I decided to go fake this year, but don’t think less of me. It was with great pleasure that I pulled the vintage silver aluminum Christmas tree out of storage along with the electric color wheel and spinning stand that plays a rickety old version of “Silent Night.”

Throw in a little Sinatra, Martin, Mathis, Crosby and Fitzgerald, and my retro merriment is complete.

May you find your own way into holiday rapture, and when you’re done plugging in your bubble lights of questionable fire safety integrity and have stabbed yourself repeatedly whilst stringing popcorn garland, here are some live music suggestions to consider over spiked eggnog and fruitcake.

If you are still kicking yourself for missing last year’s epic The English Beat show at Port City Music Hall, redemption time is upon us. Dave Wakeling and company will be back in town for another round of The English Beat/General Public merriment on Friday night.

Last year’s show knocked everyone’s socks off, and it means we’re now on The Beat’s touring radar, which pleases this fan immensely. Therefore, just this one time, don’t save it for later, get a ticket now.

The English Beat. 8 p.m. Friday. Port City Music Hall, 504 Congress St., Portland. Ages 21 and older. $20 to $35. Tickets at Bull Moose and www.portcitymusichall.com.

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S.Carey from Bon Iver will be headlining at Space on Friday night. His debut album is “All We Grow.” I gave a listen to “In the Dirt” at www.myspace.com/scareymusic. It’s the only song he has posted there, but it was more than enough to leave me wanting more.

Carey’s got a dreamy voice (think Shins, if you’d like) and it floats above, below and through patterns of piano and gentle percussion. There’s also an array of other sounds that give the song an experimental bent.

Also on the bill is White Hinterland (www.myspace.com/whitehinterland). Casey Dienel could very well be my new favorite singer, and you should listen to her on “Icarus” immediately. Stick around and hear the even better “Moon Jam.” (Santa, I’ve been moderately decent, so can you please stick a White Hinterland CD in my stocking?)

But wait, there’s more, because also performing is Milkman’s Union, which began in 2005 as a solo project for Henry Jamison.

Since then, three other musicians have come on board, and last year the group’s debut CD, “Roads In,” was released. Visit www.myspace.com/themilkmansunion/music for a tutorial on their sound.

S.Carey with White Hinterland and The Milkman’s Union. 8:30 p.m. Friday. Space Gallery, 538 Congress St., Portland. Ages 18 and older. $10 tickets available at Bull Moose Music locations and www.space538.org.

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Take a break from outlet shopping on Saturday afternoon and plunk yourself down at the Azure Caf?or some live jazz from 14-year-old Hattie Simon. You read that right, she’s 14 and she performs jazz standards from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. I caught a glimpse of Simon online at www.youtube.com/user/oobhattie and watched three clips — the 1920s standard “Deed I Do,” one from the ’50s called “No More Blues” and a very cool cover of a Regina Spektor song.

Sure she’s young, but if Hattie Simon already sounds this good at 14, the future shines brightly. And let’s face it, the name Hattie Simon has a very snappy ring to it.

Hattie Simon. 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The Azure Cafe, 123 Main St., Freeport. Free with meal. www.azurecafe.com.

Aimsel Ponti is a Portland freelance writer. Contact her at:

aimselponti@yahoo.com

 


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