Roadtrips

At long last Fidel Castro has his revenge for the Bay of Pigs, as the Cuban-folk craze sweeps white, liberal, PBS-watching America off its feet. Following on the heels of Ibrahim Ferrer, fellow Buena Vista Social Club vet Eliades Ochoa brings his band, El Cuarteto Patria, to the Roxy Ballroom (401-331-2211) in Boston on Thursday, February 24; and to Pearl Street (800-THE-TICK), in Northampton, on Friday, February 25.

Now that Mos Def is off doing the solo thing and hanging with Busta Rhymes, anyone think the other guy from Black Star, Talib Kweli, is getting lonely? Maybe just a little bit -- he joins J-Live and Boston's 7L & Esoteric at the Ocean Mist (401-782-3740), in Mantunuck, Rhode Island, on February 25. The other indie-hip-hop party this week is at Boston's Karma Club (617-421-9595) on February 21, when local vinyl-head-shop-turned-mini-label Biscuithead Records throws itself a fourth-anniversary party, featuring performances by DJ Craze, DJ Creative, Insight, and Biscuithead's own fine-tuned, foul-mouthed crew, Porn Theatre Ushers.

Ah, the remnants of Alternative Nation. Long may they rent large tour buses and trickle into musty theaters. Aging techno-crats Lords of Acid, enjoying something of a rebirth for some strange reason, are at the Roxy on Friday, February 18, and at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876), in Providence, on February 20. Gawky avant-funk weirdoes Primus are at Lupo's on February 18, with Christian Korn wanna-bes P.O.D.; Lupo's also hosts the lone New England appearance this go-round by former Soundgarden soprano Chris Cornell, who's since taken to imitating the dude from Creed. Suzanne Vega finds friendly territory in Northampton -- where has-beens are accepted professionally, and nobody asks where you been -- at the Iron Horse (413-584-0610) on February 24.

No Use for a Name, a band that sound vaguely like NOFX, hit the Met Café (401-861-2142) in Providence on February 28, joined by ska-core dudes the Mad Caddies, hard-core clones Frenzal Rhomb, and Consumed. Brooklyn avant-metal dudes Candiria, who can't decide if they want to be a Zorn-y Helmet or an artier, less goofily politicized Rage Against the Machine, are at the Asylum (207-772-8274), in Portland, Maine, on February 18, at the Met Café on February 19, and at Karma Club, in Boston, on February 20; all three shows are with Skarhead and Buried Alive. And one of the few bands besides Urge Overkill to pull off the indie-band-to-glam-rock transition with any flair, Cobra Verde, hit T.T. the Bear's Place (617-492-BEAR), in Cambridge, on Friday, February 18, and a joint called the Skinny (207-871-8983), in Portland, on February 19, appearing for both shows with Snares & Kites, a band that includes Come's Chris Brokaw on guitar.
-- Carly Carioli