She finished writing songs for her next album, Were My Sweetheart To Go… (2011), and again found herself inspired by a wide mix of music styles, seamlessly taking cues from jazz, pop, folk and rock. The best part is hearing Land move from genre to genre in each of her songs, as easily as did on Orange Days On Lemon Street. It feels smooth and effortless. Lex does well exploring the strains of unrequited love, but for the second album, she looked more toward the uncertainties surfacing in a relationship, like self-doubt, having second thoughts, and deeply-rooted insecurities. Hence the title, Were My Sweetheart To Go… Of course, no matter what the topic, Land’s voice is at the center of the spotlight.

You can see Lex Land perform Thursday night at Frank, located at 407 Colorado. (A quick note: Please don’t let the street construction deter you; the music will be worth it.) Starting out the evening is soul/blues guitarist and singer Karl Morgan, followed by songwriter (and star competitor of NBC’s The Voice) Tje Austin. Doors open at 9 p.m. Don’t miss out. Get there early to see all three performances. Recommended.

I, your Austin Music Minute maven Laurie Gallardo, am constantly hammering these triple bills home, but I can’t help myself. It’s difficult not to be thrilled by having three of my local faves play the same show. How can I go all Larry David and curb my enthusiasm? Unthinkable. Besides, these bands are too good to pass up.

Here is what’s on the menu tonight:  Texas country courtesy of Mike and The Moonpies, Austin psych-country-rock quartet Frank Smith, and guitar-driven pop-rock by Leatherbag. If you haven’t already done so, take some time to sample the tunes. Check out Mike and The Moonpies’ album The Real Country and their EP, which I’m still quite fond of, Catalina; great tracks from Frank Smith’s albums Nineteen and Big Strike In Silver City; and music from Leatherbag’s EP Patience and album Yellow Television.

See all three bands tonight at the Hole In the Wall, 2538 Guadalupe. The show starts at 10 p.m. Highly recommended, and the perfect way to send the Monday blahs away with a bang.

This year, Backbeat expanded to include coverage of Austin’s scene. They teamed up with staff from the Red River Noise music blog to make Backbeat Austin.

So, in celebration of the summer, local arts and music, and the cultural exchange between Austin and San Antonio, Backbeat is having a massive block party at 2 p.m. Saturday at venues located on E. 7^th St., including Red 7, the Beauty Bar and the Side Bar. There’s a huge list of local bands performing, and a dunking booth that will raise funds for the Band Aid School of Music.

Performance schedules:

Beauty Bar stage: Hello Caller at 2 p.m., One Hundred Flowers at 3 p.m., Holiday at 4 p.m., Little Radar at 5 p.m., Wild Child at 6 p.m., Shakey Graves at 7 p.m., and Sorne at 8 p.m.

Red 7 inside stage:  Three Leaf at 3 p.m., The Red 100’s at 4 p.m., Hellfire Social at 5 p.m., White Widow at 6 p.m., Megafauna at 7 p.m., American Sharks at 8 p.m., Amplified Heat at 9 p.m., Cutting Losses at 10 p.m., One Against Many at 11 p.m., Immortal Guardian at midnight, and Human Error 1 a.m.

Red 7 outside stage:  Lean Hounds at 3:30 p.m., Motel Aviv at 4:30 p.m., The Shears at 5:30 p.m., Fulton Read at 6:30 p.m., Schmillion at 7:30 p.m., The Boxing Lesson at 8:30 p.m., Sounds Under Radio at 9:30 p.m., Eyes Burn Electric at 10:30 p.m., L.A.X. at 11:30 p.m., and Zeale at 12:30 a.m.

Block parties are a part of what sumer’s all about. Wonderful way to spend your Saturday. Recommended.

Earle’s latest album, I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive produced by T Bone Burnett, is also the title of his debut novel, a gritty and powerful story of the deeply troubled Doc Ebersole, haunted by the ghost of his friend and former patient, Hank Williams. (Williams’ song “I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive,” was his last to be released in his lifetime, in 1952.)

The album includes the track “This City,” featured on today’s Austin Music Minute, that was written for the HBO series, Treme, which Earle also appears in as an actor.

Earle spent many years performing solo acoustic shows, but in support of this album, he’s assembled a band that includes his wife, songwriter Allison Moorer. Steve Earle & The Dukes and Duchesses will perform Thursday night at the Paramount Theater, 713 Congress Ave. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show begins at 8 p.m.

