Friday night at 9, the Helen Wheels Band fires up its “Rock ‘n’ Roll Spring Basheroo” at the Valencia Wine Company on Town Center Drive. Showtime is at 9 p.m. and there’s no cover, but lots of good spirits. Call 661-254-9300 for details.

Also Friday night, funky blues band and two-time SCVTV “House Blend” guests Wumbloozo break in a new joint in nearby Sierra Madre. The Peppertree Grill is actually the old 322 club, with new owners. Showtime’s at 10:30 p.m.; for more details, check out the “Wumbloozo Live at the Peppertree Grill” event page on Facebook, or call 626-355-8444.

And after almost a year of preparation, the 12th annual Summer Meltdown Austism Awareness Art & Music Festival takes over the Santa Clarita Skate Park this Saturday afternoon and evening. Nearly 40 bands will rock 3 stages, with live art creations, lots of good eats, lifestyle booths and plenty of good times.

Summer Meltdown benefits the Yes I Can program for students with and without disabilities at local middle and high schools. They throw this annual all-ages show as part of the program developing real-life skills, and it gets bigger and better every year.

Music starts at 11 a.m. with Iya Terra, and headliners The Expendables, Nahko and Pepper wrap it up between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Get more details and tickets at summermeltdownscv.com.

And if you haven’t seen it yet, watch the special Summer Meltdown spotlight on “House Blend.” Festival exec producer Bret Lieberman and I preview the coming festival, with lots of cool video. You can see that special right now on-demand at scvhouseblend.com.

Santa Clarita journalist Stephen K. Peeples is a features writer and photographer for AM 1220 KHTS Radio News and the station’s award-winning website (HometownStation.com), and for SCVTV’s SCVNews.com. Peeples also hosts and co-produces SCVTV’s acclaimed “House Blend” music and interview program, and posts more entertainment news and reviews on his own site at http://www.stephenkpeeples.com.