It's been more than 10 years since Sister Hazel's hit single All For You hit the airwaves, cementing the band as the heirs to the Hootie and the Blowfish good-time roots-pop throne.

Except the Gainesville, Fla.-based quintet moved past that narrow definition while still offering pleasant, smart, well-crafted modern pop-rock. Sift through its new CD, Release, and hear for yourself.

Sister Hazel plays The Basement Friday, Nov. 13. Tickets are $13/$15. Call 1-800-745-3000.

BONUS: The sibling theme continues the following night as Skully's Music Diner welcomes hip-hop emcee Brother Ali to the stage. Tickets are $12/$14. Call (614) 291-8856.

Years ago, in another life, The Beat worked at a CD store. At the time, smooth jazz was a big seller and the biggest mover of them all was an outfit fronted by guitarist Russ Freeman called The Rippingtons.

To be honest, we weren't even aware he/they were still around, but Freeman and his rotating collective of ber-chops sidemen have a new record out -- Modern Art -- and are touring.

The tour brings them to Newark's Midland Theatre Friday, Nov. 13. Tickets are $50-$20. Call (740) 349-9218.

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra will offer a thematic program this weekend that includes a world premiere work.

So standard operating procedure then, huh?

The program highlights works associated with nature, including Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, Vivaldi's Concerto for Flute in D Major "The Goldfinch," Water Night for Strings by Whitacre and Song for the Birds by Casals. The orchestra will also premiere Rodney Rogers' Iridescent Prairies.

The composer will discuss his work after both programs in a post-concert conversation program.

The concerts will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 14-15, at the Southern Theatre. Tickets are $46-$10. Call (614) 464-0066.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustane has a longstanding dedication to hitting the road with young artists of like mind to relaunch their assault on America's eardrums.

With a new album -- Engame -- Megadeth is touring with support from Machine Head, Suicide Silence and Arcanium, including a stop at Lifestyle Communities Pavilion Wednesday, Nov. 18. Tickets are $35. Call 1-800-745-3000.

Amanda Walter and Sheila Carabine, the ladies of Canadian folk duo Dala, have a simple approach to songwriting.

"We just take life and squish it up into a song," Walter told The Beat.

See? Simple. Life squish = song.

Life has been pretty interesting since the pair met in high school band class. Walter said they "hit it off immediately," and could often be heard harmonizing in the school hallways. Following high school they began writing songs together and were invited to open for a friend's show in Toronto.

"It was a really organic process," Walter said. "We were just doing it for friends and fun."

But, she added, "we found the reaction exciting, so we kept doing it."

The duo eventually met Mike Roth, a musician/producer who has become "the third secret member of Dala," Walter joked. "When we met Mike (music) changed from being a hobby to being a career."

Dala's third record, Everyone is Someone, was released this past summer. Each successive record has built on the acclaim earned by the previous one, and the latest effort is no exception.

Walter and Carabine have crisscrossed Canada for years and are targeting the U.S. for their current tour.

"We're just starting out in the States," Walter explained. "I'm surprised at how little flow there is back and forth. It's harder than I thought it would be to play there."

"But I love playing in the States," she added. And why shouldn't she, given the warm reception Dala received this past summer for its debut at the Newport Folk Festival?

Relative unknowns booked for the Waterside stage (the event's smallest), crowds and buzz grew during the duo's hour-long set, leading festival organizers to invite them for a one-song "tweener" on the main stage, at which they wowed the crowd of 10,000.

"It was like a dream, it was overwhelming," Walter gushed. "We were giddy walking off the stage."

Critics point not only to the pair's Everly-esque harmonies and sharp acoustic-pop originals but to the ease with which Walter and Carabine interact with each other and the audience.

"We try to keep it simple, and let the chemistry be the spotlight," Walter said.

It's for this reason Dala hits the road as a duo, despite having the benefit of a backing band in-studio.

"This is the way we work and the way we write," Walter said of the stripped-down approach. "This is where the joy comes from. Why mess it up?"