Thurs. Dec. 17 

Christmas approaches and so does Chandler Travis' (in photo) annual holiday benefit at Johnny D's. It's Thursday Dec. 17. On tap this year: Chandler Travis Philharmonic, Dennis Brennan, Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents, Merrie Amsterberg, Shaun Wortis, Greg Greenway, Alastair Moock, the Darlings, the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, the Jessica Schroeder Dancer, Sal Baglio, the Shook Fambly Singers,the Philharmonic Trombone Shout Band, Miriam, the Athol Thingerth, & special guest Livingston Taylor. New addition, and this should be fun, Hugo and Clint's Excellent Christmas Adventure. Who are Hugo and Clint? None other than former Gang of Four drummer Hugo Burnham and Mission of Burma's bassist-singer Clint Conley and company. And we just heard that company includes guitariists extraordinaire Chris Brokaw and Burma's Roger Miller.

 It starts early, at 8 pm. Tix: $15.00 ( or whatever you can afford); all proceeds go to the Somerville Homeless Coaltition (Any further donations encouraged at www.somervillehomelesscoalition.org or 617-623-6111.)

There's also a Cape benefit Sunday Dec. 13 at the Jailhouse Tavern function room with the CT Philarmonic,  the Incredible Casuals, the Spampinato Brothers, the Ticks, Gren Greenway and the Greenheads, Tripping Lily, the Rip-It-Ups, Rock King, Bruce Maclean, the Shook Fambly Singers, Fred Fried, Steven Russel, Toast & Jam, the Flakes, Randy & the Oak Trees, Crabgrass, Sarah Burriill and the Athol Tingerth. (Travis, best of our knowledge, plays in at least three of these groupings.)

 About Travis: The hardest working musician on Cape Cod, Travis, putting himself and his various musical incarnations out there again: solo, with the Chandler Travis Philharmonic, the Incredible Casuals. He's also celebrating his latest solo CD, "After She Left." Says Travis: "We cunningly waited for a time when no one was releasing, selling, listening, or even smelling new albums to release my new solo album, which is a rather dramatic change of pace from my recent output with the Chandler Travis Philharmonic and the Incredible Casuals, in that it is quiet and sparse instead of sprawling and wild. Kind of thoughtful, really. Romantic, even. Dead dull, some might even venture, although hopefully not in print. The CTP, by the way, will have a new CD out this winter that will be much noisier. Actually, I'm rather proud of the fact that 'After She Left' maintains a single sort of moody, late-night vibe for its entire forty or so minutes (pretty much a record for me, coherence-wise).

"In other news, the Incredible Casuals, got five songs placed in the new movie 'Paper Man' with Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds, and Lisa Kudrow; I also wrote songs for a crazy musical last summer that was successful enough here on the Cape of Cod that it's being produced again in both Boston and Seattle this winter, set at an investment seminar ten years in the future (after the economy has collapsed and President Palin has gone into hiding) called "Investment Strategies For the Post Money World", written by Gip Hoppe... soooo, the future looks reasonably wicked pissah..."

J D's" 17 Holland St. Davis Square, Somerville, 617-776-2004 www.johnnyds.com www.chandlertravis.com

 Jailhouse Tavern: 28 West Rd., Orleans, 508-255-5245 www.jailhousetavern.com