6-Pack of Things To Do: February 25-27 2022

After a few days spent under your quilt watching Netflix (or CNN), you’re ready to go out again. Fortunately, this last weekend of February is full of interesting activities — from the Destiny City Film Festival to record release party to drunk local serial killer history. Cheers!

MUSIC: Armed with husky harmonies, bluegrass instruments, and a heaping dose of one-liners, moonshinegrass band The Rusty Cleavers will rattle the empties at the Spanish Ballroom inside McMenamins Elks Temple in downtown Tacoma. The Rusty Cleavers is a working-class kind of band, combining the world bluegrass, punk, and beer magnificently — with all manner of mandolin, banjo and backyard clatter coming together in a cacophony of spirited group-singing and whoops and hollers. The band writes rowdy songs. They take their musical influences — folk, country, and bluegrass — and punk them up. They add growls, when not drinking craft beer. Sweet Mother will open. 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 25, 565 Broadway, Tacoma, $10-$12

BEER FLIGHT: Stillwater Artisanal Ales is a brewery distinguished by its avant-garde, Belgian-inspired ales — with an emphasis on saisons, or farmhouse ales — and haute-couture labels, and the company’s founder, Brian Strumke, says he’s always looking to push himself further — in his goals or actual miles — to turn beer into art. Strumke has been a nomad. Whether in Stratford, Connecticut at Two Roads Brewing or Baltimore, Maryland at Of Love and Regret, Stillwater functioned as more of a living organism than a brewery, led by Strumke’s wanderlust to go wherever the road, beer or art takes him. In 2018, art took Strumke to Seattle, where he met Matt Storm, owner of The Masonary, the man known for his intensely curated beer list and wood-fired pizza. In 2020, the pandemic paused Strumke’s nomadic lifestyle and, allowing him to dive into Storm’s concept for a new brewery, Fast Fashion, which commanded Storm’s attention away from his temporary shuttered Masonary beer bars. The duo began brewing a series of small batch beers paired with a smart, fashionable Instagram account. Fast Fashion became its own fashion tribe of line-out-the-door beer culture. Today, Peaks & Pints presents a to-go flight of Fast Fashion beer — a flight we’re calling, Peaks and Pints Pilot Program: Fast Fashion On the Fly. 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday, Feb. 25, Peaks & Pints, 3816 N. 26th St., Basecamp Proctor, Tacoma

FILM: The ninth annual Destiny City Film Festival launches Friday, Feb. 25 and running through March 6. Most of the program will be presented virtually, but they’ll host in-person screenings at the Blue Mouse Theatre Friday, March 4 — one a local shorts program. The homegrown film fest will showcase independent films from the Pacific Northwest and beyond. The lineup includes more than 40 films in addition to a variety of events taking place both in person and virtually. For tickets and event dates, click here.

HISTORY: Longtime local author, historian, journalist and all-around amazing guy, Steve Dunkelberger has been telling tales of local history while tossing back IPAs. He calls his nomadic history lessons “Steve’s Drunk History”; so educational, it should be required viewing in all schools — although he hosts his sessions in local bars. Saturday night, he holds court at The Tipsy Tomato Kitchen & Lounge in Central Tacoma where he’ll wax local serial killer lore, including two rounds of serial killer bingo, all under a Hawaiian theme. Grab your surfer shorts, floral shirts, and swimwear and listen to Dunkelberger’s killer presentation. 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 26, The Tipsy Tomato Kitchen & Lounge, 3878 Center St., Tacoma

MUSIC: Champagne Sunday is an interesting breed. Performing a little bit Broadway, a little bit contemporary, a little bit punk, and a little bit blues, this indie duo has a lot of energy and talent that makes for an engaging, powerful listen. Jessi and Jared Fredeen, (yes, they’re married) command instruments ranging from acoustic guitar to piano, with trombone, ukulele, harmonica, and squeezebox. Vocalist Jessi has a sound like Chrissie Hynde or Ani DiFranco — a huge, feminine voice with power and punch, but with a range to reach into a lullaby if necessary. This is not to say that guitarist Jared isn’t without poise when he flies solo or chimes in on harmony. Join the Saturday night for a pre-release party for their upcoming album, Balance. They’ll perform some songs off the new album, as well as screen their new video for their song, “Dressed Up.” The music video will feature some of their favorite faces and places in Tacoma. 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 26, Anthem Stadium, 102 N. G St., Stadium District, Tacoma, no cover

THEATER: Tacoma Arts Live has boots on the ground at the Tacoma Armory. Tacoma’s longtime theater group stages GROUNDED, the story of a female F-16 fighter pilot who becomes pregnant. The Air Force grounds her from flying and reassigns her to the drone program in Nevada. Piloting remotely does not sit well. Mothering brings new connection and insight. She struggles to compartmentalize her existence as her two realities as mother and pilot become increasingly permeable. From the award-winning playwright George Brant, this production will have strong language, strobing lights, sexual themes, combat-related trauma, and great theater. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 27, $12-$39