TUESDAY, DEC. 9 2014 >>>

1. Done on a budget of $434, spanning 23 trips over eight months up and down the Puyallup River - from Mount Rainier to Commencement Bay - you are eager to show the public your film at the Puyallup River Film Festival from 6-9 p.m. at the University of Washington-Tacoma. Using shots of spiritual rituals, inspirational landscapes and devastating destruction, and interweaving them with a score combining bluegrass, you have expressed ideas about the interconnectedness of humans and the river, and the transcendence of evolution. With a generous grant from The Russell Family Foundation, the University of Washington Tacoma will host the second annual film festival focused on the Puyallup River Watershed. Community members, students and non-profit organizations located in or working in the watershed submitted two- to three-minute videos related to issues affecting the Puyallup River and its tributaries. Of all the judged categories - open, middle school, high school, college/university, non-profit and government - you are confident your film will walk away with at least one award. You have to win; you invited all your friends, even that one guy who skinny-dips in the river.

2. Whether you want to channel your inner Winter Olympics sports nerd, capture the magic of the season in a vibrant urban venue or just have a wintery and sporty adventure, break out the ice skates, people, because the Franciscan Polar Plaza, in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum, is open from 4-9 p.m. Bring family and friends to Tacoma's holiday ice rink for holiday fun and a good time right in the heart of downtown Tacoma.

3. Ron Bates has performed '40s tunes since the '80s. He knows Sinatra's songbook inside and out. Catch him at 6:30 p.m. for a Supper with Sinatra show at the Red Wind Casino.

4. This year's Classical Tuesdays Wine & Song Benefit in Old Town Tacoma will feature Neapolitan songs and standard Italian opera hits by tenor Gino Lucchetti. Baritone Charles Robert Stephens will sing romantic songs from the 1940s and 1950s. The two singers will also perform duets. Equally important, the night will feature lovely wines by neighboring Ginkgo Forest Winery, which kicks off at 7 p.m. inside the Connelly Law Offices. This annual event benefits the free Classical Tuesdays in Old Town chamber music series. So bring $25.

5. Bobby Meader's music is not technically complicated, or particularly unusual by any means. But it's heartfelt, a broken man with the raspy voice of an old punk turned soft, who strums like a early Bob Dylan or a John Denver, supporting himself on harmonica. It's the kind of music that makes you think of bad breakups and that trip to the woods you were supposed to make months ago. Catch Meader at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

LINK: Tuesday, Dec. 9 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, DEC. 8 2014 >>>

1. After his girlfriend is murdered, suspicion falls on Ig (Daniel Radcliffe). He claims he didn't do it, and sets out to prove it. Along the way, he gets drunk a lot and grows a set of devil horns (!), which prove to be a useful detecting tool. Alexandre Aja's dark-comedy-mystery hybrid Horns is adapted from Joe Hill's novel, and finds the Harry Potter actor taking yet another step away from his iconic kiddie role for darker adult fare. Catch the film at 6:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater.

2. The South Hill Book Discussion Group will discuss Rosewater and Soda Bread by Marsha Mehran - the story of mouthwatering recipes that add enchantment to the warmth radiating from an Iranian family in Ireland and their big-hearted Italian landlady - at 7 p.m. in the South Hill Library.

3. University of Puget Sound Theater Department matches scenes from six plays with student directors and actors in its Directors' Lab series at 7:30 p.m. in the Norton Clapp Theatre in Jones Hall. Six scenes run the gamut from dramatic to absurd. There is classic mythology involving dangerous street kids, a slice-of-life set in the Russian countryside at the end of the 19th century, a man worries his wife is becoming a bag lady, an exploration of unknowability of love and the mysteries of science, a husband brings his wife to meet the family for the first time, and a moral play that takes an honest look at the issues of commitment and fidelity in today's world. It's a festival of scenes.

4. Drummer Glenn Hummel, guitarist Brian Olver and bassist Rick Robinson are Audio Elixir, an R&B band playing The Swiss at 8 p.m.

5. Intimate interpretations of jazz standards and blues featuring Derek Nelson on tenor and bari saxes, Phil Lawson on jazz guitar, Steve Luceno on upright bass and Dave Snodgrass on drums as the Derek Nelson Quartet performs at 8 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye. The group will slip in some jazz interpretations of holiday tunes for the season.

