WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2 2014 >>>

1. On June 10, 2006, college friends Dylan LeValley, Greg Spooner, Brad Vickers and Jordan Hanssen stepped into a 29-foot rowboat as the only American competitors in the first North Atlantic Rowing Race, pulling across the northern ocean. From the first dreams of race planning to heaving through ocean waves, Rowing Into the Son: Four Young Men Crossing the North Atlantic takes the reader along with team Outdoor Adventure Racing (OAR) Northwest as they head out from New York Harbor, catch the Gulf Stream current and make the final dramatic push for the finish line, a narrow 50-mile wide "gate" at Bishop's Rock Lighthouse off the coast of Cornwall. Hurricane-level winds, giant eddies, passing freighters, flying fish and sharks are all elements of the journey, and the race comes to a tense head on day 17 - with another 55 days to go - as the crew realizes their food supplies are running out and they must drastically restrict their eating. This is lead rower and University of Puget Sound graduate Hanssen's intimate account of team OAR Northwest's journey, a tale you can hear first-hand when Hanssen reads passages of the book at his alma mater at 6:30 p.m. in Commencement Hall.

2. Northwest artist Camille Patha shares stories of her inspiration and experiences from her 50-year career at 11 a.m. in the Tacoma Art Museum. After her lecture, she'll lead a gallery tour our her exhibit, "A Punch of Color: Fifty Years of Painting by Camille Patha."

3. The 2014 Walk Tacoma series kicks off at noon with a 1.5 mile stroll through Wright Park and the Stadium District in Tacoma. Participants will walk with Melissa McGinnis, from Metro Parks, Bill Baarsma, former Tacoma Mayor and Caroline Swope, from Kingstree Studios, and will learn about the history of Wright Park, Stadium High School and Stadium District history. The walk will begin at the south side of Wright Park by the lion sculptures at noon. Walkers will be able to visit booths from 11:30 a.m. until noon to learn more about healthy lifestyles, healthy commutes and other walking events, and the first 200 walk participants will receive a swag bag. All Walk Tacoma events are free and there is no pre-registration necessary.

4. There's something otherworldly about Gary Lappier's photography show, "Sent From Somewhere Else," at Fulcrum Gallery. That does not mean the pictures are of fantasy scenes or that they're surrealistic or dreamily atmospheric. They are simple, straightforward, black and white shots of the B&I Market on South Tacoma Way. What is strange, sad, and mysterious about these photographs is there are no people, no movement, no signs of life in these 23 photographs of a place that is normally bustling with activity. Read Alec Clayton's full review of "Sent From Somewhere Else: The Black and White Photography of Gary Lappier" in the Music & Culture section,and then check out the show from noon to 6 p.m.

5. Pantry, the newest book of poetry by Tacoma-born poet Lilah Hegnauer, will be celebrated at 7 p.m. in King's Books. Pantry won the Hub City Press inaugural New Southern Voices Poetry Award, selected by D.A. Powell.

LINK: Wednesday, April 2 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MARCH 30 2014 >>>

1. Most people recognize Mark Pickerel's name from his drumming with Van Conner, Gary Lee Conner and Mark Lanegan in this little band from Ellensburg you may have heard of called the Screaming Trees, but in reality he's done much more than man the skins for the band that crafted "Sweet Oblivion" and "Nearly Lost You."  Pickerel has played and recorded with Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, the Dusty 45's, His Praying Hands and Truly. Pickerel will emcee a poetry slam in Tenino. No, it's true. Scatter Creek Winery in the little town of Tenino plays host to the biggest throw-down of romantic and cynical poetry and songs in the known world from 4-6 p.m. Pickerel will keep the peace among the poets from both sides of the love aisle as they duel to the finish to convince the crowd that their position on love represents the truth. Rumor has it Pickerel may even play a few of his own love or heartbreak songs during the event.

2. Pint Defiance continues its popular Sunday Sampler series, this week offering tastings of San Diego beers: Lost Abbey Red Barn Saison, Ale Smith Nut Brown, Ballast Point Big Eye IPA and Stone Imperial Russian Stout. From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., flights of four 4-ounce pours will be served for the cost of a normal pint.

3. Mitch Reems, singer for several Northwest bands, including portraying Elwood Blues in the New Blues Brothers Band, has been undergoing treatment for stage four non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He's damn near kicked it. The music community is celebrating, as well as helping pay his bills, with a benefit show at 3 p.m. in Tacoma's Temple Theatre. Bump Kitchen, Champagne Sunday, and Gabriel with Merrilee Rush will join the New Blues Brothers onstage.

