While Justin's on vacation, our guest bloggers are picking up the slack. Today's guest: Lauren Wayne, local music fan, with a preview of this weekend.

A big shout out to Justin -- hope you're having an excellent hiatus adventure. If you find any really strange snow globes out there, please bring me one back and I will slide you some cash.

Ok, onto some events this weekend:

Thursday

• Velvet, an annual fundraising event, will hold a "Green Tie Ball" at the Portland Expo to raise money for the youth development organization Rippleffect and its Cow Island campus. $75 will get you into the Gala, and $125 gets you a VIP ticket to include the Gala, a private early reception, oyster bar, private bar and a gift bag. Music provided by Grupo Esperanza and DJ Jon. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.velvetgala.com.

• Folk-rockers-indie-poppers MARION GRACE play Flask Lounge.

• Geno's Rock Club hosts CARPE DIEM with DJ DB and others including Nocturnal and Sarah Lynn.

Friday

Holy weekend of great music. If you are feeling lazy and like you need to stay at home, you need to stop being such a portlussy and get out to see:

• Dominic & The Lucid are live at Empire Dine and Dance playing their usual stream of dreamy indie rock with openers The Sea Captains and All the Real Girls.

• Get your dance on (or off) at The White Heart with ATOMIK: DJs Jason Keith & Matty.T as they show you why house music is not just for breakfast anymore.

Saturday

• SPACE Gallery celebrates its 1000th event with SPACE1000, a shiny dance party where you bring your bling. DJ Jon on the ones and twos. If you didn't go to the SPACE Homecoming Dance this year, you more than likely regretted it. Don't make the same mistake twice.

• Parker House and Theory return to Portland after their tour with O.A.R. to play The Big Easy. Be sure to wear your dancing armor. Elbows are sharp.

• Self-described as "punk-classical-hillbilly-Floyd", Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams is at One Longfellow Square tonight. If you're a fan of Americana, folk or, well, talent, you'll want to plunk down your change for this one. I don't mean to get all Harry Potter on your ass, but their lives shows are magical and enchanting.

And hey - all you local music fans and musicians: the Portland Music Foundation is having a mixer on Tuesday, November 25 from 5pm # 7pm at the Freaky Beanat 740 Broadway in South Portland. This is a great time to socialize and network with like-minded individuals, artists and musicians, so bring your CDs, cards and ideas and get a'mixin.

Lauren Wayne is local music fan, a marketer for Live Nation and Board of Director with the Portland Music Foundation, a Civil War buff, an adobe brick fan, and a hard-hitting journalist on the blog,
karmabeatdown.wordpress.com.

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