LINK: Monday, Dec. 8 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

When the country outlawed alcohol in 1920, millions of Americans turned to a clandestine network of speakeasies and bootleggers in search of a stiff drink.

The 18th Amendment, which banned the sale, manufacture and transportation of alcohol, ushered in an era of prohibition and gave rise to organized crime, whose bootlegging operations flourished over the 13 dry years.

Dec. 5, 1933, passage of the 21st Amendment, brought an end to Prohibition.

You might think there are already enough reasons to party in December. You might think there are enough holidays prominently featuring the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

You would be wrong.

The anniversary of the day Prohibition was repealed, Dec. 5, is fast becoming a favorite holiday for nightlife - and certainly for bartenders. Once again, Olympia jumped on the bandwagon (or should that be off the wagon?) with an Olympia Film Society sponsored Repeal Prohibition Day Celebration - a night of burlesque, craft cocktails and fabulous fashion at the Capitol Theater. Olympia craft bartenders mixed pre-Prohibition era cocktails while members of The Greta Jane Quartet - with Prof. Andrew Dorsett on the Barrelhouse piano - filled the 1924 movie palace with classic mid-century jazz.

Besides the drinks and music, the evening - hosted by storyteller and actress Elizabeth Lord - included sultry stripping by Olympia's TUSH! Burlesque troupe lead by the fabulous funny Ms. Hattie Hotpants.

Photographer Red Williamson of Newspin Photo captured last night's gratuitous debauchery, lavish carousing and general tomfoolery. Below are a few of his photographs. To see his whole album of shots, visit his website here.

Olympia, you look awesome.

THURSDAY, DEC. 4 2014 >>>

1. Did you know Seattle boasts one of the largest community choruses in America? Did you know that justly revered group is making its way south to Tacoma this week? Better recognize! The Seattle Men's Chorus is celebrating its 35th season, so all 300-plus members are dressed up with someplace to go - 8 p.m. at the Pantages Theater. Read Christian Carvajal's full feature on ...Our Gay Apparel in the Music and Culture section, then go see their holiday show tonight.

2. The city of Lacey invites the community to join in the 19th annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree along with the additional lighting of Huntamer Park at 6 p.m. The old-fashioned tree lighting ceremony will feature caroling by the Komachin Middle School United Voices choir, with more than 100 children led by Marci Ellefritz. Free popcorn and hot cocoa will be provided, along with a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus aboard the Santa Mobile from the Lacey Fire Department. River Ridge Jazz Ensemble will also perform.

3. Let's talk Tacoma Runners, cause you know we love them ... from a safe distance at the donut counter. As it does every Thursday, the running group will gather at 6:30 p.m. outside a venue, stretch a bit, listen to Rob McNair-Huff describe the 3-mile route, then hit the pavement. What started as seven people running to justify post beers has turned into a giant mass of people running ... to justify post beers and to be social. Speaking of social, that's exactly where Thursday's run starts and ends - at The Social Bar and Grill. Why not run the Museum of Glass stairs and really feel good about the Social Manhattan.

4. On a beautiful day in 1963, the brilliant intern Dr. Bill Cortner and his fiancé, Jan, are involved in an auto accident, in which Jan is decapitated. Using his new experimental serum, Bill manages to keep Jan alive. In a race against the clock Bill begins a search for the perfect body for his darling Jan. Discover what happen next at 8 p.m. in The Midnight Sun Performance Space when Theater Artists Olympia stage a new adaptation of the classic B movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die ... the all-original musical The Head! That Wouldn't Die!

5. Brian James is an accomplished singer/songwriter and instrumentalist who was hired in 2008 as the head staff writer at Sure-Fire Music Publishing in Nashville where he wrote hit songs for four years, before starting his own publishing/management company, Brick Hit House Music. He wrote the theme song for the Discovery Channel's American Farmer, as well as songs for Taylor Hicks, Donny Anderson and Tonya Kennedy. Catch him at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

LINK: Thursday, Dec. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 3 2014 >>>

1. Puyallup Fair and Events Center will be turned into a Christmas lover's wonderland for five days when the Victorian Country Christmas festival opens at 10 a.m. Holiday music will fill the air as live musicians stroll through a festive array of Christmas décor and animated displays. Visitors can shop all day as well as enjoy the shows and a vast array of food offerings. There are also carriage rides, Santa Tram rides and the Christmas Carousel. Best of all, for those who love to sing Christmas carols, the festival features Christmas Karaoke.

