Heavy Dates

by Joe Longone and Matt Ashare

WORCESTER: This Friday, April 25, the music of Rebby Sharp, Angel Dean, and Bob Jordan can be captured at the Above Club, Another Planet soar at the Tammany Club, Clutch Grabwell have a ball at the Plantation Club, and Arise, Dissolve, Times Expired, Human Being, and Rare Form all gather at the Espresso Bar. This Saturday, April 26, Jiggle the Handle celebrate the release of their new CD at the Plantation Club, the Fathoms dive deep into their repertoire of instrumentals at Ralph's, Dinny's welcomes the Deniros, Free Radicals, and the Preston Wayne Four to its monthly musical showcase, Sir Morgan's Cove will be rocked to its rafters when Sam Black Church, Mad Pedestrian, HonkeyBall, and Rawhead Rex explode on stage, Chillum, Freakshow, and Sleestack funk up the Espresso B ar, the WAGFest comes to a close when Rhythm Party, White Elvis 2000, and Industrial Sonic Echo appear at the Above Club, and Mike Ladd performs selections from his new CD, The Storm, at Media Play (2 p.m.). This Sunday, April 27, Silverchair. Local H, and Handsome are in concert at the AUD, an Earth Day Festival, featuring music by Valerie and Walter Crockett, Somebody's Sister, Chuck and Mud and the Thorndyke Road School Environmental Chorus, and Stringtown will be held free of charge at the New England Science Center (noon-5 p.m.), and the Espresso Bar holds an afternoon show with Rawhead Rex, Crisis, Veiled, and Unclops starting at 3 p.m. This Wednesday, April 30, the Tammany Club is into the finals of its Battle of the Bands, and Sir Morgan's Cove begins to wind up its own competition with the semi-finals. Next Thursday, May 1, the band Cotton Mouth headline at Ralph's 18+ night. Next Friday, May 2, the Dennis Brennan Band plug in at Gilreins, and Bret Hart sings at Eleni's.

-- Joe Longone

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE: If you don't already have a ticket to Terrastock at Providence's Rogue Lounge (401-331-0877) this weekend, April 25 through 27, it's too late -- the festival is sold out. But you can still catch some of Terrastock's best acts at other venues. Ohio's Witch Hazel, who play the Rogue on the 25th at 8, join Boston's-own Syrup USA on April 28 at the Green Street Grill (617-876-1655), in Cambridge. Neutral Milk Hotel and the Olivia Tremor Control, who have Terrastock sets on the 26th at 5:30 p.m. and the 27th at 2 p.m. respectively, join forces at the Middle East (617-864-3278), in Cambridge, on April 27. And if you can't make it to the big WBOS/92.9 Earth Day Concert and Festival (617-787-0929) at the MDC Hatch Shell on banks of the Charles River in Boston to see the Verve Pipe with Boz Scaggs, Widespread Panic, Modern English, the Bone Shakers, Ashley MacIssac, Patty Griffin, and Jonathan Edwards on April 26, you can catch them a week later with Tonic at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876), in Providence.

Feel-good rappers De La Soul hit the Strand (401-272-0444), in Providence, on April 24 and Axis (617-262-2437), in Boston, on April 29. Fat Bag and Rustic Overtones join De La Soul in Providence and then play their own show together at Avalon (617-262-2424) on April 30. England's techno-driven Sneaker Pimps open for G. Love & Special Sauce on April 25 at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, in what has to be one of the stranger pairings of the week. The Pimps go on to headline Axis on the following night with Chimera opening.

Former New Orleans truck driver Camus, who sings in a voice that'll remind you of Tom Petty and has the songs to back it up, joins Big Mouth and Spacehog at the Met Café (401-861-2142), in Providence, on April 26 and begins a residency at Bill's Bar (617-421-9678), in Boston, on May 1, which continues with shows on the 8th and 15th. And diehard English punk fundamentalists the UK Subs celebrate their 20th anniversary of rebel rocking with a tour that hits the Met Café on April 28 and the Middle East on April 29.

-- Matt Ashare