Heavy Dates

As we've expressed before, there's good swing, and there's bad swing. You can get a dose of both this Friday at the Lucky Dog Music Hall with the Swing Band. Led by longtime local bandleader Bob Monroe, the generically named 20-piece will delve into big band-era chestnuts (good) as well as modern slop like the Cherry Poppin' Daddies (bad). Have it your way, cats. Meanwhile, Worcester Phoenix coverboy Troy Gonyea leads his band the Premiers at, believe it or not, Chuck's. As in Steak House. Settle in, have a porterhouse, then dance it all off in high style. Over at the Above Club, it's the return of local pop-faves Joe Rockhead, and the Tiki Hut features Boy's Attic, Twisted, and Tank 26. On Saturday, the cats from Atlantic and Capitol Records will be kiting in from NEMO to Commercial Street to catch a set by Downright Childish. Feel free to read between the lines! And it's a CD release party for Don White (backed, as usual, by the Loomers) at the Bull Run. Ol' Don is a pretty hot sketch and real popular in these parts, so get there early if you'd like a seat. Northern Lights, perennial WCUW folk favorites, do two sets at Cafe Fantastique, while over at the Tammany Club, Jah Spirit tap into the reggae vibe. On Sunday, it's the debut from this week's winner for Best Band Name, Hitler's Wheelchair. The Wheelchair play an early Sunday show at Commercial Street. Eastcide headline. The Funny Bone Cafe (Webster) hosts an all-ages show for MAFIO with sets from Spiritual Division and Revolving Radio Userr. And let us not forget that Monday night brings All-Time Surf King Dick Dale to Grind Central at Clark University. Still smokin' after all these years, Dale also appeared in one of our favorite Beverly Hills 90210 episodes. He jams at a pool party for the jet-setting kids and tells them to be careful splashing water around. And while that may not be the absolute zenith of cool, it sure beats the hell out of watching John Stamos play bongos.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE

It's the time of year when all those student-activities committees start looking to blow what's left of their budgets, and we all know what that means -- more rock. MTV's answer to the piano man himself, the Ben Folds Five are at the Keaney Gym on the campus of the University of Rhode Island, (401) 874-5298, for a one-off gig on April 25. Recently suggested by the wiseacres at The Onion as a the ultimate weapon against international terrorism, funk's Head of State -- not to mention the all-time favorite of student-activities committees nationwide, George Clinton, rounds up the P-Funk All-Stars for a command performance at Wheaton College, (617) 931-2000, in Norton, on April 22. Meanwhile, the second-most-favorite outfit of student activities committees nationwide -- that would be De La Soul -- find themselves without a college to play, so they're at Lupo's Heartbreak in Hotel, (401) 272-5876, in Providence, on April 25.

Most major sneaker companies are dropping their sports-superstar spokespersons and looking instead to the world of entertainment. Thus, Converse (which was way ahead of the game in sponsoring the Bosstones about eight years ago) is in business with Puff Daddy; and Puma gets its logo on ads for more ska-punk madness in the form of the tour by Unwritten Law, Spring Heeled Jack, and the Blue Meanies. You can check it out at the Met Cafe, (401) 861-2142, on April 24 and at the Paradise Rock Club, (617) 562-8800, in Boston, on April 25.

English folkie dude Adrian Legg is at the Berklee Performance Center, (617) 747-2261, in Boston, on April 24, and at the Iron Horse, (413) 584-0610, in Northampton, on April 27. Our favorite roots-rockabilly band, the Racketeers, are all over the place: at the Lucky Dog Music Hall, (508) 363-1888, in Worcester, on April 22; then onto a rare afternoon all-ages gig at T.T. the Bear's Place, (617) 492-2327, in Cambridge, on April 24 along with the red-haired, Wanda Jackson-esque 'billy gal Kim Lenz and her Jaguars; and finally onto Lupo's on April 30 to open for a band they are intimately familiar with, the Amazing Crowns.

-- Carly Carioli