Any fan will tell you:  This will be incredible. Recommended.

First Friday Frolic is an event presented by From the Mind of Adi on Transmission Entertainment, paying tribute to a number of music lovers and any related institutions that support local music. This month, my friend and colleague Adi Anand has organized an event honoring the creative staff of music blogzine Red River Noise. They’re bidding that name farewell, by the way. Staff members will continue to write about local music under a new name very soon. Until then, they’ll celebrate their love of music with – what else? – great live music, of course!

The show is going to be stellar. Austin band Fresh Millions will headline, and San Marcos quintet Tactics opens the gig. DJ uLOVEi provides the spins between sets. Get there early – it’s a happy hour event that starts at 5 p.m. at Club DeVille, 900 Red River. This one comes highly recommended.

Patterson plays with different textures and beats, and no matter what direction the music goes in, it always has a shimmering vibrancy to it. It’s sophisticated without being convoluted or buried under too much weight.

Be sure to catch Sleep Good at their show Wednesday night at the Mohawk, 912 Red River, on the inside stage. Also on the bill: Songwriter Dana Falconberry, back temporarily in Austin from her summer tour before heading out again to New Orleans, along with Falconberry’s touring partner, songwriter and folk artist Matt Bauer. Check it all out. The show starts at 9 p.m.

It’s an environment that Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt seem to thrive in. Both have teamed up for a handful of tour dates this summer, wowing audiences with amazing acoustic sets and alternating songs with great stories. The performances are unscripted, and Lovett and Hiatt don’t discuss what they’re going to play beforehand.

They’ve got two shows scheduled in Austin this week. They play Tuesday and Wednesday night, 8 p.m., at the Paramount Theater, 713 Congress Ave. This is a guaranteed fantastic time. Recommended.

The band is mostly instrumental, reveling in the art of creating visuals with very few words, if any are used at all. Their experimental, post-rock arrangements have dramatic sweeps and the calmest waters, peaks and valleys, lush, quiet settings and soaring crescendos. It’s almost a symphonic atmosphere because it’s so tremendous.

When band members decided to pursue other projects in different cities, it seemed as though they wouldn’t perform again. Personal and professional obligations were overwhelming, and things had died down by 2009. But it was too good to abandon. After a line-up change, The Calm Blue Sea reemerged as a quartet and began work on new material. The forthcoming reissue of their remastered debut EP will include two new tracks, and will be released August 2 with a wider distribution.

Of course, this is a band you need to see perform live. The Calm Blue Sea headlines a spectacular show tonight on the outside stage at The Mohawk, 912 Red River. The line-up for the evening includes The White White Lights, The Couch, and Watch Out For Rockets. And on the Mohawk’s inside stage, you can catch The Dark Water Hymnal, My Golden Calf, The Baker Family, and Paris Falls.

The mind reels with all of this great music. Doors open at 8 p.m. This one comes highly recommended.

Loud Planes Fly Low is another charmer indeed, although slightly more mellow, airy and melancholy. Songwriters Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp had separated in 2008, undoubtedly creating some tension that kept them from the studio for awhile. Some reviews have suggested the mood on the album is darker and the tracks not as accessible. On the contrary, rising above the fray to continue writing together has given Howard and Crisp a sort of new outlook. These are probably some of their best songs to date.

The Rosebuds return to Austin for a show Friday night at The Parish, 214 E. 6th St. Opening the show is Stillwater, OK prog-folk band Other Lives. Doors open at 7 p.m. Recommended.

Kinard returned to Austin in the early 2000′s and released his first solo EP, Gone, in 2003, with producer Eric Shiveley, followed by a self-titled EP that he recorded independently. Now, with Archive War, his influences continue to shine through. The band takes a journey where Americana and psychedelia cross paths. Along the way, others are invited on the trip – classic country, stemming from a deep admiration for icons like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash – the stuff Kinard’s dad listened to, and smatterings of punk and new wave by way of The Clash and Talking Heads, respectively.

Be sure to check out Archive War when they play Thursday night at Skinny’s Ballroom, 115 San Jacinto. This is a cool triple bill that features local artists Colin Gilmore and Noelle Hampton. The music begins at 9 p.m. Don’t miss out.