Thursday, The LSD Enigma trips out at Ralph’s with Death to New England; Dan Mills joins the Great Whiskey Rebellion at Tammany Hall; and The Tokyo Tramps open for The Flock at the Lucky Dog.

Friday, Goatwhore joins Suffocation and Scalpel at The Palladium; Super Power, Colin and the Cancer, Cheech and Get Laid join forces at The Raven; Billy Cameron sings at Greendale’s; Shane Hall, Dusty Cobb and Humanwine join Dave Magario for his CD release show at The Q; The Resurrection Sorrow joins Mercury Wings as part of Jagfest at London Billiards, along with Run for the Hills, an Iron Maiden tribute; Justice Hill headlines the Lucky Dog; The Ten Foot Polecats splits the bill with Smokestack and the Foothill Fury at The Dive Bar; Playin’ Dead’s laying down at Tammany Hall; Driving Rain splashes the Blue Plate; Keep Me Conscious and The Coming Weak take the Ralph’s stage; Jason James rips it up at Beatnik’s; The Throttles open up at Vincent’s; Carol O’Shaugnessy and Tom Lamark team up at Nick’s; the Hard Drive Band hits the Blue Plate; and Soulstice throws a beach party at the Gardner Ale House.

Saturday, The Great Whiskey Rebellion headlines The Grind at Clark; Hard Number Nine has a CD release show at Tammany Hall; Leaving Eden rocks The Fifth Amendment; Birch Hill Dam returns to London Billiards; Ryan Flaherty performs at the Sahara Restaurant; Critical Condition does covers at Oxford Tavern; Auntie Trainwreck is back at the Wheelock Inn; Wicked Whiskey rumbles with the Throttles and Psychobilly Cadillac at Ralph’s; Jug o’ Punch stirs it up at the Celtic Tavern; Silverbacks bring blues, rock and soul to Nick’s; The Cosby Sweaters return to the Galway Bay; the Barnstormers stomp at Vincent’s; and the Last Call Band hits Irish Times.
The Matt Schwachman Band takes care of the weekend nights at Sakura Tokyo.
Sunday, Jason James returns to Nick’s.

Other events:

The annual Flora in Winter opens Thursday at the Worcester Art Museum.

On Saturday, Sturbridge Village hosts Fire and Ice Day, where you can learn about the ice harvesting industry. Also, the Harlem Wizards take on the Grafton All-Stars at Grafton High School.

Club notes, Thursday, Jan. 14

Thursday, Bill McCarthy hosts what he’s calling Open Mic World at TJ O’Brien’s; Osious Nine Millz and TGA presents Black light Fridays at Centro las Americas on Sycamore Street; Speaker for the Dead and the Mad Cowboy join Shane Hall at the Raven; Summoning Hate, Goreality and more do metal night at Ralph’s; Ashlands Attic is at Tammany Hall; the Birch Evergreen Band is at the Halfway Café in Marlboro; and Troy, Jeremy, Duncan and Brooks return to the Dive.

Friday, SmartBomb joins Mountain Man, Bear Trap, No Shit and Pit Fall at the Crescent Café (with an early show starting at 5:30 p.m.); Vallon, Malice, Scare Don’t Fear and more do an all-ages show at the QVCC; Lisa and Brett Brumby from She’s Busy sing at Greendale’s; Ayla will take part in a concert with The James Montgomery Blues Band, The Johnny Winter Band, Brad Whitford, Johnny A., Barry Goudreau and The Uptown Horns in the Guitar Legends of Rock‘N Blues at Mechanics Hall; Rose Colored Glasses return to the Kaz Bar, playing classic rock covers; We Met Aliens joins To the Wolves, Levity and At Sincerities End at London Billiards; Slitstitch joins the stage with The Pathetics, The Automatons, The Egos and the Evil Streaks at Ralph’s; The John Austin Band does the blues at City Lights; Johnny Press is out at the Pump House in Southbridge; The Hornitz joins Sophistafunk at Beatnik’s; The Stop is with The Brew at Tammany Hall; Johnny Carlevale and the Rolling Pins rock it at Vincent’s; the Tool tribute Schism headlines the Lucky Dog.

