Club notes, Dec. 31, 2009

Paul Dagnello of Huck, photo by Duncan Arsenault

Tonight, it’s champagne, confetti, champagne and rock ‘n’ roll with The Grift and the Weight of Gravity at the Cannery; new cover band Mood Disorder rocks City Lights; The Dive’s hopping with Troy and Duncan; Huck’s back at Ralphs this year, along with Castine; Lietrim’s has a modified open bar for $25; Black River Sound jams at Jillian’s; Fuzion does pop tunes at Sakura Tokyo with new lead singer Dan Gorman; Mourning the Dead is part of Dirtnap Entertainment’s metal bash at London Billiard’s; Sam James is singing at the Lucky Dog; Guns of Navarone are at Beatnik’s; Jubilee Gardens hits the Sahara Restaurant; Auntie Trainwreck ties one on at the Kaz Bar; Mack the Knife’s in Hotel Vernon’s Shiproom; and doors open at 2 p.m. today at Dr. Gonzo’s condiments on Main Street for Knights of the New Year Colander party – it’s potluck, though plenty of dips and cheeses are provided. Oh, and wear a colander on your head. If you know Dr. Gonzo, you won’t even question this. And of course it’s First Night Worcester – you can find anything and everything you need to know on firstnightworcester.org.

Friday, Bill McCarthy leads a “hair of the dog party” at the Old Post Office Pub; The Grindhouse Takeover headlines Tammany Hall, joining the Dave Rivers Group; The Sift’s got Ralph’s; The Doctors Fox makes its debut at Vincent’s;

Saturday, Sasquatch, Growlers and the Polecats join forces at the Lucky Dog Music Hall; the Racky Thomas Band returns to Gilrein’s; Five Hole rocks JJ’s; Glenn Stewart leads South Station at Ralph’s; The Roosters reunite at Greendale’s; Jason James is ripping it up at Irish Times; Whalebone Farmhouse does its eclectic mix at Vincent’s; and Silhouette of a Small Town headlines Mill Street Brews.

And Sunday, Ryan Cabrera is at Tammany Hall.

Club notes, Thursday, Dec. 17

Thursday, there’s an opening reception for Home for the Holidays at Salisbury Mansion; Mike Lynch blows the harp at Squire White’s; The Dive Bar’s got its holiday party going on; and the Drunken Uncles perform live on WICN 90.5 FM at 8 p.m., putting a spin on classic Christmas classics.

Friday, Gabe Rollins heads his own supergroup for “its my birthday and I’ll rock the hell out if I want to” to celebrate his birthday at the Lucky Dog Music; Britney’s Spear joins Short Ride and others at the Raven; Driving Rain splashes the Hotel Vernon; Ript tears up Irish Times; performances of A Christmas Carol start at the Hanover Theatre and continue through the following Wednesday; also Friday, it’s the Dirtnap Entertainment Holiday Spectacular with God’s Green Earth, This Burning World, Widow Sunday, Fallen Shall Rise, Name in Vein and Rite of Passage at London Billiards; BYO Blues is at Greendale’s; 8 Amp Fuse fires up the Blue Plate; Mass Elite opens for White Chocolate at the Cannery; Bacchus King releases a CD, joined by The Series and Bonfire Bandit at Ralph’s; The Stream Rollers Band is led by Jack Kelly at Gilrein’s; SPF4 debuts at Beatnik’s;

Saturday, The Leicester Town Band performs in the afternoon at Tower Hill Botanic Garden; Skullfunked headlines Tammany Hall; Bad Dog’s up before 16 stitches at The Raven’ Buggs Moran and the Silver Weasels pay tribute to Gary O with a show at JJ’s; Sunlea opens for Mocha Java at Beatnik’s; Full Tilt’s ahead at Creegan’s; Clamdigger returns to the Galway; the Matt Shwachman Band debuts at the Lucky Dog Music Hall; BLOWW (which stands for Boston League of Women’s Wrestling) is joined by Route 44 and Whitey at Ralph’s; Auntie Trainwreck rolls in to the Wheelock Inn; Loose Salute’s back at Vincent’s; Five Hole rocks Jillian’s; and Old School goes back to the classic covers at Greendale’s.

