The Squeak and Squawk Music Festival (SQSQ), which is set for Sept 12 to 16 at The New Frontier Lounge and Broadway Center's Studio 1 the Library at Sanford and Son Antiques, boasts more than 30 bands, and in its fourth installment is becoming a Tacoma tradition known for letting its freak flag fly.

This year's production would have evolved in a very different way if it weren't for help from the community.

Last year SQSQ producers Rev. Adam McKinney and Jena Stedler - after adopting the festival from founder Sean Alexander - pulled up their big kid pants and pushed through with a $2,000 budget.

Despite monetary limitations, last year's SQSQ was still a success. Heather Rowland, who volunteered at last year's event, said the festival embodied the spirit of summer.

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 5 2013 >>>

1. There was an Olympia-based emo-bending indie punk band in the early '90s called Lync. After sporadic recordings on K Records, and only one full-length release, Lync disbanded, leaving frontman Sam Jayne to find another project to pour his burgeoning talent into. Jayne's new solo project, Love As Laughter, emerged in 1996 with a debut LP, The Greks Bring Gifts. Eschewing the lo-fi thud of his earlier work, and bringing the sweet melodies closer to the surface, Jayne's latest incarnation brought him further into the emerging zeitgeist of underground American indie rock. Soon, other members would join Love As Laughter, and the textures and tangents of the band would grow more complex and compelling. Catch the band at 8 p.m. with Braindead, Spaceneedles and Happy Noose in Northern. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Love As Laughter in the Music and Culture section.

2. If you're thinking about attending Bates Technical College this fall, then this is your chance to fast-track enrollment. On Thursday, Sept. 5, the college will hold an Enrollment Fair from 10 a.m. to noon in the college's Downtown Campus Auditorium, 1101 S. Yakima Ave. in Tacoma. The free Enrollment Fair includes two Express Information Sessions and two Financial Aid Workshops aimed at helping prospective students learn more about the college, its programs and admission process, and how to complete and submit financial aid forms.

3. The Sundance Institute's Film Forward series continues today with three free movies:

Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, 3:30 p.m., Tacoma Public Library, 1102 Tacoma Ave. S. Post film discussion: Ryan Spence, skateboarder and skate park designer; Robert Boyle and Kevin Carlton, Grit City Grindhouse; Ben Warner, Alchemy Skate Center; moderated by Taylor Woodruff, Grit City Grindhouse

The Light in Her Eyes, special screening with director Julia Meltzer, 4:30 p.m., Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound, 1500 N. Warner St. Post film discussion: Julia Meltzer, director for The Light in Her Eyes; moderated by Dr. Turan Kayaoglu, professor of Middle East Studies at University of Washington Tacoma

Town of Runners, special screening with director Jerry Rothwell, 7:30 p.m., The Grand Cinema, 606 S. Fawcett Ave. Post film discussion: Jerry Rothwell, director of Town of Runners; moderated by Dr. Bill Kunz, University of Washington Tacoma

4. The city of Tacoma's Shoreline Master Program, updated in 2011 after four years of study and stakeholder discussion, received conditional approval by the Washington State Department of Ecology August 19. In accordance with the State's guidelines, the City has 30 days, until Sept. 18, to accept or propose alternatives to WSDOE's conditions.  To learn more about the Department of Ecology's conditional approval, residents are invited to a community meeting at 6 p.m. in Room 708 of the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St.

5. Besdies being all fancy, the Hotel Murano is dang smart. It knows a good thing when it hears it. The Kareem Kandi Band is back to fill the lobby with jazz from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, Sept. 5 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 4 2013 >>>

1. 1. Audiences from Bosnia to Columbia, from Maine to Puerto Rico, from China to Tacoma will grab a taste of independent film, as the Sundance Institute's Film Forward program rolls on for a fourth year. Film Forward will travel to eight locations - four in the United States, four overseas - from February to October 2013 - including a run in Tacoma, Sept. 3-7. The touring program doesn't focus on a traditional movie audience, but aims to "enhance greater cultural understanding, collaboration and dialogue around the globe by engaging audiences through the exhibition of films, workshops and conversations with filmmakers," according to its website. Today's free films are Valley of Saints and The Light in Her Eyes. Valley of Saints screens at 5 p.m. at the University of Puget Sound with a post film discussion moderated by Peter Wimberger, professor of biology and director of the Slater Museum of Natural History at UPS. The Light in Her Eyes screens at 9 p.m. in The Grand Cinema with a post film discussion with Julia Meltzer, director of the film; Dr. Therese Saliba, professor of Middle East Studies and international feminism at The Evergreen State College; moderated by Dr. David Coon, associate professor at University of Washington Tacoma.

