Heavy Dates

by John O'Neill and Carly Carioli

WORCESTER: Friday, October 31 (that's Halloween to you and me, dress accordingly), finds not-so-old pals the Westies at the Espresso Bar. They'll be lettin' it hang out with 7/10 Split, Edison, and Bullyrag. Ralph's opens the door to the Blue Moon Saloon for Downchild and a '70s costume party. Laurie Sargent plays the Blue Buffalo, in Framingham, while Jillian's Billiard Cafe hosts the first in what should be many thrilling installments of the Worcester Phoenix Fall Music Series. Boston's Sameasyou kick that deal off. The Above Club also hosts a costume bash with the Cartridge Family. Saturday, November 1, finds musical iconoclast Bob Jordan at the Eco Village Tea Room, while Godsmack get heavy at Sir Morgan's Cove with Rawhead Rex, Every Second, and Maladdiction -- make that real heavy. The Space holds a benefit for Food Not Bombs with Piebald, Frodus, Fat Day, and Battle of the Network Stars, while Boston's kingpins of rockabilly, the Crank-Tones, tear it up at Dinny's with the Fearless Leaders. Sunday, November 2, is round three in the Palladium's Rock Fight with Groove Works, Cream Team, Shortfuse, and Low Interval Unit vying for supremacy under the big disco ball, while Monday the 3rd brings Lollapalooza alumni Fishbone to our sleepy hamlet. They'll be at Sir Morgan's Cove with Chillum and Super Creb Star Dynomax. Chick Corea and Gary Burton kick off the Mass Jazz Festival at Mechanics Hall on Wednesday, November 5. Finally, on Thursday the 6th, Feces Pieces play Sir Moran's Cove. We know nothing about them, but the name alone made it a must-mention. Beyond that, caveat emptor.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE: We're Solids (Suicide Squeeze/Up!), the new seven-song EP by the Seattle guitar-drums duo 764-HERO, offers lots of great smashed-relationship, dulled-heart detritus like "I can get ya up but I won't bother/Anyway, you wonder if you'll get to the point where no one's worth having around." John Atkins (the guitar/vox half) plays the tortured ex-boyfriend guy as emocore-boy trying really hard not to scream, and he's got the melodically depressoid, angst-damaged, indie-scrawl anti-chops to back it up. ("Slint out-mope the Cure" is a felonious overgeneralization, but you get the idea.) One-upping Bob Mould on Hüsker Dü's "Hardly Getting Over It" is Atkins on the final, acoustic "Stutter Steps": "Getting over it is overrated." The Heroes are on a tour with labelmates Modest Mouse -- who play guitar in the zithery manner of sparkplugs exploding -- that brings them to the Middle East (617-864-3278), in Cambridge, with Wicked Farleys and the Puddle Jumpers tonight (October 30), and the Met Café (401-861-2142), in Providence, on November 3.

The Jesus Lizard's second album for Capitol (produced by Gang of Four's Andy Gill) is in the can and will hit stores next spring; in the meantime, they're doing a string of dates with new labelmates Verbena that stops at the Middle East in Cambridge on November 1 with Quintaine Americana and November 4 at the Met Café. Stereolab bring the German duo Mouse on Mars -- who produced a couple of tracks on Stereolab's Dots and Loops (Elektra) and have used that group's Laetitia Sadier and Mary Hansen on vocals in the past -- for several dates, including an all-ages show at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-331-2211), in Providence, on November 6 and the Paradise (617-562-8800), in Boston, on November 7.

You can take a field trip to check out one of Olympia's most talked-about bands, the Need, an electro-punk tag team with a new debut -- Need -- out on Chainsaw. They'll play an all-ages matinee this Sunday afternoon, November 2, at the Smith College Field House, then haul ass to make it to Ryles (617-876-9300) by nightfall.

-- Carly Carioli