Sunday, the All Saints Choirs performs at the Worcester Art Museum. Jim Perry’s jam session focuses on drums at Greendale’s with Drummerpalooza; Tammany Hall hosts a battle of the bands.

Event Notes, Thursday, Dec. 10

Thursday, Isador’s in Oxford hosts a food event in celebration of Terra Madre, a network of sustainable food communities; Cowboy Matt’s having a listening party to celebrate his new CD, Viva Psychedelia, at The Q; speaker John O’Toole is at the Worcester Hibernian Center; Inhale Mary joins Horse at the Palladium; David Wax Museum is at Nick’s; Addison Station opens for Brothers McCann at Tammany Hall; they’re showing the movie MASH at the Shrewsbury Public Library; and Nuncrackers continues through the weekend at the Calliope Theater.

Friday, The Weight of Gravity is at the Wheelock Inn; chamber folk trio The Accident That Led Me to the World is at the Harvard Café; the Tom Yates Group is at the Bull Run; From Sky to Sea headlines the QVCC with Coalmine Canary and the Sharpest; Summoning Hate rocks Ralph’s; Monique and Fingers, Subculture Stereo and Lonewolf James split the bill at The Raven; Ken Tracy Jr. sings at Dinny’s on Lincoln Street with the debut of the Regal Beagles; Umelt opens for Uncle Billy’s Smokehouse at Tammany Hall; Pantera tribute Trendkill leads the Dimebag Darrell memorial show at the Lucky Dog Music Hall; the Speakeasy Combo is back at Nick’s; the Coyotes howl at Greendale’s; Graveheart joins the Soul Remnants at Ralph’s; Hat On, Drinking Wine debuts at Beatnik’s; Hot Sauce spices up Squire White’s; Lori Brooks leads her band at Mill Street Brews; Stone Lily’s rocking the Cannery; Fingercuff does covers at City Lights; Jason James tears up the Blue Plate; Organ Eyes jams at Vincent’s; and Stone Soup celebrates its third anniversary with a big party at the Woo Church with performances by Salsa Storm, Mack the Knife, DJ Juami and Lucelia DeJesus.

Saturday, Powerline opens for Counter Attack, the Zeppelin tribute doing its annual reunion show at the Lucky Dog Music Hall; Whalebone Farmhouse returns to Vincent’s; Bret Talbert does his final show of the season at Tavern on the Common; The Cosby Sweaters do an all ages show at Junior’s; Mike O’Connell returns to the area, playing the Galway Bay; Herra Terra, Sleep Alive and Ghost Ocean share the bill at Ralph’s; Composted decomposes at the QVCC; meet a 14th century knight at Higgins Armory; Clark takes on Nichols in basketball at Clark’s gym; the Master Singers of Worcester sings at the Boar’s Head Festival at Wesley United Methodist Church; Chris Reddy sings at the Nines while Bret Talbert is out at the Tavern on the Common; Patty Keough’s doing her originals at The Q; benefit Hearts for Heat in Princeton at Norco Sportsman’s Club for a contra dance; Bill McCarthy’s bringing his acoustic to the Old Post Office Pub; the Breakfast jams with Oak Street at Tammany Hall; 7 Minute Stagger is with Rite of Passage and Lesions at The Raven; No Alibi’s back packing Greendale’s; Mike Crandall’s bluesing up Gilrein’s; The Ed Melikian Ensemble is back at the Sahara; and there is a benefit for Debbie Audette's family at the Canal Sports Pub. Debbie is struggling with terminal cancer and not expected to make it through Christmas.

Doctor Robert’s returning to Sakura Tokyo both Friday and Saturday night.
Santa’s at the Hebert Candy Mansion Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

Other events: The Gifts of the Magi is being performed at the Statton Players Theatre in Fitchburg throughout the weekend.
Cirque du Soleil continues at the DCU Center through Sunday.

