Heavy Dates

by Joe Longone and Carly Carioli

WORCESTER: This Friday, September 12, Another Planet perform their sweet mix of originals and covers at the Tammany Club, talented singer/songwriter Ken Baxter entertains at Brew City, Seven Hill Psychos, Swing Arm, Rebound, and Two Can Slam funk up the Espresso Bar, Sift, Flick, and Communion gather at Marley's, and the Space hosts 10 Yard Fight, Rain on the Parade, In My Eyes, and Purpose. This Saturday, September 13, Sir Morgan's Cove holds a hard-rock spectacular when Sam Black Church, Super Creb Star Dynomax, 7 Dead, and Commonwealth appear, Clutch Grabwell party at the Plantation Club, She's Busy perform an 18+ show at Jillian's, Spring Heeled Jack, Mr. Roger's Project, Big Lick, and the Brass Monkeys get people up dancing at the Espresso Bar, the Space features Shift, No Knife, and Stricken for Catherine, and Marley's brings in El Dopa, Sip, and Unknown. This Sunday, September 14, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Mary J. Blige, Dru Hill, Ginuwine, and Aliyah are in concert at the Centrum, the Bards give a free performance at Elm Park, and Veiled, Dissolve, Barritt, Fragment, Devil May Care, and Proclamation are at the Espresso Bar. This Tuesday, September 16, folksinger Pamela Means appears at WPI's Riley Commons. This Wednesday, September 17, the Cove begins its college night with Sun-Junk, and the Tammany brings Loose Caboose to its reggae night. Next Thursday, September 18, the Radio Kings rock the Plantation Club, Head Rush, Short Fuse, Melt, and Lethal Dose 50 invade the Cove, and the Space welcomes Brother Inferior and Whorehouse of Representatives. Next Friday, September 19, Slipknot jam at the Plantation Club, Toni Lynn Washington belts it out at Gilrein's, catch Communion, Phenol, Maladiction, and Dimwit at the Espresso Bar, and Marley's spotlights Auntie Death, Phluke, and Nathan Dupree.

-- Joe Longone

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE: "We'll find a magic spell to turn this muck to gold," goes one of the lines on Luna's latest, Pup Tent (Elektra). And though Dean Wareham has yet to mine platinum from Luna since he left lauded local space-rockers Galaxie 500, he's definitely smoothed out some of the quirks. Which probably has less to do with hoodoo than with a little aging -- but you can decide for yourself when they ooze into Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876), in Providence, on September 12, and the Paradise (617-562-8804), in Boston, the following night with Sixteen Deluxe.

Mike Patton's got another solo disc out on the avant label Tzadik -- this time it's weird, pasta-inspired soundtrack work and subjazz noise with guests including John Zorn, Erik Friedlander, and Marc Ribot. Expect nothing but the hits, on the other hand, when Patton's pop-thrash marquee act Faith No More bypass Beantown and hit the Strand (401-272-0444), in Providence, on Thursday the 18th.

Indigo Girls, who have a new album out (and maybe a little more hip cachet since everyone started comparing Sleater-Kinney to a punkier version of them), opt to reward UMass-Amherst with an exclusive area gig on Friday the 12th at the Mullins Center (413-733-2500).

And don't slit those wrists just yet -- the Morrissey show at the Orpheum in Boston on September 14 has been sold out for weeks, but there are still tickets available for his show at the Strand on September 16.

-- Carly Carioli