*A couple of local bands have shows this weekends, which is good if you like choices but bad if you like both bands.

BAD LITTLE BROWNIE – with Butch Bochino on bass and vocals, Kevin Donohue on guitar and vocals, Suzanne Pisano on vocals and percussion, and Chris Schmidt on drums – will be at 100 Church Hill on Saturday night. This band had been together for about a year, took six months off, and then recently reformed. Saturday’s will be the band’s second show now that they’re back together and Bochino says its focus is on “classic rock old and new.” Showtime is 9:30 and there’s no cover charge.

Also, Kathy Buda – the former lead singer for MOPPIN’ SAUCE – is now fronting a new band, CHARISMA. The band has shows set up on Saturday, April 12, and Saturday, May 24, at Jim Barbarie’s in Danbury. Charisma played the Head O’Meadow School dinner-dance fundraiser in February and plans to participate in Reed Intermediate School’s fundraiser being planned for October at The Amber Room.

“We’re playing fun, danceable music that everyone will recognize,” promises Buda, who is joined by fellow Newtowner Peter Obre on lead guitar, vocalist Ellen Pacelli and keyboardist G Mori (both of whom were both playing with In Harmony last weekend at The Fireside), drummer Tony Terracianno, and Mitch (the 3rd) Taub on bass.

 The restaurant and cocktail lounge is at 47 Padanaram Road in Danbury. Call ahead at 743-3287 for reservations or directions. Showtime is 9:30 both nights, and Buda suggests getting to the restaurant early to enjoy dinner before the show.

*Earth Day 2003 will be here in less than two weeks, and Preservation Advocates for Terre Haute (PATH) has a week of activities scheduled to celebrate the occasion. One of the week’s highlights for the musically inclined will be “The Funky-Gia Earth*Nite Benefit” on Friday, April 25, at Colorado Brewery. Bands GIA and FUNKESTRA both have sets that night, with performances running from 8 pm until at least midnight.

Tickets are just $6 in advance, $7 at the door; call 791-1450 for reservations or details.

Interested in more Earth*Week 2003 events? Visit PATH’s website, www.CTpath.org, or call 837-8211.

*Tickets have gone on sale for a “Pre-Mother’s Day Concert” by LL COOL J scheduled for May 9 at The Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport. This concert, the only Connecticut or New York appearance by the rapper, will also feature sets by Amerie, Tosha Makia of Bridgeport, and go. Tickets are $55.50 and available through any TicketMaster outlet.

*On sale this weekend are tickets for THE DEAD – which now has as its lineup Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Jimmy Herring, Joan Osborne, Jeff Chimenti and Rob Barraco – with special guest STEVE WINWOOD. This combo will be at the Meadows in Hartford on Friday, June 21.

Tickets are set at $53 for reserved seats, $38 for the lawn, and will be available from the Oakdale box office, tickets.com, or 203-265-1501.

For those heading up to Wallingford for Saturday’s opening sales, wristbands will be distributed at 8 am and a lottery drawing to determine which wristband holder will be first in line will be held at 9:30.

*The NORAH JONES concert later this season at the Oakdale in Wallingford has sold out.

*Well past my deadline last week The Webster Theatre announced an April 16 show by LIFEHOUSE, with tickets now on sale (on-sale began last Friday morning). Opening the show will be Fiction Plane, a band that has as its guitarist and vocalist Joe Sumner. But don’t let the family name fool you. As Sting’s son recently vowed to The Boston Globe, young Mr Sumner is resisting “flying on [his] dad’s name.”

In addition to Sumner, the band features bassist Dan Brown, guitarist Seton Daunt and drummer Pete Wilhoit.

*The Stamford Center for the Arts announced this week the make-up date for KANSAS, who was to have played in Stamford back in March but ended up – like so many events this winter – snowed out.

Ticket holders can now mark their calendars for Saturday, May 17. Original tickets for “An Evening with Kansas” will be honored that evening, and remaining tickets are still available at $35 and $50. Charge those tickets at 203-325-4466 or online at

www.OnlyAtSCA.com.

Until next week I’ll be seeing you… on the road.

Questions and comments should be sent to Shannon Hicks c/o The Newtown Bee, 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470, or shannon@thebee.com, or call the office at 426-3141.

Shows listed at club locations are for ages 21 and over unless specified.

