THURSDAY, MAY 23 2013 >>>

In the last month, recent corruption scandals in (pick a state or country) have been compared to From Russia With Love, season two of The Sopranos, Stranger Than Fiction and Groundhog Day. In regards to momentum, The South Puget Sound Community College Theater Program sure picked the right time to stage its humor-filled tale of political corruption, View of the Dome. According to SPSCC hype, "The play follows an idealistic, young Washington attorney who persuades her former law professor to run for Congress. Ideals shrivel in the Washington air as the professor is swept into an insider's circle that includes a leering, power-drunk senator and a slinky Southern power broker." catch it at 8 p.m. in the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center.

2. The University of Washington Tacoma hosts Tribute to Our Troops from 12:30 to 1:30 at William Philip Hall on its campus. The event is free and open to the public. Active military, veterans, family members, friends and anyone who wants to recognize the commitment and sacrifice of those in the armed forces are all welcome to attend. Expect music by local country musician Jonathan Harris, speeches and special coins.

3. Think running and drinking don't mix unless there's a K-9 unit involved? Not true. The Tacoma Runners - a group of T-Town pavement pounders - meet every Thursday for a 3-mile loop at a "social pace" at one of Tacoma's favorite watering holes. Tonight at 6:30 p.m. the starting and finishing line will be El Guadalajara on Sixth Avenue.

4. Blues dancing derives from the so-called "Black vernacular" of Southern dance styles and includes such moves as the Lindy and the irresistibly named "Funky Butt." Worst case scenario: you have two left feet but get to listen to Nina Simone. Check out OlyBlues Dance at 9 p.m. inside the Eagles Ballroom.

5. The Barleywine Revue will fill The Swiss in downtown Tacoma with fiddle music beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Thursday, May 23 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 2013 >>>

1. As the Defense Department shifts its military power and presence from a shrinking Middle East war zone to the vast Asia-Pacific region, it also is rebalancing its focus within the increasingly important region. From 4-6 p.m., the University of Washington Tacoma will host a symposium focusing on the United States' strategic rebalance toward Asia-Pacific. While it will be a moderated discussion with scheduled speakers, there will be time for open questions from the audience as well. Attendees will get to here commentary from Maj. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan, deputy commanding general, I Corps, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and Daniel Malarkey, deputy director, Washington State Department of Commerce, as well as high-ranking faculty from the UW. The event is free, but registration is required; click here to sign up.

2. For this month only, Stanley and Seafort's (115 E. 34th St., Tacoma) is offering a delectable deal. With any steak on the menu they will add a complimentary side of coconut prawns or a petite lobster tail with the simple mention of this offer.

3. Concoctors of all things hoppy, malty and brewtastic at Tacoma's own Harmon Brewery are taking over the ballgame. Cheney Stadium (2502 S. Tyler St., Tacoma) is hosting Harmon Brewery Night during the Rainiers' game May 22 beginning at 7 p.m. In exchange for a $7 reserve ticket you'll receive a $5 voucher for a pint of tasty Harmon beer. Sip on a Point Defiance, Mt Takhoma Blonde or a Black Tartan IPA. Anyone who has been to a fair share of baseball games knows a $5 ballpark brew is a steal. Get some.

4. Songwriter Mary Win will perform haunting original folk songs from 7-9 p.m. at Rhapsody In Bloom Florist & Cafe Latte.

5. Pub trivia nights can either ignite the party or stifle the mood. McNamara's Pub & Eatery in DuPont does everything possible to avoid being a major buzz kill. Every Wednesday McNamara's Pub starts team trivia at 7 p.m. Irish-inspired food helps trivia players stock up on brainpower before the trivia starts. Beer and drink specials happen at trivia intermission. Because everyone knows a good buzz makes trivia that much easier. What's the capital of Kazakhstan? Take a drink and think.

