If you’re at all familiar with The Divorcees or Nudie and the Turks — and for fans of time-honoured twang, perhaps you should be — then you’d know that the Maritimes are a quick-growing hotbed for trad-country content. And while he takes fewer cues from Waylon and Willie than his swashbucklin’ counterparts, the eastern seaboard’s latest contribution is Yarmouth, N.S.’s Ryan Cook. Walking the line between sunny and crestfallen — and sometimes careening into Dwight Yoakam territory — the smooth songwriter’s three-piece band lands at Mikey’s Juke Joint on Thursday, November 25.

It’s best to indulge in all things local for the upcoming weekend, though; start with Calgary veterans Ex-Boyfriends, which rolls out its fourth album, Never Been Happier, at Broken City on Friday, November 26. Boasting a brand of in-your-face glitzy punk rock — and a CV that includes members of Summerlad, Pussy Monster and The Puritans — the band will have local up-and-comers Sharp Ends opening the evening. Turn to page 17 to read Jason Lewis’s thoughts on the album.

Next, head to the Engineered Air Theatre on Saturday, November 27 for The Best of Alberta Roadshow. Diversity is the name of the game, here, with the rousing snap-crackle pop of Jeff Stuart and the Hearts, the lush indie-folk of Colleen Brown and the haunted outsider tunes of Shane Ghostkeeper featured on the bill. Or, for the more raucous among us, the Drum and Monkey’s 11th anniversary party features the soulful barroom rock of Dojo Workhorse — head to ffwdweekly.com to find out the newest developments with the band.

Then, there’s music that’ll be sure to exacerbate that seasonal affective disorder. Indeed, Bedouin Soundclash play at the Whiskey, while Beautiful Girls, land at MacEwan Hall on Saturday, November 27. While the Girls lean more heavily on the Oakley-totin’ punk rock of its youth, Bedouin’s peacenik brand of mellow afrobeat-infused ska is the aural equivalent of checkered Vans slip-ons: Not particularly appropriate for a snow-swept city in the Canadian West. Not that it isn’t pleasant, or anything.

Finally, coast-trotting songstress Jill Barber swings into town on Wednesday, December 1; she’s performing at Knox United Church. Mining fictional eras of pop music past — she implements folk, jazz and hints of country in her music — her sometimes coy, mostly confident timbre recalls the intimacy of being the little spoon in a Snuggie snug-fest. Ain’t that precious?