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This week saw so many music happenings I’m reduced to bullet points to name them all.

--On Wednesday I participated in my first acoustic jam at Brew Ha-Ha on Jefferson Highway near Government Street. I’ve witnessed a million blues jams and open mic nights over the year, but never participated in one. I showed up with a mandolin and guitar, but someone who showed up empty-handed quickly borrowed the guitar. My clumsy fingers managed not to butcher some perfectly innocent Dylan, Stones and Jim Croce songs with the 10-odd other players in the circle. The fine people from The Capos host this event once a month, and I highly recommend this if you want to light the jam session fuse for the first time.

--Thursday saw the Baton Rouge Blues Foundation Blues Jam at a packed to capacity Phil Brady’s. At 7:30 p.m. the evening was already in full tilt and throughout the night Tabby Thomas, Deacon John, Tab Benoit and an ever-revolving cast of blues luminaries kept the place hopping. Since it was a non-smoking show, the parking lot was full of musicians swapping lies and boasts, and frankly that’s where the evening’s real entertainment was, but overall, one of the best nights ever at the venerable Government Street watering hole.

--The Eames Era emerged after a long absence in the city on Saturday at the Spanish Moon to try out some of the material for their upcoming record in front of a live audience. While the quartet’s past material has been comprised of cheery singsong anthems for “being in one’s twenties,” the new material has a harder edge, being more about the throb and the pulse. The crowd definitely responded better to the old material, but that’s okay. I like this band, and I welcome them playing around with their sound, taking the risk to go beyond their trademarked style.

--Finally, the strangest moment of the weekend (or ever) happened in Bogalusa, La. where Los Angeles-avant pop auteur Ariel Pink played the Centennial Year Music and Arts Celebration. Thanks to the event being reported in Pitchfork, this show had the distinction of being read by about a million people for each one in attendance. Pink hit the small stage in an otherwise deserted Cassidy Park, playing for a crowd of mostly his family (his mom lives in Bogalusa, where his step dad is running for mayor), one homeless guy, a couple of contractors and me. After his (to me, delightfully) unnerving show at the Spanish Moon a while back, the good money was on Pink not making it out of Bogalusa alive, but to be honest, he played the show pretty straight, supported by his girlfriend Geneva and a guy named Nick on bass. The trio actually transformed the schizoid fever dreams he presents on record into sweet, sturdy electro-pop classics live. His mom was beaming with pride and the tree frogs and crickets added to his buzzy sonic ambiance. It was short but very, very sweet.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming:

Wednesday, September 6: Kali Yuga is at Spanish Moon.

Thursday, September 7: Theresa Anderson performs early at Red Star, with the Weird Weeds and Wilderness Pangs playing later in the evening. Low Country Audio appears at Chelsea’s. North Gate Tavern hosts The Highlines and Starscream's Revenge. Benjy Davis Project is at The Varsity.

Friday, September 8: Righteous Buddha is at Spanish Moon. Dimestore Troubadours, Mr. Lewis and the Funeral 5 are at Red Star. Lee Boys are at Chelsea’s. The Tiles, The Tomatoes and Big Whup are at North Gate Tavern. Landmines, Baby! and Fred Weaver will be at the Darkroom.

Saturday, September 9: Rocket 88 tears it up at Chelsea’s. Palo Viejo is at Spanish Moon. Silence of the Orphan Moon, Echelon and Black Market Halos are at The Darkroom.

Monday, September 11: xLIFERUNNERx fete the release of their CD at the Darkroom with Emmure, Stifling Neglect and The Quartering in tow. T.J. Black and the Black Sound Parade is at Chelsea’s