SUNDAY, MARCH 10 2013 >>>

1. What better to do with an afternoon out than see an oft-banned rock musical? Spring Awakening: The Musical follows a group of German students as they come of age and explore their sexuality - providing an afternoon or evening of entertainment for you. The content is explicit as it chronicles the consequences of oppressed sexuality so this is not your best bet for a family night out. In fact, it might just be your worst bet unless you want to fit in about four years of Sex Ed courses into one evening of song and dance. The show ends today at 2 p.m. inside the Norton Clapp Theatre at the University of Puget Sound.

2. Pack your bicycles! Grab the roller blades! Bring the dog and kids! There is a trail with infinite possibilities. The Foothills Trail. This trail is an more than 25 mile long trail that largely follows the old rail line. The Foothills Rails-toTrails colaition has diligently championed the development of this scenic byway and it is a gem in Pierce County. When it is completed, it will link with other trails and you will be able to travel from the shores of Puget Sound in Tacoma, all the way to the foothills in Enumclaw. While not fully completed yet, there are substantial sections done providing miles of recreational opportunity.

3. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound is virtually unrelated to the roomy traditions of soul saxes, honking saxes or deep-chested boudoir ballad saxes. It derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. Catch the Kareem Kandi Band from 3-6 p.m. at Uncle Thurm's BBQ in Tacoma's Lincoln District.

4. Catch the awesome R&B powerhouse that is Kim Archer from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at The Cliff House Restaurant in northeast Tacoma.

5. Bruce Molsky plays a mean fiddle. In one YouTube video, he sawed the hair right off his bow! Speaking of shredding, he tears up a banjo and guitar with the same vigor. And when he throws his voice in the mix, the combination is a complete expression of old-time music. Solo, or with other musicians, his music is simple, effective and at times haunting. A blurb on his record label website, Compass Records - where Molsky has six albums under his belt - reads, "Bruce Molsky has been exploring traditional music from an astonishingly broad range of cultures over the past two decades - synthesizing them and refracting them through his own evolving sensibilities to the point where the sources of his inspiration transform themselves into a sound that is uniquely his." If It Ain't Here When I Get Back, his latest album, dropped March 5. Enjoy this world-touring master of old-time Appalachian at 7 p.m. inside Traditions Cafe in Olympia. 

LINK: Sunday, March 10 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

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

Backstage Bar & Grill Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Fieldly. 9 pm. $10.

Forza Coffee Fircrest. Larry Luvaul. All Ages. 6 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Jeanlizabeth Band, Cottonwood Cutups, Yevtushenko. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Curtis Salgado. 8 pm. $15.

• For those looking for blues in our area need look no further than Friday's show at Jazzbones, when Portland-based Curtis Salgado takes the stage. As far as Northwest blues legends go, they don't get much bigger than Salgado, who served as the inspiration for John Belushi's creation of the Blues Brothers, and spent time early in his career fronting Robert Cray's band - including holding down the main vocal duties on Cray's debut album. Salgado has the blues swagger, the vocal chops and the harmonica magic to put him on a level few musicians' reach. It's the reason he's been able to maintain a long career in the music industry, the reason why he's up for four 2012 Blues Music Awards to be awarded this May in Memphis and the reason fans all over T-town are once again overcome with excitement at the prospect of seeing Salgado on stage. Born in Everett and birthed on blues-worn stages up and down the West Coast, Salgado is the type of musician you don't get a chance to see on a Friday in Tacoma. - Bobble Tiki
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Metameric, The Absent Light, Tatarus. 9 pm.

The Loch's Tacoma - Downtown. Yak Nasty's birthday party featuring King Scrub, Abom, Motamouth Jones, Second Family and Illizm, 10 pm. $10.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. The Hardcount, Big Wheel Stunt Show, Ranchero. All Ages. 5 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Red Jacket Mine, Trees and Timber, the Variety Hour. 9 pm.

