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)

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

 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.”
  

ongoing

Who don't like whales? Certain Japanese and Icelandic whalers, I suppose, or maybe we should say they like whales a little differently than we do. They like whale parts. So, did we, here in America in the 18th and 19th centuries. You've read "Moby-Dick." You might have heard Mountain's "Nantucket Sleighride" and done the digging to find out what that was - harpooned whaled talking whalers for a frightening ride. I've been to the whaling museum in Nantucket and it's quite a trip back in time. Sitting in the precarious whaling boats, taking in the lecture about whales meant then and now, honoring the island's proud whaling past and then coming to the 180 degree turn of: We don't do that anymore. We just about made these huge animals - the largest earth's ever seen - extinct.

The Museum of Science has just put up a new exhibit, "Whales Tohura," that encompasses an exhbit and an IMAX film "Whales." The film itself, made by explorer and President of the Ocean Alliance Roger Payne, was done 15 years ago. Need we say it's not dated. That is, whatever went on in the whale world 15 years ago is going on today. Payne spoke at a press function, before the film went up June 20. "Whales face more threats than ever before," he said. There are more than 80 species of whales, including dolphins (did not know this, dolphins are whales.) The film, he added, is "the next best thing to swimming with whales" - maybe even better because of the lack of actual wetness. He's right.