Mon. Jan. 8

Dick's Last Resort may have moved from Huntington Ave. at the Pru (it did so about a year ago), but the attitude and atmosphere has simply been transferred Dick's at Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall. Now, the new Dick's is smaller by about half - it'll fit 140 - but it offers up a sassy, irreverent attitude and generous portions of food that's a whole lot better than you'd expect it to be. (The hidden attraction.) Yes, there's a certain calculation built into this "low brow" alternative to high-priced nightspots, but the late lamented House of Blues could be accused of creating a faux roadhouse, too. Dick's is a reliably fun and friendly place to visit, and, we're guessing, a raucous place Monday Jan. 8 with Elvis impersonator Dana Z and his Band play a "Hound Dog of a Musical Tribute to the King." (Dick's is big on El; they've always celebrated his birthday and the 8th would have been No 72.) Of course, there's some shtick involved: a jelly donut eating contxt, a look-a-like and sound-a-like contest (the winner of each gets $300) etc. For you imbibers, a 16 ounce Dick's Brew is but $2 and a Smirnoff martini goes for a way-low $4. No cover. Starts at 6 p.m. (Get discounted parking at 75 State Street Garage.)

Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall, 617-267-8080

Sun. Jan. 7

Clarinet, tuba, trumpet, accordion, drums, guitar. Guess the genre played the band using these instruments? It's klezmer, but the guys who play this klezmer - Naftule's Dream - do it with an attitude reminiscent of Firewater: It's klezmer with edge. The Village Voice put it this way: They "stretch the limits of densely composed and then freely jammed-out music of deep emotional resonance. It's a crazy-ass circus one minute, a funeral procession another, and everything in between most of the time." Sound enticing? They're at the Forest Hills Cemetery's Forsyth Chapel Sunday Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. Tickets: $15.

 95 Forest Hills Ave., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-3354 foresthillsturst.org

Sun. Jan. 7

Gospel music brings a whole set of conundrums to us, being that we were raised Catholic, in a church with bland, boring hymns, and are, at present, firmly (yeah, right) planted in the agnostic camp. Which is to say, we love a spirited, fervent gospel performance and it at least tips us, for a while, toward the God side. We generally fall back into the unknowingness that is agnosticism shortly thereafter. But we enjoy the gospel ride. Heck, at a U-U Christmas service we dug a female jazz quartet performing a snappy version of "What Child Is This." The new year is, of course, about banishing doubts and forgetting how horrible humans can be toward other humans and trying to gather hope. A way to do this might be to attned "Spirit," a Soulkore Gospel event with Bobby Perry & Rain, (in photo) Disciple and DJ Lady Grace in the decidedly non-church-like environs of the Milky Way Lounge & Lanes. We're not talking traditional gospel here, anyway. There are funk and hip-hop beats, splashed all about lyrics concerning the devotion to Jesus. One question: Are drinks being served during this? Would that be sacriligious or just business as usual? Well, either way it's a temptation - in a good way, not in a Satanic way - to check out this performance Sunday January 7 at 9 p.m. Tickts: $8.

403-5 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-3740 soulkore.com

Sat. Jan. 6

The Hot Stove/Cool Music event Boston held at the Paradise every year is truly a genius idea. The city is mad for baseball and music and this brings the two together. And the bucks go to the Red Sox favorite charity, the Jimmy Fund. (Also, now, to Theo Epstein's "Foundation to be Named Later.") They've raised over $1 million. The absolute coolest time was in 2005 when people posed (for charity) with the World Series trophy. (At that time, we didn't know the trophy would travel New England and every single person would have their picture taken with it, slightly diminishing the cachet value.) This year there are two Hot Stove/Cool Music events events on the nights of Jan. 6 and 7, with different lineups and price tags ($20 for the first night and $40 for the second.) The wrinkle this year is a Hot Stove Roundtable discussion at 1 p.m. Saturday at the 'dise. Gammons, healthy again, is our guru and he'll be joined by J.P. Ricciardi and Terry Francona. You'll pay $100 and get a buffet lunch and get to ask questions of those in the know. This is manna from heaven for Sox fans. Tickets available only through the website below.

967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8804 thedise.com

Sat. Jan. 6

Go to the Middle East Downstairs webpage - mideastclub.com - and click on the group headlining Saturday Jan. 6, Missing Persons. Go to the website and the FAQ section. Look at the question about the status of the band. You'll find the answer "The official Missing Persons is defunct." Hmmm, but there they - whoever they are - are on the bill. So, we've got to assume some version of the L.A. new wave-lite group will take the stage and we would expect singer Dale Bozzio (the most visable member) and guitarist Warren Cuccurullo (who owns the band name). We would not expect Dale's ex, drummer Terry, who once manned the kit for the short-lived but very good English prog-rock band UK and had a not-too-pleasant split witht he woman who still shares his surname. We would expect to hear versions of hits from yesteryear like "Words," "Windows," "Walking in L.A." and "Destinations Unknown." We would hardly put a Missing Persons reunion - if that's the right word - on part with an English Beat renaissance or a Damned get-together, but MP did represent a side of '80s pop that was flashy and kind of sexy. Whether you want to trip down memory lane with Dale - who was born here 51 years ago - Warren and whomever is a call we can't make. Doors are at 9 p.m. Just added: The Mystery Tramps, North Shore kids who rock. These teens were not born when Missing Perons was hot. Really. And they're fun. Tickets: $12.

472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-864-3278 mideastclub.com