Weekend Music Picks: June 15-16

TOTOJOJO headlines at Squid and Whale Pub on Saturday after playing major festivals such as Wakarusa and Yonder Mountain String Band's Harvest Music Festival.

This weekend, a VERY highly respected and well-loved jam-funk-rock band from Little Rock, Weakness For Blondes headlines at Fayetteville's Kingfish spectacular outdoor patio stage from about 8 till about 11 or 11:30 p.m.

There is never a cover at Kingfish, and the new expanded patio is a gorgeous, comfortable, laidback venue for enjoying live music, particularly if you don't want to wait till 10 or later for the band to start as is the case at many venues.

Weakness For Blondes features dueling guitar improvisation, tight vocal melodies and songs that tell stories of love, travels and the ability of music to move people.

In addition to a deep and multifaceted list of original tunes, WFB also pays homage to its influences with excellent, upbeat covers of artists such as the Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, The Band and many others.

WFB includes Ahren Herbert-Wilson on bass, Jason Adams on drums, frontman Chris DeClerk on guitar and vocals, Rob Moore on electric guitar, and Marlie Adams on percussion. (This is their last tour with Ahren in the band, so it'll likely be a barn-burner of a show. In addition, a potential sit-in guest band member on Friday -- if we are lucky -- is Cody Russell of Fayetteville on pedal and lap steel guitars. Russell is a member of alt-country-rock band Charliehorse and has regularly played with such bands as The Sarah Hughes Band, among others.)

WFB has shared the stage with many major musical acts, including Allman Brothers' bassist Oteil Burbridge and his band The Peacemakers; Particle; The Kudzu Kings; The Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Col. Bruce Hampton and the Codetalkers; and The Drew Emmitt Band of Leftover Salmon fame.

If you are a Widespread Panic or Grateful Dead fan or a fan of funk, blues or jamband-style music, don't miss Weakness For Blondes this Friday night at Kingfish. It's gonna be a jammin' good time!

Kingfish is located at 262 N. School Ave. just off Dickson, on the back side of Walton Arts Center.

Joplin, Missouri-based genre-bending jam-funk-pop band TOTOJOJO comes to Squid and Whale Pub Saturday night in what promises to be their best show of the month.

Originally formed in 2009, this 5-piece group has been seen on many stages throughout the Midwest including Wakarusa Music Festival and Yonder Mountain String Band's Harvest Music Festival.

With the recent release of their debut self-titled album and a high-energy stage show, TOTOJOJO is definitely a band you want to catch now. The band infuses a variety of styles and genres, most notably jam, funk, pop, and reggae.

Show starts at 9 pm, no cover. Squid and Whale is located at 10 Center St. in downtown Eureka. 479-253-7147.

Here's a sample of some TOTOJOJO music: