BREEDING GROUND: It’s been more than a decade since they were a Boston band, and eight years since they put out an album (1993’s Last Splash, which yielded the grunge-era radio smash "Cannonball" and a stint on Lollapalooza), but the Breeders are finally back, albeit with only Pixies star Kim Deal and sister Kelley remaining from their previous incarnation. Several detoxes and side projects later, the sister act hooked up with a couple of the guys from Fear and completed a session with Steve Albini, who’s actually had nice things to say about Title TK, an album that seems to have been named with the sole intention of driving newspaper editors crazy. The disc is due early next year, and the band will hit the Middle East, 480 Mass Ave in Central Square, on February 12. Call (617) 931-2000 for tickets.
LOUD AND PROUD: Boston’s rowdiest and most visible punk band, the Dropkick Murphys, have just come off a year-long jaunt in support of their fantastic Sing Loud, Sing Proud (Hellcat/Epitaph), the last leg of which was christened the "American Pride Tour," with a portion of the proceeds going to September 11 charities. The band have already announced they’ll be laying low for a year; their only US show in 2002 is likely to be a St. Patrick’s Day appearance right here at home. Tickets are on sale now for the Murphys’ March 17 gig at Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street. The price is $15; call (617) 423-NEXT.
NEXT WEEKEND:
The new year
It seems somehow portentous of the escalating strangeness of our 21st-century world that Beatlejuice, the Beatles cover band fronted by Boston-the-band singer Brad Delp, have cancelled their scheduled appearance during the first First Night to be held since the death of George Harrison; meanwhile Beetlejuice, the pinheaded African-American mascot of the Howard Stern radio show, has been retained to preside over the New Year’s Eve celebrations at Avalon (15 Lansdowne Street in Boston; 617-423-NEXT). As we bid adieu to a certifiably insane 2001, we should expect nothing less than a weird evening, and there are plenty of times-out-of-mind to be had.
In a year that saw the justice department curtail constitutionally guaranteed freedoms, it might seem appropriate to ring in 2002 as if it were 1984. That’s what they’ll be doing at the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes (405 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain; 617-524-3740), where the mod-identified DJ Vinny throws a "New Wave ’80s New Year" complete with "live" mermaids, ’80s fashion models, and large-screen projection of period video games (Atari and Colecovision, anyone?). Or if the accession of the son of a recent president to the Oval Office made you nostalgic for the astringent snobbery of 18th-century British monarchy, we recommend the hard-rocking wigged-and-knickered Upper Crust at 608 (608 Somerville Avenue in Somerville; 617-591-1661).
Not every choice is loaded with such political baggage. In clubland, local pop faves the Sheila Divine play the Paradise (969 Comm Ave in Boston; 617-562-8800); and the incestuously related entities the Figgs, the Gentlemen, and Gravel Pit’s Jed Parish hit T.T. the Bear’s Place (10 Brookline Street in Central Square; 617-492-BEAR). Garage-rockers the Downbeat 5 grace the cheap-beer rock dive the Abbey Lounge (3 Beacon Street in Somerville; 441-9631); local hip-hop crew the Skitzofreniks invade the Middle East (472 Mass Ave in Central Square; 617-864-EAST); and hippie-rock dudes Entrain and the Mudhens hit Harpers Ferry (158 Brighton Avenue in Allston; 617-254-9743).
The Regattabar (in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square; 617-661-5000) does the night with venerable local Caribbean dance outfit Calypso Hurricane, who start with a low-key champagne/dessert reception before the show from 8 to 9:30 p.m., then shift gears for a dance party from 9:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. At Scullers (400 Soldiers Field Road in Allston; 617-562-4111), the "cat in the black hat," Gato Barbieri, plays shows at 8 and 11. And at Ryles (212 Hampshire Street in Inman Square; 617-876-9330) saxophonist Herman Johnson plies jazz and funk.
And though Beatlejuice may be out, the highlights of Boston’s 25th annual official First Night program (617-542-1399; www.firstnight.org) are numerous. The Orpheum Theatre (One Hamilton Place) hosts Farrelly Bros. faves the Push Stars at 11 and 11:15; before that it’s Hybrasil at 7:30 and 8:45. A Sub Pop alterna-country bill including Joe Pernice, Mike Ireland, and Lonesome Bob plays the Church of the Covenant (67 Newbury Street) at 9 and 10:30. Del-Fuego-turned-"hipster-dad" Dan Zanes is about to release his second album of music for children; he’ll pop up at the "First Night Family Festival" at the Hynes Auditorium (900 Boylston Street). And two short-film programs provide a respite from the chill: Museum of Fine Arts film programmer Bo Smith curates a festival of international short films at the MFA’s Remis Auditorium (465 Huntington Avenue), and the group Sabana Blanca provide live scores to silent films including Fernand Léger’s 1924 Ballet mécanique and Buster Keaton’s 1921 One Week at the Boston Public Library’s Rabb Auditorium (700 Boylston Street in Copley Square).
Finally, if you want something to take the chill out of the air, Martin Pearlman’s Boston Baroque will be sailing into Sanders Theatre (in Memorial Hall, between Harvard Yard and the Law School Yard in Harvard Square; 617-484-9200) with what was conceived as outdoor entertainment for summer: Handel’s Musick for Royal Fireworks and Water Music. If you can’t make the New Year’s Eve 8 p.m. concert, remember there’s a second one New Year’s Day at 3 p.m.
New Year’s Eve falls next Monday, December 31. First Night events are free with a First Night button, which you can get for $15 at various locations around Boston; for complete First Night information, visit www.firstnight.org, or call (617) 542-1399.
BY CARLY CARIOLI
![[Future Events]](/images/boston/events/future_header.gif){kind=small}