UPCOMING CONCERTS

APRIL 11 — Peter Obre and Alan Johnson at Gail’s Station House, Ridgefield; Darik & The Funbags at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury; John Valby at Toad’s Place, New Haven; 2 Live Crew and Insane Clown Posse at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Anybody Killa opening; Eric Anderson at Acoustic Café, Bridgeport;

April 12 — Bad Little Brownie at 100 Church Hill, Sandy Hook; Charisma at Jim Barbarie’s, Danbury; The Nerds at Tuxedo Junction; Local H at The Empress Ballroom, Danbury, Faulter, Down To Zero, Flint Road and Ice Nine opening (all ages); The Disco Biscuits at The Webster Theatre; Appleachia at Acoustic Café, Smokin Opie & The Bluegrassers opening; Sloan Wainwright Band at Towne Crier Café, Pawling, N.Y.;

April 13 — Allister at The Empress Ballroom (all ages); March Scott at The Acoustic Café; Vida Blue at Toad’s Place, Trainwreck (one-half of Tenacious D) opening (all ages);

April 15 — 6 Second Crush, A Certain Something, Mae, Plain White Ts and This Blue Holiday at The Webster Theatre; Morgan Heritage at Toad’s Place (all ages);

April 16 — The Domino Effect at Acoustic Café; Reel Big Fish at Toad’s Place, Homegrown and Lost City Angels opening (all ages);

April 17 — M Headphone at Acoustic Café; Eileen Ivers at Toad’s Place;

April 18 — Off The Hook at Rathskeller, Southbury; B.O.D. and Sideshow at Tuxedo Junction; Peter Mulvey at Acoustic Café; Darik & The Funbags at Toad’s Place;

April 18 & 19 — Todd Rundgren at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville;

April 19 — Third Annual WCC Rock Expo at CT Expo Center, Hartford, featuring Cold, Seether, From Zero, Double Drive, Splitshift and Gargantua Soul; Peter Obre and Alan Johnson at 707 On Main, Monroe; The Gyst at Tuxedo Junction; Raisin Hill at Acoustic Café; Everclear at The Webster Theatre, Authority Zero, Az-Iz, Fend, Mile Marker Zero, Offshoot and The Exies opening; 2 Skinnee Js at Toad’s Place (all ages, early start);

April 20 — Eventide at The Webster Theatre, 6Gig, In Itself and In Progress opening;

April 21 — Finch at Toad’s Place (all ages);

April 22 — Yo La Tengo at Toad’s Place (all ages);

April 23 — The Samples at Toad’s Place (all ages).

April 24 — Home Grown at The Empress Ballroom, The Reunion Show, Flashlight Brown, Red Chester and Doozer opening; Thursday at Toad’s Place, oneline drawing, Hot Cross and Cardia opening (all ages);

April 25 — Gia at Colorado Brewery, Danbury; Off The Hook at Carl Anthony’s, Monroe; The Zoo at Tuxedo Junction; The Nields and Cadence Carroll at Acoustic Café; Johnny Winter featuring James Montgomery at Toad’s Place.

April 25 & 26 — Toto at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den;

April 26 — Good Charlotte and New Found Glory at Hartford Civic Center, Less Than Jake and Hot Rod Circuit opening; Hipnotic at Tuxedo Junction; Fall Out Boy at The Empress Ballroom, Landis, Two Shots of Rye, A Chase Worthwhile and The Posterchild opening; Wayne Keenan at Acoustic Cafe; 7th Enemy, Gaiah, Hammerfist, Rucus and Tubesteak at The Webster Theatre;

April 27 — Tower of Power at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 28 — The Doors/Doors 21st Century (Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger & Ian Astbury) at Oakdale Theater;

April 29 — Dixie Dregs at Toad’s Place; The Used and Thrice at The Webster Theatre (all ages);

April 30 — Matt Nathenson at Acoustic Café; Jurassic 5 at Toad’s Place (all ages).

MAY 1 — The Supersuckers at Toad’s Place, New Haven, The Forty-Fives and Throw Rag opening (all ages);

May 2 — Junction 18, Bayside, The Goodwill, Roxie and Falling Through at The Empress Ballroom, Danbury (all ages);

May 3 — Peter Obre and Alan Johnson at 707 On Main, Monroe; Full House at Tuxedo Junction, Danbury;

May 6 — Buju Banton at Toad’s Place (all ages);

May 9 — LL Cool J at The Arena at Harbor Yard, Bridgeport, Amerie, Tosha Makia and go opening; Dope at The Webster Theatre, Hartford, Zug Island and Tapping The Vein opening (all ages); Bernard Allison at Black-Eyed Sally’s BBQ & Blues Café, Hartford;

May 10 — Toxic Narcotic at The Empress Ballroom (all ages); King’s X and Fishbone at The Webster Theatre, Cancer To The Stars, Fusion Under Control, Styrocultural Antidote, Subtle Mischief and Sugarfist opening (all ages); Sugar Ray & The Bluetones featuring Monster Mike Welch at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

May 16 — Larry Garner at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

May 17 —Peter Obre and Alan Johnson at 707 On Main; Larry Garner at Black-Eyed Sally’s; Dennis DeYoung at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den, Uncasville;

May 20 — Matchbox Twenty at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Sugar Ray opening;

May 22 — Vince Wellnick at The Webster Theatre;

May 23 — Peter Obre and Alan Johnson at Gail’s Station House, Ridgefield;

May 24 — Charisma at Jim Barbarie’s, Danbury;

May 25 — Cher at Mohegan Sun Arena;

May 30 — Dick Dale at Toad’s Place, New Haven; Eric Sardinas at Black-Eyed Sally’s;

May 31 — John Hiatt at UHartford’s Lincoln Theatre; Richard Marx at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den.