Event Notes, Thursday, Dec. 3

Thursday, Andy Cummings sings and plays the acoustic at Hooligan’s; it’s a First Thursday celebration at Fitchburg Art Museum early evening that includes tours and refreshments; Worcester State takes on UMass Dartmouth in hockey at Auburn’s Horgan rink; Troy Gonyea and Jeremy Curtis join Duncan Arsenault at the Dive; there’s a holiday open show at the Post Road Art Center in Marlboro; Calliope Productions’ Nuncrackers opens and continue throughout the weekend at their theater in Boylston; Brooks Milgate’s trio is at Nick’s; Dana Lewis sings at Beatniks’; Black Pyramid and Space Train join metal night at Ralph’s; Brett Brumby’s at the bar at Point Breeze (as he is every week);

Friday, it’s the Holiday Open Studios at the Sprinkler Factory; New Pilot, Gutta and Crumb open for Marcy Playground at Mill Street Brews; Last Call rocks the Gaslight Tavern; garage rock hits Ralph’s with the Crybabies, the Time Beings, the Commandos and Musclecah; the Great Whiskey Rebellion’s at Beatnik’s; the third annual Holly Berry Craft Fair hits the Fitchburg Art Museum; the Assumption College Flute Choir performs in La Maison Francaise; Tower Hill holds its annual Holly Days party; the Lucky Dog Music Hall’s the home to Santapalooza, which raises money and toys for Toys for Tots, and it includes performances by Shotgun Blues (the GnR tribute), The Sift, The Dave Rivers Group and Castine; a big band and hors d’ouevres is part of the Winter Starlight Gala at the Southbridge Community Center; the Blackstone Valley Community Concert Band plays at Northbridge High School; as part of their film festival, the Shrewsbury Public Library shows “Casablanca”; the Gateway Players performs the holiday play “A Candle in the Window” at its theater; Ed and Dave sing at Greendale’s; the Nutcracker, by Ballet Arts Worcester, is presented Friday and Saturday at the Hanover Theatre; the Chorus and Chorale of Worcester State College performs a holiday concert at Our Lady of Angels Church; Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson wails on his axe at Mechanics Hall; the Barre Players Theatre puts on the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”; the Worcester County Light Opera performs the musical “She Loves Me”; Bill Kirchens goes honky tonk at the Bull Run; Mount Wachusett Community Theatre puts on Peter Pan Friday and Saturday; Dan Burke’s back with the Speakeasy Combo at Nick’s; Out of Sequence rocks The Cannery; Chillset is out at the Blue Dog; the Delta Generators return to Gilrein’s; the Killdevils rumble at Vincent’s; and the Rhythm Party returns to the Sahara.

Saturday, Hat On, Drinking Wine returns to Nick’s; Indobox headlines The Cannery at 12 Crane; The Weight of Gravity is at the Fifth Amendment with MSB and Jediah; Leicester High School holds a craft fair; the Shamrock and Holly Fair hits the Hibernian Center; the town of Sutton holds its Chain of Lights; the second annual Fitchburg Chowdahfest bubbles at the Fitchburg Senior Center; “Barre’s Got Talent” brings together many artists of Barre performing in talent show style at the Barre Players Theatre; Larry Kangas joins local author day at Barnes and Noble in Worcester; Tom Rush sings at the Bull Run; Bill McCarthy’s strumming it at the Whistle Stop; Huck joins The Curtain Society, New Pilot and Gutta at the Lucky Dog Music Hall; Barefoot Bob’s with the Monkeyfish at Squire White’s; Orange Diesel opens for Demon’s Alley at The Raven; the Silverbacks do blues and classic rock covers at the Emerald Isle; the Fools get crazy at Firefly’s; the Racky Thomas Band is back at Gilrein’s; The Wandas join Sandal Foot Machine at Ralph’s; Jubilee Gardens pile in to the Sahara Restaurant; and Ron Stone puts on his fantastic annual big band Christmas show at Point Breeze Restaurant.

Sunday, Millbury joins Grafton for their Chain of Lights celebration. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. take the trolley around the towns and visit businesses and sites, enjoying music, refreshments and much more. Tammany Hall holds Bloodfest ’09 – donate blood, and enjoy live bands. Also, it’s stART at the Station at Union Station – 100s of vendors gather for stART on the Street’s annual holiday extravaganza.
Other Events:

Moments in Time continues through the end of the month at the Jewish Community Center. The show features original drawings in colored-pencil and in mixed-media by Elizabeth Freed. A Miniature Milestone: The Marianne E. Gibson Portrait Miniature Gallery at 20 opened this week at the Worcester Art Museum.