Roadtrips

edited by Matt Ashare

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin didn't join the Lilith Fair in time for its Boston date last week -- she'll hook up with the tour in mid August -- but neo-folkies, fear not. She's doing numerous warm-up dates all over New England this week. She'll be at the Berkshire Performing Arts Center (413-637-4718) in Lenox on July 26, the Cape Cod Melody Tent (508-775-9100) in Hyannis on July 31, and Harborlights (617-737-6100) in Boston on August 2. Duncan Sheik, who opens on all of the above dates, takes a detour to headline his own show at the Strand (401-272-0444) in Providence on July 28, with Mark Cutler opening.

It ain't a bad weekend to head down to the Cape, either. G. Love & Special Sauce, fresh off a date opening for blues maestro Buddy Guy at Harborlights last week, headline a show at the Wellfleet Beachcomber (508-349-6055) on Cahoon Hollow in Wellfleet. And NoNo's (508-487-5590), a new joint renovated out of an old roadhouse in Provincetown, hosts Boston funkateers Crown Electric Company for shows on Friday and Saturday.

On the subject of funk, metal-funk-ska pioneers Fishbone are making the rounds again, with Snot and Earache noise addicts Dub War. They'll be at the Strand on July 31, then circle around and hit the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Boston on August 8. Take out the bone and you get fish fillet -- or just Fish, a Scottish prog-rock dude who hits the Strand on July 27 and the Paradise (617-562-8800) in Boston on July 28.

If you've got a hankerin' to go gambling, Willie Nelson's smoking up the room at Foxwoods Casino (860-885-3352) in Ledyard, Connecticut, on July 25 and 26, before heading to Warwick Musical Theater (401-821-7300) on the 27th. And for those sado-masochists among you (and we know you're out there), a comeback-bound Barry Manilow starts a five-night stand at Foxwoods on July 30.

Hometown boy Stacy Jones won't make it to town with his girlie pals in Veruca Salt, but they'll be rocking out down at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on July 25 with Fig Dish and the bassless two-man grunge-pop tag team known as Local H.