WE RECOMMEND THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Torturebox, 46 And 2, Stonebender. 21+. 9 pm.

A Rhapsody In Bloom Florist and Cafe Latte Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Dinner & Music Evening, featuring Beth Wood. All Ages. 6 pm. $20.

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Flash Fridays, with Kissing Girls, Reji Lefleur, Red Abbey, Direct Supply, DJ Vinnymac. 21+. 8 pm.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Kim Archer. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Atomic Outlaws, Mom's Rocket, High Noon Horizon, Blooddrunk Shenanigans, Sweet Root. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

• Tonight at Hell's Kitchen Atomic Outlaws once again welcome a new voice to the fold, in the form of Calvin Muma. Who is Calvin Muma? Find out here. – Bobble Tiki
  

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Voxxy's Birthday Party, featuring Voxxy Vallejo, Big Wheel Stunt Show, comedy by Toby Roberts, live art by Gregory Fricker. 21+. 8 pm. $5.

Kamel Toe Bar and Grill Tacoma - Parkland. Sub-Vinyl Jukebox. 21+. 9 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Cara Francis. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Megaton Leviathan, Echos of Infiniti, Frozen in Light. All Ages. 9 pm. $5.

Rhythm & Brews Tacoma - Downtown. Trevalyan Triangle. 21+. 8:30 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Bill Staines. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound tonight

MORE LIVE THAN YOU'LL EVER BE >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Northwest Sun. 21+. 9 pm.

The Den @ urbanXchange Tacoma - Downtown. Xylophones, The Scarlet Ending, Brooklyn Pool, Appegiator. All Ages. 7 pm. $5.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Vindicator, Aggressor. 21+. 9 pm. $3.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Pete Herzog. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall Band. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Machina Muerte Grindtime Tour featuring LuckyIAm, Mestizo, Rolling Rockers, Cadalack Ron, Afrok and DJ El Goonie. 9 pm. $7.

• This is a big one... big. For one, Nicatine and his Homeland Security team are bringing LuckyIAm of The Living Legends/Mystik Journeymen, Mestizo, Rollin' Rockers, Cadalack Ron, Afrok and your own El Goonie (contributor with the Weekly Volcano and DJ extraordinaire) to Olympia Thursday Oct 14. But it doesn't stop there. Also bringing the ruckus to the stage is Grind Time co-owner/CEO, Lush One, who will host one of the monumental battles in the world's largest rap league right in downtown Olympia. Read my column here for the full scoop. – Jose Gutierrez Jr.
  

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Billy Stoops Acoustic Jam. 21+. 9 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Revengers, Swampy Draws, Oops I Stepped In Some Christ. 21+. 9 pm.

Tacoma Community College Bldg. #3 Tacoma - Westside. WSU Faculty Jazz Quartet. Two tenors, bass and drums. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Come Out And Play Open Mic. Hosted by Kim Archer and Nick Sandy. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. John McCutcheon. All Ages. 8 pm.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound

RIGHTEOUS LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

The Brotherhood Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Monotonix, Ty Segall, Dub Narcotic Selectah. 21+. 9 pm.

• The last time I saw Monotonix at The Brotherhood in Olympia it was off the hook. Hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel, this garage/jungle band puts on one hell of show. The band and their instruments first crowd surfed their way to the pool table, where singer Ami Shalev, in his Borat-style shorts, snuggled a pool ball between his butt cheeks as the crowd cheered. The band, still playing their catchy, quality songs, continued out the front door. Shalev then a climbed a tree, monkey swung over to the neon Brotherhood sign, and as he tried to make it to the roof, broke a piece of neon and crashed to the ground. Undeterred, the crowd moved out into the parking lot where Shalev had everyone lay on the concrete as they pounded out their finale.  I've never seen a happier, more alive crowd then after the Monotonix experience. - Nikki Talotta

Charlie's Sports Bar and Grill Olympia - Downtown. Blues Jam with Blues Attitude. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Chris Knutzen Hall/PLU Tacoma - Parkland. University Jazz Ensemble. All Ages. 8 pm.

Kamel Toe Bar and Grill Tacoma - Parkland. Jam Night. Features members of Kashmire, Soul Stripper and special guests. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Billy Farmer & Rockin' Chair Money. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Half-Handed Cloud, LAKE, Marky Morrison, Heartfelt. All Ages. 8 pm.