• By the time "Amy," the lead-off track on Red Jacket Mine's latest album, reaches the totally over-the-top organ breakdown, I'm completely sold on whatever Red Jacket Mine is doing. That organ solo hearkens back to the ballsy pop-mindedness of old guards like Joe Jackson, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. At a time when punk was reestablishing simplicity and authenticity in music, people like Costello and Jackson were doubling down on the old ways - hitting them harder and more precisely than what was expected. Red Jacket Mine continues that tradition. Instead of running from pop music, the band's way of standing out is to do it better and tighter than its peers. The rest of the band's album is filled with equally outstanding and effortless-sounding moments. Every brilliant addition of a honky-tonk piano or crisply hand-clapping refrain just reeks of professionalism. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Broken Water, LAKE, Karl Blau. All-Ages. 7 pm. $5-$10.

• At the opening for the art installation, "It's Alright To Cry," there will be performances from three Olympia mainstays who have nothing but killed it for a long time: Broken Water, LAKE and Karl Blau. I can't impress upon you enough just what a powerhouse lineup this is. In particular, it's a thrill to see Karl Blau on the bill. A perennial innovator for more than 15 years, Blau has remained unpredictable for his entire career, incorporating elements of just about every genre - world music, drone, folk, hip hop and just out-and-out weirdness. You never know what you'll get with Blau, both on record and in a live setting. In the past couple years, he's done less and less live performances, so you shouldn't miss the opportunity to catch him on this outstanding bill. - Rev. AM
  

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Robbie Walden. 9 pm.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Brent Amaker & The Rodeo, The Dirty Birds. 9 pm.

• Comedic country/western punk musicians Brent Amaker and The Rodeo are galloping into Olympia this Friday to turn The Royal Lounge into a corral of fun-lovin' rockers with the help of local  bad boys, The Dirty Birds. Amaker and crew have just been signed to Fin Records and will be releasing their fourth full-length record, Year of the Dragon, June 4. - NM
  

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Crazy Texas Gypsies. 9 pm.

Urban Grace Church Tacoma - Downtown. The Warehouse Presents: A Candle Lit Show with Damien Jurado, Jake Hemming and Amelia Saakian. All Ages. 7:30-11 pm. $10-$15.

• Friday, at Urban Grace Church in Tacoma, The Warehouse kicks off its 2013 Candle Lit series with the super dynamic and super talented Damien Jurado with guests Jake Hemming and Amelia Saakian. "Damien Jurado is quite possibly one of the best singer/songwriters many of us get the pleasure of experiencing," says Doug Stoeckicht, marketing director at The Warehouse. "His music moves us personally and we believe it's worth sharing with those who are connected to The Warehouse. Also, to have an artist such as Damien make himself accessible to us, and this event, is an amazing privilege we couldn't pass up. People are in for a treat." Music combined with atmosphere is one of the many aesthetics that The Warehouse aims for. The Candle Lit series is another way to highlight the unique visions of these Tacoma creatives. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Candle Lit series in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Ki'Ho Alu Foundation Slack Key Guitar Festival, with LT Smooth, Stephen Inglis, Bobby Moderow, Walter Keale, Paul Togioka. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $10-$27.

LINK: More live music tonight in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

South Sound Sidekick series offers advice from experts living in the, well, South Sound. It posts every Friday. Today, Olympia musician and "scenester" Jabi Shriki asks the Olympia community to support local music.

Jabi Shriki writes,

There was tough competition this year in the category of "Best Scenester" in the Weekly Volcano's 2013 Best of Olympia issue. I can't tell you how much pride I feel in knowing that I'm scenesterer (more scenestery (?)) than any other scenesters out there.

To be honest, I'm still not sure what a "scenester" is. When I got the award of "Best Scenester," I wasn't even sure that it wasn't a pejorative term. But for some reason, after winning this award for two years in a row, I've come to embrace this recognition, despite my lack of certainty as to what the term "scenester" means. Maybe I'm embracing it because of the irony that it entails in the context of my life. To me, a "scenester" is someone who fits or at least tries to fit into a certain scene. For at least one, brief phase of my life (from the age of 0 to the foreseeable future), I've had the experience of being too socially awkward to even try to make any scene.

