TUESDAY, MAY 14 2013 >>>

1. At 12, Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is living in a small, poor village, when she is captured by guerrilla fighters and conscripted into their army of child soldiers. The first act demanded of her is that she kill her parents. Sobbing, she complies, and the initiation is complete: "You are now a rebel of the Great Tiger." In Kim Nguyen's fictionalized account of this African child soldier, War Witch, Komona shares her story, explaining to her baby - and us - how her short life has already arrived at such a fraught place. Komona finds hope for survival in protective, ghost-like visions, and in a tender relationship with a fellow soldier named Magician. Together, they manage to escape the rebels' clutches, and a normal life finally seems within reach. But after their freedom proves short-lived, Komona realizes she must find a way to bury the ghosts of her past. War Witch, an award-winning film - including a nominee for Best Foreign Film at this year's Academy Awards - will screen at 2:15 and 6:40 p.m. at The Grand Cinema.

2.Holocaust survivor Edith Eger will lecture on discarding limitations, discovering powers of self-renewal and achieving things previously thought unattainable at 2:30 p.m. at Tacoma Community College as part of its Student Life Artist & Lecture Series. In May 1944, at the age of 16, Eger was a classically trained ballerina and aspiring gymnast. Her dreams were crushed when she and her family were taken from their home in Kassa, Hungary, and sent to Auschwitz, the notorious Nazi death camp. Rescued by an American soldier in 1945, she eventually moved to the United States and became an acclaimed clinical psychologist and lecturer.

3. Did you know that bicyclists helped to pave the way for Tacoma's first roads? Or that Tacoma was once the cycling capitol of the Pacific Northwest? Yes, we do know. Tacoma's Active Transportation Coordinator Diane Wiatr told on two occasions. Her presentation on Tacoma's bicycle history is worth hearing. Catch it at 6 p.m. in the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in downtown Tacoma. Stick around afterward to enjoy a free screening of the Academy Award nominated, animated film The Triplets of Belleville.

4. Usually when you go to the casino you just lose money - but tonight could be different. Danny Vernon's Illusions of Elvis will be at the Red Wind Casino this evening. Travel out to Yelm and have a great time with the King's likeness, starting at 6:30 p.m.

5. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds and storytellers at Victory Music Open Mic at the Antique Sandwich Co. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians bare their souls impromptu-style beginning at 7 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, May 14 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Yesterday's comment of the day comes from yu stu in regards to Nikki McCoy's preview of the Mammoth Salmon show at McCoy's in downtown Olympia.

yu stu writes,

Nikki is right on. Mammoth Salmon would fit right in with Slayer or Black Sabbath but without the evil hateful lyrics. Sweet head-bangin' goodness. Looking forward to seeing them again.

Little Wings, aka Kyle Field, is an instantly engaging performer. Whether it is huddled under a blanket softly singing to a small handful of listeners, or bellowing out his caterwaul warbled yelp in small theaters, there is a striking intimacy in his approach.

You never know what to expect, or what Little Wings you are going to get, with a performance from Mr. Field. This isn't to say that he is the male equivalent of Cat Power, as I have read in the past, just that he is unpredictable in the grandest of senses. I personally have seen him dozens of times over the past decade and a half, and each time I think back on a particular performance I feel that I witnessed something special. This is said without reservation, without hyperbole. He is that good.

Wednesday May 15, Little Wings takes his roadshow to the "guesthouse" with guests Lee Baggett and Globelamp. It is a house show, so be polite, double check the Facebook invite for more information and most of all enjoy the experience.

MONDAY, MAY 13 2013 >>>

1. Remember back in the day when you were in your first apartment and spent a memorable Saturday night with your friends just blaring the record player and singing along to random selections from your album collection? Toss in a pitcher of PBR and extreme lighting and that is karaoke at Bob's Java Jive. Sunday through Tuesday at 9 p.m. has Nikki Weatherhead on the mic. The spunky Tacoman never seems to lack energy or a smile even if the sign up sheet is less than full.

