Heavy Dates

Heavy Dates

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday we were a smart-ass deejay spinning long-forgotten rock tunes and whizzing on the early-'90s local scene. But time has certainly passed -- we're slightly better paid and not quite the live grenade we were back then. Nonetheless, we were shocked to see Flubber back together this Friday at the Tammany Club, if only because we forgot all about those guys! Old-schoolers, go forth and have fun reliving growing up in the Bush (or Busch) era. Runaway Brain open. Elsewhere, two freebie shows to take advantage of: Bob Jordan at the Moonstruck Cafe (Charlton), and Patty Keough at the Grapevine Cafe in Southbridge. On the blues front, the awesome Toni Lynn Washington hits Gilrein's, while Young Neal and the Vipers shake it at the Firehouse Cafe. No matter what you do on Saturday night, start out with Cafe Fantastique's free show with Jack Smith and Rockabilly Planet. The Planet have been laying it out long before rockabilly became cool again, but it's Smith's last country-flavored album that really rang our bell. Plus, anyone who can count Dave Alvin as a fan is an automatic must-see. All hail New Jersey's number-one exports, the Swingin' Neckbreakers, who visit Dinny's Bar in support of their crazy new disc, The Return of Rock (Telstar). Last time up, they played till 2 a.m. and the frothing multitude had to be bulldozed out the door. The Pathetics, Downbeat 5, and Dimwit open. Meanwhile, just down the road at Ralph's, Garrison celebrate the release of their first full-length disc, A Mile in Cold Water (Revelation), with a too-rare appearance from Gurrerro. Tuesday night the super-talented and relatively obscure Dennis Brennan plays Vincent's with some cat who goes by the name of "Duke," while Brenda Evans strums at the Java Hut. For those of you interested in good songwriting Ray Mason plays the Moonstruck Cafe on Thursday, while the Lucky Dog hosts Beantown's Super Drag, Star Ghost Dog, and Milk.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE

"Pretend we're dead," L7 once sang on their biggest hit, but lately one hasn't had to do so much pretending. The gals have had little luck keeping a line-up together and even less keeping up with the times as grunge has yielded to metal. They could take lessons from those Kittie chicks, though. In any case, L7 bring their diminishing returns to the Skinny, (207) 871-8983, in Portland, on June 7 and to the Middle East, (617) 864-3278, in Cambridge, on June 8. They're joined on both dates by the Black Halos, whose debut on L7's former label, Sub Pop, reflects that company's new obsession: slightly glammy but wholly unironic hard rock and roll. The Vampire Lezbos open up in Portland; Boston's premier motörpunks, Rock City Crimewave (of late expanded to a four-piece with former Cherry 2000 behemoth Poundy on bass), open at the Middle East.

Several years before L7 celebrated a girl "with so much clit she don't need no balls," there were kraut-metal bangers Accept, who simply reveled in the underdog status of having their Balls to the Wall. Singer Udo Dirkscheider assumes the position on a solo tour that brings him to the Station, (401) 823-4660, in West Warwick, on June 1.

Patti Smith's got balls -- at least that's how she described it to rock crit Nick Tosches one time -- and Smith, a critic for Creem before doing the rock-and-roll poetry thing and sorta spawning punk, shows up at Avalon, (617) 423-6398, on June 2, at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, (401) 272-5876, in Providence, on June 3, and at Mass MoCA, (413) 662-2111, in North Adams, on June 4. While you're out Northampton way, consider that the Flywheel, (413) 527-9800, arts co-op in Easthampton has one of Matador honcho Gerard Cosloy's favorite bands, Connecticut's Bunny Brains, on June 3 along with Boston folk-space-psych heroes Abunai! And on June 4 Winterbrief -- a smart & spunky new-wave indie-punk outfit who like to sound British and get pissed off at how French-speaking folks are assumed to be sexier than us Anglophiles -- grace the Flywheel along with Mathlete, Crispus Attackus, and Grand Prixx. Then Northampton's the Moves -- who have a homonymous debut on Mr. Lady that's full of choppy new-wave dissonance and has the occasional new-wave winner -- come east to T.T. the Bear's Place, (617) 492-2327, in Cambridge, on June 6.

Perhaps you've heard white rapper MC Paul Barman's Prince Paul-produced intellectuo-geek-hop EP. Or maybe you just read his piece in the Phoenix wherein he went rapping with Ween. Either way, you may want to check his shows with Del the Funkee Homosapien and Blackalicious at Pearl Street, (413) 584-0610, in Northampton, on June 3 and at the Middle East on June 6. Elsewhere, modern rock's Superdrag and Boston's Star Ghost Dog are at T.T. the Bear's Place on June 7 and the Lucky Dog Music Hall, (508) 363-1888, in Worcester, on June 8 (former Squirrel Bait dude Peter Searcy opens the T.T.'s date). And the Mr. Bungle side project the Secret Chiefs join forces with similarly unclassifiable avant-something-or-other Estradasphere on June 2 at Pearl Street, on June 3 at the Met Café, (401) 861-2142, in Providence, and on June 4 at the Middle East.

-- Carly Carioli