When I was a high school kid, I once made a graph of how likely other kids were to have their lunch money stolen, based on their proximity to me in the cafeteria. I was at the peak of the graph.

I didn't realize until later that the construction of graphical representations of my predicament were probably only exacerbating said predicament. I would think that this kind of biographical experience would disqualify me from being a scenester in any setting.

But my goal isn't to explain why I've embraced my scenesterosity. Instead my goal for this article is to aspire others around me to become more scenesterish. I'm a musician too, and I'm very proud of my music, but Olympia doesn't just need musicians, it also needs scenesters.

Since my move to Olympia, I've heard countless, original songs by my fellow, local musicians that I can only call manifestations of musical genius. I've had songs from my fellow Olympians stuck in my head for weeks on end. I've been consoled by the music on homemade tapes and CDs that folks have handed to me at their shows.

But as often as I've been impressed by the musicians I've met, I've just as often been shocked to be among audiences of only a couple of other fans. I've watched many passionate, moving performances, from nearly empty rooms. This leads me to a conclusion that makes me a little sad: the Olympia music scene is languishing.

Music is important in any community, but in Olympia in particular, the pride that local folks feel is deeply rooted in the music that gets created here. Even people who have no involvement in the Olympia music scene boast about how wonderful it is, although many of them haven't been to a show in years.

As a result of this passive form of pride, the music scene is growing increasingly asthenic from under-nourishment. Some of the best venues are closing, and other venues are becoming more interested in selling cheap beer than supporting great music.

Last year, I met Jeff Campbell, a gifted singer-songwriter from Northern California. He's toured the Pacific Northwest dozens of times to play shows in Portland and Seattle. When I met Jeff, he told me how he had driven through Olympia dozens of times without ever doing a show here. A few months ago, I booked Jeff at his first Olympia show, with Elbow Coulee and AKA and the Heart Hurt Goods. Last week, Jeff won the national Guitar Center Singer-Songwriter competition, out of thousands of musicians who submitted their music.

This Friday, March 8, the Family Crest, from San Francisco, will be playing their first show in Olympia at the Metcalf Manor. They're one of the best, live, acoustic bands that I've ever seen anywhere, ever. But they've also driven through Olympia dozens of times without ever booking a show here. The fact that other, regionally well-known musicians are increasingly skipping over Olympia to do shows in Portland and Seattle is further evidence of the growing anemia of our music scene.

And what is the cure for this anemia? The cure is scenesters.

The musicians in Olympia need folks at shows. Instead of posting on Facebook that there's no good music being made anymore, take a few hours out of every couple of weeks and take in a show. Pick up a CD. I promise, there's enough good music in Olympia that your investment of time and a few bucks will be repaid with music that will become a part of your heart and soul.

So shake off your passive pride. And stop complaining about the sterile pop churned out by the corporatized national music industry. Most of the bands on the radio couldn't find Olympia on a map. But Olympia is your town. It's where you live, and your emotions are echoed in the music that's being created all around you by your neighbors and friends. Go see a show. There's plenty of room for more scenesters in Olympia.

As much as I would love to three-peat winning the prestigious Best Scenester title, I would be more than willing to cede my title to the legion of would-be scenesters that could pump new blood into the heart of the Oly music scene. Thanks to the Weekly Volcano for this recognition, and for asking me to write this article!

LINK: How to be a bartender

LINK: How to manage a band from your office cubicle without getting fired

LINK: How to tell if you're clown material

LINK: Make film gore with household items

LINK: Parenting advice for punk rockers

LINK: How to improve your photography skills

LINK: Get fit the Dungeons and Dragons way

LINK: More South Sound Sidekick advice

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The weather is starting to turn! No matter what I tell ya to do this weekend, ignore it if it's sunny. If ya see the sun, just drop everything ya doing and run outside and play. If it is gray though, here is what to do. ...