2. A lot of us have fantasized about ways we might be able to talk our way out of jury duty. Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero and her guest, Judge Christopher Wickham, have a thing or two to say about that issue and the inner workings of Superior Court at their coffee and conversation event at 9:30 a.m. at Rainier City Hall, 11 a.m. at Tacos Gaby in Yelm (no, it's true) and 2 p.m. Olympic Crest Coffee in Lacey.

3. Former Coast Guard Alexis Courneen has a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and crushed nerves in her right arm; (ret.) Army gunner Sue Downes came home a double-amputee after her tour in Afghanistan; Iraq war veteran Layla Mansberger is a Military Sexual Trauma (MST) survivor who suffers with Post Traumatic Stress-Disorder (PTSD). A new documentary funded by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) entitled, SERVICE: When Women Come Marching Home, followed these Servicemembers and five other female veterans after they redeployed with mental and physical injuries suffered in combat.A free film screening and panel discussion will be hosted by the University of Washington Tacoma from 6-8 p.m.

4. Whether you know The Dukes of Swing are back or not - they're back - you might want to know they're the offical stage band of Elks Lodge No. 593 in Aberdeen and are performing at 8 p.m. in The Royal Lounge.

5. Dean Reickard will fill The Swiss with blues beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Monday, May 13 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MAY 11 2013 >>>

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

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

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

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

5. The Tacoma Comedy Club presents Comics Under The Influence where five comics perform a set each sober, and then while the other comics are performing they pound booze and return to the stage wasted to do another set. Jubal Flagg from Movin 95.5 FM tries to keep the thing flowing, beginning at 8 p.m.

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

FRIDAY, MAY 10 2013 >>>

1. Tonight at Jazzbones, Midnight Salvage Co. will be playing their last official show - and releasing their sophomore album, Neon Lights. A year ago, the band holed up at Seattle's Egg studios with veteran producer Conrad Uno (Mudhoney, Presidents of the United States of America, Young Fresh Fellows), unbeknownst to the band members that a year later guitarist Brason Alexander would be blazing to sunny Cali, bassist Dustin Lau would be headed to The Big Apple and their University Place practice space would meet a wrecking ball. Drop by Jazzbones at 8 p.m., enjoy opener China Davis, take it Midnight Salvage's shot of whiskey infused roadhouse Springsteen and grab yourself a piece of musical history.

2. 72 hours is not a long time. The teams competing in this year's Grand Cinema 72 Hour Film Festival - a yearly Tacoma institution - know this all too well. Recently, frenzied packs of Tacoma filmmakers dashed around T-town, hurriedly capturing on film all the entries that will make up this year's manic, competitive filmmaking celebration - set to go down at 7 p.m. inside the Rialto Theater. Who will win? How will all the "mandatory elements" - including the use of a superstition, a flashlight, the writing or sending of a letter or message and the line "That wasn't what I was expecting" - be worked into all of the entries? Find out tonight. Read Cassady Coulter's full feature on the 72 Hour Film Festival in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

3. Distinguished writers, poets, playwrights, short story writers, and people who scribble on cocktail napkins will step up to the mic from 7-9 p.m. as part of the Distinguished Writer Series and Open Mic at King's Books. Aging hippie poet Risa Deneberg, author of The Lives You Touch Publications, will take lead.

4. Ballet Northwest’s production of The Sleeping Beauty includes professional sets, lavish costumes, 75 local dancers and guest artist Iyun Harrison, formerly of Dance Theater of Harlem. See the twirls at 7:30 p.m. inside The Washington Center.

