The Kents, The Falling Birds play Ottawa stages this weekend

The Kents @ House of TARG on Thursday, 9 p.m., $6

It's been six years since The Kents met in a high school guitar class and started learning to play Buddy Holly covers together. These days, they still call Lindsay, Ont., home — in fact, they're named after the town's main drag (Kent Street).

As easy as it could've been to move the hour-and-a-half to Toronto, The Kents are proud of their small-town background — and it hasn't hindered their big sound. Last summer, the band released a debut album they put together with help from producer Derek Hoffman (The Elwins), with mastering by Dan Weston (City and Colour, Shad), and it's earned them regular rotation on CBC Radio.

The Kents headline Thursday's show at House of TARG alongside Missioner and Thrifty Kids.

Birdie Whyte & The Area Players w/ Shawn Tavenier @ Kaffe 1870 on Friday, 9 p.m., $10

For the past year or so, a monthly gathering in Wakefield has been getting people to "listen local."

The series — which happens at Kaffe 1870 on the first Friday of every month — is called Birdie Whyte & The Area Players. The idea is that lofty-voiced singer-songwriter Birdie Whyte performs for the crowd, warms them up, then invites a different musician each month to play a set before joining him or her on stage for a grand finale jam. The twist? All the featured musicians come from within a 100-kilometre radius.

Birdie Whyte kicks off the 2017 installments of the series this week with Shawn Tavenier, of Ottawa band Silver Creek.

The Falling Birds @ LIVE on Elgin on Saturday, 8 p.m., $10

The Falling Birds hail from the biggest city in North America, but their sound wouldn't be out of place in a shed in the backcountry.

The Brooklyn duo combines blues, folk and 90s-infused punk-rock to create twangy grunge songs that fans of The Meat Puppets will appreciate. Despite being the product of many influences, though, it's The Falling Birds' down-to-earth sincerity that's making the band an up-and-coming favourite in the U.S. and Canada.

The band's upcoming EP is due in February, but you'll get a preview on Saturday at LIVE on Elgin, where they'll play a show in support of local mental health services for young people. Annie Martel, Jessica Pearson and the East Wind, and Neverfriend are also on the bill, and all proceeds from door and ticket sales go to the Youth Services Bureau.

The Lake Effect Sound @ Irene's Pub on Saturday, 9 p.m., $10

Elsewhere on Saturday, local seven-piece The Lake Effect Sound takes its timeless, dreamy pop to the stage at Irene's Pub.

The band's founding members started playing together back in the '80s. In the years since, they've perfected the art of finding what they call "the lake" — the sweet-spot in their musical collaborations when the sound starts to feel like magic.

That chemistry has resulted in the band's most recent album, Sounds from Across the Lake, which blends Beatlesque melodies with lush instrumentation that's both psychedelic and earthy (think Dobro, upright bass and two simultaneous Wurlitzers). Played live, it'll make for a perfect escape from the cold.