Friday night starts things off with Yak Nasty's birthday party at The Loch's in Tacoma. The shindig starts at 10 p.m. with a $10 cover. First of all, when did it start to be OK to charge $10 to for local hip-hop show? It does not go down like that in Seattle, where folks have more scratch than we do! Now, maybe you are like me, and seeing a bunch of white people running around calling themselves "Nillas" is not yo thing. Well, there still is a chance to see King Scrub, Abom, Motamouth Jones, Second Family and Illizm; so do not totally write this show off.

Saturday night there is a hip-hop showcase at Studio 7 in Seattle. Catch local artists Faraca, PME (Power Moves Ent), Influential Minds and others. This show is all-ages and begins at 7 p.m. Lots of shows at Studio 7 are jam-packed pay-to-pay bills. I usually would send caution yo way if ya planning on trying to attend - but this show looks more legit than normal. So, hopefully you will go and have fun.

Perhaps the best show is also Saturday night in Seattle at the Vermillion Art Gallery. This venue has some cool, eclectic shows. Catch Xperience, Sonny Bonoho, Man Danno and other at this one. Show starts at 9 p.m. and is FREE!

End the weekend Sunday at the Graffiti Garage Cyphers at 1 p.m.

Peace Family!

LINK: Josh Rizeberg discusses Sonny Bonoho in this week's What's the Word? column

THE LOWDOWN ON WHAT'S UP THIS WEEKEND >>>

WEATHER REPORT

Friday: Sunshine, hi 51, lo 35

Saturday: Mostly sunny, hi 54, lo 39

Sunday: Mostly cloudy with a few showers, hi 50, lo 44

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 8: SOUTH SOUND TECH CONFERENCE

Technology is a pretty freakin' big deal these days. Seems like the legions of tech geeks are ever growing, with a new techie born every time the wind blows or someone purchases a new iPhone. Friday brings the South Sound Technology Conference to the University of Washington Tacoma, a one-day event designed to bring together, "leaders from industry, education and government to discuss and demonstrate innovations and their applications," according to pre-event hype. The day-long event features a morning keynote by Director of Business Incubation at Cisco Systems Sharon Wong, a panel discussion on big data, and a lunch keynote by Michael Hamilton, chief information and security officer with the city of Seattle. - Weekly Volcano

• UWT - William W. Philip Hall, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., $20, registration required, 1551 Broadway, Tacoma, sstconference.org
  

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 8: RED JACKET MINE

"It's been a few years since we last played The New Frontier, and much has changed - most notably, we have a brand-new LP called Someone Else's Cake out on Fin Records," says Lincoln Barr of Red Jacket Mine. "It'll be great to be back ... Brook, Neil, and the rest of the crew are hospitality epitomized. We recently heard up-and-comers Trees and Timber at a house party hosted by our friends in the Jilly Rizzo, and we knew we'd found a Tacoma band after our own heart. Throw in The Variety Hour and you've got a full night of Pure Pop for Tacoma's Now People." - Nikki McCoy

• The New Frontier Lounge, 9 p.m., $5, 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 8: MOSQUITO HAWK

McCoys Cavern in Olympia, voted Best Dive Bar by Volcano readers, will be hosting a night of rock; stoner rock, classic rock, dirty rock, whatever you want to call it, it will be off the hinge. With Mosquito Hawk (Oly), Witchburn (Seattle) and Black Pussy (Portland), I wouldn't recommend passing this one up. - NM

• McCoy's Tavern, 10 p.m., $3, 420 Fourth Ave., Olympia, 360.352.0696

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 16: POETRY OUT LOUD STATE FINALS

Chad Channing, former Nirvana drummer, brings his pop rock band Before Cars to Rocket Records for an afternoon, live performance. Before Cars are promoting its latest album, How We Run, dropped Feb. 26 on the band's record label, Pocket Star Records. Best thing about this album is the acoustic, singer/songwriter feel. Best thing about Rocket Records shows is they start early, you can browse music, there is a cool gumball machine, and owner Steve Gaydich and his dog, Bruno, are never without smiles, making it feel like your living room. Combine the two, and you're golden. - NM

• Rocket Records, 3 p.m., no cover, 3843 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.756.5186

