SUNDAY, MAY 11 2013 >>>

1. Hey moms! Bikes are cool and they make you butt look great. They are the best things to hit Tacoma since craft beer in cans. On this Mother's Day join CycloFemme and the global women's cycling movement for a spin around and around and around the Point Defiance's Five Mile Drive. Tour Defiance launches at 10 a.m. from the Antique Sandwich Company. Bring your helmets. Mother's Day dinner from a hospital would suck.

2. Yesterday's weather was nice, but you could barely enjoy it since all you could think about was the sad state of your closet. You want flirty skirts and kitten heels in the freshest colors and styles for spring, yet your warm wool trousers and cashmere sweaters are still taking up prime real estate in your closet. You better believe that after today's Mother/Daughter Fashion Show at Sonja - Clothes To Live In, you'll be singing a happier tune. Sonja Silver has been dressing women for many years, and since moving her boutique behind her Proctor Frozen Yogurt, she and Craig Fite have been keeping Tacoma smiling since last summer. at 3 p.m., three sets of three generations will model Silver's spring/summer fashion. So, before heading outside to soak up the spring weather, check in with Silver so you can really enjoy the season in style.

3. Jazzbones hosts a "A Very Special Day with Sinatra: A Night at the Sands," a long title but cool nonetheless. Joey Jewell will be in the house to sing the Sinatra hits with Jim Kerl's SWingin' '60s Orchestra backing. Ten bucks gets you in to the 6:30 p.m. show.

4. Chris Stevens & The Surf Monkeys will will be joined by Jay Mabin and his harmonica for a free show at 7 p.m. in The Spar. 

5. The Tacoma Comedy Club presents Comics Under The Influence where five comics perform a set each sober, and then while the other comics are performing they pound booze and return to the stage wasted to do another set. Jubal Flagg from Movin 95.5 FM tries to keep the thing flowing, beginning at 8 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, May 12 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

AN EVENING WITH DAVID SEDARIS >>>

I first fell in love with David Sedaris after discovering his Holidays on Ice book on a friend's coffee table. The book's hilarity and satirical descriptions of the author's experiences with elf jobs and prostitutes so grabbed me I dismissed myself from company rather rudely to finish the book of short stories in another room, while my husband was left socializing solo.

I fell deeper in love with author, cultural philosopher and satirist when my husband surprised me with tickets to see Sedaris read and speak in Seattle as a Mother's Day gift. We got stuck in traffic and only caught about 15 minutes of the performance. I was pissed, but tried to console myself with the fact that I could meet Sedaris in person and get an autograph. But, I was pissed once again as I saw the un-godly length of line to see him. Instead of standing painfully in heels for two hours, I suggested we wait over martinis at a fancy bar down the street. After a three-martini chat, we stumbled back to the Sedaris line. By that time, the alcohol had enhanced my previous grumpiness, and it was all I could do to not cuss in every face I saw. Luckily, there were only a few people left in line. Sedaris and his boyfriend were waiting behind a desk, looking terribly bored and pleasant all at once. As I approached, I had the thought to ask Sedaris to please write some words of encouragement for an aspiring writer. I was hoping for a sentence or two designed by the Sage Sedaris, whose flowing words would keep me inspired and aloft. Staring at my one eye closed to steady my balance, grabbing a whiff of my Grey Goose and olives perfume, he wrote, "Keep Typing."  It was a sobering statement. I didn't know whether to be thankful or more pissed. I decided to love him even more.

Anyway, I'm not the only one who loves Sedaris. According to Lacey Leffler, marketing director for Broadway Center for the Performing Arts, Tacoma loves Sedaris, too.

"We've been presenting David Sedaris at the Pantages Theater since 2003 and our patrons are always requesting that we bring him back, so we've been trying to present him at least once every two years," Leffler told me. "This year is particularly exciting as his show coincides with the April 23 release of his new book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls."

King's Books of Tacoma's Stadium District will be on site, fully stocked with all books by David Sedaris and a few titles from his recommended reading list.

I suggest getting there early.

