LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Elbow Coulee, Bodybox, Ben Union. 9 pm. $5.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. The Cold 102's, Ant Estrada. 9:30 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. The Flying Tortugas, The Jilly Rizzo, Winter Seeker. 9 pm.

Invictus Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Reverend Bear, Fallen Angels, Curse the North, Tatarus, 5 pm. $3.

• Mark Carras and his wife, Sherri, have been running Rock My Monkey Energy Drink out of their home for a little more than a year now. Sold at Invictus Café and 4th Ave Food Mart in Olympia, the energy drink's flavor is "somewhere between Mountain Dew and Red Bull," Sherri said. (I tasted it mixed with Jameson whiskey - delicious!) Check out Rock My Monkey today at Invictus Café in Olympia, during a benefit show for the family of Amanda Winters, the 17-year-old who was killed when her car struck a tree while she was driving to school in April. For more information about getting your band or business involved with Rock My Monkey, visit Rockmymonkey.com or call 360.519.ROCK. Read Nikki McCoy's full feature on Rock My Monkey in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Jon Wayne & The Pain, Mighty High, The Approach. 8 pm. $10.

Lucky Eagle Casino Rochester. Broken Trail. 9 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Benefit For Humane Society, featuring Death By Stars, I Like Science, Oh Dear. 8 pm.

• The New Frontier Lounge in Tacoma plays host to a Humane Society Benefit show Saturday featuring Death By Stars, Oh Dear!, I Like Science, Ever So Android and Julian Najar. This line-up is sure to get into your summer skin and cause a heated reaction of soul tingling vibes and uncontrolled appendage shaking, accompanied by the occasional fist pump and squinty-faced hair whipping. Yes, I mean dancing. And, by god, it's all for a good cause. "The Humane Society and animal welfare are extremely important issues to Death By Stars," says Patrick Galactic. "We are financial supporters of many animal rights organizations. To share an all-star bill with some of our favorite bands is icing on the cake. It's going to be an electric and eclectic show that ultimately benefits our furry friends who need the care the most. We are honored and grateful to be a part of it." - Nikki McCoy
  

Pantages Theater Tacoma - Downtown. Tony Bennett. All Ages. 7:30 pm. $89-$249.

• Vocal legend Tony Bennett pushes boundaries when it comes to his duets, most notably those with k.d. lang. But when it comes to flying solo, the man gives the people exactly what they want: his smooth, elegant, laidback take on standards you'd swear were his to begin with. Each time through the South Sound the man has sounded suave ... and has looked it too. Remember that canary-yellow sport coat he wore? How about the voice? Cynics may call it a gimmick, but Bennett's modern-era performances always include an a capella number. All said and done, when the spotlight shines, silence covers the room, and a still-strong version of, perhaps, "The Best is Yet to Come" flows from the 86(!)-year-old Bennett. Bonus: Bennett's concert at the Pantages Theater is a benefit for the arts in public schools. - Weekly Volcano
  

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Crosswalk. 9 pm.

Tacoma Musical Playhouse Narrows Theatre Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Sweet and Hot with the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band. Blues, stomps, marches, ragtime and gospel. All Ages. 8 pm. $25.

• When jazz trumpeter Lance Buller isn't holding court at Metropolitan Market's espresso area or every Friday at Maxwell's Speakeasy, he's producing jazz concerts, including a Jazz@TMP series at Tacoma Musical Playhouse. Buller has lined up another winner as the Black Swan Classic Jazz Band from Portland, Ore. and their vocalist, Marilyn Keller will fill the old Narrows Theater with music one would find in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the 1920s or F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. According to hype, "Black Swan will serve up blues, stomps, marches, ragtime and gospel. Songs will be selected from the 1890s through Tin Pan Alley through the Golden Age of song to selections recently composed by our band members." - WV
  

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Calbrea, Trip Madam. 9 pm.

Uncle Thurm's Soul Food Restaurant Tacoma - Lincoln District. Maia Santell & House Blend. 7:30 pm.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

2nd Cycle Tacoma - Hiltop.Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Ainga, MTNS, DJ Urine, the Nadines. 8 pm. $5.

• If Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa is a mouthful of a name, then his music does well to invade every other one of your senses. For years, de Dionyso has been making a name for himself as one of the premier practitioners of experimental music in the Northwest. Unlike other experimental artists, whose work consists of beauty in chaos, de Dionyso is conceptual and thought-through in the extreme. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Arrington de Dionyso's Malaikat Dan Singa in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

Buzz's Tavern Olympia - Westwide. Eclectic State, benefit for Partners in Prevention Education with auction. 8 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Aaron Daniel's One Man Banned. 9:30 pm. NC.

