THESE LIVE SHOWS WORK >>>

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Melvins, Totimoshi. 21+. 8 pm. $16-$20.

• The uninitiated may best know the Melvins by their creation of the dubious sub-genre known as sludge-rock. Marked by its definitional sluggishness, sludge-rock favors hard, plodding, perfect-head-banging metal over all else. It's the kind of music where you either commit to the possible whiplash that may result from such emphatic head-banging, or you just don't get it, man. The Melvins, more than their many imitators, established an antsy desire to never fall into a predictable groove - in career trajectory as well as song structure. Read my thoughts on this band here. – Rev. Adam McKinney

Imperial Dragon Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. S.R.O. swing band. Music from the 30s and 40s. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Greta Jane Quartet jazz. 21+. 9:30 pm. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Dana Lupinacci Band blues. 21+. 8 pm.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT >>>

Beyond the Bridge Cafe Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. A live performance combining movement, story and dance with local musician Vicci Martinez. All Ages. 8-10 pm. $15.

• Aided by the always-worthy Vicci Martinez and her typical barefooted musical styling, the B.B.C. Bots, something of a genre defying performance group, will mix movement and music with "The Phoenix," pushing the artistic envelope all the while. – Matt Driscoll

Big Wheel Steakhouse and Lounge Tacoma - Parkland. The Ultimate Rush Tribute Experience, with 2112, Fracture. 21+. 9:30 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. The Razzberry Jam Band. 21+. 9 pm.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. What You Got Fest Backstage Show & Dance Party, with King's Ransom, The South Sound, Jeff Mikey & The Bouncy House. All Ages. 8 pm. $5-$8.

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Smokin' Saturdays, with Blue Helix, Endless Grey, Fill The Silence, Raelin. 21+. 8 pm.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Rob Rigoni. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Mighty High. A little reggae and blues for Tervor's birthday. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Country rock with Aces Up, Rae Solomon, Buck Haggard, Austin Jenckes. 21+. 9 pm. $8-$10.

Jazzbones Tacoma. Matt Coughlin and the Growlers, Abi Grace, The Black Sails, DJ Switch. 9 pm. $7.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Super Smart Ferrets. 21+. 9 pm.

North Shore Golf & Country Club Tacoma - Northeast. Rock The Point, featuring Nick Nicholas, In The House & special guests. 21+. 7:30 pm. $10 suggested donation.

Paddy Coyne's Irish Pub Tacoma - Downtown. Traditional Irish Music Session. 21+. 7 pm.

Puyallup Fair Grandstand Puyallup. Heart. 7:30 pm. $25-$60.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. 9 Pound Hammer. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

• Sure to please the typical Spar crowd, 9 Pound Hammer delivers funky originals and well-spun covers - all of it sure to go well with a few cold beers and a night out with friends. – Bobble Tiki
  

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. The Downtown Mountain Boys. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$12.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Beyond the Bridge Cafe Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Vicci Martinez. A live performance combining movement, story and dance with local musician Vicci Martinez. All Ages. 8-10 pm. $15.

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. What You Got Fest Backstage Show, with Out Numbered, Borderline Obsessive, Hail, Apache Chief, SeaCats, Makeup Monsters. All Ages. 8 pm. $5-$8.

• More than ever, the power to coordinate and organize youth-centered events is being put in the hands of young go-getters themselves (the Redmond Fire House, WhAAM up in Bellingham, et al.). The Olympia Film Society's seventh annual What You Got? Festival aims to provide local kids with a 48-hour arts festival of their own - like a "Bumbershoot Jr.," only with much better bands. The weekend roster isn't some mixed bag of good artists and crappy ones - there are great performers on deck, including no-fi thrashers Apache Chief, sugary-sweet Kelso quintet Seacats and remarkable Tacoma duo Makeup Monsters (whose relative youth seems underscored by the fact that their sound inspires a nostalgia for millennial rock acts). The festival will host workshops on a range of topics, including video editing, DJing and how to make comic books. The main attractions, however, will be screenings of youth-produced films, and performances by fresh-faced area bands. - Jason Baxter

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Flash Fridays, with Doom Of Babylon, DJ Vinnymac. 21+. 8 pm.

