LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

The Acme Grub Cage Tacoma - Downtown. Blanco Bronco Record Release Party with Furry Buddies. Gritty City Sirens burlesque also in the house. 9 pm.

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. SEACATS, The Echo Echo Echoes, Hearts Are Thugs, Luxe Canyon. 8 pm. 45.

• I can't be certain, but it seems likely that SEACATS may have the distinction of being the first band I've covered that were born out of a comedy web series. Formed by Kelso, Wash., by brothers Josh and Mike Davis, SEACATS make boisterous power-pop that recalls the guitar heroics of Fang Island and Surfer Blood, with a dash of the humorous self-deprecation of Weezer. While SEACATS describe themselves as "funny guyz," their songs don't make the mistake of drifting into a full-on comedy act. Despite their onstage antics and clearly tongue-in-cheek writing, these songs are by and large legit anthems that can be enjoyed by those people that tend to dismiss anything even close to comedy bands - even ones that were erroneously labeled as such, such as They Might Be Giants and Ween. But don't get me started on those people. - Rev. Adam McKinney
  

B Sharp Coffee House Tacoma - Triangle District. Kimball and the Fugitives. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. World's Finest featuring Steve Swatkins, Brett Cummings, Josh Hegg, Camron Arneson, Jesse Turcotte, Jeff Berghammer and Kevin Blackwood. 9 pm. NC.

Franciscan Polar Plaza Ice Rink Tacoma - Downtown. Kim Archer on Ice. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC, $4-$8 ice skating.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Stephanie Anne Johnson (of The Voice) Welcome Home Show. 8 pm. $8-$15.

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

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Echoes: Tribute To Pink Floyd. All Ages. 8 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. The Kareem Kandi Band. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Amber's Birthday Party, with Death By Stars, People Under The Sun, Oh Dear, Milk. 9 pm. NC.

• The New Frontier Lounge is hosting a free birthday bash for some chick named Amber, who is now apparently old enough to join Betty White and the rest of the Golden Girls, at least according to the Facebook event page. While I don't know Amber (Happy Birthday anyway!), I do know the line-up looks smokin'. Death By Stars is one of four bands set to play, and one of my personal Tacoma faves. Number one reason they are on the fave list? They make me want to dance. I'm listening to them right now, and I'm having trouble typing because it's out of sync with their synth-y, catchy beats and I'd rather be bouncing with the rhythm, riding the groove, closing my eyes and getting into the vibe. But hey, there's work to do, so back to reality. But, come this weekend get ready to let loose and party with the best of 'em. - Nikki McCoy
  

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. The One & Only Ramains. 8 pm.

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

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

LINK: More live music Saturday, Dec. 28 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25 2013 >>>

1. There's nothing worse than awakening from a long winter's nap, rolling out of bed and discovering it's Christmas morning - and not a creature is stirring his coffee, not even your favorite coffee house. But you'd better not cry, and you don't need to pout, because Spanaway Park has zapped 12 million watts of power to its lights. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park. Tune in to a special holiday radio station for a little holiday music to add to the mood.

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 10 a.m. to 10 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. Have your kids - ham-stoked and spinning amok with sugarplums, Barbie dolls and Yu-Gi-Oh! action figures - drilled a hole through the roof yet? There's a reason they switch on the holiday light exhibits Christmas night, so why not take advantage of the thoughtful gesture? Lights on from 5-9 p.m. at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. 

4. If "attending more cultural events" is on your list of 2014 resolutions, why not kick it off a bit early. Temple Beth Hatfiloh and the Olympia Film Society present Hava Nagila (The Movie), a documentary about the song played at millions of Jewish weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs every year. (We trust the filmmakers delve into hard-hitting statistics about how many injuries occur during the chair-hoisting hora dance.) So quit kvetching and get to it at 7 p.m. inside the Capitol Theater.

5. Olympia drummer Jerry Zeigler will be playing his annual Merry Fitz-mas show at McCoy's with Fitz of Depression raging two sets beginning at 10 p.m. Never seen Fitz play? Well, expect to get ripped a new one. The band seriously tears into the nether-regions and squiggle their reverb around, getting all deep and fast and punk rock. Also, this is a good time to see Zeigler turn into a full-fledged octopus on the drums. Enjoy.

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Wednesday, Dec. 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, DEC. 23 2013 >>>

1. In the same way that sharks must keep swimming to keep breathing, it seems Melanie Owen andJoseph Barton must spread their talents across various musical projects in order to stay alive. Owen travels between Denver and Seattle with her band, The Groovetramps, fronts Cedar Avenue Blues Band in Denver and does duo work with other blues players. She guest fronts with The Thommy Knoxvilles in Denver, the Armed & Dangerous Blues Review in Seattle and plays bass for the Joseph Barton Trio - yes, her musical partner. Barton has played for numerous Denver bands such as The Clam Daddies, The Train Wreckers and Tempa & the Tamtrums. Currently, in addition to The Groovetramps and his trio, Barton and plays bass with Armed & Dangerous Blues Review and other Seattle and Denver bands. These frequent flyer points freaks will showcase their old school blues and Americana at 8 p.m. in The Swiss - if they don't collapse first.

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 10 a.m. to 10 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. Make Monday the day you check out Zoolights or Fantasy Lights - both South Sound institutions. Zoolights, the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium's holiday light show and extravaganza, offers a stroll through more than half a million lights, crafted whimsically throughout the zoo from 5-9 p.m. Take a driving tour of Fantasy Lights in Spanaway Park, where carloads of travelers can see more than 300 stunning displays of lights and imaginative animation over a two-mile stretch of Spanaway Lake Park from 5:30-9 p.m. 

