Heyward Howkins’ music transports my jaded urban heart to a rural landscape saturated with the smell of pine needles and the serene sounds of a rolling brook. It’s escapism at its finest with the simplicity of genteel vocals, polished songwriting and a lone guitar. After cutting his teeth in the local music scene as the guitarist for defunct outfit The Trouble with Sweeney and founding member of The Silver Ages, Howkins has been delighting audiences around town with material from his debut album The Hale & Hearty. Tonight at Ortlieb’s, leave your worries behind by taking in his set alongside a mixed bag of artists like Dreambook, Break It Up and Taggart. It’s good way to get you over the hump this week. Ortlieb’s Lounge, 437 N. 3rd St., $5, 21+ – H.M. Kauffman
