OK, OK. So you're sick of the 253 Heart. I understand. Like it or not, the 253 Heart has basically become one of the defining images of Tacoma, but I've always been of the opinion that the design just doesn't really feel much like Tacoma to me. It seems too hip, like it might be more at home in a place like Seattle. It doesn't reflect the scrappy energy of Tacoma.

If you're a less cynical person then you might be able to say, "Yeah, well, but it's all about love. Forget about scrappiness and grit, and focus on how Tacomans love and take care of one another."

Fair enough. The baggage of the 253 Heart is easy to push aside in the context of the very first 253Heart Music and Arts Festival. On Oct. 1-3, several venues around town will host huge shows, featuring local music acts and art.  There will also be an opening night event dedicated to highlighting local film. The festival doubles as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association as well as the Pierce County AIDS Foundation.

The festival is being put on by Ben Fuller, member of local rock act China Davis, and one of the founding members of Music Giving Back, an organization that puts on music events as fundraisers.

"Since we do fundraising shows," says Fuller, "we thought it would be good to try to do a fundraising show on the same day as (the Heart Walk), where there's a couple thousand extra people downtown, and do it for the same cause that they walk for. ... I got a hold of Steve Naccarato who owns the 253Heart thing, so I worked with him to give it that symbol that everyone knows."

Music-wise, the 253Heart Festival sort of strikes a balance between the Squeak and Squawk's indie streak and Grit City Fest's barroom rock leanings. There will be dozens of performances over the course of the weekend, spanning several venues and even splitting it up between acoustic and electric stages. It will be interesting to see how successful the festival will be, considering Grit City Fest's somewhat disappointing turnout.

The competition this weekend will be unusually stiff, considering the New Frontier's 2nd Anniversary shows, as well as the fifth installment of Maltoberfest. It's a shame that, coincidentally, these shows happen to be competing with each other, but I am intrigued to find out which show edges out the rest.

"We're basically trying to get bands and artists to really be more involved with what they believe in, as far as a non-profit or whatever," says Fuller. "It's funny. Musicians don't really think they can go play (charity events). ... People are missing out on getting on a stage where people that would never know them otherwise, they can actually see them there ... instead of playing to twenty people in a random bar."

There's almost too much stuff going on with the 253Heart Festival to even start talking about the bands that will be performing. You're looking at local favorites like Brotherhood of the Black Squirrel, The Variety Hour, The Legend of Bigfoot and Big Wheel Stunt Show, and that's just four bands of nine performing on one of the stages on one of the days of the festival. This is a festival that certainly seems intent on overwhelming with rock 'n' roll.

In the end, of course, the 253Heart Festival is about giving a little bit to these worthy charities. This is about actually embodying the best connotations of that 253 Heart symbol: us, as a community, coming together to share in music and support causes that are bigger than all of us.

As long as we're stuck in this city together, it wouldn't hurt to do something good every once and a while.

LINK: Bobble Tiki chimes in

LINK: 253Music Film Festival

253Heart Music and Arts Festival schedule

FRIDAY, OCT. 1

The Peabody Waldorf Boutique and Gallery Tacoma - Downtown. 253Heart Music Festival Opening Night Afterparty. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 9 pm.

SATURDAY, OCT. 2

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. 253Heart Music Festival Acoustic Stage, with Christopher Day, Gina Belliveau, Jenson Charnell, Annie Lockwood, Hannah Mendenhall, Jeremy Silas, Joe Rosati, Heidi Vladyka, Michael Oniell, Rane Stone. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 2-8 pm.

The Peabody Waldorf Boutique and Gallery Tacoma - Downtown. 253Heart Music Festival All-Ages Show, with SOTA Songwriters, Matt Eklund, The Neon Wilderness, Us On Roofs, High Noon Horizon, Kill Devil Rum Club, Lund Bros, '60s Soul Dance Party. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. All Ages. 2 pm.

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. 253Heart Music Festival Swiss Stage, with A Leaf, Midnight Salvage Co., Voxxy Vallejo, Blanco Bronco, SweetKiss Momma, Eddie Spaghetti (6:30 p.m.). Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 2-7:30 pm.

Harmon Tap Room Tacoma - Stadium District. 253Heart Music Festival Harmon Stage 2, with Raymond Hayden, Brotherhood Of The Black Squirrel, The Variety Hour, Destiny City Uprising, Ryan Purcell & The Last Round, Boneflower, Deborah Page, The Legend Of Bigfoot, Big Wheel Stunt Show. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 2:30 pm.

SUNDAY, OCT. 3

The Swiss Tacoma - Downtown. 253Heart Music Festival Wrap-Up Party, with Big Fickin' Truck, Brother Scott, Painkillers, Kim Archer, Missionary Position, Jerry Miller, China Davis. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association and Pierce County AIDS Foundation. 21+. 4 pm.