Roadtrips

Yes, fronting Extreme was a big deal. And yes, you could argue that fronting Van Halen was an even bigger deal. But the VH gig had to have come as at least a little bit of a letdown when you consider Gary Cherone's interim gig -- the one where he got to play the lead in the Boston Rock Opera's production of Jesus Christ Superstar. A few years later, we began to wonder whether he hadn't taken the role too seriously. There was that weird, elliptical "open letter" to Eddie Vedder, in which he took the Pearl Jam frontman to task for espousing pro-choice views. Worse, his comments were published on a anti-abortion Web site that appeared to be a front for some unsavory radical-conservative groups. This year, as the Boston Rock Opera revives Superstar, Cherone's back in the cast -- this time forsaking his Lord for the role of Judas. Goth-pop hottie Valerie Forgione, of Mistle Thrush, steps in as Mary Magdalene, the role played previously by Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley; Chris Mascara, of Mascara, has the title role. Jesus Christ Superstar runs November 9 through 18 at Mass College of Art's Tower Auditorium (617-423-NEXT) in Boston. Meanwhile Cherone's old buddy Nuno Bettencourt, the cute and talented guitar-playing one, has a band with the woefully sad moniker Mourning Widows (what, no umlaut?!) who've been steering clear of Boston in favor of suburban hair-metal pockets like West Warwick, Rhode Island, and releasing records only in places where people might appreciate them, like Japan. On Wednesday, though, Mourning Widows are at Axis (617-423-NEXT) in Boston.

Rarely has stoner rock been quite so obvious as that made by Sea of Green -- three bearded quasi-neo-wasteoid types with one hand up Fu Manchu's ass and another stoking the bong. They're formulaic, generic, utterly disposable, fifth-or sixth-rate Sabbath -- of course, we're totally there anyway, because we're pigs for this stuff. Tonight (November 2), Sea of Green hit the Linwood Grill (267-8644) in Boston. Slightly higher on the tokin' totem pole sit Nebula, an offshoot of the original Fu Manchu line-up. Nebula began as an even better Kyuss ripoff than their old band, and they've progressed over several albums and EPs to become an even better Mudhoney ripoff than Mudhoney these days. Tomorrow (November 3) they're at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge with Roadsaw, the local warhorses who helped kick off the Sabbath revival and are huge in Europe, and Warhorse, a local group who're beginning to be touted as stoner rock's next big thing. Having transcended the stoner universe for wider appreciation, former Kyuss leader Josh Homme's Queens of the Stone Age are back opening for Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters at the Palladium (508-797-9696) in Worcester on Wednesday.

Just back from a couple of shows at NYC's CMJ Music Marathon, where they once again busted out an epic, noggin-shearing cover of "Dazed and Confused," Cave In resume contact with ground control at Lilli's (617-591-1661) in Somerville on Wednesday with the Cancer Conspiracy, a menacing and measured instrumental outfit who're the latest space-metal oddity to emerge from the Cave In-Isis-Converge axis. Cave In are also on the Palladium's day-long "Rockstock" bill with the Sheila Divine, Six Going On Seven, the Quicksand offshoot Rival Schools United by Fate, and a half-dozen others on Sunday. And the best punk band to call Boston home, the Explosion, have yet another new release -- this time an EP on Revelation -- and a couple of Boston gigs, tonight (November 2) at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (267-9300) with the Lot Six and next Thursday at Bill's Bar (617-421-9678) with Sinners & Saints and Le Shok.
-- Carly Carioli