2. Tacoma Art Museum Chief Curator Rock Hushka will lead a discussion on the history and inspiration behind the sound and video installation Mary Lucier: The Plains of Sweet Regret at 11 a.m. Hear how the video stemmed from a larger project titled Emptying Out of the Plains that was commissioned by the North Dakota Museum of Art. Find out more about this installation and how life is on the plains almost 10 years after the video was created.

3. Tacoma's Mad Hat Tea Co. and local band The Cloves teamed up to create their own special tea blend. Mad Hat's Tobin and Maureen created a unique mix of black tea, cinnamon and cloves to spawn "Tea Time with The Cloves." Thrilled with the tea, the band will celebrate with an acoustic set at 4:30 p.m. in the tea shop in downtown Tacoma.

4. The South Puget Sound Community College Choir will join voices with the Puget Sound Community Choir and St. Martin's University Chorale, all to the festive strains of the Department of Washington American Legion Band for Sounds of the Season at 7 p.m. on the Minnaert Center Main Stage. Among tunes performed will be "Ding Dong Merrily on High," "A Virgin Unspotted," "A Visit from St. Nicholas" with poetic narration, and a "Christmas on Broadway" medley featuring the songs of Irving Berlin. This heartwarming concert will be followed by a sing-along of carols with the audience. O night divine!

5. Tacoma and Seattle music scenes will collide at 8 p.m. when Maurice the Fish Records welcomes London Tone Music's artists in a showcase at Jazzbones. The all-ages show will feature musicians Eric Lilavois, Science! And Vanowen. The staff of both labels will be on hand with open arms if you'd like to hand them your CDs.

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Chomping the shark, this is Nerd Alert, the Weekly Volcano's recurring events calendar devoted to all things nerdy. I myself am a Star Wars fan, mathlete, and spelling bee champion of long standing, so trust me: I grok whereof I speak.

I submit to you, Gentle Reader, that last week was among the most exciting in recent geek history. No sooner had Rev. Adam posted his Nerd Alert for the week than Universal pulled a surprise move, undercutting its own countdown clock by two days and releasing the Jurassic World teaser to an Internet clamoring for a break from sad Missouri news. I'm a dino buff from way back, so this teaser left stirrings in my genes. ("Ooh, it's Mr. DNA!") To answer your first objection, yes, the raptors are actually an overgrown version of a species called Deinonychus and have way too few feathers. Also, that big mothergator in the lagoon, the one that noshes on Bruce in a sly jab at executive producer Steven Spielberg, is a Mosasaurus - a Cretaceous leviathan almost 60 feet long that probably did swallow sharks whole, then digest them over time like an anaconda or the all-powerful sarlacc. Incidentally, look closely the next time you watch the teaser: those raptors aren't hunting Chris Pratt; they're hunting with him. They're in his motorcycle gang; and if that doesn't make Pratt the coolest dude on our planet, then I'm a veggie-saurus. Jurassic World comes out on my 47th birthday, because I am down with Jeebus.

"There has been an awakening. Have you felt it?" Based on how drastically my Internet slowed down Friday morning, I'll freaking bet you have. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser was released to near-ubiquitous fanfare, especially the John Williams fanfare that hailed the reappearance of the Millennium Falcon to the saga. Between TIE fighters, X-wings, new characters, cruciform lightsabers, snowy forest planets, soccerbots and what sure as hell sounds like Benedict Cumberbatch intoning his lines through a swig of battery acid, the 88-second teaser offered just enough to whet our appetite to the breaking point without giving away anything of significance. That's impressive for a teaser over a year in advance. I watched it alone in a dark room with my childhood so my wife wouldn't catch me having petit mal geek seizures.