5. There's a kind of gauzy, depressive Americana that began spreading around in the '90s, spearheaded by the likes of Bill Callahan and Lambchop - these masters and practitioners of the slow-burning, baritone-voiced folk music that reveled in cynical humor as much as poignantly expressive dirges. The Super 8 are instantly evocative of these touchstones, the vocals pointedly reminiscent of Kurt Wagner's distinctive croak and Callahan's defeated mumble, and the guitars mournfully spilling deceptively beautiful melodies from deep within that hollow body. Check them out at 8 p.m. with Gary Alan May and the Hinges inside Northern.

LINK: Friday, May 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Raise those hands, this is our party

We came here to live life like nobody was watching

I got my city right behind me

If I fall, they got me. Learn from that failure gain humility and then we keep marching

Above are lyrics from Macklemore's song "Can't Hold Us." Our Outdoor Addict columnist Whitney Rhodes dropped this verse in her column about strolling The Waterwalk at Point Ruston, which posted this morning in the Military Life section at northwestmilitary.com.

First a gorgeous tile mosaic octopus will greet you and a few steps in is an arbor with benches positioned perfectly to frame Mount Rainier. But it seemed everyone had the urge to show off on such a beautiful day. We had just reached the ferry when out walked some geese like "what up? I got a big flock!" Not even a curious dog could put a dent in their strut. They were rollin' in hella deep in their big ass coats like they owned the place.

Yup, Rhodes goes street in this week's column, which is a great read.

Here's the video for Macklemore's song Rhodes mentions. Enjoy.

THURSDAY, MAY 9 2013 >>>

This summer Music and Art in Wright Park will, once again, shake the lawn bowlers at Wright Park in Tacoma's Stadium District. What began in 1993 as an awesome outdoor rock concert is still an awesome outdoor rock concert, only now with more art. Last year 2,500 lounged in the sun and soaked up Girl Trouble, Humble Cub, Walking Papers, The Plastards, The Jilly Rizzo and many other bands. There's no reason this summer's MAWP won't be equally awesome, unless there's no money in the bank. Unlike most summer outdoor rock concerts, there are no advance tickets for MAWP. The whole dang thing is free. However, like most worthy events, it's expensive. Therefore, festival producers will host a spaghetti feast and the musical stylings of the Original Rich Bundy and special guests from 4-8 p.m. at Louie G's Pizzeria. It's a family friendly, slurp fest. 

2. New York Times bestselling author Margaret Stohl, co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series, will discuss her new novel, Icons, which tells the story of four very special teens who could be humanity's only hope after Earth is taken over by aliens at 7 p.m. inside the University Place Library. She will be joined on the YA Icons Tour with local favorite Marissa Meyer, author of Cinder and Scarlet, Leigh Bardugo, author of the Grisha Trilogy and Kimberly Derting, author of the Body Finder novels.

3. The Oly Mountain Boys will perform at 8 p.m. inside the historic Spar Cafe in Olympia. The band proclaims its mission is to "reinvigorate the bluegrass genre by bringing the original bluegrass sound of the 1950s to a new generation of fans." We believe them, especially after taking a listen to the passion guitarist Chris Rutledge, mandolin player Derek McSwain, banjo player Tye Menser, bassist Phil Post and fiddle player Josh Grice get down with.

4. You could learn swing's Africanist cousin, blues dancing, at 9 p.m. inside the Olympia Eagles Ballroom. Blues dancing derives from the so-called "Black vernacular" of Southern dance styles and includes such moves as the Lindy and the irresistibly named "Funky Butt." Worst case scenario: you have two left feet but get to listen to Nina Simone.

5. The Engine House No. 9 is housed in a firehouse built in 1907 and still retains some of original firefighting artifacts. Purchased by the X Group, the force behind Asado and Masa, there's new excitement with better food, a whiskey bar, more craft beer from head brewer Shane Johns and a shuffleboard in the side room. Rev. Colin hosts karaoke two nights a week, including tonight at 9 p.m. He possesses a wealth of oddball musical knowledge and a disarming ease for calling everyone "baby."

