LISTINGS

THURSDAY 12 NOVEMBER

Don't throw away your crusty tube of black and white Halloween face make-up just yet. Save it for the KISS reunion tour, a.k.a. the "Psycho Circus World Tour" coming to the Fleet Center tonight. You can "rock and roll all night" with your favorite 70s freakazoids of black leather garb. 7:30 p.m., Fleet Center (North Station T-stop), 931-2000. Tickets $37.50 to $55.

For those interested in trying their musical talents in front of a crowd but consider Karaoke "beneath them," open mike night at Cafe Soho is the perfect opportunity. Join the ranks of "long-haired ex-hippies, ruffled grad students and frat boys strumming guitars" in the Back Room, but make sure to write your name down when you come in. 8 p.m., Cafe Soho, 11 Springfield St., Cambridge, (near Cambridge St.), 354-7040. $3 Cover.

The Boston Public Library is offering "Booked Flicks," a discussion for young adults about books that have crossed over to the big screen. This week's installment will consider Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. 7 p.m. Uphams Corner Branch Library, 200 Columbia Rd., Dorchester. 265-0139. FREE.

The weather outside is just frightful, which means, of course, that it's time to wax those skis and snowboards (as well as that unsightly back hair). Uprising heralds the coming of the season, promising unknown destinations, first descents and the exploration of virgin terrain. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., showtime at 8 p.m., Morse Auditorium, 602 Commonwealth Ave., (near Boston University), (401) 274-0001. Tickets $5.

It'll be worth it to ignore section work tonight. The Boston Conservatory is trotting out the big guns to tickle the ivories with the second installment of the "Piano Masters in Recital" series. Acclaimed Greek pianist Dimitri Toufexis will perform works by Debussy, Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Gershwin. 8 p.m. Seully Hall, 8 The Fenway, Boston. 912-9122. FREE.

FRIDAY 13 NOVEMBER

Go to the University Health Services Monks Library and hear Jackie Neely extol the virtues of Echinacea and St. John's Wort. This lecture series called "Benefits of Complementary Therapies" focuses on the now en vogue subject of herbal remedies. It's all about ginseng, baby. Yeah baby. Yeah. 12 p.m., UHS, Holyoke Center, Monks Library, 2nd Floor, 495-9629. FREE.

Tired of the Harvard drama scene? Tonight's a chance to get out of the campus atmosphere and check out the opening night of a "poignant tragicomedy" at the Peabody House Theatre Co-op. The play is Marvin's Room, about a woman suffering from leukemia and dealing with her dysfunctional family. 8 p.m., 277 Broadway, Somerville, 625-1300. Tickets $14, $10 for students.

Put on your Oscar-best and head over to the Museum of Fine Arts for a different sort of awards bash: The World's Best TV Ads 1: The Best of the Cannes Film Festival 1998. Perhaps you'll decide that commercials really are the best part of TV. Then, if this is the case, stay for The World's Best TV Ads 2: The British Advertising Broadcast Awards. Call the MFA at 267-9300 for more details.

Haven't done all your Christmas Shopping yet? Fear not! On Friday the 11th Annual Christmas Festival opens at the World Trade Center. Go bask in the joy of the holiday season and find that perfect gift for everyone on your list at the 350 boutiques which line the walls of the World Trade Center. There are many unique gifts handmade by craftsmen as well as many interesting culinary offering such as chocolate covered cranberries. Friday, 12 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., World Trade Center (South Station T-Stop). FREE (before you pull out mommy's credit card).

Johnny D's Uptown, that outrageously rocking Davis Square hangout, proudly presents Afroblue and Fantcha, two acts that bring African, Caribbean and Latin sounds with them today. The dancing and the music promise to be great. So cast off those bad luck blues and put on those dancing shoes. 8 p.m. Johnny D's Uptown, 17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville, 776-2004, $9 cover.

The Australians are coming! The Sydney Symphony Orchestra sails into Boston's Symphony Hall to mesmerize New England with what The Evening Sun promises will be a "highlight of Boston's performance season." The program includes Koehne's "Elevator Music," Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No.2 in B-flat Major," and Richard Strauss's "Symphony domestica." 8 p.m. Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 482-6661, Tickets $15 to 35.

SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER

The Javanese gamelan ensemble of the Tufts Music Department and Boston Village Gamelan join forces to close World Music Week at Tufts. 8 p.m. Granoff Family Hillel Center, Packard Ave., Tufts University, Medford, 627-3564, FREE.

The Boston Conservatory continues its Piano Masters in Recital program with Denison Duarte, Peter Miyamoto and Hiroko Kunitake. The three won the 1997 American Pianists Association Beethoven Fellowship; however, they will be presenting an all-Chopin recital. 8 p.m. Seully Hall, 8 Fenway, Boston, 912-9122, FREE.

Phantasticus, a program of 17th-century violin music, is coming to Harvard's Paine Hall. It will feature three voices: a violin, a theorgo and a harpsichord. Part of the Boston Early Music Festival's 1998-99 season, it promises to introduce the uninitiated into the world of Baroque violin virtuosity. 8 p.m. Paine Hall, Harvard University, 661-1812, Tickets $16 to 38.

Recover your musical Rudolf bed slippers and obnoxious jingle-belled neck ties from the moth balls and mosey on down to the Annual Gingerbread House Competition. This Christmas festival showcases a smattering of crafts and edible goods, representing the efforts of more than 300 contributers. Commonwealth Pier, Northern Ave., 742-3973. $7 for regular tickets, free for children under 14.

Forget Wellesley. Disco night at The Phoenix Landing promises dancing on the tables and sing-alongs with favorites of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s as the Boom Boom Room takes over the bar with DJ Vinney. And the Boston Tab voted it one of the top 10 places for romance in the city--if the music's loud, she won't be able to hear his stupid jokes. 512 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, 576-6260, FREE.