Saturday, Musclecah leads a benefit in memory of Cassie Poulin at Break-Away Billiards; Jazzed Up is in the all new Union Station Cotton Club; Epinero does a night of hip-hop at the House of Worship on Cambridge Street; Bill McCarthy’s singing at Junior’s Pizza; Red Pony joins the lineup in a Concert for Charity at the DoubleTree in Milford; Scalpel is with The Nile and many more at The Palladium; Ken Macy sings at the Spruce Street Tavern in Clinton; The Turkeys head out for a shoot with Hello Ninja at the Lucky Dog; No Alibi’s back rocking Greendale’s; Patty Keough and the Boys headline Ralph’s; Lesions joins a show with nine other bands, on two stages, at Mill Street Brews; Revolver shoots at Irish Times; MASS STAND UP 2 hits Tammany Hall with performances by E The Real, Spit Supreme, Cocaine Robots, Black Ownaz..with special guests Paul Mighty, Skivi B, and Gutta; Panache is out at Chopsticks in Leominster; Auntie Trainwreck’s playing hits at JJ’s; the Mighty Bad Habits open for Joe Louis Walker at the Bull Run in Shirley; and the Last Call Band is packing the Wheelock Inn in Millbury.

Sunday, The Delta Generators are playing a show put on by Blues Worcester at Mechanics Hall. For $15, you also get an all you can eat barbecue buffet, and tickets for the show are $16. The Generators will be showcasing some new tunes to be on their upcoming disc. The buffet is available at 5 p.m. and the show is at 6 p.m.

Catch Second Chance Fund for Animal Welfare President Jan Beckwith's new radio program "About Animals," Fridays, Jan. 15 and 29 and beyond from 12:30-1 p.m. on WCUW 91.3 FM.

Jan addresses a different topic each week, such as the benefits of spay/neuter, Trap Neuter Return programs, and lots more.

And she'll respond to your emails asking questions about your pet cats and dogs, suggestions for future shows, and general comments. Email Jan at WCUW@WCUW.org.

If your radio doesn't pick up WCUW, listen live online at WCUW 91.3 FM.

As Jan readily admits, "Of course I doesn't know everything there is to know about animals, but I have had some experience working with animals, their people, veterinarians, animal control and people doing rescue. So I hope to make the shows interesting."

James Keyes from the Numbskulls releases a solo disc, Ruminations

Thursday, Troy, Jeremy, Brooks and Duncan are at the Dive Bar; Barbara Kessler sings at Christ Episcopal Church in Rochdale; and Jet Black Stare headlines Tammany Hall.

Friday, James Keyes celebrates the release of his CD Ruminations with a show at Nick’s – his band features Morgan Freeman on bass and Greg Sullivan on drums – opening acts are Steve Cummings, The Boston and Maine String Band and Jason James; Lietrim’s hosts a benefit for the Second Chance Animal Shelter – for a $2 cover, you get $1 beers and $2 mixed drinks; Sean Fullerton sings at Greendale’s; Cacophonous Death, Engraved, The Bathory Silence, Nemecide, Axiom, Dissension and ORCumentary split the stage at London Billiards; Bret Talbert sings at Applebee’s in Sturbridge; Scarlett Fade opens for Intermission at Tammany Hall; Grammy nominated singer Trey Songz is at the Hanover Theatre; Steve Connolly puts on Spirit of the King Elvis show at Mechanics Hall; Mack the Knife and BLOWW is at Ralph’s; Coopers Escape debuts at Irish Times; Old School’s rocking Beatnik’s; the Smokehouse Lightning Blues Band had better be on fire with a name like that at Gilrein’s; and Huck’s settling in to Vincent’s.

Saturday, Born of Ash releases Age of End with a show at the Palladium; Probable Cause plays a playoff party at JJ’s in Northboro; Hat On, Drinking Wine is back at Nick’s; Fourth Gear rocks Chooch’s; Whalebone Farmhouse harmonizes at Beatnik’s; celebrate bassist Hugh Allen’s birthday with the Matt Schwachman Band at Boston Billiards; The Flock is at the 5th Amendment; Bill McCarthy sings at the Whistle Stop; Go Gadget Go does covers at Greendale’s; Jabooda’s jamming at Mill Street Brews; The Rails veer off the road to Emerald Isle; Usual Suspects racks ‘em up at Break-Away Billiards; Angry Johnny and the Killbillies headline Ralph’s; Ed Melikian’s back at Sahara; Night Works bluesify’s Gilrein’s; and the Andy Kaplan Duo debuts at Vincent’s.

Sunday, Creegan’s Pub has a hopping night of karaoke every week.
On Tuesdays, 3 G’s Sports Bar hosts a weekly comedy open mic night.

Other events:
On Saturday, at 10 a.m. Worcester State College hosts a forum that includes some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball: Mike Easler, J.P. Ricciardi, Rich Gedman, Brandon Smith and Kyle Evans. It’s $50 for the clinic, but parents can come for free with their kids.

On Sunday at 2:30, Dr. Gonzo on Main Street is hosting a crock pot and/or finger food challenge at his Emporium.
The Worcester Bridal Show takes over the DCU Center Saturday and Sunday.