Sun. Nov. 30

Chandler Travis - you know him as the wild and crazy frontman of the Incredible Casuals and the Chandler Travis Philharmonic -takes another swerve in the crooked road Sunday Nov. 30 at Club Passim. It's billed as Chandler Travis and Modern Maturity and, of course, that begs the question: What the heck's that? So, we went to the man himself to ask about this particular venture in the land of the Boston area's most venerable folk club. "This one's meant as a change of pace from the wild and crazy land inhabited by the Philharmonic," replied Travis, in an e-mail. "We'll instead be focusing squarely on the songwriting, and there'll be plenty of new material, because the songs have been coming fast and furious lately. A lot of it is more spacious
and sparse than folks are used to hearing from either the Casuals or the CTP, more in the ballpark of my second solo CD, 'Ivan in Paris.' (Oh yes, he's a sometime solo artist, too.) "Luckily for all concerned, my colleagues in Modern Maturity are Dinty Child of Session Americana on mandocello and accordion, Ken Field of the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble on alto sax, John Clark on string bass, and my old friend Keith Spring (NRBQ, Martin Mull) on keyboard (this is one of Keith's only appearances all year, which is particularly exciting.) We've ended up playing in smaller formats in Boston very rarely, but the more intimate setting is something that has been very satisfying elsewhere over the last few years, and I'm excited about bringing it to Passim." So, is the more serious side of Travis? Perhaps - up to a point. We didn't ask if he would be wearing the pajamas he often sports when fronting the CTP and we figure we'll just leave that one up in the air. Keep in mind, the man writes some damn fine pop songs and we're sure a splendid time is guaranteed for all. Starts at 7:30. Tickets: $12.

47 Palmer St., Harvard Sq., Cambridge, 617-492-7679 www.clubpassim.org