The Den Tacoma - Downtown. Sumner Brothers, Run From Cover. All ages. 8 p.m.

• Bobble Tiki has the scoop on this show here.
  

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Where Sails Meet Rails, Sordid Sentinels. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Firecreek Alehouse Lacey. Becki Sue & Her Big Rockin' Daddies. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Jennifer Lind. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Midnight Salvage Co., Dreams Jaded, No Make, Bone Flower, Howler. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Heartless (Heart tribute). 21+. 8 pm. $6.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Ghost Power, The Shots, Dragados. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Jaded Optimists. All Ages. 8:30 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Humble Cub, Check Please, Tallest Tree, Sad Mr. Robert Another Coward of Love. 21+. 9 pm.

• I wrote sometime back that one of my favorite Tacoma love songs was "Commitment Chant" by Alexander and the Optimistics, AKA local artist Sean Alexander. A simple line, repeated over and over atop a chugging beat box, it kind of perfectly summed up the fear and sadness that come with loving someone with all of your being. "Commitment Chant" is hard to find, his other songs impossible to find. I think Alexander likes it that way. Abandoning his old moniker in favor of Sad Mr. Robert Another Coward of Love, Alexander will be offering a rare performance at The New Frontier on Friday. His voice is warbly, cracked and soulful; his lyrics are strange and intimate. On stage, I anticipate a beautiful train wreck. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Deakin, Prince Rama, Jabon. All Ages. 8 pm.

Salty's at Redondo Beach Des Moines. Cory Wilds Band. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

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

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. DoctorfunK. 21+. 8 pm. $8.

Temple Theatre Tacoma - Stadium District. Soul Fest featuring Silk, H-Town, Chico Debarge, Candyman. 8 p.m. $40-$60.

• There is such a thing as a once-in-a-lifetime concert, packed with show-stopping artists. If ever one of these shows has hit the Puget Sound area - Soul Fest is it. Hailing from the early- and mid-1990s (what I would argue was the last era of soul music), several R&B crooners and an MC come to Tacoma and the Temple Theatre this Friday. Known for songs that inspire love, lust and panty-droppin', Atlanta's famed quintet, Silk (of "Freak Me" fame) headlines. They are joined by H-Town (Houston's own "Knockin' Da Boots" boys); the infamous and brilliant R&B writer/singer Chico Debarge; and another boot-knocker from the early-1990s, Candyman. – Jose Gutierrez Jr.
  

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

There are other live shows tonight besides the Hall & Oates show at the Puyallup Fair, but who gives a shit?

Hall & Oates, 7:30 p.m., $25-$65, Puyallup Fair

• Everything that could or, really, should be said about Hall & Oates has been exhausted.
  

Alright, fine, there's other shows, too:

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. International Espionage. 21+. 9 pm.

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

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Django Jazz, with The Hot Club Of Detroit. 21+. 8 pm. $10.

Swing Wine Bar & Cafe Olympia - Westside. Jazz In The Cellar, with Vince Brown. 21+. 6 pm. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Matt Coughlin & The Growlers, Crying Shame, Thunkitron. 21+. 8 pm. $5.

• Matt Coughlin and the Growlers have labeled their style as "funktry" - a combination of funk and country, natch. Coughlin grew up in Montana, raised by a couple of hippies. "They're folkies from back in the day," says Coughlin. "They got me playing piano and playing the guitar and singing and whatnot. I carried that through high school, and found out that girls like it when you play guitar and sing." After a brief stint in a punk outfit (Bumma Stoge), Coughlin returned to his roots and worked on gathering together a band that would aid him in delivering his funktry to the masses. Just like in a heist movie, his team came out of the woodwork to create a force more powerful than the sum of its parts. Read my full story here. – Rev. AM

Tempest Lounge Tacoma - Upper Tacoma. Maurice The Fish Records Showcase. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music tonight in the South Sound

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE MUSIC SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

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

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Patrick Dethlefs. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Polka Dot Dot Dot, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Sam Doores, The Tumbleweeds. All Ages. 8 pm.