4. Huntsville, Alabama, band Nightmare Boyzzz win points for not sounding anything like what their name might suggest. This is a band that is built of brittle sugar, constantly threatened at every turn with crumbling. While the riffs are firmly in the garage rock vein of bands such as the Black Lips, the vocals are consistently on point and prettier than necessary. Here, again, is a band that values melody, even as it streaks its songs with distortion. This is the kind of garage pop that goes down easy, but might give you heartburn. Catch them at 9 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

5. Survival Knife is Kris Cunningham on drums, Meg Cunningham on bass, Brandt Sandeno on guitar and Justin Trosper on guitar and vocals. Yes, Meg and Kris are married, and yes, Sandeno and Trosper are two of the original three members of Olympia's infamous '90s indie rock predecessors, Unwound. The band rocks, and with Broken Water and Hungry Ghost on the 9 p.m. bill at The Brotherhood Lounge, this show really rocks.

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 27 2014 >>>

1. Babes is a band that frequently crosses the wires of love and desire. Online, they don't have much of a presence, beyond vague websites and unoccupied Twitter pages. They have a hotline: (470) BABES-77. One gets the impression that you could call any time for intimate connections. The first thing I asked them over the phone was about their habit of almost exclusively writing love songs. Why love songs? "We're horny!" they exclaimed. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's interview with Babes in the Music and Culture section then catch the band with Lures and MILK at 8 p.m. in The New Frontier Lounge.

2. The Tacoma Historical Society celebrates the grand opening of its new space in the Provident Building from 5-7 p.m. Besides chatting up old things over punch, the Society will unveil their debut exhibit, "Out of the Attic: Curiosities from the Collection of Tacoma Historical Society," which showcases rare items rescued from oblivion by the society. 

3. Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer (4.8 percent ABV) will hit the wooden bar at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma's Stadium District. From 6 to 8 p.m. Doyle's will offer Crabbie's Original and the new Spiced Orange, which recently became available throughout Washington, served chilled over ice with a slice of citrus, for $4 and in a special cocktail - The Ginger and Jamey, Crabbie's Ginger Beer and Jameson Irish whiskey - for $7. For guests who'd like a bite with their Crabbie's, the kitchen will prepare a special dish for the evening - Crabbie's Ginger Wings for $4, to complement the ginger beer.

4. Turn your radio dials back and experience a time when the world was at war - back? We have to turn them back for this? - and pop music consisted of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." Oh, OK, there we go. Let's all put on our nostalgia hats and head back to a time when things made sense, or, at least, gave the impression thereof. And where do we end up? In The Mood: A 1940s Revue. It's a sentimental, romantic, nostalgic, jazzy and patriotic tribute to America's Swing Era. It's gonna be grand at 7 p.m. in the Washington Center.

5. Lucas "Vanilla Soul" Smiraldo's "Auricle" returns with a contemporary look at the Bhagavad-gita with a fusion of music and sermon at 7 p.m. in B Sharp Coffee House. Expect electronic music, spoken word and some classic rock songs.

LINK: Thursday, March 27 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26 2014 >>>

1. Chicago fuzz merchants the Funs bringing a chugging, lo-fi bravado to your more standard garage rock. Even with the buzzy noise that surrounds the Funs' music, there's still a hypnotic lull that it's quite easy to fall into when listening. The insistently strummed guitars and primal drums eventually fade into pastiche, letting the hazy vocals drift to the front. Catch the band with Criminal Code, Dreamdecay, Vexx and Thee Samedi at 7 p.m. in Le Voyeur.

2. Explore the themes and stories of the art of the American West, from the adventurer artists of the 19th century to contemporary artists working in the West today, with Tacoma Art Museum curator Laura Fry. Entry to her 11 a.m. "Art of the West through Time" lecture is free with the price of admission to TAM.

3. Pour at Four wine bar co-owner Mark Merrill knows wine. It comes with the job. He's tasted a few bottles over the last couple of months. Happily, he's found some beauties. From 5:30-8 p.m., Merrill will pour complimentary tastes of his recent favorites, including several that over deliver for their price.

4. If you'd like to start spring off worrying about something, you could do worse than attend painter Anna McKee's discussion about her travels with climate scientists to glaciers in the Pacific Northwest and Antarctica at 7:30 p.m. at Olympia Timberland Library. We imagine it will be equal parts a profile of beautiful artwork; gorgeous scenes of exotic locales; and a derring-do adventure. But, as we are reminded almost daily in some form of media, her presentation could also be a Giant Blinking Light that Earth's glaciers are melting and disappearing at an astonishing pace - especially when University of Washington glaciologist Bradley Markle adds his field research photos and stories during the same presentation.

