Music Box: Avalon Theatre presents a special Halloween 'Radio From Downtown'

This week's big show is Saturday's Halloween spectacular music/variety edition of "Radio From Downtown" at the historic Avalon Theatre in Easton (7:30 p.m.).

This multidimensional show will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a presentation of another famous radio program first broadcast 71 years ago from the CBS radio studios in New York City: Orson Welles and the Mercury Theatre on the Air's adaptation of H.G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds."

Producers had to take a few liberties with the script and plot in order to set the production on the Delmarva Peninsula, but they promise that the end result stays true to the mission of "Radio From Downtown": If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing.

The program will feature the house band No-No Nonette, the Downtown Players with Carl Kasell and Liane Hansen from National Public Radio, folk group Hot Soup, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science president Don Boesch, the Bellows Babes and host Van Williamson.

This special production of "Radio From Downtown" will be broadcast live on WNAV (1430 AM) and stream live on wnav.com. This is a very exciting addition to what is usually a live-to-tape production. Of course, there's nothing like the firsthand experience of a live radio show, so be there to experience the real deal if you can.

Williamson hopes Delmarva residents will flock to this show: "I can't be responsible if people are just too blind to see the value in this type of activity, no matter how nebulous," he says on the theater's Web site. "Name one other production that still proudly lives up to its own publicity: 'It's Not That Far from Art.' Talk about truth in advertising. I rest my case."

Get an early start on Halloween tomorrow night as Rams Head Live hosts a costume party "Tribute Meltdown" featuring The Scott Gately Band, Holy Hell, Shout at the Devil and Snowblind & Ear Candy (7 p.m. doors; all ages welcome). Dress up and down for a gory, grotesque night of metal and mayhem, and relive the music of Motley Crue, Black Sabbath, Dio, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and Guns N' Roses.

At NightCat in Easton tomorrow night it's an evening with Vinyl Shockley (7 p.m.). Drummer Ed Shockley has been compared to a young Van Morrison singing blue-eyed soul that's guaranteed to make you want to move.

"There is a type of music that has always appealed to me, a little off-center, that reflects the influences that rhythm and blues and hillbilly music have on each other," Shockley says on his Web site. The later show at NightCat features tropical rock with Captain Quint (9 p.m.).

At The 8x10 club in Baltimore tomorrow night it's the Radiohead tribute band Meeting in the Aisle (8 p.m.). The group is made up of Philadelphia DJs, engineers and soundmen who all share a love for Radiohead's deep cuts. Also on the bill is Baltimore instrumental rock band Deaf Scene.

Saturday

Saturday night at Rams Head Live in Baltimore it's an '80s flashback party with The Legwarmers (8 p.m. doors; ages 21 and over only for this show). From the Simmons electronic drum kit to the checkered vans and skinny ties, the Legwarmers are the '80s you remember.

At Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis on Saturday, spend an evening with American country singer Patty Loveless and Friends (8:30 p.m.). Her many hit songs from over the years include "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye," "Blame It On Your Heart" and "You Don't Even Know Who I Am." Her newest album is called "Mountain Soul II," the follow-up to her superb back-to-the-roots bluegrass collection from 2001.

At the Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night, check out the Halloween costume party with Captured! By Robots plus Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt and Bonjour, Ganesh! (8 p.m. doors). Captured! by Robots is a touring musical comedy troupe with only one human member (JBOT the human slave). It is part-concert and part-performance act made up of three robots, two stuffed apes and three "headless hornsmen" playing brass instruments.

At the 9:30 Club in D.C. it's Latino hip-hop from Cypress Hill at 8 p.m. Saturday. In 1993 Cypress Hill had a triple platinum hit song called "Insane in the Brain" and was the first group with two albums in the Billboard 200 top 10. Banned from "Saturday Night Live" for lighting up on the air, Cypress Hill went on to become the critics' and readers' "Best Rap Group" as named by Rolling Stone magazine. Their new CD, "Rise Up," features guest spots from Slash, Pete Rock and members of the Wu Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, Tom Morello and others.

Sunday

Blues Traveler returns to Rams Head On Stage for two shows (Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m.). The band has never sounded hotter, with John Popper on harp and the Kinchla brothers on guitar and bass. The group's new CD, "North Hollywood Shootout," finds Blues Traveler 20 years on and looking forward.

