Roadtrips

Marking a return to touring after nearly a decade off the road, the strange, anonymous freakout that is the Residents puts in its first appearance at a three-night, uh, Residency at the Copley Theatre (617-266-7262) in Boston. The eyeball-headed wonders, whose true identities have remained secret through their warped 25-year career, have concentrated on exploring CD-ROM technology since '92, but they're back touring behind last year's Wormwood: Curious Stories from the Bible. The tour kicks off with three shows at the Copley, April 1 through 3. Expect it to be an Event (we've been told the cost of renting the required light-show equipment alone is staggering), with MTV hangers-on in attendance. After the show's run here, and before it heads to New York City, it'll stop at Pearl Street (413-584-0610) in Northampton for one night on April 4.

If you find yourself getting a whiff of a Phish-y smell, you're probably in the presence of that band's white-meat spinoff Pork Tornado, which would mean you're at Pearl Street on April 3, at the Paradise (617-562-8800) in Boston on April 6, or at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on April 7. If on the other hand it smells like the sea and cake, you are most likely in the presence of that band's Sam Prekop, which means you're at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge on April 3, or at the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence on April 4.

Metal, metal, everywhere, but not a filing of it in Boston. The new kids on the block roll through when Fear Factory, Spineshank, hed(p.e.), and the White Zombie cover band Static-X (well, not really, but damn close) hit Lupo's on April 6 and the Palladium (508-797-9696) in Worcester on April 10. The old guys on the block remind 'em how it's done when Slayer and Sick of It All bring the pain to Lupo's on April 2; Meshuggah open.

Last but not least, former Throwing Muse Kristin Hersh plays an intimate gig at Providence's AS220 (401-831-9327) on April 8; and the guitar-pop outfit Fountains of Wayne, who recorded their forthcoming debut disc out in Northampton, play that town's Pearl Street on April 7.
-- CC