Sat. Sept. 11 & Sun. Sept. 12

 For years, multi-day rock festivals have been held across America and Europe. In Boston? We’ve remained, oddly, out of the big loop.  Not anymore. Tickets are on sale for the Life is good festival in Canton Saturday Sept. 11 and Sunday Sept. 12.
    What is this? The Life is good Festival 2010 features three stages and 24 acts. Ben Harper & Relentless 7 and Ziggy Marley headline Saturday. Jason Mraz and Guster headline Sunday. Others on the bill include Corinne Bailey Rae, Dr. Dog, Eli "Paperboy" Reed (in photo), OK Go, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Ozomatli, Mavis Staples and Brett Dennen. Dan Zanes and Friends, They Might Be Giants and the Laurie Berkner Band are the top acts on a separate “Good Kids” stage.
    Life is good is a New England-based wholesaler/retailer of clothing, accessories and, well, a philosophy, not far from the Ben & Jerry’s model. They’ve got five stores, one on Newbury street. The company grew out of the T-shirt design work of founders Bert and John Jacobs in the early ‘90s.
    This concert is a charity all the way through. They cover expenses, but then any and all profit goes Life is good’s Kids Foundation. The money – the hope to raisemm $1 million - will go to children facing life-threatening challenges such as violence, illness, natural disaster and extreme poverty
   “It’s been in the works two years.” Bert Jacobs, 45, says of September’s festival. “My brother and I are music lovers. We were road-tripping and looking at the major music festivals and had some fun.”
  

Wed. Sept. 15 

The kids will have their say. Still, the apples have not fallen from far from the tree.  Just two borrowed phrases that spring to mind while seeing or listening to TAB the Band, a blues-influenced hard rock trio, that plays opens for Slash featuring Myles Kennedy at House of Blues Wednesday Sept. 1 The “apples” are lead singer-bassist Adrian Perry, 26, and guitarist-backing vocalist Tony Perry, 21, and the “tree” is Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, 57 (but seemingly ageless). It was not, the Perry brothers say, inevitable that they end up in a band together. Or, even in a band at all. Adrian is at Georgetown University Law School; Tony just transferred to Boston University after studying film for two years in New York. (Drummer Ben Tileston, 20, is a longtime friend and neighbor of Tony’s – he’s also attending B.U., studying classical percussion.) But rock ‘n’ roll is, obviously, in the Perry blood - as it was for Jason Bonham, Sean Lennon, Jakob Dylan and sundry other rock offspring.

Wed. Sept. 15

 You know Tenacious D as Jack Black's heavy metal acoustic humor rock band and you know Kyle Gass as, we'd guess, as his sidekick in the project. But with Trainwreck, Gass steps out with a rock band promising Southern-fried ‘Wreck And Roll’ Wed. Sept. 15 at Showcase Live! It's Gass and members of the D’s Band Tastes Just As Delicious In The Dining Car. It's co-fronted by Lee (of the D). And what they're on is a 20-date trek across the country on a tour called “Transcontinental Railroad.” Official promise: To bust ear fannies and melt faces officially in the name of Wreck N Roll. It's supporting their CD, "The Wreckoning," released earlier this year. Gass (ne: Klip Calhoun) has described Trainwreck at various times as "Molly Hatchett meets Jethro Tull meets The Runaways" or “Scoobie Doo meets CSI” and “…a cornucopia of rock and a 5-headed hydra of pleasure”. Show starts at 8. Tickets: $17. Chgeck out the band at www.trainwreckwithkg.com and www.youtube.com/watch?v=TavHHS0b6uE.

