Radim Zenkl. All Ages. 8 pm. $10.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Trio. 7 pm.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Gretchen Peters. All Ages. 8 pm. $25.

The Space Tacoma - Downtown. Santee, Makeup Monsters, A Leaf, Foreign Money, $7, 9:30 pm.

• Santee makes scratchy, lovesick, indie folk-pop. The band has a way of tentatively coming around to these walloping choruses and emotionally resonant refrains. Over the years, what began as the bedroom folk duo of Heather Loepp and Josh Vega has grown and developed into a larger, fuller band with a richer sound to match. Loepp's voice has always been the most striking aspect of Santee, being, how it is, somehow hoarse and delicate at the same time. With the addition of Speedwobbles and Brite Futures drummer Conor Sisk, Santee has further embraced its more rollicking side. Full disclosure: this show is a fundraiser for the forthcoming Squeak and Squawk Music Festival, which I am booking. As I've said before, though, this is a show I would be telling you about anyway, regardless of my involvement. - Rev. Am

Spar Cafe Olympia. Paul Mauer. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Jerry Miller Band. 9 pm.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Rafael Tranquillino. All Ages. 7:30-10 pm. NC.

Uncle Thurm's Finger Licken Ribs & Chicken Tacoma - Lincoln District. G Street Jazz Series. 8-11 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound