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Wednesday, May 7

Avril Lavigne

HP Pavilion

525 W. Santa Clara St, San Jose

408.998.TIX

Wed – 7pm; canceled

Equally tough and vulnerable, Avril Lavigne has more in common with fellow Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette than just geography and an unusual first name. Much like Morissette, Lavigne seems refreshingly human. This 18-year-old supergirl with the skate punk vibe took the world by storm with her debut album Let Go. Lavigne comes across as a real girl's girl—a cool tomboyish chick with an attitude and independent spirit. Lavigne's style has spread like a virus as fans don sweatbands and spikes, imitate the wifebeater/necktie look and scramble to find T-shirts with the same logos she wears. Lavigne's Let Go has already yielded the inescapably infectious "Sk8er Boi," the frustrated "Complicated" and the desperate "I'm With You." She was touring in support of her latest, The Best Damn Thing, but she's canceled it thanks to a case of acute laryngitis.

Thursday, May 8

Jerry Douglas Band

Montalvo's Carriage House Theatre

15400 Montalvo Rd, Saratoga

408.961.5858

Thu – 7:30pm; $24-$40
Called "dobro's matchless contemporary master" by The New York Times, Jerry Douglas, a 12-time Grammy winner who has appeared on more than 2,000 albums, is something to see. Douglas has recorded with musicians from Dolly Parton and Paul Simon to Phish and James Taylor. The Jerry Douglas band consists of Luke Bulla on the fiddle, Guthrie Trapp on the guitar, Todd Parks on bass and Doug Belote on drums. This Nashville band plays a bit of bluegrass and a bit of country.

Friday, May 9

Symphony Silicon Valley

California Theatre

354 S. First St, San Jose

408.286.2600

Thu – 7:30pm, Fri-Sat – 8pm and Sun – 2:30pm; $37-$73
The symphony relives the golden age of radio in a concert that features an announcer at one of those big mics (Hoyt Smith of KDFC), performances of George Gershwin songs by Broadway vocalist Sara Uriarte-Berry (with Gwendolyn Mok on piano) and even some vintage commercials. The orchestra will also perform Gershwin's Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue (using Paul Whiteman's orchestration). In short, everything but the crackle. (MSG)

Saturday, May 10

KFOG KaBoom

Pier 30/32, San Francisco

408.998.TIXS

Sat – 4-10pm; $15-$20

The annual outdoor concert by KFOG explodes again with fireworks and music by East L.A. favorites Los Lobos, plus Collective Soul and S.F. native Matt Nathanson, who makes Grey's Anatomy-friendly pop rock. (MC)

Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra

California Theatre

345 S. First St, San Jose

408.295.9600

Sat – 2:30pm; $25-$100
The Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra performs a music concert in the opera style. Titled "Mice Wedding" by the Chaunju Playlet, the concert will be a treat for those who like fine operatic music and world-class performances. Also presented are the Kunqu Opera's "Peony Pavilion," Peking Opera's "Taking Weihu Mountain" and a performance of the Chinese Orchestra's "Huangmei Capriccio." (AB)

Sunday, May 11

Amor de Madre

Mexican Heritage Plaza

1700 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose

408.928.5563

Sat – 8pm, Sun – 2pm; $10-$15
Ah, motherly love—just another payday for Hallmark, but there are few holidays as genuinely worthy of observance as this. And this year, Mexico and the United States celebrate their moms on Saturday and Sunday, respectively—sort of a mother's double-header, and Los Lupenos de San Jose and special guests Mariachi Monumental de Juan Reyes make a weekend out of it with a music and dance concert. (MC)

Monday, May 12

Stanton Moore Trio

Kuumbwa Jazz Center

320 Cedar St #2, Santa Cruz

831.427.2227

Mon – 7pm; $22-$25
Years after Katrina, New Orleans remains a tragically blighted city, victim of disrepair, gentrification efforts and general bad faith. Yet even as the city fights to reclaim its soul, there is a contingent of artists who perform as living testaments to its rich traditions. Stanton Moore is one of those performers: a soulful jazz player who could have only been spawned from the Louisiana swamps, whose fluid yet progressive playing bears the indelible mark of the Big Easy. The drummer (and Galactic member) has played with some of the best—Charlie Hunter, Michael Ray and Will Bernard, to name a few—but with his trio, Moore's impressive talents can truly come to the fore. (PD)

Tuesday, May 13

Jonathan Edwards

Little Fox

2209 Broadway, Redwood City

650.369.4119

Tue – 8pm; $18/$20
"How much does it cost? [$18/$20]/ I'll buy it!/ The time [8pm] is all we've lost/ I'll try it!/ He can't even run his own life/ I'll be damned if he'll run mine/ Sunshine ... / Sunshine, go away today, I don't feel much like dancing." But if you really want to, Jonathan Edwards is at the Little Fox, playing his hit song, "Sunshine," this Tuesday night. (CW)