Sat April 14

The WBCN Rumble has had many homes over the years - the Rat initially, the Middle East most lately. But 'BCN's main main, Shred, took the competition to Harpers Ferry this year and reports "the vibe has been outstanding, up and above what people expected." The 400-capacity room in Allston has been getting 300 or so people for the quarter-finals and Shred expects sellouts or near sellouts for this weekend's semi-final rounds. On Friday the 13th: Aloud, Baker, The Silver Lining and Protokoll (in photo)  do battle. Bonus for jimsullivanink.com readers: I'll be there as one of the judges. Bring your rotten tomatoes! Truthfully, it's a part I've played proudly going back to the early '80s. My favorite doesn't always win - sometimes I'm the contrarian - but sometimes it does. And judges look for different things: marketability, chops, looks, radio-friendliness. I look for which band moves me the most, and I've voted for bands in many genres. Shred says there have been a slew of genres represented this year. "All varying styles," he says. "People are surprised." That is, they come to catch a specific band, see another and leave impressed. Saturday night's lineup: Age Rings, Township, Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves, and the Indefinite Article. Starts at 9:30. Tickets: $12.

158 Brighton Ave., Allston, 800-594-TIXX harpersferryboston.com  

Fri. April 13

If you don't know the New York & Austin-based trio Calla, we'll name drop a couple of comparisons: My Bloody Valentine, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Echo & the Bunnymen. What we're saying is that Calla, at the Middle East Upstairs Friday April 13, likes the dark, spooky edges of rock - musical and emotional. They do not lack dynamics. Aurelio Valle's guitars scrape and roars, drop down and let the atmospherics take over. There's a end of the night/party's over feeling these guys put out. Musically, they're in no hurry to get anywhere, but neither do they drag. They're touring behind the just-released CD, "Strength in Numbers." With Cloud Cult and Charlene opening. Starts at 9 p.m. Tickets: $12.

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

Fri. April 13

You gotta have a gimmick, a catch-phrase, a hook. What's makes Comic A stand out from Comic B? Keep in mind we live in a world swimming in standup. Not much of it matches the heyday of the '80s, when the risk factor was higher, but the human condition is such that someone always finds the idiocy and irony in people's behavior. And with so much tragedy going on the axiom - tragedy plus time equals comedy - has never been so appropos. Also, it moves at lightning fast speed. Hence, the Anna Nicole Smith jokes that seemed to fly within minutes of her death. At any rate, three American comics with Middle Eastern roots have banded together for a tour called "Axis of Evil Comedy Tour." They are Egyptian-American Ahmed Ahmed, Palestinian-American Aron Kader and Iranian-American Maz Jobrani. (We wonder if they looked for North Korean comics? Probably not much to find - or extract - there.) But we're sure these guys, who had a Comedy Central special, will have plenty to say about perceptions after 9/11. It's still not easy territory. There's a lot of ambivalence about free speech and privacy and, yet, palpable concerns about What Happens Next and How. The state of America is uneasy. Probably will be so for some time. Let's hope these three can take us away from that for 90 minutes or so at Berklee Performance Center Friday April 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets: $33

136 Massachusetts Ave., 617-931-2000 axisofevilcomedy.com

Thurs. April 12

Sean Lennon is one of the most famous musician-sons around, and it's impossible not to hear echoes of his dad when he sings. Which means it's impossible to banish a certain sadness. Lennon's second solo disc, "Friendly Fire,"(with short film included for each track on a bonus DVD) came out late last year. Rolling Stone gave it four stars. It's a gentle, melodic, mid-tempo work reminsecent of the late Elliott Smith, with a very obscure T.Rex cover included ("Would I Be the One"). There's sweetness with a little bit of bite. Lennon has said, "I think beauty without suffering is kind of saccharine, like a Hallmark card." We like that. We must report "Friendly Fire" is not a real rocking affair - he's walking on the lighter side, taking a path his father sometimes took. (There's no Yoko influence here.) The producer is former Bostonian and pop ace Jon Brion. Lennon and his band take the Paradise stage Thursday April 12 at 10 p.m., after an opening set by Women and Children. Tickets: $18.

967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8801 thedise.com

Thurs. April 12

They said Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive baseball games played would never be broken. And now they're saying Cal Ripken, Jr's record for the same will never be broken. We agreed with the first statement back in the day, and was astonished when Cal Jr. surpassed the Bronx Bomber. You think anyone could motivate you better to grasp a task by the horns and stick to it? Ripken's book, "Get in the Game: 8 Elements of Perseverance That Make the Difference," is part personal management, part self-help, part business management, part autobiography. He's on a barnstorming tour of America, not reading from his book exactly, but signing autographed copies of it. Which is to say, don't bring any other items for Cal to sign at Borders Thursday April 12, because he won't be doing it. And he probably won't be chatting freely. So, the questions is: What value does a nod and a handshake from one of baseball's greats mean to you? It's at 12:30 p.m. Free. (Except for the book.)

10-24 School St., 617-557-7188 bordersbooks.com