Released last year, Napoleon's accomplished debut album 'Success' was an emotive collection of spacious mid-tempo rockers and pretty indie folk ballads, expertly crafted at producer Kevin McMahon's upstate studio, Marcata Recording. But not to be pigeonholed, their more recent releases- such as latest single "Moonlight"- have been tighter, more uptempo numbers. As frontman, Detroit native and former Harlem resident Julian Anderson explains to me, the group shares an ethos that each record should be a grand departure from the last. - The band will headline the indie stage at The Deli's NYC B.E.A.F. 2013 (Best of Emerging Artist Fest) on June 8 at Spike Hill. Read Dean Van Nguyen's interview with the band here.

The local venues are bursting at the seams with local talent this weekend, so if you're looking for something to occupy your free time from the grind, then you've come to the right rundown.

Friday

If you want to hang with us tonight, get to the High Watt early because the visionaries over at OurVinyl have put together a showcase featuring Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes and Sol Cat. The whole thing is being recorded, so wear your favorite dance pants or bring someone enough tall to hide behind. Show's $5, doors are at 8:30, and the whole thing kicks off at 9.

In the same building but up the other staircase, you'll find Night Beds and Tristen performing over in the Mercy Lounge. This one will cost you $10 with doors at 8 and the show at 9.

We told you earlier this week about Anna Haas' Women Who Rock Nashville showcase, featuring Frances & the Foundation, Hot Mess Loves You, and Anna Haas & the Effect and now it's happening tonight! Doors are at 8, show is at 9, cover is $10.

Over at the 5 Spot, there's a four-band lineup, featuring Bear Cub, The Great Barrier Reefs, Andrew Leahey, and Levi Weaver. Bear Cub starts things off at 9 pm, so be sure to show up on time.

Stagolee is hosting their CD release party for The Latest Craze over at the Basement, and they've enlisted the help of The Weakenders, The Future, and William the Accountant. Get there at 9, $5 cover.

After you've finished making the rounds through the Friday night music circuit, get to the Stone Fox for the Nashville Pioneers Pep Rally, Part 2. La Force and Coach will be on deck to get people pumped about the forthcoming face-off between Lightning 100's Wells Adams and Justin Hammel. The two local radio DJs will go head to head to find out who will represent Lightning 100 on Nashville's official basketball team. The pep rally starts at 9 with a $5 cover at the door.

Saturday

Things are a little less crazy on Saturday because almost every musician in town will be at No Country for New Nashville's two-year anniversary party. Tomorrow night at the Basement, two(!) handfuls of Nashville's best and brightest will cover selections from Beck's Song Reader. From Daniel Ellsworth & the Great Lakes to Milktooth to Anna Haas, the lineup is stacked and the venue will be full. Currently set to perform are:

Anna Haas
Ben Elkins
Daniel Ellsworth & The Great Lakes
Jared Corder
Milktooth
Park Chisolm
Steve Lee
& special guests

The show kicks off at 9 and tickets are $7 at the door.

If you're looking for something a little more punk, head to Mercy Lounge. Most people will be there for out-of-towners Face To Face and Teenage Bottlerocket, but you'll be there to catch the Joshua Black Wilkins set. Tickets are $20 and it looks like JBW is opening, so if you show up early, you've already gotten your money's worth.

Happy Friday! Party responsibly, and have fun out there!

The enigmatic drift of Western Lows stifles as much as it soothes, placing an emphasis on its whooshing atmospheric soundscapes with a distancing mood. The frame in which the trio works may be wide in scope, but instead of wandering in nebulous distortion, their arrangements have a more direct melodic approach. The songs they've unveiled off their upcoming release "Glacier" are finely calibrated with slick shoegazing guitar work, yet the driving rhythm section is the backbone of the band, constantly veering in subtle textures while never dismissing the central beat of the song. The coy shiver of singer Jack Burnside brings on a pleasant lull that is just right to the band's controlled bliss, capturing an expansive panorama that is glazed with a melancholic tinge. Produced by Andy LeMaster of Now It's Overhead fame (Azure Ray, Bright Eyes), "Glacier" will be released on July 9th via Jaxart Records. It's sure to temper the upcoming summer heat.

Arrah and the Ferns’ live performance has really come into its own in the last year or two. That is why I was greatly sadden to hear that tonight’s album release show at PhilaMOCA will be their last show together for a very long while. Like many bands that I’ve come to know and love over the years, there comes a point in time when growing pains set in and personal lives takeover. Daniel Ryan Belski will be leaving Philly to study in Montana for his master’s degree in music. Arrah Fisher will be taking off on a lengthy journey to see the world in August. And drummer Mike Harkness has joined The Extraordinaires, replacing Smoker. To quote The Rolling Stone: “This could be the last time/maybe the last time/I don’t know!” Whatever it is. Let’s send these wonderful, talented people off with a bang! (Also they'll be joined this evening by Pretty & Nice, Andrew Cedermark and Jackie Paper, and all attendees will get a free download card for Arrah and the Ferns' beautiful new record Make Your Mind, which you can listen to below.) PhilaMOCA, 531 12th St., 8pm, $7 - $10 Donation, All Ages - Q.D. Tran

Songwriter/composer Jonathan Haskell, known as Seven Saturdays, has just unveiled a video for the song "One in 3", which is part of his upcoming self-titled release, out on May 28th. There's an aura of mystery surrounding the video, which depicts a portrait of self-discovery for a man and a woman as their ties of brotherly affection are strenghtened in the process. Or at least that's what lead me to believe. Regardless, the stark, commanding images fit the song's ambient synth segues and nippy guitar passages.

SF based indie rock band, Fox and Woman will be performing live in celebration of the release of their anticipated full length album on May 31st. The show will take place at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Local artists, Debbie Neigher and DOE EYE will be rounding out the bill for this auspisicious music event. Get ready for a night of dreamy, electro acoustic indie rock! Congratulations to Fox and Woman on the release of their new album. You can attain the new record at ther website, http://www.foxandwomanmusic.com/.

A southern belle has brought her charming voice and not so southern sounding tunes up north. Named after a town in her home state of Alabama, Dear Georgiana is Lauren Balthrop, former member of the retro rootsy-pop trio The Bandana Splits. She has recently released her debut self titled album, which features her signature soprano and open melodies that harken back to 1950’s pop.  Preview single "Wanna Be In Love" (streaming below) bears an intriguing mix of influences, from rockabilly to what we call "avant-indie." See Dear Georgiana live at Rockwood Music Hall's Stage 2 on June 02. - PJT

Sons of the West released their second ep, I'll Never Be Your Friend (A Shot In The Back), in late 2012. Now, they are returning to the stage at Lincoln Hall.

The trio plays straight ahead beer-stoked barroom rock and have been for several years. You can hear that sound blasting through on the lead track of their aforementioned ep, "Call You Home".