Lately, the Radio Disney play list has begun to look less like Freaky Friday and more like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Just take a gander at Ashlee Simpson: the 7th Heaven star’s MTV reality show bites compared with big sis Jessica’s, but damn — we sure are glad they decided to make a Simpson in our flavor. On her debut, Autobiography (Geffen), which was co-written by one of the Sugar Ray dudes, the Jett-haired, raspy-voiced sprite buckles "Ex-Girlfriend"–era Stefanisms to Jem and the Holograms glam pop. Like you care. Dude, look at her: she’s hotter than a roomful of Suicide Girls. And she’s playing an afternoon freebie on Saturday at the MDC Hatch Shell (617-931-1108), on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston. Then on Sunday, Ashlee joins fellow coquette-rocker Skye Sweetnam and former Crazy Town jockohomo Shifty Shellshock at Six Flags New England (413-786-9300) in Agawam. Meanwhile, just in case you missed our review of her new movie, her old album, and her new single elsewhere in this issue, note that the reigning Minnie of Disneygrunge, Hilary Duff, has absconded with the Matrix’s punkest rock, the Go-Gos’ catchiest single, and Vince Neil’s guitar player. She’ll spangle the Worcester Centrum (508-755-6800) on Tuesday.

Is there life after teen pop? Go ask Hanson. Seven years after "Mmmbop," they’ve decided they want to be Ben Kweller, and their new Underneath includes a song co-written by Matthew Sweet. They’re at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom (603-929-4100) in New Hampshire on Tuesday and at Avalon (617-262-2424) in Boston next Thursday, July 22.

Pharrell Williams has conquered pop, hip-hop, R&B, and skatepunk — now he’s setting his sights on collegiate jamboys. The latest N.E.R.D. disc found the Neptunes paying tribute to Steely Dan jazz rock. Now the band gear up for a string of dates with the Jay-Z of that shit, Dave Matthews. N.E.R.D. headline a warm-up date tonight (July 15) at Lupo’s at the Strand (401-272-5876) in Providence, then jump aboard the Dave Matthews Band dates on Friday and Saturday at Meadows Music (203-265-1501) in Wallingford, Connecticut.

Tonight (July 15), Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba plays a solo gig at the Webster Theater (860-525-5553) in Hartford to benefit AIDS research. Friday, Mission of Burma play a one-off gig at Toad’s Place (203-562-5589) in New Haven — the most intimate club they’ve played in New England since their secret warm-up gig a couple years ago at the old Lilli’s in Somerville. There’s no Ace and no Criss, and their replacements will be both masked and anonymous when Kiss hit the Tweeter Center (617-931-2000) in Mansfield on Friday with Poison. In the video for "Wishbone," the new single by Godsmack protégés Dropbox, one of the strippers looks almost as much like Britney Spears as the singer sounds like Sully. They’re opening for Drowning Pool on Saturday at the Palladium (800-477-6849) in Worcester and Sunday at the Hampton Beach Casino.