Heavy Dates

Yes, it's that time of year again when the pumpkins get carved, spooky stories get told, Trilogy of Terror (you know, the one with Karen Black and the little tribal doll that comes to life when the chain falls off) plays on Channel 38, and jocks dress up in drag -- and pinch each other's crotches. Happy Halloween! For the fast, loud, and dumb crowd we recommend Friday night at Ralph's and a bill featuring Hitler's Wheelchair, Villain, and Dimwit. Three bands, three chords, no waiting. Over at London Billiards, it's a costume party featuring Boy's Attic, while the Palladium brings it down heavy duty with Tree, Shed, Gangsta Bitch Barbie, and Illa. Saturday's the Big Bash Night, and while we love Durand Wilkerson and the Soul Drivers at Gilrein's, our money for Best All-Hallow-Even Best goes to the one and only Upsidedown Cross. They play (this time at Ralph's) lovely songs about murder, witches, fire-starting, schizophrenia, and Ol' Scratch himself. Plus, how can you go wrong with a bunch of loosely-wound-devil-worshipping-whiskey-drinking-ethnic-food-eating enthusiasts?It's just that simple. For the weak of heart, the Lucky Dog has the funkified stylings of Chillum, Nashville heavies Another Society, and the legion of time/space travelers known as the Deadites. The Palladium offers "Back to School Jam III" with sets from Converge, Boy Sets Fire, Bane, and Reach for the Sky, while the Green Rooster Coffeehouse mellows to the sounds of the fabulous Mary Gauthier and special guest Eric Schwartz. Sunday, while a bit anti-climactic, still has a fun night on tap when Agnostic Front headline the Palladium. Drained, Death Threat, Daltonic, and All Else Fails open. And make sure to stop by the Lucky Dog after and say howdy to Satan himself. He'll be holding down the drumming chores for Disco Hell, and he's just dying to meet you.

-- John O'Neill

BOSTON/PROVIDENCE

Halloween, as everyone seems to opine, is looking like a dress rehearsal for the big ought-ought New Year's parties, so it's not surprising to see old acquaintances crawling out of the woodwork for haunted happenings. The Palladium, 797-9696, in Worcester, is just getting around to hosting a "back to school" show -- just in time for midterms -- but for the October 30 afternoon throwdown it's booked a bunch of bands who can be both brutal and bookish, like Mass artcore vets Converge, Boy Sets Fire, Bane, throwbacks-to-old-school-Boston-hardcore kids Reach the Sky (who have a disc out on Victory), Dillinger Escape Plan (chaotic enough to catch the eye of Mr. Bungle on their last sweep of the country), Right Brigade, and In Truth. Meanwhile, in Providence, on October 30, the Met Café, (401) 861-2142, hosts the only New England appearance by Tokyo trash-punk geniuses Guitar Wolf, who take Johnny Thunders, the Ramones, and Link Wray to drive-in B-movie excess. And Providence is also the closest you'll come to a performance by Slaves, an outfit formed out of the ashes of San Francisco's VSS. The band's debut, Devil's Pleasures (Troubleman Unlimited), is one of the coolest we've heard all year -- think early Bad Seeds-era Nick Cave and a pinch of Bleach-era Nirvana filtered through the creepy-cool Vox-driven garage-band aesthetic of the Make-Up or the very early Misfits, though nearly every song on the disc suggests some distinct and equally esoteric description, so we'll shut up and tell you it's worth the drive. They're at AS220, (401) 831-9327, in Providence, on October 30.

More punk is in store on Halloween proper, as aging old-school legends Agnostic Front choose to escape from NYC and set up shop at the Palladium's upstairs room on the afternoon of October 31. The undercard includes Drained, Death Threat, Fear Tomorrow, All Else Fails, Daltonic, and, appropriately enough, something called 100 Demons. Likewise on October 31, Boston's Dropkick Murphys pull the same stunt in Providence -- (as any Irishman'll tell ya, Halloween was an Irish idea), topping a hooligan's haunted holiday bill with Anti-Flag, Blood for Blood, Bombshell Rocks, and Beerzone at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, (401) 272-5876. And Danzig fly into town for a gig at the Roxy, (617) 338-7699, in Boston, on Halloween night as part of a WAAF-sponsored bill; Glenn won't, however, be bringing the re-formed Samhain line-up along with him. For that, you'll have to check back for the Danzig/Samhain double bill at Lupo's in Providence on November 14.

-- Carly Carioli