Sat. Feb. 24

 They're calling climACTS! Glam "The Can't-Miss Party of the Year." Well, that's a  pretty bold boast, see if they live up to it. It takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday February 24 at the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center at Villa Victoria in the South End, and it's presented by The Theater Offensive, New England's leading presenter of queer theater. Plunk down $125 and you'll see Martha Wash (in photo)  - the queen of clubland - siging her no. 1 solo single, "Carry On," and the classic male gay theme of all time, "It's Raining Men," which she did when she was a Weather Girl. Shequida, the world's only Julliard-trained drag opera diva will be there, as well as Dirk Shafer, model, actor and former Playgirl "Man of the Year." Joe Posa will transform into Joan Rivers and greet guests on a red carpet. There will be a live auction with Kathy Kingston, benefitting The Theater Offensive youth group. You'll be dancing to a dj in a Go-Go environment. Food and grub: It's an open bar with catering by Christopher's Cafe, Above and Beyond Catering and more.

Need more convincing? Joan Parker, philanthropist and wife of writer Robert B., is a co-host. "First of all," she says, "one hopes that in addition to being the most fabulous party, this party will be so much fun that when you come home you'll have to shower. Of all the events I work on, this is the most outrageous, over the top. Each year I go - I've co-chaired it the last three years - I think 'We'll never top this.'' But they do. "It's definitely fasten your seatbelts," continues Joan, "because it'll be a glorious ride." Is it just for gay folks? Nope. "I always bring tons of straight folks who find it as delightful as I do," says Joan. There's plenty of cool auction stuff, too, like cocktails with the Parkers at their Cambridge home, tix to the Police reunion at Fenway, and various European vacations. Expect to mingle with least 400 people. Starts at 8 p.m.

85 W. Newton St.,  866-811-4111 thetheateroffensive.org

Sat. Feb. 24

Saturday night's all right for ... rocking. Well, it always has been, but there are two interesting, contrasting choices in town this Saturday February 24. At Great Scott, Frank Smith - the roots-rock band, not a man - plays its farewell-to-Boston show. The group's players have been based in these parts for some time, but Aaron Sinclair and his five mates are headed to the southwest - Austin, Texas to be precise on March 1. (They debut at the SXSW festival there later in the month.) Do they fit in better there? Maybe. We think Boston is hospitable to their sound, but Austin might just be a better base. We'll miss 'em. See them with Viva Viva and the Age Rings opening at 10. Tickets are $9. Another option: The hard-rocking Bang Camaro, (in photo) which we just saw at a record release party on the 19th at the Middle East. They're indy guys, who've discovered the joys of hard rock and metal. The twist: They employ up to 20 singers - usually abouut a dozen - to carry the vocal parts. Like a full-bore Polyphonic Spree. They're at the Paradise celebrating their self-titled CD and the new video "Push Push (Lady Lightning)." Tickets: $12. Damone and Protokoll open. Show starts at 9 p.m.

GS, 1222 Commonwealth Ave., 617-566-9014 greatscottboston.com
Paradise, 967 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8800 thedise.com

Feb. 23 

"Girls on Film" is not a replay of the oh-so-sexy R-rated Duran Duran video of the '80s, but the title of Kerry Israel's black and white photo show which closes at the Paradise Lounge Gallery. tonight Friday Feb. 23. And what's she's shot are not exactly girls, but boys being girls, better known as drag queens. Says Israel: "Most people see drag as four-inch platforms and sequins, but when you go behind the scenes and really examine it, it's about redefining gender and becoming someone different. The idea of applying gender as quickly and easily as one applies a new shade of lipstick or coat of mascara is one I find very intriguing. While the sense of whimsy we anticipate with drag is certainly there, I was also able to see a certain vulnerability in the genderless-ness during the transistion. And I was immediately taken by the harmony of the masculine and the feminine, and how beautiful it was." We've got a little experience with drag - not in drag, but hanging with drag queens. We spent a lovely night with one in a Miami Beach club; our fiancee wrote a play with a drag queen in the lead, and we loved the British movie, "Kinky Boots." So, I guess you could say we have an affinity and a fascination - this from a guy who bascially dresses like Lou Reed most of the time. Anyway, the Wednesday opening is free and there will also be live drag performances and dj work from Mr. Channing. The exhibit is up through Feb. 23. Check the website below to see who's playing on any particular night and match up the gig and the show.

969 Commonwealth Ave., 617-562-8800 thedise.com

Thurs. Feb. 22 

 “I know I’m a disappointment/And I’ve lost all your sympathy” sings Logan LaFlotte, on “Volda,” the track that begins Paulson’s upcoming CD, “All At Once.”  True story, says bassist Alex Burton. LaFlotte’s girlfriend of five years left, unable to handle LaFlotte’s time away and music biz frustrations. Burton says Paulson will be on tour with bands doing interviews about how great the road, and he thinks differently: “You will hate music, your girlfriend will break up with you, you’ll sleep on a lot of floors.” Still, what doesn’t kill you … “You can say that,” says Burton. With “All At Once,” the New Jersey rock group will have released two albums five times on three labels.
Paulson, a quintet, formed around Paramus, NJ in 2001 – keyboardist John Guarente replaced Mike Smeen for the new disc. With their fortunes in the biz precarious, Paulson built up it own fan base and toured relentlessly. “We’re a rock band,” says Burton. “But we listen less to rock and have more pop, hip-hop and dance influences, a more fun kind of rock band with some electronica. We try and keep it from the cheesy dance-rock realm and have a little bit of a party.” Doghouse Records releases “All At Once” March 6; Paulson will be playing most of it at the ICC Church Thursday. Feb. 22. Also on the bill: Daphne Loves Derby, Amber Pacific and Waking Ashland.

557 Cambridge St., Allston, 617-782-8120

Wed. Feb. 21

The last time I saw Patti Smith on stage was at CBGB, fall of 2006, as the fabled Bowery punk club was making its last stand. She and her band waved goodbye, by digging deep into their catalog and paying tribute to the Ramones - the band most identified with CB's rise - with a great medley. (She also played the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer," which caused the Dead Boys bassist Jeff Magnum, who I was chatting with, to sniff "too slow.") But Patti and her guys gave CB's a fitting farewell. Now, she's doing a spoken-word gig at the new Institute of Contemporary Art Wednesday February 21 at 6:30 p.m. Smith, of course, is a writer and poet as well as a singer-songwriter, and her mind is a wonderful thing to sample. This, despite the fact that her one-time punk comrade Richard Hell deems her "unsufferable" - or so he told Legs McNeil in a recent Spin. Let's say this: Smith doesn't back down from controversy and she likes her time in the spotlight. But it's not just self-aggrandizing babble up there. Smith, wife of the late Sonics guitarist Fred Smith, is truly spiritual and positive-minded. She's able to unearth that positivity in a manner that is not simple-minded or Pollyanna-ish. She really inspires those feelings in others, despite all the crap that's around. I know she did that in me when we talked after 9/11. She was somehow able to find hope and redemption not long after the planes crashed. I don't know what her ICA talk at its "What New" lecture series is about; she may not know either. I can almost guarantee you'll be enlightened and entertained. You'll laugh a little, too. She's serious, but funny, too. Tickets are $25. Here's the rub: They are sold out. This means you must find a dear friend who bought two and hasn't yet decided whom to take.

100 Northern Ave., 617-478-3100 icaboston.org