Sat. Jan. 13

Comparisons to acclaimed Athens, Ga.-based singer-guitarist Vic Chesnutt are inevitable. Chesnutt was injured in a car accident at 18 and confined to a wheelchair. Alabamban-born Nasvhille bluegrass singer Bradley Walker, 28, lives his life in a wheelchair, having been born with muscular dystrophy. He released his debut CD "Highway of Dreams" last September and earned a "powerful and moving" tag from the primo alt-country mag No Depression. The Wall Street Journal opined, "Nothing's constraining this talent; the CD can stun." We like that Walker's bringing back the twang of Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizell, and is not some cowboy-hatted singer who's never stepped foot on a ranch. Walker is the special guest at the Boston Bluegrass Union's presentation of the Grascals at the National Heritage Museum in Lexington Saturday January 13. The Grascals (in photo) just notched their second Grammy nomination for Best Bluegrass album for their second album - two for two, not bad - "Long List of Heartaches." Tickets: $21 Starts at 7:30 p.m.

33 Marrett Road (Route 2A), Lexington, 617-782-2251. bbu.org

Sun. Jan. 14

HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT.

Come on, you know you're going to do it. The Patriots are/were five point underdogs against the mighty Chargers. The fascist San Diego-ans banned tickets sales outside of SoCal. The Chargers have that offensive team nickname, an insult to ... Chargers evevywhere. Q: What is a charger?

NOW THAT IT'S OVER YOU MAY GO DO SOMETHING!!!!!!

Sat. Jan.13

No review here, but  a note: I've got a feature in the Boston Phoenix - thephoenix.com - on the Dresden Dolls combative collaboration with the American Repertory Theatre, "The Onion Cellar," which plays the Zero Arrow Theater ends tonight, Jan. 13. 

Zero Arrow St., Cambridge, 617-547-8300 amrep.org

Wed. Jan. 10

Ron Sexmith, Toronto-based singer-songwriter-guitarist, has just released his tenth disc, "Time Being." Sexsmith has received accolades from many in his line of work - Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Paul McCartney, Coldplay's Chris Martin. Has it been career sustaining? "It's helped definitely, especially the Elvis Costello thing early on," says Sexsmith. (Costello held up a copy of Sexsmith's first album on the cover of MOJO.) "That helped. I was in a real bad situation with the label and the first album, and that created a buzz. I remember when Chris Martin started chatting up my writing, that had an effect, but it didn't catapult me into the same level. I appreciate anyone who has said nice things." On "Time Being," Sexsmith and producer Mitchell Froom have crafted a melodic, gentle album that has numerous ups and downs in the lyrics. "All my heroes did that," says Sexsmith of the emotional turnabouts. "I'm trying to uphold whatever tradition they started. When I started, I was just trying to make records my label would like. Now, I'm on my tenth album, and it's amazing I've been able to hang around so long." And, yes, there were extreme points of frustration and thoughts of giving it up. "You say that and the next day you write a song and you're excited," he says. "I was dropped by Interscope, my family fell apart, where did my life go? I started writing for other people. I don't know what else I would do. I just keep chuggin' along." Sexsmith, who plays T.T. the Bear's Wednesday Jan. 10 with a backing trio, says his live show does have a harder rock edge than his studio work. "I like to rock out, but it's not my forte," he says. "Occasionally, we approach it, but the melody leads. It's like the Beach Boys aren't as convincing as the Rolling Stones. It's mid-tempo, middle groove. There is a gentleness.

Wed. Jan 10

Occasionally, something comes along and we say, "Damn, we wish we'd done that." Usually, these are impossibilities - like write a song as good as Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen in Love" or direct a film as good as "The Departed." But when it comes to writing words, well, we do some of that. And when we found out Jake Halpern (who contributes to NPR's "All Things Considered") had written The Book on Fame, called "Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truth Behind America's Favorite Addiction," we both cursed and tipped our hat. See, we watch this preoccupation with celebrity minutiae with apalled disdain and, yet, perverse curiosity. In the grand scheme of things, who cares what the hell Paris Hilton did yesterday or who America voted their "American Idol"? (Halpern found more people watch "Idol" in that time slot than the other three major networks combined.) Halpern talks to fans, stars, aspiring stars and digs into the psychology and technology of it all, dissecting this tsunami of pop culture. He speaks at Brookline Booksmith Wednesday January 10 at 7 p.m. Free.

279 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-566-6660 brooklinebooksmith.com