Well. All right, then. It’s Best Of The Best time, friends. Five bands compete for the grand prize of $29,000,000,000 (not really), but there is a cash prize involved, and we’re pretty sure you get a plaque or something. The “or something” could range from a live monkey to a box of DOTS. We’ll see. Anyway, Marzy Maddox, Triple Lindy, Guys In Thin Ties, Freddie Long Band and Fuzzy Match will all compete. And then, 2015’s winners, Hard Swimmin’ Fish (above), will perform a “We Won Last Year!” set. Best of all, it’s free. And you can’t do better than free. Also of note this weekend, Fractal Cat, who we adore full-heartedly, will be returning to Cafe Nola, and you’ll need to go catch up with them. A whole bunch of metal acts are set to take the Cafe 611 stage tonight, and when Cafe 611 throws down, there aren’t many places that do it better. Alive @ Five appears to be on like Donkey Kong, and the band’s name has the word “Canyon” in it. So, you do the math. Lost Keys, who we videoed earlier this year, are set to acoustic and roll at Nola. And then there’s Super Thanks For Asking. We’ll be back next week. Same bat time. Same bat channel. In the meantime (and in-between time), though … see you Saturday?
THURSDAY
Who: Alive @ Five Featuring The Cheyenne Canyon Band
Where: The Carroll Creek Amphitheater
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Bluegrass with Eric Knowles and Friends
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Jazz/Blues With Jeff Cosgrove
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: Nervosa, Suspended, BackBlast, White Smoke, Nine Fathoms Deep, MineField, NilExistence
Where: Cafe 611
When: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: Former Friends Of Young Americans
Where: Big Cork Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Soulflower
Where: Elk Run Winery
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Max Honn
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Super Thanks For Asking
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Fractal Cat
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 9:30 p.m.
Who: Skribe
Where: The Blue Side
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Dan McGuire Group
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Marzy Maddox, Fuzzy Match, Freddie Long Band, Guys In Thin Ties, Triple Lindy, Hard Swimmin’ Fish
Where: 200 East Art Haus
When: Noon
Who: F.A.M.E. Traditional Song Circle
Where: Dublin Roasters Coffee
When: 1 p.m.
Who: Jukebox Night
Where: Frederick Eagles Club
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Blues Vultures
Where: Cactus Flats
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: As If
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 10 p.m.
Who: The Ten Thousand, Lost Keys
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 9:30 p.m.
Who: The Plank Stompers, Deltaphonic
Where: The Blue Side
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Freddie Long Band
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Hard Swimmin’ Fish
Where: JoJo’s Tap House
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Secondhand Ramblers
Where: City Hall Courtyard
When: 3 p.m.
Well, it’s probably about time to spout off some details regarding a pair of events coming up. We’ll start with what we’ve already talked about: 
