Think of it as an investment in the next Sleater-Kinney. Based in Portland, Oregon, the Rock and Roll Camp for Girls is an annual seminar that attracts 10-to-18-year-olds from across the country and provides a crucial counterpoint to the Disney pop factory. Among the instructors this year are Boston’s own Mary Timony and Cibo Matto’s Miho Hatori; and Ida’s Karla Schiekle is in the process of starting an East Coast spinoff. In order to subsidize scholarships for budding young grrrls, the camp will attempt to put on 50 shows in 50 states on Friday. And though it’ll fall a bit short this year, the orange-to-white ratio on its map (for show/no-show states) breaks down way more promising than the red-state/blue-state divide. The Rhode Island gig will be headlined by Mates of State at AS220 (401-831-9327) in Providence. And thanks to former instructor Aliza Shapiro, there are a pair of Boston-area gigs. The all-ages bill at Zeitgeist Gallery (617-876-60600 in Cambridge features sets from the punk-rock cover band 1977, one-man lap-top-pop auteur Chezwick, and the dyke-thrash trio Steel Poniez. And the Midway Café (617-524-9038) in Jamaica Plain has a stellar line-up including the Moves’ Sara Cooper, Lovers’ Cubby Berk, feminist hip-hop MC Cathy Cathodic, and the electronic indie-pop group Roh Delikat. For more information, visit www.truthserum.org or www.girlsrockcamp.org.

NYC’s the Walkmen just released a twinkling, half-spoken/half-sung holiday mantra — a nod to Brill Building novelty hits of yore — titled "Christmas Party," and they’ll throw a few this week. Tonight (December 9) they’re at the Living Room (401-521-5200) in Providence; they also open for Cake at the State Theater (207-780-8265) in Portland on Friday and headline Pearl Street (413-584-7810) in Northampton on Saturday.

A couple of old alternative-pop friends return to town for the holidays: once and future Lemonhead Evan Dando does solo gigs on Monday at the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) in Northampton and next Friday, December 17, at the Paradise (617-562-8800) in Boston. And former Throwing Muse Kristin Hersh brings her band 50 Foot Wave to the Iron Horse on Tuesday and to T.T. the Bear’s Place (617-492-BEAR) in Cambridge on Wednesday. Finally off tour with Metallica, Godsmack play a few acoustic shows to pimp their stripped-down The Other Side EP; they’re at Verizon Wireless Arena (603-644-5000) in Manchester on Friday and at the Oakdale Theater (203-265-1501) in Wallingford, Connecticut, on Sunday. Perhaps Sully will also get a chance to holler at his boys: his protégés Dropbox play the Iron Horse on Wednesday and open for Kenny Wayne Shepherd at the Roxy (617-338-ROXY) in Boston next Friday, December 17.