There aren't many pictures of Steve Earle smiling. Typing his name into Google's image search returns exactly three sightings of his pearly whites in the first 800 results. That ratio should improve if his artistic triumphs of the last few years have any bearing on his mood.

Fresh off a Grammy win for his album "Washington Square Serenade," the hardcore troubadour will be performing to a sold-out crowd Saturday with wife (and opening act) Allison Moorer at the Barrymore Theatre, 2090 Atwood Ave. The award is the second in two albums for Earle who also won Best Contemporary Folk Album for 2004's "The Revolution Starts ... Now. "

Earle's years of drug use into the early 1990s often marred his personal and professional life, but they never overshadowed his immense talent. His artistic vision and left-wing politics never fit in with the country establishment, so it's no surprise that Earle moved from Nashville and set up shop in New York City to record his latest. The songs are a mix of reflections on his new city ("City of Immigrants"), remembrances of his old one ("Oxycontin Blues" and "Red Is the Color") and a few love songs to Moorer. The album also is Earle's first foray into digital recording with production handled by Dust Brother John King.

If one night at the Barrymore isn't enough new Earle for your ears and eyes, don't worry. He also hosts a weekly show on Sirius Radio's Outlaw Country station and plays a recovering drug addict named Waylon in several episodes of HBO 's "The Wire." The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 advance.

Madison hard-rock hip-hop band Know Boundaries has been making some serious inroads into an international battle of the bands. This Sunday they will head down to Chicago's House of Blues with a party bus of fans to take on 12 other bands in the regional finals of the "Bodog Battle" -- a competition hosted by online gambling, music and entertainment company Bodog Entertainment. A win would launch them into the final round which includes international competition, filming for a reality TV series and a shot at a $1 million recording contract.

The Redwalls' "Universal Blues" made a splash in 2003 with a Mod style and sound that landed them a deal with Capitol Records. Despite appearances on Conan O 'Brien and "The Tonight Show" and tours supporting Oasis in 2005 and 2006, the Deerfield, Ill., band was dropped by Capitol a little more than a year ago. The move resulted a truly modern business arrangement with Drexel University's MAD Dragon Records -- the only student-run label with a national distribution deal. Madison's Selfish Gene and Milwaukee 's Fever Marlene open the show Thursday at the High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave. Showtime is 9 p.m. Cover is $10.

Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli may not be two of the most famous names to come out of the grunge era, but their distinctive voices often make their songs instantly recognizable.

As Seattle's Screaming Trees frontman Lanegan 's songwriting and voice evolved from garage-tinged psychedelic and punk to a gritty personification of the lonesome West. Dulli's Afghan Whigs made their name with his sarcastic, sleazy lyrics drenched in shimmering guitar work. The two began collaborating in 2000.

This Tuesday marked the release of the album "Saturnalia," which they began working on in late 2003 under the moniker The Gutter Twins. Madison fans can buy a CD directly from the source at a show this Sunday at the High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave. Soulful Los Angeles band Great Northern opens the show at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance, $17 day of show.

Score another one for the Marquette Neighborhood Association and the Celtic Music Assocation of Madison. Thursday, international Irish music sensation Dervish will turn the Crystal Corner Bar, 1302 Williamson St., into the Crystal Corner Pub. The band shouldn't be intimidated by a packed house. According to their bio, their biggest crowd ever was an estimated 240,000 at the Rock in Rio music festival. The show starts at 9 p.m. tickets are $12 at the door.

"Merle Haggard is America, but where is country now?" Emily Herring asks in her latest album "The Cat, Beaver, Bee. " One thing is certain. Herring's Texas country and Delta blues pay true homage to those who came before her. She plays Friday 8 p.m. at Mother Fool's Coffeehouse, 1101 Williamson St.