• The Weekly Volcano has raved about Aaron Daniel before. Daniel and his "One Man Banned" takes a few cues from minimalist composer Steve Reich to create intricate pieces based on cyclical guitar loops. While his loop pedal is a main part of his guitar rig, he also builds intricate jams with beatbox and distortion pedals to change the textures and colors of the guitar while the delay pedal determines the tempo and pattern. Daniel comes to the stage as only a single dude, but typically leaves seen more as a phenomena. It's to be seen live. - Weekly Volcano
  

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Champagne Sunday. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Sweet Water, The Guessing Game. 8 pm. $10.

• Every so often, a band comes along that blows you through the flaming hoop of innocence and hangs you out to dry on the tattered trapeze of days gone by. Sweet Water is one such band. In June 2007, the band - under the disguise The Cupcakes - prepared for their big reunion show in Seattle with a tune-up show at Tacoma's Hell's Kitchen. Four chords into its first song, I was transported to Seattle's RCKCNDY in the '90s by these four guys fully in control of everything - the air, the audience, the sound, the unknown. Adam, Rich, Paul, and Cole ran through their pop-punk hits before a packed crowd. I found myself unexpectedly roaring and pumping right along, caught up in memories and rock star singer Adam Czeisler's dance moves. Sweet Water picked up on the crowd intensity and worked it like seasoned pros. I felt outside of myself, carried, nay, pushed along on opener "Cake And Strychnine," then "Feed Yourself," "Big Rock Show," "Win," "Slide," "Everything Will Be Just Fine," "Losing," "Sleep," "Superstar," "Head Down" and closing with "Crawl."  The band's shining ultra-hooky and supercharged show injected ecstasy into everyone around me. I fell in love with the audience and thanked them for taking me back to a place I had almost forgotten existed, a place of total immersion in the music and the moment, and fie on anybody who has a problem with that. I'm ready for a repeat Saturday night at Jazzbones. - Ron Swarner
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. SuperNothing. 9 pm.

Little Creek Casino Shelton. John "Scootch" Cungo. 7 pm. NC.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Garrett Whitney, Rane Stone, JT Phillips, Lady Justice. All Ages. 8 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Broken Water, Vex, Voices, Dr. Sleep. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

• "Sitting down to write about Olympia's Broken Water, I'm tempted to get stoned first. Listening to the three-piece and their fuzzy, shoe-gazing drone-rock, I'm nostalgic for contemplative thoughts that roll with the crescendos and crashes of the music. But I don't have to get stoned. They take me there anyway. With mesmerizing vocals - both male and female - and sometimes heavy, sometimes sweet guitar riffs, Broken Water has an almost grunge-pop quality ... but not quite. They are too busy being their own sound." I wrote those words a year ago - almost to the day - and I still feel the same about Broken Water. And while last time I was reviewing their album Tempest, this time I'm writing about their homecoming show. After launching their spring tour April 22 at Dumpster Values in Olympia, the band has played a show every single day since. From Austin to New Orleans, from Ithaca to Calgary, Broken Water has been making waves. Celebrate the band's homecoming Saturday at an all-ages show at Northern. - Nikki McCoy
  

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Tumblin' Dice (Rolling Stones tribute). 8 pm.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Shyan Selah's Republic Of Sound, Xola Malik, Monica-Crystal & The Beat Bandits, Stephanie Anne Johnson. 8 pm.

Westgate Bar and Grill Tacoma - Northend. Steve Stefanowicz. 9 pm. $5.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

2 Mile House Olympia - Westside. Blues Bentley Band Sunday Jam. 5-8 pm. NC.

Jake's on 4th Olympia - downtown. Nail This benefit show for Rusty Nails featuring Dirty Malkovich, Jeremy Serwer, Hellbelly, Glass Elevator, The Hard Way and Full Moon Radio. 6:30 p.m. $5.