• While rustic Northwestern folk gilded with gorgeous multi-part harmonies is a type of music that may have already peaked in local and national popularity (what with the Fleet Foxes' recent meteoric ascension from Emerald City darlings to Saturday Night Live musical guests), it's also something that'll likely never grow tiresome, especially when properly executed. Olympia's Polka Dot Dot Dot is a trio of talented folkies with a winning take on old-timey musical stylings. Their arsenal of acoustic elements (guitar, banjo, harp, ukulele and clement vocals) coalesces in lovely - if not entirely unsurprising - ways, and their lyrics name-check everything from the Puget Sound to Calvino-esque "cities we built in our minds." It's a backwoods sensibility with academic pretensions, backed by familiar stomp-clap rhythms. Fans of the Cave Singers and Alela Diane should take notice. – Jason Baxter
  

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 music tonight in the South Sound

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE MUSIC SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Ozzie Fuhrmann Band. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Daniel Higgs, Nautical Almanac, Oak Rot. All Ages. 8 pm.

• Daniel Higgs occupies a space similar to other people who may be categorized as "mad prophets": vocalists like Isaac Brock or Nick Cave - artists who seem to speak only in proclamations and incantations, with fearsome intonation and a seemingly-possessed fervor in their eyes. These are men who seem to see straight down to the bone and the earth and all that we can't quite focus on with our measly brains. The lead singer of the unpredictable post-hardcore band Lungfish, Daniel Higgs will be performing by himself for his appearance at Northern. Accompanied by the ominous noise-rock band Nautical Almanac, this will be a show built for the shredding of the self and rebuilding in the mold of the wide-eyed and terrified. – Rev. Adam McKinney
  

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Greta Jane Quartet. 21+. 9:30 pm. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Laurie Johnson & The Careless Hunters. 21+. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Karan Casey, John Doyle. All Ages. 8 pm. $15-$20.

LINK: More music tonight in the South Sound

LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT THAT WE DIG >>>

Art House Designs Olympia - Eastside. Wayne Shorter Tribute Concert featuring Steve Munger-sax, Syd Potter-trumpet, David Deacon Joyner-piano, Osama Afifi-bass, Steven Bentley-drums and Miguel Lopez-congas. All Ages. 8-10 pm. $15.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Halfway to St. Paddy's Day featuring Ockham's Razor. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Harbor Greens/Forza Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Steve Stefanowicz. 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Monsters Scare You, Selling Sirens, Lacero. 21+. 8 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Lydia Pense & Cold Blood. 21+. 8 pm. $15.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. John Craig. 21+. 9 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Mash Up, featuring members of Big Wheel Stunt Show, Legend Of Bigfoot, SweetKiss Momma. 21+. 9 pm.

• Alright, look: I have no idea what this "mash up" is supposed to be. Apparently, members of Big Wheel Stunt Show, the Legend of Bigfoot and SweetKiss Momma (in addition to "more," evidently) will converge on the New Frontier stage and do ... something. Personally, I'm intrigued already. These are three (four? five?) bands that are mighty skilled at the rocking-the-pants-off game. It's no waste of a Friday to gather in a bar and hear three (four? five?) experienced bar bands rock some weekend into your head. The freewheeling nature of this show is an even bigger perk: members of some awesome bands getting together to create a brand new rock monster. You don't want to be there for something unrepeatable? You're crazy. – Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Johnny X & The Groadies, Zargent, HPP. All Ages. 8 pm.

