Live music picks for MONDAY OCTOBER 1 through FRIDAY OCTOBER 5, 2012.

MONDAY OCTOBER 1 / WILLIS EARL BEAL / THE DRAKE HOTEL / 1150 QUEEN W / $15.50 - $18 / 19+

Willis Earl Beal is an artist/musician who has one of the coolest gimmicks on his website that I've ever seen. If you write him a letter, he'll draw you a picture and send it back. And if you give him a call (seriously, his number is on the site), he'll sing a song to you over the phone. That, right there, is pure love for his fans, and it's refreshing to see in a day and age when many artists can't be bothered to acknowledge their fan base. His music, a kind of experimental folk, is pretty awesome, too.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 2 / ALABAMA SHAKES / THE KOOL HAUS / 132 QUEENS QUAY / $35.50 / ALL AGES

One of the biggest surprises of 2012 has been the rise of soul rock quartet Alabama Shakes. Hailing from Alabama (naturally) the group released their debut album last April, and ever since then, they've been riding an endless wave of critical acclaim and praise from their growing fanbase. It's not hard to see why - their music is a throwback to the soul and garage rock of the '70s, and the voice of frontwoman Brittany Howard is powerful and strangely sweet. Check these guys out if you haven't already - they could be the next big thing.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 3 / THE AFGHAN WHIGS / THE PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE / $42.50 / 19+

The Afghan Whigs were one of the more prominent bands of the '90s alternative rock scene, and their amicable breakup in 2001 left more than a few fans disappointed. But, like most bands who break up will often do, they've reunited in 2012 for a series of concerts across North America. And luckily for us, they're making a stop in Toronto. If you're a fan of '90s alt-rock (and, let's face it, most of us are), this one might be worth checking out, if only for nostalgic reasons. Crocodiles will open.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 / PERFUME GENIUS / 918 BATHURST / 918 BATHURST ST / $28.13 / ALL AGES

I included Perfume Genius, the stage name of solo artist Mike Hadreas, in the Hot Ticket back in April, and now he's back to serenade us once more with his unique brand of experimental dream-pop. This is, admittedly, an acquired taste, but his material is actually quite unique (if nothing else) and he's well known for his live shows. This one's for those of you who are looking for something a little different.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 5 / MATT & KIM / THE PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE / $21.50 / ALL AGES

If Perfume Genius doesn't really entice you on Friday night, you can always roll over to The Phoenix, where indie-pop rock duo Matt & Kim will take the stage. The duo will be fresh off the release of their fourth LP, Lighting, which is coming out on Tuesday. You can expect to hear a lot of material off of it, but it's safe to say that they'll be dipping into their past catalogue as well. Oberhofer will offer support.

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Photo of Alabama Shakes courtesy of wfuv on Flickr.