LINK: Thursday, May 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8 2013 >>>

1. Erica Freas, Your Heart Breaks, Rae Spoon and Ivan Coyote perform at 8:30 p.m. inside the all-ages venue Northern in downtown Olympia. According to Weekly Volcano all-ages columnist Rockford Rowley, Freas' "delicate acoustic guitar and punk-yet-soothing vocals instantaneously impress. Upon further listening, her sophisticated songwriting and thoughtful, heartfelt lyrics also become apparent.

2. The Kareem Kandi jazz band is a talent-heavy bunch that stumps for the power of repertory while also planting a flag for originality. At least once a month it grabs a Wednesday at The Swiss for a night of open mic jazz. From 7-10 p.m. is such a night.

3. Word Nerds! Scrabble is back at King's Books! Chill. You're good with words. Seriously. Get it together! This is Scrabble Rabble at 6:30 p.m. inside King's, remember? It's all in good fun. Now piggyback off that free U to form QUAT - that's 14 points without the double-word score. Word!

4. Dorky's Bar Arcade in downtown Tacoma hosts Trivia for Dorks every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Weekly Volcano scribe Krsitin kendle has the scoop here. 

5. Play bingo with those not just killing time before the Grim Reaper calls their number. Every Wednesday at 9 p.m. inside The New Frontier, bingo players are treated to a rather boisterous evening of number-calling. The music rocks, the prizes are craptastic and there's something very satisfying about yelling "It's not a tumor!" when B-9 is pulled from the hopper (Schwarzenegger anyone?). Sessions are free with $2 margaritas during bingo. Every Wednesday night is also Taco Night with $1 beef, $1 black bean and $2 chicken in soft or crunchy shells.

LINK: Wednesday, May 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, MAY 7 2013 >>>

1. For those green-thumb-challenged folk who haven't quite got growing seasons down, the 6th Ave Farmers Market opens today at 3:30 p.m. Learn to grow a secret garden of your own and see it blossom. Not a gardener? Well then just visit the world's most productive gardener, the farmer, and pick up a bunch of their "fruits of labor" until 7 p.m. at Sixth and Pine in Tacoma.

2. The Grand Cinema continues its Tuesday Film Series with screenings of The Silence, the story of 13-year-old Sinikka who vanishes on a hot summer night. Her bicycle is found in the exact place where a girl was killed 23 years ago. The dramatic present forces those involved in the original case to face their past.See it at 1:40 and 6:55 p.m.

3. Sidney Rittenberg toured China during WWII, witnessed the birth of the People's Republic of China, got to know the Republic's founding fathers, and subsequently spent 16 years in solitary confinement. His documentary, The Revolutionary, screens at 3 p.m. in Tacoma Community College's Building 2 Auditorium, followed by a presentation at 4:30.

4. "My father's mother, Abuela Evila, liked to scare us with stories of La Llorona, the weeping woman who roams the canal and steals children away. She would say that if we didn't behave, La Llorona would take us far away where we would never see our parents again.My other grandmother, Abuelita Chinta, would tell us not to be afraid of La Llorona: that if we prayed, God, La Virgen and the saints would protect us from her. Neither of my grandmothers told us that there is something more powerful than La Llorona - a power that takes away parents, not children. It is called the United States." ... So begins the prologue of The Distance Between Us, as Reyna Grande, a 4-year-old with a fractured heart, says goodbye to her mother in Iguala, Mexico. Tonight, author Grande will discusses her immigration memoir, The Distance Between Us, at 7 p.m.inside the Olympic Room at the Tacoma Public Library Main Branch in Downtown Tacoma.

5. On any night of the week at 9 p.m., one can meander past the main bar in Olympia's China Clipper Club Cafe, to the back room where a disco ball, stage, stellar PA system, extensive song list, savvy DJ and lively, often tipsy, crowd scribbles on tiny, colorful paper then waits ... for Clipper Karaoke.

LINK: Tuesday, May 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area