2. Secretary of State Kim Wyman's Legacy Washington team created the "Grand Coulee to Grunge" exhibit, focusing on the eight stories from Washington state that changed the world. In one visit to the State Capitol, you and your family can learn how awesome the state is in terms of business, science, technology and music. Drop by the exhibits opening from 4-6 p.m.

3. Headed by Barry and Renee Watson, founders and previous owners of Tacoma staple the Rosewood Cafe, Pint Defiance is a must visit for any lover of the hops. Pint Defiance seamlessly marries the concept of craft beer retail space with a pub. The walls are lined with coolers neatly displaying a unique collection of canned and bottled brews by region. From 5-7 p.m. Pint Defiance hosts The Two Beers/Seattle Cider crews to talk shop and give away some schwag. Pint Defiance will have draft offerings from both on tap: Two Beers—Pumpkin Spice Ale, a fresh hop IPA, and a very rare keg of bourbon-barrel aged Heart of Darkness CDA.

4. After a 5.5 year-long relationship Kate Bergstrom ventured into the world of online dating. It hasn't always been pretty but she has had quite the entertaining time meeting more than 100 men. After realizing that her friends and family were living vicariously through her dating stories she thought she might share them with the world, one man at a time. She wrote a book, Dates With Kate: Tales and Tips From An Online Dating Veteran, which she'll discuss and hang out at 6:30 p.m. in The Swiss.

5. In 2011, readers of this fine rag voted the Top of Tacoma Bar and Cafe the best bar in Tacoma. This was due in no small part to their well drink Wednesdays. Two dollar well drinks after 7 p.m. Are you kidding? That's, like, riding the train to funkytown for only eight bucks. Yes, please. The kitchen stays open to midnight. Choo, choooo!

LINK: Wednesday, Sept. 4 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Oh, hello there. I didn't notice you peering over at me as I write my first Nerd Alert. What's that you say? You'd like to hear about some nerdy news and happenings for the near future? Well, I'm not Zoltar, so lower your expectations. And get out of that oversized suit, because I'm not going to magically make you a grown up. Quite the opposite.

Thinking about my nerdiest interests, my thoughts first turned to movies. So, I thought I'd get you up to speed on some movie-related business. A note: if you are in a large group of girls, please refrain from reading these events aloud.

Sept. 21: Sensory Overloads

OK, yes, there will be punk music. And yes, some of that music will be done by local favorites like Girl Trouble, Red Hex, and Trees and Timber. And yes, this is a function that will be held at a bar.

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Since opening in April of this year, Art House Café has been serving patrons in the Stadium District of Tacoma breakfast, lunch and dinner while adjusting things along the way. They've made changes to their menu and added a happy hour, with the most notable change being a new head chef.

As of June, Mark McClure has been serving as the restaurant's head chef after the departure of Dustin Joseph.

"Chef Mark's passion for creating with food is exceptional," says co-owner Lucia Armstrong. "He was behind many of the recipes from the original menu and has only improved the local sourcing and quality of our ingredients, the variety and flavors."

Since then, he has revamped Art House Café's menu for summer, adding local seafood dishes and larger plate options, as well as a breakfast pizza that's available all day. Their new fall menu will debut in October.

The restaurant's new happy hour runs Monday-Thursday 4-6 p.m. and 8-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday 4-6 p.m. and 9-11 p.m., and Sunday 3 p.m. to close. It features lower-priced food items such as lamb sliders for $8 and spicy prawns priced at $8. You can even order up one of their wonderful brick-oven pizzas with a beer or wine combo for $10. Well drinks and house wines are also offered at $4 and $5, respectively.

If you haven't been to Art House Café in a while, it's worth a revisit to check out their changes and enjoy the new happy hour.