PANTAGES THEATER, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 7:30 P.M., $34-$79, 901 BROADWAY, TACOMA, 253.591.5890

MONDAY, APRIL 22 2013 >>>

1. Guy Fieri visited Puyallup when he blasted through the South Sound in November. His show, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, filmed at six popular locations, including Darby's Cafe, Fish Tale Brew Pub, Crockett's Public House and Crown Bar — all of which have aired on Fieri's Food Network show. Tonight, Dirty Oscar's Annex receives the spotlight with the episode screening at 7 p.m. In celebration, Dirty Oscar's Annex invites everyone to join them at 6 p.m. to watch the show and enjoy lots of specials — drinks, food and giveaways.

2. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. Every Monday at 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

3. Soulful viscereal blues singer Linda Myers  and her band will perform at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

4. Every Monday Jazzbones is packed to the brim with college kids at 9 p.m. 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 Carrions, Little War Twins and White Fang will rock Le Voyeur at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, April 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

TUESDAY, APRIL 16 2013 >>>

1. Receiving a lot of hype and mostly deserving it, Savannah's Cusses dual-twist punk angst/frenzy and down and dirty southern rock like rosy, freshly-pierce nipples. Born star Angel Bond belts it and struts like product of a Siouxsie Sioux/Karen O/Mick Jagger three-way. This is a festival band, folks. Their explosive, crushing riffs and powerful, fiery vocals will knock the New Frontier sign off the wall at 9 p.m. The real stunner will be when Bond kicks the sign hitting the kid with tight pants in the front row ... and he won't take his eyes off her for a second.

2. The Diversity Film Festival begins today at The Grand Cinema with each film a meditation on the theme of cultural diversity. The concept began a few miles (and years) away from The Grand, at Tacoma Community College. Dr. Scott Earle, a TCC English and Humanities instructor since 1999, along with fellow teachers and staff, has hosted on-campus film screenings of this sort for some time. A suggestion was made to Earle and his colleagues in late 2010 to graduate their young program - let it leave the classroom and test its wings in the community. Today at 2 and 6:15 p.m., the Grand will screen Mosquita y Mari, A coming of age story that focuses on a tender friendship between two young Chicanas.

3. 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 and storytellers at Victory Music Open Mic from 7-10 p.m. inside 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.

4. We might not see the High Five'n White Guys or the Lame List, but a couple Almost Live! veterans will Billy Quan their way onto Tacoma Comedy Club's stage at 8 p.m. John Keister, who hosted and much of the writing the regional sketch comedy TV show from 1984 to 1999, will be joined by fellow "Almost Live!" star and well-known as a Seattle radio personality Pat Cashman, and Cashman's son, Chris, host of the game 1 vs. 100, for a "Gluten free evening of laughs and sneak previews of the TV show." The trio is producing The [206] - a new TV show shot in front of a live standing audience at Mighty Media Studios in a former fire station in Bellevue.

5. Two of our favorite Tuesday night trivia are at Fish Tale Brew Pub in Olympia and Farrelli's Wood-Fire Pizza in Tacoma, both start at 8 p.m. In terms of food, Farrelli's pies are hand-tossed, firm but chewy with a flop at the tip. The Jack & John Pizza - Italian sausage, Provolone/mozzarella blend, green and black olives, green onions, artichoke hearts, mushrooms - is so yum! At Fish Tale, go for the ham and Brie. Loaded with deli ham, smothered in nutty melted Brie and nestled between two slices of grilled sourdough, this one takes the trophy with the inclusion of sliced granny smith apples and mellow horseradish.

LINK: Tuesday, April 16 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, APRIL 15 2013 >>>

1. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. Every Monday at 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

2. The second leg of Olympia Restaurant Week is on. Celebrate Thurston County's unique fine dining scene. Following in suit with its neighbors to the north, the inaugural Olympia Restaurant Week is happening Sunday-Thursday. Ten Thurston County restaurants will be serving up special $25 three-course dinners, with some eateries offering a three-course lunch menu for $15. See the menues here.

3. Jazz saxophonist Kareem Kandi will be joined by Steven Bentley and Delvon Lamarr at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

4. The Crazy Texas Gypsies are a new blues band made up of seasoned veteran performers steeped in old school tradition, and updated modern lyrical sensibility and rhythmic foundation. Catch them at 8 p.m. inside The Swiss.

