Sat. Dec. 29

  You can't keep a good man away from New England, especially when he's got roots here. And family. And holidays. Ted Drozdowski, who I've known for years as a rock writer on the Boston scene, and now share space with in the Phoenix upon occasion, relocated to Nashville earlier this year.  But Ted's not just a lonely man sitting at home pounding away on his PC, he's the band leader-slide guitarist for the Scissormen, which has released their debut CD, "Jinx Breakers." Ted grew up on punk and psychedelia, discovered the raw, primal blues (and wrote about those few artists still practicing the form) and brought it back to his music. Rolling Stone's Anthony DeCurtis says that in listening to Ted he's never "not been transported to a strange, beautiful place I'd never been before." A place I've never been before is the Chili Head in W. Bridgewater and that's where the Scissormen appear Saturday Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. Ted's been there before. "The barbecue is awesome," he says, "and a big draw for me is the 5-star tequila bar. I figure it would be the optimal low-pressure/high-fun gig for me while I'm in New England visiting the clan." It's s a freebie, but the Chili Head is taking a limited number of seating reservations at the site below.

320 W. Center St., W. Bridgewater, 508-941-0707 www.chiliheadbbq.com