As I'm sure you can imagine, my inbox is flooded with encouraging e-mails telling me that I'm the most talented writer since Shakespeare. But once I scroll past the e-mails from my mother, I find actual questions from readers. A common query is: ''Can you suggest a few local musicians I should check out?'' I'm dedicating this column to providing an answer.

If you happen to have plans for this Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, cancel them. Once you hear Mark Zaden play, you'll be back the next night. I recently caught a gig of his at JB's on the Beach (300 N. Ocean Blvd., Deerfield Beach) and was floored. The scene was right out of a movie: upscale vibe, open air, beachside bar. Beautiful, unpretentious people. Palm trees, moonlit stretches of sand, the subtle sound of rolling waves and Zaden on a stool with a six-string, no drum machine, no sequencing, just the organic combination of his Don Henleyesque voice and effortless but passionate strumming.

Zaden covers such greats as Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, the Beatles, Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam but doesn't regurgitate watered-down impressions of the original. He reinterprets each song with unconventional chord changes and vocal phrasing. And if you make a request for Jimmy Buffett, you won't hear the played-out standbys Cheeseburgerin Paradise or Margaritaville. Zaden is a native Floridian who grew up listening to Buffett so you can expect him to play the deeper cuts and B-sides.

Zaden plays at JB's on Wednesday and Thursday nights and is accompanied by his groove heavy band The Weedline on Fridays. Get there by 8 p.m. so you don't miss the first song, but don't fret if you're late because he plays until 12:30 a.m.

Gary Gore, an equally talented singer/songwriter, is the P.T. Barnum of Broward's nightlife. By the end of his first set, he'll have you convinced that you're at the greatest show on earth. But if you want to hear a certain song, it's going to cost you. Maybe a dollar, maybe a hug, or maybe he'll just make you stand up and sing along, with or without your shirt. Gore sounds like he swallowed a chunk of an old concrete road but his voice -- which is strikingly similar to Joe Cocker's -- is incredibly melodic. He plays his guitar as if he'd rather be beating on a set of drums, so check your pulse if you can stay in your seat when he's behind the mike.

Every other Monday, he'll pass that mike to you if you have the guts to get up on stage for the open mike night he hosts at Cheers Restaurant & Bar (941 E. Cypress Creek Rd., Fort Lauderdale). In After Midnight, Eric Clapton declares, ''After midnight, we're gonna let it all hang out.'' That basically sums up the scene at Cheers. This nightspot doesn't close until 4 a.m. nightly, and by midnight, you can expect an uninhibited, music filled party. Keep up with Gore's weekly schedule at www.Myspace.com/GaryGore.

UPCOMING

The super sultry Cat Power performs at the Culture Room Monday; doors open at 8 p.m., and tickets are $24.99.

Collective Soul, Gavin DeGraw and Green River Ordinance play at Revolution Live on Wednesday. Show starts at 6 p.m.; tickets are $34.

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