• This Sunday, June 2, make your way over to Jake's on 4th for a community fundraiser for Siobhan, aka Rusty Nails, who has been in recovery since a March 27 hit and run accident in downtown Oly. She sustained many broken bones and has been undergoing many life-altering surgeries, including having part of her leg amputated. Dirty Malkovich, Jeremy Serwer, Hellbelly, Glass Elevator, The Hard Way and Full Moon Radio will be performing to help cover the cost of extensive medical bills and ongoing care. What an incredible lineup and community spirit to serve this woman, who has been described by friends as a "bad ass, beautiful creature loved by so many of us all over the place." All donations will go directly to Siobhan's recovery costs. - Nikki McCoy

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Back To Beale Street Blues Competition, with Blue Mud, Bob McCluskey, Arthur Migliazza, Delta 88's, Randy Oxford Band, Blues Country Sheriff, The Crazy Texas Gypsies, Cody Rentas Band. 4 pm. $10.

• It's become tradition in our area - a yearly blues-blowout local music fans look forward to for the quality it draws. And, like clockwork, it's back. From 4-10 p.m. at Jazzbones, the preliminary contest of this year's South Sound Blues Association sponsored Back to Beale Street 2013 Blues Competition goes down, offering a chance for competitors to earn their way to the heralded International Blues Challenge in Memphis in early 2014. Three solo and duo acts will battle it out in front of a panel of judges, as will seven bands. Included in the musical goodness will be the Randy Oxford Band, Delta 88's, Crazy Texas Gypsies, Arthur Migliazza, the Cody Rentas Band and many others. The top four bands will advance to the finals, to be held during the 4th of July Freedom Fair and Air Show on the Duke's Chowder House Blues Stage. - Weekly Volcano
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Reid Urban. All Ages. 7 pm.

Louie G's Pizza Fife. 6th Annual Fish Food Benefit Concert Main Stage, with Audentia, Champagne Sunday, Nolan Garrett, Rikk Beatty Band, Tin Man, Kim Archer and Rafael Tranquilino, Mr. Von, Late September Dogs. All Ages. 3 pm. $10 suggested donation.

• Beginning at 3 p.m. South Sounders have the opportunity to do two great things thanks to collaboration between Maurice the Fish Records and Fish Food Banks of Pierce County. The product of their concerted efforts is the Fish Food Benefit Concert, which will be held at Louie G's Pizzeria in Fife. The benefit show will feature 12 bands, including special guest Lynn Sorensen of Bad Company and now Spike and the Impalers. Other performers will include Audentia, Champagne Sunday, Nolan Garrett, Rikk Beatty Band, Tin Man, Kim Archer and Rafael Tranquilino, Mr. Von, Late September Dogs, Heidi Vladyka, Dave Hannon and James Coates. Read Rockford Rowley's full feature on the Fish Food Benefit Concert in his column, The Rockford Files.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Bluegrass Sundays. 4 pm.

Pierce College Puyallup. Pierce College Jazz Expo with Thomas Marriott Sextet (Tribute to Art Blakey), Greta Matassa Quartet, McTuff, Pierce College Jazz Ensemble and Pete Christlieb Quartet. Musicians of all abilities and ages, as well as non-musicians, may attend the workshops. 1-10 pm. $10 at the door.

• Underneath this respectable, suburban veneer lies a seething hotbed of decadence; behind a curtain of boring hides an orgiastic cacophony of richness. It's called jazz. If Bobble Tiki were to count awesome Northwest jazz musicians on one hand, Greta Matassa would land on his index finger. She headlines the Pierce College Jazz Expo Sunday. Bobble Tiki's other fingers contain the other performers of the night - Thomas Marriot Sextet (tribute to Art Blakey), McTuff, Pierce College Jazz Ensemble and Pete Christlieb Quartet - plus a bunch of boogers. It's a full day thing. From 1-5:30 p.m. the Pierce College Jazz Expo will host "clinics" by the performing musicians, with concert scheduled from 2:30-8:30 p.m. Clinics will go on simultaneously with performances, so plan accordingly. Musicians of all abilities and ages, as well as non-musicians, may attend the workshops. Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments to the clinic because some clinicians may ask students to participate. Read Bobble Tiki's full feature on the Pierce College Jazz Expo here.
  

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Rich Wetzel's Groovin' Higher Orchestra. 5-8 pm.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUTH >>>

4th Ave Tavern Olympia - Downtown. Horse Bodies, w/C-Leb & The Kettle Black, Nine 50 Nine. 9 pm. $5.

