More Chicks RockFest
If you've seen the cover of this paper, you probably know that the big Chicks RockFest goes down this weekend (see Catch 22). The two-night, three-stage event will take place at The Cavern and the BarrelHouse in Over-the-Rhine, conveniently located less than 100 feet from each other. The shows feature a mix of national, regional and local bands, each with at least one female member (thus, the name of the festival, Einstein). Music starts at 9 p.m. both nights.

The Cavern will have two stages. On Friday, at the Cavern's "upstairs" stage, catch Appalachian Cancer (featuring wussy's Lisa Miller and Ass Pony/wussy Chuck Cleaver), Shawna Snyder (a remarkable local singer who is currently working with guitarist Jay Aronoff and drummer Todd Drake), Lovely Crash, Christine Havrilla and singer/songwriter Goldman. The Cavern's upstairs stage on Friday features Carol Plunk, The Locals, Antara, Allison Tartalia and Emily Strand. Friday on the Cavern's main stage, you can see The Sirens, Waterproof Blonde, The Honeys, Seryn and Viania. On Saturday, The Cavern's main stage has Planet 12, Rockit Girl, Spiff, Rainy Day Crush and Fluttr.

Over at the BarrelHouse, it's a more locals-heavy bill, with Maery Lanahan, Rhe, The Whitney Barricklow Band, Abiyah and The Fairmount Girls performing on Friday. Saturday at the BarrelHouse, it's Venus Mission, Sunspot, The Walker Project, Nellie Bly and The Woos. For links, ticket info and more, go to chicksrockfest.com.

Rumors, Lies and General Misunderstandings
· Maurice Mattei will host an impromptu DVD release party on Thursday at the Northside Tavern. The video project, called Maurice Mattei on City Nights, features one of the singer/songwriter's performances on the local-music-friendly, cable access television program named in the album title. Thursday's free show will also feature an all-too-rare local appearance by David Wolfenberger. (mmattei.com)

· The Ropers are a relatively new band featuring some familiar faces. The group consists of the rhythm section from Buckra (drummer Chris Lenahan and bassist Andrew Laudeman) and P.J. Herrington of Admiral Walker. The band plays a mix of Jazz, Funk, Blues and Gospel. "We play it as greasy as we can," says Laudeman. Catch them every Thursday in January at Cody's Café (in the downstairs bar area).

· Singer/songwriter Ric Hickey is back on the local club circuit with a newly constructed version of his band, The Loose Wrecks. The latest version of the Wrecks features Hickey's longtime drumming associate, Bill Griffiths (formerly of Hickey's old band, the Speed Hickeys), Chris Comer on keyboards and Ben Clarke on bass. The band plays Friday at the Courtyard Café in Over-the-Rhine, while Hickey gets back to his solo acoustic roots on Saturday, opening for Riverside Union at the York Street Café in Newport.