It wouldn’t appear that local emo-punk stars Piebald are expecting a sackful of Christmas gifts this year — they’ve titled their forthcoming disc We Are the Only Friends We Have — but they won’t be lonely this weekend, since they’re ending a national tour with a couple of high-profile home-town shows among pals. The band completed Friends (due February 19 on Big Wheel Recreation) with producer Paul Kolderie at Q Division just before hitting the road, and the disc is rumored to sound like the bastard offspring of Weezer and the Pixies. On Saturday Piebald hit Old Town Hall (978-623-8241) in Andover for an all-ages gig with Four Year Starter and Those Were the Days. Then on Sunday night they’re the guests of honor at Big Wheel Recreation’s gala Xmas spectacular at the Middle East downstairs (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge, where they’re joined by labelmates including neo-mod cats the Damn Personals and the beguiling instrumental group the Cancer Conspiracy.

Enemies of holiday mirth can find solace in the cheerily named "Stillborn Fest," which teams extreme-hardcore faves Hatebreed, metal traditionalists Shadows Fall, and Florida neo-thrash kids Poison the Well with a revolving supporting cast. When the tour hits the Asylum (207-772-8274) in Portland on Wednesday, it’ll be joined by post-hardcore luminaries Converge — who are themselves in the midst of a national tour in support of their awe-inspiring Jane Doe (Equal Vision) — along with Sworn Enemy and Barium. Next Friday, December 28, the tour hits Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence, where the opening acts include Bane, What Feeds the Fire, and Most Precious Blood.

Folk-revival diva Judy Collins’s holiday-songs tour ends on Saturday at the Calvin Theatre (413-584-1444) in Northampton. And the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the holiday rock-opera troupe led by Savatage producer/mastermind Paul O’Neil, has yet another new disc out, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, and two simultaneously touring companies; the East Coast version makes one last swing through New England with a stop at the Providence Performing Arts Center (401-421-2787) on Sunday.

Issue Date: December 20 - 27, 2001

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