FUTURE THINGS ARE COMING >>>

Bay Area/New Zealand post-punk prodigies Legs dropped their album Pass the Ringo April 23 on LogLady Records. I was recently turned onto Legs, and a listen to their music nestles them comfortably in my repertoire between REM and The Vaselines.

With their vehicles full of music gear and road litter, the band is heading up the coast on tour behind their album with a stop at Olympia's Le Voyeur May 1.

"We are very pleased to have Legs performing," says John Manini, booker at Le Voyeur. "The stuff I have listened to is a pretty dreamy combination of the better elements of jangle pop, garage and a restrained wall of sound. It's not totally biting any of those in the ass so it doesn't sound tired or recycled and the vocal melodies and harmonies are fairly engaging."

Bringing in the local draw is below-the-radar rockers Vex, with their hot punk feel and aggressive female vocals.

"Every couple of years, downtown spawns a handful of bands that set the bar for what is going on in Olympia," says Manini. "They hit the kids hard with rad sounds and then go away for other projects or opportunities and make room for the next crop of bands and the cycle repeats. Vex is leading the charge right now."

LE VOYEUR, WEDNESDAY, MAY 1, 6 P.M., ALL AGES, 404 FOURTH AVE. E., OLYMPIA, 360.943.5710

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21, 2012 >>>

1. Is it possible for a bar to save your life? The Weekly Volcano thinks so. Whether you're looking for cocktails and conversation, or a place to brood, your favorite bar, tavern or lounge can be a home away from home. These are the places you go to commiserate, to communicate or to just get rocked. Three bars exist in Tacoma's Stadium District, and all three will be rockin' tonight. The Hub hosts the Kim Archer Band at 7 p.m. and it will be packed. The Harmon Tap Room hosts two 253Heart Music Festival stages tonight. And Doyle's Public House throws its annual Bad Sweater Party. Off the hook.

2. Throughout the month of November brave men have been attempting to eradicate cancer by growing mustaches (thus raising awareness, which is fatal to cancer). The movement is called Movember. All the Farrelli's Pizza joints are down, hosting a Big Stashe Bash tonight demanding all participants wear a big mustache to score giveaways and drink specials. That means you too ladies. The drink specials include $4 Red Hook Winterhooks and $16 buckets of five. A Best Stache Contest for men AND women will be held. Release your inner face-follicles and go balls-out manly! Oh, check out our Movember photo gallery.

3. Speaking of 253Heart Music Festival, a DJ stage has been added this year. DJ Chris Savenetti brought in an arcade full of local talent, including himself, Mr. Melanin, dAb, Deron "Suga" Jones, D:Fi and Ninja Kat. Expect house music, drum 'n' bass, jazzy rhythms, soul, funk and electro dance competing with the beeps of the arcade games. That's right, it goes down at Dorky's Arcade, beginning at 9 p.m.

4. Besides tasty tunes and big ass bottles of Grey Goose, Encore Boutique Nightclub is also know for showing a lot of skin - specifically, the ladies in the house. A good example would be its second anniversary party last week. Tonight, expect to see more skin when Playboy's Miss September Alana Campos drops by for the club's Pre-Thanksgiving Party tonight at 10 p.m.

5. Punk rock returns to O'Malley's Irish Pub at 8 p.m. in the form of South 11th, Sok and the Faggots, Deathbed Confessions and Burn The Threshold.

LINK: Wednesday, Nov. 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SOUTH SOUND SEXY >>>

Movemeber - that cute portmanteau of mustache and November - is in full swing, promoting men's health awareness around the world.

The emphasis is prostate cancer, which, according to cancer.org, affected more than 2, 300,000 men in the United States in 2008 - more than thyroid, colon and kidney cancers combined. Women diagnosed with breast cancer totaled near 2,600,000 that same year.

Founded in 2004, the Movember Foundation has been launching health awareness campaigns across New Zealand and Australia, and by 2007, across the globe, most notably by encouraging "Mo Bros" to grow mustaches.

The pink ribbon has been around since 1991, it's high time men have an international symbol that gains momentum - Snickers and Foster's beer have both launched Movember ads. The mustache encompasses both manliness and playfulness, acting as the perfect catalyst for a sometimes heavy, taboo topic. 

Men (and women) are praising, and growing mustaches of all types - from the Burt Reynolds to Ringo Starr - to bring attention to other men's health issues as well, including early detection, treatment, diagnosis, awareness of family history and a move toward healthier lifestyles. 

Dudes, the Weekly Volcano wants to see your Movember ‘stache. Women and children: send in whatever - fake mustaches, drawn mustaches, paper mustaches, grandma mustaches! Send a photo of your mustache to feedback@weeklyvolcano.com.

Last week we cruised the streets of Olympia with our Mustache Cam. We posted a few below. For more photos, check out our 2012 South Sound Movember Picture Gallery.

BONUS: Lakewood Playhouse has a mustache for you