23 Patriot Place, Foxborough, 888-354-7042 www.showcaselive.com

Fri. Sept. 17

 "If you don't want a wild one/Quit hangin' 'round with me," sings one of the three gals who goes by the surname Darlin. Later, another (the same?) Darlin sings, "I'm drivin' nails in my coffin/Every time I drink a bottle of booze/I'm drivin' nails in my coffin/Though I'm drivin' those nails over you." And then there's a song that proclaims proudly, but with some shame, that one of Those Darlins ate a whole damn chicken. "Not just the leg/Not just the wing/The whole damn thing!" They blame it on the booze. Those Darlins are bassist Kelley Darlin, guitarist Jessi Darlin and Nikki Darlin on, yes, baritone ukulele. You'd probably call 'em an alt-country group, but the Darlins opt for pop/2 step/garage on their myspace page. By picking the same last name, the mini-skirted Darlins, of course, reference the brothers Ramone. A gang. In it together. All equal. As Kelley says, “I think we approach things in a unique way, a very egalitarian way, where there’s not the lead singer and ego and all that.”Or as Nikki puts it, “We perform, the three of us, and we’re straight in a row on the front of the stage.  No one’s holding back.”  I'd say that punk rock informs their attitude, but this trio from Murfreesboro, Tenn. - which has a drummer of indeterminte gender somewhere in the mix - is a country group in the same way the Knitters is a country group.. They play T.T. the Bear's Friday Sept. 17 with the Turbofruits. Tix: TBA, probably around $10.

10 Brookline St., Cambridge, 617-492-0082 www.ttthebears.com

Fri. Sept. 17 and Sat. Sept. 18

Indulgence. Moderation. We all try to balance these things, do we not? Well, the scales (literally?) will tip toward the former during the second annual New England Dessert Showcase at the Westin Copley Place Essex Ballroom Friday Sept. 17 and Saturday Sept. 18. What you get for the $25 is the chance to sample desserts from more than 100 exhibitors - meaning you will have all the chocolate, ice cream than you'd ever want. If you want to pay $35, you get in to the VIP) "after-party" at the Greatest Bar on Friday from 6-9 and receive a goodie gift bag (value over $200, we're told). Music will be provided by a band to be named later; check the website below for details. The hours for the Westin bash are Friday noon-5 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. As of the first of the month, the promoter, the marketer Anthem Entertainment, had already sold 4500 tickets. A lotta sugar-lovin' Bostonians out there. In photo: Last year's winner, a cannoli from Simply Delicious.

Westin: 10 Huntington Ave., 617-538-6829 www.nedessertshowcase.com
Greatest Bar: 262 Friend St. (North Station area)

ongoing

We ran into Scullers Jazz Club Entertainment Director Fred Taylor a while back at the Keith Jarrett concert at Symphony Hall. There was some nostalgia. We talked of his old clubs, Paul's Mall and the Jazz Workshop - and how Jarrett used to helm the house band way back in the day when he was at Berklee. And Freddie said it was almost startling, the realization that his Scullers Jazz Club was approaching two decades in business. Seemed less than half of that, we both agreed. Time sure passes fast. We didn't have time to talk about the recession or the effect it was taking in the arts world - hey Jarrett was about to play and grunt and he does like it when people pay attention - but then we just got this from Scullers General Manaager Dayla Arabella Santurri. There's some discouraging news up front, but stay with it, there's some good news for you in there, too. Do the words "free tickets" mean anything to you? Read on ... 

Sun. Oct. 3

4 A.D. has been one of those labels where you see a band that's on it and immediately you're interested. Cocteau Twins, Pixies, Throwing Muses, This Mortal Coil, Scott Walker, the National, TV on the Radio, The Big Pink, Deerhunter, Tinderstics ... the list goes on. Add Serena-Maneesh, (or S-M) an Oslo quintet, which is headlining the Middle East Upstairs Sunday Oct. 3. The Village Voice raves about them thus: "Serena-Maneesh make strangely bandeautiful and lushly noisy pop using guitars that are alternately washed out or shrieking, distorted samples, and breathy female vocals singing lyrics in broken English." You'll hear bits of My Bloody Valentine, the Stooges and the Velvets. It's led by singer-guitarist Emil Nikolaisen. (In photo: bassist Hilma Nikolaisen). They're touring behind their "S-M 2:Abyss in B Minor." Ticket price and opening bands TBA. Should start around 9.