5. Cicely Parnas made her Carnegie Hall debut performing the Saint-Saëns Cello Concerto with the New York String Orchestra under the baton of Jaime Laredo, to a rave review in The New York Times. Wow. Catch the cellist at 7:30 p.m. at the Washington Center.

LINK: Wednesday, March 26 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, MARCH 24 2014 >>>

1. Weekly Volcano scribe Jackie Fender has created Creative Colloquy aiming to share Tacoma's rich literary talents and foster relationships built upon mutual admiration of the written word. The inaugural Creative Colloquy, which goes down at 7 p.m. at B Sharp Coffee House, encourages scribes to connect with like minds. Short stories and novel excerpts are encouraged but Fender encourages other prose. Each performer will have up to 5 minutes to read. Opportunities are based upon those who arrive and sign up first. Featured storytellers include Joshua Swainston, Melissa Thayer, Nick Stokes, Titus Burley, William Norris Turbyfill and Dick Dorsett. All featured readers have pieces posted on creativecolloquy.com, although their readings could differ from the posted material. Come imbibe in libations or sip on roasted bean concoctions and watch storytellers do the thing they do best - narrate their tales.

2. The Grand Cinema has long been a ground zero of cinematic art in Tacoma, and that title has only grown with the addition of its fourth screen. With that new screen, The Grand Cinema is able to showcase films every Tuesday that would otherwise not be able to sustain a full week run. Here is where the Documentary Week comes in.

3. Sister Spit all-girl spoken word road show drops in on Olympia's Eagles Ballroom at 7:30 p.m. If you’re envisioning a bunch of gray-haired professors reading Dickinson and Shakespeare in low, expressionless tones, drooling, you’ve it wrong. Whew!  This tour features eight, 20-something queer female writers. Expect musical, rhythmic monologues about issues such as class, race, gender and sexuality.

4. Saxophonist Cliff Colon, keyboardist Peter Adams, bassist Rob Hutchinson and drummer Brian Smith are known as Velocity, a jazz fusion and Latin funk band that will bring it at 8 p.m. in The Swiss.

5. 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 and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs.

LINK: Monday, March 24 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, MARCH 18 2014 >>>

We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragic KOMO News 4 helicopter crash in downtown Seattle. Our thoughts and prayers are with those involved and their families.

1. We've all been there. You met her when she was a young teen, then you two nurtured a growing romance over the next several years despite the objections and outright bitter legal battles with her father. When you finally married, you composed a great deal of romantic lieder describing your feelings for your wife. Hear Robert Schumann's version of your story along with Richard Strauss' Zueignung and Hugo Wolf's Der Tambour when Opera tenor Thomas Harper performs a selection of musical works by German artists at the next Music @ 11 event at 11 a.m. in Kreielsheimer Hall on the Saint Martin's University campus.

2. The Grand Cinema's Tuesday Film Series hosts a more romantic variation on Clerks. The film Detroit Unleaded charts the budding relationship between Lebanese-American gas station owner Sami - compelled to take over the family's Detroit-slums business with ambitious cousin Mike after his father is killed in a robbery - and his beautiful cousin Naj. Catch it at 1:45 and 6:40 p.m.

3. Ivar's Seafood Bars and full service restaurants are once again paying tribute to beloved flounder Ivar Haglund and his would-be 109th birthday with a deep-sea deal. Today, all Ivar's fans who purchase one regularly-priced entrée and wish Ivar "Happy Birthday," will receive a second entrée of their choice for $1.09 off a special birthday menu. In addition to the birthday discounts, Ivar's will also treat the first 109 guests to a sweet slice of birthday cake.   

4. Accountants-turned-pirates, a daydreaming bureaucrat from a dystopian future, folklore-collecting con-artist brothers, a fantastically lying baron, and an ill-fated attempt to bring Don Quixote to the big screen. These could all be among the topics tonight as Saint Martin's University presents "The Films of Terry Gilliam" as part of their Robert A. Harvie Social Justice Lecture Series at 6:30 p.m. in Harned Hall on the Saint Martin's University campus. Jeff Birkenstein, Anna Froula and Karen Randell lead a discussion of the Monty Python alumnus' cinematic works based upon their book The Cinema of Terry Gilliam: It's a Mad World. A screening of the Gilliam classic Time Bandits follows; the trio will then present an analysis ofthe film - perhaps clearing up once-and-for-all the mystery of how Horseflesh, the supposedly-deceased seventh dwarf, ends up on the side of Evil. Or the nature of Vincent's "problem" which he needed fruit to cure.

