Heavy Dates

We always wondered what happened to guitarist Mike DiBari, a guy who was laying out solid, swing-inspired blues right before the craze went stratospheric. It's like he vanished from the scene, which, when you thought of all the lesser talents making a killing at playing the stuff, seemed a shame. Well, ding-dong, swing is gone, and the Mike DiBari Swingtet (with "Sax" Gordon Beadle) are back this Friday playing at Liquid. Speaking of where ya' been, it used to be you couldn't go a week or two without at least one gig from Seven Hill Psychos, who have been lying low with guitarist problems. The new 7HP bring the noise to the Lucky Dog alongside Officer Down, NE Hostility, and Second Class Citizen. Elsewhere on Friday, Phoenix fave Mike Duffy heads south to the Vanilla Bean Cafe, and the unparalleled Bob Jordan is back on the solo circuit with a gig at the Moonstruck Cafe. The guys from the Jordan's Furniture commercial, Entrain, bring their world vibe to the Plantation Club, and the awesome Ed Vadas and the Fabulous Heavyweights return to lay waste to the Gilrein's crowd. The Green Rooster Coffeehouse has made a name for itself by offering hardcore folk shows, so the double bill this Saturday of pop-rock hotshots the Deal, and über-experimentalist John McKeag has perked our ears. The true sign of a great pop tune is how well it translates acoustically, so the night promises to be unconventional, and it just might shed new light on some under-appreciated talent. How can you not fall in love with a band who can't be bothered to stop the set to tune their guitar? Milk have endeared themselves to us for just that reason as well as for their knack for writing mostly pleasurable ditties that owe as much to grunge as they do to power-pop or to punk. And they don't really care, thank you very much! They play Jack's Saloon with Vinegar Tom. Elsewhere on Saturday around the Worm, local fanny-kickers Bane headline the L'il Pal Room at the Palladium, the LSD R&B of Clutch Grabwell is featured at the Plantation Club, and Bim Skala Bim shake the Tammany Club. If you've nothing to do mid-week, a good bet for cheap fun are the lads of Jive, who hold their bi-monthly meeting at the Above Club. Or, if you're in the mood to kiss a double-fin good-bye, you might want to toddle over to Gilrein's Wednesday night to check out the Derek Trucks Band. Personally, we listened to the disc and we don't get the hoopla. But then again, we didn't get Jason Bonham playing Led Zep tunes, so what do we know? Either way, we'll be home trying to watch the scrambled images of the Playboy Channel.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE

The much-anticipated Orchestra Morphine mini-tour gets under way this week, and those involved have conspired to make sure none of New England goes without a healthy midwinter serving of low rock. It all starts February 4 at the Iron Horse, (413) 584-0610, in Northampton, before moving on to the Somerville Theatre, (617) 625-5700, on February 6, Higher Ground, (802) 654-8888, in Winooski, Vermont (outside of Burlington), on February 11, and Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, (401) 272-5876, in Providence, Rhode Island, on February 12. Along with surviving Morphine members Dana Colley and Billy Conway, Orchestra Morphine features original Morphine drummer Jerome Deupree, vocalists Laurie Sargent and Christian McNeill, bassist Mike Rivard, keyboardist Evan Harriman, saxist Russ Gershon, and trumpeter Tom Halter. McNeill, who will sing many of deceased Morphine frontman Mark Sandman's parts with Orchestra Morphine, will also manage to sneak in a gig with his band Hybrasil on February 10 at Bill's Bar, (617) 421-9678.

On February 5, NYC hardcore vets Murphy's Law hit the Asylum, (413) 739-7900, in Springfield, before heading to Boston for an all-ages matinee at the Karma Club, (617) 421-9595, on February 6. Forced Reality and Toe to Toe open both shows.

Back on the rootsier side of things: Allman Brothers progeny Derek Trucks brings his band to Gilrein's, (508) 791-2583, in Worcester, on February 9 and the Met Café, (401) 861-2142, in Providence, on February 11. New England jammers Percy Hill are doing the Worcester-Providence thing too, hitting the Tammany Club, (508) 791-6550, in Worcester, on February 4 and the Met Café on February 5. Estranged Ani Difranco drummer Andy Stochansky plays the Iron Horse on February 8 with Boston bands 27 and Rockets Burst from the Streetlamps before heading to Cambridge for a show at the Middle East, (617) 864-3278, on February 9 with the Troubadours, Chelsea on Fire, and Megan Toohey. And South African a cappella stalwarts Ladysmith Black Mambazo will be at Sanders Theatre, (617) 496-2222, in Cambridge, on February 6 and at Lupo's on February 10.

-- Sean Richardson