Rock picks

So much music sounds so tortured, but not "The Whistlestop" (Apex Records), self-titled debut from the local country-rock supergroup featuring Rob Watson, Scott Miller and PKM bassist Peewee Watson. The album's 12 songs glide along as smoothly as a well-tuned locomotive humming on down the track, with sweet harmonies and an overall amiability to go with virtuoso execution. It sounds like that perfect beer-drinking moment of good-cheer equilibrium, before sloppiness sets in. Even the Old Testament fervor of "You Better Praise" and the cutting "Hobo Love Song" ("I hope you're broke and drunk and lonely, too") sound more good-natured than nasty. Whistlestop marks the album's release with a Saturday night show at Raleigh's Pour House. The bill includes Kenny Roby and David Dyer's Crooked Smile Band.

That's only one of a number of album-release shows this week. We also have Embarrassing Fruits at Chapel Hill's Local 506 tonight, with Hammer No More the Fingers; blues combo Stinging Blades at Papa Mojo's Roadhouse in Durham on Saturday; and Alina Simone on Tuesday at Local 506 (look for more on her record in Sunday's paper).

Tonight: Cy Rawls, much-loved figure in the local music community, is battling a brain tumor, with no health insurance -- so Devour and Grass Widow are playing the first of what should be many benefit shows, at Slim's in Raleigh; Carolina Chocolate Drops recreate their soundtrack contributions to the movie "The Great Debaters," right before a screening of the same at Raleigh's NC Museum of Art; and Tres Chicas come out to play the Pour House with Monologue Bombs.

Furthermore: Mountain Goats play a hometown show Saturday at Durham's Bull City Headquarters, on a fantastic bill with Megafaun, Des Ark, Beloved Binge and lots more; Don Dixon plays Carrboro's Cat's Cradle on Saturday (and returns there Aug. 23 with Arrogance); Susan Cowsill plays Raleigh's Berkeley Cafe on Sunday; and Thursday brings the Bowerbirds back from the road to Local 506.