Music this week - a few highlights!

There's a couple of shows I'd like to give y'all a heads-up on that are happening this week.

First, tonight Thad Beckman subs for Lloyd Jones at the Muddy Rudder - always a treat when Thad comes over to the east side ... 8 pm, no cover

Also tonight is Mary Flower & the BBQ Boys at the Lake Theater ... 7 pm, $??

And the Bayou Boyz with special guest Kevin Selfe are at the Mekong Bistro ... 7:30 pm, no cover

Tomorrow night it's a rare opportunity to catch Gurf Morlix at the White Eagle. Here's a little something about one of those Texas-bred musicians who's one of those songwriter's songwriters. Plus a guitar player and producer who makes anyone's project better. He's touring to support of his new release, 'The Soul and The Heal.'

Buffalo born and Texas bred, Morlix has provided countless indelible musical moments in the last 40-plus years-his exemplary guitar and production work with Lucinda Williams, his instrumental accompaniment to artists ranging from Blaze Foley to Warren Zevon, his production of watermark albums for artists such as Ray Wylie Hubbard, Robert Earl Keen and Mary Gauthier - and a series of eight international chart-topping solo records that have a singular worldview, both harrowing and heartening, often at the same time.

The record's title, The Soul & The Heal, gives a clue to the songwriter's signature way with words, bending and shaping them to communicate in a voice both clever and insightful. The songwriter says that the title speaks to "the healing of the soul from all the damage we inflict on ourselves."

 Local duo Silver Lake 66 opens ... 8 pm, $15

This week (Wednesday thru Sunday), it's the outstanding Soul'd Out Festival with shows at a number of venues in Portland. Check out their schedule which includes Erykah Badu, Cécile McLorin Salvant, Bettye LaVette, the Rebirth Brass Band and much more. 

Lot's more out there ... if you don't hear it from me, good places to check are the WW music calendar and the Portland Mercury calendar. They don't list everything, but a good start in seeing what's happening.