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 9: SNAKE LAKE SCIENCE FAIR

Kids these days are no damn good. You hear about it all the time. But Saturday at the Tacoma Nature Center anyone interested can get a look at some of the positive things kids are capable of - like baking soda volcanoes and paper towel strength test. It's called the Snake Lake Science Fair, and kids from throughout Tacoma - many of them homeschooled - will participate with gusto this weekend, making for an event that's sure to be both enjoyable and enlightening. And it's also free to drop in on. The kids have been working for a long time on these projects (deadline for application was in late February, and there was a $10 application fee), so we expect a topnotch science fair. - WV

• Tacoma Nature Center, 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. public viewing, free admission, 1919 S. Tyler, Tacoma, 253.591.6439

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 9-SUNDAY, MARCH 10: PROFESSIONAL BULL RIDERS

Wooooeee, that's a tall drink o' water! The professional bull riders are in town this Saturday for the PBR Built Ford Tough Series Tacoma Invitational at the Tacoma Dome. You can watch guys get thrown around by burgers on the hoof, enjoy the smell of large animal poop or watch the Weekly Volcano lasses stalk the man flesh while wearing my "Save a horse, ride a cowboy" T-shirt. - WV

• Tacoma Dome, 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, $17-$19, 2525 E. D St., Tacoma, 253.272.3663

>>> SATURDAY, MARCH 9: DOCKYARD DERBY DAMES

Dockyard Derby Dames are gearing up for their first bout of their seventh season Saturday, where you will see the Femme Fianna, Hellbound Homewreckers, Marauding Mollys and Trampires in double-header action. This event teams up with Emergency Food Network - bring donated food and receive $3 off at the door. There will also be a beer garden and food truck for those that need to fuel their fire for extra cheering power. - NM

• Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, 6 p.m. $12/adv, $15/door, 9401 Farwest Dr. SW  Lakewood, 253. 964.6500

WHAT SOME OF OUR STAFF MEMBERS ARE UP TO

CHRISTIAN CARVAJAL Theater Critic
I plan to watch the new Oz movie, then spend all weekend bitching about how it doesn't measure up to the original.

REV. ADAM MCKINNEY Music Writer
This weekend, I'll be getting out of town for a few days to visit a friend in Portland. There, I expect that I'll revel in its relatively cheap culture, picking up a seriously discounted carton of cigarettes and enjoying complimentary beer-backs with my shots of whiskey. Portland is heaven for a few days, hell for much longer, I've found.

ALEC CLAYTON Arts Critic
We're going to the Thurston County Progressive Network's "Let Them Eat Cake" fundraiser dinner auction thingamajingy.

NIKKI MCCOY Feature Writer
After Friday, when I will be slinging drinks and then hitting up the Royal Lounge for Brent Amaker and The Dirty Birds, plus a mosey down to McCoy's for Mosquito Hawk and Black Pussy, the weekend calls from some serious R & R. And, no, I'm not talking about the Canadian blend whiskey - I'm talking sweat pants, TV trays, book reading and sleeping in.

JOSH RIZEBERG Music Columnist
I'm not doing anything this weekend except teaching my spoken-word/poetry class at D.A.S.H. on Saturday from 1-2 p.m. Then, I'll be helping Kept See shoot a video. Sunday, I'll be hitting the Graffiti Garage MC Cypher at 1 p.m.

JACKIE FENDER Food Writer
Saturday will include morning bird booze slinging and writing while Sunday will be the ultimate date night in honor of the husband's day of birth week. Undecided in what culinary exploration we will partake in but most certainly heading north to revel in Cirque du Soliel's Amaluna.

JOANN VARNELL Theater Critic
Woohoo, I have a date! Well, sort of. While my husband and I will be at the same Warehouse show with Damien Jurado and Jake Hemming on Friday. He will be working and I'll be hanging with friends. The toddler will have his own date and may or not be asleep when we get home. Also, I plan on grading papers and lesson planning at some point.

