He's one of the mightiest rock howlers in town, so what is Rockford Mules singer Erik Tasa doing with an acoustic guitar and a handful of tender ballads? That's the gist of his seven-song solo set, "Ballad of a Winter Beard," which he will promote Saturday at Cause with Martin Devaney and John Swardson (9 p.m., $5).

Turns out, Tasa, 38, can be quite the gentle man. At times, "Winter Beard" merits comparisons to Jay Farrar's mellower stuff and even acoustic Kurt Cobain. The songs are still pretty dark, though. "Going for what heavenly rest that burning hard brings," he fittingly sings in the opening track, "Sleep Between States." This stuff burns in a whole different way.

Howler bawler

How many of us didn't bad-mouth the place we came from when we were 19? Howler frontman Jordan Gatesmith set the music scene bloggers and tweeters into a tizzy this week after doing just that to a reporter for the British newspaper the Guardian. "I feel like there's this giant lull period of like 30 years," he said of the Twin Cities music scene. "It really supports its own bands, like they'll build up these bands -- no offense, Minneapolis -- that I will hate."

Gatesmith singled out the 4onthefloor, whom he compared to Mumford & Sons (even more far off than comparing Howler to Hüsker Dü, which the Guardian once did). He said of all the local buzz bands of late, "nothing will happen outside of Minneapolis for them." Howler makes its big push at South by Southwest in Texas next week and will be back in town to play the Varsity Theater on April 19. The 4onthefloor returns from months of steady touring to headline First Ave on April 13.

Random mix

Howler's former Total Babe collaborators now playing in Prissy Clerks -- who made some less-than-raving comments about Howler in our pages last week (coincidence?) -- won Vita.mn's Are You Local? contest and are thus also headed to SXSW. We won't even get into the controversy that the Prissy Clerks' win stirred among fans of the Japhies (who are headed to Austin, too, regardless). ...

You don't need to know Jesse Kelley to know he's been a good friend to the local music scene. Alexei "Crescent Moon" Casselle is hosting a benefit Sunday from 3-7 p.m. at O'Gara's Bar in St. Paul for Kelley, who has two kids and is battling Stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma. Atmosphere, Toki Wright, Kanser, Nomi and DJ Struggle all will perform ($20 suggested donation). ... Sunday's benefit will probably be the only chance to see Atmosphere locally until Rhymesayers' fifth annual Soundset festival. The lineup, revealed earlier this week, will include Lupe Fiasco, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, Kendrick Lamar and Big K.R.I.T., along with locals P.O.S., I Self Devine and Prof. Tickets ($38) go on sale Saturday through Ticketweb.com. ...

Duluth-bred folkie Luke Redfield -- who moved to Portland, Ore., shortly after helming the "Minnesota Remembers Vic Chesnutt" tribute CD -- is back to promote his own new album, "Tusen Takk," Friday at the Varsity Theater with openers Me & My Arrow and Ben Kyle (8 p.m., $8). The sophomore effort expands Redfield's rootsy sound with sweetly layered harmonies, lush strings and brighter arrangements à la Fanfarlo or recent Iron & Wine. It was co-produced with Jeremy Ylvisaker and features guests such as Martin Dosh, Peter Pisano (Peter Wolf Crier) and Haley Bonar. ... Congrats to M.anifest, who was nominated for best rapper and best songwriter in next month's Vodafone Ghana Music Awards. That's in addition to Channel-O Africa's documentary on the Minneapolis rapper, which aired Tuesday -- Independence Day in his native Ghana. ... More congrats should go to Rochester-based blues belter Sena Ehrhardt, who earned a best new-artist nomination in the Memphis-based Blues Music Awards. ... Wait: I thought nobody from here ever got recognized anywhere else?