Roadtrips

The punk-rock pride and joy of Richmond, Virginia, come calling this week as Avail make the rounds in support of their latest, Over the James (Lookout!). With just the right measure of West Coast overdrive pop and East Coast anthemic muscle, it's their best since '94's Dixie. And according to an e-mail we got from Frank Kozik's Man's Ruin label, some of these guys have a Sabbathy side project called Alabama Thunder Pussy that will be putting out an album in late June. So give 'em the devil horns when they come to the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge on June 1 and the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence on June 2, both shows with fellow Richmonders Ann Beretta, who are apparently loved by everyone in these parts who's seen them.

The Espresso Bar (508-770-1455) in Worcester hosts a three-day "Punkstock '98" extravaganza this weekend, May 29 through 31. Our pick to click is the Sunday show with D.O.A. and Epitaph's bonecrushing Zeke, for whom hardcore is just a way of saying that they like their Motörhead really, really fast.

Everclear have made an unlikely career playing grown-up grunge for the earnest ex-junkie married-in-their-30s set. Which is exactly the kind of rags-to-riches story middle-of-the-road America likes to be told and will pay good money to hear. In a way, you couldn't pick a better place to hear Everclear's jackpot jingles than the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (603-929-4100) in New Hampshire, where they'll play on May 31 before taking their medicine show to the kids at the all-ages Palladium (508-797-9696) in Worcester on June 2, both shows with Marcy Playground.

Someday maybe Everclear's Art Alexakis will ditch the band and take the route traveled by the Kinks' Dave Davies, who, following in his little brother Ray's footsteps, hoofs it club-to-club talking about how great it was to be in the Kinks. Anyone who wasn't there will, presumably, just have to take his word on it. He'll reminisce on May 31 at the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) in Northampton and on June 4 at the Sit 'n Bull Pub (978-897-7232) in Maynard.

--C.C.