LINK: Wednesday, May 22 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

Under orders from my editor, I, Keegan Patterson, stalwart intern that I am, ventured haphazardly through the perilous and labyrinthine concrete forest of downtown Tacoma to arrive at my destination, the intersection of 11th and Broadway. My mission? To watch and review the video currently playing at the newly resurrected The Tollbooth Gallery. After being out of service for a while, TTG was recently put back in action as a part of the Spaceworks Tacoma initiative, which is "designed to activate empty storefronts and vacant space," as stated by its website.

On Broadway, like a miniature religious site awaiting its pilgrims, The Tollbooth Gallery stood - a multicolored monolith playing its video on repeat. So eye-catching was the booth that I quickly found myself captivated by the monitor fixed to its center. I was enthralled, transfixed and before I felt I had experienced the installation fully, I had watched the video five times.

Read more...

TUESDAY, MAY 21 2013 >>>

1. Week of Wonders describe their music as "tropical punk," which we suppose is as good a place to start as anywhere. What do they mean when they say this? Upon first listening, the lo-fi guitars and reverb-laden vocals call to mind any of many psychedelic pop revivalists, but then that percussion begins to seep into the fore. The sprightlier the percussion becomes, the easier it is to be whisked away by Week of Wonders to warmer climates, where the murkiness of the humidity starts to soak your brain and encourage flights of fancy and hallucinatory revelry.Catch them withHumble Cub and Shogun Barbie at 8 p.m. in the Tahoma Tea & Co.

2. The Pierce County Gleaning Project and Share the Harvest programs will kick off the season with a picnic-potluck paired with a continuing conversation on food justice issues in Tacoma/Piece County from 6-8 p.m. in Wright Park. Breakout-blankets will be arranged for some meaty (and veg/vegan!) discussion topics.

3. Mike Vax, an international artist for the Getzen Musical Instrument Company and a Summit Records recording artist, has played lead and solo trumpet with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Clark Terry Big Bad Band, and the U.S. Navy Show Band. His "sit-in" list is long and impressive that includes Art Pepper, Gene Krupa, Al Grey, and Freddy Hubbard, John Handy, Don Ellis, Don Jacoby, Louie Bellson, Joe Williams. Currently Vax leads his own groups: The Stan Kenton Alumni Band, The Mike Vax Jazz Orchestra, The Swing Shift Big Band in Prescott, Arizona, TRPTS (Trumpets), The Great American Jazz Band and the Mike Vax Quintet and Sextet. And he finds time to drop in on Tacoma how? Vax will hold a 7:30 p.m. trumpet clinic with the Tacoma Community College Band at TCC where he'll perform, talk about jazz, coach the band, dole out tips and, maybe, fetch your car.

4. Blackbird Raum is a gypsy punk band from Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, that are well known for their frantic live shows. Catch them with Matador, Gembrokers, Phillip Irie, Rickie Rich and The Lockstitch at 8 p.m. in Northern.

5. Negative Degree and Sterilized Adjustment play a 9 p.m. show at Le Voyeur.

LINK: Tuesday, May 21 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

The Sixth Avenue street fair bonanza known as the Art on the Ave returns to Tacoma Sunday, July 14 bringing all the corn on a stick, face painting and guys dressed as nuns on a pogo stick that comes with it. Also, look out for the Save our Sonics guy. Yes, Sixth Avenue traffic will have to find an alternate route that Sunday afternoon as the good times will be rolling all day.

Ignoring the Art on the Ave dunk-tank, the highlight of the annual event is the music. This year four stages will dot the asphalt, although one stage will house such acts as dance groups, grub crawl judging, maybe a choir and probably cute kids.

Here are the music acts scheduled to perform the second Sunday in July, beginning around 11 a.m.

Dirty Oscar's Annex (2309 Sixth Ave.): The Fame Riot, Ben Union, The Dignitaries, Not From Brooklyn, Bandolier and Roswell 

O'Malley's Irish Pub (2403 Sixth Ave.): The Fun Police, Ten Pole Drunk, Kramer, Northslope and Devil on a Leash 

Jazzbones (2803 Sixth Ave.): Nolan Garrett, Big Wheel Stunt Show, Randy Hanson, Mighty High, C-leb and Kettle Black ... with two headlines to be announced July 13.