ART HOUSE CAFÉ, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 111 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253.212.2011

LINK: South Sound Happy Hours

For those not in the know, Fab-5 created the L.I.F.E. Program (Living In Free Expression) in 2005 as a means of providing "relevant creative outlets" for our area's young people. The L.I.F.E. Program is described as, "an intensive series of urban arts workshops designed to allow youth to develop and explore their unique voices through a variety of different mediums," such as DJ-ing, breakdancing, visual arts and creative writing. Sunday afternoon in Tacoma's 21st Street Park, Fab-5 celebrated the culmination of L.I.F.E.'s summer program with AFTERLIFE, an event featuring a 2x2 breakdance competition, live painting graffiti fleet, food and happy smiles. Fab-5's Chris Jordan's spontaneous dancing and rapping brought cheers, as DJs Sav1, DigOne and others keep the groove going until 8 p.m. After several hours, the final two breakdance crews were members of F2D (Fresh Descendants) and Massive Movement. Each member danced three rounds and at the end, F2D took home the title.

There was good sportsmanship all around. Crews shook hands before and after each battle. People were cheering on the sidelines and dancing in their own side ciphers.

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TUESDAY, SEPT. 3 2013 >>>

1. Audiences from Bosnia to Columbia, from Maine to Puerto Rico, from China to Tacoma will grab a taste of independent film, as the Sundance Institute's Film Forward program rolls on for a fourth year. Film Forward will travel to eight locations - four in the United States, four overseas - from February to October 2013 - including a run in Tacoma, Sept. 3-7. The touring program doesn't focus on a traditional movie audience, but aims to "enhance greater cultural understanding, collaboration and dialogue around the globe by engaging audiences through the exhibition of films, workshops and conversations with filmmakers," according to its website. Today's opening free films are Chasing Ice and La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon). Chasing Ice screens at 6 p.m. in the Washington State History Museum with a post film discussion moderated by Dr. Harry Stern of the Polar Science Center at the University of Washington. La Misma Luna screens at 7 p.m. in the STAR Center with a post film discussion by lead by Pedro Gomez, director of Washington Latino Voters' Alliance and moderated by Laura Rodriguez of Metro Parks Tacoma.

2. The Attack is the latest film from Lebanese director Ziad Doueiri, adapted from the international best-selling novel of the same name by Algerian authorYasmina Khadra and, like many great films, the story behind the story sounds like the plot of a movie in its own right. Mohammed Moulessehoul, who writes under the pen nameYasmina Khadra, fled his native Algeria in 2000 during the waning days of the Algerian Civil War in order to escape government censorship of his work as well as the possibility of violent or fatal reprisals from outside extremist sources and the government itself. He currently lives as a political exile in France. Doueiri, on the other hand, came under fire from the Arab League due to his decision to film his movie on location in Tel Aviv, Israel and use Israeli actors to play some of the roles. As a result of this unsanctioned collaboration, The Attack is essentially blacklisted in every Palestinian country in the Middle East, includingDoueiri's home country of Lebanon. With so much opposition toward both author and director, you might assume their works tackle some very controversial and inflammatory subject matter. You'd be right. The film screens at 2:15 and 7:05 p.m. at The Grand Cinema. Read Jared Lovrak's full review of The Attack in the Music and Culture section.

3. Every Tuesday, Maxwell's serves two chef's choice appetizers and two house wines or draft beers for $15. Chef Hudson Slater tells us, "It's nothing over the top but keeps things fun and fresh." Chef Slater and server extraordinaire and wine pro Kent Bolden sample wines weeks in advance, mull them over, discuss possible pairings, sample more, then create a new Tuesday experience.

4. If hearing the sound of your own cackling voice echoing off the walls of your shower stall has you craving the sound of something a bit more harmonious, check out the local songbirds at Victory Music Open Mic at the Antique Sandwich Co. It's guaranteed to be jam-packed with gorgeous sounds and humbling verses, as the South Sound's greatest up-and-coming acoustic musicians bare their souls impromptu-style. Performances start at 7 p.m., and if you're thinking that your shower-time ballads are ready for public consumption, you can sign up for your own moment in the, er, sun at 6.

5. Every Tuesday night at Stonegate Pizza on South Tacoma Way Leanne Trevalyan hosts an acoustic open mic at 8 p.m.

LINK: Tuesday, Sept. 3 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Corina Bakery is a delectable little bakery with a classy café like setting serving up Tacoma favorites such as Valhalla Coffee and Mad Hat Tea. Though both of those are reason enough to visit, their selection of housemade baked goods is absolutely exquisite. Corina specializes in specialty cakes, handcrafted pies and cheesecakes with a large selection of gluten free and vegan options for those with dietary restrictions.