5. It's karaoke with a live band. Earn your rockstar status tonight during Rockaraoke at Jazzbones beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, April 15 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

THURSDAY, APRIL 11 2013 >>>

When Chris Titus performs April 11-13 at the Tacoma Comedy Club, you might hear a lot from the voice in his head. His fifth stand-up special The Voice in My Head, dropped on his website. For $9 you will discover his worst screw-ups for an hour and 45 minutes. Titus calls it the "Church of the Epic Fail," where every bad decision IS the religion." Catch him live at 8 p.m. in downtown Tacoma.

3. Today marks the end of the first week of the inaugural Olympia Restaurant Week - the celebration of Thurston County's culinary scene happening April 7-18, Sundays-Thursdays. Ten Thurston County restaurants are serving special $25 three-course dinners, with some eateries offering a three-course lunch menu for $15.

4. Maxwell's Speakeasy and Lounge in Tacoma joins delicious forces with 21 Cellars and Wingman Brewers to present a pairing dinner tonight. Nibble on local cheeses, produce and meat while sipping on locally concocted vinos and brews. Tickets are limited, so call 253.683.4115.

4. MediaLab, the award-winning student run organization at Pacific Lutheran University, hosts the primer of their latest documentary Beyond Burkas & Bombers: Anti-Muslim Sentiment in America at 7 p.m. at the PLU Studio Theater. The film will be followed by a small reception and panel discussion.

5. Reading by NW traveler, Artist Trust fellowship winner and participant in the San Miguel Poetry Week in Mexico Peter Rudwin will read his poetry at 7 p.m. inside the Gig Harbor/Peninsula Library.

LINK: Thursday, April 11 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, APRIL 7 2013 >>>

South Sounders: Get ready to celebrate Thurston County's unique fine dining scene. Following in suit with its neighbors to the north, the inaugural Olympia Restaurant Week launches today and runs through April 18, Sundays-Thursdays. Ten Thurston County restaurants will be serving up special $25 three-course dinners, with some eateries offering a three-course lunch menu for $15.

Today is National Beer Day, apparently, and we're sure you were looking for an excuse to knock back a cold one. It's a shame it's not National Drink Beers day, but what can we do. The Harmon Tap Room (will celebrate with an all-day happy hour, Beer Olympics, beer trivia and offer Rajah's Imperial IPA and T-Town Blonde Shanty Ale, among other beers.

3. Saxophonist Kareem Kandi's sound derives from the classic, free, often enthusiastic tradition of Joshua Redman as filtered through Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, all of whose shadows can be traced-Redman in Kandi's funky organicism, Gordon in his dynamic harmonics, Stitt in the intensity that coats his every note with a Gritty City finish. Kandi has been hanging with organist Delvon Lamarr and drummer Adam Kessler, which has added groovy innovation to Kandi's sound. Catch Kandi's trio from 3-6 p.m. at Uncle Thurm's Finger Lickin' Ribs & Chicken in Tacoma's Lincoln District.

On May 17, 1968, at the height of the Vietnam War, nine men and women entered a Selective Service office outside Baltimore. They removed military draft records, took them outside, and set them afire with napalm.The Catholic activists involved in this protest against the War included Daniel and Philip Berrigan; all were found guilt of destroying government property and sentenced to three years in jail. Dan Berrigan fled, and later turned himself in.The Berrigans and their colleagues went on to lives spent struggling against war, poverty, and injustice. This will be retold theough a public reading of The Trial of the Catonsville Nine at 7:30 p.m. inside Last Word Books in Olympia.

Danny Bonaduce, the morning disc jockey on KZOK, will host a live comedy show at 8 p.m. inside the Tacoma Comedy Club. He will introduce some of his favorite comics to Tacoma.

LINK: Sunday, April 7 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

GRAB A PREVIEW TODAY >>>

More than a decade ago Chris Titus had his very own critically acclaimed Fox sitcom, Titus, based on the true-life dysfunctional relationship he had with his father. It unfortunately only lasted two seasons. What followed was a focus on his stand-up career, delivering edgy, confrontational material - custody battles, mental illness, family suicides, heart attacks, domestic abuse and his relationship with his judgmental father - that obviously pushed the envelope instead of brushing the topic under the carpet.