THURSDAY, DEC. 4

Thursday, Christopher Walken stars as Captain Hook in NBC's second stab at Twitter-bait musical theater, Peter Pan Live! That exclamation point's emphatically theirs, by the way. I see live musical theater all the time, made by people who know what they're doing, yet have a hell of a time getting most people to give a wet slap about it. So if you insist on bypassing the three, count 'em, three live musicals opening this weekend in the South Sound in order to watch Marnie from Girls play a boy on a wire, that's on you. Otherwise, Joann Varnell and I will be at The Head That Wouldn't Die (Theater Artists Olympia), Scrooge: The Musical (Tacoma Little Theatre) or A Year With Frog and Toad (Lakewood Playhouse). The Stardust Christmas Commotion is still packing 'em in at Harlequin Productions. I'll also review Olympia Little Theatre's take on Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park, which opens Friday. There's no singing or flying, but I hear Lena Dunham gets naked in it.

SUNDAY, DEC. 7

On Discovery's Eaten Alive, environmentalist Paul Rosolie goads an anaconda into eating his head. That's an actual show, folks. I'm not even kidding. He can do this trick once.

TUESDAY, DEC. 9

I already clued you in to Thursday's Blu-ray and DVD release of Guardians of the Galaxy, so instead I ask you to pick up your visual scanning and look at a couple of books. Frank Portman's 2006 YA novel King Dork was one of my favorites that year. It's a cross between Catcher in the Rye and High Fidelity, in which high school sophomore Tom Henderson navigates the tricky adolescent social sphere six years after his cop father's death. Now Portman offers a sequel, King Dork Approximately, in which Henderson is still in the 10th-grade but unlocks the challenging "first girlfriend" level. No less an authority than John Green (The Fault in Our Stars) said, "Basically, if you are a human being with even a vague grasp of the English language, King Dork will rock your world." I have nothing further, Your Honor.

Then there's Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz, in which an American Pinkerton detective, the aptly-named Frederick Chase, awaits Moriarty's nefarious successor. Remember, Sherlock Holmes pushed "the Napoleon of crime" to his just demise at the Reichenbach Falls ... or did he? That's the tension driving the action of a novel endorsed by the Conan Doyle estate. Personally, they had me at "Sherlock," but if you need more, consider this: the London Daily Mail calls Moriarty "the finest crime novel of the year." Read it now before the inevitable movie starring Pratt as Dr. John Watson, Christopher Walken as Moriarty, and Kristen Stewart as Holmes' sad, empty chair.

Sons of Anarchy wraps Tuesday. I've never seen the show, but here's a spoiler anyway: everyone dies except Horatio and Fortinbras. Meanwhile, Square Enix releases a new co-op Tomb Raider adventure, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, in which the titular British adventurer must crisscross Egypt in search of yet another ancient MacGuffin. What was that? No, I said "titular," meaning "mentioned in the title." Why are you snickering?

Until next week, may the Force be with you, may the odds be ever in your favor, and if Kristen Stewart chases you, run.

MONDAY, DEC. 1 2014 >>>

1. The outdoors is our neighborhood playground for growth, introspection and escape. Since the time of George Vancouver and Peter Puget, the South Puget Sound has been and will always be an adventurer's region. For that reason, the Banff Mountain Film Festival's annual visit draws huge crowds to see a who's who of the mountain adventure world and learn the story behind the adventurers. Watch and hear amazing stories of the outdoors at 6:45 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

2. "Do not open till Christmas" should never apply to beer. From Dec. 1 through Dec. 24, Engine House No. 9 will be releasing a different specialty bottle or tap beer; follow along and feel the Christmas spirit in your veins.

3. Online Tacoma magazine Post Defiance wants you to SHUT IT in the Hotel Murano's lobby. Grab a book and read in silence from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Turn off the cellphone!

4. Pianist Benjamin Bergmark gigs with the 56th Army Band and Olympia's big band, the Jazz Senators. Hear him at 8 p.m. in Rhythm and Rye in downtown Olympia.

5. A Washington Blues Society Best Blues Act nominee, keyboardist Mark Hurwitz and Gin Creek performs an upbeat, joyous blend of blues, jump, swing, and old school R&B. Catch the band at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

LINK: Monday, Dec. 1 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, NOV. 30 2014 >>>

1. Suave Bing Crosby and fleet-of-foot Danny Kaye star as workaholic Bob Wallace and playboy Phil Davis, successful 1950s vaudevillians who discover the lovely Haynes sisters, then accompany them to their holiday gig at an inn in Vermont that turns out to be (a) run by the guys' adored old World War II general and (b) dying the tourist death due to an absence of frozen precipitation. Crosby and Kaye decide to bring in their retinue and put on a show in the barn. Romantic misunderstandings and big numbers ensue. But in the end, each song-and-dance man gets a Haynes, snow flutters down and YOU get to sing along to the tune Crosby made the bestselling record in history. We are, of course, speaking of the White Christmas Sing Along at 5 p.m. in the Washington Center. In addition to goodie bags, the Washington Center will award prizes to the best holiday sweaters.

