Weymouth punk rocker turned indie filmmaker Rusty Nails — his 1999 grade-Z indie flick Acne features music by the Dead Kennedys, Devo, and his own band, the Creeps — returns this weekend from his current base in Chicago to curate two screenings. As part of the Boston Underground Film Festival, he’ll present a version of his Chi-town film salon "Ündershorts" at the Milky Way (617-524-3740) in Jamaica Plain tonight (Thursday, February 21), with music by the Franklin Mint and Eltro. And he’ll also present a program on Saturday at the Berwick Research Institute (www.berwickinstitute.org) in Roxbury, including videos for Arab on Radar, Melt Banana, and Guitar Wolf, plus live music from the 914 and Eloe Omoe. Perhaps you’ll also find Rusty on Friday at the Middle East (617-864-EAST) in Cambridge, where Arab on Radar play an early show with Chapel Hill’s Milemarker, a multimedia hardcore band with a penchant for samplers and keyboards. You can also catch Milemarker, on tour in support of the re-release of their 2000 recording America: Frigid Forms Sell, now on Jade Tree, later that night at the Crane Room at Tufts University (617-628-5000) in Medford.

You won’t find Converge up for any Boston Music Awards, although we defy you to show us a better impressionist metal album than Jane Doe (Equal Vision). Cast your vote in person when Converge show up on Friday at Buzz (617-267-8969) in Boston’s Theater District and on Saturday at the El N Gee (860-437-3800), in New London, Connecticut. Destined to follow in the footsteps of fellow emo-gone-pop savants Saves the Day, Piebald celebrate the release of their new Paul Kolderie–produced We Are the Only Friends We Have (Big Wheel) tonight at the Middle East and on Saturday at the Palladium (800-477-6849) in Worcester. With long-time partner Sean Slade, at Somerville’s Q Division studio, Kolderie also produced Humanistic (Warner Bros.), the debut by former Eels dude Tommy Walter’s art-pop group Abandoned Pools. You can catch ’em on a tour with VH1 stars Flickerstick at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on Friday; at Pearl Street (413-584-0610) in Northampton on Saturday; and at the Middle East on Sunday.

In metal, the Palladium hosts Static-X and Soulfly on Friday, as well as a bill featuring Norwegian black-metal heavies Dimmu Borgir and the rabid, awe-inspiring Montreal neo-death-metal outfit Cryptopsy on Tuesday. In indie rock, Cat Power’s Chan Marshall makes up dates rescheduled from earlier this month at the Met Café (413-861-2142) in Providence on Sunday and the Coolidge Corner Theatre (617-734-2500) in Brookline on Monday. Former Olivia Tremor Control frontman Bill Doss brings his Sunshine Fix — who have a song on the soundtrack for the Nicole Kidman flick Birthday Girl — to T.T. the Bear’s Place (617-492-BEAR) on Saturday, and to Flywheel (413-527-9800) in Easthampton on Sunday.

Issue Date: February 21 - 28, 2002
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