• I once wrote that Horse Bodies is the kind of band that gives you chills. Perhaps that wasn't the most accurate description. It's deeper than that - a kind of dueling-guitar, gritty-voiced, party-down kind of chill that saturates your being until you are fully engaged in the music. After releasing an impressive new music video, "Back Alley," and climbing their way in Hard Rock Rising, the band is back to rocking their hometown. Hawk Foxman, vocalist and guitarist for Horse Bodies, had this to say about their upcoming show at the 4th Ave Tavern in Oly: "Olympia let me hear you scream and shout! The Horse Bodies are gonna shake, rattle and rock 'n' roll, so don't forget your dancing shoes cause this show is gonna get rowdy!" - Nikki McCoy
  

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Practice Day, with The Bog Hoppers. 9 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. NWCZ Presents: Ben Union, Perry Acker, The Furniture Girls. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Tim Hall Band, The Derivatives. 8 pm. $6.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Speck Mountain, Stranded Sullivan. 9 pm.

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

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Bath Party, Mr. Tang. 9 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. And And And, Sun Angle, Camp Wisdom. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

• With their song, "Theme From Cheers," Titus Andronicus took a desire for alcohol as an escape from the pain of everyday living and turned it into one of the great anthemic rallying cries of 2010. Patrick Stickle's impassioned plea to "give me a Guinness, give me a Keystone Light, give me a kegger on a Friday night, give me anything but another year in exile," summed up this young, dumb need to find solace in chaos and blackouts. When he screams "I need a whiskey right now," he may as well be screaming "Love, reign o'er me." Portland's And And And has a spiritual cousin of "Theme From Cheers" with their song, "I Want More Alcohol (It Makes Me Sadder)." Except, instead of the bravado that Titus Andronicus uses to barely conceal the loneliness, And And And put their depressive neediness right up front and center. Musically, like Titus Andronicus - as well as the forefathers of bombastic drunk outcasts, the Replacements - And And And craft songs that sound big, riled up, and lively in the face of a world that always seems poised to knock you flat on your ass. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on And And And in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

Red Wind Casino Yelm. Jonathan Harris. 8:30 pm. NC.

Spar Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Tattered Dress. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Crosswalk. 9 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Space Band. 9 pm.

Tacoma Cabana and Rum Bar Tacoma - Downtown. Urban Art Fest benefit show with Death By Stars, Elbow Coulee and dancers. Wear Hawaiian garb or Fez and receive $5 Mai Tais all night. 9 pm. $5.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Three Quarter Minus. 9 pm.

Uncle Thurm's Finger Licken Ribs & Chicken Tacoma - Lincoln District. Maia Santell & House Blend. All Ages. 7:30 pm. NC. El Gaucho Tacoma - Downtown. Sandy Harvey piano lounge. 6 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music Friday, May 17 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT (AND TODAY) IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Cork! A Wine Bar Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Champagne Sunday. 8 pm.

Cutters Point Coffee Downtown Tacoma Tacoma - Downtown. Gray Sky Blues Music Festival, with Malcolm Clark, Alyx Phippen. All Ages. 12:30 pm.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Mighty High Tour Kickoff. 9:30 pm. NC.

Harmon Brewery and Eatery Tacoma - Downtown. Gray Sky Blues Music Festival, with Mary McPage & The Assassins, The Chase Walker Band, The Crazy Texas Gypsies, Alice Stuart & The Formerlys. 12 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. The Flying Tortugas, William Thomas Anderson. 9 pm.

Read more...

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Walking Papers. 8 pm. $15.

• Pure blues rock 'n' roll, executed with the nimble fingers, creative minds and a sixth sense of boys who have been around the block, Walking Papers is headlining a nearly sold out show at Jazzbones Friday. A full European tour follows. Read Nikki McCoy's interview with Jeff Angell in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Palace Fiction. 9 pm.

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

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Taxi Driver. 10 pm. NC.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Lori Goldston, Marisa Anderson. All Ages. 9 pm.

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia. Hillstomp, Kendl Winter and the Summer Gold. 9 pm. $10.

• Hey kiddies, lace up your most comfortable shoes, coat your throat with some whiskey and get ready for some serious dancing and hollering 'cause Hillstomp is back in Olympia. The rowdy, washtub, bucket band, rock 'n' roll duo are taking over the Olympia Ballroom Friday for a night of old time enjoyment, with a funky twist. Andy Geertsen, voted best booker in Oly, who's throwing the show, describes Hillstomp's style: "When they play they bring an energy to the crowd that is infectious and reciprocated right back to them ... as if there was one communal heartbeat bouncing between fan and musician. It's like high energy therapy - when Hillstomp plays Oly it's not just another show it's an event." You heard the man, it's not just another show, so get down there and get some Hillstomp healing. - Nikki McCoy
  

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Whiskey and Roses. 8:30 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. DoctorfunK CD Release Party. 9 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Hookerfist (Tool tribute). 9 pm.

