E-Mail This Article to a Friend Putting the laughter back in slaughter Slaughter House on the Prairie, plus George Carlin's latest comedic salvo and more

Next week

The Inman Square comedy troupe ImprovBoston puts "the laughter back in slaughter" (okay, it looks better than it sounds) with the second installment of its now annual Halloween offering, "GoreFest." This year’s production is an original Grand Guignol–style musical by IB’s Steve Gilbane titled Slaughter House on the Prairie that "tells the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her blind sister Mary as they battle vampires on the American frontier." IB promises it’s "incredibly violent and gory." And, oh yeah, funny. Last year’s Halloween gigs sold out in advance, so you might want to make reservations now. Slaughter House runs October 29 through 31 at ImprovBoston, 1253 Cambridge Street in Cambridge; call (617) 576-1253.

Next month

One of our favorite zingers from the Republican National Convention came in the wee-morning hours when by some strange twist of fate Triumph the Insult Comic Dog wound up on an MSNBC panel with Ron Reagan, Joe Scarborough, Ron Silver, and Mike Barnicle. The first words out of the pooch’s mouth were directed at Barnicle: "Don’t steal any of my jokes!" While Mike fumbled for a comeback, Triumph dropped the other shoe: "I know, I know, I’m no George Carlin." We’re sure Mr. Barnicle was among the first in line last week to pick up Carlin’s latest publishing triumph, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? (Hyperion) — but will the Herald’s most far-fetched free-agent signee show up when Carlin comes to the Coolidge Corner Theatre to read from the book on November 9? If so, he’d better act fast, since tickets — available for $2 through Brookline Booksmith — won’t last long. The Coolidge is at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, and the Booksmith is just across the street; call (617) 566-6660.

And beyond

In an attempt to break the curse that’s haunted, among others, Keanu Reeves, the Bacon brothers, and Jennifer Love Hewitt, Minnie Driver is getting set to issue her soft-rock debut, Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket (it’ll include a cover of Springsteen’s "Hungry Heart"), on Cambridge’s Rounder Records this week. Note to Boston Music Awards staff: this does not make her eligible for the Best New Artist trophy. Driver hits the Paradise, 967 Commonwealth Avenue in Boston, on November 23 with a backing band cherry-picked from the Wallflowers and Pete Yorn’s crew. Tickets are $15; call (617) 931-2000.

Leaks of the week

Meanwhile, the other movie-star-related rock release of the fall — the debut album by Juliette Lewis’s punk alter ego, Juliette and the Licks — has been slimmed down and bumped back to 2005. Usually that’s a bad sign, but in this case, the album didn’t suck: tougher than anything Hilary Duff or Lindsay Lohan have released, . . . Like a Bolt of Lightning (Fiddler) packed Social Distortion–strength riffs and the sexiest snarl this side of the Distillers, with backing from Hole drummer Patty Schemel and H20 guitarist Todd Morse. Now reduced to an EP, alas, it goes on sale this week as a download (via www.julietteandthelicks.com) until January 18, when a CD version hits stores. The band play Axis, 13 Lansdowne Street in Boston, on November 11; call (617) 423-NEXT. Until then, you’ll have to content yourself with new tracks from the Donnas. The world’s hardest-rocking girl group teamed up with Avril Lavigne/Simple Plan producer Butch Walker for their forthcoming Gold Medal (Atlantic?), and the first single, "Fall Behind" (streaming, along with other clips from the album, at www.thedonnas.com), evokes the Cult and Danzig circa 1988. They’re at Avalon, 15 Lansdowne Street in Boston, on November 30; call (617) 931-2000. Walker, meanwhile, has been tapped by Avril to open her winter tour, which hits the FleetCenter on November 1. His backing band for the jaunt? Boston-to-LA transplants American Hi-Fi, who haven’t let their lack of an American label deal stop them from releasing their Walker-produced Hearts on Parade in Japan. They’re hoping for a stateside release in early 2005. But you can stream the album now at www.americanhi-fi.com