Roadtrips

With the holiday season comes radio-station festival heaven. And in case you hadn't noticed, radio's all about the metal these days. Insane Clown Posse just released two separate discs; the rasslin' white-rap minstrels join P.O.D. -- the Christian metal band whose new breakthrough single, "School of Hard Knocks," appears on the soundtrack to Adam Sandler's movie about the son of Satan, Little Nicky -- and Crazy Town at Avalon (617-423-NEXT) on Wednesday. Next door that night, Axis (617-423-NEXT) hosts a grade-z nü-metal moronothon: Disturbed, the Union Underground (who have resorted to late-night infomercials to spread the word), and Linkin Park. Also on Wednesday, the Paradise (617-423-NEXT) hosts Orgy -- famous for their "Blue Monday" cover, now with a new, New Order-less album out -- along with VAST and Portland emo-metal dudes 6gig. You can also catch various permutations of these bills elsewhere in New England this week: on Tuesday, Orgy join 6gig and Disturbed at the Cumberland Civic Center (207-775-3458) in Portland; and next Thursday (November 30), Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence hosts Orgy, VAST, Disturbed, and Linkin Park. For their part, 6gig head up a New England metal convival at the Skybox (413-577-4759) in Amherst a week from Saturday (December 2) with 7th Rail Crew, C60, Diecast, Eastcide, Gangsta Bitch Barbie, and others. Meanwhile, grunge holdovers turned pop-metal revivalists Collective Soul -- who could've been Creed if they'd come later and aped Pearl Jam even more -- are at the Orpheum (617-931-2000) on Wednesday and at Lupo's next Friday (December 1), both dates with BMG Godsmack clones Dust for Life. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones -- who have sold out their upcoming "Hometown Throwdown" at Axis, December 6 through 10 -- warm up with yet another small-club gig at Lilli's (617-591-1661) in Somerville on Wednesday, with Seventeen opening. Rancid, who just blew through on their proper tour a few weeks back, stop into the Middle East (617-864-EAST) for a one-off radio date on Wednesday with the local girl-punk band Heidi (who have been displaying some keen, un-Limp hip-hop tendencies of late). And the Dandy Warhols are at T.T. the Bear's Place (617-492-BEAR) that same evening with SR-71 and Blink-182 clones Good Charlotte ("The Little Things").

Roughneck Jamaican dancehall superstar Beenie Man -- who 1/2nally cracked the American hip-hop/R&B market a couple years back thanks to a duet with Mya and a couple of staggering cameos -- pulls into Avalon for a two-night stand on Friday and Saturday, a testament to his burgeoning popularity. Also catch Beenie on Tuesday at the Higher Ground (802-654-8888) in Winooski, Vermont; and next Thursday (November 30) at the Ocean Mist (401-782-3740) in Mantunuck, Rhode Island. Funk/jazz heroes Medeski Martin & Wood are at the Calvin Theatre (413-586-8686) in Northampton on Wednesday and at the Orpheum next Thursday (November 30). And the Go-Betweens 1/2nish up their leg of the Yo La Tengo tour at the Roxy (617-931-2000) in Boston on Tuesday. Thereafter, Superchunk's Mac McCaughan takes over the opening slot in the guise of his solo side project Portastatic. McCaughan's latest Portastatic EP, De Mel De Melao (Merge), has him forsaking indie pop for tropicália and covers of Caetano Veloso and Os Mutantes. Which should make for interesting evenings at Lupo's on Wednesday and at Pearl Street (413-584-0610) in Northampton next Thursday (November 30).
-- Carly Carioli