Roadtrips

Our first whiff of indigenous live N'Awlins music in months came a couple of weeks ago with Nathan Williams and his Zydeco Cha Cha's at Johnny D's, followed by the "Mardi Gras Dance Party" at the Roxy. All this has inflamed our craving to the point that we now have no choice but to head to Cranston, Rhode Island, where on February 21 a killer Cajun/zydeco triple bill is in the offing: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, Cheryl Cormier and Cajun Sounds. The accordions, fiddles, and washboards will be rocking out at the Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet Ballroom (401-783-3926), 60 Rhodes Place, Cranston.

A couple of homegrown major-label hopefuls are in the wings this week. Grassroots road warriors Guster, an acoustic-duo-with-bongos act whose Sire debut is due April 7, are at UMass-Amherst (413-545-0111) on February 20, the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence on February 21, and the Webster Theater (860-525-5553) in Hartford on February 27. And Big Wreck, a Berklee-groomed quartet who photograph well, are supporting their Atlantic debut, In Loving Memory Of . . . , with dates opening for alterna-rock radio darlings Creed. They're at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on February 24 and at Avalon (617-262-2424) in Boston on February 25.

And Matador's Railroad Jerk breeze through dealing out quirky, corrugated, junkshop-blues-derived breakdowns at the Call (401-751-2255) in Providence on January 19 with Plymouth Rock and the Mr. Rogers Project, then go nonstop to Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge on February 20, where they're joined by abrasive, out-of-tune hipster labelmates the Lynnefield Pioneers and Atlanta's Baby Fat.