O'Callahan's Pub & Grill Key Peninsula. In The House Band. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

O'Malley's Irish Pub Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. South 11th, C.F.A., Walk The Plank. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE SHOWS TONIGHT >>>

Vancouver's 3 Inches of Blood, a Tacoma staple and one of the best things to happen to metal in a long while, performs tonight at Hell's Kitchen with Helles, A Lesson in Chaos and Bloodhunger at 8 p.m. The cover is $10. After the carnage, they're off to wreak havoc on British Columbia, Japan and Australia.

The band also produced a new video for “Silent Killer”:

More live shows tonight in the South Sound:

Ben Moore's Cafe Olympia- Downtown. Saxophonist Steve Munger every Thursday. 21+. 7:30-10:30pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Audra Connolly. All Ages. 7 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Grass Widow, STLS, Broken Water, Coasting. All Ages. 8 pm.

Pierce Transit Park Tacoma - Downtown. The SOTA 10th Anniversary Celebration. A concert featuring SOTA alumni bands Makeup Monsters, Hail, Free and Fur Coat and Tall Girl. All Ages. 6-9 pm. $5-$10.

Surreal Ultra Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Avery Davis. Part of the new Whipped night featuring giveaways. All Ages. 9 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. AEK (Abdul El Kader). 21+. 7 pm. NC.

Tacoma Farmers Market - Broadway Tacoma - Downtown. Billy Farmer. All Ages. 10:30 am. NC.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Neema, Josh Rizeberg, Mr. Von, 10th and Commerce. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

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

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

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO RECOMMENDS THESE LIVE MUSIC SHOWS >>>

Big Whisky Saloon Tacoma - Downtown. Redneck parking Lot Party Part III - 2010 Finale featuring Aces Up, Robbie Walden & the Gunslingers, barbecue, beer garden, mechanical bull. 4 pm to 2 am. NC before 6 pm, NC for all military and emergency service personnel before 8 pm.

Cedarwood Dome Milton. Annamercury, JB Quartet, Death Before Decafe. 21+. 8 pm. $5-$7.

Dockside Bistro & Wine Bar Olympia - Downtown. Pianist Scott Cossu. 16+. 7 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Vaughn Kreestoe. Funky jazzy soul. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. British Steel, Faces Pale, Midnight Idols. 21+. 9 pm. $5.

• Bobble Tiki has the scoop here.

The Hub Tacoma - Stadium District. Myles Crew. 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. James Coates & The Lost Souls, SweetKiss Momma, Death First. All Ages. 8:30 pm.

The Loft On Cherry Olympia - Downtown. Dead Prez, Militant Child, Language Arts, DJ B-Girl. 8 pm.

• The legend of immortalized hip-hop revolutionaries Dead Prez spans more than a decade. Voices of vision, afro-centricity, revolution and healthy eating, Dead Prez has always been just under the radar in terms of popular success.  Even today, they're synonymous with power, motivation, empowerment and forward thinking (revolutionary but gangsta, of course). Read my column here for my thoughts on these legendary hip-hoppers. – Jose Gutierrez Jr.
  

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Lipbone Redding and the LipBone Orchestra from NYC. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Thee Oh Sees, The Maxines. All Ages. 8 pm.

• Thee Oh Sees are not shy about what they do. This is made evident by "Warm Slime," the opening track on their album of the same name. At 13 minutes, it's a vast, towering tribute to '60s psychedelia, warts and all. The one-two bass line pounding on and on and on, while voices in the background chant "all you need is the summertime" and the guitars rise and fall, sometimes sending streams of feedback shooting through the speakers. It's everything that you either love or hate about psychedelic rock, and it's right up in your fucking face, man. They open with "Warm Slime" like a dare, fingering you in the ribs and saying, "You in or out?" Read my full story here. – Rev. Adam McKinney

Northwest Concert Center Puyallup. Asleep At The Wheel. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $9.

The Peabody Waldorf Boutique and Gallery Tacoma - Downtown. Humble Cub Record Release Party with Fall of Electricity (Olympia), Outdoor Voices (Olympia), and Mary Mary (Bellingham). All Ages. 7-10 pm. $5.