4. See the ultimate sad sack Charlie Brown and his sad sack little Christmas tree find the holiday spirit in the Christmas classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, at a dreamy locally renowned theater. Break out the "peanuts" to take in this charming Tacoma Musical Playhouse production, and watch young and aspiring local actors from the theater's innovative and premiere education program show their stuff in this quaint and heartfelt little show, which begins at 7 p.m. 

5. We all love to sing. Singing is fun; singing is cool. However, life is cruel, and as much as we all love to sing, well, we can't.  We suck.  Or, to put this in a positive manner, there are those who can sing solo and there are those who should always, always, sing in groups. The larger the better. For those of you who fall into the second category, head to Olympia. The Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia present a "Messiah Sing-Along" so you can sing to your tone-deaf little heart's content at 7 p.m. in the Washington Center.          

PLUS: Holiday Events Calendar

PLUS: South Sound Holiday Command Center

LINK: Monday, Dec. 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUND >>>

Bob's Java Jive Tacoma - Central. Slutty Hearts, Vox Mod, Back From Hiatus. 8 pm. $5. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on the Slutty Hearts in the Music & Culture section.

Franciscan Polar Plaza Ice Rink Tacoma - Downtown. Kurt Lindsay on Ice. All Ages. 7-9 pm. NC, $4-$8 ice skating.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Hell's Belles (all-female AC/DC tribute), Adrian and the Sickness. All Ages. 5 pm. Hell's Belles (all-female AC/DC tribute), Adrian and the Sickness. 9 pm. $12.

Jezebels Bar & Grill Olympia - Downtown. Heretic The Heathen Birthday Show. 9 pm. $5. 

• There aren't many celebrities in the South Sound, but there are people who make our communities better just with their presence and energy - of course, coupled with good deeds and service. In the local hip-hop community - with a touch of 206 - Heretic The Heathen (representing The 360 real tough-like) is just one of those people. The rappin'-ass promoter/battler/media man will join Puget, Ang P, Patron and Akeem, and special marquee battle featuring SOS vs. Double B, in downtown Oly. Heretic is one of the problem-solvers and do-gooders - not because he's trying to do good, but because it's the right thing to do - in our community. Join him and the other talent at this public party with party people and DJ DP Sea on the 1s and 2s. - Jose Gutierrez Jr.

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

• The landscape of music is lousy with bawdy comedy music - from the party records of the '50s and '60s, through on to Blowfly's reign as the king of bad taste, and a slew of generally puerile and juvenile underground releases catching dust in discount bins - but this trend has largely slowed down. Part of the genre's decline is as a result of the comparatively more open culture we live in today, which doesn't quite necessitate getting kicks from records where people say bad words. Regardless, Shmuskin (Andy Shmuskin, that is) seems to be carrying that torch, not least with his holiday classic, "Christmas Cunnilingus." Just a man and his guitar, writing filthy folk paeans and tributes like "Sarah Silverman," where he laments that the "thinking man's sex symbol" dated Jimmy Kimmel. Shmuskin's giddily lowbrow songs are a welcome return to those crass old party records. - Rev. Adam McKinney

Louie G's Pizza Fife. Mechanism. All Ages. 8 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. NWCZ Night of Gritmas, with The Big Wheel Stunt Show, Fred Speakman, Gavin Guss, Halcion Halo, Bandolier, Regan Lane, The Harolds, The Gimmer That Stole Christmas, The Reindeer Droppings. Proceeds benefit Tacoma Rescue Mission. 8 pm. $3 + can of food.

Northern Pacific Coffee Co. Tacoma - Parkland. Mudslug, Boreal and Trueno. All Ages. 8 pm. NC.

Old General Store Steakhouse & Saloon Roy. Doubleback. 9 pm.

Olympia Ballroom Olympia - Downtown. DBST, The Hard Way, a light show and burlesque, 9 pm. $10.

• I keep hearing about DBST. Facebook feeds, fliers around town and in conversations overheard at the bar. So, when I saw they were playing the growing tradition of the winter "Soulstice" event held in the Olympia Ballroom, I figured it was time to check them out. A Youtube search brings up a video of the band's intimate performance at the Pig Bar. My first impression was Grateful Dead, not so much in the sound, although it wouldn't be too far-fetched, but in the instant roll into psychedelic rock. The song, "Every Word," was 8:53 minutes long if that tells you anything. The three piece easily slips into jam space where conversation from the bar can peep through the recording, but not because the music has become disengaging, but rather as a compliment to the band's ability to change tempo and dynamic with the flick of a wrist. - Nikki McCoy

Sanford and Son Library Tacoma - Downtown. Dames, Hunnywell, Evan Main. 7:30 pm. $5 donation.

• Two of the influences cited by Dames do well to encapsulate their particular charm: Mac DeMarco and Tacoma's own (possibly defunct?) Makeup Monsters. What all three of these groups have in common is a certain embrace of a slacker ethos, which presents not as apathy, but as a shaggy energy. Instead of having a blasé attitude to match their laid-back vibes, Mac DeMarco, Makeup Monsters and now Dames, all have a deep, abiding love for catchy songcraft and a reverence for the godfathers of outsider pop such as Jonathan Richman and Gordon Gano. Dames make sunny indie pop that isn't afraid of hooky backing vocals ("oohs" and "aahs" abound) and reaches back as much for classic inspiration as it does reach out for the trendy jangle of today. - Rev. AM

The Spar Tacoma - Old Town. Tatoosh. 8 pm.

Traditions Cafe and World Folk Art Olympia - Downtown. Tingstad & Rumbel. All Ages. 8 pm. $15-$22.

Triple Play Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. The Ride and guests. 9 pm. NC.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. ABATE Bake Sale, with Strange Pleasure. 9 pm.

Waterstreet Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Dennis Hastings & The Joe Baque Trio. 9 pm.

LINK: More live music Saturday, Dec. 21 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area