"We're still trying to reconcile the different things we do, and cultivate what we're individually good at into something that's bigger than the sum of its parts," Popper says on the group's Web site. "When we're all playing and it's working, it becomes this separate entity, and that's still the thing that we're chasing."

Guitarist Chan Kinchla recently talked about making the new record and the band's fresh approach to the project:

"On the last few records, we concentrated so much on the craft of the songwriting and arrangements that we started losing some of the live spontaneity that the five of us created on stage," he says on Blues Traveler's Web site. "So on this album, instead of doing the usual preproduction process, where we really worked out the songs before taking them into the studio, we decided to go straight into the studio and do the songwriting there.

"We recorded all the parts as we were working them out, and then build the songs from there. We'd find a cool little pocket and jam on it, or there'd be a drumbeat or a guitar part that was really happening, and we'd take the best part of that and use it as the foundation of the song. That was a completely new way of working for us."

Don't miss the appearance by Saul Williams and Living Colour at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., at 8 p.m. Sunday. Poet, actor and musician Saul Williams blends poetry and hip-hop and is a founder of the Nuyorican Poets Slam team from the mid-'90s. He starred in the 1998 film "Slam" and has performed alongside Allen Ginsburg, Sonia Sanchez, Erykah Badu and Nas, among others. His poetry has been published in The New York Times Magazine and Esquire magazine.

Monday

Monday night shows include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at the Verizon Center (7:30 p.m., but if you know Springsteen you know it's probably closer to 8:15) and four-time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett and His Large Band playing songs from his new release at 8 p.m. at Strathmore Hall in North Bethesda (it's actually more toward Rockville).

Also Monday night, Canadian garage rockers The King Khan & BBQ Show mix doo-wop and punk at The Rock and Roll Hotel (8 p.m.).

Tuesday

Tuesday night look for Traffic founding member Dave Mason performing songs from his brief stay with that seminal band and hits from his long and productive solo career at Rams Head On Stage (8 p.m.).

Liam Finn, Neil Finn's son, is a really fine singer/songwriter, and he'll prove it at the Rock and Roll Hotel at 8 p.m. Tuesday. He's a driving force on the super-rock 'n' roll amalgamation "7 Worlds Collide" (members of Radiohead and Wilco also appear on the double CD). You may recognize Liam Finn's voice as similar to that of his Split Enz/Crowded House old man. Neil and Liam teamed up for a cover of The Beatles' "Two of Us" for the excellent "I Am Sam" soundtrack.

Emo rules the night at the 9:30 Club Tuesday with The Get Up Kids and Kevin Devine (6:30 p.m. doors).

Wednesday

On Wednesday night, smooth rumba flamenco acoustic jazz player Jesse Cook soothes listeners with his worldly sounds at Rams Head On Stage (8 p.m.). After growing up next door to the lead singer of the Gypsy Kings, Cook was inspired enough to eventually win a Juno Award (Canadian Grammy) for Best Instrumental Album in 2001 and another in 2008 for World Music Album of the Year.

At the 9:30 Club on Wednesday night, look for Australian rock 'n' roll from Wolfmother with the Heartless Bastards (7 p.m. doors).

Thursday, Nov. 5

On Nov. 5, Rams Head Live in Baltimore presents A Cool Stick hip-hop CD Release Party (7 p.m. doors; all ages welcome).

Philly's The Brakes appear at NightCat in Easton with Ben and Alex (8 p.m.) on Nov. 5. According to the band's record label, The Brakes seamlessly intertwine infectious indie-pop circa Ram-era Paul McCartney, crunchy California rock in the spirit of The James Gang and starry-eyed British psychedelia that harkens back to Traffic. The breadth of this vision belies a band in their early 20s, particularly on standout versions of songs like "Into the Ground," "Supermarket," "Boat Trip" and "Song of Imponderables."

Also Nov. 5, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra welcomes the Duke Ellington Orchestra performing songs of the great master at Strathmore (8 p.m.). Ellington's classics include "Mood Indigo," "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," "Sophisticated Lady," "In a Sentimental Mood," "Caravan," "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" and "Take the A Train," to name just a few.

Michael Buckley is writer, producer and host of the Sunday Brunch each week from 7-10 a.m. on 103.1 WRNR-FM. You can reach Michael at voicesofthebay@aol.com