• The first time I saw Allan Boothe perform, it was a solo set at a benefit show at The New Frontier for the Squeak and Squawk music festival. His performance was bizarre.  He stood atop an amp, clear across the room from the stage, guitar in hand, back to the crowd. It was strange and playful, though marked by an unmistakable loneliness. This is how I approach the new full-length release from Allan Boothe's full band, Humble Cub. The album features mostly guitar pop, dominated by Boothe's nervously diminutive voice. As the album opens, Boothe laments what a struggle it is to capture and retain happiness, how hard it is to love. Read my full story here. – Rev. AM

Red Wind Casino Yelm. Sonic Funk Orchestra. 21+. 8:30 pm. NC.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Fingertips. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. The 1st Annual Old School Hot Rod & Chopper Show, with The Great Pretenders, Black Top Demon, 3rd Degree Burn, Fire Fighters Bagpipe Band. 21+. 10 am. $15-$25.

Washington Center for the Performing Arts Olympia - Downtown. Sounds of Aloha. Features Keoki Kahumoku, Herb Ohta Jr., Patrick Landeza and the Monday Ukulele Ohana. All Ages. 7 pm. $12.50-$22.50.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound tonight

THE WEEKLY VOLCANO DIGS LIVE MUSIC >>>

Capitol Theater Olympia - Downtown. Nomeansno, Tyvek, The Dirty Birds. All Ages. 8 pm. $8-$10.

• Olympia's The Dirty Birds are consistently awesome, a musical staple for the thousands of rock-hungry partygoers who need a tight set to rattle their bones and cure their jones. The band's garage punk/surf-a-billy roots branch into states of sophistication and skank with the well-placed hum and hoot of a fantastic saxophonist. Going to a Dirty Birds show inevitably leaves you up late with more beer in your belly than planned, and a reverb of gritty vocals and tasty licks pulsing through your brain. This Friday's show is extra wicked; not only do you get The Dirty Birds, but Tyvek and NoMeansNo will be onstage, connecting synapses with quirky spastic punk, leaving listeners in a heightened state of musical being. - Nikki Talotta

Le Voyeur Olympia - Downtown. Patriot Day Eve's party with Party Killer (pdx), Last Prick Standing (pdx), Black Floyd (oly). 21+. 9 pm. NC.

Mandolin Cafe Tacoma - Central. Jam On My Muffin. All Ages. 6 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. The Kora Band. All Ages. 8 pm.

Puyallup Fair Grandstand Puyallup. Bret Michaels. All Ages. 9 pm. $30.

• You didn't think Bret Michaels was going to let a little brain hemorrhage stop him from touring, did you? Hell no, bro! Those brain hemorrhages happened way back in April, dude! There's no way the Bret Michaels America has come to know and love would miss all the hot MILF action in the Krusty Pup line at the Puyallup Fair. Every rose may have its thorn, but Bret Freakin' Michaels doesn't mess around when it comes to spreading his rockstar seed. Those dreamy eyes are serious, and the man's loins will never be tamed, not by diabetes, by hemorrhage or by any sign of embarrassment stemming from a wholly forgettable career. This event will function much like a reunion for Puyallup High School's classes of '87 - '89. Danny Thurston and Billy Joe Hobert will totally get laid somehow. – Weekly Volcano
  

Red Wind Casino Yelm. Sonic Funk Orchestra. 21+. 8:30 pm. NC.

Rialto Theater Tacoma - Downtown. George Winston. All Ages. 8 pm. $30 advance, $35 day of show.

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

Hell's Kitchen Tacoma - Downtown. Church Of Hate, Broken Oars, Infernal Legion, Sok & The Faggots, Enemy Action. 21+. 8 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Metal Effen Friday featuring loud and local bands. 21+. 8 pm.

LINK: More live music in the South Sound