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

Urban Onion Olympia - Downtown. Afrok's 30th Birthday Party. 8 pm. $5.

• Friday at the Urban Onion Lounge, Afrok and his band, The Movement, will lead a musical charge followed up by plenty of other organic hip-hop talent he's bringing out for his 30th birthday celebration. Afrok handpicked local rappers Akeem, MC Swamptiger and Sky Hatter - who just dropped a dope new video for his single "She's My Hip-Hop" - to perform at his historic event. In addition to the Olympia area rappers, Afrok also invited his friend and OG Seattle native Gabriel Teodros to be a part of the fun filled evening. Teodros has been a staple in the Seattle hip-hop scene since it first REALLY started bubbling in the early 2000s and has been putting in work since then, including the release of a new album last year, Colored People's Time Machine. Teodros is a very unique and talented individual that also happens to be a strong community organizer and overall, a very good, humble dude. Oh and kids, this show is all ages until 11 p.m. and ... (whisper voice) he's a good friend of Macklemore. Read Nic Leonard's full feature on Afrok's birthday bash in the Weekly Volcano's Music section.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Halcion Halo, Blacstahl, Deborah Page. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. SleepyPilot, Psycho 78 & Devil On A Leash. 9 pm. $.

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Kareem Kandi Band. 9 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. Half Of Infinity. 9 pm.

Live Room Sumner. Innocent Bystander, The Informal Gentlemen, I for Eye, Front Seat Fiasco, Destination Unknown, and Cosmic Avenue. All Ages. Doors 6:30 pm. $8 adv, $12 at door.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Leroy Bell & His Only Friends. 8 pm. $15.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. The Chain, Fridge Scum. All Ages. 6 pm.

The Lochs Tacoma - Downtown. Jobe Himself demo release show with Poorsport, Omega Moo, DJ Reign. 9 pm. $5.

• Oh yeah, I almost forgot about The Loch's. You know the place - the old Hell's Kitchen in downtown Tacoma. Well, here's a good reminder that this venue is still cranking out shows. This Saturday, enjoy some quality, melt your face punk rock with a Jobe Himself demo release show with Poorsport, Omega Moo and DJ Reign. - NM

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Clear The Chaos, Fistful Of Dollars. All Ages. 8 pm.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Anais Mitchell, Jefferson Hamer, 8 pm. $25.

• To ask if you have been paying attention to Michael ONeill's Americana Series at Morso Wine Bar in Gig Harbor would be a bit reckless, since the concerts regularly sell out. But have you been paying attention?! Tommy Tutone, Peter Case, Grant Peeples, Susan Gibson, Jaime Wyatt, Ian Moore, the Bobs, Lucy Kaplansky, Steve Poltz ... the list goes on. Saturday, ONeill hosts Vermont-born songwriter Anaïs Mitchell who has been pushing the conventional parameters of modern folk with her epic, allegorical themes and, most recently, lush, impressionistic arrangements. She's touring behind her new release, Young Man in America, which has enough raw-nerved, psychedelic balladry to rattle your Cabernet glass. - Ron Swarner
  

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Olsen Brothers Present: A Night Of Sights & Sounds: Red Hex & Ich Hunger, plus Ace Tone Fuzzmaster. 9 pm.

• For weeks, now, I've been trying to shake the images of Ich Hunger from my brain. Made by local filmmaker Isaac Olsen, Ich Hunger is a German expressionist freakout concerning a "creature boy" who lives in the forests of Germany and eats people. Saturday, as if Ich Hunger wasn't visually and aurally stimulating enough, the film will be screened along with musical accompaniment by the onslaught of local garage-rockers Red Hex (featuring Isaac's brother, Sam Olsen), as well as original electronic music. Afterward, the melted brains of the audience will be invited to disco dance. It'll be an experiment in (slightly) ordered chaos. How far can your ears and eyes be stretched, and when that breaking point is reached, will you ever really be the same? Wear a helmet to this one, dear reader. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Olympia Acoustic Festival. 1 pm to 1 am.

