The Public Good Featuring John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal, former members of the 90's Chapel Hill, NC pop combo the Popes, the Public Good are a new century quartet with harmonies wrapped around lyrics bemoaning love lost and pitfalls of aging. The songcraft is tightly wound, straddling between hard pop and rock. Sam Esquith and Chris Garges round out the quartet. It should be a fab night of power pop that also includes headliner Don Dixon. Snug Harbor (Samir Shukla)
Mike Doughty Best known as the front man for '90s cut-ups Soul Coughing, Doughty's most recent disc, the out-now Sad Man, Happy Man, is a rather straightforward rock platter, as compared to his more eclectic/electric earlier work. Doughty's way with a hook still shines through, however, and his easily-recognizable pinched vocals and quirky way with words (the dude wrote a hit called "Super Bon Bon," for crying out loud. WTF?) add further weight to his mewling muse. Put another way, this isn't a Semisonic or Verve Pipe reunion gig Doughty's a real musician (and published poet, travel writer and inveterate blogger) who continues to grow his sound without regard to crowds, cutbacks or commercial concerns. The Evening Muse (Timothy C. Davis)
Revolting Cocks Founder Al Jourgensen will only appear at select shows (not at this gig), but plenty of debauchery and industrial dance and rock mayhem should be on hand as the Revolting Cocks turn the volume to max, with DJs and guitars on high alert. RC began as a side project for Ministry's Jourgensen, but has, off and on over the years, taken a shape all its own with a rotating crew of like-minded lunatics. With Jim Rose Circus, Left Spine Down and Blownload. Tremont Music Hall (Samir Shukla)
Cycle of Pain The bass leads this pack of screaming guitars courtesy of founder and bassist John "J.D." Deservio (Black Label Society). The quintet is touring in support of debut self-titled release from this past spring, and although hard rock and metal are the firmament, funk and hip-hop check in on a regular basis. Think metal, AC/DC, liquor and a vocalist channeling Chris Cornell. With Shinedown. Uptown Amphitheatre (Shukla)