5. Lakewood Historical Society celebrates Women's History Month by hosting a panel of local women writers - Dorothy Wilhelm, Nancy Covert, Carol Neufeld Stout, Meg Justus - at 7 p.m. in St. Mary's Episcopal Church.

LINK: Tuesday, March 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, MARCH 15 2014 >>>

1. Experimentation for experimentation's sake can be a fun tunnel to explore, but the ability to rein oneself in is a valuable one to have. Following every whim is too easy, which is why we'll always give enormous amounts of credit to people that can write a solid three-minute pop song. Being able to split the difference is ideal, and it's something that Bone Cave Ballet do very well. They're able to take you right to the edge without shoving you off. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on Bone Cave Ballet in the Music & Culture section, then catch the band with Bandolier, Red Sea and Buffalo Tongue at 8:30 p.m. in Bob's Java Jive.

2. Doyle's Public House has pitched the giant tent and its St. Patrick's Weekend is on. Today, it's a full schedule. They are open this morning for the pre- and post-St. Patrick's Day Dash breakfast and beers. Sounders Supporter Bus will depart at 11:30 a.m. for the 1:30 p.m. kick-off. The Pierce County Firefighters Pipes & Drums will be in the house to stir the emotions with their haunting sound. Corned Beef Cabbage and other Irish dishes are on the menu. At 9 p.m., it's "Working Man's St. Patrick's Day" party kicks in with The Rusty Cleavers and the Ethan Tucker Band.

3. Poet Lisa Panepinto will read from On This Borrowed Bike, her debut collection, full of lyrical, heartwarming poems at 3 p.m. in Orca Books.

4. 106.5 KOWA-FM low power community radio hosts an "Ides of March" benefit concert featuring Yogoman Burning Band, Fabulous Downey Brothers, Oh Rose, Old Growth Poetry Collective and special host and DJ Selector Dub Narcotic at 7 p.m. in the Eagles Ballroom in downtown Olympia.

5. When we were kids, Bach was the bane of our existence. During childhood piano lessons, time spent struggling with the German composer's Inventions 1 through 5 forced us to miss out on crucial bike-riding time and numerous episodes of Sigmund and the Sea Monsters. But if any orchestra can help us overcome our aversion to the music of Johann Sebastian, it's the Northwest Sinfonietta. Conductor Christophe Chagnard, 93 musicians, PLU Choral Union and five soloists perform J.S. Bach's sacred oratorio St. John Passion - a harrowing tale of power, betrayal, murder, love, compassion and hope at 7:30 p.m. in the Rialto Theater.

LINK: Saturday, March 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, MARCH 8 2014 >>>

1. Do you like the idea of skiing more than the actual activity? Are you considering taking up an extreme sport, but need a hit of inspiration before acquiring the mandatory tattoos and safety equipment? Then consider watching BANFF Mountain Film Festival's Radical Reels Tour's that explore environmental, adventure or adventure-related themes, including BASE-jumping, snowboarding and mountain climbing at 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater. Mountain do or mountain don't? You decide.

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MONDAY, FEB. 24 2014 >>>

1. It's been 50 years since the Civil Rights Act and the country is witnessing a renewed attack on voting rights, the re-segregation of public schools, gentrification, mass incarceration and entrenched job discrimination. Have something to say? University of Puget Sound organizations Black Student Union, African American Studies, Resident Student Association, and Spoken Word and Poetry Club host a "Civil Rights and Peace" poetry reading in celebration of Black History Month from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Tahoma Room at the Commencement Hall on the campus the University of Puget Sound.

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FRIDAY, FEB. 21 2014 >>>

1. Do you love animals? How 'bout dark comedy? Do Sarah McLachlan ads for the ASPCA make you projectile weep? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then do we have the show for you. Elliot Weiner (pronounced "winer") is a playwright, actor, and director most recently seen in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at Lakewood Playhouse. Sadly for Tacoma, he's moving eastward next month. His going-away present to the South Sound is a one-act play called What About Grandma? that purports to reveal how far a grandmother might go (sink?) to protect the people she loves at 7:30 p.m. in Tacoma Little Theatre. The only admission cost is a donation to the Tacoma Humane Society's Cinderella Program for Spay and Neuter or the Northwest Spay and Neuter Center. Bob Barker will love you for it.

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