Pete Yorn

Busy guy, that Pete Yorn. Between his opening slot on Coldplay's recent U.S. tour and two albums released in quick succession - this summer's Back and Fourth and last month's Break Up, a collaboration with actress/singer Scarlett Johansson - 2009 has been the New Jersey native's busiest year yet.

In the years following Yorn's engaging 2001 debut, morningforthemorningafter, the guitarist/vocalist managed to retain a strong fan base, despite some less-than-dazzling follow-up efforts.

He took a three-year break between studio efforts, returning with the impressive and introspective Back and Fourth, his first album to feature the heavy backing of a band. The buzz-worthy Break Up - inspired by the '60s musical partnership of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot - has certainly ramped up Yorn's visibility, too.

On vinyl, Yorn hasn't lost any of his musical melancholia - nor his art of tuneful songcraft - but onstage, the tousled troubadour is decidedly upbeat, supported by a five-member band that features no less than three backing guitarists.

- Nicole Pensiero

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Pete Yorn with Alberta Cross performs at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St.

Tickets: $20 ($23 day of show). Phone: 215-336-2000, www.ticketmaster.com

Gov't Mule

Last month, Southern jam band/road warriors Gov't Mule played 14 shows in almost as many nights to plug their new CD, By a Thread, garnering raves for their revved-up, yet highly focused performances. After a five-week break in action, guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes - who's also a member of the Allman Brothers Band and The Dead - and his three Mule bandmates bring the current leg of their tour to a close Saturday at the Tower.

Focusing on hard-driving tracks from By a Thread - Gov't Mule's first studio album in three years - recent gigs have also included a well-placed cover or two, like Alice Cooper's 1971 glam-rock ditty "Is It My Body?"

Through it all, unassuming guitar god Haynes is the man to watch, whether displaying incendiary 12-string slide work on "Railroad Boy," or channeling Hendrix-like wah-wah licks for "Inside Outside Woman Blues."

- N.P.

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Gov't Mule performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow Streets, Upper Darby. Tickets: $29.50 to $34.50. Phone: 877-598-8696, www.livenation.com

Burning Bridget Cleary

The group is named after a woman burned as a witch in 19th-century Ireland, so it's fitting that Burning Bridget Cleary is performing on All Hallows' Eve. This up-and-coming local group, fronted by two young fiddlers, Rose Baldino and Genna Gillespie, will be celebrating Halloween Celtic style. In presenting their lively mix of traditional and original Irish music, the musicians will be telling the tale of Bridget Cleary, including her significance in Irish history, and shedding light on the Celtic origins of Halloween. Also expect some tricks and treats.

- Nick Cristiano

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Burning Bridget Cleary, with Mike Brill, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Tin Angel, 20 S. Second St. Tickets: $15. Phone: 215-928-0978.