Conveniently located directly next to the Garfield Book Company, 208 Garfield could easily be confused for just another cafe character. And while, especially in the morning hours, it does indeed sling out espresso and fresh baked pastries, 208 seamlessly transcends to wine bar status in the afternoon, serving up clean plated gastro pub type cuisine.

208 Garfield's lunch menu includes a variety of tasty paninis, salads and sandwiches available throughout the day. Their Happy Hour Menu, which goes live at 3 p.m., adds a variety of cheese plates and larger entree like dishes such as a Slow Roasted "Pure Country" Pork Belly with a brown sugar glaze served with pickled mustard seeds and a shaved fennel salad ($7). This pork belly is among some of the most tender I've eaten. The brown sugar glaze loaned a nice sweetness and, when paired with the mustard seeds, certainly balanced sweet and savory together. To accompany the pork belly I suggest their onion soup, paired with a mixed green salad ($5). The soup-salad combo is a hearty meal in itself, and exceptionally priced.

208 Garfield also features a lovely selection of Washington and Oregon wines and local craft brews. For those looking for something refreshing minus the alcohol you can find tasty herbal spritzers infused with lavender, elderflower and vanilla.

If this post was called Eat These Two Dishes Now, I'd suggest the Tuscan Bread Salad ($6). Using toasted Grand Central ciabatta bread - a Pacific Northwest native - as the base 208 then tossed the salad with fresh red peppers, tomatoes, red onion kalamata olives and fresh basil. This bread salad was a satisfying matrimony of distinct flavors, including a Mediterranean-esque flavor profile. It's perfect for the carb lovers.

SLOW ROASTED "PURE COUNTRY" PORK BELLY, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday with happy hour 3-6 p.m., 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with happy hour all day, 208 Garfield St. S., Tacoma, 253.538.5990

LINK: South Sound Happy Hour App

MONDAY, MAY 20 2013 >>>

1. The Mac - that's Fleetwood Mac, for those of you who weren't around in the late '70s/early '80s and/or don't have parents - will perform at 8 p.m. in the Tacoma Dome. Drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks will be on hand, but missing will be singer/keyboardist Mac mainstay Christine McVie, who blazed in 1998. Without McVie's alto voice, you'll hear a lot more of Buckingham and Nicks, which according to tour reports, you might hear a bit of wear in their voices. Who cares? Bring on "Dreams," "Rhiannon," "Gold Dust Woman," "Don't Stop," "Tusk" and "Go Your Own Way." Bring on the lyrics full of heartbreak and recriminations. Bring on the between-song banter. In the end, the landslide will bring you down anyway.

2. If you've noticed we're pushing local breweries lately, you've caught us. We can't stay away from local beer. Plus, there's something about a local brewery that screams perfect date night. A couple pints of lager, a couple side salads, a doggy bag for the happy couple. ... Powerhouse Restaurant and Brewery in Puyallup offers a pasta and pint combination every Monday that's easy on the wallet. Buy pasta off the menu and get any one of Powerhouse's seven beers free of charge. 

3. Monday is typically a black hole for nightlife. Sure, if you run a sports bar, you'll do well during the World Series or football season, but for most eating and drinking establishments, it's just dead, dead, dead. There's a darn good reason why so many bars are empty on Mondays. So how do those that remain open find ways to fill barstools on this, the most dreadful evening of the workweek? The folks at The Swiss seem to have found a solution and, oddly enough, it's one that has been the bane of many other venues: live music. Since the beginning of time, The Swiss has hosted live blues every Monday. At 8 p.m. catch The Mark Riley Band.

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 and $4 Smirnoff flavor vodka bombs beginning at 9 p.m.

5. Infernoh and Effluxus will rock Le Voyeur in downtown Olympia beginning at 9 p.m.

LINK: Monday, May 20 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SUNDAY, MAY 19 2013 >>>

1. Germany's Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language film, Barbara paints a picture through its striking cinematography and tension-building plot. The film tells the story of a woman named Barbara during the height of the Cold War in Germany in 1980. Barbara is a doctor who is punished for applying for an exit visa and forced to work in an East German hospital where she remains under intense scrutiny.  Winner of Best Director at the Berlin Film Festival, Christian Petzold creates an incredible amount of tension that leaves the viewer on edge. The artistic opening shots are well composed and full of purpose. Each shot is beautiful in a different way than the previous one. Read Cassady Coulter's full feature on Barbara in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section. See the film at 1:55 and 6:45 p.m. in The Grand Cinema.