2. After a year of construction at a cost of $15.5 million, the 16,000-square-foot expansion adds 32 percent new space to the Tacoma Art Museum's 50,000-square-foot facility. This state-of-the-art project includes four gracious new galleries, a sculpture hallway and an enlarged light-filled lobby. New visitor amenities include an orientation space, redesigned entrances on Pacific Avenue and on the parking level with a new glass enclosed vestibule, beautiful new landscaping and major outdoor sculptural works, plus improvements to the museum's store and café. Erivan and Helga Haub donated 295 Western American works of art from their private collection to the Tacoma Art Museum. The collection spans 200 years, from famed early artists/explorers to notable present day masters. Read Alec Clayton's full story on the Haub Fally Collection wing at the Tacoma Art Museum in the Music & Culture Section, then check it out from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. With 150 years of popularity, it's no wonder that Louisa May Alcott's Little Women was the number one patron pick for plays to be performed during the 2014/2015 season at Lakewood Playhouse. The script highlights most of the major plot points of the novel and takes the audience on a journey through the experiences of the four March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Directed by Suzy Wilhoft, the actors do a remarkable job manipulating the emotions of the audience. The audience roared, chuckled, giggled and smirked at the antics and snarkiness of Jo and Laurie, the pretentious airs of Amy and Hannah's long suffering exasperation. Read Joann Varnell's full review of Little Women in the music & Culture section, then ctach the show at 2 p.m. in the Lakewood Playhouse.

4. 6th Ave Dinner Tours is celebrating their next shindig with a live musical performance by Steve Stefanowicz at 6 p.m. First enjoy a guided dinner tour with start times at 3:30 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. launching from Studio 6 Ballroom. "The Funky Umbrella Tour" will guide you down the Ave as you nibble your way through Half Pint Pizza Pub, Wild Orchid and Ice Cream Social, plus nibbles from Legendary Donuts. Tickets are $35. More details can be found at 6thAveDinnerTours.com.

5. Michele D'Amour and the Love Dealers play high energy, danceable blues, often with a touch of funk and R&B. The Seattle-area based band will perform at 7 p.m. in The Spar in Old Town Tacoma.

LINK: Sunday, Nov. 30 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, NOV. 29 2014 >>>

1. Once, in college, you fell while ice-skating, and sliced open your left shin with the blade on your right foot. It was bloody and embarrassing but kind of farcical - the EMTs who came to retrieve you off the ice didn't have skates on, so they were falling, too. Even after that, you still want to skate the Franciscan Polar Plaza ice rink. You're awesome. Tonight, from 7-9 p.m. SweetKiss Momma will perform at the ice rink. The Puyallup band draws from several eras of Southern rock, from the heavy blues of their new Nashville-produced CD A Reckoning Is Coming's title track to the Wilco-ish lilt of "Same Old Stories" and "Laura Rose," the arena-sized stomps and handclaps of "For the Last Time" to the silly organ-led jaunt of "Birthday Cake."

2. Desco Audio & Video in Olympia is rockin' Small Business Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with Mr. Scott's Hot Vinyl Party - a throw back to the '70s HiFi Days and celebrating vinyl and the people that love it. Bring in your turntable and up to five records, and get a free turntable tune-up and record cleaning. Your records will be professionally cleaned using Last Factory fluid and Desco's Music Hall Record Vacuum machine. Then returned to you in a new, anti-static, archival-quality sleeve. Then, kick back in their listening room and your records (and their records) on state-of-the-art equipment by Music Hall, Rotel and Bowers & Wilkins.

