Black Cat Sylvester keeps pretty busy around Nashville, between producing for various projects, marketing his brainchild, the Synth Table, and harboring a deep dislike of penguins. Seriously, visit his website for his logic (I’m convinced), then while you’re there, poke around and listen to what he’s concocted. If Dr. Who and George Clinton met and decided to dabble in dubstep, this is what they might have come up with. Check out "Laffy Daffy" to hear his patent (pending) in action.  He’s performing at The End this Friday with Fistikuffs and Al-D. The night starts at 9, and cover is $5. Show up fully prepared for things to get weird. -Terra James-Jura

Aaron Lee Tasjan is holding a release party for his most recent EP, “Crooked River Burning”at the Stone Fox this Wednesday, April 2nd. Dropped March 25th, the EP swiftly climbed the Itunes Singer/Songwriter charts straight to the #1 slot. “Don’t Walk Away” is the first track off the album, and damned if some spots don’t hit with the same misty sentimentalism as a Loggins and Messina tune, while other parts maintain a Steve Earle sneer. Tasjan’s reputation as a ferociously clever musician is widely known, recently honored by ASCAP as one of America’s great songwriters of the next generation. He’s paid a lifetime of dues in touring and performing, and his guitar-picking, toe-tapping, open-hearted folk rock shows only growth. Tim Easton and Courtney Jaye join the bill Wednesday evening; the show starts at 9 and cover is $7. –Terra James-Jura

Consider this fair warning to get your chain greased and your tires pumped up; the Tour de Fun is less than two weeks away! The bike ride/rolling music festival is scheduled for April 12th. By the end of the day riders will have visited 15 venues to watch 30 bands, many of which have been featured on the Deli Nashville in some form or another (Churchyard, Chalaxy, The Prophet Nathan, kidDEAD, Meth Dad, The Joy of Painting, Josephine and the Wildfront). The event starts with a cookout at Riverside Village at 11 am, and the ride begins at 1pm, and the best part, besides promoting bicycle advocacy, fostering the local music scene, and nurturing Nashville’s community spirit, is that it’s FREE! To get more information on the schedule, artists, and locations, visit tourdefun.net. In the meantime, get a taste of the lineup by checking out "Echo On," the latest single from prog-rockers The Subnovas. -Terra James-Jura 

This is a weekend full of multi-media events, as well as the 22nd Annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, an event so glutted with talent that we don’t have enough space to do everyone justice, so go to tinpansouth.com for details.

Friday:

Future Night at the Boheme Collectif, featuring music from The Perfect Hours, Autran, Gay Vibes, and Lust & the Black Cat, 8pm, $8

That Music Thing at 3701B Gallatin Pike with Tether Ball, Pretty Ugly, Sad Baxter, and Tessla Rossa, 7pm, $25

Spoken Nerd Album Release Party at the East Room, 7pm, $5

Sunseeker, Honey Locust, and Twiggs at The Stone Fox, 9pm, $5

Saturday:

Grace and Tony with Teitur and Caleb Groh at the High Watt, 8pm, $10

JP Harris and the Tough Choices with Margo and the Price Tags and Johnny Appleseed at The Basement, 9pm, $5

Red Wine Hangover, The Wooly Mamas, That’s My Kid, and Peaceful Warriors at the 5 Spot, 9pm, $5

Sunday:

Green Jello with Thelma and the Sleaze, and Look What I Did at Exit/In, 9pm, no cover

CELLA Album Release Party with Entity Da Ghost, Tell the Wolves I’m Home, Jack the Wolf at 12th and Porter, 8pm, $10

The Dead Deads, Secret Policeman’s Ball, Babe City, One Cent Stamp, and Randal Shreve and the Sideshow at The Basement, 8pm, no cover

Spoken Nerd (aka Nathan Conrad) will be taking over the East room this Friday, March 28th, for the release party of his sixth album, “We Are Probably Going to Make It In This World After All.” It’s 12 tracks of hip hop that teeter on the brink of Weird Al satire before being pulled back by the integrity of their construction. Conrad can craft a really tight, interesting beat, and even the song titles (“My Comic Book Collection is My Best Friend,” “I Wish Those Jerks Never Killed JFK”) belie the off-center wit brimming in this album.  Case in point: the single “Being a Big Guy Isn’t All That Bad” was released on March 4th for Fat Tuesday. Quiet Entertainer, brainDEAD and Sunset Maintenance join the show on Friday. Doors are at 7, and $5 gets you in. The album is available for pre-order here. –Terra James-Jura

Escondio cut their debut album, “The Ghost of Escondido” in a single day.  The dynamic energy between the duo of Tyler James and Jessica Maros accelerated the process, and a shared affinity for spaghetti Westerns lends the project a sense of camp and drama.  The spark of their initial chemistry is still burning, as their social media is peppered with images of the pair in the throes of recording. The duo just announced a tour abroad in May supporting fellow Nashvillians Wild Cub, and are receiving a flood of glowing press during their current tour of the Northeast. Take a listen to “Black Roses” to reacquaint yourself with their realm of fringed jackets and desert sunsets before their new stuff hits; David Lynch reportedly had high praises for the tune. –Terra James-Jura

Levi Weaver’s third full-length studio album, “Your Ghost Keeps Finding Me” is due to be released on May 13th. Things got real for the former Deli Artist of the Month (and Nashvillian) in February, when he moved with his wife and two young children to an RV in order to tour full-time for the year of 2014. “Hear You Say My Name” is a sample of the cinematic scope of the album, which vacillates from soft and sweet to driving and anthemic in with seamless dexterity. Recorded at East Side Manor in Nashville with producer Aaron Dethrage, the recording features guest appearances from Rachel Yamagata and Carina Round. Weaver utilizes loop pedals and multiple mics to translate his recordings into a one-man live show. His current tour schedule is available here, and keep checking http://leviweaver.com/ for updates, and the next chance to see him finesse a band out of thin air here in Nashville. –Terra James-Jura

Pretty Ugly released this single “Space Ghost” in December. It strikes a keen balance between sugary pop and messy garage while fitting in with the peculiar wave of surf rock that has been overtaking Nashville as of late. It packs a lot of muscle into two and a half minutes, and is a tantalizing precursor to the new material the foursome has been laboring over. They present to you two reasons to look forward to the end of the week: a show with Plastic Visions at The End on Thursday, March 27th, and an appearance at warehouse party/free concert That Music Thing in East Nashville on Friday, March 28th. -Terra James-Jura

This weekend brings opportunity to shake booty or bid farewell to to dear friends, among Nashville’s typical offerings of excellent live music around every corner:

Friday:

Tacocat with Idle Bloom and Fox Fun at the Stone Fox, 9 pm, $7. This is a rare chance to see what foxes do in their natural habitat.

Staying for the Weekend, The Astro Chimps and Keeps at Exit/In, 7pm, $5.

Bones Owens and The Josh Berwanger Band at The End, 9pm, $7.

1 Huge Soul Party at the Mercy Lounge with Space Capone, and Sister Sparrow  & the Dirty Birds at Mercy Lounge, 9pm, $10.  If your hips don’t move at all during this show, I hope you’re an organ donor, because your as good as dead.

Saturday:

Johnny Fritz, Steelism and Isaak Opatz at The Basement, 9pm, $5.

The Kansas Bible Company and whysowhite at The End, 9pm, $6.

The Kicks Farewell show at Exit/In. The Kicks close out their career with a cast of friends and well wishers including The Young International, Tyler Bryant, Kipp Williams, Taylor Sorensen and the Trigger Code, Nick Flora, Fletcher Bell and Ward.

Sunday:

Lindi Ortega and Great Peacock at 3rd & Lindsley, 9pm, $12.

Feedback Revival, Naveah and Slick at Exit/In, 8pm, $5

Andrew Combs and Blank Range open for Houndmouth at the Stone Fox, 9pm, $15 (or $3 with an RSVP here)

Nikki Lane has announced May 6th as the release date of her second album, “Nothin’ to Lose.” Offering up traditional-leaning country undercut with a strong dose of rebellion, Lane fits right in with New West labelmates Steve Earle and The Whigs. Hearing her purr “It’s always the right time to do the wrong thing,” on her single “Right Time” is enough to want to be in on the heist. Lane is currently out raising hell on tour with the Whigs and Old 97’s. -Terra James-Jura

Created less than a year ago, Phin is finding their identity in making big, slightly askew indie-pop songs. Their music rambles into some interesting corners, a lick of doowop here, a carousel-inspired keyboard riff there, as it follows in the high-flown footsteps of influences Wolf Parade. “Those Killers” is the title track of their EP, which is available for free download here. It shows frontman Toby Haydel’s keen instinct for striking songwriting, an attribute that will definitely drive Phin towards a long and successful career.

Phin joins The Whistles and the Bells, Albatross and Good Graeff tonight at 3rd & Lindsley. The show starts at 8, and tickets are $10. Phin is also in the lineup for 2014’s Music City Mayhem, facing off against Red Wine Hangover on March 25th for a spot in Live on the Green’s summer concert schedule. –Terra James-Jura

I picked up a copy of "The Great Southern Brood," the debut album by Honey Locust at their release show at the Stone Fox on the last day of February. Shortly thereafter, Nashville froze. By "froze," I mean “experienced mild ice cover,” which was still enough to shut down the city and keep everyone inside. It was also enough to coat every tree branch in ice, which I had the privilege of seeing in the noon sun as I risked the roads. And by "risk," I mean “drove on without incident.” Navigating the peculiar gray-on-gray, hill-after-ice-ensconced-hill was just as surreal as listening to “The Great Southern Brood.” Click HERE for a full review of this album. –Terra James-Jura