• LAKE is something of a local supergroup. All of its many members are solo artists or participants in other area acts, making the collective something of a part-time gig. Nevertheless, LAKE has a full-time wondrousness and enough talent to fill several bands (which, duh, makes perfect sense). Their music is chock-full of Northwest-y sonic hallmarks, from nimble guitars, graceful harmonies, occasional electronic flourishes and dubby bass thumps, to a pervasive sense of woodsy whimsy - everything sounds ideally suited for a rainy day spent indoors at homey café. This particular brand of straightforward, catchy indie seems to have fallen (just a little) by the pop culture wayside, a sad fact that in no way takes away from LAKE's overwhelming aptitude, or their capacity for producing indelible, earworm-y hooks. - Jason Baxter

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

GO LIVE TONIGHT >>>

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall. 21+. 8 pm.

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar Olympia - Downtown. Scott Cossu, with Steve Banks, Jessica Blinn. 21+. 6 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Joell Ortiz, Island Trybe, City Hall, Whikid Matticuless, DJ Hanibal. 21+. 9 pm. $10.

• Joell Ortiz, a longtime indie-rap darling, is quickly garnering a reputation as one of the best emcees in hip-hop. Tacoma's best rap group (as deemed recently by the readers of the Weekly Volcano), City Hall (Todd Sykes and EvergreenOne), is buzzing in the Northwest and beyond after the recent release of their first album Milk on Wax. Joell Ortiz writes tough songs that embody his native Brooklyn (YouTube "Brooklyn Bullshit").  City Hall's themes resonate with the youth at large in the City of Destiny: unemployment, shootings, unemployment and lots of beer drinking (listen to the whole album at evergreenonetoddsykes.bandcamp.com). What else do Joell Ortiz and City Hall have in common? They are both performing at Hell's Kitchen Sunday, Oct. 10. Read my full story here. – Zach Powers
  

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Black & Blue Sunday, with Resdeus, The Smoke Wreck Kings, The Nuggz, Frontstreet, The Reallionaires. 21+. 8 pm. $5.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Open Mic with host Billy Farmer. It's a great variety show. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Junkyard Jane. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Sunday Blues Jam Night. Hosted by Shelly Ely. 21+. 7-10 pm.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

WORTHY LIVE MUSIC SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. All On Seven. 21+. 8 pm.

• All on Seven, despite a youthful complexion, manages to capture the essence of what alt-country and Americana is (or should) be all about. Through simple harmonies, strummed acoustics, harmonicas and the voices of Evan Palmer and Kayla Schureman, the dusty and faded songs these two singer/songwriters craft as All on Seven are built for long hauls and wide open roads, the kind of tunes that sound best bouncing off the insides of a pre-fuel crunch pickup pointed toward the horizon with plenty of miles behind it and in front of it. Read the rest of Bobble Tiki's thoughts on All of Seven here. – Bobble Tiki
  

Cassidy's Pub Tacoma - Eastside. Loose Gravel & The Quarry. 21+. 8 pm.

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Smokin' Saturdays, with Blood To Dust, Bone Flower, All Out Assault, Vengeance, Genocide, Kingdom Under Fire, Threechordkiller, No Rest. 21+. 8 pm.

D4 Sumner. Aspen, PBF, Plague Ships, Monsters Scare You, Crowd War, West Dakota. All Ages. 7 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Ecstasy In Numbers. 21+. 9:30 pm. NC.

The Fan Club Sports Bar Lakewood. Chicken Joe Unplugged. Classic rock. 21+. 8 pm.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. American Wreckin Co., Hide The Scarz, Solace In Black, Koz Of Konfusion, Depths Of Insanity. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Fabulous Thunderbirds. 21+. 8 pm. $20-$25.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Hands Of Toil, Lozen, Mahnhammer. 21+. 9 pm.

• I was talking to a man outside of The New Frontier recently, and he was telling me he likes alternative music and all, but can't really handle all the whining. "Like that annoying chick that sings about her feelings," he said. "Alanis Morissette?" I responded. "That's the one!" Well, drunken, bearded man, you will no doubt be happy to hear of an upcoming metal show at The New Frontier. It even features the most metal-est band name in these parts - Mahnhammer. But my money's on Lozen to be the showstopper, as always. The two-piece all-girl metal group seriously knows how to lay the shit down. I would hope that drunk dude would be smarter than to make an "annoying chick" comment around Lozen. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Rhythm & Brews Tacoma - South. Billy Roy Danger & The Rectifiers. 21+. 8:30 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Joe Baque, with Carol Baque, Steve Luceno. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

WE RECOMMEND THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. Olympia Live! A Benefit For Young Breast Cancer Survivors. Rodeo Kill, Glass Elevator, The Jessica Blinn Quartet, Misère De Boisson, Victoria Williams, and other special guests. All proceeds benefit The Pink Daisy Project and Young Survival Coalition. All Ages. 8 pm. $5 pre-sale tickets, $10 at the door.

