Set List

Where to go. What to hear.

The Big Guys at Café DiemOh, see, you totally forgot about Wednesday, didn’t you? Thinking about getting the folks packed in, the turkey stuffed, the dog tranquilized and everything really Norman Rockwell for Thanksgiving, and now you’re staring at one another the night before, going, “Now what, Norman?” Richmond ska outfit The Big Guys, formerly the Good Guys, are playing a night-before show Nov. 22 at 9 p.m. Give Grandma a beer and see if she’ll start skanking. Free. 353-2500.

The Spoon Benders at Poe’s PubThe South Florida trio is reputed to have quite a following, and listening to its roots-heavy sound, that unpredictable mix of blues rock, funk and something head-bangy, you might get the feeling that its fans are not far from quitting jobs and chasing the band around in musty vans. It’s the jam sound, maybe: The Spoon Benders’ songs have stamina and the kind of flexible energy that, with the right kind of encouragement, might stretch from three minutes to three hours. The trio plays Poe’s Friday, Nov. 24, at 9:30 p.m. $5. 648-2120.

Holiday Festival of Music!The day after Thanksgiving is a sort of running of the bulls in terms of shopping, but its gates are also thrown wide on holiday music, which courses through shopping malls and radios and that living room piano that hasn’t been touched since last year. And at the head of this flood is a mighty wave of Handel. You might as well hear it right. Commonwealth Catholic Charities is host to a Holiday Festival of Music at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart with the Richmond Symphony, The Choir of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and soprano Lisa Edwards Burrs performing music by our boy Handel, Mozart and others Monday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. $30. 285-5900.

Enter the Haggis at the Canal ClubWhile there’s no reason to encourage stereotypes (could you guess this might be Celtic?), haggis, for all its horror, does seem a bit of a respite from the threat of turkey sandwiches. As does this music, which is more Celtish — fast-paced, vocal harmonies, Highland bagpipes, all that. But the Canadian quintet is a total mess after that, pulling in a lot of fiddle and bluegrass, hints of big-sound arena rock, what else, what else? The swagger of Latin music’s in there too. It’s pretty much all the styles of music that get people dancing. And yes, fans are called “Haggis Heads.” ETH plays Friday, Nov. 24, at 8:30 p.m. $8-$10. 643-2582. S

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