Wed. Dec. 19

 Walk into a bar, and hear a woman's striking voice doing some very cool songs: John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery," Social Distortion's "Ball and Chain," "Airplane Over the Sea" by Neutral Milk Hotel," Madonna's "Like a Prayer" and Johnny Cash's "Delia's Gone." Plus some originals. That was the case at the Free Tibet benefit at the Middle East Corner not long ago, a show headlined by Roger Miller. Hope Roth was the 26-year-old woman singing and playing guitar and, though she is the daughter of one of the event's organizer's Rick Roth, you hear her and you wouldn't think nepotism at all. She recorded an album six years ago and plans to go into the studio next month with Boston vet, Pete Weiss. She's playing Toad, free, Wed. Dec 19 at 7. We asked her what we might expect: "I've termed it my 'Festivus' show. So far, the plan is for me to play by myself, but I am trying to find someone to sing (the Pogues) "Fairytale of New York" with me. I've also asked a friend to sit in and play bass. I'm going to work a few off-beat Christmas songs into the set. It's a two hour set, so I usually pretty much all of the songs that I've written and then I throw in a bunch of covers. I'm working on a couple of new songs right now. Last year I gave a couple of prizes at my holiday gig. I plan to do the same thing this year. I encourage heckling at my gigs because it makes for some good banter. My Dad is a veteran heckler, but I usually put him down. People get a kick out of that."

1912 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-497-4950 www.toadcambridge.com