Weekend Live Music Picks

Friday:
Sons and Daughters & The Blood Arm @ Spaceland ($10) - I'm not digging Sons and Daughters, but critics seem to. The Blood Arm is a local band with a really slow website. Download this demo. It's not a stretch to say that it sounds a little like the Strokes.

Bedroom Walls @ El Cid ($7) - Local band that plays "romanticore."

Willy Mason @ Tangier ($8) - This singer-songwriter is touring with Bright Eyes. KCRW loves him. The only song I've heard caught my attention (but not in a good way).

Jon Brion @ Largo ($10) - So what do you think of the post-JB Fiona mixes?

Saturday:
Okkervil River & Band of Horses & Mt. Egypt @ the Echo ($10) - Good show, but who the hell wants to go to a show at 7pm on a Saturday night? Download my favorite Okkervil song, "For Real." Band of Horses and Mt. Egypt sound pretty good too.

The Tyde @ Spaceland ($8) - Free and discounted tix from Spaceland if you answer a question on Myspace (the answer is: Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 and Conor Deasy from The Thrills). I can't believe how excited they are that the bass player from Maroon 5 is on their album.

Daniel Lanois / Tortoise @ the Avalon ($23.50) - I was a huge Tortoise fan in college but I got bored with them years ago. I'm not really a fan of anything Lanois has touched (I did like The Joshua Tree in 9th grade). They're doing the co-headliner/collaborator thing like Iron & Wine/Calexico. You can win tickets from Sea Level Records.

Sunday:
Love as Laughter & Appleseed Cast & Sam Champion & Minus Story @ the Echo ($10) - Be there at 6pm because another show starts at 10pm. Solid night of indie rock. Love as Laughter is a good indie band on Sup Pop. The Appleseed Cast is an emo-y band from Lawrence, KS. Minus Story is a psych-indie band on Jagjaguwar records and also from Lawrence, KS (go Jayhawks). Sam Champion sounds a lot like Malkmus.

Heavy Trash @ the Knitting Factory ($12) - A rockabilly band featuring Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray (of Speedball Baby). Jon Spencer's a great performer, but I don't know about this one.