Roadtrips

And now, yet another monthly update on the eagerly awaited sophomore album by Rhode Island punkabillies the Amazing Crowns: the release date of Still Royal (on Time Bomb Recordings, home of Social Distortion) has been pushed back to this summer. But word has it that the band are recording all three shows of their Bosstones-style "Providence Payback" throwdown for release as a live album on their old label, Monolyth, and that this one could make it to shelves as early as March. The Crowns headline three nights at the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence: on January 27 with the Double Nothins, the Raging Teens, Pressure Cooker, and the Vigilantes; on January 28 with the Showcase Showdown, the Belmont Playboys, Sinners' Club, and Damn Personals; and on January 29 with the Fabulous Itchies, the Bourbonaires, L.E.S. Stiches, and the Money Shots. After their show with the Crowns, Boston rockabilly firebrands the Raging Teens return home on January 29 for a show at T.T. the Bear's Place (617-492-BEAR) in Cambridge with the Cretins, the Fuzzy Pinks, and the Kings of Nuthin'.

Another Rhode Island band, Steely Dan-ish hippie faves the Slip, head to Cambridge for a show downstairs at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) with Blue Rags on January 28. And on February 3, Maine's Rustic Overtones play the Paradise (617-562-8800) in Boston with Gran Torino. Both bands hook up with the Slip and Gruvis Malt the next night, February 4, for a jam-band showdown at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence. On the harder side of the jam spectrum there's Blue Floyd, a -- get this -- blues-rock supergroup/Pink Floyd cover band featuring bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts of Gov't Mule plus former Black Crowes lead guitarist Marc Ford. Now, we've never been too, uh, high on the legendary Floyd, but we do know that Ford played some of the most incendiary, forward-looking blues leads of the '90s on the second and third Crowes discs before getting ousted from that notoriously wasted crew by somehow managing to do more drugs than everybody else in the band. Kinda figured this is where he'd end up, right?

Like Marc Ford, Ben Harper has that rare ability to squeeze new life out of tired blues-rock clichés. His new Burn To Shine is credited to Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, but rest assured all eyes will still be on him when he plays Smith College (800-477-6849) in Northampton on February 3. They were the last time we saw him, at least -- and most of their owners were trying to figure out how the hell a straight-faced guy seated at the front of the stage playing slide guitar on his lap could pull off such a blistering version of Hendrix's "Manic Depression." Be forewarned, though -- not all his original stuff comes off as well. Corey Harris opens for Harper. In other roots news, reggae warriors Steel Pulse will be at Lupo's on January 28 before heading to Boston for a gig at the Roxy (800-477-6849) on February 2.

Reunited '80s NYC hardcore kings the Cro-Mags bring their tough-guy punk to the mosh-friendly upstairs room at the Palladium (508-797-9696) in Worcester on January 29. The Mags' new self-released Revenge has plenty of pictures of singer Harley Flanagan showing off his gnarly tattoos, along with a few choice obscenity-and-violence-laced captions. But more than a few of the tunes inside are surprisingly tender -- and, believe it or not, that's a good thing. Here's hoping former Suicidal Tendencies guy Rocky George, who plays stellar lead guitar on the album, is along for the tour. Opening for the Cro-Mags are All Out War, Shutdown, and Boston's Right Brigade. Also, two wholly dissimilar but equally crowd-pleasing Boston punk bands head north on January 29: Tree will be at Smithwicks (978-937-2111) in Lowell and Babaloo will be at Bleachers (978-744-4328) in Salem.

And with boy bands still all the rage at this late date, isn't it time for a cappella to make a move into the mainstream? Well, probably not, but we're sure there's at least a future in touring a cappella groups as a training ground (boot camp for vocal chops?) for the Backstreet Boys of the future. Go scoping for talent when M-Pact hit the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) in Northampton on January 28 and the Paradise on January 31.
-- Carly Carioli and Sean Richardson