There's some fine live music to be found in Portland this weekend

Kinda as usual here in P-town ... always something good ... and you don't even have to search a whole lot.

BTW, Oregon Music News has some good picks each Thursday that you should check out ... put together by a few folks with a variety of tastes, so it's a bit broader than what you'll find here. Meester and Meester, Andy Stokes, Cold War Kids, Jeff Baker, Man or Astro-Man? ... good stuff, OMN!

 Friday

Vocalist Karen Lovely will be doing her show, "Stirred & Shakin'- An Evening of Prohibition & Contemporary Blues" at Jimmy Mak's  ... 8 pm, $15

Thad Beckman with Kurtis Piltz on harmonica will be in the cozy confines of O'Connor's ... 8 pm, $7

Chad Rupp with special guests Big Monti and Franco Paletta will lead a high energy blues evening at Duff's ... 9 pm, $8

The Quick and Easy Boys hold a CD release at the Wonder Ballroom ... with Sassparilla and brought to you by KZME ... 9 pm, $12

Saturday
Time for the James Low Western Front happy hour show at the Laurelthirst. Some of you might not know this, but James will be moving this summer to Malaysia ... for two years! He'll be back occasionally to visit and perform, but there's only eight more happy hours, so if you want to catch one of Portland's best songwriters with a kickass band ... get over to the Laurelthirst! ... 6 pm, no cover

Need some Django style jazz? Check out Everything's Jake for happy hour at The Secret Society Ballroom ... 6 pm, no cover ... Followed by a three band swing evening led by the Midnight Serenaders ... 9 pm, $10

Joe McMurrian had put together an ambitious tribute to Portland native, iconoclastic folk music collector, and creative eccentric, Harry Smith. Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, which he put together for Folkways Records 60 years ago inspired a generation of musicians that revived folk music traditions and heavily influenced the development of popular music. A host of Portland musicians will be on hand to perform many of the songs from the Anthology. You can find out more here or in this interview with McMurrian at Oregon Music News ... 7 pm, $20

 Miller and Sasser turn the Landmark Saloon into a boot scootin' honky tonk at 9 pm ... and I heard that Whitey Morgan will be doing a solo set at 6 pm ... the Landmark is THE place for roots country music at its best ...

Sara Watkins and her band will be at Mississippi Studios supporting the release of her new CD, Sun Midnight Sun ...9 pm, $18

The DK Stewart Sextet will keep the dance floor busy at Duff's ... 9 pm, $10 

Sunday
The big weekend show for me is my good friend Steve Kerin's CD release at Duff's. Joy is the long awaited solo recording by someone who, since arriving in Portland from Louisiana eight years ago, has established himself as one of the premier keyboard players in Portland's blues and roots music communities. Joy was recorded in his hometown of Lafayette, and Kerin's affinity for blues, pop, rock, funk, Cajun, and country shines through on twelve original tunes. There will be two sets - the first focusing on tunes from Joy, the second will be a romp through Louisiana styles with a band made up of Kerin's Atomic Gumbo and the Too Loose Cajun/Zydeco Band ... this will be almost too much fun for a Sunday night ... Joy indeed! ... 7 pm, $12