Sneak Peek: SAT 5/16 -- Green Fest, Richard Lloyd, Frank Black Trib.

More to come. I hope. Remember tomorrow is the last day before the Volvo Ocean Race sails away.

If you're reading this before 10am, you could go for a leisurely literary bike ride...

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SAT 5/16

10am to 2pm
Living Green Festival
at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave, Somerville (Spring Hill)
FREE

There's going to be some "Somerville-centric" info presented, you won't need to show ID or a utility bill to get in. All sorts of local and/or green organizations will be there to offer info, giveaways, etc. Various "green" transportation (Electric Porsche 914, etc) will be on display, and family-friendly "recycled arts and crafts" activities will be available.

Six workshops in two rooms are also happening at 10:30, 11:30, 12:30 with topics such as "Personal Bike Maintenance", "Home Insulation", and "Building a Worm Compost Bin".

If your bike needs a bit of adjustment, ride it over and someone can give it some free basic adjustments. And if you don't like what's in the fridge but you're conserving beer money: "Free delicious food samples introduced every hour on the hour."

You can buy raffle tickets in person or online to win about 30 different prizes and help defer the costs of the festival.

Does it make a difference if I tell you Wally the "Green" Monster will be taking photos with people from noon to 1pm?

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SAT 5/16

8:30pm
Frank Black Tribute
at PA's Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave, Somerville (Union Sq)
$8 / 18+

Scheduled: The Big Disappointments, Doomstar!, Tony The Bookie Orchestra, Choo Choo La Rouge, Wrong Reasons, Rococo La Boy, Audrey Ryan & Stephen Brodsky, Chris Mulvey & Lisa Libera (Muy Cansado), Thom Bon Savant, Ryan Lee Crosby, Vanessa Hayes, Caitlin Frame

Is it necessary to sing the praises of Frank Black? Perhaps I should sing his praises in an anguished howl. He led The Pixies through 5 albums that did a lot (in my mind) to cement Boston's influence on rock -- and maybe raised the bar a bit high. He switched from one cool rock alias to another as he cleverly flipped the order of Black Francis and has released about a dozen solo albums.

Much like the recent Jonathan Richman tribute show, performers are going to rapidly switch over from two stages. There's a lot of material, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's an emphasis on The Pixies. Request a refund if no one plays "Here Comes Your Man" or "Monkey Gone to Heaven"! Actually don't. The night is in benefit of The Nave Gallery on the occasion of their 5th anniversary.

Most of the performers kick ass in my opinion, and I'll let you guess who I think are the duds.

SAT 5/16

9pm
Richard Lloyd & the Sufi-Monkey Trio, Brett Rosenberg & The Joiners, Fox Pass, The Motion Sick
at Church, 69 Kilmarnock St, Boston (Fenway)
$10 advance / $12 day of show

Guitarist Richard Lloyd (ex-Television, Mathew Sweet) played a gig at TT's a few years ago, and it was a bit of a shambles when the crowd refused to be completely quiet so he could say a prayer before starting his set. Last year, he played at Church with splendid results according to every account I read.

Maybe he digs the name of the place or maybe his medication is better than before -- chances are something closer to the latter Richard Lloyd will show up tomorrow along with Television drummer Billy Ficca. The music may not be as cutting edge as "Marquee Moon" (the arty proto-punk touchstone of yore) but fans of loosey-goosey, Hendrixian guitar heroics from living musical history will probably dig it.

It's a ridiculously good line-up of bands on the bill. Brett Rosenberg was acting as one of Boston's resident guitar heroes for a few years (The Rudds, solo groups, T stations) until he moved to Nashville. He's bringing some musical buddies into town on a Northeast swing. This guy is so good, and The Joiners sound like a crack team of hipster alt-country rockers. Fox Pass is one of those bands whose roots go back to the '70s-Boston rock scene that serves up prime-grade powerpop as good as when they first started, if not better. Don't dwell on anything but the outstanding music. The Motion Sick are one of my faves, so it's hard to tell anything objective except: "Listen, enjoy, repeat."

If I could get away with locking my visiting mother in a closet for a few years, I'll definitely be here!

(If you go to Church tonight, they might sell you advance tix without a fee...)