492 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 www.mideastclub.com

Sun. Oct. 3 

Backstage at a rock club ... it's a zone I know. Especially the Paradise, which has been here since I came to town in 1978. (It's been shuttered in July and August for renovations; I'll have a story in the Boston Herald this week on its new look.) So last year, I'm back there (in the upstairs, opening act area, actually) for the show headlined by Friendly Fires. I was more impressed by the opener, the xx, a young trio fronted by childhood pals guitarist-singer Romy Madley Croft and bassist-singer Oliver Sim. I was reviewing the show for the Herald. So, I did my wandering back to say hi, get a set list, maybe have a quick chat and a beer. They seemed not stunned or shell-shocked exactly, but communicative wouldn't be the word I'd use. I'm usually pretty good at this, finding the wavelength the artist is on and getting there myself. I made a couple of attempts here and was met by abrupt, albeit polite, answers. They just didn't have much to say and were, I'd have to wager, painfully shy, not antagonistic or press phobic. And, yes, if you listen to their moody and atmospheric music, that might not be a shocker.

Fri. Oct. 8.

We were pretty sure air guitar competition was the stupidest thing we'd ever seen until we realized hot dog eating was a competitive sport. Which made us realize that truly the world of so-called reality TV has pulled America's pop culture wagon train right into the gutter, where we can watch nightly spite, Donald Trump teach us what dignity and class is all about, watch people fall off big beach balls into mud and indulge Snooki in looking orange and acting trashy. Which brings us to The World Air Sex Championships, taking place at the Middle East Upstairs Friday Oct. 8. They're like air guitar but with, like, sex. Let the promoters of this thing describe it: "Instead of rocking out with an imaginary guitar, you’re making sweet and/or filthy love with an imaginary sex partner." This was, we thought, something people perhaps reserved for the privacy of their own home, but we live in a post-privacy world, right? Promoters: "You choose a clip of music, you show up in whatever sort of wardrobe you like, and you come up on stage and show everyone how you do it. Or how you wish you could do it. Or how you once had it done to you." The promoters acknowledge you may then think: "'Oh my god was that a bad idea'

Thurs. Oct. 9

The best version of a John Lennon song I ever heard was Generation X’s “Gimme Some Truth,” a slightly reconfigured punk rendition of one of Lennon’s most bitter songs. But when it comes to covering Lennon most artists lean toward the softer, more peaceful, hopeful Lennon material. No harm in that; that was a lot of who he was. That’s where Rex Fowler, of Aztec Two Step, and Tom Dean, of Devonsquare, come from. Now, we all probably know what we were doing Dec. 8, 1980 when we heard he was shot. (I’d just come back from an Iggy Pop concert.) But do we remember Lennon’s birthday? (Not likely and why is that?) At any rate, on Thursday Oct. 9, his would-be 70th birthday will be celebrated at Regent Theatre in Arlington with a concert celebrating the release of a multi-artist tribute album, “Imagined: The John Lennon Song Project.”
Says legendary disc jockey, rock and roll historian and author Pete Fornatale of the record: “With these intelligent heartfelt renditions of Lennon’s  best known songs, ‘The John Lennon Song Project’ ranks right up there with the very best Lennon interpreters ever. Fowler and Dean have taken their respect, admiration and affection for John to a whole new level on this CD. Their stream of consciousness approach to the Lennon catalogue is completely unique and the perfect vehicle to convey and demonstrate the many layers, moods and textures of John’s greatest music. Show starts at 8. Tickets: $25.00.

 7 Medford St. Arlington, 781-643-4488, 781-646-4849  www.regenttheatre.org

onoing  

 It was 1995.No one had ever seen anything quite like it in Boston. Three silent men with bald caps and blue grease-painted heads took the stage at the Charles Playhouse, beating drums, spraying paint, tossing food, looking quizzically at each other and the audience, questioning authority.
     Those guys - the Blue Man Group - have never left the Charles. They started with “Tubes” and continue now with the retooled “Tubes/Rewired.” (About a quarter of the show changed in 2004.) They perform eight times during a normal week – up to 21 times during holiday weeks. The 524-seat theater is nearly always full.  And it’s not just a local phenomenon. The Blue Man Group has companies in six other cities. There’s also an international touring show called “How To Be a Megastar Tour 2.1,” what they call a satirical, interactive “workshop” on how to create the “perfect rock concert experience.” In May, that tour re-launches in the UK.