• Saturday, a new celebration hits the area - the Olympia Acoustic Festival. The event, held at the increasingly popular Olympia Ballroom, is sponsored by KAOS and features local vendors such as Tamale Fusion and La Dee Dee Da Jewelry. And, of course, a regional line up of many great acoustic acts, including Olympia bands Erev Rav, The Pine Hearts, Oly Mountain Boys and Oly singer-songwriters Gabriel Wolf Child, Jonah Tolchin, Paul Mauer as well as musicians from Seattle and Portland such as Aaron English, Impossible Bird and others. "Anyone who comes will have their ears filled by a potpourri of really talented musicians," says Jabi Shriki, co-coordinator of the event. Sounds awesome. - NM
  

The Red Room Tacoma - Downtown. Alarms. All Ages. 7 pm.

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Man Shower for Eddie Flores featuring bands Trees Without Leaves and Stay Grounded. 5:30 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Tatoosh. 9 pm.

Tacoma Cabana and Rum Bar Tacoma - Downtown. Big Huge with vocalist Kayla Snell. All ages until 10 pm. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Killing Dove. 9 pm.

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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Ben Moore's Olympia - Downtown. Sour Owl. 9 pm. NC.

• Ooh! Another free show! This time at Ben Moore's in Olympia - a few-and-far-between music venue that's known more for its Best $3.75 Fish and Chips than hosting a show. But, Saturday, you can enjoy a live set from Sour Owl in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Rock, pop, jazz, fusion, whatever you want to call Sour Owl's sound, just know that it's sweet. - Nikki McCoy
  

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. The Flat 5. 9:30 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Patrick's Day In A Tent: James Coates and Fleur Jack. 8:30 pm. $5. Inside: Halcion Halo, High Noon Horizon, Lund Bros., Blacstahl. 8 pm. $5.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Family Affair Tour, with E. Pruit Band, Klyntel, Brandon Willis. 8 pm. $10.

Le Voyeur Olympia - downtown. The Saturday Giant, Bent, Unnatural Balance. 10 pm. NC.

• There's a spot in my musical life that has been left dormant since the days of Bright Eyes and Death Cab For Cutie - these sensitive indie bands that constructed perfectly poppy songs that somehow managed to sum up how I felt as a lost, confused young man. I didn't know what girls were all about. I didn't know what it meant to be crushed by a day-to-day job. These artists did their part to tell me. At some point, though, I passed them by. I didn't need someone to tell me how hard relationships were, or what dicks bosses could be. I knew all that. Listening to The Saturday Giant - a one-man project of Philip Cogley - I'm brought back to those confusing days of heart-felt indie rock. Come to think of it, girls are still a little confounding. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

Little Creek Casino Shelton. 2nd Annual Spring Fest, with Clint & The Eastwoods, Humptulips, Ready Or Not. 6 pm. $5-$25.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. Leona X, American Wrecking Company, Mechanism, Step Daddy. All Ages. 8 pm.

McCoy's Tavern Olympia - Downtown. AKA & The Heart Hurt Goods, The Funk Agency. 9 pm. $3.

• If you've seen AKA and The Heart Hurt Goods perform, you've seen how much the band loves its art. You can see it in the band member's fist pumps and facial expressions; in their hip shakes and smiles and in the way they administer their music, be it through a microphone, keyboard, guitar or turn table. Catch the group before it rakes its new album on tour at 9 p.m. inside McCoy's in downtown Olympia. - NM
  

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Wheelies. 8 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Dear Rabbit, Mythologies, Generifus, Pilots. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

• Look, I'm going to level with you: Live performances are where it's at. This is the thing that I'm trying to persuade you to do. To see live shows. What sounds more fun to you: some chillwave band that will allow you to contact the douchiest and most reposed part of your subconscious, or this carnival freakshow that will bring you out of your dumb, useless shell and make you drink quantities of liquor of which you are unfamiliar and dance your dumb brains out? The answer must be obvious, but I'll tell you anyway that Dear Rabbit has the sleazy accordion and weirdo swaying energy to make your Saturday self finally open up and be somebody for once in your dance-less life. It's the least you can do to make yourself a complete and freaky person. - Rev. AM
  

Oakhouse Restaurant & Bar Lakewood. Dine & Dance with Renaissance Jazz. 7 pm. $10.