Interested in horses? Admit it, when you were 12 your room was covered with posters of horses and subconsciously you still haven't gotten over the fact that Santa never brought you a pony. Well, this Saturday is a chance to get out of Harvard, pet some horses and watch the Harvard equestrian team compete in their last show of the fall season. The show is sponsored by Boston University and is a mere 25 miles outside of Boston at Holly Hill Farm. Directions are mad complicated--if interested contact Michael Haynie at mhaynie@fas, FREE.

Would 15 men in tuxedos add a little spice to your Saturday night? Go see the Krokodilos Fall Concert where you can be serenaded by a bevy of boys. 8 p.m., Sanders Theatre, Tickets $5.

The Tremont Brewery is offering its lost Brewery tour to reclaim Boston's beer heritage lost in the puritanical Prohibition era. Take this five hour tour through old Boston's best breweries and you will not be disappointed. After all, the package includes coffee, donuts, a 46-page program, lunch, samples along the tour and a Tremont Ale and IPA to take home with you. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tremont Brewery, 50 Terminal Street Charlestown, MA, 242-6464, $35.

SUNDAY 15 NOVEMBER

It's hard not to notice the recent change in temperature, and while the necessary bundling up is a pain in the ass, the onset of cold does mean it's time for fun winter snow sports. Snow sports is what the 17th annual Boston Snow Sports Expo is all about. Go for a chance to see more than merchandise for sale--the show promises everything from video presentations to a half-pipe vert show and appearances by skiing and snowboarding celebs. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Bayside Expo Center, 200 Mt. Vernon St, Boston, MA, 02125, 474-6000, $8.

Forget about the IOP! The American Jewish Congress's 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Commission on Law and Social Action with a round table discussion at the new U.S. Federal Courthouse. The talk is moderated by former MA governer Michael Dukakis, and he'll be joined by Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Robert Drinan, Professor John Kenneth Galbraith and others. 2 to 8 p.m., Federal Courthouse, Northern Ave., Boston, 457-8888, FREE.

A dose of high culture needn't mean a trek to the Wang Center or Symphony Hall. The Cambridge Symphony Orchestra, directed by Adam Grossman, is opening its 1998-99 season tonight with a concert of music by Moussorgsky, Mendelssohn, Mozart and Barber--the exciting "Night on Bald Mountain" is one of the featured works. 3 p.m. Agassiz School, corner of Oxford and Sacramento St., 547-9477, FREE.

MONDAY 16 NOVEMBER

The Berklee College of Music's Concert Wind Ensemble gives A Tribute to John Corley. Corley, the conductor of the MIT Concert Band for 51 years, is retiring after this season. Also appearing is Ivana Lisak, who will perform Stravinsky's "Concerto for Piano and Winds." 8:15 p.m. Berklee Performance Center, 136 Mass. Ave., Boston, 747-2261, Tickets $4.

Venture out to the Museum of Fine Arts exhibit, "Monet in the 20th Century" today through December 27 for a glimpse of the artist's later creations. Water-lilies and landscapes abound in this collection of paintings and murals, as well as Impressionism. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., $10, $8 for seniors and students.

Is "come on Eileen" still running through your head after the 80s dance? Are you really meant to be a child of the 80s? Time warp back to your favorite childhood era by having an old-fashioned arcade experience at the Salem Willows Arcade. Play those noisy obsolete video games and win useless prizes. 173 Fort Avenue, Salem, (781) 745-0251; Bring quarters, lots of them.

TUESDAY 17 NOVEMBER

If you aren't already experiencing sensory overload from the hoards of Princess Di Barbie Dolls and made for TV movies soon to invade your tube with thrice-regurgitated versions of the Paris accident...no? ...really?...then you might be one of the millions planning to pay homage at "Dresses for Humanity: An Exhibition of the Dresses of Diana, Princess of Wales." The American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Mass is the lucky host of Di's famous garments which are projected to generate $100 million in donations for various chartities spanning the globe. The exhibit runs through Jan. 1st. Tickets are $10 for adults ($8 for members, students, and seniors, children under 12 admitted free.) 978-441-0400

WEDNESDAY 18 NOVEMBER

Tori groupies will abound in Lowell when the seductive daughter of a Baptist preacher takes the stage, Wednesday night at Tsongas Arena. Tori Amos's soulful crooning and pounding of the keyboard makes for a cathartic, emotionally wrenching experience worthy of the $27.50 ticket price. Call 931-2000 for more information.

Radcliffe College may be having an identity crisis, but The Bunting Institute is still providing top-notch academic discussions for the interested outsider. This week, historian Ann Blair presents a colloquium on "Coping with Information Overload: Encyclopedic Reference Works in Early Modern Europe." Followed by a Brown Bag Lunch discussion on Thursday. Wednesday 4 p.m., Thursday 12:30 to 2 p.m., The Bunting Institute, 34 Concord Ave., Cambridge, 495-8212, FREE.

He went through Georgia on a fast train, and now Billy Joe Shaver is storming into Somerville. This hero of the hillbilly music circuit is headlining with his son Eddy in an all-acoustic show supporting his new album Victory. It will be a fantastic show, whether you are a displaced Southerner or a Yankee searching for a taste of low culture. 8 p.m., Johnny D's Uptown, 17 Holland St., Davis Square, Somerville. 776-2004. $12 cover.

To whom it may concern: Under the auspices of the Morris Gray Lecture Fund, the Department of English and American Literature and Language, and the Woodberry Poetry Room, Geoffrey Hill will present a reading of his work today. 7 p.m., Thompson Parlor, room 110, Barker Center, 12 Quincy St., FREE.