• What an eclectic bill has been gathered together for Olympia Live! - a benefit show for young breast cancer survivors. You've got a little bit of everything here, from the country-fried rock of Rodeo Kill, to the jazz swing of the Jessica Blinn Quartet, to the warped psychedelia of Glass Elevator and the classic rock idolatry of the Hard Way - all your bases are pretty well covered. But the real treat of the event will be a special appearance from prolific songwriter, and slightly less prolific singer, Victoria Williams. Williams specializes in a sort of classicist folk with just a hint of weirdness lurking in the lyrics and in her light, wispy voice. This'll be an interesting show, and a worthy one, for those with diverse tastes. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Flash Fridays, with Pill Brigade, Bell's Theorem, DJ Vinnymac. 21+. 8 pm.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. The Shy Boys. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Sok & The Faggots, Dead Peasants, Koozbane, Muppet Fetish, Ruckers Tomb. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Staxx Brothers, The Excellent Gentlemen. 21+. 8 pm. $7.

Matrix Coffee House Chehalis. Fall Of Enosis, Murderers Etiquette. All Ages. 7 pm. $6.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Double CD Release Dance Party, with Strength, Reporter. 21+. 9 pm. Read the full story here.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Junkyard Jane. 21+. 8 pm.

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. Blind Boys of Alabama, Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys. Pre-lecture at 6:30 pm. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $29-$74.

• Friday the Pantages Theater hosts the Blind Boys of Alabama and Ralph Stanley, both legendary in their own right - and sure to be a jaw-dropping together. The Blind Boys of Alabama are have won five Grammies and are members of the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. Stanley has been called "the most important figure in bluegrass music today," by the Chicago Sun Times. Together, they'll surely be amazing. – Michael Swan

SideBar Bistro Tacoma - Downtown. Saxophonist Michael Hershman. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC.

University of Puget Sound Memorial Field House Tacoma - Northend. 8:30 p.m., $6-$10.

• A cappella music may be easy to scoff at, but when it's performed with extreme expertise it's, well (crap!), still pretty easy to scoff at. Luckily, the Blanks brilliantly combine a cappella music with sketch comedy, and it totally works. Known on TV as "Ted's Band" from the show Scrubs, the Blanks will be at the University of Puget Sound Memorial Field House Friday. – MS
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

WE RECOMMEND THESE LIVE SHOWS TODAY >>>

Dawson's Bar and Grill Tacoma - South. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall. 21+. 8 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Black & Blue Sundays Thanksgiving Comedy Benefit Show, with Death Before Decaf. 21+. 8 pm. $5.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Open Mic with host Billy Farmer. It's a great variety show. All Ages. 6-9 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Second Anniversary Weekend featuring the "Hootenanny At The New Frontier" with Blue Billies, Swampy Draws and Elk Taco. 21+. 8 pm.

Rainier Arts Festival Ashford. Shoestring Band, John Sparrow, Maia Santell and House blend. Noon-4 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. 253Heart Music Festival Wrap-Up Party, with Big Fuckin' Truck, Brother Scott, Painkillers, Kim Archer, Missionary Position, Jerry Miller, China Davis. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 4 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Sunday Blues Jam Night. Hosted by Shelly Ely. 21+. 7-10 pm.

LINK: More live music today in the South Sound

WE RECOMMEND THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Bull Market Bar and Grill/Paradise Bowl Tacoma - Parkland. Iron Maidens, Just Dirt. 21+. 9 pm. $15.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Blackhounds, Sugarfixx, Feared Alive, BND, Rooftop Warrior. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Too Slim & The Taildraggers. 21+. 8 pm. $8-$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? - Paul Schrag

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Jam On My Muffin. All Ages. 6 pm. NC. Klondike Kate. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. New Frontier 2nd Anniversary Party, with Girl Trouble, Basemint, Frisky. 21+. 8:30 pm.

• Read our full story here.
  

Rainier Arts Festival Ashford. Eric "Two Scoops" Moore, John Sparrow, Son Jack Jr. Noon-4:30 pm.

