• Two big shows to watch coming up: That TOWER OF SONG we've been telling you about got approval from the City Council to put on a big festival May 23. So that's on. But there's also a "PORTLAND'S VERSION OF LIVE AID" thing brewing for May 17, where 15 bands or so will play the Asylum all day in an effort to raise funds for the PREBLE STREET RESOURCE CENTER. Bands on board include THIS WAY, ADAM KURTZ, SLY-CHI, ERIC BETTENCOURT, LOVERLESS, JACOB AUGUSTINE, GRUPO ESPERANZA, PETE MILLER AND HIS FRIENDS, TREE BY LEAF, GRANT STREET ORCHESTRA, ROYAL HAMMER, and THE SEA CAPTAINS. A couple of headliners are still TBA. Stay posted.
• Look out for the STRANGELY POSSIBLES. An eclectic group fronted by ALEX TIMPSON and featuring the likes of FLASH ALLEN on keys, the ROCKET RICHARD on all manner of percussion and drum programming, and McCarthy JIMMY MCGIRR on bass, you haven't really heard music like this in Portland before. It can be funky, in the way Jack Johnson can be, but it can also be almost electronic. They're just about brand new (four friends on MySpace), but they'll be releasing a disc, This World, May 7 at Una, with a release show that doubles as a fundraiser for the Scarborough Land Conservation Trust.
• The RUSTIC OVERTONES horn section of DAVE NOYES, JAY WARD, and RYAN ZOIDIS joined RAY LAMONTAGNE for three songs during his two shows at the Merrill this past weekend, then joined him for another show in Burlington, Vermont. Their work on "Three More Days" and "You Are the Best Thing" made sense. Their work on "You Can Bring Me Flowers" was electric. After Friday's show, a good portion of the crowd hit the Big Easy to see GYPSY TAILWIND, who delivered the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd their radio hit "So Lonely" early, then showed that's not even their best tune. ANNA LOMBARD and DAN CONNOR are still the draw, but the band is getting very tight.
• Don't miss the POOR VALLEY PRESERVATION SOCIETY gig April 19 at the North Star. It'll be their last. No drama. They're just not feeling it anymore.
