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Owen Pallett, closing Wavelength 500, The Garrison, Toronto, 2:17am

 If you need proof that roots music knows no borders, look no further than Toronto's Dakota Tavern, which hosts a four-hour bluegrass brunch every Sunday. Today's band, Badly Bent, played

 On a frigid Friday night in Toronto, most locals seemed happy to huddle around pub TVs, watching the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics with a typically-Canadian mix of pride

  Buckwheat Zydeco, prematurely celebrating the Saints first-ever Super Bowl win at B.B. King's, 2/6/10. (More pics at the Fan Page.)

"We're gonna date ourselves a bit tonight and sing some of the greatest music of all time." – Natalie Cole Commanding the stage like an inevitable cross between Lena, Dinah,

 "We've played here before as openers, but headlining in New York is really something special." Alberta Cross A trio of roots rockers lit up Bowery Ballroom last night, led by London/Brooklyn quintet

 Pittsburgh spreads out along a peninsula surrounded by three rivers, growing more and more sparse the further you get from the point. About five miles in, you reach the DUMBO-like

Some additional music happenings seen this past week: Violinist/composer Tom Swafford: the best thing that ever happened to Park Slope's rush hour. 1/21/10 Nate Schweber (of the New Heathens) performing solo at Banjo Jim's:

 This week's big diva explosion may be uptown, but for true vocal ability, last night's double bill at Bowery Ballroom was hard to beat. Toronto's Basia Bulat played a rootsy solo set,