> CONCERT SAMPLER
THURSDAY Donovan Woods. The T.O.-based tunesmith’s spare lyricism has earned him deservedly positive notices, Nashville credits and should find a larger audience this year with a full-length follow-up to 2013 standout EP Don’t Get Too Grand on the way. The new stuff will get a test run here. Adding to the attraction is Miranda Mulholland and her potent fiddle on the undercard, joined by Sunparlour Players’ Andrew Penner. (Drake Underground, 8 p.m.)
FRIDAY Alex Cuba. In the decade and a half since he left his native Cuba as a teenager, Alexis Puentes has made a home for himself in rural B.C. and an award-winning name melding the soulful, breezier end of the Latin spectrum with hooky northern pop and rock embellishments. Such is Cuba’s appeal that he packs halls like this quite routinely and knows well how to treat them. (Winter Garden Theatre, 8 p.m.) Screaming Females. Marissa Paternoster’s heavy guitar and yelping vocals set the tone at the front of the New Jersey trio and their take-noprisoners approach — no surprise that they’ve dueted with Shirley Manson and Garbage, with whom they share some similarities. Latest LP Rose Mountain put them on a long touring road that brings them here, meaning they should be in appropriately hoarse voice for this return visit. (Silver Dollar, doors 9 p.m.)
SATURDAY Kitty, Daisy & Lewis. English trio of siblings started out as teen rockabilly jam-nighters in London. All grown up, they come here off Mick Jones-produced LP The Third — their third, imagine that, and slickest slab yet. A four-piece live, there’s nothing that’s really out of the retro ordinary, but well-dressed kids keeping the blues alive with such fervour and passing the vocals around like it’s Christmas Eve is quite heartwarming. (Lee’s Palace, doors 9 p.m.)
SUNDAY Valery Gore. Avant-pop songstress relocated to east London over the winter, so be advised this homecoming show will be her only one here in a while. Her work, including last fall’s Idols in the Dark Heart, veers around nicely between blurry dissonance and bright ’n’ shiny, and live she fronts a top-drawer band that for this show features regular mates Devon Henderson, David French and Daniel Neill. Only a hopelessly overcrowded concert calendar prevented a shoutout earlier, so consider this an overdue makeup, with Kira May’s arty looping a complementary start to the night. (Drake Underground, 8 p.m.)
MONDAY Jose Gonzalez. Singer-songwriter from the Scandinavian capital of cool Gothenburg was last here a couple years back with his Swedish psychfolk trio Junip, but it’s been nearly seven years since he has come in solo. This sellout speaks of local hearts grown fonder for his blend of fingerpicking guitar and a setlist that rolls between originals and arresting covers. Iceland’s Olof Arnalds is along in support to up the Nordic ante just a little more. (Phoenix, doors 8 p.m.)
TUESDAY Chick Corea & Herbie Hancock. The two keyboard superstars and Miles Davis alumni toured together on matching grand pianos in the late 1970s, attracting big crowds and acclaim and yielding a couple of popular live records. With a couple of synthesizers augmenting their sideby-side setup now for use if they feel so moved, expect a heady game of improv tennis, or as Hancock has put it, “Chick can play something and immediately it will stimulate something in me, and it goes back and forth. We’re constantly feeding each other.” And of course it’s pick of the week. (Massey Hall, 8 p.m.)
WEDNESDAY Seoul. After getting their feet wet here last fall opening for Lia Ices, Milky Chance and Tei Shi, among others, the Montreal dreampop trio returns to tick off a couple more firsts: opening night, on their first headlining tour, so they could be even more wired and wide-eyed than usual. The single ahead of the debut album due out in June has a lovely shimmer to it, suggesting they’re worth watching when that one comes out and beyond. Add stylish Berlin-based Ballet School to the event and it’s one for the cool kids. (Garrison, doors 8:30 p.m.)