Friday and Saturday ... your choice

Quickly for the weekend ...

Friday
Modern country isn't my thing, but there's two artist playing the big arena (Rose Garden) tonight that have generally moved through their careers with integrity and respect for a more classic sound and approach. So if you want to drop $80 or so bucks on a ticket, Reba McEntire and George Strait should be pretty entertaining ...7 pm

On the local scene ...
Happy hour music tonight - Jimmy Boyer is at Biddy McGraws (6 pm), Morgan Geer and Root Jack are at the Laurelthirst (6 pm), and Neon Trees is at The Woods (6 pm) .... no cover for any of these  (but always be generous feeding the tip jar!) ... Later (9:30 pm) shows feature Funk Shui at Biddys and Sneakin' Out at the Laurelthirst.

Pete Krebs is at the Press Club ... 8:30 pm, no cover

The Devin Phillips Band is at Jimmy Mak's ... 8 pm, $12

The Bureau of Standards Big Band is at Tony Starlights ... 8 pm, $12

The Dimes headline a four band show at the Doug Fir tonight ... 9 pm, $8

The Beautiful Train Wrecks, Drugstore Cowboy and Katie Sawicki are at The White Eagle ... 9:30 pm, $6

and New England-based folk troubadour Ellis Paul will be at The Woods ... 9 pm, $18

Saturday

Back from SXSW, Quasi and Explode Into Colors will be rocking the Doug Fir ... 9 pm, $14

There a very cool blues house party that happens monthly in SE Portland. Tonight it hosts The Survivors (Jon Koonce, Denny Bixby, Albert  Reda, and Lloyd Jones) According to Lloyd, they will be "playing crazy favorites from all over the map! With four vocalists and no adult supervision, there's no telling what can happen."  So if you want to be there, call (503-784-6824) or email Jim Flynn ... music begins at 7 pm, $10 and BYOB. It's a party!

The Gretchen Mitchell Band will be at Blackbird Wines ... 8 pm, $12

The Devin Phillips Band and the Scott Pemberton Trio will be at The Goodfoot ... 9 pm, $8

Acoustic Minds have a CD release party at Jimmy Mak's ... 8 & 10 pm, $15 for both sets, $10 for first only

Colleen Raney, Jonah and Ezra Holbrook are at the Press Club ... 8:30 pm, no cover

The Caleb Klauder Country Band is at the Laurelthirst ... 9:30 pm, $??

The Devil Makes Three are in town and playing the Wonder Ballroom ... 9 pm, $15

... and for you westsiders, out at the Rock Creek Tavern is Pondosa, a new band project by Portland's first family of country music, the Millers. Brothers Ian and Chris join James Sasser for a very classic country sound. Reba and George would approve ... 9 pm, no cover

Okay ... now head out to some live music!