Blog-people! Good to see you. I have a lot to tell you of. Let's get down to business.

It's Friday, which means weekend, which, most weeks, means I give you some ideas as to what shows you might go see.

Tonight is the Cultural Trust's Gallery Crawl, and unfortunately as of the writing of this, the Cultural Trust website isn't loading for me. Regardless, it starts at 5:30, runs officially until 9:00, and involves a bunch of music performances: Local faves Delicious Pastries lend levity to a pretty serious exhibition about gender-based violence, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at SPACE (812 Liberty). A band I know little about called The Wrong Airport is playing at the Crazy Mocha on Liberty across from Wood (trivia: that space was where Future Tenant used to be -- I played music there once!) Elsewhere, The FutuRisticz and Shinobi perform at the August Wilson Center, Mark Lucas Trio plays Little E's (where there's always jazz on Friday night), Chelsea Baratz sings at Seventh Street & Ft. Duquesne Blvd. (I'm told there'll be a stage) 805 Liberty, and DJ's appear throughout, including at a block party at Penn & Ninth the Convention Center Underpass at 7:30, where Mike Canton of WYEP and DJ Nate da Phat Barber spin.

Elsewhere tonight, On Fillmore plays the Warhol, Brillobox hosts Shapiro, Chalk Dinosaur and Yours Truly (the band, not me), and Good for Cows split a bill with Audrey Chen at Garfield Artworks. A bill, I should add, that is presented by frequent CP contributor Manny Theiner.

Saturday and Sunday is the Free4All Music Festival in Polish Hill at the pool, coinciding with the Polish Hill Arts Festival: Organized by Project 53, a musician resource center, it features all manner of local and out-of-town bands, and is all free. Mike Tamburo, Gangwish, Secret Tombs, The Runaway Circus and more play on Saturday, and Midge Crickett, Buddy Nutt, Good Game, Evil Twin and others play Sunday.

Tomorrow (Saturday) night: the 31st Street Pub hosts the Battle of the Worst Bands in Pittsburgh, which basically sounds like a night dealing with what I deal with every day at work. At Brillobox, Justin Andrew Band headlines a bill with Paul Luc on it. Texas mates Dignan populate Garfield Artworks along with Sainthood Reps, The Felix Culpa, and The King and the Thief. Elsewhere, Bear Cub, Harrison Wargo and The Wreckids play an all-locals bill at the Rex.

Sunday night, Joan Armatrading plays the New Hazlett, The Old 97s bring their always-popular show to Mr. Smalls, and Ola Podrida, whom you know because I both Short Listed them (him) this week and played them (him) on my spot on WYEP a couple weeks ago, plays Garfield Artworks.

Whew! Is that enough for you?