Tell Me a Story 

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• Photo by Kristopher Johnson, submitted
• Cookie Tongue plays the Outer Space at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21.

This week's live treats mostly belong to the spectre of folk music. And that's OK, because folk music is a large umbrella whose shade covers quite a lot of ground. We also have storytelling covered and likewise dance music, fiddles, carnival sounds, metal and lo-fi tunes. Homegrown music rules this week's entertainment and all you have to do is listen.

Cool.

Thursday

It's a nice showcase of multi-medium storytelling at the Outer Space tonight at 7 p.m. Cookie Tongue is from Brooklyn and specializes in an intersectional sound that meets at an asterisk center at the junction of folk music, fairy tales and urban living. Local sweetness will be provided by the anti-rave dance dynamics of Complex Crown and the always brilliant and weird projector-assisted musical plotlines of The Comix Trip. ($6-$20).

Friday

Gearing up to full-bore carnival season requires an appreciation of the slow motion of both the winter thaw into spring and the stutter-start dance of ecstasy and repentance that comes with a full immersion into pre-Lent mysticism. Thankfully, you can find a free shortcut there this evening at The Miniplex at the premier of the musical short film ¡Gracias, Santiago! at 7 p.m. Filmmakers Oryan Peterson-Jones and Merrick McKinley will be on hand afterward to answer any questions about their Cuban carnival documentary.

Meanwhile over at Humbrews at 9 p.m., it's a rare Friday night installment of Soul Night. This edition is in honor of DJ Funky T-Rex's birthday so come join his cohorts DJ Red, DJ JayMorg and special guest from Portland, Oregon, DJ RED-I JEDI for a night of bee-day boi dancing. As always, the price is $5.

Saturday

Rita Hosking is a folk musician and a contemporary singer-songwriter who is not only from Northern California — the southern part anyway, Davis and Sacramento — she also writes songs with relevance to the lives of those of us in the economically inconvenient part of the state. She and her multi-instrumentalist musical partner Sean Feder will be performing tonight at the Old Steeple at 7:30 p.m. ($20). Any show at that venue is a doozy and this one should prove to be a real delight.

A half an hour later and at least 45 minutes north on U.S. Highway 101 (if you drive the way I do anyway) you will find a local variety show underway at the Arcata Playhouse. This one's called The Work Show and it's about, well, work. Jeff DeMark and the Gila Monsters provide the music for the main night's action ($10).

Sunday

Oh my, there's another metal show at the Siren's Song this evening. If you stack your pocket change in the right sock this week (you know the one, the purple beast you keep knotted up next to your bed, full of coins to deal defensive violence upon any midnight intruder who dares to interrupt your perfect slumber), it shouldn't even be a thing to cough up the $8 required to get in the door. Once in, you can enjoy Oakland's Necrot and Colorado's Blood Incantation, as well as local half-stack heroes Death Mode Trippers and Grumpus at 7:30 p.m.

Monday

It's a sleepy midwinter night out here in the fringe-lit sticks of the great southern tip of the Pacific Northwest. However, we still have some free musical options and for that we should thank the great machines of human grace in our wet and remote outpost. Steve Lloyd entertains the Clam Beach Tavern at 6 p.m. with a mix of covers and originals interpreted on his acoustic guitar. And at 7 p.m. at the Redwood Curtain Brewery, you can be a part of the Open Bluegrass Jam if you so please. No experience beyond an appreciation of the style and an ear for a tune is needed.

Tuesday

Cape Breton fiddlers, Canadian masters of the form, and wife and husband duo Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy bring their ecstatic bow and string melodic ascendance to the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts this evening at 7 p.m. ($25-$49). Along with the Highland Celtic fiddle regalia imported to the maritime provinces of Canada, this couple will accompany the fantastic dancing and tapping of their quintuple offspring. This is truly a family hoedown and you would be foolish to miss it if you can afford it.

Wednesday

Sundressed is an Arizona band built around the songs of founder Trevor Hedges, whose histrionic sobriety is a force of power and effect beyond recall in the DNA of the music. This is rock music catharsis and there are qualified technicians along for the ride. Specifically, there is awakebutstillinbed from San Jose, as well as Sunsleeper from Salt Lake City and Alien Boy from Portland, Oregon. Everyone mentioned can be found at the Outer Space tonight at 7 p.m. The sliding door-fee is pretty do-able at $6-$20.

Full show listings in the Journal's Music and More grid, the Calendar and online. Bands and promoters, send your gig info, preferably with a high-res photo or two, to [email protected].

Collin Yeo doesn't really know why or how, but he tries to get where and when right. He lives in Arcata