2. Over the years the Lacey Spring Fun Fair has grown into a great weekend. There are much bigger festivals — Taste of Tacoma, Harbor Days, Freedom Fair — and much smaller neighborhood fairs, bu the Lacey Spring Fun FAir is just the right size, every inch and minute packed with entertainment, car shows, the wacky Kid's World and tons of food. Spring into it from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at St. Martin's University.

3, What started as Paul Manuel's outgrowth of monthly youth jams at Jazzbones on Sixth Avenue has turned into something much more involved; kids of all ages are forming bands, learning to play new instruments, performing and competing through their affiliation with the Puget Sound Music For Youth Association. See it in all its glory at 3 p.m. when Puget Sound Music For Youth Youth-A-Palooza hits The Swiss.

4. Seattle jazz vibraphonist Susan Pascal has taken her music through four tours of Singapore and concerts, workshops and clinics across the United States. Add the Live Jazz @ Marine View show to the list as she performs at Marine View Prebyterian Chuch at 5 p.m.

5. The Lloyd Jones Struggle will showcase their latest original R&B and swingin' blues at their CD Release Show in The Spar at 7 p.m.

LINK: Sunday, May 19 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

SATURDAY, MAY 18 2013 >>>

1. "Since the earliest days of our Union, America has been blessed with an unbroken chain of patriots willing to give of themselves so their fellow citizens might live free. Whenever our Nation has come under attack, courageous men and women in uniform have risen to her defense. Whenever our liberties have come under assault, our service members have responded with resolve. Time and again, these heroes have sacrificed to sustain that powerful promise that we hold so dear - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And on Armed Forces Day, we honor those who serve bravely and sacrifice selflessly in our name," said Pres. Barack Obama in his Armed Forces Day proclamation. So, let's celebrate.

2. Get your Gilligan from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the Port of Olympia resurrects the Swantown Boatswap and Chowder Challenge. Boat connoisseurs will be able to peruse boats listed for sale, pick up parts and accessories all while enjoying a little bit of live music and chowder from Thurston County eateries. The chowder contest starts promptly at 12:30 p.m. when 12 local restaurants - including Fish Tale Brew Pub, The Sidewalk Café, Tugboat Annies and Lucky Eagle Casino - will serve their finest clam chowder and compete for "best chowder" honors, voted buy the eating public.

3. The Olympia Youth Chorus is one of those organizations you just can't help but feel good about supporting. With an end goal of nurturing an appreciation for music and choral art in kids as young as kindergarten age, the Olympia Youth Chorus has been going strong for over 16 years. At 4 p.m. in the Westwood Baptist Church, the chorus presents "Bach to Rock" - billed as "a sampling of choral music from J.S. Bach and Hildegard von Bingen to Sister Act's 'Joyful, Joyful.'"

4. Weekly Volcano music critic Rev. Adam McKinney says there's vocal similarities between Bodybox frontman Kurt Lindsay and late cult singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley.  The Rev. says, "Lindsay's voice, like Buckley's (though, of course, no one can truly touch Jeff Buckley, vocally), is simultaneously full of bravado and wounded timidity. It quivers with feeling, though it might be noted that Lindsay's voice often comes across as more lost, searching, which adds a nice element to what is largely music that errs toward modern rock, with some detours to friendly mixers like R&B and folk." See for yourself over a glass or three of wine at 8 p.m. in Cork Wine Bar. 

5. There's a full, complicated backstory of the mARMITs, involving an "inter-dimensional long shoreman/neon harvester named Wildcat," of which the mARMITs are captives. The rest of the narrative we'll leave for them to describe at 10 p.m. in Le Voyeur, but what we will mention is the music, which is a delirious concoction that calls to mind other insane innovators like Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart, with a distinctively populist bent (music-wise) in search of artistic abstraction.

LINK: Saturday, May 18 arts and entertainment events in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area

LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT IN THE SOUTH SOUTH >>>

4th Ave Tavern Olympia - Downtown. Horse Bodies, w/C-Leb & The Kettle Black, Nine 50 Nine. 9 pm. $5.

• I once wrote that Horse Bodies is the kind of band that gives you chills. Perhaps that wasn't the most accurate description. It's deeper than that - a kind of dueling-guitar, gritty-voiced, party-down kind of chill that saturates your being until you are fully engaged in the music. After releasing an impressive new music video, "Back Alley," and climbing their way in Hard Rock Rising, the band is back to rocking their hometown. Hawk Foxman, vocalist and guitarist for Horse Bodies, had this to say about their upcoming show at the 4th Ave Tavern in Oly: "Olympia let me hear you scream and shout! The Horse Bodies are gonna shake, rattle and rock 'n' roll, so don't forget your dancing shoes cause this show is gonna get rowdy!" - Nikki McCoy
  

C.I. Shenanigans Tacoma - Northend. KC Brakes presents pop folk rock night. All Ages. 7-10 pm. NC.

Doyle's Public House Tacoma - Stadium District. St. Practice Day, with The Bog Hoppers. 9 pm. NC.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. NWCZ Presents: Ben Union, Perry Acker, The Furniture Girls. 9 pm.

Jazzbones Tacoma - Sixth Avenue. Tim Hall Band, The Derivatives. 8 pm. $6.

Le Voyeur Café and Lounge Olympia - Downtown. Speck Mountain, Stranded Sullivan. 9 pm.

Maxwell's Restaurant + Lounge Tacoma - Downtown. Lance Buller Combo. 7 pm.

The New Frontier Lounge Tacoma - Dome District. Bath Party, Mr. Tang. 9 pm.

Northern Olympia - Downtown. And And And, Sun Angle, Camp Wisdom. All Ages. 8 pm. $5.

• With their song, "Theme From Cheers," Titus Andronicus took a desire for alcohol as an escape from the pain of everyday living and turned it into one of the great anthemic rallying cries of 2010. Patrick Stickle's impassioned plea to "give me a Guinness, give me a Keystone Light, give me a kegger on a Friday night, give me anything but another year in exile," summed up this young, dumb need to find solace in chaos and blackouts. When he screams "I need a whiskey right now," he may as well be screaming "Love, reign o'er me." Portland's And And And has a spiritual cousin of "Theme From Cheers" with their song, "I Want More Alcohol (It Makes Me Sadder)." Except, instead of the bravado that Titus Andronicus uses to barely conceal the loneliness, And And And put their depressive neediness right up front and center. Musically, like Titus Andronicus - as well as the forefathers of bombastic drunk outcasts, the Replacements - And And And craft songs that sound big, riled up, and lively in the face of a world that always seems poised to knock you flat on your ass. Read Rev. Adam McKinney's full feature on And And And in Northwest Military's Music & Culture section.

Red Wind Casino Yelm. Jonathan Harris. 8:30 pm. NC.

Spar Cafe Olympia - Downtown. Tattered Dress. 8 pm. NC.

Stonegate Pizza Tacoma - South. Crosswalk. 9 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. Space Band. 9 pm.

Tacoma Cabana and Rum Bar Tacoma - Downtown. Urban Art Fest benefit show with Death By Stars, Elbow Coulee and dancers. Wear Hawaiian garb or Fez and receive $5 Mai Tais all night. 9 pm. $5.

Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill Spanaway. Three Quarter Minus. 9 pm.

Uncle Thurm's Finger Licken Ribs & Chicken Tacoma - Lincoln District. Maia Santell & House Blend. All Ages. 7:30 pm. NC. El Gaucho Tacoma - Downtown. Sandy Harvey piano lounge. 6 pm. NC.

LINK: More live music Friday, May 17 in the greater Tacoma and Olympia area