Weekly Music Picks: Home Opener More Music than Sox

If you look past the fact that the Sox are back at home for their first few games at Fenway this season you'll be able to hear a greater beat on the street. As is often the case there is more good live music going on in town this week than any one person could possibly listen to. Time to clone yourself so you can scoop up a standing room ticket to watch Dice-K pitch and then head over to Great Scott and TT's.

Tuesday, 4/10
James Morrison
Music types in the U.K. are gushing over James Morrison, the 22-year-old supposedly poised to take over as Britain's newest bleeding-heart singer-songwriter. Recent recipient of the Brits awards' "best male artist" award, Morrison is now taking his sensitive tunes Stateside, with the February release of "Undiscovered" and a club tour. Morrison's youth is evident with lyrics that read a little young, but his graveled husky voice (reminiscent of Ray LaMontagne) makes the songster stand out from the crowd of guys with guitars. Morrison's Tuesday night show at TT the Bear's, with Jessie Baylin, is sold out, but you can probably find tickets online if you want to catch him early in his U.S. career.
James Morrison with Jesse Baylin, TT the Bear's, Cambridge 9:30 p.m.
James Morrison: website | myspace

Junior Boys
One of last year's most talked about acts, Canada's Junior Boys craft "supple, stylish electro-pop so cool it makes glaciers jealous," that sounds like "Talk Talk produced by Timbaland." So This is Goodbye made many "best of 2006" lists. Baltimore born and Boston-area-based Nat Rabb (aka San Serac), the "one-man electro-disco soul superstar," celebrates his just released first album Professional. Local pop electronica trio, and Bostonist favorite, Certainly, Sir open.
Middle East Downstairs, 18+, $12, 9pm
Junior Boys: website | myspace
San Serac: website | myspace
Certainly, Sir: myspace

Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom is Mike Patton's (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More) new project with Dan the Automator (Handsome Boy Modeling School, Deltron 3030, Kool Keith's Dr. Octagon, the first Gorillaz album), Miho Hatori (Cibo Matto, Gorillaz) and Pigeon John. Four years in the making, the album features collaborations with heavy weights like Massive Attack, Bebel Gilberto, and Norah Jones. One of Bostonist's favorite DJ/hip hop producers, Automator excels in weaving odd-ball sound effects, bad TV and Sci-fi movie snippets, classical music, and '70s space funk into his work. The last Patton-Automator project, Lovage's Serge Gainsbourg-influenced Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, was a hilarious, absurd, lounge and trip hop influenced gem. While more eclectic, Peeping Tom proves to be a more mature, accessible, and (dare we say it?) "pop" offering (to paraphrase HBMS: rock 'n' roll and hip hop could never pop like this).
Paradise Rock Club, 18+, $25, 8pm (7pm doors)
website | myspace

Wednesday, 4/11
Bob Schneider with Sharon Little
Bob Schneider has earned himself a passionately devoted underground since "Songs Sung and Played on Guitar At the Same Time" debuted in 1998, but the closest the Texas-based alt-country/rock songster has come to mainstream recognition was a relationship with Sandra Bullock. It's the mass populace's loss -- the bluesy rock is confident and saucy, demonstrating why the man is regarded as a Lone Star State institution.
Middle East Downstairs, 8 p.m., 18+ $15
Bob Schneider: website | myspace

Thursday, 4/12
French Kicks
A couple of years ago, we told you to "get your tail feather over" to a local venue "and shake it at a show featuring French Kicks." We hope you listened to us then -- if not, we'll try again. Get thee to Great Scott on Thursday to shimmy your way through the French Kicks set. The happy shiny indie pop will make you smile and dance. The Subjects and Wonderful Spells are also set to perform.
Great Scott, 9 p.m., 18+ $12.
French Kicks: website | myspace

Ahmad Jamal (also Friday and Saturday)
Ahmad Jamal's orchestral approach to small ensemble composition redefined the sound and possibility of the jazz trio. His work greatly influenced Miles Davis' formation of his early '60s quintet and Keith Jarrett's contemporary trio with Jack DeJohnette and Gary Peacock. Catch a living legend at the Regattabar this weekend.
Regattabar, 7:30pm & 10pm, $28
website | wikipedia

Friday, 4/13
The Bleedin' Bleedins
Some call Friday the 13th of any month unlucky – in April 2007 it can't be that unlucky. Locals the Bleedin' Bleedins have been a favorite for a while when they come up in rotation on Exploit Boston Radio.
Bill's Bar, 9pm, $10 (what happened to $5 local music Friday's, Bill?), 21+
The Bleedin' Bleedins: myspace

Calla, Cloud Cult, Charlene
The tripple "c" threat which actually includes four of the letter for three bands. Locals Charlene share the bill with those New Yorkers in Calla and Cloud Cult.
Middle East Upstairs, 9pm, $12, 18+
Calla: website
Cloud Cult: myspace | website
Charlene: myspace

Saturday, 4/14
RJD2 with Busdriver (Sold Out)
Along with Diplo and Danger Mouse, beat master RJD2 is one of the three most exciting DJ/producers working in DJ Shadow's shadow. Just check 2002's Deadringer and 2004's Since We Last Spoke for proof. With his new album The Third Hand, however, RJD2 entered "the continuum of enigmatic songwriter/producers (such as Jon Brion, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder) capable of creating a record full of rich songwriting, complex arrangements, and clever production that transcends genre." Bostonist caught RJ and Blueprint when they swung through town last Spring with their group Soul Position (quite a show). Opening is the heavily hyped Busdriver, who just followed up 2005's Prefuse 73 and Danger Mouse produced Fear of a Black Tangent with the boom bip produced Roadkill Overcoat. A couple song titles should give you a sense of how much fun a Busdriver show can be: "Unemployed Black Astronaut" and "Pompous Posies! Your Party's No Fun." With Happy Chichester.
Middle East Downstairs, 18+ $15 adv/$18 dos, 9pm - SOLD OUT
RJD2: website | purchase
Busdriver: website | myspace | purchase
Happy Chichester: website | myspace

Ryan Montbleau Band with Julian Velard
We've tried to dissect the sound of local five-piece Ryan Montbleau Band, and we've decided that it is a "kitchen sink" operation – with bluegrass, folk, rockabilly, soul and even a bit of ragtime thrown in, one never knows what the band's going to come up with next. The band is known for sets that stretch out for hours and gets the crowd dancing up a storm while Montbleau taps his feet against his trusty stool. However you want to describe the sound, people dig it. The band comes home for a night at Paradise with New York groove master Julian Velard and Jamie McLean.
Paradise Rock Club, 8 p.m., 18+ $16.50
Ryan Montbleau Band: website | myspace
Julian Velard: website | myspace

Sunday, 4/15
Christophe Rousset
The MFA owns some lovely musical instruments: gilded harps, ornately-painted zithers, 19th-century keytars. Usually these hang out, mute, kind of near where they keep the mummies, but on Sunday the museum's frou frouey Henri Hemsch harpsichord will pay a rare visit to the auditorium, where hot young harpsichordist Christophe Rousset will coax some Couperin and some Bach out of it.
Museum of Fine Arts, 3:30 pm, $25

Matt Durutti, C. Fernsebner, and Victoria Welch contributed to this week's picks.