Sat. Feb. 13

 The Dropkick Murphys,  back from another tour, set to play House of Blues in March - arre the new Aerosmith. Not just in them being a loud 'n' proud internationally known band from Boston , but one which ... owns a bar. And doesn't drink. Those with semi-longterm memories, recall Aerosmith's ownership of the once great Mama Kin on Lansdowne Street. I asked one of the Aerosmith guys at the time if there was any hypocrisy in them being in recovery and yet selling those kind of beverages that led to their downfall. Nope, they reasoned: Just because we can't drink doesn't mean others can't and drink responsibly. Fair enough. We don't know the exact drinkng/non-drinking status of each and every DKM but we know Ken Casey doesn't go there anymore and we're pretty sure the rest of 'em have put any Shane MacGowan-like days behind them too.

And they have revived the old McGreevy's bar (born 1864)and turned into a sports bar/clubhouse. Sometimes, the DMS - and other famous friends - are your bartenders, too, like they will be Saturday Feb. 13 where your $20 cover (and subsequent raffle purchases) directly benefit the Claddagh Fund and that will to go the Hope for Haiti Children's Center.

Sat. Feb. 13

If it's Mardi Gras in the Boston area, you know it's time for Wolf's 17th Annual Mardi Gras Ball. Shaun Wortis Wolf has his big bash - a Benefit for the New Orleans Musicians Clinic - taking place Saturday Feb 13. at T.T. the Bear's. Wolf will be helming a ten-piece band - the Vudu Krewe All-Star Mardi Gras
Band - with special guest vocalists Holly Brewer (HUMANWINE), Dennis Brennan, Linda Viens (Angeline), Hope Roth, Joey Pesce (ex-'til Tuesday), and Emily Grogan, showcase an evening of New Orleans rhythm and blues. Oh, and burlesque by Boston Babydolls.

We asked Wolf what this meant to him, as the gig approached. He e-mailed us: "Although it's hard to believe the the longevity of this event, I still face the task of organizing all these musicians and music with real joy. I'm quite devoted to the cause: the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, and I absolutely love getting enveloped in the music each year. Ultimately the discovery of what seems to be an endless source of great songs, and then seeing how we can all make this work each and every year is just great fun. For instance, I just discovered the Joe Dyson song "Looped" which had somehow eluded me up to this point. (Recording in 1957 I think for Ace Records: "I'm looped - high as a Georgia pine!") The song is a gem and—as a wonderful testimonial to getting hammered—it's perfect for Mardi Gras. So now to decide who should sing it. Dennis Brennan would be great. Now, it'about arranging it for and  watching him fall in love with it.

Sat. Feb. 13

Asa Brebner has released the CD "Suenos De Los Muertos" and celebrates it with a gig at the Precinct Saturday Feb. 13. (His guitar art show is still up at Club Passim, too, see other item.) We asked Asa, a veteran Boston axeman, to ruminate on his new disc. He did that, and more. He e-mailed, "While I was up in the icy wilds of northern New Hampshire taking care of my mother in her long, slow 'decline,' I had my buddy Kevin Shurtleff come up for the weekend.  We did the basic tracks for 'Suenos De Los Muertos' in our huge post and beam barn. It was just me and him, guitar and drums with my friend and tenant Jay Janney working the controls on the Yamaha 12 track. A big woodpile waited rustically outside while we shook the rafters.

Thurs. Feb. 11

You would not necessarily expect a bill featuring Your Mother's Crotch, Beast Over Boston (an Iron Maiden tribute band) and Electric Mummy to be playing benefit concert at Church for the New England Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. But that's just the knee-jerk reaction to hard rock and metal bands, that becasue they make lotsa nasty noise they have no heart and soul.

Who's Electric Mummy? Well, in a nod to the Cramps, Ramones, Sex Pistols or anybody else who's embraced made-up names, the Boston-based quintet consists of Dead Ringer, Dead Man Rockin', Deady Sexy, Dead Serious and Dead Beat. Daniel DeLay - who is one of the Dead boys, not sure which, helped put this triple bill together Thurs. Feb. 11, in which 100% of the proceeds go to charity (unlike that dodgy "a portion of the proceeds" you so often hear about). Electric Mummy lists Ramones, Dead Ringer and David Bowie as influences and, yes, you can kind of hear that: some riffage, some metal-y hooks, a touch of glam.

Thurs. Feb. 11 

We've always loved soundscapes, music that builds upon layers and layers of sound, some gentle, some not, that allows you to create movie in your own head. Mountains - Brendon Anderegg and Koen Holtkamp- are that. The Brooklyn-based duo crafts startling ambient electronic soundscapes that seamlessly integrate field recordings and acoustic instrumentation into the mix, creating complex but often relaxing songs. Each one builds in momentum, layering on organic and electronic sounds. That's what they did ontheir latest and third CD, "Choral." On Thurs. Feb. 11 Mountains plays live at the Cambridge YMCA Theatre. The guys have been friends since their middle school days. They both ended up at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It was during this time that they began exchanging musical ideas and compositions which led to them founding the Apestaartje label in 1999. Their most recent record, "Etching,"  is a live recording on Thrill Jockey. Writes Dusted: "A pitch-perfect combination of earthiness and abstract bliss." They'll remind electronic/art music fans of Cluster, Eno, Popol Vuh and they'll weave a tapestry that will both soothe and stimulate. Opening up: David Daniell and Tim Hecker.  Tickets: $12. Starts at 8.

820 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-661-9622 or 617-876-4275 www.WorldMusic.org or  www.cambridgeymca.org/theatre.html