Corina Bakery is open today until 5 p.m. I highly recommend you leave your abode right now and indulge in Corina's Hummingbird Cupcake ($2.80). This moist little morsel of goodness is a delicate spice cake teasing with bits of banana, pineapple and walnuts throughout. The cream cheese butter cream frosting adds a lovely richness to each little nibble. The sprinkles and hard candy butterfly on top are a cute little touch that only adds to the guilt of my decadent splurge.

Pair with an Americano and you've achieved perfection.

HUMMINGBIRD CUPCAKE, open today until 5 p.m., regular hours 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Corina Bakery, 602 S. Fawcett, Tacoma, 253.627.5070.

MONDAY, SEPT. 2 2013 >>>

1. It's 8 p.m. on a quiet Labor Day Monday in Tacoma, but inside The New Frontier Lounge, the night is still cooking. Pianist Nate D., bassist Cameron and drummer Peter T. launch the city's newest jazz jam inviting talent to sit in with them as the house trio explores straight ahead, funk and space. Not all gigs qualify as a hang, but this one has the precise alchemy that could draw the area's best players: a high level of musicianship, a relaxed atmosphere and a sympathetic intergenerational crowd. Ask any working jazz musician, and the hang is what it's all about. Be a part of history. Join the inaugural Monday Jazz Jam from 8 to midnight at The New Frontier Lounge.

2. Ahhh yeah! It's that time of year! Time for getting it on! That's why Northwest Trek invites you to its "Get Out of the Rut Weekend," your chance to play peeping Tom on the breeding habits of moose, elk, deer and even sheep from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. You see, the "rut," refers to the breeding habits of hooved animals - and we all know hooved animals are the hottest of all! According to hype, "Watch and listen as they grunt, snort, bugle and spar. From wild romance to turbulent action, you won't want to miss this three-day kickoff to the most dramatic time of year at Northwest Trek." So hot.

3. NWCZ Radio's Monday radio show Mighty Mouth Blues will set up the mic inside Stonegate Pizza hosting Bex Marshall and The Delgado Brothers at 8 p.m.

4. Every Monday Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids. Party types. The type that wear tight shirts and trucker hats. Throngs of Chad Fratguys and Sarah Sororitysisters swarm the bar, line up for the bathroom and dance to the Rockaraoke - live band karaoke. The Rockaraoke band is skilled, too. Expect $2 PBR drafts, $3 Sinfire shots, $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

5. The stereotype is racing through your head: Everyone is in all black, many are wearing dark and heavy eye make-up and every now and then, the DJ stops a tune with a vertebrae-shattering guitar riff for chants of, "Kill! Kill! Kill!" But O'Malley's new "Mondays For The Damned," is not some cartoon-like parody like you see in the movies. For the most part, the 9 p.m. Monday DJ night is just your typical above ground underground new wave, synth pop, goth, industrial and post-punk haven, and, if you're into it, it's one of the best places to find yourself in the company of the city's goth and industrial scene. Night Shift (Nicole and Aaron) and guest DJs will spin, while Rich Sumner screens videos and movies. Get dark over $3.25 micro brew pints and a pound of wings for $5.50.

LINK: Monday, Sept. 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

As you know the Tacoma City Ballet is in the midst of a yearlong scavenger hunt for Golden Krakatuk Nuts. The nuts tie into the company's highly anticipated Dec. 7, 2013 performance, Prequel to The Nutcracker.

Here's a refresher: TCB hides hand-painted Golden Krakatuk Nuts inside jewel boxes around Tacoma; inside the boxes is a scroll with prize details, such as gift certificates, merchandise or tickets to Tacoma City Ballet's World Premier of said Nutcracker in December. Each month through the year, Golden Krakatuk Nuts will be hidden at businesses throughout Tacoma. To find the nuts, decipher the poetic clues, which will be posted at Tacoma City Ballet's website, Facebook page, as well as this blog. You find the Golden Krakatuk Nuts and great riches will be heaped upon you! For complete on the contest and Nutcracker performance, click here.

The September Golden Krakatuk Nut clue dropped this morning. This clue will guide you to a restaurant, shop or other business at which the nuts may be in plain sight or may be behind the counter.

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