6 cool things in music this week include Billie Eilish, Rhiannon Giddens, Bettye LaVette and Max Weinberg

Pick Six is a half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view.

Liv Martin of Minneapolis:

1 Billie Eilish's Tiny Desk concert. The 18-year-old shares an acoustic and haunting version of her recent single ("My Future"), an older favorite ("Everything I Wanted") and some comforting words about the pandemic. Even stuck at home, Eilish and her brother Finneas were able to completely re-create NPR's familiar Tiny Desk setup, which is pretty incredible.

2 New York Times' Popcast. This podcast is go-to for music news and analysis. Times critic Jon Caramanica, often with a guest or two, dissects mainstream music culture — from the Dixie Chicks dropping the "Dixie" to a remembrance of musicians lost to COVID-19.

3 Gabriel Garzón-Montano's February performance on the YouTube channel "Colors." It's mind-blowing for a few reasons: the French-Colombian artist goes through various outfit changes in just over 5 minutes, glides through vastly different genres (a modern take on soul, energetic rap and tender acoustic number) and flexes wicked-fast Spanish rapping skills.

Jon Bream of the Star Tribune:

1 Rhiannon Giddens, "Don't Call Me Names." With her soaring and snarling voice, she delivers a no-nonsense, minimalist, swampy blues song that is both personal and universal.

2 Bettye LaVette, "Blackbirds." No singer inhabits a song quite like this veteran stylist. On her new album she interprets tunes associated with Black women, including Nina Simone, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington, giving them her own spin of pain and sadness. She sounds hopeful, though, on the finale, a liberating take on the Beatles' "Blackbird," making it about a Black woman finally flying after a long struggle.

3 Max Weinberg appointed to Delray Beach (Fla.) Planning and Zoning Board. An architecture buff, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band is turning his interests into activism in one of the cities in which he owns a home. Musicians can contribute in many ways.