ADRIENNE KUEHL Food Writer
Friday, I'm heading to Seattle to hang out with my best friend at her gallery and catch up on some wine drinking. The rest of the weekend will be dedicated to doing my taxes and planning a friend's baby shower. Thrilling.

STEVE DUNKELBRGER Nightlife Correspondent
This weekend I plan on writing and shooting with a little coursework and maybe catching the Dockyard Derby Dames bout at Pierce College.

LINK: Even more local events that we recommend

LINK: Comprehensive South Sound Arts & Entertainment Calendar

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 2013 >>>

1. If you wanted a white winter, the closest you're likely to get is Jeff Orlowski's Chasing Ice, one of the most visually spectacular and troubling nature documentaries of recent years. In it, photographer James Balog and a team of young adventurers set out to chart the melting of Arctic glaciers, with lamentable success. It opens today at The Grand Cinema at 2, 6:35 and 8:30 p.m., with Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff biologists and educators leading a community discussion following the 6:35 screening. Below is the best trailer you'll see all week.

2. B2 Fine Arts Gallery celebrates International Women's Day and History Month by hosting award-winning Northwest illustration artist Jill Neal's "I'm Every Woman" series depicting strength among women in "every field of endeavor" through April 27. A special artist reception will be held from 5-9 p.m.

3. The Warehouse kicks off its 2013 Candle Lit series with the super dynamic and super talented Damien Jurado with guests Jake Hemming and Amelia Saakian at 7:30 p.m. inside the Urban Grace Church. "Damien Jurado is quite possibly one of the best singer/songwriters many of us get the pleasure of experiencing," says Doug Stoeckicht, marketing director at The Warehouse. "His music moves us personally and we believe it's worth sharing with those who are connected to The Warehouse. Also, to have an artist such as Damien make himself accessible to us, and this event, is an amazing privilege we couldn't pass up. People are in for a treat." Music combined with atmosphere is one of the many aesthetics that The Warehouse aims for. The Candle Lit series is another way to highlight the unique visions of these Tacoma creatives. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on the Candle Lit series in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

4. The Pierce College Puyallup Concert and Chamber Choirs present their winter program, "Mozart and Folk Melody," featuring American and Irish folk songs, followed by Mozart's Six Nocturnes, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Arts and Allied Health Building Theater. As a bonus, an orchestra of professional musicians has been summoned to join the Concert Choir for Mozart's Missa Brevis in D Minor.

5. Dr. Torrey Lawrence will become the director of the Tacoma Community College School of Music in June 2013. There's a good chance the good doctor could stick around TCC for a while. He joined the faculty of the Lionel Hampton School of Music at the University of Idaho in 1998. He currently holds the rank of professor of Music and is associate director of the school. You can catch Dr. Lawrence in action at 7:30 p.m. when he leads the TCC Symphonic Band in Galbraith's Danza de los Duendes, Milford's Fantasy on English Folk Songs, Gregson's Tuba Concerto with Lawrence as a tuba soloist, Pann's Hold this Boy and Listen and Connor's Tails aus dem Vood Viennoise.

LINK: Friday, March 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

ONLINE CHATTER >>>

Yesterday's comment of the day comes from Jeff Southard, the Swoon Records producer Rev. Adam McKinney profiled in the Weekly Volcano's Music Issue. Southard is nearing completion on Watermelon Sugar's Self Tyttled, featuring one of Tacoma's most talented sons, Kyle Brunette.

Southard writes,

Often times, I look at that photo on the console and ask myself "What would Kyle do?"

TIME TO SHARE >>>

Want to check out new talent? See the singers, poets, spoken word artists and performers of tomorrow? Want to heckle innocent people and possibly shatter their dreams of fame? You can! Attend an open mic night and all these dreams and more can come true.

But don't actually heckle anyone. It's not nice. And it's not like you have the nards to get up on stage. Even if you do, it's still not nice.

New open mic nights tend to pop up here and there, including two and new cafes in Tacoma.

The Tacoma Tea Room at 1932 Pacific Ave. opened in early February. It's a great hangout with nifty recycled and repurposed furniture and décor. It's a place for unique local tea, including teas made right at the shop. And - it hosts a brand new open mic night on the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. Electric and acoustic acts are welcome.

