This past weekend nearly all the bands and all the venues in the Sacramento area got together as part of the ?Bands Lend a Hand? benefit weekend.

Promoters got everyone involved to collect donations at the door for theSeptember 11th Fund, established to help widows and orphans of New York firefighters. The cause was noble, the bands were great, and hopefully they raised a lot of money for those in need.

I went to as many shows this weekend as my school schedule allowed. Nothing fancy, no big rock shows, just some good, heart-felt, charity events. On Saturday night I went to Old Ironsides to support my friends in Popgun, and even though continued good reviews would get me a free CD when it comes out, I?m just not going to do it. I have some ethics.

So no Popgun review, but the two bands that opened up for them are very worthy of being mentioned. The first was Milwaukee, another one of the many impressive country-rock bands in Sacramento. And that?s not a bad thing, since I do like that sound.

Actually, Milwaukee isn?t a typical country-rock band; they just have country influences incorporated into a mellow rock sound. Their self-titled LP contains five tracks of good solid rock – no overpowering noise; it?s simply a nice, relaxing album. This comes through in their live shows, as well as with those rocking loud songs sprinkled in. Milwaukee is pretty tame on stage, without the typical dancing and jumping around. They just get up there and let their music do the talking.

The other band, The Jolenes, wasn?t technically a “local” band, seeing as they aren?t from Sacramento, but I would still consider them one because they?re not famous, they?re not mainstream and they don?t have an agent or a record deal.

These three young women from Portland were a fun band to watch. They had a schtick, which can sometimes be annoying, but in their case it was actually quite enjoyable. The trio played among a shower of bubbles produced by a machine at the side of the stage.

The Jolenes also had the glam-rock act down. It seemed like at some points they were mocking female rockers like Courtney Love, with overdramatic singing and hand gestures, but that was part of the fun. Oh yeah, three words: Tube Top Night.

The Jolenes? music was also quite enjoyable. They had a bubbly punk rock sound that I liked. I do feel bad for the band though, because the reason many people there weren?t giving them a chance was because they are very similar to local band The Skirts, but they weren?t as good. I still think they have their female rock group thing down and if you ever go to Portland, check them out.

So that?s all from the music front for this week, anyone who wants to drop me a comment, question or love letter, send them to [email protected].

Upcoming Shows:

Milwaukee ? Animal benefit show with Umpteenth on Friday, Oct. 26 at the True Love Coffeehouse. All ages. www.milwaukeetheband.com.

The Jolenes ? No shows in California. www.thejolenes.com.