Heavy Dates

by Joe Longone and Carly Carioli

WORCESTER:

Friday, July 25, Pop Gun Picnic, one of the more colorful Bay State rock outfits, celebrate the release of their new CD at Marley's, Another Planet bring their sweet originals to the Plantation Club, the Westies, Windmill, and the Links get together for a show at the Space, Split, Epileptic Disco, Waiting Kates, and Son of Lucy meet up at the Espresso Bar, and 78 RPM with Harry Skoler perform at the New England Science Center's Jazz at Sunset series. Saturday, July 26, two of Boston's brightest bands, One People and Canine, come to the Cove, the Deniro's, Fearless Leaders, and the Free Radicals rock Dinny's, the Space brings in Super Creb Star Dynomax, Doom Nation, Maggots, and Buddha, and Rawhead Rex, Bile, Entropy, and Purrr can all be found at the Espresso Bar. Sunday, July 27, Leicester's Castle Restaurant opens its patio for an afternoon concert featuring Toni Ballard, John Stein, and Bob Simonelli, the Plantation Club welcomes the soulful ska of the Hi-hats to its Island Night. This Tuesday, July 29, local folk favorites Chuck and Mud are joined by magician John Sullivan for a free show at Blithewood Park. This Wednesday, July 30, French-Canadian folk singers Lilianne Labbe and Don Hinkley perform a WCUW-sponsored free concert at Elm Park. Next Thursday, July 1, Pinetop Perkins and Tony O bring the blues to the Plantation Club, Bevan Manson and the Toni D'Aveni Quartet support Toni Ballard in a free concert at Elm Park. Next Friday, August 1, Nothingface invade the Cove, the soulful sounds of K.D. Bell can be captured at Gilrein's, the Espresso Bar spotlights the Drop Kick Murphy's, Westies, Working Stiffs, and the Randoms, and the Space offers up the Herculoids, Sorry Excuse, Gringo, and Putrefation.

-- Joe Longone

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE:

Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Shawn Colvin didn't join the Lilith Fair in time for its Boston date last week -- she'll hook up with the tour in mid August -- but neo-folkies, fear not. She's doing numerous warm-up dates all over New England this week. She'll be at the Berkshire Performing Arts Center (413-637-4718), in Lenox, on July 26, the Cape Cod Melody Tent (508-775-9100), in Hyannis, on July 31, and Harborlights (617-737-6100), in Boston, on August 2. Duncan Sheik, who opens on all of the above dates, takes a detour to headline his own show at the Strand (401-272-0444), in Providence, on July 28, with Mark Cutler opening.

It ain't a bad weekend to head down to the Cape, either. G. Love & Special Sauce, fresh off a date opening for blues maestro Buddy Guy at Harborlights last week, headline a show at the Wellfleet Beachcomber (508-349-6055) on Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet. And NoNo's (508-487-5590), a new joint renovated out of an old roadhouse in Provincetown, hosts Boston funkateers Crown Electric Company for shows on Friday and Saturday.

On the subject of funk, metal-funk-ska pioneers Fishbone are making the rounds again, with Snot and Earache noise addicts Dub War. They'll be at the Strand on July 31, then circle around and hit the Middle East (617-864-3278), in Boston, on August 8. Take out the bone and you get fish fillet -- or just Fish, a Scottish prog-rock dude who hits the Strand on July 27 and the Paradise (617-562-8800), in Boston, on July 28.

If you've got a hankerin' to go gambling, Willie Nelson's smoking up the room at Foxwoods Casino (860-885-3352), in Ledyard, Connecticut, on July 25 and 26. And for those sado-masochists among you (and we know you're out there), a comeback-bound Barry Manilow starts a five-night stand at Foxwoods on July 30.

Hometown boy Stacy Jones won't make it to town with his girlie pals in Veruca Salt, but they'll be rocking out down at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876), in Providence, on July 25 with Fig Dish and the bassless two-man grunge-pop tag team known as Local H.

-- Carly Carioli