Rhythm & Brews Tacoma - Downtown. Maia Santell and House Blend. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

• If the hype has yet to reach you, let us gladly be the first the draw your attention to Rhythm & Brews, Tacoma's newest nightclub and local music venue, opening this weekend in the space that Juno and The Garage once called home. Yes, someone's trying it again in that fateful Market Street locale. But this time it's Gary Grape calling the booking shots, the familiar name behind the South Sound Blues Association and lots of other local music-centric community organizing. Though we've seen venues come and go in the spot Grape is trying to resurrect for this town, we're hopeful Rhythm & Brews will have some staying power. Grape's wife, Maia Santell, and her wonderful backing band, House Blend, will officially christen Rhythm & Brews' grand opening Friday night. Saturday, the South Sound Blues Association's 2010 International Blues Challenge winner, Blues Redemption, takes the stage. Next weekend promises Little Bill and the Bluenotes and also Billy Roy Danger and the Rectifiers. It's quite a start, with hopefully much more to come. - Weekly Volcano

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Fiddle Fest, hosted by Carla Wulfsberg. All Ages. 5 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

MORE LIVE THAN YOU'LL EVER BE >>>

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Three Dollar Thursday, with 12 Gauge Saint, Curse Of The North, Regional Faction, Metal Mark. 21+. 9 pm. $3.

Lagerquist Concert Hall Tacoma - Parkland. PLU Regency Jazz Ensemble. All Ages. 8 pm.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Heidi Vladyka. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Crank Sturgeon, Styrofoam Sanchez, Derek M Johnson, Soup Purse, Dead Air Fresheners. All Ages. 8 pm.

• It's not easy to labor in purposeful obscurity for more than a decade, cultivating an atmosphere of secrecy and hard-line artistic weirdness, but Olympia's Dead Air Fresheners have been going strong (and going secretive) for nigh on 13 years now. The creatively-uncontained, nominally-instrumental band (sometimes joined by spoken word performers) is a regular at Oly's Experimental Music Fest, where their droning, shrieking, aleatoric sounds are warmly received by the attendees' hard-bitten cochleae.  With their rotating roster of masked improvisers, a Dead Air Fresheners performance is like a Halloween-themed edition of "Guess Who?" simultaneously piquing the audience's curiosity and forcing them to forgo any desire to relate to the musicians themselves and asking them instead to focus all their attention on the thrumming, effects-addled vibrations being generated. - Jason Baxter
  

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Blues Jam, hosted by Tim Hall Band. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Acoustic Open Mic. Hosted by Dustin Lafferty. All Ages. 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Billy Stoops Acoustic Jam. 21+. 9 pm.

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Come Out And Play Open Mic. Hosted by Kim Archer and Nick Sandy. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Stacey Earle & Mark Stuart. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Taco Thursday, with Jerry Miller. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE MUSIC IS WHERE IT'S AT >>>

The Den @ urbanXchnage Tacoma - Downtown. "The Night of the Living Loop" featuring Hunting Hat, Psychic Handbook, Via, Last Eyes. 7 pm.

• This show, featuring Hunting Hat, Psychic Handbook, Via and Last Eyes is being advertised as "The Night of the Living Loop." Not entirely sure what that means. I'm hoping it indicates that these bands utilize the loop pedal, which I think is one of the more delightful gadgets to see performed live. Listening to Hunting Hat's homespun recordings, I could picture the swirling lo-fi hums and whispers being generated by such a device. Seeing Hunting Hat live ought to be odd, considering their recordings evoke the feeling of a found radio station, lost to time, discovered after midnight on a long drive out of town. Voices drift in and out through tin-can telephones, and you're left with a strangely distant memory of having heard a song, somewhere, sometime. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

6th Ave Farmers Market Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Gone Postal. All Ages. 4:30 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Nearly Dan (Steely Dan tribute). 21+. 8 pm. $10-$12.

O'Blarney's Irish Pub Olympia - Eastside. Irish Sessions. Live traditional Irish music. 7:30 pm. NC.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. Joe Faker Band, with Allen Alto. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Olympic Club Hotel and Theater Centralia. Alice Stuart. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Sax Restaurant and Lounge Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Open Jazz Jam. Hosted by Kareem Kandi. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Summit Pub Puyallup. Tim Hall & The Band Real Times. 21+. 7:30 pm.

LINK: More live music and DJs tonight in the South Sound