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Zero Down Blues. 9 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Too Many Cooks, featuring Steve Stefanowicz. 9 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Pearl Django. All Ages. 8 pm. $10-$15.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Hot & Bothered, Bleed Together, Seventh Silence. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music tonight 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

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

4th Ave Ale House Olympia - Downtown. Horse Bodies CD Release Party, with Elbow Coulee, I Like Science. 9 pm. $5.

• Horse Bodies is celebrating its CD release at the 4th Ave Tav. With Elbow Coulee and I Like Science, the show will certainly entertain. Horse Bodies have been jamming for more than five years and continue to clippity-clop its way into the ears and music libraries of South Sound rock hounds. - Nikki McCoy
  

Ben Moore's Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Chung Antique, Tired Joke, SSRIs, Clayface. 9:30 pm. $5.

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Columbia City Theater Seattle. Bodybox, True Holland, In Cahoots. 7:30 pm. $8 pre show $10 at door.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. Eddie Spaghetti, Metal Marty. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Hells Belles (AC/DC tribute). All Ages. 5 pm. Hells Belles (AC/DC tribute), The Graceland Five. 21+. 9 pm.

• Hell's Belles returns to Jazzbones Saturday, where last November they blasted Bobble Tiki's eardrums and raised the Jazzbones' temperature to hell-like heat with its all-female brand of chugging, riffing rock. The all-female AC/DC tribute band gets 'em in the door, but guitarist Adrian Connor (Angus incarnate with more energy!) and singer Amber Saxon from Australia (belting Bon and Brian with Tina Turner sass) keeps 'em coming back.  The onstage exuberance shown by these gals could pummel a brick wall into submission. Whether strutting, swaying, or the most important of all true r'n'r rituals, soloing, Hell's Belles makes it known that it came to shake things up. It's classic cock-rock without the, uh, receding hairline. - Bobble Tiki
  

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Full Moon Radio Anniversary Party, with The Deep Wile, The Have At Its. 9 pm.

• I've made it no secret that I'm a fan of the 2013 Best of Olympia Best New Band Full Moon Radio. Saturday night they will host a free EP release and one-year anniversary party at Le Voyeur. Copies of the new EP, Drop Off, will be available, and auditions for a roadie are still open for when the ladies head off on tour in March. Catch 'em with The Deep Wile and The Have At Its for a night of luscious rock 'n' roll. - NM

The Loch's Tacoma - Downtown. Fresh Blends Reblended. DJs Reign and Iceman, Auraswon, Lofton and Beans & Rize. 9 pm. $5-$10.

Louie G's Pizzeria Fife. The Saints Of Damnation, Riot In Rhythm, Tyranny Theory, Degree Of Disorder. All Ages. 8 pm.

Magoo's Annex Tacoma - Northend. Taxi Driver. Farewell show for Ricky German featuring Najamonique on vocals. 8:30 pm. NC.

McCoy's Tavern Olympia - Downtown. Pet Products, Fitz of Depression. 9 pm.

Morso Wine Bar Gig Harbor. Americana Music Series, featuring Kevin Fisher. 8 pm. $25.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Santee Record Release Show. 8 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. Grand Jury Resisters Benefit, with Sharkpact, Dogjaw, The Chain, Box, Prank War, MXL JXN, We Play Quiet. All Ages. 4 pm. $5-$100.

The Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. Balkan Brass Massive Meets Klezmer Funk! Orkestar Zirkonium of Seattle vs. Erev Rav of Olympia. All Ages. 8:30 pm. $10/$8 student.

• The 2013 Best of Olympia Best Band winner Erev Rav performs Saturday night in downtown Oly. Erev Rav pulls together with Seattle's great Orkestar Zirkonium, a brass-and-drum band, for an unforgettable night of perfectly executed dance and rhythm. With Erev Rav weighing in at seven members, and Orkestar Zirkonium with 13, the layers of instruments, the influences of sound, and the personal style of each musician heard, will surely touch each listener's soul. - NM

Rock the Dock Pub & Grill Tacoma - Downtown. Accidental Heroes. 9 pm.

The Royal Lounge Olympia - Downtown. DBST, Funk Agency. 7 pm. Pass Out VIP Party, with JRoc, QParris, Yung Zakk, Zikki Carr. 10 pm.

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The Bog Hoppers. 8 pm.

Track House Olympia - Downtown. Mos Generator, Black Pussy. 8 pm.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. ABATE Benefit Soup Cook-Off, with MPB Band. 9 pm.

Waterstreet Cafe Olympia - Downtown. The New York Trio Plus One. 9:30 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Feb. 23 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area