By Charlene Arsenault 

• Jim Perry turns protest man! Lately, Jim Perry (from Doctor Robert and Hothouse) has been listening to a lot of early Bob Dylan stuff. He's also been "so caught up in the enormous mess that the Bush administration is creating." A bunch of tunes came out of the combination, and landed on Perry's new solo CD — Blueprints of Ruins. An 11-track album, Blueprints is comprised of Perry and Ken Jason originals, played and sung by Perry, too - with the exception of Mike Lynch, who blows the harp on "King George Has Spoken." Falling into the category of Americana, it is acoustic-based pop laced with folk and charged lyrics. R.E.M.'s Out of Time album, perhaps? "I never thought of R.E.M., but hey, that's nice," says Perry. "I had artists like John Hiatt, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris and Richard Thompson in mind. Of course, The Beatles color almost everything I do." Perry explains that the theme of the record is largely based on frustration with the present administration, but that it is an ultimately positive offering. "I made this CD because the songs were coming and I recorded them, period," says Perry, who released his first solo disc, Moment of Truth, in 2003. "No matter what bands I work with, I really love coming up with things on my own." With no outlet — as of yet — for performing the tunes, you won't hear any live yet. Perry attempted to put a band together for this stuff with Billy and Pete MacGillvray and Bob Young, but busy schedules shelved those plans. Blueprints is available at Kurlan Music, and will be on CD Baby and at Jelly's Music. Visit www.jperrymusic.com for more info.

• OK, this time it really is closed: First, he was going to give it a whirl through June, and close down for July and August. Now, June's off the books, too. After canceling last week's entertainment abruptly — and any further out — JJ's House of Blues is on hold through the summer, when owner Justin Kaz will re-evaluate whether the blues club is worth it. With the rebirth of Gilrein's earlier this year, and the lukewarm live music audience, Kaz has to gauge whether live music makes monetary sense come fall.

• Edgy pop: Chicki is playing at the Relay for Life in Southbridge at McMahon Field on Friday. Playing a genre she calls "ElectroSonic," it fuses retro-pop, rock and dance. Visit www.chikimusic.com for more information.

• Club notes: On Friday, Jason James boogies at The Trumbull Bar and Grill in Spencer; Check Your Head (the Beastie Boys tribute) and White Chocolate funk up The Lucky Dog; The Soul Band does it right at Gilrein's. And by all accounts, The Silverbacks are cooking — this time at the Club Car on Water Street on Friday. With Laurie Kollios at the front mic, she'll also joined by local legends Cliff Goodwin and Mike Lynch. On Saturday, it's a Jazz June reunion with Clawjob at Ralph's; Jim Berkeley sails in the Ship Room at The Hotel Vernon; The BaysicS are back at The Blackstone Tap; No Alibi's a fave at JJ's Sports Bar and Grill in Northboro; South County's out in Holden at The Blue Plate; The Red Riders are back at Sahara; Uncle Billy's Smokehouse juices up The Galway Bay; Probable Cause crams The Irish Times; Wilbur and the Dukes pair up with Shakey Steve at Gilrein's; and there's a new full-band-style open mic happening at the PACC in Webster, hosted by B&E — the session includes a full PA, plus a bass amp and several guitar amps. o

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