When Titus performs April 11-13 at the Tacoma Comedy Club, you might hear a lot from the voice in his head. Today, his fifth stand-up special The Voice in My Head, drop on his website. For $9 you will discover his worst screw-ups for an hour and 45 minutes. Titus calls it the "Church of the Epic Fail," where every bad decision IS the religion." Turn on your computer, pop some corn and hear all about one sentence that cost him $30 million, his experiences playing Darth Vader at children's birthday parties, "playing" with military attack dogs and a 27 minute epic story about meeting Bruce Springsteen - all involving some sort of idiocy.

To download The Voice in My Head, click here.

TACOMA COMEDY CLUB, 8 P.M. THURSDAY, APRIL 11-SATURDAY, APRIL 13 (18+), ALSO 10:30 P.M. APRIL 12-13 (21+), $15, 933 MARKET ST., TACOMA, 253.282.7203

FRIDAY, MARCH 29 2013 >>>

1. They don't come with a much better pedigree than fiddler Mark O'Connor. Having started under the aegis of Stephane Grappelli and Texas legend Benny Thomasson, O'Connor has gone on to become one of Nashville's most sought-after musicians, and one of world renown. The Grammy award winning fiddler brings with him a fleet of fiddlers for a 7:30 p.m. performance at the Rialto Theater.

2. From 4 p.m. to close, 1022 South - the craft cocktail lounge in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood - will throw a party to celebrate its fourth anniversary and spring menu release. Patrons will be able to sip the new concoctions for $6 a pop, as well as taste new treats out of the kitchen. Read Pappi Swarner's story on the event here.

3. Awards given will include: Didn't Know You Could Do That, Best Off Stage Kiss, Best Tantrum - onstage or off, Best Wearing of a Costume, Best Paraphraser. Lucky Duck, Best Normal Scene with Unnecessary Sexual Overtones, Oh, were you in that show?, Best Ignoring of Direction, Best Grace Under Pressure, Best Acting Injury, Most Smooched, Best Range and Best "Silent" Performance (with no spoken lines)." The $20 ticket benefits the Lakewood Playhouse, where the 8 p.m. show is held.

4. At 8 and 10:30 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge, Rock Candy Burlesque presents "Icing on the Cake," a celebration of its first full year of tassels and tushes with a hard, sweet and sticky theme followed by a down and dirty dance party. Read Nikki McCoy's feature story on the Rock Candy Burlesque in the Weekly Volcano's Events section.

5. Stoner comic Ngaio Bealum, who got his start as a street performer at San Francisco's Pier 39, then smoked his way to ABC, MTV, BET and Comedy Central shows  - most recently on The Sarah Silverman Program - brings his hilarity to Tacoma Comedy Underground at 8:30 p.m. as a fundraiser for the Seattle Hempfest. Read Nikki McCoy's interview with Ngaio Bealum and their discussion about Tacoma, weed, writing, weed, cooking and weed in the Weekly Volcano's Bars & Clubs section.

LINK: Friday, March 29 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

MONDAY, MARCH 25 2013 >>>

1. The film Ocean Frontiers: The Dawn of a New Era in Ocean Stewardship takes viewers on an inspiring voyage to seaports and watersheds across the country where an intermingling of unlikely allies, of industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen, port operators, reef snorkelers and many more embark on a new course of cooperation, to sustain the sea and ocean economies. The will make its Tacoma premiere 6:45 p.m. at UWT's Phillips Hall as part of a symposium at University of Washington Tacoma.

2. George Smith, M.A., a state licensed mental health counselor, will offer a free training workshop on the Columbia University 30-second self-hypnosis method from 1-2 p.m. at the Lacey Timberland Library. This clinically tested and proven self-hypnosis system can be used to stop smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, resist 64 sandwiches, control anxiety, and much more.

3. Seattle-based world music ensemble The Kora Band will combine elements of jazz and West African music at 8 p.m. inside The Royal Lounge in Olympia.

4. Standup comedy hasn't evolved much since the glory days of ventriloquist and puppet. Every so often, there's a Gallagher smashing watermelons or a musical funnyman like Jack Black, but for the most part, comedy is a dude on a stage with a microphone, plodding through a joke-punchline-new-joke routine. You're funny. You need to change the course of comedy forever. Every Monday at 8 p.m. the Grit City Comedy Club opens its stage to the public for a comedy open mic. Explore the space. Head for space.

5. Every Monday at 9 p.m. 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.

LINK: Monday, March 25 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area