3. For most Brits, a visit to the local theatre to see the pantomime is as much part of the Christmas season as turkey is to an American's Thanksgiving. What is particularly appealing to the Brits is the exuberant traditions of "panto." This kind of pantomime is anything but silent. It's loud, boisterous, full of music, ridiculous humor and audience participation. The Centerstage panto version of Jack and the Beanstalk by Paul Hendy follows the traditional story of a young boy living with his widowed mother and a milk cow who is their only source of income and their subsequent involvement with a family of giants. Check it out at 2 and 7 p.m.

4. You don't have to be Catholic or a recovering Catholic to be wowed by the colorful and explosive Sister. Since 1993, Sister transforms from being a kindly instructor who rewards the audience for correct answers (prizes include glow-in-the-dark rosaries and laminated saint cards) to being more of a disciplinarian. It's a show that's been lauded by The New York Times for "(speaking) to an audience much broader than the membership of any one church." The Broadway Center presents a new version of the show, sort of a "CSI goes to Bethlehem." Sister takes on the mystery that has intrigued historians throughout the ages - whatever happened to the Magi's gold? You'll hear the retelling the story of the nativity, as only Sister can, in a hilarious holiday show Sister's Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi's Gold at 3 p.m. in the Pantages Theater. Afterward, the annual Holiday Tree Lightning community hug goes down at 5 p.m. in front of the Pantages.

5. The Deleted are a band that freely say that they're hillbillies, but something tells us there's a healthy amount of sarcasm in that statement. The pop-punk band hails from Port Orchard, and it's true that there's a bit of rowdiness in their music that could recall a messy punk party in a honky tonk. Still, their song "Drunk'n Cowboy" has a good amount of loathsome venom in their lyrics describing the kind of awful white trash dude who molests his wife, beats his kids and has a "two-inch dick." Catch the band with Klondike Kate, Godfish and Rain City Rebels at 8 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

LINK: Saturday, Nov. 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

FRIDAY, NOV. 28 2014 >>>

1. Over the course of their 30-minute, three-song, self-titled album, Hang The Old Year take you on serpentine, eminently listenable journeys through every musical peccadillo the members possess. The massive sounds of Godspeed You! Black Emperor and King Crimson, in particular, resonate quite loudly in the album. These songs can tend to mind-meld with you, causing you to lose time as you drift away for a few minutes, before Hang The Old Year come crashing back in with slash-and-burn guitars and defiantly bombastic crescendos. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Hang The Old Year in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Edhochuli, Blank Boys and Gloss at 7 p.m. for an all-ages show at Le Voyeur.

2. The Thurston County Fair's annual Holiday Bazaar offers more than 100 vendors in four buildings selling handcrafted gifts and goodies. The free admission and free parking also make it affordable. New this year is a donation station for winter coats and clothing that will help keep many young Thurston County residents warm this winter. Check it out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

3. Let there be light! Although many spots around the South Sound have holiday light shows, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's Zoolights outshines the rest. The 27th edition will dazzle visitors as more than 550,000 brilliant LEDs bring zoo animals and landmarks to life in a not-to-be-missed kaleidoscope of color and holiday magic. Billed as the region's biggest walk-through light show, Zoolights includes animated light sculptures, live entertainment, snacks, animal encounters and the Paul Titus Carousel. While enjoying your stroll, be thankful you're not in charge of this holiday light display.

4. Junkyard Jane is a Northwest "swampabilly" blues band performing original music and consisting of: vocalist/percussionist Leanne Trevalyan, vocalist/guitarist Billy Stoops, bassist Barbra Blue and drummer Chris Leighton. Check them out in all their blue collar glory at 8 p.m. in Jazzbones.

5. Still Caves, out of Portland, shine with a kind of lo-fi exuberance that could only come from a bunch of friends goofing off and hitting a bunch of different effects pedals just to see what they can make. There's a ragged charm in their noise, which does little to hinder the giddy songwriting that goes on. Even with their ramshackle vibes, they make every effort to hit the nosebleed section. Triumphant guitars and cacophonous drums propel everything forward, with dreamy vocals awash in the sea of fuzz. It's anthemic rock in a microcosm, mixing elements of punk, garage psych, and winningly goofy indie rock. At 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge, Still Caves will be joining some of the finest bands at work in the Pacific Northwest right now - the delirious bubblegum psych of Fruit Juice, and the swirling synth-rock of People Under the Sun.

LINK: Friday, Nov. 28 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area