Friday music picks ...

Tonight is the big Jeremy Wilson Foundation benefit at the Wonder Ballroom with Casey Neill, Dr Theopolis and special guests, and James Low's 40th birthday celebration (and 10th anniversary of his first CD, Mexiquita) at the Secret Society Ballroom (a few doors down) with a host of present and former band members and friends.  James' show is free and he'll be donating his percentage of the bar to the Jeremy Wilson Foundation, so you should at least drop by for a drink and a few tunes ... it will be a fun and noisy night on N. Russell.

Competing for you dollars and music pleasure tonight are some other great shows ...

The Swell Season featuring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova will be at the Zoo tonight. Former Pixies front man, Black Francis (Frank Black) will open ... 7 pm, $24

Mississippi Studios has an early show with Chuck Prophet ... outstanding songwriter and performer ... catch this show first!  ... 7 pm, $15

It's an Alberta Street night for the Portland Folk Festival with shows at the Alberta Rose Theater, the Alberta Street Pub, The Know, and Star E Rose ...here's the schedule ....

Curtis Salgado will soulfully tear it up with his band at Jimmy Mak's ... he'll have Lloyd Jones on guitar tonight too ... 8 pm, $20

The Laura Cunnard Trio with Dick Berk will be at Doc George's Jazz Kitchen ... 9 PM, no cover

DK Stewart and the Soul Survivor Horns will be at Duff's Garage ... 9:30 PM, $??

... and guitarist Alan Hagar and harmonica wizard (and blues musicologist) Bill Rhoades will be at Vino Vixens' new Friday night unplugged blues series ... 8 pm, no cover

Lots more music tomorrow, but want to give you a heads up about a show at Duff's to check out on Saturday -
The Wizards of Slide Guitar will feature Mary Flower, Steve James and Ken Emerson ... Each is more than a master of the slide, but complete guitar players who come at it from perspectives of folk, blues, jazz, Hawaiian slack key, ragtime and can tackle a host of stringed instruments in the process ... this will be an aural treat ...  8 pm, $15


Will have lots more for Saturday ... told you, this is a busy weekend!