Live music picks for TUESDAY MARCH 6 through TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2012.

TUESDAY MARCH 6 / MOE. / THE MOD CLUB / 722 COLLEGE / $29 / ALL AGES

Hardcore fans of jam band moe. refer to themselves as "moe.rons." Not the most clever handle, but there's certainly no disputing their taste in music. This is a band that really must be seen live - as good as their studio albums are (with this year's Whatever Happened to the LA-LA's continuing the trend), their live shows are filled with improvisation and experimentation. It's a hell of an experience, and this show at the Mod Club should be no different.

TUESDAY MARCH 6 / ATLAS SOUND / LEE'S PALACE / 529 BLOOR STREET
W. / $16.50 / 19+
Atlas Sound is the solo project of the extremely creative Bradford Cox who is also known
for being the lead singer and guitarist for the band Deerhunter. His latest album Parallax
peaked at #97 on the Billboard 200. His recent album is full of great tracks like "Terra
Incognita", "Mona Lisa" and "Te Amo". At a recent concert in San Francisco, Cox found
a 13-year-old boy in the crowd that resembled a younger version of himself. He asked the boy to join him on stage where he gave him some life advice and even asked him to play percussion as he performed his song "Terra Incognita". Hopefully the concert in Toronto will be just as personal and intimate as that one

WEDNESDAY MARCH 7 / MURRAY PORTER / HUGH'S ROOM / 2261 DUNDAS W / $18 ADVANCE, $20 AT DOOR / ALL AGES
Mohawk blues legend Murray Porter will be playing a set at Hugh's Room on Wednesday. It's the perfect venue for Porter's brand of music - sweet, soulful blues that share the Aboriginal point of view of history and issues. Porter was recently nominated for a Juno award, and is rightly regarded as one of the premier blues musicians in the country. Blues fans will eat this one up.

THURSDAY MARCH 8 / YELAWOLF / THE PHOENIX / 410 SHERBOURNE / $30.50 / ALL AGES
Back in my university days, I used to listen to nothing but hip-hop. It was a genre and culture that I lived and breathed, and while I eventually grew out of my borderline obsession with it, I've always maintained a love for it. So when Eminem, the best lyricist in the game, signed Yelawolf to his label, I took note. His beats are gritty, his lyrics are raw and hungry, and he clearly has decent flow, so if you're a fan of such things, this one's worth a look.

SATURDAY MARCH 10 / STEVE FORBERT / HUGH'S ROOM / 2261 DUNDAS W / $25 ADVANCE, $27.50 AT DOOR / ALL AGES
Hugh's Room is apparently the place to be this week. You might not have heard of Steve Forbert, but odds are that you've heard "Romeo's Tune," his 1979 hit that made him a household name. At the time, he was believed to be the next Bob Dylan (whatever that means). He may not have reached that potential - and in fact, he never had another hit - but there's no denying his talent, and the majority of his tunes are catchy if nothing else.

TUESDAY MARCH 13 / THE HEAD AND THE HEART/ THE OPERA HOUSE / 735 QUEEN E / $18.50 / 19+
Ah, good old indie folk-pop...is there anything better? The Head and The Heart, out of Seattle, offer a catalogue that contains no shortage of songs that will have you smiling and tapping your feet. It's sweet, it's filled with vocal harmonies, and it's just solid, solid stuff. If you haven't heard any of their stuff, I highly recommend checking out the above video. If you're having trouble picking a show to check out this week, look no further.

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED CONCERTS

March

• Make It Funky 7-Year Anniversary at the Opera House on March 10. $25.00.
• Deniz Koyu at the Hoxton on March 17. $15.00.
• Nicolas Jaar at Revival Bar on March 23. Advance tickets $21.00 (plus s.c.).
• Tyvek at Parts & Labour on March 23. $10.00.
• Sleigh Bells at the Phoenix on March 26. $25.00.
• Andrew W.K. at the Phoenix on March 27. $23.50.
• Flatfoot 56 at the Hard Luck Bar on March 29. $10.50.

April

• Sydney Blu at the Hoxton on April 7. $15.00.
• Dev at the Mod Club on April 9. $20.00.
• Laidback Luke at the Hoxton on April 12. $25.00.
• Kaiser Chiefs at the Opera House on April 17. $35.50.
• Tanlines at the Wrongbar on April 17. $10.50.
• Nick Lowe at the Phoenix on April 23. $34.00.
• Acid Mothers Temple at the Garrison on April 26. $15.00.
• Dragon Ritual Drummers at the El Mocambo on April 27. $10.00.

May

• Frankie Rose at Parts & Labor on May 2. $11.50.
• Fortune at the Garrison on May 3. $12.50.
• Eleanor Friedberger at the Garrison on May 4. $15.00
• Justin Rutledge at the Horseshoe Tavern on May 5. $17.50.


• Grouplove at the Wrongbar on May 9. $18.00.
• Maine at the Phoenix on May 9. $23.50.
• Never Say Never at the Mod Club on May 9. $25.00.
• Allen Stone at the Mod Club on May 11. $18.50.
• Mark Langean at the Mod Club on May 15. $21.00.
• Rat Scabies and Brian James at Lee's Palace on May 17. $14.50.

Beyond

• Radiohead with Caribou on June 16 at Downsview Park. $81.00
• Laura Marling at the Phoenix on June 17. $25.00
• LMFAO with Far East Movement and more at the Molson Amphitheatre on July 4. $34.50 - 69.50.
• tUnE-yArDs at the Phoenix on August 1. $21.00.
• The Black Keys with The Shins at the Molson Amphitheatre on August 4. $35.00 - $.59.50.
• Justice & M83 with Austra and Buraka Som Sistema at Fort York:Garrison Common on August 4. $49.00 (+s.c.).
• Il Volo at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on August 25. Price TBA.
• Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall from November 14 - November 17. $45.00 - 85.00.

For more music listings, head on over to our events calendar.

Looking for tickets? Check out Rotate This or Soundscapes to avoid Ticketmaster robbery.

Have an event you'd like us to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO events calendar.

With contributions from Charissa Tosio.

Photo of moe. courtesy of johngullo on Flickr.