"We invite any singer songwriters and any spoken word and poets," says owner Benjamin Wolters. "We will have a sign up list for performers and encourage people to keep performances to ten minutes, especially if there are a lot of performers."

Meanwhile, nestled into Tacoma's Three Bridges area in the north end, Café Brosseau at 2716 N. 21st St. also has a new open mic brewing.

"We currently are striving to host a very family friendly, acoustic, living room-style event," says open mic night organizer Hailey Gift. "Our space does not allow for too much sound, so we are not using amps or a sound system which really promotes a feeling of community, and also makes everyone feel like they are not necessarily watching a show, but watching their neighbors and friends in a very comfortable setting."

Café Brosseau welcomes covers, but also hopes to bring in a lot of local, original talent. Its open mic night will be every other Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. Sign-up starts at 5 p.m. and the next event is March 13.

LINK: Live music tonight in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, MARCH 7 2013 >>>

1. As you chomped on your big ass turkey leg during your Thanksgiving dinner, The Grand Cinema flicked the switch Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. And sure it's more a long-winded history lecture than a movie, but you can't deny the skill that went into it, and well worth the price of admission just to watch Daniel-Day Lewis do his thing. Today, the Grand will screen Lincoln for the last time at 1:30, 4:55 and 8:05 p.m. The film will finish as the seventh highest grossing film in the history of The Grand, right behind last year's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and just in front of Juno.

2. Former child star, reality TV vet and now 102.5 KZOK morning shift DJ Danny Bonaduce will hang at the Ale House Sports Pub & Grille's happy hour from 4-6 p.m. shaking hands and handing out Joe Walsh/Bob Seger tickets.

3. Why drink alone when you can get your drink on with cool cats who care about environmental issues? On the first Thursday of each month, Green Drinks invites Tacoma and Pierce County residents to do just that - hang out and chat with other green-minded individuals over drinks and snacks. The next session of Green Drinks - which will be held at 6 p.m. inside the Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe - will focus on community gardens ... and drinks, of course.

4. The 11th annual Sister Cities Film Festival is more than a film festival. It's a cultural exploration of Tacoma's sister cities, of which there are 11 located all around the world. Each Thursday, a film from a sister city lights up the screen of Blue Mouse Theatre - complemented by bonus activities and entertainment. Each week also has its own committee responsible for said entertainment and film selection. Gunsan, South Korea has been Tacoma's sister since 1978 and had a curiously parallel course of development to Tacoma - Gunsan is a port city that boomed in the 1890s due to a rail link, and there is even an American Air Force Base in the vicinity. We're still checking to see if Gunsan has a weekly chalk competition in a park or if Guy Fieri has his Camaro towed down its streets. Anyway, in honor of Gunsan, the film Secret Sunshine will screen at 7 p.m. with a culutral program beginning at 6 p.m.

5. Billy Stoop's open jam consumes Stonegate's Pizza & Rum Bar beginning at 9 p.m. Be sure to sip some La Favorite Ambre Rhum Agricole.

LINK: Thursday, March 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THIS JUST IN >>>

When Q-Dot isn't flying around in his hip-hop superhero cape rapping, making beats, recording, performing and running his own record label, Tre'dmarks Music Group, he goes simply by Q or Quincy. He was named after Quincy Jones, and has earned badges as an MC, producer, songwriter, pianist, singer, recording engineer, mixer and DJ.

Today, the Federal Way-based hip-hop superhero dropped a bit of news:

Senior Executives at BET Networks have invited Seattle MC/Pianist/Producer Q Dot to perform at the networks Music Matters showcase in New York City in May. Music Matters is a platform BET started to help nurture and launch the careers of new artists and has played an instrumental role in helping break artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Elle Varner, Stalley and Grammy nominee Miguel. 

Q Dot's inclusion in the program includes the aforementioned showcase which is free and will be held at S.O.B's (Sounds of Brazil) May 14th in New York, New York. 

Congrats Q!