On the very day the Boston punk supergroup Avoid One Thing released their first album, their drummer died. Dave Karcich -- who commuted from his home in Brooklyn to rehearse with the other members, Mighty Mighty Bosstones bassist Joe Gittleman, former Mung/Darkbuster guitarist Paul Delano, and Raging Teens guitarist Amy Griffin -- suffered a brain aneurysm on April 2 of this year and died on April 5. Karcich was well known and loved in Boston. Prior to Avoid One Thing, he'd played drums for the ska-punk bands the Pilfers and Spring Heeled Jack -- and at the time of his death, members of those two bands had coalesced in the Boston punk outfit Lost City Angels. This Sunday, a bunch of Karcich's friends are getting together for a memorial gig in his honor at Toad's Place (203-562-5589) in New Haven. There'll be sets by the Lost City Angels and Avoid One Thing; an all-star Spring Heeled Jack tribute band featuring members of the Bosstones and LCA plus members of Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, and others; and a raffle to benefit a scholarship fund that's been established in his name.

The Karcich tribute show comes in the middle of a leg of shows Lost City Angels are doing with Catch 22 and River City Rebels (both from the Victory Records camp) and Waltham teenage rock-and-roll machines Damone. That bill hits the Webster Theatre (860-525-5553) in Hartford on Friday and Axis (617-423-NEXT) in Boston on Monday. The Webster also hosts the "Stillborn Festival," with sets from metalcore faves Hatebreed, the Hope Conspiracy, Shai Hulud, Killswitch Engage, and more, on Monday.

Spending New Year's Eve in the provinces? In Northampton, the Calvin Theatre hosts singer-songwriters Dar Williams, Catie Curtis, and Nerissa and Katryna Nields. A perennial candidate for world's greatest bar band, NRBQ plant themselves at the Iron Horse Music Hall. And Big D and the Kids Table headline a ska-punk bill at Pearl Street. (Call 413-584-0610 for info on all three shows.) Pittsburgh's Rusted Root and Boston's Spookie Daly Pride jam up the works at the Palladium (800-477-6849) in Worcester. And though Boston's own jam-band/fusion trio the Slip -- whose '02 release, Angels Come on Time (Rykodisc), was recorded in Phish's barn -- had to scale back their planned Avalon gig to the Paradise (617-423-NEXT) on Monday, they're at the bigger Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence New Year's Eve.